Goblin Contracts [3]

[ 3 ] The Blessing Of Forgetfulness ( Rites Of Spring -- Page 115 )

The character can cause the target to forget any single event that lasted no longer than three hours. In return, the character automatically suffers a dramatic failure when attempting to tell one lie that she sincerely hopes that the person she is telling it to will believe.

Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd - Composure

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling is attempting to cause the target to forget about an event in which the changeling betrayed the target.

Dramatic Failure: The Contract fails, but the character pays the price and suffers a dramatic failure when telling an important lie.

Failure: The Contract fails, and the character does not have to pay the price.

Success: The character causes the target to forget a single incident, such as a conversation, gunfight or some other event that lasted no more than three hours. All of events the target forgets must be from a single continuous time-period. If a single conversation about a topic took place in several parts, over the course of several days, the changeling could only cause the target to forget one of the various parts of this conversation. Instead of remembering the deleted events, the target constructs a series of memories consisting of the events that occurred immediately before and after the deleted memories and events that the target would have likely done during the time in question. Memories affected by this Contract are gone forever, and no amount of reminding the target about them will cause the target to remember them. However, if shown evidence that these events actually occurred, the target can convince himself that he, for some reason, forgot the event. Upon learning what actually occurred, most targets unconsciously construct memories that resemble the stories about the events that he has been told. However, these are constructed memories that the target may believe, but which contain no actual memories. The payment for the Contract's success is called at a time not of the character's choosing. Until the character has dramatically failed at an important lie, he cannot use this Contract again.

Exceptional Success: The character can cause the target to forget the incident and any conversations or other events that caused the target to think or talk about this incident.

Suggested Modifiers: The character is attempting to cause the target to forget events that were of deep personal importance to the target (-1); Forgetting the events in question will make the target happier (+1).


[ 3 ] Burden Of Life ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 166 )

As long as the changeling does so swiftly, he can heal someone from an injury or catastrophic event such as a heart attack. However, the healing causes the changeling to take on the burden of that person's life. For the next full day, all damage that would harm that person applies to the changeling instead. The changeling cannot heal herself with this Contract.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Empathy + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The target was injured during the act of saving the character from harm.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit.

Failure: The changeling neither heals the target nor takes on the burden.

Success: For every success rolled, the target heals two points of damage. This Contract heals aggravated damage first, and if all of that is healed, the Contract heals lethal and then bashing damage. If the subject had taken at least four levels of lethal damage, and is healed of at least four levels of lethal or aggravated, the life burden is activated. For the next full day, all damage that the target would suffer instead affects the changeling. No armor, Contracts or other protections can prevent this damage from affecting the changeling. During this time, the target is immune to all damage save that delivered by cold iron. Self-destructive targets can swiftly kill or seriously injure the changeling. A changeling can use this Contract as often as desired, but for a day after using it, he cannot have this Contract used upon him -- all such attempts automatically fail. A single target cannot benefit from this Contract more than once a day. To use this Contract, the changeling must touch the target within a number of turns of the injury or event equal to the changeling's Wyrd.

Exceptional Success: Regardless of severity, the target's injuries are completely healed.

Suggested Modifiers: The target literally saved the changeling's life, sustaining the injury (+2); The changeling injured the target (+1); The changeling is only slightly acquainted with the target (-1); The changeling has never encountered the target before (-3).


[ 3 ] Delayed Harm ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 167 )

The character can avoid any single lethal or aggravated attack she can see coming. However, the next lethal or aggravated attack upon the character is worse than it normally would be. This Contract may be used after the attack is actually rolled.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Dexterity + Wyrd

Action: Reflexive

Catch: The character is attacked while unarmed or otherwise not immediately able to defend herself.

Dramatic Failure: The attack affects the changeling normally, but all successes on this attack roll are also added to the next attack doing lethal or aggravated damage that strikes the character.

Failure: The Contract fails to work, and the character need pay no price.

Success: Each success subtracts one point of damage. If sufficient successes are rolled, the changeling is unharmed. Each subtracted point of damage is then added to the next lethal or aggravated attack that injures the character. If the attack "blocked" was aggravated and the next attack suffered is lethal, the character takes two additional points of lethal damage. This Contract functions only on attacks doing lethal or aggravated damage, and cannot be used to block damage incurred from using this Contract.

Exceptional Success: The attack fails to strike the character but is rolled anyway to determine the number of successes to be added to the next attack.

Suggested Modifiers: The attack being blocked would incapacitate or kill the character (+2); The character is already injured (+1); The character is wearing armor (-1).


[ 3 ] Grace Falsely Shed ( Night Horrors: Grim Fears -- Page 88 )

When a changeling's very surroundings betray her inner power, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice that power, at least temporarily, to manipulate another. This power allows a Lost to do just that, allowing her to appear as a rank fledgling, at the cost of being reduced to a fledgling's powerlessness.

Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: A changeling can forgo the cost of invoking this Contract by ramming a thorn taken from the Hedge through her own hand. The thorn must pass fully through the hand; in doing so, it inflicts 1 Health Level of lethal damage. The thorn cannot be removed from the hand for the period of the Contract's effect, and the damage cannot be healed during that time. While the thorn remains, a character may suffer penalties (-1 to -2) to Social rolls and almost certainly will suffer a -2 to all rolls involving manual dexterity with the wounded hand.

Dramatic Failure: The character's Wyrd lashes out at her attempt to suppress it. Energy burns upwards out of her soul, lashing her flesh in green and silver tendrils that remind onlookers of the Thorns. The character suffers one point of bashing damage per dot of Wyrd the character possesses.

Failure: The Contract fails, and there are no visible effects.

Success: The character hides away a portion of her power. Her effective Mantle fades to 1 and her effective Wyrd falls to 3 (this power has no effect on changelings with Mantle 1 and Wyrd 3 or less). The character loses all bonuses based on Mantle save those she would have at Mantle 1. She loses all powers she might have as a result of high Wyrd (such as Incite Bedlam, high Wyrd-based blessings (see The Equinox Road), and Merits with a Wyrd prerequisite higher than 3), and may spend no more than 3 Glamour per turn. She loses any physical sign of any Entitlement she may have, as well as any bonuses gained from that Entitlement. She loses access to any Attributes or Skills higher than 5. She retains her current Glamour pool, her pledges (and the effects thereof), and any Frailties she might have as a result of a high Wyrd rating. She affects the Hedge as a Changeling of Wyrd 3. At the end of the scene, the Contract's effect ends, and the character regains all of her lost powers.

Exceptional Success: As per a Success, but the character maintains any Attributes or Skills higher than 5.

Suggested Modifiers: Character is within sight of other changelings when activating the power (+3); Character is in the Hedge when activating the Contract (+1); Character is not in the Hedge when activating the Contract (-1); Each dot of Wyrd above 3 the user possesses (-1); Character is within sight of other changelings when activating the power (-3).


[ 3 ] Goblin Midwife ( Goblin Markets -- Page 25 )

The stories of infertile couples seeking out the supernatural in order to have children have their basis in fact. This Contract allows the changeling to act as that go-between, blessing the subject with a temporary increase in fertility. The drawback is twofold, however. First, the child or children conceived with the aid of this Contract will bear some sort of faerie curse. Second, the character using the Contract suffers a mild backlash of twisted love; a former or current paramour develops a strong antipathy for the character. If the character using the Contract has no lovers past or present who are not already bitter and resentful towards him, then the curse will fall on the next object of his affections. He cannot use this Contract again until the curse has been expiated.

Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Wyrd + Empathy

Action: Instant

Catch: The target of the Contract has broken the changeling's heart.

Dramatic Failure: Something goes terribly wrong. The target may sire or bear a true monster, or suffer a terrible curse that takes effect upon seeing or holding a child.

Failure: The Contract has no effect, though its curse on the user is still levied. It cannot be used again until the curse has been expiated.

Success: The target and the first sexual partner the target takes after receiving this blessing are both made temporarily fertile; even a vasectomy or tubal ligation will temporarily undo itself. For the next night and a day, the target may conceive or bear a child at greatly increased odds. Pregnancy is not guaranteed, but only extreme circumstances or outright supernatural interference will prevent sexual intercourse from resulting in conception. As described above, any resulting child is born with some form of minor fae curse, and a curse of antipathy falls on the changeling using the Contract.

Exceptional Success: The child conceived by use of this Contract is born with some minor fae boon as well as the curse. This manifests as a Merit of up to three dots; the Storyteller may choose the Merit that will eventually take hold, or allow the character to choose the blessing's form.


[ 1 ] Hospitality's Hold ( Glimpses Of The Unknown -- Page 28 )

The tradition of Hospitality is one that is longstanding among the Lost. Bartenders, hoteliers, innkeepers, restaurateurs, nightclub owners and sometimes even private individuals may mark a particular location as subject to the rules of Hospitality, and all who come there know that they have been promised sanctuary, at least for a limited period of time.

This social convention is one of the sole reasons why the wary Lost are willing to gather together in more than small and splintered groups -- it encourages even the most cautious Changeling to be willing to meet face-to-face with others, knowing that centuries of tradition protect her.

In most cases, Hospitality is enforced solely as a social agreement. A place marked as under Hospitality and any who violate it are looked down upon, shunned, or refused Hospitality in the future. However, this relies on social intercourse to be effective. Word of mouth can be an unreliable means of spreading news about such social indiscretions (especially if the violation was done in a stealthy manner, or caused so much damage that no one lived to tell the tale.) As well, a Changeling who violates Hospitality in one area, then travels to another, may find that he has traveled faster than his reputation and thus out-stepped the consequences of his actions.

In order to thwart these weaknesses in the social constraint, some Lost take their commitment to Hospitality a step further. By enacting a Goblin Contract to aid in the enforcement, they make certain that violators (especially those who make a habit out of breaking this tradition) can be easily identified.

This Contract can only be activated in an area which is clearly marked as a place of Hospitality. Only one instance of Hospitality's Hold may be active in any particular area at a time.

Cost: 1 Glamour per level of Enforcement

Dice Pool: Willpower + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling owns or is the primary resident of the building which the Contract affects. (Note: if the Catch is used, the changeling spends no Glamour to activate the Contract, but must still choose an enforcement level as this will determine the duration of the Violation Marks as well as the changeling's weakness during the duration of the Contract.)

Dramatic Failure: The changeling host expends the Glamour, but the Contract does not take effect. In fact, it backfires on its originator, and she is wrongly marked by the Wyrd as a violator of Hospitality. The marks look and endure just as if the Contract had been successful and the changeling had violated Hospitality under her own Enforcement.

Failure: There is no effect, although the Glamour is still expended. The changeling host can tell the Contract has not been successfully activated, and may attempt to activate it again after 10 minutes' time has passed.

Success: The tradition of Hospitality is bolstered by the changeling host's intention to enforce it. The host determines what level of Enforcement she wants the area to be under, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5, and spends that may points of Glamour while traveling around the perimeter of the area affected. Until the next dusk or dawn (whichever comes first) or until the host leaves the area of Hospitality, anyone who violates the traditions of Hospitality in that area is marked by the Wyrd for their crime. The area may be as large as an entire building, or as small as a single room.

For the duration of the Contract, the host is at a penalty equal to the level of Enforcement on any action not directly related to maintaining or enforcing the traditions of Hospitality, and at a bonus equal to the level of Enforcement for any actions that are directly related to protecting that Hospitality. This is a supernatural modifier and relates to any challenge, including the use of Contracts. The penalty does not apply in any actions taken against those currently bearing Violation Marks.

Breaking Hospitality does not break the Contract. A host protecting other visitors against someone who has already violated Hospitality does not mark the host.

Exceptional Success: As per Success; however, the contract does not enforce a penalty on the host's non-Hospitality related actions as described above. The bonus remains in effect for actions directly pertaining to enforcing the Hospitality.

Violation Marks: If a Changeling violates Hospitality in an area where Hospitality's Hold is active, his Mien is marked in such a way that any Wyrd-associated creature (Lost, hedge beast, hob, Fetch or Other) is made aware of the violation.

The Marks vary, depending on the nature of the host whose Hospitality was violated and the Mien of the violator. For example, a Lightning-quick host's Contract may leave a rippled scar in the shape of a bolt on those who violate his Hospitality, or a wolfish Hunter heart's might leave a series of Wyrd-bestowed claW marks. On a Flowering, the Marks may look like smudges of soot on his rose petals, or a tangle of ephemeral fog around the ankles of a Darkling. The Violation Marks cause no mechanical effect; they do not bestow physical damage or hamper the Hospitality-breaker's abilities directly in any way. They are, however, a clear sign of their bearer's violation for the entirety of their duration. They cannot be masked by any mundane or supernatural means, and although their bearer may explain them in any way he likes, any Wyrd-associated viewer will know instantly what their meaning is.

Violation Marks last for a number of months equal to the Enforcement level the host chose when activating Hospitality's Hold. A changeling may bear any number of Violation Marks at a given time, although only one is bestowed for violating any given instance of Hospitality's Hold.


[ 3 ] Mirror, Mirror ( Swords At Dawn -- Page 53 )

Sometimes a changeling must know what an enemy is up to. This Contract allows the changeling to watch an adversary's actions through a mirror for a short period. Unfortunately for the character, the next time the adversary peers into a mirror, she will be able to see the changeling.

Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Resolve + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling must break the mirror (by cracking its surface) before using this power. Given the tumultuous relationship between the Lost and fate, surprisingly few changelings are willing to risk such a catch.

Dramatic Failure: The power seems to fail, but the next time the subject attempts to look through a mirror, he sees the changeling and may observe her for a number of minutes equal to the changeling's Wyrd.

Failure: Nothing happens.

Success: The mirror's surface seems to fog over for a moment; when the fog clears, the changeling can see (and only see) the subject of the Contract. The perspective is always from a corner of the room (usually an upper corner, where two walls adjoin a ceiling) the subject is in. If the subject is outside, the image usually hangs above him and to one side by two to three feet. Either way, the image moves with the subject but is otherwise set on the subject. The changeling has no control over it. The image remains in the mirror, even if the mirror is set aside or left alone by the changeling, for a number of hours equal to the changeling's successes on the activation roll. While the subject has no way of knowing she is being watched, any mirror she looks into reflects not her own visage but that of the changeling -- including whatever she's doing at that time. Note that for the purpose of this Contract, a mirror must have been expressly constructed for the purpose of being a mirror. No other reflective surfaces, including items that were designed to be reflective for aesthetic purposes (such as certain pieces of art, car windows or sunglasses), count.

Exceptional Success: As per success, save that the length of the effect becomes the number of successes the changeling rolled multiplied by her Wyrd in hours and can be ended at will.

Suggested Modifiers: Changeling has some personal effect of the subject (hair, fingernail clipping, underwear, etc.); if the character has such an item, the below penalty does not apply (+3); Familiarity with the subject, ranging from intimate friend or lover (-1) to casual acquaintance (-3) to someone seen once or twice from a distance (-5); Subject is a complete stranger, but the character has some image of her available for reference. If the character doesn't know what the subject looks like, she can't attempt to use this Contract (-10).


[ 3 ] Nothing Hidden ( Dancers In The Dusk -- Page 66 )

The Wyrd is power, and the Wyrd is perception. Those who are willing to take the proper shortcuts find themselves able to discern things normally beyond their ken... for the usual price, of course.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Occult + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling has burned the feather of an owl, eagle or other keen sighted bird within the last four hours, and smudged the ashes on his eyelids.

Dramatic Failure: The Contract does not take effect, and the changeling is struck blind for an hour or a scene, whichever is longer.

Failure: The Contract does not take effect, and the changeling is blinded for a number of turns equal to his dice pool for activating this Contract.

Success: The changeling's perceptions of the supernatural are enhanced, and his ability to notice and identify hidden supernatural beings, items or effects (fae or otherwise) is improved. For the remainder of the scene, if the Lost can perceive the presence of the supernatural (through either a naturally high Clarity rating, a supernaturally enhanced Clarity or the successful activation of Wyrd's Eye), this clause allows them to extend that perception to the concealed supernatural world as well. After successfully activating Nothing Hidden, a player may ask the Storyteller to make a secret reflexive Wits + Investigation roll to detect the presence of concealed supernatural entities, objects or effects (including active Contracts, but not those which are being cast) within a 10 foot radius of him. Should there be any such, he may notice one per success made on the roll, and go on to have the Storyteller make an Intelligence + Occult roll for him to attempt to identify each of the specific Contract, creature or objects. There is no Glamour cost for making either of these rolls once the Contract has been successfully activated, and the second roll counts as an extension of the first, rather than its own action. Thus a changeling who achieved 3 successes on his Wits + Investigation roll as a reflexive action and detected all three of the concealed supernatural creatures standing beside him could then have the Storyteller roll to identify them. If he achieved three successes on the second roll, he might be able to tell that two of the beings were Lost (an Ogre and a Darkling) and that one appeared to be a huge wolfish creature that didn't appear to be a Briarwolf or Beast. The Storyteller is encouraged to use his discretion in both the detection and identification of concealed items, individuals and effects. While it should only take a single success to notice "normally" concealed targets, supernatural targets with exceptionally high concealment abilities might, at the Storyteller's discretion, require more than a single success to locate. Likewise, very obscure creature, object or effect types (one of a kind fae items, creatures, or very rare Wyrd-focused spells, powers or emanations) might require more than a single success to identify clearly. Similarly, this power does not automatically give Lost in depth information about non-fae items or supernatural character types, other than their general appearance, demeanor or resonance, and that they are of a non-fae supernatural type. Thus the lupine creature above would not be identified as a werewolf, although it would be clear it was not one of the wolven creatures the Lost was familiar with. A magic knife might resonate with death energy, but this Contract would not reveal that it's specifically designed for staking vampires. If the changeling does not possess the sufficient Clarity (normal or enhanced) to perceive the presence of the supernatural (and if he is not currently under the affect of Wyrd's Eye), after successfully activating this clause, he may have the Storyteller make a secret reflexive Wits + Investigation roll to detect the supernatural, and (only if he is successful) another roll as part of the same action (but at a -2 penalty) to either identify the non-concealed targets or to attempt to detect concealed supernatural beings, objects or effects. Identifying the concealed targets (if he detected them) could be done as a part of the same reflexive action, but at a -4 dice penalty. After the Contract has ended, the changeling's eyesight is strained by seeking the minute details of the Wyrd that reveal the presence of concealed supernaturals, and all Perception checks made for the next scene are made at a -4 dice penalty.

Exceptional Success: As with a success, but the changeling receives a +4 bonus to his Wits + Investigation rolls to detect the concealed for the remainder of the scene.