Elegant Elemental Tongue
Cost: 3m Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Elemental
Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: None
The Dragonblooded have a greater connection to the five elements than any other Exalted, and from that connection a greater connection to the elementals of the world. This Charm exploits that connection. If a character is interacting with an elemental of the appropriate Aspect, he may spend 3m during any social attack to exploit that connection. Doing so while on the attack renders the characters social attack unblockable and doing so while defending against a social attack creates a perfect social parry. This only applies to elementals of the same element as the character.
For this Charm to work, the character must know the appropriate language of the elemental direction associated with that elemental. For example, to use this Charm against a Fire elemental the character must know Firetongue, and to use it against an Earth elemental he must know Rocktongue.
Wind Carried Words Technique
Cost: 1m+ Type: Simple
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, War
Mins: Linguistics 1, Essence 1 Prereqs: None
When the gods first made their armies, they needed a way for the various forces to communicate swiftly across great distances without being overheard. This Charm allowed them to accomplish this feat. When the Exalt evokes this Charm, he names a single subject who he knows the approximate location of (must be within 10 miles of where the character thinks he is). He can then speak a short message, about one minute in length or long enough for a single social attack. The message then travels to the person and emerges from mid-air about a foot away, with the same volume and discretion that the character had when he first spoke it. If the character does not know the proper location of his target, the motes are spent, and the words go off but they never reach their target and are never repeated. The Dragonblooded has no idea his magic failed until he has a chance to later confirm it with the target.
The cost for this Charm is 1m if the target is within one mile, with each additional mote increasing the range by a factor of ten (so 2m is ten miles, 3m is one hundred and so on). Multiple Dragonblooded may evoke this Charm in concert to contribute more to the pool if necessary.
This Charm has a special effect in War. If a Relay of the Unit knows this Charm, he counts as a number of Relays equal to his permanent Essence. This allowed Dragonblooded lieutenants to control vast forces for their Solar generals.
This Charm cannot be used in an area protected against magical scrying, such as a Private Plaza of Downcast Eyes. Any attempt to communicate with someone in such an area fails, just as if the character had no idea where his target was.
Cipher Missive
Cost: 5m Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK
Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: Wind Carried Words Technique
This Charm allows the Exalt to transmit information to his peers without others being aware that such information was passed. The character whispers his words under his breath and magical wind carries the words to his target where he can hear them in his ear. It is impossible for anyone without supernaturally keen hearing to overhear the words, and even those with such hearing must make a roll versus a difficulty of the Dragonblooded’s Essence to catch the conversation.
The target must be within normal hearing range of the person using this Charm. This Charm is commonly comboed with Wind Carried Words Technique to transmit secret information discreetly.
Language Learning Ritual
Cost: 5m, 1wp Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Cooperative, Training
Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Linguistics Excellency
This Charm allows the Dragonblooded to communicate with virtually anyone. Using this Charm is a Dramatic Action which takes about one hour to perform. Using it involves the Dragonblooded interacting with a small group for that hour, as the group slowly becomes better and better able to communicate. At the end of the hour the Dragonblooded chooses one language he knows and everyone in the group suddenly magically knows that language. This effect persists for as long as the Dragonblooded commits the Essence; however, he must interact with the group in a meaningful manner at least once per day to maintain the magic.
Usually, this Charm can affect a social unit with a maximum Magnitude of one. However, if multiple Dragonblooded participate the Magnitude of the unit becomes equal to the number of Dragonblooded involved. All participating Dragonblooded must know the language that is being taught. If someone is the subject of this Charm for at least one week and has the spare XP, they can instantly learn the language without any further training needed.
Poisoned Words Technique
Cost: 5m, 1wp Type: Simple
Duration: Five Minutes
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Cipher Missive
This Charm allows a Dragonblooded to “hijack” a conversation by changing the nature of the words as they travel through the air. This Charm can only affect verbal communication. The Dragonblooded must be able to hear the conversation and must be able to speak so that both parties could hear him. This Charm is often Comboed with Wind Carried Words Technique.
To hijack a conversation the Dragonblooded listens for an opportunity, and then when he wishes to change the words being spoken must make a Manipulation + Linguistics roll, applying an external penalty equal to the victims (Perception + Awareness)/2. Success means the Exalt can change the content of the exchange to anything he wishes, from subtle changes of intonation and context to completely rewriting the words. The Exalt can make a Social Attack in this manner. If he fails to score more successes than one parties (Perception + Awareness)/2, that subject is aware of something happening that is changing the content of the message but not certain of the source unless the Dragonblooded is obviously in sight and doing something magical looking.
Voice of Mastery
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Poisoned Words Technique
The Dragonblooded’s voice permanently takes on an unearthly ethereal quality, seeming to echo with any number of languages in the background. When the character purchases this Charm, his voice becomes infused with Essence, gaining a supernaturally compelling quality that is extremely pleasant and vaguely hypnotic. Many of the best musicians and poets in the Realm have this Charm, but that is only its most benevolent purpose.
Once the character purchases this Charm, he may substitute his Linguistics rating for his Appearance rating when making a verbal social attack or when using his Parry MDV against the same. He may also use Linguistics excellencies to increase the value of his Linguistics for the duration of one attack or defense. Remember that the maximum MDV bonus/penalty is +/-3 due to Appearance. This Charm only takes effect if the Dragonblooded’s anima is flaring at the 1+ mote levels of display.
With One Mind
Cost: 5m, 1wp Type: Simple
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Cooperative
Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Language Learning Ritual, Poisoned Words Technique
In the First Age this Charm was commonly called Speech Without Words; it was only in later ages that the true power of this Charm was refined and developed. In its basic form, the Charm allows a group to communicate without the need for speech. The Exalt selects a number of allies equal to his Essence. For the rest of the scene, he and all the others can communicate with each other telepathically. This communication is conscious and directed – participants will
not accidentally transfer their deepest secrets, and a message can be sent to one, all or a selection of those effected by the Charm. This Charm does not give the user any special ability to see into his subject’s mind, though the participants can engage in social combat within the mind link. The Charms terminate at the end of the scene or if any subject moves more than a mile away from another.
The refinement of this Charm only occurs when it is used by a group of Dragonblooded. If everyone in the link activates this Charm at the same time, the users become intuitively linked to each other, able to act and react based on each other’s perceptions and instincts. The effect is mildly unnerving the first few times it is used. Sworn Brotherhoods that make extensive use of this Charm seem to grow increasingly similar, often taking on the habits and verbal quirks of their allies.
While under the effects of this Charm everyone in the group gains the following benefits: for the purposes of calculating their DVs their Melee, Martial Arts and Dodge is equal to the highest rating of anyone in the group. The group cannot be caught by surprise if even one member senses the attack coming and will never suffer an Unexpected attack so long as two or more of the unit is still conscious. The Unit gains all relevant Specialties known by anyone in the group,
though they still max out at +3 to any one roll. The group can make Coordinated Attacks without having to make a Coordinate Attack roll. If more than one of them attacks the same opponent on the same tick, then the opponent takes a DV penalty equal to the number of people attacking that tick.
The one drawback to this Charm is that it shares pain as well. Whenever anyone in the Unit takes damage, everyone else loses one Willpower point. If anyone ever drops to zero Willpower they drop out of the link and collapse unconscious from the shock.
If a group of Dragonblooded with this Charm form a Mass Combat unit, consider them to have a Drill of 6.