Dreamscape (HTV)

Dreamscape is the Endowment of the hunter conspiracy the Merrick Institute in Hunter: The Vigil.

Dreamscape allows them to do battle and reshape environments within the nightmare world of Beasts, as well as the dream realm that changelings traverse. It does not, however, allow access to these places, as users must provide their own access.

Each power requires a certain amount of specialization in one of the three core elements of Dreamscaping: Dream Shaping, Dream Shield, or Dream Sword.

Dreamscape powers work within any lucid dream, as well as within the Beasts’ nightmare realm. This includes dreams brought upon by mages and changelings.

Dream Shaping

The user can manipulate the stuff of dreams. With a simple touch, she can mold the ephemera within dream realms as if it were clay.

• Enhance: With this ability, the user can embolden and build upon already-existing materials.
• Deaden: This ability reverses the effects of Enhance, but cannot be used to destroy an object entirely.
• Reshape: This ability allows the user to mold objects. She can reshape, shift, bend, and twist objects like they were malleable clay. She cannot change a liquid into a gas or solid, but she can adjust their basic density and hardness. She could make steel a softer metal, or she could make wood hard as a rock.
• Create: This ability works like Reshape but allows the user to create the initial material to manipulate.
• Destroy: This ability removes the limitation of Deaden.

1-Dot Merits

• Dreampushing: The user can enact minor influence on the dream world, from without. She cannot make physical attacks but has fine manipulation. Essentially, if it could be done with hands, but not with arms, she can handle it. These hypothetical, invisible “hands” move up to half her normal speed (but must stay within arms’ reach of each other), and act with her own power and finesse. The “hands” are essentially invincible, but relay sensory information to the user. For example, she knows if she touches something hot, even if it cannot burn her.

3-Dot Merits

• Warp: With this modification to Dream Shaping, the user’s Dream Shaping effects occur instantly. In fact, her Dream Shaping may be used reflexively when used against inanimate objects.

4-Dot Merits

• Colossus: Normally, Dream Shapers can only create relatively human-sized objects, or make large objects somewhat larger with Dream Shaping. With this modification, the user can create massive structures in seconds.

Dream Shield

The user’s mind is steeled against the terrible things that exist within dreams.

2-Dot Merits

• Shielding Mind: The user can use Dream Shield on another person by with some willpower. That target gains access to the user’s Dream Shield.

Dream Sword

The user’s mind is a weapon in the dream world. Many members of the Merrick Institute train with martial arts, simply turning their hands and feet into weapons within the dream.

3-Dot Merits

• Wrack: The user can forego the normal damage of their Dream Sword, instead damaging their target's attributes for a set amount of time.

Other Merits

Some merits are not defined by any single overarching other merit. These either can be used with any other skill levels at all (so long as at least one dot is present in one of them), and others may require skill in more than one category to function.

General Merits

• Regenerative Mind: When the user spends willpower on Dreamscape abilities, she regains one of those spent willpower every ten minutes. By taking a point of bashing damage reflexively, the user can speed this up and immediately replenish one some willpower. This skill requires that the user has at least in one of the Dreamscape merits.

Combined Merits

• or Absorb and Fortify: The user can not only reshape dreams and defend herself, she can simultaneously do both by absorbing the dreamstuff into herself. With three dots, the user may also use Absorb and Fortify when using a Dream Sword attack. This skill requires in Dream Shaping, in Dream Shield, and, for a third dot, in Dream Sword.

References

• HTV: Hunter: Tooth and Nail, p. 20 -21