Red Card One: Suffocating Hesitation
* Name: Suffocating Hesitation * Deck: Red Deck (Failure) * Roleplay Emphasis: A sudden sensation of acute physical and atmospheric constriction grips the avatar at the moment of execution. The chest tightens as though wrapped in iron bands, worn gear and straps suddenly feel unbearably binding, and the throat narrows, completely choking off the breath needed to power through the maneuver. The strike stalls into a cramped, pinched spasm that falls completely short of its mark. The adversary, noticing how the avatar’s posture has shrunk inward in breathless distress, inhales deeply and expands into the contested ground, sensing an immediate opportunity to seize total control of the engagement. * World and Mechanical Effect: The targeted enemy capitalizes on the cramped, faltering stroke, gaining an immediate tactical surge that grants a temporary bonus of 4 points to its Armor Check and adds 3 points of physical damage to its very next attack.
Red Card Two: Sympathetic Strangulation
* Name: Sympathetic Strangulation * Deck: Red Deck (Failure) * Roleplay Emphasis: The abrupt kinetic and arcane rebound of the missed attack sends a tightening shockwave through the invisible conduits binding the field of combat. Rather than harmlessly dissipating into the ground, this compressed tension snaps across to a nearby companion, suddenly constricting their movements as if heavy cords had coiled tightly around their limbs and throat. The ally gasps under the sudden sensation of confinement, struggling against pinched muscles and restricted gear just as they attempt to execute their own coordinated maneuver. * World and Mechanical Effect: A designated companion or allied presence is severely hindered by the crushing phantom constriction, suffering an immediate 3-point penalty to their next attack roll and a 10 percent reduction to their next attempted skill check within the encounter.
Red Card Three: Claustrophobic Bind
* Name: Claustrophobic Bind * Deck: Red Deck (Failure) * Roleplay Emphasis: In an excessive, frantic effort to guard against potential counter-blows, the avatar over-contracts their form into a painfully tight, constricted knot. Shoulders hunch inward, elbows pin tightly against ribs, and the space required to swing or pivot shrinks to nothing, trapping the avatar in a rigid cage of their own making. Incapable of swinging outward or turning fluidly to meet changing angles, the avatar remains locked in a cramped, static profile, offering a completely defenseless, unmoving target for an aggressive enemy to strike at will. * World and Mechanical Effect: The nearest hostile creature takes direct advantage of the avatar’s tightly bound, immobilized profile, receiving an immediate 4-point bonus to its next roll to hit.
Green Card One: Coiled Strangulation
* Name: Coiled Strangulation * Deck: Green Deck (Crit) * Roleplay Emphasis: The attack strikes home with crushing leverage, wrapping around the adversary like an inescapable python of kinetic and arcane force. As the blow impacts vital pathways, the opposing creature’s ribcage, joints, and conduits are violently compressed inward, driving all the air from their lungs and binding their limbs tight to their core. The foe struggles frantically against the crushing constriction, their vision darkening and their muscles spasming as they find themselves wholly unable to establish a balanced stance or draw a clean breath. * World and Mechanical Effect: The targeted adversary is overwhelmed by intense physical and respiratory constriction, suffering an immediate 4-point reduction to its Armor Check and enduring a 3-point penalty on its next attack roll.
Green Card Two: Funneled Corridor
* Name: Funneled Corridor * Deck: Green Deck (Crit) * Roleplay Emphasis: Delivering a devastating blow with surgical placement, the avatar drives the enemy line back, forcefully narrowing the opposition’s combat front into a severely constricted choke point. By violently compressing the adversary’s defensive options and locking their movements into a narrow, crowded lane, an unmistakable, perfectly controlled avenue opens for an ally. Observing the enemy pinned and crammed together without room to maneuver or dodge, the companion steps forward with absolute focus to strike at the compressed flank. * World and Mechanical Effect: A designated companion or ally exploits the constricted enemy formation, gaining an immediate 3-point bonus to their next attack roll and a 15 percent bonus to their next skill check attempted within the round.
Green Card Three: Dense Compression Ward
* Name: Dense Compression Ward * Deck: Green Deck (Crit) * Roleplay Emphasis: Kinetic energy and focused thought are channeled into an intensely compressed impact that drives straight through the target’s center of mass. In the immediate aftermath of the blow, the avatar draws the ambient energy tightly around themselves and their companions, constricting the protective barrier into an extraordinarily dense, layered cocoon of pressure. This tightly packed perimeter leaves no gaps or seams, completely shielding the immediate ground from hostile penetration. * World and Mechanical Effect: The current strike inflicts an additional 5 points of bonus damage, while the acting avatar condenses the surrounding ward into an active defense, granting an immediate 2-point boost to the Armor Check of themselves or a chosen ally until the start of their next turn.