Project a spot psychic field of incredible density and durability. This often takes the form of a metallic shimmering surface, visible only to the psychically sensitive.
Fact: Tension users are highly likely to experience ‘locked in’ syndrome episodes at least semi-regularly until they are able to master their powers. See field manual.
IRON SOUL (Passive)
When you would fill up your execution tag and gain an injury, you may roll 1d6. On a 4+, go to 1 stress under maximum instead and ignore any excess, then lose the use of this passive until you rest.
☆ AEGIS (Instant, Short)
When you or a visible ally in short range of you would mark stress from external harm, you can intervene by answering the following questions:
- Can you reach your target in time?
- Is there any part of the environment you can use to shield your target?
- Is your heart in this?
You create a flash tension force of incredible strength, blocking damage. For each ‘yes’ answer, roll 1d6. For every 2+ rolled reduce stress suffered by 1, and for every 6 rolled reduce it by 2. This could reduce stress suffered to 0.
After using this power, lose its use until you rest.
★ STASIS (Curse, Scene, Short)
With a gesture, you can lock yourself or a CAT sized group of humans or executioners in a tension cage that covers them like a second skin, paralyzing them. If a human is hostile or unwilling, roll MENTAL, and only spend the burst on success.
Once trapped, your target is locked in, unable to move or act for the scene, and is immune to all harm and effects from the outside. The effect only ends once the scene passes and you cannot end it earlier. They can be moved around like a (very stiff) object and are fully sensate while inside, though they can see as though looking through a thick pane of glass and don’t need to breathe.
★ SEVERANCE (Instant, Short)
You can project a tension force of incredible strength over any edge, as obvious as a blade and as subtle as a fingernail, and use it as a cutting implement. Roll MENTAL to cut an object or opponent up to CAT size with a clean and decisive blow, only spending a burst on success.
- Gain +1D if you are striking to protect another person.
- Gain +1D against immobile objects or opponents.
★ MALLEATE (Transmute, Until Rest, Adjacent)
You can invert and infuse a tension field to make an area of nonliving matter incredibly pliable and soft. The size of this block of matter you can affect is affected by CAT. Choose one of the following effects, then you may gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts to take advantage of this power:
- Rubber: The matter becomes bouncy and springy.
- Mud: The matter melts into a thick mud. It becomes pliable and sticky and difficult to move through.
- Liquid: The matter melts into liquid.
This power may easily effect the parameters of rolls, such as difficulty and risk. When the effect expires, the matter slowly reverts to its original state and form.
★ FORTRESS (Summon, Until Rest, Short)
Once a scene, you can create a spot tension field with a size determined by up to CAT that appears as a large plane of shimmering force, invisible to humans. It can only exist as a flat plane (no bends or curves), and intersect or overlap any nonliving material, but otherwise is as hard as a solid object and prevents all living and nonliving matter and energy from crossing it. It has a 2+CAT tag for its durability, which can take damage and be ticked up like an execution tag by opponents. The field lasts until destroyed, until used again, or until rest.