Ethereal Concentration Trance
Cost: 3m Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Stackable, Training
Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Lore Excellency
The Dragonblooded quickly gain knowledge in any field they pursue. To activate this Charm, the character needs access to a library or some other source of knowledge with which he can quickly study a subject of academic interest. Use of this Charm is a dramatic action which takes no less than one hour to complete. At the end of that time the Exalt gains increased knowledge in a specific area of academic interest, enough to justify a single specialty dot in the field. This specialty remains as long as the motes are committed, although Dragonblooded with enough XP to spare can invest it to instantly learn the specialty (within normal limits). Doing so ends this Charm.
Elemental Assistance Method
Cost: 5m, 1wp Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: One Project
Keywords: Cooperative
Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Lore Excellency
The Dragonblooded of the First Age developed this Charm to assist their master’s work in the great Factory Cathedrals of the Solar Exalted. The Immaculate histories claim that this Charm was developed under coercion and force, but that its utility survives to the current day.
Using this Charm, the character becomes the perfect assistant to any work of research, artifice or sorcery. It is especially useful in the construction of artifacts. Users describe entering a trancelike state in which they seem to perform actions they don’t quite understand, but the leader of the effort always finds invaluable. The Dragonblooded who knows this Charm need not be skilled in the craft being undertaken, and they often were not when it came to the greatest works of the Solars. This Charm cannot supplement the character’s own efforts, but it can assist others. One Dragonblooded using this Charm to assist a primary researcher provides one bonus success to all relevant rolls to complete the project AND reduces the time required by one tenth. Multiple Dragonblooded can assist, each adding one bonus success and reducing the time by +10% (20% total reduction for two assistants, 30% for three and so on). However, the maximum number of Dragonblooded that can assist is one for each Aspect. After that, additional assistants end up duplicating each other’s work and any extra speed is offset by getting in each other’s way. The time reduction bonus for this Charm is always applied BEFORE any other magical effects.
Counting the Dragon’s Coils
Cost: 3m, 1bhl Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Keywords: None
Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Ethereal Concentration Trance
Experts among the Dragonblooded do not debate matters, for they can always recall with perfect clarity the elements of their school. This Charm only works if the character has a Specialty in the specific field of study. If so, he may spend three motes to instantly make a roll to recall any relevant details about it. Evoking this Charm has the same effect as if the Exalt had spent at least one season exhaustively researching the matter within the most advanced library he has ever had access to. The stress of this Charm often leaves the Dragonblooded with a splitting headache afterwards.
Elemental Empowerment Meditation
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, Elemental
Mins: Lore 1, Essence 1 Prereqs: None
This Charm gives the character refined control over his anima, allowing him to manifest controlled displays of elemental magic from it. Once this Charm is purchased, the character can perform minor tricks with his patron element at no cost. Fire aspects can light candles by snapping their fingers, Earth aspects could clear dust off a shelf with a wave of their hand and so on. The characters control over such magic grants him a degree of mastery over his element. This Charm is often used to justify a stunning variety of stunts and this is explicitly encouraged.
Whenever a character uses a stunt that involves his patron element his mote reward (and ONLY his mote reward) is increased by 2m (as if he had performed a stunt of one level higher) up to a maximum of 6m. As usual with stunts, a character must interact with an existing element of the scene to qualify for a two-die stunt. If a character chooses to regain willpower from a stunt, he does not get the increased mote reward.
Elemental Succour Meditation
Cost: None Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, Elemental
Mins: Lore 3, Essence 3 Prereqs: Elemental Empowerment Meditation
This Charm improves its prerequisite, allowing the Exalt to more safely internalize his elemental affinity. By doing so he recovers quickly from exhaustion and injury by exposing himself to his patron element. If the character surrounds himself with sufficient examples of his element and meditates. he can treat each hour of meditation as two hours of rest. This is for all purposes, including convalescence from injuries and recovering Essence. Storytellers are encouraged to be lenient when it comes to this Charm: any determined Dragonblooded should be able to find (or create) a suitable sanctuary with a token effort. Only when the character is far out of his element (in the far southern desert for a water aspect, or the frozen north for a fire aspect) should this be difficult.
Elemental Detection Technique
Cost: 1m+ Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Elemental
Mins: Lore 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Elemental Empowerment Meditation
Use of this Charm relies on the Exalt’s attunement to his affinity element. His anima resonates with other sources of elemental power, allowing the character to sense their presence and approximate location.
When this Charm is activated, it locates the nearest source of the character’s element within one mile. Every additional mote spent increases the range by a factor of 10. If there is no source of elemental energy within the range of this Charm, the character also becomes aware of this (in which case he may spend more motes and expand the search). This Charm almost always senses the nearest source of elemental Essence, which can make it frustrating to use undirected for Earth and Air aspects.
The Exalt may also choose to narrow the focus of this Charm. To do so, he must have a specialty in the appropriate area of interest, but he can then filter out any feedback except that related to his area of Specialty. For example, a character with a Specialty of Lore (Elementals) could use this Charm to either detect the nearest source of Fire, or the nearest Fire Elemental. Other common Specialties include Lore (Sorcery), Lore (Fair Folk), Lore (Jade). If someone has gone out of their way to conceal the elemental source in question, then the character needs to make a Perception + Lore roll to detect it. Successfully detecting a source of elemental energy merely informs the character that it is within his range, and its approximate direction.
The final drawback of this Charm is that its usage is an active expenditure of Essence. Any Dragonblooded with this Charm can sense if someone else uses it and they are within the area of effect. All this informs them is that someone used it, and what direction they are from the Exalt. Elementals, spirits with appropriate elemental purviews and certain Fair Folk can also sense use of this Charm.
Elemental Shaping Technique
Cost: Varies Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: Varies
Keywords: Elemental, Shaping
Mins: Lore 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Elemental Succour Meditation, Elemental Detection Technique
While the mighty celestial Exalted can forge the facets of reality, the Dragonblooded have more mundane mastery over the elements of the world. With this Charm, the character’s anima infuses the world around him, granting him the ability to control it in the same way he would his own body. Sometimes this is hard – moving several tons of stone is as difficult as it would be to move a body that weighed several tons.
Character with this Charm can take a dramatic action to shape a naturally occurring elemental manifestation of his own element. They can move it, change its shape, or even its state (for instance, water can be frozen or turned to mist). The character can forge mundane items out of the elements. He must spend a number of motes equal to the Resources value of the object he is creating once per roll and accumulate 5 times the objects resources value on an extended Willpower + Craft (appropriate element) roll. Each roll takes about one hour as a dramatic action. This Charm cannot create demesnes, manses, artifacts or any living animals, it is limited to mundane objects.
Exalts of Wood and Earth have the easiest time using this Charm, since the objects they create are made of elements with mundane permanence. Dragonblooded of Water create objects out of intensely cold ice; however this ice will tend to melt in warmer climes. Dragonblooded of Air and Fire find this Charm frustrating because anything they forge will usually lose its shape the moment they stop concentrating. Water, Fire and Air aspects may commit 1m per Resources value of the object to grant it the same permanence as Wood and Earth. In this fashion they can forge chairs of liquid water able to support their weight or door out of raging fire to deter invaders. If the Exalt ever ceases the commitment such works are again subject to the normal laws of Creation. However, the creator can sacrifice a permanent Willpower point to leave a bit of his soul in the object, granting it the same permanence as anything else.