Difference between revisions of "ExMod/ModernSolarFirearms"

Revision as of 08:06, 5 April 2010

Faultless Marksman Reflex</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes per die 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Supplemental 
Minimum Firearms: 1 
Minimum Essence: 1 
Prerequisites:  None 

One of the basic facets of Exaltation is the ease in which a Solar exceeds the scope of mortal competency. A Solar with this Charm may use it almost effortlessly, and with a little discipline, can align the barrel of his gun with deadly precision, in an instant and without any crosshairs for assistance. For every two motes spent activating this Charm, the Exalt may add one die to the accuracy of any Firearms roll, but he no more than double his natural Dexterity + Firearms pool.

Sun Blankets the Field</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Supplemental 
Minimum Firearms: 2 
Minimum Essence: 2 
Prerequisites: Faultless Marksman Reflex 

Time and space grow hazy when this Charm is activated, and the Solar moves only slightly sluggishly throughout a world more than twice as slow. His gunfire rings out rapidly by the perception of mortal beings, and sweeps an area inescapably with a curtain of showering bullets. A Solar with this Charm may activate it to execute a sweep attack with any single-shot or semi-automatic sidearm he possesses. This attack uses the normal rules for sweep attacks.

Iron Storm Defense</b>

<b>Cost: 1 mote per die 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Reflexive 
Minimum Firearms: 3 
Minimum Essence: 2 
Prerequisites: Faultless Marksman Reflex 

An Exalt lives a life fraught with peril unknown to mortal men, and a second's hesitation can cost not one life, but thousands. A Solar with this Charm has learned the importance of allowing one's reflexes to take reign. His responses almost too prompt to see, the Solar may parry or interrupt ranged or melee attacks in his close proximity with this Charm. His defense pool begins at zero, and may be purchased up to an amount equal to the Exalt's Dexterity + Firearms. If the parry attempt succeeds, the attack is stopped. This Charm may also be used to parry hand-to-hand attacks, using the Exalt's sidearm as melee weapons.

Bottomless Clip</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Reflexive 
Minimum Firearms: 2 
Minimum Essence: 1 
Prerequisites: None 

An Exalt used to pouring his mind and soul into his bodily efforts can hardly expect to pause the few seconds required to replace a spent clip. With the activation of this Charm, the pouring of the Exalt's soul becomes literal, and raw Essence stands between the Solar and an empty weapon for the remainder of the turn. While this Charm is active, a Solar spends no ammunition to make an attack with any non-splashing sidearm.

Molten Bullet</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Supplemental 
Minimum Firearms: 2 
Minimum Essence: 2 
Prerequisites: Bottomless Clip 

The second step of spiritual focus into one's death-dealing, Molten Bullet cooks the casing of the Exalt's clip into a slow boil. On activating this Charm, the Solar fires a bullet heated to near-softness by the magic of the Sun. The glowing bullet deals damage as normal, but adds the Exalt's permanent Essence to the raw damage of the attack. This attack spends a bullet, even if other active Charms prevent the emptying of the Solar's clip.

Sundering Golden Lance</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Simple 
Minimum Firearms: 4 
Minimum Essence: 2 
Prerequisites: Molten Bullet 

In a pulse of flaring white-hot light, the Solar's Essence collects in the barrel of his firearm, and a cutting beam of sunlight coalesces adjoined to the point of it. A Solar may activate this Charm to execute a sweep attack with any non-splash sidearm. He adds his Essence + 4L to the raw damage of the attack. Against Deathlords or other creatures of darkness, the attack deals aggravated damage.

Golden Ordnance Technique</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower 
Duration: One Scene 
Type:Simple 
Minimum Firearms: 4 
Minimum Essence: 3 
Prerequisites: Sundering Golden Lance 

Although firearms are beyond abundant in the modern era, they are not unfailingly present in all situations in which they are required to be. Fortunately, a Solar with this Charm has no need of lowly physical substance to provide him with a sidearm. Instead, he may opt to forge his Essence into a working, perfectly constructed, gun of his choice. The firearm made is unique to the Exalt, and once made, it may not be changed. He receives an amount of points to distribute amongst the sidearm's Accuracy, Range, Rate, Damage and Area equal to double his Firearms Ability. Area costs are as follows: single shot firearms cost no points; semi-automatic burst firearms cost one point; fully-automatic sweep weapons cost two points; launching splash weapons cost three points (base splash yards are equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence). Again, once these points have been spent, they may not be changed - however, if at a later time the Exalt improves his Firearms Ability, he does receive extra points for distribution.

Vessel of Holy Wrath</b>

<b>Cost: 10 mote, 1 willpower, 1 aggravated health level 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Supplemental 
Minimum Firearms: 5 
Minimum Essence: 3 
Prerequisites: Sun Blankets the Field, Sundering Golden Lance 

The Exalt, as life passes from youth to maturity, slowly gains a harmony with the Earth around him. This harmony arrives by way of the Solar's link with the Unconquered Sun. Filled with the Sun's elder light, the Solar may become the embodiment of the Unconquered Sun in the brief instant required to deliver his edicts to the mortal coil. His anima flares bright enough to see for miles. The Exalt fires his gun, speaking his target's name. What escapes is not a bullet, per se, but instead a minor pinpoint of blinding light, closely tailed by a nimbus of smoking spirals. It cuts through eternity, and nothing wrought by man or God may cease its path. The only recourse is to evade, and even this is difficult, for when the pinpoint nears its intended target, it detonates. Treat this attack as a splash attack with an effect range in yards equal to twice the Exalt's permanent Essence. This is an unblockable attack, and unless the target and anything near him may somehow escape the splash range, they take full damage. Additionally, any unliving substance in the splash range (including undead), that is not reinforced by one of the five magical materials, instantly combusts into ash. This damage ignores nonmagical armor. The Exalt must be able to see his target.

This cascade of Modern Solar Firearms Charms by Balthasar

Comments

First, I'd REALLY recommend bumping Bottomless Clip up a few notches, both in prereqs and minimums, and throw on a Willpower cost- traditional when creating lots of something from nothing.

A good replacement Charm would let an Exalt reload a gun as a reflexive Action, rather than a simple or dice action, followed by one that would create one new clip from Essence, THEN followed by Bottomless Clip- that puts it more in line with other infinite ammo Charms we've seen in the past.

Additionally, I can't help but think it'd be cooler to have the Vessel of Holy Wrath 'charge' a bullet, requiring the Exalt write the target's name in their own blood on the side of the shot to be fired- which can then be fired from any gun, at will, but only at the target. Also, given what it does, a level of Agg is kinda extreme- I'd knock that down to Lethal.

Also, the lack of Extra Action Charms make me cry :)

Next to finally, a hammered out dramatic system for Firearms is kinda neccesary to verify that some of the Charms make sense (Sweep attack?)

Actually finally, rawk :)

---

Here's a few tidbits about my design plan: Dragon-Bloods have a Reflexive reload Charm; it's way more useful to Terrestrials anyway. Also, because I have already worked out a Firearms system, paying for a bullet per bullet interface is wasteful - some Firearms attacks use much more than one bullet (sweep attacks, for example). And so, clips are the base Firearms ammunition unit. So, while I normally would agree that I speedbump it, I don't intend to in this case! Maybe I'll tweak down the duration, though. Also, because of the variety of firearm attacks available, there actually are extra action hidden Charms in here. Sweep attacks hit multiple targets, for example, so with Sun Blankets the Field and Bottomless Clip, you can dole out split-action sweep attacks with normally single-shot pistols. As for Vessel of Holy Wrath - this attack instantly incinerates every nonmagical object in its area of effect (which is a minimum of 18 feet across), and without contest annihilates all undead, too. When I post my Supernatural Extras, you'll see how relevant that is, and how it may be worth an Aggravated health level. Actually, when I post the rest of the systems I've already scribbled out, you'll see how the Charms blend together, period, I'm sure. I appreciate the feedback, man!  :-D - Balthasar

Not to be the terminology police, but in Bottomless Clip, do you mean 'turn' when you say 'round'? I ask because a round is also a possible unit of ammunition, and in Exalted it is never used as a unit of time. - FourWillowsWeeping

Damn cops are always on my ass.  :-D Terminology is corrected; thanks. - Balthasar

'nother terminology nazi here. I think what you mean is magazine, not clip -- the difference is negligible to non-gun nuts, but can drive said nuts into a frothing fury. :) (A clip is not enclosed, as a magazine is, and is often a "stripper clip," used for loading a magazine quickly.)-- JesseLowe

Also for bottomless clip, shouldn't the duration be one turn then? - Malikai

Balthasar is currently without a good net connection, but I think I can field this one. Duration is how long you commit the essence, not how long it lasts. Also, this allows it to be comboed (which seems very important for big gun battles. - haren

A good example of why we should have Enchantment charms, though ;) -- CrownedSun

Why not add in a charm like Trance of unhesitating speed from the archery tree? That seems a decent idea because I always thought the cost was a little high for arrows but with bullets you can do so much more damage. Insanewizard

While some of the concepts are good, and I applaud anyone for putting up charm trees, I've got to say that I'm a bit dissappointed by the power level of these charms. As compared to things like MA, Melee, or even Archery (with it's easy-to-get perfect attack), I'd say these are actually underpowered. I don't see any of these really being 'need to get' save for the die adder and the gun-from-essence charm. Otherwise, it seems like charms for a gunfighter would be better spent on dodge or something else. Which makes little sense. I just don't see any of these screaming 'gun fighter needs this' to be cool. Take most of your major action-movie heroes, such as Bruce Willis in Die Hard or the guy from The Transporter. These are guys who hit every time, can fire first in any situation, have gun-based disarm attacks, and are taking out baddies with hyper accurate multi-shots. Seems to me like these charms don't really carry that through that much, so much as they seem more like the gunfights from things like Outlaw Star (is that the right name?), where you've got a hero with a 'hyper' gun, fighting other 'hyper gun' foes (see the top-tier charm for the dead giveaway). I dunno, I just feel the need for more traditional gunslinger action-hero type charms, and less focus high-mote cost charms that have little effect. - GregLink