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ChronoSphere Rounds

**** Entropy *** Time * Prime (for immediate and personal use)
**** Entropy **** Time * Prime (as a hanging rote)
**** Entropy **** Time *** Prime (as a talisman)

In movies and TV shows, those attending schools or living in towns situated at Hellmouths usually can rely on nick-of-time intervention in the form of a certain stake-wielding cheerleader and her small circle of friends. In the real world, where demons and other beings with misdeeds on their agenda and murder in their hearts show up unexpectedly, a person can spend the rest of their life waiting either for the heroine to finish her homework so she can apply a boot to the south side of the north-bound miscreant, or for said miscreant to give up on breaking down the door and search elsewhere for easier prey.

The ChronoSphere takes the wait out of out-waiting out your adversary, adding days, weeks, or even months on the biological clock to the targeted area in but the blink of an eye. And, less you scoff at the thought of looking through the mail slot at a ravening fiend a mere ten days older, consider the possibilities if the ravening fiend slavering on the porch has suddenly discovered that it's been two weeks since last it ate a beating heart... or anything else, for that matter. Dehydration significantly slows down even a demented yet otherwise human mass-murderer after a matter of days, allowing for safe and easy capture.

In its CO2 powered semi-automatic paint-ball packaging, the Chronosphere requires no annoying background check, no firearms permit, and no waiting period to own. The lack of recoil facilitates handling by all but the most gun-shy of individuals. An effective range of 60 feet and penetrating power sufficient to breech a wet paper bag minimize risk of collateral damage to innocent bystanders. And after the confrontation, no bloodshed reduces the post-incident cleanup from the mopping and scrubbing normally associated with high-speed led poisoning to sweeping away the dirt tracked on to the porch, to say naught of costly hospital bills and injury suits claimed against homeowner's insurance. Best of all, the complete lack of deafening report won't disturb the neighbors or attract attention from local law enforcement agencies.

A kinder, gentler world calls for kinder, gentler self defense. So in those moments when diplomacy has failed, after negotiations have proved fruitless, and when the situation has deteriorated to the point of violence, living pacifists recommend the Chronosphere over plowshares or Holy Swords by a margin of three to one.

Appearing to be a little more than an older model 8-shot paintball gun, the ChronoSphere Paint-pellet Pistol draws little more attention from the mundane world than any other paintball gun. Even after hitting a target, in all but the most extreme cases, the chances of associating starvation and dehydration with a recreational item is remote.

In both forms of this rote, Entropy (see Blight of Aging) and Time (see Accelerate Time) rapidly age the physical by days, weeks, or months. Prime provides fuel for the reaction. As a hanging rote, Time also determines the trigger event: impact of the paint-ball. A mage can create one hanging rote per point of Arete, and as a hanging rote, the caster may make 1 magazine (8 shots) per point of Arete. As a talisman, standard creation rules apply. However, the paintball gun (instead of the paintballs) becomes the talisman, providing for a more sustainable weapon.

Chronospheres fired by anyone other than the caster (hanging rote) must hit the target to go off. (Make your normal firearms roll to hit.) If not used within eight days, they revert back to bright green painballs.

Focus: Paintball Gun
Damage: Aging (8 dice, difficulty 7); Varies by successes; see damage table below

Damage Effect Table:

Successes	Days Aged
Botch	Hit self with richochet -- age a day and don't let it happen again!
0	none -- it's a dud, dude.
1	1 -- Got the munchies
2	2 -- I'm so rumbly in my tumbly!
3	6 -- Hey, Grandpa! What's for Supper?
4	8 -- The southbound end of a northbound skunk appears edible
5	10 -- Nothing wrong with a little Road-Kill Helper
6	18 -- Wallpaper is starting to sound good
7	21 -- 21 days without food makes one week... times three!
8	24 -- Payback's a ... real pain
9	36 -- Patience? Hell, no, I'm going to get something to eat
10+	successes x4 -- Serious hunger strike material.

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