One x One Return of the Scarlet Empress - Characters and Lore 3e

[Sherwood]

Chowlett and Psychie

Here is the character thread for you guys to use.

Xp Tracker:
Regular Xp: 5
Sidereal Xp: 5

 

[Sherwood]

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[Sherwood]

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[Psychie]

• Attributes and Abilities
• Merits
• Charms
• Martial Arts - Single Point Style
• Crane Style
• Sorcery
• Panoply
• Combat Stats
• Background and Intimacies
• Experience

• 
  Name: Reyna San
  Age: 364
  Gender: Female
  Exalt Type: Sidereal
  Caste: Secrets
  Faction: Gold
  
  Attributes
  Str: 3
  Dex: 5
  Sta: 3
  
  Cha: 2
  Man: 2
  App: 3
  
  Per: 4
  Int: 5
  Wits: 4
  
  Abilities
  Archery
  *Athletics: 3
  *Awareness: 5
  Brawl
  Bureaucracy: 3
  Craft: 3
  *Dodge: 5 - Specialty
  Integrity
  *Investigation: 3
  *Larceny: 1
  Linguistics: 1
  *Lore: 5 - (First Age Knowledge)
  *Martial Arts: 5 - (Swords)
  Medicine
  Melee
  *Occult: 5 - (Sorcery)
  Performance: 2
  Presence: 1
  *Resistance: 2
  Ride
  Sail: 2
  Socialize
  *Stealth: 3
  Survival: 3
  Thrown
  War: 2
  
  
• 
  Artifact - Destiny Starmetal Daiklave: 5
  Artifact - Silken Armor (The Serene Misfortune Sashes): 4
  Backing - Bureau of Destiny (free): 2
  Familiar - Riku, the Winged Cat: 2
  Languages - Old Realm, Firetongue, Riverspeak, High Realm, Forresttongue: 4
  Martial Arts (free): 4
  Manse - Demon Banishing Jewel: 2
  Resources (free): 3
  Suzerain of Endless Flame: 2
  
  Spoiler

  Fire answers readily to the sorcerer’s will. Whenever the sorcerer casts a spell that creates or manipulates fire as its primary effect, or summons a fire elemental, its cost is lowered by three sorcerous motes. If it’s her control spell, she may also waive a single point of Willpower from its cost once per day.
  
  Auspicious Prospects for Secrets: The Oracles may pay one mote to learn whether concealing or revealing a piece of information would align with destiny.
  Lesser Sign of Jupiter: The Oracle may pay five motes to reflexively make Jupiter’s lesser sign, drawing it in emerald stardust. Until her next turn, she and allies within close range gain +1 non-Charm Guile and add (her Essence, maximum 5) non-Charm dice on Manipulation, Larceny, and Stealth rolls.
  Greater Sign of Jupiter: Once per story, the Oracle may pay twenty motes and one Willpower to reflexively make Jupiter’s greater sign, traced across the sky in emerald radiance. She, her allies, and up to (Essence x2) other characters are immune to effects opposing their Guile and add (her Essence) to their Resolve. Un-Exalted characters can’t lie to them or refuse to answer their questions they unless they spend one Willpower per lie or refusal; characters with Essence less than the Sidereal’s can’t resist. This lasts one scene. Additionally, for that scene and the next (Essence) days, Investigation rolls against the blessed characters fail automatically and they’re immune to magic that would scry on them or divine their future.
  
  
• 
  Excellencies
  Excellencies are Sidereals’ fundamental supernatural prowess. They can add dice to (Attribute + Ability) rolls for one mote per die or raise static values for two motes per +1.
  With Ability 3, the Sidereal can pay one mote to reduce an (Attribute + Ability) roll’s target number by one (usually to 6). With Ability 5, she may pay two motes to reduce its target number by two. With Ability 5, Essence 3, she may pay three motes, one Willpower to reduce its target number by three.
  Sidereals gain Excellencies for each Caste or Favored Ability they have at 1+ and each other Ability they know a Charm from.
  
  Resistance Charms
  
  Spoiler: Optimistic Security Practice

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Reflecting on the sacrifices she may one day be called upon to make, the Sidereal imbues her enemies with her own generosity of spirit.
  After a withering attack hits her, but before damage is rolled, the Sidereal can imposes a –2 penalty on the damage roll. If she has a positive Tie or compassionate Principle applicable to her attacker, the penalty increases to (Intimacy + 1).
  
  
  Dodge Charms
  
  Spoiler: Absent Self

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Foreseeing her enemy’s attacks, the Sidereal arranges to be elsewhere when they land.
  The Sidereal ignores (higher of Essence or 3) points of Evasion penalty. This can’t negate penalties from surprise attacks. If she’s unarmored or suffers no Evasion penalties, she can dodge an attack whose successes equal her Evasion.
  Spoiler: Graceful Crane Stance

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal is one with the world, balanced within and without.
  The Sidereal gains perfect balance and can stand on or move across surfaces too narrow or weak to support her normally without needing to roll.
  Spoiler: Empty Sky Tranquility

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal takes steps to avoid a future where her enemy’s quiver has anything left.
  The Sidereal rolls a special (Wits + Dodge) disarm gambit against an enemy wielding a ranged weapon within medium range. Instead of using his Defense, the target opposes the attack roll with a (Wits + combat Ability) ammunition check (Exalted, p. 202). If successful, he’s revealed to have unexpectedly run out of ammunition and suffers withering damage equal to the Initiative roll’s extra successes, awarding Initiative to the Sidereal as usual. If he’s previously cached any ammunition nearby, it also turns out to have somehow disappeared or become unusable. He suffers +1 target number on rolls to scavenge for more ammunition.
  Characters with Charms like Phantom Arrow Technique are immune to this gambit.
  Special activation rules: This Charm can be flurried.
  Spoiler: Duck Fate

  Cost: 7m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Absent Self
  Sensing an impending danger rippling toward her through the skeins of fate, the Sidereal deftly steps out of its path.
  The Sidereal can use Evasion to defend against any hostile effect: undodgeable attacks, environmental hazards, falling damage, social influence, Shaping effects, etc. If the effect is one that could normally be opposed with a dice roll or static value, the Sidereal substitutes her Evasion for successes on the roll or the applicable static value. If it isn’t, the Storyteller should assign a dice pool for the source’s effect to roll against the Sidereal’s Evasion. Against ongoing or recurring effects, once the Sidereal successfully defends with this Charm, she’s immune for the rest of the scene.
  Duck Fate can only defend against the actions and magic of other characters and environmental effects with defined mechanics. Appropriate stunts may bypass this limitation, letting a Sidereals dodge performance review, debts, her feelings, etc.
  
  Secrets Charms
  
  Spoiler: Ascending Destiny Mien

  Cost: —; Mins: Any Secrets Ability 1, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Any Secrets Charm
  The Sidereal gets on her formidable intellect in delicate negotiations and clandestine intrigues, employing deductive reasoning to plot out a path through a conversation.
  When calculating Guile and Resolve, the Sidereal can use a Secrets Caste Ability instead of Integrity or Socialize. She may also use Intelligence instead of Appearance to add bonus dice on influence rolls (Exalted, p. 218).
  Spoiler: Never Cease Moving

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Any Secrets Ability 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Any three Secrets Charms
  The Sidereal’s ever-mounting workload precludes such luxuries as sleep.
  The Sidereal treats time spent reading, writing, researching, or performing bureaucratic tasks as restful sleep for all purposes, including natural healing and recovering Willpower once per day.
  
  Investigation Charms
  
  Spoiler: Efficient Secretary Technique

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Divination, Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Upon learning this Charm, the Sidereal spits up a small spider of living emerald, a jubilant assistant that skitters into the strands of her fate until she beckons it forth.
  The Sidereal’s spider emerges so that she may ask it a single factual question, to which it
  provides an accurate answer. It can’t answer questions involving speculation, matters of opinion, or subjective judgments, nor does it have any insight into supernatural powers or people’s thoughts, plans, and emotions. It also can’t reveal any information that anyone’s taken efforts to conceal, nor can it reveal information if it’s not known to anyone in existence.
  Examples of information the secretary can provide straightforwardly include the name of the local carpenter, how long ago a widow’s wife died, how many oxen an old friend owns, or the temperature of in Nexus. A question like “what’s the Bull of the North doing?” will typically give an accurate but not useful result, as the secretary can’t ascertain the Solar’s intentions or speculate as to the purpose of his current activities. Questions like “who’s winning this war?” or “which of these two men is more beautiful” are too speculative or subjective for the secretary to answer; it can only chitter its apologies.
  This Charm may be repurchased any number of times, each repurchase adding an Evocation to the Sidereal’s secretary that can expand the range of its information gathering and talent as an assistant. These Evocations’ themes and functions derive from the secretary’s established personality, the Sidereal’s Caste, and the themes of the constellation of the Key and the Scripture of That Old Thing. If the Sidereal has a pattern spider familiar, she can also use these Evocations through it.
  
  Lore Charms
  
  Spoiler: Systematic Understanding of Everything

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Lore 1, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Stackable
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal has glimpsed hints of a grand design in dreams and half-remembered visions and gained certain insights thereby.
  After a night’s sleep, the Sidereal gains a temporary Lore specialty in a topic of her choice. It must be related or thematically relevant to the current story’s events, the Five Maidens, or the Celestial Bureaucracy. She can stack up to (higher of Essence or 3) uses of this Charm.
  Once per story, the Sidereal may permanently purchase a specialty gained with this Charm for one experience point as a training effect.
  Spoiler: The Methodology of Secrets

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Lore 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Systematic Understanding of Everything
  The Sidereal is possessed of unusual competences, employing methods and techniques only dreamt of.
  The Sidereal applies a Lore specialty to an action with another Ability. She might use a mathematics specialty on an engineering project, a specialty in Yu-Shan for bureaucratic dealings, or a metallurgy specialty to target a weak spot in an enemy’s armor.
  Reset: Once per scene.
  Spoiler: Professorial Mien

  Cost: —; Mins: Lore 1, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal need not go to great lengths to establish her scholarly credentials; her sagacity is a self-evident fact.
  The Sidereal gains the following benefits:
  • She may reflexively make her scholarly eminence known to all who see her. Anyone who can perceive her becomes intuitively aware of all Lore backgrounds she possesses and regards her as the perfect expert to consult on matters involving them, treating this as a Minor Tie.
  • When she successfully reads a character’s intentions or profiles him, she also learns one of his Lore backgrounds.
  • Characters she teaches halve training times.
  • At the end of each story, she gains a new Lore background based on that story’s events.
  Spoiler: Of Horrors Best Unknown

  Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 2
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: The Methodology of Secrets
  The Sidereal spins gossamer filaments of fate into a net to bind otherworldly threat.
  The Sidereal rolls an unblockable (Dexterity + Lore) gambit against an enemy of fate within short
  range. The gambit’s difficulty is (target’s Essence). If successful, the Sidereal names a specific circumstance — “combat,” “negotiation,” “keeping secrets,” “courtship,” etc. While the bound enemy is in those circumstances, he suffers +1 target number on all rolls.
  Against un-Exalted targets, this lasts a year and a day; against Exalted, it lasts only one scene.
  
  Occult Charms
  
  Spoiler: Incite Decorum

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal invokes her intrinsic authority as one of the Maidens’ Chosen to facilitate smooth dealings with the spirit world.
  Gods and elementals count as having Minor Ties of professional respect to the Sidereal; spirits who are enemies of fate count as having one of fear. So long as she and her allies give such spirits no reason to take offense, they must hear her out when she speaks. The imposed Tie always penalizes summoned spirits’ Resolve against the Sidereal’s rolls to bind them with magic like Summon Elemental.
  A spirit may pay one Willpower to ignore or interrupt the Sidereal or two Willpower to initiate hostilities, but still retains the Tie of respect. If the Sidereal or any of her companions engage in combat, even in self-defense, further spirits may attack without spending Willpower.
  Spoiler: Prince-of-the-Earth Attitude

  Cost: —; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Incite Decorum
  Assuming the glory of the Chosen, the Sidereal’s presence commands deference and cows the weak-willed.
  While using Incite Decorum, as long as the Sidereal openly presents herself as an Exalt or acts as her audience would expect one to act, all un-Exalted characters count as having a Minor Tie of awe to her and are subjected to the restriction on interrupting or attacking her.
  Incite Decorum still imposes Ties of respect or fear rather than awe on spirits. While using Mark of Exaltation, spirits also count as having Minor Ties of awe.
  Spoiler: Mark of Exaltation

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Occult 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Until next turn
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal’s Caste Mark shines as a symbol of her authority over spirits, illuminating the unseen world.
  Dematerialized characters within short range of the Sidereal become visible to her and any other characters she wishes to extend this benefit to. She can focus this light on a dematerialized character within long range as a miscellaneous action, rolling (Perception + Occult) against his Evasion to render him visible.
  Spirits can always see the light shed by the Sidereal’s Caste Mark, letting the knowledgeable roll to recognize its use.
  Spoiler: Tell-Tale Symphony

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
  Patterns of Essence sing to the Sidereal, revealing the subtle harmonies of the cosmos.
  The Sidereal can sense when a spirit is within earshot by soft ringing of bells that surrounds them, even if they’re dematerialized. This typically extends out to medium range, though environmental conditions and magic may increase or decrease it. She can roll (Perception + Occult) instead of the usual roll to oppose such spirits’ Stealth or read their intentions. A successful read intentions roll also reveals whether they belong to the Celestial Bureaucracy and, if so, learn what position they hold.
  With Occult 5, Essence 2, the Sidereal can hear the subtler music of sorcery, Evocations, and spirit or fae Charms. While this reveals the presence of such effects and their general nature, it doesn’t reveal what they do or how they work.
  
  
  Spoiler: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery

  Cost: —; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Any four Secrets Charms
  Steeped in ancient wisdom and the secrets of the stars, the Sidereal masters the Emerald Circle’s secrets.
  The Sidereal can use Terrestrial Circle sorcery. She learns one Terrestrial spell — her control spell — and one shaping ritual for free.
  Spoiler: Celestial Circle Sorcery

  Cost: —; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, any five Terrestrial Circle spells
  The Sidereal has recreated the constellation of the Sorcerer within her mind from stars of radiant enlightenment; within it, she has found a path to the Sapphire Circle’s mysteries.
  The Sidereal can use Celestial Circle sorcery. She learns one Celestial spell — an additional control spell — and one shaping ritual for free.
  
  Stealth Charms
  
  Spoiler: Soft Presence Practice

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Stealth 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal steps lightly through the tapestry of fate.
  The Sidereal ignores up to (Essence) points of penalty on a Stealth roll. If the roll’s target number is reduced, each point of reduction lets her ignore an additional point of penalty.
  
  Athletics Charms
  
  Spoiler: Forgotten Earth

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal momentarily severs the invisible tether that binds her to the ground.
  The Sidereal can use a reflexive move action to jump one range band in any direction without needing to roll, which counts as her movement action. Alternatively, she can inflict +1 target number on a falling damage roll.
  With an Athletics 4, Essence 2 repurchase, the Sidereal can pay a three-mote surcharge to end a horizontal leap in mid-air. On her next turn, she must use this Charm again to continue the leap or fall to the ground. She can choose to descend one range band in addition to her forward movement.
  
  
• 
  Single Point Shining Into the Void Style
  Single Point Shining Into the Void is a sword style that emphasizes blinding speed and deadly-perfect finishing moves. Students learn to draw their blade as though it were an extension of their own body, transitioning effortlessly from the draw to a strike or parry. When a master duels a lesser swordsman, the fight often ends in a single stroke, the blade sheathed almost in the same instant it’s drawn. When faced against a foe who matches her in skill, the Single Point stylist fights with swift blows and an almost meditative focus, seeking the single moment of weakness in her foe’s defenses that will allow her to slash through him entirely.
  Single Point Shining Into the Void Weapons: This style uses slashing swords and their artifact equivalents, reaper daiklaves, delivering lightning-fast attacks from the draw.
  It cannot be used unarmed.
  Armor: This style is compatible with light and medium armor.
  
  
  Spoiler: Gathering Light Concentration

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mastery, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The clashing steel and ferocious blows of the swordsman’s enemies do not disrupt her focus—rather, she welcomes them, gleaning the weaknesses of each foe’s fighting style from their offense. After successfully parrying an attack, the stylist can use Gathering Light Concentration to reverse the onslaught penalties inflicted by it. Instead of applying them to her Defense, she applies them to her attacker’s Defense until his next turn.
  Mastery: At Essence 3+, the Solar may spend an extra 3i when activating Gathering Light Concentration to cancel all onslaught penalties she’s suffering from, and inflict them on her attacker.
  Spoiler: Shining Starfall Execution

  Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Committing fully to a lethal blow, the swordsman cleaves through her enemies with killing speed. Shining Starfall Execution adds (her Dexterity/2, round up) to the raw damage of a decisive attack. If she is at Initiative 15+, she adds her full Dexterity instead. However, if the attack misses, then the stylist adds (Dexterity /2) to the amount of Initiative she loses.
  Mastery: Shining Starfall Execution also doubles 10s on the damage roll at Initiative 15+.
  Spoiler: Single Point Shining Into the Void Form

  Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Form, Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Gathering Light Concentration, Shining Starfall Execution
  Sheathing her blade for a brief moment, the swordsman centers her mind and Essence. As she draw her sword once again and enters this form, it is as a lightning bolt of flashing steel, moving with unimaginable speed and control. While in this form, it is customary to sheathe one’s sword after each strike, and draw it anew for each new one—not merely as a show of this style’s formidable speed, but to contain and dissipate the overwhelming buildup of Essence that might erupt beyond the stylist’s control without such restraint. The first time the swordsman uses this Charm in a fight, she rolls her sword into battle with a (Wits + Martial Arts) Join Battle roll, giving it its own Initiative track separate from her own.
  This does not represent the sword gaining intelligence or agency of its own, but rather, the superior speed of the stylist allowing her to strike twice during each round. When the sword’s turn comes up in Initiative order, the swordsman may choose to make an attack with it, or to delay the action until later in the round. No other actions can be taken (including movement actions), and if the stylist does not choose one of these options, the sword’s turn is wasted.
  The sword’s Initiative is separate from the swordsman’s own—withering attacks made by one cannot add to the other’s Initiative, and decisive attacks made by one do not reset the other to base Initiative. The base raw damage of decisive attacks made on the sword’s turn cannot exceed the swordsman’s own Initiative, even if the sword’s is higher. When the stylist is dealt Initiative damage, the character who damaged her may choose whether to apply it to her own Initiative or the sword’s, but cannot split the damage across both pools. The sword also loses a point of Initiative at the end of every round it was not used to successfully land an attack. If the sword’s Initiative is reduced to zero, then the stylist is forced out of this form, and cannot reactivate it again for three rounds. When she does, she does not reroll Join Battle, but only sets the sword to base Initiative. If the swordsman leaves this form voluntarily before the end of the fight, note the sword’s current Initiative rating. If it is reactivated later during the scene, the sword’s Initiative is reset to this value, rather than making a new Join Battle roll.
  Special activation rules: Whenever the martial artist achieves the highest Join Battle value at the start of a fight, she may reflexively activate Single Point Shining Into the Void Form.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood must pay a point of Willpower each round she wishes to attack twice. Otherwise, she may only make one attack per round, choosing whether to “use” her own Initiative or the sword’s each round.
  Mastery: The martial artist gains the following benefits:
  • When using the sword’s turn to make a decisive attack, its damage is not capped by the stylist’s own Initiative.
  • The sword does not lose Initiative on turns it did not successfully land an attack.
  • If the sword’s Initiative is reduced to zero or less, the stylist loses the benefits of this form, but it still remains active. Once three rounds have passed, its benefits resume without the swordsman needing to activate it or pay its cost again. Additionally, if the swordsman crashes an enemy who reduced his sword’s Initiative to zero, then he may immediately roll Join Battle for it again and take an action with it on the same tick, as per the usual rules for Initiative Shifting (p. 194).
  Spoiler: Fatal Stroke Flash

  Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Single Point Shining Into the Void Form
  Seizing the crucial moment, the swordsman lunges forward into an all-or-nothing attack, her blade blurring into a flash of crimson-flecked steel. Against an enemy with lower Initiative, Fatal Stroke Flash adds the difference to the raw damage of a decisive attack against him. The bonus damage cannot exceed the swordsman’s own Initiative. However, if the attack misses, then the stylist’s own Initiative falls to equal the enemy’s before he suffers the usual Initiative loss for missing a decisive attack.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood can only use this Charm after parrying an attack that caused the attacker’s Initiative to fall beneath her own. Upon doing so, she may use Fatal Stroke Flash against him on her next turn.
  Mastery: The martial artist may also double up to (Essence) 9s on the attack roll.
  Spoiler: Liquid Steel Flow

  Cost: 5m (+1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5,
  Essence 2
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual, Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: One round
  Prerequisite Charms: Fatal Stroke Flash
  Moving faster than her foes can even blink, the stylist’s blade seems like a flowing river of steel. Liquid Steel Flow adds the stylist’s Dexterity to the raw damage of all her withering attacks. After landing a successful attack, she may pay a point of Willpower to extend this Charm’s duration to one scene. Making a decisive attack ends the Liquid Steel Flow, as the swordsman focuses all her speed into one deadly-perfect strike that converts up to (Dexterity/2, round up) dice of raw damage to automatic successes. If Fatal Stroke Flash is used to enhance this decisive attack, its Willpower cost is waived if the stylist paid Willpower into Liquid Steel Flow.
  While this style’s form is active, if the stylist and her sword both act on the same tick to make decisive attacks, then the benefits of this Charm apply to both attacks before it ends. The swordsman does not seem to make two attacks, but a single stroke of steel that can fell even the mightiest enemies.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood cannot pay Willpower to extend this Charm’s duration.
  Mastery: As long as the martial artist is at Initiative 11+, he also adds one automatic success on all attack rolls he makes against enemies of lower Initiative.
  Spoiler: Void-Slicing Wind

  Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5,
  Essence 3
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Single Point Shining Into the Void Form As one heartbeat begins, the stylist draws her sword from its scabbard. By the heartbeat’s end, the blade is already stained with the blood of her enemy. The swordsman may attack an enemy out to medium range, drawing her blade and flashing to the enemy’s side in a single lunge that counts as her movement action for the round. She adds one automatic success to both the attack and damage roll for each range band she crosses, channeling the devastating momentum of her advance into the strike. However, if the attack misses, the swordsman loses control of her momentum, sliding past her target to end her movement at short range beyond him.
  When the stylist and her sword take their turns together on the same tick, they may unleash the devastating attack known as the Countless Strikes Sheathed, combining the two turns into the single action of activating this Charm. The swordsman makes the attack roll before beginning her movement, and chooses whether she will use her own Initiative or the sword’s to make the final decisive attack. If the swordsman’s movement toward her target brings her within close range of other enemies whose Defenses would be hit by her attack roll, she may choose to reflexively strike them. Against each such enemy, she may choose to make a withering strike, which deals her Essence in Initiative damage and adds to the Initiative pool chosen for the final attack (including any Initiative Breaks received), or a decisive strike, which lets her forgo up to (her Dexterity) points of Initiative from the chosen pool and roll it as damage which ignores hardness. If one of these preliminary decisive strikes incapacitates a non-trivial opponent, the Initiative invested in it is recovered. Once the swordsman has cleared all enemies between her and the final target, she concludes with a decisive attack against the final target. Those struck by the Countless Strikes Sheathed do not even realize they have been attacked until the swordsman sheathes her blade at the conclusion of the final strike, at which point their wounds burst open.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood cannot use Countless Strikes Sheathed.
  Spoiler: Horizon-Swallowed Star Flash

  Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Single Point Shining Into the Void Form
  Moving without the least sign of effort, the swordsman repels the blows of her attackers in a flash of steel before sheathing her sword, as if to seal away the wasted force of their strikes. Horizon-Swallowed Star Flash allows the martial artist to make a reflexive clash attack. A successful attack grants Initiative equal to her extra successes, up to a maximum of her Wits. This Initiative is added before calculating the raw damage of the attack.
  While this style’s form is active, the stylist chooses whether to use her Initiative pool or her sword’s when making this clash attack. If she clashes, and then n the same round uses the other Initiative pool to make a decisive attack against the same enemy, that attack also receives the +1 damage bonus of being a clash attack. This combination move is known as the Shattered Mirror Nova-Strike.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood treats the clash attack granted by this Charm as her attack action for the round, and cannot make another. If she has already attacked this round, then it counts as her attack for her next turn.
  Mastery: The martial artist’s attacker loses Initiative equal to the amount that the swordsman gains with this Charm.
  Spoiler: Six-Demon Scabbard Binding

  Cost: 1m, 1wp (or 4m); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Horizon-Swallowed Star Flash
  Sweeping her blade through the motions of an intricate Essence-channeling pattern, the stylist forces hostile magic to condense itself into form, taking on shape as a howling devil which she swiftly dispatches and seals away as she sheathes her sword. The Six-Demon Scabbard Binding allows the swordsman to defend against a warping, twisting, or shaping effect that would alter her mind or body by making a clash attack against it, opposed by the activation roll of the effect. If the magic has no roll, its user rolls (Essence + Willpower), or a more suitable dice pool chosen by the Storyteller. Success on the clash attack allows the swordsman to strike through the manifest devil of thdistant enemies, sending the devil howling back at its creator to deliver her wrath (which can strike dematerialized enemies as well as material ones).
  The Six-Demon Scabbard Binding can also be used to cut a clear path through ambient or environmental transformative magic, such as the warping effects of the Wyld, at a cost of 4m. The stylist rolls (Dexterity + Martial Arts) against the difficulty to resist the effect, or an ad hoc difficulty set by the Storyteller. Success lets the swordsman cut a metaphysical path for herself, rendering her immune to that magic for one scene. It was with this Charm that Eternal Nova, the mythic creator of this style, defeated his own shadow to carve a path out of oblivion, giving this style its name.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood may only use this Charm to defend against hostile magic, and cannot make a clash attack against the character using it unless she uses Horizon-Swallowed Star Flash along with this Charm.
  Spoiler: Blinding Nova Flare

  Cost: —; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Liquid Steel Flow, Six-Demon Scabbard Binding, Void-Slicing Wind
  The deadly finishing move of this style is a unique dual strike which can only be used when the swordsman has entered this style’s form, and acts on the same tick as her sword to attack a single enemy. She makes a single attack that slices between all hope for defense, splitting the air like a thunderhead. The first part of the Blinding Nova Flare is the overwhelming spiritual and physical pressure that proceeds the edge of the swordsman’s blade as she strikes, a difficulty 5 gambit made using the lower of the two Initiative pools. The swordsman need not roll an attack to execute this gambit. A successful gambit leaves the enemy incapable of any defense against the next part, a decisive attack made using the higher Initiative pool, rendered unblockable and undodgeable. Even if the opening gambit fails, the swordsman’s enemy suffers a -2 penalty to his Defense against the attack.
  Special activation rules: Once the Blinding Nova Flare has been used successfully, it cannot be used for the rest of the fight until both the swordsman and his sword have reached Initiative 11+. If the opening gambit fails, this Charm does not need to be reset.
  Terrestrial: A Dragon-Blood who succeeds on the opening gambit does not render her enemy’s defenses inapplicable, but instead imposes a -1 penalty to his Defense for every success on her Initiative roll, up to a maximum -5 penalty.
  Mastery: After the successful completion of this Charm’s opening gambit, threshold successes on the gambit roll are transferred into the pool used to make the decisive attack, after which both reset to base Initiative.
  
  
• 
  Crane Style
  Crane style is a defensive style, emulating the grace of the crane in avoiding the blows of an enemy. Its student learns not just to fight with physical blows, but to empathize with her enemy, speaking or debating with him in an attempt to bring the fight to an end without violence. However, those who mistake the Crane master’s restraint for weakness find themselves quickly meeting the ground. When she must, a student of this style can unleash devastating counterattacks, flowing with the force of an enemy’s blow so she can strike back in turn.
  Crane Weapons: Crane style practitioners typically dual wield a war fan and hook sword, using the fan for defense while disarming enemies with the sword. Unarmed attacks usually consist of graceful kicks, but a Crane stylist lacking his usual weapons might use one hand to deliver rapid chops while holding back the other for powerful lunges and sweeping blows.
  Armor: Crane style is incompatible with armor.
  Complementary Abilities: Many Crane stylists use Presence, Performance, or Socialize in combat to sway their opponents into peaceful resolution or compromise, and later Charms of this style empower such efforts.
  
  
  Spoiler: Empowering Justice Redirection

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Mastery, Withering-only
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Crane stylists do not initiate hostilities—they end them. Empowering Justice Redirection can supplement any attack against an enemy who has attacked the martial artist or a character she is protecting with a defend other action during the current or previous round. It adds one successes to the attack roll, and one die to the post-soak damage of the attack. This increases to two successes and two post-soak dice of damage if the provoking attack successfully landed.
  Mastery: The dice of damage added by this Charm are converted to automatic successes.
  Spoiler: Fluttering Cry of Warning

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1;
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mastery, Uniform
  Duration: Until next turn
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The sheltering wings of the Crane stylist shield her allies from the aggression of their enemies. Fluttering Cry of Warning adds +2 Parry whenever the martial artist parries an attack directed at an ally protected by one of her defend other actions until her next turn. Additionally, an enemy who overcomes the Crane stylist’s Parry and chooses to attack her ward rather than the martial artist must pay a point of Initiative to do so.
  Mastery: Fluttering Cry of Warning allows the martial artist to take a defend other action reflexively, even if it is not her turn.
  Spoiler: Crane Form

  Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2;
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Form
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Empowering Justice Redirection, Fluttering Cry of Warning
  The crane embodies not violence, but elegance. The martial artist takes on its peaceful demeanor as she enters the stance of the Crane Form, presenting a defense that carries no hint of hostile intent, nor any sign of weakness. While in Crane Form, the martial artist adds +1 Parry, and if she is wearing clothing with long, flowing sleeves, her garment will never be torn or stained in combat. In addition, the Initiative cost for the martial artist to take a full defense action is reduced by one point.
  While taking a full defense action, the martial artist may respond to any attack against her with a withering or decisive counterattack. Likewise, taking a defend other action allows her to respond to any attack against her ward with a counterattack.
  Special activation rules: Whenever the martial artist successfully defends against an attack that causes her attacker’s current Initiative to fall below her own, she may reflexively activate Crane Form. If she took a full defense or defend other action on her last turn, this potentially allows her to make a counterattack, if the conditions above are met.
  
  
• 
  Pact with an Ifrit Lord
  You have stood in the court of one of the ifrits or another elemental lord of fire. Beneath the judgment of his burning eyes, you passed whatever test of righteousness he saw fit to impose. The pact you struck lets you draw strength from the element of fire and shape its destructive power to your will.
  
  Shaping Ritual
  Whenever the sorcerer takes a shape sorcery action, she may draw an additional (Essence) sorcerous motes from any fire within medium range, coaxing its power into her spell. This diminishes the flame—a hallway of torches will be extinguished by a single invocation, while a bonfire might die down to small flames after the first, then go out altogether
  after the second. However, if the sorcerer is fighting near (or in!) a burning building, she has a nearly endless source of sorcerous motes to draw on. She may draw from fire elementals or other spirits of flame as well, draining (Essence) motes from their pools, but only if her shape sorcery roll exceeds their Resolve, and no more than once per scene against any one spirit. When the sorcerer draws Essence to fuel her control spell, flames are not diminished, and spirits do not lose the motes drawn from them.
  
  
  Spoiler: Death of Obsidian Butterflies

  Cost: 15sm, 1wp
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Sculpting Essence into volant black glass, the sorcerer unleashes a cascade of obsidian butterflies. She rolls (Perception + Occult) as an undodgeable decisive attack applied in a line against enemies out to medium range. This line is wide enough to strike all opponents within the width of a single range band and reaches high enough to strike aerial enemies who are at short range to the ground (medium range enemies in the air can still be targeted by directing the butterflies to fly along an upward path, rather than a horizontal one). Battle groups are especially vulnerable to being cut down by this spell, taking a -2 penalty to Defense against it.
  The attack deals raw damage equal to the sorcerer’s (Essence + extra successes), or (Essence + Occult + extra successes) against a battle group. It does not reset the sorcerer to base Initiative. Scenery made of wood, glass, or other fragile materials is generally destroyed. After this spell has been cast, the obsidian butterflies fall to the ground and shatter,
  creating terrain that may be hazardous for barefooted characters to traverse—treat as an environmental hazard inflicting two dice of lethal damage, difficulty 2 to resist with a (Dexterity + Athletics) roll, and if the character is barefoot, difficult terrain as well. Any character wearing armored boots can generally ignore the debris.
  A sorcerer who knows Death of Obsidian Butterflies as her control spell gains (Essence) bonus dice to the spell’s attack roll. When her emotions run hot, butterfly silhouettes rise from her shadow. When she is angry, her fingernails turn to sharp volcanic glass, making it possible to cut cloth or paper, rend wood or flesh and other similar stunts.
  Spoiler: Flight of the Brilliant Raptor

  Cost: 15sm (12sm), 1wp
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  The sorcerer shapes flames of diamond and ruby into the form of a majestic bird of prey, evoking the elemental majesty of the garda birds. The player rolls (Perception + Occult) as a decisive attack against an enemy at up to long range, then sends the raptor streaking forth to consume her foe in deadly flames. The brilliant raptor embodies the sorcerer’s will, with a base lethal damage equal to (her Initiative + current temporary Willpower), and resets her to base Initiative on a successful attack. As long as the raptor deals 3+ levels of damage to its target, it ignites a
  bonfire (p. 230) that engulfs him and all terrain within short range of him, and burns until the end of the scene.
  A sorcerer who knows Flight of the Brilliant Raptor as her control spell may use it to attack a target one range band beyond long range by paying an extra 5sm when casting the spell.
  Spoiler: Infallible Messenger

  Cost: 5sm, 2wp
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Until message is delivered
  The sorcerer shapes a small, six-winged messenger spirit to convey her words to another character. The spirit flies with immense speed, capable of crossing hundreds of miles in an hour or all Creation in less than a day—only the boundaries between realms of existence will stop it from delivering its missive. Upon arrival, the cherub is visible only to its intended target, to whom it can deliver a message of up to five minutes in length before dissipating. Sorcerers can convey social influence through the Infallible Messenger, but cannot normally use their Charms to enhance the roll.
  Control: A sorcerer who knows Infallible Messenger as her control spell may pay an additional point of Willpower to project her senses through the cherub’s own, allowing her to use Awareness and Investigation Charms while delivering the missive. Having this spell as her control will also cause a number of tells to begin manifesting in the sorcerer’s vicinity, even when the spell has not been cast. It may appear in murals or paintings that she owns, carven amongst the gargoyles of her residence, or briefly fluttering in the periphery of a mirror’s reflection.
  Spoiler: Stormwind Rider

  Cost: 15sm, 1wp
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One hour
  Bending the winds to her will, the sorcerer creates a servile dust devil to ride. The Stormwind Rider is treated as a flying mount (p. 202), although it cannot take the sorcerer to more than short range above the ground. (Wits + Occult) replaces the usual rolls for all combat movement actions. The whirlwind can carry up to (Essence x 2) additional characters, or one hundred pounds of cargo in place of a single passenger. While it cannot soar as high as the Cirrus Skiff, the Stormwind Rider can travel at nearly 100 miles an hour and maneuver through forests or cities. In a race with other characters, the sorcerer rolls (Intelligence + Occult + current temporary Willpower) for each interval.
  In combat, characters within the Stormwind Rider are treated as having light cover against attacks made from outside of it, and vice versa. A passenger who is crashed or hit with a decisive attack is knocked out of the whirlwind, and suffers falling damage if applicable.
  A sorcerer who knows Stormwind Rider as her control spell is buffeted by winds whenever she is beset by strong emotions. Sudden movements cause a small vortex powerful enough to scatter papers, upset furniture and topple someone caught off-guard. Her vertical leaps are buoyed by wind, allowing her to leap upward a single range band as her movement action; she can do so up to (Stamina) times before needing to rest.
  In addition, characters with an Essence pool gain access to the following powers while this spell is active:
  • Enduring Tempest (5m; Reflexive; Instant): Once this spell’s duration has elapsed, the sorcerer may use Enduring Tempest to extend its duration for another hour. She may do so for as long as she has Essence to continue using this power.
  • Zephyr Rush (1m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant): The sorcerer whips the Stormwind Rider into a sudden frenzy of speed, allowing her to move up to two range bands with a single movement action in combat or doubling 8s on one interval of a race.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting a stormwind rider causes it to buck and swerve violently in its flight, threatening to throw off its riders. All characters carried by the whirlwind must succeed at a difficulty 4 (Dexterity + Athletics) roll to maintain balance, although the sorcerer who cast it may substitute (Wits + Occult). Characters who fail their roll fall out of the whirlwind.
  Spoiler: Virtuous Guardian of Flame - Control Spell

  Cost: 15sm, 2wp (12sm, 1wp)
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One day
  The sorcerer draws a flaming sword from her own heart, shaping a fiery sentinel to keep vigil over her. As she completes the spell, the burning blade collapses into a will-o’-the-wisp no larger than a torchlight — the sorcerer may conceal the Virtuous Guardian of Flame by commanding it to rest within an existing lit lantern or torch she carries. Should she be attacked, the wisp flares back into sword shape to fend off her enemy, protecting her as per the defend other action (Exalted, p. 196) with a Parry of ([higher of Essence or Intelligence] + 1). The virtuous guardian can even notice threats of which the sorcerer is unaware, rolling (Essence + Perception + Occult) to detect hidden enemies. Wooden projectiles or weapons successfully blocked by the guardian are burnt to ashes. If it parries an unarmed attack or other natural attack, the attacker suffers one die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness.
  Even when its parries fail, its flames blunt the force of attacks against the sorcerer, adding (Essence) natural soak against all but unblockable attacks. The guardian has soak (Essence + 5), Hardness (Essence), and (Essence + Intelligence) −0 health levels. When the sorcerer Joins Battle, it gains Initiative equal to hers. It cannot take any actions of its own; instead, this Initiative is used solely as a buffer against withering attacks. If the guardian is crashed, it dissipates for a scene, unable to protect the sorcerer, but reforms after that. If its health track is filled with damage, it’s utterly destroyed, and the sorcerer cannot resummon it until its full duration has elapsed.
  A sorcerer with this as her control spell may awaken Evocations from it, enhancing the guardian’s defensive power or wielding it offensively.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting the virtuous guardian lets the distorting sorcerer temporarily usurp it from its caster, stealing its protection away from her for one scene.
  
  
  Spoiler: Magma Kraken

  Cost: 30sm (27sm), 1wp
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Calling to the Essence of fire and earth that roils deep beneath her, the sorcerer wills ten tentacles of lava to erupt from the ground, shaking the earth as they burst forward in torrents of molten stone. She designates where each appears, out to as far as long range from her. Together, these form the Magma Kraken. It is rolled into battle with the sorcerer’s (Wits + Occult), and has a base Initiative equal to her Essence. As it erupts from the ground, any character who is at the point where a tentacle emerges must make a difficulty 2 (Dexterity + Athletics) roll to avoid it, or else be flung one range band away and knocked prone by the eruption.
  The Magma Kraken may act on its turn to make a withering or decisive attack, grapple an enemy, or wreak general havoc on the scenery. It uses the sorcerer’s (Intelligence + Occult + Essence) for all attack and feat of strength rolls, and each tentacle can strike out to short range from its location. If it becomes necessary for the kraken to make a roll for another action, such as opposing an enemy’s stealth attempt, its dice pool is equal to the sorcerer’s ([Relevant Attribute] + Occult + Essence).
  • Withering attacks made by the Magma Kraken are treated as medium artifact weapons with the lethal, grappling, and reaching tags. If the kraken uses multiple tentacles to attack, it makes a single attack roll and divides the successes among all targets to determine who is hit, before rolling damage separately for each.
  • Decisive attacks add the sorcerer’s Essence to their base damage. If the kraken attacks multiple enemies, it makes one attack roll and does not divide those successes, but instead divides its Initiative among each enemy that it strikes to determine the raw damage of the attack. It must assign at least three points of Initiative to each enemy.
  • The kraken may only attempt to grapple a single enemy each turn, and receives a flat total of (five + sorcerer’s Essence) successes on the control roll. The kraken suffers no penalties from grappling, but a tentacle being used to clinch an enemy cannot make attacks against anyone else.
  • Destroying scenery such as setting fire to vegetation, melting through stone walls, or uprooting statues counts as a feat of strength. The kraken is treated as having Strength 10 for determining the feats it may attempt, and doubles 7s on the roll. It may use multiple tentacles together to perform a feat with no penalty.
  The Magma Kraken cannot be targeted by withering or decisive attacks, nor is it possible for it to be grappled, but enemies may attempt to destroy a tentacle with a difficulty 5 gambit as long as they are armed with an artifact weapon or some form of magic that could reasonably disrupt a living pillar of molten stone. At the Storyteller’s discretion, attacks or hazards that affect an
  area or multiple targets and deal 5+ levels of damage can also destroy any tentacles within their range. Destroying a tentacle frees any character being grappled by it. If all ten of the kraken’s tentacles are destroyed, the spell ends. At the end of the scene, the tentacles or their broken remains harden into obsidian and remain fixed where they stand or lie.
  A sorcerer who knows Magma Kraken as her control spell is forever chased by magmatic flame. An open fire curls into tentacles around her, or a torch flame licks out from its sconce to light her pipe. When she is angry, the walls or ground become blistered and hot, with faint tentacle shapes writhing in rising smoke. The sorcerer can use these effects to intimidate, set fires, melt minor obstacles and perform other similar stunts.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting a Magma Kraken renders it incapable of perceiving and attacking the distorting sorcerer as well as all allies within close range of her (though this is of limited use if it is already grappling her). If this distortion renders the kraken incapable of perceiving any enemies at all, it will begin using its tentacles to lash out at random in hopes of striking a hidden foe.
  Spoiler: Shadows of the Ancient Past

  Cost: 10sm, 2wp
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  The sorcerer calls up the lingering echoes of the past to reenact themselves before her. The sorcerer may choose a specific time in the past she wishes to view, such as “One hundred years ago, on the first day of Ascending Air,” or a subjective time that relates to something in the scene, such as “When this corpse died.” The spell creates translucent, insubstantial illusions that fill the room or area and display the events of the specified point in time. The sorcerer may mentally pause the action for detailed examination with Awareness or Investigation actions, or accelerate the flow of time within the illusion so that up to an entire day passes by in the space of the scene. Attempting to view events from more than five centuries ago call only vague,
  indistinguishable images that rarely convey useful details. The events of the recent present—within the past year or so—have yet to form substantial echoes, providing only the barest of imagery conjured.
  A sorcerer who knows Shadows of the Ancient Past as her control spell may mentally record all illusions conjured by any casting of this spell. She may cause them to reappear at a later point at any time by taking a shape sorcery action at no cost.
  Distortion (Goal Number: 5): Distorting this spell allows the opposing sorcerer to falsify the illusions for the duration of the spell, warping and obfuscating the truth. While she cannot totally eliminate the information the casting sorcerer is attempting to discern, she may introduce all manner of contradictory evidence, red herrings, or misleading images in an attempt to throw him off the trail.
  Spoiler: Travel Without Distance - Control Spell

  Cost: 25sm, 2wp
  Keywords: Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  The sorcerer shapes a blazing corona of Essence around herself through mudras that describe the warp and weft of space. As she completes the spell, she is engulfed in whirling clouds of Essence and energy, and then is gone. She may reappear in any location within (Essence x 10) miles, as long as she has seen it before, either firsthand or through scrying magics. She appears in a safe location at the chosen duration in a swirling vortex of light sure to impress the locals. Travel Without Distance is mildly disorienting—the sorcerer suffers a -2 fatigue penalty on all actions for (6 - Stamina) hours afterwards, and cannot cast it again until this penalty has run its course. This spell is highly valued by both the Sidereal and Lunar Exalted, who maintain hidden meeting-places that can only be reached with this spell.
  A sorcerer who knows Travel Without Distance as her control spell may bring up to (Essence + 1) willing characters within short range along with her when she casts this spell. All transported characters suffer the fatigue penalty from disorientation.
  
  
• 
  
  Spoiler: The Serene Misfortune Sashes (Starmetal Silk Armor, Artifact 4)

  Upon her loom of sacred cypress, Ouzha Nine-Handed wove nine sashes from nine bolts of rainbow fabric. Nine measures of starmetal she used for her weft, beaten thinner than a maiden’s hair. Nine are the colors of the sashes themselves: crimson and ultramarine, jonquil and viridian, cyan and gamboge, indigo and rose, and a singular black snipped from cloth-of-night. She wove for nine years, and smiled at her works, for Ouzha feared nothing in the world but death, and fear was the tenth fabric upon her loom.
  Each of the Serene Misfortune Sashes is a delicate froth of woven rainbow and irregular brocade, unique in its pattern from its sister-sashes. They may be tied around the waist or fastened with a needle-fine starmetal pin, their hues shifting subtly to suit the wearer’s outfit and complexion. Of the eight sashes whose locations are known to Heaven, some are kept by the Cerulean Lute’s quartermasters for Sidereals of suitable temperament. Others belong to the treasure-wardrobes of powerful celestial gods, having been given as gifts by Ouzha (and subsequently changing hands several times). Some of these gods have been known lend their sashes — freely or otherwise — to allies and proteges, whether to curry favor or enrich their sash’s burgeoning mythos. Of the ninth, nothing is known.
  Woven with Ouzha’s fear of death, the sashes are silken armor that subtly bend fate to transform their wearer’s tragedies into calamitous bad luck. One might escape certain doom by the grace of their sash, only to find their lives crumbling around them. They are infrequent plot devices in heavenly plays. In tragedies, their wearers batter their fists against the ground in despair; in comedies, they look upon their misfortune and smile. They say: Calamities may pass with time, but death gives no reprieve.
  
  Attunement: 4m
  Type: Light (Soak +5, Hardness 4, Mobility Penalty −0)
  Tags: Special, Silent
  Hearthstone Slot(s): 0
  Era: The Season of Nine Shoguns
  
  Evocations of the Serene Misfortune Sash
  The Serene Misfortune Sashes don’t count as armor for determining their compatibility with Martial Arts.
  Each of the nine sashes has its own unique set of Evocations, each taking its own approach to substituting misfortune for injury, failure, and other setbacks. The following Evocations focus on protecting the wearer from physical injury, but some sashes might instead protect its wearer’s reputation, wealth, relationships, or the like.
  
  

  Spoiler: ++Borrowed Luck++

  Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Perilous, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisites: None
  Adapting an untroubled mien, the wearer radiates quiet confidence that unnerves and enthralls her would-be attackers.
  The wearer adds up to (higher of Essence or 3) to her Defense. However, she suffers a penalty equal to this bonus on her next attack roll, which can’t be negated.
  Reset: Once per scene, unless reset by attacking.

  Spoiler: ++Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense++

  Cost: 2m per health level; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisites: Dancing Among Razors
  Swords and arrows turn aside at the last moment as the sash cinches tight around the wearer’s waist, heavy with knotted misfortune.
  Against a decisive attack, she may pay two motes per health level to transform damage into bad luck, up to (higher of Essence of 3) health levels. This misfortune takes a form of the Storyteller’s choice at some point after the scene but before the end of the story, based on the number of health levels transformed:
  
  Health Levels Transformed / Effect
  1 or 2 / Small twists of fate that inflict a −2 penalty, such as unusual traffic, awful weather, misplaced papers, etc.
  3 or 4 / Temporary, personal setbacks, such as the theft of an important document, the arrival of an unexpected investigator, or mistaken identity.
  5 or more / Significant trouble, often for the character’s Merits, such as seized assets, incapacitated contacts, or misunderstandings that sour a relationship.
  
  Reset: Once per scene unless reset by falling to a −2 wound penalty or lower.
  Resonant: This Charm loses the Perilous keyword.

  Spoiler: ++Waltzing Away from Calamity++

  Cost: — (6m, 1wp); Mins: Essence 2
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisites: Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense
  The wearer may walk away from an avalanche with nothing worse than rumpled robes…at least, for a time.
  The wearer may spend six motes and one Willpower to invoke Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense against a Crippling effect or an instance of uncountable damage, negating the harm. In exchange, she becomes the subject of a baleful prophecy of the Storyteller’s choice, bringing a certain type of misfortune to herself, such as bankruptcy, illness, defeat, or scandal. She suffers +1 target number to rolls that could result in that misfortune for the rest of the story. If this Charm is used towards the end of the current story, the effect may carry over to the next instead at the Storyteller’s discretion.
  Repurchase at Essence 3+ allows the wearer to learn how to negate a Shaping effect instead of a Crippling one.
  Dissonant: Wearers dissonant with starmetal suffer +2 target number to avoid their misfortune instead.

  Spoiler: ++Grinning Albatross Infliction++

  Cost: —(+1wp); Mins: Essence 2
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisites: Waltzing Away from Calamity
  Loosening a knot from the sash’s Essence, the wearer shunts her future misery onto someone else.
  Once per session when she uses Tomorrow’s Troubles Defense, the wearer may pay a one Willpower surcharge to foist her bad luck on a target within short range. If her Essence is higher than the target’s, this happens automatically; otherwise, it requires a contested (Wits + Integrity) roll, with the wearer gaining −1 target number. Success subjects the target to the misfortune instead; failure resets this Charm.
  Spoiler: Demon-Banishing Jewel (Sidereal, Standard)

  Keywords: None
  This glinting star sapphire exists in both the material realm and the immaterial, making it tangible to dematerialized beings. A weapon socketed with it can be used to attack dematerialized enemies. If its wielder could already do so thanks to other magic, she adds a non-Charm die on the attack roll.
  Spoiler: Destiny (Starmetal Reaper Daiklave *****)

  Crafter: Jovita Korad
  User: Jovita Korad, Tesni Summersky
  An inscription can be seen on the side of the blade written in Old Realm reading, “Flesh is far easier cut than steel.” This starmetal reaper daiklave has an infamous past full of murder and betrayal. Forged during the First Age from an exceptionally auspicious meteorite, Destiny has seen many wielders over the ages.
  Its lore and infamy, however, come from its original user and smith Jovita Korad. The Endings Caste Sidereal spent a good deal of his time considering the reasons behind the design of the human body. He would often engage in philosophical debates with the greatest exalted minds of the age on all manner of subjects, but human form was his specialty.
  One day he told a gathered group of scholars that he had found the answer and presented them with Destiny and its sister sword, Exile. He then proceeded to slaughter all the attendees while reciting his reasoning of why humans were made of flesh. Once he had killed the last man, he wiped the blood from his weapon and stated “Flesh is far easier to cut than steel.”
  Naturally a manhunt was set to capture the rogue exalted and bring him to justice. However, Jovita surrendered himself willingly. He turned over documents pertaining to each scholar's misdeeds ranging from child abuse, to rape, to human experimentation, and even to consorting with the enemies of Creation. Many of the scholars were exalts themselves and such knowledge coming to light would have been damning. His life was spared but he was exiled beyond Creationʼs borders.
  
  Attunement: 5m
  Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
  Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
  Hearthstone slot(s): 1
  Era: Second Deliberative Era
  
  Evocations of Destiny
  Destiny has a muted shine as if it was asked to suppress its true splendor. In the right starlight, however, one can see a purple glimmer from its form. It holds a single hearthstone just above the cross guard. A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
  
  

  Spoiler: Steel Deflects Steel

  Cost: -;Min: Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keyword: Uniform, Stackable
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite: None
  As the blades were unveiled, many in the audience were spellbound by their beauty. The starmetal reflected the light of the Unconquered Sun breaking it into a rainbow. Other more paranoid members saw the weapons as a threat to life and limb, and rightly so. The paranoid onlookers came at Jovita with a fury only desperate men and women could muster. All the same, he turned their blades.
  When a player rolls their attack and it has three “7s” the user increases their weapon parry by 1 for three actions. Should they roll three “7s” again they may increase their parry by an additional 1, to a maximum of their (Melee or Martial Artist, whichever skill they use with Destiny), or extend the duration by 1 action, to a maximum of five actions.
  At Essence 3, should they roll six “7s” the user may spend 1 mote to trigger this evocation twice.
  At Essence 5, should they roll nine “7s” the user may spend 3 motes (1 + 2) to trigger this evocation three times.
  Resonant: A character resonant with Starmetal who rolls three “7s” twice, or more, may increase both their Parry by 1 and the number of turned it is active.

  Spoiler: ++Gaps in the Armor++

  Cost: -;Min: Essence 2
  Type: Permanent
  Keyword: Dual, Resonant, Dissonant
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite: Steel Deflects Steel
  Jovita spent years, in some cases decades, collecting evidence that his “noble” peers were actually horrific monsters. He studied them, always the philosopher and doctor, never the assassin. In doing so he gained their trust and found their weakness. On a withering attack after a player has rolled their attack, but before it is reported, they add their Essence to their overwhelming. They can do this if the attack roll has “7”, “8”, “9”, and “10”. On a Decisive attack the damage roll gains double 10s.
  Dissonant: A character dissonant with Starmetal only gains double tens on Essence damage dice.
  Resonant: A Character resonant with Starmetal need only have 3 of the 4 numbers consecutively to activate this ability. For example, “7, 8, 9” or “8, 9, 10”.

  Spoiler: ++Once Hit Twice Cut++

  Cost: 4m; Min: Essence 3
  Type: Reflexive
  Keyword: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite: Gaps in the Armor
  Jovita practiced the esoteric Sidereal Martial Arts in secret, training himself for the day he would strike. He made sure that only his most trusted friends knew of his martial prowess, lest his prey become wary. On that destined day he unveiled his true skill and parried with a mastery of sword that none expected.
  On a Withering attack roll, if the player rolls three “8s” they may choose to spend 4 motes and gain a second attack on the same target after the first resolves. Their second attack may be Withering or Deceive. This Evocation may only be activated two times in any one turn. On a Decisive attack roll, should the player roll three “8s” the user may spend 4 motes and make a second damage roll equal to half their original damage roll.

  Spoiler: ++Efficiency of Auspicious Action++

  Cost: -;Min: Essence 3
  Type: Permanent, Dissonant, Resonant
  Keyword: Decisive-only
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite: Once Hit Twice Cut
  Jovita cut down Solar and Lunar the same. He slew Dragon Blooded and Sidereal without prejudice. All that mattered in the moment was ending wickedness. He did so with the efficiency of an automaton, almost as if he knew the consequence of every action.
  Should a player roll four “10s” on a Decisive attack they may refund the mote cost of any one charm or evocation used on that attack.
  Dissonant: A character dissonant with Starmetal may only apply this Evocation to Essence 3 or lower Charms and Evocations.
  Resonant: A character Resonant with starmetal who rolls 5+ “10s” may refunds the mote cost of any two Charms and/or Evocations.

  Spoiler: ++Forgone Conclusion++

  Cost: 3m, 2w; Min: Essence 4
  Type: Simple
  Keyword: None
  Duration: Scene
  Prerequisite: Efficiency of Auspicious Action
  Jovita orchestrated the slaughter as if it were an elegant play; maybe even a tribute to Saturn herself. Each victim was an actor in his or her own tragedy, with Jovita as the triumphant protagonist at centerstage. So it was preformed and so Destiny, and the Loom of Fate, recorded it. The player may enhance the basic ability of Destiny to now affect up to (Essence) dice. It costs 3 motes to change the digit of a die after the first time.
  This power is explicitly incompatible with Efficiency of Auspicious Action. If a play buys 10s those motes are not refunded, however motes on other Evocations or Charms are.

  Spoiler: ++Sisters in Battle++

  Cost:-; Min: Essence 3
  Type: Permanent
  Keyword: Uniform
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite: Steel Deflects Steel
  Destiny was not the only blade that Jovita forged for this event. He knew that if he was to undertake this path, at the end was death or exile. As such, he forged Exile.
  Should a user have Exile they may apply any of the evocations of Destiny to enhance Exile and vice versa.
  In addition if the user rolls three “9s” on an attack they may reroll any “10s” on their damage roll.

  Spoiler: ++Redeemed Blade++

  Cost: 3m; Min: Essence 4
  Type: Reflexive
  Keyword: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite: Steel Deflects Steel
  A century after Jovita died, a young Solar exploring beyond Creation recovered Destiny. Her name was Tesni Summersky. With Destiny she returned home to the South of Creation where she took charge of a small kingdom. Troubled by the swordʼs past as a weapon of assassination, she sought to alter its morality. Tesni used it to aid her circle mates and harm her adversaries.
  Once learned, Redeemed Blade enhances Destinyʼs basic ability and allows it to affect the allies the user has a positive intimacy for. Alternately if they have a negative intimacy for an adversary, the user may affect them as well. Should the user know Redeemed Blade and Forgone Conclusion they may use Redeemed Blade multiple times but are still limited by their Essence times.
  
  
• 
  Health Levels
  -0 [ ]
  -1 [ ][ ]
  -2 [ ][ ]
  -4 [ ]
  I [ ]
  
  Essence: 4
  Personal 17
  Peripheral: 49 / 40
  Committed: 9
  Willpower: 10
  
  Join Battle: 9 +3I
  
  Parry: 6 (7 with Crane Form)
  Evasion: 5
  Guile: 3
  Resolve: 3
  
  Soak
  Natural: 3
  Armor: 5
  Hardness: 4
  VGF: 3
  
  Virtuous Guardian of Flame
  Perception Roll: 11
  Guardian's Soak: 8
  Hardness: 3
  Health Levels:
  -0 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ][ ][ ]
  
  Destiny Starmetal Daiklave
  Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
  Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
  Evocations
  A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
  
  When a player rolls their attack and it has three “7s” the user increases their weapon parry by 1 for three actions. Should they roll three “7s” again they may increase their parry by an additional 1, to a maximum of their (Melee or Martial Artist, whichever skill they use with Destiny), or extend the duration by 1 action, to a maximum of five actions.
  At Essence 3, should they roll six “7s” the user may spend 1 mote to trigger this evocation twice.
  
  
• 
  Defining Principle: Through Knowledge and Education, All Things Are Possible
  Major Tie: Between, her Twin Brother
  Major Tie: Demons (hatred)
  Major Tie: Gold Faction (Loyalty) - The Solars Must Be In Command of Creation
  Minor Tie: Love of Music and Dancing, Especially the Performances of Between
  
  Reyna was born under a rare and very auspicious convergence of the stars, marking her and her brother as being fated to take the on the mantle of Sidereal Exalts. At an early age, both of the twins were taken to Yu-Shan to begin their training in the ways of the Celestial Bureaucracy. Taking her place among the Fivescore Fellowship as a Chosen of Secrets, Reyna quickly rose in prominence in the Bureau of Destiny. As she grew in knowledge, Reyna was being actively courted by the two different Factions, and after spending several decades looking into the pros and cons of each side, and finally decided that the Solars were needed to take charge of Creation once more, with the guiding wisdom of the Sidereal Exalted providing direction, and with that, Reyna took her place amongst the ranks of the Gold Faction.
  
  In her role as an Oracle, Reyna has traveled across Creation searching for nuggets of information that either needed to be spirited away for discovery at a later date, or delivered once more into Creation as a whole once more. Once the Solar Exalted returned to Creation, Reyna took to the task of teaching the small group of rescued Solars about their upcoming role in the Celestial Bureaucracy, imparting upon them the wisdom that Jupiter had provided for her over the past several centuries in the form of Sorcerous initiations and Martial Arts instruction.
  
  Despite having a differing political viewpoint, she still takes the time to see her brother as often as their busy schedules allow, making sure to catch performances of her more famous brother, Between.
  
  Reyna is very fond of her spiritual guide and constant companion, Riku. Taking the form of a small black and white cat with a pair of wings, the little familiar offers up his wisdom to Reyna both when she asks for it and when he feels his advice would be well receved by his Exalt. Reyna is a fan of sweets of all kinds, and there is not a blueberry pie in Creation that is safe from her predatory gaze. She is very fond of butterflies, and for some reason it happens that she is frequently finding herself in the middle of a small group of the pretty fluttering insects.
  
  
• 
  Character Advancement
  
  Attribute increase - current rating x4
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Ability increase - current rating x2
  Caste/Favored Ability increase - (current rating x2) − 1
  New Ability - 3
  Specialty - 3
  Purchased Merit - new rating x3
  Willpower - 8
  Charm - 10 (8 if Occult Caste/Favored)
  Sidereal Martial Arts Charm - 10
  Spell - 10 (8 if Favored)
  Evocation - 10
  
  Bonus Point Expenditure
  Abilities - 7
  Charms - 4
  Backgrounds - 4
  
  

 

[Chowlett]

• Attributes and Abilities
• Merits
• Charms
• Martial Arts - Charcoal March of Spiders Style
• Combat Stats
• Background and Intimacies
• Experience

• 
  Name: Dasokin Perlata
  Age: 298
  Gender: Female
  Exalt Type: Sidereal
  Caste: Journeys
  Faction: Bronze
  
  Attributes
  Str: 4
  Dex: 4
  Sta: 5
  
  Cha: 3
  Man: 4
  App: 3
  
  Per: 3
  Int: 2
  Wits: 4
  
  Abilities
  Archery
  f Athletics: 4 - in combat
  Awareness: 3
  Brawl
  Bureaucracy
  f Craft: 5
  Dodge
  f Integrity: 2
  Investigation
  Larceny: 3
  Linguistics: 3 - non-native language
  Lore
  c Martial Arts: 5
  f Medicine: 3
  f Melee: 5 - clashing
  Occult
  Performance
  Presence
  c Resistance: 3 - extreme temperatures
  c Ride: 4
  c Sail: 3
  Socialize: 2
  Stealth
  c Survival: 2
  c Thrown
  War
  
  
• 
  Martial Artist - free
  Backing (Bureau of Destiny) - 2, assumed as default
  Resources (Bureau of Destiny) - 3, assumed as default
  Direction Sense - 1
  Fleet of Foot - 4
  Hearthstone (Savant's Lens) - 2
  Contacts (Sailors) - 3
  Language: Old Realm, Low Ream, Riverspeak
  
  
  Spoiler: Direction Sense

  The character is never completely lost, and is able to naturally determine her orientation relative to the five Poles. In addition to always knowing her facing and acting as a living compass, she lowers the difficulty on attempts to navigate toward a fixed, known location or to retrace her steps by 2.
  
  
  Spoiler: Fleet of Foot

  The character is particularly swift and nimble, moving through the world like a shadow racing the light. She adds one additional die to all rolls depending on sheer foot speed, most notably rush, disengage, and withdraw actions.
  
  
  Spoiler: Savant's Lens

  Keywords: Manse-Born
  Any text viewed through this lenticular blue stone appears as if written in Old Realm script. Add an automatic success on rolls to decipher codes contained within the text or to notice significant details about the writing.
  
  
  Spoiler: Contacts

  Each purchase grants the character a network of contacts willing to feed him information. The player must specify what sort of contacts he’s purchasing at the time the Merit is gained. Examples might include contacts within the Immaculate Order, the Delzahn nomads, the court of the Tri-Khan of Chiaroscuro, the Guild, the craftsmen of Nexus, House Mnemon, Western ship captains, the Lintha family, a specific noble family of Port Calin, all noble families of Port Calin, or the smugglers of the Haslanti League.
  
  One-dot contacts are generally confined to a single city-state or similar region. Three-dot contacts may span a broad area or indicate an organization with vast but specific reach and influence, while five-dot Contacts mean that almost anywhere the character goes within a Direction, he’ll be able to find applicable contacts within the purchased field.
  
  Auspicious Prospects for Journeys: The Harbinger may pay one mote to learn whether a journey would align with destiny and any relevant details about the journey’s circumstances, like what time the travellers should set out.
  
  Lesser Sign of Mercury: The Harbinger may pay five motes to reflexively make Mercury’s lesser sign, tracing it in yellow stardust. Until her next turn, she and all allies within close range add (her Essence, maximum 5) non-Charm dice on movement actions. This is free at bonfire.
  
  Greater Sign of Mercury: Once per story, the Harbinger may pay twenty motes and one Willpower to make Mercury’s greater sign, shining golden in the sky. She transports herself, her Circlemates, and up to (Essence x2) others to anywhere she’s familiar with in Creation or Heaven. Rolls she makes to overcome wards against such travel gain −2 target number. In combat, this takes her entire turn and she must wait until the start of her next turn for this effect to take place. If she moves or is moved before her next turn, this power fails, refunding its cost and resetting it. Characters she brings with her must remain within long range until this is completed.
  
  
• 
  Excellencies
  
  Spoiler: Excellency - Add up to Att+Ab dice at 1m per. Raise static at 2m per. Abil 3 => -1 TN for 1m. Abil 5 => -2 TN for 2m or -3 TN for 3m, 1wp

  Excellencies are Sidereals’ fundamental supernatural prowess. They can add dice to (Attribute + Ability) rolls for one mote per die or raise static values for two motes per +1.
  With Ability 3, the Sidereal can pay one mote to reduce an (Attribute + Ability) roll’s target number by one (usually to 6). With Ability 5, she may pay two motes to reduce its target number by two. With Ability 5, Essence 3, she may pay three motes, one Willpower to reduce its target number by three.
  Sidereals gain Excellencies for each Caste or Favoured Ability they have at 1+ and each other Ability they know a Charm from.
  Base: Integrity, Survival, Thrown
  1 TN: Athletics, Larceny, Medicine, Resistance, Ride, Sail
  2-3 TN: Craft, Melee, Martial Arts
  
  Journeys
  
  Spoiler: Descending Journeys Horoscope - inflict misfortune on a journey (1m or 3m, 1wp)

  Cost: 1m or 3m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute, Shaping (Fate), Stackable
  Duration: One story
  Prerequisite Charms: Any three Journeys Charms
  
  The Sidereal invokes the Mercury’s auspices to place obstacles in a traveler’s path.
  
  The Sidereal and her target make opposed (Wits + Journeys Ability) rolls. This costs one mote for mortals or three motes, one Willpower for others. Success curses him, inflicting misfortune on a journey named by the Sidereal. He suffers +1 target number on Athletics, Resistance, Ride, Sail, and Survival rolls involving the journey outside of combat.
  
  Cursing a character requires a constellation-themed interaction with him. Upon taking this Charm, the Sidereal’s player chooses two of the below options. Additional options can be purchased for one bonus point or three experience points apiece.
  
  Cracked Foundation Curse (The Mast): The Sidereal’s target refuses to provide aid to someone performing a difficult task, whether it’s requested of them or not.
  
  Flea-Bitten Karma (The Gull): The Sidereal’s target ignores or denies a request for the bare essentials of life — enough food to not go hungry, enough money to just barely scrape by, somewhere warm to sleep for a night, etc.
  
  Forsaken Castaway Curse (The Captain): The Sidereal’s target abandons someone, literally or figuratively, or leaves something important that’s been entrusted to him behind.
  
  Never Look Back (The Ship’s Wheel): The Sidereal’s target sets out on a journey, path, route, or course of action she suggested but subsequently abandons it. She becomes aware when he does so and can use this Charm reflexively, typically to curse his journey back.
  
  Thrown Shoe Negligence (The Messenger): The Sidereal’s target neglects a duty, job, or obligation he’s agreed to perform.
  
  The Sidereal can curse multiple characters with this Charm.
  Interactions:
  * Cracked Foundation Curse - target refuses to aid a difficult task
  * Forsaken Castaway Curse - target abandons someone or something
  
  
  Spoiler: Mysterious Traveller Wisdom - benefits to co-travellers re: advice, hiding and dealing with baleful magic (free)

  Cost: —
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal is an enigmatic figure roaming Creation, offering her wisdom to those who join her on the road.
  
  The Sidereal gains the following benefits:
  • Anyone journeying with her or evaluating potential guides, crew, passengers, or other companions assume she has knowledge useful to the journey. This counts as a Minor Tie.
  • Once per day, she may grant someone following her advice −1 target number on a Ride, Sail, or Survival roll.
  • Rolls to uncover how she came to be aboard a ship, with a group of travelers, etc. suffer +1 target number. Trivial characters automatically fail such rolls.
  • When she and her traveling companions sleep, she senses if any of them suffer from baleful magic. She doesn’t learn the victim’s identity but adds (Essence) dice on rolls to follow up on this. Discovering and curing the affliction counts as fulfilling an auspicious prospect.
  Spoiler: Predestined Escort Coincidence - learn where someone's going, help them for Auspicious Prospect

  Cost: 4m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  
  Glimpsing the direction of someone’s fate, the Sidereal subtly tugs his strand into place.
  
  The Sidereal makes a special (Perception + Journeys Ability) read intentions roll to discern where someone most wants to travel to. If her target already has some business that requires travel or plans for travel, the Sidereal learns both the destination and what he intends to do here. If not, this reveals a destination related to one of his Major or Defining Intimacies that he yearns to visit, as well as that Intimacy — a farmer with a Defining Principle of belief in the Immaculate Philosophy might long to make the pilgrimage to Juche.
  
  If the Sidereal succeeds, she can then wordlessly make an influence roll a persuade roll to convince her target to let her provide transportation, serve as a guide, or otherwise help him in making that journey. If successful, her target realizes the Sidereal can provide such aid and seeks it from her. She’s never perceived as this influence’s source. Successfully leading him to his destination counts as fulfilling an auspicious prospect (p. XX).
  
  Resistance
  
  Spoiler: Ox-Body Technique x2

  The sidereal gains [...] 2x -0 Health Levels (each time).
  Spoiler: Optimistic Security Practice - penalise an attack that has hit (3m)

  Cost: 3m
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  
  Reflecting on the sacrifices she may one day be called upon to make, the Sidereal imbues her enemies with her own generosity of spirit.
  
  After a withering attack hits her, but before damage is rolled, the Sidereal can imposes a –2 penalty on the damage roll. If she has a positive Tie or compassionate Principle applicable to herattacker, the penalty increases to (Intimacy + 1).
  
  If the Sidereal is unarmored, she can penalize decisive attacks.
  
  Ride
  
  Spoiler: Ordained Bridle of Mercury - Gain a familiar (10m, 1wp*)

  Cost: 10m (1wp)
  Type: Simple
  Duration: Until the bridle is presented
  
  The Sidereal shapes yellow stardust into a bridle with reins and bit, a tether to bind a new mount to her fate.
  
  When the Sidereal presents the bridle to an animal, she makes a special ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Ride) persuade roll against it. If she succeeds, the animal accepts the bridle, which vanishes once it is placed, making that animal the Sidereal’s familiar and giving it a Major Tie of submission to her. She must pay a one-Willpower surcharge to present the bridle to animals that would be two-dot familiars (Exalted, p. 161), and it can’t be used against animals that would be three-dot familiars or animals that are already someone’s familiar.
  
  Alternatively, instead of choosing an animal to present the bridle to, the Sidereal may let fate decide. An animal of the Storyteller’s choice will enter the scene and let the Sidereal place the bridle on it without needing to roll. The Storyteller can choose animals that are two- or even three-dot familiars, without requiring the Willpower surcharge.
  Spoiler: Field Mouse Rider - Ride a familiar (3m, 1wp)

  Cost: 3m, 1wp
  Type: Reflexive
  Duration: One hour
  
  The Sidereal demands the impossible of her familiars and is not disappointed, bending their fates in service to hers.
  
  The Sidereal can ride one of her familiars no matter how unsuited it is to that task — even a flea can bear her weight. Her familiar doesn’t suffer any ill effects from this. If it has no Speed Bonus listed or a negative Speed Bonus, its Speed Bonus becomes +0; otherwise, its Speed Bonus increases by +1.
  
  If the Sidereal renews this Charm when its duration ends, she waives its Willpower cost. With an Essence 2 repurchase, the Sidereal can use this Charm to ride animals other than her familiar. If she knows Breaking the Wild Mortal, she can use it on any willing character.
  Spoiler: Yellow Path - See the path to your goal. Travel faster, with your circle (5m, 1wp)

  Cost: 5m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Duration: One journey
  
  The Sidereal sees the shortest path to her goal illumined by a glimmering yellow trail of stardust.
  
  While traveling along the path revealed by this Charm the Sidereal, her Circlemates, and up to (Essence) others double the speed at which they travel and gain −1 target number on rolls to forage, find shelter, overcome obstacles, or endure environmental hazards along the way. There’s no guarantee this path will be safe or easy; the Storyteller should choose whatever route and difficulties are best suited to the story.
  
  If the Sidereal has a deadline to get somewhere, she can roll (Essence + Ride), unmodified by any other effects, to make it on time. The roll’s difficulty is 5 if the Sidereal has any chance of making it on time, or 10 otherwise. She can’t use this Charm more than once per deadline.
  
  This Charm is compatible with all forms of movement, not just mounted travel.
  
  Sail
  
  Spoiler: Serendipitous Voyage - Ensure transport is available (5m, 1wp)

  Cost: 5m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal’s eyes glint yellow as she looks away from the present, tracing her route backward from its destination.
  
  The Sidereal rolls ([Intelligence, Perception, or Wits] + Sail) to introduce the fact that there’s a vessel at a nearby port or other vehicle that’s willing to take her aboard and that will, if even remotely possible, reach a destination of her choice, though its captain and crew may not yet know it. The roll’s difficulty depends on how far-flung the chosen destination is, the number of nearby ships or vehicles present in the Sidereal’s present locale, and any factors that might complicate her securing passage aboard a ship. If she chooses a destination that isn’t accessible by her the introduced vehicle (like an inland city if she travels by boat), she’ll instead arrive at the location that’s the furthest that vehicle can travel toward the chosen destination.
  
  As long as the Sidereal travels aboard it, the vessel is assured to eventually arrive at least in the vicinity of the chosen destination unless dramatic events render this completely impossible. However, there’s no guarantee the voyage will be safe, speedy, or cheap. If Lintha pirates set fire to a ship, it may be that only the vessel’s wreckage will eventually wash up at the chosen destination’s shores.
  Spoiler: Yellow Sky Augury - learn how dangerous a route is. Picking a dangerous one is auspicious. (3m)

  Cost: 3m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Divination
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal tugs at the strands of fate like a leadsman’s chains, judging the depth of perils a journey holds.
  
  Contemplating a proposed route, the Sidereal rolls (Perception + Sail). The Storyteller should give her player a description of how dangerous a journey along it would be, predicting danger that would occur within a number of hours equal to the Sidereal’s successes. She doesn’t learn the precise form this danger takes: she might discern that a path would pose little danger to her but would threaten the life of her mortal companions, but she wouldn’t learn if that danger is from harsh weather, wild beasts, bandits, or a traitor among her own traveling companions.
  
  If the Sidereal uses this Charm to evaluate multiple routes and chooses to take a particularly dangerous option, successfully completing her journey counts as fulfilling an auspicious prospect (p. XX).
  
  Craft
  
  Spoiler: Excellent Implementation of Objectives - complete craft in minutes (8m)

  Cost: 8m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal weaves her blueprints into the pattern of fate, ensuring her project’s swift completion.
  
  The Sidereal undertakes a basic or major project, completing most such tasks in a matter of minutes as long as she has all necessary tools and materials. The most arduous, work-intensive projects can be completed in an hour if basic or a day if major.
  
  (A Craft 5, Essence 3 repurchase lets the Sidereal pay a two-mote, one-Willpower surcharge to undertake superior projects with this Charm. Creating artifacts require (Artifact – 1) months, or half that for repairs; the time to complete a manse is halved; mundane large-scale projects can be completed in No More than (10 – Essence) weeks. She can’t use this Charm to create N/A artifacts or First Age artifice.)
  Spoiler: Mending Warped Designs - Heal wounds in 1 day (10m, 1wp)

  Cost: 10m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal mends the scars left by the enemies of fate, restoring the cosmic balance by tending to the wounded and repairing what’s broken.
  
  After an hour tending to a patient’s wounds, the Sidereal rolls (Intelligence + Craft). She must have surgical equipment but can substitute tools associated with her Craft with a stunt. Once her patient’s received a full day’s rest, he heals levels of non-aggravated damage equal to the Sidereal’s success. If her patient’s health track contains any damage inflicted by an enemy of fate (p. XX), he heals instantly instead, her body snapping back to how it was before he was wounded.
  
  Alternatively, she can use this Charm to undertake and complete a basic or major repair project in a matter of minutes or a superior or legendary repair project in one week for mundane objects and structures, ([Artifact or Manse] – 1) weeks for artifacts and manses, or (10 – Essence) weeks for N/A artifacts and manses. If the damage she’s repairing was caused by an enemy of fate, she completes basic and major repairs instantly and superior or legendary repairs in (10 – Essence, minimum 1) hours.
  Spoiler: World-Shaping Artistic Vision - first two days in a location

  Cost: —
  Type: Permanent
  Duration: Permanent
  
  The Sidereal weaves fate with a distinctive personal flair.
  
  Upon purchasing this Charm, the Sidereal’s player chooses a circumstance comparable to a specialty as her particular focus in weaving fate: “while outnumbered,” “at night,” “for love,” “against enemies of fate,” “making bad decisions,” “opposing the status quo,” etc. Her appearance often shifts subtly to reflect this focus: a Sidereal who excels when battling enemies of fate might take on a wrathful mien, while one specializing in moving among the halls of power might take on a noble, dignified bearing.
  
  When the Sidereal’s focus applies, she waives the mote cost to lower target numbers for rolls with any Ability using Excellencies. If she undertakes a prophecy related to her focus, she doesn’t suffer a complication the first time she fails a roll (p. XX). She also treats it as a basic objective for Craft projects (Exalted, p. 240), which she can benefit from in addition to the usual three.
  
  The Sidereal’s player may change her focus to reflect major character development or significant changes in the Sidereal’s life.
  Spoiler: Elegant Patterns of Fate - Craft benefits Occult/Lore (Fate). Astrology benefits Craft. Pay for Prophecy with Craft XP

  Cost: —
  Type: Permanent
  Duration: Permanent
  
  Creation’s destiny is the Sidereal’s greatest masterpiece; sustaining the cosmic order renews her creative energies.
  
  The Sidereal gains the following benefits:
  
  • She adds (Craft) dice on Lore and Occult rolls involving knowledge of fate, destiny, and enemies of fate.
  • Fulfilling an auspicious prospect or using an Ascending (Caste) Horoscope or Descending (Caste) Horoscope Charm awards craft points as per a basic project (Exalted, p. 240).
  • Successfully enacting a prophecy awards gold points equal to its highest Ambition Factor.
  • She can pay the experience point cost of prophecies with white points, paying five whitepoints per experience point.
  Spoiler: Creation of Beauty - add dice to a Craft roll; more if it's a gift (10m)

  Cost: 10m
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal plies her raw materials with honeyed words and winsome grace, bringing forth their hidden beauty.
  
  The Sidereal adds ([Appearance or Charisma] / 2) non-Charm dice on a Craft roll. If she’s creating something as a gift for someone else, this increases to (Appearance or Charisma). Any penalties she suffers from lacking equipment
  
  If the Sidereal’s working with raw materials to which her Elemental Vision applies or has an applicable World-Shaping Artistic Vision, this increases to (Appearance or Charisma).
  
  Linguistics
  
  Spoiler: Blue Vervain Binding - let two characters understand without shared language. (10m, 1wp)

  Cost: 10m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal recites a formal blessing over a pair of creatures, tying their fates together under the Pillar’s auspices.
  
  The Sidereal performs a minute-long ceremony, requiring that both characters be present to witness it, even if they don’t understand it. Those beings become capable of understanding each other without a shared language. The Sidereal can include herself in such a pairing, and can affect animals, constructs, or stranger things. This can make it possible to communicate with animals but doesn’t make those animals any more intelligent.
  
  With a Linguistics 5, Essence 2 repurchase, the Sidereal can use this Charm instantly, committing its mote cost, to grant herself the ability to communicate with all characters for one scene. At The End of the scene, she gains a Minor Tie with a positive context of her choice to one of the characters she communicated with, chosen by the Storyteller. She can’t weaken it until the story ends.
  
  Reset: Characters other than the Sidereal can’t benefit from more than one use of this Charm per story.
  Spoiler: Favorable Inflection Procedure - address someone by name to make them like me (3m)

  Cost: 3m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal speaks someone’s name with an intonation that echoes the pattern of his fate, filling his heart with warmth, happiness, and a feeling of connection to her.
  
  Addressing someone by name or nickname — either verbally or in writing — the Sidereal rolls (Charisma + Linguistics). This counts as both a roll to instill a positive Tie toward the Sidereal and a roll to inspire happiness. The Sidereal is never perceived as the source of this effect.
  
  If the Sidereal uses this Charm on someone hostile to her or upset with her, he forgets the reason for that, losing his Train of Thought. Subsequent events may remind him of it, and he remembers it if he spends Willpower to resist both of this Charm’s influences.
  
  If the Sidereal has stolen a name with Name-Pilfering Practice (p. XX), she can use this Charm to plant it on another character, addressing him by that name. If she succeeds, she transfers it and its benefits to him, in addition to the above effects.
  
  Reset: This Charm can’t be used against a character more than once per scene.
  Spoiler: Best Friend's Couch Invitation - Find a place to crash; it's more restful it'll hide you too (4m, 1wp)

  Cost: 4m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute, Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Favorable Inflection Procedure
  
  All humanity is the Sidereal’s friend; she need never want for a place to lay her head.
  
  After a few hours or days spent in a community, the Sidereal’s assured to find at least one resident, chosen by the Storyteller, who’ll let her stay at his home for a few days as if hosting an old friend. (Players may volunteer their characters for this.) He’ll keep her as well-fed as anyone in the house and providing her a spare bed, couch, or floor to sleep on. Once she’s worn out her welcome, she’ll quickly find another host without needing to use this Charm again, moving to a new home every few days. Alternatively, the Sidereal can empower hospitality that’s already been offered to her, though she must still avoid wearing out her welcome. As long the Sidereal she lives with these newfound friends and spends significant time interacting with them over downtimes, she gains the following benefits:
  
  • She’s welcomed into her friends’ community; its members treat negative Ties toward foreigners, strangers, or outsiders as one step weaker for her.
  • When she sleeps in her host’s house, she gains an additional Willpower from a full night’s rest.
  • It’s difficult to keep track of her as she moves from home to home; Investigation and tracking rolls against her suffer +1 target number.
  • She can use Favorable Inflection Procedure against multiple members of her friends’ community, waiving multiple target penalties.
  
  Reset: Once per story unless reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal with the help of the Sidereal’s new friends. Joybringers can reset it by fulfilling an auspicious prospect.
  
  Battles
  
  Spoiler: Auspicious Implement for Strife x3 - artifact improvised weapon with an evocation (3m)

  Cost: 3m
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: One scene
  
  The weak cling to their weapons; the Sidereal recognizes the potential for violence in every stone, dinner utensil, and piece of furniture.
  
  The Sidereal reflexively readies an improvised weapon. She waives the Initiative cost for attacking with it. Withering attacks with it add (higher of Essence or 3) raw damage; decisive attacks double 10s on the damage roll.
  
  An Any Battles Ability 3, Essence 2 repurchase lets the Sidereal pay a two-mote, one Willpower surcharge to grant the weapon artifact traits. It can then be repurchased any number of times, each repurchase adding an Evocation that can be used with improvised weapons. These Evocations draw their themes and function from the Sidereal’s personality, Caste, and birth and Exaltation signs.
  
  Melee
  
  Spoiler: Impeding the Flow - Halve or negate Parry penalties (1m)

  Cost: 1m
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  
  Her weapon enfolded in wind and red stardust, the Sidereal turns aside unwanted fates.
  
  The Sidereal halves penalties to her Parry, rounded down, including penalties from surprise attacks. If she benefits from a full defense or the attack roll’s target number has been increased, she ignores all penalties instead.
  Spoiler: Harmony of Blows - counterattack after crash, gambit or clash (1m, 1wp)

  Cost: 1m, 1wp
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Versatile
  Duration: Instant
  
  The patterns and flows of the battlefield hold no mysteries for the Sidereal; she perceives every opening and chooses her movements with precision.
  
  The Sidereal can use this Charm after crashing an enemy, succeeding on a gambit, or winning a clash to reflexively make a withering or decisive attack against that enemy.
  Spoiler: Fateful Exchange - Opp. +1 TN on clash (5m)

  Cost: 5m
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  
  Countless possibilities converge as the Sidereal crosses blades with her foe; her skill and precision ensure a favorable outcome to the exchange.
  
  When the Sidereal clashes, the opposing attack roll suffers +1 target number. If she clashed by delaying her turn, success refunds the two Initiative lost for doing so.
  Spoiler: Instructive Riposte - Decisive counterattack an attack on anyone (5m)

  Cost: 5m
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only
  Duration: Instant
  
  Waiting for her foe to make the first move, the Sidereal tests his offense and demonstrates its vulnerabilities to him.
  
  The Sidereal makes a decisive counterattack in response to any attack, even if it isn’t against her. She can’t use this Charm if the attack’s target uses a Clash or Counterattack Charm of his own.
  
  With a Melee 5, Essence 3 repurchase, the Sidereal may pay a one-Willpower surcharge to use this Charm even if the attack’s target clashes or counterattacks.
  Spoiler: Maiden-on-the-Shelf Form - Aim is better; aim and move; Full Defence costs no i; ItF negates all penalties. Enter refl. on Close Range Aim or FD. (10m)

  Cost: 10m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Dual, Forn
  Duration: One scene
  
  The Sidereal’s eyes take on a glassy sheen and her skin grows eerily cold to the touch; her every movement bespeaks a restraint, coordination, and focus beyond humanity’s limits.
  
  The Sidereal gains the following benefits:
  
  • When she makes an attack that benefits from aiming against an enemy at close range, she adds up to (Perception) attack roll extra successes as damage dice on a decisive attack or doubles that many extra successes on a withering attack.
  • On turns she aims, she can still use reflexive move actions to advance toward the enemy she aimed at.
  • She waives the Initiative cost of full defense actions.
  • Impeding the Flow negates all Parry penalties. If she benefits from a full defense or is protecting an ally with a defend other action, it adds +1 Parry.
  
  Special activation rules: The Sidereal can enter this Form reflexively when she aims against an enemy at close range or takes a full defense while within close range of at least one nontrivial enemy, applying its benefits to that action.
  
  Larceny
  
  Spoiler: Maiden-in-the-Pot Escape - lockpick failure succeeds with consequences (5m)

  Cost: 5m
  Type: Supplemental
  Duration: Instant
  
  The Sidereal escapes from bad into worse, trading imprisonment for the perils of freedom.
  
  When the Sidereal rolls to pick a lock, she succeeds even on a failed roll. Instead, her failure introduces some complication: her tools break, a guard catches her, she can’t pick the lock quickly enough to evade the Lunar chasing her, etc. If opening the lock would directly imperil the Sidereal — e.g., the chest she’s opening is trapped or there are enemies on the other side of the door she’s unlocking — she succeeds automatically without needing to roll.
  
  This Charm can also enhance rolls with any Ability to bypass esoteric barriers and obstructions, like a curtain of sorcerous flame or a ring of runes that render a door immovable, but it doesn’t let the Sidereal make a roll if she couldn’t normally attempt one.
  
  Awareness
  
  Spoiler: Feathered Cloak Trick - turn into a speaking corvid (4m)

  Cost: 4m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Indefinite
  
  The Sidereal changes her perspective and herself, donning feathers better suited to a bird’s-eye view of Creation.
  
  The Sidereal transforms into a crow, raven, or other corvid (use raiton traits, Exalted, p. 570), with the following effects:
  
  • She loses any mutations she possesses intrinsically (but not those granted by magic).
  • When she takes an action that raitons have dice pools for, she can use that pool if it’s higher than her own. Any dice over her base (Attribute + Ability + specialty) count as Charm dice.
  • She can use a raiton’s natural weapons. If her (Dexterity + Brawl) pool is higher than a natural weapon’s attack pool, her withering attacks with it gain +1 Accuracy in addition to using her pool.
  • She gains the animal’s innate special abilities and Merits. Dice or successes added by these count as Charm bonuses.
  • She remains capable of speech, like ravens and many other corvids.
  • Any equipment she can’t use in bird form vanishes Elsewhere for this Charm’s duration.
  • She can’t use Martial Arts to attack or block or use Martial Arts Charms. Any ongoing Martial Arts Charms end.
  • Onlookers can’t tell she isn’t what she seems unless they have superhuman or magically enhanced senses; doing so requires a difficulty 7 (Perception + Awareness) roll, with success revealing she’s a Shapeshifter in animal form.
  Spoiler: Sidereal Shell Games - Attempt to steal 3 Attributes or Soak via gambit (5m)

  Cost: 5m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute, Shaping (Fate), Stackable
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Running her fingers through the weave of fate and crossing her wrists, the Sidereal switches strands of fate between herself and an enemy.
  
  The Sidereal rolls a (Wits + Larceny) gambit against the Resolve of an enemy within short range.
  
  The Initiative roll’s difficulty is 3. Success lets the Sidereal either impose a −3 penalty on all of her victim’s mental, physical, or social actions or lower his soak by three. The Sidereal profits from her theft, adding three dice on all rolls of the penalized category or gaining three soak. This lasts until the scene ends.
  
  A single character can only suffer a single use of this Charm at a time, but the Sidereal can stack the benefits from multiple uses, but can’t stack the same bonus (e.g. dice on physical actions) multiple times.
  
  Special activation rules: This Charm can be flurried and doesn’t count as an attack for determining what it can be flurried with (including other attacks).
  
  Medicine
  
  Spoiler: Deferred Wounds - Roll to instantly defer wounds (1m, 1wp)

  Cost: 1m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Duration: Indefinite
  
  The Sidereal postpones the hour of her patient’s death, making his wounds seem to vanish with a touch.
  
  The Sidereal rolls (Intelligence + Medicine), healing levels of damage equal to her successes.
  
  This damage is held in abeyance for this Charm’s duration, diminishing over time with the patient’s natural healing (Exalted, p. 173). If this Charm ends before all damage is healed, the remaining levels are inflicted on the patient.
  
  
• 
  Compatible with fighting chains, knives, meteor hammers, nunchaku, rope darts, seven-section staffs, and whips (plus Auspicious Implements).
  Not compatible with armour.
  
  
  Spoiler: Rain of Unseen Threads - make strands of Essence. Use like hands, attack, grapple and flurry (5m / 1m)

  Cost: 5m (1m)
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: One scene
  
  The martial artist casts strands of fate from her sleeves or fingertips, spinning reality itself into hair-fine threads.
  
  The stylist may create threads of Essence, with the following benefits:
  
  • She can use threads to take actions out to medium range: attacking with weapons, picking up or otherwise interacting with objects, or performing simple tasks that could be done with one hand. The threads are exceptional equipment (Exalted, p. 580) for weaving, climbing, laying snares, swinging between handholds, etc. They’re also exceptional equipment for lifting or suspending heavy objects — a feat of strength rolled with (Wits + Martial Arts), using (Essence + Wits) instead of Strength to determine if the feat can be attempted.
  • The stylist can attack with the threads. They’re light weapons with the Bashing, Martial Arts, Thrown (Medium), Disarming, Flexible, Grappling, and Subtle tags. They count as style weapons.
  • The stylist can still flurry while grappling an enemy with a thread and suffers no Defense penalty. If the stylist grapples an enemy From Beyond close range, she can only take restrain or drag actions, and a character can sever the thread — ending the grapple — with a difficulty (stylist’s rounds of control) gambit. The stylist can have up to a total of (Wits) enemies grappled at a time. While grappling multiple enemies, on each, she may either restrain them all, expending two rounds of control over each of them; make a savaging attack against them; or release them.
  
  Withering savaging attacks use a single attack roll but roll damage separately against each grappled foe. Only the single highest withering damage roll awards Initiative. Decisive savaging attacks divide her Initiative evenly among all foes (rounded up) to determine the damage rolled against them, ignoring Hardness.
  Spoiler: Nest of Living Strands - enhance Threads to web an area for cover and terrain (+1 WP)

  Cost: —(+1wp)
  Keywords: Enlightenment
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Rain of Unseen Threads
  
  Hundreds of nearly invisible threads spit from the stylist’s hands, whipping around physical and spiritual leverage points to weave the world into her web.
  
  The stylist may pay a one-Willpower surcharge when she uses Rain of Unseen Threads to weave a web extending out to short range. At the start of each of her turns, it extends another range band outward, to a maximum of four range bands. The web has the following effects:
  
  • The stylist’s enemies treat the web as difficult terrain (Exalted, p. 199). Its −3 penalty applies on all physical actions rolled while in the web.
  • The stylist receives heavy cover (Exalted, p. 199) from her web. Once her web reaches long range, it affords full cover against enemies at long range or further. This cover extends to any character she protects with a defend other action.
  • While in the web, the stylist waives the mote cost to create threads with Rain of Unseen Threads.
  
  An enemy can clear their location of webbing with a difficulty 8 feat of strength that requires Strength 5, though it regrows on the stylist’s next turn. An enemy with an edged weapon, firewand, or the like can also destroy webbing with a difficulty 4 gambit, rolled against Defense (stylist’s Essence).
  
  If the stylist moves from her location, the built-up webbing fades away, and a new web forms out to short range at The End of her movement. Otherwise, it continues to build, filling the air with strands of cobweb that eventually grow into an opaque forest of webbing surrounding the stylist, thick as stone.
  
  Enlightenment: Once per story, the stylist may pay three levels of anima when she uses this Charm to have her web initially form out to long range. Spiders of anima scuttle through the web; their radiance extends the web’s difficult terrain penalty to enemies’ Stealth rolls.
  Spoiler: Unnatural Many-Step Stride - one turn, stand and move in air. It's threatening. (5m; +1wp to dematerialise)

  Cost: 5m (+1wp)
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Enlightenment, Mute, Perilous
  Duration: Until next turn
  Prerequisite Charms: Rain of Unseen Threads
  
  The martial artist scurries along the strands of fate like a pattern spider, moving with disturbingly inhuman grace.
  
  The stylist can stand on thin air, finding footholds in the weave of fate, and can move vertically by running upward. Any movement action rolls she makes also count as threaten rolls against all enemies and bystanders — the way she moves is wrong, not how human limbs should move. Affected enemies flee the stylist or otherwise seek safety.
  
  Enlightenment: When the stylist uses this Charm, she may pay a one-Willpower surcharge to dematerialize for its duration, becoming unable to interact with the material world or be harmed by it without the use of magic.
  Spoiler: Dance of the Hungry Spider - Can't be grappled or proned. Move reflexively. Stride is more threatening (5m, 1wp)

  Cost: 5m, 1wp
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Enlightenment, Uniform
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Unnatural Many-Step Stride
  
  The martial artist moves with shifting and shuffling footwork, keeping her feet constantly in motion to emulate the spider, balanced on six legs and striking with two.
  
  The stylist gains the following benefits:
  
  • She’s immune to grapple gambits, effects that would knock her prone or forcibly move her, or effects that specifically affect her lower body. This defense can be overwhelmed — after negating two such effects, the stylist becomes vulnerable to the third, after which this defense resets.
  • Once per round, she can either reflexively glide one range band toward an enemy before attacking him or reflexively move one range band in any direction after an attack against her. This doesn’t count as her movement action for the round.
  • When she threatens characters with a movement roll using Unnatural Many-Step Stride, they’re treated as having a Major Intimacy supporting the influence. As long as she beats a nontrivial target’s Resolve, she gains one Initiative.
  
  Enlightenment: The stylist waives the Willpower cost to dematerialize with Unnatural Many-Step Stride.
  Spoiler: Maw of Dripping Venom - At Init 15+, inflict a mote-destroying poison (5m, 1wp)

  Cost: 5m, 1wp
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Enlightenment
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Rain of Unseen Threads
  
  The martial artist strikes her foe like a thousand Venomous Fangs, tainting her victim’s Essenceand dissolving his soul from the Inside Out.
  
  To use this Charm, the stylist must have Initiative 15+. She makes a decisive attack. A damaged enemy suffers a poison with duration (stylist’s Essence + levels of damage inflicted) rounds and a −3 penalty. Instead of taking damage, at each interval, he rolls (Sidereal’s Essence) dice and loses motes equal to his successes. If he doesn’t have enough motes, excess successes instead inflict that many levels of aggravated damage.
  
  If this poison incapacitates a character, he falls comatose. The stylist may touch him to devour his soul, killing him instantly and permanently and granting her (his Essence x10) motes. Human souls devoured this way don’t pass on to Lethe.
  
  Enlightenment: When the martial artist devours a victim’s soul, she may absorb his memories. She can’t eidetically recall every moment of his life, remembering only to the extent that he did. This only conveys memories of events, not skills, though she may rely on his memories as a mentor for mundane traits (Exalted, p. 178). However, in doing so, she gains one of the target’s Intimacies, chosen by the Storyteller, at the same intensity he had it at. She can’t willingly erode this Intimacy for the rest of the story.
  Spoiler: Charcoal March of Spiders Form - Maintain 3 separate Initiatives. Activate - hit Decisive and move into / out of Close range. (10m)

  Cost: 10m
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Form, Perilous
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Dance of the Hungry Spider, Maw of Dripping Venom, Nest of Living Strands
  
  The martial artist shifts languidly through interwoven stances meant for eight legs, acting with grace and precision beyond humanity.
  
  The stylist rolls Join Battle twice, using each roll to establish a new Initiative track. She still only takes one turn each round, but at any point where the martial artist’s Initiative is relevant — determining her turn order, paying an Initiative cost, determining a decisive attack’s damage, resetting to base — she chooses which of her three Initiative tracks she wants to use in that instant. If she resets to base Initiative after a successful decisive attack or the like, she must reset the Initiative track used for that effect. The only exception is that when she resets to base Initiative, if one of her Initiative tracks is at or below base Initiative, she can’t choose to reset that one unless all of them are that low.
  
  If one of the martial artist’s Initiative tracks is crashed, it’s permanently lost. If this Charm ends, the stylist chooses which Initiative track she keeps but notes the other two, which she reuses instead of rolling if she reenters this Form that scene. Tracks lost to crash don’t return for the rest of the scene.
  
  Special activation rules: When the stylist lands a decisive attack against a nontrivial enemy on the same turn she moves into or out of close range with him, she may reflexively enter this Form.
  
  
• 
  Health Levels
  -0 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
  -1 [ ][ ]
  -2 [ ][ ]
  -4 [ ]
  I [ ]
  
  Essence: 4
  Personal: 17
  Peripheral: 46
  Committed: 0
  Willpower: 6/7
  
  Join Battle: 7d (excl: +4/4m)
  
  Weapons
  Evasion: 2
  Parry excl: +4/8m;
  Mundane staff
  Parry: 6
  Withering: 11d, 13 dmg (min 1)
  Decisive: 9d
  
  Improvised artifact weapons
  Light
  Parry: 5
  Withering: 14d, 14 dmg (min 3)
  Decisive: 9d
  
  Medium
  Parry: 6
  Withering: 12d, 16 dmg (min 4)
  Decisive: 9d
  
  Heavy
  Parry: 5
  Withering: 10d, 18 dmg (min 3)
  Decisive: 9d
  
  Guile: 3
  Resolve: 3 (excl: +4/8m)
  Read Intentions: 5d
  
  Soak
  Natural: 5
  Armor: 0
  Hardness: 0
  
  
• 
  Defining Principle - "The open road is where I belong. I get anxious being in any one place for too long."
  Major Tie (protection and respect): The common folk; the un-Exalted. Their station is one of hardship. It is ordained such, but they deserve respect.
  Major Tie (courage): I will stand up to and fight if necessary those who would oppress the common folk.
  Minor Principle (disdain): The "delights" of Yu-Shan are not really to my taste
  
  Limit Trigger: The Sidereal is hindered by the failures or mistakes of allies, subordinates, or superiors.
  
  
• 
  Character Advancement
  
  Attribute increase - current rating x4
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Ability increase - current rating x2
  Caste/Favored Ability increase - (current rating x2) − 1
  New Ability - 3
  Specialty - 3
  Purchased Merit - new rating x3
  Willpower - 8
  Charm - 10 (8 if Occult Caste/Favored)
  Sidereal Martial Arts Charm - 10
  Spell - 10 (8 if Favored)
  Evocation - 10
  
  Bonus Point Expenditure
  * 11 on Abilities
  * 3 on Tertiary dot
  * 4 on 1x Charm
  * 2 on Willpower
  
  XP Expenditure (to be applied):
  * 50 Sidereal on 5 M-A charms
  * 10 on 1 M-A charm
  * 16 on 2x Auspicious Implement (RT: 26)
  * 8 on Optimistic Security Practice (RT: 34)
  * 8 on Serendipitous Voyage (RT: 42)
  * 8 on Yellow Sky Augury (RT: 50)
  * 8 on Blue Vervain Binding (RT: 58)
  * 8 on Deferred Wounds (RT: 66)
  * 8 on Descending Journeys Horoscope (RT: 74)
  * 8 on Sidereal Shell Games (RT: 82)
  * 8 on Favourable Inflection Procedure (RT: 90)
  * 8 on Creation of Beauty (RT: 98)
  * 8 on Best Friend's Couch Invitation (RT: 106)
  * 5 on Athletics -> 4 (RT: 111)
  * 8 on Mysterious Traveler Wisdom (RT: 119)
  * 8 on Predestined Escort Coincidence (RT: 127)
  * 12 on Strength -> 4 (RT: 139)
  * 8 on Ox-Body Technique (RT: 147)
  * 8 on Willpower (RT: 155)
  * 6 on Merits: Language 2 (RT: 161)
  
  39 remain. May purchase one or two more Charcoal March charms
  
  
  

 

[gmimperfecti]

Between All Things (Between)

• Fluffy Stuff
• Attributes and Abilities
• Merits
• Charms
• Martial Arts Charms
• Panoply Stuff
• Combat Stats
• Retainer, Hovering Butlers
• Experience

• 
  
  Name: Between All Things (Between)
  Age: 364
  Gender: Male
  Exalt Type: Sidereal
  Caste: Serenity (Joybringer)
  Faction: Bronze
  
  

  Background​

  Origin Story: Between was born under a unique celestial convergence, marking him for a destiny intertwined with the stars. Identified early by the Sidereal Exalted, he was whisked away to Yu-Shan, where he was trained in the ways of fate, destiny, and the intricate arts of the Serenity Caste.
  
  Role in the Bronze Faction: As a Joybringer, Between's role is to spread harmony and joy, often serving as a diplomat or mediator in celestial and terrestrial matters. His affiliation with the Bronze Faction aligns him with the goals of maintaining Heaven's order, often putting him at odds with the rebellious Gold Faction.
  
  

  Personality​

  General Demeanor: Between is characterized by a calm and soothing presence, often seen as a beacon of tranquility in turbulent times. His age and experiences have given him a deep perspective on the world, making him patient and wise.
  
  Interests and Hobbies: Between has a profound love for music and the arts, finding joy and meaning in the beauty of creation. His performances are not just entertainment but are imbued with magical and mystical qualities that can influence emotions and fate.
  
  

  Intimacies​

  1. Defining Principle: "Harmony in all things" (Hope) - Between believes deeply in the importance of balance and harmony, both in the celestial realm and on Earth.
  2. Major Tie: "Reyna San is my beloved sister." (Love) - Between had his mortal name stolen, but both Reyna and him were born under a convergence of fate as fraternal twins.
  3. Major Tie: Yu-Shan (Reverence) - His training and time in the celestial city have left him with a deep reverence for its traditions and its role in the cosmos.
  4. Major Tie: The Bronze Faction (Loyalty) - He is loyal to the goals and methods of his faction, believing in their necessity for the greater good.
  5. Minor Tie: Music (Love) - His love for music and performance is a key part of his identity and how he interacts with the world.
  6. Minor Principle: "Avoid unnecessary conflict" - In line with his caste and role, he believes in resolving disputes through diplomacy and understanding rather than violence.

  Combat Style​

  Martial Arts: Between specializes in a unique form of martial arts that integrates song and performance. This style allows him to defend himself and his allies while controlling the battlefield through enchanting melodies and harmonies.
  
  Defensive Tactics: In combat, Between focuses on defense and control, using his martial arts to create barriers, misdirect attacks, and calm aggressive opponents. His style is more about preventing conflict and protecting others than it is about inflicting harm.
  
  

  Role in the Story​

  Current Mission: Between is currently involved in a delicate mission to mediate a brewing conflict between terrestrial powers, using his skills to navigate complex political landscapes and prevent a potentially catastrophic war.
  
  

  Expanded Background with Merits​

  Resources 5 - Famous​

  • Renowned Performer: Between is not just a Sidereal Exalted; he is also a renowned performer whose music and songs are celebrated across Creation. His fame brings with it wealth and influence, allowing him access to resources and circles often closed to others. This fame may be a double-edged sword, attracting attention he might sometimes prefer to avoid.

  Contacts 5 - The Guild​

  • Deep Connections with The Guild: The Guild, a powerful commercial and political entity in Creation, has deep ties with Between. He has performed at their gatherings, mediated disputes, and even influenced trade deals through his music and diplomacy. These contacts provide him with information, resources, and support in various endeavors.

  Martial Arts 4 (free)​

  • Skilled Martial Artist: Between's martial arts skill, especially his song-based combat style, is exceptional. Trained in the heavenly city of Yu-Shan, he has honed his abilities to a fine art, using them in both defense and manipulation. This skill is integral to his identity and his effectiveness as a Joybringer.

  Languages 3 - Old Realm, High Realm, Guild Cant, Local Languages (4 Thorns?)​

  • Polyglot: Fluent in Old Realm, High Realm, Guild Cant, and local languages (including Thorns), Between's linguistic abilities reflect his diverse upbringing and experiences. His mastery of languages enables him to communicate effectively in a variety of settings, from celestial courts to the streets of Thorns.

  Backing 2 - Bureau of Destiny​

  • Support from the Bureau of Destiny: His rank within the Bureau of Destiny provides him with access to resources and information that help him navigate his duties as a Sidereal. This backing also signifies a level of trust and responsibility bestowed upon him by higher powers.

  Retainer 2 - Spirit of Hovering Butlers​

  • Spiritual Assistance: Accompanied by a spirit retainer in the form of Hovering Butlers, Between has a constant celestial assistant. These spirits not only aid in daily tasks but also provide companionship and guidance. Their presence is a reminder of his celestial ties and duties.

  Tying It All Together​

  Between's life is a tapestry woven with threads of celestial duty, earthly fame, and deep connections to both the divine and the mundane. His resources and contacts allow him to influence events both in Heaven and on Earth, while his martial arts prowess ensures his safety and the protection of those around him. Fluent in multiple languages, he can engage with a wide range of cultures and peoples, making him an effective diplomat and mediator. His backing from the Bureau of Destiny speaks to his significant role in the grand scheme of things, and his spirit retainer serves as both a helper and a symbol of his celestial mandate.
  
  As a character, Between navigates the complexities of his roles, balancing his fame and influence with his responsibilities to the Bureau of Destiny and the Bronze Faction. His story is one of harmony amidst chaos, striving to bring balance through his actions, words, and music.
  
  
• 
  
  Attributes
  

  Physical (7 secondary)	Social (9 Primary)	Mental (5 tertiary)
  Str: 2	Cha: 5	Per: 3
  Dex: 4	Man: 5	Int: 2
  Sta: 5	App: 5	Wits: 5

  
  Abilities
  

  Martial Arts: 5 (Song)	Dodge: 5 (Unarmored)	Presence: 5 (Center of Attention)
  Performance: 5 (Singing)	Integrity: 5 (Resolve)	Resistance: 5
  Linguistics: 5	Socialize: 3	Awareness: 3
  bureaucracy: 2

  
  Archery, Athletics, Brawl, Craft, Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Medicine
  Melee, Occult, Ride, Sail, Stealth, Survival, Thrown, War
  
  
• 
  Manse - Starry Night: 5
  * Demesne 4: 4 essence / hour
  * Heart Stone 4: Silken Steel Pearl (Sidereal, Greater)
  Hearthstone 4
  * Gem of Incomparable Wellness (3m)
  * Hearthstone Amulet (1m)
  Resources 5 - Famous
  Contacts 5 - The Guild
  Martial Arts 4 (free)
  Languages 3 - Old Realm, High Realm, Guild Cant, Local Languages (4 Thorns?)
  Backing 2 - Bureau of Destiny
  Retainer 2 - Spirit of Hovering Butlers
  
  Auspicious Prospects for Serenity: The Joybringer may pay one mote to learn whether an interpersonal relationship or someone’s happiness would align with destiny.
  
  Lesser Sign of Venus: The Joybringer may pay five motes to reflexively make Venus’ lesser sign in a flourish of cerulean stardust. Until her next turn, she and all allies within close range add (her Essence, maximum 5) non-Charm dice on influence rolls involving positive emotions and Craft rolls for basic and major projects. Resolve bonuses from their positive Ties increase by one. This is free at bonfire.
  
  Greater Sign of Venus: Once per story, the Joybringer may pay twenty motes and one Willpower to make Venus’ greater sign, illuminating the battlefield with a sapphire light. This takes her entire turn. All participants in the battle stand down, as a Psyche effect that lasts (Essence) days. If someone wants to reinitiate hostilities, he must enter a Decision Point and cite a Defining Intimacy to spend (higher of Sidereal’s Essence or 3) Willpower. This doesn’t apply to attacking characters not involved in the original battle, nor does it apply to fighting back in self-defense.
  
  
• 
  Excellencies
  
  Dice Limit​
  • Sidereals can’t add more than (higher of Essence or 3, maximum 5) bonus dice from Excellencies or other magic on (Attribute + Ability) rolls.
  • Automatic successes count as two dice toward this limit. They can’t add more than (higher of Essence or 3, maximum 5) to static values. (Unlike other Exalted, this isn’t halved).
  Excellencies​
  • Excellencies are Sidereals’ fundamental supernatural prowess. They can add dice to (Attribute + Ability) rolls for one mote per die or raise static values for two motes per +1.
  • With Ability 3, the Sidereal can pay one mote to reduce an (Attribute + Ability) roll’s target number by one (usually to 6).
  • With Ability 5, she may pay two motes to reduce its target number by two.
  • With Ability 5, Essence 3, she may pay three motes, one Willpower to reduce its target number by three.
  Resistance Charms
  
  Spoiler: Ox-Body Technique 3x

  Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal has cultivated great inner discipline, suffusing her with supernal vitality.
  
  The Sidereal gains additional health levels based on her Stamina rating of a 5: Two −0 levels.
  
  This Charm may be purchased (Resistance) times. If the Sidereal’s Stamina increases, her health levels change to reflect her new rating.
  
  
  Spoiler: Unswerving Juggernaut Principle

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Yellow stardust glitters beneath the Sidereal’s skin, hair, clothes, and eyes as she begins to run, writing her journey into the tapestry of fate.
  
  So long as the Sidereal continues moving in the direction she set out in, she gains +(Dexterity, Stamina, or Strength) soak and +1 Hardness. This stacks with Hardness from magic, but not from armor. She has no need of sleep, ignores fatigue penalties, and adds (Essence) dice on Resistance rolls and rolls against environmental hazards. If the Sidereal rides a mount, it gains these benefits as well.
  
  If changing circumstances render the original cause of the Sidereal’s journey irrelevant, she senses this and rolls (Perception + Resistance), receiving more information the more successes she receives.
  
  This Charm ends if the Sidereal stops moving forward, diverges from her original course by more than ten degrees, looks away from what’s directly in front of her, takes any non-reflexive action other than a movement action, or uses any magic that doesn’t enhance movement action.
  
  House of Serenity
  
  Spoiler: Worthy Cause Demonstration

  Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Any Serenity Ability 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Any three Serenity Charms
  
  The Sidereal’s joy in life makes clear the righteousness of her cause and the wickedness of those who oppose one so serene.
  
  While the Sidereal openly presents herself as a member of a group that is oppressed by or defined by its opposition to another group — a rebellion, enslaved laborers, a heretical cult, an artistic counterculture, the Gold Faction, etc. — those who interact with her are swayed to her side.
  
  They count as having a Minor Tie of sympathy to the Sidereal’s group and a Minor Tie of condemnation to the other group. If a character already has a Tie a group whose emotional context opposes the one imposed by this Charm, he instead treats that Tie as one step weaker (though the other Tie is imposed normally).
  
  Dodge Charms
  
  Spoiler: Absent Self

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Foreseeing her enemy’s attacks, the Sidereal arranges to be elsewhere when they land.
  The Sidereal ignores (higher of Essence or 3) points of Evasion penalty. This can’t negate penalties from surprise attacks. If she’s unarmored or suffers no Evasion penalties, she can dodge an attack whose successes equal her Evasion.
  
  
  Spoiler: Graceful Crane Stance

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal is one with the world, balanced within and without.
  The Sidereal gains perfect balance and can stand on or move across surfaces too narrow or weak to support her normally without needing to roll.
  
  
  Spoiler: Elusive Object of Desire

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Counterattack, Mute, Uniform Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Absent Self
  
  Wreathed in the fate of desires unfulfilled, the Sidereal is pursued by those who cannot touch her.
  
  If the Sidereal successfully dodges an attack, she counterattacks with an (Appearance + Dodge) instill roll to create a Tie of infatuation toward her. She isn’t perceived as the source of this influence. Against enemies with Defining Ties of infatuation toward the Sidereal, the counterattack succeeds automatically.
  
  If the Sidereal succeeds, her attacker must use his next turn to move toward her (if not already at close range) and attack her. If attacking the Sidereal isn’t possible, he can take another action but can’t attack anyone but her. This costs one Willpower to resist, separate from resisting the instill roll.
  
  
  Spoiler: Trouble Reduction Strategy

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Absent Self
  
  Spotting impending danger to an ally, the Sidereal convinces fate she’s dodged it on his behalf.
  
  The Sidereal reflexively takes a defend other action using Evasion instead of Parry. Her protection lasts for this Charm’s duration, but the ward must remain within close range to receive
  it.
  
  This Charm ends if the Sidereal uses a defend other action on another character.
  
  
  Spoiler: Unwelcome Courtship Interception

  Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Trouble Reduction Strategy
  
  The Sidereal evades the loss of a friend or ally by taking his wounds in his stead.
  
  When an enemy makes an attack against one of the Sidereal’s allies, the Sidereal can use this Charm to move instantly into close range of that ally and redirect the attack to herself before it’s rolled. This doesn’t count as her movement action. She can’t redirect undodgeable attacks unless she also uses Duck Fate, nor can she redirect ambushes if the attacker would have also qualified to ambush her.
  
  If the Sidereal is protecting her target with Trouble Reduction Strategy, this Charm’s cost is reduced by two motes.
  
  
  Spoiler: Duck Fate

  Cost: 7m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform, Perilous
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Absent Self
  Sensing an impending danger rippling toward her through the skeins of fate, the Sidereal deftly steps out of its path.
  
  The Sidereal can use Evasion to defend against any hostile effect: undodgeable attacks, environmental hazards, falling damage, social influence, Shaping effects, etc. If the effect is one that could normally be opposed with a dice roll or static value, the Sidereal substitutes her Evasion for successes on the roll or the applicable static value. If it isn’t, the Storyteller should assign a dice pool for the source’s effect to roll against the Sidereal’s Evasion. Against ongoing or recurring effects, once the Sidereal successfully defends with this Charm, she’s immune for the rest of the scene.
  
  Duck Fate can only defend against the actions and magic of other characters and environmental effects with defined mechanics. Appropriate stunts may bypass this limitation, letting a Sidereals dodge performance review, debts, her feelings, etc.
  
  Linguistics Charms
  
  Spoiler: Favorable Inflection Procedure

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Sidereal speaks someone’s name with an intonation that echoes the pattern of his fate, filling his heart with warmth, happiness, and a feeling of connection to her.
  
  Addressing someone by name or nickname — either verbally or in writing — the Sidereal rolls (Charisma + Linguistics). This counts as both a roll to instill a positive Tie toward the Sidereal and a roll to inspire happiness. The Sidereal is never perceived as the source of this effect.
  
  If the Sidereal uses this Charm on someone hostile to her or upset with her, he forgets the reason for that, losing his train of thought. Subsequent events may remind him of it, and he remembers it if he spends Willpower to resist both of this Charm’s influences.
  
  If the Sidereal has stolen a name with Name-Pilfering Practice (p. XX), she can use this Charm to plant it on another character, addressing him by that name. If she succeeds, she transfers it and its benefits to him, in addition to the above effects.
  
  
  Spoiler: Best Friend’s Couch Invitation

  Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute, Shaping (Fate) Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Favorable Inflection Procedure
  
  All humanity is the Sidereal’s friend; she need never want for a place to lay her head.
  
  After a few hours or days spent in a community, the Sidereal’s assured to find at least one resident, chosen by the Storyteller, who’ll let her stay at his home for a few days as if hosting an old friend. (Players may volunteer their characters for this.) He’ll keep her as well-fed as anyone in the house and providing her a spare bed, couch, or floor to sleep on. Once she’s worn out her welcome, she’ll quickly find another host without needing to use this Charm again, moving to a new home every few days. Alternatively, the Sidereal can empower hospitality that’s already been offered to her, though she must still avoid wearing out her welcome.
  
  As long the Sidereal she lives with these newfound friends and spends significant time interacting with them over downtimes, she gains the following benefits:
  
  • She’s welcomed into her friends’ community; its members treat negative Ties toward foreigners, strangers, or outsiders as one step weaker for her.
  
  • When she sleeps in her host’s house, she gains an additional Willpower from a full night’s rest.
  
  • It’s difficult to keep track of her as she moves from home to home; Investigation and tracking rolls against her suffer +1 target number.
  
  • She can use Favorable Inflection Procedure against multiple members of her friends’ community, waiving multiple target penalties.
  
  Reset: Once per story unless reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal with the help of the Sidereal’s new friends. Joybringers can reset it by fulfilling an auspicious prospect.
  
  
  Spoiler: Ice-and-Fire Binding

  Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1 Type: Simple
  Keywords: Psyche
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal recites ritual prayers for health and prosperity, binding a spirit to the Maiden of Serenity’s service.
  
  After a scene spent praying to a god or elemental with an Essence of up to (higher of Sidereal’s Essence or 3), the Sidereal rolls (Intelligence + Linguistics). If she prays to a fire elemental or a god associated with fire, the maximum Essence increases by one.
  
  Success summons that spirit and imposes a Defining Principle of “I must ensure and defend the joy, health, and pleasure of those around me.” This Intimacy can’t be weakened or altered by any means. If that Intimacy could let the spirit treat influence as unacceptable (Exalted, p. 220), he must do so. The spirit can’t use Hurry Home while bound by this Charm.
  
  Alternatively, the Sidereal can use this Charm against a spirit of any kind present in the scene. Doing so works as above, except she can recite the binding in a single turn.
  
  This binding lasts (1 + Sidereal’s extra successes) seasons. Once it ends, the Sidereal may have the spirit forget her identity and all details about her.
  
  
  
  Performance Charms
  
  Spoiler: Beauty in Misfortune

  Cost: —; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  Even as her life crumbles around her, the Sidereal refuses to succumb to despair — how can she, when the world itself calls for an encore?
  
  The Sidereal counts suffering a noteworthy defeat or setback related to her patron Maiden’s purview as fulfilling an auspicious prospect (p. XX). She loses one additional Limit when she does. Examples include:
  
  Serenity: Struggling with significant troubles in a relationship (romantic or otherwise). Missing an opportunity to win or leverage someone’s positive feelings, obligations, or support for you. An enterprise or organization the Sidereal’s involved coming on hard times.
  
  These examples aren’t exhaustive or mutually exclusive — just because something falls under one Maiden’s purview doesn’t mean it can’t also be under another Maiden’s as well.
  
  With a Performance 5, Essence 3 repurchase, the Sidereal may pay ten motes, one Willpower once per story when she fulfills an auspicious prospect this way to end a Psyche effect, Shaping effect, or sorcerous curse she suffers, finding clarity in failure.
  
  
  Spoiler: Missed Step Enlightenment

  Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Beauty in Misfortune
  
  The Sidereal teaches others to take joy in failure, cherishing the lessons it has to offer.
  
  When the Sidereal observes a character fail a roll or suffer a setback, she can let him incur experience debt (p. XX) to purchase either (her Essence/2) dots of Attributes relevant to the failure or (her Charisma) dots of relevant Abilities. This can’t raise his ratings above the Sidereal’s own.
  
  The Sidereal’s target doesn’t need to actively train to gain this benefit; as he comes to terms with his failure emotionally, he realizes these talents, dividing the necessary training time by (Sidereal’s Essence + Charisma).
  
  With a Performance 5, Essence 3 repurchase, the Sidereal may pay a five-mote surcharge to use this as a Simple Charm, addressing up to (Essence x5) characters about a shared failure, setback, or difficulty that they’re currently facing or have recently faced. The number of dots each character may purchase is halved, rounded up, unless the Sidereal limits her audience to only (Essence) characters.
  
  
  Spoiler: Compassionate Essence Replenishment

  Cost: —; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal may go unrecognized, but she’s a central figure in the lives of others, empowered by the lives and relationships that revolve around her.
  
  The Sidereal gains motes equal to the 9s and 10s on rolls with any Ability to inspire positive emotions, instill positive Ties, weaken negative Ties, or make bargains involving sensual pleasures. This can’t exceed the number of motes spent enhancing the roll.
  
  When the Sidereal upholds a Major or Defining Intimacy’s that’s a positive Tie or compassionate Principle, she may gain five motes in place of the Willpower she’d normally receive.
  
  
  Spoiler: Easygoing Friend Approach

  Cost: —; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal moves and speaks in harmony with the fates of those around her, smoothing over hostility, mistrust, and awkwardness.
  
  People meeting the Sidereal (or her current resplendent destiny) for the first time count as having a Minor Tie of friendship toward her, as do those who share in food, drugs, music, or other sensual pleasures with her. Characters with negative Ties toward her treat them as one step weaker instead.
  
  
  Spoiler: Impossible-to-Remember Party Approach

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: One performance
  
  Prerequisite Charms: Easygoing Friend Approach
  Standing at the center of attention, the Sidereal makes whatever party she attends a night to remember — or to regret.
  
  As long as the Sidereal performs, her audience counts as having a Minor Principle of “I should throw caution to the wind and give in to the temptation.” Characters with Principle of asceticism, temperance, discipline, or self-restraint instead treat their intensity as one step lower. This Charm’s performance is incompatible with influence rolls.
  
  
  Spoiler: Brigand-and-Carouser Attracting Style

  Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute, Shaping (Fate)
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Easygoing Friend Approach
  
  Strumming the threads of fate like a drunken lutist, the Sidereal brings herself into harmony with those on society’s margins.
  
  After a few hours or days spent merrymaking, going to parties, or flirting with strangers, the Sidereal is assured to find herself caught up with a coterie of outcasts, ne’er-do-wells, and misfits. The Storyteller chooses the group, but the Sidereal may specify a general description: criminals, bohemian artists, political dissidents, etc. Alternatively, she may empower an existing coterie she’s fallen in with.
  
  As long as the Sidereal remains involved with her coterie and spends significant time interacting with them over downtimes, she gains the following benefits:
  
  • Her coterie and other characters within their social milieu accept her as one of their own. This counts as a Minor Tie.
  
  • At the start of a scene, she may declare that a coterie member with skills equivalent to a mortal two-dot Retainer is with her, either having just arrived or been with her all along. She can’t choose a new Retainer until he leaves, there’s a downtime, or the session ends.
  
  • She can introduce facts relevant to her coterie’s social milieu or about local rumors with (Wits + Performance).
  
  • She waives Excellencies’ mote costs to reduce the target number of Craft, Larceny, or Performance rolls similar to those involved in her coterie’s activities.
  
  Reset: Once per story unless reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal by engaging in hedonistic pursuits or giving aid to a group of outcasts or the like. Joybringers can reset it by fulfilling an auspicious prospect.
  
  
  Spoiler: Heart-Brightening Presentation Style

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Mute
  Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal answers the needs and desires of her audience with unfaltering grace and ingenious improvisation.
  
  The Sidereal’s Appearance adds bonus dice on an inspire roll to create happiness or other positive emotions. If she succeeds, each affected target’s player must also weaken one of their Intimacies based on negative emotions by one step.
  
  
  Spoiler: Defense of Shining Joy

  Cost: 4m, 1i; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Perfection in Life
  
  The Sidereal anticipates her enemy’s every move as if they were dancing together, maneuvering gracefully in perfect counterpoint to his offense.
  
  The Sidereal adds (Appearance/2, rounded up) Evasion against an attack and dodges even if its successes equal her Evasion. Dodging a decisive attack grants her the Initiative her attacker loses for missing.
  
  
  Spoiler: The Maiden Stumbles

  Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Counterattack, Withering-only
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Beauty in Misfortune, Defense of Shining Joy
  
  Overwhelmed by foes, the Sidereal sees how they might yet complete the pattern of her victory.
  
  After suffering decisive damage, the Sidereal can use this Charm to make a withering counterattack, rolling ([Appearance or Stamina] + Performance) opposing her enemy’s attack roll. The counterattack is unsoakable and has (Essence + Willpower) raw damage. Each success on her damage roll negates one level of decisive damage; any excess success inflicts withering damage as usual after her attacker’s Initiative resets.
  
  Reset: Once per scene unless reset by suffering enough decisive damage to increase the Sidereal’s wound penalty or using Beauty in Misfortune.
  
  Presence Charm
  
  
  Spoiler: Impose Nature (7m, Simple)

  Cost: 7m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute, Psyche
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal blesses another with the experience of being her, leaving a ghostly imprint of her Caste Mark on his left hand.
  
  The Sidereal rolls (Charisma + Presence) to instill one of her Major or Defining Intimacies in a single target. His Intimacies don’t modify his Resolve against this roll. Success instills the Intimacy at Major intensity in a rush of emotions, but it subsides to Minor once the scene ends. As long as the target has the Intimacy, it counts as Defining for gaining Willpower from upholding it and for purposes of his Charms and other magic.
  
  The mark left by this influence can’t be seen after the instant in which this Charm is used except by characters capable of seeing the dematerialized. It vanishes if the target ever erodes that Intimacy.
  
  
  Spoiler: Heroic Essence Replenishment (—, perm)

  Cost: —; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal draws power from triumph, shaping the world through dominance and force.
  
  The Sidereal gains motes equal to the 10s on persuade and threaten rolls she makes with any Ability and attack rolls against nontrivial enemies that align with a Major or Defining Intimacy of courage, recklessness, audacity, or anger.
  
  When the Sidereal upholds such an Intimacy, she may gain five motes in place of the Willpower she’d normally receive (Exalted, p. 169).
  
  
  Spoiler: Someone Else’s Destiny (2m, reflexive)

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Decisive-only
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal’s anima hisses as poison flows through her veins, the sound of her problems becoming everyone’s problems.
  
  The Sidereal adds (Presence) dice on a roll against poison. The total intervals of poison negated by the roll are stored as a memorandum appended to her fate, maximum (Stamina).
  
  The Sidereal can also use this Charm to discharge a memorandum with a decisive attack, even if the stored poison can’t normally be conveyed through attacks. Her enemy must roll against the stored intervals of poison if it hits.
  
  Perception Charm
  
  Spoiler: Feathered Cloak Trick (4m, simple)

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 1 Type: Simple
  Keywords: Mute Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal changes her perspective and herself, donning feathers better suited to a bird’s-eye view of Creation.
  
  The Sidereal transforms into a crow, raven, or other corvid (use raiton traits, Exalted, p. 570), with the following effects:
  

  • She loses any mutations she possesses intrinsically (but not those granted by magic).
  • When she takes an action that raitons have dice pools for, she can use that pool if it’s higher than her own. Any dice over her base (Attribute + Ability + specialty) count as Charm dice.
  • She can use a raiton’s natural weapons. If her (Dexterity + Brawl) pool is higher than a natural weapon’s attack pool, her withering attacks with it gain +1 Accuracy in addition to using her pool.
  • She gains the animal’s innate special abilities and Merits. Dice or successes added by these count as Charm bonuses.
  • She remains capable of speech, like ravens and many other corvids.
  • Any equipment she can’t use in bird form vanishes Elsewhere for this Charm’s duration.
  • She can’t use Martial Arts to attack or block or use Martial Arts Charms. Any ongoing Martial Arts Charms end.
  • Onlookers can’t tell she isn’t what she seems unless they have superhuman or magically enhanced senses; doing so requires a difficulty 7 (Perception + Awareness) roll, with success revealing she’s a shapeshifter in animal form.
  
  Bureaucracy Charms
  
  Spoiler: Terminal Sanction (5m, simple)

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Sidereal formally invokes her divine authority as she makes the Lesser Sign of the Haywain against a spirit, binding it into a form she can attack and kill.
  
  The Sidereal rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy) against the Resolve of a spirit or other dematerialized character within medium range, adding (higher of Essence or 3) bonus dice against enemies of fate (p. XX). If she succeeds, that character materializes at no cost and can’t dematerialize for the rest of the scene.
  
  With Bureaucracy 3, if the Sidereal kills a spirit under this Charm’s effect, she determines the ending he meets. She can destroy him permanently, seal him away within a nearby object until it is destroyed, or bind him to her service, imposing a Defining Tie of loyalty that lasts a year and a day and can’t be weakened or changed.
  
  With a Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3 repurchase, the Sidereal can pay a one-Willpower surcharge to apply this effect against all targets within medium range.
  
  
  Integrity Charm
  
  Spoiler: Until Hope’s End (—, supplemental)

  Cost: —; Mins: Integrity 1, Essence 1 Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  All hopes must end, but until they do, the Sidereals clings fiercely to hers.
  
  The Sidereal gains the following:
  

  • Her hopeful Intimacies increase their Resolve bonus by one.
  • Once per day, she can lower the Willpower cost to resist an inspire roll to create despair by one.
  • While acting in accordance with a hopeful Intimacy, she adds (Intimacy) to her Stamina to determine how long she can go without food, air, and water.
  • If a hope expressed by one of her Intimacies is decisively thwarted, it counts as fulfilling an auspicious prospect (p. XX).

  Hopeful Intimacies express a character’s hopes, dreams, and desires for the future, even if they aren’t explicitly worded as hopes: a Tie of great expectations for one’s child, a Principle of commitment to a long-term agenda, a Tie toward the object of one’s affections, etc.
  
  
  Spoiler: Promise of Tomorrow

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: Until Hope’s End
  
  The Sidereal may have no hopes, but Creation’s hopes for her sustain her.
  
  The Sidereal can use this Charm upon discerning an auspicious prospect to form a Defining Principle of hope toward fulfilling it. This Intimacy can’t be weakened by any means except the Sidereal’s own Integrity Charms.
  
  Upon fulfilling the auspicious prospect, the Sidereal loses this Principle and rolls (Intimacy) dice. For each success, she may gain one Willpower or lose one Limit.
  
  Reset: Once per story unless reset by fulfilling the chosen prospect.
  
  
  
• 
  Harmonious Godslayer Style
  
  
  Spoiler: AWAKENING THE HEARTSONG (3m, supp)

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Mastery
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Opening battle with her song, the Godslayer declares herself to her foes. This Charm allows the Stylist to Join Battle with a (Charisma + Performance) roll rather than a (Wits + Awareness) roll. In addition, the Stylist may reveal one Intimacy relevant to the scene to gain bonus dice equal to its Intensity to her Join Battle roll.
  
  Mastery: The Martial Artist may enhance her roll with Singing Charms as if it was a Social Influence roll.
  
  
  Spoiler: HEARTSONG STRIKE (4m reflex)

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual, Mastery
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Awakening the Heart Song
  
  The Stylist's song allows her to pierce the hearts of those who oppose her. She reduces the soak of her target by (Performance), or ignores (Performance) Hardness on a decisive damage roll.
  
  Mastery: If the Godslayer has witnessed her opponent acting against one of her Major or Defining intimacies, increase the amount of soak reduced by (Intensity/2, round down).
  
  
  Spoiler: FIND THE FOE'S HEART (5m simple)

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Terrestrial
  Duration: One scene
  
  Prerequisite Charms: Awakening the Heart Song
  
  The Godslayer's song resounds throughout the battlefield, such that the songs of her opponents are stoked to their heights. Find the Foe's Heart allows the Martial Artist to make a (Charisma + Performance) roll against the Guile of every hidden character in the scene. Success causes the target to be revealed to the Martial Artist for the rest of the scene.
  
  Special Activation Rules: If Harmonious Godslayer Form is active, the Stylist may flurry this Charm with an attack as if it was a Performance action.
  
  
  Spoiler: HARMONIOUS GODSLAYER FORM (8m simple)

  Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Type: Simple
  Keywords: Form, Mastery
  Duration: One scene
  
  Prerequisite Charms: Find the Foe's Heart, Heartsong Strike
  
  Expressing their Heartsong to its fullest, the Martial Artist draws strength from her truest self. While this Charm is in effect, the Godslayer may flurry Performance-based social influence rolls with unarmed attacks without the usual penalties, and may roll (Charisma+Performance) instead of (Dexterity + Athletics) for the purposes of combat movement, adding bonus dice equal to the (Intensity) of any relevant intimacy that her opponent opposes.
  
  Finally, if the Godslayer also knows Silver-Voiced Nightingale Style, she considers attacks made with its Kiais to be unarmed attacks for the purposes of Harmonious Godslayer Style.
  
  However, this expression of their innermost self means that any intimacies that the Stylist has that are relevant to the current scene become immediately obvious to all participants - while she sings her Heartsong, it's impossible to hide her true self from those that witness her song.
  
  Mastery: The Martial Artist may avoid revealing a number of intimacies relevant to the scene equal to their (Manipulation). Choose these intimacies when activating the Form.
  
  Special Activation Rules: Whenever the Martial Artist succeeds at a Withering attack that upholds one of her Major or Defining intimacies, she may activate Harmonious Godslayer Form reflexively.
  
  
  Spoiler: FISTS FLYING LIKE HAMMERS (4m sup)

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Decisive-Only, Mastery Duration: Instant
  
  Prerequisite Charms: Harmonious Godslayer Form
  
  Channeling the furor of her song, the Godslayer strikes with tremendous force, causing her foes to be blown away from the force of her song. When the Martial Artists successfully deals her opponent decisive damage, she hurls her opponent a number of range bands equal to (Half the Damage inflicted, minimum one), to a maximum number of bands equal to the (Intensity) of an intimacy
  
  Mastery: Should the victim strike an object before flying their full distance, they suffer damage as if falling from a Short distance.
  
  
  Spoiler: HARMONIC CONVERSION DEFENSE (3m ref)

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual, Mastery, Terrestrial Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Harmonic Godslayer Form
  
  Drawing the force of her opponent's assault into her song, the Godslayer draws it into the fury of her song, disrupting her enemy's technique and using it to empower her own. This Charm adds one to the Martial Artist's Parry. In addition, should her opponent fail to strike her, she gains a number of bonus dice on her next attack equal to the difference between her defense and her opponent's success on the attack roll.
  
  Mastery: Dice gained this way are non-Charm.
  
  
  Spoiler: BLAZING TEMPO (8m+1wp reflex)

  Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Mastery, Terrestrial
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Fists Flying Like Hammers
  
  Controlling the tempo of the battle through her song, the Stylist keeps pace with her foe even as she goes flying away from her. This Charm may be activated after sending her opponent flying through Fists Flying Like Hammers, allowing her to move immediately to her victim's new location, and attack with a Reflexive decisive attack with a base damage of the number of dice on her initial attack that failed to show successes. After this attack, her initiative resets regardless of its success or failure, and she gains bonus initiative equal to the (Rating) of an intimacy that her opponent opposes.
  
  
  Spoiler: THUNDER SMASHING TECHNIQUE (6m ref)

  Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Clash, Withering-Only Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Harmonic Conversion De- fense
  
  Meeting her opponent's song head on with her harmony, she smashes their attack away with a thunderous roar. The Godslayer makes a reflexive withering clash attack. The stylist gains no initiative from any damage caused by this attack, though she gains any bonuses from crashing her opponent normally.
  
  While Harmonious Godslayer Form is active, she may instead make her clash attack with (Charisma+Performance). If she succeeds on the clash, she makes a reflexive Instill action against her opponent using the same result. If the clash crashes her opponent, she automatically meets the reset condition for instilling the same intimacy, and her instill automatically overcomes her opponent's resolve.
  
  This Charm may be used only once per scene, unless the Stylist resets it by landing a decisive attack that upholds a major or decisive intimacy.
  
  
  Spoiler: GODSLAYING FINALE (15m+1wp, simple)

  Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Decisive-Only, Terrestrial Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Tempo, Thunder Smashing Technique
  
  As her song reaches its finale, the Godslayer focuses her song into one last attack, striking out with all of the force of her heartsong made manifest to pierce through her opponent's heart. She rolls a decisive attack with her (Charisma+Resolve) against her opponent's Resolve. Should this attack connect, she adds a number of automatic levels of damage equal to the (Rating) of an intimacy that her opponent opposes. If the Godslayer reduces her opponent to incapacitated with this attack, it rends them from existence, killing them with no hope of recovery, or reformation.
  
  This Charm may be used only once per scene.
  
  
  Spoiler: GODSLAYER'S MERCY (+1wp, perm)

  Cost: (1 wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  
  Prerequisite Charms: Godslayer's Finale
  
  Finishing her song with an open hand instead of a closed fist, in choosing not to kill an opponent that she has dead to rights, she leaves a fragment of her song within her target. Should she roll sufficient successes to incapacitate her opponent with Godslaying Finale, she may instead pay one willpower. Should she do so, she instead deals just enough levels of damage to her opponent to reduce her opponent to their last level of health prior to incapacitated. For her mercy, her target gains a positive major tie to the Stylist, with the precise context chosen by the target.
  
  This intimacy cannot be eroded voluntarily until the target has repaid the favor, by coming to the stylist's aid in such a way as to save her life.
• 
  
  Spoiler: Serenity of Resplendent Destinies

  (Starmetal Reinforced Buff Jacket, Artifact •••••)
  Attunement: 5m
  Type: Medium (+8 Soak, Hardness 7, Mobility Penalty −1) Tags: Silent
  Hearthstone slot(s): 1
  * Silken Steel Pearl (Sidereal, Greater, Dependent)
  * This nacreous jewel is strangely light when held, almost as if it might float free of one’s grasp. When socketed in armor, the armor counts as one step lighter to determine its compatibility with Martial Arts styles. Light armor doesn’t count as armor at all for compatibility.
  
  Era: Fallen Tower Dynasty
  
  At first glance, Serenity is an outfit of stylish, if ordinary black clothing suitable for whatever resplendent destiny the sidereal has donned, accented tastefully with flourishes of metal like a starry sky. Only when its master charges it with Essence does its resplendent destinies manifest.
  
  Serenity of Resplendent Destinies layers black silk and thin leather under a long hauberk of closely knit chain links that glimmer subtly in the light. This form-fitting chainmail is a dark, silver-gray alloy of starmetal, living metal, and woven destiny from the Loom of Fate, shaped into a serenity of three resplendent destinies. Fingerless chain gloves and a pair of sleek greaves complete the suit. As the wearer unlocks its true power, Serenity transforms first itself and then its Exalt in a growing synchronization that culminates in perfect harmony of resplendent destiny. After having been attuned to it for a long time, its master starts to think of herself and the armor as literally one fate, even when not wearing it.
  
  Serenity enables three stages of manifest destiny, called miens, that draw it increasingly closer to its master. When the wearer shifts from one mien to another, all motes committed to the old mien count towards the new mien’s cost. All miens terminate at the end of the scene.
  

  • Destiny of Two Mien (3m): Like two strangers dancing the tango for the first time, Unison and its wearer take the first step in becoming partners as ordinary clothing transforms into battle armor. Upon rolling Join Battle, the wearer may enter this mien to give Unison +2 soak and +1 Hardness.
  • Conjoined Destiny Mien (5m, 2i): As their destiny’s align, Unison conjoins the Exalt’s power with its own. While in [Destiny of Two Mien], the wearer may shift into this mien as a miscellaneous action. The armor becomes a skintight weave of compact rings like tiny scales — conforming flawlessly to the Exalt’s body — and loses its mobility penalty. Its quicksilver surface allows its wearer to glide between breezes, increasing her Evasion by 1. She may revert to [Destiny of Two Mien] as a miscellaneous action.
  • One Destiny Mien (7m, 3i):The Exalt merges completely with the armor. Her armored body, made head-to-toe of Unison’s distinctive starmetal alloy, shows the Maiden of Serenity’s constellations characteristics of her anima banner. While in Conjoined Destiny Mien, the wearer may shift into this mien as a miscellaneous action.
    • The armor’s Hardness increases by (Essence), and she adds (Essence) to her unarmed attacks’ raw decisive damage.
    • She cannot be knocked prone or knocked back by smash attacks. She weighs twice as much as usual and automatically sinks in water.
    • She may revert to Conjoined Destiny Mien as a miscellaneous action.
  Spoiler: Amulet with Gem of Incomparable Wellness

  4 Hearthstone:
  

  • Gem of Incomparable Wellness (3m)
  • With Hearthstone Amulet (1m)

  
  
  Gem of Incomparable Wellness
  (Wood, Greater)
  Keywords: Dependent, Linked
  This cluster of emerald crystals continually changes shape, with new crystals budding and subsuming the old. Endless vitality suffuses its bearer, mending her wounds with unnatural swiftness. If she commits three motes to the stone, she regains one bashing health level per ten minutes, one lethal health level per hour, and one aggravated health level per day. Fatal diseases or lethal deprivation, such as starvation, dehydration, or drowning, only render her unconscious. Even dismemberment or cremation merely fills her health track with lethal or aggravated damage, respectively, from which she will eventually regenerate. This power only terminates if the Exalt loses attunement to the stone, or if it becomes inert or is destroyed.
  
  
• 
  Health Levels
  -0 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
  -1 [ ][ ]
  -2 [ ][ ]
  -4 [ ]
  I [ ]
  
  Essence: 4
  Personal 17 (9 + 2E)
  Peripheral: 40/49 (25+ 6E)
  
  • Serenity of Resplendent Destinies (5m)
  • Gem of Incomparable Wellness (3m)
  • With Hearthstone Amulet (1m)
  Willpower: 9
  
  Spoiler: Gaining Willpower

  Your character gains Willpower when the following conditions are met:
  

  • A good night’s sleep restores one Willpower point, but cannot raise a character’s Willpower points above his permanent Willpower rating. Certain characters might not require sleep—in their case, six to eight hours of rest or meditation will suffice, although this bonus can only be gained once per day.
  • Your character gains one Willpower point if he undergoes significant hardship or sacrifice to uphold a Major or Defining Intimacy. He may only gain one Willpower point per scene this way. Willpower gained in this fashion may exceed his permanent Willpower rating.
  • Achieving a major character or story goal is grounds for gaining Willpower. The Storyteller may award one to three points of Willpower, depending on the scale and significance of the goal, and these may exceed the char- acter’s permanent Willpower rating.
  • Performing a two-point stunt grants one point of Willpower, while performing a three-point stunt may award two. Three-point awards may exceed the character’s permanent Willpower rating.

  
  Additionally, there are several conditions which will refresh a character’s Willpower points. At the beginning of a new story, if your character’s Willpower points are lower than his permanent rating, they’re refilled to equal it. The catharsis of Limit Break also resets the character’s Willpower to its permanent rating—even if this means losing excess Willpower.
  
  Join Battle: hits +3i
  * 8 (Wits + Awareness)
  * 11+ (3m Awakening the Heartsong Ch + Perf+Intimacy+Singing Charms)
  
  Hit: 14/11 (4Dex + 5MA + 4Acc + 1Spec)
  Dmg: 9 (2Str + 7Hand); 1 Overwhelming
  
  Parry:
  
  • 6 ([4dex + 5MA+1Song] /2 round up)
  • +2 if full defense
  Evasion:
  
  • 5 ([4dex + 5Dodge + 1Unarmored] /2 round up)
  • Evasion 4 in Serenity of Resplendent Destinies
  • Evasion 6 in Conjoined Destiny Mien (5m, 2i)
  • +2 if full defense
  
  Soak
  
  • 5: 5 Stam Natural
  • 13: 8 Armor + 5 Stam
  • 15: Destiny of Two Mien (3m)
  Hardness
  
  • 7: 7 Armor
  • 8: Destiny of Two Mien (3m)
  Social Combat
  
  • 4 Guile ([Manipulation + Socialize + specialty] / 2, round up)
  • 6 Resolve ([Wits + Integrity + specialty] / 2, round up)
  
  
  
• 
  

  Character Sheet: Hovering Butlers​

  The Hovering Butlers are not just retainers; they are an extension of Between's celestial mandate. They embody the harmony and balance he strives for, acting as both facilitators and protectors of his serene approach to life. In social combat, they are invaluable, providing insight, support, and subtle manipulation to guide outcomes favorably. Their ethereal nature and connection to the celestial realms reinforce Between's own ties to the higher powers of Creation.
  
  
  

  Type​

  • Spirit (Little God)

  Essence​

  • Essence: 2
  • Personal Essence Pool: 30
  • Peripheral Essence Pool: 40

  Attributes​

  • Physical: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
  • Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4
  • Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

  Abilities​

  • Socialize: 4
  • Lore: 3
  • Occult: 3
  • Bureaucracy: 2
  • Linguistics: 2 (Old Realm, High Realm, Guild Cant, Local Languages)
  • Other Abilities: Appropriate to their role and background (e.g., Performance, Stealth)

  Merits​

  • Inconspicuous Presence: Able to blend into their surroundings or go unnoticed when necessary.

  Health Levels​

  • -0: --
  • -1: --
  • -2: 4
  • -4: 1
  • Incapacitated

  Willpower​

  • Willpower: 6

  Join Battle​

  • Join Battle: 6 dice

  Charms​

  1. Celestial Whisper: Enhances social interactions for Between by whispering encourage as if from a crowd of supporters.
  2. Starlit Servitude: Increases efficiency in performing tasks, organizing, and managing Between's affairs.
  3. Ethereal Presence: Ability to remain undetected or unnoticed.
  4. Harmony's Embrace: Creates a peaceful atmosphere, aiding in diplomatic and social endeavors.
  5. Anticipated Needs Mastery: Able to purchase and acquire basic items and goods that are in range and store them as a sherpa until his Master needs them.

  Role​

  • The Hovering Butlers assist Between in various non-combat roles, focusing on social engagements, managing his daily affairs, and providing discreet assistance in various tasks. Their ethereal nature and abilities make them ideal for delicate situations where subtlety and finesse are required.

  Storytelling Notes​

  • The Hovering Butlers are more than just servants; they are a manifestation of Between's connection to the celestial order. They often communicate in hushed tones, their voices reminiscent of a gentle breeze, and move with a grace that belies their otherworldly nature. They are a constant reminder of Between's responsibilities and his connection to the greater workings of fate.
  This character sheet provides a framework for the Hovering Butlers, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into the narrative and mechanics of an Exalted game, serving as a valuable and unique retainer for Between All Things.
  
  
• 
  Character Advancement
  
  Attribute increase - current rating x4
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Ability increase - current rating x2
  Caste/Favored Ability increase - (current rating x2) − 1
  New Ability - 3
  Specialty - 3
  Purchased Merit - new rating x3
  Willpower - 8
  Charm - 10 (8 if Occult Caste/Favored)
  Sidereal Martial Arts Charm - 10
  Spell - 10 (8 if Favored)
  Evocation - 10
  
  Bonus Point Expenditure
  Abilities - 7
  Charms - 4
  Backgrounds - 4