I would have to look it up to be sure.  Don't specializations follow the same rules as stats?  Have to have a +1 before you can have a +2 ect?  I always get the rules for foci and specializations mixed up.

You'll need to clarify what exactly the deck is going to do, and how mechanically you plan on making it positive and negative.  Are these cards going to give random powers?  Create scene aspects?  Act as attacks?

You could get clever with it and come up with several aspects, powers, attacks, blocks, ect.  Write them on actual cards, and whenever the player uses the deck he actually draws an actual card from the deck.  Whatever card is drawn is what happens.  As for cost probably a -1 or -2 given the totally random nature of the ability.

Also not sure if you were referring to the actual Pure Mortal template, but just for the sake of clarity, you can't use the template (with the bonus refresh) and have an Item of Power.  Having any supernatural powers at all, even by extension, nulls the refresh bonus of Pure Mortal.

Wow, he's an absolute beast.  It's pretty much perfect.  The catch would have to be something that pretty much takes him out instantly. 

@Orladdin: Yeah sound was one of the first things I thought of.  I just didn't have any clue where to even start looking.  Sadly it will be awhile before I get the chance to run this, I have a few scenarios I have to run before I could do this one, which means months at least.

@admiralducksauce: Yeah I was thinking of focusing on the mental angle a bit, not overtly.  Things like whenever a player catches a glimpse of The Slender Man in the distance or the corner of their eye it counts as a mental attack or maneuver.  Eventually starting to slap aspects or consequences like "Growing Paranoia" or "Something's Watching Me".  Or metal set pieces, one idea I have is to have a cave network near the cabin they find.  They go in to explore and end up having to escape the maze of tunnels while being stalked by Slender, never attacking physically but doing mental stress.

Err I often unintentionally interchange "player" and "character".  But in a way yes, selling the atmosphere to the player will in turn transfer to the character.  If that fails I'll have to make Slender insanely strong until they find a weakness to keep the players running.

@Silverblaze: I really don't know, I tend to have at least one "action" scene every session.  I'm the "balanced GM" so to speak.  I try and do even amounts of role playing, story development, and action.

Coming up with a common ground for the players to team up is important for the narrative.  The game can drag if you try and set up each characters starting point individually.  Come up with a catch all reason they would all be in the same place at the same time.

My characters were originally all hired on for a job by a guy who "obtains" supernatural items of interest and sells them off at a profit.  They all had personal reasons or a history to take the job.  But it gavee an easy answer to how they all know eachother even if they don't really like eachother.

Somethin like a +1 to all athletics defense rolls and some sort of initiative bonus seems like a pretty fair +1 power, well assuming the imitative bonus is pretty minor.

I would also argue that if the narratve of yur entire session is ruined because one player decides to buy out of one compel, then the GM didn't think things through very well.

Bit as far as the example we've been going with, I wouldn't treat it as a compel as it doesn't really fit the narrative.  I would treat it as toucan either gve up you weapons and enter, or you can get into a socal conflict, possbly tale consequences, them deal with whatever happens when you get in which could be yet another conflict.

Too true, I would say that goes with any tactic to make wizards play smart instead of just firing giant blasts of death at any problem you toss at them.  Keep it mixed up and keep it interesting.  If you're constantly challenging your wizards instead of outright punishing them they they will actually have more fun than if you just let them blow everything sky high.

My one wizard player has actually been doing this for me thankfully.  My team is dealing with an extremely powerful psychomancer with an item of power that amplifies all his magic.  My wizards idea?  Set up a ritual that seals off all the magic in the area, including his own, because he knows he can take the bad guy out in a straight up brawl.