Hungry Tiger Technique
Cost: 1m
Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar warriors make themselves one with their blades. The Exalt spends one mote and makes a Melee-based attack. This Charm allows the Solar's player to count extra successes on the attack roll twice for the purposes of determining raw damage.
Fire and Stones Strike
Cost: 1m per die
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Hungry Tiger Technique
The Solar demonstrates his strength with a powerful Essence fueled blow. The Exalt spends up to (his Strength score) motes and makes a Melee-based attack. If the attack hits, this Charm adds one die to the post-soak damage for each mote spent.
One Weapon, Two Blows
Cost: 3m
Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Martial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar is as swift as the first rays of dawn. Repeat steps 7-10 when resolving the damage for this Charm, effectively damaging the opponent twice. All damage from the attack is applied simultaneously in Step 10, allowing a single perfect soak to defend against it.
Martial: Martial Arts.
Peony Blossom Attack
Cost: 3m
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Mirror (Unfurling Iron Lotus), Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: One Weapon, Two Blows
The Lawgiver moves as smoothly and rapidly as ice on hot metal, his weapon flashing in a dazzling golden arc to strike all those around him. The Solar makes a standard Melee attack at his full dice pool, and applies it to all enemies within three yards; each target resolves defense and damage separately.
Iron Whirlwind Attack
Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 2
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Peony Blossom Attack
The maneuver named the Iron Whirlwind Attack conserves Essence but requires an utmost exertion of will. This Charm is a magical flurry of many Melee-based attacks. The Exalt makes a total number of attacks equal to (her Dexterity + 1). This Charm lets the Solar make these attacks regardless of the weapon's Rate, without multiple action penalties, and with a DV penalty equal to the highest penalty for any one attack.
At Essence 3+, the character may select to levy fewer than (Dexterity + 1) attacks against her target, to a minimum of zero attacks. She may also cancel her attack prematurely. For example, when attacking a target which has a tick-long coun�terattack effect, she may decide to end her flurry early to avoid further counterattacks.
Invincible Fury of the Dawn
Cost: —
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: N/A
Prerequisite Charms: Iron Whirlwind Attack
The Solar burns with holy prowess in battle and moves like lightning. This Charm increases the maximum number of attacks received from Iron Whirlwind Attack by two. It may improve custom Melee extra-action Charms at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Call the Blade
Cost: —(1m)
Mins: Melee 2, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Merged, Mirror (Blade-Summoning Gesture), Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar's weapons know their master. The Solar holds out her hand and calls to the Essence of one of her weapons. If the desired weapon is within (Essence x 10) yards, and a flight path exists between the weapon and her hand, this Charm draws the weapon into her grasp. She must own the weapon she calls. This Charm can be used to draw and ready a sheathed weapon reflexively.
The Solar may reflexively spend one mote to activate this Charm as described. He may only call his blade from up to (Essence x 2) yards away while in battle, however.
Merged: Call the Blade (Thrown).
Summon the Loyal Steel
Cost: 1m
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Merged, Mirror (Void Sheath Technique)
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Call the Blade
This Charm functions exactly as the Archery Charm Summoning the Loyal Bow on page 189, save that it applies to hand-to-hand rather than ranged weapons. Characters are explicitly permitted to draw their stored weapons from Elsewhere using Charms such as Call the Blade.
Merged: Summoning the Loyal Bow (Archery).
Glorious Solar Saber
Cost: 3m, 1wp or 5m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Holy, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Call the Blade
The Essence of the Lawgiver manifests in a gleaming blade of the sun. This blade is always a glowing weapon that inflicts aggravated damage to creatures of darkness and sheds light as bright as a torch. The Exalt can summon this weapon to her hand from anywhere it has fallen, as a diceless, miscellaneous action.
The character defines the form of her weapon upon pur�chasing this Charm. Statistically, the weapon has traits equal to single or paired basic 1, 2 or 3-dot close-range orichalcum artifact weapon (such as a daiklave, grimcleaver, or direlance) of the player's choice. Paired 1-dot weapons or a singular 2-dot weapon costs 3m. Paired 2-dot weapons or a single 3-dot weap�on costs 5m. "Brawling aides" such as smashfists are not valid forms.
Players wishing to have multiple options may purchase this Charm a number of times equal to their character's Melee score, creating a different weapon with each purchase.
If the character possesses an Overdrive pool, she gains one offensive mote to that pool each action while she is actively wielding Glorious Solar Saber. The character must be in battle to benefit from the one mote drip. She may only benefit from one drip from weaponry at a time.
Iron Raptor Technique
Cost: 2m or 4m
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 5)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Call the Blade
The maneuver named Iron Raptor Technique extends the Solar's reach. Her weapon flies toward the enemy like a hungry bird of prey, then returns at the Solar's call. This Charm is a Melee-based attack that costs two motes and can attack enemies up to (Essence x 8) yards from the Solar. It is in all other ways treated as a normal Melee attack.
If the Exalt has Essence 3 or more, she can spend two additional motes for a total cost of four motes and throw a burning arc of energy from her weapon instead of the weapon itself. This is called the "Sandstorm-Wind Attack." It cannot be blocked without a stunt or Charm.
This Charm inflicts automatic knockdown if it strikes its target. If the character has learned Lightning Strikes Twice (Ink Monkeys, Vol. 33), she may activate it as soon as the knockdown occurs, catching her weapon's hilt as she flows into her second attack. Sandstorm Wind Attack cannot be blocked without a Charm, rather than without a Charm or stunt.
Blazing Solar Bolt
Cost: 3m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple (Speed 4)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Holy, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Iron Raptor Technique
The Solar's Caste mark blazes as she casts molten sunlight from her weapon. This Charm is a Melee based attack with a pool of (Dexterity + Melee + Essence), which may stretch out to strike any opponent the Solar is able to directly perceive (maximum range one mile). This attack halves any DV applied against it, and ignores any cover less than 100%. It deals lethal damage with a base damage, before adding attack successes, of (the Exalt's Strength + Willpower). This damage is aggravated against creatures of darkness.
Dipping Swallow Defense
Cost: 2m
Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Martial, Mirror (Elegant Flowing Deflection)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The maneuver named Dipping Swallow Defense restores defensive advantage to a beleaguered or overextended fighter. This Charm is used in response to an attack. It allows the Exalt to ignore all penalties that apply to her Parry DV when resolving that attack. Her Parry DV is still 0 if it's inapplicable, but it takes no further penalties.
This Charm negates penalties to the Exalt's Melee-derived Parry DV.
Martial: Martial Arts.
Bulwark Stance
Cost: 5m
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Martial
Duration: Until next action
Prerequisite Charms: Dipping Swallow Defense
Like a terrible war machine, the Solar walks through the field of his enemy's blades and is unmoved. This Charm causes the character to ignore penalties that apply to his Parry DV until his next action. This includes penalties invoked by his own attacks. Note that the effects of inapplicability are not a "penalty" on DV.
This Charm negates penalties to the Exalt's Melee-derived Parry DV.
Martial: Martal Arts.
Heavenly Guardian Defense
Cost: 8m
Mins: Melee 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Bulwark Stance
The character invokes this Charm in response to an attack. The attack must not be unexpected, and the character must have a weapon in hand. This Charm is a parry that perfectly defends against any attack, even if it is unblockable. Mundane weapons can break when used with this Charm. If the character uses this Charm and a mundane weapon to block an attack that inflicts at least 25L raw damage before soak, the weapon breaks (though it still successfully parries). This Charm has one of the Four Flaws of Invulnerability (see boxed text) common to all Solar perfect defenses.
Fivefold Bulwark Stance
Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Martial, Mirror (Eye of the Tempest)
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Bulwark Stance
The world weeps when the Chosen fall, and so, the Unconquered Sun has given them every mastery of defense. For the remainder of the scene, this Charm removes the onslaught penalty other characters' attacks impose on the Exalt's DV. It also reduces the defense penalty imposed by each action the Exalt takes by one, to a minimum of zero.
This Charm only applies its benefits to the Exalt's Melee-derived Parry DV.
Martial: Martial Arts.
Solar Counterattack
Cost: 3m
Mins: Melee 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dipping Swallow Defense
Those who attack the Chosen of the Sun invite their own deaths. The Solar invokes this Charm after using her Parry DV against an attack. This Charm gives the Solar a counterattack, which is resolved in Step 9 of the initial attack's resolution. Note the rules for counterattacks on pages 150 and 183.
If the Lawgiver has stocked any free reflexive attacks, she may expend one such attack as part of the three mote cost of this Charm's activation to make her counterattack unblockable. (See Final Sunset Stance from Ink Monkeys, Vol. 32 for an example of stocking free reflexive attacks.)
Martial-ready: Archery, Martial Arts, Thrown. The unblockable version of Solar Counterattack is available only to Martial Arts and Melee.
Ready in Eight Direction Stance
Cost: 5m
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Martial, Obvious
Duration: Until next action
Prerequisite Charms: Solar Counterattack
The Solar stands ready to force back any foe. Until his next action, whenever he uses his Parry DV against an attack, this Charm provides him with the option to make a counterattack. Note the rules for counterattacks on pages 150 and 183.
As with Solar Counterattack, the Solar may expend stocked free reflexive attacks to make unblockable Martial Arts and Melee counterattacks.
Martial: Archery, Martial Arts, Thrown
Protection of Celestial Bliss
Cost: 3m
Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Mirror (Fluttering Moth Technique), Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Bulwark Stance
The Lawgivers have returned into a world of peril and sorrow, a cruel age that threatens to destroy all that they cherish and hold dear. So long as there is a weapon in their hands, they can fight against this dark time, holding it forevermore at bay. As the Solar activates this Charm, he attunes his martial instincts to a single Melee weapon he wields, invoking an aurora of blue and gold flames to surround it with protective Essence. He takes no DV penalties from attacks made with the chosen weapon, and adds +2 to its Defense rating.
The Solar may also use the enchanted weapon to perfectly parry any attack against him in Step 2, even if that attack is unblockable. Doing so ends this Charm prematurely, as the corona of protective Essence flares to supernova brilliance, and then fades away. Once the Solar has done so, he cannot reactivate this Charm for the rest of the scene, a limitation that counts as this defense's Flaw of Invulnerability. With Melee 5+, Essence 5+, the Solar may invoke this defense up to (Essence ÷ 2) times in one scene before this Charm ends.
Glories
Flashing Edge Of Dawn
Cost: —
Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: One Weapon, Two Blows
This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite. If she wishes to, the Solar may ignore steps 7-9 on her second dam�age application and simply repeat step 10. Additionally, her post-soak damage is raised by one die whenever she uses One Weapon, Two Blows.
Shining Razor Wind
Cost: 3m per die, 1wp
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-basic, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Fire and Stones Strike
A brilliant red-gold corona erupts around the Lawgiver's weapon, empowering him to strike down his enemies. This Charm allows the character to enchant a weapon with Fire and Stones Strike for the duration of a scene rather than a single attack, at a cost of three motes per die added, following the same rules for maximum dice. This also counts toward the maximum number of dice that may be purchased with a subsequent normal activation of Fire and Stones Strike. Any nonmagical weapon forced to channel such power is destroyed when the Charm ends.
At Essence 5+, dice purchased with this Charm no longer counts toward the maximum number of dice that may be purchased with a subsequent normal activation of Fire and Stones Strike.
Rising Sun Slash
Cost: 4m (+6m)
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Mirror (Life-Severing Blade), Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fire and Stones Strike
For 4m, the Solar may select whether to make the attack unblockable or undodgeable. For 10m the attack becomes unblockable and undodgeable against any target, including non-creatures of darkness.
Abyssal Mirror: As its Solar counterpart.
World-Scarring Solar Glory
Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 6, Essence 6
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Mirror (Creation-Slaying Holocaust Blade)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Rising Sun Slash
The Solar's weapon surges with the limitless power of the wrathful sun god. An attack supplemented by this Charm adds (Essence) dice of raw damage in Step Seven. Should the dice of damage to be rolled after soak in Step Eight exceed the target's maximum total health levels, the Solar may instead inflict as many or as few automatic levels of damage as desired.
At Essence 7+, this Charm may be used to inflict whatever level of damage the Lawgiver desires to nonmagical objects and structures up to the size of a palace. Cutting passes through hills or smashing down stout fortress gates are trivial exercises for such mighty heroes. At Melee 9+ the character may pay a five-mote surcharge upon activation to inflict as many or as few automatic levels of damage as desired to targets regardless of his total dice in Step Eight.
A second purchase, at Melee 8+, Essence 8+, allows the Solar to activate this Charm as a miscellaneous action (Speed 5, DV –1), and commit Essence to it to "store" it in advance. When the commitment is reflexively dropped (this must be done in Step One), the Charm activates without counting as a Charm use. At Essence 9+, the Solar may store up to (Essence/2) activations simultaneously, though each must have Essence committed to it separately.
New Abyssal Charm: Creation-Slaying Holocaust Blade (Prerequisites: Life-Severing Blade). The Abyssal Mirror to World-Scarring Solar Glory has different prerequisites but is otherwise identical.
Immortal Blade Triumphant
Cost: 15m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Mirror (Charnel Emperor Stance), Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Call the Blade, Fire and Stones Strike, Protection of Celestial Bliss
The Lawgiver channels the blinding radiance of his anima banner through his blade, empowering it as an icon of his martial legend and heroic triumph. While Immortal Blade Triumphant is active, the Solar's anima banner emanates from a chosen weapon, not from his person. At the lowest levels of anima flare, this channeling suffuses the enchanted blade with the light and colors of the Lawgiver's banner; at higher levels, the anima banner emanates from the enchanted blade itself, taking on the shape of the weapon it shines from. This Charm ends if the chosen weapon leaves the Lawgiver's hands, but his will alone is capable of breaking the bond. The weapon cannot be destroyed or disarmed, nor is it affected by magic that would break the Solar's attunement to it.
As the vessel of the Solar's anima and personal legend, the enchanted weapon resonates with his heroic will, adding any dice from stunting or channeled Virtues to damage rolls as well as attack rolls. The overwhelming Essence pressure of the anima surrounding the weapon also magnifies the weapon's strength, both to lay waste to the Lawgiver's enemies and to shield him from harm. Any damage rolls made with the weapon convert up to (Essence) dice to automatic successes, and parrying with it adds (Essence) to the Solar's DV.
Should the Solar have need of power beyond even this, then he may unleash the triumphant power of his martial legend in a single devastating attack. While his anima banner is flaring at the 16m+ level, he may choose to discharge this Charm through an attack. Doing so adds (Essence) automatic success to the damage roll instead of converting dice to successes, and allows the attack to bypass both soak and Hardness. Calling upon this power ends this Charm and resets the Solar's anima banner to the 0m level.
New Abyssal Charm: Charnel Emperor Stance (Prerequisite Charms: Artful Maiming Onslaught, Blade-Summoning Gesture, Fluttering Moth Defense). Black Essence spills over the Abyssal's weapon, darkening it until it seems he wields a fragment of Oblivion itself. His blade becomes a manifest eschatology, an unholy incarnation of all his dark majesty and fatal prowess. This Charm is identical to its Solar counterpart, except that it does not add stunt or Virtue dice to damage rolls. Instead, the Abyssal's blade dissolves and unmakes whatever it touches, dealing aggravated damage to everything.
Dreams of the First Age
Golden Destruction Cut
Cost: —
Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hunger Tiger Technique
This Charm acts as a permanent upgrade to its prerequisite, allowing the Solar's player to count extra successes on the at.tack roll three times rather than twice for the purpose of determining raw damage. A second purchase, at Melee 6+, allows extra successes to be counted four times rather than three, while a third purchase at Melee 8+ allows extra successes to be counted five times. A fourth and final purchase at Melee 9+ causes each extra success to be counted ten times for the purpose of determining raw damage.
Guarding Star Tactics
Cost: —(+4m)
Mins: Melee 6, Essence 6
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious, War
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Protection of Celestial Bliss
The Solar Exalted embody a limitless destructive power which is second to none. Using this Charm, the character may tap into that power, focusing it into a large-scale defense ca.pable of striking down and turning aside all oncoming forces with an even greater force of her own. Defending herself is not good enough; even if a star should fall, the Exalt may use Guarding Star Tactics to deflect it away from all that she wishesto protect by an unrivaled display of power. This Charm serves as a permanent upgrade to Heavenly Guardian Defense, allow.ing it to be activated with a four mote surcharge to serve as a perfect parry against any area-of-effect attack, environmental damage effect, or ranged attack from a complementary unit—a parry which destroys or turns aside the offending attack. Players should feel free to invent suitably dramatic stunts to express the way in which attacks are defeated.
Attacks may be divided into two categories: transitory and sustained.
• Transitory: Transitory attacks are attacks composed of non-imperishable physical matter, energy, or non-permanent environmental hazards. Defending against a transitory attack destroys that effect utterly at the point where it intersects the Lawgiver's weapon, preventing it from harming anything be.hind the Solar, or any complementary unit he is a special character in.
For example: The Exalt unleashes an arc of solar flame from his blade, burning away an arrow volley as it descends toward his army. Crackling waves of golden lightning erupt from the Solar's daiklave, shattering a swarm of obsidian butterflies in midair. The Solar's weapon strikes an incoming tidal wave, sending a sheet of Essence boiling across it surface and evaporating it before it can smash into Chiaroscuro. The Lawgiver's sword dissolves the leading edge of a Total Annihilation shock.wave, unraveling the spell in moments. The Solar plunges his weapon into the ground, stilling an earthquake with a pulse of Essence.
• Sustained: Sustained attacks include attacks made of the five magical materials, attacks which are part of the body of a living being, permanent environmental hazards, and environ.mental hazards or attacks which the Storyteller deems unsuitable to arbitrary destruction. Attacks made with imperishable materials (such as a rain of jade arrows) are simply scattered and deflected without harm. Attacks made by permanent environmental hazards (such as the Pole of Fire) are stilled within (Essence) miles for (Essence) actions. Attacks made by living environmental hazards (such as the winds of Adorjan or a Lu.nar using a swarm Knack) are prevented from moving to intersect or bypass the position of Solar or any complementary unit he is a member of until their DV has refreshed. Attacks unsuitable for arbitrary destruction are generally one-of-a-kind storyline events, and are deflected or otherwise handled according to the Storyteller's discretion. Potential examples of resolution of such attacks:
Golden lightning leaps from the Solar's blade to catch Mount Metagalapa before it can fall on her army, then shifts the mountain so that it is deposited safely on the ground several miles away. A shockwave erupts from the Solar's blade, knocking the flying manse away without harm moments before it would have crashed into Tzatli. A pillar of sunfire rises from the Lawgiver's blade, preventing two of Malfeas's layers from crashing together and sending them slowly drifting apart. A slash releases a cyclone which ironically carries Adorjan away.
Sharp Light of Judgment Stance
Cost: 12m, 1wp
Mins: Melee 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Holy, Mirror (Symphony of the Flayed Legion), Obvious, War
Duration: One Action
Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Solar Bolt
The Solar whirls into a devastating attack, felling all who would stand against her with a storm of slashes. The character makes a standard Melee attack and applies it against all en.emies within (Melee x 100) yards. Allies are immune to this onslaught; the waves of lethal radiance dance deftly past them. This attack is also applied against any enemy who moves into the effect radius during the Charm's duration, and applied again once per tick against any enemy attempting to move to.ward the Lawgiver. The attack produced by this Charm deals aggravated damage to creatures of darkness.
If used over consecutive actions, the Charm loses its Willpower cost after the first use, and cumulatively lowers its mote cost by two on each subsequent activation, to a minimum cost of 5m. The range of its area of destruction doubles with each consecutive activation. The Charm cannot spread to encompass more than the Solar's (Essence x 3) miles.
Directed against a complementary unit in mass combat, this Charm renders the attack unblockable and undodgeable, and multiplies its final damage in Step 10 by the Lawgiver's Essence.
New Abyssal Charm: Symphony of the Flayed Legion (Prerequisites: Ebon Lightning Prana). Gathering shadows about his weapon, the Abyssal casts shrieking waves of razor-edged darkness across the battlefield. This Charm is identical to its Solar counterpart, save that it lacks a Holy effect; instead, mortals slain by this Charm automatically rise one day later as uncontrolled zombies, full of risen hunger for the flesh of the living. This effect fails automatically in the face of any magic designed to prevent a corpse's reanimation.
