1001 Interesting Paradox Backlashes

[Bluecho]

209) The Magician's New Clothes [Quiet]: Fashion can be a powerful force and a grand ideal to aspire to (just look at the glory that is Fashion Souls). But outer appearance can become an all-consuming obsession...especially when it is merely a facade. With this Quiet, the mage is led to believe they have found, purchased, stolen, or created a set of clothing of the highest quality and aesthetic beauty. A set of clothing that does not actually exist. The garb is hallucinatory, though it looks, sounds, feels, and smells real to the mage's senses. At low levels, the mage may fawn over the garments, and be compelled to adorn themselves with pieces from the set. A scarf here, a hat there, a pair of slacks, etc. The outfit appears different to every mage suffering from the Quiet, from the flowing robes of the Hermetic wizard, to the silk ensemble embroidered with dragons of the Akashic, to the Italian "bespoke" suit of the Syndicate rep. Whatever it is, they will be drawn into donning the articles of clothing, regardless of how poorly they may "fit" with the rest of their clothes. Naturally, because the clothes aren't real, everyone else sees the mage strutting around with no pants or undershirt, or whatever the case may be. The mage is immensely proud of their "accessories", and will ignore or refute any indication that they are not clothed.

Unsurprisingly, the mage is driven to "don" the entire "set" as their Quiet deepens, leaving them to walk around either naked or nearly naked (after all, the outfit probably doesn't come with undergarments, to the relief of everyone involved). The severity of the Quiet will also begin to affect onlookers at these levels, first by subtly discouraging them from acknowledging the mage's nudity, and then later by making them begin to see the outfit. Hobgoblins begin to appear as fawning admirers, heaping praise upon the mage for them choice in adornments.

[Muad'Dib]

210) Just can't get a fair game.. [Paradox Flaw ; Time, Entropy] True Mages affected by this Flaw simply cannot turn off their sights (or other effects) that predict how random events like a toss of a dice or a shuffling of a deck of cards will happen.

[Bluecho]

[Let's do another set of themed backlashes. This one is cribbed a bit from Homestuck and the Felt, but I tried to be creative wherever possible.]

The Stopwatch Gang [Spirits]: Time is easily the most problematic Sphere, both from a Paradox standpoint and from raw book-keeping. As such, when mages abuse temporal powers, it's a headache for everyone involved. While certain Paradox Spirits, like Wrinkle or the various variants of the Time Cops, are well known enough to Time specialists, another group of Spirits is becoming more prevalent. The Stopwatch Gang is a collection of a dozen-odd hooligans in pinstripe zoot suits and matching hats, coming in a wide variety of colors. They are armed with a wide variety of firearms and melee weapons, and each member is numbered, their number appearing tattooed somewhere on their body.

What makes them dangerous is that each is equipped with a specific time-based power or effect. This, combined with their arsenal of weapons and ruthless attitudes, makes them dangerous to even Time Masters. This latter detail stems partially from the fact that all of the members possess innate countermagic against Time effects against them. As for motivation, the Stopwatch Gang members seem to have only three major goals: 1) to punish Time transgressors for "muscling in on their turf", 2) plunder (what constitutes "plunder" varying from member to member), and 3) bloodlust and spite. Since they generally lack significant ideological goals, it's relatively easy to drive them off. It doesn't take much to convince them to retreat and cut their losses. All these points are general, though, and there are significant outliers that make the gang...tricky.

Most mages will only ever encounter one member at a time, and few mages encounter more than one in their careers. Those who piss off members of the gang, on a personal level, may however find them becoming recurring Paradox enemies, even without Time-based backlashes. Particularly bad bouts of Paradox may cause two or more members to show up at the same time, or bring in members that otherwise wouldn't bother to appear (such as Mister Midnight...*shudders*...). Granted, the different gang members (and powers) have a habit of stumbling over (and interfering with) each other. Because of the logistical nightmare this could cause, Storytellers are advised to use the gang sparingly and in small doses, unless the story warrants otherwise.

Subsequent posts will be devoted to the various members of the Stopwatch Gang.

[Bluecho]

211) Mister One ("Twitchy"): Drawn most often by Time effects used to speed the user up, Mister One O'Clock is a short, wiry, energetic little shit in a bright yellow suit. The number 1 is tattooed on his left cheek. His gimmick is fairly simple: he moves multiple times faster than a normal human. Combined with his high Dexterity score, and he covers a lot of ground. Hyperactive and tricky, One spends some time before confronting his quarry actively messing with them. Superhuman alacrity allows him to zip around, a yellow streak on a caffeine overdose, rearranging the immediate surroundings. Furniture is turned upside down, papers are scattered to the ground, hats are swapped between wearers, and valuables are filched from drawers and jewelry boxes. "Twitchy" is a royal pain...but he's not always the most coordinated when he's going full tilt, nor is he terribly observant. He's vulnerable to being tripped up, blundering into traps, or crashing into suddenly shut doors. Whether the mage manages to arrest One's movement, uses Time to keep pace with him, or simply puts up with his antics until One gets bored, he may eventually go on the offensive. Given that he gets several actions a turn - and has a switchblade - he can be a surprising combat monster. Best confronted in groups, or when the mage can match his speed. Thankfully, while he's skilled with the knife, he's on a weak side in terms of Strength. His kills are often the result of "death by a thousand cuts".

There is, however, a trick that can turn the tables on Mister One, if the mage is desperate. If a character can successfully grapple with One, and hold that grapple for one turn, his speed bleeds over to that character. He loses his super speed, and the grappling character gains it in return. (Since this speed comes from the Paradox Spirit, it doesn't cause Paradox). Tables turned, Mister One will attempt to flee as best he can (difficult, given his pursuer's new velocity). He has poor Stamina to match his Strength, so he goes down easily once his movement advantage is nullified.


212) Miss Two ("Slowpoke"): The polar opposite to Mister One in virtually every respect except for their height (short), Miss Two O'Clock is patient, low energy, quiet, mumbly, and slow. Not necessarily in the head, though she's not the brightest member of the gang. Dressed in gray blue, a suit jacket two sizes too large for her, short brown hair, and a large number 2 tattooed on her right cheek, Miss Two's power is that she moves extremely slow. That is not a typing error, her entire gimmick is moving multiple times slower than a normal human. Besides that and a snubnose pistol, that's about it for her capabilities.

Most would consider this grounds for labeling Miss Two the single weakest member of the Stopwatch Gang. This is not an inaccurate statement, though she's more dangerous than she appears. Indeed, the fact that she seems incapable of moving faster than a tortoise on downers means she's always underestimated, if not written off entirely as a non-threat. Many mages ignore her, or fail to realize she's a Paradox Spirit at all (the fact that she's moving tortuously slow is often chalked up to her being a normal human and victim of someone else's Time manipulations). She often appears alongside Mister One, and between the duo, most mages choose to ignore Miss Two in favor of the "obvious threat".

Leave Two to her own devices, though, and she'll (eventually) cause problems of her own. There are two reasons why Two is so dangerous to her opponents (pun intended). First, she can be so little regarded that she's left to continue walking around. And she is extremely patient. Once the mage has their back turned, she'll start pulling out her gun and aiming at them. If the mage sits down at a desk looking away - or, better yet, goes to bed and falls asleep - she'll make her way over and shoot them in the head at point blank range. Her doom is long in coming, but it is resolute and terrible when it does (it helps - for her - that the bullet in her gun travels at normal speed when it leaves the barrel).

Naturally, her targets aren't always obliging enough to let her aim a shot at glacial pace. If they try to disarm or restrain her, though, they may run afoul of her Second feature. Like Mister One, if she is touched, she sheds her "advantage" to the other character. In this case, her obscene slowness. Unlike One, Two's effect can go off with even a momentary touch, like a hand to hand strike or shove. From there, she's moving at normal speed, while the other character is moving at glacial pace. Add her snubnose pistol again, and you see where this is going.

Of course, if a mage knows about Miss Two (or simply isn't taking chances with a weird slow girl), they can kill her easily with a long melee weapon or gun. If players seem inclined towards this option, a Storyteller should impress upon them whether their characters are okay, morally, with killing such a pitiable adversary in cold blood. Especially if she just arrived, and hasn't even brought out her gun. This should be a roleplaying moment.

Or the Storyteller could feel justified - if the encounter gets resolved too quickly - in making Mister One show up immediately after Miss Two is dealt fatal or near-fatal damage. And once he's taken a microsecond to assess the situation, his first response tends to be to attack Two's assailant immediately and brutally. Because despite the Stopwatch Gang being a gaggle of loosely directed sociopaths, they are not without human feelings, or interpersonal relationships between one another. It just so happens that Mister One has a crush on Miss Two (the latter being largely ambivalent to the former, she finding him exhausting). Add that he is an impulsive little shit with a knife and a high action economy, and you see where this is going.

[Bluecho]

213) Mister Three ("Mister Nostalgic"): Clad in maroon and a black/white checkered tie, Mister Three O'Clock is a tall man of African cast who prefers to carry his suit jacket over his shoulder rather than worn. The number 3 is tattooed on the left side of his neck. A smooth customer, he appears before his enemies with a sleek, chrome refridgerator in a 50s style at his side. A consummate showman, Three introduces himself, before introducing a "special guest" from inside the fridge. When the door opens, out pops a figure from the mage's past. A figure that is almost always hostile to the mage.

It appears that Three's MO is to kidnap individuals from the past (or copies of them, since their bodies don't remain if killed, and the timestream remains unaltered), and sick them on his enemies. The kidnapping victim is always a person taken from a time when they were adversarial to the mage, though that could be anyone from a mortal enemy (that may be long dead or befriended), to an abusive parent or lover, or even an otherwise amicable loved one who was taken from a time when they had considerable disagreements. Mister Three usually slinks into hiding to allow the two reunited foes duke it out, in whatever way is appropriate for their relationship. The gangster is not above, however, offering aid in the fight to the one he kidnapped, if he thinks the latter would appreciate the help. Mister Three's fridge freezer is stocked with a number of automatic weapons and melee weapons, though he is merely mediocre when it comes to their use in a fight.

If the mage resolves the conflict with their old associate with violence or peaceful means, the person brought forward will fade away, apparently returned to their proper time period with no memory or lasting damage from the event that transpired. If Mister Three survived his encounter (injured or no), he'll certainly flee into his fridge, which disappears. His earlier composure will be broken, as it was merely a facade of competence over a petty, cowardly center.

An encounter with Mister Three should be a chance for the Storyteller to bring back old favorite antagonists, or dredge up demons from the past. A person that made the player character feel powerless as a child might remain similarly threatening...or they might be a weak and petty abuser with the clarity of experience. While such an event can be frightening, it could alternatively be cathartic for the PC, to put to rest figures that caused them such grief, or to tie up emotional loose ends that were for so long unresolved.

[Bluecho]

214) Ms. Four ("Broken Record"): A plain, gaunt woman in her middle age, Ms. Four O'Clock's frizzy dark hair and sunken eyes betray a weariness with the world. She wears a black and white checkered skirt, a worn out white jacket with black accents, and a green and black plaid blouse. The number 4 is tattooed on the back of her left hand. That same hand balances an ever-spinning vinyl record, that issues forth the constant hum of a music disc perpetually on the verge of starting its song. It is this record that is the source of Four's power.

Mages feel Four's temporal presence long before they see her, for indeed she prefers to not confront her targets directly. At the top of the hour - for it is always at the start of the hour - a constant white noise of a needle on vinyl will enter the mage's ears. No one else can hear it, and the mage may initially dismiss it as a case of tinnitus. After a hour passes (which the Storyteller should let play out, unless the character is doing nothing interesting during that time), the mage feels a lurching sensation across their whole body, and hears a loud record scratch in their ears. When the sensations stop, they realize they are exactly where they were an hour before, down to the second.

Ms. Four's record is an artifact (and perhaps an Artifact) that allows her to turn time back one hour at a time, which she uses to trap targets in a Groundhog Day loop. The mage is forced to replay the same events, with only them realizing the loop exists (unless other Mages use Time 1 to sense the temporal distortion; even then, they need a Time 1 + Mind 1 Effect running to retain their memories between loops). Others, ignorant of the state of things, perform the same actions again and again, save in reaction to the actions done by the mage. Every task the mage needs or planned to do needs to be repeated, and likewise with any appropriate rolls. They do not, however, regain any Willpower or Quintessence points spent when they loop, nor is damage undone. It's a tedious, draining experience, that can wear the poor mage down with every repeat.

All throughout this, the warm vinyl hum persists in the mage's ear. But that noise isn't just a hum; as the mage gets closer to Ms. Four, they begin to hear the faint sound of jazz music. The sound grows louder as the mage draws nearer to the Ms. Four and the record. The character needs to track the noise back to its source in order to find the gangsterina. When confronted, Ms. Four will attempt to flee if able, though she comes equipped with a light sub-machinegun if the situation becomes too hairy. If heavily injured, she will stop the record spinning on her finger and roll it back, resetting to another loop (where she is, of course, unharmed). She will also do this at the end of the hour regardless.

There are two ways to stop the temporal purgatory the mage is in: kill Ms. Four before she can turn back time, or take the record out of the equation. In the latter case, the record can be destroyed quite easily (though it may require an aimed attack at a small target, with increased difficulty). It can also, however, be taken from the woman, whereupon it will stop spinning, and the noise in the mage's ears will cease. Four will make an effort to take it back, or may beg for its return if she cannot. Depending on how the mage treated her, she may or may not turn around and continue tormenting them if the record is returned, even if she promised otherwise. If nothing works, Four will reluctantly retreat from the material plane. If the mage still has the record after the ordeal (and hasn't destroyed it), they may retain it as a time-traveling Wonder, per Storyteller permission. But since time travel is still Vulgar, using the record for such a purpose will result in yet more Paradox...and perhaps another visit by Ms. Four, who will be exceedingly angry.

[Muad'Dib]

215) Everything is worth something, is it not so? [Paradox Flaw ; Prime] Mages affected by this Flaw tend to form attachments - of deepness equal or greater than attachments to their foci - to everyday items like kitchenware and pens.

[Bluecho]

216) Mister Five ("The Tippler"): A jolly, perpetually sloshed older gentleman with graying hair, that is hid beneath a battered tophat. The hat and accompanying moth-eaten suit are a faded black, with white accents. Mister Five O'Clock bares the number 5 on his right hand, which often holds a bottle of beer or liquor (his pockets contain more of the same, as well as a metal drink flask). Thick salt-and-pepper whiskers grow from his chin, which Five strokes and scratches absentmindedly. He's a warm drunk, most times, and he is most times at least a little drunk. Five adores a good time, smiling and laughing as he sways about. At all times, he wishes to spread the joys of drink, and convince those around him to Imbibe.

This, indeed, is his trap as a Paradox Spirit. Alcohol that has been handled by Mister Five gains a unique property. It is said - often enough by Five himself - that "it's five o'clock somewhere in the world". When a person (usually the mage whose Paradox backlash summoned him) touches, steps in, or quaffs such booze, they are immediately teleported to a time zone where it is five o'clock (or thereabouts). AM or PM doesn't seem to matter in this regard. The person is made to relocate possibly across the planet, so long as their skin or clothes touches the drink. Mister Five's primary tactic is to lull his targets into a false sense of security - for a lovable drunk is hardly threatening on the surface - so he can arrange for them to come into contact with his "gifts". He will often appear at bars and at parties, giving drinks away, or else leaving puddles of alcohol on the ground, or "accidentally" spilling it on the target.

Once the target(s) is/are gone, Mister Five will usually help himself to any valuables the characters leave lying around. Five is, however, first and foremost a drunk, so his idea of valuable is "whatever can be hocked quickly for booze money". Unique pieces of equipment or Instruments are of little interest, unless they are made of precious metals. Nor does he have interest in magic tomes, Wonders, or mad science inventions. He prefers simple jewelry, silverware, and consumer electronics like stereos, laptops, and smart phones. Depending on the mage's Focus, this can be either a trivial or catastrophic loss. He will obviously also take cash, as well as raid the liquor cabinet if one exists. Even drug stashes are fair game - his vice of choice is always alcohol, but he knows that other folks will pay a mint for narcotics.

If he is confronted or attacked, he will first attempt to call for help, claiming to be an innocent bum being accosted by weirdos. A tactic that has a good track record of success, all told. If this doesn't work, he will default to chucking bottles of booze at his foes, in the hopes they break and shower them in teleporting booze. He may also break a bottle and wield that. As a last resort, Mister Five has been known to remove his hat and pull a bolt-action rifle from its confines. He seems to have a passing understanding of its operation (he is known to tell others to call him "Captain Five", hinting at possible military experience; the rest of the Stopwatch Gang pointedly refuses to indulge that request). However, because of his inebriation, he is not a terribly good shot.

In addition to appearing during Paradox backlash, Mister Five can also sometimes be found in the Tavern of the Four Winds, in the Astral Umbra. As he's "off the clock", so to speak, this is where one will most often find his normal, jovial attitude replace with a morose one. Sometimes, he can be found by himself, in a booth or at the end of a bar, or else sitting on the ground in an alleyway, quietly sobbing to himself. If one observes Five for extended periods, Ms. Four may appear to retrieve him, telling him "come now, Five, it's time to go home". Between this, their inverted wardrobes, their comparable apparent ages, the fact that their numbers are tattooed on the backs of their hands, and their higher-than-normal habit of appearing in backlashes together, leads Paradox scholars to wonder if the two are not siblings or a married couple.

[Muad'Dib]

217) A measure of distrust [Paradox Flaw ; Mind, Entropy] A Mage affected by this Flaw has a nagging suspicion that all of her or his food is poisoned.

[BurritoMage]

218) Personal Jesus- sleepers around the mage are compelled to confess at length to most mundane sins they have committed recently.

219) Flock of seagulls- The mage finds their hair permanently some 20 years out of fashion for the duration of the flaw. Beware the mullet

220) Hungry like the.....- Mage smells like they sound.

[Bluecho]

221) Mister Six ("The Deep Six"): In the four color medium of sequential art, the passage of time is measured in spatially. This is embodied by Mister Six, a masked man who introduces himself as "Deep Six". Like a figure out of pulp magazines and crime comics, Six dresses in a suit of deep blue, with black accents. But from his shoulders hangs a blue cape, and on his face is a black domino mask and a cloth covering his mouth. Ever present are his twin automatic pistols. Mister Six is a confident man with a gravely voice, with a strong pride in his abilities, and a strange sense of honor. He's more than willing to kill, but he also makes his targets very aware of the crimes they committed that brought him there. What such an individual is doing among low-lives and scoundrels, as a member of the Stopwatch Gang, is anyone's guess. He doesn't seem to like most of his allies, and considers himself above them. Yet, he's still one of them, leading some to wonder just what kind of person he is.

His "honor" doesn't stop him from using stealth, or from exploiting what is, by most accounts, an unfair set of skills. Space is flexible for him, so he's capable of teleporting from location to location, so long as he isn't observed doing so. More pressing, however, is the fact that he always appears in two or more places at once. See, Mister Six isn't just a teleporter, but a time traveler, exploiting this ability by going back in time, to appear at the same battle multiple times. Up to six versions of Six may be present at any given moment, each acting independently. Some Paradox scholars cite this as the true trick behind his apparently teleportation ability; simply hiding, going back, and repositioning himself. This is an unsubstantiated theory, however, and cannot be counted on.

Between six potential versions of Mister Six, a mage may easily find himself under fire from twelve pistols at once. Only severe backlashes tend to attract this many duplicates, but it still makes the challenge formidable. However, there is an obvious flaw to Six's strategy, inherent to the nature of his tactics. Because all of them are the same person at different points in his personal timeline, any damage to one Six will retroactively apply to all later Sixes. If 6-2 gets shot, a bullet wound appears on 6-3 to 6-6, as do the appropriate wound penalties. If 6-5 is killed, so is 6-6. Perhaps for honor, dogged stubbornness, or a slavery to inevitability, Mister Six cannot decide to flee the scene, save on his latest incarnation. He must complete the loops already committed to by causality, and cannot change the future himself. The mage that is his target is under no such obligation, and may change the future by their own actions, forcing Six to adapt. Even if he sees one of his future selves gunned down, and the four selves after that retroactively cease to exist, he must try to get to the end of the battle, in order to ensure he comes back and gets shot.

It is, therefore, obvious what the mage must do to beat Mister Six: focus on the earliest incarnation, in the hopes of eliminating the entire lot in one fell swoop. Mister Six also has a habit of losing pieces of his costume from loop to loop, like his hat, cape, or mask. Between that and any damage to clothing or body he receives, and it marks the most "whole" Six as the original. The Storyteller may ask the player to roll Wits + Academics to realize this, and Perception + Alertness to keep track of the "tells" for each Six in a battle.

[Warpwind]

This thread is awesome. The only problem here is it's too Eurocentric, doesn't anyone want to add more eastern flavor?

[Bluecho]

This thread is awesome. The only problem here is it's too Eurocentric, doesn't anyone want to add more eastern flavor?

Always a blind spot with me, and a problem I will attempt to work on in the future.

But this thread isn't just for me. It's for everyone. If you see a deficiency, by all means contribute your own Paradox manifestations.

[Spacecat]

This thread is awesome. The only problem here is it's too Eurocentric, doesn't anyone want to add more eastern flavor?

Okay

222) Here comes a new challenger - The mage will find themselves regularly challenged to a fight by a random brawler, melee fighter, or martial artist. If no one in town fits the bill, a random one from some other town or country will show up. They mostly won't fight to the death but won't take no for an answer either. If the mage manages to win a number of these battles, a paradox spirit will appear in the guise of a powerful fighter from another country. This fighter will have considerable combat skills, resistance to magic, and a set of overpowered special moves. Defeating the spirit will win you a trophy and the cheers of paradox spirits in the guise of fans of your combat prowess designed to annoy the neighborhood with noise and attract the attention of authorities.

223) Three Monkeys Curse - Three magical monkeys will appear. One will do everything in its power, short of rendering you permanently blind, to prevent you from seeing anything evil, perverted, or unpleasant; The second will do everything, short of rendering you permanently deaf, to prevent you from hearing anything evil, perverted, or unpleasant; and the Third will do everything, short of rendering you permanently mute, to prevent you from hearing anything evil, perverted, or unpleasant.

224) Kung Food Showdown - You will find that any food you try to eat without chopsticks will be wasted in some unlikely random event. (a bird eats it, it turns out to be spoiled, your spoon breaks and the food bounces into the nearest potted plant, etc.) Once you begin eating with chopsticks, a Paradox spirit will appear whenever you eat; usually in the guise of someone you know; and try to use chopsticks to steal your food and eat it before you do. It will defend itself with chopsticks.

[Bluecho]

225) Mademoiselle Seven ("Backtrack"): Despite the 7 tattooed on her left ankle, this professional operator is considered the number two in the Stopwatch Gang. Garbed in a well-pressed orange suit, and topped with short, finely combed hair, Mademoiselle Seven is sometimes mistaken for a thin man. A fact that, privately, is a great point of consternation for her. But she is a professional, and seeks to keep her compatriots in line. Business must be done, in spite of the penchant for violent tomfooleries that this band of Paradox wise guys and loopy dames is known for. Frequently found with a slim cigarette in hand, Mademoiselle Seven is just the kind of cultured, sober sociopath needed for the job.

God knows she can't ask the new Boss for help. Seven would never admit it, but he kind of creeps her the fuck out.

Her powers are not too dissimilar to Six's, save for being more limited, yet simultaneously less prone to unexpected temporal problems. True to her name, Mademoiselle is able to turn back her personal time seven seconds. In game terms, when she activates this power, the Mademoiselle teleports back to her position from two turns before. All (or most) wounds are removed, and her weapon is even restocked with any bullets she lost. What is retained is her memory of the event, making Seven a powerful and tenacious combatant. Her favored tactic is to allow herself to come under attack by her adversary, only to undo the damage, and resume the fight with a greater idea of her foe's capabilities. Even enchantments are removed, so long as they came upon her within the last seven seconds. And since she undid the damage, any resources invested in the attack (ammunition, Quintessence, Willpower points, one-use Instruments or Charms, etc.) are squandered.

There are two limitations to her power, which lead into the two most common strategies employed to beat her. First, if she is dealt damage that would kill her, Seven reflexively turns back time. While this sounds like a strength - she can cheat death - it comes with the cost of retaining one health level of damage. Wrenching herself from the Reaper's hands takes its toll. A tenacious mage can potentially put an end to Mademoiselle Seven through a battle of attrition.

Second, Seven cannot use her power twice in rapid succession. She must wait seven seconds after a rewind before she can use it again. A crafty mage may opt to best Seven by tricking her into a situation in which her death becomes unavoidable. Leading her to the edge of a high drop, forcing her to rewind back to that position, and then shoving her off, dooming her to a fatal fall, for instance.

Mademoiselle Seven is not without tools of her own, aside from her ability. A sober, rational figure, she possesses a tactical mind and great patience. She needs to have patience, dealing with her chucklehead subordinates. Speaking of, she prefers to direct them into battle whenever possible. While she's not above getting herself blown up if it means gathering intel, she knows that she's more valuable giving orders than taking punches. Lastly, she carries a tommy gun, making her no slouch in a fight when the situation calls for it. Another of her tactics is to unload her entire magazine in one turn, then recall to an earlier point when her ammo was full. Locations where Seven has participated in a fight often end up saturated in lead, and the burnt stink of artisanal cigarettes.