Stealth And Disguise Charms
Integrated Artifact
Transmogrifier
Cost: 1 mote per Charm or 5 motes
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Reflexive
Minimum
Appearance: 1
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
As a complex system of artificial flesh
patches and other mechanisms, the Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier
betrays no outward signs of its presence. More importantly, the Charm
physically conceals other visible Charms with its activation. Suppressed
devices retract and compress under the Exalt’s skin
through compartment panels, while her claylike flesh morphs and spreads to
cover the area previously occupied by the Charms. The entire transformation takes
only moments, regardless of the number of Charms suppressed. The cost of
activating the Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier is
1 mote per individual Charm or 5 motes to suppress as many Charms as
desired. Normally, the act of suppressing a Charm automatically deactivates it
if already in use. Only permanent-type Charms continue to function while hidden
and then only if they could logically do so (Storyteller discretion). Hiding a
Charm frees any Essence committed as part of an activation cost but does not
free the Essence required to install the device.
Characters may activate hidden Charms
normally and may reactivate any permanent-type Charms forced into dormancy as a
reflexive action that does not count as a Charm
activation. Activating a hidden Charm negates its concealment, causing the
Charm to emerge and unfold to its usual configuration. This act also releases
the Essence committed to hiding it. If a character hides multiple Charms using
the 5 mote option, the activation of one Charm reveals all the Charms
concurrently hidden (and ends the effects of the Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier). Hidden Charms cannot be detected with any
form of Essence sight or other such magic unless the observer has a permanent
Essence two or more dots higher than the Alchemical. Characters need not
conceal Charms that lack a visible outward form unless they wish to hide them from
Essence sight.
As a final benefit, Alchemicals
with Essence 2-5 may use their Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier
to appear fully human. Note that those with Essence 4-5 remain at their imposing
stature, and a 12-foot-tall mortal is a giant and will attract considerable
attention regardless of how human he looks. In Creation, such a character may
be mistaken for a Wyld mutant. Alchemicals
with Essence 6+ are simply too massive and too alien to hide their nature.
Appearing human requires Alchemical
Exalts to suppress all outwardly visible Charms, at which time they may spend
1 Willpower point as a reflexive action to transform and vivify their flesh. A
wave of power spreads outward from their soulgems and
traces their bodies, adding warmth and mortal pigmentation to their skin. Even
the most well-trained and keen-eyed observers perceive the Exalts as human.
Only diagnostic magic or Essence sight can pierce the ruse. If cut, such an
Exalt bleeds a fluid with the viscosity, color and other basic physical
properties as blood (instead of the usual secretion of faintly luminous oil
that Alchemicals normally release when injured). This
semblance of mortality lasts a single day, after which the enchantment must be
renewed with more Willpower.
When adopting a mortal visage, Alchemicals may retract their soulgem
if so desired (for instance, to pass themselves off as a native of Creation) or
cause the artifact to appear as a soulgem associated
with any tier of Autochthonian society. Using a
suppressed Charm temporarily breaks the mortal guise until the Charm is
retracted once more through the use of Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier.
This Charm may be placed in a Combo
despite its noninstant duration.
Essence Dormancy
Mode
Cost: 3 motes
Installation
Cost: None
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Reflexive
Minimum
Appearance: 2
Minimum
Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Integrated Artifact
Transmogrifier
While an Alchemical may hide specific
Charms from physical and magical detection using the Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier, that device cannot mask the Exalt’s true nature from Essence sight and other such
magic. This upgrade overcomes that limitation, allowing the
Doing so restores the Exalt’s anima to whatever level it was when it turned off,
after which the aura dissipates normally. This Charm may be placed in a Combo
despite its noninstant duration.
Husk-Sculpting Apparatus
Costs: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum
Appearance: 3
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Integrated Artifact
Transmogrifier
This Charm takes the form of hundreds of
tiny wire hooks linking pistons to key points under the Exalt’s
skin, as well as a bank of Essence-fueled pigment injectors. By activating this
Charm, an Exalt may recalibrate his physical appearance. He cannot exactly
duplicate anyone else, although he can approximate someone else’s build and coloration
sufficiently to add three dice to any mundane impersonation attempt (provided
he has seen the person he wishes to emulate). More often, this Charm is used cosmetically
to tailor a character’s physique, though spies often use it in conjunction with
Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier to give themselves
a new look when infiltrating cells of heretics and dissidents. An altered
visage may have a temporary Appearance as low as 0 or as high as the character’s
permanent rating. Those with Appearance 0 may be freakish or simply terrifying.
If the latter, these characters’ players add an extra two dice to all
intimidation-based Social rolls. Note that Exalted always
base their ability to meet the prerequisites of Charms on permanent Appearance
rather than temporary. Characters with Essence 3+ may even use this
Charm to swap their gender or to assume a hermaphroditic/genderless body. This
feat is not quite as dramatic as it sounds given the irrevocable sterility of
all Alchemicals, but it allows them to function sexually
insofar as their chosen gender permits. Note that a genderless body is immune
to seduction attempts, magical or otherwise. An Exalt’s
voice alters to fit current gender as appropriate, unless specifically selected
otherwise.
This Charm can increase or decrease a
character’s height by as much as six inches, completely alter pigmentation and
skin texture in full or partially (adding or removing tattoos or scars and
imparting completely unnatural hues) and allows for drastic changes in body composition
and apparent musculature. Wounds may be faked and even made to bleed
convincingly using the human disguise afforded by Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier. With each activation of this Charm, roll the
Exalt’s Appearance + Craft (Body) at standard
difficulty. The number of successes determines the number of separate changes
that may be made. The Storyteller remains the sole arbiter of what constitutes
a separate change. Botching the roll shifts the character into an Appearance 0
horror for one day and prevents any reuse of the Charm during that time.
Changes wrought by this Charm are permanent (at least until the Exalt alters himself
again) and completely real. Therefore, magic that pierces illusions detects
nothing.
Characters cannot use this Charm
to change their fundamental shape and may not add or subtract limbs, disguise
implanted Charms or otherwise deviate in any extreme ways from their humanoid
template. Within these bounds, the range of possible cosmetic changes is
subject only to player creativity and Storyteller permission.
Removing this Charm leaves all prior
changes intact. The Exalt does not revert back to an earlier form.
Voice Distortion
Field
Cost: 1 mote
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Varies
Type: Reflexive
Minimum
Manipulation: 3
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This Charm takes the form of a chrome
rivet in the Exalt’s throat and a set of taut wires
threaded through his voicebox. Upon activating this
device, the Exalt may fine-tune or completely adjust the pitch and modulation
of his voice. These changes offer a variety of uses. First, the Exalt may
attempt to duplicate someone else’s voice, provided he has heard her speak.
This requires a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty 2 if the target is
a regular associate; difficulty 4 if the Exalt has only heard the target’s
voice in passing). Changing to an empty, anonymous voice that lacks all human
warmth or identifying intonation is also possible (and requires no roll).
Success makes the Exalt’s voice indistinguishable
from the target’s own for as long as he commits Essence to the Charm (though
this voice is the only one to which he has access). Even close friends of the target
will not be able to tell the difference. Similarly, with a successful
Manipulation + Performance roll by his player, an Exalt can use this Charm to
mimic any other sound he has heard, even if a human voice could not possibly
duplicate the sound in question (difficulty 2 for sounds with which he is
intimately familiar; difficulty 4 if he has only heard the sound once or
twice). Replaying entire auditory memories (such as a conversation) requires
two rolls: Wits + Awareness to remember the scene (at a difficulty of 1-5
assigned by the Storyteller based on the memory’s obscurity) and Manipulation +
Performance (difficulty 2). Mimicry and playback costs 1 mote per sound
cluster, although the same sounds can be played back repeatedly as many times
as desired for this cost.
As an alternative to the above, an Exalt
may spend 1 mote to layer his voice with subliminal tones that resonate with a
particular emotion. Depending on preference, such modulation may be direct (a
silky tone of seduction or a coldly synthetic tone that instills fear) or
completely hidden beneath the normal range of hearing. Regardless, a character
can only attune his voice to one emotion at a time. Whenever an Alchemical’s player makes a Social Attribute roll for the
character that involves voice and directly evokes the subliminal emotion
(Storyteller discretion), the Exalt’s player adds one
extra die. This die is considered a form of artificial specialty that is
cumulative with other pertinent specialties for purposes of maximum bonuses. No
roll is required to set a tone, and the effect lasts as long as the Exalt
commits Essence to the effect.
Finally, this Charm can increase the
volume of a character’s voice. This change costs 1 mote and lasts for a turn.
During this time, he can be clearly heard out to (Manipulation x 100) yards.
Those close to him find his voice uncomfortably and unnaturally loud but do not
suffer any actual deafness apart from a slight ringing in their ears. This
feature may be used in conjunction with other uses of the Charm, projecting
subliminal tones or playing back recorded memories to a crowd.
Pheromone Regulation
Systems
Cost: 1 mote
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Minimum
Charisma: 2
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The Exalt has a set of micro-pumps and
artificial glands implanted beneath her skin. By activating this Charm, she can
synthesize and exude a psychoactive biochemical fragrance designed to resonate
with a particular emotion. This scent adds one die to all Social rolls based on
the designated emotion (such as a seduction roll made for someone perspiring the essence of lust). This die counts as a type
of artificial specialty cumulative with all other specialties. Targets must be
within the Exalt’s Charisma in yards for this bonus
to apply. Only the most wary observers can detect the chemical perfume
(Perception + Awareness, difficulty 6) without some form of superhuman sense.
As an alternative to projecting a
specific pheromone cocktail, an Alchemical may also use this Charm to mask all
scents. Tracking the character by smell with mundane means is impossible, and
the difficulty to track her using supernatural means increases by her permanent
Essence. Obviously, Pheromone Regulation Systems can only produce one chemical
at a time or mask scent, not both.
Optical Shroud
Cost: 2 motes
Installation
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Reflexive
Minimum
Appearance: 2
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
A lattice of sand-sized crystals studded
through the Exalt’s flesh gives her a slightly
iridescent sheen when viewed under bright lighting. Charged with Essence, the lattice
generates an illusion of camouflage. The Alchemical blurs and wavers
momentarily, then vanishes from view.
Only the slightest distortion in the air
betrays her presence. Spotting this mirage requires a Perception + Awareness
roll (standard difficulty if the observer saw the character disappear; difficulty
4 if the observer has reason to suspect someone is hiding invisibly or is
actively alert; difficulty 5 otherwise). The concealment provided by this Charm
remains as long as the Exalt stays still. Slight partial movements are
acceptable, such as drawing a weapon, turning to look behind and so on, but the
character cannot actually move from her location or make any quick movements
(like most striking attacks) without shattering the illusion and ending the
effects of the Charm. The player of anyone attacking or defending from the
attacks of an invisible character subtracts two successes from his roll as
normal, even if the Exalt’s attack breaks the
camouflage. This Charm provides no concealment from any form of direct Essence
sight, although it does block the spirit Charm Measure the Wind and similar
magic from pinpointing the Exalt’s exact location. Such Charms only reveal that a source of Essence is somewhere
nearby, an impression that may be masked if other visible Essence sources are
present.
Aura-Dampening Component
Cost: None
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: N/A
Type: Permanent
Minimum
Appearance: 2
Minimum
Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Optical Shroud
The cumulative demands of Charm
installation costs severely restrict the Personal Essence available to most Alchemicals. This Charm expands upon the technology of the
Optical Shroud, diverting Essence through white-jade baffles that dampen the
resulting display. With the Aura-Dampening Component installed, characters may
spend an additional mote when using any Transitory Augmentation of (Attribute)
Charm, an anima power or a Charm used for disguise/concealment purposes. All
Peripheral Essence spent powering such an effect is considered Personal,
preventing the expenditure from giving away the Exalt’s
nature.
Dynamic Cloaking
Module
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: One hour
Type: Simple
Minimum
Appearance: 2
Minimum
Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Optical Shroud
The chief limitation of Optical Shroud
is its susceptibility to disruption. The Dynamic Cloaking Module overcomes that
limitation, generating a sophisticated adaptive camouflage that moves with the
Exalt. With this Charm active, an Alchemical appears as a faint silhouette of distortions
like heat waves. Noticing him requires a successful Perception + Awareness
roll. The difficulty of this check depends on a number of factors. If the Exalt
significantly moved earlier in the turn or on the last turn (i.e., changed locations
or made any quick motions, such as most attacks), the difficulty is his
permanent Essence. This is also the difficulty on the turn the character
activates the Charm. If the Exalt spends a full turn nearly motionless, this
difficulty increases by 2. Anyone attacking or defending from the attacks of an
invisible character subtracts two successes from his roll as normal. Those
attacking the invisible character with ranged weapons subtract the Exalt’s Essence in successes from the roll, and opponents
with normal human senses cannot even target invisible characters farther than 100
yards without an appropriate Charm or an extremely well-described stunt
(three dice). This Charm provides no concealment from any form of direct
Essence sight, although it does block the spirit Charm Measure the Wind and
similar magic from pinpointing the Exalt’s exact
location. Such Charms only reveal that a source of Essence is
somewhere nearby, an impression that may be masked if other visible Essence
sources are present.
Essence Veil
Cost: None
Installation
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: N/A
Type: Permanent
Minimum
Appearance: 2
Minimum
Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: Dynamic Cloaking
Module
With this enhancement installed, Alchemicals improve the function of their Optical Shroud
and Dynamic Cloaking Module. When using either of these Charms, they are as
difficult to spot with Essence sight and other forms of magical detection as
they are by visual means. As an added benefit, the dampening field quiets all
sounds with the Charms engaged, increasing the difficulty to notice an Exalt by
auditory means by his Essence.