The Long Secong Age--Pilot Charms For The Long Second Age
Pilot Charms
These Charms are mostly ports from either Ride or Sail, and adjusted to fit into a setting where there are multiple vehicle types. In no way are these terribly original, but exist to flesh out the Pilot Ability. Most of the Charms are fairly obvious ports from Ride or Sail, and are intended to be alterations to fit the setting, and in no way do I take credit for the work that the nice folks did in the BWB.
Masterful Pilot’s Eye Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 1 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:None With a glance, the character can evaluate quality of a vehicle. The Charm will effortlessly penetrate the sorts of ruses used to pawn off sub-standard equipment off at full price.
Steady Vehicle Technique Cost: 3 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Masterful Pilot’s Eye The character can negate the effects of terrain or adverse conditions on his vehicle, to make smooth sailing. Speed bumps, potholes, turbulence, or the like can be negated to keep the pilot on course, and without a care. He may add his Essence score to all Pilot rolls involving adverse conditions.
Minimal Maintenance Method Cost: 6 motes per vehicle Duration: One Day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Steady Vehicle Technique While speed is the main advantage of vehicles, all kinds of conveyance require regular maintenance, especially over long distances. Use of this Charm reduces the need for regular maintenance, and reduces the chances of break downs along the way. Use of this Charm allows a string of vehicles to travel at the pace of the slowest, but at its best speed, and without danger of the odd breakdown. The character must spend at least 10 minutes a day with each vehicle to gain the benefit of this Charm.
Jury Rigging Touch Cost: 4 motes, 1 damage level Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Minimal Maintenance Method Breaking down on the run is the bane of any good rigger, and with the use of this Charm, the pilot can jury rig repairs intuitively. He may repair one damage level equal to his Essence rating. If the vehicle is not damaged, this Charm can exorcize any nagging glitches or problems. The character must spend at least one scene tinkering with the vehicle for the effects to work.
Flawless Pilot Technique Cost: 5 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Minimal Maintenance Method Through the use of this Charm, the pilot and his vehicle are one. The character need never worry about the effects of terrain, far beyond Steady Vehicle Technique, but he can also add his Essence score to all attempts to perform stunts or tricks with his vehicle.
Cruise Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 Health Level Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Minimal Maintenance Method By using this Charm, the Exalt can imbue his vehicle with energy. While under the effects of the Charm, the vehicle can operate at top speed, without consuming any fuel. This Charm has no long term effects on the vehicle, but the Exalt pays the price in Essence and his own health.
Salty Dog Method Cost: 3 motes Duration: One day Type: Reflexive Minimum Pilot: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:None While this Charm is in effect, it gives the character perfect air or sea legs. While the Charm lasts, the character will not lose his balance or footing, even on the most storm tossed seas, the worst sky storms, or any collision that would require a Dexterity+Athletics rolls. Characters using this Charm will never be motion sick, as a side benefit.
Shipwreck Surviving Stamina Cost: 5 motes Duration: One day Type: Reflexive Minimum Pilot: 3 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Salty Dog Method The character can survive indefinitely in adverse conditions at sea or abroad without adverse effects. He can drink seawater without ill effect, never tire from treading water, is protected from sunburn and exposure, and can hold his breath for 5 minutes per point of Stamina. This Charm does nothing to ward off hostile sea life, nor does it protect from inclement weather.
Perfect Navigation Technique Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 3 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Salty Dog Method Through use of this Charm, the character may flawlessly navigate by the use of landmarks she already knows. This knowledge allows her to pinpoint her location, but only in regard to her own landmarks. This Charm doesn’t allow the character to indirectly divine the local geography by sensing from previously uncharted reefs or lost islands.
Weather Anticipation Intuition Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 3 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Perfect Navigation Technique By placing his finger into the air or the water, the character can instantly predict the weather for a number of days equal to the Exalt’s permanent Essence. The only thing that will cause this forecast to err is the influence of powerful magics.
Hazard Intuition Cost: 4 motes Duration: One scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Pilot: 4 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms:Perfect Navigation Technique By feeling the flow of Essence in the world around him, the character can sense oncoming hazards, depths, eddies, currents, even reefs and pockets of turbulence for 100 yards x his Essence rating. This gives the character a bonus to navigate equal to her Essence rating.
Punch It! Cost: 6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms:Salty Dog Method The character can push his vehicle much further than other pilots. Though every vehicle varies, the pilot can push it beyond its normal capacity, getting at least half again its top speed, and the vehicle will be much more responsive. He may add his Essence rating to any Dexterity+ Pilot rolls for handling. The ship may require extended maintenance after use of this Charm, depending on the conditions that the Exalt puts his vehicle through.
Storm Weathering Essence Infusion Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms:Punch It! While under protection of this Charm, the Exalt can spare a vehicle from the effects of storms and weather related disasters, so long as there is a competent pilot on board. No Charm can protect a vehicle drifting without steerage in a gale. The character can protect a ship of up to 20 x the character’s Essence rating in feet in length.
Hull Preservation Technique Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 Health Level Duration: One turn Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Storm Weathering Essence Infusion By bracing and channeling Essence through her vehicle or ship, at the moment of impact, the character can protect his vehicle. The character can absorb one impact, and completely negate damage to her craft, beyond some shaking and rattling. The character may have to use this Charm several times in the event of a catastrophic impact–once per bounce, multiple impacts on a reef, crashing into a mountain or the like. The Exalt can protect a vehicle, or at least a portion of a vehicle equal to 20 x her Essence score in feet in length.
Phantom Craft Cost: 10 motes Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Minimal Maintenance Method The Charm allows the character to create from raw Essence an ivory and chased gold vehicle of his choice–personal only, not a ship or able to fit more than two. It has the same statistics as an excellent cycle or race carriage, and it needs no fuel.
Soaring Spirit Craft Cost: 15 motes Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms:Phantom Craft The Charm summons a vehicle of pure Essence, much like Phantom Craft, except that the Exalt’s craft is capable of flying through the air at its normal rate of movement.
No Tracks Method Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Pilot: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms:Steady Vehicle Technique The Exalt infuses his craft with his Essence, allowing the vehicle to leave no tracks in snow, mud, or even soft sand, and can run across any surface–mud, quicksand, or water–at its normal speed without sinking. Note, the wheels or control surfaces must still touch the surface, so the craft can not navigate molten lava or acid without harm. The Exalt must spend Essence each turn to pass over a surface or it will sink, meaning it is only useful for short distances.
Bridge of Clouds Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:No Tracks Technique The Charm creates an invisible bridge between two points, allowing the Exalt to cross empty space. This allows the Exalt to travel between points, at his normal speed. If he fails to spend Essence while in transit, the craft will fall. Again, useful for only short jumps.
Golden Essence Engine Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms:Phantom Craft The character can create an engine for a damaged vehicle. The new engine is made entirely of Essence, and often the entire vehicle takes on a golden hue, infused with the Exalt’s anima. The vehicle is infused with the Exalt’s Essence, and it adds the Exalt Essence+2 to its soak.
Phantom Crew Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms:Golden Essence Engine This Charm creates phantom sailors or crew for any vehicle that the character is aboard. The crew only speaks when necessary and obeys all of their summoner’s orders. They perform all their duties to the letter, and will take their creator any where he wishes to go. They will not fight, and should be treated as Extras, with their Abilities equal to their summoner’s Essence. The crew should be able to pilot any craft of a size up to the character’s Essence x 40 feet in length.
Glorious Solar Ship Cost: 15 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One day Type: Simple Minimum Pilot: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms:Phantom Crew The Exalt creates an entire vessel from pure Essence, capable of bearing him and a number of passengers and crew. The ship has a maximum length of the character’s Essence rating x 20 feet and appears ready to set out with all the necessary equipment on board. The Glorious Solar Ship has no crew; it is up to the Exalt to provide one, mortal or otherwise. All other Pilot Charms can be applied as normally.
