Difference between revisions of "Sz/PMEScribbles"
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They are basically the Infernal counterpart of Sidereal Astrology, bringing about supernatural effects through subtle manipulations. However, unlike Astrology, Passions manipulate one's subconscious, emotions and, well, passions. As such, they are capable of affecting those outside of fate, as long as they are capable of feeling. | They are basically the Infernal counterpart of Sidereal Astrology, bringing about supernatural effects through subtle manipulations. However, unlike Astrology, Passions manipulate one's subconscious, emotions and, well, passions. As such, they are capable of affecting those outside of fate, as long as they are capable of feeling. | ||
− | Like Astrology, Passions may be used to create a false image for the Infernal, or create tokens which provide the target with supernatural effects. In the former's case, the Infernal embodies and exaggerates a Passion and becomes a psychological archetype defined by the emotion. The latter works somewhat like Resplendencies--called | + | Like Astrology, Passions may be used to create a false image for the Infernal, or create tokens which provide the target with supernatural effects. In the former's case, the Infernal embodies and exaggerates a Passion and becomes a psychological archetype defined by the emotion. The latter works somewhat like Resplendencies--called [[MadnessSz/PMEScribbles/Insanity/whatever]] I decide to call it later on. Before a Madness can take effect, it must be designed by an Infernal who possesses a deep alignment with the related Passion. After that, the idea of it must be delivered to the target, through a subtle poetry, a unique painting, a powerful gesture or a word. Once the idea has infiltrated the target's mind, the Madness takes its effect as it begins to overtake the target's consciousness. |
* Staff | * Staff | ||
− | : Larceny: | + | : Larceny: |
: Pilot: | : Pilot: | ||
− | : Resistance: | + | : Resistance: |
: Survival: | : Survival: | ||
: Technology: | : Technology: | ||
Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
* Cup | * Cup | ||
: Craft: The Vision | : Craft: The Vision | ||
− | : Linguistics: | + | : Linguistics: |
: Medicine: | : Medicine: | ||
: Performance: | : Performance: | ||
Line 47: | Line 47: | ||
: Engineering: | : Engineering: | ||
: Investigation: | : Investigation: | ||
− | : Knowledge: | + | : Knowledge: |
: Occult: The Obsession | : Occult: The Obsession | ||
− | : Stealth: | + | : Stealth: The Dream |
* Heart | * Heart | ||
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<b>Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Song</b> | <b>Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Song</b> | ||
<b>Duration: One scene</b> | <b>Duration: One scene</b> | ||
− | <b>Prerequisite Charms: Mad God Mien, World- | + | <b>Prerequisite Charms: Mad God Mien, World-Making Artistic Vision, Burning Sapphire Dream</b> |
When the humans were first born, Malfeas--to whom the creation of artistic creativity is attributed to--gave them five glorious tools. The first was a chisel, called Valor. The second was a pen, called Conviction. The third was a paint-brush, called Temperance. The fourth was a melody, called Compassion. The fifth was a dream, called Selfhood. Thousands upon thousands years past, humanity has forgotten the proper use of these tools. However, upon her return to primal creativity, the grasp on these glorious tools return to the Infernal hero. By invoking this Charm, she becomes the ultimate artist, who discovers the beautiful dream from the crude material of herself. | When the humans were first born, Malfeas--to whom the creation of artistic creativity is attributed to--gave them five glorious tools. The first was a chisel, called Valor. The second was a pen, called Conviction. The third was a paint-brush, called Temperance. The fourth was a melody, called Compassion. The fifth was a dream, called Selfhood. Thousands upon thousands years past, humanity has forgotten the proper use of these tools. However, upon her return to primal creativity, the grasp on these glorious tools return to the Infernal hero. By invoking this Charm, she becomes the ultimate artist, who discovers the beautiful dream from the crude material of herself. | ||
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The Charm allows a character to develop abnormally advanced traits, such as reaching Essence 6 before having transcended mortal life or Virtues rated at 6. Such growths come with the necessary roleplaying and experience costs, of course, but they have an additional price as well. Undergoing such overwhelming experience puts a great strain on one's sanity, and as such, characters that reach normally disallowed degrees incur two points of permanent Limit or Bedlam (for those who do not have such traits, a mental or supernatural mutation, though this writer doesn't know much about mutations so he can't really specify anything here.) | The Charm allows a character to develop abnormally advanced traits, such as reaching Essence 6 before having transcended mortal life or Virtues rated at 6. Such growths come with the necessary roleplaying and experience costs, of course, but they have an additional price as well. Undergoing such overwhelming experience puts a great strain on one's sanity, and as such, characters that reach normally disallowed degrees incur two points of permanent Limit or Bedlam (for those who do not have such traits, a mental or supernatural mutation, though this writer doesn't know much about mutations so he can't really specify anything here.) | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Stealth'' | ||
+ | |||
+ | <b><i>Dreaming</i></b> | ||
+ | <b>Cost: --</b> | ||
+ | <b>Minimums: Stealth 5, Essence 4</b> | ||
+ | <b>Type: Permanent</b> | ||
+ | <b>Keywords: Song</b> | ||
+ | <b>Duration: Permanent</b> | ||
+ | <b>Prerequisite Charms: ''All previous Stealth Charms''</b> | ||
+ | |||
+ | Life is just a dream. | ||
+ | |||
+ | An Infernal who has learned this Charm may recite the Song of the ??? at the time of his death or otherwise dramatically appropriate moment. The recital need not be loud or gracious--its only purpose is to remind oneself the story of the ???. At the last syllable of the song, the air around him flashes in faint green as the Infernal's Exaltation is snuffed out and buried deep within his soul. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Hellion returns to the identity he once possessed before he was chosen to embody the Yozi's Graces. The magic of the Charm ensures that this is possible--including relocating him to his old hometown, modifying memories of people around him and such. He also loses all memories of his existence as an Exalted hero, merely remembering his exploits as glorious dreams. To further perfect this illusion, he may not access any superhuman traits he has attained as an Infernal. For all intents and purposes, the character is now a heroic mortal at most. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His Exaltation, however, is not truly lost. It is simply hidden behind walls of disbelief and meekness. All it is required to resurrect the Hellion is a reminder of his heroic nature. Perhaps it is a lover or a comrade-at-arms he has gained as an Infernal, or perhaps a travesty his exalted soul simply cannot accept. For whatever reason, his return requires him to acknowledge that his visions will not be contained within a mortal frame once more--and then, he will once again return to his dreaming. | ||
=== Exalted Shticks === | === Exalted Shticks === | ||
− | Solar: Jack of all trades. As the Exalts of the highest potential, they are capable of (eventually) mastering Solar Circle Sorcery, Sidereal Martial Arts and Alchemical Attunement. However, of these transcendent masteries, only the art of sorcery innately reaches the Solar Essence--the others are something that a Solar must reach by kicking reason to the curb and doing the impossible and/or with hard work and guts. As such, learning Solar Circle Sorcery requires only Occult 5 and Essence 5 and learning Sidereal Initiation and Alchemical Attunement require Martial Arts | + | Solar: Jack of all trades. As the Exalts of the highest potential, they are capable of (eventually) mastering Solar Circle Sorcery, Sidereal Martial Arts and Alchemical Attunement. However, of these transcendent masteries, only the art of sorcery innately reaches the Solar Essence--the others are something that a Solar must reach by kicking reason to the curb and doing the impossible and/or with hard work and guts. As such, learning Solar Circle Sorcery requires only Occult 5 and Essence 5 and learning Sidereal Initiation and Alchemical Attunement require Martial Arts 6Sz/PMEScribbles/Ordnance 6 and Essence 6. |
However, even the Solars are unable to achieve a total understanding of Necromancy, as the art operates on a principle completely alien and offensive to Creation's geomancy. Therefore, a Solar may only reach the Second Circle Necromancy. As for Lunar Shapeshifting--the Solars may have been able to emulate their mates' powers had the Lunars not been so neglected by their patron and left to warp. | However, even the Solars are unable to achieve a total understanding of Necromancy, as the art operates on a principle completely alien and offensive to Creation's geomancy. Therefore, a Solar may only reach the Second Circle Necromancy. As for Lunar Shapeshifting--the Solars may have been able to emulate their mates' powers had the Lunars not been so neglected by their patron and left to warp. | ||
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'''Sorcery''' | '''Sorcery''' | ||
− | * ''First Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Emerald Circle Sorcery. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to Creation. Allows the character to take Terrestrial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 3 and Occult | + | * ''First Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Emerald Circle Sorcery. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to Creation. Allows the character to take Terrestrial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 3 and Occult 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 3 (or [[OccultSz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence]] 5 for mortals). |
− | * ''Second Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Sapphire Circle Sorcery. Available to all Celestial Exalts and the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Celestial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 4 and Occult | + | * ''Second Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Sapphire Circle Sorcery. Available to all Celestial Exalts and the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Celestial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 4 and Occult 4Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 4 (or Essence 5 and Occult 5 for Abyssals.) |
* ''Third Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Diamond Circle Sorcery. Available to Solars. Allows the character to take Solar Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 5 and Occult 5. | * ''Third Circle Sorcery'' - Also called the Diamond Circle Sorcery. Available to Solars. Allows the character to take Solar Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 5 and Occult 5. | ||
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'''Necromancy''' | '''Necromancy''' | ||
− | * ''First Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Iron Circle Necromancy. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to the Underworld. Allows the character to take Shadowlands Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 3 and Medicine | + | * ''First Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Iron Circle Necromancy. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to the Underworld. Allows the character to take Shadowlands Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 3 and Medicine 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 4. |
* ''Second Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Onyx Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals and Solars. Allows the character to take Labyrinth Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 4 and Medicine 4 (or Essence 5 and Medicine 5 for Solars.) | * ''Second Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Onyx Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals and Solars. Allows the character to take Labyrinth Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 4 and Medicine 4 (or Essence 5 and Medicine 5 for Solars.) | ||
* ''Third Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Obsidian Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Void Circle Necromancy actions. | * ''Third Circle Necromancy'' - Also called the Obsidian Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Void Circle Necromancy actions. | ||
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'''Weaving''' | '''Weaving''' | ||
− | * ''First Circle Weaving'' - Also called the Man-Machine Protocol. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take Man-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 3 and Intelligence | + | * ''First Circle Weaving'' - Also called the Man-Machine Protocol. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take Man-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 3 and Intelligence 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Technology 3. |
* ''Second Circle Weaving'' - Also called the God-Machine Protocol. Available to the Alchemicals and Solars. Allows the character to take God-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 4 and Intelligence 4 (or Essence 5 and Technology 5 for Solars.) | * ''Second Circle Weaving'' - Also called the God-Machine Protocol. Available to the Alchemicals and Solars. Allows the character to take God-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 4 and Intelligence 4 (or Essence 5 and Technology 5 for Solars.) | ||
'''Oneiromancy''' | '''Oneiromancy''' | ||
− | * ''First Circle Oneiromancy'' - Also called the Samadhi Circle Oneiromancy. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 3 and Presence | + | * ''First Circle Oneiromancy'' - Also called the Samadhi Circle Oneiromancy. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 3 and Presence 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Charisma 3. |
* ''Second Circle Oneiromancy'' - Also called the Shinma Circle Oneiromancy. Available to the Infernals and Solars. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 4 and Presence 4 (or Essence 5 and Presence 5 for Solars.) | * ''Second Circle Oneiromancy'' - Also called the Shinma Circle Oneiromancy. Available to the Infernals and Solars. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 4 and Presence 4 (or Essence 5 and Presence 5 for Solars.) | ||
Revision as of 08:08, 5 April 2010
Contents
Scribbles.
On Creation's elements
When Gaia went kaboom, the Five Elemental Dragons went down with her. Autochthon managed to salvage some of them, but he was unable to reconstitute the Earth Dragon. Without an element of stability, the Creation was at brink of simply crumbling away--though this shouldn't imply that it wasn't beforehand. So, in an act of desperation, Autochthon replaced the absent element with his own, the Element of Metal.
When the Metal Dragon migrated to Creation, a bunch of denizens of Autochthon came over as well. Some were machine spirits sent to assist the significantly understaffed Celestial Hierarchy. Some were mortal specialists dispatched to assist the Exalts in the reconstruction of Creation. Some were just poor parasitic saps that got transported over without consent.
These parasites existed as more miraculous entities back in Autochthon, where they existed as ephemeral muses and gremlins. They fed on the innovative Essence of the Primordial and filtered this creative urge to his mortal denizens. However, now aborted from Autochthon's Essence, they are unable to continue living as they once did. Until they have adapted to breathe in Creation's geomancy, all they had access to was the Elemental Pole of Metal. This change in diet gave them definitive shapes. And such. These beings roughly equate to the Mountain Folk.
Random Charm Names
Alchemical: World-Maker's Chemistry, and its follow-up Charm World-Maker's Alchemy. Society-Decoding Science, which is a prerequisite of Riot-Inciting Calculus.
Infernal: Spectacular Insanity. Hundred Wounds Meditation, Ten-Thousand Wounds Epiphany and Eight-Million Wounds Liberation. Imperishable Night and Mountain of Faith.
The Twenty and Five Passions
What are these?
They are basically the Infernal counterpart of Sidereal Astrology, bringing about supernatural effects through subtle manipulations. However, unlike Astrology, Passions manipulate one's subconscious, emotions and, well, passions. As such, they are capable of affecting those outside of fate, as long as they are capable of feeling.
Like Astrology, Passions may be used to create a false image for the Infernal, or create tokens which provide the target with supernatural effects. In the former's case, the Infernal embodies and exaggerates a Passion and becomes a psychological archetype defined by the emotion. The latter works somewhat like Resplendencies--called MadnessSz/PMEScribbles/Insanity/whatever I decide to call it later on. Before a Madness can take effect, it must be designed by an Infernal who possesses a deep alignment with the related Passion. After that, the idea of it must be delivered to the target, through a subtle poetry, a unique painting, a powerful gesture or a word. Once the idea has infiltrated the target's mind, the Madness takes its effect as it begins to overtake the target's consciousness.
- Staff
- Larceny:
- Pilot:
- Resistance:
- Survival:
- Technology:
- Cup
- Craft: The Vision
- Linguistics:
- Medicine:
- Performance:
- Socialize:
- Sword
- Athletics: The Fervor
- Close Combat: The Quest
- Ranged Combat:
- Presence: The Glory
- War:
- Ring
- Engineering:
- Investigation:
- Knowledge:
- Occult: The Obsession
- Stealth: The Dream
- Heart
- Awareness: The Apathy
- Bureaucracy: The Doubt
- Integrity: The Pride
- Martial Arts: The Alter Ego
- Ordnance: The Despair
Charm drafts?
Craft: The Vision
Transcendent Dream Shape
Cost: 16m, 1wp Minimums: Craft 5, Essence 5 Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Song Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Mad God Mien, World-Making Artistic Vision, Burning Sapphire Dream
When the humans were first born, Malfeas--to whom the creation of artistic creativity is attributed to--gave them five glorious tools. The first was a chisel, called Valor. The second was a pen, called Conviction. The third was a paint-brush, called Temperance. The fourth was a melody, called Compassion. The fifth was a dream, called Selfhood. Thousands upon thousands years past, humanity has forgotten the proper use of these tools. However, upon her return to primal creativity, the grasp on these glorious tools return to the Infernal hero. By invoking this Charm, she becomes the ultimate artist, who discovers the beautiful dream from the crude material of herself.
The moment the Exalt opens her lips and the first syllable of the Song of the Hungry Idiot Child escapes, crystal blue light rush forth from her eyes. As the song comes to an end, the surface of her body cracks and melts away. The last syllable detonates all the inspiration curdled within her, exploding the Exalt in a brilliant mess of light and flicker with enough force to knock down anyone standing too close to her. When the light fades and sight returns to the witnesses, the transcendent dream-shape of the Infernal stands where her body once stood, gloriously.
This form is the inner perfection desired by the Infernal, manifested as the light of the color associated with her Grace in a humanoid shape. The utter majesty of her beauty dwarfs all the mundanity that surrounds her--she is considered to have the Huge affliction in this form. Her motions are driven by the truth of her Virtue, and they leave an impression on her surroundings as surely as her faith itself--Add the total of (Grace Virtue) dots to Strength, Charisma and Appearance. Attributes increased in this manner, combined with the benefits of Huge affliction, may exceed the normal limits and do not count as Charm dice. And stuff. Ahhhhhhhhhhh this Charm needs to work with earlier Craft Charms and permanent Bedlam but I haven't figured them out yet blargh.
Awareness: The Apathy
Insight of the Night Sky
Cost: 15m, 3wp Minimums: Awareness 5, Essence 5 Type: Simple Keywords: Obvious, Training, Social, Song Duration: Indefinite Prerequisite Charms: All previous Awareness Charms
Sometimes, to discover everything, one must become blind. By dispelling the illusion of the world, one may finally perceive the only thing that matters--one's own selfhood. As the Infernal recites the Song of the Black Snake Child, the air around him begins to ripple in dark purples and shiver to the rhythm of the melody. The Infernal need only close his eyes at the end of the last syllable to benefit from the Charm's effect, at which point his being becomes inverted, inside out, much like his Yozi master. To those around him when the Charm takes effect, it seems as if his body simultaneously explodes into infinity and implodes into nothingness.
In this state, the Infernal does not exist in any world. He does not see, hear, smell, taste or feel anything except himself. His memories, thoughts, dreams and fears are the only things that are real. While this supernatural trance lasts--and with proper roleplaying--the training time for Essence is reduced by half (rounded up) and may reach degrees not usually permitted (Essence 6 before a century of Exalted existence, for example.) Furthermore, as long as the character goes through scenarios which appropriately affect his personality, he may spend required experience points to increase his Virtues or Willpower immediately. This trance lasts until the character goes through an epiphany--and he may not escape it until one is achieved.
The effect of this Charm may be applied to characters other than the Infernal. Those who are aware of the Charm's effects and willing to be affected by it need only be sung to. For others, they must be forced to listen--before the Charm is used, the Infernal must beat the target's MDV with a social attack, after which he may recite the song. Those who go through the inversion of selfhood will invariably find the experience painful and terrifying.
The Charm allows a character to develop abnormally advanced traits, such as reaching Essence 6 before having transcended mortal life or Virtues rated at 6. Such growths come with the necessary roleplaying and experience costs, of course, but they have an additional price as well. Undergoing such overwhelming experience puts a great strain on one's sanity, and as such, characters that reach normally disallowed degrees incur two points of permanent Limit or Bedlam (for those who do not have such traits, a mental or supernatural mutation, though this writer doesn't know much about mutations so he can't really specify anything here.)
Stealth
Dreaming
Cost: -- Minimums: Stealth 5, Essence 4 Type: Permanent Keywords: Song Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: All previous Stealth Charms
Life is just a dream.
An Infernal who has learned this Charm may recite the Song of the ??? at the time of his death or otherwise dramatically appropriate moment. The recital need not be loud or gracious--its only purpose is to remind oneself the story of the ???. At the last syllable of the song, the air around him flashes in faint green as the Infernal's Exaltation is snuffed out and buried deep within his soul.
The Hellion returns to the identity he once possessed before he was chosen to embody the Yozi's Graces. The magic of the Charm ensures that this is possible--including relocating him to his old hometown, modifying memories of people around him and such. He also loses all memories of his existence as an Exalted hero, merely remembering his exploits as glorious dreams. To further perfect this illusion, he may not access any superhuman traits he has attained as an Infernal. For all intents and purposes, the character is now a heroic mortal at most.
His Exaltation, however, is not truly lost. It is simply hidden behind walls of disbelief and meekness. All it is required to resurrect the Hellion is a reminder of his heroic nature. Perhaps it is a lover or a comrade-at-arms he has gained as an Infernal, or perhaps a travesty his exalted soul simply cannot accept. For whatever reason, his return requires him to acknowledge that his visions will not be contained within a mortal frame once more--and then, he will once again return to his dreaming.
Exalted Shticks
Solar: Jack of all trades. As the Exalts of the highest potential, they are capable of (eventually) mastering Solar Circle Sorcery, Sidereal Martial Arts and Alchemical Attunement. However, of these transcendent masteries, only the art of sorcery innately reaches the Solar Essence--the others are something that a Solar must reach by kicking reason to the curb and doing the impossible and/or with hard work and guts. As such, learning Solar Circle Sorcery requires only Occult 5 and Essence 5 and learning Sidereal Initiation and Alchemical Attunement require Martial Arts 6Sz/PMEScribbles/Ordnance 6 and Essence 6.
However, even the Solars are unable to achieve a total understanding of Necromancy, as the art operates on a principle completely alien and offensive to Creation's geomancy. Therefore, a Solar may only reach the Second Circle Necromancy. As for Lunar Shapeshifting--the Solars may have been able to emulate their mates' powers had the Lunars not been so neglected by their patron and left to warp.
Lunar: Shapeshifters without peer... Well, at least within Creation. The Alchemicals, being based on Lunar shards, are capable of altering their body as well, but they do not quite reach the finesse of the Lunars. The Infernals can also do something similar, but this is mostly due to their disregard to the human form and the constant exposure to foreign Essence. So yeah.
While they are unrivaled in shapeshifting, though, they are somewhat lacking in sorcery and martial arts. Without the raw might that Solars possess, the Third Circle Sorcery is beyond a Lunar's reach. Though they might have been once capable of achieving Sidereal Initiation, the Lunar Shard has become too "affected" to develop such a deep and thorough understanding of Creation. Lunars may only learn sorcery up to the Second Circle and martial arts up to Celestial Initiation.
Sidereal: Considering their exposure to the inner workings of reality as they are, it's no wonder that the Sidereals have become the master of metaphorical arts. They can achieve the Blossom of the Perfected Lotus with (relatively) little effort, though, like the Lunars, they are incapable of in-your-face manipulation of Essence required for the Third Circle Sorcery.
The Glorious Materials
Types
There are a total of seven Magical Materials, spelled with capital Ms. They are Orichalcum, Moonsilver, Starmetal, Soulsteel, Adamant, Gossamer and Jade. Respectively, they resonate most particularly to the Essence of Solars, Lunars, Sidereals, Abyssals, Alchemicals, Infernals and Terrestrials.
Orichalcum is supernaturally rarefied gold. In pure form, it has the sheen of a rose gold and hardness that far surpasses the hardest steel. Under pressure, however, it bends rather than breaks, making objects made of Orichalcum rather difficult to break.
Moonsilver is an ephemeral substance that resembles both silver and mercury. Though it appears silvery in color to naked eyes, when exposed to moonlight (or any kind of dim reflected light), its surface displays specks of blue and white also. Without alloying, raw Moonsilver behaves somewhat like jelly or a paste, refusing to take shape and remaining single-mindedly flexible. It's rather fun to play with, frankly speaking. Alloyed Moonsilver blends the properties, possessing both the flexibility of Moonsilver and the hardness of the alloying metal.
Starmetal appears to be simple iron ore to untrained eyes. Upon closer inspection, however, microscopic triangular matrices of jewel-like colors can be detected on smooth surfaces. The most amazing property of Starmetal is its ability to transfer heat, electricity and such physical energies, as well as being the perfect physical conduit of fate.
Soulsteel is a disturbing alloy made from the iron-like carcass of the Neverborn and a horde of ghosts in eternal inescapable torment. The material is singularly malevolent and violent and it is simply impossible to employ its unique properties for any constructive purposes. When one holds something made of Soulsteel, one can't help but admit that one feels cold from inside. Heart loses its vigor and sorrow and fear drown it. Eventually, one will wish that everything would just stop.
Adamant is, some say, the simplest of all physical materials. A crystal of Adamant is perfectly clear and without flaw. Unless Essence is employed, it is impossible to break or damage a naturally occurring Adamant. When light passes through Adamant, the spectrum of visible colors blend inside like a drop of ink in a cup of pure water. When one channels Essence through Adamant, it gently glows with the hue of the Exalt's Essence.
Gossamer is then the antithesis of Adamant. By nature, Gossamer is extremely raw--in the nuclear sense. The Essence which binds it together is fragile and easily disturbed. In its raw state (discovered inside the fading corpses of Wyld monstrosities and bowels of Malfeas) Gossamer appears like soft cobwebs, a series of silver-white veins lining the Fair Folk's internal organs or dancing to the insane breezes of the Yozi, hanging from tree-tips. For some reason, people find the presence of Gossamer irresistible and would pay any amount of money to own it, making battles against mutated horrors from beyond reality and ventures into the depth of Malfeas worth the trouble. Though Gossamer reacts to Essence--rather sensitively, in fact--it is extremely dangerous to directly channel Essence into Gossamer. There have been multiple cases where protoshinmaic breakouts have been caused by Gossamer meltdowns. The Essence of the Wyld and Malfeas seem to have no problem with it, though.
Jade is the most common among the Magical Materials and also the least potent. Unlike other Magical Materials, Jade has a chance of accumulating in any kind of situation, given an abundance of simple, elemental Essence. Unworked Jade appears to be like simple stones with pastel hues and must be polished and refined according to its internal Essence matrix to reveal its true beauty. In construction, Jade provides an easy conduit for foreign Essence, allowing anyone with awakened Essence to tap their magical properties. However, in turn, its universal compatibility also dampens traits unique to Jade and a greater degree of control is required to unlock them.
Properties
Steel is useful. It's durable and easy to work with, given the right equipment. You can make a bunch of stuff with steel, like knives, bed frames, tables, cars and so on. They are so much better than simple iron or copper.
But would you weave a sweater out of steel?
Even the most useful and valued materials are useless and worthless for purposes that do not fit their properties. To weave a comfy sweater, you would like to use wool instead of steel. Like so, even the most Magical Materials have such limits. Orichalcum can become utterly hard and form incredibly sharp edges, but such traits are useless for, say, electronic circuitry. Starmetal's conductivity and its connection to fate allows construction of supernaturally efficient computing devices and complex fateful (they need to come up with a better adjective form for Exalted's Fate) mechanisms, but I don't think you would like to tattoo your body with molten Starmetal. Well, unless you always wanted an LCD on your chest.
As such, the statistical benefits of Magical Materials do not lend to any and all constructions they are made of. Without an advanced mastery of attunement, attuned Artifacts will only receive MM bonuses if it matches the type of the MM.
All Artifacts made with the Magical Materials have the following properties:
- Attuned Artifacts are indestructible, unless a magical effect specifically states that it can damage even MMs.
- As long as the Artifact remains attuned, the Exalt is innately aware of its position and status.
- Attuned Artifacts become a part of the Exalt's internal Essence flow. Hearthstones inserted into the Artifact will grant its benefits to the wielder without having to touch the skin directly. Some effects with the tag Touch may be used via the attuned Artifact.
Orichalcum possesses the following properties:
- Orichalcum brims with the burning energy of the Unconquered Sun and it is eager to burn away whatever stands against the Lawgiver's will. Melee weapons (both sharp and blunt) made of Orichalcum add +1 to Damage, Accuracy, Defense and Rate.
- When the glorious Essence of a Solar Exalt channels through the august barrel of an Orichalcum Manskewer, the heat of the Sun redoubles and his rounds tear through the enemies like spring sunlight through winter cold. Orichalcum Manskewer adds (Essence/2, rounded down) to Damage again.
Moonsilver possesses the following properties:
- Luna swore to protect everything within Creation even when the Yozi shattered Creation itself and the Oblivion swallowed her lover whole. Her resolute oath echoes in her Magical Material and anyone who entrusts himself to her caress will be unhurt and unharmed. Suits of armor and such protective clothing constructed with Moonsilver move with the wearer like second skin, protecting them from harm. They have no mobility penalty, regardless of their size, and also add (Essence/2, rounded down) to bashing and lethal soak.
- Moonsilver is the jewel of wilderness, where predators hide. A weapon made of Moonsilver is the concealed claw of the Lunars, who patiently lurk in the shadows and strike down the enemies of Creation when they least expect them. No matter how unlikely, any weapon made of Moonsilver add three dice to concealment attempt.
Starmetal possesses the following properties:
- Once a part of a grand reality engine called the Celestial Bureaucracy, Starmetal still excels at serving its function within a great system. Computation devices which uses Starmetal circuitry in construction reach the highest level of efficiency and precision allowed by the Loom of Fate. Furthermore, its need to function must be fulfilled and therefore errors and bugs become impossible for the device. (More to come when I figure out how kung fu computers are supposed to work.)
- As the stars and planets dance along their complex orbits determined by the Five Maidens, their gravitational push and pull, regardless of how faint they are, affect everything within the design of the Loom of Fate. Like such, when a Sidereal employs Starmetal, a material holy to the Maidens, she finds herself adapt at influencing the world around her. When an Artifact made of Starmetal is used (such as jewelry, spectacle or such), it adds (Essence/2, rounded down) to Accuracy of her social attacks.
Soulsteel possesses the following properties:
- Like the black holes which endlessly devour existence from Creation, Soulsteel hungers for the Essence of the living. When a living being is struck with a melee weapon made of Soulsteel, the victim loses a number of motes equal to the Exalt's Essence. Also, Soulsteel construction adds +2 to the weapon's Accuracy, as the hatred locked within seeks for its prey by itself.
- Abyssals have sworn to destroy Creation wholesale and any living thing instantly becomes aware of their promise the moment they see their presence. Any object made of Soulsteel, when used for intimidation purposes, add +3 to the Abyssal's dice pool.
Adamant possesses the following properties:
- Adamant's simplistic crystal structure gives way to foreign Essence and submits itself to the commands of the Exalted wielder. Artifacts made of Adamant decreases its commitment cost by half, rounded up.
- Adamant also amplifies the Essence matrices of other Magical Materials, when configured in the proper manner. Artifact which uses Adamant and one other Magical Material may count as being made of both Adamant alone and the other MM alone for attunement purposes.
Gossamer possesses the following properties:
- Gossamer is the concentrated imaginations, dreams and insanities of all the realities. Within its cobwebs, one sees the most beautiful moment of their life, the most sublime truth of their epiphanies and the most torturous hours of their memories and cannot help but be attracted to it. When a jewelry or other decorative object made of Gossamer is exposed to the senses, the Exalt's opponents lose (Essence/2, rounded down) from their MDVs. This penalty is considered internal.
- Within both the Wyld and Malfeas, the urge to change writhes in the very air. Filled with chaos, both from their origin and Infernal Essence, Gossamer weapons shatter local geomancy like glass. Once a scene, after a successful attack, the Infernal may attempt to break a persistent Essence pattern with his weapon. For this, roll his Essence against the minimum Essence requirement for the effect. Success means that the effect has been canceled. Botch means that Gossamer loses its stability from the shock and melts down.
Jade possesses the following properties:
- Jade is a natural conduit of Essence. As long as its origin matches with the Essence user's, the commitment cost does not double even if she is not a Terrestrial Exalt.
- Once attuned, Jade Artifacts move as if they were a natural part of the Terrestrial's body and will. All weapons made of Jade reduce their Speed by 1 (to the minimum of 3) and Jade armors possess no fatigue value.
Universal Charms
Sorcery
- First Circle Sorcery - Also called the Emerald Circle Sorcery. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to Creation. Allows the character to take Terrestrial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 3 and Occult 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 3 (or OccultSz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 5 for mortals).
- Second Circle Sorcery - Also called the Sapphire Circle Sorcery. Available to all Celestial Exalts and the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Celestial Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 4 and Occult 4Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 4 (or Essence 5 and Occult 5 for Abyssals.)
- Third Circle Sorcery - Also called the Diamond Circle Sorcery. Available to Solars. Allows the character to take Solar Circle Sorcery actions. Requires Essence 5 and Occult 5.
Beings whose Essence pattern is aligned with realms other than Creation may find sorcery unnatural and cumbersome, due to the difference between the mechanism of the realities. Luckily, each realm has its own variation of sorcery, which beings from the respective places find more comfortable.
Necromancy
- First Circle Necromancy - Also called the Iron Circle Necromancy. Available to all Essence users except mortals and Terrestrials foreign to the Underworld. Allows the character to take Shadowlands Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 3 and Medicine 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Intelligence 4.
- Second Circle Necromancy - Also called the Onyx Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals and Solars. Allows the character to take Labyrinth Circle Necromancy actions. Requires Essence 4 and Medicine 4 (or Essence 5 and Medicine 5 for Solars.)
- Third Circle Necromancy - Also called the Obsidian Circle Necromancy. Available to the Abyssals. Allows the character to take Void Circle Necromancy actions.
Weaving
- First Circle Weaving - Also called the Man-Machine Protocol. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take Man-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 3 and Intelligence 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Technology 3.
- Second Circle Weaving - Also called the God-Machine Protocol. Available to the Alchemicals and Solars. Allows the character to take God-Machine Protocol actions. Requires Essence 4 and Intelligence 4 (or Essence 5 and Technology 5 for Solars.)
Oneiromancy
- First Circle Oneiromancy - Also called the Samadhi Circle Oneiromancy. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 3 and Presence 3Sz/PMEScribbles/Charisma 3.
- Second Circle Oneiromancy - Also called the Shinma Circle Oneiromancy. Available to the Infernals and Solars. Allows the character to take ??? actions. Requires Essence 4 and Presence 4 (or Essence 5 and Presence 5 for Solars.)
Martial Arts
- First Circle Initiation - Also called the Root of the Perfected Lotus. Allows the character to learn and use Terrestrial Martial Arts. Available to all Essence users. Requires Essence 3 and Martial Arts 3 (or MA 5 for mortals.)
- Second Circle Initiation - Also called the Bulb of the Perfected Lotus. Allows the character to learn and use Celestial Martial Arts. Available to all Exalts. Requires Essence 4 and Martial Arts 4 (or MA 5 for Terrestrials.)
- Third Circle Initiation - Also called the Blossom of the Perfected lotus. Allows the character to learn and use Sidereal Martial Arts. Available to the Sidereals and Solars. Requires Essence 5 and Martial Arts 5 (or Essence 6 and Martial Arts 6 for Solars.)
Attunement
- First Circle Attunement - Also called the Anointment of Copper. Allows the character to attune to objects constructed of Magical Materials and access their first major properties, as well as to operate Terrestrial Circle Starstriders. Available to all Essence users. Requires Essence 3.
- Second Circle Attunement - Also called the Anointment of Silver. Allows the character to attune to objects constructed of Magical Materials and access their second major properties, as well as to operate Celestial Circle Starstriders. Available to all Celestial and Primordial Exalts. Requires Essence 4.
- Third Circle Attunement - Also called the Anointment of Platinum. Allows the character to attune to objects constructed of Magical Materials and access their third major properties, as well as to operate Alchemical Circle Starstriders. Available to the Alchemicals and Solars. Requires Essence 5 (or Essence 6 for Solars.)
The Five Maidens
The age this Creation is in is vastly different from the age the canon Creation is in. Things are different, the dynamics between the mortals and the Exalts are different, and so on. Perhaps this difference should be reflected by a change to the Five Maidens?
In canon, it's been stated that, perhaps, when Creation passes an age, one of the Maidens will die to provide new threads for the new age and be replaced by another. So it's not entirely uncanonical to create a new Maiden. So, um.
Perhaps the new Maiden might be called Neptune, the Maiden of Mysteries, replacing Jupiter, the Maiden of Secrets. Her duty as an Celestial Incarna will be largely similar to Jupiter's, but instead of being concerned with things kept unknown, she'll be more involved with things yet unknown. Without Jupiter's age and experience, Neptune will be (relatively) clueless, being as ignorant as the peoples down below. Because of this, she's occupied by tremendous curiosity, driving her to actively learn things and uncover hidden details of the universe. Furthermore, she'll possess this sort of prophetic intuition about things.
The death of Jupiter would have been brought during the Great Contagion + Fair Folk Invasion combo. After such calamities, so much of Creation has been destroyed and so much of its knowledge has been lost, this special quality secrets had was likewise lost, flooded by abundance of ignorance. Neptune was born after the Scarlet Empress has driven back the Wyld hordes with the Realm Defense Grid, the nadir of Creation from where it has begun to reconstruct and rediscover itself.