Performance
Charms
Respect Commanding
Attitude
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
This Charm allows a character to command
the respect of an audience. While they may not be swayed by his arguments or
impressed by his performance, they will pay him heed and refrain from heckling
him or leaving the venue in significant numbers prior to the end of the
performance.
Unruly Mob Dispersing
Rebuke
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Respect Commanding
Attitude
Violent mobs can endanger even the Exalted.
Their numbers can drag down even the mightiest of the
Through the use of this Charm, a character
can deliver a stern rebuke and shatter the inertia holding an angry mob
together. Without significant further impetus, the crowd will disperse. This
Charm does nothing to an organized or disciplined force.
Rout-Stemming
Gesture
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: 3 turns
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Unruly Mob Dispersing
Rebuke
If an angry mob is a danger to its victims,
then a stampeding crowd or a routing unit is a danger to everyone in the
vicinity. The crush of a panicked crowd will clog a door and leave no room for
escape, where an orderly exit would have saved most or even all of the persons
involved. A routing unit will shatter, leaving its members vulnerable to
attacks that could never have been pressed home against the formation. When
using this Charm, the character burns with an incandescent blaze of Essence,
radiating power and reassurance. All those within a radius of (10 x the Exalted’s Essence rating) yards are immediately steadied.
Those who have failed Valor checks can roll again, and characters who must make
new Valor checks are assumed to succeed. Rout-Stemming Gesture can even
overcome supernatural panic, such as that caused by the Terrifying Apparition
of Glory Charm or by the anima power of a Dawn Caste Solar Exalted.
Fury Inciting
Presence
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Unruly Mob Dispersing
Rebuke
The persuasive power of an Exalted channeling
Essence into Social Charms can raise mobs as well as disperse them. With 10 to
20 minutes of haranguing a crowd on nearly any subject, an Exalted can whip the
listeners into an angry mob. A mob raised in this fashion lasts a number of
hours equal to the character’s Essence rating but (like a natural mob) will
disperse if subjected to organized opposition that cannot be immediately
overwhelmed or if the mob is left idle without things to smash or burn for more
than 10 or 20 minutes.
Heroism-Encouraging
Presence
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Fury Inciting Presence
The Solar Exalted can inspire far more than
simple mob violence. An Exalted in battle can radiate the confidence and the
surety of the Unconquered Sun, lifting the souls of those around her and
inspiring them to feats of great heroism. All friendly troops within a radius
equal to the character’s Essence x 100 yards are affected. While subject to this
Charm, assume that individual soldiers all operate with a bonus die to all
combat-related dice pools from improved morale and do not fail Valor rolls. The
effect on the overall outcome of the battle is up to the Storyteller to decide,
but it should have considerable influence.
Tiger-Warrior
Training Technique
Cost: 10 motes, 2 Willpower
Duration: One week
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Heroism-Encouraging
Presence, Rout-Stemming Gesture
Actual combat is only the end of a long
process that begins with the recruitment and training of the soldiers. Exalted
who know the Tiger-Warrior Training Technique Charm can take even the worst
gutter-sweepings or bandits and train them into a deadly, disciplined fighting
force. Characters may supervise the training of up to (their Essence rating x
100) soldiers in a given week. Soldiers trained for one or more months by
Exalted using this Charm should be treated as elite troops — they are
well-disciplined, have ratings of at least 3 in the relevant combat Abilities,
at least one specialty, Valor ratings of at least 3 and at least one Physical
Attribute at 3. Already-trained troops or troops trained for more than one
month can excel even these ratings.
Masterful Performance
Exercise
Cost: 2 motes per success
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Performance: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The character channels Essence through his
voice or his instrument, enhancing his delivery and making the final result
flow far more effectively than it would naturally. To use this Charm, the
player first makes a regular Charisma + Performance roll for the character.
Then, the player may “buy” additional successes, up to (the character’s
permanent Essence rating + the number of successes rolled on the Charisma +
Performance roll). Each success bought in this fashion costs 2 motes of
Essence.
Phantom-Conjuring
Performance
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Performance: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Masterful Performance
Exercise, Respect-Commanding Attitude
A character who possesses this Charm can
give a performance so compelling that it plays out in the form of phantom
images that swirl through the air around her. If it is a narrative performance,
then the images illustrate the narrative, while if it is an abstract
performance, then the images simply underscore and highlight the performance.
Typically, this adds a number of dice equal to the character’s Essence rating
to the player’s next Charisma + Performance roll. Note that the images actually
appear, fading in and out of existence around the character. This Charm is
compatible with Masterful Performance Exercise.
Heart-Compelling
Method
Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Performance: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Masterful Performance
Exercise
The character can channel Essence through
her performance to evoke a certain emotion in those who witness it. The player
chooses the emotion to be evoked, which may be anger, fear, pride, happiness,
jealousy or whatever else the player wishes. He then makes a Manipulation +
Performance roll for the character. Targets with a Willpower lower than the
number of successes the player achieves on this roll are overcome with the
emotion in question and act accordingly. Those with Willpower below twice the
number of successes rolled may make a Willpower roll to resist the emotion. Those
whose Willpower is greater than twice the number of successes are unaffected.
Memory Reweaving
Discipline
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Heart-Compelling
Method, Phantom-Conjuring Performance
This Charm allows a character to weave a
narrative so plausible and so compelling that those who hear it forget the
truth of a matter and come to believe the narrative. The player makes a
Manipulation + Performance roll. The number of successes determines how much
evidence to the contrary the target must be confronted with before he is able
to shake off the lingering effects of the Charm. For each success, the target
must be presented with one piece of evidence that contradicts the narrative. A
Solar Exalted in a situation where there is very little clear evidence can
effectively rewrite history with a little careful planning.
Note that this Charm need not be used as
part of a performance, per se. Characters who know it can use also it during
conversation, making them quite dangerous in the world of courtly intrigue.
Commanding The Ideal Celestial Army
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:
Heroism-Encouraging Presence
One of the
greatest dangers of warfare is troops being out of touch with their commander.
This Charm allows the caster to shout a short message to every soldier under
her command. All friendly troops within a radius equal to the caster’s Essence
x 100 yards will hear the message. The message must be possible to call out
during a single turn of combat and cannot contain more than a dozen words. In
general, only its intended targets can hear it; opponents will not hear the message
unless they are within earshot of the character using this Charm.
General Of The All-Seeing Sun
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army
As with Commanding
the Ideal Celestial Army, a character using this Charm can give an order
audible to all troops under her command. In addition, the instant before she
gives the order, she receives impressions of how the battle is going on every
front. The character is aware of any weakness in her lines and of which troops
(if any) can safely be moved elsewhere. This knowledge combined with the
ability to give a short command (two dozen words or less) to either the entire
army or to any section of it ― for example, “the cavalry” or “the troops
on the left flank” ― enables the character to exercise amazing control
over her soldiers.
Ideal
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One
scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite
Charms: General of the All-Seeing Sun
The fog of war is
banished for those who are truly blessed by the Unconquered Sun. For the rest
of the scene, a character using this Charm knows how all areas of the battle
are going and is instantly aware of any weakness in his lines or of any troops
who have crushed their opponents. The character can, or by any specific portion
of it to which he wishes to give orders. This ability to continuously direct
the battle gives all soldiers under the character’s command one additional die
for all combat-related rolls and reduces by 1 the difficulty of all Valor rolls
made by those same troops.
Gender-Concealing Meditation
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: Phantom-Conjuring Performance
Sometimes, there
are places that a woman can go that a man cannot, and vice-versa. This Charm
helps an Exalted overcome such problems through disguise. By applying Essence
to the task, the
Graceful Reed Dancing
Cost: 2 motes per
success
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum
Performance: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The character
channels Essence through his body, enhancing his sense of rhythm and making his
dance a riveting display. To use this Charm, the character must be performing a
dance. The player first makes a regular Charisma + Performance roll for the
character. Then, the player may “buy” additional successes, up to (the
character’s permanent Essence rating + the number of successes rolled on his
Charisma + Performance roll). Each success bought in this fashion costs 2 motes
of Essence. Graceful Reed Dancing is not compatible with Masterful Performance
Exercise, as it is basically the same Charm for a different mode of
Performance.
Husband-Seducing Demon’s Dance
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One
scene
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Gender-Concealing Meditation, Graceful Reed Dancing
This Charm raises
the art of seduction through dance to a supernatural level. So long as an Exalt
using this Charm continues to dance, all who watch the performance see him or
her as the most desirable being possible, regardless of their sexual
preference. They are unwilling to harm the Chosen and are likely to behave
irrationally in an attempt to impress the Solar. This Charm is ineffective on
beings with an Essence higher than the Exalted invoking the power. The Charm
does not work on characters who are in combat or who otherwise have reason to
believe the Exalt means them harm. Overtly hostile acts on the part of the
dancing character dispel the Charm’s effect.
Divine Performance Style
Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Husband-Seducing Demon’s Dance
By combining song
and dance with the art of seduction, the Exalted invoking this Charm weaves a
spell of influence over a chosen target. Like Husband-Seducing Demon’s Dance,
this Charm starts with a masterful performance by the Exalted. This performance
includes both song and dance and is directed at a specific individual.
Regardless of the specific genders of the Exalted and the target, the target
will be entranced by the extreme desirability of the performer.
Other observers of
the Divine Performance will be affected much as if observing the
Husband-Seducing Demon’s Dance, but the Charm will have no overt effect on
them. Against the chosen target, however, there is an extended effect. The Exalt’s player rolls Charisma + Performance and compares
the resulting number of successes against the target’s permanent Willpower.
Other Charms may be used to enhance this Performance roll, including the
Masterful Performance Exercise.
If the Chosen
achieves more successes than the target’s permanent Willpower, the target will
be particularly vulnerable to the influence of the performer for a number of
days. The duration of this influence is equal to the difference between the Exalt’s permanent Essence and the target’s. While under the
influence of the Divine Performance, a victim is at a -1 Essence with regard to
the use of mind-controlling or –affecting Charms by the Exalt. For example, if the
Exalted achieves 10 successes against a target with a Willpower of 7, the
target will be a -1 Essence penalty for 3 days.
Beings with
Essence 1 who have their Essence reduced become the infatuated thralls of the
Exalt for the duration of the effect. They will not kill themselves (though
they may easily be manipulated into doing so), but they will perform almost any
other act, even the most foolish or foolhardy.
The Essence
penalty does not stack with other uses of Divine Performance Style, but the
Exalt can use Divine Performance again before a previous application has
expired to extend its duration. In this case, the new result replaces the older
one, even if it is lower. With proper planning, an Exalted performer can keep
one or more target entranced indefinitely.
King Of Masks Technique
Cost: Special
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
Through the use of
this Charm, the Exalted weaves a complicated false identity around herself. The
identity is complete with a detailed history and natural personality traits.
Mere conversation cannot detect any flaws in the identity. In fact, the
infallibility of the identity is perfect until the Exalted chooses to drop the
façade or she is faced with an investigative intellect that is likewise
Charm-enhanced. King of Masks Technique provides no resistance to interrogation
techniques.
When invoking the
Charm, the Exalted crafts a back-story for herself and her player makes a
Intelligence + Performance roll, adding one automatic success for each mote of
Essence she chooses to invest. The total number of successes is the number of
successes an investigator must achieve to see through the false identity, but
this can never exceed twice the character’s Intelligence + Performance pool.
Only Charm-enhanced Investigation rolls will reduce this pool of successes, but
all such investigations are cumulative. The Fair Folk and beings with Essence
higher than the character are immune to the effects of this Charm.
At the time of an
identity’s creation, the Exalted may spend one experience point to make the
identity permanent. The character may resume a permanent identity at any time
by spending half as many motes of Essence as she originally spent creating the
identity. Persistent investigators can wear away at and eventually destroy
permanent identities. If an identity is pierced, then the experience point is
lost. Permanent identities can be investigated even when the character is not
using them. Motes of Essence spent creating a permanent identity are not
committed after the identity is first “put aside,” but whenever the character
resumes the identity, the Essence she pays to resume it is committed while she
uses the identity.
This Charm cannot
be used to mimic specific individuals. It can only create fictional identities.
An Exalted may have as many permanent identities as she has points of permanent
Essence.
Impenetrable Identity
Cost: 10+ motes, 1
experience point
Duration: Special
Type: Simple
Minimum
Performance: 5
Minimum Presence:
3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: King of Masks Technique
Impenetrable
Identity is initially identical to King of Masks Technique, but with some
significant enhancements. First of all, while using Impenetrable Identity, the
Exalted becomes the role he has chosen. While the Charm is in effect, he
consciously and even subconsciously believes he is the role he has adopted.
Interrogation techniques that do not have a magical basis are useless for
discovering the Chosen’s true identity because the character has no idea that
he is not his cover identity.
When invoking the
Charm, the Exalted crafts a back-story for himself and makes a Intelligence +
Performance roll, adding two automatic successes for each moth of Essence,
beyond the base cost of 10, she chooses to invest. As with King of Masks
Technique, the number of successes can never exceed twice the character’s
Intelligence + Performance pool. Normal investigation and interrogation is
useless against Impenetrable Identity, and when Charm-enhanced interrogation or
investigation is used to attack an Impenetrable Identity, only half the
investigator’s successes, rounded down, count for reducing the success pool.
At the time the
Charm is invoked, the Chosen may set any number of conditions that will
automatically restore her original identity. This can include a time period,
arrival at a specific location, spoken key words or any other triggering event
that the character chooses to specify prior to assuming the Impenetrable
Identity. There can be as many triggering conditions as the character wishes,
and if they are at all complex, they should be written down to prevent
disputes. The identity also ends automatically if anyone can pierce it and
prove it to be false. When the identity ends, it is gone forever, and the
experience point is lost.