AlchemicalRangedCombat/Darloth

Essence Pulse Cannon</b>

(see Exalted:The Autochthonians, pg 101)

Submodules:

Scalable - Once this submodule is purchased, every installation of the Essence Pulse Cannon beyond the first adds +2 motes to the maximum amount that can be spent on each bolt, and 1L damage to every shot, to a maximum base damage of the Alchemical's Essence. (you may also want a house rule on min damage dice if using Ex2 style rules, I'd favour +1 min damage per 8-10L raw damage)

Low-Power Mode - This submodule enables an alchemical's essence pulse cannon to be fired in a low power mode, drawing on ambient essence only, and thus costing 0 essence per shot. If the alchemical cannot currently respire essence, using this submodule will cost a single mote per (Essence) shots, or portion thereof. The rate and accuracy of the cannon are unchanged, but the damage is 0L only. If the scalable submodule is installed, this damage is increased to 1L per installation of the Cannon, but this can never be raised above the Alchemical's essence. Only the scalable and Guidance Ray submodules are compatible with low power mode, although it can draw on an internal battery if sufficient ambient essence is not present.

Seeking - This submodule enables the projectiles shot from the essence pulse cannon to home in on their designated target. As such, they get a +2 accuracy bonus (which stacks with the guidance ray - laser designation is a good justification for this) and if they are dodged then they will try once more on initiative count 15 next turn, with the same number of successes. If this second attack is also dodged, the projectile will swing past and collide with the next solid obstacle. Obviously, it is better to dodge then parry these projectiles rather than parry then dodge. The submodule may be activated against any target the alchemical can percieve, and can also add its +2 accuracy dice against inanimate targets, representing the projectile refining the original aim midflight. This submodule is incompatible with the Precision Beam upgrade and the Pattern Disruptor Upgrade, and requires essence 3-4

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<b>Omni-Conformant Shoulder Mounted Utility Projector</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes (+1 mote per Essence yards of chain for 2nd mode)
Installation Cost: 2 motes
Type: Simple
Duration: Instant
Min. Strength: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Paramagnetic Tether Beam

By mounting a slightly modified Paramagnetic Tether Beam Emitter on a shoulder-mounted guidance tube, and then augmenting the tube with a special moonsilver interlock-sprocket, the Alchemical gains the capability to launch almost any long, thin object with a burst of channeled paramagnetic force. Most usually, a multi-functional utility-hook is forged from or plated with the metal corresponding to the Alchemical's caste, but this is simply the typical case, and it can be removed and replaced with any projectile that the storyteller deems will fit. For human-scale Alchemicals, assume this to be any object less than around two and a half inches in diameter which is no longer than two feet in length.

The projectile is fired using Strength+Archery and has an accuracy of +0. Due to special beam-focussing arrays, the range increment of this projectile is (Strength x 20) yards. The charm may not be invoked more than once per turn, and without special equipment, it takes a non-rolled dice action to load it ready for firing. The damage of the projectile if used as a weapon is dependent on what is being fired, but the default grapple-hook/harpoon does a base damage of 4L and is piercing.

However, the combat applications of this charm are only a side benefit to its main utility. Assuming the distance to target is less than (Strength x 20 yards), the alchemical may leave the 5 motes of essence committed and sustain the paramagnetic force as a beam connecting the launcher-unit and the projectile. This beam can hold up to Essence x 100 pounds of weight, and if someone is trying to break or disrupt it, this requires a number of Str+Ath successes equal to the Alchemical's Strength+Essence. In addition, the beam is not material, or really dematerial for that matter, so no purely physical effects will affect it, although it could still be broken by pulling hard enough on the projectile or indeed the firing Alchemical. As such, a soak is not provided.

In the second mode of this charm, the Alchemical may spend extra motes (1 mote per Essence yards). Instead of using a paramagnetic tether beam, this attaches and generates a chain formed from minute threads of their magical material which trails behind the projectile as it flies. This chain is equally hard to break, has a soak of 10B/5L, and if struck in combat has the equivalent to Str+Essence in health levels. It lasts until the end of the scene, and the Alchemical can choose to detach it from the launcher-unit as a reflexive action at any time.

If a projectile strikes and damages a target in combat (inflicts at least 1 HL) then it can be considered to have penetrated. Most projectiles require a non-reflexive Str+Ath roll at difficulty 2 to remove, although a barbed projectile such as the MM grappling hook usually used with this charm increase that difficulty by the amount of HLs inflicted. Whichever mode of this charm is used, the alchemical can use the connection to unbalance the target by pulling them inwards. Treat this as a standard clinch roll, with the only choice of resolution being a throw, and the direction of that throw must be directly towards the winner, although I can think of stunts that might change that.

If arrows or other projectiles are fired using this charm, they do a damage equal only to their damage bonus, the 'base' damage of things fired from this charm is effectively zero, and does not increase. However, for purposes of penetrating inanimate objects, anything fired using this charm ignores soak not granted by a MagicalMaterial or equivalent. This specifically does NOT help in destroying automatons and other combative exploits, but could be quite handy if you wanted to punch a (very small) hole in a stone or metal wall.

Submodules: - Unless otherwise noted, these cost 6xp and 2bp

• A Guidance Ray similar to that used with the Essence Pulse Cannon and Repeating Pneumatic Bow is also available for this charm. The mechanics are identical.
• Integrated Power-Winch Apparatus - This submodule, which works using either mode of the charm, adds a large and rather obvious set of winches and paramagnetic recursion channels to the rear of the launcher. At any time after a projectile has been fired, the Alchemical may winch it in as a reflexive action. Typically, this will allow them to make a reflexive clinch for the purposes of dragging targets towards them, or a reflexive Str + Ath roll for the purposes of 'climbing' up towards wherever the projectile is embedded.
• Projectile Retrieval Device - By installing a complicated set of pattern-buffers and essence-inversion nodes, this collection of wires and rings can reflexively teleport any projectile fired within the last scene back into the launcher. This costs 3 motes, is reflexive, and does not count as charm activation. This is typically used to retrieve a harpoon if it has been lost or embedded too far into something. It has a maximum range of Essence x 100 yards

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Comments:

Anyone have an opinion as to whether seeking should be Ess 3 or Ess 4? It could also drop some successes if that seems appropriate, maybe a flat 2 successes.
-- Darloth seeks others opinions

A very neat sub-module on the seeking, I'd say, that if truly pressed for an essence minimum, it should be 3, but leaving it at 2 seems perfectly viable to me, as its just an accurate attack that tries twice, a nifty thing, but not overly powerful. Also, with the Omni-Conformant Shoulder Mounted Utility Projector, no optional sub-module for subtle for those of us wishing to emulate spider man? - ArabianNinja, who can do whatever a Spider can...

Hmm, somehow I don't see it being very subtle. If you want to be spiderman, be a night caste with a wyld mutation or a weird custom Glorious Solar Rope charm. Actually, Glorious Solar Rope would be a great athletics charm, I'll consider writing it ^_^. As to the seeking, that's a fairly large benefit for a submodule, considering that it basically does exactly what the Guidance Ray does... but twice. I'd say at least 3, and I'm leaning towards 4.
-- Darloth

Some alchemical pride themselves on their ability to conceal charms, other glorify it, hence the option for the Essence Pulse Cannon to be shoulder mounted, Predator Style, or, subtly hidden in the eye or palm of hand for when one wishes to blend into society. Hence my questioning the lack of the subtle sub-modlue. Besides if not in Autochthon, where else can you pull of spiderman-esque long range grappling action swinging from building to building? Certainly not in the deserts of the south, and if you wanna play Super-Hero Looney kid in imperial city, that known anathema level 4 is going to look nice on your head. - ArabianNinja, who thinks the charm is nifty as is, but likes the idea of a Subtle version.

The problem with it is that it's rather large. I mean, it fires harpoons, or other things the size of javelins. If I were to write a subtle submodule, it would probably be essence 3 (I just see it as harder with this charm) and would either shoot something out of your palm (long-bones are around the only place you could hide something that large without magic, and it feels to mechanical for that) or possibly shoot your entire hand (still connected, still working) which would be extremely cool. How about that? (The two choices could work well for a dual-mode... But I'd say it would fit better as the next charm down. Agreed?)
-- Darloth

Shooting entire hand sounds nifty, must be able to be used as an attack (ROCKET PUNCH!), but yeah, very cool idea that is. Very Charm-worthy. - ArabianNinja

Can I play Gekigengar in your next campaign? ...DeathBySurfeit

Yeah, if you like. He's an essence 7 jade caste, as best as I can figure, with the protocol that lets you detatch your limbs and every essence pulse modification there is ^_^
-- Darloth

By the way ArabianNinja, if all you want to do is cling to things... the paramagnetic tether already lets you, you know. It says so in the charm, so you could already do many spider-man style stunts with that. A submodule to let you target living things with it and you have the web pull style of effect too.
-- Darloth

Re: Paramegnetic tether: 'Come Here!' A-la Scorpion. Sorry.. Couldn't resist. :) - Molikai