Once more with feeling/Custom Charms

Custom Charms

Here is where we put the custom charms for the game Once More, With Feeling!

Solar Charms

Dodge Charms

Shadow Evades Notice

Cost: 4m; Mins: Dodge 3, Stealth 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Leaping Dodge Method, Easily Overlooked Presence Method

When struck by the light, the shadows melt away, only to reappear when the light is elsewhere. So to does the Lawgiver take advantage of an opponent's momentary distraction to melt into the shadows and vanish.

After successfully dodging an attack, the Solar may roll to reestablish surprise as a counter-attack with the normal requirements for such. If the Solar successfully reestablishes surprise, then the attacker may not make further attacks against the charm user until the Solar is revealed. This explicitly breaks attack flurries.

Melee Charms

These Charms are copied from Dakkareth's Custom Charms page.

Defense of Silence Ascendant

(renamed from 'Indomitable Puissance', courtesy of Hundredfold Facets of Enlightenment)
Cost: -- (+1wp); Mins: Melee 5, Ess 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: One action
Prerequisites: Heavenly Guardian Defense

There is no thought, only action: intuitive, correct, and arising from a flowing, formless mind. When this state is achieved perfection becomes almost effortless. This Charm permanently enhances the Exalt’s Heavenly Guardian Defense, allowing him to increase its cost by one Willpower to improve its effects against a single attacker. For the rest of the action the Solar perfectly parries any attacks from that attacker which are not unexpected, even those that are unblockable. Every one of these parries are subject to the Flaw of Invulnerability of the Exalt’s Heavenly Guardian Defense. This Charm ends prematurely if the character is disarmed of his Melee weapons.

At Essence 5+ another purchase of this Charm allows the Solar to reflexively spend an additional 4m. The Exalt then parries all attacks of which he is aware for the rest of the action, not just those from a single attacker.

Eye of the Storm Meditation

Cost: --; Mins: Melee 5, Ess 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Surprise Anticipation Method or Reflex-Sidestep Technique

Even in the chaos and fury of a great battle the Solar weaponsmaster stays calm and retains absolute awareness of her surroundings. No feints or insidious tricks can distract her or find holes in her defense. This charm permanently enhances Fivefold Bulwark Stance in the following ways: As long as the Charm is active the Lawgiver is never subject to unexpected attacks from being surrounded by enemies and all penalties due to coordinated attacks are negated. Against surprise attacks from other sources she can employ Surprise-Anticipation Method or Reflex-Sidestep Technique without cost. Finally, while rooting her skill in infinite calm and mindfulness the Exalt may always use her Temperance for Melee actions.

Glorious Solar Weaponry

Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 4, Ess 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Call the Blade

In the hands of a Solar weaponsmaster even the most humble of weapons can become a formidable force. This charm infuses the Solar's Anima into her weapons, strengthening the attunement or creating one where there was none before in the case of mortal weaponry. The Lawgiver gains her Essence in points to spread between Accuracy, Damage, Defense and Rate - this counts as a weapon bonus and is not subject to the dice cap. Once set the boni are always distributed in the same way. In addition her weapons gain one of the following properties (additional ones can be added at the cost of 2xp each or 1 BP for two of them):

• Touch of Divinity: Mortal weapons so favored gain the Magical Material bonus of Orichalkum and become as indestructible as artifact weapons.
• Solar Blessing: The Lawgiver's weapons gain the implicit blessing of her patron Sol Invictus and burn His enemies with terrible fire. All attacks made with them against Creatures of Darkness gain the Holy keyword.
• Loyalty to the Master: No weapon will leave the hand of a Solar weaponsmaster unless she wills it. All attempts to disarm her fail automatically.
• Sainted Blade: While Glorious Solar Weaponry is active the cost of Merciful Bodhisattva Attitude is reduced by the Lawgiver's Compassion. If this would reduce the cost to a negative number, she gains that number of motes every time she uses that Charm instead of killing an opponent.

This Charm becomes Obvious only when the weaponry's unusual properties are revealed - when a weapon withstands impossible stresses, burns a demon with holy light or a perfectly executed disarm maneuver inexplicably fails.

Heart Moves the Blade

Cost: --; Mins: Melee 5, Ess 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Master's Subtle Edge, Merciful Bodhisattva Attitude

A Solar weaponsmaster knows that to employ her arts she needs physical weapons no more than a poet needs a pen to be a poet. She wields the very principle of Separation as her weapon and not with her hands but with her heart. This Charm permanently enhances Glorious Solar Weaponry in the following way: The weapons enhanced by the Charm can dissolve into pure motic energy and assume any shape the Exalt can imagine, from a single point of light to a gigantic warstrider daiklave or a storm of crystalline snowflakes and she can switch reflexively between appearances. Where appropriate to the form it assumes the Glorious Solar Weapons gain the Reach Tag and can strike enemies up to her (Melee) meters away. The Lawgiver needs not physically move to direct her weapons.

While employing the Heart Moves the Blade technique the weaponsmaster's Compassion is ascendant and no opponent remains faceless or dies needlessly. Even if she strikes at hundreds of enemies at once, or if her opponents hide themselves behind masks of darkness, the Lawgiver sees their faces before her inner eye and knows their names as she strikes them down. Upon invoking Merciful Bodhisattva Attitude in that context she regains her Compassion in motes instead of the normal cost or gain from that Charm.

Master's Subtle Edge

Cost: -- (4m); Mins: Melee 5, Ess 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Glorious Solar Weaponry

Defenses are as nothing to the weapons of the Lawgivers. This charm permanently enhances Glorious Solar Weaponry. In addition to its normal effects the affected weapons gain the Piercing Tag and their damage rating is increased by the Lawgiver's Essence. This requires the commitment of four additional motes when activating Glorious Solar Weaponry.

Merciful Bodhisattva Attitude

Cost: 3m; Mins: Melee 5, Ess 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 10)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Any Melee Excellency

The Lawgivers can be merciful in their judgement. This charm is invoked when a melee attack would otherwise kill its target and reduces the damage so the Exalt's opponent is brought to Incapacitated but no further. Even the most devastating attacks leave behind only a thin, white scar, forever marking the opponent as one whose life was spared by the Lawgiver. Neither bleeding nor infections are allowed to prove the Exalt's mercy a lie - both are completely negated by the Charm.

In addition Merciful Bodhisattva Attitude has the following permanent effect: Striking a nonlethal blow with a weapon that deals lethal damage or striking to mark or maim instead of kill carries no external penalty to the attack. This effect requires no invocation of the Charm itself.

Speed of Light Understanding

Cost: --; Mins: Melee 5, Ess 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Glorious Solar Weaponry OR Glorious Solar Saber

When the Lawgivers call upon their chosen weapons it is as effortless as breathing. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite Charm(s), changing the type to Reflexive. In addition, when activated as part of a Join Battle this provides a number of automatic successes equal to half the Exalt's Melee rating. In that context the Charm's type becomes Supplemental.

Performance Charms

Crowd Commanding Spirit

Cost: 4m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency

Lawgivers have always been able to sway others to accept and follow their commands. This makes Solars the ultimate leaders. Crowd Commanding Spirit enhances a Performance-based roll to exert mental influence and encourage a specific action. This Charm doubles the users base successes on the roll before comparing them to the target's MDV.

Presence Charms

Transcendant Inspiration-Sparking Method

Cost: --; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: You Can Be More (Abyssals, p. 143, mirror of Broken Heart Triumph)

The Lawgivers cannot be everywhere, especially in this fallen Age, so they they deputize mortal heroes to act in their stead. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, granting the Solar the ability to awaken the Essence of a heroic mortal.

If the Exalt's social attack is successful, he immediately makes a (Presence + Essence) roll against Difficulty 4. If that roll succeeds, the heroic mortal's Essence is awakened as if he had gained the Enlightened Essence blight (CoCD2: The Wyld, p. 148). If that roll fails, however, the mortal cannot be targeted again by this Charm until a year and a day have passed.

When You Can Be More is used to awaken a mortal's Essence in this way, it gains the Obvious, Touch, and Training keywords.

Stealth Charms

Shadow at Noon

Cost: 5m; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Easily Overlooked Presence Method

Just as the Noonday Sun still leaves shadowed areas, the Lawgiver can always find a place to hide. They can shelter in the shadow of a needle, sneak past in the blink of a guard's eye, and leave no more trace than a sunbeam after the day is gone.

This charm allows the Solar to ignore any external penalties to stealth rolls for the rest of the scene, as well as being able to hide even when it is physically impossible due to external circumstances. Thus, the Solar can hide even in a flat plane, at noon, on a squeaky floor, with someone looking directly at them. They can hide even when hiding should be impossible.

Lunar Charms

Stamina Charms

Willful Neglect of the Maimed

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Stamina 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: One Action
Prerequisite Charms: Halting the Scarlet Flow

The Lunar focuses upon repairing some severe injury to their vitals. Upon their next action they may remove one Crippling effect from themselves.