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Experiment time! Originally posted on RPGNet as an exercise in Charm design.
Come, my child, and sit with me a while. Don't worry about those men chasing you -- nasty, arrogant things they are, and never once a proper offering from any of them. A young slip of a thing like you might be able to run till Calibration, but my old bones are weary, and I've a story I've been meaning to tell you.
Yes, that's it. You'll go far with proper manners like that, and you'll enjoy this tale. A young man's love of stories never changes -- at least, it never has in all my years. And maybe you'll take a lesson from this one, for it's a tale of the First Age, when this city was beautiful and whole.
Once, there was a child of the Sun who loved a child of the Moon...
This is something of an experiment; we'll see how it goes. All Lunar Charms are subject to revision when I get my copy of the Lunar book; I have no idea whether they're superceded by things in there.
...and sought to capture her attention. He tracked her through shapes of bird and beast and man...
Sun Reveals Moon Method
Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 5, Survival 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Unsurpassed Sight Discipline, Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique
This Charm was developed by the Solar Cloudless Sky, in his pursuit of Kiera of the Thousand Faces, a Lunar Exalt of surpassing skill.
The Lawgiver attunes his senses to a specific individual, using the smallest cues of sight, scent, hearing and Essence to identify them no matter their disguise. This Charm augments attempts to seek out a specific target, whether by penetrating a disguise or by tracking. It ensures that the Solar always achieves at least one success on such an attempt so long as he commits Essence to the Charm, and functions as a perfect defense against effects which would cause him to mistake the target's identity. In addition, the Solar always knows the direction he must travel to find his target and has a rough idea of the distance. If another effect (such as Traceless Passage or Flawlessly Impenetrable Disguise) would contest this Charm's effects, the Solar adds his Permanent Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll. If the Lawgiver has an Intimacy to the target, this Charm loses the Touch keyword.
...but she was skilled and proud, and sent shadows of herself many ways, and thus confounded his search.
Scattered Moonsilver Shadows
Cost: 6m, 1WP; Mins: Manipulation 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by the Lunar Exalt Kiera of the Thousand Faces, to evade the pursuit of Cloudless Sky.
The Lunar imbues her shadow with portions of her anima, rendering it an exact duplicate of her Essence. She sends these shadows racing many ways, confounding pursuit. The Steward creates a number of duplicates equal to her Essence, all of which register as "real" to any supernatural tracking method, such as Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique. The duplicates move at her pace, stopping whenever she stops, and are considered under the effects of any pursuit-evading Charms she has activated, using her traits when appropriate. Duplicates are physically vague forms of shadow and moonlight, and any visual inspection will reveal them as false. If another effect would contest this Charm's effects, the Lunar adds twice her Permanent Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll.
At last, alone and weary, he spoke words of such beauty that they called to her in the wild places of the world.
Sun-Entices-Moon Oration
Cost: 5m, 1 WP; Mins: Presence 6, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-OK, Compulsion, Emotion, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Worshipful Lackey Acquisition
This Charm was developed by Cloudless Sky in order to woo Kiera of the Thousand Faces.
The Lawgiver speaks, and the world listens; it carries his Essence-laden words to the four winds and back, until they reach the ears for which they are intended. This Charm is a Presence-based social attack which renders the target's Parry MDV inapplicable and has surprise. As long as the Solar has interacted with the target for a scene, or has an Intimacy to the target, it will reach her anywhere in Creation.
Should the attack succeed, the target immediately gains an Intimacy toward the Solar, doubling their Conviction for purposes of removing it. An Emotion effect soothes away anger, fear, doubt and suspicion, and suppresses any Intimacy which would render the target hostile to the Solar. (The Intimacies do not apply to any social attack involving the Solar, though they still exist.) Finally, the target experiences a Compulsion effect to seek out the Solar and stand before him; each scene spent in measurable progress toward this goal grants the target a point of Willpower. The Compulsion may be resisted by spending two Willpower per scene; the other effects are permanent.
When at last she stood before him, she was like a dream of moonlight and silver, ever remaking herself to confound him...
Silver Waters Scatter Sunlight
Cost: 8m, 1WP; Mins: Manipulation 6, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by Kiera of the Thousand faces, to resist the advances of Cloudless Sky.
The Lunar Exalted claim the quicksilver fluidity of their patron both in body and mind. With this Charm, the Lunar reshapes herself to escape an enemy's social effects. She may rearrange her Intimacies in whatever way she likes, so long as she ends with the same number she had before invoking this Charm. In addition, she rolls Manipulation + Integrity, comparing the successes to the permanent Essence of the instigator of each unnatural mental influence she is currently afflicted by. She may alter each influence where she gains more than this number of successes in whatever way she chooses, so long as the basic type of influence and duration of the influence remain the same. (For example, she could reshape an Emotion effect to produce anger instead of love, but she could not rid herself of the effect or change it to a Compulsion.) This Charm fails to function against Total Control effects.
A madness took him, then, and he sought to bring her to her knees with the force of his will alone...
Lawgiver's Glorious Edict
Cost: 20m, 1WP
Mins: Presence 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Servitude, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: [quite probably several, including Worshipful Lackey Acquisition]
This Charm was developed by Cloudless Sky, in his anger at being rejected by Kiera of the Thousand Faces.
The Lawgivers words burn with the glory of their righteous mandate -- so compelling are they that they can reshape the target's very soul. The Solar speaks, and his anima flares to full iconic brightness; the image of it sears itself irrevocably into the target's mind along with the concept the Solar is extolling. The Solar's words are only a channel for the power of their Essence, and so very little time is needed for this Charm to take effect. Reduce this Charm's Essence cost by half if the Solar has activated Majestic Radiant Presence earlier in the scene.
This Charm grants a Charisma + Presence attack against the target's mental DDV. If successful, the target's Motivation changes to match the Solar's dictates. The Solar may select any Motivation they wish, from "serve me" to "drive the Deathlords and their minions back into the Underworld" to "reform Heaven and the Celestial bureaucracy." In any scene where the target takes actions in line with their new Motivation, they gain one point of Willpower.
If the target wishes to resist this compulsion, they may spend two points of Willpower to return to their original Motivation for a scene. They may not gain Willpower during that scene, and they must spend a total of 20 Willpower in this way in order to return permanently to their original Motivation, ending the effects of this Charm. Charms which would cure this effect multiply their Essence cost by the target's Conviction.
...and without thought, she struck him down, and wept for five days and five nights thereafter.
Final Moonsilver Fury
Cost: 4m; Mins: Charisma 6, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Obvious, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by Kiera of the Thousand Faces to escape the power of Cloudless Sky.
There are some compulsions which cannot be evaded. When faced with them, this Charm allows the Steward to delay long enough to destroy the one offering them. This is a counterattack Charm used in response to a successful attempt to instill mental influence. It provides an immediate physical counterattack, after which both combatants roll Join Battle. Until combat concludes, the effects of the mental influence do not apply.
The counterattack granted by this Charm counts as an attack from surprise. The Lunar may reflexively assume any shape she knows, including her war-form if she has one, for the appropriate cost. She may also activate any one reflexive or supplemental Charm, or a Combo involving only reflexive or supplemental Charms. She may choose the ability with which the attack takes place, assuming she has appropriate weapons available.
Eventually, she died, of course, still mourning, for even without his Charms she'd come to admire him in many ways. But stories go in cycles, and so does the world, and this one's been around a time or two.
But I'll wager you're wondering why it is I've told you this today, when you're running so hard from the Dragons behind you -- who've been quite thoroughly distracted by a few of my servants by now. I'll tell you this much, young Child of Luna. You're not the only one I've told this story to, today. And maybe this time it'll end a bit differently.
Sun-And-Moon Harmony
Cost: 4m, 1WP; Mins: Charisma 5 OR Integrity 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed together by Kieron Silvertongue, Changing Moon Lunar Exalted, and Dawn Storm, Zenith Caste Solar Exalted. It is effectively two Charms with the same effect, one learnable by Solar Exalted and one learnable by Lunar Exalted.
This Charm allows a Lunar or Solar Exalted to extend their protection to someone they care for. Whenever the target of this Charm is subjected to a social or physical attack, both characters are allowed the opportunity to defend against it so long as they remain within (the higher of their Essence) x 100 yards of each other. One half the Exalt's highest applicable DV is added to the target's applicable DV, and both characters are permitted to use Charms to enhance their defense as though they were the initial target of the attack. If the attack succeeds, both characters are affected, but they divide any damage equally between themselves. Either or both characters are permitted to counterattack, if they are capable of doing so.
The Willpower cost of this Charm is waived if the Exalt has an Intimacy to the target; if the target also has an Intimacy to the Exalt, the Essence cost of this Charm is halved. At Essence 6, the Charm gains the Permanent keyword and does not require Essence expenditure.
NOTE: Prerequisites are weird on this last one. The goal of this experiment was to show how custom Charms are developed over the course of a (simple) story.
Come, my child, and sit with me a while. Don't worry about those men chasing you -- nasty, arrogant things they are, and never once a proper offering from any of them. A young slip of a thing like you might be able to run till Calibration, but my old bones are weary, and I've a story I've been meaning to tell you.
Yes, that's it. You'll go far with proper manners like that, and you'll enjoy this tale. A young man's love of stories never changes -- at least, it never has in all my years. And maybe you'll take a lesson from this one, for it's a tale of the First Age, when this city was beautiful and whole.
Once, there was a child of the Sun who loved a child of the Moon...
This is something of an experiment; we'll see how it goes. All Lunar Charms are subject to revision when I get my copy of the Lunar book; I have no idea whether they're superceded by things in there.
...and sought to capture her attention. He tracked her through shapes of bird and beast and man...
Sun Reveals Moon Method
Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 5, Survival 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Unsurpassed Sight Discipline, Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique
This Charm was developed by the Solar Cloudless Sky, in his pursuit of Kiera of the Thousand Faces, a Lunar Exalt of surpassing skill.
The Lawgiver attunes his senses to a specific individual, using the smallest cues of sight, scent, hearing and Essence to identify them no matter their disguise. This Charm augments attempts to seek out a specific target, whether by penetrating a disguise or by tracking. It ensures that the Solar always achieves at least one success on such an attempt so long as he commits Essence to the Charm, and functions as a perfect defense against effects which would cause him to mistake the target's identity. In addition, the Solar always knows the direction he must travel to find his target and has a rough idea of the distance. If another effect (such as Traceless Passage or Flawlessly Impenetrable Disguise) would contest this Charm's effects, the Solar adds his Permanent Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll. If the Lawgiver has an Intimacy to the target, this Charm loses the Touch keyword.
...but she was skilled and proud, and sent shadows of herself many ways, and thus confounded his search.
Scattered Moonsilver Shadows
Cost: 6m, 1WP; Mins: Manipulation 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by the Lunar Exalt Kiera of the Thousand Faces, to evade the pursuit of Cloudless Sky.
The Lunar imbues her shadow with portions of her anima, rendering it an exact duplicate of her Essence. She sends these shadows racing many ways, confounding pursuit. The Steward creates a number of duplicates equal to her Essence, all of which register as "real" to any supernatural tracking method, such as Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique. The duplicates move at her pace, stopping whenever she stops, and are considered under the effects of any pursuit-evading Charms she has activated, using her traits when appropriate. Duplicates are physically vague forms of shadow and moonlight, and any visual inspection will reveal them as false. If another effect would contest this Charm's effects, the Lunar adds twice her Permanent Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll.
At last, alone and weary, he spoke words of such beauty that they called to her in the wild places of the world.
Sun-Entices-Moon Oration
Cost: 5m, 1 WP; Mins: Presence 6, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-OK, Compulsion, Emotion, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Worshipful Lackey Acquisition
This Charm was developed by Cloudless Sky in order to woo Kiera of the Thousand Faces.
The Lawgiver speaks, and the world listens; it carries his Essence-laden words to the four winds and back, until they reach the ears for which they are intended. This Charm is a Presence-based social attack which renders the target's Parry MDV inapplicable and has surprise. As long as the Solar has interacted with the target for a scene, or has an Intimacy to the target, it will reach her anywhere in Creation.
Should the attack succeed, the target immediately gains an Intimacy toward the Solar, doubling their Conviction for purposes of removing it. An Emotion effect soothes away anger, fear, doubt and suspicion, and suppresses any Intimacy which would render the target hostile to the Solar. (The Intimacies do not apply to any social attack involving the Solar, though they still exist.) Finally, the target experiences a Compulsion effect to seek out the Solar and stand before him; each scene spent in measurable progress toward this goal grants the target a point of Willpower. The Compulsion may be resisted by spending two Willpower per scene; the other effects are permanent.
When at last she stood before him, she was like a dream of moonlight and silver, ever remaking herself to confound him...
Silver Waters Scatter Sunlight
Cost: 8m, 1WP; Mins: Manipulation 6, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by Kiera of the Thousand faces, to resist the advances of Cloudless Sky.
The Lunar Exalted claim the quicksilver fluidity of their patron both in body and mind. With this Charm, the Lunar reshapes herself to escape an enemy's social effects. She may rearrange her Intimacies in whatever way she likes, so long as she ends with the same number she had before invoking this Charm. In addition, she rolls Manipulation + Integrity, comparing the successes to the permanent Essence of the instigator of each unnatural mental influence she is currently afflicted by. She may alter each influence where she gains more than this number of successes in whatever way she chooses, so long as the basic type of influence and duration of the influence remain the same. (For example, she could reshape an Emotion effect to produce anger instead of love, but she could not rid herself of the effect or change it to a Compulsion.) This Charm fails to function against Total Control effects.
A madness took him, then, and he sought to bring her to her knees with the force of his will alone...
Lawgiver's Glorious Edict
Cost: 20m, 1WP
Mins: Presence 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Servitude, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: [quite probably several, including Worshipful Lackey Acquisition]
This Charm was developed by Cloudless Sky, in his anger at being rejected by Kiera of the Thousand Faces.
The Lawgivers words burn with the glory of their righteous mandate -- so compelling are they that they can reshape the target's very soul. The Solar speaks, and his anima flares to full iconic brightness; the image of it sears itself irrevocably into the target's mind along with the concept the Solar is extolling. The Solar's words are only a channel for the power of their Essence, and so very little time is needed for this Charm to take effect. Reduce this Charm's Essence cost by half if the Solar has activated Majestic Radiant Presence earlier in the scene.
This Charm grants a Charisma + Presence attack against the target's mental DDV. If successful, the target's Motivation changes to match the Solar's dictates. The Solar may select any Motivation they wish, from "serve me" to "drive the Deathlords and their minions back into the Underworld" to "reform Heaven and the Celestial bureaucracy." In any scene where the target takes actions in line with their new Motivation, they gain one point of Willpower.
If the target wishes to resist this compulsion, they may spend two points of Willpower to return to their original Motivation for a scene. They may not gain Willpower during that scene, and they must spend a total of 20 Willpower in this way in order to return permanently to their original Motivation, ending the effects of this Charm. Charms which would cure this effect multiply their Essence cost by the target's Conviction.
...and without thought, she struck him down, and wept for five days and five nights thereafter.
Final Moonsilver Fury
Cost: 4m; Mins: Charisma 6, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Obvious, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed by Kiera of the Thousand Faces to escape the power of Cloudless Sky.
There are some compulsions which cannot be evaded. When faced with them, this Charm allows the Steward to delay long enough to destroy the one offering them. This is a counterattack Charm used in response to a successful attempt to instill mental influence. It provides an immediate physical counterattack, after which both combatants roll Join Battle. Until combat concludes, the effects of the mental influence do not apply.
The counterattack granted by this Charm counts as an attack from surprise. The Lunar may reflexively assume any shape she knows, including her war-form if she has one, for the appropriate cost. She may also activate any one reflexive or supplemental Charm, or a Combo involving only reflexive or supplemental Charms. She may choose the ability with which the attack takes place, assuming she has appropriate weapons available.
Eventually, she died, of course, still mourning, for even without his Charms she'd come to admire him in many ways. But stories go in cycles, and so does the world, and this one's been around a time or two.
But I'll wager you're wondering why it is I've told you this today, when you're running so hard from the Dragons behind you -- who've been quite thoroughly distracted by a few of my servants by now. I'll tell you this much, young Child of Luna. You're not the only one I've told this story to, today. And maybe this time it'll end a bit differently.
Sun-And-Moon Harmony
Cost: 4m, 1WP; Mins: Charisma 5 OR Integrity 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: [unknown]
This Charm was developed together by Kieron Silvertongue, Changing Moon Lunar Exalted, and Dawn Storm, Zenith Caste Solar Exalted. It is effectively two Charms with the same effect, one learnable by Solar Exalted and one learnable by Lunar Exalted.
This Charm allows a Lunar or Solar Exalted to extend their protection to someone they care for. Whenever the target of this Charm is subjected to a social or physical attack, both characters are allowed the opportunity to defend against it so long as they remain within (the higher of their Essence) x 100 yards of each other. One half the Exalt's highest applicable DV is added to the target's applicable DV, and both characters are permitted to use Charms to enhance their defense as though they were the initial target of the attack. If the attack succeeds, both characters are affected, but they divide any damage equally between themselves. Either or both characters are permitted to counterattack, if they are capable of doing so.
The Willpower cost of this Charm is waived if the Exalt has an Intimacy to the target; if the target also has an Intimacy to the Exalt, the Essence cost of this Charm is halved. At Essence 6, the Charm gains the Permanent keyword and does not require Essence expenditure.
NOTE: Prerequisites are weird on this last one. The goal of this experiment was to show how custom Charms are developed over the course of a (simple) story.