This will be the first in a series of five posts that cover the skillsets initially available in game, by model. Today we’ll focus on the Control model. Again, skillsets are just a way to break down skills based on a common theme; you can take as many or as few skills from a skillset as you’d like.
The Control model’s primary attribute is Charisma, and it is opposed by the Resilience model. Control tends to be very good at crowd control, hindering opponents, conjuring illusions, healing psyche and keeping enemies off of certain balances. Because of their opposition to Resilience – a highly defensive skillset – they are fairly bad at stripping enemy defenses.
The initial Control skillsets are:
Enslavement
Slavers focus on making enemies bend to their will; they tend to be less interested in controlling groups and more focused on fully controlling one specific target. They have a suite of skills that can directly force other players to do various actions. They have the ability to brainwash their targets and make them subservient; these two afflictions, when stuck on an opponent, can make it difficult for them to properly understand what is going on around them. For example, the ‘brainwashed’ affliction makes the afflicted person unable to see any actions performed by characters who have a higher combined Intelligence and Charisma.
Eschatology
Eschatology is a skillset focusing on religious doomsaying. An Eschatologist is able to build a number of ‘obelisks’ that affect the room – and and anyone in that room – in various ways. One of their primary focuses is maintaining group coherency. They have a number of skills devoted to keeping a group unified, in the same room, and working together. Conversely, a number of their skills work towards diminishing opposing teams from doing the same. For example, the Obelisk of Impedence has a chance of preventing enemies from entering the room and the Obelisk of Isolation can be erected in a specific direction, preventing normal exit attempts in that direction or entry from the opposite direction.
Idolatry
Idolaters carve waxen idols of their targets, gaining more and more control over them as the resemblence grows stronger. An idol is bonded to a target through the addition of blood, skin and hair and each ability used diminishes the resemblence. Idolaters focus primarily on afflictions that hinder, disorientate or otherwise serve to confuse their opponents. Once an idol is perfectly carved, the Idolater is even capable of summoning the target directly to them from anywhere in the world.
Pacifism
Pacifists are interested – perhaps unsurprisingly – in maintaining peace. That is not to say that they aren’t a fearsome addition to any group. Their skills focus almost entirely on slowing down, preventing or reducing the effectiveness of enemy offense. They are able to grant Clemency, effectively clearing their target’s enemy list. Perhaps their most powerful ability, Reconcile is able to absolutely prevent all attacks made by or upon its target for two minutes; this power, however, does not come easily and requires the target be at less than 50% of their maximum psyche and pacified.
Pendelism
Pendelists focus on mesmerising and hypnotising their targets. They revel in confusing the actions of their enemies, replacing attempts to eat one thing with eating another, or changing the appearance of afflictions or symptoms. They are at home not only in direct combat, but in stealthy situations, as well, as their primary skill, Mesmerise, relies upon remaining in the room with a target. The longer you are in their presence, the more mesmerised they become, which allows you to use more and more powerful abilities.
Prestidigitation
Prestidigitation is the art of sleight of hand; Prestidigitators are, therefore, masters not only of disguise but of unseen actions. They have the ability to disguise themselves as NPCs and roam about freely in places where they otherwise may not be allowed; furthermore, they have the ability to conjure illusions to confuse their enemies and erect doorways to slow their movement. Perhaps most powerful of all Prestidigitation abilities is the ability to grant Reprieve; if the user is bound in any way, and in relatively sound mental, psychological or physical health, they are able to switch the totals of their statistics – health, mind and psyche – with their target and give that target all of the afflictions that currently ail them.
Projection
Projectionists focus upon interacting with the Anterior, that strange and unknown space that precedes the world we know. They are able to form a weak bond with the Anterior by Melding themselves into its fabric. While melded, they are capable of a number of otherworldly feats: quarantining subjects between the Anterior, eavesdropping upon conversations, slowing the movement rates of their enemies and even temporarily transposing their own attributes. Projectionists are focused, primarily, upon preparation; their abilities lend themselves to the successful defense of a territory, not only through slowing the movement of their enemies, but by their unparalleled ability to report upon the intentions and actions of remote targets.