Ephemerals/Influence

      Ephemerals get a number of dots of Influence equal to their Rank. Influence cannot rise higher than Rank, but an ephemeral could have multiple types of influence, and could also have a number of total dots higher than their Rank (ephemerals may exchange one Numina for one dot of Influence).

      A Rank 2 fire spirit may just have Influence (Fire) 2. A Rank 3 war-spirit may have Influence (Anger) 1, Influence (Violence) 2.

      To use an influence against a person, roll Power + Finesse vs the higher of Resolve or Composure + Supernatural Tolerance.

Effects

• Strengthen

      The entity can enhance its sphere of influence. It can add to the Defense of a loved one, make an emotion stronger, an animal or plant healthier, or an object more robust, gaining the entity’s Rank in Health or Structure. This Influence can shift the Anchor, Resonant or Infrastructure Condition to Open for its duration. The cost is 1 Essence.

      Strengthen effects always require the target of the influence to already exist, and always result in the target getting stronger. Fires can get bigger, wind can get windier, an angry person can get more angry.

Strengthen Effects

      • Increase dice rolls for a relevant skill or action by (Potency) for (Duration). Examples:

            Influence (Air) makes a slight breeze into a hard gust. This makes you run faster, or jump higher. +Potency to rolls to do such.
            Influence (War) gives you +Potency to attack rolls.
            Influence (Anchor) can increase Health, or Defense, etc, by Potency.

      • Increase emotions, elements, etc, to apply penalties. Examples:

            Influence (Anger) makes an angry person even angrier. They now roll -Potency on Composure to resist outbursts.
            Influence (Rain) turns a drizzle into a deluge, imposing an enviromental penalty on people caught in it equal to Potency.

      • Increase the size, potency, etc, of a target. Examples:

            Influence (Fire) can increase the size of a fire, moving up the fire chart in size and heat by Potency. (At rank 3, a spirit could increase the size of the fire from torch to inferno (2 steps) and then from torch heat to bunsen heat (1 step, equals 3 total).

•• Manipulate

      The entity can make minor changes within its sphere of influence, such as slightly changing the nature or target of an emotion, or make minor changes to an animal’s actions, a plant’s growth, or an object’s functionality. The cost is 2 Essence.

      Manipulate effects work as strengthen, except they can now increase or decrease the target of their influence. Anger can be lessened, winds can be calmed, and an anchor can be made to feel feeble and weak.

Manipulate Effects

      • As with Strengthen, but the ephemeral may move in the other direction. A deluge may help those she wishes to help, instead of always hindering everyone. She can dampen fire or anger.

••• Control

      The entity can make dramatic changes within its sphere of influence, twisting emotions entirely or dictating an animal’s actions, a plant’s growth or an object’s functionality. This Influence can shift the Open Condition to Controlled for its duration. The cost is 3 Essence.

      Control effects allow the ephemeral to make their influence act in an unnatural way. Change the target of one's anger. Make half of a room pitch black while the other half remains light. Make fire burn in a pattern, or spread in ways it would normally not.

•••• Create

      The entity can create a new example of its sphere of influence. It can create a new anchor, instill an emotion, create a new sapling or young plant, create a young animal, or create a brand new object. The entity can cause a temporary Anchor, Infrastructure, or Resonant Condition in a subject for the duration of the Influence. The cost is 4 Essence.

      Create allows the entity to create something new. Conjuring rain clouds from clear skies, starting fires, creating a new anchor, or making emotions where no emotions were present before. This also allows the creation of objects and plant or animal life (though not human) in the most basic form.

      • Life, Death, and other oddities:
            Influence (Life) can create life in something lacking it. This almost always requires the corpse of a thing that can support life, whether it be plant or animal. The plant returns to life, or the animal returns to life, for the duration of the effect (after which, the effect ends, and life leaves the target). Note: This cannot affect humans.
            Influence (Death) can kill something. Plant or animal, they die all the same. Note: This cannot affect humans.

••••• Mass Create

      The entity can create multiple examples of its sphere of influence, triggering emotions in multiple people, creating new copses of trees, small groups of animals, or multiple, identical items. The cost is 5 Essence. The number of examples of the Influence created is equal to Rank. Alternatively, the entity may create one instance of its sphere of influence — including creating the base Condition for its type — permanently, although an ephemeral entity can’t permanently alter the mind of a sentient being.

      • Life, Death, and other oddities:
            Influence (Life) can create life in something lacking it. This can be used even on humans corpses, and the person will be alive once more for the duration of the effect.
            Influence (Death) can kill anything. Generally speaking, once dead, the target will stay dead. However, if the duration is short (only a few minutes), the target will be medically dead, but it will be possible to resuscitate them. A human struck dead for 2 minutes will stay dead, unless someone is on hand with a defibrillator.

Duration

      When using their Influence, ephemerals choose to spend an amount of influence dots on effect (see above), and a separate amount on the duration of the effect. At Influence 3, an ephemeral can spend 2 on effect, and 1 on duration, or 2 on duration and 1 on effect. Likewise, they can spend 0 dots on duration. Please see below for the below chart for more information.

      Note that all influence effects are temporary unless given the permanent duration. This does not mean damage or destruction is healed, nor that someone affected by an influence will recover instantly. A supernatural sickness, once ended, might day hours or days to recover from. Damage done by fire will remain as if the fire had been entirely natural. If using Create or Mass Create, the item/animal/etc will rapidly crumble to dust and fade to nothingness shortly after the duration ends.

Influence Duration
Level	Duration	Cost
0	One minute per success	No additional Essence cost.
•	Ten minutes per success	No additional Essence cost.
••	One hour per success	The cost is 1 additional Essence.
•••	One day per success	The cost is 2 additional Essence.
••••	Permanent	The cost is 2 additional Essence.