Difference between revisions of "SolarLore/BrilliantRain"

Latest revision as of 01:17, 6 April 2010

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The canon Lore Charms for Solars are interesting. Instead of helping the user to think better or know more, they seem generally confined to trees that explore a thought or substance and the trees don't interact or branch much. In other words the existing Solar Lore Charms seem to be dedicated to using arcane knowledge instead of gaining arcane knowledge, as opposed to the Sidreals and Dragon-Blooded who have charms that deal with how you think in addition to the ones that deal with what you think about.

This style of organisation put me in mind of how Martial Arts charms are handled. To that end I am organizing my Solar Lore charms on different principles as well as naming the canon charm trees to give a feel for how this will work.

Academies of Lore

(Styles are for Martial Arts, Hidden Lore didn't sound right, and the Siddys got Colleges first.)

The Academy of Memory

This will eventually be a basic charm tree designed around improving memory. The basic one will either be a dice or a success adder. the upper level ones will be based around building and improving a memory palace and the final one will probably allow limited access to memories from the first age.

Memory is very interesting. People remember things they desperately want to forget and forget things they most want to remember. It can be even worse for the Exalted because of their long life spans. Remebering your 50th birthday isn't hard when you are 60 but it gets difficult at 600. Thus the Exalted eventually turned their hands to the question of how to improve memory. The Solars had the best results with the concept of the Memory Palace. A Memory Palace is a mental construct designed to hold mnemonics to assist with and organise memories. As the Solar progresses through the study of these charms, the Memory Palace will become more ornate, attractive and organised.

The Keys of Memory</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes per success 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Supplemental 
Min. Lore: 1 
Min Essence: 1 
Prereqs: none 

One of the Student of Memory's most basic of lessons is that memories thought long forgotten can appear out of the blue with no warning, thus demonstraiting that you remember more than you realise. Exalted practioners can learn to stimulate and control this effect by meditating momentarily on a particular subject and letting their essence flow into their brain to gather all of the related memories.

Users of this charm can add additional successes to a lore roll, up to a maximum of the successes rolled + user's essence. The use of the charm must be declared before the roll is made. This charm cannot give information that the subject cannot know, for those of you using rules that define exactly what someone has had a chance to learn.

(yes this is just a lore verison of Masterful Performance Technique or an improved version of Brute Force Contemplation from Aspect Book: Air. However, all Solar dice or success adders are basically the same.)

The Building of Memory</b>

<b>Cost: none 
Duration: Permanent 
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 1 
Min Essence: 1 
Prereqs: none 

The other main lesson that begining Students of Memory get is how to create a basic Memory Palace. The Solar sits and meditates, clearing a blank space inside their mental landscape. Then the Solar envisions a building while calling upon her will. This creates a building, commonly a library or museum, that will serve as a holding place for representations of various memories. This building looks mostly as the Solar invisioned it as it is fuzzy around the edges. When it appears the building only contains the memory of the building it's self.

The Solar gains the equivelent effects as having all 5 editic senses. From now on the Solar cannot forget anything they see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. The Solar may make an Int+Lore roll, diffculty based on how obscure the memory is, to add old memories to the Memory Palace. It is self sustaining after that.

(The idea of the memory palace is taken from GURPS Cabal. This is a basic charm because the eidetic sense merit only costs 5 freebie points for all senses, which is the same as an extra charm.)

Filling the Palace </b>

<b>Cost: none 
Duration: Permanent 
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 2 
Min Essence: 2 
Prereqs: The Keys of Memory, The Building of Memory 

Combining the two basic techniques, this charm allows the student to fill his memory palace with old memories, making them more accurate and easer to retrive in the process.

This charm gives the user eidetic access to memories formed before he bought The Building of Memory. The clarity and ease of access to things long thought forgotten gives the student several benifits. The user gains a 1 die phantom specialty in Thing's I Remermbered that is applicable to any ability. This does not allow more than three specialty dice to be applied to any given roll. The user also gains one level of the Past Life merit.

Door to the Inner Mind </b>

<b>Cost: 10m, 1w, 1xp 
Duration: Instant 
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 3 
Min Essence: 2 
Prereqs: Filling the Palace

After completing her memory palace, the student takes the next step. By finding the door that represents her link to her past lives, the student may venture into the memories created by them and bring back knowledge of the First Age.

Each use of this charm gives the user one level of the Past Life merit, up to a maximum of five levels.

If the Storyteller allows, use of this charm can also be used to justify the purchace or negation of any of the following backgrounds, merits, or flaws: Artifact, Manse, Hidden Manse (PG 23) (you found out where your past self hid something cool); Favor (PG 23) (you found out about a spirit or other long lived being that owed you a favor in another life); Derangement (PG 33), Nightmares (PG 35) (you found out that at least one of your past lives was pure evil); Throwback (PG 41) (rading your previous life's memories causes it to have some influence on your behaviour). Any other Backgrounds, Merits, or Flaws that can be justifyed as being gained from old memories can be allowed by the Storyteller. Any Flaws gained give their level in xp to the user.

Door to the Records Room</b>

<b>Cost:  
Duration:  
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 4 
Min Essence: 3 
Prereqs: Door to the Inner Mind 

Placeholder

Door to the Outer Mind </b>

<b>Cost:  
Duration:  
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 3 
Min Essence: 2 
Prereqs: Filling the Palace

Capitalizing on the techniques learned so far, the student uses the essential similarity of all memory palaces as a guide for his essence to create a mental link to another person's memories.

The student sits down facing the target and touches the head of the target while concentraiting and activating this charm. If the target doesn't have a memory palace, this charm creates a memory hut, a temporary construct that allows the student to understand the target's memories. Through examining the memory hut the student may, with a successful Int+Lore roll (difficulty based on how strong the target memory is), view any of the target's memories. This takes five rounds of searching and any memory evoked becomes known to the subject as well (this can be used to cure amniesia). If the target has a memory palace then the student does not need to make a lore roll to find any given memory. If the target is unwilling, they must be tied down or otherwise rendered immoble. An unwilling target can spend a willpower point to keep the student from finding any specific memory. A maximum of 3 willpower can be spent this way.

The student can attempt to modify the targets mood by purposefully showing them happy or sad memories. An extended sequence of 10 happy memories causes the target to regain 1 willpower, just as an extended sequence of 10 bad memories causes the target to lose 1 willpower. If the target loses more than half his willpower, he gains a derangement. This is often used as a torture technique and can be a way to get the target to talk about protected memories.

Back Door </b>

<b>Cost:  
Duration:  
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 4
Min. Larceny: 3
Min Essence: 3 
Prereqs: Door to the Outer Mind 

Having discovered how to find the way into other's memories, the student learns to sneak in. By momentarily touching somone and spending a mote of essence you can form a mental link to that person for as long as the mote remains committed (max links equal to Int.). Once the link is created the student retreats to a defencable position and delves into their own memory palace then activates the charm while concentrating on the mental link. This causes a new door to appear on one of the walls in the student's memory palace. This door leads into the memory of the target. By walking through the door, the student can examine the target's memories, attempt to communicate with the target, or attack the target's memories. Examining the target's memories doesn't cause the target to become aware of them and thus of the student, but otherwise uses the rules from Door to the Outer Mind. Communication takes place by the student adding somthing to the newest part of the target's memory palace or hut. This is usually writing. What the target does when words suddenly show up in his recent memory is up to the target, though any thoughts about the words will show up nearby the words. Destroying a memory representation causes the target to completely forget the memory. However after a number of destroyed memories euqual to the difference between the student's essence and the target's essence, the target intinctivly pushes the student back into her own mind and seals the door behind her. All objects in a memory hut have lethal and bashing soak equal to twice the owner's willpower and health levels equal to the owner's willpower. All objects in a memory palace have twice the soak and health levels of those in a hut. While the student has no weapons, she may still use all of her attack charms. If the target has a memory palace, they get a reflexive Int+Lore roll every day to discover the back door. If the target finds it, they may use the door by going into a meditative state. By using the door the target may use any of the effects of this charm on the student.

The Academy of Chaos

Exalted, Page 186, Integrity-Protecting Prana to Wyld-Shaping Technique. Castebook: Twilight, Page 71 & 72, Earth-Firming Method and Order-Affirming Blow.

The Academy of Lending and Borrowing

Exalted, Page 187, Essence Lending Method to Power-Awarding Prana. Castebook: Twilight, Page 72, Injury Forcing Technique and Sorcery-Conferring Contemplation.

The Academy of Poison

Castebook: Night, Page 71 & 72, Brewing Venom Technique to Mastery-of-Poison Technique

The Academy of Paper

This will eventually be a Lore charm tree devoted to paper manipulation, al la the OVA Read or Die.

Paper is amazing. Simple to make, simple to destroy, but capable of holding large amounts of essence and taking a near infinate number of forms. Several Twilights noticed this and developed an essence manipulation Academy to discover all of the secrets of this humble substance.

Iron Paper</b>

<b>Cost: 4m
Duration: Scene 
Type: Simple 
Min. Lore: 1 
Min Essence: 2 
Prereqs: none 

The most basic trick that the Acacadmy of Paper teaches is to freely release essence into your hands and let it soak into other objects. Because of paper's purity and other essence absorbing qualities it soaks up this free essence like a sponge. This causes the paper to become hard as iron while it is being held. The paper retains its absorbed essence for a short period allowing it to be thrown.

This charm causes any piece of paper touched for the next scene to act as if it was as strong as iron. The effect on any given piece of paper fades after one round if the charm uses isn't touching the piece of paper with her hands. The maximum area of paper that can be effected at any given time is (essence)ft by (essence)ft. Common uses for this strengthened paper are as paper darts, weapons, crowbars, screwdrivers, or anything else where a thin strong edge is useful.

Adamant Paper</b>

<b>Cost: ??? (more than Iron Paper)
Duration: Instant 
Type: Reflexive 
Min. Lore:  
Min Essence:  
Prereqs: ???

As Iron Paper, but the paper is harder.

Notes on Paper.

First, for the purposes of the Paper Academy, Paper includes cards, papyrus, parchment, mulbury paper, jade scrip, unused prayer strips, and pretty much anthing that is thin enough and used as a writing surface. Cloth is definitly not included, although I realise that the dividing line can be thin.

Second, Paper created edged weapons are all Piercing because of the sharp edge paper can hold. Their statistics depend on their size. Anything buisness to playing card size uses stats as a chakram (this includes both Koku & Quian). A Prayer strip to a sheet about a foot square uses stats as a throwing or normal knife, whichever it is being used for. Larger weapons require a sheet that is 8in to 1ft wide and the same length as the longest part of the weapon. Some charms allow the user to combine multiple sheets together. Use the size of the combined paper to figure statistics.

Third, These charms cannot be used on paper that is currently wet. If any paper under the effects of one of the paper charms becomes more than slightly damp, the charm ends for that piece of paper. This requires actual water not water essence so only Water Aspect charms that actually say that they create water cause these charms to fail, although if the Water aspect's anima is over the 11 mote level that counts as water.

Fourth, These charms give no extra soak against fire. The paper is still as vulnerable to fire and prone to burning as normal paper is.

Comments

Query: What is the point of the Willpower cost for The Building of Memory? Since the Charm is permanent and regaining Willpower isn't exactly difficult it just seems silly to require it. - Moxiane

Perhaps it's a permanant willpower point? Makes it rather expensive though.
-- Darloth

There honestly isn't really much point. I just wanted to represent some kind of mental-oomph that creates the memory palace. I'll probably remove it at some point.
--BrilliantRain

Edited
--BrilliantRain

I always find putting a mote cost is one of the hardest parts of charm creation. Any suggestions?
--BrilliantRain

And yes the Paper-Based Bureaucratic Assassin Style did fire me up to finally get started on this charm tree, but I stole the idea from ROD not him! I've had a place holder note up on this site for a while now.
--BrilliantRain

Not into paper fighting outside of MA's, but I love the lore charm directions you've set because the cannon Solar Lore charms suck big ones. - Issaru

Glad you like my Ideas! And while the Paper manipulation could have been a Martial Art, I think there are too many MA styles out there and not enough lore charms.

--BrilliantRain

I agree there are too many MAs and not enough lore charms, especially for Solars, but your charms go beyond simply speed-bumps... Honestly, if you can just do it to increasing amounts, the first few seem completely and utterly useless. Maybe make the first charm cheap, but short-lived, and expandable, and then have an expensive, fixed amount charm as a scene-long... Even then, I don't think you want more than one charm strengthening paper. Ah well... Just some thoughts.
-- Darloth

While I think that I managed to avoid these charms becoming useless simply by getting the bigger and better ones, I guess they do seem rather weak. I haven't had much experience with creating charms. Anyway, I'll fix these when I have more time.
--BrilliantRain

Re-written.
--BrilliantRain