Armor-Hardening Concentration
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 1 Prereqs: None
The Dragonblooded can tighten their anima through their equipment, granting their armour the same qualities of their skin when it come to resisting damage. The character can pay 1m during Step 7 of attack resolution to reflexively remove the Piercing quality from any attack, allowing him to use his full armour soak against that attack.
Elemental Armor
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima
Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: Armor Hardening Concentration
The Dragonblooded no longer needs armour, because he can harden his anima in a physical sheath that protects him from damage. The armour created by this effect is a real physical armour; the exact physical composition varies from aspect to aspect (glittering ice for a Air Aspect, oversized steel-hard flower petals for a Wood, etc). The appearance of the armour is chosen when this Charm is purchased, and may not be changed. However the appearance is merely a cosmetic effect – all Elemental Armor provides the same benefits.
Elemental Armor may be evoked as a Miscellaneous action. The Exalt must spend 4m to evoke the armour, which remains committed until the character chooses to dispel the armour. So long as the motes from this Charm remains committed, treat the character as if they were displaying an anima banner having spent at least 4m of peripheral Essence, and while further peripheral expenditures can increase this it will never drop below that level. The armour may be “worn” indefinitely. Elemental Armor provides a Bashing and Lethal soak equal to the characters (Essence x2) and a Hardness equal to the character’s (Essence). It has a -1 Mobility penalty and no Fatigue value. At Essence 6+ the Mobility penalty is reduced to 0.
Elemental Immunity
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, Elemental
Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Elemental Armor
At this level of development, the Dragonblooded learns to internalize some of his anima, granting his body some of the perfection of the five elements. This process makes the character immune to mundane harm from certain sources, the exact sources depend on the character’s Aspect. The effects of this Charm are permanent once purchased, granting immunity to all mundane effects associated with the particular Elemental Immunity. For the purposes of this Charm, “mundane” is defined as any effect not created through the application of Charms or Sorcery. For example, while the form-dissolving tides of the Wyld are certainly supernatural, unless they are augmented by the Charms of a Fair Folk or an exalt this Charm provides its benefits.
Air aspects develop their own internal air supply, producing breathable air in their lungs with their own Essence. They no longer need to breathe and become immune to asphyxiation. Earth aspects form the stable centres of creation and thus reject all Wyld forces. They become immune to any Shaping effect produced from Wyld energy (but not other Shaping effects, such as Sidereal astrology). Fire aspects burn all diseases from their system with their inner heat, rendering them immune to all mundane disease. Sadly this immunity had no effect on the Great Contagion. Water aspects take on the qualities of water: no matter how many ways you cut it, it flows back together with ease. Water aspects are immune to mundane Crippling effects, and will regenerate lost limbs and body parts at the same rate they would Incapacitated Health Levels. If the lost limb is still available they can simply press it against the stump to reattach it, a process which takes about one minute. This effect does not restore lost health levels more quickly. Wood aspects become like poison itself, their bodies naturally metabolise all mundane poisons.
Elemental Graft
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Anima, Stackable
Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Elemental Immunity
From attaining some of the qualities of the elements, to permanently replacing portions of his body with pure elemental matter. This Charm allows a Dragonblooded to replace lost limbs (or other organs) with elemental matter, fusing it to his body with his anima and forever after treating the fusion as completely natural.
This Charm can be purchased to replace any one limb the character has lost. Alternatively, part of the process of learning this Charm could include ritually removing a limb and replacing it with the elemental matter. The character needs a quantity of the chosen matter when he learns this Charm. This limitation is meant to be used narratively: barring exceptional circumstances (such as being trapped in Malfeas or Autochthonia), acquiring the needed matter is a trivial task. The character shapes the matter into a replacement limb by extending his anima through it, then fuses it to his body and controls it with his Essence. Purchasing this Charm replaces one limb, each additional limb requires a further purchase. Limbs are made out of matter associated with the character’s aspect (thought the exact type may vary). Air aspects have supernaturally tough ice, earth aspects have stone and clay, fire aspects have iron or volcanic rock, water aspects have water and wood aspects have various wood types or other plant matter.
Limbs replaced in this manner are significantly tougher. They do +Essence damage and do lethal damage. The character can also use them to parry lethal attacks. Each limb replaced adds 1 point to the characters effective Strength + Athletics to perform Feats of Strength. If the character replaces both legs in this manner he may add two to his Strength + Athletics to determine leaping distance and two to Dexterity to determine movement rates (there is no movement/jumping bonus for replacing one leg).
Dragonblooded can also use this Charm to replace internal organs. Doing so perfectly mimics the functions of those organs but makes them far more resilient, able to function even if the character has taken significant damage. The character can purchase it up to two times in this manner. Purchasing it once converts all -1 Health Levels to -0, purchasing it twice converts all -2 health levels to -0. The character retains his -4 Health Levels (and suffers the -4 penalty if it is filled in) and his Incapacitated and Dying Health Levels as normal.
Ox-Body Technique
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Stackable
Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1 Prereqs: None
This Charm functions identically to the Solar version, except that it grants a single -1 and a single -2 Health level per purchase.
Blow Softening Method
Cost: 1m+ Type: Reflexive (Step 7)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Resistance Excellency
This Charm allows the Exalt to soften incoming attacks by repelling the Essence of the five elements involved. This Charm can only affect attacks that have a physical or elemental component – it has no effect on attacks made out of pure Essence. After determining the base damage of the attack, but before applying soak the character can buy down the damage at a rate of 1m per damage die deducted. This Charm can buy down damage to zero, in which case not even minimum damage is applied.
Invulnerable Skin of Stone Meditation
Cost: 3m Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV-0)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Obvious
Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3 Prereqs: Blow Softening Method
This Charm draws the Essence of the Earth inward, granting the Exalt the fortitude of the elemental pole. For the rest of the scene, add the characters Resistance to his Stamina to determine his Bashing and Lethal soak. The character can also use a Resistance Excellency to increase his effective Resistance for this purpose for the rest of the scene.
Ever Vigilant Watchmen Method
Cost: 3m, 1bhl Type: Simple
Duration: One Day
Keywords: Cooperative, War
Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 2 Prereqs: (Any) Resistance Excellency
This Charm allows a character to maintain a small group of guards or sentries without need for rest. The Exalt can evoke this Charm to protect himself and a unit of up to Magnitude 1. All the recipients do not suffer any penalties from Fatigue. Note that fatigue still accrues while under the effects of this Charm, but simply has no effect on the character and any other beneficiaries for as long as the Essence lasts. Damage sustained by paying for this Charm cannot be healed until the character spends at least twelve hours sleeping.
This Charm can be evoked cooperatively. If so, the maximum Magnitude that can be effected is equal to the number of Dragonblooded who evoke it simultaneously. This Charm also has special rules in War. If it is evoked by enough Dragonblooded in the unit, the unit suffers no penalties from exhaustion.
Venom Repressing Essence Method
Cost: 5m+, 1wp Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV -2)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Cooperative
Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Ever Vigilant Watchmen Method
The Exalt attunes himself to the Essence of poison and represses all harmful effects of it. This Charm does not cure or remove a Poison effect, and it does not prevent any damage from accruing while it is working. However, while this Charm is in effect, the character and his allies suffer no negative effects from any poisons. Any damage afflicted during the duration is set aside, applied only when this Charm ceases to work. This Charm has no effect on damage inflicted before it is evoked. A minor downside of this Charm is that it represses all symptoms, increasing the difficulty to diagnose the poison by two.
The Dragonblooded can evoke this Charm each scene, continuing to repress Poisons indefinitely. However, the cost of this Charm cumulatively increases by one mote each time it is evoked. A meditating uninterrupted Dragonblooded can stretch a “scene” out to one day, if necessary.
Normally a single Dragonblooded can only affect a unit of Magnitude 1, however a group of Dragonblooded activating this Charm simultaneously can effect a unit of magnitude equal to their number.
Disease Repressing Essence Method
Cost: 5m+, 1wp Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV -2)
Duration: One Scene
Keywords: Cooperative
Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Ever Vigilant Watchmen Method
The Exalt attunes himself to the Essence of disease and represses all harmful effects of it. This Charm works like Venom Repressing Essence Method, above. The disease is not halted or cured, but all negative effects are placed in abeyance until the magic fails. Obviously, this Charm represses Sickness effects, not Poison effects.
The Dragonblooded can evoke this Charm each scene, continuing to repress diseases indefinitely. However, the cost of this Charm cumulatively increases by one mote each time it is evoked. A meditating uninterrupted Dragonblooded can stretch a “scene” out to one day, if necessary. The Threshold is still full of tales of heroic Dragonblooded who attempted to use massive chains of this Charm to repress the Great Contagion, only to result in disaster when the Essence finally ran out. In fact, some savants suggest that overuse of this Charm hastened the spread of the Contagion, since while the visible effects of it were repressed the disease remained as contagious as ever.
Normally a single Dragonblooded can only affect a unit of Magnitude 1, however a group of Dragonblooded activating this Charm simultaneously can effect a unit of magnitude equal to their number.
Undying Soldier’s Stamina
Cost: None Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: None
Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 4 Prereqs: Disease Repressing Essence Method, Venom Repressing Essence Method
To quote The Thousand Correct Actions Of The Upright Solider, the purpose of a soldier is not to die for his cause, but to make others die for theirs. This Charm allows a character to continue fighting even after deadly blows. The character treats his Incapacitated health level as a -4 health level, and all his dying levels similarly. He still loses dying Health Levels at the normal rate, but until he loses his final health level he may continue to act as if he was at the -4 health level.
Five Dragon Eggs Capture
Cost: 3m, 1lhl Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Counterattack, Combo-Ok, Obvious
Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3 Prereqs: Invulnerable Skin of Stone Meditation
This Charm turns any attack against the Dragonblooded into a great risk, because if the attack succeeds the opponent may find themselves with no more weapon.
A Dragonblooded may evoke this Charm whenever he is damaged by a melee weapon (while technically he could do so for ranged attacks, the result is often academic at best). The attack must do some levels of damage. This Charm catches the weapon inside the body of the Dragonblooded, adhering it in place as if the character had suddenly turned into a statue. Even blunt weapons are not immune, as the character’s body twists almost unnaturally to catch the weapon.
This Charm allows the character to make a Disarm attempt against the enemy. He always gets at least one more success than the opponent in any resisted rolls in the disarm attempt. Alternatively, if the opponent refuses to (or is unable to) release his weapon, he and the Dragonblooded immediately enter a Clinch.