TheHoverpope/SunAndStarsIllumination
Back to TheHoverpope
Back to TheHoverpope/MyCharms
Sun and Stars Illumination Style
The cult of the illuminated contains many solars that the sidereals desire to train in the martial arts. Indeed, every student passing through the Sequestered Tabernacle takes the martial arts as their calling. But for those who show an exceptional acumen for the ability, the Sidereals have developed a tree of their own to impart. The Sun and Stars Illumination Style has been developed for the future - it will not truly help the solars to replace the realm, and it will not help in conflict against the bronze; it is perfect for battling to defend creation, to hold the walls of it steady against the countless incursions it faces. When, the Gold Faction imagines, the solars are back in their place, it is the masters of this style that will defend the world from its countless enemies. For now, they must keep its existence as quiet as possible - if the Bronze Faction catches wind of it, it would, perhaps, prove a little bit too revelatory. Interestingly, the slight initiation of sidereal principles may make it easier for the tutors to enlighten their students into the blossoming of the perfected lotus, if they feel it a good idea at some point in the future.
For the purposes of this tree, creatures outside of fate include: the fair folk and their creations, demons, and the undead and their exalts. Celestial exalts, despite their ability to stretch fate with their actions, are part of the fabric and creation and are not affected; likewise, the alchemicals are creatures of autochthon, and cannot be differentiated from creatures of the spiders and the loom by these charms.
Armour is not compatible with this tree; in form weapons for all exalts are polearms, spears and staves, and for solars all weapons are acceptable.
Fickle Strands
Cost: 3 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The charm is the first step in the slight alterations to fate that the exalt learning the tree is able to perform. With a fraction of their might, they may bend fate to twist slightly in their favour; the target number for a martial arts action is reduced by one. They may always channel conviction for any action enhanced by this charm.
Fate's Knowledge Imparted
Cost: 1 or 3 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Fickle Strands
Fate feels wounds when it is altered by creatures that do not fit within its pattern, and this damage to its design may be read by those that know the signs.
Whenever they are about to be placed in immediate danger by the dead, demons, the fair folk or any other being outside of fate, Fate's Knowledge Imparted activates. This makes it impossible to be ambushed by these creatures. This charm activation costs 1 mote.
If the exalt using the charm is not being attacked, they may consciously activate the charm for three motes and make a perception + martial arts at a difficulty of the target's essence to detect such a being's presence and general location, though not its nature. This does not grant the ability to strike an immaterial creature. If the being detected is using a stealth charm, this grants only the knowledge of their presence, allowing the martial artist to then use charms to find them.
Fate's Plan Maintained
Cost: 3 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Fate's Knowledge Imparted
The exalt need live in order to see that fate's plan is maintained - and fate will protect them, as well as they may alter it. Activating the charm grants the exalt's essence in dice to one defensive action, parry or dodge; if defending against an attack made by a creature outside of fate, it instead gives essence automatic successes. The exalt may always channel their temperance with this charm.
Sun and Stars Illumination Form
Cost: 6 motes Type: Simple Duration: scene Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Fate's Plan Maintained
When they activate this form, the exalt embraces the illumination in their souls and begins to glow with a coruscating light as per their exaltation as the strands of light about them glint off of the weave of fate. Solars shimmer with golden trails in their passage, and lunars leave silvered streaks in the air; sidereals leave flowing ripples of blueish silver in their wake. Their caste marks will glow as if they had spent 1-3 motes of peripheral essence, but will show through coverings.
The exalt reduces their melee and presence target numbers by 1, and may channel two virtues at a time at the normal cost of one mote each. It is impossible to hide one's exalted nature while this charm is active; the caste mark is visible at the lowest stage, and you trail essence in the colour of your type with every move. Anyone with essence sight may make an perception + occult roll, at difficulty 6, to discern some small piece of the exalt's fate.
Endurance of a Thousand Stars
Cost: 1 mote per -2 of penalty, 1 willpower Type: simple Duration: scene Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Fate's Plan Maintained
The exalt, by virtue of the grace given unto them by the incarnae, may endure wounds that would bring a lesser being, or an unprepared exalt, to their knees.
At a cost of 1 mote per 2 points, the exalt may cancel wound penalties or other penalties caused by solely bodily impairment or pain - poison penalties, or the effects of joint-wounding strike, or similar effects. This has no effect on environmental penalties. The exalt may commit motes between scenes to keep the effect active.
The exalt's caste mark will continuously glow at a 4-7 mote peripheral level while this charm is active. The exalt may always channel their conviction during the turn that they activate this charm.
The lesser Kata of Avoidance
Cost: 1 mote + 1 mote per difficulty Type: Reflexive Duration: One turn Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Endurance of a Thousand Stars
Fate allows many truths to be known to the user of the lesser Kata of Avoidance. The user makes a quick circular motion with their hands, emulating the motion of the sun and the stars through the heavens, and has an instinctive understanding of the manner in which their attackers will strike for the next short time.
For the rest of the turn, the difficulty to strike the character is increased by each mote past the first that they paid to activate this charm; the difficulty may not be increased by more than the exalt's essence.
This charm may be included in combos, despite its duration. Exalts may always channel temperence for their defense while this charm is active.
Immaculate-to-Illuminated Conversion
Cost: 5 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Lesser Kata of Avoidance, Sun and Stars Illumination Form
The exalt activating this charm is a furnace of the glory of their being; they are true living exemplars of their purpose and their glory. It is immediately clear to any being that the exalt is the essence and the defence of creation; they are that which holds the walls. To any being outside of fate, it is clear that the exalt's sole purpose is their enslavement or destruction. The gleam with the power of their exaltation and are awe-inspiring.
This charm may be activated when any attack the character makes is successful, before damage is rolled. They may immediately make a charisma+presence roll to awe and impress beings of creation, or the same roll to terrify beings outside of fate. The effects apply to all of that category present. They receive the number of health levels of damage dealt as dice. If the damage is done to a being outside of fate, the exalt receives automatic successes instead. The charm is activated before damage is rolled, but takes effect after.
Additionally, no being will feel opposed to the exalt solely for their celestial nature for a number of turns equal to the number of damage levels dealt. The exalt may always channel compassion on the charisma + presence roll.
Spider's Touch
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower Type: Simple Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Immaculate-To-Illuminated Conversion
The star-born know entirely too well the bite of the pattern spiders - and the sidereals of the Cult decided to emulate a shadow of that potence in the tree. They bound together several of the various potencies of the spider and worked them into one complex charm that all fear.
The character make a normal martial arts attack; it strikes and deals damage normally. When it strikes a target it inflicts an extra automatic level of aggravated damage, soaked last, and with it a wound penalty of -2 in addition to the ones that level would normally inflict. The victim loses a dot in their highest virtue for as long as that damage afflicts them, as well as a dot of appearance. No target may be affected by more than one instance of the charm at once. If a character ever botches while using this charm, they suffer the full effects of pattern spider venom, rolled as per the chart in E:tS.
Five-Fold Grace
Cost: 7 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Spider's Touch
The ultimate tool for the protection of creation that the Sidereals have granted their illuminated pupils for the time being, this charm both grants the favour of destiny to their strike and enables them to strike with the wrath of the five maidens at any being that offends fate.
The attack does aggravated damage to the undead, demons, and the fair folk, and will add the characters essence extra successes to the attack, no matter who it targets. They may always channel temperance for any action this charm enhances. If used against direct servants of fate, such as sidereals, spirits in the bureau of destiny, and pattern spiders, the attack does only bashing damage.
