Contracts of the Wild

According to many legends and folktales, the Gentry are either spirits of the natural world or at least hold considerable sway over all manner of natural forces. Changelings who learn these Contracts embrace that power and learn to control the raw and wild powers of the natural world. These are considered affinity Contracts for Beasts and Elementals.

## Wildwalker (•)

The changeling places herself in harmony with the natural world, so that it does not impede her efforts. Rain and winds avoid her, and thin branches move out of her way. Thus, she can operate normally even in environmental conditions that would hinder others.

* **Cost**: 1 Glamour
* **Dice Pool**: Wyrd + Persuasion
* **Action**: Instant
* **Catch**: The character spent the last night sleeping outdoors.

Roll Results

* Dramatic Failure: The changeling angers the local forces of nature, gaining a penalty to all rolls equal to her Wyrd for the next scene.
* Failure: The clause fails, and natural forces affect the character normally.
* Success: For each success she rolls, the character negates a –1 penalty caused by environmental conditions or the natural world. Such conditions include penalties to perception due to fog, smoke or wind as well as penalties to movement due to thick branches, ice, rain or high winds. The effects of this clause last for once scene. This changeling can use this clause on either herself or others, but each use of this clause protects only one individual. Also, this clause affects only the target, not any vehicle he may be operating. This clause allows a character to run through a thicket without hindrance or harm, but would not allow him to drive a car unhindered through a swamp. Multiple successes on this clause negate larger penalties, but may not completely remove them. If a thick fog imposes a –3 penalty to Wits + Composure rolls to see and the character rolls two successes, then these two successes negate two points of this penalty, leaving a –1 penalty to the character’s Wits + Composure rolls to see through the fog.
* Exceptional Success: Beyond the advantages gained by rolling multiple successes, no special bonus is gained.

## Nature’s Curse (••)

The character can persuade the local forces of nature to impede and harass a specific individual. Thus, rains strikes this individual with more force, fog and smoke collects around her more densely and twigs and brush resist her passage with more force.

* **Cost**: 1 Glamour
* **Dice Pool**: Wyrd + Intimidation
* **Action**: Instant
* **Catch**: The target is carrying a gun.

Roll Results

* Dramatic Failure: Natural forces aid the target, providing him with a +1 bonus to all rolls for the next scene.
* Failure: Natural forces affect the target normally.
* Success: Each success increases all penalties due to adverse natural conditions that the target suffers by 1. Thick brush and high wind both reduce her Speed by one additional point per success, and fog or smoke reduces her rolls to see clearly by an additional point. However, this clause cannot cause any environmental penalties to increase by more than a factor of two. If the target is already experiencing a –2 penalty to vision rolls due to thick fog, then even rolling three successes will not increase this penalty by more than an additional two points, to a total of –4. If there are no environmental penalties, then the maximum total penalty provided by this clause is –1.
* Exceptional Success: Increase the maximum penalty suffered by the target by an additional –1. If the target currently previously had no negative modifiers due to hostile environmental conditions, this clause imposes a total penalty of –2.

## Viridian Embrace (•••)

The changeling can cause natural forces to actively aid her efforts. Winds help speed her running or aid her balance, and plants shield her from observation.

* **Cost**: 2 Glamour
* **Dice Pool**: Wyrd + Expression
* **Action**: Instant
* **Catch**: The changeling is attempting to come to the aid of a mortal.

Roll Results

* Dramatic Failure: The forces of nature actively hinder the character, providing a –2 penalty to all rolls involving perception, movement or stealth for the next scene.
* Failure: The clause fails.
* Success: For each success rolled, natural forces provide a +1 bonus to all rolls involving perception, movement or stealth the character makes during the next full scene. This clause also increases the character’s Speed by +1 per success. Characters can benefit from this clause only if they are either outdoors or in the presence of a large number of plants. Vines and tree branches attempt to shield the character from observation, just as ivy on a wall provides convenient footholds and winds help direct the character’s movements and carry sounds to her.
* Exceptional Success: Beyond the advantages gained by rolling multiple successes, no special bonus is gained.

## Calling Wind and Weather (••••)

The changeling can call or calm storms and otherwise control the local weather. This control is fairly general and is limited to conditions that would be reasonable given the season and location, and the character cannot create violent or seriously damaging weather conditions such as tornadoes, blizzards or hurricanes. However, within these limits, the weather is in the hands of the character.

* **Cost**: 3 Glamour
* **Dice Pool**: Presence + Wyrd
* **Action**: Instant
* **Catch**: A dozen or more mortals all ask the changeling to provide the desired weather or are at least hoping the changeling will do so.

Roll Results

* Dramatic Failure: The weather changes in a manner opposite to the character’s wishes. If the character attempts to calm a windstorm, it becomes worse, and if he tries to call rain, the day becomes hotter and drier.
* Failure: The Contract fails, and the weather remains unchanged.
* Success: The character can change the weather to suit her desires. She cannot create snow in the tropics or blazing heat during a Minnesota winter, but she can create any weather condition that is possible for the area and season, regardless of the current weather. She can call a thunderstorm or a blizzard during a sunny day or calm high winds. Although she can slightly reduce the impact of severe weather such as a hurricane or tornado, she cannot create such extreme weather conditions, and she can’t entirely dispel them. The effects of this clause are local and depend upon how different the weather the character calls is from current conditions; it covers anything from one square mile to an entire large town or small city (not counting the suburbs). As long as the character succeeds, the weather arrives, but the number of successes affects how rapidly the weather arrives and how long it lasts.
* Exceptional Success: Beyond the advantages gained by rolling multiple successes, no special bonus is gained.

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## Calling Nature’s Wrath (•••••)

The character unleashes the fury of the natural world over a large area. Branches whip with dangerous force, heavy winds blow debris, hail falls with damaging force and ice or water makes the ground slick.

* **Cost**: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower
* **Dice Pool**: Wyrd + Survival
* **Action**: Instant
* **Catch**: The changeling is on land owned by her family.

Roll Results

* Dramatic Failure: Nature’s fury is directed solely at the character. For the remainder of the scene, the character suffers a –2 penalty to all rolls due to adverse environmental conditions.
* Failure: The character fails to stir the fury of the natural world.
* Success: The natural world attacks everyone within 50 yards of the changeling. Violent winds, hail, branches, debris lying on the ground and similar objects and weather conditions all attack everyone around the changeling in a manner that seems unnatural, but not entirely impossible. As a result, everyone within range suffers a penalty equal to the number of successes the changeling rolled to all rolls involving perception, agility, movement or combat for one full scene. The Speed of everyone within range is also reduced by the same amount. In addition, everyone within range suffers minor damage. Everyone within range takes the number of successes rolled as bashing damage. Armour protects against this damage, but Defence and Dodging do not. This damage consists of a mixture of exposure to adverse temperatures, slipping on ice and the impact of branches, rocks, hail or debris. The changeling is unaffected by these penalties and damage, and she can protect up to six other people who remain within a number of yards of her equal to her Wyrd. This clause works equally well in wilderness and urban areas, but works only in places exposed to the open air.
* Exceptional Success: The affected area extends 100 yards around the character.