Latest revision as of 13:55, 8 June 2010

Abyssal Presence Charms

by haren

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<b>Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Heart-Stopping Mein

Those who deal with the powerful passions of the dead learn how to inflict similar feelings on those alive. They can cause terror at the very sight of their cold visiage, or a burning lust. But, they are not the only masters of these powers, for the Exalted find much of their power in the flames of their virtues. Those who can inflict mindless passion find that their own dark passions have grown, freezing attempts by their greatest foes to weaken them and empowering them to greater power against their foes of the the dead, Wyld, or the servants of the Sun.

This charm is three seperate ones based on if it applies to the Wyld creatures, the dead and undead, or the Unconquered Sun's servants (including Solars). Simply put, this charm makes it easier for the virtues of the Abyssal to battle and cause harm to them, but it similarly becomes hard for them to give aid to them. On any roll of their virtues to oppose an applicable foe, they recieve an automatic success. This includes channeled virtues, charm effects (offense and defense), etc... But, any roll utilizing their virtues that might cause or help them give aid has it's difficulty raised by one.

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Two hours
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Elegant Tyrant's Majesty, Heart Sculpting Oration

This Charm allows the Abyssal to summon something of the storms of the Underworld to punctuate the strength of their arguements and deals. Simply, with the expenditure of essence, some freak yet non-harmful force of nature (yet, even mortals feel a frightening sense of the unnatural to it) happens to provide strength to the Abyssal's presence. With the expenditure of 2 motes (which does not count as Charm usage) the Abyssal can use their bonus from Elegant Tyrant's Majesty for one valid roll, no matter how many people they are trying to convice, swindle, whatever. This does mean they must have that Charm active first to use that effect. Otherwise, they can gain a single automatic success to one intimidation roll, for 2 motes. The actual effect is up to ST and the player, be it a cold wind, black lightning in a cloudless sky, sudden darkening around the Abyssal... but it should be short lived.

<b>Cost: 15 motes, 2 Willpower
Duration: One week
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Compelling Whisper Technique, Heart-Stopping Mein

Many Abyssals project dread into the hearts and minds of those who would oppose them, but with this Charm they can extend a sense of awe and fear around those places they have chosen as their abode. To enact this Charm, the Abyssal must spend a full night in the building to be so warded. Those mortals who have a Willpower is lower than the Abyssal's Resonance can not enter the abode, as their fears about what might lie within outdo any desires to pass it's portals. Any kind of magical being, be they Fair Folk, spirit, Exalt, or otherwise, may attempt to steel themselves and enter by making a Valor roll at standard difficulty. This also applies to mortals with sufficent Willpower to enter. Even if they enter, they have a -2 to dice actions within due to fear. The building can be a maximum of 5 yards in radius per Permanent Essence of the Abyssal. With ST discretion, they may be able to ward a clearly defined area of a larger building, such as a wing of a large house.

<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Varies
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Heart-Stopping Mein, Skeleton Summoning Gesture

The anger of the Malfeans can be a terrifying thing to see. Any Abyssal can channel the power of this displeasure through their anima into the world around them, but the Abyssal with this charm can do better. They are able to ask their dark, dead gods to channel their power into the world and visit black miracles through their chosen servant. In effect, the Abyssal is able to cause a Resonance effect of up to their Essence. The player of the Abyssal chooses the exact effect (with Storyteller approval). It is through this that some villages have become worshipers of Death, and eventually helped to spread Shadowlands. The character gains Resonance, determined by the effect level divided by four (rounded up). This is because while it is an effective way of helping bring about the destruction of Creation, the Malfeans do not enjoy being awoken to look upon the existance that so pains them.

<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Blessings of the Void

Resonance is a great and powerful curse that the Abyssals have accepted with their power, but there are those who accept it as just another source of power for their duties to their Deathlord masters and dead gods. By accepting that their crime and the resulting punishment, the Abyssal can gain power and a short time of peace. Anytime the Abyssal touches a mortal with a permanent willpower lower than their current Resonance, they may spend 3 motes reflexively (does not count as Charm usage) to kill that mortal instantly. As a reward, the penalties of their resonnance are reduced as if they had one less point of Resonance. This reduction lasts for the rest of the scene and is cumulative with multiple killings, but the actual Resonance does not go down.

<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Irresistable Succubus Style

It is a common thing that those who are beautiful to surround themselves with those less beautiful to increase their own appearance, but for those who's beauty surpasses that of mere mortals, they can actually cause others to appear less beautiful when in comparison. To use this Charm, the Abyssal must first use Irresistable Succubus Style. Then this Charm may be activated, which causes those around them to have their Appearance reduced by half of the Abyssal's Permanent Essence (rounded down) to a minimum of 1. This is not so much that they become uglier in reality as that the utter perfection of the Abyssal warps an observer's perceptions. This Charm does not affect the Appearance of those who have a higher Permanent Essence than the Abyssal.

<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Irresistable Succubus Style

Many Abyssals suffer from a degraded and even rotting body. This may not be to the best interests of their Master's needs. But the Abyssal is a fallen Prince of the Earth, and as such, they may take on a visage worthy of their position by claiming it from another. With this Charm an Abyssal can instead draw forth healthy flesh and living essence to give them a mortal, if not beautiful look. When an Abyssal with this Charm activated tries to feed normally, they can choose to instead of gaining motes, gain Appearance. The victim must be alive as the Abyssal feeds. For every 3 motes of essence they would gain, instead they gain an Appearance. The Abyssal can choose if motes are for Appearance or essence. All the motes for 1 dot of Appearance must come from the same victim, who looses Appearance equally. The Appearance loss can be healed like aggravated damage as the essence and flesh that had been there has been sucked and torn away. The Abyssal can not raise their Appearance above half their Essence (round up) with this Charm. Note that this raised Appearance lasts for a day. While mortals can heal the Appearance, most often they are permanently maimed. Lucky and hearty mortals might recover 1 dot after being reduced to nothing, but most do not.

<b>Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Min. Presence: 3
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

Abyssals can have a beauty that is both beyond human and very inhuman. They can simply always look as perfect as possible no matter the condition of their body. Dirt just dusts away with any movement, unable to hold to their unnatural perfection. Their hair always falls into a proper position. This can even go so far as to "trim" hair by longer ones falling away as dust, and preventing further growth, as such is a natural extension of the Abyssal's nature of stasis and destruction.

Note: a possible, alternate requisite Charm for Irresistable Succubus Style.

Crippled Monarch Cascade

<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One week
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Soul-Flaying Gaze

By breaking the soul of another, one can reforge them with the need for others. In an attempt to fulfil the new emptiness they feel, this person reaches out to the one who is there when the need is first felt, the Abyssal. The Abyssal's darkness reaches out, devouring from the victim's soul. To use this charm, the Abyssal must make a Manipulation + Presence roll at the difficulty of the victim's Conviction. The victim can resist with a willpower roll. If the Abyssal succeeds, the victim suffers from a penalty of the Abyssal's Essence in dice for any action requiring them to make an important decision when the Abyssal is not around them. Also, they are add half the Abyssal's Essence (rounded down) to their difficulty to resist suggestions or similar social effects as the Abyssal is the only thing they feel holding their world together.

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One hour
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Breaking of the Noble Spirit

For those whose spirits have been broken, the Abyssal is the center of their world, the world their star revolves around. So much does the Abyssal's opinion matter to them, that they will look within to their broken soul and without and learn to read the most mild of reactions. They can understand the Abyssal's wishes and desires, and detect their reactions from this, allowing the Abyssal to guide their new puppet without words. This works only on someone who is under the effects of Breaking of the Noble Spirit.

<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Servant Anticipates the Master

As the bond grows between those of broken will and the Abyssal, the Abyssal can grant boons of something of their own mystical might to the aid of their puppet. Even though their charms normally can not aid others, the puppet has become little more than an extension of the Abyssal's will and a mouth for their words. As such, the Abyssal may use their Charms to support the Performance, Presence, Bureaucracy, and Socialize rolls of someone who is under the effects of Breaking of the Noble Spirit.

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Presence: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Breaking of the Noble Spirit

By looking into the mirror of a victim's broken soul, they can break the spirit and shape it with greater proficiency. They are able to carefully shape the victim's virtues with a Manipulation + Presence roll against a difficulty of the virtue to be shaped. The shards of virtue can be strengthened, adding a Virtue specialization, or weakened, creating a Vice. The specializations or vices are of the Abyssal's choice, and they can add one point for each success. They can create at most a number of vices and a number of virtues specializations equal to the Abyssal's Essence, but never more than 3 in any one particular specialization or vice. These changes last as long as the victim's spirit is broken to the Abyssal's will. Thank you to FourWillowsWeeping for the base idea for this charm.

Comments

I'd actually have this Charm *give* Resonance to the Abyssal. If you're intentionally drawing the ire of the Malfeans to use as a weapon, they're gunna get mad. That's the whole point. And when Malfeans get mad at you, even if you're helping them, they'll whap you with Resonance. But it looks alright in terms of effects and cost. Telgar

Agreed and altered - haren

Quite nice. I like. - FourWillowsWeeping

Emperor's Maiming Beauty is pretty neat. Are there limits on Appearance changes as a result of the Charm? That is, can you raise your Appearance above 5, and can you take the victim below an Appearance of 1? I'm not sure how to do it, but I think that there should be some limit on stealing Essence from already-ugly people to make yourself beautiful. - Quendalon

Can a high-Appearance Abyssal still use that charm, and make themselves even more deathly beautiful? -- Senji

For Quendalon, yeah you can take someone below 1. But, the fact is there's no negative numbers. The person has to have the dots to steal first. There's a reason it's called maiming. ;) And you can never raise your Appearance above 5. The wording has not that you can take half your Essence in Appearance, but that this can't take you above that number. At Essence 5, this is useless for a beautiful Abyssal since they have to have a higher Appearance than their limit. This should also answer Senji. - haren

Hey, why is this guy Presence? It's not making the Abyssal more 'present', per se; it's rather allowing the Abyssal to modify his body and make himself prettier. I'd be tempted to put this after one of those blood-drinking Charms, or in Medicine, rather than here. - FourWillowsWeeping.

Actually, I did consider it being Medicine, but decided against it. My idea is that it calls for a visiage to match their aura of power and dark majesty. And so they claim their "rightful" appearance from a lower servant by using their presence to overpower the other. I just figured that it was a bit more than most would want to hear. - haren

Ah, it's Grima Wormtongue vs. Theoden! :) How does the Willpower roll work in Breaking of the Noble Spirit? Is it in addition to the Abyssal's roll having a difficulty equal to the defender's Conviction? If so, it seems unlikely that the Charm can work without the use of dice adders. - Quendalon

Well, I though about making it current willpower, but you're right for most heroic characters, but remember, there are lots of nasty nasty social virtue harmers in Abyssals. Think how a normal mortal would do... They're going to have a low Willpower and Conviction. - haren

I absolutely love the Crippled Monarch cascade, though I can also see an Abyssal using it to slowly corrupt and turn lesser beings into personality clones of themselves. Perhaps in an Essence 4-5 extension of the tree-- commit the essence to a broken individual (though I'd be leery of letting this work on Exalted) and they act as the Abyssal would have them act as long as the effect lasts with no required maintenence but the essence commited (the Charm would be of Indefinite duration). Victim rolls some resistance roll once a week, perhaps a mechanic for spending Permanent Willpower to permanently inflict this Charm on mortals at no further essence cost. - TheMyriadOfShades