Revision as of 17:43, 2 May 2015

Back to CallMeCanon
Back to Machinicals

Machinical Charms

Many of these are just Alchemical Charms with a new name. For those I'm putting basic game-rule descriptions for now; I will update with fluff text later.
(Didacts are the Machinical equivalent to Alchemical Submodules. As with Submodules, they cost 6xp unless otherwise noted.)
(Keyword: Blasphemy is explained on page 103 of Manual of Exalted Power: The Infernals)

Charisms

Charisms are the analogue to Alchemical Augments, which are similar in many ways to Excellencies. The first three are identical; beyond that, things get interesting.

Fourth (Attribute) Charism

Cost: -- [1m, first only]
Minimums: Essence 1, (Attribute) 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious, Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm increases the cap for its respective Attribute and adds a dot to it for as long as the Charm is installed. This Charm may be installed as many times per Attribute as half the Machinical's Essence, rounded up. Dots added this way do not count towards the Experience cost of buying Attribute dots, but they count towards everything else.

Hyperbolic (Attribute) Aleph

Transpuissant (Attribute) Upgrade

Cost: 0m [1m]
Minimums: Essence 31, (Attribute) 5
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any (Atribute) Charism

This Charm converts all Specialty dice to successes. Can only be used on rolls involving the relevant Attribute.

STRENGTH

DEXTERITY

STAMINA

CHARISMA

MANIPULATION

APPEARANCE

Transeuclidian Reliquary

Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier

Cost: 5m [1m]
Minimums: Essence 2, Appearance 1
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Internal
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm gives any number of Charms the Internal keyword for the duration. Obvious Charms are only obvious while they are performing their function, and insofar as it is necessarily obvious to do so.

If all the Alchemical's Charms have the Internal keyword and she is human-sized, she may appear to be human. She may retract or edit her soulgem to do so. This is not an illusion, but an actual warping of her flesh, so effects that trump Illusions do not affect this Charm. 11m+ anima flare breaks through the disguise.

Didacts

Arcane Leyshadow (Essence 3, 4xp)

Essence-Muting Baffles
All Internal Charms become invisible to Essence Sight (unless they are both Obvious and active). If she is disguised as a human, that disguise also fools Essence Sight. In case of a Charm attempting to break through, add the Machinical's Appearance in bonus dice to her resisted roll.

Loom-Snarling Deception (Essence 4, 4xp)

Loom Server Migration + Loom-Snarling Deception
An Ebon Shadow crafts an illusion that reshapes her clothing and equipment in whatever way the Machinical chooses. She also writes herself a destiny that is woven into Fate; she now counts as inside of Fate, and any disguises that match the destiny she wrote for herself are backed up by the Loom.

Penumbral Cruciger

Trans-Chosen Emulator

Cost: --
Minimums: Essence 3, Appearance 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Internal, Obvious, Shaping
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Transeuclidian Reliquary

This Charm enhances its prerequisite. The Machinical may emulate any other Caste or Exalt type's anima banner, so long as she has seen it before (and can remember it). She does not mimic the anima power, merely the display. (As this is an enhancement to the previous Charm, submodules affecting it also affect this.) This effectively keeps the previous charm's disguise even through 11m anima flare, but 16m iconic anima banner breaks through this disguise.

Didacts

Umbral Totem (Appearance 3, 2xp)

Metatotemic Calbrator

The Machinical may now choose an iconic anima banner, so long as it thematically matches her current anima flare (be it natural or disguised). This effectively keeps the disguise up even through totemic anima banner flare.

PERCEPTION

The Second Flesh

Flesh-Golem Repository

INTELLIGENCE

Tesseract Cathedral

WITS

WILLPOWER

Willpower Charms fall into one of two categories with associated keywords: Apocalyptic, or Heretical. Both Charm Cascades start with Tesseract Cathedral
Apocalyptic Charms are why the Yozis made the Machinicals, and work toward their ultimate goal.
Heretical Charms are considered utter blasphemies to the Yozis, and the creation or use of any of them is sure to invite their wrath.

Charm Cascade

Apocalyptic Charms

Innermost Gateway

Cost:
Minimums: Essence 8, Willpower 7
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Apocalyptic
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Tesseract Cathedral

Carnal Link

Cost:
Minimums: Essence 9, Willpower 8
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Apocalyptic
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Innermost Gateway

The Gaping Maw

Cost:
Minimums: Essence 10, Willpower 9
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Apocalyptic, Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Carnal Link

Through the Fire and Flames

Cost: 100m, 10wp, 50ahl [10m]
Minimums: Essence 10, Willpower 10
Type: Simple
Keywords: Municipal, Obvious, Apocalyptic
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: The Gaping Maw

This is it. The end of all things, or perhaps the beginning. As many Second- and Third-Circle Demons as can manage are on this side of the portal, protected in the shell of her mighty Metropolitan body, ready to call forth their greaters. With her city-body anchored firmly to Creation and her inner-world anchored firmly to Malfeas - her innards stretched through the annals of Elsewhere directly connecting the two - and with the metaphysical assistance of the Core Essences of the Yozis pulling with her from this side, she heaves, regurgitating, yanking her own guts out through the conduit of Elsewhere and attempting to drag all of Malfeas inside-out with her.

Whether or not this works is entirely up to the Storyteller. If it does, it almost certainly means the end of the campaign; victory for a party of loyalist Infernals, defeat in almost any other case. Or perhaps not; maybe a High-Essence party of Exalts could find a way to stuff the Yozis back through the portal and close it back up. All of this is up to Storyteller discretion.

Heretical Charms

(These charms draw heavy inspiration from the Keyword: Heretical charms in Broken-Winged Crane, and from the webstory Lunar/Titan Quest by Jukashi.)

Budding Jotun

Cost: 20m, 4wp, (3ahl, 1E) [1m]
Minimums: Essence 7, Willpower 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Obvious, Heretical
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: The Second Flesh
This Charm bridges the gap between The Second Flesh and Flesh-Golem Repository in a way that really shouldn't be possible. This Charm adds a fifth version of The Second Flesh:
Essence 5
Cost: 20m, 4wp, (3ahl, 1E)
As the Essence 4 version, but both bodies may be fully active at once with no penalties. The Alchemical commits a point of Permanent Essence to the Drone-Body, as well as 3 aggravated health levels, giving it part of her soul so that it can live and act autonomously but still respond perfectly to her will. Both bodies use their respective full mote pools, calculated separately and as normal for each of them.
Both the Colossus-Body and the Drone-Body may have Dying Health Levels, and they must *both* be killed to kill the Alchemical. If either of them dies, the other one takes 5 levels of unsoakable aggravated damage as her soul is ripped through Elsewhere from the dead body to the living one. If the Colossus survives, treat this Charm and The Second Flesh as being amputated. If the Jotun survives, follow the rules described in the Essence 4 version of The Second Flesh.

Drone-Body rules still apply: Under no circumstances may a Colossus have more than one Drone-Body active at a time, even if that Drone-Body is a Jotun.

Didacts

Jotunheim (Essence 8)

This Didact allows Budding Jotun to be used as a Municipal Charm, halves the Willpower cost, and reduces the Health Level cost to 1ahl(committed).
This effectively allows the Me/Patropolis to have more than one Jotun at a time, as the Charm is not being used by a Colossus.
This Didact only applies to uses of Budding Jotun; she still cannot use the prerequisite Charm to create non-Jotun Drone-Bodies.

The Titan's Face (Essence 9)

This Didact has Jotunheim and Blossoming Deva as a prerequisite. It reduces the Willpower cost of Budding Jotun to 1 and removes the Permanent Essence cost.

Primordial Avatar (Essence 10, 12xp)

This Didact has both The Titan's Face and Soulbloom as a prerequisite. Now, when she activates Budding Jotun, she may create a Third-Circle-Deva-like entity of up to Essence 7 to use as a Jotun. This entity is not a subsoul and does not contain any of her Permanent Essence, but it does contain part of herself, is a reflection of some aspect of her being, and acts directly on her behalf (rather than having a separate consciousness and personality as a Deva does).

Blossoming Deva

(Pronounced DAY-vah)

Cost: 55m, 5wp, 1E, 16xp [2m]
Minimums: Essence 8, Willpower 8
Type: Simple
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Obvious, Heretical, Blasphemy
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Budding Jotun, Worldbody Seed, Flesh-Golem Repository
For this Charm to function, it and Flesh-Golem Repository must be installed within the Worldbody.

If the Yozis realized this Charm was possible, they never would have allowed Machninicals to exist. They did not fully understand what they wrought when they gave sorcerous primordial power to beings designed to grow and segment themselves as the Alchemicals are. They assumed that the Drone-Bodies and Avatars would be simple flesh golems, aids for scrying or espionage, conduits for perception and power, and indeed initially they were. It never occurred to them how else that functionality might be used.
No Titan had ever built itself from scratch before.

This Charm uses Budding Jotun's expansion of The Second Flesh as a prototype, and builds on its idea to turn Flesh-Golem Repository into something else entirely. She follows the rules for constructing an Essence 2 Avatar, but when the time comes to bequeath it part of her mind, she gives it part of her soul instead. She shears off a point of her own Permanent Essence and 16 banked Experience points and imbues them into the Avatar-Body. It is now, metaphysically, a Third-Circle Demon, albeit a fairly weak one as it is an Essence 3 newborn without any Second- or First-Circle subsouls of its own.
... Yet.

The first time the Machinical does this, the Deva she creates is Herself; it has the exact aesthetic body she had when she was Essence 3, and its mind and spirit are exactly her own. The dot of Essence she bequeaths to this Deva is the one that contains her center self; this Deva is now more the Machinical than the Machinical is. Metaphysically, this Deva is her Fetich Soul. The Player and Storyteller should work together to decide from among three options: One is that this Deva becomes a ST controlled cohort, while the player controls the Oversoul. Another is that this Deva becomes the Player Character and the Oversoul becomes her ST controlled 5 dot Patron. A third option is that both the Deva and the Oversoul are player-controlled characters. In the case of this third option, it must also be decided whether the Deva earns EXP for herself or uses the same pool of banked Experience as the Oversoul. These decisions should be made based on both the desire of the player and the needs of the campaign.

Every subsequent time this Charm is used, it creates another Third-Circle Deva, but no longer a Fetich. Instead of using the CallMeCanon rules for making an Essence 2 Avatar-Body, work together with your Storyteller to create an Essence 3 Third-Circle Demon, with all the range of possibility that entails. It should be designed with an Element and Purpose in mind: What traits define it? What does it do for the Oversoul?
For example, you might have an Advisor Deva whose element is Language. Its powers and personality should then flow out of that. Its Charms should be based on assisting others - particularly its Oversoul and fellow Devas - and it would do so through words, e.g. words of encouragement, advice, perhaps Power Words that shape reality, etc. As a character, it might be something of a compassionate nerd, with a love of linguistic puzzles and of helping people.
For another example, you might have a Feeding Soul whose element is Time. Again, its powers and personality should flow out of that. Its Charms should be based on absorbing, consuming, or even stealing power or energy or abilities or knowledge or things, and again, primarily in service to or at least benefit of her Oversoul and fellow Devas. It might also have Charms that speed up or slow down time, allowing herself and/or her Oversoul to do things faster than normal or causing her enemies to do things more slowly. As a character, it might be extremely manic or it might be extremely patient. Or it might be both. It might be gluttonous or ravenous, desperate to consume power or things or knowledge, or perhaps content to wait patiently until Time consumes it all.
(Credit for these examples goes to Jukashi)
For these non-Fetich Devas, again decide with your Storyteller whether they should be Player- or ST-controlled characters, depending on the desires of the player and the needs of the campaign. A non-fetich Deva should probably not supplant the Oversoul or Fetich as the primary or only Player-character, unless the Player really wants it to, and it probably should not earn its own EXP, unless doing so really suits the metagame better. One possibility, if the Oversoul and multiple Third-Circle Devas are player-controlled characters, is for the Fetich to earn EXP for itself, while non-fetich Devas use the Oversoul's EXP pool. Work together with your Storyteller to pick or design what works best for both of you.

All Devas, fetich or non-, player- or ST-controlled, Third- or Second-Circle, count as separate characters from a play perspective, but count as part of the Machinical from a metaphysical perspective, to precisely the same extent that Ligier counts as part of Malfeas or Erembour counts as part of the Ebon Dragon. They have separate bodies and personalities, but they are not in a true sense individuals; they are part of a greater whole, and that fundamental fact should be considered in all facets of their personality and existence.

Unlike demons, at least Third-Circle Machinical Devas (and Second- and even First-Circle, if the Storyteller chooses) are naturally material beings and can exist in Creation without trouble, as the Machinical constructed their bodies from physical materials. Like Demons, though, they do count as Creatures of Darkness for the purpose of Solar Charms, unless the Machinical can convince Sol Invictus that they should not (after all, the souls of Gaia and Autochthon don't count as Creatures of Darkness; there is precedent for benevolent - or at least benign - Primordials, and Sol Invictus may perhaps be convinced to apply that precedent to her).

Soulbloom

Cost: -- [5m]
Minimums: Essence 9, Willpower 10
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Obvious, Heretical
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Blossoming Deva, Sapling Ad Infinitum

This Charm allows the Machinical's Third-Circle Devas to begin crafting Second-Circle Devas for themselves. Second-Circle Devas must always fall into one of seven categories, and no Third Circle Deva can ever have more than one Second-Circle Deva of a given category:

• Defining (this one should be created first)
• Protecting/Warden
• Gratifying/Indulgent
• Communicating/Messenger
• Expressive
• Reflective
• Understanding/Wisdom

Second-Circle Devas start at Essence 2, and require the "parent" Third-Circle Deva to spend 20m and 2wp to create, as well as giving up one dot of Personal Essence to the creation process.

The same kind of decisions that were made by player and Storyteller for Third-Circle Devas must also be made for Second-Circle. As a general guideline, any Third-Circle Deva that is not player controlled or does not earn its own EXP should not produce a Second Circle Deva that is player controlled or does earn its own EXP, respectively. Care should also be taken that one player does not end up controlling a ridiculous number of characters, especially if they are in a party where nobody else is doing so, as that could get very unbalanced very quickly and be no fun for anybody. As always, work with your Storyteller to make these decisions in a way that keeps things fun for everybody.

Didacts

The Endless Garden (Essence 10)

Second- and Third-Circle Devas, as well as the Machinical herself, may now create First-Circle Devas. Creating one costs 5m and 1wp for the first instance of it, and 1m for each instance of it after that. They should be designed as Elementals based on the traits and themes of the growing Titan.

Worldbody Seed

Cost: 50m, 5wp[2m]
Minimums: Essence 8, Willpower 8
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Heretical
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Tesseract Cathedral

The Machinical greatly expands the inner world created by Tesseract Cathedral, from the size of a small neighborhood to the size of a large city. Her inner world expands to a radius of (Essence + Willpower) miles. At the center of this area is the building/neighborhood that was her original Tesseract Cathedral, and it serves as the portal through her body to the outside world. Moving things into or out of the Worldbody is still a Reflexive (or Storyteller's discretion) action, but the item or person in question must be within the bounds of the Tesseract Cathedral in order to bring them out.
For the purpose of the Machnical's will, its entire City-Body and its entire internal Tesseract-Cathedral are usable as a portal. In addition to this, however, there is also a building-sized gateway somewhere in the Tesseract-Cathedral and another somewhere in her City-Body through which individuals may move of their own volition. The Machinical may not prevent such movement, but she may easily relocate the portals to keep them hidden or blocked from use.

The Machinical has a nonzero level of control over the shape and appearance of her inner world, but how much exactly - and how long it lasts - is up to the Storyteller. Its aesthetic should be thematically tied to her being and her personality, but it may theoretically contain anything and be shaped any way that perfect will could sculpt from pure chaos, though it is unlikely to contain great mountain ranges or long canyons; the Worldbody Seed is much larger than a building, but it is no continent.
... Yet.

Didacts

Self-Subjective Sorcerous Summoning

The Machinical may withdraw items or beings from - and ingest them to - anywhere within her inner world. Sorcery or other magicks that can summon objects or beings from other planes (such as Malfeas) may be used to target things within her Worldbody if they are not plane-specific, or may have new versions made specifying her Worldbody if they are.

Titanic Ascension Commitment (24xp)

Any Charm with the Heretical keyword (and all its Didacts), once installed and activated, is considered "known" to the Machinical in the way other Exalt types know Charms. They no longer take up Charm Slots or have committed mote costs to remain installed. In addition, any non-Heretical Charms that were prerequisite for its installation and use no longer count against it, and any minimum Essence Rating it had is decreased by 1 after its first use. To install and activate a Heretical Charm (or Didact) still requires that the Machinical meet all prerequisites, install it in a Charm Slot, and commit the necessary motes as normal, but once she has done so and used it once, it is absorbed from the Charm Slot into the substance of her being.

The effects of such a Charm may still be blocked or otherwise prevented from occurring when she attempts to use it as normal, but the Charm itself and her ability to attempt to use it are now as innate to her as the prerequisiteless Charms of any other Exalt.

Sapling Ad Infinitum

Cost: 70m, 7wp
Minimums: Essence 9, Willpower 9
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Heretical
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Worldbody Seed, Blossoming Deva

The Worldbody Seed takes root and sprouts into something far, far greater. It now encompasses a radius of (Essence + Willpower)x1000 miles, and may contain features such as epic mountain ranges, long winding valleys, or great lakes and seas. The degree to which she controls its geography should be at least that to which she had over the design of the Worldbody Seed, and probably greater, as she is more powerful now and has had some practice.

Canopy of Roots

Cost: 50m, 10wp
Minimums: Essence 10, Willpower 10
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Heretical, Obvious, Blasphemy
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sapling Ad Infinitum
The growing Titan turns herself "inside out" as it were, allowing her inner World Body to spill outward, and becoming not so much a landmark as a landscape. Examples of Primordials who exist this way: Cecylene, Malfeas, Szoreny. Examples of Primordials who do not exist this way: Isidoros, Adorjan, The Ebon Dragon. Work together with your Storyteller to determine what in the name of Creation that means. Where are your borders? Are they related to the size of the landscape in any way? Can you move? What does this mean for your Health Levels? Whatever it is you've just done, you can be sure that EVERYONE EVERYWHERE is going to notice. Good luck!

Singularity of Yggdrasil

Cost: 100m, 10wp
Minimums: Essence 10, Willpower 10
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Municipal, Internal, Obvious, Heretical, Blasphemy
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sapling Ad Infinitum, Soulbloom

The Worldbody Seed reaches full maturity, and the Shinma shudder as a new Titan is born. She is no longer a Machinical, but a Primordial, and she is immortal in all of the same ways that they are. Her inner (or outer, in the case of Canopy of Roots) World-Body is now infinite in scope, and may contain mighty continents and vast oceans if she chooses. The player should have a great degree of control over the design of this world, but it should follow the themes of the new Primordial whose body it is.

While this Charm does not necessarily have any outward visual components, it still has the Obvious keyword because the metaphysical implications alone can be felt for miles around, perhaps everywhere at once. Creation has witnessed the birth of a new Primordial, conceived by the Yozis but built and grown from there by her own volition and will. Such an event cannot possibly go unnoticed, and it cannot possibly leave Creation unchanged. The effects of those changes and the reactions to them are now the bones of the story you must live in. Good luck, young Titan. Good luck.