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Campaign Charms

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Solar

Dawn Caste: War

Preamble: These charms were developed based upon a concept by Stark. I was not entirely happy with the charms as originally written. Using existing charms from the Dragonblooded and Infernal (!) manuals, I further modified them into something I felt was a more cohesive alternative. These charms have not entered play yet. I consider this charmset historically to have been a relic of the most desperate times of the Primordial War. This is the reason the Sorcerous keyword has been used here. The tree has been dubbed Army Of One Approach. The original concept may be found at Stark/ArmyOfMemoriesApproach

Memoriam Mirage (ST Note: Rename as we see fit)

Cost: 4m; Mins: War 2, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 3); Keywords: Action-Only, Combo-Basic, Obvious, Emotion(Illusion?), War; Duration: Instant; Prerequisite Charms: Mob-Dispersing Rebuke

The Lawgiver gathers memories of the world's heroes, or visions of his own power and unleashes them upon the foe.

This Charm allows a Solar to fashion illusory troops from her anima banner. Upon activation, the Solar's anima flares to the 11-15 motes level (heatless bonfire). The area around the Solar appears to be filled with warriors, creatures or other hazards fashioned out of the aspects of their totemic anima banner. There is no difference in the charm's effects beyond cosmetics. For example, warriors appear to be ill-shapen barbarians or hardened legionnaires, while birds could appear to be ravens or wrens flying at and pecking opponents eyes.

While the phantoms are illusory, they are also quite intimidating, and the player of any foe in the area must successfully roll his character’s Valor or suffer an internal penalty equal to (Permanent Essence) on all dice pools through his next action. Mortals must score as many successes on the Valor roll as the (Solar’s War, maximum 5 successes), while beings with an Essence higher than 1 need only one success. The phantom warriors are spread out over an area with a radius equal to the Solar’s (permanent Essence x 10 yards), and they affect everyone in that area who is not allied with the Solar who created them.

At Essence 4, the range is improved to (Essence x 50 yards), then at Essence 6 to (Essence x 100 yards).

If the Charm is deployed in mass combat, the opposing force must make an immediate rout check at a -1 penalty. If the roll is successful, the opposing force still suffers an internal penalty equal to (Solar's Essence) for the following long tick.

This is an unnatural mental influence effect and can be resisted for the scene with a cost of 2WP.

This is a reflexive Charm that can be used freely without the need for a Combo. However, the Solar is limited in using the Charm as follows: The Charm can only be activated on a tick when the Solar performs an action. It cannot be activated on the ticks between actions. In Mass Combat, it can be activated on any long tick in which the Solar acts.

Yesterday's Legion

Cost: - (+ 1WP); Mins: War 4, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 3); Keywords: Action-Only, Combo-Basic, Obvious, Emotion (Illusion?), War; Duration: Permanent; Prerequisite Charms: Memoriam Mirage

This charm permanently improves its prerequisite. By spending an additional point of willpower when the charm is activated, the ability to inflicts penalties upon enemies last for a scene, as do the penalties themselves. The illusion travels with the Solar, and affects each enemy only the first time it enters the effect's radius per scene. Penalties inflicted do not stack, nor does duration. The cost to resist the effect rises to 3WP.

Unknown Soldier's Sacrifice

Cost: 10m, 1lhl; Mins: War 3, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive; Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping. Duration: Instant; Prerequisite Charms: Memoriam Mirage.

The Solar knows every soul it has encountered in its long sojourn in Creation, and such is his greatness that lives are offered for his. Even alone, the very memory of this echoes down the ages, and lost souls can save their master's life once more.

When Memoriam Mirage is active, the Solar may activate this charm. Drawing upon the Lawgiver's own legend, an unknown soldier-image takes the wound meant for his master, or a loyal hound bays its last. As the illusion dissipate into motes, it takes with it any ongoing magical Poison, Sickness or Shaping effects that troubled the Solar. It also removes with it any Crippling effects that alter the Exalt’s Willpower, Virtues or magical traits (like Essence). This charm does not soak damage. Unlike other Shaping Charms, instead of the Charm’s minimum Essence, the difficulty to counter it is based on the Exalt’s own permanent Essence. As the Solar’s mastery over Essence and his own legend increases, it becomes easier to recall ages past. At Essence 4+ this Charm’s mote cost falls to five, and at Essence 6+ the mote cost is further reduced to three.

Aureate Soulfire Retinue (ST Notes: Variant Celestial Sorcery spell?)

Cost: 3m per Magnitude, 1wp, 1lhl; Mins: War 3, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 7, DV -3); Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping, Sorcerous, War; Duration: One scene; Prerequisite Charms: Yesterday's Legion

There is no hero without a legend, and there is no commander without his troops. The Solar activates this Charm by volunteering the Essence and blood others have shed for him in countless battles, and Creation answers. His anima banner flares totemically and produces a faceless social group or mass combat unit with a Magnitude equal to his Essence or less. Producing a group with Magnitude 5 or greater is easily noticed from the Loom of Fate.

Each one of these beings has the same basic traits as a green troop extra (Exalted Core, Pg. 279) with the listed equipment and no magical items or powers. They are all bound to the Lawgiver’s will completely, treating any persuasion to betray him as an unacceptable order unless it comes from the Exalt himself.

This Charm is only Obvious at its activation, and when it ends, as the illusions salute the Solar before dissipating once more into the Exalt’s anima. In darkness, the Lawgiver may only produce units with Magnitude less than (Essence ÷ 2), though once conjured darkness does not hinder the simulacra. Each member of the group appears as faceless or generic, though there are minor variations to each facsimile based on the particular memory of the Exalt’s they once were. Should the Solar also know Phantom-Conjuring Performance (Exalted Core Rulebook pg 202), he may pay one additional mote per Magnitude to make every member of the group a distinct-looking individual. Without such effort, it is immediately apparent on a face-to-face encounter that each member of the group is the same as every other member, but this isn’t relevant in mass combat.

The group created through this Charm can be used in mass combat as if it were a normal group made up of people with traits based on the (extra type) manifested. In mass combat the group has Drill equal to the Exalt’s Temperance and Might 0. There are plenty of other uses, too, such as concealing oneself in a crowd of duplicates. This rare Solar Sorcerous Charm is susceptible to countermagic as described in Exalted: The Infernals pg 304. As a final vulnerability, every member of the group counts as an Arcane Link to the Infernal for the purposes of any and all spells, even those that normally require more specific components.

New Keyword: Sorcerous (from Exalted: Infernals)

Charms with this keyword channel Essence according to the patterns the Primordials negotiated amongst themselves when they seared the principles of sorcery into the Wyld’s shinmaic substrata. As such, these Charms may be countered or dispelled by appropriate effects as if they were spells with a circle based on their minimum Essence: 1-3 (emerald), 4-5 (sapphire) and 6+ (adamant). Necromancers may also dispel Sorcerous Charms without their countermagic losing a circle of relative potency, provided they do not have an Essence rating lower than the Exalt’s rating at the time the Sorcerous Charm was activated.

On the plus side, these effects require no commitment of Essence to sustain, even those with Duration greater than instant. However, their creator can’t deactivate such effects at will unless stated otherwise. Countering a Sorcerous Charm does not release any sort of Essence backlash unless noted. During the Primordial War, Solar and Lunar Exalted developed specialized Charms to dispel sorcerous effects; these anti- Primordial techniques fell out of favor with the advent of sorcery among the Exalted, since countermagic spells were both easier to learn and more efficient.

Was-I-Ever-That-Green Milestone

Cost: (+1m per point of magnitude); Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent; Duration: One Scene; Keywords: Obvious, Sorcerous; Prerequisite charms: Aureate Soulfire Retinue

Every warrior that makes a mark in a Solar's legend lives forever. This charm permanently upgrades its prerequisite allowing the solar to add 1 mote per point of magnitude to the charm's activation cost to upgrade them to the regular soldier profile (Exalted Core Rulebook, p280). In mass combat, the unit gains Might equal to (Essence/2).

Heroes One-and-All

Cost: (+1 willpower); Mins: War 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent; Duration: One Scene; Keywords: Obvious, Sorcerous; Prerequisite charms: Was-I-Ever-That Green Milestone, Tiger Warrior Training

A leader fit for legend must have an army to match. This charm permanently upgrades its prerequisite allowing the solar to add 1 willpower in addition to Was-I-Ever-That-Green Milestone's cost to upgrade the conjured extras from the regular to the elite soldier profile (Exalted Core Rulebook, pg.280). In Mass Combat, the unit gains Might equal to (Essence).

Eclipse Caste: Linguistics

Preamble: These charms were suggested by Stark for use having been culled from the original Exalted Wiki, Since that wiki and several others are now defunct, we cannot source the original author. If you know who it might be, please do not hesitate to say. These charms were modified from Bureaucracy, as we felt Linguistics to be a better fit.

Steadfast Message Technique (from the Exalted fan wiki)

Cost:3m; Type: Reflexive; Mins: Linguistics 1,Essence 1; Duration: Instant; Keywords: Combo-OK; Prerequisites: Any Linguistics Excellency

Even the monstrous titans of ages past could not intercept the missives of the Quicksilver Falcons.  This charm allows a Lawgiver to send a message to anyone within (Essence x 10) miles in the same realm of existence, and know that it will arrive within (11 - Essence) long ticks.  The message can be as long as they desire, and may include any one object small enough for a normal human to hold in one hand.  The message's delivery cannot be prevented or delayed by any means, nor can it be intercepted or accessed by anyone save the intended recipient; add the Lawgiver's Essence to any UFIO roll-offs with competing effects.  The exact method of delivery is up to the Lawgiver; they may describe it as they wish, whether through couriers or pigeons or more obviously supernatural effects.  Regardless of the method, though, it is in reality merely a manifestation of Solar magic -- efforts to stop it are futile, and will at best only result in the message being delivered by another method.

At Essence 5, this charm automatically upgrades to allow messages to reach anyone, anywhere, in any realm of existence, provided at least some theoretical method of delivery exists.  (It is not possible, for instance, to send messages from Creation to Autochthonia as long as the Seal of the Eight Divinities remains intact.)

Light-Racing Sovereign Missives (from the Exalted fan wiki)

Cost:--;  Type: Permanent; Mins: Linguistics 4,Essence 3; Prerequisites: Steadfast Message Technique

The words of the Lawgivers travel at the speed of their glory.  This charm enhances its prerequisite, changing the time required for the message to arrive from long ticks to simple ticks.  Additionally, at the Solar's option, they may invoke that charm with a duration of 'scene', allowing them to commit the motes required and repeatedly use its power for free for as long as they remain committed.

Courteous Lord's Ear (from the Exalted fan wiki)

Cost:--;  Type: Permanent; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 3; Prerequisites: Steadfast Message Technique

The Quicksilver Falcons listen as well as they speak, knowing that this lends weight to their own words.  When the Solar chooses, this charm enhances its prerequisite, allowing those who receive messages from it to immediately respond as if they knew the same charm (with all of the Lawgiver's upgrades); mortals may pay 1 WP instead of the mote cost.

If the Lawgiver also knows Light-Racing Sovereign Missives, communication may be instantaneous.  Additionally, the two upgrades can be used together for far more dramatic effect; by committing the motes with that charm, the Lawgiver may use this to simultaneously open direct communication channels with up to (Essence x 2) people at once, and may at his option allow this to form a 'conference', letting them hear each other as well.

In any case, when used with Light-Racing Sovereign Missives' commitment, the recipient need not pay any cost to respond.  The physical manifestations of communication performed with both upgrades may also be much more dramatic and supernatural -- for instance, some Lawgivers favor floating 'windows' in the air that allow each party to see each other and the area directly around them.  (Such visual views, however, require the permission of the person on the other side to open.)

Comments

Hmm, the War charms look like their capstone produces an effect more akin to Rider's Army of the King in Fate/Zero. Creating an army of heroic level warriors to fight at your side is actually pretty strong when you get into the fact that their Might can get absorbingly high, unless you mean permanent Essence and then such a limit makes it still a solid capstone.

--- The original concept was to make a smaller group of more elite soldiers. Please have a look at Stark's original concept and compare the two. Where (Essence) is specified, it is always the character's Permanent Essence rating. - Lossefion, 30-05-15, 00:28AM (UTC)