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The Magic of Words

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shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#1: Feb 23rd 2011 at 9:08:53 PM

So, I'm playing in a Changeling The Lost game as a Wizened Author who writes horror novels, and I'm writing up a contract that involves gaining powers from writing. I currently have four powers, but I need a fifth. Any suggestions would be helpful even if you don't know the system.

  • Page Turner - The character writes something so engrosing that the reader can't put it down until they're done.
  • Card Catalogue - Find anything in a library. Text search on dead trees basically.
  • Fool’s Gold - Lets you write a word on an item and have it look like that word.
  • The Pen Is Mightier - Lets you parry attacks with your writing skill.

It's the final fifth dot that's stumping me.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#2: Feb 23rd 2011 at 9:27:33 PM

Well, I have a few that might not work, due to being overpowered.

Rewriting reality: allows you, thrice per chapter, to change one thing the G.M. said, in a limited fashion

For example, " The fair folk enter the room!" could be changed to " The fair folke will enter the room in 5 rounds!

Or Exsact Words.

This is used to have the G.M. automatically tell you any loopholes in any contract you are given..

shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#4: Feb 23rd 2011 at 9:43:11 PM

The contract deals with written words, not spoken.

The loophole one would be too weak because most contracts are spoken. The Retcon one doesn't really work because it couldn't effect anything the ST says.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
RalphCrown Short Hair from Next Door to Nowhere Since: Oct, 2010
Short Hair
#5: Feb 24th 2011 at 11:26:45 AM

The World's a Stage: You can turn a fictional character into a person for a limited time. S/he may take the place of a designated person (including you), may use that person's abilities if s/he would reasonably be familiar with them, and may not use his/her own abilities if they are illegal in game terms (GM's discretion). You must be holding a copy of a work featuring the character; the character will speak the language s/he speaks in that work, even if it is a translation. You may converse with the character, but his/her knowledge will relate to a fictional world, not the "real" world.

A Thousand Paper Cuts: You have a paper attack. You may summon any nearby source of paper, such as a copier bin, or carry a ream with you. The paper flies toward the target, one sheet at a time, and cuts him/her. Some targets, such as those wearing armor or having defensive abilities, are immune. Typically this attack is a deterrent or distraction, since it does little real damage. If the target is trapped or unconscious, however, the damage will continue and eventually become fatal.

Librarynth: A target of your choice becomes disoriented by the stacks in a library or book store. S/he will wander through the shelves, unable to find an exit, until s/he passes an Intelligence check.

Under World. It rocks!
Theram A travelling scholar Since: Jan, 2011
A travelling scholar
#6: Feb 24th 2011 at 9:53:12 PM

Book Of a Thousand lives. This is an item that your character can craft over time. It will, once completed, describe the history of any person you talk to AND obtain a blood sample of. It will also react to scenes of violence through a mental whisper, and will give general hints regading the nature of the incident. Last but not least, it will give you insight into your own past and that of your bloodline up to 6 generations back, as well as seek out potential relatives in the area.

AtomJames I need a drink Since: Apr, 2010
I need a drink
#7: Feb 25th 2011 at 5:11:25 AM

1001 Nights: Essentially condemns the victim into a fantasy world of the Changeling's creation for, well 1001 Nights.

Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.
Usht Lv. 3 Genasi Wizard from an arbitrary view point. Since: Feb, 2011
Lv. 3 Genasi Wizard
#8: Feb 25th 2011 at 5:14:07 AM

Eraser, the ability to undo those writings.

Or Signature, the ability to control whatever you manage to imprint your signature on. Or something along those lines.

The thing about making witty signature lines is that it first needs to actually be witty.
RalphCrown Short Hair from Next Door to Nowhere Since: Oct, 2010
Short Hair
#9: Feb 25th 2011 at 7:14:40 AM

Tragic, Tragic: Select a work of literature and a target. The target will begin to look for parallels between the work and his/her own situation. For instance, if the work is Moby Dick and the target is looking for someone, s/he will feel obsession and foreboding. This ability does not change actual events in any way, it only changes the target's state of mind. Poetic justice is optional.

He Ain't Heavy: You may write a story that heals a neurosis. The story must echo themes of the target's traumatic experience and resolve them in a believable way. The player must provide a summary of the story, and the Storyteller rules on whether it works. [It may or may not be possible for this ability to work on the user. Ask your GM.]

See What I Mean?: Target reads from a written work. The spoken words become solid objects that can immobilize or confuse the audience. The effect ends when the target finishes the work, the target stops reading for any reason (including darkness), or the audience makes a contested Willpower roll vs. the target. Target receives a bonus for works that reinforce his/her own beliefs, a penalty for works that undermine them, while the audience receives opposite modifiers.

edited 25th Feb '11 8:47:19 AM by RalphCrown

Under World. It rocks!
JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#10: Feb 25th 2011 at 9:23:27 AM

For something tongue-in-cheek yet effective...

Wall Of Text: An invisible, impenetrable wall is created around a selected character for the equivalent time that it would take that character to recite a given text thrown at them. Perhaps the only suitable explanation for carrying even one copy of Atlas Shrugged, let alone three or four. Also recommended for these purposes: Exodus, Finnegan's Wake, House Of Leaves, any sufficiently large dictionary.

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
RalphCrown Short Hair from Next Door to Nowhere Since: Oct, 2010
Short Hair
#11: Mar 1st 2011 at 7:16:50 AM

This Can Work: You can perform one action that is illegal/impossible in game terms. You must a) mention the action at least twice before attempting it; b) convince the Storyteller that it is integral to the plot; c) explicitly state that the action is impossible just before attempting it; and d) somewhere, somehow incorporate the hanging of a lampshade into the action.

Under World. It rocks!
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