Difference between revisions of "DragonBloodedSurvival/GoldenCat"

From Exalted - Unofficial Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
m (link fix)
m (link fix)
 
(No difference)

Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010


Foreword

Clearly, those Charms stray a little bit from basic 'survival'. The way I see it, Dragon-Blooded operate much in the same way as Air Aspects do - they have neat limited but mostly self-countained charmsets that work well together, and after some point divorce from the ability to follow an elemental correlation! Linguistics is all about voices. Stealth is all about air, movement and sound. Throw is all possible ways Air can be used for attack or defense. And Survival, here, is about controlling the wilderness - specifically, the woodlands.

It is a little bit of an anomaly, since most others have growth - I intend to do Medicine next, also continuing from STC's growth-y. Ride is about animals. But Survival the charmset is not so much about growth as controlling things grown. Hey, at least how I see it. And makes for a nifty imagery.

Fear the prospect of fighting a Wood Dragon in the heart of his domain!


Forest Dragon Cascade

Forest Passage Method
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: Wild-Wandering Forester Charm
The Emerald Dragon is the ruler of every plant, and all those in the forest open a court for her passage. When the Dragon-Blooded activates this Charm, she makes sure nothing in the woods can hinder her - she becomes immune to the penalties inflicted by thorny underbrush or by the low visibility on forests(See Exalted page 237), and the trees hold her in reverence - she can move on the thinnest branches or over leaves without ever falling or losing her balance.

Petals on the Wind Exercise
Cost: 3 motes, +1 mote per ally.
Duration: 1 turn per success
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Survival: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Forest Passage Method
Attuned to the life around her, the Dragon-Blooded not only impedes wood from barring her path, but draws from it, boosting her steps with the flexibility, with the pull if life all around her. The Terrestrial rolls Dexterity+Survival - each success means this Charm is active for one turn. As long as this Charm is active and the Terrestrial remains surrounded by vegetation(at the very least, grasslands), add her Survival rating to her Movement Speed and receives a one-die enviromental bonus to all Athletics, Dodge and attack rolls. The Dragon-Blood may give those bonuses for one ally per mote spent, to a maximum of allies equal to his Essence.

Snarling Undergrowth Technique
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: 1 turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Forest Passage Method
Reverting the effects of Forest Passage Method, the court becomes a mob, charged with the Dragon-Blooded's Essence to move and hold a single target that offends the princess of woods in any way they can. Closing his eyes, the Dragon-Blooded calls for the life around her, his orders absolute. The Dragon-Blooded becomes the center of a whirlwind of life, all vegetation rushing to hinder her adversaries, while she stands unscathed and untouched. This Charm is only effective if the enemy is at least standing on shallow grass. This Charm affects all opponents the Dragon-Blooded can perceive in a radius equal to five times the Dragon-Blooded's essence in yards. She rolls her Charisma+Survival. For every success, this effect lasts for one turn, cutting the opponents' movement by half and imposing a +1 difficulty enviromental penalty to all their physical actions. This Charm does not stack against the same target, but the penalty does stack with that imposed by thorns and undergrowth, as well as by the use of this Charm by other Dragon-Blooded.

Hunter's Unity
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Snarling Undergrowth Technique
The Hunter knows her terrain, and after a long time, becomes almost part of it. The Emerald Dragons, hunters of the Dragon-Blooded host, go a step beyond it, and become, for all intents and purposes, part of it. As he activates this Charm, the Dragon-Blood views the world through the eyes of the forest - he 'sees' through all plants in a radius of Essence x20 yards. She catches only vague impressions - shapes, weight, light. Enough to know how many enemies are coming, how well-equipped, and if any shines like an Exalted.

Army of Emerald Concentration
Cost: 5 motes +1 per (essence) allies shielded, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Hunter's Unity
Fighting the Emerald Dragons in their seat of power is nothing if not folly. The trees close all light, each and every plant an enemy, a whole army can hide behind leaves unseen by the will of the Dragons. Those who know Army of Emerald Concentration are able to rally a forest against their enemies, and protect armies of their allies. Channeling so much life it feels like burning, the Emerald Dragoness spreads her anima like a blooming flower, filling an area of deep forest equal to Essence x20 yards. In that area, all those not protected by her receive a enviromental penalty equal to half her essence(rounded up) in dice to all physical actions, plus the visibility of a forest at New Moon, while the Dragon-Blooded herself and those she protects see clearly as day, even in the darkest night. The Dragon-Blooded may protect a number of individuals equal to her essence for every mote she spends, to a maximum of the Dragon-Blooded's Survival in motes spent.

Multiple Dragon-Blooded may use this Charm together, and the total area covered is the sum of all of the Exalt's ranges. The penalties do not stack, however, only the area covered. Those protected in one Dragon-Blooded's area are considered to be protected in the areas of all other Dragon-Blooded using this Charm in synergy.

Seeing-Eye Bloom
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Day
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Hunter's Unity
The Hunter has to keep an eye on the traps it laid for its prey - to do so, she creates a seed out of her own body, planting it on fertile ground. After one hour, a beautiful flower whose type fits the Emerald Dragoness' personality will bloom, and she will be able to use a bloom as an rudimentary 'eye' - It requires a concentration and a roll of Wits+Survival to determine anything the bloom is catching beyond the kind of stimuli that can be seen through Emerald Hunter's Unity. One success tells the Dragon-Blooded the general tone of a conversation and a hazy outline of the people or creatures present. Three successes tell the Dragon-Blooded the topic and direction of a conversation and the blurred forms of the people or creatures present. And five successes permit perfect eavesdropping! The Dragon-Blooded may not be farther away from the Bloom than twice her Permanent Essence in miles.

Arboreal Aegis Attittude
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: 1 turn per success
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Survival: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Snarling Undergrowth Technique
Building on the principles of Snarling Undergrowth Technique, the Emerald Dragoness calls the court to protect her, vines and branches shifting to cover her against any and all strikes on her form. This Charm can only be used if the Dragon-Blooded has vines or trees no farther than her permanent essence in yards away from herself. The Dragon-Blooded rolls her Charisma+Survival. For every success, this effect lasts for one turn, providing the Dragon-Blooded with the equivalent of 90% Hard Cover, which gives enviromental penalties of difficulty 2 on all hand-to-hand attacks against her, and difficulty 4 on all ranged attacks against her.

Blessing of Spring Petals
Cost: 1 mote/fatigue reduction, +1 per extra target
Duration: One Day
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Arboreal Aegis Attittude
Even for the studiest hunter in the most lavish of natural paradises, long walks saddled by heavy weight can be quite a handful. However, at times the fortunate hunter may be lucky to be touched by the forest's blessings, his weight not seeming quite so heavy anymore. When a child of Sextes Jylis uses the Blessing of Spring Petals, he is covered by light, refreshing dew as in a forest at dawn, petals of colorful flowers coming out of nowhere to soothe his tired body. For every 1 mote spent powering this Charm, the Dragon-Blooded may lower the fatigue penalty of any armor by 1, and each extra mote powering this Charm gives this blessing to an ally, for a maximum number of allies equal to the Dragon-Blooded's Survival rating. Those thus blessed also receive +2L / +2B to their armor's soak, doubling this bonus against creatures of the Underworld, agents of dusk.

Verdant Armor Prana
Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Blessing Spring Petals
The Wood Aspect's understanding of the Arboreal Aegis that he can call plants of his own essence to surround him, fashioning this essence into an armor fit to a Prince of the Earth, beautiful or terrible as his personality require, but always vibrant, alive! This armor has lethal and bashing soak equal to the Dragon-Blooded's Essence rating, Mobility Penalty 0, Fatigue value 1, and adds one dot of Dexterity and one dot of Stamina to the Dragon-Blooded, as he moves with the suppleness of Wood. It is counted as armor, and so it cannnot be shaped over any other armor - with the exception of Green Jade, Animal and Plant armor, which melds seamlessly with the Verdant Armor, adding to its soak and abilities. The Verdant armor offers no soak against fire-based attacks, or those made by weapons of red jade. If the armor is called when the Dragon-Blooded is surrounded by plants, the charm costs 2 motes less.

A Flower for Every Forest
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Survival: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Verdant Armor Technique
No two plants are alike. In the kingodoms of wood, there are as many different types of plants as there are different animals, and like them, each and every one possessing different abilities... and the Wood Dragon is a master of them all. Learning A Flower for Every Forest makes the Wood Dragon's Verdant Armor just as unique. It receives one special trait, of which those in the list below are simply examples - the possibilities are as varied as types of plants exist. They are always roughly equivalent to the powers of a level 1 Hearthstone.

  • Cactus / Thorns: +1 acc +2L dmg to unarmed attacks, lethal damage on a clinch, and essence in lethal damage to those attempting to grapple.
  • Flowers: +2 to Performance rolls.
  • Oak: The armor receives extra hardness equal to the Dragon-Blooded's Survival.
  • Pine: Adds +2L/+2B to the armor's soak.
  • Seaweed: Shines. +1 to Performance rolls, -1 dice to ranged attackers.
  • Swamp: +1 to stealth rolls, +2 to intimidation rolls.
  • Vines: May attack at a number of yards away equal to essence.
  • Chayan Blooms: Mild euphoria; Those struck by the Wood Aspect receive -2 to all their rolls for a scene. Solars and Lunars receive 1 limit. This is only effective once a scene on each target.

In addition, when creating the Verdant Armor in Wooldland areas, more traits are added to the Verdant Armor. More than one may be applicabble - in that case, no more types than half the Dragon-Blooded's Essence, rounded down, may be added to it, in addition to the natural trait.

Forest Wraith Defense
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Survival: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Arboreal Aegis Attittude
The Children of Sextes Jylis move as wraiths in the woods, mirages on leaves that constantly fall to blur their image. One thinks he has struck one of them only to see the blade has hit a tree or leaf instead, as the Dragon-Blooded literally jumps through trees to avoid the strikes! This Charm can only be used if the Dragon-Blooded has vines or trees no farther than her permanent essence in yards away from herself. That being true, the Dragon-Blooded must be rolls his Wits+Survival against difficulty 4. Success diverts the attack into a nearby tree - only perfect strikes and insubstantial ones(that would go right through the tree) can circumvent this defense and strike the terrestrial. This is a Cover effect, and thus, effects that reduce cover by a set number reduce the Dragon-Blooded's pool, and effects that ignore cover render this Charm innaplicabble.

Shadow on Emerald Leaves Attittude
Cost: 6 motes, 1 health level
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Petals on the Wind Exercise, Forest Wraith Defense
After such an understanding of the Forest, the Dragon-Blooded becomes one with it. She must stand surrounded by thick vegetation, as covered by it as she can be. Giving up part of his essence, feeling hurt as she connects her life force to it, she attunes herself completely to the woods, becoming one with it, surrounded by afterimages in leaves and flower petals wherever she goes, her skin and anima tinting slightly the color of the forest. As long as this Charm is mantained, the Terrestrial may not leave the forest; She is intimately connected with it. Being forcefully removed from its boundaries inflicts an additional health level(both being considered Aggravated wounds) and severs this Charm.

As long as it remains active, the Dragon-Blooded's Movement Speed is doubled, and she moves as if wood and vegetation were not there as she pleases - walking through trees and vegetation, which gives the Terrestrial an extra two dice to all athletics, dodge and attack rolls, and keeps her unhindered by any enviromental penalty coming from those woods, be it in her movement, visibility, or any other actions. She can move up and down trees as easily as ground, or walk over stretched vines like roads with no fear of falling. And finally, as her form blurs in and out of synch with the forest, she receives a difficulty to be spotted by awareness rolls or to be targeted by ranged attacks equal to her Survival rating.

Emerald Wrath Attack
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: 1 turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum Survival: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Army of Emerald Concentration, Arboreal Aegis Attittude
Becoming as the Mother Tree of the woods, the character laces his word with emerald essence, and declares war on his foes. Heeding this declaration the woods spring to life, branches striking like heavy arms, thorns everywhere, leaves cutting like razors, petals like daggers. To use this Charm, both the Terrestrial and his foes must be surrounded by trees, on all sides and no more than 4 yards away. The Terrestrial rolls Charisma+Survival, each success granting one turn in which he can direct the Emerald Wrath, attacking all his foes anywhere in (the Dragon-Blooded's Survival x5) yards, making as if in a Wood Elemental bonfire, suffering his Essence+Survival in Enviromental Damage every turn.

It behaves as any sort of Enviromental Damage, reduced by half(round down) its damage on a successful Stamina+Resistance roll(With a difficulty equal to the Dragon-Blooded's Survival), ignoring armor, and able to be soaked to 0 with Stamina. The woodlands become insane and violent as if shaken by a hurricane for the duration, and although the damage is not directed at his allies or any other the Terrestrial does not deign as a foe, it gives everyone in its range who is not a Wood-Aspected Dragon-Blooded a -2 enviromental penalty to their melee attacks, and -4 to their ranged attacks. However, those protected by Army of Emerald Concentration ignore those penalties.

Deadly Serpent Whirlwind
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Survival: 6
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Emerald Wrath Attack, Snake Blade Technique
When using the Emerald Wrath Attack, the Dragon-Blooded is part of the wrathful woods. His essence permeates all of this world around him. Burning a little of his essence, he imbues the wrathful woods with his essence as burning poison! This Charm enhances Emerald Wrath Attack - whenever an enemy suffers at least 1L from the Enviromental Damage, the Dragon-Blooded may use this Charm and pay 1 mote reflexively to poison the wounded foe with any natural plant poison he knows of. The poison is resisted normally, with a separate roll from the Enviromental Damage resistance roll.



Comments

I really enjoy these charms, GoldenCat. You've done a bang-up job here. I have some minor comments that I'll be specific about later, but overall doubleplusgood! - Telgar

Yay! Means alot to me. Waiting on the specific points, Tel! - GoldenCat
  • Snarling Undergrowth Method - I'd prefer if it just had a specific duration. Its simpler. Also, this should probably be 3 or 4 motes, since it's fairly powerful.
  • Emerald Vortex Stance - This is just a multi-target use of Snarling Undergrowth, so I don't really like it. I almost always prefer new Charms to be something different, not just a better version of something past. And since Snarling Undergrowth is so cheap, I see no reason for this version.
  • Emerald Hunter's Unity - This is basically a Wood-Aspected version of Feeling the Dragon's Bones. I dislike that. Just learn FtDB, honestly. But if you must keep it, change it to keep it in line with FtDB and be more specific on its effects.
  • Army of Emerald Concentration - I'd just clean up the cost text and the overlap text, I understand how it works but it could be more clear.
  • Seeing Eye Bloom - Probably needs a higher cost.
  • Arboreal Aegis - Again, a fixed duration is generally better then rolled.
  • Blessing of Spring Petals - Way too cheap for what it does. Should be at least 4 motes +1 or 2 for each extra person.
  • Verdant Armor - A very interesting Charm, but it really needs to be simpler. And it should probably cost at least 10 motes and have an Essence Min of 4. The qualities you list are implied to be the only ones, which shouldn't be how it is. What about black ash and yew and cherry armor? Fungus armor? Yeah, needs more flexibility there. And while its lowered cost near wood is nice, adding the extra armor bonuses is a bit much. Maybe add a seperate Charm that adds onto Verdant Armor. One Charm shouldn't be this complicated.
  • Forest Wraith - Needs looking at the Dodge redirect. I don't specifically object to having Survival used to protect people...but this seems like it should be a Dodge Charm. Maybe if it causes trees to suddenly grow in the way of an attack or something...I dunno. It just seems too much SAE.

Overally, the charms are still good but you could clean up the wording. The prices are generally too low and there's a lot of repeat charms that are just copied over from other abilities. - Telgar


  • Snarling Undergrowth - upped to 2. Do remember DBs get the cheap charms of all the Exalts, however.
  • Emerald Vortex - Sorry, I do see a place for it! And the variable duration from the STC is nifty IMO >_>
  • Emerald Hunter - Same. It works in its own way, with its own restrictions.
  • Army of Emerald - Done. See if it works.
  • Arboreal Aegis - See Vortex.
  • Blessing - Weakened and recosted.
  • Verdant Armor - made it clear you are to make your own. Was the intention from the beggining, or I wouldn't have written 'They should be equivalent to lvl 1 stones'. Do plan to add more as I think of new ones. Even going as far as 'Chayan Blooms armor!'. Ess increased. Cost is a happy medium between us, but down to 6 when in the woodlands(A semi-compromise). As for the extra charms... hmmm. I will sleep on it. It really became too long. Making it Ess3 again if the extra characteristics are splitted, however.
  • Forest Wraith - It IS a SAE version for trees. Just as other Exalt types have multiple versions of 'make essence weapon'. It is a different enough to merit its own charm... remember, DBs make armor with Thrown. They can get away with a 'Dodge' on Survival, especially when half of the theme is moving on the Woods.

Small differences far as Charm design goes(Much as I love and plug your charms, some always felt overcosted as far as DBs go). But thank you! -- GoldenCat

While DB Charms are typically more essence-efficient they still need to be priced adequate to the benefits they give and I still think some of your Charms are a bit light on that. - Telgar

Verdant Armor doesn't need to be Essence 3. It just doesn't work there. It needs to be at least Ess 4. The bit about it getting extra features when used around wood is still wonky and strange. It was overpowered, now its just confusing. I think that should be dropped. - Telgar

Ok, ok. Shifted. But it is still 3. It is just +5 soak tops plus a couple extra dots. As for getting extra features around Wood... it makes for nifty visuals, and the theme of all the Charms is how Wood Aspects are more awesome when into forests and suchlike. So eh, taking it off would murder the theme quite a bit. -- GoldenCat