Friday, January 4, 2019

Choosing Kavvuraz's Time powers (Fantasy Friday #29)

Eyes Over the All of Time
This regimen trains you to sense images that you cannot normally see by reading the surface thoughts of others.  During this regimen, an assistant looks at a series of cards with common objects painted upon them.  As the deck cycles through the different images, you must read the surface thoughts of the assistant to determine what card they are looking at at that time.  Time: 1 hour.  Requirements: A deck of image cards and an assistant.
Make a Float upon the Sea of Time check.  The result of the check determines the benefits of the regimen:
DC 13:  You successfully read one-third of the assistant’s surface thoughts.  You gain a +1 Flow bonus on Float upon the Sea of Time checks made to use the Telepathy application of the Float upon the Sea of Time skill.
DC 18:  You successfully read two-thirds of the assistant’s surface thoughts.  You gain a +2 Flow bonus on Float upon the Sea of Time checks made to use the Telepathy application of the Float upon the Sea of Time skill.
DC 23:  You successfully read all of the assistant’s surface thoughts.  You gain a +2 Flow bonus on Float upon the Sea of Time checks made to use the Telepathy application of the Float upon the Sea of Time skill.  In addition, if you successfully use Telepathy against an unwilling target, you can also sense the target’s surface emotions and stray thoughts as if on the third round of a detect thoughts spell.

Quiet the Mind
This regimen trains you to block out distractions and stray thoughts.  It requires little more than finding a quiet, secluded spot and slipping into a meditative trance to clear your mind of doubt, questions, fear, and the chaos of the galaxy.  Haćo use this technique to open themselves to the flow of Time, allowing them to see distant places and events.  Time: 1 hour.  Target: You.
Make a Float upon the Sea of Time check.  The result of the check determines the benefits of the regimen:
DC 13:  You meditate, but your mind is still clouded by external stimuli.  You can add one use of the farseeing power to your Time suite, but once it is used, it cannot be regained by any means.
DC 18:  You meditate, quieting your mind except for but a few small distractions.  You can add one use of the farseeing power to your Time suite.
DC 23:  You meditate, quieting your mind entirely.  You can add one use of the farseeing power to your Time suite, and you gain the benefits of the Visions talent (if you do not already know it).

Let’s see, which talents do we want Kavvuraz Refoaz to have?  The first ones to catch my eye are in the Haćo Consular tree.  Adept Negotiator allows the Haćo to argue someone into what is essentially a sanctuary-like effect (and, not so incidentally, unlocks a talent that would allow zim to replace Diplomacy with Float upon the Sea of Time, essentially).  Meanwhile, Skilled Advisor would allow zim to give zir allies bonuses by means of shouting out tips and hints.  Fate Sense from the Haćo Sentinel tree would make sense, representing insight the good refo would have gained from zir own almost-fall to zir own Fate; Consumed by Fate is less about insight and more about anger, but that works here, too.  All Sides of the Wheel isn’t about Fate, but about failure, and that seems appropriate, too.  Some talents, like the Control talent Focus on the Moment (which lets you regain spent Time powers), are just sort of generically useful.  Temporal Perception from the Sense tree is directly applicable to a refo’s work, boosting Sense Motive and Perception, and Heightened Awareness is another means of doing the same  Meanwhile, the Cleanse Mind talent from Haćo Consular would seem to be super useful, too; Indomitable Will from Control is similar but affects you rather than allies.  Crucial Advice from the Guardian Spirit tree would also be wonderfully useful to a refo.

As for Time powers, Fated Rage is another option that could represent the reverbations of Kavvuraz’s flirting with Fate, as are Fear, Hatred, and Memory Walk.  Temporal Disarm could be useful to a judge, but refo judge people who have failed to follow religious obligations and duties not those who have done wrong.  I think bailiff-like powers might be thus less appropriate.  Counterspell-like powers such as Rebuke, Resist Flow, and Sever Flow probably fall into a similar category ~ although, thinking about it, Sever Flow could be an effective punishment. . . . 

I think I’ll go with Memory Walk and Sever Flow as Force powers, remnants of zir days on the edge that have remained somewhat useful in zir work as a refo.  It does give zim a rather weird vibe when judging ~ zir decisions and behavior echo with compassion and understanding rooted in zir own journey, but zir methods are brutal and rough.  As for talents, let’s take Crucial Advice and Cleanse Mind.

Guardian Spirit Talent Tree (Temporal ~ available at odd levels to everyone with Temporal Sensitivity as a replacement for a class feature)
You have a spirit watching over you, providing advice and continuing your training in the Flow.  Although Time spirits cannot physically aid you, their guidance is critical to your success.
Crucial Advice:  Once per encounter, when you fail a skill check, you can reroll the skill check with a +2 circumstance bonus.  (In the case of skill checks with multiple possible results, such as when activating a Time power with multiple effects, failing a skill check is defined as achieving less than the minimum DC for that check.)

Haćo Consular Talent Tree
The following talent belongs to the Haćo Consular talent tree, which is available to members of the Haćo class.  Any character who can normally choose talents from the Haćo Consular talent tree can choose this talent as well.
Cleanse Mind:  Once per turn as a swift action, you can remove one ongoing mind-affecting effect from a single allied target within line of sight.

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