SynodicLarceny/Stanoje
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Subtle Revelations Game</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One minute Type: Reflexive Minimum Larceny: 5 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: ???
Much is revealed by observing a person play a game of chance. Involuntary reactions give subtle cues to anyone who knows to watch for them. A Synodic using this Charm has mastered this art. By observing someone in the act of playing, she gains an intimate understanding of the very core of his being. She learns what his Nature is and under what circumstances he will disclose his most close-guarded secret.
Memory Expropriation Procedure</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Larceny: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: ???
By taking the memory of acquiring and owning an item from his target, the Synodic greatly reduces the chance that a theft is investigated. He selects an item within his view that is currently in the possession of another person. He deftly cuts a piece of its thread from the tapestry and grafts it onto his own. As the owner of the item loses all memories of acquiring and owning the item, the Synodic gains them. They are subtly colored by differing life experiences; there is no chance of the Synodic ever mistaking these new memories for his own.
For mundane possessions, roll Manipulation + Larceny against a difficulty of half the target's Permanent Essence (rounded up). For magical items, also add the item's Artifact rating to the difficulty.
Audacious Replacement Style</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Larceny: 5 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms: ???
The Synodic has mastered the art of turning someone's loss into an opportunity for herself. She presents herself to a criminal organization within her Permanent Essence of days after it has suffered the loss of a member. Its members see in her the perfect replacement for the departed. Even if the Synodic killed to arrange for this vacancy, the victim's friends will grudgingly admit their respect for her skills, all the while plotting their revenge. All peaceful or defensive interactions with members of this organization have their target numbers reduced by 1.
Burial of the Key</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Permanent Type: Special Minimum Larceny: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Audacious Replacement Style, Ghost-Hand Gift
The Dark Lords have decreed: The wisdom of the dead is not for the living. Each of their Chosen may strive to enforce this edict by learning this Charm. To do so, the Synodic needs to be in the presence of a ghost who, in life, knew a single fact she has decided to keep from the living. She wraps a prayer strip inscribed with the particular fact around the eyes of the ghost. Then, she re-weaves the pale Essence of the ghost into a metaphysical lock and attaches it to her soul, in the process utterly destroying the ghost and paying the Charm’s cost. She carries the burden of secrecy forever within her.
The wisdom she wishes to hide cannot be a practical skill, like knowledge of Charms or Abilities. Because of the limited ability of this Charm to affect the Loom of Fate, the fact written on the prayer strip can not be one commonly known in Creation.
From now on, every investigation into this secret performed by the living is hampered. Any attempt to locate it in records, deduce it from evidence or attain it through knowledge-granting magic has to overcome a difficulty equal to the Synodic's Permanent Essence.
This obfuscation is a permanent effect and can only be undone through Charm-smothering effects or by stripping the Synodic of this Charm. Even if she should wish to, she cannot end it herself. The Synodic may learn this Charm a number of times equal to her permanent Essence. Each time, she shrouds an additional piece of wisdom in secrecy.
Comments =
This is a good idea and I applaud you for writing a SynodicCharm. But I think this Charm needs more structure. As it is, it could be used to hide Spells or Charms and that's a bit potent. I'd make it only hide concrete facts known already to the Synodic and the ghost sacrificed. But it's got great flavor and suits very well the Caste of Mysteries. - Telgar
- Thanks! I figured that, since ghosts can't learn charms or spells, the Synodic can't sacrifice a ghost who knows them. Ergo, no hiding of magic tricks. But I guess I'll need to define what "knowing a fact" means to make this more explicit.- Stanoje
- Ghosts may not be able to learn spells or Charms but some ghosts can have knowledge of them, having known them in previous lives. And they can retain TMAs up to the Form Charm. So it gets somewhat complicated. - Telgar
- True. How about this, then? After I pictured a character hiding the location of the Imperial Mountain, I added the limitation that only a few people could know a buried secret. That way a character can hide personal-scale secrets and stuff like the location of the secret hideout only known to the survivors of the expedition that found it, but nothing that is in the public domain, so to speak. - Stanoje
- I think my wording would be "When this Charm is learned the Synodic must wrap a prayer strip inscribed with a single fact around the eyes of a ghost who knew the fact in life. Because of the limited ability of this Charm to affect the Loom of Fate, the fact written on the prayer strip can not be one commonly known in Creation." I wouldn't necessarily make this a Prayer Strip Charm, I'm not sure if I even want Synodics to have Prayer Strips. But the use of a non-capital prayer strip is very thematic here. - Telgar
- True. How about this, then? After I pictured a character hiding the location of the Imperial Mountain, I added the limitation that only a few people could know a buried secret. That way a character can hide personal-scale secrets and stuff like the location of the secret hideout only known to the survivors of the expedition that found it, but nothing that is in the public domain, so to speak. - Stanoje
- Ghosts may not be able to learn spells or Charms but some ghosts can have knowledge of them, having known them in previous lives. And they can retain TMAs up to the Form Charm. So it gets somewhat complicated. - Telgar
Here's a rough draft of a Larceny tree. Consider all these Charms first drafts. As usual, I welcome any constructive input from others. - Stanoje
- Subtle Revelations Game - This is a bit powerful, considering it is somewhat like the Solar charm Knowing the Soul's Price. I'd suggest it gives information like Nature and some info on highest Virtues or Willpower. Maybe lowest Virtues and willpower. But the idea's interesting.
- Memory Expropriation Procedure - A really badass Charm idea that totally suits the Mysteries Caste, but it needs to be higher in the tree. Also, the roll should be for everything and the roll to steal magical items should be vs their owner, not just their rating. Though maybe their rating works into it somehow.
- Ghost-Hand Gift - This is a GREAT Larceny Charm. For DB's. Because that's a stunt, not a Charm. DB Charms do stunts, and so that's a great DB Larceny Charm. But it needs to do something more then just plant items on someone to be a Celestial Charm.
- Audacious Replacement Style - I would actually switch the places of this and the theft Charm. This is fairly simple and mundane, a more specific version of the Solar Charm that makes you at home in criminal organizations. So I'd put this as a base-Charm with the theft charm branching off it.
As usual, thanks for the comments Telgar. I've written up the revised Charms, but before I can put them together in a tree, I need some help with Bathing in Ashen Riches. I have no idea how high the activation cost and trait requirements for it should be. Are there any similar Charms in canon? Anything that provides an Exalt with Background points, or a standard of living? Anyone? Bueller? -- Stanoje
- I believe my comments regarding Memory Exporpriation still stand: it needs a roll for all uses, but a higher one for magical items. I possibly wouldn't allow its use on magical items at all. They're pretty hard to forget, after all. And it needs to be higher in the tree, possibly coming off Ghost-Hand Gift. And Ghost-Hand Gift is still really, really weak.
- As for the Ashen Riches Charm, I'd actually put it under Bureaucracy, because that's more of a Chosen of Death thing then a Mysteries thing. But I'd put it at say 4/3 and two prereqs. Maybe it needs an XP cost? - Telgar
- Sorry for the confusion, but what I meant with my last comment was that I wanted to wait on input for this Charm before posting the revisions to the older Charms. They were still unchanged from when you made your original comments.
- I've actually posted the revisions now. Only thing left is to arrange the tree, but that'll have to wait for later.-- Stanoje
- Seemed very larcenistic to me... How strong are the ability-correlations compared to lord/astrologic-correlations with this charmset?
-- Darloth - They're on the same level as Sidereal Charms when it comes to Ability Correlation. Which isn't very high at all. - Telgar
Stanoje, I've borrowed one of your Charms for use in my own Larceny cascade. I hope you don't mind. You're credited and linked. See it over at SynodicLarceny/Telgar! - Telgar
- I take it as a compliment. - Stanoje
