Editing Powers Check (section)

==In Later Editions==
Powers Checks were deeply rooted in TSR's approach to D&D, and so they didn't really sit too well with WotC. In 4th edition, the concept was dropped (if only because a dedicated Ravenloft setting never resurfaced there), with instead the player being suggested to come up with spooky background or character traits to represent brushes with the dark powers. The closest that 4e got to Powers Checks were a pair of Themes called the Haunted Blade and the Misshapen, which gave the character powers tied to a brush with dark forces.

In 5th edition, [[Van Richten's Guide]] to [[Ravenloft]] scrapped the idea of Powers Checks entirely and replaced them with '''Dark Gifts''': an entirely voluntary option that the player can pick at starting level, or earn through play, that grants them distinct boons, at the cost of largely cosmetic "spooky" drawbacks. As a result, the book contains a specific array of Dark Gifts, consisting of the following. Each grants a couple of minor powers, but comes with a drawback.

'''Echoing Soul:''' You have a connection to past incarnations, were magically swapped into your current body, or you have a deep spiritual link to another being - there's a d6 table to roll on to randomly generate the specifics. Regardless, you experience intrusive echoes of one or more entirely different lives; on the plus side, this gives you two free skill proficiencies and a bonus language. The downside is the ''Intrusive Echoes'' trait; if you trigger the downside by rolling a 1 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you become overwhelmed by foreign visions and memories, which you determine by rolling on a d6 table. You might end up charmed or frightened by a random creature for 1 minute, blinded for a turn, halve your speed for a turn, be incapacitated for a turn, or even get to reroll the triggering roll because you awoke a memory of a past triumph. Fortunately, Intrusive Echoes can only happen once per short rest.

'''Gathered Whispers:''' You're a spiritwalker, somebody who can naturally perceive the spirits of the deceased or denizens of other planes, and thus have to deal with them endlessly haunting you. d6 table to explain who the haunts are. It gives you the positive traits ''Spirit Whispers'' (Message as an SLA) and ''Sudden Cacophony'' (1/day, add Proficiency Bonus to AC vs. an attack - doesn't work against deaf assailants). The negative trait is ''Voices from Beyond'', which forces you to roll on a d4 table; you might end up with Disadvantage on your next attack roll/ability check/saving throw, be deafened for 1 minute, be frightened of a random creature for a turn, or get the benefits of a free Augury spells. ''Voices from Beyond'' triggers when you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, but can only happen once per short rest, just like the ''Intrusive Echoes'' trait.

'''Living Shadow:''' Like the name says, your shadow is mysteriously animate all on its own. Ever heard of a little Disney movie called "The Princess and the Frog"? You're basically Dr. Facilier. Positive traits: ''Grasping Shadow'' (Mage Hand SLA) and ''Shadow Strike'' (give yourself +10feet of reach with a melee attack Proficiency Bonus times per day). Downside: ''Ominous Will'', which causes the next creature to make an attack roll, saving throw or ability check within 30 feet to roll a d4; they add the even number as a bonus and subtract the odd number as a penalty.

'''Mist Walker:''' You have spent so long traversing the infamous Mists of Ravenloft that you have gained an unparalled connection to them, for both good and ill. The positive traits are ''Misty Step'' (cast Misty Step 1/day, and if spellcaster, gain it as a bonus spell) and ''Mist Traveler'' (you don't need Mist Talismans to reach domains; you just need to know the domain's name). The downside is ''Poisoned Roots'': Once you finish a long rest, the terrain in a 10-mile radius becomes spiritually poisoned against you. You can only stay in such an area for weeks equal to your Constitution modifier, and if you overstay, you ''gain'' 1 level of Exhaustion each time you complete a long rest there which can't be removed until you move on. Basically, this is an adapatation of the ''Static Burn'' curse that the [[Vistani]] suffered in 2nd and 3rd edition.

'''Second Skin:''' You have a Jekyll & Hyde-esque ability to transform into a strange secondary form, which you can either specifically designate or generate through a roll on a d6 table. There's only a single benefit here; ''Transformation'', which lets you cast Alter Self (Change Appearance only) on yourself 1/day and adds Alter Self to your spells list if you're a spellcaster. But, if you use this SLA, then when you return to normal, you'll retain some visible trait of your previous form until you complete a long rest. Rather than the standard "critical fail" triggered downside, this Dark Gift's downside is ''Involuntary Change'', where exposure to a catalyst (either determined or chosen from a d6 table) forces you to pass a DC 15 Charisma save or automatically shapeshift via your Alter Self SLA. Basically, this gift is pretty much all fluff, as there's not a lot of crunch wrapped up in transforming this way.

'''Symbiotic Being:''' You're Venom. Seriously. That's it. You have a physical living creature with its own indepentent mind and personality fused to your body. There's a d6 table to generate manifestation, and they include a living tattoo, crystalline growths, and a face that's basically an homage to Vampire Hunter D (or Voldemort in the very first Harry Potter novel). You gain the traits ''Entwined Existence'' (Symbiote has its own Int, Wis and Cha scores, and gives you free proficiency in either Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Religion, Perception or Persuasion) and ''Sustained Symbiosis'' (1/day, you can sacrifice a Hit Dice to either boost a saving throw or to automatically critical succeed a Death Saving Throw). The downside is, of course, ''Symbiotic Agenda'' - your symbiote has its own goal that it wants to achieve, and if you try to pass up an opportunity to pursue that goal, you have to pass a Charisma save (DC 12 + symbiote's Cha modifier) or else it takes over you, represented as a Charm effect that lasts 1d12 hours. You can either create the symbiote's agenda, or roll on the provided d6 table.

'''Touch of Death:''' Your flesh courses with malevolent energies or supernatural venom, allowing you to bring death to whoever brushes your skin. There's a d6 table to suggest how this might have been caused and manifests. Your positive traits are ''Death Touch'' (as an action, make an unarmed strike that does +1d10 Necrotic damage, boosted by +1d10 at levels 5, 11 and 17), ''Inescapable Death'' (your attacks ignore Necrotic Resistance), and ''Withering Contact'' (if you start your turn grappling or being grappled, the other guy takes 1d10 Necrotic damage). Surprisingly, there's no explicit downside to this ability!  Although a sneaky DM could rule that the ability can activate involuntarily outside of combat and cause you to accidently kill someone you touch. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PBbHVDGIco| Either way, you better get used to not being able to hug things anymore.]

'''Watchers:''' You are the object of interest to ethereal spirits, which manifest themselves in Tiny-sized bodies made of shadowstuff and constantly hang arond you, even if you try to drive them away. There's a d8 table of example forms that these watchers might take, from ravens and rats to drifting religious symbols or animated objects. For a positive trait, you get ''Borrowed Eyes'', which lets you invoke the power of the Watchers to gain Adventage on Investigation & Perception checks plus Immunity to Blindness for 1 hour 1/day. The negative trait is ''Dread Presence'': you have Disadvantage on saves against Scrying, and if your Watchers are visible, you also suffer Disadvantage on Deception, Performance and Charisma checks. You can disperse these Watchers with a minute's work and a successful DC 15 Animal Handling check, but it only lasts for 1 hour and can only be done 1/day.

[[Category: Game Mechanics]] [[Category: Ravenloft]]