Crosspost

Mark of the End to Come
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 4; Type: PermanentKeywords: IllusionDuration: PermanentPrerequisite Charms: God-Slaying Torment
Each death an Abyssal causes is a message to everything in Creation that it is next. This Charm allows the Shadow of the Abyss to make this message explicit to anyone who ventures on the corpse of her victim.

Upon dealing enough damage to kill her target she may activate God-Slaying Torment, and commit the motes indefinitely, to cut all her victim’s ties to fate or any other construct that enforces causality. The target’s corpse stays exactly as it was, still visible but otherwise unable to be affected. Material and immaterial creatures alike may pass through it as if it weren’t there.

In addition to searing the image of her victim into reality, the first time in a scene that anyone witnesses the corpse they are filled with the memories of his death as an unnatural Illusion that costs 2 willpower to resist. The Abyssal may include or ignore any details from the scene of his death, of which she is aware, in this image. In addition to the memory, witnesses see the corpse flash with the Abyssal’s totemic anima - marking her as his murderer. Mortals react as normal for viewing an 

Abyssal’s iconic aura (MoEP: Abyssals, 101).

Magical possessions and Celestial Exaltations are immune to the effects of this Charm and are not held in place. All effects of this Charm end when the Abyssal releases the motes committed, leaving behind a plain, if well preserved, corpse.

Abyssal/Slayer toys!

Crossposted on exalted forums

Prison Yard Bracelets ****
Even in the face of death one must never submit. This artifact, a pair of Soulsteel shackles with broken Starmetal keys rattling inside, allows an Exalt to subvert the control of others with false submission. The wielder, attuned for 6m, may reflexively connect the shattered chain between them, or release it. While connected these bracers create an Illusion that the Exalt is bound by any means she desires, from basic rope to a slave collar. In addition anyone in a position to bind the Exalt believes he has succeeded in doing so. Overcoming this natural mental influence costs 2 willpower for a scene.
This illusion does nothing to help her if she is already bound, however. As such, she may spend 3 motes to slip all current restraints. To remove the confusion of suddenly having a duplicate set of bindings, the owner of these cuffs may commit an increased cost of 5 motes to shunt all her ties to elsewhere instead. She may only have one set of bindings stored at a time, but may recall them individually if she desires, as a reflexive action. She must have the entire cost committed as long as even one remains banished.

In addition, these bracers enhance the user's martial prowess, supporting rage induced and demoralizing attacks witnessed in the most dangerous prisons in Creation or Malfeas and as such double stunt dice granted in attacks which show ultimate superiority over her victims: overhead smashes, brutally debilitating attacks and violent coup-de-gras.

While unattached these cuffs enhance fierce blows (Exalted 158), allowing the user to stack the effects up to (Essence) times. These strikes ignore the -1 external penalty and instead increase the attack's DV penalty by 1 for each stack over the character's (Strength/2). Damage from these attacks are always Lethal, unless other magic makes it Aggravated.

By attaching the chains while controlling a clinch she adds (Essence/2) successes on further rolls to maintain her hold. While benefitting from these successes she must inflict damage on every action. In the event that the Abyssal loses the roll to control her victim he remains bound to her, only capable of holding or crushing but not releasing or throwing her, unless he exceeded her successes by her Essence or more.

Dark Messiah Style Expansions do Defense

I wrote up a basic defensive suite as DMS expansions. Feel free to critique here or cross-posted on the exalted forums.

Rising Cobra Defense
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)Keywords: Combo-OKDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: Ravaging Blow
Beleaguered and defenseless a Dark Messiah turns to the attack. This Charm suppresses the Abyssal’s traditional PDV and allows her instead to strike the incoming attack directly; roll her (Dexterity + Martial Arts + Accuracy) in a contest against the attacker’s roll; failing this roll allows the attack through normally (the attacker benefits from successes over those the Abyssal rolled), otherwise the attack is successfully parried. This defensive strike may be enhanced with Charms, such as a Martial Arts Excellency, but it deals no damage or other effects aside from deflecting the incoming blow


Unquestionable Fist of Denial
Cost: -(3m); Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: PermanentKeywords: ObviousDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: Rising Cobra Defense
Responding to an attack a Dark Messiah does not retreat back, but presses her aggression. This Charm upgrades Rising Cobra Defense allowing it to be invoked at an increased cost of 3m; wreathing her fist in the essence of Oblivion she meets the advance directly, parrying even unblockable attacks. Oblivion does not offer its grace without recompense, however. If the Abyssal has not dealt at least one level of damage to a living target on her action this Charm adds a 2 mote surcharge, and if she hasn’t dealt any damage the surcharge is increased to 3 motes. When defending another she must always pay the full surcharge regardless of any damage she has dealt. This surcharge is a unique flaw of invulnerability. Using Rising Cobra Defense in this way makes the Charm Obvious.


Assault Engorging Bulwark
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)Keywords: Combo-OKDuration: One ActionPrerequisite Charms: Rising Cobra Defense
Always on the offensive, a Dark Messiah often finds herself overextended from her onslaught. This Charm helps correct her pose by drawing strength from her successful strikes. For the rest of her action, reduce all penalties to her Martial Arts based parry DV by the total extra successes on her unarmed attacks.

A repurchase at Martial Arts 5+ allows the Abyssal to activate this Charm for an extended duration of One Scene by adding 1wp to its cost. Benefits from successful attacks wear off at the end of each action per normal.


Buffeting Ghost Strike
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts , Essence ; Type: Reflexive (Step 6)Keywords: Combo-OK, CounterattackDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: Assault Engorging Bulwark
Even the most aggressive Abyssal may not always strike first. This Charm allows her to launch a preemptive counterattack to boost her defenses. Extra successes on this attack reduce penalties to her Martial Arts based PDV. If she has Assault Engorging Bulwark active while invoking this Charm add this attack’s extra successes directly to her PDV instead; this cannot bring her DV above normal trait maximums. While this attack is instigated and rolled in step 6 of combat resolution in order to add extra successes to her DV, the rest of the effects of the attack are continued in step 9 per normal.


Onslaught Ending Enfeeblement
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)Keywords: Counterattack, Combo-OK, CripplingDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: Foe-Blinding Jab, Rising Cobra Defense
When an opponent presses his attack an Abyssal will not suffer repeated strikes. This Charm grants her a counterattack aimed at disabling the attacking limb. This attack is automatically successful and Cripples the attacking limb for the rest of the target’s flurry, forcing him to abandon any further attacks that require it, but otherwise deals no damage or ill effects. Against attacks from outside the Abyssal's reach she may only use this Charm if she successfully parried, sending back her assailant's projectile instead of striking him directly


Shadow Strike Reversal
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)Keywords: Counterattack, Combo-OKDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: Rising Cobra Defense
A Dark Messiah never loses track of her surroundings, and she will punish anyone who believes she has. This Charm removes the unexpected quality from an individual attack and grants the Abyssal a spectral counterattack in step 9 to punish the offender regardless of distance between them. Counterattacking is not optional, however she may choose to activate another Charm with the Counterattack keyword to replace the attack this Charm provides; in this case add (Essence) successes to her attack roll. This counterattack may use any of the Style’s form weapons, but may not be used to initiate a clinch.

Stalled

So many hanging projects; why must life continue to get in the way and me not be able to just push through it. Okay, I'll have new shit in a few days, promise.