Revision as of 23:32, 12 August 2004

House of Secrets Style

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The Secrets Caste have long been the finest astrologers of the Exalted, and their House Style is the finest among the planetary Chosens', with a Form that harmonizes with resplendent trappings and many Charms that capitalize on their astrological mastery.

Except where explicitly stated, this Style is incompatible with weapons, armor, and shields of all kinds.

Bloody Vision

Cost: None

Duration: Permanent

Type: Special

Min. M.A.: 1

Min. Ess.: 1

Prereq. Charms: None

With this Charm, the Exalted learns that injury allows her to transcend the limits of her body, rather than shackling her further. She never suffers from any kind of initiative penalties.

Secret of the Broken Mirror

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. M.A.: 2

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: None

With this Charm, the Exalted knows that every journey is only a departure and a destination separated by a space...but that space need not be long. The Charm enables the Exalt to perform an unarmed attack against any opponent within (permanent Essence) yards as though they were side-by-side. This negates any cover penalties. This explicitly allows Sidereals to inflict infectious destinies at range. However, this attack is in all other ways a normal hand-to-hand attack; it is material, and the defender can use hand-to-hand counterattacks and such similar abilities against it.

Dance of Sharp Words

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. M.A.: 2

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: None

With this Charm, the Exalted can perform an attack against any opponent who can hear and understand her. She need do nothing but speak her victim's name or nickname in such a virulent way that it hurts her soul deeply. The attack has an effective range of (Essence+Charisma) yards; effects that supernaturally amplify the Exalted's voice may increase this range at the ST's discretion, but cannot make the Charm affect more than one target. She makes a normal unarmed attack roll with Manipulation in the place of Dexterity, and a normal unarmed damage roll with Charisma in the place of Strength. The Exalt need not be capable of motion to invoke this Charm as long as she may speak.

This Charm is effectively an area attack; it cannot be dodged except by appropriate Charms, and requires a well-described stunt to parry. It ignores armor soak but is soaked normally by Stamina.

Maiden-Breaking-Heaven Marking

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 3

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: None

This Charm links the Exalted's attacks to the destinies of the Guardians; fragrant leaves swirl around her hands. Whenever she successfully strikes a person, she may spend 1 mote to tie her target's destiny into that constellation; his Essence is marked with an emblem which can be seen by beings with effects like All-Encompassing Sorceror's Sight. It also incorporates itself into the animas of Exalted targets, appearing as a drift of odd-shaped leaves.

While this Charm is active, the Exalted adds her Essence to Martial Arts dice pools to attack targets she has marked. She may also spend 1 mote per dot she has in the College of the Guardians to reduce the TN of such an attack. (This is subject to ordinary Sidereal TN-dropping rules.) Also, the clouds part above her head and shower her with light.

College of the (Constellation) Form

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 4

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: Bloody Vision, Secret of the Broken Mirror, Dance of Sharp Words, Maiden-Breaking-Heaven Marking

This Charm is actually five Charms, each of which must be learned separately; collectively they are known as the Secrets Form. Assuming the Secrets Form entails the assumption of one of these five Charms, but once one is active, the Exalted may reflexively spend 3 motes to switch to a different Secrets Form Charm that she knows; this ability does not count as a Charm use. This ends the effects of the previous Charm and the new Charm begins immediately. All variations of this Charm allow the Exalted to cause lethal damage with unarmed attacks and to parry lethal attacks unarmed. This Charm is incompatible with other Martial Arts Form-type Charms.

The Form Weaponry and Armor listed in each sub-Form is compatible with all Charms of the Secrets Style only while that version of the Charm is active. This supercedes the general restriction against such things.

• Guardians Form:
  

The Guardians are impossible to surprise, and his magical regalia cannot be forcibly deattuned. He is unimpeded by adverse weather. The Guardians may exchange a post-soak damage dice from an attack to cause a target to forget what he has learned; it requires dice equal to the target's current rating in an Ability to reduce the Ability by a dot. The targeted Ability is of the attacker's choice, but it must be a Favored or Caste ability of the target; the effect automatically fails against targets with no Favored Abilities.

Lost Ability dots return at a rate of one per Ability per day. This effect does not function on targets with higher permanent Essence than the Guardians.

Guardians Form Weaponry and Armor: Shields and short swords. (Reaver daiklaves.)

• Key Form:
  

The Key continuously benefits from the effects of Secret of the Broken Mirror. Whenever someone performs a hand-to-hand attack within (permanent Essence) yards of him, he may reflexively roll Manipulation+Martial Arts, at a difficulty of three plus the attacker's Essence. If he succeeds, he may choose a new target for the attack (within the originator's reach).

Key Form Weaponry and Armor: Staffs, both solid and seven-sectioned.

• Mask Form:
  

While he assumes the Mask Form, the Exalted's identity is unknowable. This is a perfect effect. He can reflexively dodge attacks with a base dice pool of his permanent Essence. While he is in a Manse or Demesne, he is automatically attuned to it, and has a bonus to dodges equal to its rating.

Mask Form Weaponry and Armor: Daggers.

• Sorceror Form:
  

The Sorceror never fails Valor checks, and can freely channel his Valor, ignoring the per-story limit. He has peers, but no superiors; for the purpose of Charm effects where he is the target, the Sorceror has the Essence of the entity using the Charm if it is higher than his own.

Sorceror Form Weaponry and Armor: Starmetal armor and starmetal daiklaves of any kind are compatible with the Sorceror Form.

• Treasure Trove Form:
  

For 3 motes, the Treasure Trove can perform an attack that does aggravated damage, but this causes the target to gain dots of a Favored or Caste Ability of his choice, in the same way that the Guardians Form causes Ability loss (it would require three post-soak damage dice to add one dot of an Ability rates at three, etc.) This effect automatically fails on beings with no Favored or Caste Abilities. These dots are temporary and fade at one dot per Ability per day, but they can be learned thereafter as though tutored. He can also perform an attack that shatters wealth; he may exchange a post-soak damage dice from an attack to cause the target to lose dots of the Resources Background, or any other Background the ST deems appropriate, in the same way that the Guardians Form causes Ability loss.

Treasure Trove Form Weaponry and Armor: Straight swords (normal daiklaves).

Light-and-Shadow Unbeing Stance

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: College of (Constellation) Form

While this Charm is active, the Exalted seems to fade at the edges into a viridian haze from which knowledge issues. She may convert the damage of attacks against her into Ability reductions in exactly the same manner as the College of the Guardians Form ability, but these Ability losses are permanent. She may fully restore Abilities lost in this manner by spending 1 XP and training for the requisite amount of time.

Sidereal initiates to the College of the Key add their rating in that College to their lethal and bashing soak.

Sky-Escaping Mudra

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 4

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: College of the (Constellation) Form

The Exalted performs a secret gesture that unbinds spirits of storm and air, and subdues geometry like a lightning-whipped dog. She may reflexively dodge an attack made against her, of which she is aware, with her full pool. In addition, the instigator of the attack is knocked back (defender's permanent Essence+Martial Arts) yards, barring some supernatural ability to prevent this, regardless of the dodge's success.

Malachite Void Eyes

Cost: 3+ motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: College of the (Constellation) Form

This Charm turns the Exalted's eyes into green wells of emptiness (Sidereal eyes remain spangled with lights of the appropriate colour). Anyone he looks upon is stricken with terror, and secrets flee from his mind. The victim of this Charm rolls his Valor against the Exalted's Willpower; for every success the Exalted has in excess of the victim, he catches one fleeing secret and learns it. Secrets are defined as pieces of information the target is actively trying to conceal. Sidereal initiates to the College of the Treasure Trove may spend 1 mote per College dot to reduce the TN of the willpower roll.

This effect is in addition to whatever Martial Arts action the Charm supplements.

Chains of the Maiden

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Varies

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq Charms: Sky-Escaping Mudra

The Maiden in Chains cannot move, but she is revered by all. When the Exalted assumes the mantle of this Maiden, he becomes bound to the destiny of a place; he cannot move from the place he stands. (He is still capable of dodging attacks.) However, hearts falter when his enemies try to oppose him, and their hands slip and shake; add the Exalt's Martial Arts to the difficulty of all attacks against him. If the Exalted steps away from the point where he stands, the Charm ends.

Furthermore, while this Charm is active, a Sidereal may spend 1 mote per dot of his Sorcerer College to lower the target number of Martial Arts parry actions and any dodge actions.

The World Is No Less Without You Approach

Cost: 5 motes (10 motes)

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 4

Prereq Charms: Light-and-Shadow Unbeing Stance, Malachite Void Eyes, Chains of the Maiden

This technique allows the Exalted to attack at his target's identity. The character makes a Martial Arts attack, and if it hits (that is to say, the attack has successes remaining after parry and dodge), make a name-breaking test. This is a reflexive opposed test of Essence + Mask College (-2 from the dicepool if the target is not Exalted or an agent directly employed by the Bureau of Destiny, as though it were an Ability roll); the Exalted must accumulate (possibly through repeated applications of the effect) successes equal to the target's Essence to destroy his name and have his identity stricken from the rolls of Destiny. This Charm has no effect on creatures outside of Fate.

Individuals with no identity cannot regain Essence or be specifically targeted by Charms (note that this does not affect Charms that affect actions that target the character, only specifically targeted Charms like the Wanting and Fearing Prayer). Furthermore, these individuals are outside of Fate.

Exalted targets may apply to the astrological colleges to have their identity restored or repaired; this is an Instant duration ascending effect of the Mask or Sorceror. Note that a nameless Sidereal has no authority among the spiders. Furthermore, any nameless victim may make a Prayer roll (at standard prayer difficulty) to the Five Maidens to have his name repaired; for each success on the Prayer roll, his name is restored by 1 point of permanent Essence. Partially recovered victims will only have their Essence pools replenished to the Essence level that they have recovered and recorded in Heavenly annals, but even a partial name is enough to be the specific target of a Charm. If a name is completely broken, there is no way to recover it, but the victim may apply for a new one.

When targeting Sidereals wearing resplendent identities or other false identities, the technique simply subtracts effect points from the identity - and the target must roll with his identity's Essence and College rating.

Sidereals and those who learn this Charm as Sidereals may use a Scripture of the Mask when activating this Charm. The Scripture binds itself around his hand, appearing to transform it into a green jade fist that burns with colourless fire. This increases the Charm's cost to 10 motes and its duration to One Scene; each attack the Sidereal makes while the Charm is active is a name-breaking attack.

Comments

The Forms at this point are probably not balanced in effectiveness. Suggestions? - willows

I like, I like =) Nice flavor you've got going here, and good implementation too. Minor points: isn't SotBM a little powerful for its requirements? I know Snake style is a joke, but Uncoiling Serpent Prana or whatever it's called is practically the same Charm, and it's a 5/3 post-form. The College of the Key Form is horrendously overpowered. Maybe if the difficulty were something like twice the attacker's Essence or somesuch, but just a diff. 4 roll means that a Siddie with good Manipulation (department of redundency department) will not only never get hit (having essentially an automatic perfect defense against every attack against him), but no one will be able to attack anyone else anywhere near him. That's a little extreme. Finally, a question - if someone gets hit with TWInLWYA, can they still gain Essence from hearthstones, Essence Lending Method, stuff like that? Good style, though =) - SMK

Thank you. I think, alternatively, that Uncoiling Serpent Prana is weak - and it has advantages that this doesn't, which I will make explicit, including: The attack is material, and the space warping effect means that a defender can lay out a hand-to-hand counterattack against a Secret attack.

The College of the Key Form used to have even more scary bennies, including allowing other people to use your Maiden-Breaking-Heaven Markings. I see that it's a little intense; I like your "twice the attacker's Essence" thing, but it curves up too rapidly; I used "three plus the attacker's" instead. And note that the attacker has to be able to reach the new target, so this ability is useful in big melees, but crap in duels; like Broken Mirror, it reveals its strategy quickly and can be easily counteracted by intelligent responses.

Finally, until their identity is fully broken, they may do any of these things, but a broken person can do none. Not even Stunt Essence. Zilch. It's a profoundly nasty Charm, but very difficult to use; the primary ability is the resplendent destiny breakdown, which is quicker to affect. - willows

With these affects in mind, SotBM and CotKF seem ok. TWInLWYA is still hideous, but I see it as a Charm whose purpose is to give some more friendly NPC Siddie a bargaining chip with the characters later in the game. But about the roll, the Siddie's pool is probably going to be something like 7 or 8 at least, versus probably 3-5 for player characters. One or two good hits and *BAM* you've just wrecked a PC. If you didn't use the prayer strip, you didn't even have to spend willpower. Also, why on earth does it not put its target outside of fate? I mean, if he's already stricken from destiny? I don't know, it just seems like maybe a 5-Essence effect, since there's nothing you can do about it once it happens to you (you have to get someone else to take care of it, unless you happen to be a Sidereal). - SMK

It's not intended to be used that way, basically; this is a Style for Sidereals games. If you use it to browbeat your players, you're a meaner person than I. (And don't forget, you have to hit!) - willows

<Thoughful nodding> Yeah, that's true. I guess the simple thing to do outside of a Sidereals game is just not to use stuff like that. This is probably the root of a lot of my problems with the Sidereals' powers - they're not meant to be used on PCs, and really just shouldn't exist outside of games with Sidereal PCs. I've never thought of it like that... but it just seems like cheating, y'know? "Your opponent won't use this trick, because it's so hideously powerful." Huh? If I had a Sidereal NPC who should have this style, for example, and should have it mastered, what in-game reason is there for her not to use TWInLWYA? Especially if she's just trying to disable a character or two for a while? I don't know. On a purely mechanical point, though, I think it should definitely cost a willpower. This is really just me babbling (and don't let the nitpicking fool you, I do really like the style). - SMK

I'm glad that you do, and you're troubling to critique! I could justify the current costing in one way, and I can justify your suggestion in another way; I think that the Charm is actually fairly fragile by itself; because it needs to make contact, to affect an Exalted or other supernatural target you practially have to Combo it or make use of some of the other spooky powers of the Style, which means that you have to burn through Essence severely (even though the Style's Charms are relatively cheap). You're right, my argument pretty much is cheating. A properly built Secrets assassin will master this Style, and he will mark you with Maiden-Breahing-Heaven Marking, and then use the prayerstrip version of the Charm on you, and it'll suck for you, because every time he hits you (with extra dice!) a little piece of your personness shatters. But it sucks for him too, because he'll probably be forced to burn peri to do that. I'm going to put it this way; I think it makes a lot of sense to play the Charm as having a Willpower cost, and I'll make a note to that effect in the Charm description, but in a Sidereals game, I wouldn't charge a PC that Willpower. - willows

Honestly, as long as you remove the target from Fate too, I don't have much of a problem with the Charm. Sure, it fucks someone over. Sure, they basically have to turn to other Siddies for help. But once this has hit someone, while they're trying to fix it, it'll help keep whoever hit 'em with it in the first place off their trail (if you put this in before this past revision, I feel silly). Anyway, great work here. - SMK

GAH!

First, Dance of Sharp Words is TERRIFYING. For 3 motes I can render an attack functionally undodgeable and unparryable? As a 2/2 Pre-Form Charm? GAH, I repeat! And it attack multiple people at once! Ewewewewew!

I'm not loving the Constellations Form as a concept, but could cope.

The Guardians double bonus is... ew. The total not-impededness isn't bad, but being able to burn a dice to make an opponent's Ability go down? For one, I don't see how that meshes with the Guardians, and for two, I don't like it- it feels off. Maybe as a solitary (or part of only a minor benefits package), but combined with the unimpedability...

The Key Form + Blade of the Battle Maiden is just ill. The Key Form in general is reasonably alright. I think it would be better, however, if you made the Manipulation + Martial Arts check at a difficulty of just the person's Essence; however, if successful, you AND someone else (including the attacker, possibly) are the target of the attack. The attacker has the option to abort the attack at this point.

The Mask seems generally pretty cool. But the Manse auto-attune is wacky; what does that have to do with the Mask. Also, does the attunation stick? Cause that could get ill- given the whole 'it takes everyone attuned to the Manse to attune someone else normaly' ness of Creation, a single wandering Attunment could render a Manse almost unusable for future residents.

The Sorcerer actually seems kinda weak; I'd either the Exalt's Essence to Virtue Dice when channeling a Virtue and still ignore the per Story limit. Why just Valor?

I like the Treasure Trove Form. Pretty much, that's it. :)

On to the post form stuff!

Sky Escaping Mudra should be a Pre-Form Charm; it's a goood Charm, just too high a requirement for it's power. And I like the knockback; does it always kick in, or only if the blow lands or doesn't land?

I'd make Malachite Void Eyes a Simple Charm, myself. Just seems easier that way. Cool idea :)

The World Is No Less Without You Approach is just wrong. Not in a good, funny haha way either. It's... ew. Can you provide an example Charm that is as bad or worse at potentially just functionally killing someone, at those pre-reqs ans costs?

At the LEAST add a Willpower to the regular punch, and 2 Willpower to the full scene version!

DS

Whoa there, bucko. Those are some pretty serious missreadings of Charms you're making there, or pretty serious unclarities on my part.

Dance of Sharp Words is not a multiple-attack Charm, as the verbiage about speaking the target's name should have indicated; yes, it's difficult to parry and dodge, but no more so than any other immaterial attack.

Well, given that it affects an area around the user of it, that Charms which enhance your volume may enhance the Charm's area, it certainly sounds like it hits everyone around you.

And most Charms that are immaterial either kill slowly (The Abyssal Dirge Charm comes to mind as an excellent example) or aren't so immaterial as they first seem. I'd much rather see this as the Martial Artist giving a stern admonishment that raises the difficulty in parrying and dodging the blow, rather than making them fuzzy in applicibity. Perhaps by just a flat +2, or by Martial Arts or Essence... I think a 3 motes for a +2 difficulty on all defense rolls against that attack, or a 2 motes / +1 up to Essence would work pretty well there. DS

I think that would dilute the concept severely. But with your comments in mind, I've raised the cost of the Charm and made some clarifications to it, particularly the multiple-attack thing (that's the domain of Extra Actions). - willows

What Guardians double bonus are you referring to? All of the Constellations Forms play off the resplendent trappings of the various Colleges, so where you are seeing odd-looking effects, they are basically directly derived from the more abstract trappings.

The double bonus of the Guardian Form having both it's unstoppable juggernaut type stuff, and Ability reduction stuff. Which I still actively dislike, I'll add. On the other hand, I'm hard pressed to come up with another schtik; maybe provide their Martial Arts as a reflexive Parry bonus to anyone within Essence yards of them? Or raise everyone's soak nearby? Or (for Power Combat) reduce the minimum damage by the College rating? DS

It is probably the strongest of the Forms, for the Ability-reduction effect. - willows

All cross-style combinations are just ill. That complaint has no power against me.

This is Particuarly Bad. As in, it makes you Bloody Well Immune to being hit unless you get targeted by an undodgeable attack, of which there are precious few. Contrast that to Snake Form and tell me they even play at being balanced. DS

Hehe. I think the mote and style investment makes a statement about that; three Charms and five motes, or six Charms, twenty-six motes, and two Willpower? I know which I expect to be more effective.- willows

The Mask clings to sacred places and tends to linger around Manses and Demesnes. Straight out of Sidereals. The attunement is an effect of the Charm and ends when the Charm does.

Fair enough on both counts. It was the later that really had me worried. Hokay, the Mask is cool.  :) DS

The Sorcerer has been bugging me. I can't find an effect I like for it that's appropriate to both the astrological College and the Charm tree.

The knockback is automatic. I'm considering exchanging this Charm with its brother below the Form, Maiden-Breaking-Heaven Marking.

Hm. If you do that, I'd make the knockback not automatic. It works pretty well as a sort of hopping defense as is; it'd be a bit much lower in the tree. But, as is, coo. :) DS

The World Is No Less, I will repeat, isn't as good as it looks. Sure, it's probably the Bronze Faction's favorite way to put Solars out of the picture without having to try and actually kill them...but it won't mess up an astrologer of any useful stripe, or a high-Essence Exalt with reasonale combat prowess.

My major issue with the World is No Less is that it could easily cripple a character. But, on review, it's not really that much worse than, say, the Abyssal Limb Remover.

On the other hand, lost limbs grow back in Exalted. Lost names don't. I'd STRONGLY urge allowing for a Prayer roll (of difficulty equal to your original Essence) to also restore the lost name. DS

I actually like that a lot better than the current name-repair rule. Thanks! I've refined that rule and added it to the ways in which one can recover a name. - willows P.S.: Thanks for all the thoughtful comments.

- willows