[FOCI]
Numenera Character Options 2
You've learned that alchemical concoctions can make you more than merely feel good— they can make you better! At least, they can do so for as long as you keep taking your special formulation of ingredients that some might call drugs. Normally, people who use drugs as often as you spiral out of control and die early. But you're different, you tell yourself. You've leashed yourself to a strict regimen of alchemical substances that keep you from feeling the effects of withdrawal, while at the same time enormously enhancing your abilities in particular ways.
Your acquaintances sometimes worry you're just a day away from a serious crash. But what do they know? Everything is great, you tell yourself. Confidence is another side- effect of your daily dose of amazing.
You probably wear dark clothing to hide stains of your constant alchemical experiments. Symbols for elemental materials like water, fire, and various specific substances might adorn that dark clothing. Some who abuse alchemy wear hoods or eye-covering lenses to hide wide black pupils and bloodshot eyes.
Abusers are usually Jacks, but Nanos can fall into alchemical dependence, too. Those who choose this focus usually refer to themselves as alchemical travelers. Everyone else calls them alchemical abusers.
Given how Abuses Alchemy functions, an abuser might discover other recipes for each tier. Of course, the character would first have to research them, find ingredients, and enter them into their manual.
Bag containing tools and ingredients for creating your drugs, journal containing your drug recipes. You have several weeks' worth of your daily alchemical dose prepared, and ingredients to create several more weeks' worth on hand.
Your drug is better than expected. You gain an asset to Speed defense rolls for one round.
Your drug is far better than expected. You gain an asset to Speed defense rolls and an asset to attack rolls for one round.
Alchemical Dependence. You are trained in alchemical tasks. In addition, you take a daily regimen of special drugs you've designed to work with your body in particular, drugs that have slowly adapted your muscles and organs, allowing you to accept still more concentrated doses. In effect, you've enhanced yourself with permanent abilities while you keep taking your daily dose of drugs.
Finding the ingredients you need to create your daily dose is usually as simple as spending several hours in a city market every six to eight months; ingredients cost about 10 shins.
You can change your matrix of active daily abilities by choosing to take a different complement of drugs on a given day, assuming you have the recipe in your manual and ingredients for granting yourself that ability. You can have only one active ability of a given tier at a time. To make the switch, spend ten minutes studying your manual, preparing a new alchemical concoction, and finally taking it, after which time your activity ability is changed out. You can choose to change your active abilities up to twice per day, immediately after a one-hour or ten-hour recovery roll. Others who've taken your drugs experienced life-threatening reactions the few times you've experimented.
Choose one of the following abilities as your active alchemical ability for tier 1.
You deal 1 additional point of damage with every attack you make.
Your alchemical infusion provides +1 to your Might Edge, and 3 additional points to your Might Pool.
Alchemical Dependence. You add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for tier 2.
You breathe out a puff of alchemical "distress" at a creature within immediate range, inflicting 2 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor). In addition, until the end of the next round, the difficulty of all tasks, attacks, and defenses the target attempts is modified by one step to its detriment.
Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type.
Alchemical Dependence. You add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for tier 3.
You gain 5 additional points to your Speed Pool. In addition, you are trained in Speed defense tasks.
You are immune to diseases, viruses, and mutations of any kind. Enabler
Alchemical Dependence. You add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for tier 4.
You can leash the inherent energy surging through your alchemically enhanced body. This allows you to fire a blast of energy that inflicts a moderate wound (5 points) with a range of 200 feet (60 m). There is no cost for you to use this ability.
You determine the weaknesses, vulnerabilities, qualities, and mannerisms of a single creature within long range. The GM should reveal the creature's level, basic abilities, and obvious weaknesses (if any). The difficulty of all actions you attempt that affect that creature—attack, defense, interaction, and so on—is reduced by one step for a few months afterward.
Alchemical Dependence. You add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for tier 5.
You gain 5 additional points to your Intellect Pool. In addition, you are specialized in one sphere of knowledge.
If you are affected by an unwanted condition or affliction (such as disease, paralysis, mind control, broken limb, and so on, but not damage), you can ignore it and act as if it does not affect you for one hour. If the condition would normally last less than an hour, it is entirely negated.
Alchemical Dependence. You add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for tier 6.
The density of your skin and musculature increases further, providing you with +2 to Armor. In addition, if you are struck by a melee attack, your skin reacts by releasing an alchemical backlash that inflicts 4 points of electricity damage to the attacker.
Until the end of the next round, you can move through solid objects such as doors and walls. Only 2 feet (60 cm) of wood, 1 foot (30 cm) of stone, or 6 inches (15 cm) of metal can stop your movement.
GM Intrusions: An unforeseen drug interaction causes the character to hallucinate, become manically obsessed with some object, fall asleep, sleepwalk, or perform some other unexpected behavior, until the character can make a Might or Intellect-based roll to regain focus.