Custom charm input

[Jondera]

I've put together a few custom charms for a PbP game I'm running on another site, and I'd kinda like to get thoughts on them from some other people.


Solar charms:


Blazing Lawgiver's Blade


Cost: —; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent


Keywords: None


Duration: Permanent


Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Solar Saber, Melee Essence Flow


While many Lawgivers prefer to carry daiklaves or other artifact weapons with them, some prefer the freedom offered by the Glorious Solar Saber. However, the Saber's power can pale when compared to many of the powerful artifact weapons created during the high first age, and so enterprising Saber users created this charm to help them balance their Essence-fueled blades against those forged by their more traditional allies.


Upon purchasing this charm, the Solar applies one of the following benefits to his Glorious Solar Saber:


- The Saber may be summoned as either a Simple or a Reflexive action, at the Solar's choice. Using Glorious Solar Saber as a reflexive charm increases its cost by 4 motes, but the weapon will be fully formed in time to parry an incoming attack.


- The Solar may select one other Melee charm that can be invoked as an innate power while wielding the Saber. A charm invoked as an innate power may not have its essence cost reduced by any effect.


- The solar may reduce the cost of Melee charms by 1 mote while wielding the Saber. He may select this benefit multiple times for a stacking reduction, but no charm may have its cost reduced below half (rounded up).


This charm may be taken multiple times, up to a maximum of half the Solar's essence, rounded up. If the character has purchased Glorious Solar Saber multiple times for multiple Sabers, the effects of this charm apply to all sabers.


The Abyssal mirror of this charm is called Void-Infused Cleaver, and requires Resplendent Shadow Blade


Sun's Flash on Steel


Cost: 2+ Motes; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental


Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious


Duration: Instant


Prerequisite Charms: Iron Whirlwind Attack


As the light leaps instantly from Sol to the eyes of mortals and Exalts alike, so to do the blows of the Solars travel.


This charm may be activated when making any melee attack, decreasing the Speed of the attack by 1 per 2 motes spent, to a minimum Speed of 1.


The Abyssal mirror of this charm is called Reaping the Instant, and requires Time-Scything Technique.


Lunar charms:


Quicksilver Weapon Replacement


Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)


Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Fury-OK


Duration: One scene


Prerequisite Charms: Any Dexterity Excellency


The versatile Lunar is a blur of motion, attacking with spear then claws then bow then knife. For the remainder of the scene, the Lunar may reflexively draw any available weapons. The Exalt may also reflexively sheathe or put away any weapons she may be holding. If she flurries, then, she may make each attack with a different weapon if she wishes.


This Charm may be activated with Relentless Lunar Fury, although it only lasts the duration of the fury.


Sheathing the Cat's Claw


Cost: 1m; Mins: Wits 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple (speed 3)


Keywords: Combo-OK


Duration: Indefinite


Prerequisite Charms: Any Wits Excellency, Quicksilver Weapon Realignment


Luna's chosen must ever be ready to shift their appearance at need. This charm functions identically to Summoning the Loyal Bow (Solar Archery charm, Core rulebook, pg. 189), but can be used with any weapon, not just ranged weapons.


The Lunar is explicitly allowed to draw the stored weapon from Elsewhere using charms such as Quicksilver Weapon Realignment. If Quicksilver Weapon Realignment is active, this charm may be used reflexively for a 1 mote surcharge.


Edit 1: Updated Blazing Lawgiver's Blade to account for the GSS Errata

 

[Tsuranis]

Stacking additional numbers onto GSS is... kinda broken. Also the way you've written this makes me want to check - are you aware of the errata for it?

 

[Jondera]

I had not seen the errata, no. I'll have to do some serious adjusting to account for that.


EDIT: All right, I made some major changes to Blazing Lawgiver's Blade, to account for the Errata and remove the stacking numbers.

 

[Revoke]

On the whole these seem ok, but I have some specific concerns.

Blazing Lawgiver's Blade
...


- The Solar may select one other Melee charm that can be invoked as an innate power while wielding the Saber. A charm invoked as an innate power may not have its essence cost reduced by any effect.


- The solar may reduce the cost of Melee charms by 1 mote while wielding the Saber. He may select this benefit multiple times for a stacking reduction, but no charm may have its cost reduced below half (rounded up).

For the innate charm effect, guided by how Unparalleled Acumen Meditation works (Dreams of the First Age, athletics charm), I would suggest specifying that the melee charm you select must have a permanent essence requirement of 2 or less (3 might be ok, but I'd say 2).


I probably wouldn't allow the cost-reducer to be purchased more than once. Cost reduction is very potent and pretty rare.

Sun's Flash on Steel
...


This charm may be activated when making any melee attack, decreasing the Speed of the attack by 1 per 2 motes spent, to a minimum Speed of 1.

As per the errata, the minimum speed of an action is 3 ticks.

Quicksilver Weapon Replacement
...


The versatile Lunar is a blur of motion, attacking with spear then claws then bow then knife. For the remainder of the scene, the Lunar may reflexively draw any available weapons. The Exalt may also reflexively sheathe or put away any weapons she may be holding. If she flurries, then, she may make each attack with a different weapon if she wishes.

The errata puts a cap on rate of 5, but I'm not sure if that's supposed to be per weapon or what. Either way, because of the possibility of (pseudo)infinite rate abuse, I'd put a limit on the number of attacks a flurry augmented by this charm can have (say, Dexterity x 2).

Sheathing the Cat's Claw
...


Luna's chosen must ever be ready to shift their appearance at need. This charm functions identically to Summoning the Loyal Bow (Solar Archery charm, Core rulebook, pg. 189), but can be used with any weapon, not just ranged weapons.

I don't know if giving Lunars Solar charm is the way to go. Their charms (sometimes/should) work differently. You might instead consider adding an upgrade to Quicksilver Weapon Rearrangement to allow you to draw weapon stored in Many Pockets Meditation for the surcharge (or some similar solution).

 

[Jondera]

Thank you for the advice.


Sheathing the Cat's Claw is out, then, since Many Pockets Meditation is already there (I'd forgotten about it).


New versions of the charms are as such:


Blazing Lawgiver's Blade


Cost: —; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent


Keywords: None


Duration: Permanent


Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Solar Saber, Melee Essence Flow


While many Lawgivers prefer to carry daiklaves or other artifact weapons with them, some prefer the freedom offered by the Glorious Solar Saber. However, the Saber's power can pale when compared to many of the powerful artifact weapons created during the high first age, and so enterprising Saber users created this charm to help them balance their Essence-fueled blades against those forged by their more traditional allies.


Upon purchasing this charm, the Solar applies one of the following benefits to his Glorious Solar Saber:


- The Saber may be summoned as either a Simple or a Reflexive action, at the Solar's choice. Using Glorious Solar Saber as a reflexive charm increases its cost by 4 motes, but the weapon will be fully formed in time to parry an incoming attack.


- The Solar may select one Simple, Supplemental, or Extra Action charm that can be used to make an attack or as part of an attack with the Saber. While wielding the Saber, this charm can be invoked as an innate power, without counting as a charm use. A charm invoked as an innate power may not have its essence cost reduced by any effect.


- The solar may reduce the cost of Melee charms by 1 mote while wielding the Saber. This benefit may only be selected once.


This charm may be taken multiple times, up to a maximum of half the Solar's essence, rounded up. If the character has purchased Glorious Solar Saber multiple times for multiple Sabers, the effects of this charm apply to all sabers.


The Abyssal mirror of this charm is called Void-Infused Cleaver, and requires Resplendent Shadow Blade


Sun's Flash on Steel


Cost: 2+ Motes; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental


Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious


Duration: Instant


Prerequisite Charms: Peony Blossom Attack


As the light leaps instantly from Sol to the eyes of mortals and Exalts alike, so to do the blows of the Solars travel.


This charm may be activated when making any melee attack, decreasing the Speed of the attack by 1 per 2 motes spent, to a minimum Speed of 3.


The Abyssal mirror of this charm is called Reaping the Instant, and requires Time-Scything Technique.


Lunar charms:


Quicksilver Weapon Replacement


Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)


Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Fury-OK


Duration: One scene


Prerequisite Charms: Any Dexterity Excellency


The versatile Lunar is a blur of motion, attacking with spear then claws then bow then knife. For the remainder of the scene, the Lunar may reflexively draw any available weapons. The Exalt may also reflexively sheathe or put away any weapons she may be holding. If she flurries, then, she may make each attack with a different weapon if she wishes. While this charm is active, the lunar adds 1 to the rate of all attacks, to a maximum rate of 5.


If the lunar has stored a weapon in Elsewhere with Many Pockets Meditation, she may reflexively draw the weapon while this charm is active by paying one mote.


This Charm may be activated with Relentless Lunar Fury, although it only lasts the duration of the fury.