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Stringless Puppeteer Charms by CrownedSun

Imbuing the Bones

 Cost: 7 motes, 1 willpower (+1 experience point)
 Duration: One day
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Compassion: 2
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Nemissary's Ride

The more potent magic of this charm allows the Nemissary to make use of any body, even one that has decayed to the point of being nothing more than dry bones with all the flesh long since rotted away. The frame must be mostly complete, with all of the major bones present. The Ghost slips easily into the frame, the bones quickly sliding back together with an audible sound not unlike a bundle of sticks being banged together. The ghost must make a Dexterity + Compassion roll to inhabit the remains, requiring at least two successes. The magic the ghost is using causes the skeletons eyes to glow red or black, and gives the bones a good amount of resilency that otherwise fragile bones might not normally have. The ghost also gains a claw attack that does Strength +1L damage, as his finger bones grow razor sharp.
Much like Nemissaryy's Ride, a ghost using this Charm may extend the duration by paying the activation cost once again. He may also make the inhabitation permanent with an experience point, locking him in the bones until he decides to leave -- upon which time the bones crack and shatter into shards, unable to ever be used again. Unlike corpses, skeletons never decay and can be used until the frame is battered to uselessness, and nemissaries with a permanent frame typically are a bit more careful with it. Ghosts who know this Arcanos and have access to their own skeletal remains can possess it permanently without the cost of an experience point.

Forswearing the Putrescent Flesh

 Cost: 1 mote
 Duration: One day
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Temperance: 3
 Minimum Compassion: 3
 Minimum Essence: 2
 Prerequisite Charms: Feeding Life's Fountain, Nemissary's Ride

A Nemissary with this advanced technique can keep the bodies that he rides from decaying for longer periods of time, channeling some of his essence into the corpse and having it mimic some of the functions of life. While not sufficent to bring on healing or mimic any functions of life, it will keep away the spectre of decay for days at a time. The Ghosts initial use of this charm is simple, involving the commitment of a small bit of his energy into the stolen body he has procured. Once the Nemissary begins using the charm, however, he must extend the duration from day to day or less the charm fails and the corpse begins to decay once again -- once the charm is allowed to lapse, it cannot be begun again and thus this charm at best extends the amount of time a Nemissary can use a body.
Essence used on this charm remains commited, from day to day, until the charm is allowed to lapse. The first day, the ghost will only have 1 mote commited to his body. On the 14th day, he'll have 14 motes commited and used to power this charm. Eventually, the ghost releases the charm and allows decay to set it, freeing the motes to be regained normally.

Comments

Very nice! These Arcanoi fill useful roles, especially Forswearing the Putrescent Flesh (though the name needs work; it sounds like it makes a ghost leave a corpse). Is it worthwhile to spend an experience point to make Imbuing the Bones permanent? I'm not sure it's a fair exchange. - Quendalon

Well, it's the same way that Nemissary's Ride works and that charm only lasts a few weeks at most. So, yeah, I think it's pretty fair since a Skeleton could more or less last until it finally got battered apart on the guy. As for Forswearing, yeah, I love that charm -- I'm happy with the system for it it too, the whole 'gradually increasing commited Essence' bit limits the duration nicely. -CrownedSun