One x One The Fate of Creation - Characters

[Sherwood]

For character creation, lets go with 10/8/7 for Attributes, 42 dots in Abilities after applying Training Abilities, 25 dots in Backgrounds, 40 Charms with a single complete CMA given to you for free on top of the 40, with at least 15 Charms from the Auspicious or Favored Abilities, five dots of Virtues, starting Essence of 5 (max of 7), a total of 18 dots in Colleges with at least half of them with the five Colleges associated with your Maiden, and a total of 40 Bonus Points.

As per the Errata, you get 4 Specialties for free, starting Willpower is 5, and your Abilities and Backgrounds can be raised to 5+ without having to spend Bonus Points. You will not be getting any other freebie Charms in the form of Excellencies; you have a ton of stuff as is, and you can afford to buy them as normal. Any purchase of a six dot Background must be Ok'd by me with a very good explanation why you should have it.

Any purchase of Sorcery or Necromancy Charms will give you a free Spell of that level.

Ebon_Arbiter

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

Kenji the "Emerald Lotus", Sidereal Chosen of Secrets.

Image

Spoiler

Background

Spoiler

At a - now - distant point in Creation's past, shortly after the Scarlet Empress ascended to the Throne of the Realm and stability gradually returned, somewhere far away from the Blessed Isle, a poor family, living in a small village in the Threshold received its firstborn son. The boy was given the name Kenji, and his birth was celebrated across the vilage, for their community was tight and the hearts of people kind.

Kenji’s early years in Creation were not good. Not a decent childhood, too many problems and issues, namely the Guild selling his parents to slavery when he was near the age of 10. But it was not the end for him. In him, the people responsible for the slave-trade saw a spark of intelligence and a way to exploit it. Perhaps he could be useful to them in another capacity, if only they gave him the proper education. Of course, by education they didn't mean actual education, but rather imparting upon him a set of skills that would make Kenji a formidable spy in the service of the largest and most profitable, Creation-spanning trade network. Surprisingly, Kenji was a prodigy at this field of expertise, learning fast and proving himself quite capable for his age. He absorved the relevant knowledge and slowly but steadily, learnt many things, from the value of secrets, knowing them, keeping them, acquiring, omitting and revealing them. Techniques of impersonation and misdirection, how to follow others while appearing to act perfectly normal and many other things. Little did Kenji know that all these situations and experiences were merely a prelude of the destiny that lied ahead of him, ready to unravel when the time would be right.

Nexus is a dangerous place but also one where there is profit to be had if you know how to play your cards right and the young boy, by a strange whim of fate, did just that. He joined a gang of teenagers and made some errands for various parties in the city of Nexus while growing to a young man. Or so it would seem, for none of the gang members were aware of Kenji's true allegiance. He rose in status in this gang, by achieving a meteoric rise in its hierarchy, through manipulation, subterfuge and sheer overall competence and helped it put an end to much of the competition around, bearing at times a determined look that often was disturbing even for his own comrades to behold. As if he knew things they didn't.

Time seemed to pass and Kenji grew restless. Something was bothering him, nudging him. Despite the notoriety gained by being part of Nexus' underworld and the various exploits and other deeds of him and his companion, he still felt empty. Violence was only a veil, a veil carefully weaved to hide his true nature. Secrecy in all things, even from his manipulative masters. For deep inside, he was too sentimental, he was a romantic type of guy, dreaming of bringing change for the better to those around him, to alter lifes for the better and somehow to affect others and gently steer them towards what was right for them. This could not be achieved easily though in the back alleys and mean streets of Nexus and his methods of operation had been altered to grant him a position of relative respect in the area. But even this, coupled with the growing emptiness in his soul, could not satisfy him any more. Already his gangs “adventures” had attracted some unwanted attention and were deemed as dangerous to the city’s unimpeded flow of trade. Complaints were filed against them for too long and finally the Council of Entities decided it was high time they dealt with these upstart youths.

So, one of the many mercenary companies stationed in Nexus took the task of eliminating them as a threat and teaching them quite a lesson in the process.

They stormed the area of the city were their “command center” was – no more than a few stories building with a backyard of sorts – and made short work of them. The element of surprise as well as the superior armament and tactics of the mercenaries made the difference. It wasn’t even a challenge.

Strangely, Kenji managed to escape. Of course none ever learnt how did the authorities found out so much about the gang and its whereabouts or who was the hooded figure that departed the city the following night. It was merely another addition in the web of secrets weaved around Kenji’s life. But in the same time it was also his greatest beginning. In secret, Kenji had been conducting side jobs for other powerful figures in Nexus and turning over his own masters and certain serious secrets with which he was entrusted, bought him an exit out of Nexus and a ticket to one of the caravans leaving the city. For all intents and purposes concerning Nexus and the Guild, Kenji was a dead man, killed in the operation that destroyed his gang and burned their hideout to the ground.

Upon leaving Nexus and beginning his journey towards the city of Great Forks – they had a famous arena if the rumours were correct – he was approached by another traveller from the same caravan. Until they arrived at Great Forks, they had become good friends and then he was told about his real purpose in life, his destiny.

He was – according to his friend who claimed to be just like him but with some more experience – a chosen of the Maiden of Secrets , a celestial Incarna, and his purpose was to serve as a champion of Fate. More would be revealed to him in time and after a week spent in Great Forks, they left with his new friend for Yu-shan. Kenji was almost terrified and speechless (and those immense orichalcum celestial lions at the gate didn’t help much to alleviate that) but he soon regained his composure and rejoiced at the end of his life as a mere mortal.

In Yu-Shan, Kenji was inducted in a training regime like no other and to the satisfaction of his teachers and trainers he proved to be up to the task, managing to absorb the knowledge passed on to him by them and become competent in various fields of expertise. The Forbidding Manse of Ivy became a home to him and his devotion to his heavenly mandated mission was almost total. During that time he developed strong ties to the gods and spirits of the Bureau, seeking their wise advice, rich knowledge and unsurpassed expertise on all matters concerning his own purview. Secrets were a byword of his existence back as a mortal and even more so in his new, ascended state. Not only he knew intuitively when to withold and when to reveal a secret but he learnt to discern the feelings, emotions and thoughts of others, the better to seek and acquire their secrets. In addition to that he expanded his capabilities in the realm of martial arts, captivated by the secrets of body, mind and essence alignment that created those amazing feats. The intricate patterns of movement, the painstakingly executed katas, the precisely assumed forms which made essence flow in ways he couldn't have imagined, turning him into a living weapon, more refined and deadly than any of those constructed by the hands of men and finally the internal fullfillment and personal elevation into a higher level of enlightment.

Character Sheet

Spoiler

Name: Kenji

Exalt Type and Caste: Sidereal, Chosen of Secrets

Anima: Sharp green light

Spoiler

Anima effects:
A Chosen of Secrets reflexively makes the Lesser Sign of Jupiter for 10 motes. The Chosen’s anima billows outward in a brilliant green that wafts around all those affected. For one scene, the Sidereal and all her allies within (her Essence x 10) yards are immune to mind-reading and mental attacks from opponents with an Essence less than the Sidereal’s. Against other opponents, the Oracle and her allies add (her Essence) to their Mental Defense Values. Allies enjoy this advantage only as long as they remain within range.

With the Sidereal’s anima banner in the 11 to 15 mote range, this costs only five motes.

If the banner is fully manifest (16+ motes), this costs only one.

A Sidereal can spend a single mote of Essence to do the following:
• Make her caste mark obvious for one minute, as if the character had spent eight to 10 motes of Peripheral Essence. The caste mark shines with the symbol and color of her Maiden.
• Know the exact time and date by sensing the positionof celestial bodies.
• Attune her anima to the ripples cast by doorways between worlds. For the rest of the scene, the character recognizes the presence of gateways to Heaven or Malfeas within (her Essence x 100) feet. She does not learn the gateway’s location, only that it is present.

Peripheral Essence Expenditure - Motes - Effect
1–3: The caste mark glitters and may be seen from certain angles. Characters whose players succeed at a difficulty 3 (Perception + Awareness) roll notice the caste mark. It may be covered to eliminate any chance of notice.

4–7: The caste mark burns brightly, visible upon a single success on a (Perception + Awareness) roll. The caste mark may still be covered. The character suffers a +1 diffi culty to Sidereal astrology effect rolls and gains one Paradox if wearing a resplendent destiny.

8–10: The caste mark burns brightly and is evident to any who look, though it may still be effectively covered. The character’s anima acquires a dim glow, visible in darkness or against contrasting colors. Stealth rolls are made at a +2 difficulty, but Stealth Charms function normally. The character suffers a +2 difficulty to Sidereal astrology effect rolls and gains three Paradox if wearing a resplendent destiny; resplendent destinies recede.

11–15: The caste mark shines through any concealment. An aura in the color of the character’s patron surrounds the character. Stealth becomes impossible; Stealth Charms and Stealth-oriented college effects automatically fail. Other penalties from the previous level of expenditure remain.

16+ A burning halo of light sheathes the character, bright enough to read by out to a stone-cast away. It has no imagery, being a simple but brilliant glow in the color of the character’s Maiden. Penalties from the previous level of expenditure remain. The anima remains at this level for the rest of the scene.

Arcane Fate

Spoiler

Arcane Fate has several effects.

1. A Sidereal adds +3 dice to all Performance, Presence, Socialize and Larceny dice pools used to masquerade under a false persona. Mortals accept without qualms a Sidereal who presents herself as a Guild factor, a minor nobleman or an Immaculate monk.

2. The character also takes on other appearances easily: the difficulty of any (Intelligence + Larceny) roll for disguise is always 1. These bonuses only allow the character to represent himself as someone who doesn’t exist; attempts to appear as an existing individual have no dice bonus and use normal difficulties.

3. The Sidereal is easy to overlook, in person and in memory. People suffer a -3 internal penalty on any attempt to spot a Sidereal, even if the Vizier does not actively avoid notice.

4. A Seer also has a good façade but little convincing substance: she suffers a -3 internal penalty on any attempts to build relationships, trust or love with mortals. Only long familiarity (represented by the Acquaintances Background, pp. 102-103) leaves any lasting mark on mortals.

5. False identities are integral to the Sidereals’ fates. A Sidereal gains +3 bonus dice when disguising herself as a resplendent destiny she has donned. Resplendent destinies are a way for Sidereals to temporarily become memorable in Creation; see Chapter Six for more information.

6. Finally, Creation readily forgets Sidereals—their personas or their actual selves. Arcane Fate makes it almost a certainty that people and objects governed by the Loom will let the Sidereal slip from their minds. This aspect of Arcane Fate is a Shaping effect that affects mortals, Exalted and most gods equally. A character’s Familiars and Acquaintances are immune, as are all Sidereals, all officials and functionaries of the Bureau of Destiny, all Celestial gods and any creatures outside of fate.

As long as the Sidereal remains present, anyone aware of her can remember her. Once she leaves, memories of her slip from the minds of anyone who met her. Only powerful wills can grip the memory strongly enough to resist this insidious destiny. When an affected character tries to remember the Sidereal, his player makes a (Wits + Integrity) roll for the struggle. The roll is at difficulty 1 but suffers a -3 internal penalty as a mind struggles against fate. The player rolls each time his character tries to remember until he has made (Sidereal’s Essence) successful rolls or failed once. Failure on any roll indicates that the character forgets about the Sidereal and his interaction with her. If forced to think about what went on at that time, his mind creates a plausible substitute that edits out the Sidereal or replaces her with someone else. If any single roll turns up more successes than the Sidereal’s Essence rating, that character can remember the event without any future rolls.

For inanimate objects, such as reports about the Sidereal, journal entries detailing a meeting or even ledger entries regarding a sale to her, the Storyteller rolls a single die for every season after the event. Once the die comes up a success, the relevant record of the Sidereal’s existence is forever lost. Because of this, Investigation and Bureaucracy rolls to learn about or track down the character suffer a -3 internal penalty; even the forest forgets the Exalt, applying a -3 internal penalty to Survival rolls on tracking.

Wearing a resplendent destiny makes a Sidereal easier to remember. Nobody rolls to recall a resplendent destiny.People who are immune to Arcane Fate always see the character as herself.

Motivation: Unravel the Secret that will allow him to reunite all the Exalted for the benefit of Creation

Attributes

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Primary (Social): 10

Secondary (Mental): 8

Tertiary (Physical): 7


Physical:

Strength ●●

Dexterity ●●●●●

Stamina ●●●


Social:

Charisma ●●●●●

Manipulation ●●●●●

Appearance ●●●●


Mental

Perception ●●●●

Intelligence ●●●●

Wits ●●●●

Abilities (Specializations +)

Spoiler

[Note: Place [A]uspicious and [F]avoured tags, for clarity.]


[F]Resistance ●●●●●

Ride ●●●

Sail

Survival

Thrown



Craft ● (●● from Savant when applicable)

Dodge ●●●●● [Unarmored +1]

Linguistics ●●● [Riverspeak: native, Old Realm, High Realm, Low Realm]

Performance ●●●

Socialize ●●●




Archery ●

Athletics ●● [Maintain Balance +1]

Melee

Presence ●●●

War



[A]Investigate ●●●

[A]Larceny ●●●

[A]Lore ●●● (●● from Savant when applicable)

[A]Occult ●●●●● (●● from Savant when applicable)

[A]Stealth ●●●●●



[F]Awareness ●●●●●

[F]Bureaucracy ●●●●

Integrity ●●●

[F]Martial Arts ●●●●● [VBoS form weapons +2]

Medicine ●●●

Backgrounds, Artifacts and Equipment:

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Backgrounds [25]:

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• Celestial Manse ●● [Emerald Lotus Pagoda: Produces the Jewel of the Celestial Mandarin]
• Salary ●●
• Sifu ●●
• Backing ●● [Bureau of Destiny, Division of Secrets / Forbidding Manse of Ivy]
• Artifact ●●[Starmetal Reaper Daiklave "Fate's Edge"]
• Artifact ●● [Skin Mounted Amulet]
• Artifact ●● [Starmetal Hearthstone Bracers]
• Artifact ●●●● [Infinite Resplendence Amulet]
• Connections ● [Area of Influence: The Guild]
• Connections ● [Area of Influence: The Bureau of Destiny]
• Connections ●● [Area of Influence: The Realm - All Seeing Eye]
• Manse ● [Shrine of the Heart's Fire: Produces the Memorial Iron Hearthstone]
• Savant ●●

Artifacts and Equipment:

Fate's Edge: Starmetal Reaper Daiklave [••]

Spoiler

"With this marvelous artifact, your predecessor made sure that, when secrets were revealed, when journeys had finished, when all serenity had evaporated and the time for battle had come, he would be the one to deliver the Heaven mandated end to anything that threatened Creation and its people. Remember my words and make sure you do the same".

Kenji's sifu​

Where the reaver daiklave, with its great chopping blade, favors striking power, the reaper daiklave favors speed and accuracy. The reaper daiklave is a great slashing sword—a perfectly balanced, four-foot-long, four-inch-wide, inch-thick, gently curved razor, shaped to a fine point. Favored by those Exalted who prefer fi nesse and speed over raw striking power, the reaper epitomizes the ideal that the warrior who hits fi rst rarely has to worry about how hard his opponent is going to hit him.

A reaper daiklave normally has one hearthstone setting.

Reaper daiklaves are popular among the Dragon-Blooded of Lookshy, who prefer the elegance and speed of the blade over the more common
reaver or grand daiklaves.

Speed 4, Accuracy +5, Damage +7L/2, Defense +1, Rate 3, Tags: O

Skin Mounted Amulet [••]

Spoiler

Appearing as a large rivet-style body piercing made of one of the magical materials with an indented disk-shaped socket, skin mount amulets are nothing more than implanted hearthstone amulets (see Exalted, p. 380) that require no attunement. The design of these amulets also confers an additional number of motes of Peripheral Essence to the wearer’s maximum Essence pool equal to twice the rating of any hearthstone placed in the socket. Any commitments using Essence from the amulet (such as to other artifacts) immediately end if the hearthstone leaves its socket. At the height of the First Age, skin mount amulets were a popular form of jewelry among the Chosen. Hearthstones can be removed or replaced in a skin mount amulet as readily as any other type of hearthstone amulet. Only the socket itself is actually riveted to the body.

- The Jewel of the Celestial Mandarin is set on Kenji's Skin Mount Amulet.

This transparent, faceted square stone glows with a faint violet light. The stone surrounds the bearer with a subtle aura of Essence that causes gods, demons and elementals to regard him as unusually dignified and well-spoken. This stone reduces the difficulty of all Social rolls the bearer’s player uses on such beings by 2 (to a minimum difficulty of 1). This aura is imperceptible to all other beings except gods, elementals and demons and so has no affect on any other creatures.

Starmetal Hearthstone Bracers [••]

Spoiler

"Avoidance" and "Absence"
Hearthstone bracers require the commitment of four motes of Essence to activate them—two motes for each bracer. A bracer must be worn with its mate and will not activate unless worn as a pair. Regardless of construction, hearthstone bracers provide a three-die bonus to dodge attempts made by an attuned user.

Starmetal bracers are decorated with elaborate abstract and astrological designs. Like much else made of starmetal, they are typically of minimalistic design, so as not to waste the precious stuff. Sidereal Exalted who attune these bracers to their animas move more in accordance with destiny. They add one to their weapons’ Accuracy and Defense.

- The Memorial Iron hearthstone is set on Kenji's hearthstone bracers.


Shrine of the Heart's Fire:
A small, beautifully crafted pagoda on the hills, somewhere in the Threshold, near Kenji's birthplace. Its surroundings remind Kenji of his early years in Creation, a difficult and troubled childhood, but also of his family and relatives, who raised him in those early years and set the pillars of his personality and subsequent evolution to the cryptic Oracle, that Fate has made him into. The stone it produces helps Kenji focus his mind on the best memories from those days and take heart to his new endeavours.

Memorial Iron:
This hearthstone looks like a smooth nugget of polished iron. Its bearer can vividly recall (and mentally relive) any particularly positive and will-reinforcing memory. This recollection fires her resolve, enabling her to recover one point of temporary Willpower each day. This is in addition to any Willpower recovered through the normal, daily Conviction roll.

Infinite Resplendece Amulet [••••]

Spoiler

Consisting of aspect-dedicated magical material lattices embedded in synthetic adamant matrices, these thumbnailsized baubles are the most ubiquitous artifact garments currently in fashion among the Chosen. Some elder Exalted object to them on principle, especially the “wear nothing you didn’t make” purists and the “mansions of closets” hedonists, though the latter sometimes collect hundreds of amulets to display their collection of brand glyphs from highly regarded Exalted and Jadeborn artisans. Although the devices vary by model, each costs five motes to attune. The devices have the following common features:

Modular Attire: The amulet can generate any form of outfit the wearer can imagine, however grand or humble.
Changing the setting requires contact and a diceless miscellaneous action. Repairing or cleaning a worn outfit takes the same action as creating a new one. Created clothes have no reality beyond being an extension of the amulet, so they dissolve or flow back into the artifact if they are removed for any reason. Most wearers integrate the amulet itself as an accessory of each outfit, especially to show off impressive brand glyphs.

Protection: Regardless of configuration, enchantments in the amulet provide +1L/+1B soak (which does not count as armor for Charm purposes), plus an extra success to all Resistance or Survival rolls to reduce or avoid the effects of deleterious environmental conditions, toxins or disease.

In addition, each amulet also has one material-specific feature by default.

Composite designs cost •••• for one additional feature or ••••• for all four material features. Provided a copy of the artifact incorporates the material that naturally resonates with its wearer, there is no commitment surcharge to attune a composite model.

Moonsilver: Extruding outfits as a diaphanous second skin grown from liquid metal tendrils, these amulets provide superior protection and camouflage on demand. The wearer gets two bonus dice to Stealth rolls and two bonus dice to assume a disguise with Larceny, as well as replacing the usual soak bonus with +5L/+5B (that stacks with and is still not considered armor for Charms).

Starmetal: Weaving clothes from strands of the wearer’s own fate, these amulets provide extremely subtle and understated elegance. Such garments conceal numerous pockets folded into Elsewhere, providing sufficient storage space to carry up to a ton of assorted items safely out of reach of the world, provided the objects could actually fit through a pocket opening no larger than a foot across. Only the attuned wearer can reach into Elsewhere via these pockets; to others, they are merely stitched folds. In the event of the wearer’s death, his corpse fades into Elsewhere with his possessions for burial among the interstices of fate, leaving only his enchanted clothes to mark his passage.

Other equipment

• Exceptional writing tools (Calligraphy set with high quality inks and papers).
• Exceptional larceny tools (small satchel containing various lock picks and other tools useful for various shady purposes).
• Exceptional Straight Sword (form weapon for VBoS)
• Exceptional Staff (form weapon for VBoS)
• Exceptional Knife (form weapon for VBoS)
• Exceptional Long Bow
• Incense/prayer kit
• Scroll canister
• Emerald rice paper lantern (Sidereal calligraphy around the lantern) with carrying branch
• Coin/talent pouch
• Set of travelling clothes
• Neck/head scarf
• Water skin etc

Charms

Spoiler

[40 starting charms, plus 3 from bonus points, plus one free CMA style and 2 free spells].

Resistance

1st Resistance Excellency

Someone Else's Destiny

Spoiler

ost: 4m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None

When the Sidereal is exposed to a drug or poison, intentionally or unawares, she can lock it away as a memorandum attached to her fate and pass that memorandum off on someone else.

At the drug or poison’s first damage interval (see Exalted, p. 130), the Sidereal can reflexively activate this Charm instead of trying to resist the poison. The effect of the substance separates entirely from the Sidereal’s fate but remains in orbit around it.

The substance remains suspended thus until the next time the Sidereal successfully attacks someone in close combat and her player rolls at least one die of lethal or aggravated damage.

Whether the damage roll succeeds or not, the orbiting memorandum transfers to the victim of the attack, whereupon the substance’s effects kick in immediately as if the victim had originally ingested the poison or drug himself.

The Sidereal can contain only one deleterious substance at a time: using this Charm twice results in the first toxin’s effect returning to the Sidereal. The transfer of a poison is automatic, beyond the Sidereal’s control.

This Charm can capture Poison and Sickness effects, as well as influences that cause Derangements or other effects that can reasonably be called ‘madness’.

There is no roll to activate the Charm, and the Sidereal may keep up to (Essence) suspended maladies at once.

Applying the effect to an attack is done in Step 1 of combat resolution and is voluntary.

Shield of Destiny

Spoiler

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 7)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Someone Else’s Destiny

The Sidereal reaches out to grasp the fate of an attack headed her way, carrying it off like a banner to bestow upon someone else.

Calling upon the Shield of Destiny, the Sidereal rolls (Dexterity + Resistance) in Step 7 of an attack against her. Every success on this activation roll subtracts a single die from the post-soak damage of the attack (to a minimum of one die remaining). Damage prevented by this Charm remains caught in the weave of the Sidereal’s destiny, vibrating like a trapped fly.

Whenever the Sidereal is attacked, she may release this thrumming tension as an unblockable and undodgeable counterattack that hits automatically in Step 9. The counterattack has damage equal to the amount of dice initially negated by Shield of Destiny, and bypasses both soak and Hardness.

A Sidereal may maintain up to (Essence) activations of this Charm.

She may release these without making a counterattack if she wishes to, dissipating the tangle of violence throughout the whole of the Loom of Fate.

Optimistic Security Practise

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Postponing her sacrifice so that she might continue to serve Creation, the Sidereal flicks her thumb across the strand of her lifespan, deferring all efforts to cut it.

Optimistic Security Practice adds (Essence) to the Sidereal’s bashing, lethal, and aggravated soak. If she is not wearing any armor, this rises to her (Essence + Resistance).

In addition, the Sidereal winds the destiny of (her Compassion – target’s Compassion, minimum one) of each of her opponents’ positive Intimacies around her own.

When attacked, the Sidereal may interpose the likeness of one of the target’sIntimacies over her own like a spectral hostage, its eyes pained by shock and incomprehension at the target’s betrayal.

The target must pay one Willpower to attack the Sidereal through the figure of his Intimacy; failing to do so causes the attack to sever the thread of that Intimacy, discarding it from the attacker’s Intimacies completely. The Sidereal gains the benefit of this defense against any opponent who attacks her until each of that opponent’s captured Intimacies have been destroyed, or until the opponent has spent (Sidereal’s Compassion) Willpower to resist. The Sidereal may not capture more than five Intimacies of any target per scene, and if two Sidereals capture the same Intimacy, the defense is no longer applicable once that Intimacy has been severed.

This Charm does not allow the Sidereal a survey of the target’s Intimacies; which Intimacies are captured are determined by the Storyteller, but the Charm generally snares those Intimacies the target considers most important first.

Heartless Maiden Trance

Spoiler

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3; Type:
Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Optimistic Security Practice

The Sidereal enfolds her heart in a pocket of emptiness that separates her heart from Creation.

When she does so, she dispenses with the need to breathe, eat or drink, as well as her normal susceptibility to disease, poison, degenerative effects, temperature extremes or exposure. While her heart remains hidden, she suffers no penalties resulting from adverse environmental conditions or impairments to normal body function. Fatigue penalties (from exertion or armor) no longer bother her. She cannot be knocked unconscious. She still suffers damage as normal, but does not take wound penalties. Even if damage ought to Incapacitate her, she functions as if nothing is wrong.

Seeing foes hacking away at her with axes or perforating her with frog-crotch arrows might convince her that a tactical retreat is wise, but if her determination overrides her better judgment, she can stay in the fight until she drops dead.

Until the Sidereal restores her heart to its place, she cannot regain Essence except through Charms.

When she does restore her heart, any poisons, diseases, fatigue penalties, deprivation penalties, environmental conditions (if she’s in the same environment) or wounds she accrued while her heart was away kick in all at once as if she were first exposed to them the moment the Charm’s duration ended.

To clarify, the Sidereal ignores all internal penalties from the listed sources. She does not ignore penalties from environmental conditions such as unstable footing.

Ride

Yellow Path

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 2;
Type: Simple (Dramatic action)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One journey
Prerequisite Charms: None

A character with a destination in mind asks the Maiden of Journeys for her best advice on arriving there.

The player then rolls his character’s Essence.

For one success, the Maiden shows the Seer a path that enables him to reach his destination in three-quarters of the time it would normally take him based on travel type and distance. (See the chart on p. 264 of Exalted.) If the character points out that he has a deadline to keep (and the player rolls three successes), Mercury illuminates any means that might exist to get the character there under normal travel conditions.

(The character might have to run for three hours straight, bribe a courier in an elaborate horse relay system to give up his mount, gallop all the way to the coast and fi nally board a hard-rowing ocean vessel, but he’ll make his appointment.)

If the player rolls five successes and the character has a deadline to beat, the Maiden of Journeys reveals to him a miraculous path that will get the Seer to his destination ahead of his deadline no matter how far away it is and how little time remains.

The deadlines a character rushes to meet with the assistance of this Charm must actually exist. She cannot arbitrarily invent or declare deadlines for herself. For example, a Vizier might hurry across Creation to reach Nexus in time for her brother’s birthday if she intends to pay him a surprise visit upon arriving, but could not do so simply because she wishes to use the Nexus gateway to get back to Yu-Shan as soon as possible.

The paths revealed by this Charm aren’t guaranteed to be free of danger to the Sidereal, but will not lead her into certain doom.

Miraculous paths revealed by rolling 5+ successes allow the Sidereal to bypass limitations of distance, but not of active obstruction; for example, an attempt to divine a path to the heart of the Imperial Manse would quickly deposit a Sidereal at the entrance to the structure, at which point it would be up to her to find some way to breach its formidable defenses.

Dodge

2nd excellency

Absence (x2)

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 2, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Viziers anticipate attacks upon them, and avoid them.

Apart from the name and Essence cost, this Charm duplicates Shadow Over Water (see Exalted, p. 227).

This Charm is used in response to an attack. It allows the Exalt to ignore all penalties that apply to her Dodge DV when resolving that attack. Her Dodge DV is still 0 against an undodgeable attack, but she takes no further penalties.

Even destiny falls into regular patterns, and to avoid one blow is just as good as avoiding all a foe’s attacks. Sidereals with Dodge 4+, Essence 3+ may repurchase this Charm. If it enhanced a successful application of the character’s Dodge DV against an attacker previously in the same tick, subsequent uses against that same attacker also raise the target number of the their dice pool by 1.

Duck Fate

Spoiler

Cost: 10m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Absence

Vibrations in the strands of fate alert a Sidereal to imminent danger.

Her player rolls (Dexterity + Dodge) against a difficulty equal to the permanent Essence of the foe responsible for the trouble. (Environmental dangers are difficulty 1.) If the roll succeeds, the Exalt avoids the harmful effect.

For this Charm’s purposes, a “harmful effect” includes unexpected attacks, area-of-effect attacks, attacks with no physical component or even continuous effects with a duration longer than instant. (The character only needs to avoid a continuous effect once.)

Attacks with very wide areas of effect (such as the Rain of Doom spell) defeat this Charm if the character is physically incapable of moving the distance needed to escape the effect.

The Sidereal’s player must activate this Charm either before her opponent’s attack roll or as soon as the player becomes aware of the effect.

This Charm may be employed to avoid any harmful effect (including all undesired physical, social, mental and spiritual influence), regardless of applicability or the scope of the attack, so long as the Sidereal succeeds on the Charm’s activation roll.

It fails only against unexpected attacks, Limit Break and Pattern Bite.

Duck Fate’s fallible activation roll is considered a unique Flaw of Invulnerability.

This Charm protects the person of the Exalt, including his possessions. It does not protect allies or distant estates just because they may be represented as Background traits on the Sidereal’s character sheet.

Avoidance Kata

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Illusion, Shaping
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Duck Fate

The character wasn’t actually there when the trouble began. That’s his story, and the Loom of Fate backs it up.

If—within his first two actions after Join Battle or Join Debate—the Sidereal decides he would rather have been somewhere else, he can activate this Charm. Having done so, he vanishes from his current location and reappears in another location. The Sidereal cannot control his new location, but it’s someplace plausible for him to be if he’d decided to take a different course a few minutes before. Simultaneously, an Illusion effect blurs the memories of other people so they don’t remember the Sidereal’s presence. Wounds still bleed, traps remain sprung, Essence remains spent. However, other people in the aborted encounter receive vague notions of an alternate series of events to explain any evidence of the Sidereal’s presence, which they soon confabulate into a detailed scenario that they believe completely.


This Charm’s unnatural Illusion is irresistible by mortals and gods, while others may ignore it for 3wp.

The Illusion does not apply against creatures outside of fate.

The Shaping effect of this Charm targets the Sidereal, not any other characters.

Linguistics

Favored Inflection Procedure

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion, Virtue (Compassion)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Chosen of the Gods honor mere mortals just by acknowledging their existence. A Sidereal can forge a powerful connection to another person just by saying his name in his presence. The Seer’s player then rolls her (Charisma + Linguistics) against the target’s Dodge Mental Defense Value and adds her Essence in automatic successes. If the roll succeeds while the target is calm, the target feels more connected to and enriched by the Sidereal.

He gains a single Intimacy toward the Sidereal for the rest of the scene.

The Intimacy created by this Charm lasts permanently unless it is eroded through the normal means. In addition to creating the Intimacy, this Charm also produces an Emotion of calm.

Performance

1st Performance excellency [free due to HBPS]
Fateful Performance excellency [free due to HBPS]

Heart Brightening Presentation Style [a.k.a HBPS]

Spoiler

Cost: — Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1;
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Virtue (Compassion)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Sidereal’s skill at poetry and song infuses his speech at all times. The character can apply any Bureaucracy, Performance, Presence or Socialize Excellency to any dice pool involving those four Abilities.

The normal limits for raising dice pools through Charms still apply.

There is no surcharge for applying the listed Excellencies interchangeably amongst the listed Abilities. In addition, this Charm allows the Exalt to channel Compassion on any rolls enhanced by those Excellencies. The first time she does so in a scene costs 0wp

Socialize

1st Socialize excellency [free due to HBPS]
Fateful Socialize excellency [free due to HBPS]

Presence

1st Presence excellency [free due to HBPS]
Fateful Presence excellency [free due to HBPS]

Investigation

1st excellency

Auspicious Prospects for Secrets

Spoiler

Cost: 1m; Mins: Investigation 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm actually represents five separate Charms—one for each Sidereal caste. Each version grants an awareness of astrological details that aid in the completion of destiny’s designs. Auspicious Prospects for Journeys reveals when and where someone ought to travel. Auspicious Prospects for Serenity tells whom fate wishes to have joy, as well as how to help such people achieve it. Auspicious Prospects for Battles shows when, where and between whom important conflicts should occur. Auspicious Prospects for Secrets grants insight into whether certain important information should be revealed or obscured. Auspicious Prospects for Endings suggests when a person, thing or idea’s time has come. A Sidereal can easily learn the Auspicious Prospects Charm of her own patron Maiden.

The Sidereal gets a sense of whether the fate in question is favorable in terms of the Maiden represented by the caste. Seeing that the favorable fate comes to pass, however, is up to the Sidereal.

There is no roll to use this Charm. Sidereals may freely learn any iteration of this Charm, though only the version corresponding to their Caste is bought or trained at Caste/Favored experience values. The Maidens have no power to withhold this Charm.

Efficient Secretary Technique

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One miscellaneous action
Prerequisite Charms: None

When the character first learns this Charm, a measure of his Essence crystallizes in his mouth in the form of a small emerald pattern spider. The character spits out this indestructible construct, whereupon it immediately dematerializes and attaches itself to a part of his body. Thereafter, the character may spend two motes of Essence to instruct the spirit to fetch some particular piece of information for him.

If the information is available and not actively concealed, the spider scuttles away along the weave of fate. The spider returns in the space of a miscellaneous action and whispers the information to the Sidereal.

This Charm can deliver any single fact that is known to at least 100 people that are part of fate, as long as that fact is not actively concealed or generally lost. As a rough guideline, as long as an uncontested Investigation, Lore or Occult roll, with difficulty 5 or less, could have been validly made within most of Creation, the spider can find and retrieve it from the records of Heaven.

As an exception to the stricture against finding information that is actively hidden or would otherwise call for a difficulty 6+ roll to find out, the spider can retrieve any information that is currently kept within the Sidereal’s personal libraries in Yu-Shan or Creation. This exception does not apply if someone else hid the information in the Sidereal’s library.

The spider travels along the Exalt’s own insuperable thread of fate, and can continue to retrieve information even while in Hell or the outer Chaos of the Wyld. Wards against scrying apply against this Charm, but the Sidereal gains (Essence) extra successes on her roll-off.

Larceny

1st excellency

Avoiding the Truth Technique

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion, Virtue (Compassion)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Through subtle adjustments to her manner of speaking, the Sidereal makes her statements seem laden with
implications that listeners find too horrible or absurd to believe. The Charm supplements social actions using any Ability (and can be part of a Combo with any ability’s Charms), but changes the effect of the social action. The Charm adds the character’s Larceny in successes to the social Ability roll.

If the result exceeds the target’s Dodge Mental Defense Value, he thinks he saw through the Sidereal’s “lie” and believes that whatever she said isn’t true. This may cause the victim to discount other people who sincerely make similar claims; or when the victim discovers that the Sidereal’s “unbelievable” statement was true after all, he might be inclined to believe a genuine whopper from the Sidereal.

Errata
This Charm enhances social attacks to encourage beliefs. It adds (Essence) successes to the attack, which is compared against the target’s Parry or Dodge MDV normally. Success imposes the unnatural Illusion that what the Exalt said is untrue, even if the target would normally believe otherwise. It costs 3wp to ignore this influence.

The Charm can also be employed to enhance truths and lies outside of social combat.

When someone attempts to tell if the character is lying or not (Exalted, p. 131), the difficulty to do so is raised by the Exalt’s Essence. Failure to see through the Sidereal’s facade imposes this Charm’s influence on the observer.

Masque of the Uncanny

Spoiler

Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: One disguise
Prerequisite Charms: Avoiding the Truth Technique

The Sidereal cloaks herself in Essence infused with tints from outside Creation. This makes her seem like a native of a realm beyond fate: a ghost, a raksha or a demon. The Charm does not let the character impersonate a particular entity, or indeed look radically unlike herself; rather, she looks like herself if she were some sort of human-like demon (such as a neomah), a ghost or one of the Fair Folk.

This Charm enhances a normal action to adopt a disguise, allowing the Sidereal to appear as nearly any creature outside fate that is at least roughly the same size and shape. Mundane scrutiny fails to pierce the disguise automatically, while magic senses face +2 difficulty on any relevant rolls.

This Charm will perfectly conceal the Exalt’s nature as a being of fate, adding (his Essence) successes to any roll-off.

The Sidereal need not purchase each iteration of this Charm separately; any type of creature he is familiar with can be mimicked normally.

Lore

1st excellency

Methodology of Secrets

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Mins: Lore 2, Essence 2; Type: Refl exive
Keywords: None
Duration: Until the character next sleeps
Prerequisite Charms: None

In the character’s sleep, the Maiden of Secrets reveals to him her plan for fate.

If the character spends five motes of Essence as he receives this vision, he understands how he fits into this grand plan and what he can do to best integrate himself into the Maiden’s efforts. When he wakes, the character has access to three relevant bonus specialties he may divide among up to three Abilities of the Sidereal’s choosing. The dice from these specialties may also apply to the effect roll for any Sidereal astrology that involves the college corresponding to a selected Ability.

Keep in mind, however, that characters using this Charm are still limited to a maximum +3 bonus from specialties to any given roll. Also, bonus dice granted from these specialties count as bonus from Charms. The Ability or Abilities the character chooses need not be the same each time the character activates the Methodology of Secrets, but the character cannot change which trait receives the benefit until the next time he sleeps (and uses the Charm again).

Occult

1st excellency

Mark of Exaltation

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Virtue (Compassion)
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Sidereal makes of his caste mark a lantern that can reveal unmanifested spirits. The mark glows with the color associated with his caste and is visible to spirits and to Chosen of his caste. Anyone who can see the light can also see any unmanifested spirits within (Essence x 5) yards on whom the light shines.

The Mark of Exaltation shines out to (Essence x 50) yards, not (Essence x 5).

Instead of adding an automatic success to the Sidereal’s social rolls, it adds one to her effective Appearance rating when interacting with spirits in social combat. It is Obvious only to characters capable of seeing the Mark’s light.

Incite Decorum

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
A Sidereal can invoke his Maiden’s authority to facilitate polite dealings with elementals and gods.

Any spirit whose Essence does not surpass the Sidereal’s must remain calm, reasonable and peaceful in the Vizier’s presence. The spirit must spend two Willpower points to initiate violence against the Seer, and any Charm the spirit uses against the character costs one additional Willpower. (This includes Charms that normally do not cost Willpower at all.) The effect ends automatically if the Sidereal opens hostilities himself

This Charm applies against spirits of any type employed by Heaven officially, up to Essence 8 and regardless of how the Sidereal’s Essence compares.

Telltale Symphony

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2;
Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -0)
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: One hour
Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation

Patterns of Essence become music to the Sidereal’s ears, untangling the mysterious threads of fate with the revelation of their song. Charms, sorcery, and other magic give off a strange music that is nevertheless fitting to their aspect and nature. Spirits ring with the soft tintinnabulation of bells, while artifacts hum in low tones.

Other than its purely auditory nature, this Charm functions as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight
(Exalted, p. 222).

The ability to perceive Essence patterns has the following effects: All Charms are treated as Obvious with respect to the character. Dematerialized and invisible creatures and effects are considered visible. The character recognizes all artifacts, manses and demesnes as such. The character can automatically recognize a creature with Essence 4+ as a supernatural creature.

Characters using Stealth to avoid detection are not automatically revealed by their Charms, Essence trait or carried artifacts—for the same reason that colorful clothing does not automatically void mundane attempts at stealth. Instead, add the target’s Essence in dice to any attempt by the character to pierce mundane or magical Stealth.

Similarly, this Charm does not automatically void disguises, magical disguises and similar deceptions, although circumstances might warrant a bonus to see through them.

If the character makes a conscious attempt to analyze what he sees, this Charm allows an (Intelligence + Occult) roll to do so.

Identifying the exact effects of an unknown Charm or spell is difficulty 5. Gauging the rating of a person’s Essence trait, a demesne, a manse or an artifact has difficulty 2.

Terrestrial Circle Sorcery

Spoiler

This Charm permits the Sidereal to take Terrestrial Circle Sorcery actions, per page 252 of Exalted.

Celestial Circle Sorcery

Spoiler

This Charm permits the Sidereal to take Celestial Circle Sorcery actions, per page 252 of Exalted.

Stealth

1st Stealth Excellency

Soft Presence Practice

Spoiler

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

With this Charm, the Sidereal steps lightly around the bonfires of heroes and dampens her own, moving to disturb none so that she may work in peace.

While this Charm is active, motes spent on the Sidereal’s non-Obvious Stealth Charms (including Excellencies) do not contribute to anima flare, and she may spend up to (Essence) peripheral motes on other non-Obvious Charms each tick without them counting for anima flare.

In addition, she adds an extra success to her Larceny and Stealth rolls during the scene.

Walking Outside Fate

Spoiler

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Fate
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Soft Presence Practice

A Sidereal who uses this Charm can part the strands of the weave of fate, stepping between them and outside fate altogether.

The character still physically exists in Creation, but her new condition makes her almost impossible to perceive. While the character remains outside fate, creatures whose Essence ratings do not exceed hers cannot detect her. If such creatures succeed on a refl exive (Perception + Awareness) roll, they might realize that some sort of presence has come among them, but affecting that presence or attacking it incurs a -2 external penalty on any related roll. Only characters with supernatural tracking abilities can attempt to track the hidden character.

The character remains outside fate for as long as she commits the Essence to the Charm, but causing her anima banner to flare such that it causes Stealth Charms to fail also ends this effect. If two characters walk outside fate in the same location, they cannot automatically sense one another. Whether or not one sees or becomes aware of the other depends on the characters’ relative Essence ratings.

Walking Outside Fate carries the Fate keyword because otherCharms with that keyword have diminished or nullified effects against characters using this Charm.

To clarify, the character is effectively invisible, and can be targeted like other invisible characters. She is perfectly immune to long-term tracking (see Exalted, p. 140), adding (Essence) dice to any roll-off

Awareness

Prior Warning

Spoiler

Cost: 6m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 1;
Type: Simple (Speed 4, DV -0)
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Five hours
Prerequisite Charms: None

Casting her perception into the near future, the Sidereal senses the presence of imminent danger.

The Storyteller should have the Sidereal’s player roll any Awareness rolls that she is allowed to notice a threat (Essence x 2) minutes before she would normally be able to roll. When the Storyteller cannot determine the difficulty of the roll beforehand, use the highest ([Intelligence + Larceny] ÷ 2) of any character involved in the threat–or difficulty 1 if the Sidereal could notice the threat automatically. On a success, she receives a vague premonition of harm, putting her on guard without actually revealing the nature of the threat.

Such forewarning adds one automatic success to her actual roll to notice the threat when it finally arrives.

Expected Pain

Spoiler

Cost: 2m (+2m); Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Prior Warning

Vague premonitions of future sorrow drift through the mind of a Sidereal who has mastered this Charm. As her fated suffering impends, these visions crystallize into awareness.

Expected Pain cancels the unexpected quality of any physical or social attack against the Sidereal. It costs an additional two motes when used to defend against creatures outside of fate.

With Awareness 5+, this Charm can be activated to enhance any Awareness roll to notice a concealed threat to the Sidereal or her allies—a hidden assailant, a drop of poisonous lotus extract dissolved in a cup of tea, a venereal disease on a concubine. Doing so converts all dice on the roll to automatic successes.

Bureaucracy

1st Bureaucracy excellency

Fateful Bureaucracy excellency

Icy Hand

Spoiler

Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Touch
Duration: Five days
Prerequisite Charms: None

Not only do inefficiency and corruption undermine a bureaucracy’s authority, they inject chaos and decay into a society for the benefit of an amoral few. These failings are bad enough in mortal bureaucracies, but when the bureaucracies of Yu-Shan grow lazy or corrupt, all of Creation can suffer.

This Charm, then, helps a Sidereal ensure the proper behavior of a social unit’s member for the benefit of everyone who relies on the organization. (This does not need to be a literal bureaucracy: any social group that has definable leaders, followers and procedures, no matter how informal, falls under the Charm’s purview.)

The Sidereal activates the Charm as he touches a bureaucrat—which might require a Martial Arts roll if the target is unwilling. As a bright spark flashes from deep within the Sidereal’s eyes, his player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy) against the target’s Dodge Mental Defense Value. If the roll succeeds, the victim is compelled to perform his duties honestly and to the best of his abilities for five days.

This Charm’s unnatural Compulsion can be ignored for 3wp.
per day

Terminal Sanction

Spoiler

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Compulsion, Maiden, Servitude, Virtue (Temperance)
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Icy Hand

The Maidens gave their Chosen a frightening authority over spirits.

When a Sidereal activates Terminal Sanction against a present god or elemental, the player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy) against a diffi culty of the targeted spirit’s Essence. Whether this roll succeeds or fails, the spirit must materialize before the Sidereal and remain solid until the end of the scene.

If the roll does succeed, the spirit has even more reason to fear the Sidereal. Should the spirit “die” in that scene, the Sidereal has four choices:
• The Sidereal can destroy the spirit.
• He could bind the spirit to his service—either one task of indefinite duration or general obedience for one year and one day.
• He can bind the spirit’s Essence into an object, creating an artifact rated at half the spirit’s Essence (round up). The Storyteller designs the artifact, based on the powers of the spirit. The artifact lasts only a year and a day, however, before the spirit goes free.
• If nothing else, the Sidereal can simply let the spirit reform in its sanctum, knowing full well what the Sidereal
could have done to it.

Thanks to the terms of the Yozis’ surrender, this Charm also works against demons of every Circle and adds a number of automatic successes on the (Charisma + Bureaucracy) roll against them equal to the Sidereal’s Essence. This gives Sidereals a second chance to control demons that escape control.

This Charm has a range of (Essence x 10) yards. Activation of this Charm inflicts an unblockable and undodgeable unnatural Compulsion to materialize. The target is made aware of the Exalt’s presence and distance when affected by this Charm. Binding spirits with it is an irresistible unnatural Servitude.

When used to bind demons, it is identical to sorcerous binding, preventing other bindings of the same demon.

With a Bureaucracy 5+, Essence 4+ repurchase, a Sidereal may use this Charm to target multiple spirits at once. By adding +4m to its Cost, the Exalt may compel up to 10 spirits of a certain kind to materialize, and if the roll is successful doom them in the event of their defeat. “Kinds” of spirits are delineated by the usual types (elemental, god, demon), as well as whether or not they are officially employed by Heaven. An Exalt could compel all Celestial censor elemental dragons to appear, or all unaffiliated elemental dragons, but not both at once.

A third purchase at Bureaucracy and Essence 6+ allows the Sidereal toadd another +4m to sanction up to (Essence ÷ 2) Magnitude spirits at once.

Medicine

Peacable Conclusion

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Medicine 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch, Virtue (Valor)
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

Calling upon the mercy that the Maiden of Endings shows for those in her somber dominion, the Sidereal may take away the suffering that accompanies death.

As she touches a character, she brings an ending to the pain they might feel, negating any wound penalties they would suffer for the duration of this Charm.

Characters who die under the effects of Peaceable Conclusion feel no pain as they pass, and their souls pass into Lethe without regret. The corpses of characters who die such a death can never be raised as undead.

Peaceable Conclusion has the opposite effect when used on a creature of death, suffusing them with the stillness of the grave. Such characters suffer a -3 internal penalty on all non-reflexive actions as a Crippling effect for the duration of this Charm.

Smooth Transition

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Virtue (Valor)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Peaceable Conclusion

When ghosts and the walking dead linger on in the lands of the living, it falls upon Saturn’s Chosen to guide them back to their ordained endings.

Smooth Transition can supplement any attack against a creature of death, causing it to deal aggravated damage and adding one automatic success to the damage roll.

Undead extras hit by the attack are automatically destroyed: zombies fall apart as they remember that they are dead, while ghosts pass peacefully into Lethe.

At first, Saturn’s Chosen were confounded by the presence of this Charm in the Scripture of the Maiden and the Road, not knowing what their patron might have intended for it. When the first Neverborn fell, they understood, and used Smooth Transition to purge the hekatonkires and shambling horrors left in its wake.

Martial Arts

1st M.A. Excellency

Fateful M.A. excellency


Violet Bier of Sorrows style [CMA - Free]

Secrets of Future Strife

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Accepting the twists and turns circumstance with instant determination, the Sidereal is never caught off guard.
A Join Battle roll supplemented by this Charm converts up to (Martial Arts) dice to automatic successes. As part of the roll, the martial artist may reflexively draw any form weapon of this style.

Flight of Mercury

Spoiler

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife

Moving with the swift precision of one who knows her destiny, the Sidereal strikes without hesitation or remorse.

An unarmed attack supplemented by this Charm reduces its Speed by one point. The martial artist can also move up to (Essence) yards before making the attack if needed to close range with her opponent.

Blade of the Battle Maiden

Spoiler

Cost: 5m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Refl exive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife

Crimson ribbons of Essence trail from the Sidereal’s hands, the strands of a martial destiny waiting to be seized.

This crimson nimbus allows the martial artist to both deal lethal damage and parry lethal attacks while unarmed, and enchants her natural attacks with the traits of a stametal daiklave (except for clinches).

Alternatively, the martial artist may invoke this Charm to invoke a form weapon she wields, granting it the magical material bonus of starmetal and rendering it as indestructible as an attuned artifact.

It also benefits from the reduced target number for damage.

Joy in Adversity Stance

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife

Each moment’s survival is a small happiness to one who walks constantly with peril and misfortune.

While Joy in Adversity Stance is active, the martial artist gains one bonus die on her next unarmed Martial Arts attack every time she successfully dodges an attack. Attacks with the Overwhelming tag instead confer two dice when dodged. These bonus dice count as dice added by a Charm, and are discharged at when the martial artist next attacks. Attacks must be made with hostile intent against the martial artist and be capable of harming her in order to trigger this Charm.

Using a defense with a Flaw of Invulnerability ends this Charm’s duration prematurely.

Violet Bier of Sorrows Form

Spoiler

Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV -1)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Form-Type, Emotion, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Blade of the Battle Maiden, Flight of Mercury, Joy in Adversity Stance

The martial artist takes on the same cold detachment with which Saturn makes her Sign against those things whose time has passed. She is reckoning and destruction, a peerless bringer of endings, and all the princes and kingdoms of the world tremble before her.

While Violet Bier of Sorrows Form is active, the martial artist gains the following benefits:

• All enemies see their own end in her, doubling any wound penalties they take on actions to oppose her in combat. Resisting this unnatural Emotion for one scene costs two Willpower.
• Any unarmed attack she makes against a spirit consumes one of the spirit’s motes for every level of damage dealt.
• The character’s unarmed martial arts attacks gain an Overwhelming value of (the lower of her Essence or Martial Arts rating).

Death Parrying Stroke

Spoiler

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3;
Type: Reflexive (Step 7)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form

The Sidereal’s blade becomes a blur of violet Essence, catching fatal blows a split-second before they can touch her.

These defensive maneuvers subtract the martial artist’s Parry DV from the raw damage of an attack, and reduces its minimum damage by one die (minimum one). Death-Parrying Stroke offers no defense against unblockable or unexpected attacks.

Life Severing Blow

Spoiler

Cost: 5m; Type: Supplemental Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type: Reflexive (Step 8)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form

Sighting a violet glimmer of the Essence of Endings in her enemy’s soul, the Sidereal strikes through it to bring them closer to their death.

Add (Essence) to the raw damage of an unarmed attack supplemented by this Charm. The same amount is also added to the minimum damage of the attack, granting it the Overwhelming tag.

A character reduced to their Incapacitated level by an attack supplemented with Life-Severing Blow can be unmade as a Shaping effect, killing them instantly and reducing their corpse to ash. Against mortals, even a single level of damage is sufficient to shape them dead

Metal Storm

Spoiler

Cost: 7m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form

The Sidereal hits his victim with such skilled ferocity that the weave of fate around the target reverberates several times, replaying the moment of the attack several different ways in quick succession.

He may attempt an extra Martial Arts attack on the same target at his full dice pool. The Sidereal can make no more attacks than he has dots of Martial Arts, and he cannot split his original or extra actions into a flurry.

Conclusion Pursuing Approach [enhanced with prayer strip]

Spoiler

Cost: —(+10m, 1lhl); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Prayer Strip
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Death-Parrying Stroke, Life-Severing
Blow, Metal Storm

At the pinnacle of the Violet Bier of Sorrows, the martial artist learns to draw strength from the pain of others. As her enemies falter before her before her blows, her resolve only increases.

This Charm upgrades Violet Bier of Sorrows Form. As the character invokes it, she may pay a surcharge of ten motes and a point of Willpower to add the following effects to the form:
• The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal aggravated damage to creatures outside of fate and consume their motes as though they were spirits.
• Wound penalties are tripled by the unnatural mental influence of Violet Bier of Sorrows Form instead of just double. The cost to resist rises to five Willpower.

A Sidereal may affix a prayer strip marked with the Scripture of the Expectant Maiden to her weapon with her own blood as she invokes this Charm, causing the blade to glow with a radiant burgundy light. Doing so grants additional benefits as a Prayer Strip effect: Whenever the Sidereal damages a character with an unarmed attack, they lose a point of Willpower. Characters without remaining Willpower instead lose ten motes, and can be shaped dead as per Life-Severing Blow if they have no motes remaining.

Throne Shadow style [CMA]

Lion - Mouse Stratagem

Spoiler

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None

Sidereals deceive the world, presenting themselves as less than what they are; much of their power to act upon the world proceeds from this fact.

The Sidereal cloaks herself in the humble and unassuming air of the neophyte student, the civil servant, or the hanger-on in the company of legends. She seems unthreatening, imposing a -3 external penalty on all attempts to gauge her nature and the level of her skill.

This unassuming mien also makes it difficult to view the Sidereal as a serious threat; all attempts to re-establish surprise enjoy a bonus of (Sidereal’s Essence) dice. This Charm constitutes a form of unnatural mental influence costing two Willpower to resist for one scene

Prismatic Arrangement of Creation style [SMA]

Spell Shattering Palm

Spoiler

Cost: 5m per Circle or (Minimum Essence of a Sorcerous Charm)*3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

and LI

The character uses martial arts to yank the threads of a delicate construct of sorcery out of place. This charm allows the character to make Martial Arts attacks or defenses against sorcery, similar to countermagic. Used on the offense this modifies an unarmed strike, you must target the manifestation or center of the spell—such as the character benefiting, the spirit summoned, or the approximate center for spells like Rain of Doom. Spells that do not otherwise have a stated DV have a DV of (Circle)*4 or (Minimum Essence)*2 for Sorcerous Charms. If you defeat the DV by at least the Sorcerer’s (Essence)/2 than the effect is shattered as though struck by the appropriate level of countermagic.

Used defensively, this charms functions as defensive countermagic of the spell’s circle if the character’s PDV exceeds the caster’s Essence + Twice the Spell’s Circle or the caster’s Essence + The Sorcerous Charm’s Minimum Essence. This requirement is considered a unique Flaw of Invulnerability when used defensively.

[Exalt] [Caste] Ways (Water Aspect Terrestrial)

Spoiler

Cost: 5m, 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: None

and YOU PAN

The character strikes his throat, abdomen, spine, brow and crown chakras, forcibly reshaping his Essence and altering how his anima interacts with this world. This Charm allows the character to mimic the anima banner and anima effects of one other type and caste of Exalted. This Charm temporarily replaces the character's anima banner. This charm can never allow the character to learn charms she otherwise could not, for instance by mimicking the Eclipse Caste’s anima. Select one Caste when you first purchase this charm, and other castes may be added at the cost of 4xp each but you may only activate one [Exalt] [Caste] Ways at a time.

God Ways

Spoiler

Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: None

and ZUO GU

The character steps into an object or person, displacing its natural spirit with his Essence manipulations as easily as a master of legermain might steal a mortal's coat. The character's player rolls Charisma + Martial Arts against a difficulty equal to the Essence of the Exalt's target - the body he wants to steal or the god or least god of the thing he wishes to possess. The target's player can spend a point of willpower to make a willpower roll difficulty equal to the martial artist's Essence once on each of the martial artist's action ticks to regain control over her body. As a restriction, the character may not possess any entity with a size greater than her Essence in yards in its largest dimension.

In the meantime, the character's body dematerializes and fades into her stolen form. She may move and take Martial Arts actions through her stolen flesh, using her own Physical Attributes or those of her stolen form, if they are higher (inanimate objects usually have 0s in all Physical Attributes). This Charm imbues any stolen form with supernatural flexibility and mobility - possessed trees can attack and unattended ox-carts can charge. Attacks that strike dematerialized entities damage the character's dematerialized self as well as her stolen form. Otherwise, she suffers no ill effects from having her possessed body damaged or destroyed.

The character cannot possess soulsteel. She can only possess objects made of other Magical Materials if she knows the style's Charm for emulating that Magical Material.

Sorcery

Terrestrial Circle
The Horse That Travels Earth And Water [free]

Spoiler

Cost: 10m
Target: Conjured automaton

As the sorcerer makes the Sign of the Horseman, the winds in his area converge in the bubble of Essence before him. The Essence takes a hue that indicates the nearest Elemental Pole—red in the South, blue in the North, green in the East, black in the West and white nearest the Imperial Mountain—and then forms itself into a horse-shaped automaton. The horse’s coat matches the bubble of Essence whence it came, though its mane and tail are either black or white. The horse lands next to the caster, tossing and stamping, eager to be ridden. It serves as a perfectly trained war-horse (control rating 0).

The stallion never tires and gallops over water as easily as land. It can travel at its full speed until the sun next crosses the horizon (whether rising or setting), at which point itdissipates into colored wind and is gone. When using the “Average Travel Times” table on p. 264 of Exalted, the horse that travels earth and water is considered “horseback, tireless” and treats allwater as land of the same terrain type. In combat, the stallion is fearless. It can carry another rider, but the sorcerer must command it to do so and give it a destination. The horse then moves at full speed toward that destination, regardless of what its passenger wishes. It ignores attempts to redirect it. If the passenger falls or jumps from the stallion’s saddle, the horse dissipates, its purpose fulfilled. The automaton does not like being used as a pack mount. Should someone try to use it as such, the creature’s control rating increases to 3.

THE HORSE THAT TRAVELS EARTH AND WATER
Motivation: To carry the sorcerer to his destination.
Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5; Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 4; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
Virtues: Automaton: Never fails Valor checks, never makes others.
Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 2, Martial Arts 3, Presence 2 (Intimidation +1),
Resistance 5, War 2
Join Battle: 5
Attacks:
Bite: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 6L, Parry
DV —, Rate 1
Kick: Speed 4, Accuracy 8, Damage 8L, Parry
DV 4, Rate 2
Soak: 5L/5B (Elemental hide, 3L/0B)
Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incapacitated
Dodge DV: 4 Willpower: 10 (0 against
sorcerer)
Essence: 2 Essence Pool: 10

Other Notes: The horse that travels earth and water can make a magical fl urry of a number of attacks equal to the caster’s Essence by spending five motes. It also heals at a rate of 1B/10 ticks and 1L/20 ticks, as long as it can run while doing so. It cannot regain motes on its own. The steed has a finite pool, though it can receive Essence given through Charms such as Essence-Lending Method or artifacts that accomplish that task.

Celestial Circle
Summon the Heavenly Portal [free]

Spoiler

Cost: 35m
Target: Summoned Calibration Gate

Once a year, on the third night of Calibration, the Celestial City of Yu-Shan revels in the Carnival of Meeting. In ages past, mortal and Exalted dignitaries would be invited to Heaven to join the festival, but in these debased times, the gods of Yu-Shan neglect the world. The starmetal Calibration Gate still appears in Creation once a year to admit mortals to the Carnival, though the gods send out no invitations. During that night, it cannot be summoned. For the rest of the year, though, a sorcerer may call it with this spell.

The sorcerer evokes a foot-wide patch of rippling gold, like sunlight on water, He reaches into it, feels for a handle, and pulls. A celestial bell chimes. A minute later, the Calibration Gate appears. It materializes with equal aplomb outside, indoors, underwater or even in midair. It remains open for five minutes before vanishing again, and it cannot be re-summoned to any place within a mile of that location until a day and night have passed.

No known force can damage the gate. Any number of characters can pass through the Calibration Gate, although they cannot leave Heaven by the same route. What’s more, if they have no official place or legitimate business in the Celestial City, they need quite an argument to persuade the three giant orichalcum lions on the near side to let them pass. These celestial lions respect honor and justice but are nigh-undefeatable in battle and immune to mind-affecting magic. (And there are six more waiting on the other side of the door).

Many of the Sidereal Exalted know this spell and use it to return from their assignments within Creation. A few Lunar sorcerers know it too and use it to confer with allies in the celestial Bureau of Nature. Sidereal leaders worry what Solar sorcerers might learn if they obtain access to Yu-Shan. Any Abyssal Exalt who tried using the Calibration Gate would likely regret it in very short order—nine orichalcum lions notwithstanding

Combat Stats:

Spoiler

Join Combat: 9


Attacks:

Spoiler

• Starmetal Reaper Daiklave - Fate's Edge

Sp. 4 Acc. 18 Dmg. 9L/2 Def. +2 [PDV 7] R.3 T. O

• Exceptional Straight Sword (form weapon for VBoS)

1)Sp. 5 Acc 15 Dmg. 6L Def. +3 [PDV 8] R. 2

2)Sp. 5 Acc 16 Dmg. 9L Def. +3 [PDV 8] R. 2 (when enhanced with Blade of the Battle Maiden)

3)Sp. 5 Acc 15 Dmg. 6L/5 Def. +3 [PDV 8] R. 2 Tags O(when VBoS form is active)

4)Sp. 5 Acc 16 Dmg. 9L/5 Def. +3 [PDV 8]R. 2 Tags O (when enhanced with Blade of the Battle Maiden and VBoS form is active)

• Unarmed (enhanced with Blade of the Battle - Maiden - treated as a Starmetal Daiklave).

Sp. 5 Acc 16 Dmg. 10L/2 Def. +3 [PDV 8] R.3 Tags O

• Exceptional Staff (form weapon for VBoS)

Sp. 5 Acc 15 Dmg 8B Def +3 [PDV 8] R. 2 T. 2,M,R

• Exceptional Knife (form weapon for VBoS)

Sp. 4 Acc 15 Dmg 3L Def +1 [PDV 7] R. 3 T. T

• Exceptional Long Bow

Sp. 6 Acc 9 Dmg +4B/L R. 3 Range 250m

Dodge DV: (Dex 5 + Dodge 5 + Specialty 1 + Essence 5 + HS Bracers 3)/2 = 19/2 = 10

Soak:

Bashing: [((Stamina 3+Armour 5)+Any other Modifiers)]: 8B or 18B with Optimistic Security Practise

Lethal: [(((Stamina /2) 1 +Armour 5)+Any other Modifiers)] 6L or 16L with Optimistic Security Practise

Aggravated: [Armour 5 +Any other Modifiers)]: 5A or 15A with Optimistic Security Practise


Hardness: 0

Bashing: [Highest value from any source]

Lethal: [Highest value from any source]

Aggravated: [Highest value from any source]


Health:

-0 [ ]

-1 [ ][ ]

-2 [ ][ ]

-4 [ ]

X [ ]


Mental Defenses:

Spoiler

Dodge MDV: [((((Willpower 10 +Integrity 3)+Relevant Specialty)+Essence 5)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round down) + Any other bonuses.] 9

Charisma Parry MDV: 4

Presence: [(((Charisma+Presence)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.] 4

Performance: [(((Charisma+Performance)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.] 4

Manipulation Parry MDV:

Presence: [(((Manipulation+Presence)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.] 4

Performance: [(((Manipulation+Performance)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.] 4

Virtues:

Compassion ●●

Conviction ●●●

Temperance ●●

Valor ●●


Flawed Virtue: Oracle's Flawed Fate

Colleges [18]

The Mast ●

The Ewer ●

The Quiver ●

The Key ●●

The Mask ●●●

The Sorcerer ●●

The Treasure Trove ●●

The Corpse ●●

The Crow ●

The Rising Smoke ●●

The Sword ●

Intimacies:

His sifu (loyalty and respect)

Bureau of Destiny (dedication)

Consistency (appreciation)

Corruption (opposition)

Sorcery (curious exploration)

Secrets (internal fullfilment)

Martial Arts (enthusiasm)

Languages:

Riverspeak (Native), Old Realm, Low Realm, High Realm


Willpower: ●●●●● ●●●●●


Essence:

Permanent: ●●●●●

Personal: 20/20

Peripheral: 39/53 (14 Commited)

Bonus Points and XP:

Spoiler

Bonus Points: 40

4 caste/favored charms (12)

Auspicious / favored abilities (15)

Attribute increase (Perception +1, Appearance +1) (8)

Willpower 5 to 10 (5)

XP

Spoiler

God Ways (10)

 

[Psychie]

• Attributes and Abilities
• Backgrounds and Essence
• Charms
• Spell List
• Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style
• Sapphire Veil of Passion Style
• Artifacts and Hearthstones
• Combat Stats
• Colleges
• Spending and Experience

• 
  Name: Valeren Drommond
  Caste: Serenity
  
  Attributes
  Str: 3
  Dex: 6
  Sta: 3
  
  Cha: 5
  Man: 3
  App: 5
  
  Per: 4
  Int: 3
  Wits: 3
  
  Abilities
  Journeys
  Resistance: 3
  Ride: 2
  Sail: 2
  Survival: 1
  Thrown:
  
  Secrets
  Investigation: 2
  Larceny: 3
  Lore: 3
  *Occult: 4
  *Stealth: 2
  
  Serenity
  *Craft: 2
  *Dodge: 6
  *Linguistics: 4- Old Realm, Riverspeak, High Realm, Firetongue, Low Realm
  *Performance: 6 - Dance: 2, Singing: 1
  *Socialize: 5
  
  Endings
  *Awareness: 5
  Bureaucracy: 5
  Integrity: 2
  *Martial Arts: 6 - Floating Ribbon: 2, War Fans: 1
  Medicine: 1
  
  Battles
  Archery
  Athletics: 4
  Melee
  Presence: 2
  War
  
• 
  Backgrounds
  Acquaintances: 3
  Artifact - Infinite Resplendence Amulet of Starmetal and Moonsilver: 4
  Artifact - Floating Ribbon: 2
  Artifact - Paired Seven Jeweled Peacock Fans: 2
  Artifact - Unsurpassed Sanxian: 2
  Artifact - Perfected Kata Bracers: 4
  Artifact - Skin Mount Amulet: 2
  Backing - Bureau of Destiny: 3
  Celestial Manse - Precision of Form Gemstone: 3
  Connections - House Mnemon: 2
  Connections - House V'Neef: 1
  Connections - The Heptagram: 3
  Connections - The Immaculate Order: 2
  Salary: 3
  
  Virtues
  Compassion: 4
  Conviction: 3
  Temperance: 2
  Valor: 2
  
  Willpower: 10
  Essence: 6
  Personal: 22
  Peripheral: 57 +6 from Skin Mount Amulet (63 total) / 17 committed (46 available)
  
  Anima Effect: A Chosen of Serenity reflexively makes the Lesser Sign of Venus for 10 motes. The Chosen’s anima billows outward in a brilliant blue that embraces all those affected. For one scene, the Sidereal and all her allies within (her Essence x 10) yards add (her Essence) successes to all Performance rolls. Allies enjoy this advantage only as long as they remain within range. With the Sidereal’s anima banner in the 11 to 15 mote range, this costs only five motes. If the banner is fully manifest (16+), this costs only one.
  
• 
  Resistance - The Mast
  Ox-Body Technique x2
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1; Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Stackable
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Just as all Exalted, Sidereals gain extra health levels with each purchase of this Charm. Each health level gained thus helps a Sidereal operate at maximum efficiency in spite of his wounds for just a little bit longer. A player may purchase this Charm for his character up to once per dot of the Resistance Ability his character possesses. Each purchase grants the character one additional -0 and -2 health level.
  Optimistic Security Practice
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple
  (Speed 5, DV -1)
  Keywords: Combo-OK
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal catches the destinies of weapons or other sources of damage in a net of Essence. This Charm raises her bashing, lethal and aggravated soak by an amount equal to her Essence. In addition, opponents whose Essence is lower than the Sidereal’s Compassion must spend one Willpower point any time they take an action intended to damage or disable her. (This expenditure must be separate from Willpower spent for bonus successes or to channel Virtues.) If an opponent does not do so, the action fails automatically.
  The Sidereal cannot benefit from this Charm while she is wearing armor.
  
  Ride - The Messenger
  Ordained Bridle of Mercury
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple
  (Speed 6, DV -2)
  Keywords: Obvious, Touch
  Duration: Until character applies the bridle
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal evokes a luminous bridle of golden stardust. Fitting the bridle to a chosen mount or animal companion ties that animal’s destiny together with the Sidereal’s. The bridle automatically sizes and shapes itself to fit the animal in question, then fades away. That animal becomes a new familiar for the Vizier. If the Sidereal has no appropriate animal at hand, he can ask Mercury to lead him to a worthy specimen of a species he designates. The character gains an innate sense of the direction to an appropriate animal. The bridle remains solid and whole until he reaches his new familiar. The chosen animal allows him to approach and place the bridle upon it, already feeling the gravity of fate pulling its simple soul.
  If the Sidereal selects his own animal, the Charm costs an additional Willpower point. The animal remains a familiar, with appropriate benefits to the Sidereal, for the rest of the story. Whether the animal stays a familiar afterward depends on how the character treated the animal. If the player wants to spend experience points on the Background, the character can certainly keep the animal as a familiar (see “Backgrounds Gained Through Charms,” p. 126).
  
  Sail - The Captain
  Serendipitous Voyage
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Simple (dramatic action)
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Special
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  When the Viziers must travel, destiny helps them along. The character may use this Charm at any port. Within a day, the character absolutely definitely finds a vessel about to leave for her destination and willing to take her aboard. The ship’s captain might not intend to go exactly where the Sidereal intends... but the Sidereal knows the ship will end up there anyway. Viziers should keep in mind that some destinations carry intrinsic dangers: the only way to reach Bluehaven, for instance, is to board a vessel destined for capture by the Lintha pirates. The Charm arranges transportation; safety is the Sidereal’s own problem.
  This Charm’s effects extend beyond ships that sail rivers and seas. A Sidereal can find equally fortuitous transport on the sand-ships of the Southern deserts, caravans, stagecoaches or any other form of group conveyance. This Charm does not help with personal transport such as riding beasts, and will not work in locations where vehicles do not regularly arrive and depart.
  Stone Skipping Spirit
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  When the Sidereal uses this Charm, he exhales a long, silent breath that slips between the threads of the Tapestry of Creation and clears a space around the strand that represents the ship on which he sails. For the next scene, the ship sails smoothly regardless of fierce weather or high waves, moving as effortlessly as a toy ship across a map.
  As a result, environmental penalties no longer affect the pilot’s Sail rolls, and the ship takes no further damage from the harsh conditions for the rest of the scene.
  
  Linguistics - The Pillar
  Favorable Inflection Procedure
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Emotion, Virtue (Compassion)
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Chosen of the Gods honor mere mortals just by acknowledging their existence. A Sidereal can forge a powerful connection to another person just by saying his name in his presence. The Seer’s player then rolls her (Charisma + Linguistics) against the target’s Dodge Mental Defense Value and adds her Essence in automatic successes. If the roll succeeds while the target is calm, the target feels more connected to and enriched by the Sidereal. He gains a single Intimacy toward the Sidereal for the rest of the scene. If the target is upset or hostile toward the Sidereal, the character can use this Charm to calm him. If the roll succeeds, the target’s hostility and its cause evaporate from his mind, giving the Sidereal a chance to change the subject or hide whatever set the target off in the first place. Physical evidence of the trigger (seeing a Sidereal climbing out the window while holding the target’s newborn infant, for instance) will rekindle the passion in the target. However, this Charm cannot affect an Exalt in Limit Break.
  
  Performance - The Musician
  Perfection in Life
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Combo-Basic, Fate, Virtue (Compassion)
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Not every person in Creation has a glorious destiny, but every person can live up to his destiny with grace. One of the duties of the Chosen of Venus, then, is to see that mortals and Exalted all live up to their potential. A Sidereal uses this Charm while he gives a performance of some kind, such as singing, dancing, reciting an epic poem or the like. Audience members feel the sense of completion, triumph and peace—the exaltation—that comes from knowing you are exactly where you should be, doing what you should do. The Seer’s player rolls (Charisma + Performance) against the highest Dodge Mental Defense Value of his assembled audience. If the roll succeeds, everyone who witnessed the Exalt’s entire performance (and is not a creature outside fate) gains a temporary Willpower point. A person can receive this bonus from the same Exalt only once per day, but the extra point can put the person over his Willpower maximum for the scene.
  Song of Spirit Persuasion
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Combo-Basic, Servitude
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Perfection in Life
  By singing to a god or elemental in the sacred language of the Old Realm, the Sidereal can remove any stress of confusion or fear, putting the spirit into a calm, cooperative frame of mind.
  To instill this agreeable demeanor, the Sidereal’s player rolls (Manipulation + Performance) against the spirit’s Dodge Mental Defense Value while the Vizier sings to the spirit. If the roll succeeds, the spirit becomes an ally of the Sidereal, per the Background, and gains an Intimacy to that effect. This alliance lasts until the end of the current story, at which point the spirit resumes its normal feelings for the Sidereal. If the Sidereal treats the spirit especially well during the story and the alliance worked out especially well for the spirit, the alliance could become permanent.
  
  Investigation - The Key
  Efficient Secretary Technique
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One miscellaneous action
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  When the character first learns this Charm, a measure of his Essence crystallizes in his mouth in the form of a small emerald pattern spider. The character spits out this indestructible construct, whereupon it immediately dematerializes and attaches itself to a part of his body. Thereafter, the character may spend two motes of Essence to instruct the spirit to fetch some particular piece of information for him. If the information is available and not actively concealed, the spider scuttles away along the weave of fate. The spider returns in the space of a miscellaneous action and whispers the information to the Sidereal.
  The pattern spider can only retrieve simple, objective facts. It can answer questions such as, “What is that shopkeeper’s name?” or “When did it last rain in Nexus?” or even “Who stabbed Sesus Lahor?” It cannot answer questions such as, “Does the shopkeeper hate me?” (the spider doesn’t read minds), “Who’s winning the battle?” (the spider has no strategic sense) or “Who murdered Sesus Lahor?” (murder, unlike stabbing, is a matter of intent). Questions such as, “What is the Bull of the North up to?” usually give unhelpful answers, such as, “Eating lunch.” The pattern spider cannot retrieve information that is actively hidden or innately esoteric, such as spells, and the spider does not function in regions where fate’s influence is weak, such as the Wyld, shadowlands or Malfeas.
  As an alternative to pulling such answers from the Loom of Fate, the Sidereal can send the spider with a query to her own library, in Creation or Yu-Shan, for her assistants to look up. The answer falls within the spider’s purview because the answer is objective information—what the Sidereal’s staff can locate in books—rather than anything so nebulous as truth. Such answers take longer to retrieve, of course.
  
  Occult - The Sorcerer
  Mark of Exaltation
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 2;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Virtue (Compassion)
  Duration: One scene
  The Sidereal makes of his caste mark a lantern that can reveal unmanifested spirits. The mark glows with the color associated with his caste and is visible to spirits and to Chosen of his caste. Anyone who can see the light can also see any unmanifested spirits within (Essence x 5) yards on whom the light shines. The light also grants the Sidereal a single automatic success on any Presence, Performance, Occult, Bureaucracy or Socialize roll the player makes when the character deals with gods or elementals. This automatic success stacks with automatic successes from other sources, and does not count as dice gained through Charms.
  Note from the Errata:
  The Mark of Exaltation shines out to (Essence x 50) yards, not (Essence x 5). Instead of adding an automatic success to the Sidereal’s social rolls, it adds one to her effective Appearance rating when interacting with spirits in social combat. It is Obvious only to characters capable of seeing the Mark’s light.
  Telltale Symphony
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -0)
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
  Patterns of Essence become music to the Sidereal’s ears, untangling the mysterious threads of fate with the revelation of their song. Charms, sorcery, and other magic give off a strange music that is nevertheless fitting to their aspect and nature. Spirits ring with the soft tintinnabulation of bells, while artifacts hum in low tones. Other than its purely auditory nature, this Charm functions as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight (Exalted, p. 222).
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
  Celestial Circle Sorcery
  
  Bureaucracy - The Haywain
  Icy Hand
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Fate, Touch
  Duration: Five days
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Not only do inefficiency and corruption undermine a bureaucracy’s authority, they inject chaos and decay into a society for the benefit of an amoral few. These failings are bad enough in mortal bureaucracies, but when the bureaucracies of Yu-Shan grow lazy or corrupt, all of Creation can suffer. This Charm, then, helps a Sidereal ensure the proper behavior of a social unit’s member for the benefit of everyone who relies on the organization. (This does not need to be a literal bureaucracy: any social group that has definable leaders, followers and procedures, no matter how informal, falls under the Charm’s purview.) The Sidereal activates the Charm as he touches a bureaucrat—which might require a Martial Arts roll if the target is unwilling. As a bright spark flashes from deep within the Sidereal’s eyes, his player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy) against the target’s Dodge Mental Defense Value. If the roll succeeds, the victim is compelled to perform his duties honestly and to the best of his abilities for five days.
  Terminal Sanction
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Combo-Basic, Maiden, Servitude, Virtue
  (Temperance)
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Icy Hand
  The Maidens gave their Chosen a frightening authority over spirits. When a Sidereal activates Terminal Sanction against a present god or elemental, the player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy) against a difficulty of the targeted spirit’s Essence. Whether this roll succeeds or fails, the spirit must materialize before the Sidereal and remain solid until the end of the scene. If the roll does succeed, the spirit has even more reason to fear the Sidereal. Should the spirit “die” in that scene, the Sidereal has four choices:
  • The Sidereal can destroy the spirit.
  • He could bind the spirit to his service—either one task of indefinite duration or general obedience for one year and one day.
  • He can bind the spirit’s Essence into an object, creating an artifact rated at half the spirit’s Essence (round up). The Storyteller designs the artifact, based on the powers of the spirit. The artifact lasts only a year and a day, however, before the spirit goes free.
  • If nothing else, the Sidereal can simply let the spirit reform in its sanctum, knowing full well what the Sidereal could have done to it.
  Thanks to the terms of the Yozis’ surrender, this Charm also works against demons of every Circle and adds a number of automatic successes on the (Charisma + Bureaucracy) roll against them equal to the Sidereal’s Essence. This gives Sidereals a second chance to control demons that escape control.
  This Charm has a range of (Essence x 10) yards. Activation of this Charm inflicts an unblockable and undodgeable unnatural Compulsion to materialize. The target is made aware of the Exalt’s presence and distance when affected by this Charm. Binding spirits with it is an irresistible unnatural Servitude. When used to bind demons, it is identical to sorcerous binding, preventing other bindings of the same demon.
  Add the following to this Charm:
  With a Bureaucracy 5+, Essence 4+ repurchase, a Sidereal may use this Charm to target multiple spirits at once. By adding +4m to its Cost, the Exalt may compel up to 10 spirits of a certain kind to materialize, and if the roll is successful doom them in the event of their defeat. “Kinds” of spirits are delineated by the usual types (elemental, god, demon), as well as whether or not they are officially employed by Heaven. An Exalt could compel all Celestial censor elemental dragons to appear, or all unaffiliated elemental dragons, but not both at once. A third purchase at Bureaucracy and Essence 6+ allows the Sidereal to add another +4m to sanction up to (Essence ÷ 2) Magnitude spirits at once.
  Underlying Invisibility Practice
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Illusion
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The more important someone is, the more people he has scurrying to do his will. The more such people he has under him, the less distinct they all become, until he barely notices any individual one of them. By internalizing the underlying concept, a Sidereal can wrap himself in that same anonymity and invisibility... but only against people who consider themselves better than the Sidereal—or at least better than the type of person the Sidereal pretends to be. A person might consider himself personally better than the Sidereal, of higher social class, higher in an organization, or just generally better than everyone.
  When a Sidereal encounters such a person while using this Charm, that person cannot notice the Sidereal. The person might notice signs of the Sidereal’s passing, such as footprints, but not while the Sidereal is present. It doesn’t help if other people, who can see the Sidereal, point her out; the arrogant victim just doesn’t pay attention. At most, the Sidereal leaves a faint impression based on her caste. Chosen of Journeys give the victim a sense that he needs to be someplace else. Chosen of Serenity make the victim feel happy or peaceful. Chosen of Battles make the victim tense and wary. Chosen of Secrets give the victim a sense of déjà vu. Chosen of Endings leave a vague sense of anxiety and futility.
  Effects that grant a perfect counter to invisibility pierce this effect. This Charm’s glaring flaw—although Sidereals don’t consider it such—is that it does not affect other Sidereals. A Vizier in the guise of a Guild merchant could follow the barbarian Bull of the North unnoticed from hell to breakfast, but any effort to sneak past his Sidereal field supervisor in Yu-Shan to drop off a late report would be doomed to failure.
  
  Martial Arts - The Sword
  First Martial Arts Excellency
  Fateful Martial Arts Excellency
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 1m+; Mins: (Ability) 4, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive
  (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Any (Ability) Excellency
  The target number of any dice roll using the chosen Ability decreases by one for every mote the player spends. For one mote, any roll of 6 or higher becomes a success; two motes grant success on rolls of 5 or higher. This Excellency cannot reduce a target number below 4.
  Alternatively, the player can spend one Willpower point and enough Essence to reduce the target number to 3. This grants an “auspicious success”: the player forgoes the actual roll but transforms every die in the dice pool into an automatic success instead.
  If the player declares in Step 2 of attack resolution that he wants to purchase an auspicious success for a defensive Ability, the expenditure of one Willpower and enough Essence to lower the target number to 3 doubles his appropriate Defense Value against that attack.
  Propitious Martial Arts Excellency
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 2m+, 1wp; Mins: (Ability) 4, Essence 3;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Any (Ability) Excellency
  By tuning her Essence to resonate with one of the 25 constellations and its corresponding astrological college, a Sidereal can attune herself to a particular Ability and use its first three Excellencies with greater efficiency. Each two motes committed to this Charm reduce the mote cost for the first three Excellencies, to a minimum of zero. A character may never spend more than twice her permanent Essence on this Charm; and an Exalt may employ only one Propitious (Ability) Alignment at a time.
  Propitious (Ability) Alignment is incompatible with the Fateful Excellency: while employing this Charm, one cannot apply Essence Auspicious to any dice pool involving that Ability. If a character does so, the Propitious Alignment immediately ends. On the other hand, every dot a character has in an Ability’s corresponding astrological college reduces the cost of Propitious (Ability) Alignment by one mote, to a minimum of 1. Thus, a Sidereal with Essence 3 and four levels of the Mask could spend two motes, and get the same results as if she spent six motes on Propitious Stealth Alignment.
  In every other way, Propitious (Ability) Alignment follows the same rules as Infinite (Ability) Mastery.
  
  
• 
  Disguise of the New Face
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m
  Target: Creature
  This spell weaves an illusion that makes the target look like someone else. It transforms not just the person’s appearance, but her voice, mannerisms and even anima. Sidereal Exalted favor this spell for its ability to make them appear as someone else entirely. It perfectly complements the false identities they create through resplendent destinies. The sorcerer ties threads of Essence around the target in the occult knot-pattern of the Hidden Self. The process takes 10 minutes to complete. It’s easy if the target remains standing and immobile, but impossible if she does not.
  The sorcerer’s player rolls (Intelligence + Craft [Fate]) or (Intelligence + Larceny). This roll is not part of the spell casting, so the character may augment it with Excellencies or other Charms. The number of successes indicates the detail of the disguise and its ability to fool observers. (See Exalted p. 128 for details on creating disguises, though the spell does grant mannerisms as well and may be used to mimic someone of much higher Appearance.)
  Once the persona-tapestry is woven, it flares briefly with Essence light before it fades, completely remaking the subject’s appearance. The spell lasts until the imposture is somehow revealed, the target chooses to remove it (by spending a single mote, or a Willpower point for mortals) or when the caster dispels it, requiring line of sight and a reflexive action.
  Emerald Countermagic
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10 or 20 motes
  Target: Caster or one spell.
  The sorcerer uses Emerald Countermagic to protect herself and her companions from hostile sorcery. This spell has special timing rules. The character can shape Terrestrial Circle sorcery to cast this spell as a reflexive action that takes 0 ticks. It follows all of the other normal rules for sorcery actions, and she must take a Cast Sorcery action as her next normal action.
  If the character spends 10 motes of Essence, she secures her own person against hostile magic. She crosses her arms or makes a gesture of defiance, and a nimbus of multicolored energy surrounds her. For the duration of the Cast Sorcery action, and for her next action thereafter, any spell that attempts to affect her in a fashion she considers undesirable shatters and its effects are wasted.
  The sorcerer can also opt to spend 20 motes of Essence and shatter a Terrestrial Circle spell operating within a radius of (the caster's permanent Essence x 50) feet. If the spell is currently being shaped, its caster is automatically interrupted. Spells currently in effect are shattered. This does not banish demons or spirits, whose summoning has already been accomplished and is no longer considered a spell.
  Infallible Messenger
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10m
  Target: Summoned cherub
  the sorcerer conjures up a minor spirit from Essence. This spirit is called a Cherub. Cherubim are multicolored humanoid figures only a few feet tall with six glittering blue-chrome wings. The sorcerer whispers his message, which can be no more than five minutes in length, into the cherub's ear. The sorcerer then names and describes a target. The cherub is able to travel from one point to another in Creation or Yu-Shan nearly instantly. It travels hundreds of miles an hour and can traverse the world in less than a day. Unless the target's location is mystically obscured, the cherub will find the recipient, deliver the message perfectly to his ear (even using the original sender's voice) and then dissipate.
  Stormwind Rider
  
  Spoiler

  The sorcerer calls up a mighty wind and wraps herself in it. The result is a dust devil - a tornado-like vortex that's smaller and less devastating to the landscape. The dust devil flies low, usually just touching the ground. The vortex can jump obstacles 50 feet wide or 30 feet high but cannot actually fly.
  The dust devil carries the sorcerer and (Essence x 200) pounds of passengers or cargo at speeds of 45 yards per tick - roughly 100 miles per hour. The vortex is immensely maneuverable.
  Theft of Memory
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m
  Target: Person
  The Theft of Memory spell permits the sorcerer to snatch a memory from his victim, though it acts subtly—a rarity among spells. The sorcerer must bear an emerald (of at least Resources 2 value) in his hand and touch it to his target. He makes the Mudra of Remembrance and Forgetting with his other hand and releases the Essence of the spell. The spell’s Essence display can manifest as any number of noticeable phenomena—simple alchemical pyrotechnics from a street performer, weather effects or the light of the sun playing across the area. In order to conceal the casting of this spell, the caster’s player must succeed at a (Wits + Larceny) roll. People watching the scene realize the character just cast a spell if their players gain more successes on a (Perception + Occult) roll than the sorcerer’s roll to conceal the spell.
  Moreover, all the legerdemain in the world will not conceal this spell from creatures able to view the flows of Essence. To Essence sight or Charms such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight, it is very clear that the sorcerer just cast a spell. The sorcerer must know what memory he wants to steal. When he touches his victim, his player rolls (Charisma + Occult) as a social attack against the target’s Dodge MDV. If the attack succeeds, the target relives the memory for a moment and then it is gone, trapped in the gemstone. Failure indicates that the sorcerer does not steal that memory, cannot steal any other memory from that victim and suffers a -2 internal penalty on all Mental Attribute-based rolls for the rest of the scene. Theft of Memory cannot be cast in combat. Memories are either buried beneath the disciplined mind of a warrior or lost amid the fear most other creatures feel in such situations.
  Once the gem contains a memory, any creature may clasp the gem to its forehead and concentrate to relive the memory. During this time, the creature can perform no other action and is unaware of sights and sounds around it, though physical contact can break the experience.
  The Titan's Icy Breath
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10m
  Target: Area
  The sorcerer calls up the head and shoulders of an icy giant, which rises from the ground before her and exhales a stream of freezing air that solidifies into an icy shell around anyone caught within an area 10 yards wide and high, extending 100 yards from the caster. The titan bellows a second after the exhalation, shattering the ice, and then vanishes. Roll the sorcerer’s (Wits + Occult) and add a number of automatic successes equal to her Essence, as an attack against everyone in the spell’s area. Characters cannot block this attack, though they may dodge it. The spell has a raw (lethal) damage of six dice plus attack successes. Anyone who suffers even a single level of damage from this spell has his movement rates halved and the Speed of all his actions increased by one for the remainder of the scene. Multiple applications of this spell cannot add more than one, total, to the Speed of a character’s actions or reduce his movement rate to less than half its normal value.
  
  Sapphire Circle Banishment
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15+m
  Target: Demon or demons
  This spell has special timing rules. The character can cast it as two reflexive Shape Celestial Circle
  Sorcery actions that take 0 ticks. It has a range of (Essence x 15) yards.
  The sorcerer makes the Seven Devils Rebuking sign just before the Victory over Primordials Mudra. Sapphire Circle Banishment forces a single First Circle demon back to Malfeas, without a contest of wills. It can banish a Second Circle demon, but doing so forces a contest of wills, handled as for Emerald Circle Banishment (see p. 44). If the demon wins, it remains in Creation, and the sorcerer cannot attempt to banish it again for five days.
  The spell can also banish a group of First Circle demons. This contest is handled as for a Second Circle demon, but the group uses the most powerful demon’s (Willpower + Essence) as the base pool and then adds one to the pool per additional demon. If the sorcerer defeats the group (accumulating successes equal to the highest demon’s Essence), every demon in the group is banished simultaneously. If the demons accumulate a number of successes equal to the sorcerer’s Essence, they remain. In that case, the sorcerer may not attempt to banish any of them (singly or as a group) for five days unless he uses Adamant Circle Banishment.
  In war, successful use of this spell can reduce a unit of First Circle demons by a single point of Magnitude.
  Summon the Heavenly Portal
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 35m
  Target: Summoned Calibration Gate
  Once a year, on the third night of Calibration, the Celestial City of Yu-Shan revels in the Carnival of Meeting. In ages past, mortal and Exalted dignitaries would be invited to Heaven to join the festival, but in these debased times, the gods of Yu-Shan neglect the world. The starmetal Calibration Gate still appears in Creation once a year to admit mortals to the Carnival, though the gods send out no invitations. During that night, it cannot be summoned. For the rest of the year, though, a sorcerer may call it with this spell.
  The sorcerer evokes a foot-wide patch of rippling gold, like sunlight on water, He reaches into it, feels for a handle, and pulls. A celestial bell chimes. A minute later, the Calibration Gate appears. It materializes with equal aplomb outside, indoors, underwater or even in midair. It remains open for five minutes before vanishing again, and it cannot be re-summoned to any place within a mile of that location until a day and night have passed. No known force can damage the gate. Any number of characters can pass through the Calibration Gate, although they cannot leave Heaven by the same route.
  What’s more, if they have no official place or legitimate business in the Celestial City, they need quite an argument to persuade the three giant orichalcum lions on the near side to let them pass. These celestial lions respect honor and justice but are nigh-undefeatable in battle and immune to mind-affecting magic. (And there are six more waiting on the other side of the door.)
  Many of the Sidereal Exalted know this spell and use it to return from their assignments within Creation. A few Lunar sorcerers know it too and use it to confer with allies in the celestial Bureau of Nature. Sidereal leaders worry what Solar sorcerers might learn if they obtain access to Yu-Shan. Any Abyssal Exalt who tried using the Calibration Gate would likely regret it in very short order—nine orichalcum lions notwithstanding.
  Travel Without Distance
  
  Spoiler

  The character gathers a blazing corona of Essence around him and shapes it through a complex series of finger and hand gestures. When he releases the magic, he is wrapped in whirling clouds of Essence. When the clouds dissipate, he is gone. The character can choose to reappear in any location he has seen before, either with his own eyes or through magic, so long as the destination is within 10 miles per point of the character's permanent Essence and is not warded against magical travel.
• 
  Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style
  
  Spoiler

  Martial artists who learn the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style become consummate performers with charisma and grace to spare, and they can be as elusive as dreams. They wield desires like swords, and the masters can become things out of nightmare. The style emphasizes finesse and subtle
  manipulation rather than brute power, and it might have inspired the White Veil Style. (That Terrestrial martial art is much weaker, though.)
  Weapons and Armor: Charms in the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style treat attacks made with a whip, weighted rope or rope dart as unarmed attacks. (See the Appendix, pp. 156-157, for the game statistics of rope weapons.) Sashes, capes and ball gown trains can be given the properties of
  weighted ropes through the judicious addition of lead weights concealed in the layers of fabric. Directly examining such items to determine if they are weapons requires a (Perception + Investigation) roll. Doing so while simply looking at the character over requires a (Perception + Awareness) roll, difficulty 3, instead. War fans are also form weapons for the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style. Several Charms of this style also enable practitioners to attack using the long, flowing sleeves of their robes or ordinary gown trains, cloaks or sashes, without any preparation. Others permit attacks using ordinary paper fans and similar props. In such cases the martial artist empowers these “weapons” with her Essence. All the damage comes from the Charm. Characters cannot use this style while wearing armor. Complementary Skills: A prospective Dreaming Pearl Courtesan must have at least two dots in Performance, Presence or Socialize before she can learn this style.
  Demure Carp Feint
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 4m (1m); Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
  Keywords: Combo-OK
  Duration: One action
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The character opens a fan, twirling it and waving it in a distracting way. (This does not need to be a war fan as long as it is used only for distraction.) The Exalt’s movements become as graceful and unpredictable as cherry blossoms in a gust of wind. While using this Charm, the Exalt adds either her Essence or +2 (whichever is greater) to her DVs.
  Pearlescent Filigree Defense
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 1m per 1L/2B soak; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Obvious
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Exalt channels her Essence into his robes, making his clothing and accouterments take on an iridescent sheen as shimmering golden motes of Essence waft and rise from him. Each mote spent adds one to the character’s lethal soak and two to the character’s bashing soak. (This bonus does not count as armor, but as a form of natural soak.) The character cannot spend more motes of Essence to fuel this Charm than he has dots of Essence.
  Lethal Paper Fan Attack
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 3m (1m); Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Obvious, Combo-OK
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  In the hands of a martial artist using this Charm, a delicate paper fan can be infused with Essence that makes it cut like a razor. The character treats all paper fans (or other similar props such as brushes or mirrors) as wind-fire wheels. She treats all sashes, long hems, sleeves and so on as seven section staves. The damage these weapons inflict is lethal, though their appearance does not change. In addition, if the character uses an actual war fan or other accouterments that has been properly constructed for use in the martial arts, the character may enhance the weapon’s Speed, Accuracy, Damage or Defense by an amount equal to her Essence. (Pick any one value upon activating the Charm.) If the player picks Speed, a value equal to the character’s Essence is subtracted from the weapon’s Speed rating. The result of doing so can be no less than 1, however. Sashes, cloak-hems and other clothing turned into weighted ropes and then enhanced by this Charm deal less damage than they would if empowered by the Charm alone—but the character can wield them with much greater Speed, Accuracy or Defense.
  Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple (Speed 3)
  Keywords: Form-type, Obvious, Social
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Demure Carp Feint, Pearlescent Filigree Defense, Lethal Paper Fan Attack
  The sensual martial artist’s props and robes take on a life of their own, enhancing and complementing her movements. At her command, her fans open and swirl enticingly about her body like butterflies. Her sashes tease and coil around her like a lover’s hands, and her flowing sleeves and robes writhe and twist at her whim. The Exalt does not have to physically manipulate these props in order to create this effect.
  The martial artist controls one prop per dot of Essence she has (deciding which props to animate when she activates the Charm). For example, an Exalt with an Essence score of 4 could control one fan, one sash, one of her flowing sleeves and the hem of her cloak, or she could control four fans at once. If the martial artist wishes to add or change a prop, she must drop the present invocation of this Charm and reactivate it.
  Objects the martial artist wishes to command must be in her possession, and she cannot make an attack with these props unless she is manually controlling them. To attack with them yet still leave her hands free requires her to use the Flurry of August Leaves Concentration Charm. While her character uses this Charm, the Exalt’s player adds her character’s Martial Arts score to all Presence and Socialize rolls, including those required for social combat and the activation of Charms.
  Flurry of August Leaves Concentration
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 2m per weapon (1m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple (DV -2)
  Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form
  The martial artist with this Charm casts her fans or sashes into the air, making them swoop and slash out at an opponent before obediently returning to her. If she activates this Charm while using the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form, the martial artist can have as many props as that Charm allows make multiple attacks against one target. This Charm allows the martial artist to strike a target up to (Martial Arts x 5) yards away.
  The Exalt’s player rolls a single normal Martial Arts attack, regardless of how many weapons the character controls. Successes from the roll, penalized by the target’s DV, apply to all weapons simultaneously, and the damage is calculated normally as if she had performed the attack manually. The opponent does suffer an onslaught penalty to his DV for being attacked by multiple props, but each prop applies its damage separately.
  Botched attacks can result in broken or lost props, if not injury to the martial artist who cast them. Also, this Charm can be used only on props that can be separated from the Exalt’s body. (She can’t lash out at a target 25 yards away with the hem of her ball gown, for instance, unless she’s wearing one damn long train.)
  Resplendent Sash Grapple Technique
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 3m per action (1m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
  Keywords: Counterattack, Obvious
  Duration: Varies
  Prerequisite Charms: Flurry of August Leaves Concentration
  The Exalt’s flowing sashes, hems, sleeves or what have you act with an uncanny dexterity to grapple opponents and their weapons. After successfully dodging or otherwise negating an enemy’s attack, the Exalt’s player may make a reflexive (Dexterity + Martial Arts) roll to have his character’s cloak or flowing sleeves snare her opponent’s attacking weapon or appendage.
  In order to make a successful retaliatory grapple, the martial artist must score as many successes as his opponent did on her attack. The defender may evade this attack only with Charms or as part of a flurry on her same action. (An opponent is unlikely to call for such a flurry unless she has already seen the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan use this Charm in a previous action, however.) If the martial artist’s opponent uses a weapon and the martial artist scores three more successes than his opponent’s relevant weapon Ability, the martial artist may disarm the target rather than clinching her.
  After successfully clinching his enemy, the martial artist’s player attempts a resisted roll of (Dexterity + Martial Arts) against the opponent’s (Strength + [Melee or Martial Arts]). The normal grappling rules still apply. If the Exalt uses the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form when activating this Charm, he may attempt as many of these reflexive grapples with animated sashes or trailing robe hems as that Charm allows him to animate. If the martial artist grapples his opponent with a prop animated by that Form-type Charm, turning the tables on the grapple in the subsequent resisted roll does not grant the opponent any control over the martial artist. Instead, she’ll just be left holding a limp sash or a ripped-off piece of a loose sleeve. The cost of this Charm must be spent for each reflexive grapple the Exalt attempts.
  Vindictive Concubine's Pillow Book Understanding
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 3m (1m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form
  An uncomfortable truth written down by a vindictive concubine can wound a person more deeply than any weapon. It slips past his defenses and cuts him where it can deal the most damage. As is true in social situations, so also in the martial arts. Even the heaviest of superheavy plate armor has thin seams where the pieces join. A skilled craftsman will minimize the width of these seams so that no blade or arrowhead can pierce them, but even such seams are chasms to the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan who employs paper and silk—thinner than even the sharpest blade. Upon activating this Charm, the Exalt negates an amount of her opponent’s armor soak equal to her (Essence + Martial Arts) as her unconventional weapons capitalize on the armor’s nigh-invisible chinks. This effect does not affect the armor’s Hardness value or negate her target’s natural soak or any bonuses gained through the use of Charms.
  Fragrant Petal Fascination Kata
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10m (6m), 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Compulsion, Obvious
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Flurry of August Leaves Concentration
  As the Exalt performs the sultry, languid moves of this Charm, ethereal music whispers in the air, and flower petals flow from her sleeves and the folds of her robes to swirl around her. The martial artist’s player rolls (Charisma + Martial Arts), and the players of all those within a number of yards equal to the Exalt’s Essence must compare the result to their characters’ Dodge MDV. Those whose MDVs do not negate the successes on the martial artist’s player’s roll find their characters transfixed in place, enraptured by the beauty of the kata and perfume of the petals. Even those in range of this Charm who are not entranced experience a hallucinogenic vertigo, suffering an internal penalty equal to the Exalt’s Essence to all dice pools.
  Targets who are entranced believe whatever the Exalt tells them. The Exalt can issue commands to those enraptured and expect them to be followed, regardless of the victim’s Intimacies or Motivation. (The victim safely ignores suicidal orders.) This Charm does not affect characters with a higher permanent Essence than the martial artist, though. If the Exalt halts her kata for any reason, or if the scene ends, the fascination slowly wears off. In ongoing combat, the effects linger for a number of actions equal to the martial artist’s Essence. During this waning period, the victims suffer an internal penalty equal to the Exalt’s Essence to all dice pools. Enraptured victims retain vague memories of what they did under the effects of this Charm and suffer a strange melancholy afterward, imposing a -1 internal penalty to Conviction rolls for a number of days equal to the Exalt’s Essence.
  Seven Storms Escape Prana
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 8m (4m), 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Simple (DV -2)
  Keywords: Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Fragrant Petal Fascination Kata
  The martial artist centers himself, breathing in ambient Essence. When he exhales, sweet tendrils of pastel fumes escape his lips, and eerie electricity prickles the hair on the back of bystanders’ necks. The Exalt’s clothes and hair whip around him, and he becomes a vortex of swirling light and vapor. That vortex disappears in a flash, only to reappear a distance of (Martial Arts x 5) yards away, where the Exalt emerges.
  Invoking the Chimera's Coils
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m (11m), 1wp + 1wp to end the Charm; Mins: Martial
  Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple
  Keywords: Obvious
  Duration: Varies
  Prerequisite Charms: Resplendent Sash Grapple Technique, Vindictive Concubine’s Pillow Book Understanding, Seven Storms Escape Prana
  Masters of this style achieve a perfect waking and lucid union of timeless dream and finite self. With this Charm, the martial artist opens herself to Creation’s collective dreaming consciousness and assumes the form of the fell and beautiful Chimera. Swirling light shines down upon the Exalt. Her clothes and accouterments merge with her body as her form extends to five times her normal height. Her neck grows up to four feet in length and supports a delicate and golden beaked foal’s head. Four sets of spiraling gazelle’s horns adorn her head, reshaping themselves like tendrils of smoke. Many eyes line either side of her narrow snout and continue down her back—ranging from the size of small pearls to the size of goose eggs. They alternately blaze like sapphires in the noonday sun and blink demurely. Gold-veined pearl scales cover the Exalt’s entire form, providing an additional 6L/12B armor. Instead of arms or legs, the martial artist fl oats just above the ground on a pair of four-foot-wide carp fins for every dot of Essence she has. These fins enable her to hover in or swim through the air with serpentine grace at 45 miles per hour. (These fins also provide a +3 bonus to Damage.) While using this Charm, the Exalt cannot be surprised or lied to, as secrets echo on the wind for her alone and others’ intentions play out like uncoiling prayer strips in her mind’s eye. Also, the Exalt can perform a number of actions per “actual” action equal to her Essence. (Each “actual” action taken thus is Speed 6.) These granted actions are full extra actions, not parts of a flurry, though any of them can also be subdivided into a flurry. This Charm is incompatible with other extra-action Charms. This Charm lasts for as long as the Exalt wishes, and she must spend a point of temporary Willpower to end it. Invoking it is risky, however. A martial artist who learns this Charm comes dangerously close to the Blossom of the Perfected Lotus, without necessarily the wisdom to control such esoteric forces. The Exalt thrills to an ecstatic bliss in this form, and many who have done so forgot they were once mortal. For every additional scene her character remains in this form, the player must make a Willpower roll with a cumulative +1 difficulty modifier. If she fails this roll at any time, the character disappears in a blinding flash of pearlescent light, never to be seen again except in fragmentary, half remembered dreams.
• 
  Sapphire Veil of Passion Style
  
  Spoiler

  This ancient Sidereal martial art is popularly known among the Viziers as “the twice-mastered art.” The less crude interpretation of this moniker refers to the style‟s history. Legend has it that Sapphire Veil of Passion style was originally invented by Entwined in Night‟s Shadows, a Chosen of Secrets. But he was selfish and proud, and refused to teach the style he had invented. He never took a student or produced any records, and its mysteries died with him. Centuries later, it was re-created from second- hand accounts and first-hand insights by an ambitious Joybringer to settle a bet with Ma-Ha-Suchi, and has remained a favored possession of the Chosen of Serenity ever since.
  Sapphire Veil of Passion was derived from extensive first-hand study of that most ancient and enduring fascination of the human race—sex. Its masters weather the ribald jokes and off-color commentary of their younger contemporaries with patience and good humor. Those who face them in battle discover that these martial artists have turned their focus inward upon the hottest of flames and have tempered it into an exceedingly fine weapon. They do not jest about the style afterward. For more information on Sidereal martial arts, see Scroll of the Monk.
  Weapons and Armor: Charms of this style treat attacks made with the urumi and its artifact equivalent, the floating ribbon, as unarmed attacks. This style is not compatible with armor, but is traditionally used with a buckler.
  Into Infinite Depths
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 6m (2m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-OK
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Clearing her mind of all but the sensation of the moment, the martial artist cuts her gaze across an opponent. In so doing she sees him anew, with unsurpassed clarity. The character immediately gains the following knowledge about one individual: what manner of being the target is (Solar Exalt, god, raksha, etc), which martial arts styles he knows at least one Charm from, which martial arts styles he knows up to the Form-type Charm, which martial arts styles he has mastered, whether he has any Intimacies toward the martial artist, and the nature of those Intimacies, if they exist. For the rest of the scene, the martial artist gains a +2 bonus to her DVs and MDVs against any opponent she has evaluated in this manner. Into Infinite Depths may be activated as an innate power, which does not count as a Charm activation if Sapphire Veil of Passion Form is active.
  Eternal Infatuation Dance
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 8m (4m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack, Obvious
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Taking attention to imply invitation, the character is able to quickly close with those who draw her notice. This Charm may be activated in response to any social or physical attack. The martial artist vanishes in a swirl of collapsing sapphire ribbons, appearing one yard away from her attacker. In the case of long-range social attacks (such as those delivered through sorcery), the Charm's maximum allowable range of movement is (Essence x 20) miles. This action incidentally acts as a perfect dodge upon activation against physical ranged attacks of which the martial artist is aware, assuming the attack can be dodged. Subsequent ranged attacks during the remainder of the Charm‟s duration must be defended against normally.
  As long as the martial artist does not voluntarily move away from the individual whom she activated Eternal Infatuation Dance to approach, she may stay within one yard of him at all times, regardless of his movement rate or any exotic movement abilities employed. The initial movement granted by this Charm is considered a counterattack. This Charm may not be invoked more than once per action.
  Yellow Dragon Flight
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 13m (9m), 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Wild ribbons of yellow and scarlet power blaze around the character's attacking limb. Channeling her understanding of the male principle of Essence, the martial artist enchants an unarmed attack with aggressive, penetrating power. The attack is considered unblockable, ignores soak derived from armor, and in addition to inflicting standard damage, ignites a number of the target‟s motes equal to the martial artist‟s (Essence x 2). These motes are not only lost, but also immediately applied as raw lethal damage which ignores armor, but is soaked separately from the original attack. If the target lacks sufficient Essence, or lacks Essence at all, this aspect of the attack is wasted.
  Black Dragon Coils
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 5m (1m), 3wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Yellow Dragon Flight
  Stepping back from determined opposition, the martial artist swirls with onyx ribbons. Channeling her understanding of the female principle of Essence, she enhances an unarmed parry against any attack she can perceive, even unblockable attacks, rendering the defense it provides perfect. Additionally, the martial artist regains one channel of any Virtue of her choice for every five motes or fraction thereof the opponent spent on the blocked attack. For example, if an opponent spends one to five motes, the martial artist regains one channel. If an opponent spends six to 10 motes, the martial artist regains two channels (one for the first set of five motes, and another for the remainder in the second set of five motes).
  Dissolution of Value
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m (11m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Eternal Infatuation Dance, Into Infinite Depths
  Rooting herself in the midst of her opponents, the martial artist's anima erupts into a series of spiraling ribbons that brush aside the attacks of her foes. While this Charm persists, no penalties of any kind may reduce her DVs. (As always, inapplicability is not a penalty.) Characters attacking her from behind in a press also do not gain a free unexpected attack. Dissolution of Value automatically ends if the martial artist moves more than one yard from the point where she activated this Charm.
  Satisfying Idle Fantasy
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 10m (6m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Dissolution of Value
  Wrapping herself in self-indulgent dreams of her own triumph, the martial artist denies opponents the ability to hold themselves superior to her. No penalties may apply to her dice pools when she attacks any character she has evaluated with Into Infinite Depths during the course of the scene, save for multiple action penalties. Additionally, when any of her attacks inflict damage, the target must pay one Willpower or accept an Intimacy toward the Sidereal. (This Intimacy represents lust if appropriate to the character‟s gender preferences, uneasy fascination otherwise.)
  Sapphire Veil of Passion Form
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 13m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Crippling, Form-type, Emotion, Obvious
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Black Dragon Coils, Satisfying Idle Fantasy, One complete Celestial martial art
  The martial artist executes a languid kata, hesitates a moment, and then erupts into a shuddering battle pattern. Her anima unfolds into a towering, shifting array of cerulean and sapphire ribbons, which twine about her body even as they strain for the sky. She levitates a finger‟s length above the ground as she moves, incidentally gaining perfect balance and the ability to move safely over hazardous terrain. Players of all characters who possess any sort of Intimacy toward her, positive or negative, must fail a Compassion roll or pay one Willpower per attack made against her. If she manages to strike any character who possesses no Essence or Willpower (non-Essence users are not evaluated for current Essence, only Willpower) with an unarmed attack, that character is immediately rendered unconscious for (attacker‟s Martial Arts) hours as a Crippling effect. Finally, she gains five motes whenever her DV refreshes.
  Someone Else's Consequence
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m (11m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 10)
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Sapphire Veil of Passion Form
  Advanced students of the Sapphire Veil of Passion are among Creation‟s more careless fighters (and lovers), unconcerned with the consequences of their actions. This Charm may be activated when the martial artist successfully strikes an opponent with an unarmed attack, levying one of the following effects:
  • The martial artist immediately terminates the effects of all unnatural mental influence from which she suffers, transferring them to her target, who must then deal with them as he is best able.
  • The martial artist immediately terminates the effects of all Poison and Sickness effects from which she suffers, transferring them to her target.
  Silken Rope Trick
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m (11m), 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-Basic, Emotion, Obvious
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Sapphire Veil of Passion Form
  Moving through a swift kata, the martial artist weaves sapphire threads out of her own Essence, which quickly knot around her. She is unable to take Dash or Jump actions while this Charm is in effect. More beneficially, she adds her Martial Arts rating in successes to all rolls to establish or control a grapple. Any character who enters a grapple with her (even one who initiated the grapple by attacking the martial artist) automatically gains an Intimacy of lust toward her, regardless of standard sexual preferences. This unnatural Emotion effect costs three Willpower to resist, or two if the character is not of the sex to which the target is normally attracted. Finally, all rolls by opponents to establish control of a grapple suffer an external penalty equal to the martial artist's Appearance if her last action was to hold an opponent.
  Joy in Ownership
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 20m (16m), 2wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion, Servitude, Touch
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Silken Rope Trick, Someone Else‟s Consequence
  The martial artist gently touches a target she has rendered unconscious during the scene, manipulating the flow of his Essence through the chakra points known as the gates of desire. Upon awakening, the target gains a second Motivation to “Love and obey (the martial artist).” Her memories are also altered so that she believes the martial artist is an old friend or lover (whichever is appropriate to her normal sexual preferences). Memories that might contradict this belief are suppressed.
  Resisting this unnatural mental influence requires that the target spend three Willpower within the space of a scene, over a number of scenes equal to (10 - target's Essence). While Joy in Ownership remains in effect, the target is metaphysically considered to be the martial artist‟s property.
  Sapphire Binding Pattern
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 16m (12m), 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5;
  Type: Reflexive (Step 10)
  Keywords: Combo-basic, Obvious, Shaping, Stackable
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Joy in Ownership
  This Charm may be invoked to enhance a hold during a grapple. Spinning ribbons of sapphire Essence around her target, the martial artist impedes her Essence flows for the rest of the scene. One of the following effects is applied:
  • All of the target‟s actions are reduced to 0 dice if not supplemented by a Charm or stunt.
  • A mote surcharge equal to half the martial artist's Appearance is added to all of the target‟s Charms. This effect may be applied only to targets of lower Essence.
  • The target's Dexterity is considered to be 0 for the purpose of calculating Move and Dash actions, and his Strength to be 0 for the purpose of calculating Jump actions.
  These effects last until the end of the scene, and this Charm may be re-applied to the same target over the course of repeated hold actions in order to inflict additional effects.
  Memories of Intimacy
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: 15m (11m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Joy in Ownership
  Try as they might, the martial artist‟s former conquests cannot shake that status. This Charm supplements an unarmed attack, rendering it unblockable and undodgeable if any of the following criteria apply to the target:
  • The martial artist has defeated the target in combat at some point in the past (defined as having rendered the target unconscious, or the target having voluntarily admitted defeat or surrendered to the martial artist on the field of battle, even if only in a sparring match).
  • The target carries an Intimacy of any sort for the martial artist.
  • The martial artist owns the target.
  • The target suffers from any Crippling effect inflicted by the martial artist.
  If two or more of these criteria apply to the target, the attack is also considered unexpected.
  Thousand Desire Ribbons
  
  Spoiler

  Cost: — (+10m (6m), 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 6,
  Essence 6; Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Memories of Intimacy, Sapphire Binding Pattern
  Coming to understand the pinnacle of desire, the martial artist steeps himself in the inconsequential motives that shift the world. This Charm allows the martial artist to pay a (+10m, 1wp) surcharge when activating Sapphire Veil of Passion Form, upgrading it with the following capabilities:
  • The martial artist gains the ability to solidify and control the sapphire ribbons of her anima, treating them as starmetal floating ribbons. Each time her DV refreshes, she gains a pool (equal to half her Essence) of reflexive martial arts attacks with these ribbons, which she may unleash at any time using her full dice pool. This pool refreshes along with her DV, and may not exceed (Essence/2) actions.
  • The range on all urumi or floating ribbons the martial artist employs extends to (Essence x 10) yards. No motes need be paid for this benefit.
  • Any character wounded by an urumi or floating ribbon wielded by the martial artist feels the pain transformed and transported into a kind of transcendent ecstasy. The distraction from this overwhelming sensation changes all wound penalties from internal to external until the end of the scene, as a Crippling effect.
• 
  Perfected Kata Bracers
  
  Spoiler

  Perfected kata bracers are prayer strips crafted of a single magical material and curled into bracers. The strips’ sutras are starmetal engravings, except in starmetal bracers—they use orichalcum. Attunement costs eight motes. When the character activates a Form-type Charm, the sutras inscribed on the bracers glow and lift from the artifact to engulf the character in light for a brief moment. For the rest of the scene, she gains several benefits.
  She adds her Essence to the accuracy, damage and defense of her unarmed attacks and of attacks made with the active Form-type Charm’s particular weapons. She may choose to inflict bashing or lethal damage at will and she may parry lethal attacks unarmed. In addition:
  Starmetal eases the flow of martial Essence for Sidereals, reducing the cost of activating Charms of the same style by two motes (minimum 1).
  Unsurpassed Sanxian
  
  Spoiler

  This sanxian is made of polished kauri wood and strung with silver and gold. The snakeskin covering its soundbox came from a serpent-god. The soul of an old master performer is bound into the strings, which never break or need tuning, and aids performances. When attuned for three motes, playing this sanxian adds two successes to Performance rolls. These add to whatever bonus an Exalted player can add through Charms. Any duffer can sound good playing this sanxian; a Solar musician could make Deathlords weep or call stars from the skies.
  Infinite Resplendence Amulet of Moonsilver and Starmetal
  
  Spoiler

  This artifact is a set of modular attire made from a blend of the various Magical Materials. The amulet can generate any form of outfit the wearer can imagine, however grand or humble. Changing the clothing is a diceless miscellaneous action. Repairing or cleaning a worn outfit takes the same action as creating a new one. Protection: The Amulet provides the wearer with a soak of 5L/5B that does not count as armor for the purposes of Charms, plus an extra success to all Resistance or Survival rolls to reduce or avoid the effects of deleterious environmental conditions, toxins or disease. In addition, it gives a +2 bonus dice to all Stealth rolls and to Larceny to assume a disguise. Finally, the Amulet possesses many pockets into Elsewhere, capable of carrying up to 2,000 pounds of equipment, so long as it can fit through the opening of the pocket.
  Precision of Form Gemstone
  
  Spoiler

  This brilliantly iridescent, egg-shaped opal reduces the Essence cost to use all Martial Arts Charms of a particular style by 2 motes after the character activates that style’s Form-type Charm. This effect cannot reduce the mote cost of a Charm to less than half its original value. The bearer also cannot activate any Charms of another martial arts style until she abandons the Form she has already chosen. A character could abandon one Form, however, and then activate the Form-type Charm of another martial arts style, gaining the mote discount for all Charms of that style.
  Skin Mount Amulet
  
  Spoiler

  Appearing as a large rivet-style body piercing made of one of the magical materials with an indented disk-shaped socket, skin mount amulets are nothing more than implanted hearthstone amulets (see Exalted, p. 380) that require no attunement. The design of these amulets also confers an additional number of motes of Peripheral Essence to the wearer’s maximum Essence pool equal to twice the rating of any hearthstone placed in the socket. Mountain Folk, God-Blooded and other non-Exalted Essence channelers instead add these motes to their singular Essence pools. Mortals normally incapable of channeling Essence may attune to manses if they have one of these devices installed, gaining the usual benefits of any hearthstone from an attuned manse installed in the stone. Mortals also gain the aforementioned bonus motes as a meager Essence pool that they can recharge only through the inset stone but may otherwise use as if they were Exalted. Any commitments using Essence from the amulet (such as to other artifacts) immediately end if the hearthstone leaves its socket. At the height of the First Age, skin mount amulets were a popular form of jewelry among the Chosen. Hearthstones can be removed or replaced in a skin mount amulet as readily as any other type of hearthstone amulet. Only the socket itself is actually riveted to the body.
• 
  Dodge DV: 9
  Parry DV - Floating Ribbon: 6
  Parry DV - War Fans: 8
  
  Dodge MDV: 9
  Parry MDV:
  
  Join Battle: 8
  
  Health Levels
  [ ][ ][ ] -0
  [ ][ ] -1
  [ ][ ][ ][ ] -2
  [ ] -4
  [ ] I
  
  Soak: 3B/2L
  With Optimistic Security Practice and Artifacts: 14B/13L/6A
  
  Floating Ribbon - Speed 5, Accuracy +4 (+10), Damage +8L (+14L), Defense 0 (+6), Rate 2, Reach 10 yards
  Dual Seven Jeweled Peacock Fans - Speed 5, Accuracy +4 (+10), Damage +8B/4L (+14B/10L), Defense +3 (+9)
  
• 
  The Musician: 3
  The Peacock: 3
  The Lovers: 3
  The Shield: 3
  The Mask: 2
  The Sword: 4
  The Rising Smoke: 1
  
  The Musician
  
  Spoiler

  The Musician embodies contentment in the act of living. It is joy-in-plenty and enjoyment of the finer things. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain are gourmets and poets. In the descending aspect, they engage in hollow avarice, blind materialism and scandalous excess. Under Sidereal influence, this constellation is called the Painted Boy in Immaculate practice, for it is also the constellation of homosexual couplings. It is the sign of herbivores that travel in small family groups.
  Trappings: The Musician wears facial makeup, dresses outlandishly and always carries a musical instrument. He is cynically wise and uninhibited.
  Correlations: Excess, laughter, hedonism, music, homosexuality, drug use, finery, greed, extramarital pairings, contentment in living, theater
  Resplendencies
  • Strange Days, one Endurance: The character may force the player of a being presented with a possible source of gratification or intoxication to make a Temperance roll or succumb, even if the target would never normally consider the possibility. This is a Compulsion effect.
  • Impossible-to-Remember Party Approach, one Endurance per night: While the character performs, either by being the center of attention, laying down a line of conversation or performing some sort of music or dance, the difficulty of all Temperance rolls for everyone in the vicinity increases by 1.
  • Brigand-and-Carouser Attracting Style, one Endurance, one Paradox die per week: By going home with a waitress or going to a party with someone the Sidereal meets in a teahouse or tavern in a populated area, the character may attach herself to a family or friendship group of marginal personalities. They may be actual brigands, or they may just be louts or rejects. The character will quickly find a place amongst these addled personalities and eccentrics. By the end of the day, they will have accepted her as one of their own. By wasting her days living large with the maniacs of her new troupe, she avoids all legal, bureaucratic and official scrutiny. Those attempting to deliver summonses to her are powerless without supernatural tracking, and those attempting to find her must beat her player’s Stamina + Presence roll, with her Essence added in automatic successes. The marginal life is a full-time endeavor—she has but seven free hours per week.
  The Peacock
  
  Spoiler

  The Peacock governs practical alliance, thoughtful breeding and considered partnership. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain look carefully at the advantages of prospective mates. In the descending aspect, they are trapped in loveless marriages, forced alliances and other half-functional partnerships. The Peacock constellation governs the courtesan, the goodwife, the thoughtful matriarch, the established Dragon-Blooded household and predators who hunt in packs.
  Trappings: The Peacock struts his magnificent finery, be it gang stylings, armor or court clothing. He is proud and has excellent bearing. He shows discerning taste, and is obviously sexually available.
  Correlations: Greed, love for wealth’s sake, procreation, dualities, alliances, bright colors, necessity, traps, distraction
  Resplendencies
  • Proper Plumage, one Endurance, one Paradox die: As long as the character has access to a large closet, second-hand clothing store, pile of cloth scraps and so on, she can always look good enough to gain +1 Appearance for the duration of a social event, regardless of the event’s dress code.
  • Spouse-Saving Grace, one Endurance: Whenever the Sidereal is present with her mate and his player fails a Bureaucracy roll or succumbs to a social attack, her player may channel Conviction or Temperance once to reroll or re-apply Defense Value based on the Sidereal’s traits.
  • Wife-Procuring Tailfeathers, one Endurance, one Paradox die per week: The character is an obvious catch. Within a day of wandering in any populated area, the character will find herself married and managing a large and prosperous household. The character may not marry on the first day, but the tumultuous course of events will immediately begin to occupy all the character’s time and result in marriage within the week. So long as the character lives as the full-time manager of the family’s affairs, she avoids all legal,bureaucratic and official scrutiny. Those attempting to deliver summonses to her are powerless without supernatural tracking, and those attempting to follow her must beat her player’s (Charisma + Bureaucracy) roll, with her Essence added as automatic successes. She must live for the job and has but seven free hours per week.
  The Lovers
  
  Spoiler

  The Lovers represent physical lust, carnal indulgence and uneven relationships. In the ascending aspect,
  those under its domain engage in relationships that are symbolically or situationally uneven, such as sex acts. In the descending aspect, they engage in sexual depravity and sexual or social rape. This is the constellation of the fixed-price prostitute, the slave, the debtor, the beggar, the pedophile, all individuals engaged in sex acts, vermin, rodents and Ravagers and other victims of the Fair Folk. Sidereals generally take this constellation to explain a great deal about the outlook of the Maidens.
  Trappings: The lover is dressed in silk robes, and his hair is rumpled. He is superficially friendly and attractive but betrays some sign of violence and restraint, though it may only be in the form of love bites.
  Correlations: Service, submission, slaves, lust, the sex act, rape, abuse
  Resplendencies
  • Handsome Boy Eyes, one Endurance: The Sidereal may make Presence-based social attacks with intent to seduce using nothing more than eye contact with her target. These are not Resplendency social attacks.
  • Celestial Bliss Trick, one Endurance per performance: With this simple trick, the Sidereal may bring about
  total sexual ecstasy in her target in just three minutes (or three long ticks). This requires physical contact but works on either gender. Once she finishes, her target immediately develops an Intimacy phrased to put him under the Sidereal’s sway. This is a Servitude effect.
  • Whore-and-Virgin Stance, one Endurance, one Paradox die per week: According to the character’s tastes, she becomes a god to be worshipped or an object to be possessed. By spending a day out and about in any populated area, she can become a kept courtesan or a pimped prostitute. So long as she lives an empty life of sex and submission, she will avoid all legal, bureaucratic and official scrutiny. Those attempting to deliver summonses to her are powerless without supernatural tracking, and those attempting to find her must beat her player’s (Manipulation + Presence) roll, with the Exalt’s Essence added as automatic successes. She must be in a state of virtually mindless self-indulgence, and has only seven free hours per week.
  The Shield
  
  Spoiler

  The Shield is the ecstatic warrior, who seeks battle without regard for victory. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain possess courage and heroism without regard for consequences. In the descending aspect, they battle without thought and display sadism, masochism, and suicidal bravery. This constellation governs scouts, assassins, heroic warriors, those who fight and die for their peers without regard for consequences and lone predators who hunt with claws and teeth.
  Trappings: The Shield always carries a shield or a leather strap for biting. He is always armed and always eager for battle. He carries trophies of his kills.
  Correlations: Barbarians and the barbarian code, fearlessness, protection, bragging, pain, heroism, heroic suicide, wrath, the Lunar Exalted
  Resplendencies
  • Wounded Lion Strength, two Endurance: During Step 7 of an attack’s resolution, the Sidereal may add damage dice equal to the number of wound levels she currently suffers.
  • Hero’s Iron Skin, three Endurance per scene: So long as the Sidereal wears no armor, she has the effect of +9L/+9B armor. This is treated as natural soak.
  • Aspect of the Bear, two Endurance, one Paradox die per scene: The character’s anima banner is transformed into the shape of a great bear. Whenever the character’s anima banner is visible, the players of all those who see it must make Valor rolls at difficulty 1 to face the Sidereal. This is a Compulsion effect. While in this state, the Sidereal cannot suffer Fatigue penalties, and her player can’t fail Valor rolls.
  The Mask
  
  Spoiler

  The Mask is secret wisdom and things known but concealed. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain know of religious wisdom, rites of passage and the secrets of the bed. In the descending aspect, they obfuscate deliberately. The Mask is the constellation of the spy, the priest and the librarian. The Mask is damaged. The Sidereals twisted it shortly after the Solar Purge to create the Arcane Fate and protect themselves from the scrying eyes of the Dragon-Blooded and the Lunars. Sidereals cannot create for themselves ascending or descending destinies of the Mask, though they can create these destinies for others and benefit from resplendent destinies as normal.
  Trappings: The Mask wears clothes of soft fabric and a mask to conceal his face. He is quiet, and he does not announce himself. The Mask clings to sacred places and lingers around manses and demesnes.
  Correlations: Secrets, lies, security services, guarded individuals, religious worship, extortion, trickery
  Resplendencies
  • Privacy-Enhancing Gesture, one Endurance: The area within (Essence x10) yards of the character becomes proof against supernatural scrying, teleportation and other forms of intrusion. This includes observation using the Everywhere and Nowhere Technique.
  • Foot Treads No Twig, one Endurance, one Paradox die: The Sidereal’s player may reroll a single (Dexterity + Stealth) roll before it’s compared to an enemy’s roll.
  • Everywhere and Nowhere Technique, one Endurance, three Paradox dice per week: The character can conceal herself in the most unlikely of places—between raindrops, between the moments of the hour and behind the curtains on a dusty stair in a faraway town. The character eats by dining on the food of others when they look away, and sleeps only in the secret places that the Division of Secrets salts across the Tapestry as safe houses. None can see her, but she sees much. In any place where there are shadows and she is unobserved, the character can instantly disappear. So long as the character persists in this furtive existence, she avoids all legal, bureaucratic and official scrutiny. Those attempting to deliver summonses to her are powerless without supernatural tracking, and those attempting to find her must beat her player’s (Intelligence + Occult) roll, with her (college + Essence) added as automatic successes. This existence of supernatural occultation is demanding, and she has just seven free hours per week to spy and observe on those within a number of miles equal to her Essence, so long as those places are not proof against scrying and supernatural intrusion.
  The Sword
  
  Spoiler

  The Sword brings the end of hope. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain find their hopes realized, but must then continue without the assistance and inspiration those hopes provided. In the descending aspect, their dreams wither and die. This is the constellation of the broken, the crushed, the worn down, the salesman, the has-been, the virgin, the ghost, the pregnant woman and death after prolonged suffering and illness.
  Trappings: The Sword is worn out. She carries or wears a withered flower, and she dresses in burial cerements. She weeps but cannot be consoled, and is unshod.
  Correlations: Slow and painful deaths, perseverance, failure, illness, tribulation, inheritance, resignation, the vanquished, Sijan
  Resplendencies
  • Style-Discerning Eye, one Endurance, one Paradox die: The Sidereal no longer merely hopes to study under a particular tutor, but can realize that dream. Activating this effect reflexively whenever she observes clearly as another individual activates a Martial Arts Charm, the Sidereal may realize the Charm’s trick. Thereafter, she may learn it without a tutor provided she possesses its prerequisites—normal experience point cost and doubled training time applies. If the Seer doesn’t learn the Charm within a year and a day, the realization fades.
  • Minimum Legal Defense Competence, one Endurance: The Sidereal may apply her full Defense Value to any incoming attack, ignoring all penalties, effects that set the Defense Value to zero and other negative effects, provided she uses no Charm, Virtue, Willpower or similar effect to enhance her defense further.
  • Tears of the Blade, three Endurance, one Paradox die: The Sidereal makes the Superior Sign of the Sword at a target. If mortal, the target is slain instantly or dies horribly within five days (the Sidereal’s choice). If Exalted, the target is irrevocably slain when next any form of damage reduces
  him to Incapacitated or below. For Terrestrial Exalted, this curse lasts until the end of their lives, but for Celestial Exalted, it lasts but a year and a day. This Resplendency has no effect on gods, elementals or those outside of fate.
  The Rising Smoke
  
  Spoiler

  The Rising Smoke represents the end of journeys on both literal paths and metaphorical paths such as initiation, puberty and apprenticeship. In the ascending aspect, those under its domain achieve transformation and attain new states. In the descending aspect, their journeys end in pointless accident and misfortune. This is the constellation of the young man, the journeyman, the corpse on its way to burial, the pubescent Dynast who has not yet Exalted, those up on charges or entangled by lawsuits and death by accident, heart attack, stroke and murder. Hundred Gods Heretics in the Realm risk terrible punishment to make secret sacrifices to this constellation upon the deaths of loved ones, hoping to persuade Heaven to grant the deceased Terrestrial Exaltation in the next life. Heaven listens not.
  Trappings: The Rising Smoke carries good luck prayer strips, a purse of money from her teacher and brand-new journeyman’s equipment. She is optimistic and naive.
  Correlations: Quick and painless deaths, rest, stagnation, growth, new employment, fresh prospects, murder
  Resplendencies
  • Record-Obtaining Inquiry, one Endurance: When making any roll involving Charisma with a god, a judge or a magistrate, the Sidereal’s player may add the character’s Essence to the roll.
  • Superior-Entreating Memorial Style, one Endurance: The character burns a letter written on fine silk, addressed to one of her fellow Sidereals. The letter appears discreetly hidden against the recipient’s skin and vibrates gently to announce the letter’s presence. If the recipient is unclothed at the time of sending, the
  letter waits Elsewhere for a more appropriate moment and appears then. Bystanders must succeed at a difficulty 6 (Perception + Awareness) roll to notice the letter’s arrival. Within three days, the recipient may respond in a similar fashion by writing his reply on the letter in emerald-colored ink and burning it. The Sidereal receives the reply in the same manner.
  • Chains of Adorjan, three Endurance, one or three Paradox dice: The character may touch a victim and make the Superior Sign of the Rising Smoke to summon Adorjan, the Silent Wind. The Yozi scours the target for his next three actions. See Exalted, pp. 130–131, for full rules on the effects of the Silent Wind of Malfeas. In Creation, Adorjan is weakened, and her Trauma trait loses the L tag, inflicting only dice of damage. When used against a demon, this Resplendency inflicts only one Paradox die and lasts 13 actions.
• 
  Attribute Rating x4
  Favored or Caste Ability (Current Rating x2) -1
  Out of Caste Ability Current Rating x2
  Essence Rating x9
  Virtue Rating x3
  Willpower Rating x2
  New Ability 3
  New Specialty 3
  Caste/Favored Charm 10
  Out of Caste Charm 12
  Martial Arts Charm 10
  New Spell 10
  New Astrological College 5
  Increase Astrological College Rating x3
  
  Xp Earned: 10
  Xp Banked: 2
  

1416274889642

• Psychie
• Jul 4, 2017

 

[Sherwood]

Psychie Ebon_Arbiter

Here is the first xp award for you guys. 5 points for some great roleplaying. Keep up the good work.

 

[Sherwood]

Psychie Ebon_Arbiter

Since it's been a while since you've had any XP, here is an additional 5 points.