Resistance, The Shield

 

Once, there was a maiden…

…who struck an iron wall until it shattered her hand.

She did not stop, though cracks spread throughout her bones.

She did not stop, though blood sprayed her eyes.

She did not stop until she shattered the wall.

“Survival is fury,” she said.

 

Red Haze

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Five days

Type: Simple

Minimum Resistance: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: None

Motes of crimson starlight fall in a mist over all things the character can see, warping the Essence of mortals, spirits, Exalted and even inanimate objects with furious opposition to the Primordial foe. Inhabitants of Malfeas and the Underworld lose one die from all rolls to affect creatures and places thus blessed. Rolls made defending against these enemies gain one die.

 

Someone Else’s Destiny

Cost: 4 motes + 1 mote per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Resistance: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: None

Hissing, the character expels the effects of any poison or drug affecting her, including alcohol, onto a future enemy. Her player adds up to the character’s Essence in dice to a Resistance roll made to avoid the poison’s effects. If the roll succeeds, the substance ceases to exist, except as a memo attached to her fate. It reappears, coalescing around her weapon, a moment before the next physical attack she makes that lets her player roll at least one die of lethal or aggravated damage. The full quantity of that poison or drug enters the bloodstream of that person she hit, with its normal effects.

 

Water And Fire Legion

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 health level

Duration: Until Calibration

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Resistance: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: None

With a reflexive sacrifice of pain, the character binds fire or water to the defense of fate. If she touches a flame, flame cannot burn or suffocate her for the duration of the Charm. If she touches a body of water, water cannot freeze, boil, sicken or drown her. Her allies and the things she cares for also fall under this protection.

In addition, while touching a spirit or elemental of fire or water ― which may require a Brawl or Martial Arts action ― the character can reflexively invoke this Charm. Her player rolls Charisma + Resistance against a difficulty equal to the spirit’s Essence to coerce it into service. This service must take the form of protecting something reasonably concrete. The Sidereal dictates what the spirit must protect. The spirit cannot retaliate for the Charm’s duration. This Charm automatically expires at Calibration, and cannot be applied during that time. Sidereal Exalted may always use their Conviction with this Charm.

 

Shield Of Mars

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Resistance: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: None

Snarling fate with a twist of her hand, the character passes damage she might have suffered on to another. After damage is rolled but before it is applied, the Sidereal’s player makes a reflexive Dexterity + Resistance roll. Each two successes allow the Exalt to transfer one level of undodgeable, unblockable and unsoakable damage to her attacker or one of her attacker’s allies (who must be present) rather than taking it herself. She cannot transfer more damage than she originally took. She transfers bashing damage to others as bashing damage. She transfers lethal and aggravated damage to others as lethal damage. If her target uses a perfect dodge such as Seven Shadow Evasion, a perfect block such as the Heavenly Guardian Defense or a perfect soak Charm such as the Adamant Skin Technique, neither the target nor the Sidereal suffer the transferred damage.

 

Storm’s Eye Stance

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 health level

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Resistance: 4

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Red Haze, Someone Else’s Destiny, Water and Fire Legion, Shield of Mars

This Charm uses a prayer strip marked with the scripture of the One-Handed Maiden. The character casts it into the air and night’s darkness falls around her. The prayer strip burns like a hot coal, hovering near her and casting a flickering red light over the side of her face. When any effect does her harm, the Exalt can tangle the destiny of any number of visible targets with her own. This is a reflexive action costing 3 motes per target. She invokes this effect after all damage or deleterious effects are rolled but before they are applied. Her targets suffer the same effects from the attack as the Exalt. Only perfect dodges such as Seven Shadow Evasion, perfect blocks such as the Heavenly Guardian Defense and perfect soak Charms such as the Adamant Skin Technique protect against this Charm.