FixTheSolarCharmTrees/MasterHorsemansEye
Contents
the Original version
Evaluates the age, health and temprament of one horse and effortlessly penetrates ruses designed to con customers.
CrownedSun's version
Master Horseman's Eye</b> (Revised)
<b>Cost: 1 or 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Ride: 1 Min Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
With but a glance, the Exalt can evaluate the age, health and temperament of a mount or draft animal. This charm effortlessly penetrates the sort of ruses that used to pawn substandard animals off at full price. He can also determine mundane traits of the animal, with a certainty, such as the origin of the mount and it’s rough temperament. Alternative, for 3 motes the Exalt can look over a large group of horses and pick out the best (or whatever attribute he’s seeking, if not the highest quality) horse among the herd. If one of the Horses has any special characteristics, the Exalt will instantly be able to tell; usually this is nothing more than a higher attribute or an ability. However, it can also be used to detect unusual horses. If this charm is used on a Lunar or a Shapeshifted God, the Exalt gets an immediate roll to determine the creatures true nature equal to his Perception + Ride with a number of automatic successes equal to his Essence. The opposed roll varies, if there is one.
Toram's version
As the original, but scene length. The Exalt may perfectly evaluate a horse with a single dice action for the duration of the scene.
Vote Tally
Original Version
Nobody
CrownedSun's Version
Toram's Version
Comments
Personally, I use my revised Solar Ride tree under my Charms section, but that's not the purpose of this -- and I really like my Master Horseman's Eye revised version, so here it is up for voting. -CrownedSun
I like this. It seems to be inline with the intent of the original charm and its power without being a ludcirously overpowered and poorly thought out change. Certainly, it gets my vote. -- DaveFayram
Its a nice change I think. I also think that was the thematic purpose of the Charm. You are on the run, get stuck in a stables, take a quick glance, grab the best horse and get the hell outta there. Its very cinematically appropriate and I don't think its too overly powerful at all. Nice work:) . Stuff. -- Blaque
Yeah, Solar Ride as it stands is kinda... well, it's rather... it's shit. I like your replacement trees a whole lot better, CS. Not that I make characters with ride, but <shrug> - SilverMeerKat
I don't think it should be so specific about shapeshifters, since there's any number of potentially shapeshifted beings out there. Fair Folk, demons, nemissaries, constructs, and pretty much anything with an appropriate Artifact could take the form of a horse, and I don't see why this Charm wouldn't affect them as well. - Quendalon
well, since everyone likes it, i'm going to vote Crownedsun's version withount even reading it :). ok, just kidding. - Domon
Here's an alternative, just to spark debate. Trying to make the charm a bit better while keeping the change minimal. - Toram
Eh, I prefer my version:D Yours doesn't really address the fundamental problem with the charm -- that it isn't really that cool, or epic. -CrownedSun
Subtle, but good, definitily an improvement. I still don't like it. Its something you could do with a difficulty 3-5 Perception + Ride roll. And Solar Charms shouldn't be something you can easily duplicate. -MeiRen
I think that the benefits provided by CS's variant (other than the 3-mote group check) are implicit in the standard form of the Charm. - Quendalon
The reason I'm a bit hesitant about CS's variant is that the published charms seem to be, for the most part, simple, invariant effects. I recall an Abyssal charm that can be bought in two versions, but even that one is fixed once learned. Having a charm with variant activation costs and effects breaks this rule. --Toram
- While I don't have the book at hand, I'm sure there's at least one multiple-cost Charm in E:tS. And even if there weren't, there's nothing inherently wrong with the idea, is there? - Quendalon
- There is also one somewhere among the spirit Charms (Summon Food), though you may not consider that a good example since those Charm costs are all over Heaven-and-Earth. - willows
- It's not "wrong", per se, but there are benefits to following established precident when trying to rework charms. Sure, one could write a thrown charm that had the effect of "Death of Obsidian Butterflies", but it wouldn't feel right. Introducing a new mechanical twist for charms that's rarely or never been done before is more likely to cause a conflict or imbalance than using a well-established one. When houseruling charms, I usually try to tweak them as little as possible to bring their effectiveness up (or down) to the level I want it. --Toram
