Twists

Twists are the forces generated by the Increated to mimic and counter the effects of Sway. Twists are not a true opposite, but allow Demons and their ilk to manipulate reality in ways not open to those without a connection to the Increated.

Gaining Twists

Twists are usually gained by activating Dæmonic Handicaps (you gain Twists at a rate of the Handicap Boon Double Reduced [1-4 Twists]), the most commonly created Dæmonic Handicaps are those created by Carnage and Mortal Wounds, such as a “Dead” or “Dying” Handicap.
Twists are liberated (not necessarily gained) by killing Characters (there’s always at least one in any death as well as all that lovely Sway). Those with Dæmonic Handicaps can absorb these liberated Twists.

It can also be generated by having an Annex generate Twists, having an Annex generate Twists should not be done lightly, and Twists generated in this way cannot be stored, only spent. The diff is generally set at 24 as 12 Chi are required to affect a Goblin (the lowest of the Demons) and the normal Sway gain is Double Reduced on that roll.

Storing Twists

Twists can only be stored on a Handicap. Normally each Handicap can store 1 Twist, but it is possible for one Handicap to Store 2 with the Meddler Core (note that the Meddler Core never allows more than one extra Twist to be stored, even if it is taken multiple times). Storing a Twist adds an extra Bane Point to that Handicap whilst it is present, this usually adds to the Handicaps Temporary Banes. Each point stored upon a Handicap gives the character one special ability chosen from this list:

• Sense that Handicap (within Handicap Boon as Chi Location on Sway Table) automatically, for 1 Chi the Location may be calculated as Yarn instead. E.g. A character with Arachnophobia x15 can detect all characters with a Fear Handicap within a building, paying 1 Chi will extend that range to a Large City.
• Tone affinity. The Character can draw a Wyrd Tarot/Yarn Card or Ordeal card any time they act in accord with their Handicap’s Facet Tone. E.g. That Arachnophobe can draw a card anytime they act Emotionally.
• +1 Wound / Success Level with the Handicap Facet Attack type for 1 Chi. E.g. Arachnophobia would grant a +1 level to Duck attacks for 1 Chi
• May change to the Handicap’s Facet Incarna for a duration equal the Handicap Boon as Chi on the Limit Duration table for a cost of 1 Chi. Chi may be spent to extend the duration (costs on the table above). E.g. Our Arachnophobic Demon can turn into a Spirit (Ka) until sunrise, sunset etc (upto 24 hours) for 1 Chi.

When a character has multiple instances of the same type of Handicap they should vary the effects they can achieve.

Twist uses

Twisted Pacts

Twisted Pacts are the Twisted equivalents of the normal Sway Pact the Alliance. They come in the following types.

• Opposition Pact: This is a pact created between a Demon and its opponent. This sort of Pact costs the Demon 1 Twist per target to initiate, and will last until they create a new Opposition Pact or the targets are dead. This Pact grants the Demon Sway every time the opponent spends Sway and vice-versa.
• Possession Pact: This is a pact created by a Demon and any target that it wishes to possess or control. The Target costs the normal Yarn/Twists cost and then the degree of control must also be purchased in Yarn/Twists. It should be noted that Demonic Characters must use Twists for at least one of these costs. Fae characters can achieve the same effects with Yarn alone.
  

  Possession Pact Effects

  Twists	Degree of Control
  1	Tremble / Shake
  2	Throw / Tug – Range Penalties as Snap Shot (Pip per metre)
  3	Puppet – Range Penalties as Braced Shot (Pip per metres Reduced)
  4	Wear / Wield / Rough Possess – Range Penalties as Prone Shot (Pip per metres Double Reduced)
  5	Finesse Possession – No Range Penalties
  6	Full Possession- Possessor may spend Sway as if it is their body
  7	Eldritch – Add Twisted Facet Skill and Handicap
  8	Preternatural – Add 2 Twisted Facet Skills and Handicaps
  9	Supernatural – Add 2 Twisted Facet Skills, 1 Twisted Facet Talent and 3 Handicaps

  Possessing a suit of armour (Talent Descendant [2 Yarn/Twists]) and having it move as though you are wearing it [4 Yarn/Twists] will cost 6 Yarn/Twists. A Possession Pact can only be maintained by spending Sway on an Extended Duration (see table above) each time the Possessor enters a new duration category they must pay the next cost. Immediately the possession is successful spend 2 Chi, at the end of scene spend 5 Chi to maintain, pay 8 Chi at the end of eight hours to maintain, pay 12 Chi sometime before the end of the first day (noon, sunrise, sunset, midnight or exactly 24 hours)… etc.

Twisted Facet Annexes & Handicaps

Twisted Facet Annexes and Handicaps are both based on a single Facet. The Facet is the Root and Channelling Facet of the Annex. In a Talent the Facet will also be the Umbral and Nimbeds of the Talent. E.g. An Awe (Boon 13) becomes a Twisted Facet Skill (66+66=132) of Boon 21 (2d4+1), any Awe based roll can roll the Skill instead. This is always balanced by a Handicap of the full Boon for that Facet this Handicap is always Dæmonic

Other Twist Effects

Twists can be used for a number of special abilities. These represent the sort of effects that Goblins or Demons may use that distinguish them from ordinary characters,

Sway Multiplication

Multiply Sway being spent by 1+Twists spent on multiplying. Normally you can only use this ability on your own Chi, Pact members spent Chi, or to multiply the effect of any Mercari million-to-one shot. E.g. When Lotho the ‘Penetrations Engineer’ used his Million-to-one shot his slightly Demonic friend Kat doubled the Chi release for 1 Twist.

Twisted Assault

Twists can be used to attack a Character directly. The way the damage is calculated depends on the remaining Stored Twists and the amount being spent. Twisted Assaults can be described as the Player and Ref feel is appropriate, for example you might shoot lasers from your eyes (paying Range costs) or have burning hands. Twisted Assaults usually reflect Nightmare forms and so on (so a Vampire character might claw or bite with her Twisted Assault).

Twisted Regeneration

Twisted Regeneration is the ability common to most Demons and Goblins that allows them to draw a number of Ordeal cards equal to their current stored Twists Reduced at anytime when they are Wounded. These Ordeal cards may be used to Heal wounds as a normal healing (all wounds lower than the highest healing card and of the same suit are reduced one class).

Twisted Regeneration can also be activated by paying 1 Twist which will immediately remove all Wounds from the Character, but will increase the Boon of one of their Handicaps by 1. If all available Handicaps are Maxed then the character will gain a ‘Twisted Regeneration’ Boon 1 Descendant that consists of an ‘Always on’ Umbral and a “Scarred” , “Doomed” or similar Handicap of 2.

Soul Stealing

Soul stealing can only be performed on targets that have entered a Pact with the Demon. Possession and Oppositional pacts do count. Soul-stealing costs a number of Twists equal to the cost for that target. Consult the Sway Table for details of what can be targeted. It is normal to Steal Proficiencies, Annexes and Alternates from a Character for a while.

Soul stealing in this way is usually only for a limited duration (paid in Sway as you pass each barrier i.e. at the end of the action pay 2 Sway, 4 Sway at the end of the round, 10 Sway at the end of the Combat, and so on), but if the possession target dies or is destroyed before the duration is up then you will keep the stolen goods for free.
Conversely if you have a Memory stolen you can get it back again by: buying it again, destroying/killing the Character that stole it from you, or you will get it back if they stop paying for it (or get the Chi back if you have brought it again). Anything that is stolen is added to the Character as a Descendant, or as their own Alternate Personality.

Soul-Stealing and Scale

Soul-stealing can reduce a Character’s Scale (releasing a number of points of Sway equal to the Character’s Max-Yin and Max-Yang in one go). The cost of targeting a Character’s Scale is the Current Scale in Twists plus the normal cost to affect that Character (e.g. 5 Twists to reduced the Scale of a Scale 2 [+2] Grunt [+3]) and will reduce the Scale by 1 each time it is taken (note the diminishing returns the Demon suffers on this), on average this returns 156 + 12 x The Scale for both Yin and Yang (assuming all 13 on the Facets). It should be noted that Scale-Stealing is instant and permanent. The Demon or Increated does not have to pay for additional duration.

Ignore Facet

Twists spent allows you to ignore all aspects of the specified Facet for a Twist based Duration. Spending 1 Twist will allow a Demon to ignore all aspects of Burden (for example) for 1 action (perhaps allowing them to step through a wall of solid rock), 6 Twists would allow them to ignore Burden for a Week. A Character or Dark Matter Descendant that is Ignoring a Facet can still generate a score in the Ignored Facet i.e. a Character who is ignoring Rook (and hence Defences) can still generate a score to defend themselves (but they won’t need to versus a Quash attack) or others.

Sway Vampirism

Sway Vampirism allows the Demon to spend Twists to drain Sway (in the form of Yarn) from a victim.

Nightmare Fuel

A Demon that is possessing a character, or an Increated (Dæmon) that is near a character can attempt to Nightmare Fuel itself. Tapping into the character’s Handicaps, Annex, Proficiencies and Descendants to create a Nightmare form for itself.The Nightmare Fuel Source grants potentially vast amounts of Twists that must be immediately spent (Nightmare Fuel that generates more than 14 Twists (the most you can spend at once) may fill the Demon with Twists. Any additional Twists beyond these limits (especially the Hard limit of 28) will be converted to Yarn.

Nightmare Form

A Nightmare Form is a supernaturally powerful monstrous form that a Demon can briefly inhabit while Nightmare Fueled. Nightmare forms grant the Demon additional Annexes, but at a cost of additional Handicaps.Typically a Nightmare Form is treated as a Descendant that the Demon gains access to. Normally the Nightmare form consists of a Single Annex with balancing Handicaps.A Demon can only maintain the Nightmare Form as long as it has access to the Nightmare Fuel that created it.E.g. An Increated that possess a corpse in Eastern Europe finds that when the shuffling puppet (Prop 2 + Puppet 3 = 5 Twists) approaches a local, their beliefs in ‘Vampyre’ legends grant them 12 Twists that they spend immediately upgrading their possession (2 Twists for the corpse and 7 for a supernatural Awe Facet Annex – the extra 3 Twists are used to Soul Steal from the Corpse gaining a Memory – had he been wounded he probably would have spent Twists healing) and access to a Nightmare Form ( “Vampyre Abilities” Boon 34 (d8+4) In daylight add +20 to difficulty Handicap : Dependence (Blood) (x14) -That’s 20 Boons from the Umbral and 14 from Handicaps). Should the Demon remove themselves from the locals they will once again lose access to the Nightmare Form.

Nightmare Refuelling

Every now and then Demons want a little more Nightmare Fuel, but how to get more fuel from a source? Well there are two ways.

• Move away and move back. Or find a new source. You can’t change Nightmare Forms whilst you have one on, so the new Fuel source must have an applicable Proficiency or Handicap. A good tactic is to hit a crowd for Nightmare Fuel, you can keep pulling from all targets, especially if you target those with contagious Handicaps.
• Retap the original Nightmare Fuel source. Pay Yarn (or Sway for Yarn) equal to the number of Twists that will be gained. E.g. if targeting a Handicap x24 the Demon must pay 354 Sway or 24 Yarn.

The Source will be drained one boon. Annexes of Boon 1 become Proficiencies, Proficiencies will be lost, Handicaps of Boon 1 are also lost, if a source is lost then the Nightmare Form will also be lost.