AlchemicalEssenceandWeaving/DeathBySurfeit

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Vortical Essence Dynamo

Cost: None
Installation Cost: 1 mote
Duration: N/A
Type: Permanent
Minimum Stamina: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm takes the form of a slowly rotating cylinder, set into articulated holdings behind the bearer's shoulders and lit brightly by essence channels imbedded into its surface. It increases the rate of Essence respiration by drawing upon ambient supplies, adding the Alchemical's permanent Essence in motes to the amount respired each hour for each time it is installed. If the rate of respiration is halved or annulled entirely, that multiplier applies after the bonus from this Charm is added. Exalts may have no more copies of this Charm installed than their permanent Essence (or permanent Essence x 5 for those of Essence 8+). Vortical Essence Dynamo cannot be placed in an Array.

Xenogonic Reflux Converter - this submodule exists as a bubbling array of tubes filled with luminous liquid, intertwined with the Dynamo. When installed, it adapts the Charm to function in even the most hostile of environments, converting unusual Essence flows to a universal standard. If the bearer is in a situation where his Essence regeneration is halved or negated, the Essence regained from the Vortical Essence Dynamo is unaffected. Only Alchemicals of permanent Essence 3 or more can install this Charm.

Sacrificial Override System

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Installation Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Stamina: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sustained Augmentation Of Stamina

Installed in the centre of the Alchemical's chest, this Charm appears as an ornamented disc surrounded by countless filaments anchored in her flesh. Upon activation, the disc is illuminated by a rotating circle of motes, and a piercing note plays across the upper reaches of hearing. The alchemical's flesh cracks, smoke pouring out of the seams, their Charms vent roiling Essence and bolts of actinic light dance across their form. On their next initiative pass, or once Incapacitated (whichever comes first) they explode, sending broken fragments of hardened clay, metal and magical materials in a hail of shrapnel and scalding energy.

On detonation, all creatures within the blast radius (the Alchemical's Stamina x their permanent Essence in yards) must make a Stamina+Resistance roll at a difficulty equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence; on a success, they must soak (5 x Essence)L. On a failure, they must soak (50 x Essence)L instead. Objects and structures automatically fail this check. Regardless, the Alchemical's body is irrevocably destroyed in the process; no defences or soak mechanisms can save them from their fate. Alchemicals with permanent Essence of 5 to 6 multiply their blast radius by five. Alchemicals with permanent Essence of 7 to 8 multiply their blast radius by fifty.

Feedback

I really like the concept of the Override System, save that I feel it's far too weak. Stamina+Resistance is a pretty easy roll for many, and 2*Ess is in the range of 4-10L for most games, which barely kills extras. 5*Essence damage, on the other hand, ranges from 10-25, which is a bit better, but still only as good as a solid thunk with a sledgehammer. I'd consider upping it to 3*Essence for the saved case, and 6*Ess for the unsaved case. I'd also note that the damage is neither considered an attack, nor environmental damage, and is unblockable. I'd also mention that, for the purposes of minimum damage, the Alchemical's Essence is considered to be much higher than it normally is (2*Essence+Strength). While very powerful at this point, doing minimum damage on the order of 8-15 minimum rolled damage, we're talking about an Exalt sacrificing his life, pouring out his Shard, and saying "Booyah" at the enemy. I mean, we see how much more powerful charms that require 1 permanent Essence as part of their activation, right? Well this one requires X permanent Essence, where X=how much you have. -- GregLink

Given that the character sacrifices his or her life, and thus the player sacrifices his or her part at least in the rest of that game session, I might even recommend saying that anything that fails the stamina roll is just utterly annihilated. Then if they make the roll, they can try to soak 5*Essence damage (no blocking, no dodging). - IanPrice

Agreed! -- GregLink

Could declare it's an environmental damage effect. That means it's only soakable with stamina soak, and automatically applies. That would make a failure kinda nasty. By the way, isn't the standard format for charm placement AlchemicalStamina/DeathBySurfeit, rather than the other way around?

The Vortical essence wossname is good, but... Slightly overpowered. Adding Essence per installation, up to Essence? That means with 3 of these at essence 3, you're regaining +9 per hour. That's a lot of essence... more than a level 4 hearthstone. Remember these stack fine with Essence Capacitors, of which alchemicals can easily get tons. On top of that, with a submodule, you get that ALL of the time? Personally, if you cut the submodule down to only +1 essence per installation, and/or have non-generic submodules (a shadowland submodule, a blight zone submodule, a Malfeas submodule... any others?) that might make it seem more palatable. I'd also suggest the essence-conversion submodules be minimum essence 3. As to the max mote regain... Not got too many solutions to that, it seems just a mite (or perhaps mote) too high... What do you think?
-- Darloth

Okies, foremost I took the naming format from the first Alchemical Charm page I found; if it was incorrect, I'll move this page accordingly. I've modified the SOS (acronym partially intended) to make failure suitably devastating, but made it 'near-certain destruction' rather than 'destruction' to increase the opportunities to circumvent the worst of its effects. The Vortical Essence Dynamo might be powerful in what it does, but consider that you're tying up your precious Personal Essence with each installation, and that rate of respiration doesn't often impact play. Having three installed at Essence 3 is an investment of 30/36xp and 3 Personal for that benefit. In this, it's no more broken (I'd hazard that it's considerably less broken) than Essence Storage Units. I agree absolutely about the minimum Essence on the converter, and have modified them accordingly, although specific submodules are so narrow in their use as to strike me as a complete waste of experience...DeathBySurfeit

Maybe you're right. Maybe. ^_^ -- Darloth is a natural critic