SolarLinguistics/LordAuran
These charms are scene-long, permitting the user time to write while the charms are in effect. Later effects of texts written with these charms may have shorter or longer durations, as described in the text of the individual charms.
Perfected Foundation of Higher Understanding Method
Cost: 4 motes, 1 experience point Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 4 Min Essence: 1 Prereqs: Whirling Brush Method
The PC may create a text that not only captures completely his or her own understanding of a subject, but is so masterfully worded that the reader may discover more than the writer knew. The PC may write a book that can teach an ability up to one dot higher than the PC's score. Note that it is possible for the PC to then read the book that he himself wrote and learn something, though he will gain only the usual benefits of having a text to work from (usually shorter training time or an XP discount, but sometimes merely the opportunity to spend XPs as usual).
Labyrinthine Catalogue of the Wanderings of the Mind Technique
Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower, 5 experience points Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 5 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Perfected Foundation of Higher Understanding Method
The PC can create the perfect reference on a subject, using fragmentary thoughts, masterful cross-indexing and elegant metaphor to fit his entire knowledge of a subject into a single tome. The book is useless for teaching an Ability, and will not directly aid a reader in performing an action, but when a reader with at least one dot in the relevant Ability (or a reader who favors that Ability) references the book, he may use the author's Ability score instead of his own on rolls involving knowledge and/or understanding of the topic. A Melee tome created with this charm, for example, would be useful for identifying weapons, knowing the history and use of a given weapon, evaluating the skill of a swordsman, etc., but would be of no use in actually swinging, crafting or evading a sword. While the reader may use the author's Ability, he must still use his own relevant Attribute on all rolls.
Lyrical Essence of Creation Style
Cost: 4 Motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 5 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Labyrinthine Catalogue of the Wanderings of the Mind Technique
With a poem of only three-five lines, the PC can capture the essence of a object, organization, person or scene.
Those who read the poem will understand its subject just as well as the author did, and can glean any information
from the poem that they could have gleaned from the subject after physical inspection and a short conversation. The
author using this effect cannot convey lies or deceits, and the reader will intuitively know this, making the charm
useful for persuasion.
To gain any of the benefits above, a reader must succeed on an Intelligence+Linguistics roll, difficulty of the author's Essence. Multiple attempts on the same day suffer a cumulative one die penalty.
Casting the Mind's Eye Skyward Style
Cost: 10 motes, 10 Experience Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Labyrinthine Catalogue of the Wanderings of the Mind Technique
The PC can write either real accounts or meaningful parables to illustrate the principles of heaven. When writing the text, the author chooses an appropriate Virtue and record his or her own score in it. When a reader not philosophically opposed to the text reads it, he or she may memorize it (takes at least an hour), capturing its impact and truth in his or her soul. For 24 hours, all attempts to persuade the reader to act contrary to the chosen Virtue suffer a die pool penalty equal to the author's score in the chosen Virtue, as the perfectly chosen holy words resonate in the reader's mind. In addition, characters who must spend a point of Willpower to act contrary to their Virtues must instead spend 2 points to deny the relevant Virtue for the duration of the effect.
Masterstroke on Crimson Silk Style
Cost: 10 motes, 10 Experience Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Labyrinthine Catalogue of the Wanderings of the Mind Technique
Given time to perfect his or her choice of wording and emphasis, the Solar can describe an experience so
exquisitely that those who read or hear the description can actually feel the experience. The player chooses a
specific Attribute+Ability pool of his own and selects one use of that pool to describe (for example, a PC writing a
book describing Charisma+Performance could choose to describe a dance, a sermon, a ritual, etc.). The player
activates this charm, then rolls the chosen pool. Record the number of successes on the roll. Henceforward, any
one target who reads (or is read) the description can feel the effects of the roll, though he will experience no
physical change.
While charms can modify the author's original roll when this charm is first used, text written with this charm can
never convey actual charm effects. Furthermore, charms may not modify the roll once it is recorded.
In the decadent First Age, this charm was used primarily to write erotica (by recording a Charisma+Performance
check). It may also be used to inflict imaginary damage or perform imaginary healing (inflicting or negating
appropriate wound penalties for a scene), to record great musical performances, to convey in words the ineffable
Presence of some authors, to persuade using techniques of Socialize that otherwise cannot be set to paper, etc.
Keep in mind that this charm records only a *specific* action; if used to record a Manipulation+Socialize deception,
for example, the text will only be good for that specific deception ("I'm not a Solar", "The Immaculates are
corrupt", etc.).
When used to damage, this effect works just like a normal Dexterity+Ability attack roll, but if the attack connects, it does no base damage. Use only extra successes on the attack roll to calculate damage dice. The target may not parry or dodge such an attack, but may soak any damage as usual, including bonuses from armor.
A Lifetime's Blood, a Well of Ink
Cost: 15 motes, 1 Permanent Willpower, any number of XP (see below) Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Linguistics: 5 Min Essence: 4 Prereqs: Labyrinthine Catalogue of the Wanderings of the Mind Technique
The Solar can commit a piece of his soul to his autobiography, aiding others who might wish to follow in his
footsteps. The Solar locks any chosen number of XPs into the work, which is useless as a learning aid until it is
finished, after which time any words added by the original author will ruin the effect. Thereafter, all who read
the book gain special benefits when purchasing any charm, merit or dot that the author possessed at the time that
the book was finished.
1. The reader halves his training time.
2. The reader is considered to have a teacher (this may be necessary to learn certain skills or charms).
3. If the reader chooses to make margin notes, he may gain up to half of the originally-invested XPs from the book at a rate of 1 point per day. Doing this will permanently use up the XPs, leaving less XPs for later students to reap.
Each time the reader benefits from these effects, mark down the XPs that he uses to improve himself. Once the reader has spent as many XP as were originally invested in the book, the reader in question can no longer benefit from the book's effects.
