SolarRide/Szilard
Masterful Riding Meditation
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Ride: 1 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The Solar Exalted are masters of the saddle, in no small part due to the existence of this Charm. By using this Charm, a character may reflexively add his Permanent Essence in dice to any Ride roll. This Charm may also be used reflexively to make a Ride roll at the character's Essence in dice without using any of a character's dice actions.
Master Horseman's Eye</b>
<b>Type: Reflexive
Otherwise, as Exalted, p. 207.
Horse-Summoning Whistle</b>
<b>Type: Reflexive
Otherwise, as Exalted, p. 207.
Phantom Steed</b> As Exalted, p. 208.
<b>Spirit-Steadying Assurances</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Prereqs: Masterful Riding Meditation
The mount’s stride and stance is supernaturally steady while under the effect of this charm, and the character suffers no penalties or limitations for being mounted. Otherwise, as Exalted, p. 208.
Steed-Sustaining Method</b>
<b>Duration: Indefinite Min. Ride: 3 Prereqs: Master Horseman's Eye
Otherwise, as Exalted, p. 208.
Horse-Healing Technique</b>
<b>Prereqs: Steed-Sustaining Method, Mount Training Regimen
As Exalted, p. 209.
Flawless Partnership Method</b>
<b>Min. Ride: 3
The Essence bonus to Ride rolls involving tricks is expanded to all Ride rolls dealing with riding or communitcating with the mount. The Exalt also gains the benefit of improved communication with her mount. As a result, she may add her mount's Awareness score in dice to all her Perception + Awareness rolls. Exalted, p. 209.
Flashing Thunderbolt Steed</b>
Add the character’s permanent Essence to the mount’s bashing and lethal soak and multiply the horse’s speed by the character’s permanent Essence. Otherwise, as Exalted, p. 209.
<b>Mount Attunement Technique</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes +1 mote per mount's Permanent Essence Duration: Indefinite Type: Simple Min. Ride: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Flawless Partnership Method
The character aligns her Essence with that of her mount in a manner analogous to attuning an artifact. The character must have a strong bond with the mount. The cost of this attunement is 5 motes plus one mote per point of Permanent Essence possessed by the mount.
This charm allows a character to extend the effect of charms that the character uses on herself to her mount as well. This charm is specifically incompatible with charms that supplement or permit actions of a type that the mount is incapable of, such as Archery, Occult, and Linguistics for a normal, non-speaking horse. Such charms can still be used by the character, but her mount gains no benefit from them. Athletics, Endurance, Stealth, and Dodge charms, are, however, specifically extended to include the character's mount while this charm is in effect.
All Ride Charms used on an attuned mount by the attuning Exalt cost one less mote of Essence (minimum one).
Riding Through the Storm </b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Ride: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Flawless Partnership Method
The Exalt's bond to his steed is such that they move as one in response to danger. The character and his mount may dodge a single attack that either of them can anticipate with the character's full Dexterity + Ride pool. Characters must spend the Essence for Riding Through the Storm before his attacker makes his attack roll.
Soulbound Solar Steed
Cost: None Duration: Permanent Type: Special Min. Ride: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Mount Attunement Method, Phantom Steed
When the character uses the Phantom Steed or Soaring Spirit Steed Charms, he creates a mount out of pure Essence. Knowledge of this charm enables the character to have greater control over such a creation.
While possessed of all its normal abilities as an essence-created mount, that which is created by the exalt is in actuality a solidified aspect of the exalt's anima. As such, provided that the character is within Essencex2 yards of the mount, she may command its movements with a mere thought, fully share its senses, and reflexively disperse it with an expenditure of 2 motes of Essence. When mounted on the steed, the character receives automatic successes equal to her permanent Essence on all Ride rolls to control it.
If the steed ever leaves a radius of Essencex3 yards from the character, it becomes confused as it acheives some level of independence and sentience. This sentience is lost, temporarily, when the steed reenters the Exalt's radius of control, but it will return along with the memory of freedom and subsequent subjugation if it leaves that radius once again. It is rumoured that such steeds may eventually learn to exist in Creation beyond their normal lifespan, and that they may to begin to resent their creators.
Blessing the Newborn Foal
Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 Health Level Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Ride: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Master Horseman's Eye
In the First Age, the Solar Exalted were often asked for their blessings, particularly over pregnant mothers and children. Such blessings were a great honor and were not lightly given, for they often presaged a great destiny for the child. With this Charm, a Solar may perform such a feat for an unborn or newborn steed. Doing so guarantees that, barring disaster, the animal will have extraordinary health, intelligence, and nobility. Mechanically, the mount is likely to have extraordinary characteristics (though within the realm of possibility for an animal of its type) once it matures. The Storyteller may wish to treat the mount as if it is bestowed with a point of the Destiny merit. This charm may only be used on creatures of animal intelligence that can be ridden.
Breaking the Beast
Cost: 1 mote per point of control rating Duration: Varies Type: Simple Min. Ride: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Masterful Riding Meditation
An exalt can tame even the mightiest beast to use as a steed. In order to use this Charm, the character must be mounted upon the creature he is planning to break. He may then activate the Charm and make a Charisma + Ride roll with a difficulty equal to the animal’s willpower. If he fails, the Charm may be activated again on subsequent rounds and successes may be accumulated. Once the character succeeds, the mount will be tame towards him and allow him to ride it. This effect will not cause the mount to allow anyone other than the character to ride it. Until the use of this Charm is successful, the animal will almost certainly do everything within its power to get the character off of its back. If the animal succeeds, the Charm fails. This Charm costs an additional Willpower point if it is used on a creature that does not typically act as a steed.
Mount Training Regimen
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower, 1 xp, plus 3 motes per extra animal Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Ride: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Breaking the Beast, Blessing the Newborn Foal
The master horseman knows not only how to ride a mount, but how to train and care for them as well. This Charm allows a character to design a nutritional and training plan for a steed or group of steeds that will improve their quality dramatically. Such a plan takes five seasons (one year) to enact divided by the resources available to spend on the plan (thus, spending Resources 5 would reduce the time taken to a single season). The effect of this plan, which will not take effect until after the plan is fully completed, will raise one of the animals’ attributes (chosen by the character when the charm is enacted) by one and add one point to each of its abilities. This Charm can be used multiple times on the same animal, but an animal cannot undergo more than one training regimen at a time, and a training regimen must be completed or abandoned before a new one can be designed for that animal.
Imposing Horseman Spirit
Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Ride: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Masterful Riding Meditation
A mounted leader can cut an imposing figure. The Solar Exalted are no exception in this matter. Through the use of this Charm, a character may add her Ride in dice to any Presence or Performance rolls she makes while mounted, provided that her audience is able to see her.
Steed-Protection Method
Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Ride: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Spirit-Steadying Assurances
Through the use of this Charm, the character’s anima flashes outward to protect her mount, increasing the difficulty of a single attack on her mount by her Ride rating.
Golden Essence Barding
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Ride: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Steed-Protection Method
The character may cause her anima to expand outward, providing her mount with a great deal of protection from danger. When this Charm is used, the glow of the rider’s anima envelops her mount, coalescing into shimmering golden barding. This armor provides 7L/7B soak with no mobility penalty to the mount. This Charm costs an additional 5 motes if the mount it is used upon is more than twice the size of a large horse.
Mount Transformation Method
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Indefinite Type: Simple Min. Ride: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Mount Training Regimen
This impressive Charm transforms an animal (including a human) into a willing and able steed. The animal must be at least the size of a small domestic cat, can be no larger than a rhinoceros, and can have an Essence no greater than one. While it need not be friendly toward the Exalt, it cannot be actively hostile to her and must be aware of her presence. To enact the Charm, the Exalt touches the animal between the eyes. Unless the animal is already capable of bearing the Exalt as a steed, it will then undergo a physical metamorphosis. A cat or dog would grow to the size of a horse and develop a steady gait and strong back. A human would also become quadrupedal. The resultant steed will have traits each of which is equal to the greater of the original animal’s or a standard warhorse’s. While this Charm has a wide variety of uses, in the First Age, it was infamous as a way in which unhappy Solars would demean human servitors. This Charm lasts as long as the character commits Essence to it. When it ends, the animal returns to normal. This Charm will not function on humans who have any virtues greater than the Solar’s Permanent Essence.
Acrobatic Riding Technique
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Ride: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Flawless Partnership Method
Some Solar Exalted are truly more at home in the saddle than on their own feet. This Charm allows a character to add her Ride in dice to all Athletics and Dodge rolls she makes while mounted.
Lightning Courier Technique
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One Scene (or one day's travel) Type: Simple Min. Ride: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Master Horseman's Eye
The Exalt chooses a destination and heads toward it with purpose. As long as she maintains her course, obstacles will not bar her path. She can ignore any terrain features that would normally slow her, travelling the distance to her destination as if it were a straight line with ideal terrain. Sentient creatures who lay along her path will notice her as she travels by, but will not slow her travel unless they are specifically seeking her out or guarding an area which the Exalt must pass through against all travelers (such as a gate to Yu Shan), in which case they must make a Wits+Awareness roll at a difficulty equal to the Exalt's Permanent Essence in order to intervene. Those unable to intervene in her travels may pursue her if they choose once she has left their presence.
Comments
I reduced some of the prerequisites and Essence costs here. I'm in the process of creating a tree diagram. I also changed a few mechanics. Notably, Flashing Thunderbolt Steed got a big speed boost when I realized that Athletics Charms were significantly better than Ride Charms for overland travel. That just doesn't seem right. I'm thinking another Charm is needed to ease travel here, but I want to finish the tree first, because I think this is getting overcrowded. -szilard
Graphical Charm tree: http://szilard.freeshell.org/exalted/solar-ride.png
