[FOCI]
Expanded Worlds
You weren't always this way, but something happened to you when you fell through a "rabbit hole" (either metaphorically, or literally) into a surreal realm of magic, faeries, nonsense entities, or something so otherworldly that you can't quite explain it. You've returned, but the connection remains, and you're no longer the same. Not only do you think about things differently-possibly even in ways that confuse your friends-but you also can do things that defy reality. At least reality on this side of the rabbit hole.
You have a ring of keys, which sometimes work on locks when you least expect it.
A small animal–a cat, a raccoon, or a rabbit-trips up your foe, and your foe falls.
A stranger appears and helps you for a few rounds.
You can perform small but seemingly impossible tricks. For example, you can make a small object in your hands disappear and move into a desired spot within reach (like your pocket). You can make someone believe that they have something in their possession that they do not have or vice versa. You can switch similar objects right in front of someone's eyes.
Something that just happened doesn't sit right with you, and you put your foot down. You call on your connection to a surreal realm and hope things change for the better. At the very least, they'll change. Gain an effect from the Nonsense Table by rolling randomly. If you roll an effect and do not wish to pay the stat point cost, nothing happens. Alternatively, you can pay the cost and apply a level of Effort to choose a result within 2 results of your rolled result.
| 1 | Escape (2 Intellect points). You gain a notion on how to escape, wriggle free from bindings, or squeeze through a tight spot, gaining an asset to any escape task. Alternatively, you can gain an asset to any defense task to throw off an ongoing negative effect like poison or a curse. |
| 2 | Pierce to the Heart (1 Intellect point). You are inspired by trickery. If you succeed on a Speed-based task against one creature within immediate range, the difficulty of your next attack against that creature before the end of the next round is reduced by one step. |
| 3 | Unexpected Trapdoor (3 Intellect points). A surface is not as solid as it first appeared, and you find a trap door. You can use the door to access the basement, the attic, or go through a wall up to 10 feet (3 m) thick if you succeed on an Intellect task equal to the level of the impediment. Alternatively, a foe within short range drops through said trapdoor to whatever lies beneath (which might just be a ten-foot deep pit). The trapdoor persists for about a minute. Action to initiate. |
| 4 | What's This In My Pocket? (3 Intellect points). You're sure it wasn't there before, but it is now. You pull a cypher from your pocket. The GM determines what kind. If you are already at your cypher limit, one cypher you already have goes missing. |
| 5 | Premonition (2 Intellect points). You learn one random fact about a creature or location that is pertinent to a topic you designate. Alternatively, you can choose to learn a creature's level; however, if you do so, you cannot learn anything else about it later with this same ability. |
| 6 | Fetch (3 Intellect points). You cause an object to disappear and reappear in your hands or somewhere else nearby. Choose one object that can fit inside a 5-foot (2 m) cube and that you can see within long range. The object vanishes and appears in your hands or an open space anywhere you choose within immediate range. |
| 7 | You're Not So Hurt As All That (3 Intellect points). When you touch an impaired or debilitated character, you can move them up one step on the damage track (a debilitated PC becomes impaired, and an impaired PC becomes hale). Alternatively, if you use this ability on a PC during a rest, you grant them a +2 bonus to their recovery roll. |
| 8 | What Kind of Beast is That? (3 Intellect points). A creature from the surreal realm to which you have a connection appears of up to level 3. The creature aids you for up to one minute before leaving. Action to initiate |
| 9 | Because I Said So (3 Intellect points). You're inspired by a crazy impulse. For one minute, you gain an asset to tasks related to deceiving, persuading, and intimidating. Action to initiate |
| 10 | Begin at the Beginning (2 Intellect points). For one hour, you can see in complete darkness within short range as if it were dim light. Also, you gain an asset to all tasks related to finding your way and tracking other creatures. Action to initiate |
Sometimes fleeing is the only way to keep your head. After your action on your turn, you can move up to a short distance or get behind or beneath cover within immediate range.
You gain 6 new points to divide among your Intellect and Speed stat Pools however you wish.
You've become more practiced when you call on your connection to the surreal realm to which you are connected. When you refer to the Nonsense Table, you can select the result you want rather than rolling randomly on the table.
Your long-term connection to a surreal realm, whether you welcome that connection or not, has changed you in many ways. It also protects you. An invisible, implausible influence provides you with +2 Armor. Also, if struck by a melee attack, the protective influence creates a backlash that inflicts 4 points of nightmare damage to the attacker.
GM Intrusions: Sometimes silly strangers are dangerously insane. Nonsense influence from a surreal realm can cut both ways, creating impediments and calling attention. Sometimes the surreal realm calls those who’ve previously visited back, whether they want to return or not.