Page 283 - Chronicles of Darkness

Ending the Tilt: A generic narcotic lasts for (10 – the
victim’s Stamina + Resolve) hours. Medical help, such as EXTREME HEAT
pumping the victim’s stomach or flushing his system, halves
this time.
Environmental (sometimes Personal)
EARTHQUAKE Description: The character might be stumbling through
the desert with the sun beating down on him, or running
through the steam tunnels surrounding an old boiler room.
Environmental This Tilt can also be personal, the result of a debilitating fever
Description: Everything shudders and shakes, and rents that spikes his temperature far above the norm. Extreme heat
tear the ground wide open. is normally anything above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees
Effect: Earthquakes don’t last long, but they don’t have to. Fahrenheit), whether internal or external.
When the earthquake’s actually occurring, all Dexterity-based Effect: When the temperature is far above normal, char-
dice pools (and Defense) suffer a -1 to -5 penalty, depending acters can’t heal bashing damage — the extreme temperature
on the earthquake’s severity. Characters take between one deals damage at the same rate normal characters heal it (a
and three points of lethal damage per turn of the earthquake’s cut might heal, but it’s replaced by sunburn or sunstroke).
duration, though a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll can Supernatural beings and characters who heal faster than
downgrade that damage to bashing — or cancel it entirely on normal instead halve their normal healing rate. For every
an exceptional success. hour that a character is continuously affected by this Tilt, he
Causing the Tilt: Without tremendous supernatural accrues a -1 penalty to all rolls. When that penalty hits -5, he
power, it’s almost impossible to cause an earthquake. A instead suffers a point of lethal damage per hour.
character who detonates a powerful explosive underground Causing the Tilt: This Tilt is usually caused by environ-
might simulate the effects over a city block for a few seconds. mental factors — being out at noon in the desert, or spend-
Ending the Tilt: Earthquakes are, fortunately, very quick ing too long in a sauna or forge. Even a fever is the result
events. It’s very rare for one to last more than a minute (20 of an infection, rather than something that an opponent
turns), so waiting them out is the best course of action. can force on a character. It’s possible to create this Tilt on
a given character: securing someone to a chair right next to
EXTREME COLD an old, inefficient boiler, or stranding them in the desert far
from any shade.
Ending the Tilt: The key to ending this Tilt is simple: get
Environmental (sometimes Personal) out of the heat. In a desert or similar environment, finding
shade is paramount. Elsewhere, the character needs to escape
Description: Bone-chilling winds bite through the char- whatever is causing the abnormal temperatures.
acter, or trudging through knee-deep snow takes all of the
sensation from his limbs. Any time the temperature gets
down below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), FLOODED
a character can suffer from the cold’s effects. This Tilt can
sometimes be personal, as a result of a medical condition like
hypothermia or a supernatural power. Environmental
Effect: When the temperature is below freezing, characters Description: Some liquid — brackish water, mud, gore,
can’t heal bashing damage — the extreme temperature deals dam- or raw sewage — has risen enough to impede the character’s
age at the same rate normal characters heal it (a cut might turn progress.
to frostbite, for instance). Supernatural beings and characters Effect: Each foot of liquid inflicts a -2 penalty to all
who heal faster than normal instead halve their normal healing Physical dice pools. If the water goes up over her head, the
rate. For every hour that a character is continuously affected by character has to swim (Dexterity + Athletics), with a penalty
this Tilt, he accrues a -1 penalty to all rolls. When that penalty appropriate for the speed of the flooding. Alternatively, she
hits -5, he instead suffers a point of lethal damage per hour. can try to hold her breath (Stamina + Composure) if she
Causing the Tilt: A character can suffer this Tilt from cannot get her head above the rising waters.
being in a frozen environment — whether he’s outside in Causing the Tilt: Normally, this Tilt is the result of heavy
the Arctic tundra or in a walk-in freezer. Inflicting the Tilt rain, sudden snowmelt, or a broken water main. Characters
is reasonably straightforward: throw the victim into a freez- can cause this Tilt by smashing up a water heater, or blowing
ing lake or lock him in a freezer for long enough, and he’ll up a small dam. Some supernatural creatures may be able to
develop hypothermia. call floods down onto a region.
Ending the Tilt: The best way to escape the freezing cold Ending the Tilt: Characters can escape flooding by get-
is to find a source of warmth, either a building with working ting to high ground, which is enough to mitigate this Tilt.
heat, or warm clothing. A character who has hypothermia A long-term fix would require draining the floodwaters, but
requires medical attention. each flood requires its own solution.

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Appendix Two-Tilts