ExMod/ModernDBDrive
by JC McCormick (Balthasar)
Many Direction Meditation
- Cost: 1 mote
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Reflexive
- Minimum Drive: 1
- Minimum Essence: 1
- Prerequisites: None
It is the poor Wan Xian that cannot focus on his path and his purpose simultaneously. This Charm exemplifies this stricture of Terrestrial existance. Whenever a Dragon-Blood must split his dice to include both a drive action and an action of another sort, he may activate this Charm to lessen the penalty for all split actions by 2.
Abrupt Gear-Shifting Trick
- Cost: 1 mote
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Reflexive
- Minimum Drive: 2
- Minimum Essence: 1
- Prerequisites: Many Direction Meditation
Many Wan Xian may subtly hear the song of the living steel within a vehicle long before they step inside it. This is a natural extension of their rapport with the elemental substance of reality. In Dragon-Blooded hands, tools are faster and more responsive to the needs of their bearer. This unity takes the shape of a Charm which may be reflexively invoked to coerce a machine to instantly stop, start, turn. Normal vehicle Acceleration does not apply to uses of this Charm: a vehicle may enter very fast speeds directly from an intert position, and may stop or turn instantly even if going very fast.
Cylinder-Shredding Turbo
- Cost: 2 motes
- Duration: One turn
- Type: Reflexive
- Minimum Drive:
- Minimum Essence:
- Prerequisites:
Unheeding of the consequences, the Wan Xian bends the elements comprising his vehicle to his will, and throws it over the edge. For one turn, the Dragon-Blood pushes the vehicle to its limits, and it travels at double-speed. This effectively both doubles the vehicle's capacity for speed, and the minimum and maximum speeds of all speed factors the vehicle may obtain. For example, if a Dragon-Blood going average speed (30-60 mph), he is now traveling 60-120 mph at no penalty. If, however, he wished to travel very fast, he may accelerate to up to 300mph in the right vehicle, but must accept the associated penalty to response, mobility, and collision damage. This Charm does not allow the Dragon-Blood to reach a higher speed factor than a vehicle may obtain: it merely doubles the effective speed for all speed factors the vehicle is capable of.
Thorn Dragon Race
- Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower
- Duration: One scene
- Type: Simple
- Minimum Drive: 3
- Minimum Essence: 2
- Prerequisites: Cylinder-Shredding Turbo
The Wan Xian indulge commonly in the roiling lake of dragon Essence forming eddies and currents across the surface of the world. A Dragon-Blood with this Charm may activate it to tap into that ambient Essence and sheathe his vehicle in it. For the remainder of the scene, the faster the vehicle travels, the more resilient it is to collision. For every factor over Average that the vehicle travels, add half of its Frame to it. This means that going very fast effectively doubles a vehicle's soak.
Obedient World Prana
- Cost: 10 motes
- Duration: One day
- Type: Simple
- Minimum Drive: 2
- Minimum Essence: 2
- Prerequisites: Many Direction Meditation
The laws of nature are negotiable for the Wan Xian, who are subliminal inbetweens interfacing the elemental world and the physical one. Activating this Charm executes one such diplomatic effort: for the rest of the day, the elements will not resist the Dragon-Blood's travel. For one day, the Dragon-Blood and a designated vehicle suffer no limitation on the type of terrain he may cross, and suffers no terrain penalties of any sort.
Coaxing Maintenance Hymn
- Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
- Duration: One scene
- Type: Simple
- Minimum Drive: 3
- Minimum Essence: 2
- Prerequisites: Obedient World Prana
Another accord is struck between man and element. This time, the Wan Xian alerts the elemental underbelly of existance that he is there. In respects to the Dragon-Blooded, his vehicle is reconfigured to temporarily draw its energy from the elemental Exalt instead. For the rest of the scene, whenever the Dragon-Blood's anima would harm the specified vehicle, it instead heals it. If the vehicle is in any way damaged, the normal anima damage dice roll for regained damage, instead of dealt damage. Additionally, the vehicles of Exalts using this Charm require no fuel while the Charm lasts and the Dragon-Blood is within the vehicle. This Charm alters abilities intrinsic to the Terrestrial Exalted and may not be used by members of the Eclipse Caste, though it may be learned.
Hidden Dragon Eye
- Cost: 2 motes
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Reflexive
- Minimum Drive: 2
- Minimum Essence: 1
- Prerequisites: Many Direction Meditation
The Immortal Dragon harmonizes his consciousness with the elemental metals comprising his vehicle, and momentarily transfers his sight to it. An Exalt activating this Charm gains instant stock of the situation 360-degrees around him, and may even memorize details if he so wishes. Additionally, at any time the Exalt with this Charm would be caught off-guard or surprised by an event he may behold with this Charm, the Storyteller may opt to force the Essence expenditure and alert him of the danger.
Honor the Dragons
- Cost: 4 motes
- Duration: One scene
- Type: Simple
- Minimum Drive: 2
- Minimum Essence: 2
- Prerequisites: Hidden Dragon Eye
Speaking a few words to his vehicle, the Wan Xian coerces it to make room for the armeis of Heaven. Readjusting its berth, the vehicle undergoes a minor change in many ways - seats broaden and lengthen, comfort increases, and space increases. From outside, however, all is well and normal. Activating this Charm doubles the passenger and cargo capacity of a vehicle.
Steel Swathed Tyrant
- Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
- Duration: One scene
- Type: Reflexive
- Minimum Drive: 4
- Minimum Essence: 3
- Prerequisites: Honor the Dragons, Coaxing Maintenance Hymn, Thorn Dragon Race
One of the simplest and yet most unusual of the Wan Xian Charms, Steel Swathed Tyrant embodies a certain ideal bond between Exalt and vehicle. Gathering a strong curtain of elemental Essence about him, the Exalt activating this Charm plunges himself into a vehicle bodily, and then rises to his feet. The vehicle instantly liquifies to engulf him, and resolidifies only to adopt a shape similar to the Dragon-Blood's, yet more mechanized and ridden with anthropomorphic symbolism. This Charm allows the Exalt to wear his vehicle as if it were a (sometimes colossal) suit of armor, and a melee weapon sufficient enough to accompany it. A magical contrivance of artificial elements, the armor has a bashing and lethal soak equal to the vehicle's lethal frame, only, and has no associated armor penalties. The weapon is unreasonably massive and powerful; it has a speed equal to the vehicle acceleration, accuracy equal to the vehicle response, and defense equal to the vehicle's mobility rating. Its damage is also equal to the vehicle's lethal frame. After this Charm's duration has passed, the vehicle reverts to normal and the Dragon-Blood finds himself in the driver's seat of a perfectly plain and inanimate machine.
