Latest revision as of 01:18, 6 April 2010

Gothic Lolita Linguistics Tree

• Linguistics Insight of the Lolita (1/1)
  • Confusing Lolita Linguistics (2/2)
    • Absolute Gothic Lolita Linguistics (3/3)
      • Persistent Loli Linguistics Augmentation (4/4)
        • Reality Revision: Words of Creation (7/7, also requires Words from the Mind and The Perfect Voice)
    • Words From the Mind (5/3)
  • All-Purpose Multi-Cultural Gothic Lolita: Language (3/2)
  • Words of Delightfully Delicate Fluency (4/2)
    • Extreme Criticism Prana (5/2, also requires Words Written in Blood)
    • The Perfect Voice (4/3)
• Theft of Words and Cuteness (2/2)
  • Curse of the Dead Tongues (4/2)
    • Tower of Babel Technique (5/3, also requires Confusing Lolita Linguistics)
• Words Written in Blood (1/1)
  • Intangible Ofuda Seal (2/4/2)
    • A Mind of Unmatched Beauty (3/2)
    • Inscribe the Perfect Haiku (3/3)

Reality Revision: Words of Creation

• Cost: 15+ motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: Until all "Shaping Points" are spent; see text
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 7
• Minimum Moe: 7
• Prerequisite Charms: Persistent Loli Linguistics Augmentation, Words from the Mind, The Perfect Voice

The Gothic Lolita with this Charm has mastered the forbidden language of the NeverCute, finally understanding that words shape reality itself. Indeed, with this Charm, the Lolita can craft reality with nothing but her words……and her Moe. She needs no materials: those are replaced by her Moe and her angst……and she has lots of angst to work with.

When the Gothic Lolita invokes this Charm, she gains a number of Shaping Points equal to her Intelligence + Willpower. She may gain additional points by spending more motes of Moe when invoking the Charm, on a one-point-per-mote basis. She spends Shaping Points to create, well……anything.

Shaping reality requires a successful Intelligence + Linguistics roll at difficulty 4. The difficulty is reduced to 2 within Oniboshi or the Imperial Mountain Roller Coaster (which explains why some girls walk out of the attraction with bags full of all kinds of stuff).

Mundane Items: Creating a non-magical item does not require the expenditure of Shaping Points, unless the Resource cost of such item is 4 (which costs 1 point) or 5 (two points). She can create portable wealth in this way, too. Demesnes: To shape a Demesne, the Gothic Lolita must first create the land and then spend Shaping Points equal to its demesne level. Land: To create a stable region, the Gothic Lolita must spend a number of Shaping Points equal to its Resources value. She must spend the Resources cost in Shaping Points per acre. Obviously, creating fertile land and mineral resources requires more effort than blasted plains, desolate marshes, etc. Magical Items: To create a manse or artifact, the Gothic Lolita applies Shaping Points directly as Craft successes in manse or artifact construction. She is permitted to supplement the shaping process with Craft Charms. People: To create extras, the Gothic Lolita spends Points equal to the number of Background dots necessary to have them as followers. To create more useful Moe 1 servants, she may spend a point per servant. Increase the required number of points by one if the character is creating a coherent military unit, social group or government. The Gothic Lolita cannot create beings with Moe higher than one, for obvious reasons.

If this Charm is used within the boundaries of a Saintly Girl Territory (probably in Oniboshi, since no Lolita would be as stupid to try to make a Territory within the Imperial Mountain Roller Coaster), the initial number of Shaping Points available is doubled, and the difficulty of all Shaping rolls is reduced by 1.

The use of this Charm is immediately detected and registered by the Ultimate System, of course. Such warnings are mostly ignored by the Helping Goddesses in the case of minor, occasional creations. Blatant, continuous use of this Charm will inevitably draw their attention, though.

Words from the Mind

• Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: Indefinite
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 5
• Minimum Moe: 3
• Prerequisite Charms: Confusing Lolita Linguistics

A Gothic Lolita with this Charm may bypass language entirely and communicate telepathically. The character must be able to directly sense her target to invoke this Charm. If at any time the Exalt cannot perceive her target, the connection instantly breaks, and the Charm ends. While the link remains, however, the Gothic Lolita can project her thoughts at will as a reflexive action, enabling her to speak with someone, even if she does not share a language with that character. The target knows the thoughts come from outside his mind, although he cannot pinpoint their source without other magic unless the Exalt identifies herself. Similarly, the target may project his own thoughts and replies along the link. As with vocalized speech, neither party projects information they do not intend to convey: this Charm does not allow deeper mind reading or memory probing, nor does it preclude deception.

All-Purpose Multi-Cultural Gothic Lolita: Language

• Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 3
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Linguistics Insight of the Lolita

The character can easily speak, understand and write any language for the duration of the Charm. If speaking to beings each speaking a different language, the character can understand them all, and they all can understand the character, but they will still be unable to understand each other. The maximum number of beings than an Exalted may speak in tongues to at once is equal to the character’s permanent Moe.

This Charm just allows the most basic of communications. Any sort of social or communicative actions attempted by the character are at -4 to her dice pools. Each point of permanent Moe that the Gothic Lolita possesses above the minimum requirement reduces this penalty by -1.

This Charm only works on actual written work and speech. Sign language cannot be understood through this Charm.

Words of Delightfully Delicate Fluency

• Cost: 1 mote per die
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Re-Useless
• Minimum Linguistics: 4
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Persistent Loli Linguistics Augmentation

Gothic Lolitas are the poets and preachers of the Underworld. They spread the words of the Lords of No Fun and inspire angst throughout existence. They speak and write with beautiful and haunting skill and eloquence. For every mote spent on this Charm, the character may add one die to all Linguistics rolls for a specific known language. These dice are mechanically identical to a Linguistics specialty and may similarly add to other communication related rolls, at Storyteller discretion. The character cannot purchase more dice for any language than her Intelligence score. Note that characters with four or more dice of fluency convey superhuman grace, as is immediately evident to any listener or reader. Indeed, slow-witted mortals may have trouble following the cadence and intricate vocabulary of such characters.

Extreme Criticism Prana

• Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Re-Useless
• Minimum Linguistics: 5
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Words of Delightfully Delicate Fluency, Words Written in Blood

The Gothic Lolita becomes BORING AS HELL. Her mind literally shuts to the outside world. By this means, she becomes preternaturally resistant to all forms of persuasion, from simple argument to outright mind control. Any time the Gothic Lolita is subjected to words or magic that would later her point of view or perceptions, her player may reflexively roll Willpower against a difficulty of the offending character’s Moe. Success allows the Lolita to scornfully shrug off the suggestion. Gothic Lolitas using this Charm are impossibly brusque and bitter (yeah, already more so!), which adds +1 to the difficulty of all Charisma rolls. This Charm cannot defend against persuasion by beings with a higher permanent Moe than the character’s Willpower.

The Perfect Voice

• Cost: 5+ motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Re-Useless
• Minimum Linguistics: 5
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Words of Delightfully Delicate Fluency

The Gothic Lolita can use this Charm to enhance her words with her powerful Moe. Her voice always has the tone, pitch and volume most appropriate to the situation. With such a voice, she can be the perfect manipulator, interrogator, or even the perfect seductress. For the duration of this Charm, she may add her Moe to her dice pool for any interaction involving speech, whether it is seduction, persuasion or intimidation. The Charm normally affects only one listener. Each additional adds her Moe to the number of people affected by the Charm. The character must be able to speak the target’s language, either naturally or through the use of Charms.

Theft of Words and Cuteness

• Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One week
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 2
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: None

Skilled Lolitas steal their victim’s knowledge of languages as they steal their Moe. The character must have consumed at least one mote from the target somewhere during the scene through any means. Her player then rolls Wits + Linguistics, with a difficulty of (5 – the total number of motes taken). If this lowers the difficulty below one, no roll is needed. If the roll succeeds, the Gothic Lolita instantly learns one language of her choice known to her target. This knowledge is absolute: the Lolita speaks with perfect fluency and no trace of accent and may read and write in the tongue so long as the target knew how to do so. If the character consumes more than 5 motes, she may also spend double the requisite experience point cost to digest the stolen knowledge and permanently increase her Linguistics rating on the spot. Otherwise, languages absorbed with this Charm fade completely when the Charm expires.

Curse of the Dead Tongues

• Cost: 2 motes + 4 motes per language
• Duration: One hour
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 4
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Theft of Words and Cuteness

The Lolita speaks in the cursed tongue of the NeverCute, her words so loaded with angst that the shocked target loses to ability to speak properly. She can use the Charm on any target within her range of sight. Her player then rolls Manipulation + Linguistics against a difficulty of the target’s permanent Moe. For every success rolled, the character may spend 4 motes to remove a random language or pick a language and suppress it. The latter is, of course, a gamble, unless the Exalt is certain her target knows the language in question. Individuals deprived of all languages cannot speak or write at all, although they may attempt to grunt and crudely pantomime their intentions. Once the duration ends, the target regains full memory of all her forgotten languages. This Charm has no effect on beings with a higher permanent Moe than the Exalt.

Tower of Babel Technique

• Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 5
• Minimum Moe: 3
• Prerequisite Charms: Confusing Lolita Linguistics, Curse of the Dead Tongues

With a painful curse in the angsty language of the NeverCute, the Gothic Lolita distorts all communication in a zone around her person. No one inside this area of effect can understand written or spoken language. Familiar letters run together into baffling glyphs, while every spoken phrase twists into complete gibberish. Clever characters may communicate simple concepts with pantomime or crude drawings, but formal or established hand signs convey no more meaning than any spoken tongue. The character makes a Manipulation + Linguistics roll against the targets, with a difficulty equal to the targets’ highest permanent Moe. This Charm has no effect on characters whose permanent Moe matches or exceeds the Lolita’s. However, while such beings hear and see languages as they truly are, their own words remain twisted to affected beings. The zone of distortion extends to a radius of (the character’s permanent Moe x 5) yards.

Words Written in Blood

• Cost: 4 motes
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 1
• Minimum Moe: 1
• Prerequisite Charms: None

A Gothic Lolita never knows when she might need to write something. With this Charm, she always has the means at her disposal. By channeling her Moe-infused blood through her fingers, she can trace all kinds of glyphs and symbols through any surface. Marks etched with this Charm are virtually indistinguishable from ink stains and can be cleaned or removed as such if the writing surface permits. If used to mark living beings, the glyphs resemble tattoos, but eventually fade over a period of days or weeks like any applied dye. Characters using this Charm write with uncanny precision, easily matching the graceful calligraphy of even a very fine stylus or a brush.

Intangible Ofuda Seal

• Cost: 8 motes
• Duration: One day
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 2
• Minimum Occult: 4
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Words Written in Blood

The Gothic Lolita inscribes a mystical seal on a strip of paper, which she then slaps on a target’s forehead. The paper burns harmlessly as the seal is transferred to the target’s skin. The seal protects an individual from the undead. The mark cannot be washed off and feels slightly icky and quite uncomfortable on the forehead. For the duration of the Charm, no mindless undead will attack the target unless compelled to do so by a necromancer, a Gothic Lolita, a ghost using magical arts or some other supernatural compulsion. Sentient undead generally leave the character alone out of fear of the Lords of No Fun but are not compelled to do so. This Charm can enchant any human, including Exalted, but any display of an anima banner or Caste Mark burns away the rune and revokes the protection. The Gothic Lolita may also use this Charm on herself.

A Mindof Unmatched Beauty

• Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
• Duration: One scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 3
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Words Written in Blood

Words are nothing but the visualization of thought. With this Charm, the Gothic Lolita transcends beyond the words. Her mind reads through the written symbols and “sees” the wisps of the author’s memory, unconsciously “hacking” into the digital records stored in the Ultimate System concerning the document. The Exalt can read the document with perfect fluency, regardless of language, retaining perfect, exact knowledge of what’s written in the text for the remainder of the scene.

This Charm does not work against artificial languages, codes and other such methods of deliberately obscuring the content of a work, as the author’s intent is devious and the traces left behind are opaque. In addition, information on coded documents is stored in an alternate section of the Ultimate System, impervious to such a simple method of “tampering”

Inscribe the Perfect Haiku

• Cost: 5 motes
• Duration: Instant
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Linguistics: 3
• Minimum Moe: 3
• Prerequisite Charms: Words Written in Blood

A Gothic Lolita with this Charm has unveiled the greatest mysteries of the structure of knowledge and language. This allows her to condense incredible amounts of information in a little haiku of mind-boggling intricacy and wonderful beauty. Not only does she create a marvelous work of art, she also creates an impressively complex cipher.

The scribing Gothic Lolita spends the same time it would have taken her to write the original document, which cannot be longer than her Moe in pages. Her player rolls Intelligence + Linguistics to determine the total number of accumulated successes needed to decipher the haiku. Each deciphering roll is an Intelligence + Linguistics roll with a difficulty equal to the permanent Moe of the Gothic Lolita, and represents a number of days spent codebreaking equal to the Gothic Lolita’s Moe. The Gothic Lolita can use this Charm multiple times on the same document, accumulating successes to create an impossible-to-decipher haiku. Remember that successes on the deciphering roll only accumulate against the encoding character’s Intelligence + Linguistics roll(s) if the character attempting to decrypt the haiku exceeds the base difficulty of the roll (the Gothic Lolita’s Moe).

The character using this Charm may name a number of individuals up to a maximum of twice her Moe rating who can freely read the document, or she may name a limited, specific class of people who may freely read the document. For example, a character could make a haiku that could only be read freely by Otomes or only by pre-adolescent blonde little girls wearing those cute little blue swimsuits they wear at the Seminary of Kawaii.