Communion

Seeming Contract

Winter Masques p.52
Elemental
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Instead of commanding or becoming an element, changelings who choose to pursue Contracts of Communion learn to communicate with the element and can eventually relate to their chosen element on a deeply personal level. As with Contracts of Elements, Contracts of Communion are purchased separately, each Contract attuning itself to one particular element. For example, a character assigning all his beginning five dots in Contracts could purchase Communion •• (Water) and Communion ••• (Ice), or Communion • (Fire), Communion •• (Earth) and Communion •• (Metal). Similarly, learning new versions of already known clauses is half the cost (round down) of learning a new Contract.

Contract Levels

• Sense Element

The changeling first learns to precisely sense her chosen element. The results of this differ from one element to the next, but in all cases, she can sense the precise location and form of the element.

• Cost: 1 Glamour
• Dice Pool: Wits + Wyrd

Suggested Modifiers

–2 The character's senses are restrained/overwhelmed by things such as blindfolds, flashing light, loud noises, or other dirstractions.

+1 The character speaks to the element and asks questions at the volume of normal conversation.

• Action: Instant
• Catch: The Changeling sits and meditates for a minimum of 10 minutes with a successful meditation roll.

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: The Lost's perception is confused, causing a -2 penalty to all Wits based perception rolls until the scene ends.
• Failure:The character does not perceive the element.
• Success: The Lost can precisely locate all instances of the element within Wyrd x 10 yards. The character knows where all instances are and their preccise shape. For example, sensing metal lets a character sense knives, nails, guns, and other metal objects are in the area as well as if a gun is loaded or has the safety on. When used in conjuction with a talent (sense metal whilst lock picking) each success provides +1 bonus to all appropriate rolls to work with the element. When sensing fluid or intangible elements (water, air, shadow) the Changeling also learns the location and general shape of anything surrounded by these elements. Sense Element (Air) lets a Changeling perceive every person and object within range whilst Sense Element (Water) does the same for things that are underwater. This does not unveil entities veiled by supernatural powers. Supernatural powers cause interference. The Changeling must still make perception rolls where appropriate as a character hiding from the Changeling gets the benefit of stealth, as remaining close to cover can deceive the clause.
• Exceptional Success: Range increases to Wyrd x 25 yards.

•• Primordial Voice

The character can talk to the element and ask it about past events that it may have sensed. The character can only learn about fairly recent information, but otherwise the element tells the character what she wishes to know. However, the character can only ask the element about events that occurred near where she is asking the question.

• Cost: 1 Glamour
• Dice Pool: Socialize Skill + Wyrd

Suggested Modifiers

–1 The character is abrupt and hurried when asking questions.

+1 The character chats with the element before activating the Contract and is polite and friendly.

• Action: Instant
• Catch: The Changeling makes a minor offering to the element: polishing metal before speaking to it, sweeping flagstone, singing to air, adjust lights to increase shadow, etc. This takes the effort and a few minutes.

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: The Lost gets false or deceptive information from the element.
• Failure:The character learns nothing.
• Success: The Lost can ask the element about anything that occurred in the last day. Each additional success allows them to ask about events that occurred a day before on a 1:1 basis. For five minutes the Lost can talk to every example of the element within Wyrd x 3 yards. Information available is dependent upon the element. Light provides images of the past, air gives sound, whilst solid objects provide details of how and when they were used (including fingerprints). Elements can answer general questions like did someone touch or walk by them and how many in the last 12 hours. Details are often inexact as the elements can have difficulty interpreting some things. Air in an office may know a "visitor" from a "worker" but not man from woman.
• Exceptional Success: In addition to answers questions for up to 5 day sin the past the element is helpful and "talkative." It may offer useful information without being asked or give extra details that can be useful to the Lost without being prompted.

••• Distant Connection

The changeling can share the senses and experiences of distant examples of her element. In addition, with additional effort, she can ask these distant examples of the element to perform actions for her.

• Cost: 2 Glamour and (optional) 1 Willpower
• Dice Pool: Persuasion Skill + Wyrd
• Action: Instant
• Catch: The character wishes to share the senses or ask a favor of an example of the element she is extremely familiar with, such as wood or air in her home or the metal of her car.

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: The changeling temporarily loses connection with her element, suffering a -2 penalty to all Contracts of Communion and Elements for the next scene.
• Failure: Communicating with the element fails.
• Success: The Changeling shares the senses and experiences of manifestations of her chosen element beyond the range of her senses. For common elements like air, earth, or water on a lake/ocean, they can sense the element and all major disturbances in at at a range of Wyrd x 30 yards. For less ubiquitous elements like fire, electricity, or metal the range is Wyrd x 300 yards. For example, a character sensing fire could locate every lit match, candle, campfire, or cigarette within range. A character sensing air could sense large, rapidly mobile objects like cars or trucks. In addition to sensing the element, the character can focus attention on a specific manifestation. If this is done the character can extend there senses at the specific manifestation to see the immediate area around it. The character can see and hear everything within a radius of Wyrd yards, centered on the manifestation. If a point of Willpower is spent the character can make a second Wyrd + Persuasion roll to convince a specific manifestation to briefly increase in power and follow the character's command. A lit cigarette bursts into flame, a light bulb explodes, a faucet surges and the water sprays a target, etc. No elemental manifestation can be stronger than the element could theoretically do on its own. A cigarette will not burst into a campfire and no bursts of power last more then a turn. This second affect can be done as often as desired but always costs 1 Willpower.
• Exceptional Success: The character can affect a manifestation of the element they're looking through for an entire scene by spending one point of Willpower and can affect any manifestation of the element she is perceiving. Exceptional successes on the initial roll or the roll to affect the element have the same exceptional success result.

•••• Elemental Servitor

The changeling can call up the element to act as her willing ally.

• Cost: 3 Glamour
• Dice Pool: Persuasion Skill + Wyrd

Suggested Modifiers

–2 The character asks the servitor to do something that will harm or diminish it.

+1 The character asks the servitor to do something that will allow it to increase, such as asking a fire to spread.

• Action: Instant
• Catch: The changeling performs a significant favor for the element, such as thoroughly cleaning a public fountain, spending an hour or more polishing a large stone statue or hanging ribbons for a wind to blow immediately before using this clause.

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: The servitor animates for 2 turns, but it acts in a wild, unpredictable, and dangerous fashion. It attacks anyone nearby, including the changeling.
• Failure: The element does not animate.
• Success: the changeling persuades the element to become animate and act as his ally for the next full scene. The element becomes a intelligent elemental being able to obey the changeling's commands and observe the world. This elemental being (servitor) is an intelligent as a very smart dog. The servitor can obey any relatively simple command and notices obvious threats/dangers to the changeling or itself. The changeling must touch or place her hand within a foot of the portion of the element she wishes to animate. The amount of element animated is equal to 5 square yards of volume per the changeling's Wyrd. In addition to any advantage granted by the element (like fire burning inflammable things), these servitors also gain Power, Finesse and Resistance Attributes similar to ghosts/spirits. The servitor's Power and Resistance equal the changeling's Wyrd whilst Finesse equals the number of successes rolled for the Contract. Only the amount of element present can be animated, regardless of successes. An exceptional success to animate water with only a glass of water available animated just that water. All three traits are also limited by the size of the servitor. 2 pounds of animated rock won't have 4 Power and Resistance. The changeling gives the servitor basic commands when invoking the clause and can issue other commands as desired. As a result, a servitor can fight alongside a changeling, leaving her free to fight, flee, or otherwise act independently. Servitors animate for one scene.
• Exceptional Success: The servitor is active for hours equal to Wyrd.

••••• Elemental Ally

The changeling can imbue an element with intelligence and animation. The element can only become animate for a single scene, but the elemental ally retains intelligence and awareness of its surroundings for several days.

• Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower
• Dice Pool: Presence + Wyrd

Suggested Modifiers

–2 The character asks the servitor to do something that will harm or diminish it.

+1 The character asks the servitor to do something that will allow it to increase, such as asking a fire to spread.

• Action: Instant
• Catch: When first using this clause on the element, the changeling negotiates with the element. Promising a service or other payment in return for its temporary allegiance. Successful negotiation and payment are the catch for this clause. The favor asked is invariably hazardous, arduous, or expensive.

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: The element animates for a number of turns equalling the changeling's Wyrd but is malevolent. It attempts to kill the changeling that animated.
• Failure: The element does not animate.
• Success: The changeling imbues the element with intelligence, awareness, and the ability to become fully animate. The element stays intelligent and aware for 1 week, though it animates only for 1 scene. Whilst animate, the ally has of the physical capabilities of the servitor described in the Elemental Servitor Contract. The elemental ally is as intelligent as a human and can clearly sense the environment around it with sight and hearing as keen as a human's. These senses extend up to the changeling's Wyrd x 10 yards, unless blocked by some obstacle. For the duration of the Contract, the element is well disposed to the changeling and obeys any request that will not result in the element's destruction. The element canno, however, leave the immediate area of its animation, whereas an Elemental Servitor could follow the changeling as far as possible before the effects expired. The element is perfectly willing to keep watch over the surrounding area and report any activity to the changeling. Additionally, the element is willing to animate itself in response to some event indicated by the changeling. These events can be anything from a command issued by the changeling when he is in range of the element's senses to some event (somebody trying to break in to a building), a specifc individual that the changeling has shown the element a image of coming in range, or a specifc time and date. As long as the element does not seriously endanger itself, it will obey any command.
• Exceptional Success: The elemental ally remains aware and intelligent for an whole month, though it is only animate for 1 scene.