[DL] new Knack/Mysterious Past

[Nick Zachariasen <zacharin@pluto.dsu.edu>]

Inspired by The Shining, Stir of Echoes, and The Sixth Sense, I decided 
to create a new Knack (or possibly MP) wherein you see and, to a 
degree, interact with dead people. Therefore, I present it to you lot 
for critique. I'm planning on giving this to a Junker in my new HoE 
posse as he drew what I now call "the double Joker surprise" (5d12 
Trait resulting from a Joker drawn to determine the suit of the other 
Joker).

Knack: Shiner
No, you didn't get into a fight, but you've definitely got a black eye 
of sorts. You can see into the spirit world, much of the time when 
you're just trying to go about your daily business. If the spirits have 
something they feel like sharing, such as wanting their murder solved 
or just trying to scare the living Hell out of you, they'll show you.  
Occasionally, they may even talk to you, but they'll rarely, if ever, 
reveal any specifics of what they want you to take care of, but if they 
just want to talk to you (perhaps because they don't know they're dead) 
they'll talk your ear off. Yeah, spirits are kind of funny that way.

What the spirits show is frequently of a highly disturbing nature, so 
Guts checks may be called for depending on the visions the Shiner is 
being given. Particularly powerful visions may absorb the Shiner to 
such a degree that he may be unable to interact with the real world 
unless he succeeds at a Smarts roll (TN determined by the Marshal). If 
he fails, he may be physically affected by the vision until someone 
snaps him out of it.

Additionally, if you concentrate really hard (read: spend Fate chips) 
you can communicate with other Shiners by telepathy.A white chip will 
suffice to speak to another Shiner who is physically in the Hunting 
Grounds. This type of communication is limited to short two-way 
conversations once contact is established. As a final note, Shining 
tends to run in families, even if it remains latent within a given 
individual.

Fate Chip          Distance          Duration
White                    1 mile            1 minute
Red                     50 miles         5 minutes
Blue                  250 miles        10 minutes
Legend            unlimited         30 minutes


Nick Zachariasen
Editor Emeritus
Trojan Times