Hello Talents,

Before I share a preview of Chapter 4, I just wanna note how closer we are to our next Stretch Goal, expanding our stretch goal supplement and giving the writers more room to add new toys for our Talents.

At $35,000  in Funding – GEAR AND GADGETS – Even more gear, gadgets, and tech toys will be added to our unlocked PDF supplement.

Please continue to spread the word over this final week, and let's see if we can't Inspire enough new backers to unlock that goal, and maybe we can add another besides before we do a review next Wednesday.

As a reminder, here's our schedule for these final days:

Whether you're a seasoned field agent for Alert Status 1 or a rookie recruit for the LRE, there are some good topics to review over this week to make sure we all end up where we want to be.

(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out our Final Week Countdown / Resource Update. It has links to the manusript previews, interviews, podcasts, actual plays, and fun fiction.)

Talents have a whole slew of tools and tricks available to them. From the gadgets they build or find, to the Gifts that empower them, they likely have something to get a job done. This chapter covers all the new Gifts, gadgets, vehicles, Paths, and Skill Tricks available to Talents based on the information found in previous chapters.

On Tuesday, backers will have access to the entire draft version of this chapter. To give us an idea of what to expect, we've got a sampler of some of the material coming our way.

The following Gifts interface with the new systems found in this book. Need a gift for racing your death machine against other terrifyingly assembled vehicles? How about a Gift to pull off the impossible heist of a lifetime? Perhaps a Gift to notice an open dimensional gate? This section has you covered. 

Keywords: Constant, Luck
Either due to repeated practice traveling between alternate dimensions or some quirk of luck, your character is unusually sensitive to flux gates and the worlds they lead to. Not only can they sense any flux gates that are within long range, your character does not need to have line of sight, and can sense them even if they cannot see the flux gate’s location. Also, your character automatically knows if a flux gate leads to a dimension they have visited before, even if it’s a gate they have never encountered before. 

While the details of these perceptions differ slightly from one Talent with this Gift to another, anyone with this Gift also gains a general sense of how long ago a particular dimension diverged from the characters’ simply by looking at it. Precise information is impossible, but it’s instantly apparent that one flux gate leads to a dimension that diverged tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years ago, while a second diverged several thousand years ago, and a third only diverged a few decades ago. Finally, your character can also spend a point of Inspiration to increase the size of a flux gate by +1 Size Scale, to a maximum of Size Scale 3.

Keywords: Luck, Momentary
Prerequisite: Dimensional Awareness
By spending a point of Inspiration, your character can open a flux gate that has closed due to it being sufficiently old that the two dimensions have begun to drift apart. In addition, they can also use all of the abilities of the Dimensional Awareness Gift on flux gates that have closed. Flux gates opened with this Gift remain open for the next scene and then close again. Repeated use of this Gift on a closed flux gate will eventually cause it to reopen, but this requires your character use this Gift to open the flux gate anywhere from several to several dozen times. 

Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Momentary

Prerequisite: Humanities ••
Perhaps due to past experience with time rifts or other phenomena related to time travel, your character has developed a peculiar sense for temporal phenomena. Maybe she can analyze where a time rift leads by the feel of the energy coming off of it, or her senses can pick up snatches of sound or hazy images nobody else can hear or see but somehow provide a clue. On the other side, she always knows right away when she is (if not necessarily where) from context clues in clothing, architecture, signage, or even just the smell in the air.

System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character knows roughly what time period lies on the other end of an open time rift. If it's within the last couple of decades, she can pinpoint a year. If it's beyond that but within the last couple of centuries, she can narrow it down to a decade or two. The farther back the rift goes, the more vague it is. She gets no clues as to where in space the rift goes. If she passes through the rift (risking whatever might be on the other side), she can make the same assessment at no cost. If she makes a roll to narrow down the location and/or specific year, she may spend an Inspiration to find extra context clues, gaining Enhancement equal to her Reflective Facet on the roll.

Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisites: Stamina •••
When he comes running back through the gate, his hair is singed, one pant leg is torn off, and the oxygen cannister has melted. “Other side’s a bit rough,” he admits, as he stops, drops, and rolls to put out his flannel shirt, still aflame.

System: Every scene, your character has one additional Hard Armor which they may apply to any environmental or area damage effect. The Hard Armor heals at the end of a scene.

Repurchase at Inspiration 5 to allow your character to heal this Gift’s Hard Armor the first time they take an Injury Condition in a scene.

Keywords: Constant, Skill (Pilot)
Prerequisites: Pilot •••
The Talent pilots his vehicle with cool and steady hands. He doesn’t spin out when he whips around corners at blistering speeds. His vehicle handles sharp turns and serpentines with unbelievable control. 

System: Decrease the cost of the Jockey for Position Stunt by 1. The first time you use this Gift during a chase, you may activate the Stunt for free so long as you drift around a corner, sharp turn, or other dangerous curving pathway. 

Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Pilot)
Prerequisites: Pilot ••
The Talent’s daring flight keeps enemies guessing about where he is and where he’ll go. His clever tactics prevent enemies from leveraging advantages against him. 

System: Spend 1 Inspiration. Until the start of your next chase action, you cannot gain the Locked-On Condition. If you already suffer from the Locked-On Condition, you may apply this Gift to negate the Enhancement bonus provided by the Condition on the enemy’s next attack against you. 

The following are Edges that give Talents a benefit to their Mental arena.

Prerequisite: Dimensional Explorer Path, Enigmas ••
Visiting a new dimension can be exceptionally confusing, since almost anything could be different or unchanged. However, you have a combination of experience and an innate knack that allows you to make sense of what you observe. After spending at least one full scene in or observing multiple people interacting on an unfamiliar dimension, you can make an Enigmas + Cunning roll. The Difficulty of this roll is 1 for a close tangent and 3 for a far tangent. Success permits your character to gain a basic understanding of the society, such as knowing that a society appears matriarchal with men deferring to women on most matters, or people is this society avoid asking one another direct questions. If your character either cannot hear or cannot understand the local language, they can still gain some insights, but they will be considerably more general and vague.

You have an amazing facility for languages, and whether from book learning or casual exposure you can pick up new languages with astounding speed. You sound like a native and you automatically know enough of any modern language to get around, as well as any dead languages your background justifies. This includes written language as well, assuming the character has been exposed to writing as well as speech. The Storyguide may rule that you do not know a language if it is secret or simply unknown on any dimension you have visited. Once exposed to such languages the character learns them just as quickly as any other, however, picking up the basics in a day or two and becoming fluent after little more than a week of steady exposure.

The following are Edges that give Talents a benefit to their Physical arena.

Your character is at home under the water and likely skilled with various common diving suits and practices. She does not suffer the usual special environmental penalties from being underwater, such as Complications on physical actions or restrictions on speed. This Edge does not protect her from drowning, pressure, or other forms of environmental damage, however.

Two versions of this Edge exist, and a character may purchase both. The first version applies to the standard field (Size −1 to −4) while the second applies only to the micro-field (Size −5 and below). Your character isn’t subject to the normal side effects of shrinking. You may ignore an amount of Negative Scale equal to dots in this Edge when calculating changes to Durability Scale and Power Scale. You may ignore the same amount when calculating the effects of an opponent’s crushing attack. Changes to Speed Scale and Enhancement to Defense are unaffected.

The following are Edges that give Talents a benefit to their Social arena.

Prerequisite: Polyphemus Path
Your character exudes the authority of their shadowy organization, even if the person to whom they are speaking hasn’t heard of it (and they’d better not have). Gain +1 Enhancement to attempts to convince people that they, in fact, saw nothing and can move along with their day.

These Edges require the user to be a Talent or other Inspired individual to take.

Prerequisite: Polyphemus Path
Your character carries a flux-infused device the lab techs in the Vault consider stable enough to keep on your person. Much like the EMF devices people use for ghost hunting, the device helps triangulate areas of greater flux saturation than usual. Gain +2 Enhancement for finding and identifying flux-infused people, places, flora, fauna, and objects. To the dismay of Project Tantalus, this device does not find Talents unless they are also oversaturated with flux to a dangerous or unpredictable level. It is up to the players and Storyguide whether the device can be used to identify a player character as a flux source.

Prerequisite: Polyphemus Path
Your character has flux-infused armor. It can be her own body armor, clothing that was altered by exposure to flux, or provided by her research team. When selecting this Edge, pick twice as many armor tags as dots in this Edge. Once per session, your character can reconfigure her armor to have any of the tags, from one tag at the one-dot version up to three tags at the three-dot.

Talents are skilled individuals who have luck on their side. That doesn’t mean they aren’t equally prepared for their adventures with equipment and gear that will help them along the way. This section covers new equipment suitable for Talents in all the places they may go.

Unusual science calls for unusual capabilities. These tags are useful for Talents who are dealing with strange phenomena, such as Strange Places, rifts, dimensional travel, or even time travel.

For each point of the Bulky tag a character has in a hostile environment, physical actions under time pressure suffer from +1 Complication, causing delay and wasted time if not bought off (and causing the wearer to suffer the Stunned Condition for their next round in combat).

Reactive armor is effective against the first damage type or source of harm it’s exposed to in a scene, strange material shifting to provide anything from cutproof cladding to radiation absorbing density. When exposed to another source of damage, a Talent may spend a point of Inspiration or Source to change the armor to be effective against the new type of damage, losing its previous resistance.

The device can change the shape and dimensions of a phenomenon made of energy or certain forms of exotic matter, like a time rift. A Technology roll can increase its dimensions by up to 200% or reduce them by as much as 75%. The shape can be changed as well, maintaining more or less the same area.

The following are pieces of gear useful throughout any dimension a character might find themselves in.

Even a highly trained diver puts themselves at a calculated risk if they want to venture into the depths. Atmospheric diving suits mitigate some of the physiological risks associated with water pressure as a hard metal barrier between the diver and the water. They’re a cross between a spacesuit and an underwater mech. Their inside air pressure’s the same as on the Earth’s surface, so a diver doesn’t have to go through decompression or use special gas. They have communication devices, use marine thrusters for propulsion, and have multi-articulated limbs. They typically have multi-prong, claw-like hands for the diver to work with. They’ve recently achieved record dives of 800 meters.

Systems: Divers can move at Speed Scale +1 while underwater. Increase the Difficulty of all tasks involving fine or delicate manipulation by +4.

Availability: Atmospheric diving suits are extremely expensive and need to be ordered for purchase. 

Small-scale electromagnet pulse devices deliver a directed blast that knocks out electronic devices, frying ungrounded and unhardened systems entirely. Unlike their larger counterparts, these devices are around the size of a notebook and easy to carry on a job.

System: When attached and activated, the directed EMP can disable any electronically driven device up to Size Scale 2. Reactivating the devices is impossible without repairs. Against a larger device, such as an aircraft or a bank of servers, the directed EMP may impose increased Difficulty, Complication, or temporary non-functionality at the Storyguide’s discretion. A directed EMP device may reduce the Difficulty to bypass an appropriate obstacle during a heist by 3.

Availability: Only military units and government agencies with specialized remit have ready access to such devices. Talents could make one themselves, call in favors from their connections, or steal one.

Sharks have a special electrical sensory system to help them detect prey nearby since several species don’t have good sight. ESR rely on this fact to emit electric pulses to deter sharks from a person, preventing attacks… in theory. They don’t work all the time for all species or if the shark’s hungry enough to ignore it. 

System: Electric shark repellents give a diver 2 Enhancement on Survival actions to avoid or repel sharks.

Availability: Electric shark repellent is readily available for purchase.

These Artifacts are useful items Talents may craft or gain from their respective Allegiances to help them in their travels.

Rank: 2
Gift: Dimensional Awareness
This device duplicates most of the abilities of the Dimensional Awareness Gift. Different Talents have created different versions of this device. The most common are a device shaped like a bulky wrist watch or a medium-sized mobile phone, which has a directional antenna and a small screen. This device gives the direction and distance of any flux gate within long range. The other version of the device is a pair of sunglasses with oversized frames that allow the wearer to see any flux gates within long range. Both devices also can detect if a flux gate they are pointed at leads to the same dimension as one it was previously used to detect. One advantage of this device is that anyone can use it, including the un-Inspired.

Rank: 4
Enhancement: +3
Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Hardy 3
Gifts: Cast-Iron Stomach, Self-Sense
Tags: Worn
Size: -2
Different versions of this device exist under different names, but it's most commonly referred to as the Doctor Belt (as in “What does Doctor Belt say?”) despite being a full-sized harness. While not specifically developed for time travel, they’ve proved most useful for temporal journeys because of their propensity to take the characters away from modern medical facilities and into time periods with poorly-understood diseases and contaminants. Worn as an elaborate body harness under clothing, it uses a number of different systems to let the wearer monitor their health (usually with something resembling a fitness tracker paired with the harness) and modulate their own body's processes to help them survive harsh environments.

To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the Flaw: Loyal to a Fault and the Flaw: Jinxed.

Rank: 4
Tags: Composite (Ballistic, Impact), Hard Armor 1, Shield
Edges: Fast Draw
Gifts: Destined for Damage
Flaws: Loyal to a Fault
Energy shields are made to order units designed to cover a wide area and protect not only the user, but those who might stand behind her. These shields have panels of energy that radiate from a center spoke and form hardened barriers preventing both fast- and slow-moving objects from bypassing them. When not deployed, the shield fits comfortably in a pocket or pack. When deployed, it stands about 1 meter tall and about as wide. These shields can only be used by the person who they are made for, as they are biometrically imprinted upon creation. 

Rank: 2
Gifts: Dimensional Awareness, Dimensional Mastery
This gadget permits users to open flux gates that have closed, while also containing a device that can detect flux gates and the traces of closed gates, permitting users to position the device correctly. This device folds up into a rectangular box roughly the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, and it can be unfolded to create an open rectangle that is designed to be placed around a flux gate. It is large enough to admit any Size 1 person or object. In addition, characters can use this device to expand a flux gate by unfolding it further, so any object up to Size 2 can pass through it. It also has low, extensible ramps, permitting wheeled or tracked vehicles to drive through the gate. Finally, this device also permits anyone to see the dimension on the other side of the flux gate. One of the Portable Gateway’s many advantages is that, because it provides a framework that surrounds the edges of the flux gate and permits even the un-Inspired to see and see through the gate, it is an ideal method of allowing un-Inspired individuals to travel between dimensions.

In games focused on the open road or in which players are simply interested in exploring vehicular options, Storyguides should considering allowing players’ characters access to vehicles that would normally be beyond their means. Whether junkyard rebuilds, unexpected windfalls, or vehicles obtained under mysterious circumstances, a game interested in fast and furious action only benefits from characters having signature rides. In such cases, characters should be allowed to possess vehicles of up to ••• value without requiring the Wealth Edge. However, such vehicles should come with appropriate 0-Cost tags such as Finnicky, Offline, or Shoddy to indicate their unusual provenance. 

Other times, players might wish to have a group-owned vehicle. In such situations, the vehicle’s cost can go as high as the highest Wealth in the group, plus an additional point or tag for each character investing in it. Players designing a group vehicle should discuss and define the favored positions or action stations for their characters, both to provide more detail to how the vehicle functions and to avoid everyone trying to be the one to shoot the cannon on the tank the first time it rolls out. 

Some vehicles (such as the Telluric Intruder or Horizon Penetrator) make appropriate choices for the Artifact Edge. Functionally mundane vehicles with a modest investment in Inspired tags, they can be selected as Artifact ••• with their choice of 3 points of Flaws (Jinxed and Unreliable are both good choices, Trinity Continuum Core, p. 98-99).

Inspired tags indicate tags requiring at least advanced super science to include in a vehicle or device. 

An advanced AI is fully integrated with the vehicle’s systems and is able to operate them freely. It has the dice pools of a moderate threat, using its primary pool for any driving or computer-searchable general knowledge tasks and its secondary pool for any other connected systems such as Weapons or Tools. Not actually sentient, it loyally serves its assigned owner to the best of its abilities. Seriously subverting or damaging the AI requires prolonged access to its physical storage, though attempts to deceive or degrade its abilities remotely are possible. 

The vehicle sports a device which can gather, store, and channel flux energy. Whenever the vehicle participates in a scene involving genuine risk or challenge, it becomes charged. During any scene in which the vehicle is running, the driver may trigger the Flux Capacitor to use its charge to create a flux zone, allowing the use of flux Stunts and reducing the cost of Dramatic Editing by one for a scene. 

At the push of a button, the driver can unleash tire shredding caltrops, disruptive slicks of oil, or murderous shrapnel on anyone foolish enough to pursue them. Activating the system takes an action (which may be part of a chase scene), affecting any vehicles behind or pursuing the driver’s vehicle. It inflicts 2 Complication, each potential payload having a different effect if not bought off:

Caltrops: The pursuing vehicles suffer −1 Speed for the rest of the scene.
Oil:  The pursuing vehicle spins out, either losing a milestone in a chase or race, or the driver’s next action in a general actions scene.
Shrapnel: The pursuing vehicle or its occupants suffer an Injury Condition (pursuing driver’s choice) 

A launcher comes with one type of payload at cost 1, and all for cost 2. 

The following are new Paths available to Talents.

The options listed cover an array of upbringings. Each Origin Path offers a range of potential backstories within its purview. Enterprising Storyguides can use these Origin Paths as a basis for further customization to best fit the needs of their chronicle.

Your character is a native of Kal-Andrix. You’ve likely grown up in the shadow of dark times during the conflict between Charhusk’s forces and the Guardians of Kal-Andrix. You are likely familiar with the Kalandrite technology that’s survived the war, which is often far beyond what is available to Earthlings. You may have even joined a side in this conflict. Whether you’ve become an active combatant or done your best to stay out of sight of both warring factions, life on Kal-Andrix isn’t easy on anyone.

Suggested Connections: Royal guard, Demonic foot soldier, Guardian of Kal-Andrix, Merchants, Thieves’ Guilds, Armorers, Mechanics
Skills: Larceny, Pilot, Survival, Technology
Edges: Artifact, Direction Sense, Hardy, Ms. Fix It, Small Unit Tactics, Tough Cookie
Gifts: Attribute (Stamina), Skill (Survival, Technology)

As a child, your character was taken in and raised by someone other than a family member. This could be anything from a long-term stay in a juvenile corrections facility to being adopted by a billionaire vigilante with a penchant for child sidekicks. The ward was likely old enough to remember his home life when he became a ward, and those memories linger for better or worse. Some wards resent the loss of their previous life while others are grateful to be done with it, fully embracing their change in circumstances.

Example Connections: Birth Family, Corrections Officer, Former Cellmate, Foster Family, Gang Member, Lawyer, Social Worker
Skills: Command, Culture, Integrity, Persuasion
Edges: Alternate Identity ••, Safe House •, Skilled Liar ••, Tough Cookie ••, Patron •••, Wealth •••••
Gifts: Attribute (Presence), Skill (Command, Culture)

The following Role Paths are not restrictive or exclusive, and many of the Skills, abilities, and areas of expertise of the various Role Paths offer some amount of overlap. That said, Role Paths can be used to great effect when narrowing down the scope of a character concept or creating the core approach a player would like to take in the course of the chronicle.

Your character has trained extensively for shrinking-based operations. You’re prepared for every conceivable emergency and trained to operate the technology that will reduce you to the appropriate size. Of course, none of this technology is rigorously tested — that’s your job — and there are plenty of threats lurking in the Microverse that are inconceivable to those who’ve never visited. Hopefully your voyages can pave the way for future micronauts, making the prospect of shrinking-based science safer for those who follow in your footsteps. 

Suggested Connections: Quantum Physicist, Military Contractor, Military Officer, Doctor, Denizen of the Microverse, Technician
Skills: Athletics, Medicine, Science, Technology
Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Artifact, Direction Sense, Hardy, Ms. Fix It, Tough Cookie
Gifts: Attribute (Dexterity), Skill (Science, Technology)

The sidekick has dedicated himself to being the best team player and support system possible. He ensures that the job gets done and that teammates with focused expertise have everything they need to accomplish their tasks. For the sidekick, this can mean anything from fetching research materials, to providing a distraction at a black-tie social function, to laying down suppressive fire in a combat zone. Whatever the party needs to succeed, the sidekick is there to provide.

Example Connections: Hacker, Household Staff, Journalist, Law Enforcement, Personal Trainer, Underworld Snitch
Skills: Athletics, Enigmas, Pilot, Survival
Edges: Adrenaline Spike ••, Always Prepared •, Danger Sense •, Hair Trigger Reflexes •, Patron •••, Precise Martial Arts •••, Safe House •, Skilled Liar ••, Swift •
Gifts: Attribute (Dexterity), Skill (Athletics, Survival)

These Skill Tricks expand on the list provided in the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook, starting on p. 45. While many of these Skill Tricks are inspired by the Paths introduced in this book, they are available for characters of any Path. All that is required to use these Skill Tricks is the appropriate level of proficiency with the associated Skill. 

Some of the Skill Tricks listed here include ancillary benefits when combined with other traits such as Edges. These benefits are described within the text of the Skill Trick and function as an added bonus. They are not a prerequisite for the Skill Trick to function.

Eye in the Sky (Command): The character’s ability to recognize and communicate the nature and location of dangers, threats, and enemy targets is a boon to their team. When applied in the field, this can aid in infiltration, reconnaissance, and escape. When the character has proper surveillance and communication setup with their team, this can provide tactical acumen on par with special forces and secret agents. By communicating observations of enemy targets and surveillance points, the character can greatly enhance the ability of their teammates to move through nearly any environment undetected. If the character has a means of observing an ally’s location for one round, and the ability to communicate with that ally, the player may spend 1 Momentum to add their Command skill to one ally’s next Larceny roll to move about undetected. If the character spends 2 Momentum when activating this Skill Trick, the ally may also benefit from the character’s Danger Sense and Direction Sense Edges for the remainder of the scene, if the character activating the Skill Trick possesses those Edges.

Secondhand Embarrassment (Culture): Social interactions can prove to be a minefield. A single misstep can take the legs out from under an otherwise-compelling argument. Once a faux pas is committed, it can be challenging to recover from the embarrassment. The character with this Skill Trick is adept at guiding conversation to pepper the subject matter with potential pitfalls and goad others into making embarrassing mistakes. The player can spend 1 Momentum to increase by 1 the target number of an opponent’s next social roll that targets any other character present in the scene. If no such roll is made before the end of the scene, the effect of this Skill Trick is wasted.

Tactical Mastery (Command): The character with this Skill Trick has developed a near-preternatural knack for tactical coordination of multiple allies. Similar to the Small Unit Tactics Edge, tactical mastery focuses on increasing the effectiveness of one’s allies. With a scant few words, the character can ensure their team achieves maximum efficiency when executing combat maneuvers. The player can spend 1 Momentum to reduce the target number of a single combat maneuver performed by their team by 1. The combat maneuver benefiting from this Skill Trick may also benefit from the use of the Small Unit Tactics Edge, whether initiated by the same character or another character within the team.

There's... a lot of fun stuff in this Chapter. As with most of the Trinity Continuum, every bit fills me with ideas for scenarios, characters, ongoing stories, and entire campaigns. This book is crammed full of ideas, and there are so many bits and pieces that can apply to so many different genres and types of games, different character concepts, different adventures. I love it.

On Sunday, we'll have another Sneak Peek ahead of our final draft manuscript section coming on Tuesday. In the meantime, please continue to spread the word and let's see if we can't unlock another Stretch Goal over the weekend!