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== Abyssal Anima Powers ==
 
== Abyssal Anima Powers ==
  
The inherent powers of the Abyssal Exalted take three forms. Each caste has a great power they can draw upon in times of need. Each caste has a unique capability inherent in their peerless Essence flows. And each caste has a special privilege granted them by the word of the Malfeans, to better bring death to all the living.
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The inherent powers of the Abyssal Exalted take three forms. Each caste has a great power they can draw upon in times of need. Each caste has a unique capability inherent in their peerless Essence flows. And each caste has a special privilege granted them by the word of the Malfeans, to better harness the powers of the Underworld and bring them to bear upon the living.
  
 
'''Dusk'''
 
'''Dusk'''
* ''Inherent Excellence: Every Motion Kata.'' Warriors without peer, the Ascending Darkness need no tiresome training to perform complex Essence-fueled maneuvers -- they naturally master the knack of flowing from one supernatural motion to the next. A Dusk Caste Abyssal may reflexively spend 1 Willpower to allow them to use two Charms in one turnThey may not use a Combo on a turn in which they use this power.
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* ''Inherent Excellence: No Motion.'' Death to all the Chosen, the Ascending Darkness can counter even the greatest fighting arts ever devised -- they are able to perceive the Soul-Fire of building secret techniques and cause the raging Essence to wither and die with the martial gesture that ends all war. A Dusk Caste Abyssal may reflexively spend 1 Willpower when perceiving a Combo being used in their vicinity and engage in a contest of their Permanent Essence against that of the character enacting the Combo -- should the character win the contest it takes effect as it should, but should the Abyssal win the contest the secret technique is broken in a burst of Necrotic Essence, its fires snuffed with no motion. The character enacting the Combo loses his action and the point of willpower spent activating the ComboNo motes are spent and the character can re-enact the Combo at any time (immediately so in the case of Reflexive Combos.)
* ''Supreme Power: Master of the Spoils of War.'' All weapons and armor are as one to the Children of Ash -- worthy tools and rightful property. A Dusk Caste Abyssal may reflexively spend the attunement cost of a weapon or piece of armor he is touching, plus 2 motes, to immediately attune that item to him for the scene.  The item in question may not be attuned to anybody else.  He need not pay the double attunement cost for items of a magical material other than soulsteel, and he gains the special benefits of such magical materials as if he were the appropriate Exalt type. For the remainder of the scene, the item is considered his for all effects that reference ownership.
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* ''Supreme Power: Master All Entropy.'' Instruments of destruction, the Children of Ash have mastered the forces of entropy -- all will end on their word, and no implement of war will end without their say-so. As long as he holds ownership of an implement of war it becomes immune to entropy: it is unbreakable, cannot be forcibly deatunned and will always wield its benefits as if the Exalt were of the appropriate Exalted type even if not made of Soulsteel. This does indeed mean that Grave Goods under the ownership of the Children of Ash can be taken into Creation and never wither -- the Neverborn have decreed that the Dusk Caste bring the war machine of the Underworld to the living lands.  
* ''Dark Favor: Crimson Generals of Void's Armies.'' The Peacebringers are the leaders of the armies of the Underworld, tasked with a simple mission : To kill, until there is nothing more to be killed. When a Peacebringer leads an army into the world of the living, all the Underworld-tied creatures in his command fight with the will of the Neverborn. All of his troops' damage rolls are augmented with an extra automatic success after soak. To properly fulfill his responsibility as a general, the Dusk Caste must be a known Dusk Caste Abyssal in sole command of the army, in direct combat with his enemies, in control of his faculties and aware of his surroundings -- as long as these conditions are true, the battlefield becomes a slaughterhouse.
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* ''Dark Favor: Death's Pale Warlords.'' The Peacebringers are the leaders of the armies of the Underworld and are attuned to all the energies of death upon the battlefield. When a Dusk Caste Abyssal goes to war he is able to sense the location and movements of all undead soldiers at his command, as well as the destruction (or death, in the case of the rare living soldier) of any soldier fighting under his banne -- receiving a one-line report of the circumstances behind it as perceived by the fallen soldier.
  
 
'''Midnight'''
 
'''Midnight'''
* ''Inherent Excellence: Fated in Dark Stars.'' The leaders of the Abyssal Exalted, the Resplendent Darkness are the personification of Malfean will. In their determination, the living see their death, a clear and terrifying vision of the terrible fate written for them in the dark starts of the Underworld. Whenever the Midnight channels a virtue on an opposed roll, the opposition loses dice equal to the channeled virtue. This is an Entropic Effect, and can lower an the opponent's pool to 0, regardless of the opponent's Essence rating.
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* ''Inherent Excellence: Fated in Dark Stars.'' Leaders of the Abyssal Exalted, those of the Resplendent Darkness are the personification of Malfean will. In this determination, the living see death, a clear vision of the fate written for them in the dark stars of the Underworld. A fate without a future.  A Midnight Caste Abyssal may channel a Virtue to reduce an opponent's pool in any single action by twice the value of the channelled Virtue. The opponent must be able to perceive the Midnight for this power to take effect and while it does not enhance a dice action it follows all other rules and limitations of channeling a Virtue. This is an Entropic Effect -- it can lower the opponent's pool to 0 regardless of their Permanent Essence rating.
* ''Supreme Power: Invincible Armor of Faith.'' The Echoes of the Abyss have the strength to endure any opposition in the name of their cause.  When suffering health levels of damage, a Midnight Caste Abyssal may spend 5 motes and roll his permanent Essence.  Each success subtracts one health level from the damage he would take.
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* ''Supreme Power: Invincible Armor of Faith.'' The Children of Silence have the strength to endure any opposition in the name of their cause.  When suffering health levels of damage, a Midnight Caste Abyssal may spend 5 motes and roll his permanent Essence.  Each success subtracts one health level from the damage he would take.
* ''Dark Favor: Blood-Blessed Priests of Oblivion.'' Each Midnight Caste Abyssal is a full-fledged priest of the Mafeans, with the rights, powers and responsibilities pertaining thereunto.  They intrinsically know all the rituals and sacraments of worship, and may call upon the powers they worship, the Malfeans and Void itself, to raise a corpse as a zombie for 2 motes. Furthermore, they alone of the Abyssal Exalted are vouchsafed to be in tune with the Malfeans will, having a deeper experience with their unlife than others upon Exaltation. All Midnights begin with Whispers 1.
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* ''Dark Favor: Blood-Blessed Priests of Oblivion.'' Each of the Echoes of Abyss is a full-fledged priest of the Mafeans, with the rights, powers and responsibilities pertaining thereunto.  They intrinsically know all the rituals and sacraments of worship, as well as the name and general tale of each ghost they lay their eyes on. Their gods know of them and the inescapable knowledge their existence will fall in the Oblivion is for the Midnight Caste Abyssal to impart.
  
 
'''Daybreak'''
 
'''Daybreak'''
* ''Inherent Excellence: Stagnant Essence Flows.''  No one knows more about the essence of the Underworld than Daybreaks, and they have learned to replicate it in the world around them. The Descending Darkness may reflexively spend 1 willpower to bring shadow to the world of living. For a number of turns equal to the Abyssal's Essence rating, all those she can perceive that do not make use of necrotic essence(those able to respire Essence in the Underworld) pay a 1-mote surcharge on every charm activation.
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* ''Inherent Excellence: Stagnant Essence Flows.''  No one knows more about the essence of the Underworld than the Descending Darkness, and they have learned to replicate it in the world around them. The Descending Darkness may reflexively spend 1 willpower to bring shadow to the world of living. For a number of turns equal to the Abyssal's Essence rating, all those she can perceive that do not make use of necrotic essence(those able to respire Essence in the Underworld) pay a 1-mote surcharge on every charm activation.
* ''Supreme Power: Thought Becomes Action.''  Applied knowledge is the cornerstone of the Daybreak Caste; their peerless sagacity allows them to accomplish any design with a minimum of effort.  Once a day, by spending 5 motes, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may complete in one turn any non-opposed task that would normally take no longer than a day -- the information she needs is already within her mind, the tools she has at hand can easily be made ideal for the job, and the work necessary is performed in a few simple motions.  This effect does not and cannot actually speed up the Daybreak's movement or actions; it merely allows them to see the best way to accomplish a certain goal. As an example, if this were used to deliver a message to a nearby town, in a few seconds, it would be there. It's up to the player to optionally describe some mechanism, such as catapult, flock of birds, or pneumatic tube, that did the job.
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* ''Supreme Power: Thought Becomes Action.''  Applied knowledge is the cornerstone of the Children of Bone; their peerless sagacity allows them to accomplish any design with a minimum of effort.  Once a day, by spending 5 motes, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may complete in one turn any non-opposed task that would normally take no longer than a day -- the information she needs is already within her mind, the tools she has at hand can easily be made ideal for the job, and the work necessary is performed in a few simple motions.  This effect does not and cannot actually speed up the Daybreak's movement or actions; it merely allows them to see the best way to accomplish a certain goal. As an example, if this were used to deliver a message to a nearby town, in a few seconds, it would be there. It's up to the player to optionally describe some mechanism, such as catapult, flock of birds, or pneumatic tube, that did the job.
* ''Dark Favor: Inquisitor-Kings of the Underworld.''  The Children of Bone are tasked with the responsibility of gathering all knowledge in the underworld, no matter how forbidden, so as to make greater engines of extinction. In pursuit of this sacred duty, they may enjoin any creature of the Underworld to aid them by disgorging their hard-won information.  Once a scene, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may ask a question in their official capacity as a Daybreak of any creature of the Underworld; the ghost asked must answer to the best of their ability. Deathlords are not exempt of this, but most Abyssals learn to respect their masters, as abusing this ability in the former Solars tends to shorten an Abyssal’s lifespan considerably. Abyssal Exalted, however, are not geased for this power.
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* ''Dark Favor: Inquisitor-Kings of the Underworld.''  The Shadows of the Abyss are tasked with the responsibility of gathering all knowledge in the underworld, no matter how forbidden, so as to make greater engines of extinction. In pursuit of this sacred duty, they may enjoin any creature of the Underworld to aid them by disgorging their hard-won information.  Once a scene, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may ask a question in their official capacity as a Daybreak of any creature of the Underworld; they must answer to the best of their ability. Deathlords are not exempt of this, but most Abyssals learn to respect their masters, as abusing this ability in the former Solars tends to shorten an Abyssal's lifespan considerably. Abyssal Exalted, however, are not geased for this power.
  
 
'''Day'''
 
'''Day'''
* ''Inherent Excellence: Midnight at Noon Display.'' This is the corebook Night caste anima-suppression ability, except that the cost is 2 motes, rather than doubling the motes being spent.
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* ''Inherent Excellence: Midnight at Noon Display.'' Most secretive of the Exalted, the Hidden Darkness have more control of their animas than any other and can mute them to exert their abilities without overt displays of power. When a Day Caste Abyssal Exalted spends Peripheral Essence, they may spend 2 more motes to enact the magic without creating an Anima Display.
* ''Supreme Power: Unbroken Twig Step.'' This is the corebook Night caste perception-dulling ability, except that the cost is 5 motes, rather than 10, and the difficulty penalty is equal to half the Night's permanent Essence rounded up.
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* ''Supreme Power: Unbroken Twig Step.'' Spies without peer, the Daywalkers are able to extend their muted anima like a veil about themselves - Shadows are darker, sounds muffled and scent and footprints are both much lighter than normal. A Day Caste Abyssal Exalt may spend 5 motes to mute the senses of those attempting to perceive their presence or the evidence left behind by their actions by half the Exalt's Essence, rounded up.
* ''Dark Favor: Lords of Silence.''  Of all the Abyssal, the Daywalkers are the only ones expected to still walk the living world, to bring death where undead armies and powerful necromancy cannot. Thus, the Malfans forgive the Children of Blood’s transgressions of the tenants of death. When working under direct orders of the Deathlords, the Malfeans, or in a mission that directly furthers death, the Day Caste does not accumulate Resonance. Also, Daywalkers are masters of the Underworld's spies. When they are facing any mortal being (including ghosts) that admits the Day as their superior, the Day Caste may spend a willpower to enforce silence upon the mortal. The Day must clearly tell which topics are taboo. No matter what is done to the mortal, they can not speak or otherwise communicate without getting permission being given by the Day for a number of Days and Nights equal to the Abyssal's Essence.
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* ''Dark Favor: Lords of Silence.''  Of all the Abyssal, the Children of Blood are the only ones expected to still walk the living world, to bring death where undead armies and powerful necromancy cannot. Thus, the Malfans forgive the transgressions of the tenants of death committed by Day Caste Abyssal Exalted -- when working under direct orders of the Deathlords or the Malfeans no action that follows those orders accumulate Resonance. It must follow the orders to the letter, however: the Exalt will not accumulate Resonance for sleeping with the wife of the man he was ordered to impersonate, but will do so if he is impersonating a merchant and decides to lay with a woman in his path.
  
 
'''Moonshadow'''
 
'''Moonshadow'''
* ''Inherent Excellence: Ten-Thousand-Times-Masked Soul.''  This is the corebook Eclipse caste ability to learn charms of other supernatural, except that the cost is 2 extra xp and 2 extra motes, rather than doubling both.
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* ''Inherent Excellence: Ten-Thousand-Times-Masked Soul.''  The Hollow Darkness are most talented generalists, able to learn the magic of other beings to facilitate relations and trade. Provided he can find a willing tutor a Moonshadow Caste Abyssal can learn the Charms of other magical beings at a cost of 2 extra Experience to purchase. Those Charms also cost 2 extra motes to use.
* ''Supreme Power: Malfean Bound Contract.'' This is the corebook Eclipse oath-sanctifying ability, except that the cost is 5 motes rather than 10.
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* ''Supreme Power: Malfean Bound Contract.'' When the Child of Dust is party or witness to an oath, he may use his anima to sanctify it. The character must touch hands to seal the agreement or touch the hands of those who are party to it. His anima burns darkly, swirling with the words and runes which the Malfeans gave him the right to arbitrate such matters. Those who break such an oath (including the Exalted himself) suffer a terrible curse. The Moonshadow Caste Abyssal spends 5 motes of Essence and a point of Willpower to sanctify the oath. Those who break it will suffer terrible luck from their oathbreaking. A number of times equal to the Exalt's Essence at the time he witnesses or agrees to the oath, the oathbreaker will horribly botch a critical roll. When this happens is up to the Storyteller, but it is always at the worst possible moment. The Exalted need not be alive when the curse takes effect — he sanctifies the oath, but it is the will of the Void that enforces it.
* ''Dark Favor: Spider at the Web's Heart.'' Any good diplomat knows that one must keep tabs on their intrigues. With the reflexive expenditure of 1 willpower, a Moonshadow may know the location of any one assossiate, their condition, and, if they were given a duty by the Moonshadow, their status in accomplishing said goal.
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* ''Dark Favor: Spinner of Intrigues.'' Weavers of oblivion's intrigues, the Winds of the Abyss know well when their careful webs of lies have been compromised. A Moonshadow Caste Abyssal always knows the location of any one assossiate, their condition, and, if they were given a duty by the Moonshadow, their status in accomplishing said goal. Effects that cloak one from supernatural perception will rob the Moonshadow of this knowledge.
  
 
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*Back to [[GoldenCat]]
 
*Back to [[GoldenCat]]

Latest revision as of 22:27, 1 March 2010

This is my attempt at making the dark mirrors of PassengerPigeon's anima powers.

With thanks to Haren!

Abyssal Anima Powers

The inherent powers of the Abyssal Exalted take three forms. Each caste has a great power they can draw upon in times of need. Each caste has a unique capability inherent in their peerless Essence flows. And each caste has a special privilege granted them by the word of the Malfeans, to better harness the powers of the Underworld and bring them to bear upon the living.

Dusk

  • Inherent Excellence: No Motion. Death to all the Chosen, the Ascending Darkness can counter even the greatest fighting arts ever devised -- they are able to perceive the Soul-Fire of building secret techniques and cause the raging Essence to wither and die with the martial gesture that ends all war. A Dusk Caste Abyssal may reflexively spend 1 Willpower when perceiving a Combo being used in their vicinity and engage in a contest of their Permanent Essence against that of the character enacting the Combo -- should the character win the contest it takes effect as it should, but should the Abyssal win the contest the secret technique is broken in a burst of Necrotic Essence, its fires snuffed with no motion. The character enacting the Combo loses his action and the point of willpower spent activating the Combo. No motes are spent and the character can re-enact the Combo at any time (immediately so in the case of Reflexive Combos.)
  • Supreme Power: Master All Entropy. Instruments of destruction, the Children of Ash have mastered the forces of entropy -- all will end on their word, and no implement of war will end without their say-so. As long as he holds ownership of an implement of war it becomes immune to entropy: it is unbreakable, cannot be forcibly deatunned and will always wield its benefits as if the Exalt were of the appropriate Exalted type even if not made of Soulsteel. This does indeed mean that Grave Goods under the ownership of the Children of Ash can be taken into Creation and never wither -- the Neverborn have decreed that the Dusk Caste bring the war machine of the Underworld to the living lands.
  • Dark Favor: Death's Pale Warlords. The Peacebringers are the leaders of the armies of the Underworld and are attuned to all the energies of death upon the battlefield. When a Dusk Caste Abyssal goes to war he is able to sense the location and movements of all undead soldiers at his command, as well as the destruction (or death, in the case of the rare living soldier) of any soldier fighting under his banne -- receiving a one-line report of the circumstances behind it as perceived by the fallen soldier.

Midnight

  • Inherent Excellence: Fated in Dark Stars. Leaders of the Abyssal Exalted, those of the Resplendent Darkness are the personification of Malfean will. In this determination, the living see death, a clear vision of the fate written for them in the dark stars of the Underworld. A fate without a future. A Midnight Caste Abyssal may channel a Virtue to reduce an opponent's pool in any single action by twice the value of the channelled Virtue. The opponent must be able to perceive the Midnight for this power to take effect and while it does not enhance a dice action it follows all other rules and limitations of channeling a Virtue. This is an Entropic Effect -- it can lower the opponent's pool to 0 regardless of their Permanent Essence rating.
  • Supreme Power: Invincible Armor of Faith. The Children of Silence have the strength to endure any opposition in the name of their cause. When suffering health levels of damage, a Midnight Caste Abyssal may spend 5 motes and roll his permanent Essence. Each success subtracts one health level from the damage he would take.
  • Dark Favor: Blood-Blessed Priests of Oblivion. Each of the Echoes of Abyss is a full-fledged priest of the Mafeans, with the rights, powers and responsibilities pertaining thereunto. They intrinsically know all the rituals and sacraments of worship, as well as the name and general tale of each ghost they lay their eyes on. Their gods know of them and the inescapable knowledge their existence will fall in the Oblivion is for the Midnight Caste Abyssal to impart.

Daybreak

  • Inherent Excellence: Stagnant Essence Flows. No one knows more about the essence of the Underworld than the Descending Darkness, and they have learned to replicate it in the world around them. The Descending Darkness may reflexively spend 1 willpower to bring shadow to the world of living. For a number of turns equal to the Abyssal's Essence rating, all those she can perceive that do not make use of necrotic essence(those able to respire Essence in the Underworld) pay a 1-mote surcharge on every charm activation.
  • Supreme Power: Thought Becomes Action. Applied knowledge is the cornerstone of the Children of Bone; their peerless sagacity allows them to accomplish any design with a minimum of effort. Once a day, by spending 5 motes, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may complete in one turn any non-opposed task that would normally take no longer than a day -- the information she needs is already within her mind, the tools she has at hand can easily be made ideal for the job, and the work necessary is performed in a few simple motions. This effect does not and cannot actually speed up the Daybreak's movement or actions; it merely allows them to see the best way to accomplish a certain goal. As an example, if this were used to deliver a message to a nearby town, in a few seconds, it would be there. It's up to the player to optionally describe some mechanism, such as catapult, flock of birds, or pneumatic tube, that did the job.
  • Dark Favor: Inquisitor-Kings of the Underworld. The Shadows of the Abyss are tasked with the responsibility of gathering all knowledge in the underworld, no matter how forbidden, so as to make greater engines of extinction. In pursuit of this sacred duty, they may enjoin any creature of the Underworld to aid them by disgorging their hard-won information. Once a scene, a Daybreak Caste Abyssal may ask a question in their official capacity as a Daybreak of any creature of the Underworld; they must answer to the best of their ability. Deathlords are not exempt of this, but most Abyssals learn to respect their masters, as abusing this ability in the former Solars tends to shorten an Abyssal's lifespan considerably. Abyssal Exalted, however, are not geased for this power.

Day

  • Inherent Excellence: Midnight at Noon Display. Most secretive of the Exalted, the Hidden Darkness have more control of their animas than any other and can mute them to exert their abilities without overt displays of power. When a Day Caste Abyssal Exalted spends Peripheral Essence, they may spend 2 more motes to enact the magic without creating an Anima Display.
  • Supreme Power: Unbroken Twig Step. Spies without peer, the Daywalkers are able to extend their muted anima like a veil about themselves - Shadows are darker, sounds muffled and scent and footprints are both much lighter than normal. A Day Caste Abyssal Exalt may spend 5 motes to mute the senses of those attempting to perceive their presence or the evidence left behind by their actions by half the Exalt's Essence, rounded up.
  • Dark Favor: Lords of Silence. Of all the Abyssal, the Children of Blood are the only ones expected to still walk the living world, to bring death where undead armies and powerful necromancy cannot. Thus, the Malfans forgive the transgressions of the tenants of death committed by Day Caste Abyssal Exalted -- when working under direct orders of the Deathlords or the Malfeans no action that follows those orders accumulate Resonance. It must follow the orders to the letter, however: the Exalt will not accumulate Resonance for sleeping with the wife of the man he was ordered to impersonate, but will do so if he is impersonating a merchant and decides to lay with a woman in his path.

Moonshadow

  • Inherent Excellence: Ten-Thousand-Times-Masked Soul. The Hollow Darkness are most talented generalists, able to learn the magic of other beings to facilitate relations and trade. Provided he can find a willing tutor a Moonshadow Caste Abyssal can learn the Charms of other magical beings at a cost of 2 extra Experience to purchase. Those Charms also cost 2 extra motes to use.
  • Supreme Power: Malfean Bound Contract. When the Child of Dust is party or witness to an oath, he may use his anima to sanctify it. The character must touch hands to seal the agreement or touch the hands of those who are party to it. His anima burns darkly, swirling with the words and runes which the Malfeans gave him the right to arbitrate such matters. Those who break such an oath (including the Exalted himself) suffer a terrible curse. The Moonshadow Caste Abyssal spends 5 motes of Essence and a point of Willpower to sanctify the oath. Those who break it will suffer terrible luck from their oathbreaking. A number of times equal to the Exalt's Essence at the time he witnesses or agrees to the oath, the oathbreaker will horribly botch a critical roll. When this happens is up to the Storyteller, but it is always at the worst possible moment. The Exalted need not be alive when the curse takes effect — he sanctifies the oath, but it is the will of the Void that enforces it.
  • Dark Favor: Spinner of Intrigues. Weavers of oblivion's intrigues, the Winds of the Abyss know well when their careful webs of lies have been compromised. A Moonshadow Caste Abyssal always knows the location of any one assossiate, their condition, and, if they were given a duty by the Moonshadow, their status in accomplishing said goal. Effects that cloak one from supernatural perception will rob the Moonshadow of this knowledge.