Thrown, The Gull
Once, there was a maiden…
…whose shadow fled from her. She chased it over fire stone.
She chased her shadow to a monster’s
mouth. It went right in. It didn’t know how to stop.
The maiden caught her shadow in a deep
cave full of ghosts. It turned into a ball of thorns that wrapped around her.
When the ghosts pricked their fingers on the thorns, they came to life. This
didn’t make anyone very happy.
The maiden made a ladder from the
ghosts’ bones, but it only pointed downward. “Why go on?” her shadow asked.
“I can’t quit now,” said she.
Willful Weapon Method
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Thrown: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sidereal’s eyes reflect a
yellow light as she looks away from the present and toward the pattern of
impending fate. She casts the shadow of her weapon from her hand, and it speeds
toward her target. The player makes an attack roll normally, ignoring penalties
for range and weather. The Sidereal must be able to see the target, and the
attack must be within the weapon’s maximum range (normally triple the listed
range).
Even if the character misses,
the shadow inexorably approaches the target’s heart. The next turn, the
Sidereal can attempt the attack again with a new Thrown roll. This is a normal
action but uses the shadow weapon already in the air. It can be enhanced with
appropriate Charms. This attack ignores range limitations on the weapon.
If the shadow hits, the target
loses two points of temporary Willpower as a spirit-bird screams in the mansion
of the Gull and the house of Endings quietly takes note. In addition, the
character’s weapon appears, quivering, in the target’s chest, doing normal
damage. If the character does not spend a Thrown action every turn on this
Charm, the shadow fades away.
Sidereal Exalted may always use
their Temperance with this Charm.
Life Gets Worse Approach
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Thrown: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character makes the Inferior
Sign of the Gull over his weapon, whispers to it to seek the heart (or some
other desired organ) and throws. This attack adds his Essence to the raw damage
of the attack. In addition, if the weapon hits, it emits a soft yellow radiance
that calls to things traveling through the air. Once per turn, when someone in
range misses with a Thrown or Archery attack, the Exalt can reflexively spends
2 motes to summon the projectile to the wound. The player of the person
responsible for the attack must immediately reflexively reroll the attack
against the target of this Charm. All Charms used on the original attack still
apply except for those inapplicable to the new target and those that allow the
attack to target multiple characters. The Charms need not be paid for again.
Removing the weapon requires a simple Strength + Athletics action and ends the
effects of this Charm. If left alone long enough, the embedded weapon
eventually attracts stray insects, birds and flying debris.
Essence Thorn Practice
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Thrown: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Life Gets
Worse Approach
The blade of a knife is the gate
between life and death. The target’s fate is to suffer its touch. The character
dispenses with the intermediate steps, hurling a blade of Essence up to (his
Essence x 20) yards. It moves at such speed that it cannot be blocked, only
dodged, the wind of its passage dragging the character up to 20 yards in the
direction of its travel. It suffers no penalties from range, has an accuracy
equal to the character’s Essence and does (Strength + 6L) damage. The character
chooses how far the blade pulls him toward the target.
Creatures of the shadowlands have
passed beyond death’s gate, and the Essence Thorn drags them closer to life.
Hit by the blade, they suffer no damage. Instead, convert damage successes one
for one into points of temporary Willpower lost. Such being can be reduced to a
minimum of 0 temporary Willpower. If brought to 0 Willpower by this attack, the
creature suffers hallucinations and disorientation, taking no actions save to
engage in reverie, self-defense or extended self-defense (i.e., escape) for the
remainder of the scene. Abyssal Exalted are alive and take damage. Deathlords
are immune to the Essence Thorn unless already at 0 Willpower when it strikes
them.
Pain Amplification Stratagem
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Thrown: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None
Before making a Thrown attack,
the character touches her weapon to the skin beneath her eye. She bleeds three
drops of blood onto the weapon, symbolizing the sorrow she might theoretically
feel for her impending victim. It is the way of fate that pain begets pain.
Apply the victim’s current wound penalty to the target number for both the
attack and damage rolls. For example, against a character with a -2 wound
penalty, the target number for both rolls would be 5. Sidereal Exalted may always
use their Compassion with this Charm.
Unrelenting Torment Technique
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
health level
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Minimum Thrown: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Willful
Weapon Method, Essence Thorn Practice, Pain Amplification Stratagem
This Charm uses a prayer strip
marked with the scripture of the Maiden and Shadow. The character casts it at
an opponent or object as a Thrown weapon with a range of 100 yards and Accuracy
+0. If it hits, it adheres, wreathing the target in an unpleasant, pulsing
yellow glow. The Exalt can only have one such strip active at any given time,
and it can only affix to someone with hostile intentions toward him.
While this Charm is in effect,
whenever the character takes damage and has at least one mobile hand, a hatchet
of Essence leaps from his hand to attack the target. It passes freely through
obstacles and across any distance up to a quarter mile, screaming like a bird.
There is no roll, and the strike can be averted only by perfect dodges and
perfect parries that are specifically able to block any attack. Ignoring
non-perfect soaks, it inflicts the character’s Essence in dice of unsoakable
lethal damage. For each health level the target loses, the Sidereal heals one
health level ― the harsh fate inflicted upon him has been given to
another. This is a reflexive action and does not count against the character’s
actions for that turn.
Sometimes, it is harder to stop
a terrible journey than to embark upon it. The victim of this Charm suffers an
overpowering, irrational desire to hurt the character. Despite the unpleasant
consequences of each attack, she has difficulty remembering how to stop. Each
turn, to avoid attacking the Sidereal with the greatest force available to her,
her player must succeed at a Willpower roll. It the victim cannot see or hear
the character, the effect subsides. She can spend a temporary Willpower to free
herself from the compulsion until she sees or hears the character again.
Sidereal Exalted may always use
their Conviction with this Charm.