Infiltration

Focuses on violating the territorial claims of others, and gaining access to forbidden places. Lower levels assist the Infiltrator in bypassing simple or mundane defenses while higher levels allow the Huldufolk to take on a target’s form, voice, and spiritual outline, shutting the original owner out of their own domain, territory, and even their life.

Infiltration 1: Open Sesame (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – No door can bar the passage of a Huldufolk with this power. The Huldufolk bypasses all mundane security on a location, finding access points which should be secure.

Spend: The Huldufolk attempts to bypass supernatural wards, entering a secure Demesne. The owner of that Demesne Defends.

Infiltration 2: Out of Sight (Undefended) –  Perhaps light passes through them, perhaps shadows and foliage conspire to blur their outline. Whatever the cause, the Huldufolk becomes invisible, so long as they remain still.

Spend: The Huldufolk is able to move while invisible, under this effect, the power lasts for one hour.

Infiltration 3: Insider Trading (Defended, Supernatural) – Doors having long ago become child’s play, the more talented infiltrators among the Huldufolk turn to more challenging tasks. With this power, a Huldufolk invades the target’s very mind, opening their secrets to be read at leisure. In general, the Huldufolk gains access to the current thoughts of the target. However, in cases of well-trained or willful adversaries, the Huldufolk may not be able to penetrate defenses so easily. Or, possibly, the target may have learned how to hold a lie so strongly in their mind that cursory inspection fails to identify the falsehood. Whatever the case, if the user wishes to ensure that they will get true and useful information, they may choose to get the answer to one of the following questions:

• Is the target actively concealing information?
• Is the target currently in a heightened emotional state? If yes, what emotion is predominant.
• Does the target intend to commit violence in the next few minutes?
• What is the target’s given name?
• Has the target recently been involved in a violent situation?

If a question other than these is asked, it is possible for a skilled dissembler to give false information.

Infiltration 4: Wind in the Willows (Undefended) – The mundane world doesn’t have as tight a grasp on Huldufolk as it does on humanity. A committed practitioner learns that even the most essential rules can be ignored by a sufficiently powerful will. This power lasts one hour. While it is active, the user is intangible in some way. Perhaps they become a sentient illusion, or a breath of wind, or some other similarly untouchable fabrication. Whatever form they take, the Huldufolk cannot be touched and cannot touch, they pass through walls, floors, and weapons with equal ease. A Huldufolk cannot actually fly with this power, but they can easily sink into the ground. Under this power, a Huldufolk is immune to mundane attacks and cannot be targeted by Minor Actors who do not have a supernatural threshold. In turn, the Huldufolk is unable to physically affect the world in any way, and cannot make mundane attacks against other characters.

Spend: A Huldufolk under the effects of this power may spend Belief in order to physically affect the world for 1 round without being subject to physical attacks themselves.

Infiltration 5: The Greatest Trick (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – Huldufolk are, one and all, experts in the field of deception. For most, their very identity is the result of a clever lie. Those who have mastered those power can confidently name themselves as the first among equals in the arena of untruth. By activating this power, a Huldufolk perfectly imitates a character. The target being imitated is not immediately aware that this has happened, and does not Defend against it. All other characters and all supernatural powers detect the user as being the target, and only truly egregious mistakes (forgetting one’s own name, openly revealing incongruent allegiance) will cause even the slightest trace of suspicion. If the user gives strong cause for doubt, or if the user and the target are observed at the same time, the observer is able to Defend.

Spend: While this power is active, the target cannot perceive the user. They simply cannot keep the user in their mind long enough to notice them. If the Huldufolk attacks the target or places them in a position where they must logically acknowledge the Huldufolk’s presence, they appear as a complete stranger, though one who seems vaguely familiar. If this effect is used, the target is able to Defend, though if the power use is successful the target does not know what it was they were Defending against.

Burn: Much more insidious, if the Huldufolk burns a Belief, the target fades from the perception of all other characters. They simply cannot make themselves known. Indeed, the target finds that they cannot even take actions which would lead to them being noticed. For the duration of the power, they are unable to attack, unable to block paths or doorways, unable to do anything to force their presence upon another character. This use is also Defended.

Empire

Focuses on claiming new territory and improving a character’s ability to challenge the claims of other Huldufolk. Lower levels allow for simple acts of theft and control, while higher levels allow a Claimant to take full control of their targets and claim vast swathes of territory with a simple act of will.

Empire 1: Taxation (Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk who uses this power need not covet, because they’ve already taken whatever they want. The user may take a single item they can see that is currently in the possession of a Minor Actor.

Spend: The user can target a Major Actor.

Empire 2: Plant the Flag (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk claims a new Demesne¹See Additional Mechanics: Demesnes, gaining the benefits associated with a Demesne and gaining the ability to affect the area with powers from the path of Demesne. If this area is already claimed by another Huldufolk of higher Rank, the user must spend 1 point of Belief (activating the Spend of this power requires an additional point of Belief).

Spend: The user claims the new Demesne permanently.

Empire 3: Insight (Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk learns one of their target’s Qualities, Foci, or Path affinities.

Spend: The user can deny the target access to a Quality, Focus, or Path affinity for one hour. This can be used simultaneously with the non-spend effect of this power, learning an enemy’s affinity Path and excising it simultaneously.

Empire 4: Force of Will (Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk’s power is such that their orders simply must be followed. The target follows the user’s verbal commands for up to one hour. Minor Actors will follow the commands to the exclusion of all else, even their own survival. Major Actors will follow the commands until they take a level of damage which is not healed within one round, or until following the order would lead to their immediate death.

Spend: The user need not speak their orders. They simply exert control over their target, sharing the target’s perspective, and deciding their actions.

Empire 5: State of Mind (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk immediately becomes aware of any claimed Demesnes within their Territorial Influence, who owns them, and their Belief rating.

Spend: The Huldufolk may contest for ownership of any Demesne they can sense, so long as the current possessor is of equal or lesser Belief rating.

Burn: The Huldufolk can contest for ownership of a Demesne held by a being with a higher Belief rating.

Conquest

There are many types of Conqueror, and they all find some use in this Sphere. The powers found in these Paths are all focused on claiming or usurping territory. While this Sphere is considered to be in direct conflict with the Sphere of Dominion, the two actually complement one another in various ways both large and small. Those who select Conquest as their primary Sphere are known as Claimants.

• Path: Lesser Conquest – Grants benefit to any attempt to take control of a territory, person, or situation; also grants a benefit to attempts to infiltrate or violate another character’s territory. This Lesser Path also grants benefits to supernatural attack pools.
• Path: Empire – Focuses on claiming new territory and improving a character’s ability to challenge the claims of other Huldufolk. Lower levels allow for simple acts of theft and control, while higher levels allow a Claimant to take full control of their targets and claim vast swathes of territory with a simple act of will.
• Path: Infiltration – Focuses on violating the territorial claims of others, and gaining access to forbidden places. Lower levels assist the Infiltrator in bypassing simple or mundane defenses while higher levels allow the Huldufolk to take on a target’s form, voice, and spiritual outline, shutting the original owner out of their own domain, territory, and even their life.

Strife

The path most people think of when they hear Destruction. Focuses on inflicting harm and violence. At lower levels, a practitioner inflicts inconvenience and pain upon those who draw their ire, at higher levels, a Huldufolk can inflict truly horrific damage upon their adversaries, and upon the tapestry of creation itself.

Strife 1: Malocchio (Defended, Supernatural) – Bad luck follows the target Minor Actor. They miss the bus, step in a puddle, and find their car has been burgled in the middle of the night. The effects vary from person to person (ST discretion), but they are universally unpleasant, lasting up to 24 hours.

Spend: The misfortune is especially extreme. The target may be mugged, be run over, or simply find that every squirrel in a 10-mile radius has developed an intense and personal hatred for them. The Huldufolk who uses this power may choose for it to be an attack, or may choose to control the specific nature of the misfortune inflicted.

Strife 2: Swift Vengeance (Undefended) – The Huldufolk is surrounded by damaging forces, be it armor of flame, or simply a strong bending of chance. For one hour, foes who target the user with Melee attacks find themselves punished for their transgression, suffering one point of damage for each attack.

Spend: The Huldufolk wills their defensive magic to become an instrument of Destruction, wrapping it around their weapon, or weaving it into every bullet. For one hour, the Huldufolk’s mundane attacks have a base of 2 damage.

Strife 3: Entropy (Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk’s control of the forces of Destruction have reached the point that magic itself is now an avenue of attack. This power is a damaging attack against a single target.

Spend: The Huldufolk can target 3 enemies at once. The user spends a single card for all three attacks, and all the attacks are resolved simultaneously.

Strife 4: Killing Word (Defended, Supernatural) – Unweaving the tenuous threads of life is now a matter of course for the Huldufolk. With this power, the Huldufolk kills a Minor Actor outright.

Spend: Instead of hitting a single Minor Actor with the full force of their destructive might, the Huldufolk infuses the surrounding area. All Minor Actors within the user’s Direct Influence are weakened as the power of destruction assaults their vitality. They lose one action (either mundane or supernatural, user’s choice) for the next five turns.

Strife 5: I am become Death (Defended, Varies) – The Huldufolk’s capacity for inflicting harm is incomparable. They inflict harm upon all enemies (the user can exclude targets at will) within their Personal Influence¹See Belief: Personal Influence with a single attack. The defenders resist with either their mundane or supernatural threshold (defender’s choice).

Spend: The magic of Destruction will not be denied. The attacker chooses which threshold the defenders will use (it must be the same for all defenders).

Burn: The Huldufolk’s wroth is such that it shakes the foundations of the world. When resolving damage against enemies in the user’s Personal Influence, the base damage is 2. The Huldufolk additionally inflicts the normal attack against all characters within their Territorial Influence (the user can exclude targets as normal)

Change

Focuses on altering the nature of reality. Lower levels allow for the bending of chance or circumstance, higher levels allow for gross rewriting of the world around the practitioner, twisting it to serve their purposes.

Change 1: That’s What I Meant (Undefended) – The Huldufolk can make a small addition to a given situation, so long as that addition would not contradict the description already given by the storyteller. (EX: A handy tool was left nearby [no bonus, mundane equipment])
Note: These changes are small, a single mundane item laying around, a door or window being unlocked, a strand of hair left on the floor. The ST, not the player, determines the origin of these items. A player might say, “There’s a diary sitting on the desk”, which is a valid use of the power, but the ST is justified in saying that the diary is empty, or contains a grocery list, agenda, etc. STs are encouraged to exercise discretion.

Spend: The character may alter something already described (EX: A stoplight is green instead of red, a key that didn’t fit just needed to be turned the other way). The ST is the arbiter of what can and cannot be changed.

Change 2: I Knew That (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – By spending a supernatural action, the character gains access to an affinity they do not possess for one round. If the character already possesses that affinity, they may choose to gain a Focus in it (even if they have already reached the maximum number of allowed Foci). Alternatively, the character may attempt to deny access to an affinity to their enemy. The player selects an affinity and, if the target possesses that affinity, they lose it for one round. If the player chooses to target a Focus, they must specify that they are doing so, and if the target possesses that Focus, they lose access to it for one round.

Spend: This power’s duration is extended to one hour.

Change 3: Water to Wine (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – On a whim, the Huldufolk can reshape what is and is not real. The Huldufolk changes the composition of a mundane object, turning water to wine, steel to silk, or stone to air, adding or removing benefits as they see fit (add or remove bonuses up to the mundane maximum, or low enough that the object no longer functions as equipment). With a single activation, the Huldufolk can alter up to 1 ton of total material, or up to 10 cubic meters in volume (whichever is larger). If the object is currently in the possession of another character, they may choose to Defend against this power. To use this power, the character must touch the object in question.

Spend: The Huldufolk may choose to target magical objects. However, the changes on a magical item are not permanent, the object reverts to its original material after 1 hour unless the Huldufolk spends an additional Belief to continue the effect.

Change 4: Werewolf (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk improves their capacity for change, altering their own body in fantastical ways. The user gains 2 of the following abilities:

• Flight
• Waterbreathing
• Increased Health (+2)
• Unnatural Weapons (magical equipment, +3, 1 Minor Effect)
• Unnatural Armor (magical equipment, +3, 1 Minor Effect)
• Burrowing
• Supernatural Senses

Spend: The Huldufolk can inflict change upon other characters. Select from the following list:

• Blindness: The character is blinded until healed. They do not have line of sight unless they have access to a supernatural method of operating without sight.
• Lameness: The character can only take one action per round (either mundane or supernatural) until healed.
• Waterbreathing: Only water. The character takes 1 level of damage for every round spend without submerging their head in water.
• Infirmity: The character’s maximum threshold (either mundane or supernatural) is reduced by 2, if their current threshold is lower than the new maximum, the current threshold is unaffected.

Change 5: A Trick of Perspective (Potentially Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk is the arbiter of what is and is not true, inflicting widespread and dramatic change throughout their immediate area. The scenery is altered, or the air changed to noxious gas. Minor Actors may be added or removed to the scene, or may have any change inflicted upon them at will. Perhaps they are restored to full health and refreshed, or perhaps they find that their organs are replaced with steel, to their very temporary discomfort. If the change would directly affect another character, they may choose to Defend. The Huldufolk who activated this power activates it once, and all attempts to resist are against that target number. This state of Godhead lasts for one round, at which point the effects become the new reality.

Spend: In addition to the normal effects, Major Actors may be affected by this power. Major Actors cannot be killed outright or added to or removed from the scene, but the changes inflicted will do damage as though this were an attack.

Burn: Major Actors can be added to or removed from this scene. If they are unwilling, they can Defend.

Destruction

Often maligned as an inherently evil Sphere, Destruction is not only for monstrous sorcerers flinging death from their fingertips (though there are certainly plenty of those). This Sphere is focused on change and chaos, often but not exclusively through the medium of violence. Its adherents include the aforementioned power-mad sorcerers, pursuers of Nirvana, and those seeking to understand the deepest nature of reality. Those who select Destruction as their primary path are known as Champions.

• Path: Lesser Destruction – Grants benefit to any act intended to bring about change, or to inflict destruction. This Lesser Path also provides a bonus to all mundane attack pools.
• Path: Change – Focuses on altering the nature of reality. Lower levels allow for the bending of chance or circumstance, higher levels allow for gross rewriting of the world around the practitioner, twisting it to serve their purposes.
• Path: Strife – The path most people think of when they hear Destruction. Focuses on inflicting harm and violence. At lower levels, a practitioner inflicts inconvenience and pain upon those who draw their ire, at higher levels, a Huldufolk can inflict truly horrific damage upon their adversaries, and upon the tapestry of creation itself.

Focuses on the creation of living things. At lower levels it gives a Huldufolk deep knowledge of other creatures’ well-being, and allows for self-healing and resiliency. At higher levels, plagues, humans, and even magical creatures can be brought into being out of nothing but pure will.

Life

Life 1: Delving (Defended, Supernatural) – The Huldufolk learns the current health and any diseases affecting a Minor Actor. If the Minor Actor is aware of this power and willing to be subjected to it, the power is Undefended.

Spend: The Huldufolk can use Delving on a Major Actor. If the Major Actor is aware of this power and willing to be subjected to it, the power is Undefended and does not require a Spend.

Life 2: Regeneration (Undefended) – The Huldufolk has learned to understand their own body to an incredible extent. By spending a supernatural action concentrating, the character can heal one level of damage.

Spend: The Huldufolk forces the process to happen much more quickly, healing 3 levels of damage with a single supernatural action.

Life 3: Second Wind (Undefended) – The Huldufolk’s regenerative capacity has improved to the point that they can restore a single level to their mundane defensive threshold, washing away the fatigue of battle.

Spend: The Huldufolk completely renews their resources, restoring their mundane defensive threshold to its maximum.

Life 4: The Little Things (Defended, Mundane) – The Huldufolk has taken the first steps of bringing about true Creation, conjuring simple life forms such as viruses and bacteria. The created life forms can perform one of the following functions:

• Damage: Inflict 1 level of damage per turn until healed or until the target is rendered incapacitated.
• Coma: If the target becomes incapacitated before this disease is healed, they remain in that state until such time as they are healed.
• Fatigue: The target loses 2 levels of their mundane threshold when subjected to an attack, rather than the normal 1.
• Blindness: The character is blinded until healed. They do not have line of sight unless they have access to a supernatural method of operating without sight.
• Lameness: The character can only take one action per round (either mundane or supernatural) until healed.
• Antibody: The disease targets an existing malady and can alleviate any mundane or supernatural illness (if the target is willing, this power is Undefended)

Spend: The creator selects two choices from the above list.

Life 5: Genesis (Undefended) – The Huldufolk has reached the height of this Path and can now conjure life from nothing. By spending a supernatural action, the Huldufolk can create a single mundane Minor Actor. The Minor Actor is not mindless, but it is essentially a blank slate, able to perform the functions necessary for survival but without any a priori knowledge or affinities. The Minor Actor is given three qualities, but no affinities.

Spend: The created Minor Actor may be a supernatural creature.

Burn: The creation is a Major Actor.

Special: Three characters who possess this power may opt to use it in conjunction, each burning a Belief, to resurrect a dead character. The resurrected character loses 1 Belief rating upon revival. If the character does not have a Belief rating, or would be reduced to 0 Belief by the resurrection, they cannot be resurrected.

Substance

Focuses on the creation of nonliving things. At lower levels it allows a Huldufolk to improve mundane and simple magical equipment, at higher levels it allows for creation at incredible size and scope, and for the creation of powerful Artifacts.

Substance 1: Reforging (Undefended) – The Huldufolk can repair a mundane object and restore it to full functionality. Typically, this requires a single supernatural action. However, if the object is exceptionally damaged or complex, it may take as long as an hour.
Spend: By spending a Belief, the Huldufolk can improve the object to the limits of mundanity. The item grants a +2 bonus on appropriate actions (this replaces any original bonus from the item).

Substance 2: Improving (Undefended) – The Huldufolk has passed beyond the limits of mortality, and can bring mundane objects to greater bear than any human could manage. By focusing on the object for a single supernatural action, the equipment’s bonus is increased by 1, to a maximum of +3, regardless of whether or not it originally provided a benefit. This bonus lasts until the next dawn or dusk. This power can be used multiple times, to bring a +0 or +1 item to +3.

Spend: By spending a Belief, the Huldufolk takes the first steps in working with magical items. For each Belief and Action spent improving the object, its bonus increases by 1, to a maximum of +5. As with the non-Spend effect, this lasts until the next dawn or dusk.

Substance 3: Platonic Exemplar (Potentially Defended, Mundane) – The Huldufolk understands the nature of creation intimately, allowing them to conjure items of unsurpassed quality. By spending a supernatural action, the character creates a platonic exemplar (a perfect example) of a given object. The creation can be a simple or a complex machine, but it must be an object which already exists in the mundane world; no teleporters or lightsabers. The object can be up to 1 metric ton in weight or 10 cubic meters in total volume. Once created, the object lasts for 1 hour, it grants a benefit of +2 on any relevant tests. If the creation in some way targets another character (creating a sword inside their chest, binding them with conjured manacles, etc), this power is Defended.

Spend: By spending a Belief, the Huldufolk can create a magical item, weaving shadow and air into a cloak, or conjuring a sword of flame. The item created grants a benefit of +2, but can be improved by other powers to a maximum of +5. At creation, the object has two Minor Effects.

Substance 4: Larger than Life (Potentially Defended, Varies) – This power modifies Substance 3. When creating an object, the Huldufolk can now create objects of up to 3000 cubic meters in size, and create up to 100 duplicates of a mundane object. Additionally, mundane objects created are now real in every sense and last indefinitely. If the creation in some way targets another character, this power is defended by either the mundane or supernatural threshold (attacker chooses).

Spend: By spending a Belief, the Huldufolk can create truly massive or numerous objects. Castles spring from nothing, entire legions are armed with a thought, and charging hordes are stopped cold by previously nonexistent bulwarks. If a character spends a Belief to conjure a magical item, they can spend an additional Belief to make that item permanent as well.

Substance 5: Ex Nihilo (Potentially Defended, Varies) – This power modifies Substance 3. Magical objects can now be created without spending Belief. When created, a magical object has a base rating of +3, and can have up to 3 Minor Effects or 1 Minor Effect and 1 Major Effect

Spend: The created object has a base rating of +4 and can have up to 4 Minor Effects, or 2 Minor Effects and 1 Major Effect

Burn: The created object has a base rating of +5 and can have up to 5 Minor Effects, 3 Minor Effects and 1 Major Effect, or 1 Minor Effect and 2 Major Effects.

Creation

This Sphere is focused primarily on weaving the raw material of the universe into new and wondrous forms. Its adherents include artists, magical botanists, and supernaturally tough warriors. Those who select Creation as their primary Sphere are known as Artisans.

• Path: Lesser Creation – Grants benefits to any work of creation or creativity. This Lesser Path also provides a bonus to all mundane resistance pools.
• Path: Substance – Focuses on the creation of nonliving things. At lower levels it allows a Huldufolk to improve mundane and simple magical equipment, at higher levels it allows for creation at incredible size and scope, and for the creation of powerful Artifacts.
• Path: Life – Focuses on the creation of living things. At lower levels it gives a Huldufolk deep knowledge of other creatures’ well-being, and allows for self-healing and resiliency. At higher levels, plagues, humans, and even magical creatures can be brought into being out of nothing but pure will.

Lesser Paths

There are five Lesser Paths in Huldufolk. As discussed above, a character’s primary Sphere is chosen at creation, and they receive levels of that Lesser Path equal to their Belief for free. A character can purchase levels of other Lesser Paths with XP, but can never possess a Lesser Path rating higher than their current Belief.

Each level of a Lesser Path offers a +1 bonus to relevant tests while it is active; changing a character’s active Lesser Path takes one Supernatural Action¹See Additional Mechanics: Actions.

Ex: A character with Lesser Creation 3 active gets a +3 to all tests relevant to that Sphere. If they wish to activate Lesser Destruction to gain its bonuses instead, they will need to spend a Supernatural Action to do so.

Creation

The Sphere of Creation is the home of artists, life-givers, and all those who value cultivation for its own sake. Increasing mastery of the Lesser Path grants benefit to all acts of creation or creativity, as well as a bonus to the user’s mundane defensive threshold.

Destruction

The Sphere of Destruction lends itself not only to the monsters of the underworld, but also to the noble defenders of the helpless, the valiant knights in the hosts of holy armies, and to all those who seek to bring about change in the world around them. Each level of Lesser Destruction grants a bonus to acts of violence or destruction, or acts intended to bring about change. Lesser Destruction also grants a bonus to all offensive supernatural tests.

Conquest

There can be no empire without a conqueror, and the Sphere of Conquest is where the greatest and most terrible conquerors find their power. Any act of taking control, attempting to usurp or violate the claims of other characters, or sway others to your service gains a bonus from this Path. Additionally, Lesser Conquest grants a direct bonus to all offensive mundane tests.

Dominion

Keep what is yours, make it safe, and allow no one to usurp your claim. This is the basis of the Sphere of Dominion, and its adherents live this ideal with every breath. Any action devoted to keeping control of yourself, your territory, or to enforcing your sovereignty receives a bonus from Dominion, this same bonus is also granted to a character’s supernatural defensive threshold.

Service

For every knight there is a squire, for every king, a kingdom. Many view the role of the servitor as a weak one, of minor import to the great and powerful. Those who master the Sphere of Service, however, understand the truth; that only by consent of the governed can a ruler stand. The path of Lesser Service grants no immediate benefit to the practitioner. Instead, a Servitor can grant a total number of bonuses to other characters equal to their rank in this Path. The bonuses can all go to a single character, or be split up among multiple targets. The recipient of this largesse is unable to refuse the gift, nor to force its award through any means. The gift can be granted only by the unaltered will of the Servitor.