Conduit (human only)
Some people speak to spirits. You live with them.
You are a mortal body, a living tether between the world of flesh and the whispering dark beyond. Your first companion was not chosen, it found you. Hungry to preserve its fading self, it poured its mind into yours. The weeks that followed were dizzying, dreams tangled with memories that were not your own, reflexes that belonged to another lifetime. When the haze cleared, you were changed: a person with skills you had never learned, instincts sharpened by another’s long-forgotten expertise.
Now you understand the truth: you are a vessel, and there is always room for more.
Ghosts, spirits, and stranger things, each offers what they can: a hunter’s aim, a surgeon’s steady hands, a thief’s cunning. Others bring gifts beyond the mortal grasp, a shiver of magic in your blood, a body that bends to your will, eyes that see the hidden paths.
But every gift has a voice, and every voice has a will.
You initially come into your talent involuntarily when a ghost wishing to retain its expertise dumps it on you before passing beyond. After you recover that expertise it is yours forever more. A door once opened though can open again and still further. If you can find a ghost spirit or other being you can invite them in. You can play host, there is an agreement you gain something of them and they might ask something of you that they could not do themself.
You have a limit to how many beings you can act as a conduit for, this is limited by your possession.
Conduits often form alliances with Spiritualists that can call ghosts for conduits to take in, Spiritualists often make agreements with ghosts in order to be introduced to conduits.
Acceptance
Not really known about, assumed to be a rare variant of spiritualism by most. To those in the know prise these talents.
System
Requirements
Merit: Conduit
Your first Expertise
You do not necessarily know who they were, they left you with their valued skills and maybe a few habits but their voice, their self continued onto the beyond. You know in life and afterlife they were compelled to excel in a particular field and in death they could not move on until that was handed down. Given to you!
All adjustments are a one off bonus allowing you to go over character caps. To improve further you improve from your current total.
Imbued expertise Physical
Fighter
Dexterity + 1
Fisticuffs +4
Dodge +2
Initiative +2
Hide & Sneak +1
Swordsman
Dexterity +1
Melee Swordplay +4
Dodge +2
Initiative +2
Fisticuffs +1
Archer
Dexterity +1
Archery +4
Initiative +2
Perception +2
Fisticuffs +1
Gunslinger
Dexterity +1
Firearms Small arms +4
Initiative +2
Dodge +2
Fisticuffs +1
Crack shot
Dexterity +1
Firearms Long arms +4
Firearms Small arms +2
Concentration +2
Perception +1
Athlete
Dexterity +1
Athletics +4
Dodge +2
Might +2
Initiative +1
Imbued expertise profession
Artist
Presence +1
Art +4
Fashion +2
Empathy +2
Etiquette +1
Craftsman
Wits or Strength +1
Craft (your choice) +4
Craft (Your choice) +2
Might +2
Haggling or Business +1
Actor
Presence +1
Act +4
Charm +2
Disguise +2
Dance +1
Musician
Presence +1
Musical instrument (your choice) +4
Art (composing) +2
General education +2
Perception +1
Imbued expertise Knowledge
Educated
You were left with a broad understanding and capability to learn from a well educated person.
Wits +1
General education or Science(your choice) +4
Science (your choice) +2
Research +2
History +1
Doctor
You were left with a drive to heal and save lives.
Wits +1
Medicine +4
Science: Biology +2
Science : Chemistry +2
Slight of hand +1
Military tactician
You know how to lead a army, maybe not the most useful at present but you never know.
Wits +1
Tactics +4
Charm +2
Business +2
Empathy +1
Secret keeper
You know some secrets some people in power really want kept hidden and you are leveraging it for your own benefit and protection.
High Society or History +4
Politics or Streetwise +2
General Education +1
You are free from the court system; should you get into significant trouble, then you are let off with a warning do this to often and you will loose access to this capacity. You also have a freedom from arrest and cannot be put into prison for debt. Police detectives will be told you are off limits. Society is aware you are protected and that your ire could bring them misfortune.
Hermetic Mage
One chosen Hermetic magic Study at 4
General Education +2
Research +1
Hosting
Many Conduits prefer to avoid the mental clutter than comes with hosting other spirits. Other conduits find the rewards worth the chaos..
A conduit can invite a spirit to use them as host...
Ghosts
The most common spirit to host. The dead are normally happy to find a host just to experience life. Stronger ghostly presences expect something in return, doing something for them or working towards them moving on. For a conduit that can help a Ghost move on they will leave the conduit with a lasting boon. Hosting a ghost will grant the conduit access to their expertise.
Invitation
The hardest part is finding the Ghost, unless you have remarkable luck the employment of a spiritualist is needed to investigate discover and call a ghost. You can invite any spirit in the vicinity to ride with you in your mortal flesh. They are not forced to ride but the majority of spirits will jump at the chance.
Hosting Ghosts
You decide how much Possession to grant the ghost from your remaining pool, the points are then spent of the spirits expertise in their skills. Ghosts typically grant 3 - 5 skills dependent on the ghost. The ghost will remain with the conduit while both find it agreeable. While not able to converse aspects of the ghost will effect the host.
You can host more than one Ghost at a time, though this may put off any of the parties involved and further complicate your life.
You can at any time grant a Ghost more possession, reducing Possession given to a ghost is possible but will likely have the Ghost leaving you.
For example: A conduit invites the Ghost of a murdered police detective after a friendly Spiritualist summons said Ghost and conducts a Séance you discuss playing host and it is agreed.
You Grant the Ghost 6 points of possession, the Ghost grants you
Criminology = 3
Tracking = 2
Melee Blunt =1
These skills are not additive you use your skill level or the Ghosts.
Had you granted the Ghost 14 Possession the ghost might grant
Criminology = 6
Tracking = 4
Melee Blunt = 4
The Ghost though expects you to find his murderer, or at least work on some cold cases and assist the law. You may find yourself chain smoking unexpectantly or singing under your breath as your ghost used to in life.
Crossing over
If you aid in a Ghost crossing over they will leave something of themself with you if you wish in thanks. In the example above if you were to find the Police detectives Murderer and bring them to Justice the Ghost would leave you with one of their skills permanently and that tendency to sing under your breath will linger.
Aetherite Spirits
Typically needs a Artificer to summon, or a more than averagely aware Aetherite inventor.
Abilities beyond, magic. Some have been lucky enough to open themselves up as host in the right place at the right time but it is rare.
Aetherite spirits are some thing weird and alien, they do not make demands on you they are just there pushing on your mind. They grant wonderful effects but the pressure of them can produce peculiarities in a persons mind. You do not negotiate with Aetherite spirits but you can get a sense of what they are offering and decide how that will effect you.
Aether spirits gifts
- Cost always a Flaw in Merits and Flaws of equal value to the possession, normally a Psychological flaw unless a physical flaw option is noted in gift description.
Aetheric Reflexes
Possession: 1-8
Each point of possession adds one to your initiative.
Physical flaw options: Post-Combat Shakes -3
Aetheric enhancement
Possession: 4
You can add +1 to any stat other than resolve. This can be taken many times but only once for each stat.
Physical flaw options: Always sickly -3,
Cling
Possession: 2
you can scale sheer surfaces, even upside down, as well as you can crawl.
Deflect
Possession: 2
You may use your Dexterity + Melee Weapon skill to parry a ranged attack at full value, no matter what the range.
Physical flaw options: none
Harden
Possession: 1-10
You gain an Armour Value equal to possession for every location. This AV is in addition to any other armour that you are wearing. This armour is not reduced by damage. This armour is not halved by fire arms.
Physical flaw options: Numb
Project
Possession: 4
With focus you can project your strikes across great distances and make a single fisticuff attack against any target within line of sight up to 30 yards. You make an appropriate Dexterity + Fisticuffs Skill attack, but uses Resolve in place of Strength for damage. This attack cannot be dodged blocked or parried, armour and cover applies normally.
Physical flaw options: Malodorous
Feign Death
Possession: 1
You can lower your heart rate and breathing to such a low level that a successful Medicine roll is needed to tell whether you are dead or not, the roll takes an 8 black dice penalty. It takes 1 minute to get yourself in this state.
Healing
Possession: 4
It is a well kept secret as most consider it more unnatural than other abilities. This gift allows at the end of a scene/ combat you will heal up over time to the state you were in at the beginning of that scene. The significance of the injury depends on the time required but anything can be recovered up to but not including death. Bleeds stop instantly, one health damage recovers a minute, limbs will regrow in a hour of rest but not clothes or armour.
Physical flaw options: Burned
Other Spirit gifts
There are other spirits, rumoured to still walk the land. There are rumours but no one is quite sure how to find them or maybe they find you. It is thought they only give part of them self to you for a time as no conduit could hold all of one of these spirits.