Enfolded In The Dragon’s Wings
Cost: 3m Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV-0)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, Elemental
Mins: War 2, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) War Excellency
By means of this Charm, the Exalt can render his soldiers immune to the dangerous presence of his own anima, allowing the Dragonblooded to perform actions in the close formation they often favour. The Dragonblooded can affect a unit with a maximum magnitude equal to one. A unit so blessed is immune to the Dragonblooded’s anima flux and any damage from the Dragonblooded’s anima or secondary effects (such as a Elemental Bolt Attack or a Wood Aspects poison) or from the anima of Dragonblooded with the same aspect. This effect also provides the unit with +2 soak versus appropriate elemental damage not from a Dragonblooded’s anima.
A group of Dragonblooded can affect a unit whose Magnitude is equal to the number of Dragonblooded using the Charm simultaneously. If Dragonblooded of different aspects participate the entire unit is protected against the animas of all the aspects represented. For example: A Fire and two Wood Aspects Terrestrials employ this Charm. They can affect a unit of Magnitude 3, this Unit is immune to both the Fire and Wood Aspect animas of those (and any other) Dragonblooded and any damage from their Anima powers as well.
Heroic Standardbearer Stance
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: War 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: Enfolded In The Dragon’s Wings
With no other Exalt is the term “Anima Banner” more apt then the Dragonblooded. One of the first Charms ever taught to the Dragonblooded, this Charm grants the character the ability to insert useful iconographic displays in their anima as it flares throughout the battle. To those trained to recognize such things (which any Unit in Creation with a drill higher than one has been) they can serve to relay orders across the din and confusion of battle.
This power takes effect automatically if the Dragonblooded anima is flaring at the 11+ motes level. So long as this is true (it is often a good idea to spend some of those motes on this Charm’s prerequisite) the Dragonblooded counts as a Relay for the unit he is in, whether he is a Hero or Sorcerer special character.
Phantom Fire Warrior Horde
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, War, Illusion
Mins: War 4, Essence 2 Prereqs: Heroic Standardbearer Stance
This Charm allows a Dragonblooded to greatly expand the scope of his anima and fills it with vaguely translucent warriors. These figures are tall and menacing and march in synch with the Dragonblooded (and any unit he is a part of). While they cannot take or inflict damage, they are very intimidating.
A Dragonblooded hero, sorcerer or leader within a military unit may activate this power by spending 5m whenever the unit makes an attack. If so, the opposing unit suffers a +1 difficulty to any morale checks to avoid hesitation or rout. If this Charm is activated outside of Mass Combat any mortals who are in combat must make an immediate Morale check at difficulty 2 or flee. This second effect may only be evoked once per scene.
Dragon-Seared Battlefield
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, Cooperative, Elemental
Mins: War 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Phantom Fire Warrior Horde
Dragonblooded who learn this Charm can call down the fury of the elements to aid their efforts. This Charm may be activated anywhere within Creation, including Shadowlands, but nowhere outside of it including Malfeas, the Underworld or the Deep Wyld or worse.
To activate this Charm the character must take a Miscellaneous Action to concentrate and call upon the elements. He spends 10m, 1wp and causes the area around him to become part of the upheaval. This is centred on the Dragonblooded and extends 50 yards for every dot of Essence the Dragonblooded has. Anybody within the area of effect suffers one of the following effects, based on the Dragonblooded’s Aspect. Any Dragonblooded of the appropriate Aspect or anybody protected by Enfolded In The Dragon’s Wings is immune to these effects.
Air creates a cyclone that batters and spin the enemy around, throwing off their movement and rendering their mobility greatly reduced. Halve normal movement rates. Additionally, anyone who attempts to make a Jump while in this cyclone must make a Strength + Athletics roll, suffering an external penalty equal to the Dragonblooded’s permanent Essence. Failure on this roll knocks the opponent prone, having failed to move from their current location.
Earth causes a tremendous earthquake. This makes it all but impossible to maintain proper footing. This version can also potentially cause landslides and damage buildings or earthworks on the battlefield, explaining why even in the First Age the deliberative preferred to avoid trench warfare. Treat anybody not protected against this Charm as if the ground was an Essence difficulty unstable footing area. Additionally, the Charm damages structures and landscape as if the character was using his Essence in a Strength + Athletics attempt to cause destruction to everything in the area.
Fire fills the air with stifling heat, draining the endurance of everybody not protected against this Charm. Once per action everybody must make a Stamina + Resistance roll to resist Fatigue as if they were wearing armour with a Fatigue Check penalty equal to the Dragonblooded’s Essence (plus any actual Fatigue penalty).
Water causes torrential downpours, or if on the water causes miniature tsunami that swamp ships and sink them. On land this Charm inflicts an external penalty on all ranged attack rolls equal to the Dragonblooded’s Essence. On a ship this is even worse. Every action the pilot of the ship must make a Wits + Sail roll with an external penalty equal to the Dragonblooded’s Essence. If they fail this roll the ship begins sinking as it becomes flooded. It takes a number of failed rolls to sink a ship based on its size, from one failed roll for a rowboat or kayak to three failed rolls for a trireme to five failed rolls for a First Age ship.
Wood fills the air with deadly poisonous pollen, flower petals or other particles. Anybody in the area must roll Stamina + Resistance with an external penalty equal to the Dragonblooded’s Essence. Those who fail this roll suffer a -1 internal penalty to all action. This roll is made once per action, each failed roll increases the penalty by one. This is a Poison effect.
This effect may be activated Cooperatively. Only one Dragonblooded of each Aspect may participate. Add the Essence of all the participants together to determine all the effects of this Charm, including area of effect and the penalties imposed on all rolls and so on. The Charm inflicts all the effects of each Aspect involved.
Dragon Vortex Attack
Cost: 10 (+10, 1wp) Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV-2)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: None
Mins: War 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Dragon Seared Battlefield
This Charm modifies the character’s Dragon Vortex Attack. He takes a simple action to use this Charm, spending 10m plus the cost of Dragon Seared Battlefield (typically 10m, 1wp). In addition to the standard effects of Dragon Seared Battlefield everyone within the area of effect is also considered to be affected by an environmental hazard with a Trauma of (Essence)L and a damage of (Essence)/action.
Only the ten motes for Dragon Vortex Attack remain committed, and these motes may not be decommitted until the scene ends (fifteen minutes outside of dramatic time). Dragonblooded cannot evoke the cooperative quality of Dragon Seared Battlefield while using this Charm.
Threshing Floor Technique
Cost: 1+m Type: Supplemental
Duration: One Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, War
Mins: War 2, Essence 1 Prereqs: (Any) War Excellency
This Charm supplements a Coordinate Attack action. Normally the maximum number of people that can participate in a hand-to-hand attack against the same target is five (or lower depending on the environment). For every mote spent on this Charm one additional character can participate in the Coordinated Attack.
This Charm has special rules in War scale conflicts. When used by a Dragonblooded who is a Hero special character he may activate this Charm to benefit from the full assistance of his Unit, even if he attacks as a single Hero. He must spend a number of motes equal to the Magnitude of the Unit to gain this benefit.
Startling Soldier Arrangement
Cost: 3m Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -0)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK
Mins: War 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: Threshing Floor Technique
Other than the Speed and DV penalty, treat the activation of this Charm as a standard attempt to make a Coordinate Attack roll.
Dragon Drill Instructions
Cost: 3m,1wp Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Cooperative, Training
Mins: War 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Startling Soldier Arrangement
This Charm allows a single instructor to tutor a large crowd in the arts of war. The Dragonblooded who activates this Charm can serve as a tutor for any of the following Traits: Archery, Athletics, Dodge, Integrity, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown and War, as well as specialties for any of the above. He can simultaneously teach a number of students equal to a Magnitude 1 unit without sacrificing training time. This does not speed up training time, however. The Dragonblooded need not be the tutor. Any other suitable teacher can direct the Dragonblooded who will flawlessly pass on his lessons to the students.
Dragonblooded can also use this Charm cooperatively. Each additional Dragonblooded increase the Magnitude of the unit that can be affected by one.
In the First Age this Charm was known as Lion-Dragon Drill Instruction and it synchronised with all the military unit based Training Charms of the Celestial Exalted. Using this Charm, a group of Dragonblooded could increase the maximum magnitude their Celestial masters could affect with such Charms by a number of magnitude points equal to the number of Dragonblooded. However even knowledge of that facet of the Charm is considered heretical and punishable by death by all branches of the Immaculate Order, who have a vested interest in making certain Dragonblooded don’t think hard about their relationship with Celestial Exalts.
Shooting Star Manoeuvre
Cost: 1m/tick Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Mins: War 4, Essence 2 Prereqs: Threshing Floor Technique
The Dragonblooded soldier knowns to wait for the best time to strike. This Charm is activated to supplement an Aim action. For every tick spent Aiming at the same opponent add +2 damage to the Dragonblooded’s next attack against the same target, up to a maximum of +6 damage. The Dragonblooded must spend 1m per tick spent aiming.
This Charm may explicitly be used with Combos of other abilities.
Infinite Adaptable Warrior Exercise
Cost: 3m Type: Simple
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Stackable
Mins: War 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Shooting Star Manoeuvre
Taking a few seconds to study the terrain or his opponent’s strategy the clever Dragonblooded can internalize those facets and develop an intuitive strategy to defeat them. This Charm can be used to add a Specialty to Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown and War. This specialty must be either “Against (specific foe)” or “In (specific location)”. The specific is to be interpreted tightly, you can gain a Specialty against The Bull Of The North or In Nexus but not Against Dawn Caste Exalts or In Crowded City Streets.
As is usual with artificial specialties, the character may evoke this Charm as often as he wishes. He must grant the specialty to each Ability separately with separate invocations of this Charm. As usual, the maximum Specialty bonus is +3.
Drill Sergeant’s Encouragement
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: None
Mins: War 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Dragon Drill Instructor, Infinite Adaptable Warrior Exercise, Third War Excellency
This Charm permanently enhances the Dragonblooded’s capability. To benefit from this Charm the character must have used Infinite Adaptable Warrior Exercise to gain a specialty appropriate to the situation. Whenever that specialty applies to a roll or DV the character may evoke his Third War Excellency to modify the rolls of any ally within line of sight. This Charm may modify rolls or DVs based on Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown or War provided the character has used Infinite Adaptable Warrior Exercise to gain a specialty in the appropriate Ability and the Specialty applies to the roll or DV in question.
For example: Tepet Arada uses Infinite Adaptable Warrior Exercise to gain a Melee Specialty “Against the Bull of The North”. Whenever his allies within line of sight make a Melee roll against the Bull of the North or use a Melee based DV against him Arada can evoke his Third War Excellency to modify the roll of DV appropriately.
This Charm does not alter the timing or compatibility rules of the Third Excellency, only allows the character to use it to aid his allies rolls instead of himself.