PDQ/Exalted Conversion Charms

Charm Basics

Charms have their own requirements in PDQ/Exalted. In general, prerequisite charms are not important (a few exceptions, like sorcerery charms to cast spells, exist), but despite the lack of charm trees coherence should be maintained.

Essence 1 and 2 Charms require a minimum rank of Good [+2] in the attached Quality, Essence 3-4 require at least Expert [+4], 5-6 require Master [+6]. And so on.

The charm guidelines in Exalted are a good indication of what charms at a given Essence rating are capable of.

Essence 1 is the most basic, only the Excellencies and a very limited number of other simple charms fall into this category.

Essence 2 Charms tend to enhance abilities you already possess, to a supernatural degree. Inflicting more damage, letting you punch through steel armor, leaping across a chasm in a single bound, doing things you could always do but much faster, etc.

Essence 3 Charms tend to involve the manipulation of raw essence, letting you make weapons from nothing or turn a melee attack into a ranged attack by firing bolts of essence. Creating something from nothing, and infusing normal objects or people with essence for your own purposes.

Essence 4 and 5 charms are usually exceptional versions of the lower levels, allowing the manipulation of greater amounts of essence, for a longer duration, or to a greater effect.

Sample Charms

These are sample solar charms made up for practice characters or players in my exalted games.

Essence 1

Almost all Essence 1 Charms currently fall under the Solar, Lunar, Sidereal, and Draconic Excellencies.

Essence 2

Combat Charms

Fists of Iron Technique: Grants an Upshift to damage on a sucessful attack, and transforms damage from Failure Ranks into Damage Ranks. 1 Mote.

Sledgehammer Fist: Attack inflicts double damage against inanimate objects. 2 Motes.

Heaven Thunder Hammer: Blasts the target backwards 2 yards/rank inflicted. Striking something (trees, walls, etc) is treated as a second attack using the base bonus of the attached Quality, possibly upshifted or downshifted depending on what is struck. 3 Motes

Call The Blade: Functionally identical to the original charm. 1 Mote

Wind Stealing Blow: Forces the victim of a sucessful attack to make a vigor/endurance test against the attached Quality's TN. Failure inflicts a downshift to all rolls for one turn. 1 mote.

Peony Blossom Attack – Allows up to Essence in additional attacks. 4 Motes/attack.

Defensive Charms

Seven Shadows Evasion/Heavenly Guardian Defense: There are no Flaws of Invulnerability. Instead, perfect defenses allow the reduction of all damage from a sucessful attack to 1 Failure Rank. Like the standard they may block/dodge the unblockable/dodgable but only against expected attacks. 6 motes.

Bulwark Stance: Prevents opponents from gaining bonuses from coordinated attacks, and prevents the use of qualities or Special Moves which rely on them. 2 Motes.

Solar Counterattack: Grants a counterattack in response to an opponent's attack, which is resolved after the opponent's attack. 2 motes.

Ready in 8 Directions Stance: Grants a counterattack against every attack until the beginning of the next turn. All counterattacks follow the same rules as Solar Counterattack. 7 Motes.

Durability of Oak Meditation: Transforms the attached Quality into an Armor-Like Quality against a single attack. 1 mote.

Essence Gathering Temper: Gain motes equal to damage ranks suffered from an attack (before taking into account reduction from armor-like qualities or damage reducing charms). Cannot regain more than 2 x Essence. 1 mote.

Stealth Charms

Eye-Blinking Vanish Technique: Should an opponent become distracted from the solar (essentially making an action or reaction not involving him) then this charm may be used to instantly conceal yourself (this still must defeat the opponent's sense-based Qualities in an opposed roll). If no appropraite concealment is available the Solar may still hide, but the concealment lasts only a single round. Note, this only functions against opponents who were distracted. 3 Motes.

Mental Invisibility Technique: Anyone who fails to defeat the TN of the attached quality using mental defense Qualities simply does not see them, even if they stand in plain sight. This effect ends if the Solar initiates or joins into combat or otherwise blatantly draws attention to themselves (setting things on fire for instance). 5 Motes.

Social/manipulation charms

Respect Commanding Attitude: Forces everyone within earshot to listen to the Solar quietly and respectfully until they complete their speech and/or performance. Those taking part (such as fellow actors in a play) may play their roles normally but are compelled not to intentionally disrupt or hinder the performance. Anyone who wishes to break the compulsion is subject to a Failure Rank 'attack' from the compulsion, if they are Zeroed Out then they must listen until the end. Interruption of the performance breaks this effect. 4 Motes.

Heart Compelling Method: Forces the listeners to intensely experience a desired emotion (usually giving them a new Poor [-2] Weakness related to the emotion) when used as part of a perfomance with the intent to inspire such feelings. Attempting to shake off the emotion subjects the victim to a Failure Rank attack, those who are Zeroed Out cannot escape the feeling. 5 motes.

Riot Calming Announcement: With a few quick words all within earshot become incapable of violence for a number of rounds equal to Essence (including the charm user and her companions), including verbal violence such as shouting or arguements, or even grabbing or other nonlethal force (someone already restrained may still be held, and indeed cannot attempt to break free). All other actions are acceptable. Those attempting to resist the effect are subject to a Failure Rank attack, treating the attached quality as a Power Attack Quality. Any act of violence immediately breaks the effect. 7 Motes.

Mental Defense Charms

Righteous Lion Defense: Makes it impossible for mental influences to force a character to abandon pursuit of their motivation or (select one) act contrary to a Quality that represents an emotional connection to a cause or ideal. Permanent.

Temptation Resisting Stance: Adds an additional bonus equal to the attached Quality's MOD to all rolls to resist unwanted temptation, corruption or other forms of manipulation based on desire. The quality is also treated as an Armor Like Quality for the rest of the scene for such conflicts. 6 Motes.

Elusive Dream Defense: Automatically defeats any single attempt at mental influence (natural or unnatural), or shatters an ongoing effect. 8 Motes.