Essence-Measuring Thief Arts

 

Aura-Reading Technique

Cost: 2 motes

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 1

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: None

Aura-Reading Technique allows a ghost to see how much Essence another being — be it a ghost, another spirit or an Exalted — contains within her. Use of Aura-Reading Technique requires a successful Perception + Larceny roll. If the roll is successful, the ghost can perceive the aura of anything he looks at for a single scene. This allows the ghost to literally see the Essence burbling within the target. The ghost cannot do anything about this, nor can he share his vision with another. However, this technique does allow him to assess those he comes in contact with quickly.

To a ghost using Aura-Reading Technique, the color of the target's aura correlates to the amount of Essence she contains. The "aura" the Arcanos displays is not a true aura. Rather, it is a colorful display that, to the ghost's eyes, appears to overlay the target's silhouette. It is visible regardless of ambient light, but the ghost must be aware of the target's presence before he can use Aura-Reading Technique. In other words, it this Charm cannot be used for detection, only assessment.

Color                      Number of Motes

Black                      Zero

Indigo                    1-5

Green                      5-10

Yellow                    10-20

Orange                   20-40

Red                  40+

There is no way for the target of an Aura-Reading Technique to know that she has been spied upon in this manner. The Technique has an effective range equal to the ghost's sight range, and as such, ghosts skilled in its usage are often used as lookouts by the Deathlords.

 

Delicious Essence Scent

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 1

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Aura-Reading Technique

Delicious Essence Scent does not allow a ghost to determine how much Essence someone contains. Rather, it enables the ghost to sniff out living sources of Essence. To use Delicious Essence Scent, the ghost spends a mote of Essence, and his player makes a Perception + Dexterity roll (difficulty 2). A success immediately fills the ghost's nostrils with the scent of Essence, which the ghost can follow to its source. The stronger the source, the more potent the trail, and the easier it is for the ghost to follow. The ghost's player makes a Perception + Temperance roll, with a difficulty equal to (4 - the permanent Essence of the target [minimum 1]). If the roll is successful, the ghost is aware of the character's location and permanent Essence. The power has a range of 100 yards.

As the ghost is detecting pure Essence, Delicious Essence Scent pierces illusions, veils and disguises that do not also cloak the character's magical nature. If anything living is within range, Delicious Essence Scent can find it.

 

Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Temperance: 1

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Delicious Essence Scent

Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch lets a ghost absorb another ghost's Essence through the brush of a fingertip. Any touch is sufficient to let the ghost drain the target's energies, though it must, in fact, be a touch. Mere proximity is not enough for Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch to work. To use Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch, the ghost must succeed on an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack, which need do no damage.

When the power activates, the player of the ghost makes a difficulty 2 Manipulation + Larceny roll. Each success on the roll strips away 2 motes of Essence from the victim. This Essence does not flow to the ghost. Rather, it dissipates and can be used by no one. When Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch is used by several ghosts in conjunction, it is a deadly tactic. In particular, it is a favorite tool of hungry ghosts, who use it to swarm victims under when hunting. This Charm only works on ghosts and beings of a ghostly nature.

 

Feeding The Lamprey’s Appetite

Cost: 1 Willpower

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch

Feeding the Lamprey's Appetite makes use of the delicious Essence wasted by Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch. After this Arcanos is invoked, at any point later in the turn, the ghost may make a Temperance roll (difficulty 1). A success lets her absorb a number of motes equal to half the number stripped from the target. These motes are then available for her use, if necessary allowing her to retrigger Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch.

 

Ravening Life-Force Hunger

Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Temperance: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch

Ravening Life-Force Hunger removes the protection the living have against the scourge of Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch. Not only does Ravening Life-Force Hunger affect ghosts, it also affects other spirits, Exalted and any other beings unfortunate enough to encounter it. The ghost must be materialized for the power to work, however. The technique for using Ravening Life-Force Hunger is precisely identical to that for Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch. Each success on the Manipulation + Larceny roll dissipates 2 motes of Essence for each success. The Essence dissipates and cannot be used by anyone. Non-Essencechannelers who are affected by this Charm have their breath disrupted. Those whose players succeed at a Stamina + Endurance roll (difficulty 3) will survive, those whose players fail will be incapacitated by chills and mad hallucinations by the time the sun next crosses the horizon. They will die in (their Stamina) days unless they are tended by a character with Medicine 3 or higher who can correct their disrupted life rhythms.

 

Blood-Drinking Thirst

Cost: 1 Willpower + 1 Willpower per activation

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 2

Minimum Essence:2

Prerequisite Charms: Ravening Life-Force Hunger

Blood-Drinking Thirst does not literally drain blood or, indeed, any fluid from the victim, but it does allow the ghost to steal the strength of a being besides another ghost. It makes available for the ghost's use the Essence drained by Ravening Life-Force Hunger. When this Arcanos is active, whenever the ghost uses Ravening Life-Force Hunger or Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch, she can spend a Willpower for her player to make a reflexive Temperance roll (difficulty 1). Success lets her absorb a number of motes equal to the number stripped from the target, which are instantly available for her use. Her Essence cannot be increase beyond its maximum through the use of this Charm.

 

Blending The Streams Of Essence

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Temperance: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch

Blending the Streams of Essence reverses the flow of energy from Essence-Devouring Ghost Touch. Instead of draining Essence from the victim, Blending the Streams of Essence allows a ghost to give some of her own energy to another ghost, which he can then use for whatever purpose he desires. This energy can be used instantly by the recipient.

Using Blending the Streams of Essence requires a physical touch. If the target resists, it must be delivered as part of a successful unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack, which need do no damage. Once physical contact is made, the donor ghost's player must succeed on a Temperance roll (difficulty 1). If it succeeds, she may transfer a number of motes equal to her Willpower rating to the intended recipient. He can, if he chooses, refuse the infusion, in which case the Essence is lost. The Essence given comes from the ghost's own pool, and the ghost can never reduce her temporary Essence pool below 1 with his Charm.

Blending the Streams of Essence can only be used on one ghost per scene. It is only effective on ghosts, and any attempt to use it on a living being wastes the ghost's energies.

 

Feeding Life's Fountain

Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Blending the Streams of Essence

Feeding Life's Fountain allows a ghost to transfer his Essence to a living recipient. All of the rules and restrictions of Blending the Streams of Essence apply. If used on non-Essence-channelers, the effect is one of extreme good health and lasts for (the Essence of the ghost activating the Arcanos x the number of motes spent) days. The victim will have one automatic success on all Stamina + Resistance or Stamina + Endurance rolls to resist illness or poisoning and will not become ill from fatigue even if they eat badly or live under bad conditions. Living recipients are also very fertile, and it is through this Charm that ancestors answer their descendents' fertility problems.

This Charm cannot cure actual sterility, only reproductive difficulties. Giving birth to the child is often difficult for or fatal to the mother if she had difficulty bearing live children or carrying them to term.

 

Filling The Precious Vial

Cost: 7 motes + 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Temperance: 3

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Blending the Streams of Essence

Masters of this technique create the gems and crystals laden with Essence that fuel the Underworld's society. Filling the Precious Vial is nothing less than the ability to take one's own Essence and pour it into an inanimate container for anyone to use.

Putting this power to use requires both the preparation of a suitable container, such as an Essence-containing gem or soulfire crystal and a Perception + Larceny roll (difficulty 2). Before the roll, the ghost's player must announce the number of motes to be invested in the object. If the roll is a success, the motes are expended and the Essence is sealed in the container. Containers used for holding Essence are rare and delicate things. Soulfire crystals are the most popular, followed by Essence-containing gems, though there are other options such as small carvings and mirrors that enjoy a certain amount of popularity. An Essence container that is cracked, however, is liable to go up in a massive explosion, doing one level of lethal damage per mote stored inside to anyone within 10 feet of the blast.

If the Willpower point is not spent activating this Charm, the Vial is still filled, but it will leak a mote a day. The expenditure of the Willpower seals the Vial and traps the Essence inside.