Craft, The Peacock
Once, there was a maiden…
…who met a thing that lived outside the
world, and there was a beauty to it.
It burned with an unholy wrath that
could destroy Creation.
It hated her as much as it loved her.
Its kiss was blood and perfection, for
its teeth were sharp.
It offered her power, and with it, hooks
to tear her soul.
With care not to burn fingers, she took
it into her life.
“Love is what you make of it,” said she.
Elegant Patterns Of Fate
Cost: 2 motes per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Craft: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
Sidereals can normally use an
Intelligence + Craft (Fate) roll to design aesthetic weaves of events and
circumstances that appeal to the various planning committees as means for
untangling the snarls in the Loom of Fate. However, shaping these weaves so
that they still further the character’s personal goals, by the time everyone
involved sets their stamp on the project, requires a supernatural insight into
the bureaucracy of Heaven. This Charm provides that insight.
Elegant Patterns of Fate adds up to the character’s Essence in dice to the Craft roll
and allows the result to steer the course of events. This uses the normal rules
for using Craft to plan projects. The character literally designs a blueprint
for the future. The difficulty depends on the scale and precision of the
design. The number of successes provides a rough measure of its quality and
robustness. Each success represents one horrible fluke, one heroic effort to
escape the web of fate or one clash with the efforts of the Yozis or Malfeans
that the character’s plan endures.
Many such designs go into any
given day’s fate. A number of Sidereal Exalted have
this Charm. Spirits with the Creation of Perfection Charm can also compete at
the destiny-designing game. Treat the relevant rolls as explicitly opposed but
only to see what happens when two plans conflict. For example, if one plan
focuses on the death of Cathak Cainan of House Cathak and the transfer of his
power to his son, while another relies on Cainan’s support for a joint venture
with House V’neef, the opposed roll decides whether he lives or dies. However,
even if he lives, his power likely drifts into his son’s hands. Even if he
dies, House Cathak probably supports the joint venture.
Members of the Eclipse and
Moonshadow Castes can learn this Charm, but it does them no good unless someone
submits their proposals to the Bureau of Destiny.
Excellent Implementation Of Objectives
Cost: 8 motes + 1 mote per
target number reduction
Duration: Varies
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Craft: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Elegant
Patterns of Fate
Having planned some work of
mundane or magical craftsmanship, the character weaves that plan into the more
general design for the world. This ensures a swift and precise implementation.
The Charm can reduce the target number of the final Dexterity + Craft or
Intelligence + Craft roll. Also, the Sidereal divides the required construction
time by her Essence.
World-Shaping Artistic Vision
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Craft: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
Characters with this Charm
develop skill in manipulating fate in a specific, personal fashion. Each
purchase of this Charm creates a circumstance ― with the same breadth as
a specialty ― during which she automatically reduces the target number of
all her actions by 1. The character can purchase this Charm up to three times,
applying it to the same circumstance or to a new one each time. There is no
cost to use this Charm’s effects ― learning this Charm simply enhances
the Exalt’s capabilities.
A Sidereal’s appearance often
shifts subtly as she develops this Charm. For example, a character with a
specialty at fate alteration “In Cities” becomes more urbane. A character who specializes in using fate “Against Demons” develops a
martial appearance. A gleam in her Maiden’s color may skate down the starmetal
of her sword when a demon’s presence is revealed.
Destiny-Knitting Entanglement
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Craft: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms:
World-Shaping Artistic Vision
The character can intertwine the
fate of objects with her own, binding to her a total number of objects no
greater than her Craft (Fate) score. To bind an object, she must handle it for
an hour. This has no cost. Afterward, at any time, she can spend 2 motes of
Essence to learn a general description of the object’s circumstances ―
information on the order of “in a guarded vault in a rich man’s house in the
Scavenger Lands” or “traveling through the Wyld in the hands of a Lunar Exalt.”
Given basic knowledge of its situation, she can instead spend 2 Essence to call
it back into her hands, describing a reasonable method by which fate could
bring it closer to her. For example, “one of the guards decides he must have it
for his own, steals it and flees the city to avoid retribution.” This might not
work, but something happens. If the guards are incorruptible, one experiences
a strong temptation. An incompetent guard might steal it but get caught. If the
character tries often enough, though, she eventually succeeds. She can freely
release the binding on an object that no longer interests her.
In combat, the character can use
this Charm and a stunt to recall a lost weapon or object into her hands. For
example, a stumbling enemy might kick her daiklave back into her grasp, or a
bracer fallen over a cliff might rise back up on a hybroc’s head even as the
character dives for it.
Elemental Vision
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Craft: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
Each Maiden has an elemental
association. The character learns to manipulate this element, automatically
reducing the target number for all dealings with appropriate spirits and
elementals by 2 and with appropriate Dragon-Blooded by 1. Chosen of Journeys
reduce their target number for dealings with air. For Serenity, this applies to
wood; for Battles, fire; for Secrets, water; and for Endings, earth. There is
no cost to use this Charm’s effects ― learning this Charm simply enhances
the Exalt’s capabilities. Learning this Charm requires the relevant Maiden’s
approval.
Mending Warped Designs
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Craft: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character can patch damage
to the local pattern of fate. The Sidereal’s player rolls Dexterity + Craft
(Fate). Each success heals one health level that the target lost to a creature
or effect of Malfeas, the Underworld or the Wyld. Alternately, success can heal
minor debilitating effects caused by such creatures, requiring one success for
each mote of Essence spent on that harm. Thus, three successes can break a
demon’s Possession Charm, while 60 successes can heal a region wounded by a
Deathlord’s Rain of Doom.
This Charm has a limited ability
to counter the direct effects of the Wyld. Five successes can cleanse a Wyld
pox. Twenty successes can remove a stronger Wyld mutation or Taint. Fifty
successes can cleanse a small region within Creation of Wyld influence.
This Charm does not permit
extended rolls, but multiple Sidereal Exalted can apply it in the same turn,
adding their successes. Sidereal Exalted may always use their Valor with this
Charm.
Implicit Construction Methodology
Cost: 20 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
health level
Duration: Varies
Type: Simple
Minimum Craft: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Excellent
Implementation of Objectives, Destiny-Knitting Entanglement, Elemental Vision,
Mending Warped Designs
This Charm uses a long prayer
strip marked with the scripture of Lover and Maiden. Having planned
construction of some item and evaluated the available materials, the character
twists the prayer strip and binds it around his wrists. It transforms into a
band of cold blue light, slowly twisting and slithering around the bound
extremities. The Sidereal suffers a +2 difficulty penalty to actions using his
hands for the duration of this Charm.
This Charm extends the Excellent
Implementation of Objectives Charm. Instead of encouraging the swift
implementation of the Exalt’s design through fate, destiny literally constructs
the object for him as it ticks, second by second, into the world. Ignoring the
normal mechanisms by which things happen, the components of the design assemble
and mold themselves, needing no direct intervention. The process takes a scene
for mundane construction, a day for works involving the Magical Materials and a
month for massive projects such as Manses and artifact ships. This Charm does
not allow the Exalt to work with moonsilver.
The character automatically
receives a perfect success on his Craft pool for building the item: All dice
come up successes. In addition, all extra successes from the planning phase
carry over as additional successes on the Craft roll. However, this form of
Craft is not an extended action. The character cannot achieve any further successes
through additional uses of this Charm or by making Craft rolls. Also, the Charm
only shapes what is present. The character must procure the materials to be
fabricated.
The character must have both the
relevant Craft and Craft (Fate) at 4 or higher to use this Charm. Sidereal
Exalted may always use their Compassion with this Charm.