Devotion Skills

The Priests and Heroes of the Dominion may purchase these skills to reflect their dedication to the Immortal Spirits and the Path of Tulak. Only Tulaki can purchase the Priestly Devotion skill, but any character in the Dominion can purchase Heroic Devotion as long as they have been Devoted first.

• Priestly Devotion costs 2 points per rank.
• Priestly Devotion grants the ability to perform one Major Ceremony and one Minor Ceremony per rank.
• Only Tulaki characters who are in the Dominion can purchase ranks of Priestly Devotion.
• A character with Priestly Devotion cannot purchase any new ranks of Heroic Devotion (but they may retain the ranks they already have).
• If a character has the Engineer skill as well as at least 1 rank of Priestly Devotion, they automatically learn the Talisman Mod.

Priest characters can purchase Priestly Devotion to reflect their religious training. Priests are highly respected in Dominion society, as they have sacrificed their chance for individual immortality to help guide others to that goal. Priests in the Dominion are expected to guide rather than lead, but they do hold a significant amount of temporal power due to the trust and status they hold.

• Ceremonies are divided into Major and Minor Ceremonies. Priests gain the knowledge of one of each type with every rank of Priestly Devotion that they purchase.
• Ceremonies require a period of roleplayed action to perform, and consume Ritual Herbs (which can be bought from a Dominion representative).
  • Minor Ceremonies require at least 1 minute of roleplayed ritual action, and consume 1 measure of Ritual Herbs.
  • Major Ceremonies require at least 5 minutes of roleplayed ritual action, and consume 2 measures of Ritual Herbs.
• A single performance of a Ceremony can only target a single character, which cannot be the performer.
• Most ceremonies have lasting effects that persist for the remainder of the day or event. A character can only be under the effect of one Minor and one Major Ceremony at a given time - a newer Minor or Major Ceremony performed on them will take precedence over any previously applied ones of that type.
  • Exceptions to this rule (such as an ongoing Devotion to an Immortal Spirit) are noted in each Ceremony's entry below.
• Performing a Ceremony requires the presence of a Referee, NPC or the Dominion Representative.
• Ceremonies require the consent of the character who they are being performed on - they cannot be performed on unwilling targets.

Ceremonies are the signature ability of Tulaki Priests. They require at least 5 minutes of roleplayed action - depending on the ceremony this may include burning sacred herbs, delivering rousing speeches, ritual music or dancing, or praying to petition the Immortal Spirits for help. Tulaki Ceremonies usually tend to be public affairs, inviting the community to witness, participate, and draw some of the attention of the Immortal Spirits.

It is unknown exactly how Ceremonies work, and there are no records of Ceremonies being performed on people who are not followers of the Path of Tulak. Performing a Ceremony on a character who is not part of the Dominion may have unpredictable results.

Major Ceremonies are powerful rituals that call upon the Immortal Spirits to create profound spiritual effects. A Major Ceremony requires at least 5 minutes of roleplayed ritual action to perform, as well as consuming 2 measures of Ritual Herbs.

Calling upon Immortal Spirits associated with combat, war and martial skill, you imbue the recipient with spiritual knowledge of weaponry that settles in their mind and muscle memory. While under the effect of this ceremony, the recipient gains occasional momentary flashes of sensation - sounds, smells, the feeling of movement, all of which can be connected with the use of melee weaponry. These flashes of sensation grant them lightning insights that allow them to strike with greater precision and power than they would normally be able to. The recipient gains the ability to make use of a single Weapon Call once per hour. The Call they can use depends on the weapon they are wielding, as follows:

• Small Melee Weapon - SUNDER or LETHAL
• Medium Melee Weapon - DISARM or KNOCKOUT (5)
• Large Melee Weapon - STRIKEDOWN or REND

Once the special Call provided by this ceremony has been used, it cannot be used again for another hour. Each time this power is used it may be used to make a different Call, as long as a weapon of the associated type is used to make the Call. The effects of this ceremony last for the remainder of the day.

Calling on unflinching and relentless Immortal Spirits, you imbue the recipient with spiritual power that drives them onward. A character under the effect of this ceremony reduces the duration of any FREEZE, KNOCKOUT or ROOT effects that target them by 5 seconds. They also experience the following roleplay effect - “You are relentless in pursuit of your goals. Barriers to achieving what you want can be overcome through sheer force of will, and you are unwilling to back down in any circumstance”. This ceremony lasts until the end of the day.

You may Devote another willing character to one of the Immortal Spirits that you know the name and title of. This draws that Spirit's attention to the character, and is the first step of a character becoming a Hero. Once this Ceremony has been performed on a character, the ceremony remains active for the remainder of the day - if another Major Ceremony is performed on the character that day then the devotion does not “stick”, but once the day ends that character becomes Devoted to the named Immortal Spirit. Once Devoted, the character retains their Devotion until it is removed, but a subsequent performance of this Ceremony without a named Immortal Spirit will remove an existing Devotion. You can also perform this Ceremony on a character who is already Devoted with the intent of temporarily reinforcing the connection between the character and the Spirit that they are devoted to. This has unpredictable results, but most commonly causes intense and vivid dreams relevant to the character's chosen path.

You call upon the Immortal Spirits to grant the recipient prophetic or revelatory dreams the next time they sleep. A character under the effect of this ceremony that goes to sleep for more than an hour will receive a briefing of the vivid dreams that they have had. These dreams are intense and vivid, but rarely straightforward - they may grant insight into something that his happening elsewhere in the Orion Sphere, or hint at things that may have happened in the past or possibly will happen in the future. If you have been affected by this ceremony you must inform Games Ops before it closes that night, and should report to Games Ops before you time in the following morning. This ceremony does not produce any useful result if performed on the last day of an event. The effects of this Ceremony last until the end of the day when the dream is had.

You draw the gaze of the Immortal Spirits to this character for the rest of the event, for good or for ill. Their actions will determine whether the Spirits view them more or less favourably. This ceremony is often performed on prospective heroes about to perform a great undertaking. Dominion characters who have performed great deeds while under the effect of this Ceremony have been known to experience all manner of spiritual effects, from revelations of hidden knowledge, to receiving great reserves of endurance or strength of will, at opportune moments. Others have been struck down with the anger of the spirits if they shirk from their undertakings. If you are under of the effects of this Ceremony you must notify the encounter Referee of any missions you are on.

You concentrate the mind of another character on their chosen Profession. If they have any of the following skills - Engineer, Etheric Science, Corporeal Science, Life Science, then they may choose one of those skills to count as one rank higher during the next downtime (which will allow them to do more work or research). If they have only one of the above skills, then it counts as 2 ranks higher. Additional ranks typically grant additional Work Slots (for Engineers) or Research Points (for Scientists). Characters do not gain any new device masteries or mods as a result of this ceremony. This Ceremony lasts for the remainder of the event, and a character who has this ceremony performed on them must note it, as well as the skill to be enhanced, on a hand-in slip at the end of the event.

Calling upon Immortal Spirits associated with strength, resilience and bodily perfection, you reinforce the recipient's physical form. When they suffer grievous injuries, the reserve of spiritual power suffusing them allows them to shrug off and ignore their wounds. A character who has this ceremony performed on them gains the following ability:

• When you are reduced to 0 Body Hits on your torso or head (or 0 Global Body Hits if you have them), and you have fallen fully to the ground or similar, you may activate this ability to instantly regain 2 Body Hits on each location (or 4 Global Body Hits). If you are in your Death Count, you remain so. You must use this ability within 30 seconds of losing your last Torso/Head/Global hit, and you must give a roar or shout to show that you have recovered. Once used, the Fortifying Ceremony expires.

The ceremony lasts until the end of the day, or if it's ability is used.

Calling upon Immortal Spirits associated with skill and expertise in the recipient's chosen speciality, you imbue them with spiritual power that improves their ability. When performing complex tasks, they are supernaturally assisted by flashes of insight that provides some protection from mistakes and bad outcomes. A character who has this ceremony performed on them gains the following ability:

• When you are the lead character in a Card Draw Action you may choose to Redraw a card that has just been drawn, placing it back in the deck and immediately drawing another card, which takes effect instead. Once used, the Proficiency Ceremony expires.

The ceremony lasts until the end of the day, or if it's ability is used.

Minor Ceremonies are shorter, more succinct rites that invoke some aspect of the power of the Immortal Spirits, or summon forth a spiritual effect from within a character, allowing them to contemplate some aspect of themselves or their chosen path. A Minor Ceremony requires at least 1 minute of roleplayed ritual action to perform, as well as consuming a single measure of Ritual Herbs.

This ceremony calls upon the forgotten remnants of training in a skilled recipient. For the next Card Draw Action that the recipient leads they gain one additional Green Card. If unused, this ceremony lasts until the end of the day.

This ceremony strengthens and reinforces the recipient's identity and sense of self, giving them a temporary spiritual bulwark against outside interference that would damage their selfhood. The recipient is subject to the following roleplay effect - “You feel confident and self-assured, buoyed up by the feeling that you can take on any challenge”. If the recipient is affected by a roleplay effect, either from a referee brief, Condition or IMBUE call, they may cause the effect of this ceremony to immediately expire and RESIST that roleplay effect. If the roleplay effect resisted is from a Condition that is still present an hour after this ability is used, then it takes effect at that point. Otherwise, this ceremony lasts for the rest of the event.

This ceremony calls upon a named Immortal Spirit and suffuses the recipient with their echoes. Dominion Priests use this ceremony to help place their charges into the mindset of an Immortal Spirit, both so that they can experience their powerful influence, and that they can reflect on the experience in retrospect. A period under this ceremony should allow the recipient to see how a change of perspective would affect their approach to the Path of Tulak. The recipient is subject to the following roleplay effect - “You feel influenced to act in a manner similar to how you feel [the named Immortal Spirit] would act in your situation”. This ceremony lasts for the rest of the day.

This ceremony is used to assist followers who are going through periods of spiritual turmoil. It invokes memories from the recipient's own past experiences to place them in a reflective and contemplative state. Meditating on this state can help a devotee of the Path of Tulak to place their current state within an overall context, and perhaps guide them to a way forward on their Path towards immortality. The recipient gains the following roleplay effect - “Memories of your own life feel especially close - you need only concentrate for a moment to bring them forth in vivid clarity”. This ceremony is not capable of recalling memories that have been removed by other abilities such as psionic powers. This ceremony lasts for the rest of the day.

This ceremony connects a character with their chosen path, giving them the determination to push forward and achieve greatness. It creates a roleplaying effect on the target - “You feel driven to accomplish your goals, and while you are performing actions to forward your goals, other concerns fade away”. This lasts for the rest of the event.

This ceremony manipulates the spiritual energies of the body, suppressing the roleplay effects of a wound or Condition that must be present and specified when the ceremony is performed. The recipient gains the following roleplay effect - “You feel driven to accomplish your immediate goals. While doing so the effects of [the specified Condition] fade away and are less of a concern”. While acting in accordance with this roleplay effect, you may ignore any Roleplay Effects of the specified Condition. This ceremony lasts for the rest of the day.

This ceremony calls forth a spiritual well of perseverence and saturates the recipient's psyche with it. This creates a roleplaying effect on the target - “You feel a drive to stubbornly persevere, and refuse to let obstacles stand in the way of your success”. While under the effect of this Ceremony, you become Walking Wounded after being Unconscious or Badly Injured for only 60 seconds (usually this time is 300 seconds). This lasts for the rest of the day.

Unlike most ceremonies, which target a single recipient, this ceremony has either no recipients, or many. The Rite of Remembrance is a collective ceremony that strengthens the memory of a named fallen individual in the minds and hearts of the ceremony's participants. The Priest performing the Ceremony must pace a circle around all participants when they begin, and perform the ceremony with at least 5 minutes of roleplayed ritual action. While the ceremony is ongoing, the participants strongly recall their memories associated with the named fallen individual. Participants are inspired to speak of their memories, and these memories may become embedded in the other participants as if they had been present when the remembered events occurred. Participants are unable to speak what they know to be untrue as they speak their memories. After the ceremony is complete, the strong recall of these memories slowly fade over the next few hours, returning to the background level at which they were remembered prior to the ceremony. This does not count as being under the effect of a Ceremony, and this ceremony does not replace any other ceremony that participants are currently under the effect of.

In some cases if the remembered individual was Devoted, supernatural effects may occur around the ceremony associated with the Immortal Spirit that they were Devoted to. In documented cases these have included visions or other sensory impressions, bolstering of mind and body, or the temporary granting of specialist knowledge or skills. There is little consistency or reliability to these supernatural effects.

• Heroic Devotion costs 2 points per rank.
• Starting characters cannot buy Heroic Devotion.
• A character can only purchase a single rank of Heroic Devotion after each event.
• You must be devoted to a specific Immortal Spirit by a Priest before purchasing ranks in this skill.
• Heroic Devotion grants the favour of the Immortal Spirit that your character is devoted to.
• Only characters currently in the Dominion can purchase ranks of Heroic Devotion.

Heroic Devotion represents the favour and blessings of one of the Immortal Spirits, which manifest as miraculous abilities relevant to the purview of that Spirit. These will usually take the form of abilities that can be performed a number of times per day, but there is little consistency to this power, and the abilities it grants will vary depending on the focus of your character. Some examples of possible abilities granted by Heroic Devotion to the most well-known Immortal Spirits can be found below. Devoting yourself to a Spirit is an in-character ceremony that can be performed by a Priest, and will be recorded on the game system. If you change or lose your Devotion, or change to a Faction other than the Dominion, your patron Spirit is likely to be angered.

This section shows some examples of the kind of abilities that Heroes devoted to the most well-known Immortal Spirits may acquire as they purchase ranks of the Heroic Devotion skill. This section is intended to serve as a guide as to what kind of abilities, and how powerful abilities are at certain ranks. It is important to note the following:

• This is not an exhaustive list of Heroic Devotion abilities.
• There are other named Immortal Spirits with different purviews and associated abilities that Characters can become Devoted to.
• The Heroic Devotion skill is not capped by rank, and can go higher than 5 - but we have only provided examples up to Rank 5.
• Heroic Devotion is highly personal, and there is no guarantee that a character who buys a rank of Heroic Devotion will gain the ability listed here for the associated rank and Devotion.
• See the Immortal Spirits page for more information on the themes and background of each Immortal Spirit.

Themes: Physical Prowess, Challenges, Athletes, fitness.
Heroes devoted to Akal can perform incredible feats of endurance and strength, and hone their body to resist influences that would weaken them.

1. Immunity to any roleplaying effects that cause a feeling of weakness or exhaustion.
2. Gain immunity to all DISEASE Conditions
3. +1 Locational Body Hit
4. Gain immunity to all TOXIC Conditions
5. Feats of Strength: You can perform incredible feats of strength. Ask Refs whether something is possible - examples include moving immovable objects, breaking incredibly tough things, removing obstacles, etc. All take around 30 seconds to build up to perform. The Hero also gains +1 Locational Body Hit.

Themes: Hunting, killing, tracking and melee combat.
Heroes devoted to Artis become incredibly proficient with melee weapons, especially blades. They excel at locating and hunting down a target.

1. Hunter’s Mark: Once per day, the hero can verbally call out an opponent to Mark them. The Hero strikes for THROUGH using melee weapons until either the Marked or the Hero yield or fall (become knocked out/badly injured).
2. Hunter’s Senses: A hero with this ability can spend about a minute analyzing a scene (and asking the encounter Referee) to get a rough idea of what has recently been present and what has happened recently in the immediate area.
3. Once per hour, the Hero can strike for STRIKEDOWN with a medium or large melee weapon. +1 daily use of Hunter’s Mark.
4. Twice per day, you may call LETHAL against a Marked Target with a melee.
5. +1 daily use of Hunter’s Mark. Against Marked targets the Hero may strike for either STRIKE or DISRUPT once per minute with a Melee weapon.

Themes: Combat, War, fighting independently.
Heroes devoted to Dalathak become consummate expressions of the Soldier. They become one with their weapons, and are tireless and nearly unstoppable in battle.

1. The Hero may RESIST the first SUNDER or DISARM on their weapons each day.
2. Armour worn by the Hero has +1 Locational Armour Hit as long as they wear it.
3. Any roleplaying effects on you are ignored for as long as you are actively in combat, but resume when you are no longer fighting.
4. The Hero recovers 1 lost Body Hit every 5 minutes outside of combat. Weapons held by the Hero RESIST all SUNDER and DISARM calls.
5. Universal Soldier: You can use any weapons or armour as if you had the relevant Training skill. When you gain this power any character points spent on Training Skills are refunded.

Themes: Terraforming, Farming, Engineering and Planetary Science.
Heroes devoted to Dekal are deeply in tune with the worlds upon which they walk. As scientists, engineers or other professionals, these heroes are able to survive the harsh conditions on untouched planets and take the needed steps to make them fit for habitation.

1. When you Sample from a deposit of Exotic Substances, gain +1 automatic success.
2. You may assist any skill-based Card Draw Action even without the skill as long as you participate in the roleplay. If you do have the relevant skill, add +2 Green cards instead of 1.
3. Gain immunity to all RADIATION Conditions.
4. In a Card Draw Action with you as the Lead Character, the first time there are 2 red cards in the deck, remove 1 red card. Gain immunity to all TOXIC conditions.
5. Earth Tremor: The hero may call MASS STRIKEDOWN 3 times per day (which cannot be directed) when they are on a planet (not in a space station or ship). They may also RESIST any STRIKEDOWN calls that affect them.

Themes: Engineering, technology, individual genius and inspiration.
The Devoted of Dothak are inspired creators, scientists and genii. Technology seems to bend to their will, and that which they surround themselves with reshapes itself to better protect them.

1. When performing a Card Draw Engineering Action as Lead Character, gain +2 Green Cards.
2. The Hero gains +1 Engineering Work slot between events, which can be used to Modify or Maintain a Device.
3. The Hero gains immunity to THROUGH.
4. Recover 1 lost Armour Hit on all locations every 5 minutes, automatically and without any action required.
5. When you complete an Invention, the prototype you receive will be an enhanced version of the normal item. Creating more of the same Invention will not produce an enhanced version.

Themes: Leaders, visionaries, oratory.
Although the Devoted of Enki are relatively few, their determination and ability to command a crowd with their voice is unmatched.

1. The Hero can RESIST any roleplaying effects that cause a feeling of listlessness, apathy or indecisiveness.
2. Cultivate Audience: Once per day, the Hero can call MASS IMBUE “Respect me” (10 minutes).
3. Motivating Words: Up to three times each day, by speaking to another character encouragingly for 5 minutes, you grant them a roleplaying effect for the rest of the day that encourages them to pursue their goals. While pursuing their goals directly, they may ignore any roleplaying effects that affect them (although these do still take effect when the target character rests or stops actively pursuing their goals, assuming they have not expired by that point).
4. Fortifying Speech: The Hero may use one of their daily Motivating Words uses to instead give a speech and call MASS IMBUE Courage (30 minutes) and also grant +1 Locational Body Hit (or +3 Global Body Hits) to up to 10 characters in their audience as long as this effect lasts (show-me lammie). The Hero gains an additional daily use of both Motivating Words and Cultivate Audience.
5. Captivating Oratory: The Hero may use one of their daily Cultivate Audience uses to instead call MASS MESMERIZE when giving a speech. Once they have finished speaking they must turn away to break the effect. The Hero also gains an additional daily use of both Motivating Words and Cultivate Audience.

Themes: Politics, the Law, societal structure.
Those Heroes who are devoted to Kalila are immensely skilled at political maneuvering, and discover cracks in any foe’s political armour.

1. You earn +30EC every event.
2. Each event, you may request a single Favour from the Dominion Ecclesiocracy - your Dominion Status rank will determine the size of favour that will be fully successful, but you will always get something.
3. After talking to another character for 5 minutes, you may induce them to reveal a hidden truth about themselves (show-me lammie)
4. After talking to another character for 5 minutes, you may induce them to tell you one of their goals (show-me lammie)
5. Once per event, you may denounce another character who you feel has committed a crime or amoral act, and they will be struck with a terrible curse.

Themes: Science, exploration, discovery.
Heroic Devotees of Lukan are have preternatural abilities when it comes to scientific investigation. Scanners sing in their hands, and the universe whispers its secrets to them.

1. You can Examine and Survey without a scanner. You still must perform investigative roleplay to use this ability, but you are relying on your keen senses and inspired knowledge. You do not have to spend charges to use this ability.
2. You may choose to RESIST the first Condition you gain while on an off-site mission each day of an event.
3. You gain +1 Generic Research Point.
4. Once per day, on an off-site mission, you can ask the mission Referee to find a cluster of a specific type of Exotic Substance, and you will find it. You may Sample it as normal.
5. Any time you use a Scanner for any purpose you automatically gain 1 success.

Themes: Protection, architecture, self-sacrifice.
Following the example of the Charred Immortal, Heroes devoted to this patron spirit are nigh immovable when ensconced in a position they have chosen to defend.

1. You may Root yourself to the spot to RESIST STRIKEDOWN and REPEL, planting your feet steadily on the ground and not moving them again. You must remain rooted until 10 seconds after any STRIKEDOWN or REPEL effects strike you.
2. A Shield you carry may RESIST any SUNDER calls that strike it.
3. By spending a few minutes analysing any structure (large immovable objects or constructions), you may speak to a Referee to potentially gain some useful information about it (its purpose, construction, vulnerabilities, etc).
4. When Rooted you can now also RESIST FREEZE and KNOCKOUT
5. Once each day, when Rooted, the Hero can spend 10 seconds of roleplay calling upon their inner will to explode with a wave of incredible force, calling MASS GLOBAL REND followed by MASS GLOBAL STRIKE (all of which also affects them).

Themes: Philosophy, Thought, Inspiration.
Although in a way every soul in the Dominion is a devotee of Tulak, those who have dedicated themselves to her teachings are inspired by incredible insights.

1. Observant Logic: Once per day, when on a mission, you may ask the Referee running the mission if your group has missed anything important, and they may point it out to you. If there is no result forthcoming, you don’t use up the daily use of this ability.
2. After 5 minutes of talking to another character, you may force them to tell you one thing about them that drives them to complete their goals (show-me lammie).
3. Flash of Insight: Once per day, you may ask at Games Ops for enlightenment concerning a particular plot or question, and get a substantial brief on that thing (if possible). Once the request is put in, it may take some time before the inspiration occurs.
4. The Hero gains +2 to all Reputation skills.
5. The Hero gains immunity to all IMBUE and MESMERIZE calls.

Themes: Travel, piloting, spaceships.
Heroes who devote themselves to Volkut display incredible ability to control starships, and supernatural powers of movement, able to travel to where they will to go.

1. If a ship you are on is destroyed, you may draw 2 cards to determine if you suffer an injury and choose the best result.
2. Starships you are crewing gain a coolant boost (+5 coolant)
3. The Way of Will: Once per day, you may focus your will to teleport back to an orbiting starship or from one point to another point on the same planet (takes 10 seconds of roleplay focusing on your intended destination to use)
4. Reduce the severity of any Conditions taken by crew on your ship by 1 step.
5. Once per ship mission, you may entreat the immortal spirits to show you the way, and mysteriously move your ship to any named grid sector in the current mission. You gain two additional daily uses of the Way of Will.

Themes: Diplomacy, Mediation.
Devotees of Wesrix are incredible negotiators, able to inspire a range of positive emotions in those they deal with as well as intuit the connections between people to open up new avenues of diplomacy.

1. In a direct conversation with another character you may call IMBUE CALM (10 Minutes) on them.
2. In a direct conversation with another character you may call IMBUE TRUST (10 Minutes) on them.
3. Once each event, you may describe an individual as part of an ongoing plotline and receive their name for the purposes of contacting them. This only applies to individuals that are contactable via the Spacer Collective Comms network, and actually open to communication.
4. By speaking to a group of people for 30 seconds you may call MASS IMBUE CALM (10 Minutes)
5. Once per day, you may declare yourself a peaceful emissary, holding your hands together or folding your arms. Until you seperate your arms, or 1 hour has passed, you may RESIST any attack with a weapon that strikes you. You cannot walk faster than a slow walk, and you can still be captured in this state, but you cannot be harmed by another character.