Impressive Improvisation
Roll: Dexterity + Crafts (difficulty 3)
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Craft: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero can make do with disintegrating or substandard items, though it has no effect on magical devices. This temporarily mends substantial design flaws (a sword with a loose blade covered in rust, a saddle with a snapped leather strap, a frayed rope), allowing an object to function as though as good as new until the Heroic's effects wear off, after which the item actually breaks beyond the ability of Impressive Improvisation to reuse. Additional successes increase the duration of this temporary repair by 1 additional scene, to a maximum number of additional scenes equal to the hero's Heroism.
Timely Collapse
Roll: Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 4+)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Craft: 4
Minimum Heroism: 3
A damaged or substandard item breaks at an opportune moment for the hero. This might be the ancient chain holding up the chandelier, the rusty hook holding the lamp in the barn, or the moth-eaten tapestry hanging in the banquet hall, for example. The item must have been disturbed in some way this turn before the hero can activate this Heroic. Someone must grab the chandelier, attempt to pick up the lamp, or yank the tapestry, for example. This disturbance can be the result of the hero's actions, an ally's actions, an enemy's actions, or the movements of a neutral party. Additional successes allow the hero to affect objects in better repair. With 1 extra success, the hero can effect the timely colapse of an unblemished object not designed for durability (tapestries, wooden chairs, jewelry, etc...). With 2 extra successes, reasonably durable objects (ropes, barrels, bowstrings, etc...) can be broken with this Heroic.
Object-Hexing Presence
Roll: Charisma + Crafts (difficulty 5)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Craft: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
One object within the hero's Heroism in yards is temporarily weakened. The object's bashing and lethal soak is halved (rounding down) until the end of the turn, and characters attempting to bend or break the object count their Strength + Athletics pool as 4 higher for this purpose. Each additional success increases the duration for which this weakness lasts by 1 turn. This Heroic reduces the difficulty of breaking objects by means of Timely Collapse by 1 and allows quite durable objects (sword blades, shields, chains, etc...) to be broken with 2 extra successes.
Timely Dodge
Roll: Wits + Dodge (difficulty 3)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dodge: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero may, before an enemy's combat damage is calculated, roll a dodge a second time, though she must accept the result of the second roll and discard the results of the first. The hero must have (and use) a dodge action available to her in order to activate this Heroic. Each additional success allows the hero to reroll the dodge again, to a maximum number of total times equal to her Heroism, but she must accept the result of the last reroll she makes, discarding all others.
Fortunate Sidestep Method
Roll: Dexterity + Dodge (difficulty 4)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dodge: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero may add her Heroism in dice to a single dodge attempt against an attack of which he is aware. Each additional success increases the number of dice by 1, to a maximum total number of additional dice equal to the hero's Heroism.
Striking the Floor Defense
Roll: Dexterity + Dodge (difficulty 5)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dodge: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
Provided she is able to give ground, the hero may use her full Dodge dice pool against one attack of which she is aware.
Seer's Evasion
Roll: Wits + Dodge (difficulty 5)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dodge: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
The hero may, before an enemy's combat damage is calculated, reroll a dodge a second time and choose the more favorable result of the two. The hero must have (and use) a dodge action available to her in order to activate this Heroic. Each additional success allows the hero to reroll the dodge again, to a maximum number of total times equal to her Heroism, choosing the most favorable result. This Heroic cannot be activated in the same turn as Timely Dodge.
Drink the Blood of the Dragons
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 3)
Duration: Special
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Endurance: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
All the hero's present injuries will heal straight and true even without treatment. She will not need to have a limb amputated to recover from an injury, and her body will heal close enough to its original form that the injury penalties will fade with the injury even if the hero does not receive proper medical treatment. In addition, existing wounds, once the flow of blood is staunched, will not reopen and cause blood loss even if the hero exerts himself significantly. This Heroic's effects end immediately when the hero suffers a new injury (1 health level of bashing, lethal, or aggravated damage).
Walk Away from Death
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 3)
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Endurance: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero becomes more difficult to kill, conferring one -4 or two Incapacitated health levels for the duration of the Heroic. If the hero has wounds when this Charm's effects end, those wounds marked in added health boxes are eliminated. For example, if a hero who used Walk Away from Death to gain two Incapacitated health levels suffers wounds enough to fill two of the now three Incapacitated health boxes with lethal damage, at the end of the scene, the injured Incapacitated health level boxes are lost and the hero wakes up with a -4 injury penalty. Each additional success adds an extra Incapacitated health level, to a maximum number of additional successes equal to the hero's Heroism. While this is a Reflexive Heroic, it may not be activated more than once in a turn.
Staunching the Flow Contraction
Roll: Strength + Endurance (difficulty 3)
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Endurance: 3
Minimum Heroics: 2
If the hero's wounds are tended by someone with at least one dot in Medicine, her wounds automatically stop bleeding. These wounds may still reopen if agitated. If the hero scores 1 or more additional successes on this roll, she may stop the bleeding of all wounds on a successful Stamina check. If the hero scores 2 or more additional successes on this roll, all bleeding stops after a few seconds of concentration.
Forty Days' Fasting
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 3)
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Minimum Endurance: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero may survive without food for a number of days equal to his Heroism without suffering additional effects of starvation. He still requires water as normal. Additional successes increase the number of days the hero may go without food by 1, to a maximum number of additional days equal to his Heroism. If this Heroic is activated successfully, it may not be activated again until the hero has had at least three solid meals in a 24 hour period.
Endure the Long March Home
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 4)
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum Endurance: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero may recover from -2, -4, and Incapacitated injuries even if deprived of rest, though the time required to heal these injuries is still doubled. This Heroic's effects end immediately when the hero suffers a new injury (1 health level of bashing, lethal, or aggravated damage).
Unabated Frenzy
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 4)
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Endurance: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero becomes more difficult to kill, conferring one -2 or two -4 health levels for the duration of the Heroic. If the hero has wounds when this Charm's effects end, those wounds marked in added health boxes are eliminated just as those of Walk Away from death. Each additional success adds an extra -4 health level, to a maximum number of additional successes equal to the hero's Heroism. While this is a Reflexive Heroic, it may not be activated more than once in a turn.
Wake with No Regrets
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 4)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Endurance: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
The hero wakes free of all normal after-effects of heavy drinking, drug use, and other debauchery. It also prevents the character from contracting venereal diseases and eliminates the risk of pregnancy for both the hero and any partners by whom he might otherwise have fathered a child.
Legendary Resolve
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 5)
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Endurance: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
The hero becomes more difficult to kill or even significantly injure, conferring one -1 or two -2 health levels for the duration of the Heroic. If the hero has wounds when this Charm's effects end, those wounds marked in added health boxes are eliminated just as those of Walk Away from death. Each additional success adds an extra -2 health level, to a maximum number of additional successes equal to the hero's Heroism. While this is a Reflexive Heroic, it may not be activated more than once in a turn.
Not a Drop to Drink
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 5)
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Minimum Endurance: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
The hero may survive a number of days without water equal to her Heroism without suffering additional effects of dehydration. She still requires food as normal. Additional successes increase the number of days the hero may go without water by 1, to a maximum number of additional days equal to her Heroism. If this Heroic is activated successfully, it may not be activated again until the hero has had at least one full day's water ration in a 24 hour period.
Walking Regeneration
Roll: Stamina + Endurance (difficulty 5)
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum Endurance: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
The hero heals at her resting rate even when undertaking strenuous exercise. This Heroic's effects end immediately when the hero suffers a new injury (1 health level of bashing, lethal, or aggravated damage). This does not allow the hero to recover from -2, -4, and Incapaciting injuries without rest unless it is coupled with Endure the Long March Home.
Veteran Librarian Method
Roll: Intelligence + Investigation (difficulty 3)
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Investigation: 3
Mininimum Heroism: 2
The hero can almost immediately pick out a single book with either a specific title or author from even the most disorganized library, so long as it is within (Heroism x 10) feet. This book must be visible, though the title may be obscured from view or absent. This Heroic finds the nearest or most immediately obvious copy of the desired book. Additional successes increase the maximum range of this Heroic by 10 feet, to a maximum number of additional successes equal to the hero's Heroism.
Hear the Truth in Falsehood
Roll: Perception + Investigation (difficulty 4)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Investigation: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
Whenever someone deliberately lies to the hero, she may attempt to activate this Heroic. The hero recognizes a statement as falsehood and learns the motive behind the lie, whether it is embarrassment at the truth, fear of a superior, fear of legal action, or inability due to magical compulsion. It does not reveal the truth, but knowing the reason for the lie can be helpful in wresting the truth from a target.
Find the Subtle Clue
Roll: Perception + Investigation (difficulty 4)
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Investigation: 4
Minimum Heroism: 3
No matter how cleverly evidence was removed from the area, the hero will find some unnoticed clue relevant to the search at hand provided he spends enough time searching. This might be a few minutes for a hastily vacated burglary scene to weeks for the heavily trafficked site of an event that took place days ago. These clues provide subtle hints, never flat-out answers to a mystery, and the hero must have some idea of what he is investigating. A burglary or murder is sufficient, but "just to see if there is something interesting here" certainly is not. This Heroic doesn't work if magic of any kind was used to conceal the event. Each additional success results in one additional clue, to a maximum number of clues equal to the hero's Heroism. If this Heroic is used more than once to find clues related to the same event in the area, the hero must spend the same amount of time searching for clues, and the effects of these activations are not cumulative. The most successful of these activations determines the number of clues the hero finds.
Distract the Mark
Roll: Manipulation + Larceny (difficulty 3)
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Larceny: 3
Minimum Heroism: 2
The difficulty of the Perception + Awareness check the victim of the hero's pickpocketing attempt makes is increased by 1.
Sniff Out the Rat
Roll: Perception + Larceny (difficulty 4)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Larceny: 4
Minimum Heroism: 2
If the hero is adept at sniffing out spies. If the target joined (or seeks to join) the hero's cause or organization with the primary intention of harming that organization in some way (spying, sabotage, assassination, etc...), the hero may attempt to activate this Heroic the first time the hero converses with the target. The hero sees through the deception and recognizes the target's true intention is to work against the goals of the hero, cause, or organization. Additional successes will reveal more information about the target's intentions (spying, sabotage, etc...), motives (revenge, money, etc...), and who might have sent her. This Heroic cannot discern whether a member of the organization has been corrupted (bought by an enemy, turned traitor, succumbed to temptation) after the hero has met with her for the first time since she joined (or sought to join) the organization.
Betrayal-Predicting Turnabout
Roll: Intelligence + Larceny (difficulty 5)
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Larceny: 5
Minimum Heroism: 3
This Heroic retroactively insulates the hero against one act of betrayal in a coincidence that can be explained away as extraordinary foresight, justifiable paranoia, or good fortune. The actual manifestation of this twist of fate depends on the form the betrayal takes. If the traitor attempts to stab the hero in the back from a position of suprise, the hero just so happens to be wearing a chain shirt under his clothing. If the traitor poisoned the hero's drink, the hero happens to spill it before taking a sip. If the traitor arranges an ambush, the hero's underlings arrive from a position of ambush against the ambushers. This Heroic can only make available resources the hero actually possesses and could conceiveably have concealed. Thus, a chain shirt or a concealed dagger in the bedroom is within the bounds of this Heroic, but a breastplate or a great sword under the nightclothes isn't going to happen. This Heroic evens the odds or turns the tables in a circumstance of betrayal. It doesn't conjure up a hundred guards to deal with a lone assassin, for example, but it might have a dozen soldiers waiting in the wings for when the traitor reveals her plans. A dramatic speech about why the hero suspected the traitor is probably in order after the successful activation of this Heroic. This does not defend the hero against the actions of enemies except those who have infiltrated his organization or underlings corrupted by outside factors. The traitor must be someone with whom the hero has interacted with as a friend or underling on at least one occasion. If the traitor is not obvious when this Heroic is activated (such as the poisoned cup), the hero avoids the betrayal and recognizes it as the work of a traitor in his organization, but does not discover the identity of the traitor.