Goblin Contracts [4]

[ 4 ] Call The Hunt ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 167 )

This dread Contract is its own price. The changeling calls a Fae hunting party. The character can only use this Contract within clear sight of an entrance into the Hedge, and the Wild Hunt emerges from that point in the Hedge. This Contract sends what seems to be a call for aid by a powerful and important Fae; when the hunting party discovers otherwise, they will certainly look into who called them.

Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Presence + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The character is actually in the Hedge.

Dramatic Failure: The hunting party hears the call but is aware that it was made by the changeling. They may come anyway, specifically to hunt the changeling who called them.

Failure: The Contract fails, and the hunting party is not called.

Success: The character calls the Wild Hunt, and it arrives within 10 minutes.

Exceptional Success: The hunting party arrives the turn after the character performs this Contract.

Suggested Modifiers: The changeling yells loudly for the hunt to come (+1); The changeling performs this Contract while deliberately hidden (-2).


[ 4 ] Goblin Oath ( Rites Of Spring -- Page 115 )

The changeling can bind another character to an oath. The party taking the oath has difficulty breaking this oath, and if she does, disaster will surely strike her down. The changeling must also swear an oath to the subject and suffers similar penalties if he breaks his oath -- but the nature of the Goblin Oath is such that both parties may suffer if only one is unfaithful.

Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Wyrd + Intimidation

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling and the other party are making a treaty of alliance or non-aggression.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling is bound by his oath, but the target is not.

Failure: The Contract fails, and neither party is bound by the oath.

Success: The changeling and the target must each swear an oath to one another. Since most changelings have heard of this Contract, they attempt to get the character using this Contract to swear an oath at least as potent as the one they are swearing. Often, both parties swear the same oath, but this is not required. Although this oath can be a pledge, it needn't be. This Contract represents a method in which changelings can attempt to effectively increase the number of pledges they can swear. It can even be used to oathbind one of the Gentry, assuming that a changeling can force one of them to swear an oath bound by this Contract. Using this Contract is obvious to any changeling or Gentry present, but mortals will just think that the changeling is using unusually formal and elaborate language when making a promise. Once the oath is sworn, the changeling and the target must make a Resolve + Composure roll to actually break the oath they have sworn. Each success rolled for when performing this Contract acts as a -1 penalty to this roll. Failure means that the character cannot attempt to break the oath during until the sun next rises, and a dramatic failure means that the character cannot attempt to break the oath for one full week. An exceptional success allows the character to break the oath and avoid any further penalties. However, breaking this oath under any other circumstances results in disaster striking the oathbreaker. A number of times equal to the changeling's Wyrd, one of the oathbreaker's rolls becomes a chance die. In all cases, these rolls are ones that are important to the character who broke the oath, meaning that the disaster strikes at the worst possible times. However, once the character has suffered that number of disasters, the effects of this Contract cease to plague him. The other party in the Goblin Oath also suffers from the oathbreaker's infidelity, though to a lesser degree. The wronged party is subject to rolling only a chance die at the worst possible time, although he must endure this only once before the oath's effects on him have passed.

Exceptional Success: Both people swearing the oath must make an exceptional success on the Resolve + Composure roll needed to break the oath in order to do so; an ordinary success does not allow either party to break the oath. Also, even if the character does roll an exceptional success, he still suffers a number of disasters equal to the changeling's Wyrd, where an important roll becomes a change roll.

Suggested Modifiers: The other party is swearing the oath under duress (-1); +1 The changeling and the other party swear the same oath (+1).


[ 4 ] Good And Bad Luck ( Changeling: The Lost -- Page 167 )

The character can make a single lucky guess, at the price of a bout of bad luck. The guess can determine which apartment in a building holds a sniper, or uncover a lottery number or computer password. However, the chance of determining the correct guess must be one in 10,000 or better -- sufficient to guess four digits in a password or win approximately $500 at lottery or gambling. The bad luck is similarly impressive, striking only when it would do the worst harm.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Wits + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The character is using the Contract to best a single well-known rival or enemy.

Dramatic Failure: The changeling pays the Contract's price but gains no benefit.

Failure: The changeling finds neither good nor bad luck.

Success: The character makes a single lucky guess with odds no greater than one in 10,000. However, the next roll he fails while under significant stress, including the physical stress of combat, the emotional stress of important social expectations or simple time pressure, automatically becomes a dramatic failure. Because of the power inherent in this Contract, only an important failed roll becomes a dramatic failure. However, this bad luck almost never waits more than a month to strike.

Exceptional Success: The guesser can make a one in 100,000 guess, potentially winning as much as $5,000.

Suggested Modifiers: The character has at least two or three minutes to consider her guess (+1); The character has only a few moments to make her guess (-1).


[ 4 ] Royal Oil ( Swords At Dawn -- Page 54 )

This vicious Contract has been outlawed in many domains. It produces a viscous supernatural liquid that clings to a character, making her far more susceptible to the ravages of flame. The effect gets its name from its drawback, a phantom crown of fire that rings the character's head, marking him as a user of this Contract. A character must touch a target before using this effect.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Dexterity + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The character drinks a tablespoon of castor oil prior to using the power. The oil causes mild but distracting cramping, levying a -1 die penalty on all rolls for the scene.

Dramatic Failure: The oil oozes forth from the character's skin and remains there. She becomes susceptible to attacks from fire, and any such attacks inflict aggravated damage. The crown of fire does not appear, however, but that might be cold comfort for the changeling oiled-up by her own hand.

Failure: Nothing happens.

Success: Oil seeps forth from the character's skin and slides onto the subject's skin and clothes, spreading across her. She takes on a slight yellowish sheen, and others trained to recognize the effect know that she has been oiled (barring supernatural obfuscation on the part of the subject). The oiled character becomes particularly weak against fire, suffering aggravated damage from all such attacks. If the character already suffered aggravated damage from fire (if she is a vampire, for example), then such attacks against her do an additional three dice of damage. Meanwhile, a crown of flickering flames appears above the changeling's head, marking him as the user of the Contract to all who know what it means. This crown reduces all Stealth rolls to a chance die and provides a +1 bonus to characters making ranged attacks on the changeling. This power's effects, both on the changeling and her subject, last for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled to activate the Contract.

Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their own reward.

Suggested Modifiers: The subject is undead (vampire, zombie, promethean, etc.) (-2); The weather is rainy or the subject's skin is otherwise particularly wet (-3); The subject is a normally-ephemeral entity, such as a ghost or spirit; this penalty applies even when such an entity is manifested (-5).


[ 4 ] Wyrd's Eye: ( Dancers In The Dusk -- Page 67 )

A favorite of the Autumn Court, this Goblin Contract opens the Lost's senses to all aspects of the Wyrd. The Lost's increased perception of the Wyrd creates a kind of sensory overload. Any perception challenges (including Kenning) not related to the Wyrd or fae magic receive a penalty equal to the Lost's Wyrd. This penalty lasts as long as the Contract is active, and for an additional scene afterwards, and cannot be erased, countered or avoided by any means. It takes a while for the Lost to recover from the huge influx of sensation this Contract invokes.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: Occult + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Catch: The changeling is breaks a pair of prescription eyeglasses.

Effect: Upon a successful activation, the changeling becomes automatically aware of any activation of unconcealed Contracts within a 10 foot radius around him The Lost is also able to automatically perceive any active Contract present within that area as a reflexive action (one perceived Contract per turn). As well, regardless of the rarity of the Contracts he perceives, he only needs a single success on the Intelligence + Occult check to identify any specific perceived Contract's Contract type and clause. If this challenge is successful, the Lost gains a general understanding of the Contract even if they have never seen it before. For example, he may learn that Temporary Sanity bolsters a changeling's Clarity, but not for how long or that there is a negative effect to their Clarity afterward. In addition, during the period of a successful activation of Wyrd's Eye, any Clarity penalties the Lost normally would be functioning under are ignored for perception challenges specifically involving sensing the Wyrd (identifying Contracts, Lost, perceiving fae items, etc.) As well, the Lost gains a +3 bonus to Kenning attempts to detect concealed supernatural beings, items or effects, but only those related to the Wyrd or fae magic (hobs, Lost, Hedge Beasts, True Fae, Tokens, goblin fruit, etc.) This increased Wyrd perception lasts for one scene, and cannot be deactivated earlier.