Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010

Balthasar's Lore Charms

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Harvesting the Grim Toll

 Cost:  1 mote
 Duration:  Instant
 Type:  Special
 Minimum Lore:  4
 Minimum Essence:  3
 Prerequisites:  Breath-Draining Prana

The Abyssal becomes a toll keeper for the vast harbor of souls that is the Underworld. He may make a Willpower roll whenever someone within (Essence times his instances of this Charm) yards perishes, to gain one mote per success as the escaping soul is harvested, up to his permanent Essence. This Charm may be purchased as many times as the character has points of permanent Essence.

Scarlet Essence Wellspring

 Cost: 1 willpower, 1+ health levels
 Duration:  Instant
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  4
 Minimum Essence:  4
 Prerequisites:  Harvesting the Grim Toll

An Abyssal with this Charm may cannibalize his body to boost his motes, distilling his health into a spectral stream of essence. He spends one Willpower point, and exchanges health for motes of Essence. Each health level sacrificed grants an amount of motes equal to his permanent Essence. This damage is considered to be lethal damage.

Connoisseur of Souls

 Cost:  3 motes
 Duration:  Instant
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  4
 Minimum Essence:  3
 Prerequisites:  Breath-Draining Prana

The Abyssal may be selective about what portion of the soul he dines on, reaching further into the subject to reach his higher and lower souls. Mechanically, this Charm works exactly like Breath-Draining Prana, except that the Abyssal only extracts essence of this certain ‘flavor’. Doing this has interesting and immediate effects on the moods and outlooks of the victim. The Abyssal chooses if he is drinking the breath of the higher soul (associated with rational thought, determination and will), or the lower soul (associated with instincts, cunning and violence). If the Abyssal drains more motes of essence than the victim’s permanent Essence, one of the following effects occurs. If he chose to drain the higher soul, the victim must make a Temperance roll at each temptation for the next scene or fall into a frenzy of decadence, indulging in all his base instincts with wild abandon – the victim also becomes prone to negligently attacking anyone who tries to stop this gluttony. Partaking of the lower soul leaves the subject incapable of any emotion but apathy for one scene, and he requires a Conviction roll in order to engage in self-defense, debate or any other major effort.

Parasite of Body and Mind

 Cost:  5 motes, 1 willpower
 Duration:  One scene
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  5
 Minimum Essence:  4
 Prerequisites:  Consume the Fractured Soul

The Abyssal may now digest the properties of the higher and lower souls with great efficiency, and he may even fortify himself with the aspects of each. Once again, the Abyssal rolls as if using Breath-Draining Prana, but gains no actual motes from it. Instead, for every mote of the higher soul he devours, the Abyssal chooses and gains one point of the subject’s knowledge Abilities for one scene. Every mote of the lower soul devoured grants the Abyssal traits of the subject’s more base portions – he feels the victim’s emotions for one scene, and the shadowy essence can also temporarily grants him access to the subject’s basic physical Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Dodge, Endurance and Resistance. The victim suffers a penalty to all applicable Abilities equal to the points the Abyssal has extracted, until the effect fades – in the same vein, the Abyssal may not “withdraw” more dots in an Ability than the subject has. No Ability may accumulate beyond the Abyssal’s permanent Essence.

Balance the Soul

 Cost:  3 motes peripheral for each personal mote
 Duration:  Instant
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  3
 Minimum Essence:  2
 Prerequisites:  None

Abyssal Exalted are not generally known for being beings of subtlety, but they are adept at manipulation of, if not masters of, their own souls. Through this Charm, an Abyssal may make preparations to be much more subtle than otherwise. He may spend three peripheral motes of Essence and distill the resulting energy into one personal mote, thus refining his internal alchemy. The maximum amount of personal motes gained per use of this Charm is equal to the character’s permanent Essence. Note that this Charm does not invisibly activate – the process of distilling peripheral motes into personal ones still effectively spends those motes, and the anima flares normally.

Surrender the Fractured Soul

 Cost:  10 motes, 1 willpower
 Duration:  One scene
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  4
 Minimum Essence:  4
 Prerequisites:  Balance the Soul, Connoisseur of Souls

The Abyssal willingly enters a state of strong soul imbalance, empowering either his higher or lower soul and letting it temporarily take full control. One of two effects occurs, reliant on which portion of his soul is in dominance. In the higher soul state, the Abyssal finds that his strength of will is near limitless. He may substitute motes of Essence for Willpower in most Charms that require expenditure of Willpower, at the rate of four motes per point of Willpower. However, passion and attachment escape the character, and no social pool may be higher than his permanent Essence during this time. Additionally, all Compassion and Valor difficulties increase by one, and these virtues may not be channeled while the power lasts. The lower soul state is much simpler, and also much more rapacious. Entering the lower soul state, the Abyssal yields control to his body, and it berserks, so that the Exalt gains an effective +2 to all physical Attributes and temporarily loses all wound penalties up to -2. In this state, the Abyssal is a near-mindless beast, and is prone to attacking anyone, regardless of friendship or affection. Additionally, the Abyssal will automatically attempt to devour anyone he slays or renders prone. Resisting the urge to do this requires a Temperance roll. This state increases the difficulty of both Temperance and Conviction rolls.

Pulsing Fractured Soul Avatar Technique

 Cost:  10 motes, 1 willpower
 Duration:  One scene
 Type:  Simple
 Minimum Lore:  5
 Minimum Essence:  5
 Prerequisites:  Surrender the Fractured Soul
               Parasite of Body and Mind

The Abyssal may now divorce both portions of his soul from himself, and enter a trancelike state while those souls project from him, anima-empowered avatars. These avatars are as corporeal and solid as the character is, but they seem spectral and slightly translucent just the same, shaded either pale or shadowy, depending on which soul aspect the avatar is. Both avatars respond to damage normally. Despite yielding to his higher and lower souls, the Abyssal retains full self-control while spending time as the pair of avatars. The avatars are the ideal shape of the dominant soul, and so this Charm works similar to the Lunar Charm, Deadly Beastman Transformation, except both shapes require definition. Once defined, the points may not be changed. This charm may only be purchased once, unlike Deadly Beastman Transformation.

The higher soul avatar is built with five Attribute points, which may be distributed amongst mental Attributes. Additionally, the high avatar may make attacks of ghostly essence up to a range of (the character’s Essence x 10) yards by spending 1 mote of essence per attack. This attack roll is always Wits + Temperance, and the base damage is Essence + Conviction in lethal levels. This avatar is usually perfect and angular, logical in shape and surrounded by a persistent anima banner radiating chilly, detached light. The low avatar grants four physical Attribute points, Dexterity costing double the points. This avatar is more direct; it deals aggravated damage with its unarmed attacks, and always adds its Valor to its Brawl and Martial Arts accuracy. If it is touched, the avatar may reflexively spend one mote to automatically inflict its Essence + Compassion in bashing levels, this also causes the offender to be flung away in its permanent Essence in yards of knockback. This avatar is tormented and horrible to behold, an even more monstrous version of the Abyssal wrapped in swimming tendrils of shadow.

The avatar created by this Charm cannot exist farther than a mile from the Abyssal, but this Charm may be activated even if the Abyssal is unconscious. The avatars move at double the Abyssal’s normal rate, and seem to hover wherever they go, just above the ground. Spending one mote enables the avatar to cross through thin barriers by temporarily falling incorporeal. The avatars glide about, never seeming to touch the ground, at the Abyssal’s movement rate. While this Charm is active, the Abyssal lies in a catatonic state and is unaware of goings on around his body – unless, of course, one of his avatars stays to guard it.

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