Bestow - Consular - Force Power

Bestow (Force Power)

◊Descriptors – inspiration, interaction, talent, the Force

◊Effect – Summon • 3 points per rank -3

Bestow (heroic Empower limited to available subjects)

◊Modifiers – check required: -6 flat points, heroic: +2/rank, insidious: +1 flat point, limited: -1/rank, quirk: -2 flat points

 slow: -1/rank, subtle: +1 flat point, variable type: +1/rank
◊Action – standard (see text)

◊Range – close

◊Duration – sustained

◊Results – the subject is empowered with heroic traits

◊Resist – Will (harmless)

Description

“This was your father’s lightsaber.”
“You must learn the ways of the Force if you're to come with me to Alderaan.”
        -Obi-Wan Kenobi

Bestow allows you to empower one subject with enhanced traits up to the limits of their potential.

The selected character’s traits are enhanced to a final character point total equal to 15 x your effective Bestow rank (see below). These traits are limited to a Power Level equal to your effective Bestow rank and cannot provide the subject with additional minions of its own. If the chosen character had minions when this power was used they must be paid for using the total allotment of character points and cannot be enhanced.

Empowering a subject requires that you provide them with inspiration and possibly with equipment, training, or both. The process takes as long as the gamemaster deems appropriate, to a minimum of one minute. At the end of the empowering process, make a Persuasion check as a standard action. Your check result - 15 determines your effective Bestow rank. Subjects who have previously benefitted from your empowerment may be more receptive to subsequent Bestow attempts and the time requirement to affect them tends toward the minimum.  

Empowered subjects behave as they normally would and have no special loyalty towards you. If the subject of Bestow is incapacitated, it immediately reverts to its usual character point total and Power Level. They recover normally and you cannot empower that character again until it has completely recovered. The subject’s abilities also return to normal if you fail to maintain Bestow, or if the effect is countered or nullified.

Note: It is wise to select friendly characters as subjects for Bestow as indifferent or unfriendly characters will need to be persuaded to aid you and unlike other Summon effects, they may even be influenced to act against you! For that reason you may wish include innate Immunity to interaction skills for 6 points, but the gamemaster determines whether this is reasonable trait to include on a case by case basis. Similarly, you should typically select minion characters who are likely to possess low character point totals. If you use Bestow successfully by succeeding your Persuasion check, the target’s new character point total and Power Level is determined by the result of your check even if it is worse! You can end the effect once you determine this is the case through observation.

The subject can resist the effect by succeeding a Will resistance check with a DC equal to 10 + you effective Bestow rank, but friendly subjects you have worked with before are unlikely to attempt to resist unless you have provided them with poor inspiration (i.e. reduced their character points or Power Level) in the past.

The gamemaster determines what the limits of a subject’s potential are. As a general guideline, characters cannot gain new abilities or powers without prior justification. If the subject is Force-sensitive then their Force powers can be enhanced and may be able to use new powers related to ones they already possess (or that they have manifested with extra effort). Descriptors included with the subject’s current abilities often provide a good indication of what enhanced abilities or new powers are appropriate.

Likewise, the gamemaster determines if any of the subject’s existing traits can be lowered or omitted in the empowered version. Intrinsic traits cannot generally be removed and include all abilities present in the original subject (i.e. Bestow can’t create an empowered character with absent Stamina) as well as traits included with the subject’s type or kind such as those common to all members of the subject’s species. Also, a character known to possess certain traits shouldn’t lose them completely so if the subject is a trained pilot the empowered version can’t lose the Vehicles skill, although it might be reduced in rank.

Bestow and the death of the Mentor
Similar to a sidekicks, Bestow can create many role-playing opportunities and a good justification alter the group dynamics and play experience. A new player could take on the role of one or more NPC characters frequently empowered with Bestow while learning the rules of play. Likewise the player might choose to take over such a role when their “mentor” character is put out of action temporarily, permanently retired, or killed.

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