Usury Symbol

n death as in life, nothing's free. Pathos is the currency of the afterworld, and Usury is the Arcanos of barter. It is the delicate dance of the deal, of shifting Pathos and Corpus from one source to another. Those with Usury can act as healers, mendicants, merchants, or extortionists, and sometimes all at once. It all depends on how reputable they choose to be.

Usury involves power of death energy, and is accordingly mistrusted in some circles. Many point to the Shadow as the source of this Arcanos, citing innumerable "deal with the Devil" stories as proof. They are not so mistaken; repeated use of Usury can raise a wraith's Temporary Angst to unhealthy level rapidly. When used upon the Quick, Usury is nothing less than the theft of life itself.

A wraith must touch his subject to use Usury. To affect mortal, this requires another Arcanos, such as Puppetry, Embody, Inhabit, or Phantasm. The life energy thus stolen is visible to other wraiths as a vivid light, which dims as it is absorbed.

Use the Finance Ability for retests with the Usury Arcanos.


Innate Abilities



Assessment:

The wraith can gauge the relative levels of life and death within an individual. Careful scrutiny can reveal some idea of the person's relevant Physical Traits as well as their current Health or Corpus. Wounds appear as vivid black slashes in the person's makeup, and the observer can estimate their severity. The wraith may also perceive life energy in general within a specific area.

System: The wraith makes a Static Mental Challenge, a success at which allows the wraith to make an accurate Assessment.


Basic Abilities



Transfer:

The wraith may transfer Pathos between herself and another wraith. She may lend her Pathos to the subject, or steal her victim's Pathos away. This transfer is always visible to onlookers as a vivid halo around the wraith receiving the Pathos.

System: This effect is indicated by having the wraith receiving the Pathos hold up a Transfer card (which the Usurer should get at the beginning of the game, and hand off temporarily as necessary). If the player is lending her Pathos to the target, then only one Static Social Challenge is required to allow the Transfer. If the wraith is using Transfer to steal Pathos, they must enter an Extended Physical Challenge; the use of the art this way gives the Usurer one Temporary Angst point.

Charitable Trust:

By infusing a mortal or wraith with his own Corpus, a wraith may heal wounds. This art can even be used on mortals without forcing the wraith first to Embody.

System: The player makes a Static Physical Challenge to see if he can transfer his Corpus Levels to his target. This art costs one point of Pathos to use, and the Usurer takes Corpus damage equal to the number of Health/Corpus Levels he gives away.


Intermediate Abilities



Exchange Rate:

This art allows a wraith to steal another person's life energy with but a touch. Other uses include allowing a Usurer to transform her Corpus Levels into Pathos, or to transfer someone else's Corpus or Health Levels into Pathos for themselves.

System: If the wraith uses Exchange Rate in order to convert her own Corpus Levels into Pathos, she must expend a point of Pathos and enter an Extended Static Mental Challenge with each success allowing her to transmogrify her Corpus into Pathos. If the wraith uses Exchange Rate in order to steal Health or Corpus Levels from someone else, she enters an Extended Social Challenge. Each success for the Usurer equals one point of Corpus stolen. This use of the art gives the Usurer one point of Temporary Angst.


Advanced Abilities



Investment:

This art allows a wraith to pour Corpus and/or Pathos into a relic, storing it for future use. The wraith must focus on the relic in question, channeling and carefully sealing his energy into it. The energy may then be accessed by anyone who knows the seal's gesture or command phrase.

System: The player spends two Pathos points, then marks off the number of Pathos or Corpus points that he wishes to invest. Each success on an Extended Static Mental Challenge invests one point (up to the set limit) into the relic. All excess points "gambled" are lost. To seal the points in place, the wraith must spend a Willpower Trait and assign a command phrase or gesture to "unlock" the stored reserve. A given relic may only store one type of energy. This art is the means by which soulfire crystals are created and maintained. Relics and Artifacts charged this way should have the number of Traits invested in them listed somewhere on the item card.

Usurers Guild: Usury Arcanos


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