SilverMasks/Tactics

Tactics

Cornered Beast Instinct
Cost: 8 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Silver-Soul's Intelligence
To survive, the beast understands its predators. When cornered, it knows where they are coming from, and what tactics they use. With this insight, the Lunar is able to guess the tactics and numbers of all those that act against her! When the Lunar perceives a group acting as her opponents, she may activate this Charm - she then knows their numbers, and position anywhere in the Lunar's Intelligence x 50 yards. This is a static picture that the Lunar receives at the moment this Charm is used - it may be used multiple times to keep track of the enemy's movements. Despite its cognitive nature, the Lunar may not get any information on opponents cloaked by magic, that is, any Charm that renders the target immune to astrology, divination, or wordly senses, or any charm-enhanced stealth that scored more successes than the Lunar's Intelligence.

Strength-Measuring Instinct
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Intelligence: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Cornered Beast Instinct
Some beasts not only know where their opponents are, but from minute changes all around, know exactly what they face! This Charm Enhances 'Cornered Beast Instinct', by telling the Lunar the overall strength of his foes, and their vague type. She will know what sort of creatures she faces, but may get only vague hints if she knows not what they are. A Lunar facing the forces of the dead may be oblivious as to what an Hekatonkire is, but this Charm will tell her the Abyssal in her doorstep has brought a powerhouse.

Managing Herds of Prey Technique
Cost: 9 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Cornered Beast Instinct
By looking at a map of a region, or seeing an army in the horizon, the Lunar may extend the abilities of Cornered Beast Instinct to larger groups, to understand the movements, prowess and tactics of armies. The Lunar must watch the army or the map for a number of hours equal to (10 - The Lunar's Intelligence). At the end of this period, the Lunar has an accurate picture of the enemy's forces, their overall strength, and their position. The Lunar may not know of their overall strength through a map, however, but he will know how the enemy forces intend to use the terrain.

Instant Battle Assessment Prana
Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Managing Herds of Prey Technique
By noticing signs in the middle of a battle - smoke, screams, cries, shifts on the landscape - the Lunar is able to draw an accurate portrait of how the whole battle is going. The Lunar rolls Intelligence+Awareness - one success gives a vague idea, three successes gives a good image of how things are going with each major group, five successes give an accurate image of all the groups, and what each major individual player might be doing, and ten successes allows the Lunar to guess the specific steps of the major foes, and even duels happening amidst the conflict. Although this 'picture' of the battle is frozen on the moment the assessment was made and the Lunar has no idea how the battle goes on later turns, the tactical edge he gains from his Charm should have a significant effect on the success of his army. It is possible that Instant Battle Assessment Prana can also backfire on the Lunar, who can find himself relying on utterly outdated information if the tide of the battle changes drastically enough.

Crystal-Clear Tactician's Mind
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 6
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Instant Battle Assesment Prana
The tactician has his mind keen on the battle, aware of his opponent's moves at all times! The Crystal-Clear Tactician's Mind gives the Lunar the benefit of 5 successes in Instant Battle Assesment Prana, at all times - every minute shift in the battlefield is noticed by the Lunar, who adapts his picture of the battle to the new data! Few can win against a tactician who knows the battle so well, able to coordinate troops for minute shifts on a moment's notice!

Peon-and-King Maneuver
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Cornered Beast Instinct
Sometimes, it is nessessary to sacrifice one of your pieces to get ahead on the game. Sometimes, it is nessessary to show one of your own as a wounded, lone animal while the rest wait to ambush the predator. The Half Moons know those stratagems, and use them as they are nessessary. With this Charm, the Lunar names a goal, and a number of key players equal to his Intelligence. The Lunar meditates on this goal for a number of hours(10 - the Lunar's Intelligence). The Lunar then rolls her Intelligence, and every success gives her a pool of successes equal to her Essence. At any point during the plan, the Lunar may spend the points in the pool to convert dice into automatic successes for any of those involved, both the Lunar or any of her assossiates.

However, at one point, the Lunar or another one of his assossiates will suffer an horrible botch. The Storyteller tells the Lunar when in advance(The Storyteller and the Lunar's Player can work together for it, but it must be a noticeable problem), but nothing can be done to prevent it, just try to work around it. If the plan has changed overmuch over it, the Storyteller may point a new weak spot somewhere else. This Charm ends when the project ends, or becomes impossible to accomplish - changes do not affect the plan so much, as the Lunar's plans are protean and can work around eventualities. A single objective may only benefit from this Charm once.

Flowing Silver Stratagem
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Peon-and-King Maneuver
The perfection of the Half-Moon stratagies, the Lunar is able to name a goal, with any number of helpers, and after meditating on it for a number of days(10 - the Lunar's Intelligence) the Lunar rolls his Intelligence, receiving a pool of successes which may convert dice in automatic successes equal to her Essence for every success in the Intelligence roll. The dice in the pool may be used for the Lunar, or any of his assossiates. This Charm ends when the project ends, or becomes impossible to accomplish - changes do not affect the plan so much, as the Lunar's plans are protean and can work around eventualities. A single objective may only benefit from this Charm once.

Shifting Flows of Battle
Cost: 12 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Intelligence: 6
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Silver Stratagem, Crystal Clear Tactician's Method
The armies of the First Age were a magnificent thing indeed. The warriors of the Dawn Caste led armies, making them fearless, golden, their will everywhere, while they and the Full Moons leapt into battle, leading armies of Dragon-Blooded trained by the Chosen of Battles and arranged in their auspicious strategies. And in the middle of those battles, it was the Half-Moon that devised the tactics those armies would use to go about their battles. With this Charm, the Lunar is able to craft those plans instantly, creating new ones on the spur of the moment to tip the balance of a battle - he makes the Intelligence roll as per Flowing Silver Stratagem, and its mechanics work the same, but there is no time to think - the Lunar simply *knows* how to devise the stratagem! This Charm ends when the stratagem ends, or becomes impossible to accomplish - changes do not affect the plan so much, as the Lunar's plans are protean and can work around eventualities. A single objective may only benefit from this Charm once.