Revision as of 08:07, 5 April 2010

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Lunar Shapeshifting Charms by Quendalon

Mark of Luna

 Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Minimum Stamina: 5
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Blossoming Gift of Luna

The ultimate extension of the Calling Luna’s Favor Charm, the Mark of Luna forever grants the character the benefits of a single Deadly Beastman Transformation gift, so that she enjoys the benefits of the gift in every form she takes. A character may purchase this Charm a number of times equal to (her Essence - 3). As with Calling Luna’s Favor and Blossoming Gift of Luna, the gift actually manifests and will likely seem supernatural to onlookers. The character may apply the Mark of Luna to any gift she possesses, regardless of the chosen gift’s prerequisites.

Animal Swarm Technique

 Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: One scene
 Type: Special
 Minimum Manipulation: 5
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Humble Mouse Shape

To a master shapeshifter, a range of animal forms comprises but a small portion of her repertoire of transformations. A skillful Lunar may transcend the limit of a single frame. With a flare of silver Essence, the character using this Charm dissolves her body into a swarm of smaller forms.

The swarm contains a score or so creatures of the chosen shape, which must come from the character’s library of forms, and must be no smaller than a mouse and no larger than a cat. The swarm moves and acts as a group, with the individual creatures never moving more than a few yards away from one another. For most purposes, a swarm has the same characteristics as a single creature of the same type, with a few exceptions, detailed below.

When attacking in swarm form, the Lunar totally envelops her victim. Her attacks can only be dodged with magic or Charms. In addition, attacking a swarm with weapons can’t kill more than a few creatures at a time. A single attack may inflict a maximum number of health levels equal to the attacker’s permanent Essence. This does not apply to area-effect attacks.

All of the surviving creatures rejoin when the Charm’s effects end. The loss of one or more creatures is reflected by wounds appearing on the Lunar’s body. If any of the creatures are somehow separated from the character so that they cannot rejoin, those creatures die, and the Lunar suffers unsoakable lethal damage proportionate to the number of creatures lost in this way.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Whirring Insect Shape

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 4
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Humble Mouse Shape

With this Charm, the Lunar may take on the form of a natural creature as small as a gnat. There is no cost to use this Charm’s effects; it simply enhances the Lunar’s shapeshifting abilities.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Hulking Behemoth Shape

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 4
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Towering Beast Form

With this Charm, the Lunar may take on the form of a natural creature larger than a tyrant lizard, such as the great forest-eating reptiles of the far Southeast or the larger whale breeds of the Western oceans. There is no cost to use this Charm’s effects; it simply enhances the Lunar’s shapeshifting abilities.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Verdant Tree Shape

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 3
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Many-Faced Moon Transformation

Knowing this Charm allows the Lunar to take on the form of a living plant that she has wholly consumed. This does not grant her any mobility or sensory abilities beyond those normally available to the plant, unless she uses Charms to enhance them. There is no cost to use this Charm’s effects; it simply enhances the Lunar’s shapeshifting abilities.

Imperial Serpent Body

 Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 4
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Prey’s Skin Disguise, Pulse of the Invisible

With this Charm, the Lunar may assume the semblance of a specific Dragon King. This requires her to have consumed its heart’s blood. The Lunar gains the Dragon King’s outward appearance and the use of all of its natural abilities, including its Physical Attributes, Appearance, its breed abilities and its innate weapons. She does not, however, gain its knowledge, Mental and Social Attributes, Abilities or Paths. As with any other shapechanging, the Lunar’s Tell and tattoos are not masked without the use of other Charms.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Spectral Beast Form

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 3
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Finding the Spirit’s Shape, Pulse of the Invisible, Crossing the Veil

Knowing this Charm allows the Lunar to take on the shape of an underworld animal whose heart’s blood she has consumed, such as a barghest or ghost tiger. In such a form, the Lunar regenerates Essence only in the Underworld, and not in the living world. Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Quivering Ghost Shape

 Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 4
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Prey’s Skin Disguise, Spectral Beast Form

With this Charm, the Lunar may assume the semblance of a specific ghost. This requires her to have consumed its heart’s blood. The Lunar gains its outward appearance and the use of all of its natural abilities, including its Physical Attributes and Appearance, its acute senses and its Essence regeneration rate. She also gains the innate weaknesses of the ghostly state, such as the ghost’s vulnerability to wards. She does not gain its knowledge, Mental and Social Attributes, Abilities or Arcanoi. As with any other shapechanging, the Lunar’s Tell and tattoos are not masked without the use of other Charms.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Inanimate (Element) Shape

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 4
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Verdant Tree Shape, Shaping the Once-Living Form

This is actually a group of five distinct Charms, each of which permits the Lunar to take on the form of an inanimate, unworked object of a chosen element that she has wholly consumed. This may comprise any sort of material formed of the chosen element: rocks or heaps of sand, rotting logs or corpses, pools of water or chunks of ice, gusts of wind, and tongues of fire may all be emulated by the Lunar. The elemental semblance must be of the same rough size as the Lunar’s currently assumed form. This does not grant her any mobility or sensory abilities beyond those normally available to the object, unless she uses Charms to enhance them. The Lunar’s Tell remains even in element form unless suppressed by another Charm. There is no cost to use this Charm’s effects; it simply enhances the Lunar’s shapeshifting abilities.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

(Element) Spirit Body

 Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 5
 Minimum Essence: 5
 Prerequisite Charms: Inanimate (Element) Shape for the appropriate element, Prey’s Skin Disguise, Walk in Two Worlds Technique

This is another cluster of five related Charms, each of which allows Lunar may assume the semblance of an elemental of the chosen element. This requires her to have consumed its heart’s blood. The Lunar gains the elemental’s outward appearance and the use of all of its natural abilities, including its Physical Attributes and Appearance, its elemental powers, the ability to control expressions of its element and the ability to regain Essence while in contact with its element. She does not, however, gain its knowledge, Mental and Social Attributes, Abilities or Charms. Use of this Charm may incur the ire of the Celestial Hierarchy. As with any other shapechanging, the Lunar’s Tell and tattoos are not masked without the use of other Charms.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Small God Shape

 Cost: None
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Special
 Minimum Charisma: 5
 Minimum Essence: 5
 Prerequisite Charms: Any two (Element) Spirit Body Charms, Pulse of the Invisible, Crossing the Veil

With this Charm, the Lunar may assume the semblance of a specific god. This requires her to have consumed its heart’s blood. The Lunar gains the god’s outward appearance and the use of all of its natural abilities, including its Physical Attributes and Appearance, its natural immaterial state and its ability to spend a mote of Essence to project a ghostly image of itself. She does not, however, gain its knowledge, Mental and Social Attributes, Abilities or Charms. Use of this Charm may incur the ire of the Celestial Hierarchy. As with any other shapechanging, the Lunar’s Tell and tattoos are not masked without the use of other Charms.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Fantastical Dynast Plumage

 Cost: 5 motes
 Duration: One scene
 Type: Reflexive
 Minimum Manipulation: 5
 Minimum Essence: 5
 Prerequisite Charms: Five Elements Semblance, Hide of the Cunning Hunter, Prey’s Skin Disguise

While a Lunar may take on an Exalt’s semblance with Prey’s Skin Disguise, the change runs only skin deep. Without access to the imitated Exalt’s magics, such an imposture may be difficult to maintain. With this Charm, the Lunar may adopt the elemental anima of a Dragon-Blooded whose heart’s blood she has consumed. This fully replaces her own anima banner and anima effects. The Lunar may cancel the effects of this Charm at any time as a reflexive action.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Celestial Firefly Radiance

 Cost: 3 motes
 Duration: One scene
 Type: Reflexive
 Minimum Charisma: 5
 Minimum Essence: 5
 Prerequisite Charms: Fantastical Dynast Plumage, Masking the Brilliant Form

With this Charm, the Lunar may adopt the anima banner of a Celestial Exalt whose heart’s blood she has consumed. This fully replaces her own anima banner. Unlike the Fantastical Dynast Plumage, this does not allow the use of Celestial anima effects. The Lunar may cancel the effects of this Charm at any time as a reflexive action.

Members of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes may not purchase this Charm, for it draws upon aspects of the Lunar Exaltation that they cannot employ.

Body-Pouch Technique

 Cost: 3 motes
 Duration: Indefinite
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Manipulation: 2
 Minimum Essence: 2
 Prerequisite Charms: Shaping the Ideal Form

This Charm permits the character to store objects within her own flesh. Like a marsupial’s pouch, the Lunar’s skin folds back to form a secure pocket for the desired items. While she wears a form of roughly human size, the character can hold material taking up no more size than a baby; naturally, this changes to match the scale of her current form. If the character takes on a form too small to accommodate whatever items she holds in her pouch, the stored items are instantly disgorged, unharmed. The Essence invested in this Charm remains committed until the character releases the effect.

Pearl and Ivory Harvest

 Cost: 5 motes
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Manipulation: 4
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Shaping the Once-Living Form

With this Charm, the character brings forth living wealth from her own body. Ivory, pearls, nacre, amber, jet, and other such organic treasures may all be called forth from her blood, sweat and tears. Each application of this Charm creates a single jewel whose value equals the character’s (Essence – 1) in Resources. Ongoing use of the Charm can amass enough wealth to grant her a Resources rating equal to her Essence.

Comments

Beautiful =) These have been a long time comin'. - SMK

PS, though - what is Walk in Two Worlds Technique?

Sorry about that! It's in LunarSpirit/Quendalon. - Quendalon

Cool =) So is it fair to assume that at maybe 6 Essence, a Lunar could get a Charm that let them eat gods? This is sounding cooler and cooler... - SMK

I'd probably allow the eating of First Circle Demons at Essence 5, the eating of lesser elemental dragons and Second Circle Demons at Essence 6 or 7, and the eating of gods, Third Circle Demons and Behemoths somewhere between Essence 7 and 9. I'm in no rush to detail those Charms, though, as they're not likely to come into play in my game any time soon. :) - Quendalon

I am really unsure about Celestial Firefly Radiance. The ability to use anima powers of people you've eaten seems, to me, to imply that you're absorbing part of the Exalted Essence. I think Celestial Exaltations should be proof against this, just for thematic reasons.
_Ikselam

That's a strong argument. I may still want to allow it at Essence 7 or higher, as their shapeshifting schtick might well be sufficient to ultimately subsume the physical properties of the Celestial Exaltation. I'll have to think on it... - Quendalon

Anima banners, I'm pretty comfortable with. The anima effect is a little stranger; I view the Solar anima effects are tools provided them by the First Among Gods, and the Sidereal effects as neat fate manipulations of slightly less finesse than Charms of Astrology...not stuff that I metaphysically like in Lunar hands. But I'm a Lunar-hater so don't listen too hard to me. - willows

I think my main issue is that the Celestial anima powers seem, in general, much more spiritual than physical in nature. It's not something that's carried in the blood, like DBness -- all of the power comes from the plug-in.

_Ikselam

Good points from you both. Tweaked to only provide the banner. - Quendalon

As part of UserFriendlyCategories, I've found an orphan that appears to be a page that lists house rules for using these charms, suggesting alternate prerequisites. By linking here, it prevents it from being an orphan and, more importantly, might be of use to someone. - Wordman