General Exalted Thread
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So, some choice quotes from last night's Kerisgame.
Urgh, @EarthScorpion must have been planning this for months, the bastard. It's probably half the reason he put Sasi in An Teng in the first place.
HATE.
Aleph said:
Aleph said:
Why is this? Well, because that 'Her' is someone I know rather well. We both do, in fact. We designed her.Aleph said:
Urgh, @EarthScorpion must have been planning this for months, the bastard. It's probably half the reason he put Sasi in An Teng in the first place.
HATE.
The Seer Mourned in Ashen Veils and Crimson Draperies (Mourning Seer), the Voice of the Neverborn, the Whisperer in Dead Cities
Supernatural Type: Once Eclipse Caste Solar, now Deathlord, servant of He Who Holds In Thrall. Enlightenment 8-10.
Description: First Age Eclipse-caste Solar ghost. Broken!Deathlord!Kiri, who loved the Eye, and became a Deathlord when he did. She basically has three modes. There's the Mourner, who's pathetic, treats her sole Abyssal; Bitterness, as her only friend, tries to be nice to the Nephwracks, and pines over the Eye (sometimes sending him Whispers-filled gifts). There's the Mumbler, who's the Mouth of the Neverborn, and who spouts Whispers-filled gibberish and absently writes down Social-attack laden ramblings on Oblivion and the Void, which her Spectres pick up and take to the surface and leave for people to find. And finally there's the Murderer, who's the terrifying Hands of the Neverborn, and who Bitterness has invested massively in Abyssal Stealth to avoid.
Backstory: Mikari Aitchi was, by the standards of the First Age Solars, relatively innocuous. Exalted as an Eclipse after she found the embezzlement being carried out by a senior Dragonblood, and confronted him in public, just prior to the Time of Cascading Years, she faded into the background in the Second Deliberative. There are Eclipses who are swashbuckling heroes; she was not one of them. A soft-spoken bureaucrat, fond of languages (she always regretted being born after the Directional Tongues were created), her Flaw was that she avoided confrontation. She voted for Wyldhand, because she felt she owed its supporters her vote. Her prefecture was quiet, and well organised, and its population were encouraged to be literate; she was one of the foremost writers of novels in the Old Realm. She quietly disliked what other Solars were doing; she just didn't say anything in public. Her Lunar mate, a Full Moon, was fond of violence and conflict, and she quite happily supported him in his efforts in the military, and voted for military expansions so he would be happy, even though privately she was convinced that the Deliberative had quite enough weapons and the strength always lay in its Exalts, not in their toys. One of her greatest regrets was that she developed a somewhat amorous, somewhat maternal affection for the Solar who was to become the Eye and Seven Despairs, and his sudden suicide shocked her to her bones. She was coming to the realisation that something had to change, when the Usurpation happened, and she died, gunned down by Essence blasts before even making it out of the hall.
Weapons: Oh god what. Only the Murderer fights, but she's terrifying. Occasionally uses weapons, forged from nephwracks or hekatonkhires and Labyrinth ore, but more commonly just uses her bare hands and feet to crush anything that stands in her way.
Physical Appearance: Depends on which mode she's in. The Mourner is an earnest-looking, hopeful woman who looks relatively normal - pale and gaunt, but not too unnatural - until you see the black, sucking voids where her eyes should be, and the black, rotting thing that is her tongue. The Mumbler is a slumped, huddled heap of rags on her throne, staring blankly ahead, face even paler than normal. And the Murderer is an explosive, terrifyingly powerful force of destruction that rips apart any defence you try to offer, smashing you into submission with brutal fists and wailing, screaming Artifacts hewn from nephwrack soulsteel and Labyrinth ore.
Notes: She's very much what the Neverborn think a proper servant should be like. Except for the part where she's not actually capable of doing very much. They're still working on finding that fine balance in that respect. She was only allowed a single Daybreak Exaltation; Bitterness, who's sort of like an abuse victim. She keeps on coming back whenever Creation rejects her and another attempt to break away goes wrong, and the Seer smiles at her and is nice to her and the Essence flows feel right, and the Mourner seems so happy to have her back. Technically, though, she also has Weeping Raiton, who listens to the Whispers N/A of her mistress, and takes them to the other Deathlords. Her ghost-city is crawling with spectres and nephwracks, whose Whispers steadily rise in the atmosphere of dark murmuring she creates around herself until they hit maximum. The Mumbler writes down her babblings and leaves them lying around, and messenger-spectres take it upon themselves to spread her words - she doesn't even realise they're doing it, often. She just writes down her visions, absent-mindedly discards her scribblings everywhere, and the spectres "interpret her orders" to carry her Whispers-laden social attacks up to the surface, where they drive men mad and lead women to ritually kill their entire families in despair. She still loves the Eye, but can't tell him because of what the Neverborn did to her. They scream into her mind and she babbles their prophecies rather than stutter, and they vivisected her capacity to tell him of the love while tainting it so she can only love death and the dead. She has a distressing tendency to occasionally produce powerful Artefacts that a) have a distinct "Labyrinth" air to them, b) tend to increase your Whispers rating as long as you're attuned to them and most annoyingly c) are too useful not to use for the first two reasons. Some of them are the equivalent of hellstriders, with hecatonkhires bound to warstriders of labyrinth ore. Bitterness piloted one once, and has refused to ever again. Weeping Raiton took one for her personal use; no-one knows where she keeps it. Below the city, she's been building her latest thing, in fits of possessed madness. It's... basically Walpurgisnacht. It emergea from a Shadowland, does its thing, and when it's done, a small shadowland is a much larger one.
Supernatural Type: Once Eclipse Caste Solar, now Deathlord, servant of He Who Holds In Thrall. Enlightenment 8-10.
Description: First Age Eclipse-caste Solar ghost. Broken!Deathlord!Kiri, who loved the Eye, and became a Deathlord when he did. She basically has three modes. There's the Mourner, who's pathetic, treats her sole Abyssal; Bitterness, as her only friend, tries to be nice to the Nephwracks, and pines over the Eye (sometimes sending him Whispers-filled gifts). There's the Mumbler, who's the Mouth of the Neverborn, and who spouts Whispers-filled gibberish and absently writes down Social-attack laden ramblings on Oblivion and the Void, which her Spectres pick up and take to the surface and leave for people to find. And finally there's the Murderer, who's the terrifying Hands of the Neverborn, and who Bitterness has invested massively in Abyssal Stealth to avoid.
Backstory: Mikari Aitchi was, by the standards of the First Age Solars, relatively innocuous. Exalted as an Eclipse after she found the embezzlement being carried out by a senior Dragonblood, and confronted him in public, just prior to the Time of Cascading Years, she faded into the background in the Second Deliberative. There are Eclipses who are swashbuckling heroes; she was not one of them. A soft-spoken bureaucrat, fond of languages (she always regretted being born after the Directional Tongues were created), her Flaw was that she avoided confrontation. She voted for Wyldhand, because she felt she owed its supporters her vote. Her prefecture was quiet, and well organised, and its population were encouraged to be literate; she was one of the foremost writers of novels in the Old Realm. She quietly disliked what other Solars were doing; she just didn't say anything in public. Her Lunar mate, a Full Moon, was fond of violence and conflict, and she quite happily supported him in his efforts in the military, and voted for military expansions so he would be happy, even though privately she was convinced that the Deliberative had quite enough weapons and the strength always lay in its Exalts, not in their toys. One of her greatest regrets was that she developed a somewhat amorous, somewhat maternal affection for the Solar who was to become the Eye and Seven Despairs, and his sudden suicide shocked her to her bones. She was coming to the realisation that something had to change, when the Usurpation happened, and she died, gunned down by Essence blasts before even making it out of the hall.
Weapons: Oh god what. Only the Murderer fights, but she's terrifying. Occasionally uses weapons, forged from nephwracks or hekatonkhires and Labyrinth ore, but more commonly just uses her bare hands and feet to crush anything that stands in her way.
Physical Appearance: Depends on which mode she's in. The Mourner is an earnest-looking, hopeful woman who looks relatively normal - pale and gaunt, but not too unnatural - until you see the black, sucking voids where her eyes should be, and the black, rotting thing that is her tongue. The Mumbler is a slumped, huddled heap of rags on her throne, staring blankly ahead, face even paler than normal. And the Murderer is an explosive, terrifyingly powerful force of destruction that rips apart any defence you try to offer, smashing you into submission with brutal fists and wailing, screaming Artifacts hewn from nephwrack soulsteel and Labyrinth ore.
Notes: She's very much what the Neverborn think a proper servant should be like. Except for the part where she's not actually capable of doing very much. They're still working on finding that fine balance in that respect. She was only allowed a single Daybreak Exaltation; Bitterness, who's sort of like an abuse victim. She keeps on coming back whenever Creation rejects her and another attempt to break away goes wrong, and the Seer smiles at her and is nice to her and the Essence flows feel right, and the Mourner seems so happy to have her back. Technically, though, she also has Weeping Raiton, who listens to the Whispers N/A of her mistress, and takes them to the other Deathlords. Her ghost-city is crawling with spectres and nephwracks, whose Whispers steadily rise in the atmosphere of dark murmuring she creates around herself until they hit maximum. The Mumbler writes down her babblings and leaves them lying around, and messenger-spectres take it upon themselves to spread her words - she doesn't even realise they're doing it, often. She just writes down her visions, absent-mindedly discards her scribblings everywhere, and the spectres "interpret her orders" to carry her Whispers-laden social attacks up to the surface, where they drive men mad and lead women to ritually kill their entire families in despair. She still loves the Eye, but can't tell him because of what the Neverborn did to her. They scream into her mind and she babbles their prophecies rather than stutter, and they vivisected her capacity to tell him of the love while tainting it so she can only love death and the dead. She has a distressing tendency to occasionally produce powerful Artefacts that a) have a distinct "Labyrinth" air to them, b) tend to increase your Whispers rating as long as you're attuned to them and most annoyingly c) are too useful not to use for the first two reasons. Some of them are the equivalent of hellstriders, with hecatonkhires bound to warstriders of labyrinth ore. Bitterness piloted one once, and has refused to ever again. Weeping Raiton took one for her personal use; no-one knows where she keeps it. Below the city, she's been building her latest thing, in fits of possessed madness. It's... basically Walpurgisnacht. It emergea from a Shadowland, does its thing, and when it's done, a small shadowland is a much larger one.
Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
The seer seem to be a very interesting opponent.
And by interesting i mean terrifying.
And by terrifying i mean who the fuck threw a book about min-maxing in the void? Because she is what happens when you add min-maxing to a Deathlord.
Maybe the lack of Min-Maxingness in her "past life" has contentrated everything in her new Unlife?
And by interesting i mean terrifying.
And by terrifying i mean who the fuck threw a book about min-maxing in the void? Because she is what happens when you add min-maxing to a Deathlord.
Maybe the lack of Min-Maxingness in her "past life" has contentrated everything in her new Unlife?
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Mourning Seer was built collaboratively by both of us from the ground up around the concept of "Deathlord Kiri" to be the most terrifying, creepy, unnerving and horror-inducing Deathlord we could make.
And now @EarthScorpion has turned our work against me.
And now @EarthScorpion has turned our work against me.
The Mourning Seer was built collaboratively by both of us from the ground up around the concept of "Deathlord Kiri" to be the most terrifying, creepy, unnerving and horror-inducing Deathlord we could make.
And now @EarthScorpion has turned our work against me.
@Aleph.
Just remember.
You brought this on yourself.
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
A character archetype I first came up with in The Trials of Kirima Harasami - hence the name - who has been reused frequently since then as a minor character in our other works, along with her friends Emi and Sasoriko (the KSE trio). All of them have certain traits that are constant across settings - Emi always has the same sort of surface layer hiding a secret of some sort, Sasorikos all tend to be cynical and often suspicious and somewhat paranoid for a variety of different reasons, etc. Kiri in particular has a lot of interesting depth to her character, and can create some very evocative protagonists (and even more evocative antagonists) when warped this way or that to suit a plot and setting.
... heh. @EarthScorpion. Remember our hypothetical Infernal Kiri from the logs? She was fun.
In some ways, I suspect that the most horrifying Deathlord for a Solar to face would be their own past life... when all their memories tell them that their past life was, by most definitions of the term... kind and forthright.
Hrm. *files away idea*
(Like, the canon Deathlords do have potential, but I think the custom Deathlords they left open have just as much because you can adapt them to your own game. But I know I've complained elsewhere that not enough people make up their own stuff to put into Creation, so...)
Hrm. *files away idea*
(Like, the canon Deathlords do have potential, but I think the custom Deathlords they left open have just as much because you can adapt them to your own game. But I know I've complained elsewhere that not enough people make up their own stuff to put into Creation, so...
)
That's a humorous way to learn BHN.Kerisgame said:
I'm very interested in how this meeting between an Infernal and Abyssal will go; they're both "secret" Exalts following Primordial masters - wonder if Keris will pull the "my bosses are better than your bosses" line.
And that custom Deathlord is a nasty piece of work.
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Incidentally, now that I've calmed down from RAGE a bit...
(I wasn't kidding when I said this is probably the first gift Keris has ever been given that's not at all related to her mission or her Exaltation or her status or cultural expectations - something purely meant for her and the things she, personally, enjoys doing. Sasi pretty much knocked this one out of the park.)
SASI BEST ROMANTIC. MUCH THOUGHTFUL. SO PERFECT. SQUEEE.
(I wasn't kidding when I said this is probably the first gift Keris has ever been given that's not at all related to her mission or her Exaltation or her status or cultural expectations - something purely meant for her and the things she, personally, enjoys doing. Sasi pretty much knocked this one out of the park.)
D'awwwwwwww
So, hey, does anyone actually care about the artifacts I've been posting?
In any case, this one grew out of me wondering why Discrete Essence Armor is so terrible. (Armor that looks like jewelry could be handy, but if it makes you glow like a bonfire as soon as you get hit, what's the point?) It'd be pretty good for a sniper, but really it's best suited for That One Guy Who Keeps Getting Away.
Warding Zephyr (Blue Jade Discrete Essence Armor, Artifact ***)
In the third century of the Empress's reign, a young woman named Rising Gale exalted as a Twilight Caste Solar near Whitewall. Viewing the Wyld Hunt with what she saw as a perfectly reasonable level of mortal terror, she immediately fled. By staying on the move, she was able to avoid any armies the Hunt may have mustered, but she was still harried by more than one Sworn Brotherhood as she made her way North and West. Wanting armor that would not draw undue attention, she forged Warding Zephyr, a set of Discreet Essence Armor designed to function without a decidedly indiscreet glowing aura. She was eventually struck down by an Immaculate assassin nonetheless, and Warding Zephyr fell into the hands of the Immaculate Monks. Since then, it has been the prized possession of several Terrestrials, valued both for its subtlety and for its ability to restrain anima banners - no small concern for a Terrestrial worried about causing undue damage with her anima flux.
Warding Zephyr appears to be a pair of thick bracelets and a matching necklace, both in silver and lapis lazuli. The heavy pendant on the necklace displays a lapis bas-relief of Whitewall's titular walls, and the smaller stones on the bracelets are tiled in a way vaguely suggesting stone-and-mortar masonry. It is well-made, but does not appear terribly remarkable. These common materials are only a thin cladding, however, concealing a far more precious core of jadesteel and blue Jade. The only outward sign of its nature is its supernatural durability, but any essence-wielder who wears the full set will quickly realize the treasure she carries. When active, it surrounds the wearer with what looks like glowing blue smoke, curling in lazy spirals, but most wearers quickly master the evocations that mute this display.
Warding Zephyr's evocations express Rising Gale's original goals for it. They focus on stealth and concealment, muting not only its own glowing display, but restraining the wearer's anima, and even concealing the wearer herself. Some wearers find that it has a certain affinity for evasion, as well.
Warding Zephyr conceals a single hearthstone socket within the pendant, secured by a hidden catch that opens only while the artifact is attuned.
Emerald Evocations
Improved Discretion Aura
Cost: -(+1m); Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Permanent
Warding Zephyr's first power, and the one for which it was made, is the ability to mute the glow of its own operation. When it is activated by an incoming blow, the wearer can choose to increase the activation cost by a single mote. If she does so, rather than a corona of glowing essence, Warding Zephyr produces an equally protective but invisible cocoon of solidified air. Naturally, this prevents Warding Zephyr's activation from making stealth impossible.
Glory-Shrouding Breeze
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Improved Discretion Aura
Warding Zephyr can conceal more than its own light. While this charm is active, part of the wearer's anima is sublimated into a subtle breeze surrounding her body. This reduces its apparent brightness by a single level - at the Bonfire level, her anima glows only as brightly as it would at Burning, at Burning it appears to be only Glowing, and her Glowing anima is completely suppressed. This also reduces the stealth penalties imposed by her anima accordingly. It does not affect its interactions with charms or other powers, with one exception: A Terrestrial's Anima Flux is rendered harmless until her anima reaches the Bonfire level.
Billowing Mist Cloak
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Thick white fog billows out from Warding Zephyr, concealing the wearer from sight. The fog covers the area around the Exalt out to Short range, and once conjured does not move. Vision through the fog is greatly hampered. Seeing through a single range band of fog is merely difficult, imposing a -1 penalty on Perception and Awareness rolls and on attack rolls, but seeing through two bands is impossible without vision-enhancing magic. Even bright lights within the fog, like a burning anima banner, will be diffused througout the fog bank rather than shining through, causing the entire cloud to glow. The Exalt has no special ability to see through her own fog.
Swirling Fog Avoidance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Exalt's body blurs and accelerates as she evades her foes, seeming to turn to mist and blow away. This charm enhances a Disengage action, Withdraw action, or a roll made to resist another character's Rush attempt, granting the roll double 9s.
Sapphire Evocations
In order to unlock Warding Zephyr's Sapphire Evocations, the Exalt must first awaken at least two of its Emerald Evocations.
Vanishing Haze Trick
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Until next turn
Prerequisite Charms: Glory-Shrouding Breeze, Billowing Mist Cloak
With an almost-undetectable whisper, the Exalt steps behind a gust of wind and vanishes. She is rendered invisible until the start of her next turn, and if there are no enemies in Close range, she may reflexively attempt to enter stealth without the usual penalty for doing so while already in combat.
Bursting Gale Retreat
Cost: 4m, 1a; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Glory-Shrouding Breeze, Swirling Fog Avoidance
When the Exalt is struck through Warding Zephyr's protective shell, it may burst, releasing a burst of wind that launches the wearer out of harm's way. When she is struck by an attack, she may use this charm to be knocked one range band away from her opponent. This charm may be used only while Glory-Shrouding Breeze is already active, for it is the wearer's transmuted anima that powers the wind.
Parting Cloud Defense
Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Swirling Fog Avoidance
When the wearer can barely be seen, is it any wonder her foes strike only air? This charm enhances an attempt to dodge an attack, increasing the wearer's Evasion by one for every die of visibility penalties the attack suffers. Furthermore, if the attack misses, the wearer gains one point of initiative for every die of such penalties.
Adamant Evocations
In order to unlock Warding Zephyr's Adamant Evocations, the Exalt must first awaken at least two of its Sapphire Evocations.
Veiled in Nothing Technique
Cost: -(+3m, 1a); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Haze Trick
This charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing it to be activated reflexively for an additional cost of three motes and one level of anima.
In any case, this one grew out of me wondering why Discrete Essence Armor is so terrible. (Armor that looks like jewelry could be handy, but if it makes you glow like a bonfire as soon as you get hit, what's the point?) It'd be pretty good for a sniper, but really it's best suited for That One Guy Who Keeps Getting Away.
Warding Zephyr (Blue Jade Discrete Essence Armor, Artifact ***)
In the third century of the Empress's reign, a young woman named Rising Gale exalted as a Twilight Caste Solar near Whitewall. Viewing the Wyld Hunt with what she saw as a perfectly reasonable level of mortal terror, she immediately fled. By staying on the move, she was able to avoid any armies the Hunt may have mustered, but she was still harried by more than one Sworn Brotherhood as she made her way North and West. Wanting armor that would not draw undue attention, she forged Warding Zephyr, a set of Discreet Essence Armor designed to function without a decidedly indiscreet glowing aura. She was eventually struck down by an Immaculate assassin nonetheless, and Warding Zephyr fell into the hands of the Immaculate Monks. Since then, it has been the prized possession of several Terrestrials, valued both for its subtlety and for its ability to restrain anima banners - no small concern for a Terrestrial worried about causing undue damage with her anima flux.
Warding Zephyr appears to be a pair of thick bracelets and a matching necklace, both in silver and lapis lazuli. The heavy pendant on the necklace displays a lapis bas-relief of Whitewall's titular walls, and the smaller stones on the bracelets are tiled in a way vaguely suggesting stone-and-mortar masonry. It is well-made, but does not appear terribly remarkable. These common materials are only a thin cladding, however, concealing a far more precious core of jadesteel and blue Jade. The only outward sign of its nature is its supernatural durability, but any essence-wielder who wears the full set will quickly realize the treasure she carries. When active, it surrounds the wearer with what looks like glowing blue smoke, curling in lazy spirals, but most wearers quickly master the evocations that mute this display.
Warding Zephyr's evocations express Rising Gale's original goals for it. They focus on stealth and concealment, muting not only its own glowing display, but restraining the wearer's anima, and even concealing the wearer herself. Some wearers find that it has a certain affinity for evasion, as well.
Warding Zephyr conceals a single hearthstone socket within the pendant, secured by a hidden catch that opens only while the artifact is attuned.
Emerald Evocations
Improved Discretion Aura
Cost: -(+1m); Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Permanent
Warding Zephyr's first power, and the one for which it was made, is the ability to mute the glow of its own operation. When it is activated by an incoming blow, the wearer can choose to increase the activation cost by a single mote. If she does so, rather than a corona of glowing essence, Warding Zephyr produces an equally protective but invisible cocoon of solidified air. Naturally, this prevents Warding Zephyr's activation from making stealth impossible.
Glory-Shrouding Breeze
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Improved Discretion Aura
Warding Zephyr can conceal more than its own light. While this charm is active, part of the wearer's anima is sublimated into a subtle breeze surrounding her body. This reduces its apparent brightness by a single level - at the Bonfire level, her anima glows only as brightly as it would at Burning, at Burning it appears to be only Glowing, and her Glowing anima is completely suppressed. This also reduces the stealth penalties imposed by her anima accordingly. It does not affect its interactions with charms or other powers, with one exception: A Terrestrial's Anima Flux is rendered harmless until her anima reaches the Bonfire level.
Billowing Mist Cloak
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Thick white fog billows out from Warding Zephyr, concealing the wearer from sight. The fog covers the area around the Exalt out to Short range, and once conjured does not move. Vision through the fog is greatly hampered. Seeing through a single range band of fog is merely difficult, imposing a -1 penalty on Perception and Awareness rolls and on attack rolls, but seeing through two bands is impossible without vision-enhancing magic. Even bright lights within the fog, like a burning anima banner, will be diffused througout the fog bank rather than shining through, causing the entire cloud to glow. The Exalt has no special ability to see through her own fog.
Swirling Fog Avoidance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Exalt's body blurs and accelerates as she evades her foes, seeming to turn to mist and blow away. This charm enhances a Disengage action, Withdraw action, or a roll made to resist another character's Rush attempt, granting the roll double 9s.
Sapphire Evocations
In order to unlock Warding Zephyr's Sapphire Evocations, the Exalt must first awaken at least two of its Emerald Evocations.
Vanishing Haze Trick
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Until next turn
Prerequisite Charms: Glory-Shrouding Breeze, Billowing Mist Cloak
With an almost-undetectable whisper, the Exalt steps behind a gust of wind and vanishes. She is rendered invisible until the start of her next turn, and if there are no enemies in Close range, she may reflexively attempt to enter stealth without the usual penalty for doing so while already in combat.
Bursting Gale Retreat
Cost: 4m, 1a; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Glory-Shrouding Breeze, Swirling Fog Avoidance
When the Exalt is struck through Warding Zephyr's protective shell, it may burst, releasing a burst of wind that launches the wearer out of harm's way. When she is struck by an attack, she may use this charm to be knocked one range band away from her opponent. This charm may be used only while Glory-Shrouding Breeze is already active, for it is the wearer's transmuted anima that powers the wind.
Parting Cloud Defense
Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Swirling Fog Avoidance
When the wearer can barely be seen, is it any wonder her foes strike only air? This charm enhances an attempt to dodge an attack, increasing the wearer's Evasion by one for every die of visibility penalties the attack suffers. Furthermore, if the attack misses, the wearer gains one point of initiative for every die of such penalties.
Adamant Evocations
In order to unlock Warding Zephyr's Adamant Evocations, the Exalt must first awaken at least two of its Sapphire Evocations.
Veiled in Nothing Technique
Cost: -(+3m, 1a); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Haze Trick
This charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing it to be activated reflexively for an additional cost of three motes and one level of anima.
Bursting Eagerness Soul
Threadwalking Rating Machine
- Location
- Wisconsin
I really like this. It fits a stealth-oriented Twilight (or Secrets or No Moon or Air-aspect ect.) perfectly. Bursting Gale Retreat and Parting Cloud Defense in particular are very nice, and I like how the latter builds on the "you can't see me" of Billowing Mist Cloak (which I would recommend adding as a prereq). All-in-all, it is very nice for running away and surviving doing so.
Unrelated question to all. What skill would city/ruin navigation fall under? It doesn't seem like it's quite Survival, but I don't know what else it would be. A Lore speciality?
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I like to start with "What is the story behind this artifact?" In this case, it grew out of "Discrete Essence Armor sucks; it needs an evocation that turns off the big neon "I'm defeating the purpose." Who would make an artifact like that? A Twilight-caste on the run from the Wyld Hunt." I went from there to "probably Blue Jade," and then "what else does it do" and "what makes it awesome," which of course are intertwined. (I'm toying with a suit of articulated plate made by a guy who wanted to make Gunzosha armor but didn't know a single goddamn thing about Gunzosha armor. The crunch is giving me trouble, though.)
Note also the particularly hilarious synergy between Parting Cloud Defense and Veiled in Nothing Technique. "Okay, in response to your ranged attack, I become invisible, which gives you -3 to hit, and I get +3 evasion, and if you miss I get three initiative, and I get to reflexively enter stealth." Totally worth 10m 1wp 1a. (Which is why it takes seven charm buys.) There's also a very deliberate synergy between Glory-Shrouding Breeze and the charms that spend one anima level.
As for Billowing Mist Cloak and Parting Cloud Defense, I just felt like the prerequisites were too thick at the Sapphire level, so I dropped that one. Parting Cloud Defense is obviously way better when you can produce poor visibility at will anyway, so I decided to leave it as a sort of soft prerequisite.
Actually, the artifact I've been mulling around is a suit of artifact cloth 'armour' made for use with Martial Arts that wouldn't normally be usable with armour. Inspired by the steelsilk armor in 2e.
Probably taking the form of priestess-type robes- it was meant for a Zenith Caste who didn't like to adopt military-style trappings including obvious armor.
Probably taking the form of priestess-type robes- it was meant for a Zenith Caste who didn't like to adopt military-style trappings including obvious armor.
Bursting Eagerness Soul
Threadwalking Rating Machine
- Location
- Wisconsin
By requiring someone to have two Emerald Evocations to unlock a Sapphire one, every Sapphire Evocation could have two prereqs and it would still be fairly accessible. That would leave the Adamant tier at a minimum depth of being the sixth charm bought. Plus, all of those Emerald Evocations are useful enough that buying them wouldn't be too much of an imposition.
This reminds me of an artifact I made on a whim for 2e. It was a spear carved from Szoreny-wood and engraved with runes from Elloge. Each time you scored a hit, your opponent lost a dot in one of his attributes of your choice until the end of the scene, to a minimum of 1.
How might this translate to 3e?
How might this translate to 3e?
FaeGlade Plural
Semper Legens
- Location
- Land of Bureaucracy
- Pronouns
- Plural/They
There's already a 3E artifact that can do that, Freedoms Cadence, an Artifact 3 Starmetal Chain Shirt.
It has an Essence 3 Adamant Evocation with 5 prerequisite Charms:
Sifus Graceful Accord makes "this Artifact no longer count as armor for purposes of using Martial Arts Styles that are incompatible with armor". Permanently at no mote- or willpower-cost. A Solar can even buy it again (sorta like the Innate Keyword) to apply it to a different suit of Starmetal Armor.
Now that's of course something you won't have for quite a while, since Essence 3 is quite a while away for starting characters. It's not cheap either.
And Evocations might just altogether be the wrong design space for what you want to do, since you clearly want to make it a base property of the artifact.
azoicennead
Overly-Affectionate Zombie Squad
- Pronouns
- He/They
Wonders of the Lost Age p80:
This is literally the first three sentences describing Discrete Essence Armor in the book.
DEA has 5 motes attunement, 3 motes activation.
Infinite Resplendence Amulet is only one dot more, has the same attunement cost(5m), no activation cost, provides similar soak(5L/5B) with moonsilver MM, is non-obvious, and all the functions of an omnimodal wardrobe + special powers from MM bonus.
Works with MA because not armor.
Transformative Armor(Scroll of Fallen Races pg 26) has slightly better stats, 1 mote less attunement, no activation cost, is non obvious and all the functions of an omnimodal wardrobe.
DEA could use some sprucing up IMO.
QUESTION
Quick question before I go to bed:
Can anyone get me a range quote on the Gauntlets of Distant Touch?
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FaeGlade Plural
Semper Legens
- Location
- Land of Bureaucracy
- Pronouns
- Plural/They
That would presumably translate very well into Evocations.
Shining Ice Razor, an Artifact 3 Blue Jade Reaper Daiklave, actually does something similar.
One of it's basic charms, Cold Moon Slash (simple, costs 6m, 2i, 1wp) causes any successful withering or decisive attack to apply a -2 penalty to the opponents mobility and feats of strength for the rest of the scene. (Hitting with it refunds the Willpower).
An Essence 3 Sapphire Evocation enhances it. Heart-Freezing Crescent makes the enemy lose 1 Initiative each turn per such -2 penalty they suffer from.
So, that's not direct penalties to Ability Scores, which would essentially be broader penalties. But turning it into a Simple Evocation that applies such a penalty seems like a good start. You could make it Decisive-only, then it'd seem pretty balanced to replace that -2 mobility/feat of Strength with -1 Strength or -1 Dexterity for the rest of the scene. Or just a Strength-drain seems fine too - that's effectively -1 to withering damage, which is no big deal.
So here's some things:
Silver-Thorn Malfeasance:
Cost: 4m, 2i Mins: Essence 1 Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Stackable, Uniform
Duration: Instant
The wielder lets Silver Thorn strike where it wants most, at the vital strength of its foes. In addition to inflicting the normal damage of a withering or decisive attack, any foe struck by Silver-Thorn Malfeance feels drained. For the rest of the scene, the victim has their Strength lowered by 1 for all purposes except meeting the prerequisites of charms*. This effect stacks with itself, but can not lower an opponents Strength below 1. Drained attribute points are stored within Silver Thorn for the rest of the scene and can be used by it's other charms.
*needed because otherwise it just feels too powerful against Lunars and Alchemicals. Also, since it's just Strength-Drain for now, the charm is supplemental instead of Simple which does have it's advantages.
Silver Sphere Defense
Cost: 3m Mins: Essence 1 Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Counterattack
Duration: Instant
The wielders anima into a silver sphere that reflects the deeds of an attacker at the world. This evocation creates a withering counterattack that can hit one enemy within close range for each stored attribute point spent.
Heart-Marring Silver
Cost: (2m) Mins: Essence 2 Type: Permament
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Silver-Thorn Malfeasance, Silver Sphere Defense
Silver Thorn can strike all aspects of a being, including its abilities to sustain itself. Whenever she strikes a foe with Silver-Thorn Malfeasance, the wielder can pay an additional two motes to also drain a point of Stamina in addition to the Strength.
Word of Thorns
Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 2 Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: One Scene
Words can sting and bury deep within ones foes. At the cost of two motes and one stored attribute point, the wielder of Silver Thorn can grow a viscous hedge of thorns. These cover the area around him up to short range and takes any shape the wielder desires, allowing for open passages through it. The hedge is an environmental hazard that does 4L damage to anyone who is moving through it (unless they are using an open passage as designated by the wielder) with a difficulty of 5. The wielder is immune to the damage from the hedge and can at any time spend a stored attribute point to re-shape the hedge or make it move up to one range band. The hedge withers into nothingness at the end of the scene.
Expression-Draining Word
Cost: (2i) Mins: Essence 3 Type: Permament
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Heart-Marring Silver, Word of Thorns
The wielder of Silver Thorn speaks one of the words written on its blade and curses their opponent with an inability to communicate with the world. Whenever a foe is struck with Silver-Thorn Malfeasance, the wielder can pay an extra two points of Initiative to also drain a point of Dexterity from the foe. The foe also loses the ability to speak one language for the rest of the scene. This language is stored within Silver Thorn like a drained attribute point.
Just the basic evocation-tree of Silver Thorn (or whatever you want to name it), you could add in additional ways to use stored attribute points, maybe control that hedge directly or do other such things.
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Chloe Sullivan
Subdefective
- Location
- 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale CA
3 x essence yards, iirc.
Thanks.
So where did the 50 yards figure I vaguely remember come from?
azoicennead
Overly-Affectionate Zombie Squad
- Pronouns
- He/They
This is a valid criticism of the artifact, but not really relevant to my point.