Kalos Mechanism 4e EN:Gifts
Gifts range from exceptional human abilities to less flamboyant posthuman abilities. The details of each gift are highly dependent on a character's background, so the player should work with the GM to flesh out these details. Gifts which impact the setting directly, such as Headquarters and Wealthy, should receive more than the usual amount of GM consultation.
Each gift costs 1 character point.
Example: Buying three gifts costs 3 character points. Buying a fourth gift costs 1 character point.
Typical Gifts
Below is a list of typical gifts found in a Kalos Mechanism game. A character may have a gift not listed here, subject to GM approval. Any new gifts should be approximately as useful as these gifts.
| Gift | Description |
|---|---|
| Alteration Resistance | Allows the character to withstand attacks which would transform them or damage any of their abilities |
| Ambient Awareness | The character can perceive equally well in every direction simultaneously |
| Animal Empathy | The character can use social skills on animals; once per game session, the character can befriend an animal |
| Astral Travel | The character's consciousness can travel to anywhere on Earth, to alternate realities, and to divergent time streams |
| Attentive | The character is unaffected by attempts to distract them |
| Bag Of Tricks | The character carries a bag, a belt, or a backpack with a number of small, ordinary items (Equipment Level 2) |
| Blindsight | The character can sense shapes and textures as clearly as with ordinary vision, but without the ability to distinguish color |
| Connected | The character has a wide ranging network of useful friends, rivals, and former associates |
| Damage Resistance | The character's Damage Resistance is subtracted from the points of Health or Endurance damage an attacker rolls |
| Danger Sense | The character can sense danger and avoid being surprised |
| Dimensional Travel | The character can traverse dimensional boundaries, visiting alternate realities and divergent time streams |
| Disarming Expert | The character can make disarming attacks without the associated penalty |
| Environmental Immunity | The character can survive in environments that would impair or kill normal people |
| Escape Artist | The character receives a double bonus (+6 AV, +6 DV) when attempting to break out of a grapple or the Hold power |
| Expert Reputation | The character can sometimes gain favors from strangers who are familiar with their work |
| Famous | The character can sometimes gain favors from strangers who recognize them |
| Fascinating | The character can sometimes gain favors from admirers |
| Headquarters | The character has one or more bases of operation, equipped with supplies and workshops reasonable for the character's background and skills |
| Hyperacuity | Permits the character to sense details too small, faint, or distant for ordinary human senses to detect |
| Immortality | The character will never grow old or die from "natural causes" |
| Iron Fists | The character's unarmed hand-to-hand normal attacks deal points of Health damage equal to the character's Hand-to-hand Combat |
| Linguist | The character is fluent in dozens of languages, and they are capable of quickly deciphering new languages when they encounter them |
| Mental Calculator | The character can solve complex mathematical equations by thinking about them briefly |
| Mental Resistance | Allows the character to withstand withstand mental attacks and unnatural coercion |
| Minions | The character has an assortment of minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness |
| Night Vision | The character can see in pitch darkness as clearly as in daylight |
| Perfect Recall | The character can perfectly remember any event, document, or recording which the character has clearly seen or heard |
| Personal Immunity | The character is immune to any undesirable effects of their own gifts and powers |
| Quick Change | The character can change their entire outfit with a quick action; a character with the Alternate Form power can change forms once per turn |
| Radio Communication | The character can send and receive signals over any standard radio frequency |
| Ranged Disarm | The character can make a disarming attack with a ranged weapon, with the usual associated penalties |
| Scrounger | The character can find shelter, food, and personal essentials enough to provide for themselves and a small number of friends |
| Second Identity | The character has a second, completely legitimate identity which will withstand even the most focused scrutiny |
| Sense Auras | The character can see the invisible emanations around people |
| Sense [Element] | The character can perceive, locate, and analyze a substance or energy |
| Sharpshooter | The character may ignore cover in ranged combat, as long as they can see part of the target |
| Signature Weapon | When wielding their signature weapon, the character's attacks ignore the Bulletproof power |
| Space Travel | The character can travel into space, visiting distant worlds and returning in a reasonably prompt fashion |
| Speak With Objects | The character can communicate with inanimate objects in ways that people normally can't |
| Team Player | Once per game session, the character can grant a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) to all of their allies |
| Time Travel | The character can traverse the time stream, stepping into the past or the future |
| Unsettling | The character can gain a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) on Manipulation skill rolls pertaining to intimidation and interrogation |
| Vehicles | The character has an assortment of vehicles at their disposal |
| Wealthy | The character can solve problems by throwing money at them |
| Weightless Combat | The character can fight or perform tasks while weightless without the associated penalties |
| X-ray Vision | The character can see through most objects |
Alteration Resistance
The character can withstand attacks which would physically transform them against their will, or any attack which would damage any of their abilities. The character gains Alteration Resistance equal to their Power Level.
The character's Alteration Resistance is subtracted from the points of alteration damage an attacker rolls. If an alteration attack does not inflict points of damage, the character's Alteration Resistance is added to their Defense Value (DV) against the alteration attack and added to their roll to recover from an alteration attack with an ongoing effect. Alteration Resistance is not effective against normal attacks and mental attacks. If the character has more than one source of Alteration Resistance, only the highest value applies.
Ambient Awareness
The character can perceive equally well in every direction simultaneously.
Animal Empathy
The character can use social skills on animals. Normal animals are more likely to be calm around the character, although a dangerous, hostile animal might require a moderately difficult (DV 9) roll to keep the animal from attacking.
Once per game session, the character can befriend an animal which is not hostile to the character. The animal will always remember the character and treat them as a friend.
A character's Animal Empathy might be limited to a specific type of animal, such as cats or sea creatures. If this is the case, the character gains a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) when interacting with that animal type.
Animal Empathy does not grant animals the ability to speak or convey detailed information. Animals express their side of the conversation through body language and action. (See also: Telepathy)
Astral Travel
The character can detach their consciousness from their physical body and travel to anywhere on Earth, to alternate realities, and to divergent time streams, leaving their physical body behind. While using Astral Travel, the consciousness of the traveler is typically invisible, but those who possess extraordinary spiritual awareness may be able to see the traveler's "astral body". The "astral body" of the traveler does not require the Environmental Immunity gift to survive in other realities or planes of existence, and the traveler is usually unable to interact with the strange vistas around them. However, they can converse with anyone capable of perceiving them. While the "astral body" is separated from the character's physical body, their physical body appears to be in a comatose state, and the traveler is unaware of anything happening to or around their physical form. Astral Travel is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion. Astral Travel is not generally useful in combat.
Attentive
The character is unaffected by attempts to distract them.
Bag Of Tricks
The character carries a bag, a belt, or a backpack with a number of small, ordinary items (Equipment Level 2). The character can use a quick action to pull any needed item from their bag, as long as the item is small enough to fit in the palm of their hand and can be purchased from an ordinary retail shop.
Blindsight
When blinded, the character can sense shapes and textures as clearly as with ordinary vision, but without the ability to distinguish color.
Normally, a character who can't perceive their opponent has great difficulty in combat. A character with Blindsight can engage in combat normally while blinded or otherwise unable to perceive their opponent, without any associated penalties. This could be granted by a form of sonar or radar, from extraordinary training, or from some form of alternate perception.
Connected
"I know some people." The character has a wide ranging network of friends, rivals, and former associates. From time to time, the character can contact one of these people, and have a reasonable chance of getting a favor from them. When the character wants to get a favor from someone, the player names the NPC and briefly describes how their character knows this contact. When the character meets their contact, they must attempt a moderately difficult (DV 9) Socializing roll to see how their contact receives them.
Expert Tip: Failure should never make the game less interesting.
Damage Resistance
The character can withstand normal attacks. The character might have thick armor or impenetrable skin, they might be adept at avoiding attacks, or they might be unnaturally lucky. The character gains Damage Resistance equal to their Power Level.
The character's Damage Resistance is subtracted from the points of normal Health or Endurance damage an attacker rolls. Damage Resistance is not effective against mental attacks and alteration attacks. If the character has more than one source of Damage Resistance, only the highest value applies.
Force Field: The character's Damage Resistance must be activated with a quick action. If the character goes unconscious, the Force Field turns off. The character may extend their Force Field to another person (or person-sized object) by touching them. The Force Field then protects both characters, but only as long as the character with the Force Field is touching the second character.
Danger Sense
The character can sense danger and avoid being surprised, even if there is no way for the character to see the attack coming. A character with Danger Sense never suffers a penalty for being surprised.
Additionally, if an attack is imminent, the GM will ask the player to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 9) Survival roll. If the Danger Sense roll is successful, the character senses the danger in time to warn other characters.
Precognition: Some characters with Danger Sense can see into the future, or "read" the destiny of items and people by touching them. Seeing into the future is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion.
Dimensional Travel
The character can traverse dimensional boundaries, visiting alternate realities and divergent time streams and returning the same way. Depending on the method used, the character may be able to take others with them. Survival in other realities or planes of existence may require the Environmental Immunity gift, depending on the local environment. Dimensional Travel is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion. Dimensional Travel is not generally useful in combat.
Disarming Expert
Normally, a character making a disarming attack incurs a standard penalty (-3 AV, -3 DV). A character with the Disarming Expert gift can make disarming attacks without the associated penalty.
Environmental Immunity
A character with the Environmental Immunity gift can survive in environments and conditions that would impair or even kill normal people. This includes unusual or even poisonous atmospheres, such as underwater or in methane. It also includes environments of extreme cold, extreme heat, and intense ionizing radiation. The character may sleep or eat if they want to, but they suffer no ill effect from lack of food or sleep. Furthermore, the character is unaffected by infectious viruses, bacteria, chemical and biological poisons, toxins, and so on.
The benefit provided by Environmental Immunity is ambient and highly plot dependent: it does not protect the character from attacks or from direct forms of damage. Being able to withstand extreme heat and exposure to the blazing desert sun does not mean that a character can wade through lava (for that, see [Element] Immunity).
For more details on the effects of the environment on a character, see Hostile Environments in the GM Resources chapter.
Specific Environments: Some characters have a more limited form of Environmental Immunity, granting them the ability to survive only in a set of specific environments. Some specific immunities a player may choose from are exhaustion, extreme cold, extreme heat, poisons, pressure, radiation, starvation, suffocation, and vacuum. If the player wishes, their character's immunity may be restricted even further. For example, a character with Environmental Immunity can normally survive without needing to breathe at all. However, if it makes more sense for the character to be able to breath in just one unusual environment, such as underwater or in methane, they may choose that option instead.
Escape Artist
A character with the Escape Artist gift receives a double bonus (+6 AV, +6 DV) when attempting to break out of a grapple or the Hold power. If the character has the Mental Combat skill, they also receive a double bonus when attempting to break out of the Mind Hold power.
Expert Reputation
The character is an acknowledged expert in a specific, narrowly-defined professional, scholarly, or technical field. Among their peers in that field, the character's name and reputation are widely known. People who respect that reputation may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from strangers who are familiar with their work.
Note that it is possible to have an Expert Reputation without actually being an expert.
Famous
The character's name and likeness are widely known, perhaps due to their exploits, or possibly because they are from a notorious family. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because paparazzi are often nearby. People may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from strangers who recognize them.
Fascinating
The character is naturally, effortlessly compelling. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because they will be the focus of attention in nearly any circumstances. People may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from admirers.
Headquarters
The character has one or more bases of operation, equipped with supplies and workshops reasonable for the character's background and skills. If the character is a member of a team, the headquarters might be shared with the other team members, at the player's discretion. A headquarters is primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. It is not generally useful in combat.
Additionally, the character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Survival roll to remember a "safe house" or a cache of supplies nearby, wherever they happen to be.
Hyperacuity
The character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to sense details too small, faint, or distant for ordinary human senses to detect. On a successful roll, the character can taste the number of salt grains on a pretzel, read text on a computer display by touching it, see a license plate clearly from kilometers away, identify a person by the sound of their heartbeat, track someone through a city by their scent, and so on.
Immortality
The character will never grow old or die from "natural causes". Additionally, the character is never truly "dead". If the cause of the character's demise is reversed (the stake is pulled from their heart, the poison wears off and loses its toxicity, their dismembered body parts are re-assembled, and so on), the character will begin to recover from their mortal injuries. How long this recovery takes is up to the GM.
The player must select a means of permanently killing the character. The means may be relatively obvious, such as burning the character or dissolving them in acid, or it may be obscure and specific to that character, such as destroying a specific portrait of the character that they keep in a vault, or stabbing them with a weapon made from the bone of a blood relative.
Death Is Preferable: Normally, an immortal character stops aging when they reach physical maturity, or shortly thereafter. However, some immortal characters continue to age (albeit at a slower rate), becoming gnarled and withered as the years pass. Such a character looks and feels ancient, although they may still be physically powerful.
Offsite Backup: Normally, when an immortal character recovers from "death", they retain all of their memories from events up to and including their demise. If the character's resurrection is facilitated by an external backup, such as a stored clone or a periodic neural upload to an orbiting satellite, there will be a gap between the time of the last "backup" and the character's resurrection.
Serial Immortality: Normally, when an immortal character recovers from "death", they remain essentially unchanged. Some immortal characters change their appearance and personality to that of a completely new person when they "die", retaining the knowledge and memories of their previous incarnation. For example, the character might be a parasitic organism that possesses a new host when the previous one expires, or the character might have a form of cellular regeneration with unpredictable results. With the GM's approval, even the character's gifts and powers might be changed.
Iron Fists
Normally, an unarmed hand-to-hand attack deals points of Endurance damage equal to the character's Hand-to-hand Combat. The unarmed hand-to-hand normal attacks of a character with the Iron Fists gift deal points of Health damage equal to the character's Hand-to-hand Combat. Making an unarmed normal attack requires a successful Hand-to-hand Combat roll against 7 + Hand-to-hand Combat of the target. If the attacker succeeds at this roll, then the attacker's damage is equal to their Hand-to-hand Combat. The target subtracts their Damage Resistance from the amount the attacker rolled. The target's Health is reduced by the remaining amount.
Linguist
The character is fluent in dozens of languages, and they are capable of quickly deciphering new languages when they encounter them.
The Linguist gift is not required for a character to know the languages they would reasonably be expected to know based on their background. Such languages are simply part of the character's background.
Lip Reading: A character with the Linguist gift may be able to "read lips": to understand what someone is saying by watching their lip movements and facial expressions. The character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to understand the basic facts of a conversation. With an extremely difficult (DV 15) Investigation roll, the character understands the conversation nearly verbatim. However, if any participant in a conversation makes a reasonable effort to conceal their lip movements, that person's lips can't be read.
Mental Calculator
The character can solve complex mathematical equations by thinking about them briefly. Also, the character has an intuitive understanding of higher mathematics, and is able to comprehend and remember intricate formulae and equations after examining them briefly.
Mental Resistance
The character can withstand mental attacks and coercion. The character gains Mental Resistance equal to their Power Level.
The character's Mental Resistance is subtracted from the points of mental damage an attacker rolls. If a mental attack does not inflict points of damage, the character's Mental Resistance is added to their Defense Value (DV) against the mental attack and added to their roll to recover from a mental attack with an ongoing effect. Mental Resistance is not effective against normal attacks and alteration attacks. If the character has more than one source of Mental Resistance, only the highest value applies.
The character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to sense the use of mental powers in their immediate vicinity.
Minions
The character has an assortment of minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness. Such minions might be guards, administrative staff, or technicians to keep the character's equipment in proper working order. Minions are primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. They are not generally useful in combat.
There is no set limit to the number of minions a character might have, subject to the GM's approval, but the more minions there are, the less competent they are.
Night Vision
The character can see in pitch darkness as clearly as in daylight. This could be granted by infrared vision, ultraviolet vision, or exceptional low-light vision.
Normally, a character who can't perceive their opponent has great difficulty in combat. A character with Night Vision can engage in combat normally in darkness, without any associated penalties.
Perfect Recall
The character can perfectly remember any event, document, or recording which the character has clearly seen or heard, even if they were not paying particular attention to it at the time.
Personal Immunity
The character is immune to any undesirable effects of their own gifts and powers.
Expert Tip: If your character has fire powers, and you want to be immune to all fire, buy Personal Immunity. However, if your character does not have fire powers, and you want to be immune to all fire, buy [Element] Immunity. (And no, the Flexible power boost doesn't count, but it's a good question.)
Quick Change
The character can change their entire outfit with a quick action. This could be made possible by super-speed, a costume stored in a ring, or just by wearing a different outfit underneath street clothes. A character with Quick Change and the Alternate Form power can change forms once per turn with a quick action.
Radio Communication
The character can send and receive signals over any standard radio frequency.
Encrypted: If the character wishes, the communication is concealed from those not involved in the conversation. Anyone not party to the conversation must make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to notice the conversation and an extremely difficult (DV 12) Computing roll to understand what is being said.
Ranged Disarm
The character can make a disarming attack with a ranged weapon. A ranged disarming attack requires a successful Ranged Combat roll against 7 + Ranged Combat of the target. As with hand-to-hand disarming attacks, the attacker incurs a standard penalty (-3 AV, -3 DV).
Scrounger
The character can always find useful items by asking around and keeping their eyes open, whether they are in the wilderness or in an urban environment. The character can find shelter, food, and personal essentials enough to provide for themselves and a small number of friends.
Second Identity
The character has a second, completely legitimate identity which will withstand even the most focused scrutiny. Alternately, at the player's choice, the character has no documented identity at all: any and all records of their existence have been erased.
Sense Auras
The character can see the invisible emanations around people. Sensing the aura of a person requires a standard action.
If the character makes a successful Investigation roll against 7 + Deception of the target, they can sense whether the aura is "warm" (positive, life affirming) or "cold" (negative, life negating). If the character fails this roll, they may not attempt to read that person or object again during that game session. A typical person's aura is slightly "warm".
The aura of a character with Mental Resistance can't be read. Objects do not generally have auras.
| Color | Temperament |
|---|---|
| Red | In a positive light, red indicates a healthy ego: someone powerful, sensual, passionate, and energetic. In a negative light, red indicates anger, an unforgiving nature, or anxiety. |
| Orange | In a positive light, orange indicates productivity and creativity: someone sociable, detail oriented, and courageous. In a negative light, it can indicate stress and addictions. |
| Yellow | Indicates optimism, and easy-going nature, inspiration, and intelligence. |
| Green | Indicates balance, growth, and a willingness to change. It is a strong indication of a love of people, animals, and nature. |
| Turquoise | Indicates a sensitive, compassionate nature, that of a healer or a counselor. |
| Blue | Indicates calm and focus. It is a strong indication of clarity, truthfulness, and an intuitive nature. |
| Indigo | Indicates deep feeling: someone of profound intuition and sensitivity. |
| Violet | Indicates a sensitive nature and greater than average psychic potential. May also indicate an artistic temperament. |
| Lavender | Indicates great vision and imagination. |
Sense [Element]
The character can perceive, locate, and analyze a substance or energy. The specific force or substance to be sensed must be chosen when this gift is purchased: sense magic, sense metal, sense temporal anomalies, and so on.
Obtaining detailed information about the element typically requires a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll, but the difficulty may be higher depending on the ambient "noise" and how obvious the thing being perceived is. If the thing being perceived is relatively obvious (to someone with the appropriate senses), no roll should be necessary.
If a character within an area of Darkness has an appropriate Sense [Element] gift, they may use a quick action to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to locate a target. If this roll is successful, the character does not suffer a standard penalty to attack that target during that round.
This gift may be purchased more than once.
Mage Sight: Mage Sight allows the character to sense the presence of magic and those who can wield it. To perceive a source of magic, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 9) Occultism roll. If the target of the character's attention is a magic object, they learn the general purpose of the object's magic, and they have a rough idea how to activate it. Mage Sight has other uses, as well. For example, if a character with Mage Sight is being spied upon by an astral traveler or someone using magic, they may use an anytime action to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 9) Occult roll to notice the fact. If they succeed at an extremely difficult (DV 12) Occult roll, they also notice whether the person spying on them is in the past, the present, or the future.
Sharpshooter
The character may ignore cover in ranged combat, as long as they can see part of the target.
Signature Weapon
Normally, a character with the Bulletproof power ignores most attacks from ordinary weapons. For example, a Bulletproof character with Power Level 3 is unaffected by ordinary guns, knives, etc. of Equipment Level 2 and lower. A signature weapon is an otherwise ordinary piece of equipment that has special importance to the character. When wielding their signature weapon, the character's attacks ignore the Bulletproof power.
Space Travel
The character can travel into space, visiting distant worlds and returning in a reasonably prompt fashion. Depending on the method used, the character may be able to take others with them. Survival in outer space requires a spaceworthy vehicle or the Environmental Immunity gift. Space Travel is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion.
Speak With Objects
The character can communicate with inanimate objects in ways that people normally can't. For example, a character with Speak With Objects may communicate with buildings and other artificial structures, non-sentient machines, non-sentient plants and animals, paths and roads, and rocks and stones. To communicate with an inanimate object, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 9) Socializing roll.
Inanimate objects, not truly being sentient, do not generally lie or withhold information. However, being able to speak to something does not grant it any additional abilities. A building might be able to tell you where the vault is, but it can't unlock the vault for you.
Object Reading: Some characters can see into the past, viewing or "reading" the history of items and objects by touching them. Seeing into the past is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion.
Specific Objects: Some characters may only communicate with specific objects. For example, a character attuned to the spirit of cities might only be able to communicate with roads and buildings, while a cyborg might be able to connect to and communicate with computers, at speeds much faster than would otherwise be possible. A character whose Speak With Objects gift is limited in this way gains a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) on relevant rolls.
Team Player
The character works well with others. Once per game session, the character can grant a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) to all of their allies, to use on their next skill roll or their next defense (Team Player's choice).
Time Travel
The character can traverse the time stream, stepping into the past or the future. Depending on the method used, the character may be able to take others with them. Whether the time traveler can change the past or simply creates a divergent time stream is a bone of contention among philosophers and temporal physicists. Time Travel is a plot dependent ability and may not always be available, at the GM's discretion. Time Travel is not generally useful in combat.
Unsettling
The character is able to put off a disturbing vibe that makes people and animals nervous. The character can gain a standard bonus (+3 AV, +3 DV) on social skill rolls pertaining to intimidation and interrogation.
Vehicles
The character has an assortment of vehicles at their disposal. If the character is a member of a team, the vehicles might be shared with the other team members, at the player's discretion. A vehicle is primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. It is not generally useful in combat.
Additionally, the character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Survival roll to remember a vehicle they have stored nearby, wherever they happen to be.
Wealthy
If a problem can be solved by throwing money at it, the character can probably solve that problem. Food, clothing, and shelter cease to be concerns for a character with Wealth.
Weightless Combat
If a character is underwater or in a zero-gravity environment, they normally incur a standard penalty (-3 AV, -3 DV). A character with the Weightless Combat gift can fight or perform tasks while weightless without the associated penalties.
X-ray Vision
The character can make a moderately difficult (DV 9) Investigation roll to see through objects. On a successful roll, they focus their vision at a specific distance, ignoring intervening physical barriers. The character can't see through or past a reasonably common material (typically lead), nor into any area affected by Power Drain.
A character with X-ray Vision can see past Darkness, but can't see within it.