CharmRelay/Exposition

From Exalted - Unofficial Wiki
Revision as of 00:35, 6 April 2010 by Conversion script (talk) (link fix)
Jump to: navigation, search

Charm Relay

The Thirty-fifth Theme is Exposition

These are Charms that up the melodrama that little bit more. They come from different splats, but only one Charm may originate from each Exalt type.


Linguistic Validator Relay - DeathBySurfeit

This is an Alchemical Charm
Installation: 1 mote
Activation: None / 3 motes
Duration: Permanent / Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Social
Minima: Intelligence 5, Essence 4
Prereq. Charms: Logic Engineering Lobe

Built as an augmentation to advanced logic processing systems, this Charm allows an Alchemical to carefully monitor incoming linguistic information and protocols, preventing aberrant lines of logic from even entering his consciousness. Installation of this Charm grants the Alchemical perfect awareness of whenever someone is attempting to make a social attack on him, even if they would be disguised by Charms. By spending 3 motes, he may add his total Clarity to his MPDV pool; should this prove sufficient to stave off the mental assault, the Alchemical may then return with a systematic refution of the deviant point of view and clinical analysis of the proper approach. In social combat, this is treated as an immediate counterattack with automatic successes equal to the difference between the original social attack and his MPDV value.


Wheels Within Wheels Carthasis - Darloth

This is an Abyssal Charm
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Social, Combo-OK
Minima: Socialize 4, Essence 3
Prereq. Charms: (Some abyssal social charm - suggestions?)

By taking a simple action to explain in intricate detail every nuance of their nefarious plot, the abyssal may instill a soulchilling apathy within any listening targets. Should they fail a Willpower + Essence roll at a difficulty of the abyssal's Intelligence+Socialize+(stunt bonus assigned by ST depending on how cool the delivery is and how convoluted and villainous the plot is), then they will believe themselves unable to affect the course of the plot and as such are unable to oppose it. This effect is permanant, but various unaffected people can try to convince them to try, allowing them a reroll with every significant new argument (successes are not cumulative)

This difficulty is very high... however, the downside to using this charm on every major opponent is of course that if one -does- succeed, they now know every facet of your plan, and are actually in a wonderful position to oppose it. Such information may also be gleaned from successfully affected targets with the use of mind-reading or coercive magical effects, although they will not venture it themselves ("What's the use? His plot is so terrible that I could not even convince you of its horror!")

People affected by this charm make extremely pliable targets for follow-up charms aimed at converting them into active proponents of the abyssal's plans, and as such, any difficulties required for converting them are reduced by 2. In the event that the difficulty is already 1, the abyssal gains 2 automatic successes. This applies to social charms and standard social persuasion attempts (in which case it typically reduces their MDV).

Targets with an essence of 3 or greater cannot be affected by the main part of this plan, as they are too self-defined to submit to such manipulations. However, the difficulty reduction/autosuccess on further persuasion does apply if they fail the roll, and as such, abyssals have been known to use it on particularly recalcitrant captives to try and soften them up before other persuasion attempts.


Unforseen Fate-Skein Revelation - IanPrice

This is a Sidereal Charm
Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Social
Minima: Linguistics 5, Essence 5
Prereq. Charms: None.

This charm is only a theory. It was thought up by a Sidereal scholar-philosopher in the First Age, but the Maidens never deigned to include it in their scriptures. Records of it exist in Yu-Shan, however, and though no Sidereal can learn it without its approval by the Maidens, Eclipse caste Solars and Moonshadow Abyssals could learn it as an out-of-type charm if these records ever came into their hands.

This theoretical charm relies on the nature of fate and truth, attuning the user to the reverberations created when a question is asked. When activating this charm, the character asks a question of someone, which is treated as a Charisma + Linguistics social attack. If the successes exceed the target's MDV, the question must be answered truthfully. This may be resisted with a point of Willpower, abiding by the normal maximum restriction for natural social influence. However, this is where the true power of this charm kicks in: if the target questioned resists and tells an untruth, fate will conspire to make the falsehood come true. The exact events which occur are up to Storyteller interpretation, with plenty of room for influence from stunts in the social attack by the player.


Anthem of Impeccable Words - DeathBySurfeit

This is a Solar Charm
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Social, Combo-OK, Compulsion
Minima: Performance 5, Essence 3
Prereq. Charms: Respect Commanding Attitude

So beautiful are the ideas and manners of the Lawgivers that few would deny themselves the sweet assauges of their company. A social attack enhanced by this Charm must involve an oration of some kind. Anyone who hears even one word must spend 2 Willpower to resist the compulsion to stop and listen to them, for as long as the speech lasts. If they are engaged in combat or otherwise threatened, this is reduced to 1 Willpower, but the Solar's allies may cease their attacks momentarily to prevent this. The subjects cannot ignore the message the Solar bears, so beautiful seems the concept - the social attack is considered undodgeable.


Rain Falls in the Garden of Martial Delights

Comments

Alright, I officially suck at Charm themes. Someone come up with a better one, please...DeathBySurfeit

relay ressurrecting gesture! Hopefully either people will change the theme or carry on with this one. Aside from the pre-req charm which I can't really decide on right now, the name is maybe-good, maybe-bad. Suggestions for both are always appreciated!
-- Darloth

Two things: First up, I really really like the concept behind Wheels Behind Wheels Catharsis - it's simply fabulous. I didn't even bother to really parse the mechanics the concept is so cool. I hereby award Darloth at least a 2-die stunt. Perhaps 3. Second, IanPrice brings up an interesting point: Sidereals can't make new Sidereal charms - but perhaps Eclipses can? In theory, the Eclipse would need a tutor, but the exact type of tutor is unspecified - perhaps a god, or even a Sidereal could tutor them? It doesn't specify, in fact, that the tutor need even know the charm in question. Take olympic atheletes, for example - quite rarely can the coach actually perform the act in question at the required level - they are instead helpful and insightful observers, driving their students to new heights. So it could be with a Sidereal tutor to an Eclipse - watching, guiding, and leading the Eclipse to levels that even the tutor can't possibly aspire to. And perhaps this ability for the student to become the master, and the resulting jealousy and fear, are partially responsible for the usurpation? -- GreenLantern

Thankyou for your praise, and I agree that IanPrice's theory does lead to interesting possibilities, but my own charm was hideously overpowered and not properly specified. I hope it is more appropriate now, and it even gives a reason as to why it's always used on people after capturing them as well as in the middle of a village of nameless peasants.
-- Darloth

The interpretation I'm using for my charm is based on what's present in the game I'm currently playing in: Only the Maidens can create new Sidereal charms. However, Sidereals can theorize them all they like. Furthermore, Eclipses and Moonshadows don't care what type a charm is, they just care that the charm is a charm and that they have a way to learn it - boom, 20 xp later, they know a charm. Thus there can be charms, in theory, that are type-less and can only be learned by those who can learn out-of-type charms. - IanPrice

Resurrection doesn't exist in Exalted! Although I'm happy to make an exception for Relays. Thanks for breathing life into this old putrid husk - I've added another Charm in by way of thanks...DeathBySurfeit