Abyssal Resonance
From Edge of Darkness Wiki
 Banishers p. 39 | |
| Level(s) |
● (2XP) ●● (6XP) ●●● (12XP) ●●●● (20XP) ●●●●● (30XP) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Mage |
| Possessed By | |
All Sleepers have a shard of the Abyss within them, but characters with this Merit resonate strongly with the Abyss. The character has little or no control over this Merit, but any mage around her certainly feels its effects. Dots in this Merit allow access to various effects based on the Abyss’s growing intrusion into the character’s soul. This Merit is progressive, that is, a character can and does find that her Resonance with the Abyss increases the more contact she has with Awakened magic. In game terms, each level of the Merit is a prerequisite for the next. A character can’t have Skin of the Abyss without first purchasing Eyes of the Abyss.
Contents |
Eyes of the Abyss (•)
The character can automatically sense Paradoxes and even potential Paradoxes. Whenever a mage casts a vulgar spell within 100 feet of the character, she senses it. No roll is required. The character might perceive this information as a scent of saltwater and smoke, or a cold shudder down her spine or the sounds of wailing and screaming as if from a great distance. If the player makes a reflexive Wits + Composure roll, the character can pinpoint a direction. If she is in the presence of the mage who cast the spell, this roll allows the character to identify him.
Skin of the Abyss (••)
The Abyss protects the character from attempts to identify or analyze him. Any Unveiling or Knowing spell cast directly on the character is considered vulgar in aspect, as is any other spell designed to gain information about or otherwise analyze the character (including Scrying).
Beacon of the Abyss (•••)
Merely being in the presence of this character invites Paradox. All mages within a 50-foot radius of the character increase their Paradox pools whenever any mage casts a vulgar spell. For example, if one member of the cabal casts a vulgar spell (Paradox base dice pool of one), the next mage to do so, no matter who it is, has a Paradox base dice pool of two. If the character with this Merit is a mage, she is not immune to the effect, and neither are any allied mages in the area. The Abyss does not discriminate.
Claws of the Abyss (••••)
Containing a Paradox within one’s own body is often a wise decision ó better a few points of bashing damage than an hour’s worth of insanity or the chaos of an Anomaly. A character with this Merit, though, can worsen the damage thus inflicted. This requires the character to grapple the mage[1] and the player to spend a Willpower point. The mage’s player rolls Resolve + Stamina + Gnosis – (the number of vulgar spells the mage has cast during that scene, regardless of whether a Paradox occurred). If this roll fails, any damage from containing a Paradox upgrades to the next category (bashing becomes lethal, lethal becomes aggravated). The damage remains resistant.
Abyssal Warden (•••••)
The character unconsciously understands and can manipulate the gateways between the Fallen World and the Abyss. Whenever a mage suffers a Paradox within view of the character with this Merit (that is, the character doesn’t absorb the Paradox within his own body), the character can try to force a Manifestation. The player rolls Resolve + Presence + Gnosis in a contested action against the mage’s Resolve + Stamina + Gnosis (resistance is reflexive). If the mage fails to equal or exceed the character’s successes, the Paradox becomes a Manifestation, no matter what type was indicated by the Paradox roll. Using this power requires the expenditure of a Willpower point.
Drawback
So much exposure to the Abyss is dangerous for the character’s sanity. Every time the character increases the rating of this Merit, she must check for a new derangement as if she had just failed a degeneration roll (dice pool is Morality or Wisdom). Also, mages with this Merit always have nimbuses that relate to or call to mind the Abyss ó shadows darken, objects grow cold to the touch, etc.
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