AbyssalPerformance/Nephilpal
Performance
These charms are from Neph's LiveJournal.
Safety in Darkness Prayer</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Performance: 2 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: None
The Abyssal offers a quick prayer to the Malfeans, beseeching a mark of favor and protection. Although the Neverborn normally grant such requests from their servants, they can withhold their blessing for any reason as a form of punishment. In such cases, this Charm fails to activate without draining Essence, while the deathknight gains a point of Resonance for reminding the Malfeans of his past transgressions. Eclipse Caste Solars can learn this Charm, but the Malfeans will not answer the petitions of Solar Exalted unless they offer a human life or some equally horrific sacrifice each time they activate this Charm.
While an Exalt bears the seal of the Malfeans, his Caste Mark remains prominently displayed and illuminated by tongues of burning Essence the color of pyre flame. No hungry ghost, walking dead, spectre, Hekatonkhire or other creature of the Labyrinth will intentionally harm someone with this mark. If attacked, these creatures may fight to defend themselves, but will generally flee instead of fighting for fear of attracting the wrath of the Malfeans. Deathlords honor this mark by allowing unmolested passage through their domains, but may freely assault anyone who stops in their territory. Normal ghosts may ignore the mark entirely, though any who understand the significance of the brand will do their best not to offend the Neverborn. Finally, ancient treaties between the Malfeans and Yozis allow the brand to affect First Circle demons as spectres, while greater demons may attack if desired, but generally demonstrate a modicum of hospitality in order to avoid causing a diplomatic incident.
Invoking the Neverborn</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 experience point Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Performance: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Safety in Darkness Prayer
The Abyssal closes her eyes and slumbers where she stands in the rapture of perfected nightmare. Her communion with the dark gods lasts only seconds, but she awakens with a greater understanding of Oblivion. Every time she uses this Charm, a deathknight may either deepen her attunement with the Neverborn or petition them for more immediate guidance. In the former case, each use of this Charm grants one additional dot of the Whispers Background (Exalted: the Abyssals, p. 135), up to a maximum rating of Whispers 5. As a means of obtaining answers, this Charm functions like a standard activation of the Whispers Background, except that the character converts her entire Perception + Whispers dice pool into automatic successes.
Eclipse Caste Solars can learn and use this Charm to commune with the slain Primordials, but such blasphemy feeds the spiritual taint of the Great Curse. Every time the character gains Limit for any reason, she adds her Whispers rating to the total points received.
Anointed Prophet of Oblivion</b>
<b>Cost:None Duration: Permanent Type: Special Minimum Performance: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Neverborn
The Exalt accepts the ultimate revelation of the Malfeans, experiencing a vision of Creation’s doom in the span of one heartbeat. Although her mind recoils from this horror and refuses to remember anything more than shattered images of the vision, the revelation forever changes her. First, the deathknight’s Nature immediately shifts to Paragon of Death, for no other personality can contain the bleak purity of her vision. Second, the deathknight may activate her Whispers Background as many times in a single night as she has dots of Permanent Essence. If so desired, she may pay 5 motes to activate her Whispers instead of spending a Willpower point. Finally, she adds her Whispers rating to the dice pool of any prayer roll intended for the Malfeans, but subtracts her Whispers from prayer rolls invoking other beings. Eclipse Caste Solars may not learn this Charm, as the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun were never intended to know the ultimate truths of Oblivion.
Sacrament of Glory and Horror</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes per Resonance point, plus 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Performance: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Neverborn
The Exalt prays for Black Miracles in the language of the Malfeans, his voice inhuman and discordant with harmonies at the edge of human comprehension. Roll the characters Charisma + Performance as a standard prayer attempt (Exalted, p. XX). Sacrifices can reduce the base difficulty of this roll as normal, but the Malfeans are spiteful and bloody gods hungry for murder in their name. Each dedicated sacrifice of a sentient being has an effective Resources value equal to the permanent Essence of that victim. In contrast, the Neverborn care little for material sacrifices unless the Abyssal destroys something beautiful and irreplaceable. The Storyteller remains the final arbiter of whether the dark gods accept a sacrifice and for what value. The maximum number of successes a character may generate equals his permanent Essence. Multiple deathknights who know this Charm can also coordinate their prayers, pooling successes together to create a more powerful effect. In cases of group effort, sacrifices made by one Abyssal do not benefit his compatriots. The total number of successes a group of deathknights can pool together for this Charm equals twice the highest permanent Essence of any participant or 9, whichever is less.
Once the number of successes has been established for the Sacrament of Glory and Horror, each participant Abyssal must spend one Willpower point, as well as 3 motes per Resonance point they wish to evoke. Deathknights cannot evoke more Resonance points than the number of prayer successes they contribute. Use of this Charm does not increase or decrease the Resonance pools of those involved. Instead, evoked Resonance points add together to determine the strength of the Black Miracle caused by the Charm (Exalted: the Abyssals, p. 149). The participant Abyssal with the highest permanent Essence gets to select the actual miracle and decide which participant gains the effects (if applicable). In the case of tied results, roll one die for each character, giving control to the character with the highest number. Eclipse Caste Solars can learn Sacrament of Glory and Horror as a theoretical exercise for the purpose of satisfying prerequisites and teaching others. However, the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun lack the personal attunement to the Malfeans required to actually use this Charm.
End of Hope Lament</b>
<b>Cost:8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Performance: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Sacrament of Glory and Horror
The Abyssal cries out in indescribable pain and loss, her voice overlaid with the monstrous roar of the Neverborn. Roll the deathknight’s Charisma + Performance at standard difficulty. Ghosts who hear this scream feel the scouring dread of Oblivion wash over them if their permanent Essence is less than the number of successes rolled. Whether the restless dead succumb to this cold agony depends on their spiritual fortitude. Each affected ghost must resist the Whisper of Oblivion as described on page 284 of Exalted: the Abyssals. Ghosts with a higher permanent Essence than the Abyssal using this Charm are unaffected by this Charm.
End of Hope Lament has far less of an effect on the living, as the casement of flesh and blood provides a bulwark against Oblivion. Mortals who hear the shriek only succumb to the Charm if their Valor is less than the number of successes rolled. Affected characters lose one point of Willpower. Mortals with a higher Valor than the Abyssal’s Essence rating are immune to this Charm, as are all beings with Essence 2+.
sorry Neph, but did you mean to let Eclipses learn Sacrament of Glory and Horror but NOT able to learn it's prerequisite Invoking the Neverborn?
-Grypph
Last I knew, Neph doesn't read the wiki. If you have questions for him about these Charms, I'd recommend checking the Forums or posting on his livejournal (username lemure for gaming stuff).
~ Shataina
They can learn Invoking the Neverborn.... - Malikai
