Shiri2005-01-30 16:26:46
Well, inspired by Aebrin, decided it would work well as a skillchoice for Illuminati. So Moondancers get hex/heal, Celestines get tarot/heal, Nihilists get tarot/hex, Continuists get Clairsentience/Astrology (eh...maybe) and Illuminati get Masks/Something, since the whole...mask, identity camouflage thing goes really well, I find. (Yes, it seems stupid not to have a mask ability, but they already got that in transmutation, repeating it seemed stupid.)
Tincture costs will definately need fiddling, I'm no good with these material cost things. Keep in mind this is designed to combo with entropy/transmutation/dreamweaving when you consider this.
----------Skillset: Masks----------
Nu-men - A basic facade in the shape of a white covering that shows the wearer's features.
A nu-men mask, while not the most ornate of faces to wear, will provide a basis for other mask techniques, and in addition protect the head from a certain level of wounding and damage. Removing the mask will allow for more informal communications as well as removing unwanted facades.
Cursemask - Force an ethereal mask to haunt a target.
Hexing an opponent with a cursemask causes the ethereal, frozen image of the target's face to superimpose itself on their head, at first simply increasing vulnerability to head wounding and damage. However, as this takes a portion of the masquerader's spirit to maintain, only one cursemask can be cast from him at any one time - attempts to form a new one succeed, but erase the old and all curses embedded in it.
Brighteyes - Cause the cursemask to emit a sickly, pale glow.
Setting the eyes of the accursed ablaze with a pale green fire visible even to the blind, the curse of the brighteyes makes it substantially easier for warriors and others to hit them with weaponry when the attacker is blinded or the accursed invisible.
Aermer - A blue mask marked with white lines on both cheeks, appearing as gills.
*1 blue*
Shaping the nu-men into a mask vaguely resembling a merian, gills open up on the masquerader's neck, allowing her to breathe underwater.
Afterimage - Leave a thin fog in the mask's wake.
While inflicting the accursed with a misty afterimage makes them harder to hit with weaponry, it has the additional effect of leaving an obvious trail for potential trackers to follow that lingers as they walk.
Luccrys - A yellow mask marked with an angular, reflective surface.
*1 yellow*
An oddly unpopular mask among the Illuminati who know of its usage, the Luccrys form of the nu-men is a crystalline visage that channels sunlight into it, healing health and mana very gradually under strong sunlight.
Suffocate - The cursemask solidifies and strangles its wearer.
Partially solidifying the usually incorporeal cursemask causes it to block their breathing, damaging them periodically with light asphyxiation and clogging their breathing apparatus with smoky gases, producing the same effects as asthma.
Goudrak - A red mask marked with scaly patterns and a black, scorched area about the eyes.
*1 red*
A fiery mask which conjures mental images of vast infernos, the Goudrak produces or enhances the effects of Dracnari breath, allowing the masquerader to spit gouts of flame at enemies.
Whisper - Twist the accursed's words.
>
Whispering words into the cursemask, each time the accursed either attempts to speak or communicate telepathically or is ordered to by the masquerader, his words are twisted into a short phrase of the masquerader's choosing.
Ethavi - A beautiful prismatic mask covered with a shimmering feathery pattern.
*1 green*
Donning the Ethavi mask, a primarily green mask streaked with shimmering bands of colour and a feathery pattern on each cheek will provide an aura of air for the Masquerader, allowing them both flight and levitation.
Mute - Close and seal the cursemask's mouth.
*5 power*
Forcibly closing the cursemask's mouth makes it much more difficult to speak as well as sealing the essence of the voice, and all vocal and aether transmissions from the target becomes slightly garbled.
Tunnelvise - A mask whose entire shape is unmarked but for one blue, unblinking eye.
*2 blue*
Sealing off normal hearing and sight with this completely encapsulating facade, the masquerader can use the eye of the tunnelvise to achieve perception of the sixth sense and a resistance to illusions.
Auravise - A facade that prevents signs of the aura emitted from the soul.
*2 yellow*
Assuming the facade of the auravise, a golden, featureless face with metallic spikes jutting from it surrounds the masquerader's face and soul, preventing the auras detected by scrying from being released from the body.
Horror - Shift the cursemask's visage into an onlooker's worst nightmare.
The cursemask shifts for a brief instant into a visage horrifying to see, and non-adventurer beings view it in disgust and antipathy, instantly shifting their attentions to the unfortunate wearer.
Pyrefune - A facade that diverts fire away from the body, as well as numbing it.
*2 red*
In addition to slight resistance to fire damage, as the red and black pyrefune mask deflects heat, the strong aura of this mask has the additional effect of diverting fire and thunder, giving attacks using them a chance of missing completely.
Kiagem - A mask of hypnotic, confusing patterns.
*2 green*
Donning a hypnotic facade of a wolf or foxlike face bearing short ears and wide, swirling eyes, gazing at an opponent has the power to transfix them.
Siren - A flash of unimaginable beauty.
*1 power*
Closing the mask's eyes and infusing a magic of beauty and serenity, for a brief second the visage of the Siren flashes over the masquerader's face to the accursed's vision, causing them to lust after her.
Shiftvise - The goldstriped shiftvise allows the masquerader to wear multiple facades at once.
*1 gold*
The golden streaks of the shiftvise mask reflect many colours that shine on them, allowing the masquerader to don three colours of facades at once as the combination shifts between each.
Falsevision - Alter the accursed's perception of reality.
>
Conjuring an image to flash before the maskwearer's eyes, an illusion can be forced almost directly into the accursed's mind.
Horobi - A funerial mask in the shape of a tortured skull.
*3 power*
Acting as a soulworm that burrows a tiny hole into the accursed's essence, forcing the visage of a Horobi mask onto an opponent will not only slowly leak their mana and health out harmlessly, but will also increase the effectiveness of techniques designed to produce syphons and drains.
Still - Pose as a bronze statue.
*2 gold*
A mask whose essence seems to cover the whole body coloured a deep, burnished bronze, though it takes a heavy drain in magical reserves and endurance to continue wearing, will effectively remove the wearer from view, protecting him from plain vision, magical scrying, and area-based attacks - only a direct strike can knock him from his position.
Nymph - Donning the mask of the beautiful nymph diverts attack.
*1 green, red, yellow, blue, purple*
The visage of the nymph, while it will not allow any other mask to be worn, but emits an aura of peace and serenity so pervasive that summoned creatures are loathe to attack the masquerader, requiring repeated cajoling to attack more than once and losing a portion of their health each time they are unwillingly compelled.
Assume - Turn the mask into a near-perfect replica of an opponent.
*5 power*
Though any action other than movement, speech, and basic actions such as smiling will disrupt it, the masquerader may adopt the voice and appearance of the accursed - while even the lightest damage will disrupt the concentration required, it can be used to deceive people expertly.
Soulburst - Infest the accursed's soul before detonating both.
*10 power*
>
Though only a soul at under half its magical reserves can be possessed by a cursemask, the masquerader's most deadly technique is the ability to irrevocably fuse the essences of the mask with the soul of the accursed. Thereafter, for the next day, audibly hearing three words in the same sentence, dictated by the masquerader's attunement will set off a detonation that kills the enemy and burns those around him with entropic energies.
Okay, so the facade abilities that have ink can only be used one colour at a time (e.g. you can use Aermer and Tunnelvise, but not Aermer and Auravise) until you get to shiftvise, and until you have that inking a new one will replace the old. A cursemask, in typical Zelda fashion (yes, I suck) is a spell that affixes itself to a target and hangs over them like a haunt - you can give it additional curses, too, which last for a short time, or simply recast the mask onto a different opponent. The justification for this is that...well, the cursemask sections are basically SLIGHTLY more powerful than basic afflictions, but they can only be targetted on one person, so if you even think about attacking someone else with it you cure all the stuff you just did to them. It's got an offensive and defensive mix in the same vein as Tarot.
EDIT: Possess downgraded. Just a super pooka now. I suppose.
EDIT: Soulburst added in place of possess. I'm so naive. Le sigh.
Tincture costs will definately need fiddling, I'm no good with these material cost things. Keep in mind this is designed to combo with entropy/transmutation/dreamweaving when you consider this.
----------Skillset: Masks----------
Nu-men - A basic facade in the shape of a white covering that shows the wearer's features.
A nu-men mask, while not the most ornate of faces to wear, will provide a basis for other mask techniques, and in addition protect the head from a certain level of wounding and damage. Removing the mask will allow for more informal communications as well as removing unwanted facades.
Cursemask - Force an ethereal mask to haunt a target.
Hexing an opponent with a cursemask causes the ethereal, frozen image of the target's face to superimpose itself on their head, at first simply increasing vulnerability to head wounding and damage. However, as this takes a portion of the masquerader's spirit to maintain, only one cursemask can be cast from him at any one time - attempts to form a new one succeed, but erase the old and all curses embedded in it.
Brighteyes - Cause the cursemask to emit a sickly, pale glow.
Setting the eyes of the accursed ablaze with a pale green fire visible even to the blind, the curse of the brighteyes makes it substantially easier for warriors and others to hit them with weaponry when the attacker is blinded or the accursed invisible.
Aermer - A blue mask marked with white lines on both cheeks, appearing as gills.
Shaping the nu-men into a mask vaguely resembling a merian, gills open up on the masquerader's neck, allowing her to breathe underwater.
Afterimage - Leave a thin fog in the mask's wake.
While inflicting the accursed with a misty afterimage makes them harder to hit with weaponry, it has the additional effect of leaving an obvious trail for potential trackers to follow that lingers as they walk.
Luccrys - A yellow mask marked with an angular, reflective surface.
An oddly unpopular mask among the Illuminati who know of its usage, the Luccrys form of the nu-men is a crystalline visage that channels sunlight into it, healing health and mana very gradually under strong sunlight.
Suffocate - The cursemask solidifies and strangles its wearer.
Partially solidifying the usually incorporeal cursemask causes it to block their breathing, damaging them periodically with light asphyxiation and clogging their breathing apparatus with smoky gases, producing the same effects as asthma.
Goudrak - A red mask marked with scaly patterns and a black, scorched area about the eyes.
A fiery mask which conjures mental images of vast infernos, the Goudrak produces or enhances the effects of Dracnari breath, allowing the masquerader to spit gouts of flame at enemies.
Whisper - Twist the accursed's words.
Whispering words into the cursemask, each time the accursed either attempts to speak or communicate telepathically or is ordered to by the masquerader, his words are twisted into a short phrase of the masquerader's choosing.
Ethavi - A beautiful prismatic mask covered with a shimmering feathery pattern.
Donning the Ethavi mask, a primarily green mask streaked with shimmering bands of colour and a feathery pattern on each cheek will provide an aura of air for the Masquerader, allowing them both flight and levitation.
Mute - Close and seal the cursemask's mouth.
Forcibly closing the cursemask's mouth makes it much more difficult to speak as well as sealing the essence of the voice, and all vocal and aether transmissions from the target becomes slightly garbled.
Tunnelvise - A mask whose entire shape is unmarked but for one blue, unblinking eye.
Sealing off normal hearing and sight with this completely encapsulating facade, the masquerader can use the eye of the tunnelvise to achieve perception of the sixth sense and a resistance to illusions.
Auravise - A facade that prevents signs of the aura emitted from the soul.
Assuming the facade of the auravise, a golden, featureless face with metallic spikes jutting from it surrounds the masquerader's face and soul, preventing the auras detected by scrying from being released from the body.
Horror - Shift the cursemask's visage into an onlooker's worst nightmare.
The cursemask shifts for a brief instant into a visage horrifying to see, and non-adventurer beings view it in disgust and antipathy, instantly shifting their attentions to the unfortunate wearer.
Pyrefune - A facade that diverts fire away from the body, as well as numbing it.
In addition to slight resistance to fire damage, as the red and black pyrefune mask deflects heat, the strong aura of this mask has the additional effect of diverting fire and thunder, giving attacks using them a chance of missing completely.
Kiagem - A mask of hypnotic, confusing patterns.
Donning a hypnotic facade of a wolf or foxlike face bearing short ears and wide, swirling eyes, gazing at an opponent has the power to transfix them.
Siren - A flash of unimaginable beauty.
Closing the mask's eyes and infusing a magic of beauty and serenity, for a brief second the visage of the Siren flashes over the masquerader's face to the accursed's vision, causing them to lust after her.
Shiftvise - The goldstriped shiftvise allows the masquerader to wear multiple facades at once.
The golden streaks of the shiftvise mask reflect many colours that shine on them, allowing the masquerader to don three colours of facades at once as the combination shifts between each.
Falsevision - Alter the accursed's perception of reality.
Conjuring an image to flash before the maskwearer's eyes, an illusion can be forced almost directly into the accursed's mind.
Horobi - A funerial mask in the shape of a tortured skull.
Acting as a soulworm that burrows a tiny hole into the accursed's essence, forcing the visage of a Horobi mask onto an opponent will not only slowly leak their mana and health out harmlessly, but will also increase the effectiveness of techniques designed to produce syphons and drains.
Still - Pose as a bronze statue.
A mask whose essence seems to cover the whole body coloured a deep, burnished bronze, though it takes a heavy drain in magical reserves and endurance to continue wearing, will effectively remove the wearer from view, protecting him from plain vision, magical scrying, and area-based attacks - only a direct strike can knock him from his position.
Nymph - Donning the mask of the beautiful nymph diverts attack.
The visage of the nymph, while it will not allow any other mask to be worn, but emits an aura of peace and serenity so pervasive that summoned creatures are loathe to attack the masquerader, requiring repeated cajoling to attack more than once and losing a portion of their health each time they are unwillingly compelled.
Assume - Turn the mask into a near-perfect replica of an opponent.
Though any action other than movement, speech, and basic actions such as smiling will disrupt it, the masquerader may adopt the voice and appearance of the accursed - while even the lightest damage will disrupt the concentration required, it can be used to deceive people expertly.
Soulburst - Infest the accursed's soul before detonating both.
Though only a soul at under half its magical reserves can be possessed by a cursemask, the masquerader's most deadly technique is the ability to irrevocably fuse the essences of the mask with the soul of the accursed. Thereafter, for the next day, audibly hearing three words in the same sentence, dictated by the masquerader's attunement will set off a detonation that kills the enemy and burns those around him with entropic energies.
Okay, so the facade abilities that have ink can only be used one colour at a time (e.g. you can use Aermer and Tunnelvise, but not Aermer and Auravise) until you get to shiftvise, and until you have that inking a new one will replace the old. A cursemask, in typical Zelda fashion (yes, I suck) is a spell that affixes itself to a target and hangs over them like a haunt - you can give it additional curses, too, which last for a short time, or simply recast the mask onto a different opponent. The justification for this is that...well, the cursemask sections are basically SLIGHTLY more powerful than basic afflictions, but they can only be targetted on one person, so if you even think about attacking someone else with it you cure all the stuff you just did to them. It's got an offensive and defensive mix in the same vein as Tarot.
EDIT: Possess downgraded. Just a super pooka now. I suppose.
EDIT: Soulburst added in place of possess. I'm so naive. Le sigh.
Faethan2005-01-30 17:47:29
Facade possess is way too good. The five actions: Remove pack, give pack to , give 50 vial to possessor, remove armor/robes give armor/robes to possessor. Then just possess them again.
Shiri2005-01-30 17:50:42
Well, I suppose it REQUIRES you have flame/fist sigils instead of just making it a good idea as with other theft things. Damn, thought it would be cool to have an INTERESTING instakill end, but you're right, super abusable. Not that I would use it like that 
But yeah, whatev. Alright, editting.
But yeah, whatev. Alright, editting.Faethan2005-01-30 21:30:12
Yeah, it would encourage flame sigils, but just force them to remove pack and then drop pack, then clean it out because they can't do anything. Perhaps instead it could do something like blow them up from the inside, spontaneous combustion style, and cause fire damage to other enemies in the room. Turn your kills into bombs!
Shiri2005-01-30 21:34:06
Oh hm. Actually that's a better idea than possession. I really wanted possession SOMEwhere though, because it would be so cool.
But yeah, too abusable. MEH. *edits again*
But yeah, too abusable. MEH. *edits again*
