Exalted 3e - Southbound

[Sherwood]

Droxx Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. We can all assist you in getting a handle on things.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Yeah, Crafting can be very nice, but is a bit too complicated when you're fresh

 

[Psychie]

I can offer assistance, too! I am far from the best at Exalted, but I do know a few things about the game that might come in handy.

 

[Droxx]

Droxx Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. We can all assist you in getting a handle on things.

okay thank you so much got tons to read how long you going to wait to start ?

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

okay thank you so much got tons to read how long you going to wait to start ?

As others have said, you'll want to have a concept ready first. So best to read over the various Castes of the Solars, and the Abilities, and see what strikes your fancy.
We can all help you put together a character.

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

okay thank you so much got tons to read how long you going to wait to start ?

As others have said, you'll want to have a concept ready first. So best to read over the various Castes of the Solars, and the Abilities, and see what strikes your fancy.
We can all help you put together a character.

Yeah pretty much and can wait, no big hurry.

 

[Psychie]

I'm working on a character and have a question. Are we going to be working out of one particular city, or moving about a lot? I'm debating on getting some contacts or a hearthstone. Not sure which to grab.

 

[Droxx]

I was looking at being a goverment body but if we plan on exploring could still be worth it if still a thing

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

I'm working on a character and have a question. Are we going to be working out of one particular city, or moving about a lot? I'm debating on getting some contacts or a hearthstone. Not sure which to grab.

I was looking at being a goverment body but if we plan on exploring could still be worth it if still a thing

The chronicle takes place in the South, if you keep your intimacies and merits related to the South, there shouldn't be any issue. The Dreaming Sea while in the Southeast is more East direction stuff than South, so wouldn't recommend having anything related to the Dreaming Sea.

Like don't pick contacts for the Lintha Family for example, when here in the South, the odds of dealing with that faction are close to zero. The Guild is one of the obvious organizations in the South, but that's among many other factions.

Hearthstone/Manse are fine since your circle might want a home base or HQ where you can regroup or rest your head there.

Influence merit, for example, wouldn't be too useful if you decide to pick influence for the Haslanti League or something like that.

You can be a government body, but as I mentioned, it's all about the South, so if you decide to be some political figure and the likes, make sure it is of course related to that Direction.

Now there are some exceptions, if you are a Sidereal for example, since it is relatively easy to get back to Yu-Shan, you can have your manse/contact etc...in Yu-Shan, since you could either visit there during downtime or sometime even bring your circle if something important were to happen. I would recommend for Sidereals working for the Bureau to be part of the Convention on the South. If you don't want to work for the bureau, rogue sidereal, you would have to decide if you want to be associated with Rakan Thulio or not.

 

[Psychie]

Ok, that gives me some things to ponder. Thank you.

 

[Sherwood]

How are we doing in getting this going? Are we still on?

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

I'm waiting on characters pretty much, or do I need to open the OOC thread first for that?

 

[Sherwood]

I wasn't sure if you wanted characters sent to you in a pm or if you wanted to see them in their own character thread.

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

it's fine posted here unless someone really wants to hide something, I suppose.

 

[Sherwood]

it's fine posted here unless someone really wants to hide something, I suppose.

Ok. Give me a minute and I'll share what I have done. I still need a background and Intimacies.

 

[Sherwood]

Spoiler

• Attributes and Abilities
• Merits
• Charms
• Martial Arts
• Sorcery
• Panoply
• Combat Stats
• Experience

• 
  Name: Reyna San
  Age: 31
  Gender: Female
  Exalt Type: Sidereal
  Caste: Secrets
  
  Attributes
  Str: 2
  Dex: 5
  Sta: 2
  
  Cha: 2
  Man: 2
  App: 3
  
  Per: 2
  Int: 5
  Wits: 4
  
  Abilities
  Archery
  *Athletics: 3
  *Awareness: 3
  Brawl
  Bureaucracy
  Craft: 1
  *Dodge: 5 - Specialty
  Integrity
  *Investigation: 3
  *Larceny: 1
  Linguistics: 1
  *Lore: 3 - (First Age Knowledge)
  *Martial Arts: 5 - (Swords)
  Medicine
  Melee
  *Occult: 5 - (Sorcery)
  Performance
  Presence
  *Resistance: 3
  Ride
  Sail
  Socialize
  *Stealth: 3
  Survival
  Thrown
  War
  
  
• 
  Artifact - daiklave: 3
  Artifact - Silken Armor (The Serene Misfortune Sashes): 4
  Backing - Bureau of Destiny (free): 2
  Resources (free): 3
  Languages - Old Realm, Firetongue, Riverspeak: 2
  Martial Arts (free): 4
  Manse - Demon Banishing Jewel: 2
  Suzerain of Endless Flame: 2
  
  Spoiler

  Fire answers readily to the sorcerer’s will. Whenever the sorcerer casts a spell that creates or manipulates fire as its primary effect, or summons a fire elemental, its cost is lowered by three sorcerous motes. If it’s her control spell, she may also waive a single point of Willpower from its cost once per day.
  
  Auspicious Prospects for Secrets: The Oracles may pay one mote to learn whether concealing or revealing a piece of information would align with destiny.
  Lesser Sign of Jupiter: The Oracle may pay five motes to reflexively make Jupiter’s lesser sign, drawing it in emerald stardust. Until her next turn, she and allies within close range gain +1 non-Charm Guile and add (her Essence, maximum 5) non-Charm dice on Manipulation, Larceny, and Stealth rolls.
  Greater Sign of Jupiter: Once per story, the Oracle may pay twenty motes and one Willpower to reflexively make Jupiter’s greater sign, traced across the sky in emerald radiance. She, her allies, and up to (Essence x2) other characters are immune to effects opposing their Guile and add (her Essence) to their Resolve. Un-Exalted characters can’t lie to them or refuse to answer their questions they unless they spend one Willpower per lie or refusal; characters with Essence less than the Sidereal’s can’t resist. This lasts one scene. Additionally, for that scene and the next (Essence) days, Investigation rolls against the blessed characters fail automatically and they’re immune to magic that would scry on them or divine their future.
  
  
• 
  Resistance Charms
  
  Spoiler: Optimistic Security Practice

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Reflecting on the sacrifices she may one day be called upon to make, the Sidereal imbues her enemies with her own generosity of spirit.
  After a withering attack hits her, but before damage is rolled, the Sidereal can imposes a –2 penalty on the damage roll. If she has a positive Tie or compassionate Principle applicable to her attacker, the penalty increases to (Intimacy + 1).
  
  Dodge Charms
  
  Spoiler: Absent Self

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Foreseeing her enemy’s attacks, the Sidereal arranges to be elsewhere when they land.
  The Sidereal ignores (higher of Essence or 3) points of Evasion penalty. This can’t negate penalties from surprise attacks. If she’s unarmored or suffers no Evasion penalties, she can dodge an attack whose successes equal her Evasion.
  Spoiler: Graceful Crane Stance

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal is one with the world, balanced within and without.
  The Sidereal gains perfect balance and can stand on or move across surfaces too narrow or weak to support her normally without needing to roll.
  
  Secrets Charms
  
  Spoiler: Ascending Destiny Mien

  Cost: —; Mins: Any Secrets Ability 1, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Any Secrets Charm
  The Sidereal gets on her formidable intellect in delicate negotiations and clandestine intrigues, employing deductive reasoning to plot out a path through a conversation.
  When calculating Guile and Resolve, the Sidereal can use a Secrets Caste Ability instead of Integrity or Socialize. She may also use Intelligence instead of Appearance to add bonus dice on influence rolls (Exalted, p. 218).
  
  Investigation Charms
  
  Spoiler: Efficient Secretary Technique

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Divination, Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Upon learning this Charm, the Sidereal spits up a small spider of living emerald, a jubilant assistant that skitters into the strands of her fate until she beckons it forth.
  The Sidereal’s spider emerges so that she may ask it a single factual question, to which it
  provides an accurate answer. It can’t answer questions involving speculation, matters of opinion, or subjective judgments, nor does it have any insight into supernatural powers or people’s thoughts, plans, and emotions. It also can’t reveal any information that anyone’s taken efforts to conceal, nor can it reveal information if it’s not known to anyone in existence.
  Examples of information the secretary can provide straightforwardly include the name of the local carpenter, how long ago a widow’s wife died, how many oxen an old friend owns, or the temperature of in Nexus. A question like “what’s the Bull of the North doing?” will typically give an accurate but not useful result, as the secretary can’t ascertain the Solar’s intentions or speculate as to the purpose of his current activities. Questions like “who’s winning this war?” or “which of these two men is more beautiful” are too speculative or subjective for the secretary to answer; it can only chitter its apologies.
  This Charm may be repurchased any number of times, each repurchase adding an Evocation to the Sidereal’s secretary that can expand the range of its information gathering and talent as an assistant. These Evocations’ themes and functions derive from the secretary’s established personality, the Sidereal’s Caste, and the themes of the constellation of the Key and the Scripture of That Old Thing. If the Sidereal has a pattern spider familiar, she can also use these Evocations through it.
  
  Lore Charms
  
  Spoiler: Systematic Understanding of Everything

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Lore 1, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Stackable
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal has glimpsed hints of a grand design in dreams and half-remembered visions and gained certain insights thereby.
  After a night’s sleep, the Sidereal gains a temporary Lore specialty in a topic of her choice. It must be related or thematically relevant to the current story’s events, the Five Maidens, or the Celestial Bureaucracy. She can stack up to (higher of Essence or 3) uses of this Charm.
  Once per story, the Sidereal may permanently purchase a specialty gained with this Charm for one experience point as a training effect.
  
  Occult Charms
  
  Spoiler: Mark of Exaltation

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Occult 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Until next turn
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal’s Caste Mark shines as a symbol of her authority over spirits, illuminating the unseen world.
  Dematerialized characters within short range of the Sidereal become visible to her and any other characters she wishes to extend this benefit to. She can focus this light on a dematerialized character within long range as a miscellaneous action, rolling (Perception + Occult) against his Evasion to render him visible.
  Spirits can always see the light shed by the Sidereal’s Caste Mark, letting the knowledgeable roll to recognize its use.
  Spoiler: Tell-Tale Symphony

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
  Patterns of Essence sing to the Sidereal, revealing the subtle harmonies of the cosmos.
  The Sidereal can sense when a spirit is within earshot by soft ringing of bells that surrounds them, even if they’re dematerialized. This typically extends out to medium range, though environmental conditions and magic may increase or decrease it. She can roll (Perception + Occult) instead of the usual roll to oppose such spirits’ Stealth or read their intentions. A successful read intentions roll also reveals whether they belong to the Celestial Bureaucracy and, if so, learn what position they hold.
  With Occult 5, Essence 2, the Sidereal can hear the subtler music of sorcery, Evocations, and spirit or fae Charms. While this reveals the presence of such effects and their general nature, it doesn’t reveal what they do or how they work.
  Spoiler: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery

  Cost: —; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Any four Secrets Charms
  Steeped in ancient wisdom and the secrets of the stars, the Sidereal masters the Emerald Circle’s secrets.
  The Sidereal can use Terrestrial Circle sorcery. She learns one Terrestrial spell — her control spell — and one shaping ritual for free.
  
  
• 
  Violet Bier of Sorrows Style
  Violet Bier of Sorrows is an ancient style, old as the First Age if not older. Some stories attribute its creation to a Sidereal inspired by the Maiden of Endings’ power and conviction; others say it arose from the ancient cult of Saturn, attribute it to one of the many legendary martial artists of the First Age, or claim that Saturn herself created it. It emphasizes speed, exploiting enemies’ injuries, and powerful killing blows. Its students often cultivate detachment from emotion and compassion in battle, able to act infinitesimally faster than enemies because they do not feel the emotional experience of violence in the moment.
  The Division of Endings has maintained the style’s lineage unbroken for millennia, but it is not other schools exist in Creation. In the Spindrift Archipelago, the Cult of Saturn Pharmacopeia practices an ancient variant of the style, often aiding and training peasant uprisings. Sijan’s Reverent Lodge of the Broken Sepulcher, a secret society and trade guild of morticians, studies the style as a philosophical and mystical discipline. The dueling academies of seven-bridged Padhia teach a bastardized offshoot, the so-called Silent Executioner style.
  
  Violet Bier of Sorrows Weapons: This style’s unarmed attacks are primarily open-palmed blows, knife-hand strikes, and graceful kicks, all executed with flowing ease. It’s also compatible with chopping swords, great swords, short swords, slashing swords, straight swords, knives, staffs, and seven-section staffs.
  Armor: This style is incompatible with armor.
  
  
  Spoiler: Secrets of Future Strife

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mastery
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The martial artist has resigned herself to never knowing she might meet her death; her unhesitating action chills the blood of those who still cling to survival.
  The stylist adds (higher of Essence or 3) to her effective Initiative to determine when she takes her turn. If she takes her turn before any enemy does, all enemies increase their wound penalty by one for that round.
  Mastery: If an enemy already suffers a wound penalty, the stylist automatically takes her turn before him, doing so one tick before him unless she’d normally act before then.
  Spoiler: Blade of the Battle Maiden

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Dual, Mastery
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife
  The martial artist brings the battle to a close with grim solemnity, dispatching foes to their appointed ends.
  The stylist’s attack adds (1 + enemy’s wound penalty) dice of post-soak withering damage or decisive damage.
  Mastery: If the stylist’s attack increases her enemy’s wound penalty, she rolls an additional die of damage for each point his penalty increases.
  Spoiler: Flight of Mercury

  Cost: 1m, 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Perilous, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife
  The stylist moves with the swift precision of one who knows the inevitability of her journey’s end.
  The onslaught penalty inflicted by the stylist’s attack applies to her target’s Defense against that attack roll. If she deals 5+ withering damage or any decisive damage, she treats her target’s onslaught penalty as a wound penalty for this style’s Charms, stacking with any existing wound penalties. This lasts until his onslaught refreshes.
  Spoiler: Joy-in-Adversity Stance

  Cost: 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Perilous, Terrestrial, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife
  Savoring each breath as though it were her last, the martial artist finds joy in each moment that postpones her end.
  The stylist gains +1 Defense. Successfully defending awards motes equal to the attack roll’s 1s, which can’t exceed the motes spent defending against it.
  Terrestrial: These motes are lost if not spent by the end of the stylist’s next turn.
  Spoiler: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form

  Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Form
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Blade of the Battle Maiden, Flight of Mercury, Joy-in-Adversity Stance
  Having mastered those things that precede the end, the martial artist fights with the same cold detachment with which Saturn makes her sign.
  The stylist gains the following benefits:
  • When she uses Secrets of Future Strife, her enemies’ wound penalties apply to their effective Initiative to determine when they act that round.
  • When she uses Blade of the Battle Maiden, she also adds the same number of dice on the attack roll.
  • When she uses Flight of Mercury, she may reflexively advance one range band toward her target if he’s crashed or has a wound penalty of −2 or worse. This doesn’t count as her move action.
  • Joy-in-Adversity Stance’s cost is reduced by (her attacker’s wound penalty/2, rounded up).
  Special activation rules: When the stylist deals enough decisive damage to increase a nontrivial enemy’s wound penalty, she may reflexively enter this Form.
  
  
• 
  Pact with an Ifrit Lord
  You have stood in the court of one of the ifrits or another elemental lord of fire. Beneath the judgment of his burning eyes, you passed whatever test of righteousness he saw fit to impose. The pact you struck lets you draw strength from the element of fire and shape its destructive power to your will.
  
  Shaping Ritual
  Whenever the sorcerer takes a shape sorcery action, she may draw an additional (Essence) sorcerous motes from any fire within medium range, coaxing its power into her spell. This diminishes the flame—a hallway of torches will be extinguished by a single invocation, while a bonfire might die down to small flames after the first, then go out altogether
  after the second. However, if the sorcerer is fighting near (or in!) a burning building, she has a nearly endless source of sorcerous motes to draw on. She may draw from fire elementals or other spirits of flame as well, draining (Essence) motes from their pools, but only if her shape sorcery roll exceeds their Resolve, and no more than once per scene against any one spirit. When the sorcerer draws Essence to fuel her control spell, flames are not diminished, and spirits do not lose the motes drawn from them.
  
  
  Spoiler: Death of Obsidian Butterflies

  Cost: 15sm, 1wp
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Sculpting Essence into volant black glass, the sorcerer unleashes a cascade of obsidian butterflies. She rolls (Perception + Occult) as an undodgeable decisive attack applied in a line against enemies out to medium range. This line is wide enough to strike all opponents within the width of a single range band and reaches high enough to strike aerial enemies who are at short range to the ground (medium range enemies in the air can still be targeted by directing the butterflies to fly along an upward path, rather than a horizontal one). Battle groups are especially vulnerable to being cut down by this spell, taking a -2 penalty to Defense against it.
  The attack deals raw damage equal to the sorcerer’s (Essence + extra successes), or (Essence + Occult + extra successes) against a battle group. It does not reset the sorcerer to base Initiative. Scenery made of wood, glass, or other fragile materials is generally destroyed. After this spell has been cast, the obsidian butterflies fall to the ground and shatter,
  creating terrain that may be hazardous for barefooted characters to traverse—treat as an environmental hazard inflicting two dice of lethal damage, difficulty 2 to resist with a (Dexterity + Athletics) roll, and if the character is barefoot, difficult terrain as well. Any character wearing armored boots can generally ignore the debris.
  A sorcerer who knows Death of Obsidian Butterflies as her control spell gains (Essence) bonus dice to the spell’s attack roll. When her emotions run hot, butterfly silhouettes rise from her shadow. When she is angry, her fingernails turn to sharp volcanic glass, making it possible to cut cloth or paper, rend wood or flesh and other similar stunts.
  Spoiler: Stormwind Rider

  Cost: 15sm, 1wp
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One hour
  Bending the winds to her will, the sorcerer creates a servile dust devil to ride. The Stormwind Rider is treated as a flying mount (p. 202), although it cannot take the sorcerer to more than short range above the ground. (Wits + Occult) replaces the usual rolls for all combat movement actions. The whirlwind can carry up to (Essence x 2) additional characters, or one hundred pounds of cargo in place of a single passenger. While it cannot soar as high as the Cirrus Skiff, the Stormwind Rider can travel at nearly 100 miles an hour and maneuver through forests or cities. In a race with other characters, the sorcerer rolls (Intelligence + Occult + current temporary Willpower) for each interval.
  In combat, characters within the Stormwind Rider are treated as having light cover against attacks made from outside of it, and vice versa. A passenger who is crashed or hit with a decisive attack is knocked out of the whirlwind, and suffers falling damage if applicable.
  A sorcerer who knows Stormwind Rider as her control spell is buffeted by winds whenever she is beset by strong emotions. Sudden movements cause a small vortex powerful enough to scatter papers, upset furniture and topple someone caught off-guard. Her vertical leaps are buoyed by wind, allowing her to leap upward a single range band as her movement action; she can do so up to (Stamina) times before needing to rest.
  In addition, characters with an Essence pool gain access to the following powers while this spell is active:
  • Enduring Tempest (5m; Reflexive; Instant): Once this spell’s duration has elapsed, the sorcerer may use Enduring Tempest to extend its duration for another hour. She may do so for as long as she has Essence to continue using this power.
  • Zephyr Rush (1m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant): The sorcerer whips the Stormwind Rider into a sudden frenzy of speed, allowing her to move up to two range bands with a single movement action in combat or doubling 8s on one interval of a race.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting a stormwind rider causes it to buck and swerve violently in its flight, threatening to throw off its riders. All characters carried by the whirlwind must succeed at a difficulty 4 (Dexterity + Athletics) roll to maintain balance, although the sorcerer who cast it may substitute (Wits + Occult). Characters who fail their roll fall out of the whirlwind.
  Spoiler: Virtuous Guardian of Flame - Control Spell

  Cost: 15sm, 2wp (12sm, 1wp)
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One day
  The sorcerer draws a flaming sword from her own heart, shaping a fiery sentinel to keep vigil over her. As she completes the spell, the burning blade collapses into a will-o’-the-wisp no larger than a torchlight — the sorcerer may conceal the Virtuous Guardian of Flame by commanding it to rest within an existing lit lantern or torch she carries. Should she be attacked, the wisp flares back into sword shape to fend off her enemy, protecting her as per the defend other action (Exalted, p. 196) with a Parry of ([higher of Essence or Intelligence] + 1). The virtuous guardian can even notice threats of which the sorcerer is unaware, rolling (Essence + Perception + Occult) to detect hidden enemies. Wooden projectiles or weapons successfully blocked by the guardian are burnt to ashes. If it parries an unarmed attack or other natural attack, the attacker suffers one die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness.
  Even when its parries fail, its flames blunt the force of attacks against the sorcerer, adding (Essence) natural soak against all but unblockable attacks. The guardian has soak (Essence + 5), Hardness (Essence), and (Essence + Intelligence) −0 health levels. When the sorcerer Joins Battle, it gains Initiative equal to hers. It cannot take any actions of its own; instead, this Initiative is used solely as a buffer against withering attacks. If the guardian is crashed, it dissipates for a scene, unable to protect the sorcerer, but reforms after that. If its health track is filled with damage, it’s utterly destroyed, and the sorcerer cannot resummon it until its full duration has elapsed.
  A sorcerer with this as her control spell may awaken Evocations from it, enhancing the guardian’s defensive power or wielding it offensively.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting the virtuous guardian lets the distorting sorcerer temporarily usurp it from its caster, stealing its protection away from her for one scene.
  
  
• 
  
  Spoiler: The Serene Misfortune Sashes (Starmetal Silk Armor, Artifact 3)

  Upon her loom of sacred cypress, Ouzha Nine-Handed wove nine sashes from nine bolts of rainbow fabric. Nine measures of starmetal she used for her weft, beaten thinner than a maiden’s hair. Nine are the colors of the sashes themselves: crimson and ultramarine, jonquil and viridian, cyan and gamboge, indigo and rose, and a singular black snipped from cloth-of-night. She wove for nine years, and smiled at her works, for Ouzha feared nothing in the world but death, and fear was the tenth fabric upon her loom.
  Each of the Serene Misfortune Sashes is a delicate froth of woven rainbow and irregular brocade, unique in its pattern from its sister-sashes. They may be tied around the waist or fastened with a needle-fine starmetal pin, their hues shifting subtly to suit the wearer’s outfit and complexion. Of the eight sashes whose locations are known to Heaven, some are kept by the Cerulean Lute’s quartermasters for Sidereals of suitable temperament. Others belong to the treasure-wardrobes of powerful celestial gods, having been given as gifts by Ouzha (and subsequently changing hands several times). Some of these gods have been known lend their sashes — freely or otherwise — to allies and proteges, whether to curry favor or enrich their sash’s burgeoning mythos. Of the ninth, nothing is known.
  Woven with Ouzha’s fear of death, the sashes are silken armor that subtly bend fate to transform their wearer’s tragedies into calamitous bad luck. One might escape certain doom by the grace of their sash, only to find their lives crumbling around them. They are infrequent plot devices in heavenly plays. In tragedies, their wearers batter their fists against the ground in despair; in comedies, they look upon their misfortune and smile. They say: Calamities may pass with time, but death gives no reprieve.
  
  Attunement: 4m
  Type: Light (Soak +5, Hardness 4, Mobility Penalty −0)
  Tags: Special, Silent
  Hearthstone Slot(s): 0
  Era: The Season of Nine Shoguns
  
  Evocations of the Serene Misfortune Sash
  The Serene Misfortune Sashes don’t count as armor for determining their compatibility with Martial Arts.
  Each of the nine sashes has its own unique set of Evocations, each taking its own approach to substituting misfortune for injury, failure, and other setbacks. The following Evocations focus on protecting the wearer from physical injury, but some sashes might instead protect its wearer’s reputation, wealth, relationships, or the like.
  
  

  Spoiler: ++Borrowed Luck++

  Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Perilous, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisites: None
  Adapting an untroubled mien, the wearer radiates quiet confidence that unnerves and enthralls her would-be attackers.
  The wearer adds up to (higher of Essence or 3) to her Defense. However, she suffers a penalty equal to this bonus on her next attack roll, which can’t be negated.
  Reset: Once per scene, unless reset by attacking.

  Spoiler: ++Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense++

  Cost: 2m per health level; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisites: Dancing Among Razors
  Swords and arrows turn aside at the last moment as the sash cinches tight around the wearer’s waist, heavy with knotted misfortune.
  Against a decisive attack, she may pay two motes per health level to transform damage into bad luck, up to (higher of Essence of 3) health levels. This misfortune takes a form of the Storyteller’s choice at some point after the scene but before the end of the story, based on the number of health levels transformed:
  
  Health Levels Transformed / Effect
  1 or 2 / Small twists of fate that inflict a −2 penalty, such as unusual traffic, awful weather, misplaced papers, etc.
  3 or 4 / Temporary, personal setbacks, such as the theft of an important document, the arrival of an unexpected investigator, or mistaken identity.
  5 or more / Significant trouble, often for the character’s Merits, such as seized assets, incapacitated contacts, or misunderstandings that sour a relationship.
  
  Reset: Once per scene unless reset by falling to a −2 wound penalty or lower.
  Resonant: This Charm loses the Perilous keyword.

  Spoiler: ++Waltzing Away from Calamity++

  Cost: — (6m, 1wp); Mins: Essence 2
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisites: Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense
  The wearer may walk away from an avalanche with nothing worse than rumpled robes…at least, for a time.
  The wearer may spend six motes and one Willpower to invoke Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense against a Crippling effect or an instance of uncountable damage, negating the harm. In exchange, she becomes the subject of a baleful prophecy of the Storyteller’s choice, bringing a certain type of misfortune to herself, such as bankruptcy, illness, defeat, or scandal. She suffers +1 target number to rolls that could result in that misfortune for the rest of the story. If this Charm is used towards the end of the current story, the effect may carry over to the next instead at the Storyteller’s discretion.
  Repurchase at Essence 3+ allows the wearer to learn how to negate a Shaping effect instead of a Crippling one.
  Dissonant: Wearers dissonant with starmetal suffer +2 target number to avoid their misfortune instead.

  Spoiler: ++Grinning Albatross Infliction++

  Cost: —(+1wp); Mins: Essence 2
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisites: Waltzing Away from Calamity
  Loosening a knot from the sash’s Essence, the wearer shunts her future misery onto someone else.
  Once per session when she uses Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense, the wearer may pay a one Willpower surcharge to foist her bad luck on a target within short range. If her Essence is higher than the target’s, this happens automatically; otherwise, it requires a contested (Wits + Integrity) roll, with the wearer gaining −1 target number. Success subjects the target to the misfortune instead; failure resets this Charm.
  Spoiler: Demon-Banishing Jewel (Sidereal, Standard)

  Keywords: None
  This glinting star sapphire exists in both the material realm and the immaterial, making it tangible to dematerialized beings. A weapon socketed with it can be used to attack dematerialized enemies. If its wielder could already do so thanks to other magic, she adds a non-Charm die on the attack roll.
  
  
• 
  Health Levels
  -0 [ ]
  -1 [ ][ ]
  -2 [ ][ ]
  -4 [ ]
  I [ ]
  
  Essence: 1
  Personal 11
  Peripheral: 31 / 22
  Committed: 9
  Willpower: 5
  
  Join Battle: 7 +3I
  
  Parry: 6
  Evasion: 5
  Guile: 3
  Resolve: 3
  
  Soak
  Natural: 2
  Armor: 5
  Hardness: 4
  
  Destiny
  Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
  Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
  
  
• 
  Character Advancement
  
  Attribute increase - current rating x4
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Ability increase - current rating x2
  Caste/Favored Ability increase - (current rating x2) − 1
  New Ability - 3
  Specialty - 3
  Purchased Merit - new rating x3
  Willpower - 8
  Charm - 10 (8 if Occult Caste/Favored)
  Sidereal Martial Arts Charm - 10
  Spell - 10 (8 if Favored)
  Evocation - 10
  
  Bonus Point Expenditure
  Abilities - 7
  Charms - 4
  Backgrounds - 4
  
  

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

Alright, will take a look in details later, about to go back to bed (woke up a little early).

 

[Sherwood]

No worries. I'm suffering from some insomnia, too, so I feel your pain.

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

yeah, insomnia alright feeling better, let see:

-As noted by people for the manuscript, Silken armor is technically 4-dot to keep up with the introduction of them in earlier books.

-I assume Destiny is a homebrew Starmetal Daiklave, I think TN manipulation at no cost might be a tad too much. With Sidereals already having their excellency with TN reduction my suggestion would be to say the benefit is to get the evocation for free and as part of the first evocation instead of doing all the numbers stuff, could say something like once per day you get full excellency (including TN) reduction for free and simply just increase parry as part of the default effect of the charm. You can even add a reset condition for the evocation.

-everything else is pretty good (yeah I know you said you are working on intimacies and background), would recommend to note somewhere the Lore background, at least some vague note of it, so we are on the same page.

 

[Sherwood]

The Silken Armor is straight from the Sidereal manuscript. I got the sword from a release from drivethrurpg.com called Masterworks. While I will hate to lose it, I can search for a different weapon in the books. It will most likely even be cheaper, giving me a point or two back to put somewhere else.

I'll have more work done on her as we get closer to game start.

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

I know the silken armor is from the manuscript, I'm just saying the devs/writers have mentioned that it is supposed to be 4-dots because it is not the first time silken armor has shown up in the books. It shows up in the corebook as a 4-dot artifact armor. I guess it technically doesn't matter as much right now, but just fyi for later on the final release.

Oh, I see Masterwork is a ST vault product, I was not familiar with this one. I would be curious to ask the author about it.

 

[Sherwood]

I know the silken armor is from the manuscript, I'm just saying the devs/writers have mentioned that it is supposed to be 4-dots because it is not the first time silken armor has shown up in the books. It shows up in the corebook as a 4-dot artifact armor. I guess it technically doesn't matter as much right now, but just fyi for later on the final release.

Oh, I see Masterwork is a ST vault product, I was not familiar with this one. I would be curious to ask the author about it.

Do you want me to swap out the sword for a different weapon? I can go either way with it.

As for the armor, should I go ahead and assign an extra dot to it to make it four points?

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

Do you want me to swap out the sword for a different weapon? I can go either way with it.

As for the armor, should I go ahead and assign an extra dot to it to make it four points?

We could tweak the sword even more so, since you didn't buy evocations for it yet. But if you have no strong prefence for it, can go ahead and pick up another weapon.

Sure might as well, just add another dot.

 

[Sherwood]

We could tweak the sword even more so, since you didn't buy evocations for it yet. But if you have no strong prefence for it, can go ahead and pick up another weapon.

Sure might as well, just add another dot.

Ok. I'll probably go with a generic three dot daiklave of starmetal since there are so few written ones of that material written out, put one more dot into the armor, and find something for that last point.

 

[Psychie]

I just sent a PM with the core of my character sheet on it to you.