Second Glance Wrongness

Second Glance Wrongness (••)

 * Requires Scent Falsehood
 * Action: Reflexive and contested
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Composure vs. Clash of Wills pool
 * Cost: none
 * Duration: 1 turn

Sometimes magic gets you good. The Nobility are all too aware of that. Sometimes your mind can be wrapped in irrational fear by the Darkspawn hanging from the ceiling, pale-faced, sometimes the warrior of Storms can drive you into a frenzy, some things can pass by invisible. Nobles learn, though, to listen to the subtle wrongness that they get when their senses are being messed with, and it’s possible to stoke the radiance within, to burn away the clouds that fog the mind. Whenever the Noble’s mind is influenced or controlled by a supernatural power, and her actions are limited by it, the Charm activates.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble is so utterly fooled by the deceit that her mind is rendered susceptible to follow-up blows. The Charm will not activate until the next time the sun has risen.
 * Failure: The Noble acts within the limits of the power that influences her.
 * Success: A distorted perception wavers for a moment, showing what it conceals; an imposed emotion falters, revealing the Noble’s true feelings; a compulsion falls slack, and is disclosed as instilled by another. The effect reasserts itself before the Noble’s next action, but she may spend 1 Willpower point to bypass it for that action - penalties don’t apply, compulsions don’t restrict her.
 * Exceptional Success: The power holding the Noble’s mind slips. During her next turn, she ignores its effects on her, without spending Willpower.

Upgrade: Meditative (Legno •••)
The Noble can sink her thoughts into tranquility, allowing the foreign influence on them to wash over her without guiding her behavior. On a successful use of the Charm, the Noble may reflexively roll Composure + Legno to bypass the effect on her; if she succeeds on that roll, she is free to act. She may continue rolling to stay free on subsequent turns until she fails. However, she cannot spend Willpower for any reason on any turn where she bypasses the effect.

Upgrade: Hungry (Lacrima ••••)
The Darkness around Alhambra is hungry, eroding substance despite the best efforts of the True Kingdom to tame it. The Hopeful of that city learn to do the same to effects that would control them. Each successful use of the Charm inflicts a cumulative -1 penalty to the opposing dice pool, making it easier to bypass the effect later. If the Noble gets an exceptional success or the opposing dice pool gets a dramatic failure, the effect is broken for good.

Upgrade: Furious (Tempesta •••)
The Noble can break free of mental slavery through sheer force of hatred. If she spends Willpower to bypass the effect, the Noble can keep herself free of it by going berserk - each turn she spends either engaged in violence or running toward a target of violence extends her freedom by another turn. If she takes a non-violent action, the bypassed effect resumes on her next action.