(in response to a request about being able to talk to your weapons and give them orders)
(Contemplates writing White Devil style, decides not to)
Hmmm…
Soul of the Shieldmaiden
Cost: 3m Minimums: Melee 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: None Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Summoning the Loyal Steel, Dipping Swallow Defense
For so well treated are the weapons of the Lawgivers that they would leap to their master’s aid without even their awareness being required. Once this Charm is learned, the Solar may engage in a special bonding ceremony where he secures the absolute loyalty of the weapon. This takes as long as the normal attunement of an artifact weapon and may overlap with that process if the Solar is attuning a new weapon, in which case this Charm effectively raises the attunement cost by 3m. The Solar may also attune a mundane weapon in this manner, in which case the cost is only 3m. This Charm has no effect on conjured or temporary weapons such as those created by Charms, Sorcery or various Improvised weapons (even those enhanced or altered by magic).
As long as this Charm remains committed, the least god of the weapon will attempt to defend its master should he be unaware of an attack. If the Solar fails to perceive an attack, the weapon may make a reflexive Awareness check. This is unrolled, and produces 2 successes automatically. If the weapon is an artifact, add the artifact’s Rating in automatic successes. If the Solar has an Intimacy toward the weapon, raise the automatic successes by 2. If these successes are sufficient to perceive the attack, the weapon will attempt to Parry the incoming attack using a special DV of (2 + Artifact Rating + weapon’s defense bonus)/2 (add +1 DV if the Solar has an Intimacy towards the weapon). The weapon may also reflexively activate the Solar’s parry charms to enhance this Parry, drawing the cost from the Solar’s normal Essence pools, but the cost of such effects increase by 2m. The Solar may choose to prevent such Charm activations. This effect does not trigger if the Solar is aware of the incoming attack, and can not defend against Unblockable attacks (even if the Solar has access to Charms that allow him to parry Unblockable attacks).
Further, so long as the Solar retains commitment to this Charm the weapon may not be attuned by another essence user. The effects of this Charm automatically deactivate if the Solar mistreats or neglects the weapon long enough to lose its loyalty. All weapons have Conviction 5 for the purposes of losing Intimacies.