Willful Blood Offering

Willful Blood Offering

Cost: -(1wp or 1lhl); Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Blood Before Surrender

Blood Before Surrender allows an Abyssal to offer blood sacrifice and in exchange the Neverborn bulwarks her mind against attack.  However, repeated use of this Charm results in a corpse, and a dead champion is no champion at all.  Upgrading its prerequisite, this Charm grants the Abyssal a single reflexive attack against anyone in range of a currently readied weapon at the cost of 1 willpower or one lethal health level when resisting mental influence.  This strike uses her normal attack pool and may be supplemented by appropriate Charms as normal.  Lethal or Aggravated levels of damage inflicted by this attack are considered willpower paid to resist the associated mental influence.

If her attack is insufficient to cover the entire willpower cost of resistance she may pay the remaining amount through willpower or her own health levels.  Deathknights suffer no resonance if the willpower cost is paid in its entirety through damage from this Charm or combination of this Charm and its prerequisite.  However, if her attack deals no damage she gains a point of resonance in punishment for a null offering.  This resonance gain is in addition to any suffered through resisting unnatural mental influence.

This power keys off the the inherent harmful nature of the mental influence and as such this charm may not be invoked in response to "attacks" from allies or bound servants.

Abyssal Apotheosis

Very tempted to try to model alternative Abyssal Transcendence Charms off our new Heretical Charms From The Broken Winged Crane.  Part of me thinks they should just be plot devices, though.  Although, arguably they could be actual Character based Custom Charms, not just homebrew.  We'll see what I come up with.

Also, Pyre Dragon Style is on the way, we'll see how long/bright the inspiration is.

Icarus Striking Fist of the Sun

Icarus Striking Fist of the Sun

Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Mirror (Unfaltering Pull of the Void)

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

As the Daystar soars through the sky and brings light to Creation the Unconquered Sun Smiles.  And as he looks down he sees shadows cast by tall objects and is saddened but knows that he must leave them, for it is his purpose to define the Shadow of All Things.  However, as he sees others fly through the sky in emulation of his greatness he sees their shadows magnified.  This angers him.  And in his rage he reaches out from the heavens and smites that which flies through his skies.

This Charm supplements an attack, either Social or Physical, against a flying target touched by sunlight.  This Charm is explicitly allowed to supplement actions of other Abilities.  Regardless of the medium the Crowned Sun rolls (Charisma + Attack Ability) for her attack.  Social attacks supplemented by this Charm should be relevant to forcing the target to cease their flight.  So long as the attack hits, the target's mode of flight is disabled: wings are bound and more esoteric means of flight are choked with essence.  Breaking free of the essence binding them requires a successful (target's choice of [Strength + Athletics] or [Willpower]) at a difficulty of the Solar's (Bureaucracy +2).  Successes from multiple attempts are added together but victims may only make one attempt per action.  Until they break free their source of flight is completely disabled, sending them plummeting toward the ground and taking damage as applicable on impact.

The Abyssal Mirror to this Charm functions identically, though it requires the target be touched by darkness or shadow instead of sunlight, and is enforced by the draw of Oblivion, not the verdict of the Sun.

At Essence 4+ Social attacks empowered by this Charm will bind creatures despite language or thought barriers, even if the Social attack itself is not understood.  Additionally, it may be used on objects to arrest their flight.  Treat the MDV of an object equal to the Feat of Strength required to throw it.

Unholy Essence Empowerment

I'll put the prereqs up later ;)

Unholy Essence Empowerment

Cost: (Essence)lhl; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple(Dramatic Action)

Keywords: None

Duration: Until Completed

Prerequisite Charms: Selective Self Severance

Abyssals are born from death and have found ways to continue to cheat it.  The Winds of the Abyss begin a dramatic action by fashioning (Essence) jars, her Essence in this case, and for the cost of using this Charm, includes her current Essence as well as all those she has sequestered in other jars even if she is cut off from them.  Setting a piece of herself into each (or trinkets, books, jewelry, etc per Severed Heart Investment) she empowers each jar with a piece of this Charm, and her life.

After this 10 minute ritual, she proceeds in cutting the Essence that ties them to her.  This ritual takes one hour, as in Selective Self Severance, regardless of the number of jars she prepares.  Upon completion, the Abyssal looks down on the finished offerings, and knows her fate is sealed.  If she is interrupted at any point during this ritual the Charm ends, the jars shatter, and this Charm is reabsorbed as though she lost the connection.  After resting she must start the ritual from the beginning if she wishes to complete it.

So long as she successfully completes the ritual, she has sealed away a piece of her soul such that she will not drift off to Oblivion, nor rise as a ghost if she is killed.  Instead she is reborn at the end of the scene at one of the jars she just created.  As she dies she intuits the location of each jar and may choose which, at that point, she wishes to act as home to her resurrection.  If, at any point, one of the jars is broken she instinctively knows that her plan has been foiled and that this Charm offers her no protection.  In order to reset her safeguard she must find at least one of the remaining jars, spend 1 willpower for each jar she is missing, and shatter it.  This causes the Charm to forcibly return to her as all remaining jars are likewise destroyed.  At that point she may begin the ritual anew as she desires.

While this Charm will save her from any form of death, even effects that permanently kill spirits, it does have a flaws.  If any of the jars are destroyed before her resurrection, she is lost.  Additionally, for each of these jars within (Essence) miles of another, the delay of her resurrection increases by one interval (One scene, hour, day, week, month, season, year, to a maximum of one decade).  For example, if she creates 5 jars upon learning this Charm, and stores them in two locations, 3 at one and 2 at the other, upon her death she would resurrect after one week at the location she chose while dying.  If any of the jars are broken within that week, her soul drifts to Oblivion and her Exaltation returns to its Monstrance or searches for a new host as applicable.

Upon her resurrection, the jar she chose shatters and she is reborn.  All ties to other jars are cut, she has Essence 1 without a mote pool and cannot access any Charms.  Any possessions that were on her person are absent - left at the place of her death, she has no Intimacies and her Motivation becomes, "Reclaim my former self."  The first jar from this Charm which she reclaims enlightens her Essence once more, allowing her a mote pool appropriate to her current stats and access to any Charms with a minimum Essence requirement of 1.  From that point on each jar from this Charm she reclaims raises her permanent Essence by 1 and gives her access to applicable Charms.  Once she reclaims all of the jars created by use of this Charm she is complete, one Essence point lower than she was prior to her death and cut off from Charms that require her previous Essence level until she repurchases it.

Additionally, while on her quest to reclaim her former glory, any of her jars unrelated to this Charm that she finds she may reconnect to, gaining their power regardless of her current Essence so long as they don't require a minimum Permanent Essence greater than she will have upon completion of her restoration.  If any of the jars created by this Charm are destroyed after her resurrection but before she has a chance to reabsorb them, they merge with her per Severed Heart Investment.

Pin

I've been meaning to write a fictional piece about my favorite character, Sagacious Steel Pincushion.  She's of my own creation, not a canon character.  Anyway, of the people that have stopped in, would anyone be interested in reading it?  Would you prefer "Powers" be described in game terms (She used Improvised Assassin's Trick to fling a small origami crane through her professor's neck...) or just describe it narratively without game terms?

Shadows Like Hallways

Shadows Like Hallways

Cost: 4m; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Action-Only

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Shadow Cloak Technique

In the nightmares of the Neverborn dead ends are doorways and shadows conceal alternate paths.  Stepping into a shadow or against the wall of a dead end and activating this Charm allows the Abyssal to step out of any shadow or dead end within (Essence + Stealth) * 5 yards that she could otherwise walk to (i.e. she cant step into a fully enclosed space).  If she attempts to reestablish surprise directly after this movement add (yards moved / 10) automatic successes to her roll.

Strobing Shadow Concealment

Strobing Shadow Concealment
Cost: 3m; Mins: Stealth: 4, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: One Scene

Prerequisite Charms: Shadow Cloak Technique

In the extended absence of light creatures get used to the darkness, they adapt.  No Abyssal would ever actively shine light, but she may conceal her shadow - for a moment.  After invoking this Charm the Abyssal's shadow sputters with essence, rapidly shifting between shrouding her surroundings in blackness and disappearing entirely.  This strobing effect allows the Daywalkers to reestablish surprise regardless of their surroundings, though it does make it obvious that a monster is near.  Without other magic this effect ends when the Abyssal's anima reaches the 8+ mote level; while a candle may flicker a bonfire may never be obscured.



At Essence 3+ those engulfed by this Charm's effects also suffer a -(Essence/2) external penalty to notice anyone hidden in the area and a -1 external penalty to parry and dodge DVs against all attacks.

Waiting

Currently reinstalling Eclipse and the VE package so I can create a Charm compiler that's been running around in my head for a little while now.  Might delay Charm writing, we'll see how it goes, and what I'm feeling inspired to work on.

Plague-Bearer's Masque

Kicking it off.

Plague-Bearer's Masque

Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Dramatic)

Keywords: Compulsion, Sickness

Duration: Indefinite

Prerequisite Charms: Pestilence-Bearing Touch

There are times when introducing a disease to a community and allowing it to run its course is enough.  Other times it's preferable to draw a crowd and contaminate them all at once.  Activating this Charm the Abyssal dons a caricature of a disease she has imbibed through Plague-Eating Kiss, taking a 10 minute dramatic action and requiring an (Intelligence + Medicine) roll at a difficulty one lower than the disease's Virulence.  From that point on, everyone who sees the Abyssal who's DMDV is lower than the successes she rolled gains a Compulsion to follow her.  It costs (1 + Circle of the Disease) willpower to resist this unnatural mental influence.  Characters who succumb follow until the scene ends or the Abyssal flares her anima totemic.

Upon flaring her anima, everyone bathed in its dark majesty must roll (Stamina + Resistance).  Garnering more successes than the Abyssal's original roll saves them from the effects of the chosen disease, failure results with infection.  Targets that fail the roll by the diseases Virulence or more skip the incubation period and must immediately check against its Untreated Morbidity, while characters who botch automatically fail this roll.  Knowledgeable Abyssals with grand libraries of stored diseases have been known to take out entire cities in a matter of days through use of this Charm, leaving only rotting corpses and funeral pyres - failed attempts at halting her enfeebling attack.

Purpose

I'll post Charms and other custom Exalted Material here.  I claim no right to Exalted material that I haven't written myself.  Everything published here is my own work based on the White-Wolf product.