Common Arcanoi
Dark Steed
Mastery
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Conviction: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This Charm is frequently taught to ghostly
cavalry in the service of a Deathlord or another tyrant
of the Underworld. Dark Steed Mastery allows a ghost to better control a
ghostly mount. This Arcanos adds one die to the
ghost’s Ride dice pools for every mote of Essence spent, to a maximum number of
dice equal to his Essence. This Charm can only be used within the Underworld or
a shadowland, unless the ghost uses Manifest the Dark
Steed.
Pole The Black
Depths
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Conviction: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This Charm allows a ghost sailor to better
fulfill his duties. The ghost who uses Pole the Black Depths gains one die to
his Sail dice pools for every mote of Essence spent, to a maximum number of
dice equal to his Essence. This Charm can only be used within the Underworld or
a shadowland, unless the ghost is on the crew of a
boat manifested through the use of Conjure the Defeated Vessel or Sunken
Admiral Technique.
Scent Of Sweet
Blood
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Compassion: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This simple Charm allows a ghost to smell
spilled blood or bleeding wounds at a range of one mile per dot of Essence. The
blood does not have to be particularly fresh, but it should be from a mortal or
Exalt — animal blood is only sensed at half the range that mortal or Exalt
blood can be smelled. The ghost learns the direction of and distance to the
blood. Unusually large amounts — say, more than a human body’s worth — may be
detected at as far away as five miles per dot of Essence, and strong wind
currents or other intense weather may interfere with this ability.
Moon’s Cold Glow
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One night per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Conviction: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The Underworld is gloomy and dark even on
its brightest mornings. This simple art allows a ghost to pierce the natural
darkness of the Underworld. If there is no precipitation or fog, double the
distance for both Clear Vision and Murky Vision for the ghost, to a maximum of
100 yards. Roll Perception + Conviction.
Success means that the ghost can see
normally until the following dawn, and each additional success adds 24 hours to
the duration from that point.
Two World Vision
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Conviction: 1
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
Every spot in the Underworld has an analog
within Creation proper — the lands of the dead are simply a dark mirror to the
lands above. With this Charm, a ghost can glance from his location in the
Underworld at the corresponding space in Creation. A Perception + Occult roll
suffices to activate the Charm and provides one turn of vision per success. Two World Vision only works at night. This Arcanos doesn’t work both ways. Even if the ghost finds
himself in the living world one night, he cannot look into the Underworld.
Whispers Of The
Living
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One minute per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Conviction: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The Underworld is itself a dark reflection
of Creation, and every point in the Underworld
corresponds to a particular space in Creation. This Arcanos
allows the ghost to hear the living world as though she was standing in the
equivalent spot to her current location in the Underworld. A Perception +
Occult roll activates the Charm, and the ghost can listen for one minute per
success. A botch on this roll allows any living being in that same location to
hear unearthly whispers and winds, giving away these strange goings-on. Whispers of the Living only works at night. As with Two
World Vision, Whispers of the Living does not allow a ghost to listen in from
Creation into the Underworld.
Pyre Smoke Form
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Temperance: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
With Pyre Smoke Form, a ghost may become
incorporeal even in environments where he would ordinarily be manifest — in the
Underworld, for instance, or in a shadowland during
Calibration. Using this Arcanos requires a Stamina +
Temperance roll, and each success allows one turn of incorporeality.
Breeze-Carried
Ash Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Conviction: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Pyre Smoke Form
Breeze-Carried Ash Form allows a ghost to
fly through the air at any speed up to his maximum running pace,
so long as he is incorporeal as he does so (this Charm is primarily effective
only in the land of the living). His player must make a Dexterity + Athletics
roll, and each success allows one turn of flight. If the ghost is above ground
level when the Charm expires, he falls toward the ground as though solid. He
does not take any damage from the fall, however, because he must be incorporeal
to use this Arcanos.
Assassin’s Subtle
Escape
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One hour per success
Type: Simple
Minimum
Temperance: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
Assassin’s Subtle Escape allows a ghost to
temporarily inhabit a mundane object in the living world. The ghost simply lays
his hand upon the object, and his physical essence is absorbed into the thing.
The ghost’s presence cannot be detected by mundane means, though Charms such as
Superior Sight Focus allow others to detect him. While inhabiting an object,
the ghost cannot be directly harmed.
Damage to the object does not harm the
inhabiting ghost, but the item’s destruction by fire, pulverization or magic
sends the ghost to Lethe. The ghost’s player must succeed in a Manipulation +
Crafts roll for the ghost to successfully inhabit the object, and he remains
within it for up to one hour per success or until he decides to leave — note
that once the ghost leaves the object the Charm expires. The ghost may expend
an additional 5 motes and a point of Willpower in order for his player to reroll his duration at any time. However, the new duration
of the Charm is measured from the new expenditure and roll (rather than being
tacked onto the end of the existing use of the Charm).
Assassin’s Subtle Escape does not allow a
ghost residing in an object to animate the object in any fashion. He is only a
passenger. Only one ghost can reside in a given object at a time.
Motivated Shell
Cost: 8 motes + 1 Willpower
Duration: One turn per success
Type: Simple
Minimum Valor: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Assassin’s Subtle
Escape
Motivated Shell can only be activated once
a ghost inhabits an object through Assassin’s Subtle Escape. This Arcanos enables the ghost to control the motions of an
object he inhabits. The motions must be the sorts of things that the object
could ordinarily do or be made to do by hand. A door swings open or closed; a
lock turns or opens; a cart’s wheels roll on their own. The ghost’s player
rolls Manipulation + Craft, and each success allows the ghost to control the
object’s ordinary movements for one turn.
Ride The Mystic
Vessel
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One turn
Type: Simple
Minimum Valor: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Assassin’s Subtle
Escape
This Charm allows the ghost to use Assassin’s
Subtle Escape to inhabit an object made of the Five Magical Materials. Ride the
Mystic Vessel does not allow the ghost to inhabit highly enchanted items (those
requiring Artifact •• or higher) unless those items are made of soulsteel or jade. Even then, the ghost cannot inhabit an
item if it is Artifact •••• or above or attuned to an Exalt.
Ghosts cannot combine Arcanoi
into Combos, so this Arcanos cannot be activated
simultaneously with Assassin’s Subtle Escape. Instead, the ghost must activate
Ride the Mystic Vessel and then, the following turn, activate Assassin’s Subtle
Escape and enter the object in question.
Angry Trickster
Ghost Method
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Three turns
Type: Simple
Minimum
Conviction: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Two
World Vision, Assassin’s Subtle Escape
This Arcanos
allows an angry ghost to harness his rage into a storm of flying objects in
Creation. This storm will injure any unarmored beings caught within it, and it
does not differentiate between friend and foe. The ghost’s player rolls
Conviction + Melee. Every success increases the diameter of the storm by five
yards. The storm hurts those caught in the area. It deals four dice of lethal
damage if the objects used are sharp and hard and four dice of bashing damage
otherwise (with successes adding to this damage). An entity caught within the
storm of objects can defend against it normally.
Former Life
Destruction Technique
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum
Temperance: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This art — one of the few introduced to
ghostly society by the Deathlords — replicates the
Abyssal Exaltation in that it allows a ghost to hide his true name from
Creation. The ghost hides his name behind a title or an obviously false name
and can never speak or respond to his true name. In return, the character
receives an additional three dice to resist any sorcery or necromancy that
relies on his name or identity. It does not protect him against line-of-sight
magical attacks, however — the character’s identity as “Mavis Karan” is protected, not his identity as “third guy from
the left at that table.”
Staggered Dark
Stars Movement
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Varies (see below)
Type: Simple
Minimum
Compassion: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: Flying Time Technique
Staggered Dark Stars Movement allows a
powerful ghost to take advantage of Setesh’s Calendar
in such a way as to allow hours to pass like moments for himself.
The ghost simply pushes his own path further along Setesh’s
Calendar than those around him. The Charm allows the ghost to “skip” over
minutes or hours. To the ghost, it seems as though time simply jumps forward a
few minutes or hours. To those watching, the ghost seems to disappear, only to
return after a few minutes or hours. The ghost’s player must roll Intelligence
+ Occult, and for every success, the ghost can jump forward up to 30 minutes.
The player rolls and determines the maximum amount of time the character can
leap forward. After that maximum duration is determined, the character picks
any amount of time up to that maximum that he wishes to jump. Note that the
ghost cannot perceive events that happen in the interim, nor can he make
conditional jumps — “jump forward until these guys leave” is not permitted.
This Arcanos is a fine way to escape combat, but the
ghost cannot jump backward. Any time he skips over is forever lost to
him. This Charm can only be used in the Underworld, as Setesh’s
Calendar has no power over Creation.
Hours Like Autumn
Leaves
Cost: 6 motes and 1
Willpower per person
Duration: Varies (see below)
Type: Simple
Minimum
Compassion: 4
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite
Charms: Staggered Dark Stars
Movement
Hours Like Autumn Leaves allows the most
powerful ghosts to pull themselves and nearby companions forward along Setesh’s Calendar. For all ghosts caught in the pull of
this Charm, the world seems to flicker as they jump forward in time. Observers
see all ghosts affected by the Charm vanish, only to reappear later. The player
of the ghost using this Charm must roll Intelligence + Occult and the ghost
must spend 6 motes for himself and every entity to be dragged forward with him,
as well as 1 Willpower per being. For every success,
the whole group can be moved forward in time up to 30 minutes. The player rolls
and determines the maximum amount of time the group can leap forward, and after
that maximum duration is determined, the character picks any amount of time up
to that maximum that he wishes to jump. Note that the ghost cannot perceive
events that happen in the interim, nor can he make conditional jumps — “jump
forward until these guys leave” is not permitted. The total span jumped is at
the discretion of the ghost using this Charm (those brought along have no
control over the span of time over which they jump). Willing subjects of this
Charm should be within 10 yards of the ghost using it. An unwilling subject can
only be brought along if the ghost is physically touching her.
It is rumored that the ghosts of Stygia have a more powerful version of this Charm that
allows ghosts to leap forward years, rather than hours.