The Pattern is a mystical glowing path set into the earth of Primal Amber by Dworkin Bariman in his own blood, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. You know the background already.
Since one initiates oneself into the Pattern as more or less one big thing, the first of the Partial Powers is a bit of a mouthfull. The GM's not entirely sure what he'll do if one of the PC's decides to initiate themselves to the Pattern when they have no Good Stuff. But he's strongly considering having them just die on the damn thing to spare him the headache. Consider yourselves warned.
Basic Pattern
Cost: 30 pts
Prerequisites: None
Allows: Hellride, Defense
Basic Pattern allows you to Shadowwalk, do all of that probability control stuff, and to use the Blood Curse of the Amberites. Maybe. Or it's possible that the Blood Curse of the Amberites is just an innate thing. Or, equally, it's possible that it doesn't exist in the first place. But anyhow, Shadowwalking is neat.
Hellride
Cost: 5 pts
Prerequisites: Basic Pattern
Allows: Track, Alter Shadow
Hellride is the ability to speed up your Shadowwalking if you're physically moving faster than walking speed. The faster you're moving, the faster, potentially, you can Hellride. However, few have enough control to handle anything more than the speed of a good horse galloping (control is a function of overall Pattern skill and Psyche). By the way, if you don't have Hellride, it doesn't matter how fast you go, you still Shadowwalk at the same speed.
Defense
Cost: 5 pts
Prerequisites: Basic Pattern
Allows: Alter
By calling the image of the Pattern to mind, you can make yourself highly resistant to other forces, including Trump, Magic, and most especially Logrus or Shapeshift Other. It's also very difficult to be moved through Shadow while concentrating on Pattern Defense (so if you're, say, caught in a Shadow Storm, this Power might be a good call). If you're particularly good at this, you can break constructs of other powers (like the Black Road) by imposing yourself upon them, then summoning the Pattern.
Track
Cost: 5 pts
Prerequisites: Hellride
Allows: Sense
Anyone can follow someone else who's walking Shadow, so long as you keep them in sight. But with this power, you become able to follow the trail of a Shadowwalker for some hours or even days after they have passed through. It is easier to follow someone the more quickly they were moving, and the more recently.
Alter Shadow
Cost: 3 pts
Prerequisites: Hellride and Defense
Allows: Edit Shadow
By bringing the Pattern to mind, as you might for defensive purposes, you can now make changes on Shadow, in a limited and local fashion. These changes must be universal laws, not specific effects – for example, it is permissable to lower the effects of gravity, but not, to lower the effects of gravity for just one person. Further, the changes last only so long as this power is actively used.
Sense
Cost: 5 pts
Prerequisites: Track
Allows: Lens, Pockets
By calling the Pattern to mind and peering through it, one can see all manner of invisble forces and strange occurances. You know the deal. This isn't the Pattern Lens, mind – you can only see what's right in front of your ugly mug.
Edit Shadow
Cost: 5 pts
Prerequisites: Alter Shadow
Allows: Pockets
Just like Alter Shadow, but you can make permenant changes.
Lens
Cost: 7 pts
Prerequisites: Sense
Allows:
You can see through the Pattern Sign and move it about Shadow willy-nilly.
Pockets
Cost: 2 pts
Prerequisites: Edit Shadow, Sense
Allows: Erase Shadow
You can create invisible little pockets in the stuff of Shadow, into which you can put stuff. This is primarily useful as a party trick or to impress the natives, but if you've something that you want to hide, it can be a neat trick. The interior of Shadow Pockets is not conducive to habitation.
Erase Shadow
Cost: 3 pts
Prerequisites: Shadow Pockets
Allows:
Boom. There goes Miami. This is a long-ish process, taking probably around a half hour (dependent on Pattern skill and Psyche), and can only be done in a Shadow in which you currently are. In the final moments of the process, you are ejected to a nearbye Shadow, and stunned. Any anyone with the psychic sensitivity of a caterpillar can feel the buildup of the forces as you work to erase the Shadow. In other words, this isn't a very good assassination tool against anyone who can walk Shadow.