Revision as of 08:06, 5 April 2010

Infernal Socialize

These Charms descend from Thari, the Word Serpent.

Charm Count: 9

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Shining Equal's Face

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 2

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: None

This makes the Infernal seem to be the equal of whoever he interacts with, and they treat him thusly. It negates any penalties of Socialize, Bureaucracy, or Presence actions for the Infernal being of different status or unfamiliar to those he interacts with. This Charm fails on people whose identity is unique, notably high-Essence beings, the greater gods, and monarchs.

Another Woman Meditation

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Indefinite

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 3

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: Shining Equal's Face

This Charm permits the Infernal to take a person's place in a relationship. The target slowly loses significance in a third party's eyes, replaced by the Exalt. This happens as quickly as possible while Essence is committed for the Charm, even if social factors would otherwise prohibit it; the third party needs to place the Exalt in a certain position relative to himself. Neither the third party nor the target of this Charm may have Essence higher than the Exalt, and beings with Essence of 2 or greater who are affected by this Charm may roll Intelligence + Socialize against the Infernal's permanent Essence to notice that some foul magical play is occurring.

Returning Comrade Greeting

Cost: 2 motes per dot

Duration: Varies

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 4

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: Another Woman Meditation

The Infernals were infamous in the First Age, when they were known at all, for having nations collapse around them, though they seemed to have no hand in it. By reaching into the target's soul and feeling the texture of his true name, the Infernal can assume the demeanor of a long-forgotten ally, and in this way draw upon his social ties. The Infernal must interact with the target for several minutes to apply this Charm; for every 2 motes spent on it, he may 'steal' a dot of Background from him. While his Backgrounds are stolen, the target cannot make use of them, and the Infernal may use them as though they were his own. The duration of the Charm's effects depends on the highest rating of Background stolen; a five-dot theft will last for only a scene's usage, a four-dot theft persists for several days, a three-dot theft for a week, two dots for a month, and a one-dot theft can last up to a full season. The target can roll his Essence in dice each week to regain a dot of Background, at a difficulty of half the Infernal's Essence, rounding up. This Charm can never affect a target with greater Essence than the Exalt. The Exalt can spend no more than twice his Essence maintaining this Charm at any time.

Theft of King's Blood

Cost: 1 experience point per dot, 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 5

Min. Essence: 2

Prereq Charms: Returning Comrade Greeting

This Charm permits the Infernal to simply strip the mantle of power from another's shoulders and set it round his own throat. He must interact with the target for at least a day, and roll Manipulation + Socialize at a difficulty of his target's Essence. For each extra success, he may 'steal' a dot of a social Background from the target; this costs 1XP and effectively transfers the dot from the target to the Infernal. Exalts and other mystical creatures affected in this way can roll Charisma+Socialize each month, at difficulty 5, to recover a Background dot; this does not cause the Infernal's influence to recede. The Exalt can steal no more total dots from an individual than his permanent Essence. This Charm can never affect beings of superior Essence.

Choreography of Nations

Cost: 15 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Indefinite

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 3

Min. Essence: 2

Prereq Charms: Another Woman Meditation

This Charm allows the Infernal to essentially control a lesser-Essence being like a puppet. She binds his heart with shadowy dances of compulsion, through which his thoughts are forced to twirl. It requires at least weekly interaction with the victim; the victim will make any significant decisions in accord with the Infernal's desires. This has the same restrictions and weaknesses as Another Woman Meditation.

Falling Starlight Smile

Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. Socialize: 3

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: None

The Infernal binds himself in a mantle of fearsome glory, his eyes dripping with starlight and his every gesture graceful as regret. This Charm adds the Infernal's Limit in automatic successes to a Bureaucracy, Performance, Presence, or Socialise roll. It is explicitly permitted to be put in a Combo with Charms of other Abilities.

Revelation of Desire

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 2

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: None

This Charm lets the Infernal discern, in a few moments' discussion, the heart's desire of everyone she interacts with. She adds her Compassion to all Socialize, Bureauracy, and Presence rolls regarding interaction with mortals in a group, after she has spent at least an hour interacting with the full group and assimilating their thoughts. For higher-Essence beings, X hours interacting with a group allows her to add dice with beings of X Essence.

Unthinkable Observation

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 4

Min. Essence: 1

Prereq Charms: Revelation of Desire, Falling Starlight Smile

With this Charm, the Infernal makes a statement so offensive to the target (and only the target) that he loses Willpower. The Infernal rolls his Wits + Socialize at a difficulty of the target's Temperance; for each net success, the target loses a point of Willpower. Exalts and other magical beings can add a Perception + Resistance roll to their Temperance to resist this.

Incandescent Oath

Cost: 12 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 Health Level

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. Socialize: 4

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: Unthinkable Observation, Theft of King's Blood

The Infernal pronounces a horrific Primordial profanity, which hangs burning in the air. The victim it is said to is so scarred by this that his social Backgrounds start to decay, and he loses dice to his social pools. Those with sorcerous vision can see the emblem of defilement etched onto his soul. The Infernal rolls his permanent Essence; for each success, the target suffers a -1 to all social dice pools for a season, and he loses one dot of a social Background (such as Contacts, Influence, Acquaintances, and so forth); the Backgrounds affected must have their influence in Creation (so this Charm doesn't affect Salary, Celestial Manse, and that kind of thing). If the victim runs out of Background dots to affect, the remainder of successes subtract from his permanent Willpower. This effect fails on beings with greater Essence than the Infernal, but the other two effects still apply.

Comments

*blinks at Incandescent Oath*

Mein Gott in Himmel! Are those Background loses permanent? And zapping Permanent Willpower?

I'd think that would at /least/ be an Essence 3 Charm, personally. Neat idea, terrifying execution.

Otherwise, pretty good :) Might I suggest another pair of Charms- one that lets you steal Backgrounds from someone else (possibly off of Another Woman) and a Limit based Success adder somewhere? - DariusSolluman

I'll push up the Essence requirement and have your BG-stealing Charm be a prereq, making this a much harder Charm to achieve. That and the success-adder will be up when I think of names for them. - FourWillowsWeeping

May I suggest 'Theft of the King's Blood' for the Background stealer and 'Falling Starlight Smile' for the Socialize success adder?

And, in the fine tradition of such success adders, that it be capable or working with Presence or Bureaucracy actions as well as Socialize? Maybe Performance as well. As a Solar success adder is typically 2 motes per success, I'm thinking this should cost about 7 motes, or 3 and a Willpower. No idea how to price the background stealer- should their be an XP cost for the stolen Backgrounds? I'd lean to yes, if the theft is permanent... but cheap. Like, 2 xp a dot. - DariusSolluman

We'll make two Background stealers, because I wanted a cheap temporary one. I'll even use your Charm names(: I think I have a metric for Limit-based pricing at the moment, which makes 3m 1w feel about right. - FourWillowsWeeping