"Don't worry boys...the cops don't have enough on us to convict and they know it."

In a major crime there are at least 35 things that can go wrong. Most people aren't smart enough to think of 5 but you are. You routinely clean up after yourself at a crime scene to the point where it's automatic and in fact you almost never leave behind traces of your presence for the authorities to find. Whether you are a criminal or a maverick cop or P.I. who must occasionally work outside the law. you are almost never caught. and even if you are they never have enough to convict you.

System: This knack functions much like Perfect Privacy. The user is allways careful to use gloves and rarely leaves behind footprints,hair follicles, and other incriminating evidence. Their mask never slips during the robbery and people might have trouble identifying the culprit even if they saw him outright. Uninspired investigators will be completely unable to solve cases where a Criminal Genius is involved. Inspired investigators will still be able to make rolls normally but with a penalty to the roll based on the Criminal Genius's Reflective Facet

Note that this Knack does not protect the Criminal Genius from being observed, photographed, or being caught red-handed.

Prerequisite: The Criminal Genius has to be pretty sharp about crime and criminals. He must possess Investigation or Savvy of at least 4

The witch doctors speak of a place called the Valley of Echoes. It is here that the cave of M'temba is located. Legends say that when M'temba left this earth he went into the cave and joined with the black blood of the earth. Mystical powers are imputed to those who immerse themselves in the black blood of the earth but only if they are pure of heart.

Witch Doctors speak freely of this place for a number of reasons. (1) It is very difficult to find the Valley of Echoes which is in the heart of the jungle. (2) The Valley of Echoes is said to dangerous and haunted besides. (3) The cave of M'temba requires 3 tests to enter the black blood of the earth, a test of wisdom, a test of stamina, and a test of faith. (4) Supposedly, those who M'temba adjudges corrupt die in horrible screaming agony.

In other words, there aren't exactly a lot of whites who go looking for it in the first place and those who do rarely return. Those who do, earn respect among the tribes for M'temba has judged them and they have passed.

Those who are wise in the ways of medicine also say that other tribes in other parts of the world have learned the gifts of M'temba. Who are we to question M'temba if he want to gift Aztecs and Indians with his wisdom. Each of them learns medicine in a different way and may earn the gifts through visionquest or through ritual. But they are the Gifts of M'temba. Never forget that.

Mind of the Beast (level 1 powerhouse knack)

" The little one says that he smells many men in the jungle. They are coming from the river. We must go."

M'temba's first gift is the ability to understand the animals. those who are gifted in this way are rarely bitten or hurt because he has relearned the language that they once shared in common in the ancient days.

System: The Beastlord gains the ability to communicate empathically with animals. This translates out into a bonus to Animal Husbandry rolls based on the beastlord's Intuitive facet. This roll is modified by the type of creatures that the Beastlord is trying to communicate with.

Primates(+1)

Mammals (no modifier)

Avians (-1)

Reptiles (-2)

Fish (-3)

Beastlord characters who try to communicate with insects and bacteria should be beaten about the head and shoulders.

Note that this form of communication is empathic and as such is fairly inexact for informational purposes. this knack also does not confer any ability to control the beast in question but is often useful for calming beasts and making friends with them. Animals tend to be well disposed to those who speak their language.

When using this gift, the beast lord must actually make animal noises and must listen to the animal to understand him. This knack costs inspiration to activate and lasts for an entire scene. Regular use of this knack can cut the time and effort necessary to train an animal for various tasks.

Spirit of the Beast ( level 2 powerhouse knack)

" I call on the spirit of Tantor! Grant me strength!"

M'temba's second gift is the ability to call on the spirit of animals to fortify the body for the rigors of the world.

System: The Beastlord spend a point of Inspiration and this knack become active for the rest of the scene. The Beastlord takes his permanent willpower trait and halves it (rounding up) he then applies those dots to one of his physical attributes which must be chosen when the knack is activated and cannot be changed thereafter. The Beastlords physical attributes can go over 5 in this fashion and those who have used this gift have displayed prodigious feats of strength, dexterity and stamina. (note to twinks: this will not grant you nifty mega attribute benefits like Aberrant but extra dice to damage,initiative, and soak are allways nice don't you think?)

When using this gift, the beast lord must enter a light trance and invoke the power of a particular beast out loud.

Skin of the Beast ( level 3 powerhouse knack)

"Never mind how i will find the soldiers. Be ready to strike when i return.They cannot hide from eyes in the sky."

M'temba's greatest gift is reserved for only those who are most pure in heart. They gain the ability to take on the form of a beast and live as one with nature.

System: This knack confers an extremely limited form of Shapeshifting. The Beastlord must spend Inspiration and then make a Stamina+Athletics roll against +2 difficulty. (botches on this roll result in the beastlord temporarily losing his intellect to his animal instinct.this may have lasting effect even when he's reverted to human form.)

Success on the roll indicates that the Beastlord is able to take on the form of an animal (this animal must be chosen when the knack is purchased and cannot be changed. if you want to assume multiple animal forms you must purchase this level 3 knack multiple times.) Look in the storytelling section for examples of animal forms to take on. (the animal must actually be indigenous to the area the beastlord comes from. Beastlords cannot assume the form of dinosaurs or similarly telluricly augmented animals.

The transformation into the animal lasts until the beastlord wills it away (Again roll Sta+Athletics + 2 diff) or until he loses consciousness (either through bashing damage or going to sleep) If the beastlord suffers Lethal damage while in animal form half of it will carry over into his human form. If he is slain in animal form he stays dead.

While in animal form, the beastlord retains full possession of his intellect. he may also use his Inspiration for dramatic editing and cliffhanging and various other uses. however it should be noted that there are very few knacks that translate across to an animal form. Most of these are physical in nature. (body of bronze,man for all seasons, et al.)

<Thud> "You call that a punch?"

Not all pulp types are paragons of physicallity. in fact some are downright gruesome. This Knack simulates the possibility of a Daredevil who isn't exactly svelte, and yet manages to find some positive effect.

System: This knack confers 2 Bashing levels of Soak and 1 Lethal Soak and 1 extra level of Bruised damage. The Daredevil is also incapable of sinking in water or quicksand. All that fat is naturally bouyant.

Prerequisite: A daredevil who enjoys the protection confered by the Doughboy Knack is unfortunately unable to have a dexterity attribute better than 2

"Your kung fu is only as strong as your will...which will be broken in just one moment."

This exceedingly esoteric form of Kung Fu has been recovered from the dust of antiquity. most practitioners cannot even grasp the basics of it's use and few have ever learned to master it. It enables the user to damage the Chi of an enemy directly and it's use is the serious of acts.

System: The User spends Inspiration and then rolls a standard martial arts roll (which must be a hand to hand attack) For every level of damage that the target sustains after soaking, he also loses an equivalent number of points of temporary willpower. Targets that are reduced to zero willpower by this attack are considered incapacitated for the rest of the scene and there may be lingering aftereffects. (the GM is encouraged to be creatively cruel here. Derrangements, hysterical blindness or paralysis or "Chi sickness" are all fair game and will last as long as it takes for the character to regain his full willpower.)