Melancholy: We used to do that. Mother doesn't let us do that anymore.
Assurance: There was less touching and more working behind the marked door, we promise.
Bemusement: We can't make that not sound wrong. We require assistance.
Melancholy: We used to do that. Mother doesn't let us do that anymore.
Assurance: There was less touching and more working behind the marked door, we promise.
Bemusement: We can't make that not sound wrong. We require assistance.
Updated my Yozi charm helpsheet with good ol' indent formatting, so it should be much easier to digest and figure out what charms have what as the prerequisite.
Anyway, musings on where the story is headed, and to pimp my favorite Yozi. Obviously with Danny's less than wonderful experience with the PRT we now have a reason to start digging about why the PRTs response was so off. This leads us to the unfortunate revelations of the PRT covering for Shadow Stalker (because it's very hard to keep information away from a Solar-tier Exalt that really wants that info), which leads us to Fun Times in the Kimbery charm tree. We pick up Intolerable Burning Truths (Hate Springs Eternal) and All Things Betray to show how much the failings of official authority has burned us. Our book of grudges begins to build, but we don't necessarily go villain because we're not like them. The system is broken and is in sore need of fixing.
...You know as awesome as Life 1 is gonna be for making minions, we pretty much can't go Wards or Protectorate now. Not in Brockton Bay. We have got to be one of Piggot's worst nightmares.
Blasto has shit on us.
Unfortunately, we also probably don't give a damn about keeping stuff from reproducing, sooooooooooooo we may earn a Kill Order pretty fucking fast.
I would say unless our dinosaurs piss out the fountain of youth, but nobody who really matters is thinking longer than 20 years for the Endbringers to grind the world down, or Scion to snap and kill them all. So immortality isn't actually much leverage.
Gratitude: Many thanks. We would appreciate this.
Offhand: We did ask those quoted directly after informed that it was proper procedure to ask before quoting. We apologize if that is rude, and will remove the requests if necessary.
...You know as awesome as Life 1 is gonna be for making minions, we pretty much can't go Wards or Protectorate now. Not in Brockton Bay. We have got to be one of Piggot's worst nightmares.
Blasto has shit on us.
Unfortunately, we also probably don't give a damn about keeping stuff from reproducing, sooooooooooooo we may earn a Kill Order pretty fucking fast.
I would say unless our dinosaurs piss out the fountain of youth, but nobody who really matters is thinking longer than 20 years for the Endbringers to grind the world down, or Scion to snap and kill them all. So immortality isn't actually much leverage.
But just imagine her face when she sees the Tinker Review for when we submitted plans for a species of portable leech which can perform dialysis internally.
But just imagine her face when she sees the Tinker Review for when we submitted plans for a species of portable leech which can perform dialysis internally.
I'd think she'd refuse it on the grounds of not trusting the unknown parasite designed by an egomaniacal parahuman who may literally believe they have divine right of rule.
Which...is probably a wise policy, even assuming Taylor or her Past Life didn't try to slip some kind of sabotage in there so that if the PRT or Protectorate betrayed her or tried to turn her creations against her, she could turn them right back on them.
...On the plus side, Coil may have extra nightmares!
...You know as awesome as Life 1 is gonna be for making minions, we pretty much can't go Wards or Protectorate now. Not in Brockton Bay. We have got to be one of Piggot's worst nightmares.
Blasto has shit on us.
Unfortunately, we also probably don't give a damn about keeping stuff from reproducing, sooooooooooooo we may earn a Kill Order pretty fucking fast.
I would say unless our dinosaurs piss out the fountain of youth, but nobody who really matters is thinking longer than 20 years for the Endbringers to grind the world down, or Scion to snap and kill them all. So immortality isn't actually much leverage.
The fact that our Past Life was able to do these things does not mean that we will be able to as well. For one thing, we lack the charms. Secondly, we lack the facilities.
The fact that our Past Life was able to do these things does not mean that we will be able to as well. For one thing, we lack the charms. Secondly, we lack the facilities.
True, especially since this isn't Creation, but our Past Life will probably predispose us towards this direction, and I'd be very surprised if a work-around couldn't be found. Especially since Panacea is in the city, and it becomes more a matter of convincing her to do something, and conveying what we want her to make.
And since we chose the party animal, I'm guessing our Past Life had some pretty good social skills. Definitely not incompetent, and this is a First Age Solar to boot.
OK, so, to talk a bit about the various Yozis so that those who don't into Exalted will hopefully have a better idea of what they're voting for. I'm going to include the full text of their excellencies as that's a very good starting place for getting into their individual methodologies. => indicates that the charm is further up the charm tree.
Malfeas
The fallen King of the Primordials is arrogant, cruel and given to excessive displays of obvious force for the chance to show off and the sadistic joy he feels when enemies and allies look upon him in awe and terror. He is vast and full of hate toward those who betrayed and imprisoned him, seeking vengeance with indiscriminate callousness to the collateral damage he inflicts on the innocent. The Demon City is resilient and strong enough to lift the world or crush it underfoot. The green fires raging in his heart blight the very Essence of everything they touch, marking the world with his wrathful glory. He holds authority over all things wise enough to bow before the world's creators.
Characters may apply this Charm to any actions in which they choose the ostentatious or overkill approach over merely adequate solutions. Any intentional subtlety or display of restraint makes this Excellency inapplicable, including adding less than half the maximum possible dice bonus to a roll (rounded down). Note that force does not necessarily equate to violence. A forceful seduction in which an Infernal confidently orders a prospective paramour to accompany him rather than cajoling or flattering her can benefit from this Charm just as readily as a stomp delivered to a prone enemy's face. Strangely, the power of Malfeas may also enhance any Performance action to dance or create music. These are the secret pleasures of the Demon City that embarrass Ligier.
To paraphrase MJ12: Mlafeas is about as subtle as his 1st Circle progeny, the humble Blood Ape. That is to say, not at all holy shit subtle and Malfeas are not even on speaking terms. Malfean stealth is the equivalent of nuking a building and walking away while everyone is distracted by the pretty explosions. Malfeas has a couple of charms that would be of interest to players:
Scar-Writ Saga Shield: Permanent Soak booster. Meaning, it makes it harder for enemies to hurt you. First purchase brings our Lethal soak up to our full Stamina, which means that we no longer need worry about minor inconveniences such as thugs with knives or handguns. Further purchases make it even more difficult to hurt us.
Viridian Legend Exoskeletan: Really good armor. This plus SWSS means we no longer give a shit about mooks with RPGs. Or light artillery fire. A second purchase at Essence 4 lets us wear armor and use this charm at the same time.
Pathetic Distraction Rebuke: ignore penalties when we're parrying attacks, and a fairly cheap defense against Flurries (ie multiple attacks). If we have By Pain Reforged up we actually get bonuses depending on how wounded we are.
Ablation of Brass and Fire: perfectly parry attacks (and environmental hazards) powered by not giving a fuck. Scion's golden fuck you beam? We walk into it going come at me bro and lo, not a fuck was given that day. Works best (ie, is cheaper) in developed areas (grass huts and roads count).
Nightmare Fugue Vigilance: we no longer need to sleep. OTOH, it becomes slightly harder to regain Willpower by sleeping.
Impervious Primacy Mantle: You cant' tell me what to do, The Charm.
Crowned With Fury: OTOH, you become very good at telling others what to do.
Insignificant Embers Intuition: either this charm does nothing or it's an amazing Parahuman detection charm.
Skyfire-Seizing Repast: lets us nom energy attacks. Standard caveats about not eating energy fields larger than your head still apply.
Green Sun Nimbus Flare: If we hurt an opponent, we can make them burn with NUCLEAR HATEFIRE. Adds on two unsoakable levels of lethal damage.
Godscorch Invective: Fuck you Shadow Stalker, The Charm.
Immolating Terror Technique: When we burn them with NUCLEAR HATEFIRE we can also drain their will and give them an intimacy of terrified awe towards us.
Magnanimous Warning Glyph: so instead of immediately burning someone we can instead brand them. If they ever dare go against us they will suffer the consequences, and they instinctively know it.
Cold Fire Desolation Brand: people that get hit by our NUCLEAR HATEFIRE now suffer radiation poisoning as well. Hooray!
Rebuking Impudent Arms: basically lets us melt people's weapons. Works against people that are resistant to heat too, because Fuck You.
Kissed By Hellish Noon: now lets us use GSNF at range provided it's via physical attack. So it does not, unfortunately, stack with Mind Hand Manipulation.
Cecelyne
The Endless Desert is patient and deliberate. She holds back, amassing resources until she can overwhelm her opposition. Her law places the strong over the weak, celebrating a doctrine of arbitrary and capricious hypocrisy. She demands reverence from allies and enemies alike and works terrifying and wondrous miracles to expand her worship. She is deeply insightful into the desires and failures of others and owns those whose wishes she fulfills. She borders everything and eternity, so everyone comes to her in time. Her heart overflows with desolation, turning all around her to literal or metaphorical wasteland. When her patience runs out or her plans reach fruition, her rage is sudden and shocking.
Characters may apply this Charm to any actions in which they build on prior planning and effort to succeed more thoroughlyor carefully. Cecelyne's Excellency also assists actions that give others what they want in order to influence and ultimately own them. She also helps punish those who break a deal or betray their loyalty to the Infernal or his laws. The Charm may assist any attempt to amass or jealously protect resources that are directly useful to the Exalt's established plans, but has no power to help spur-of-the-moment whims, acts of meaningless self-indulgence or displays of truly selfless altruism. The Endless Desert helps Infernals endure unrelentingly harsh conditions, whether physical or social, as well as resist challenges to their long-term plans. The Charm does not help characters resist random misfortune, nor can it thwart actions of those advancing an agenda unrelated to the Infernal's long-term goals.
A lot of Cecelyne's charms only work or work best in places of desolation. A place only counts as being Desolate if it's hostile to most life, where it's incredibly hard to find food and you might have to worry about death from exposure. So that means deserts, frozen tundras and the like count. Brockton Bay post-Leviathan, despite being a generally shitty place to live, probably does not.
Transcendent Desert Creature: The big thing here is that all mundane attempts to track us automatically fail. If I had to guess about Earth-Bet's metaphysics, everything counts as mundane.
Sand Slip Trick: You move 2x as fast and can't get knocked back or knocked down...in places of Desolation.
Scorpion-Tailed Mirage Technique: cheap magical flurry. Used for hitting lots of dudes at once, gets more attacks the larger our Cult, and lets motes spent on the 1st Cecelyne Excellency apply to all attacks in the flurry instead of just one.
Stone Flayer Touch: Fuck you Shadow Stalker, The Charm.
Sands Through Fingers Defense: Perfect dodge against physical attacks. Does not work against attacks that work against dematerialized beings. Works best in places of desolation.
Soul-Sand Devil Shintai: We can de/materialize like Shadow Stalker. The caveat is that it's horrifically expensive to assume corporeal form, and would basically drain our entire mote pool dry.
Untouchable Infinitude Reflection: it gets successively harder for mental whammy (Unnatural Mental Influnce) to bypass our mental defenses.
Sandstrike Blast: ranged attack that bypasses cover and can't blocked without a stunt. Does good damage (Essence + Charisma + threshold attack successes), has the Piercing tag (so it bypasses armor to a limited extent) and is darn cheap in places of desolation. Also drains 1wp from the victim. Can be used to attack corporeal beings while we're dematerialized (such as via SSDS), but that costs 3m 1wp which is kinda pricey.
Dune-Burst Onslaught: missing is for chumps. Turns the above into an one-time environmental hazard in a small (Essencex2 yards) radius that makes it hard to see for the next 10 minutes thanks to Sand Everywhere.
Holy Land Infliction: Turn an area into an area of desolation. Useful because...
Dune-Drowned Oasis Ritual: We can turn that area into a Demense. Which lets us get more motes and maybe start converting Earth-Bet to motonic physics if that's a thing that needs doing. WARNING: NOT SUBLTE.
Knowing the Desolate Heart: automatically succeed at attempts to figure out people's emotions and what they care about (ie Intimacies). Also lets us know what they consider to be their greatest failure.
Locust Mana Plague: Free candy! Free candy for everyone! People that you keep from starving to death are guaranteed to be grateful. Side effects may include becoming a Creature of Darkness.
That's enough for now. I'll tackle Adorjan and Kimbery later.
So I'm going to update this, because I just realized it left out all my favorite Malfeas charms.
I've covered what By Pain Reforged does previously. Take a point of bashing to ignore wound penalties from bashing including to not go unconscious until your health levels fill with lethal. The following things build off of it.
Purity of Madness Defense: No one can change your shape but you. It drives you a little crazy, but you resist Shaping effects (at the cost of a point of Limit)
By Rage Recast: A bit mechanically complicated, but essentially, when Malfeas was twisted into having a physical form, the Solars made something truly ugly out of him. You get (Essence x 10 [so 30 for current Taylor]) points of mutations that go into a mutation library. You have to spend all 30 points. The library is fixed until you raise your Essence score, at which point you can re-allocate all 30 points. When your anima banner gets to the Blazing Bonfire level (colored aura that's visible from a long range, but not quite totemic), you immediately and reflexively gain 8 points of mutations from your library. Any 8 points. When your anima fades, the mutations do as well. Until you get to Essence 3, that is. At that point: you pick if you want your mutations to fade when the banner does. You can alternately let them stay as long as you want, dismissing them as a later miscellaneous action. Or replacing them with others by flaring your anima again to pick a new set. Now why this works so well is a little involved, but essentially, the charm gives carte blanche in adding all sorts of cool abilities to a character. And the variety of effects make an insane degree of customization possible. This is a stepping stone to what I like to call the One Winged Angel combo which I featured rather prominently in Omake 1a and 1b. In this case, the "THIS ISN'T EVEN MY FINAL FORM" step.
Devil-Tyrant Avatar Shintai: This is one of the two easiest Shintai charms to pick up in the game. It also adds the ability to take your entire library of mutations from its prerequisite and have them ALL apply at once (barring that you have to choose between effects that are mutually exlusive). Your anima roils in and collapses into you, and you explode, literally [how Jack got burned in the Omake]. Any Shaping attempts on you are Obvious and you can reflexively reject them, even if you aren't conscious. You gain (Essence) natural lethal and bashing soak. You gain (+Essence) to your movement and dashing speeds. You increase your Strength (+Essence) for breaking things and feats of strength. This is the capstone of the OWA-combo.
Nightmare Fugue Vigilance fits here.
By Agony Empowered: What By Pain Reforged does for bashing, this does for Lethal. Makes it so they have to bring you all the way down to full Aggravated damage to cause you to pass out/die. Between the two they effectively triple your Health Levels. At E5+, allows you to ignore wound penalties even from Aggravated damage. At that point you literally fight until dead without showing any sign of being affected by your wounds unless they amputate something. This is a twice removed stepping-stone to the OWA-combo.
The King Still Stands: Those that'd try to take you down make you angry. That anger makes you more powerful. Whenever your Incap box gets filled by damage of a type for the first time in a scene, you gain 10 offensive motes (special kind of mote that can only go in a particular type of pool and can only be used for attack). Stepping stone to the middle part of the OWA-combo.
Driven Beyond Death: This is the middle of the OWA-combo. It's also the one with the steepest prerequisites, as it requires Essence 5 to purchase. This is the point in a JRPG where a cutscene breaks in, and the heroes can't do jack to them as the boss enemy switches to a more powerful form before REALLY letting loose. Activates when you get to fill your Incapacitated health box with damage (which, if you're using By Agony Empowered means after they've powered through all THREE of your Health Bars). Your Anima goes totemic and the area for five miles around you is riven by a localized earthquake, with you at the epicenter. The legend of The Primordial King (The Empyreal Chaos) wraps around your chest, biceps, and as a crown on your forehead. For the next acction, you are perfectly immune to all harm and all attacks. However, you can't take any action, except to activate any one shintai charm you know. If you don't activate one, you effectively remain inactive for that action. When that's done, your anima display dies down, and then you cut loose, final boss style. Your overdrive pool (special pool for attack-motes) gains 10 of them. From then on, you will remain active and attacking, unable to retreat until your attack-mote pool runs empty. Or the fight ends. Period. You can't heal in any way from magic during this time. Attacks that don't beat a minimum of (16+) post-soak damage? They don't even register. And that scales up with Essence. At E10, they have to deal a minimum of 31+ post soak damage just to even leave a mark. The only way to slow you down at that point is to amputate your limbs or break them beyond functioning. Your attack-mote expenditures are discounted by 1m, to a minimum of 0m. You can't apply more than one 0m charm to a given attack. However, you gain 3 attack-motes per action. When the fight ends or your attack-mote pool dries up, you roll (Stamina + Essence), Difficulty 5. If you fail, THEN you pass out. If you succeed, your Incapacitated level of damage is healed, though Final Boss Mode is a 1-off deal. You can only use it once in a given scene. As clarification: it only shows up when you're ACTUALLY incapacitated. If By Agony Empowered is up, then it doesn't show up until you get to Incap with Aggravated damage. You can't just trigger your Final Boss Transformation because they knocked off one of your three health bars; they have to put you down to your last hit point.
To summarize the One-Winged Angel combo, imagine a fight like a typical JRPG boss fight...only you're the boss.
Stage 1 (Pre-Transformation): Totally normal looking humanoid enemy. (has By Rage Recast, but Anima banner at <11+m level).
Stage 2 (This isn't even my final form!): First transformation. (11+m level of anima display, By Rage Recast mutations visible).
Stage 3 (Behold my true form, and despair!): You hit incap. Driven Beyond Death activates. For your Shintai activation, you use Devil-Tyrant Avatar Shintai. You roflstomp.
Gratitude: Many thanks. We would appreciate this.
Offhand: We did ask those quoted directly after informed that it was proper procedure to ask before quoting. We apologize if that is rude, and will remove the requests if necessary.
*Suddenly remember Bureaucracy Charms are a thing* *Realizes we're working in a modern day setting with Bureaucracy and organizations literally everywhere* ... Heh.
*Suddenly remember Bureaucracy Charms are a thing* *Realizes we're working in a modern day setting with Bureaucracy and organizations literally everywhere* ... Heh.
After eons untold, a horrifying force thought lost in the Ages hence has been awoke and hope is lost. Yes, at long that this horror has been birthed once more into the world and it is called...
Your attack-mote expenditures are discounted by 1m, to a minimum of 0m. You can't apply more than one 0m charm to a given attack. However, you gain 3 attack-motes per action. When the fight ends or your attack-mote pool dries up, you roll (Stamina + Essence), Difficulty 5. If you fail, THEN you pass out.
I don't have the book with the charms in front of me right now, so I can't check, but I was completely sure that you LOSE three attack motes per action, and have to replenish them by other means.
*Suddenly remember Bureaucracy Charms are a thing* *Realizes we're working in a modern day setting with Bureaucracy and organizations literally everywhere* ... Heh.