Walks the Weirding Way

Description

You are a member of an esoteric order dedicated to the full mastery of your body and all of its abilities – from the subtleties of verbal manipulation to the devastating efficacy of your martial techniques. You are even able to control your biochemistry, giving you an unparalleled adaptive advantage and rendering you nigh-on impervious to most drugs and diseases.

Those who walk the Weirding Way tend to shy away from positions of open power, but are often found in the background, pulling strings and gently shaping events in their favour – though if it comes down to an open confrontation, they are able to defend themselves with aplomb, as many have found out to their cost.

For some reason, those with the ability to following the Weirding Way are usually female, though male examples are not unknown.

Details

Connection:

Choose one of the following:

1. Pick one other PC. You believe that they have the potential to learn from your Weirding Ways, though you need to be sure they have the requisite discipline.
2. Pick one other PC. This person appears to be particularly susceptible to your vocal manipulations; if you use them while this person is nearby, they are also sometimes affected (even if you did not intend to manipulate them).
3. Pick one other PC. Unbeknownst to them, this character exudes a numenera effect that plays havoc with your abilities. When this person is nearby, any task in which you deploy your powers is one step more difficult.
4. Pick one other PC. You once used your abilities either to directly control or subtly manipulate this character; in any case, they have become aware of your interference. It is up to that character’s player how they now react to you.

Minor Effect Suggestions:

You combine your attack with a well-placed vocal command – your target is dazed for one round, during which time all tasks it performs are modified by one step to its detriment.

Major Effect Suggestions:

Your target is particularly susceptible to your suggestions – your next interaction takes places at -1 difficulty in your favour, or (in combat) the target is stunned.

Tier 1:

The Body is a Weapon: you are trained in unarmed combat. You also know that combat is not the only way to achieve victory: you are trained in sexual techniques and seduction interactions. Enabler.

Emotional Intelligence: you are trained in persuasion, and in seeing through lies and other verbal deceptions. Enabler.

Tier 2:

Suggestive Voice (3 Intellect points): after a minute of observation or interaction, you can modulate your voice to appeal to or take advantage of any sentient creature. For the next hour (or a shorter period if you choose), you have an asset in any vocal interactions with an individual target. This ability can only be used on one target at a time, and does not apply to interactions with automatons or ultra-terrestrials. Action to initiate.

Tier 3:

Superlative Metabolism: you can control your body even at a biochemical level – you  are immune to most natural diseases, and are trained in attempts to recover from the effects of drugs, drinks, poisons, or other chemicals. Enabler.

Biochemical Manipulation (4 Speed points): you can finely manipulate your biochemistry. By creating the requisite biochemical signatures, you induce a +1 bonus to your Might or Speed edge, which lasts for ten minutes. You can have only one version of this ability active at a time. Action to initiate.

Tier 4:

Imperious Voice (4+ Intellect points): When interacting with a sentient creature of level 3 or below, you can activate this ability to give this creature a single command (e.g. ‘reveal all you know about the location of the bandit camp’ or ‘do not attempt to attack me or my companions’), which it will attempt to obey to the best of its ability for the next ten minutes. Creatures cannot be made to harm themselves using this power, and only one creature at a time can be made subject to your Imperious Voice. By applying a level of effort, you can increase the maximum level of creature that your ability can target (i.e. using three levels of effort would allow you to target a level 6 creature). Automatons and ultra-terrestrials are not affected by this ability. Action to initiate.

Tier 5:

Induce Pain (5 Intellect points): you have the ability to create feelings of intense pain in any creature that possesses a nervous system. While this does not cause any physical damage, the imagined pain is so overwhelming that the creature is stunned for two rounds, and all attacks made against it during this period gain +1 to their dice rolls. Action.

Tier 6:

Genetic Memory (6 Intellect points): when this ability is activated, you can access your ancestral memories – this allows you to amalgamate the various skills and capacities of your ancestors. For the next ten minutes, you gain + 1 Might and + 1 Speed edge, and are trained in any physical task (including combat skills) that you undertake. Action to initiate.

Never Defenceless: you are specialised in unarmed combat. Enabler.