Jade Defence
Cost: 3m Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Integrity Excellence
The parties and politics of the Realm are certain to turn even the most wide-eyed idealist into the most cynical pragmatist, and thus this Charm sees constant use in the Realm. When this Charm is evoked, the Dragonblooded creates an aura of disdain towards a topic that renders him completely jaded and uninterested in it. This Charm can be evoked in response to a social attack. The character reacts to this social attack and any further social attacks with the same goal as if he had already spent two willpower this scene to avoid social attacks. This renders him immune to most forms of natural mental influence but has no effect on unnatural mental influence.
Inscrutable Elemental Mind
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Jade Defence
It could be the existence of this Charm which allowed the Sidereal Exalted to decide the Dragonblooded were more stable than the Solar Exalted. This Charm permanently alters the Dragonblooded’s mind, bringing it closer to the perfected alien mindset of the Elemental Dragons. In doing so, they give up a portion of their humanity. This is considered a holy rite by the Immaculate Faith, mainly because those who undergo it seem to be more stable (if less humane) than their fellows.
This Charm permanently alters the Exalt’s Limit Break. Instead of gathering limit until the character explodes with elemental fury, the Exalt seesaws between more and less inhuman behaviour. Players are encouraged to roleplay this out, the higher your current Limit the more alien and elemental the character’s mindset becomes. Mechanically, an Exalt with this Charm suffers a -1 internal penalty to all Charisma rolls for every two points of Limit he has (rounded down). Anyone who is attempting to interact with the Exalt suffers a similar penalty unless they are an elemental or elementally-aligned spirit. The character gains Limit in the usual manner but loses one Limit from his track for every scene he spends engaged in fundamentally human behaviour (i.e., forming bonds, socializing, participating in community events and so on). Characters may spend one Willpower to ignore his current Limit penalty to rolls for a scene but gains one Limit at the end of the scene (and such scenes do not count towards reducing Limit).
Glorious Loyal Hound Defence
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: None
Mins: Integrity 1, Essence 1 Prereqs: None
This Charm works similarly to Righteous Lion Defence except that while that Charm allows the character to select an intimacy dedicated to a goal or ideal, this Charm reinforces an intimacy of loyalty towards a social group or individual. Any attempt to make the Exalt betray his loyalty is treated as an Unacceptable Order. However, this Charm also considers any attempt by the Exalt to convince himself to betray his Oath as an Unacceptable Order. If the character does knowingly break his vow of loyalty, he suffers the punishment of heaven, suffering on catastrophic botch as if he had broken an Eclipse Oath from an Eclipse with an Essence of 1. This curse occurs even if the entity to which the oath is dedicated becomes impossible to serve (i.e. the social group ceases to exist, the person dies, etc). As such, this Charm is never purchased trivially.
Many savants of the Second Age blame the steady decline of the Dragonblooded shogunate on this Charm’s baneful aftermath.
Ten Thousand Dragons Fight As One
Cost: 1m Type: Reflexive
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, Social
Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: None
Blood calls to blood, and nothing unites brothers like an outside threat. This Charm allows a Dragonblooded to instantly create a positive Intimacy towards any other Dragonblooded he can see. Even the greatest of enemies can instantly become friends by use of this Charm. For as long as the mote remains committed the characters will treat each other like dear friends and allies. This intimacy is treated in all ways like a normal intimacy, except that it cannot be destroyed by normal social combat as long as the mote is committed. Once the Dragonblooded voluntarily ends the Charm, the intimacy becomes a normal intimacy.
This Charm can be used by multiple Dragonblooded. When it is used, all the Dragonblooded form an Intimacy to all the other Dragonblooded in the group. Additionally, all the Intimacies stack for the purposes of determining DV penalties/bonuses. Thus, if four Dragonblooded use this Charm at the same time they gain a +/- 4 to MDVs versus social attacks related to the Intimacies to their fellow Dragonblooded in the group. This Charm ends for all participants if one participant chooses to end it. Additionally, no Dragonblooded may activate this Charm if he already has one version of it active.
This Charm has special rules in Mass Social Combat. If confronting a group of Dragonblooded using this Charm double the units Magnitude to determine the penalty on your Social Attack and the penalty is not capped at -3.
Power of Friendship Method
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: None
Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 2 Prereqs: Third Integrity Excellency
The Dragonblooded can draw his friends back from the brink of madness. This Charm can be evoked by the Dragonblooded whenever a character he has a positive Intimacy towards is subject to an affect resisted by the subject’s Dodge MDV. If the character is aware of this action and gives a brief affirmation of his friendship, he may pass on a bit of his power to help his friend.
This power allows the character to activate his Third Integrity Excellency in order to benefit his friend. The cost of this Charm merely allows the character to activate his Excellency for another. He must still pay to activate the Excellency at the normal rate and all the normal timing issues of that Excellency apply.
Wyld Scouring Aura
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: None
When the Primordials made Creation, they fixed it in place with five elemental poles whose energies would drive back the ever encroaching Wyld. This Charm draws from the inherently antithetical nature of the five elements to the Wyld and all things from it.
Once purchased the Dragonblooded’s anima flux, and all anima-related attacks (such as Elemental Bolt and Refining The Inner Blade) do aggravated damage to Fair Folk and other creatures of the Wyld.
Unflagging Vengeance Oath
Cost: 4m, 1lhl Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Duration: Indefinite
Keywords: Elemental, Cooperative
Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Glorious Loyal Hound Defence, Ten Thousand Dragons Fight As One, Power of Friendship Method
Beware the sworn vengeance of the Dragonblooded. This Charm allows a Dragonblooded to swear a brief oath towards the destruction of some concrete person or group (it could be a single person or an entire nation or religion so long as it is a concrete thing represented by actual beings). The Dragonblooded consecrates this oath by pouring his own blood onto his native element. The eyes of heaven then look upon this oath and, if it is suitable, bless it with their power.
This Charm creates a second Motivation for the Dragonblooded, one which is dedicated to the destruction of some person or group that has wronged the Dragonblooded. From that point forward, whenever the Dragonblooded is acting to further this Motivation he may spend a Willpower point to add his Essence in automatic successes instead of just one success as normal. This Charm has additional effects depending on the Dragonblooded’s anima.
Air Aspects quintuple (instead of triple) their leaping distance when their anima is active as long as they are pursuing the target of their vengeance. Earth aspects add their permanent Essence to their Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated soak when their anima is active if the attack comes from someone they have sworn vengeance against. Fire Aspects do aggravated damage with anima powers against opponents they have sworn vengeance against. Water aspects reduce their Wound Penalties by their permanent Essence if they are confronting the target of their vengeance and their anima power is active. Wood Aspects increase the Toxicity of their anima power’s poison by their Permanent Essence if they are affecting one they have sworn vengeance against.
Multiple Dragonblooded can swear this oath together. If so, it must be sworn against the same target. For the duration, any Dragonblooded can grant any other Dragonblooded who has sworn the same oath one Willpower as a miscellaneous action. This may be done regardless of distance. It may not increase the character’s Willpower past his usual maximums.
This Charm has a terrible cost. Heaven demands swift vengeance, and those who tarry while carrying out its will face its anger. For every week that goes by without fulfilling the Motivation created by this Charm, the character suffers one Bashing Health level of damage. This damage is set aside in abeyance and continues to accumulate as long as the Charm is active. If the Exalt ever discontinues use of this Charm or accomplishes his goal all the set aside damage is applied at once. This is considered a cost and thus cannot be avoided in any way. Dragonblooded literature is full of examples of heroic Dragonblooded who fulfill their final act of vengeance years after activating this charm, only to die seconds later.
This Charm has special timing rules if the character has Oath of Loyalty active and the object of his loyalty is destroyed. In such a case the character may activate this Charm reflexively without need for a combo. This can happen even if the character is hundreds of miles away and otherwise unaware of what is happening. If activated in this manner the Dragonblooded knows that someone destroyed what he is loyal to but not necessarily who. The magic of the Oath of Loyalty continues to affect the character until his oath of vengeance runs its course (and the character cannot voluntarily terminate the Charm ahead of time) and if he succeeds then the punishment for failing to protect his lord does not take effect.