Charms/GamlainUnbreakableTitanBones

Unbreakable Titan Bones

  Cost:  N/A 
  Type: special 
  Duration: permanent 
  Minimum Essence:  6 
  Minimum Endurance (or stamina):  6 
  Prerequisite charms: Ox Body Technique x 5 

Tempered by decades or centuries of essence channeling and combat, the bones of an exalt frequently grow to be as hard and dense as the magical materials they are so fond of weilding.

The Exalt gains 2 additional levels of bashing soak, 2 levels of leathal and 1 level of aggrivated soak from the purchase of Unbreakable Titan Bones and is thereafter immune to effects that would sever limbs. This is a perfect defense that does not prevent damage or crippling - only the actual physical severing of the limb or breaking of bones is prevented. This charm may -not- be taken multiple times.

Note: One hundred years or more after taking this charm, the Exalt's bones are no longer simply 'as hard and dense' as a MM; Instead, such an Exalt literally has bones made of one of the five magical materials: Solars have Orachallium bones, Sidereals have Starmetal, Lunars have Moonsilver, Dragonbloods have Jade and Abyssals would have Soulsteel bones. Alchemicals have bones of a material befitting to their caste and may take this charm with only half the normal prerequisites (round up). This is a alchemical transmutation of their tissues brought on by long term exposure to exalted essence and does not require them to ingest any material or have anything forged or added to thier bodies.

The effect of having actual Magical Materials for bones alters the exalt in subtle ways, granting a bonus to their strengths as appropriate to the Magical Material:

Jade: Jade bones make the exalt perternaturally light on their feet and quicker than normal, and deepen the exalt's attunement to the element of the jade. An Exalt with Bones of Jade gains +3 Intive and +3 yards to movement rate, and is charged 1 fewer motes to use elemental charms within their element on charms costing 4 or more motes.

MoonSilver: Bones of Moonsilver flex and shift to accomidate the Exalt's will. Not only can they change to match the skelletons of a Lunar's new form, they add 3 to athletics tests involving ballance and flexibility, and compensate for the damage of wounds, reduceing wound penalties by 1.

Starmetal: Bones of Starmetal intensifty the Exalt's fate, makeing them more fortunate, and an exalt with bones of Starmetal does not botch unless they roll at least two ones on a failure. Failures that roll only a single 1 are concidered a simple failure, and failures that do not roll ones are concidered to have 1 success.

Orichalcum: Bones of Orichalcum fill an exalt with strength, enhanceing his every movement. An exalt with Orichalcum bones adds 1 to his initive, movement rate, and 1 die to all physical tests (Includeing soak).

Soulsteel: Bones of soulsteel concentrate and armor an exalts essence. Any time motes are stolen from an exalt with Soulsteel Bones, they may roll their permanant essence; Each success prevents 1 mote from being stolen. This does not apply to the spending of motes to invoke charms, sorcery, or activate and attune artifacts, but does apply to the stealing of motes done by soulsteel weapons, sorcery cast on them, or charms targeted at them.

Second note: I created this charm mainly for flavor text and use in adventures. Finding the Orchalcum skelleton of your previous life in a tomb somewhere is a great way to freak some one out, firstly. Secondly, the magical material is real and permanant, but desicrateing the body of an exalt by makeing a weapon or item out of them woud *definitely* attract an Exalted Hungry Ghost to haunt the creator and or owner of such weapon. Of course, a clever exalt doing so would attempt to bind such a creature to the weapon as a servant, createing a very, very dangerous item. Still, if your PC's reach essence 6 and higher, I can't see any reason for them not to learn this - if their bones get pounded on enough first. Gamlain

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Comments

I like this in theory, but I find myself bothered cosmologically by the idea of soulsteel bones. Where do the souls come from? All the souls that the Abyssal has no doubt consumed in the long journey to Essence 6? -- AntiVehicleRocket

That, peices of his own sheared away by resonance, fragments of hungry ghosts he's eaten..or perhaps just a crystalization of Abyssal Essence. There does seem to be some connection between essence and soulstuff after all, given the way Ghost Eating Technique works. Take your pick. :) For my money, it's the 'crystalization of essence'. It seems to me that soulforgeing entire mortal souls shouldn't be the only way to make Soulsteel - after all, I doubt very much that's the way Autochtonians get it. It's probably faster and easier to do it the 'evil' way, thou. Of course, if so, this paves the way for the idea of soulsteel with slightly different properties and destiny than Abyssal Soulsteel, but..that's a thought for another time. Gamlain

Good soulsteel? How about soulsteel made from willing souls, to craft a soulsteel weapon or item with some greater, higher destiny? Reminds me of a character I had, who wielded a daiklaive made out of his brother by Alluvea (sp?), you know, the demon chick with the immense red hammer? Had, not have. I trashed him and need to remake him. In any case, hot charm. At first I thought it was too powerful, then I saw its requirements. Very nice, very stylish. -Seraph

Though... shouldn't there be some special benefit for bones of various materials, like... hm... Orichalcum bones give extra soak, Moonsilver bones... uh... increase... Dexterity? No... that's no good. They could reduce armor penalties? No, that blows. Jade bones could make you a more efficient essence channeler whithin charms of that element, Starmetal bones could... damn, I have no idea, be made into a really cool divination tool after you die? And Soulsteel bones could make you immune to essence loss? Just some random ideas -Seraph

You know, that's a very cool idea. And it really should get a benny or two for being a essence 6 charm...have to think about what each one could do.. Gamlain

I don't know, it feels like some of these FMM bonuses may be a little overstrong for a permanent, even at essence 6.. maybe a second charm with this one as prerequisite, with the second charm giving the FMM bonus and possibly other benefits? I don't know much about charm balance, though, so I could easily be wrong. -Ben-San