SolarBureaucracy/GregLink

Charms I'm no longer a fan of are at GregLink/OldBureaucracyCharms

Assuming the Place of the Creation-Prince

Cost: 1m/die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Bureaucracy: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisites: None

With an insight not granted simply by business acumen, but by Essence, the Solar Bureaucrat is a powerful force to be reckoned with. When performing a bureaucracy-related task, the Solar can assume his mantle of leadership more clearly, and more carefully, purchasing additional dice of bureaucracy for a cost of 1m per die.

Financier's Masterful Eye

Cost: 3m
Duration: One evaluation
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Assuming the Place of the Creation-Prince

While all businessmen have opinions, few opinions carry the weight of the Solar Exalted. The opinions formed by such men are not just based on experience or training, but on the raw flows of creation itself. When evaluating a business or business plan, the Solar can choose not to rely on simply his own skill, but on the thrum of the universe itself. This charm may be activated anytime the Solar is called upon to verify the promise of a given bureaucratic plan, such as a troop organization, business model, or even food allocation program. The Solar first obtains all information he can about the plan, through things such as business plans, troop listings, and firsthand experience. He then rolls a standard Attribute+Bureaucracy roll (with the relevant attribute determined by the Storyteller based on the situation), at a difficulty determined by the amount of accurate information the Solar had available. A difficulty 1 task is one where the Solar has firsthand information, such as talking with the head of a particular guild caravan, or has met many of the troops and officers in a given army. A difficulty 5 task is one where little to no accurate information is available, such as "Deploying the 7th legion to defend the South, and leaving the 5th legion to defend the North", when one has only heard rumors of the effectiveness of either army, and of the situations developing at the opposing poles. With a single success, the Solar can determine whether this given model would be considered 'above average' or 'below average'. Each additional success scored gives additional information about the likely quality of the plan or business, dividing into another two categories per success. For example, if 3 successes are rolled, the plan would fall into one of 8 categories, such as "top 1/8 possible, second 1/8, ..." down to "7/8 of all ideas are better than this one". This is especially useful when evaluating where to invest one's time and resources, as one can clearly sift the well-run organizations from those doomed to fail.

Attention Begets Efficiency Attitude

Cost: Variable
Duration: Until released
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Assuming the Place of the Creation-Prince, Deft Official's Way

While some Meleeists consider a 'committed' charm to be one that lasts for a scene, the true bureaucrat recognizes that sometimes things can take much longer. While a Craftsman will spend years, honing his craft so that he no longer needs assistants, the wise bureaucrat knows that by improving one's assistants, he stands to gain much more. By focusing essence into his task as administrator and overseer, any operation the Solar directly oversees can receive benefit, as long as the Solar continues to commit his thought, time, and essence to the task. This charm can be activated in regards to any task requiring more than one scene of effort, and affects any aspects of the task that the Solar or his underlings are responsible for. When activated, the Solar may choose to commit up to his (Int+Bureaucracy) in motes of essence, and for each such mote invested, the task at hand is quantitatively improved by (Essence) percent, in some measurable fashion. Construction projects take less time, investments have a higher rate of return, and the organization finds that it hasn't spent its entire budget at the end of the year. The percent bonus gained can be divided up among any number of metrics, allowing a 20% bonus to result in a project being completed 10% faster than expected, and 10% under budget, for example. Once the motes are committed to this charm, the number of motes can be increased to the limit without penalty. If, for some reason, the character should not be able to pay this commitment, the effect fades nearly immediately. More problematically, it cannot be activated again for the same task for at least one lunar month.

Embracing the Capitalistic Spirit

Cost: 4m, 1WP
Duration: Until released
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Attitude, Financier's Masterful Eye

Reaching the culmination of bureaucratic advantage, the Solar has learned many skills. He can evaluate investments, buy and sell them at optimal prices, and perform all this administration far more efficiently than his competitors. By internalizing these lessons, the character has managed to extract the true spirit of capitalism, where his choices and decisions can allow him to become truly wealthy, and a magnate of investment. This charm, activated as a character evaluates various investment options, ensures that he will end up with a truly superlative portfolio, isolated from market vagaries, and taking advantage of all possible options. While the essence cost of this charm remains committed, the character's portfolio is guaranteed to never lose value, defined as at least the market average rate of return, or the inflation rate, whichever is higher. In addition, the investment will grow at a rate (Int+Bureaucracy)*(Essence) % higher than the average market rate of return, or the rate at which it would have grown normally, whichever is higher. If the motes committed to this charm are withdrawn, the investment immediately becomes under the influence of standard market vagaries, and will lose or gain value as any normal portfolio would. To re-activate this charm would require selling the previous portfolio and re-selecting a new choice of investments. Note that this charm does not allow the character to specify which investments he will choose, and as such, cannot be used on a company of choice to ensure that it will have high earnings.

As an example, I consider the US stock market, which has a historical rate of return of 12% annually. With this charm, a character would find that his portfolio would do quite well, earning (12+ (Int+Bureaucracy)*Essence) % annually, or roughly 72% annually for a reasonable character that would have this charm. This, while high, isn't outrageous by any standard, as it simply means the character chooses the right Cisco's, Yahoo's, and such to ensure that he makes a ton of fat cash. As another example, I consider the Russian or Mexican investment markets, which, a few years ago, were experiencing an inflation rate in the 1000's of percent, as the ruble (and peso) collapsed. In this situation, the character would earn (that 1000's of percent)+60%, ensuring that while the value of the monetary unit collapses, the real value of his investment doesn't.

Capital-Acquiring Methodology

Cost: 6m
Duration: One Week + Variable
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Attitude, Irresistable Salesman Spirit

As every good businessman knows, it takes money to make money. In many situations, especially early on in the Solar's career, the kind of money needed can often be difficult to come by. With this charm, the character alleviates this problem quite nicely, allowing essence flows and intuition to guide them to appropriate sources of capital. When activated during an active search for capital (requiring some level of access to an appropriate economic system), this charm ensures that the character will find investors (such as banks, venture capitalists, and interested citizens) willing to invest on fair and appropriate terms. In the first week of use, the character will find investors willing to invest roughly the per-capita average salary of the region (In the US, this was roughly 22,000$ during 2002), at the going market rate (historically 10-20% annual) minus the character's Charisma in percent. If the charm is maintained longer, each week, the character will find additional sources of capital (Essence) times larger than the week before. This charm can only be maintained for a number of weeks equal to the character's (bureaucracy rating - 1) before the character is effectively out of his league. Note that this charm only provides sources of capital, not the means to pay it back. Young and aspiring bureaucrats are reminded that creditors are often unhappy with those who simply take the money and run, and as such, it is often beneficial to not seek the largest sum possible. As an example to interested yet mathematically uninclined readers, in the first week, one would find access to about 22,000$. In subsequent weeks, this would increase to 66,000$, 198,000$ , and finally 594,000$.

Heavenly Administrator's Bearing

Cost: 6m, 1WP
Duration: Until released 
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Financier's Masterful Eye, Deft Official's Way 

As true leaders of men, the Princes of the Earth stand above all others. By embracing this role, and working to become the best administrator, logistician, and manager possible, the Solar's operations are truly without peer. None can compete with the efficiency, order, and morale in such an organization, as long as the leader continues to operate with such clockwork efficiency and prescient-like planning. When activated as part of any other bureaucratic action, this charm ensures that the best possible plan of action is followed, making that action considered a perfect effect. For the purposes of effects whose magnitude is based on number of successes, all dice that would normally be rolled are considered to be successes. For bureaucratic actions that normally take longer than 'instant' to occur, such as the day-to-day managment of the building of a Manse, the motes must remain committed the entire time. If the motes are uncommitted, the character immediately re-rolls the effect as if this charm wasn't used, and the results of that roll are followed, as the holes in the characters plan show through. This charm can explicitly be placed in a combo, despite it's non-instant duration.

Supremely Efficient Brigade

Cost: 7m, 1WP
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Attitude, Financier's Masterful Eye, Speed the Wheels

When working on large projects such as Manse construction, it is rare to find a Twilight actually in charge of the workers. Instead, an Eclipse-Caste master Bureaucrat is called in, his techniques and skills in administration far more suited to the task than those of the architect. Bureaucrats who frequent such large projects often learn this charm, as a means of improving efficiency and reducing construction time. This charm, affecting any project, task, or goal that will take at least one day to complete, and involving at least 5 other workers subordinate to the bureaucrat, ensures that materials will be ordered on time (and arrive on time), that morale will remain high, and that work will be completed in the generally most efficient way possible. Affecting any number of subordinates, these subordinates will each accomplish (Essence) times as much work as one in their station normally would. As an example, this allows small highly skilled construction crews to carefully perform the detailed work normally shoddily performed by hundreds of less skilled peasants, and allows those hundreds of peasants to perform the work of thousands, ensuring rapid job completion. All the while, the support staff, such as clerical workers and cooks, can keep up with this frantic pace equally well, preventing total workplace collapse.

Comments, Questions, and Snide remarks

I love it, especially the jab at Dawn caste "committed" charms. But why does the die-adder cost twice what normal Solar die-adders cost? - IanPrice

I thought combat adders were 1-to-1 and that non-combat adders are 2-per-1? Seriously, that's why. If I'm wrong ,say so, and it can (and will!) be changed ASAP. I just thought that was the conversion. Then again, I've got the stomach flu, so am quite off my game. Anyone? -- GregLink

If I recall correctly, its those with extended applicability (that can be used with more than one Ability) that cost that much. Straight dice adders are one mote per die, I believe...DeathBySurfeit

What he said. Plus, you may also have been thinking of success buyers, which Solars have more of in non-combat abilities. - IanPrice

Fixed to 1m per die. There's a whole bundle of other charms though, so I encourage feedback. -- GregLink, who obviously likes playing capitalistic investment characters

I think the last one should need a seperate activation at a different rate to affect skilled laborers. Right now, you'd probably be affecting a clean thousand workers with that formula, which is great for the massive work-forces needed in Manse construction to do things like haul materials, dig foundations, etc. However, the kind of effeciency needed for the smaller group of skilled laborers is entirely different. May I suggest that when activated to affect skilled laborers, the charm only affects (Cha + Bur) * Ess of them? That'd give you 40 or so per activation when you get the charm. I'd argue that 160 man-hours of skilled labor are worth just as much as 4000 hours of unskilled labor, since the skilled labor is applying much more than the simple physics definition of work the unskilled laborers are used for. Consequently, enhancing the more complex tasks of the skilled laborer takes more effort on the part of the Exalt.

As an Essence 4 charm though, I would see no problem with allowing multiple activations to affect even more laborers. Though not multiple stacked activations on one group of laborers, which would probably kill the poor bastards. - IanPrice

I added math. You know, like I tend to. This way, if you've got a bunch of pool-4 workers, you can affect about 200 people. If your workers are skilled, with a total pool of like 8, you can affect maybe 100 of them. Is this better, or should I be looking for a different mechanic altogether? -- GregLink

Why not say "all workers under your command"? It is a Solar Charm, and a specialised, high level one at that...DeathBySurfeit

Can I? Or would that be a 'bad thing'? I'd love to, personally, but imagine what happens when you get said Solar in charge of, I don't know, the Guild, even for a day. In that day, they'd make mad profits, as everyone quadrupled their output. Let them in charge for a month while the real guild master goes on specialized business, and he'd come back to find the place chock full of money. Then again, if people are willing to allow it, I'd love it. -- GregLink, not wanting to push the boundary too far, but thinking DBS isn't far off. I was actually thinking of removing the WP cost and upping the mote cost a bit, if I have to keep it this way, so that you can affect more people without burning WP like mad, but if it counts against your entire group of underlings, that's fine too.

If a Solar with basic Presence Charms can walk into an Immaculate monastry in the Imperial City and impeccably incite the novices to riot for no real reason, and a Solar with basic Melee Charms can faultlessly parry a magically homing guillotine coming from all sides, a Solar with highly developed Bureaucracy Charms could easily run any organisation with astonishing proficiency. Besides, it's becoming in charge that's the difficulty in the above scenario, and dealing with the consequences - there are good business weeks, and there are unnaturally good business weeks, after all...DeathBySurfeit

I love DeathBySurfeit. Changed accordingly. -- GregLink

One other point, who says the consequences are just for the organisation being run. If the Guild has 4 times the money it should have, it isn't in the hands of farmers, labourers and the rest. Congratulations, you've just screwed the Threshold's economy and eventually, they will not be able to support the Guild anymore. -- Somori, still saying that the best way to deal with a Solar is to force them into a lose-lose choice.

Well, going from that basis, I can't help but agree. Though I think the mote cost should go up a bit, and still keep the willpower cost. - IanPrice

Upped to 7m. Good enough? Also, any comments on any of the other charms? -- GregLink

Good enough. Upon further reading, I think Heavenly Administrator's Bearing needs to cost 10m, since it makes all dice successful. You also didn't actually fix your die-adder to 1m per die. The other charms look good, though. I especially like Attention Begets Effeciency Attitude and Masterful Financier's Eye. Both are charms I'd want any General Officer to pick up, because they'd be essential to winning a war. - IanPrice

• Coughs, waves hands*. Yes I did. See? It's perfectly fine. 1m. Like I said. Also, as for Heavenly Administrator's Bearing, it's actuall the charm I like the least, currently. I'd like to make a perfect bureaucracy effect, but since bureaucracy is so rarely opposed (it's much more often used against fixed difficulties, with the level of success determined by how many additional successes you get), simply saying "it always works" isn't that great. I'm totally open to other suggestions, though, and am considering replacing it with simply a much more powerful (yet fixed benefit) version of Attention Begets Efficiency Attitude, which is a wonderful charm, in my opinion. -- GregLink

Alright GL, let's think, when would you normally come across opposed bureaucracy checks? When trying to convince another party that your course of action is this best for all involved. This could take the form of haggling, getting people to terms and sign a contract, or even convincing a council to accept your business plan. In your other charms, you seem to be focusing on the constructive, beneficial aspects of bureaucracy. But what if your aim is not to be effecient and beneficial? What if you want to convince someone to accept a flawed plan? It's a lot harder to convince someone to adopt a course of business that will force them into ruin. That's where having a perfect becomes handy. The ability to walk up to someone and say "I feel this is the best course of action we can take,and I have the charts and graphs to prove it." And have them accept that unquestioningly is incredibly useful. If you alter Heavenly Administrator's Bearing to work along lines like this, then you may find it to be more satisfying. Remember, not all bureaucracy is good and helpful bureaucracy. -Ambisinister

While you're right that bureaucracy can do bad things, many of the examples you provide seem like presence or Socialize. That's convincing someone to do something you know is bad, or hiding the fact that what you're doing is bad. So yes, while I agree that bureaucracy can do bad things, such as the freezing of a bureaucracy, I don't think convincing someone is even necessary. A more bureaucratic charm would involve sending in a letter that contains something no one knows how to deal with. As more and more managers, employees, and staff get called in to figure out what to do about it, the entire place slows to a halt. An example would be asking your local DMV to change the gender on your driver's license to female, because you've gone transsexual (or is it transgendered?). You can change your name legally, and you can have shiny new jumbly bits, but what legal document shows you've changed gender? Boss? "I don't know, ask Frank." "Hey Frank, how do you...?" et cetera. -- GregLink, still looking for positive benefits to a perfect bureaucratic charm, or alternately, going to make it the following:

Heavenly Administrator's Bearing

Cost: 6m, 1WP
Duration: One week 
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Method, Speed the Wheels 

As true leaders of men, the Princes of the Earth stand above all others. By embracing this role, and working to become the best administrator, logistician, and manager possible, the Solar's operations are truly without peer. None can compete with the efficiency, order, and morale in such an organization, as long as the leader continues to operate with such clockwork efficiency and prescient-like planning. When activated as part of any other bureaucratic action, this charm ensures that the best possible plan of action is followed, making that action considered a perfect effect, and thus resistant to the predations of others. In addition, the cool, calculated organization of all aspects of the situation improves the functionality and health of the organization, as employees who deserve raises are given them, appropriate leave granted to those who need it, et cetera. This has an overall effect similar to that of Attention Begets Efficiency Method, save that in this case, it provides a flat 100% benefit (or 50% reduction, as appropriate) to the activities of the operation, divided up as the bureaucrat sees fit, allowing a project to come in 50% under budget, or to produce 100% more product in a given time frame. In all cases, this application must be generally considered positive to the organization, not to the character's interests. Note that unlike many other charms in this tree, this charm has no real restriction as to what can be organized, or how many must be involved in a given project. After all, the organization of heaven is often so perplexing that even the gods carrying out their orders have no idea of the importance of their task, nor even what plan they're unwittingly following. This allows bureaucrats to improve the functioning of other organizations, such as parts distributors, as necessary.

Alright, my intial response to your reply was long winded and involved socialize, bureaucracy, presence, and a venn diagram. I have since scrapped that and decided to adopt a simpler model: One of the domains of bureaucracy is haggling. One of the fundamentals of haggling is convincing the other guy to buy what your selling at the price your asking. That being said, I think that bureaucracy is only useful in certain situations in regard to getting others to do what you want. Not very helpful with, say seduction (unless you happen to find someone who is particularly attracted to your ability to manipulate the tax laws), but useful when you need to convince an organization or government to do something (as opposed to convincing the entities who make up that body). That's the feel I was going for with my earlier charm suggestion.

Moving on, your charm's name "Heavenly Administrator's Bearing" puts me in mind of an entirely different charm effect than the one you're currently working on. What I get from the title is that your bureaucratic aura and projected competency and official-ness is so overpowering that you can stroll into any organization, start giving orders, and people will follow them because it seems like you belong there. It follows the whole 'if it looks like you know what you're doing, people will often assume that you do' misconception. In this case, not only do you know what you're doing, but you have a heavnely mandate saying you're damn good at it. This triggers the underling's 'boss-man says jump and I jump while filing it in triplicate' instinct before they actually have time to think about the fact that you're not actually part of the chain of command.

On a totally different note, is there a bureaucracy charm that functions similarly to socialize's "Mastery of Small Manners?" -Ambisinister

OOooh. I like that effect. What'd it take to get you to write it up, as the new "Heavenly Administrator's Bearing"? I mean, all I'm looking for is a nice happy charm with that title, because it's a fun title. Seriously, take a stab at it, and see what happens. There's a bonus round if it involves perfection, which is currently missing from Bureaucracy, which pisses me off. Poor bureaucrats. -- GregLink

Ask and ye shall receive.

Heavenly Administrator's Bearing

Cost: 8m
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Method, Speed the Wheels 

Solar bureaucras who reach a certain peak of excellency are capable of exploiting their heavenly mandate to rule to flawlessly break into the chain of command in any bureaucracy. Underlings are overpowerd by the Exalt's aura of unshakable confidence and absolute authority and automatically assume he not only has the right to be there, but the right to make decisions. Through use of this charm the Solar may issue a command to an organization or government and expect it to be carried out as if he possessed the requisite status and authority to do so. The task must be something that is supported by the organization's structure. While the character is not required to identify himself, he is not permitted to hide his identity either. For example, if there is paperwork that needs to be signed, then he must sign as himself.

Having some difficulty with the actual crunch wording. I think it's neccessary to include that the Solar can only give orders, and expect them to be obeyed, to people who would normally recieve them. He couldn't give orders to a king or CEO since they're on the top. I feel that ordering kings around because you're better than them is a presence thing. Here's the image I've got in my head of this charm in action:

Ferrek strides into the office, pulling out a sheaf of papers as he does so. The clerk at the desk looks up and quickly snaps to attention. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Ferrek offers a fleeting smile as he drops the paperwork on the desk, "I need prisoners 0342 and 0343 released from holding." The clerk takes up the paperwork and immediately begins to process it. At this moment a woman, wearing the uniform a supervisor, walks into the room. She looks from Ferrek to the clerk, then moves to look over the clerk's shoulder.
"What's going on here?" She demands.
"Processing a prisoner release request, ma'am."
Something about this strikes the supervisor as odd, "I don't remember hearing about any releases. On who's authority are you doing this?"
Ferrek leans forward placing both of his hands on the desk, "On my authority."
The upon hearing Ferrek's words, the woman's demeanor instantly shifts to one of subservience. "Sorry, sir. Didn't mean to question you." She glances down at the clerk, "Carry on."
She turns to leave and Ferrek, gently rubbing his chin, watches her go, and then smiles.

That's what this charm should do. I just need a good way to articulate it.

Well, it's not a full charm yet, but I gave it go. As for a cost, well, you could always help me out with my new MA once it gets a little furhter along.-Ambisinister

Sounds fair. How about this as a possible description-slash-mechanic?:

Heavenly Administrator's Bearing

Cost: 8m
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Attention Begets Efficiency Method, Speed the Wheels 

Even in Yu-Shan, the Solars are known as Princes of the Earth. Rulers without peer, and leaders among men, the Solars naturally exude an aura of power and superiority that others subconciously understand. With time and training, a Solar bureaucrats can become capable of exploiting this heavenly mandate to rule to insert themselves into the chain of command in any bureaucracy. By acting with confidence, certain in the knowledge that their desires will be carried out, the Solar can simply act as if his word is law, and all should follow. Underlings are overpowerd by the Exalt's aura of unshakable confidence and absolute authority and automatically assume he not only has the right to be there, but the right to make decisions. Through use of this charm the Solar may issue a command to an organization or government and expect it to be carried out as, he obviously possesses the requisite status and authority to do so. The task must be something that is supported by the organization's structure, so while he might order a quartermaster to supply him and his men with the highest quality goods he has, he could not equally order the janitor to kill a man. While the character is not required to explicitly identify himself, he is not permitted to hide his identity either. For example, if there is paperwork that needs to be signed, then he must sign as himself, as it is by his authority that the actions are taken. After this charm ends, the obviousness that the Solar had the authority to do what he did will linger, preventing an automatic withdrawal of the commands, and will not be discovered as out of place without the use of charms. Other Exalts, due to their similarly high standing in the heirarchy of heaven, have the ability to resist the commands placed by this charm, by rolling and opposed Charisma+Bureaucracy roll, where the Solar gains an automatic number of successes equal to his Essence. This charm can be placed in a combo, despite it's non-instant duration.

It's not great, and I'm not sure I like the last sentence about other Exalts resisting, but it seemed appropriate, and honestly, the odds of anyone resisting are slim-to-none anyway. Also, I think we should include the sample text you wrote, as quite frankly, I think all charms should have fun descriptive text. -- GregLink

It's certainly clearer than my version. If you don't like the resist, you could always switch over to the ol' "doesn't work on beings of higher essence" stand-by. -Ambisinister