Difference between revisions of "LordLeafar/SolarOccult"

Latest revision as of 01:16, 6 April 2010

Essence Manipulation

Essence-Reaping Gaze

Cost: -  
Minimums: Occult 5, Essence 3 
Type: Permanent 
Keywords: Obvious 
Duration: Instant 
Prerequisite Charms: All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight

The Lawgivers are masters at the dominion of Essence flows; a Savant of the Sun can work with the flow of existent magic to restore her own reserves of Essence. The character needs to have All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight active, and be within (Essence x 3) yards of his target. When a target spends motes to power an effect, the Solar can spend 1 willpower as a reflexive action and roll (Perception + Occult), each success equals 2 motes regained by the Solar up to a maximum number of motes equal to those the target spent powering the effect. The Solar’s eyes glow brightly with the magic of the Sun when she uses this power.

Twisting the Living Essence Technique

Cost: 6 motes 
Minimums: Occult 5, Essence 4 
Type: Reflexive 
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious 
Duration: Instant 
Prerequisite Charms: Any Occult Excellency, Essence-Reaping Gaze

The Savants of the Sun have total knowledge of how Essence works and use this knowledge to affect Essence flows of Charms with proper uses of their own Animas. The character needs to have All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight active, and be within (Essence x 3) yards of his target. When a target spends motes to activate a Charm, the Solar spends 6 motes and rolls (Intelligence + Occult) against a difficulty equal to the Charm’s user’s Essence; the Solar must use this charm before her opponent rolls the Charm effect, if applicable. If the Solar succeeds, the target Charm fails to activate; should the target pay 6 extra motes above the cost of the Charm, the charm activates as normal. Twisting the Living Essence has the following rules:

- Twisting the Living Essence doesn’t work on Combos, Sorcery or previously activated Charms with persistent effects.

- Annulling Simple or Extra Action Charms leaves the target with no action to use.

- Annulling supplemental charms leaves the target with the original roll unaided by the Charm’s effects.

- Annulling reflexive Charms allows the target to immediately reuse them.

- When using this charm, the Lawgiver’s anima becomes visible even if powered by Personal Essence.

- If the solar has Essence 5+, the Charm cost is reduced to 4 motes.

Dominating the Flowing Aura Method

Cost: -  
Minimums: Occult 5, Essence 4 
Type: Permanent 
Keywords: Obvious 
Duration: Instant 
Prerequisite Charms: Twisting the Living Essence Technique

The Sun Heroes have complete control over the Essence that surrounds them; this Charm enhances the ability of Twisting the Living Essence, giving the Solar more power over Charms, allowing the Solar to suppress Combos and previously activated Charms with persistent effects. The rules to do so are exactly as with Twisting the Living Essence Technique, with the following exceptions:

- Combos: To cancel a Combo, the Solar needs to spend the regular motes to activate Twisting the Living Essence Technique plus 1 willpower and a number of motes equal to the Essence cost of all the Charms being activated in the Combo, the Solar needs to cancel each Charm by separate as normal when applicable.

- Deactivating a persistent charm follow the same rules as normal.

- The target of this charm now must pay 12 extra motes for the charm being cancelled to work and be activated as normal.

Visage of Arcane Denial

Cost: 15 motes 
Minimums: Occult 5, Essence 4 
Type: Reflexive 
Keywords: Obvious 
Duration: Instant 
Prerequisite Charms: Dominating the Flowing Aura Method 

With the proper study and knowledge of Essence, the Chosen of the Sun can affect the ancient Laws of Sorcery with the overwhelming power of their Animas. The character needs to have All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight active and be the target of a spell or be within (Essence x 3) yards of the spell casting. To disrupt a spell the Lawgiver needs to make a reflexive Intelligence + Occult roll. The difficulty equals the sorcerer’s Essence plus the Circle of the Spell, if she succeeds the spell is cancelled as if dispelled by countermagic of its own circle, or it can be shattered as if the caster had botched a distraction roll, at the Solar’s choice. This charm works on Necromancy as well as Sorcery.

Comments

For Dominating the Flowing Aura Method, I'm a bit concerned that a 12-mote surcharge is a lot much, especially at only Essence 4. At that level, your opponents are unlikely to have taken 'extreme measures' to increase their pool, meaning it's at most around, say, 70 motes. 12 Motes is a mammoth surcharge, especially when you realize that most things are less juiced than Solars, meaning Sidereals and Dragon Blooded are effectively drained in a heartbeat. Perhaps 9 motes, or better yet, a roll? Some sort of opposed (Essence*2 + Occult) vs. their (Essence + Resistance), with 1 mote being drained for every success you get? Just worried that battles will quickly turn into 4th Edition "Magic the Gathering", where counterspell decks ruined all the fun. It's amazingly tough to make a good heroic story out of a guy who finds he can't do anything cool, and the guy standing there going "You can't do anything cool". -- GreenLantern

- Dominating the Flowing Aura Method and its prerequisite are based on the redirecting and annuling charms from Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style, those charms require a simple roll per charm at a difficulty of the target's essence to annul or redirect the charm, with this Solar charms you can only negate a target charm, you cant redirect it, and it gives the target the opportunity to pay extra essence to beat your charm and use the affected target charm, which you cant do with the charms of the Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Charms, they just negate/redirect it automatically. Thats why I dont really think its unbalancing, hence my decision to put such costs. -- LordLeafar

Ah, but PAoC requires, in theory, a metric ton of prerequisites to be useful, in all of its awesome power. Even as I write this, though, I seem to recall something about either needing a form-type charm, or even a complete MA style to learn certain things... Can anyone refresh me on the prereqs needed for such things? -- GL

Actually, none of those charms require a full Martial Arts nor a Form, on the contrary these Solar charms require you to have All Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight active. - LordLeafar

OK, new tactic... I'm just worried about introducing 'counterspell' type things into the Exalted setting. It scares me. I didn't like PAoC (but yes, it's canon, so whether I like it or not doesn't matter, I know), but as my copy of Scroll of the Monk is a Christmas present, I can't see if anything changed about it in 2E. Anyone out there with a copy of it able to tell me if they stuck with the counterspell-like effects? (Including you, Leafar, if you have a copy of it). -- GL

The only significant changes is that the "counterspell" things can only be used if you take a guard action. Very little changed about ANY old style -Azurelight