XerExaltedLite/CelestialAnimas

Celestial Animas

Celestial Anima abilities are, in a way, mechanical changes to the Character's nature. They go above and beyond the purview of the generic abilities granted to all Exalted of their type.

There are two levels of Anima abilities. The first is the one that they all begin with, and the second is the enhanced version they get when they purchase a Talent for it. The effects of this Talent are dependant on the Celestial Exalted Caste, but they always require a permanent Essence of 6 to take. Unless otherwise specified, Anima abilities are reflexive actions that do not count as Charm use.

Dawn and Dusk

• Dawn and Dusk Exalted divide the weapon's damage one step further for determining minimum Brawn, rounding down. Thus, for mortal weapons in their hands, minimum Brawn is Damage/3. Artifact weapons are Damage/4.
• For 5 motes, a Dawn or Dusk may flare her aura for a Scene. For the duration, either her aura or he skin will turn any blow dealt by a Minor Character.
• Talented: As the power of the Dawn or Dusk grows, so does her strength. She adds her permanent Essence to the damage of every strike she performs.

In addition, she gains her normal Aura ability as a constant effect - she need never fear mundane hordes. Now, when she flares her aura for 5 motes, she turns aside all blows done by those with a third or less of her permanent Essence (rounding down).

Zenith

• The Zenith are the only true High Priests of the Unconquered Sun. This is effectively the 7-point version of the Priest Merit, though the character has considerably more leeway than those who serve lesser gods.
• For a single mote of Essence, the Zenith may burn the bodies of the fallen, sending their souls to Heaven, preventing the rise of any hungry ghosts or their bodies to be ressurected as zombies. A single mote may consecrate a number of bodies equal to the character's permanent Essence, but the Solar must be within her permanent Essence * 10 yards of the bodies.
• For five motes, she may perform this consecration on an active zombie, ghost, or hungry ghost. The target must have a permanent Essence equal to half or less of hers, and is instantly send on its way. Hungry ghosts instantly turn to ash as if they were touched by the light of the Sun, Ghosts immediately enter (and pass through, within the Turn) Lethe, and zombies are slain and burned instantly. Grave-Prison Chains will not prevent a ghost from entering Lethe through this method.
• Talented: The Zenith gains the Holy Mein Merit, granting her half her permanent Essence (rounding down) in automatic successes during any dealing with an 'unclean' creature - the Undead, Demons, and their ilk.

In addition, consectrating an active zombie, ghost or hungry ghost costs but a single mote.

Midnight

• The Midnight are the only true High Priests of the Malfeans. This is effectively the 7-point version of the Priest Merit, though the character has considerably more leeway than those who serve lesser gods.
• By spending 5 motes and touching a corpse, the Midnight may raise it as a zombie under her command. These zombies use common zombie statistics and are considered extras. She may also use this ability to take control over any hungry ghost or zombie with half her permanent Essence or less, likewise by touching it. This requires no attack roll.
• By expending 5 motes and touching a ghost (this normally does require an attack roll) the Midnight may send it instantly into Oblivion. This does not function on a Ghost who is already entering Lethe.
• Talented: The Midnight may raise or control zombies or hungry ghosts for but a single mote of Essence, and such creatures within her thrall are never extras, even if they were beforehand. In addition, she may strike a ghost in the process of Lethe, and send its soul yet screaming into Oblivion. All ghosts who witness this act lose a point of temporary Willpower.

Twilight and Daybreak

• Twilight and Daybreak Castes may subtract their permanent Essence from the attunement cost of an artifact they are attuned to, to a minimum of zero. The Exalt may attune a number of artifacts in this manner equal to her permanent Essence.
• By spending an additional number of motes equal to the artifact's attunement cost, the Exalt may attune to a single Artifact in one Turn.
• Likewise, they subtract their permanent Essence from the cost of any spell or thaumaturgic ritual that they may cast, to a minimum of one mote.
• Talented: Spells cost one less Willpower and take one less Turn to cast for Talented Daybreak and Twilight Castes.

In addition, attuning to a single artifact takes no more than one Turn.

Night and Day

• Night and Day castes never appear as Exalted to those using Charms such as Measure the Wind. Their Essence pools appear to be zero to techniques such as Aura-Reading Technique, Charms and Spells appear not to be present on her person when using All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight and so on. Only perfect Detection Charms, such as Eye of the Unconquered Sun, in combination with these may overcome this effect.
• A Night or Day may spend a mote of Essence to drop her Anima display, as if she had spent one less mote of peripheral Essence per mote spent. This does not add to her Anima Banner, if peripheral Essence is spent in this manner. This effect may actively mute her anima - so long as she has the requisite Essence, she need not worry of displaying her banner.
• By spending 10 motes per Circle level, the Night may similarly mute the Essence display from a spell.
• Talented: With their Anima Talent, a Night or Day caste's mutability covers her equipment even if it is not normally meant to be concealed, so long as she is attuned to it.

In addition, muting her Anima only costs one point per level muted. This typically means that the peripheral mote cost for many expenditures will be increased by about a third.

By spending an additional 10 motes, the Night may now mute the Essence display associated with a Combo.

Eclipse and Moonshadow

• Oathbinding costs but five motes and no Willpower. These oaths are fairly strict, and inflict their whims based upon the understood meaning of the oaths - not their specific wording.
• Moonshadows may not learn non-Abyssal Charms.
• The Eclipse are under the protection of Hospitality Oaths in the lands of the Fair Folk, Malfeas, the Underworld (but not from the Deathlords, Abyssals or Malfeans), the Elemental Courts and, of course, Yu Shan.
• Moonshadows are protected by Hospitality Oaths in Malfeas and the Underworld, including the lands of other Deathlords.
• If slain on a legitimate diplomatic endeavor, the Moonshadow or Eclipse may utter a Curse. The effects of this Curse are identicle to breaking an oath.
• Talented: Sealing an oath requires but a single mote of Essence. In addition, the Eclipse or Moonshadow is merely attacked on a legitimate effort, she may spend 5 motes and a Willpower to utter a Curse against the offender.

Finally, the Exalt gains the ability to seal an Adamant Oath. This costs 30 motes and 3 Willpower, and no means of trickery - mundane or magical - can fool a being into taking this Oath in haste or unwittingly, without realizing its full extent. Breaking the Oath is simply not possible. If the Oathmaker dies with her oath unfulfilled, she will remain as a ghost, until slain in that matter or she actually fulfills her Oath. Such an Oath is her sole Passion, with a rating equal to the sum of all of her Virtues. Thus, it is rarely weaker than 8 and often stronger than 10.

Full and Rising Moon

• Full and Rising Moons may run for hours on end, tiring as if they were but jogging. Moving at a slower pace does not tire them at all. Sprinting still exhausts them, however.
• For five motes, a Full or Rising Moon may flare her aura to display her totem as a terrifying apparition. Non-heroic characters immediately flee to the best of their ability. If cornered, they add the Exalt's permanent Essence to the difficulty of all rolls not related to escaping. This has no effect on demons, the dead, or the Fair Folk.
• Talented: The Exalt may now sprint at full speed for hours on end, tiring as if she were jogging. In addition, when she flares her aura, any being who is not a demon, undead or Fair Folk with a permanent Essence a third or less of hers must flee as if they were a mundane.

Gibbous and Waxing Moon

• Gibbous Moons are the only High Priests of Luna, and Waxing of gibbering cthonic masses of the Unshaped. This functions much as the 7-point Priest Merit, though the Exalt suffers from some limitations, though she has a great deal of leeway.
• By expending 5 motes, the Exalt can flare her totem. It is strangely calm and alluring to mortals, but strikes a chill fear into the hearts of the Dead, Fair Folk and Demons. This works as the Full/Rising Moon ability for these types.
• Talented: The Exalt with this Anima Talent gains the Holy Mein Merit as per the Zenith / Midnight. However, it does not function against unclean gods (gods of disease, corruption, death, etc.) - but it does function against the Raksha. It is still effective against Demons and the Undead.

In addition, when she flares her Totem, she can strike terror into the hearts of higher Essence Raksha, Demons and Undead, mirroring the Full/Rising Moon ability.

Half and Setting Moon

• By spending 10 motes and one Willpower, the Exalt can swear a tribe or other group of people (up to 1,000 members per point of permanent Essence she has) to an Oath. This functions as the Oathbound Magic flaw does (page 121 of the Player's Guide), and she may extract an oath worth a number of points equal to triple her permanent Essence. The Oath is special, and grants double the normal amount of experience points for Traits. The Exalt may have no more than one Oathbound group at a time, and may only bind sentient creatures she can drink the Heart's Blood of. In addition, any creature who gains an Essence of 4 or higher is immediately free of the Oath.
• Talented: The Exalt may bind Oaths that are more restrictive than normal (five times her Essence in points) and worth triple the resulting value in experience Points.

Crescent and Waning Moon

• By spending 5 motes, a Crescent or Waning Moon can disguise her form to appear as any specific being she has previously met for a single scene. This also disguises both smell and voice, but the Half-Moon must be in a shape fairly close to the being she wishes to impersonate. She can only take the Shape of creatures she can drink the Heart's Blood of. This can fool the Raksha. This disguise breaks if ever the Lunar displays any level of Anima Flux.
• By spending 5 motes, a Crescent or Waning Moon can disguise her very Essence for a scene. In game terms, this allows her to disguise her Essence as that of a simple mortal or animal with no Essence pool when detected by charms such as Measure the Wind. Essence spent on this Anima ability will not trigger the Lunar's Anima Banner. This disguise breaks if ever the Lunar displays any level of Anima Flux.

Talented: Cresenct and Waning Moons with the Anima Talent need only spend 1 mote to activate their disguise Anima ability, and their Essence supression is Constant, as per the Night / Day Caste Anima Ability, though it does not extend to unconcealed equipment.

New and Blind Moon

• New and Blind Moons see the Spirit Realm as clearly as they see the mortal. They can easily distinguish between materialized and unmaterialized spirits, and can spot any form of posession.
• A New or Blind Moon may, by spending 5 motes of Essence, make a strike roll at any posessing spirit. This strike only damages the spirit - it passes harmlessly through the spirit's victim.
• Talented: In addition to being able to see the material realm, the Exalt is capable of discerning Essence flows about a person or region, as per the Solar Charm All Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight. In addition, she need only spend a single mote of Essence to strike a posessing spirit, and, should she slay it, has the option of destroying it utterly.

Sidereals

Sidereals do not have many changes. They are recognized as nominal priestesses of their Maidens (as per the 1 point Merit), and their Anima abilities function as normal, with the following tweaks:

• Jouneys: No Changes
• Serenity: Successes apply to all Expression rolls.
• Battles: This effect can reduce the damage of an attack to zero.
• Secrets: No Changes
• Endings: No Changes

For Sidereals, their Anima Talent grants them safer access to their Maiden's Greater Sign. It does, however, require the Sidereal to posess all colleges of her Maiden at 6 dots.

• The Sidereal's Anima ability superimposes itself onto the area of effect. In the case of the Greater Sign of Saturn, all allies of the Sidereal do triple, instead of double, post-soak damage.
• For a total cost of 30 motes and 3 temporary Willpower, the Sidereal can make the permanent Essence and Willpower loss temporary, and she is considered to have the experience necessary to re-train in them, though she must spend the training time required.