DragonBloodedRide/IsawaBrian
Blessed Birch Crop</b>
<b>Cost:1 mote per 2 dice Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Minimum Ride: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
By invoking the spiritual bond between the master's life force and that of his mount, a Dragon-blooded may gain greater control as a rider. For ever 1 mote spent, add two dice to the Dragon-Blooded's Ride pool. The bonus may not exceed the character's total Ride + Relevant Specialty pool. Excess dice are lost.
Grafting to the Graceful Steed</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Ride: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
As soldiers at the core, the ability to have hands free while riding is critical to a Dragon-Blooded. By invoking this Charm, the Dynast grafts her spiritual essence with that of her mount, thus negating the need for reins to hold on or steer. For the rest of the scene, treat the character as though she were holding onto the reins for all purposes, even if she has no hands on the animal, so long as her legs remain on the animal. This does not grant the Terrestrial any immunity to being knocked off her horse, although if an attack fails to knock the Exalted off, she will quickly recover.
Determined Rider Mastery</b>
<b>Cost:2 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Ride: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Blessed Birch Crop
A Dynastic rider is not restricted to just control of his mount while in the saddle. In situations of familiarity and concentration, the Terrestrial can extend his expertise to aid him in other skills. Attuning himself to the sympathetic Essence between himself and his mount, the Dragon-blooded lends a slight supernatural edge to his endeavors while riding. Until the end of the scene, add the character's specialty dice from Ride as a Charm bonus to any other Ability roll where the conditions for the specialty are met.
Essence Reins</b>
<b>Cost:2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Ride: 2 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: None
In sudden emergencies or when success is otherwise critical, the Dynast can momentarily tap into the spiritual connection formed between her Shard and her mount in order to seize a second opportunity to maintain control or achieve some difficult stunt. Her player may reroll a single Ride roll, taking the new results over the old. This Charm can only be used once per action, and if part of a combo, all costs must be repaid, but only roll-applicable actions are taken.
Surmounting the Wooded Realm</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One turn Type: Reflexive Minimum Ride: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Heaven-Gracing Leap
By attuning his mount to the natural Wood-Essence of the act of riding, the Terrestrial can allow her mount to run on the bonds of essence between trees in a forest or jungle! So long as the gap between any two trees does not exceed twice the distance the mount could ordinarily run in a turn, the mount will not fall as long as the Charm is renewed. Instead, it can run between branches, over limbs, and even between leaves with nothing more than a swift rustling! Surmounting the Wooded Realm can also be used to run straight up wooden surfaces, or between wooden or thatched roofs, so long as plant material is used. The first turn that Surmounting the Wooded Realm is used in any sequence, the character must succeed in a Dexterity + Ride roll in order to successfully harmonize. As long as no turn goes by that Surmounting the Wooded Realm is not used, this roll need not be made again. This Charm does not protect the character or the mount from surrounding environmental damage, but will protect the mount from plant material like venomed thorns that it runs across-- so long as only the hooves touch.
Thousandfold Hoof-Fall Echoes</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes per fang Duration: Hours equal to permanent Essence + Stamina Type: Simple Minimum Ride: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Blessed Birch Crop
One of the greatest worries on the battlefield for cavalry is loss of momentum. Whether it is a heavy cavalry charge that fears becoming foundered and surrounded by infantry, or mounted archers who must constantly stay ahead of chasers, cavalry must keep moving or die. When lead by a Terrestrial, however, a cavalry unit can feel the invigorating rush of energy that comes from the living world and retain their vitality longer, outlasting opponents lead by lesser captains.
In non-mail & steel situations, a fang of cavalry under the influence of Thousandfold Hoof-Fall Echoes gains a number of automatic successes equal to the permanent Essence -2 (minimum 1) of the leading Dynast to all fatigue checks. This includes both mounts and the Dynast himself. Furthermore, sudden bursts of effort or speed do not dramatically increase speed, unless they are maintained for more rounds than the Dynast's Essence. In Mail & Steel, a fang under the influence of Thousandfold Hoof-Fall Echoes regains a fatigue point every long combat round, and does not acquire +1 difficulty to avoid fatigue loss during charges, so long as any charge is not sustained two sequences in a row.
Thousandfold Hoof-Fall Echoes can be applied to a number of Fangs equal to the Terrestrial's Permanent Essence + 2. This Charm is synergistic.
Dragon-Hearted Steed</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Ride: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Halo's Mercy
As a Terrestrial's Essence and mastery of riding develops, she may share some of her elemental nature with her mount, giving it the ability to travel faster and further through her Shard's element. While active, this Charm grants the mount and the rider the properties of the Spirit Charm Landscape Charm, including the full ability to move through their element without suffering environmental damage. Wood-hearted steeds move through underbrush, foliage, and even jungle at double speed, and Fire-Hearted steeds are utterly immune to all fire and heat, not just environmental.
Awakening the Little Dragons</b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 Willpower, plus 5 motes per additional scene Duration: One scene Type: Simple Minimum Ride: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Hearted Steed
Dragon-blooded are kin to the Elementals who keep the physical parts of Creation running and embodied. As a result, unlike the greedy demands of the Anathema, their calls for service from Elementals are more acceptable to the Courts of the Seasons and the Celestial Bureaucracy. As a result, they can enter into compacts with local elementals for a variety of services once they have reached sufficient age and power.
Awakening the Little Dragons specifically summons a mount out of the local elements, bringing life and animation to a sleeping elemental spirit. A large quantity of the element must be present, and a particular Dragon-Blood can only summon an elemental spirit of his own Elemental type. The elemental thus summoned will be of a shape and type suitable for riding, and will both carry the character and fight with him, though getting an elemental mount killed may cause problems with the local representatives of the Court of the seasons.
Because this Charm summons an sleeping, rather than active elemental, it will follow a pattern based on the summoner. When a character purchases this Charm, the Storyteller should create an elemental with an essence 1 less than the Terrestrial's to serve as the mount. As the character develops, so too will the elemental-- whenever the Dynast raises in Essence, raise the essence of the elemental mount and give it according power. The Storyteller is not constrained to only using the default elemental mount, however; at his option, using this Charm in a new place or with a different 'type' of the element (snow as opposed to river water, for example), he may create a different elemental. The only constants are that the Essence levels should always be correct and that the creature will faithfully serve as long as the motes are paid.
Willows-and-Oak Rider Discipline</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes per success Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Minimum Ride: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Any 3 Ride Charms
Every Dynast has her own preferred riding style. Maybe one Terrestrial is better at the hunt; another at war; maybe a third only with a certain breed or build. These experts can naturally develop their capabilities to greater lengths, allowing them to convert specialty dice to automatic successes on relevant rolls for 3 motes per die converted.
Masterful Wood Dragon Attunement </b>
<b>Cost:None Duration: Permanent Type: Special Minimum Ride: 5 Minimum Essence: 5 Prerequisite Charms: Any 10 Ride Charms, including at least 1 each from Essence 1-5.
This is the Facet Attunement Charm (see DragonBloodedInvestigationDragonBloodedRide/IsawaBrian/IsawaBrian under Insightful Water Dragon Attunement for details) for Ride. Taking this Charm Attunes the Terrestrial to the Masterful Facet of the Wood Dragon, and thus negates the one-mote surcharge for non-Wood-Blooded Dynasts using Ride Charms. The Masterful Facet of the Wood Dragon represents the paradoxical nature of Wood Essence-- that which binds and masters, but is bound in turn, the partnership of rider and mount. This Charm may not be taken by Wood-Blooded Terrestrials, Eclipse Caste Solars, Moonshadow Caste Abyssals, and any other non-Dragon-Blooded capable of learning Dragon-Blooded Charms. Its use counts against the number of attunements active on a character, which may cause the Dragon-Blooded's anima and aspect markings to alter (See Insightful Water Dragon Attunement for details).
