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ARGOS

Users of Argos can manipulate, navigate, and travel through the Tempest. Users of Argos are one of the more welcome groups in the Shadowlands. The Tempest is a hazardous and tricky place to journey through, and those with the ability to travel through it relatively unscathed are able to sell their services easily. It is much easier to find a wraith with Argos than a Ferryman, though a Ferryman’s services are almost guaranteed, where with a Harbinger, there is always a small chance of danger.

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In NOCTURNE, use of Argos is used for quick travel between shadowland locations within the city, or between New Orleans and Barataria Bay.

Generally a wraith has a walking speed just like any human, Argos is a quicker way of travel within New Orleans City and Beyond. For example walking from New Orleans to Bartaria would normally take 10 hours at quickened pace, with Argos this time would be -greatly- diminished.

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ARGOS SPECIAL RULES:

GROUPING

• Unless otherwise noted a wraith may apply Argos to consenting travellers (Spirit forms only) 

• The passengers must hold hands.

• While linked the passengers gain the same Argos benefits of the wraith "leader"

• Each passenger who does not possess a single dot of Argos increases the difficulty of the leaders rolls by +1 (to a maximum of +10)

• If a passenger should lose his connection to the wraith during travel, they fall into the tempest.

FETTERS:

When the wraith uses any Argos art to travel TO one of her Fetters, the difficulty of Argos rolls is reduced by the Fetter’s rating (minimum 8+)

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SKINLANDS:

• Most uses of this Arcanos  are restricted to the Underworld /Shadowlands so there’s little interaction with the Skinlands.

• Embodied wraiths can use Enshroud, but they cannot wrap others in those same shadows. There are no other Skinlands uses.

          

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ARGOS COMMON

 

◉ WEATHER EYE (COMMON) 

The wraith is constantly attuned to the Tempest’s local fluctuations. In addition to providing awareness of nearby events in the Tempest, this allows swift travel between two Shadowlands locations via momentary shortcuts through the storm. 

SYSTEM ONE:

To Determine weather condition of the tempest.

FREE ACTION

ROLL:  PERCEPTION + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 12+

SUCCESS: Each success determines the clarity with which the wraith can perceive tempest conditions, This will, with storyteller help, give a heads up of any building maelstroms.

SYSTEM TWO:

NORMAL ACTION

Quick Travel between shadowland and underworld locations

SPEND: 1 PATHOS
ROLL:    PERCEPTION + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 12+

SUCCESSES:

ONE:     The wraith and companions arrive at the desired location at normal movement rate (Walking, Driving)  without incident.

TWO:     The wraith and companions arrive at the desired location 25% faster (4 turns would be 3 turns etc)

THREE:    The wraith and companions arrive at the desired location 50% faster (4 turns would take 2 turns etc)

FOUR:     The wraith and companions arrive at the desired location 75% faster (4 turns would take 1 turn etc)

FIVE:       The wraith and companions arrive at the desired location 75% faster but at a dramatically appropriate moment, even if her arrival violates                  causality.

             NUMBER OF TURNS > MINUS > NUMBER % = NUMBER OF TURNS (Round down number)

NOTE:   Remember even though this is a shortcut through the tempest, the shadowlands lay directly on top of the corresponding Skinlands location,                  meaning you can effectively cut speed travel to Skinlands locations by popping through the shroud.

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◉◉ PHANTOM WINGS (COMMON)

This art enables the wraith to fly in both the Tempest and the Shadowlands. The power’s eponymous wings always assume the same appearance for a given wraith, and are translucent and insubstantial.

SYSTEM:

NORMAL ACTION

SPEND: 1 PATHOS

ROLL:     WITS + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 12+

SUCCESS: 

• Each success grants one turn of flight. The wraith moves at its normal running speed.

• Difficult Manoeuvres while using the wings require a Dexterity + Athletics roll, generally this will be some form of a dodge manouver.

• In the Tempest, the wraith’s maximum speed doubles, though she is still subject to any inclement weather.

 In a Maelstrom the speed is as follows.

1 BELL MAELSTROM: 3 x movement speed

2 BELL MAELSTROM: 4 x movement speed

3 BELL MAELSTROM: 5 x movement speed

4 BELL MAELSTROM: 6 x movement speed

5 BELL MAELSTROM: 7 x movement speed. 

• Phantom Wings provides no protection from the Maelstrom’s damaging effects.

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◉◉◉ FLICKER (COMMON)
This art harnesses the Tempest’s natural currents, enabling rapid leaps to nearby destinations. A wraith using Flicker may appear to teleport.

SYSTEM:

NORMAL ACTION / FREE ACTION If the destination is within line of sight and 1 turns running distance.

Choose a destination within 100 x PERCEPTION RANK  meters

SPEND 1 PATHOS

ROLL:    WITS + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY 12+
SUCCESS: 

• Each success reduces travel time by one turn.

• If the destination is within the wraith’s line of sight and within one turn’s running movement, she teleports there instantaneously.

• While traveling via Flicker, the wraith is submerged in the Tempest. Characters in the Shadowlands can’t perceive or target her without using Weather Eye or another appropriate power.

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◉◉◉◉ STORMREADER (COMMON)
Superficially similar to lesser navigational arts but far stronger, Stormreader gives the wraith an intuitive sense of the Tempest that enables her to navigate safely over vast expanses of the sunless sea. This art is the cornerstone of the Harbingers’ ancient mastery of Underworld travel, allowing journeys in relative safety between destinations in the Tempest.

SYSTEM:

FREE ACTION:

SPEND 3 PATHOS

ROLL: PERCEPTION + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 12+

SUCCESSES:

Successes reduce travel times as per Weather Eye.

Additionally, successes also reduce the effective level (For the character and companions only)  of any Maelstrom through which the character passes during the journey.

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◉◉◉◉◉ OUBILETTE (COMMON)
Feared by all who’ve seen it in action, Oubliette is an art of unwilling travel. With a glance, its practitioner can open temporary Nihils directly beneath other wraiths, plunging them into the Tempest. Alternately, she can pin targets in place, preventing them from escaping into other parts of the Underworld.

SYSTEM I

NORMAL ACTION:

SPEND 3 PATHOS 

GAIN: 1 ANGST

ROLL:  WITS + ARGOS RANK  VS STRENGTH + ATHLETICS

SUCCESS:

The wraith successfully uses this art to cast her target into the Tempest, a small Nihil opens under his feet, sucks him in, and immediately closes. The victim suffers lethal damage equal to the wraith’s net successes. Once pulled into the Tempest, he may use all Arcanoi normally — though if he lacks Argos, getting out of the Tempest may be more of a problem than the damage.

SYSTEM II

NORMAL ACTION:

SPEND 3 PATHOS 

GAIN: 1 ANGST

ROLL:  WITS + ARGOS RANK  VS STRENGTH + ATHLETICS

SUCCESS:

The wraith successfully pins her target in place, the victim may not move for one turn per net success. Nor may he use any powers that facilitate travel between or within the Tempest, Shadowlands, or Skinlands. The imprisoning wraith must maintain at least minimal concentration (–1 die penalty to all social and mental dice pools) to keep her victim in place, and may release her hold at any time.

Other wraiths may target the pinned character with arts that affect or force travel — for instance, hurling him into the Tempest with another use of Oubliette.

Success on any such invocation breaks the pin but does lethal damage equal to its net successes as the unfortunate soul is torn between two irresistible forces.
 

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ARGOS INITIATE

The following Argos powers may only be purchased by those of the following guilds.

 ◉ Artificers ◉ Harbingers ◉ Oracles ◉

◉ ENSHROUD (INITIATE)

The wraith can manipulate the membrane between the Shadowlands and the Tempest, drawing the sunless sea over herself for concealment or plunging herself into it with out entering a Nihil.

SYSTEM 1:

This allows a wraith to enter the Tempest wherever she is (Except when undergoing a Harrowing) Normally characters have to step from the shore into the tempest.

ROLL: WITS + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY 12+  

SUCCESS: Just one success is required to open a momentary portal, which irises shut as soon as the wraith slips through it.

SYSTEM 2:

This allows a wraith to use the tempest for concealment.

SPEND: 1 Health

ROLL:     WITS + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 12 + ( 7+ Shroud rating if using this while embodied)

SUCCESSES:

Each success adds +1 to the wraiths stealth rolls for remainder of scene.

SHROUD RATINGS

This ability can be used in the skinlands, by EMBODIED wraiths, But it can not be extended to cover more than the user. If using this while Embodied you must add the area rating to the difficulty.

RATING                       AREA                                           

    1                             Cearn                                                

    2                             Node/Graveyard                               

    3                             Deep Wilderness                                 

    4                             Rural Countryside                               

    5                             No mans land                                     

    6                             Most Urban Areas                             

    7                             Downtown alley

    8                             Downtown interior locations

    9                             Downtown interior Mainstreet.          

    10                           Technocratic Lab*       

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◉◉ WAYFARER'S RESOLVE (INITIATE)
Many wraiths find travel into the deeper Underworld constrained by the spiritual weight of their Fetters. Normally each unattended fetter adds + difficulty to rolls made in the tempest. 

System: The wraith ignores the difficulty penalties for unattended Fetters in the tempest. This art is always active. No roll required.

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◉◉◉ TURN THE ANEMOI'S WRATH (INITIATE)

Stories abound of Harbingers plummeting through the fury of a Maelstrom, untouched by its acidic rain and barrow-flame lightning, to                      succour travellers in need. The Anemoi’s Wrath is the source of many of these stories, an art that makes the wraith nigh-invulnerable to the Underworld’s most savage weather.

SYSTEM:

NORMAL ACTION

SPEND 1 HEALTH

ROLL: PERCEPTION + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY 12+

SUCCESSES

For one scene per success  the wraith’s dots in Argos add to her health pool against environmental sources and Pandemonium arts.

In addition, while this art is active, the wraith can treat Aggravated damage as Lethal Damage instead.

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TEMPEST-RIDER'S CANCELEER (INITIATE)

Infrequently taught in recent centuries and always rare outside the Harbingers’ Guild, this martial transformation melds aerobatic flight and vicious scything attacks. When a wraith invokes Tempest-Rider’s Canceleer, gleaming black metallic wings erupt from her back. Impossible to mistake for Phantom Wings, these are solid, knife-edged, and limned in cold fire.

SYSTEM:

FREE ACTION:

SPEND 2 PATHOS AND 1 HEALTH

ROLL: WITS + ARGOS RANK

DIFFICULTY: 14+

SUCCESSES:

Each success manifests the wings for one turn. The wraith can fly as per Phantom Wings, except her maximum flight speed is her running speed.

This adds + 2 to Brawling attacks. Damage is Bashing if buffering and Lethal if slashing with wing edges. 

Against Spectres and plasmics, slashes do aggravated damage.

OR

The wraith can decide to not fly or attack with the wings and instead cover themselves or another with the wings. This adds the wraiths ARGOS RANK to defence rolls to themselves or the nearest allies (They must literally be no more than one meter distance) . They may still attack as -normal- but not use the wings for flying or combat on the turn, meaning their brawl attack loses -any- bonus granted by the wings.

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◉◉◉◉◉ MAITRE APRES DIEU (INITIATE)
This art has always been rare, due not to any Harbinger recalcitrance but because of its limited applicability. With Maître après Dieu, a wraith can apply much of her command of Argos to a relic or Artifact vehicle. This, of course, requires the wraith to control and command such a vessel. If she does, even the unlikeliest of conveyances can sail, soar, or speed across the Tempest itself.

SYSTEM:

FREE ACTION:

SPEND: 4 PATHOS AND 2 HEALTH

NO ROLL REQUIRED

To use this art, a wraith must be at the helm, wheel, or other steering control of a vehicle. As long as the character remains aboard, in command, and in control of the vehicle, she may apply any other travel-related Argos art to the vehicle and all its occupants. All occupants are considered “passengers” of the Argos arts in use, but the Harbinger does not suffer increased difficulties for their presence. 

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