Archery
From Solaradvproj
Seeking Missile Methodology
---, Archery 5, Essence 3
Permanent
Combo-Ok, Obvious, Counterattack
There is no Wind.
Upgrades There is No Wind to: Ignores all cover, even 100% though the Archer must actually know the target is there. Know, not guess. It negates all non-magical penalties to the attack. If it hits, it ignores armors soak. Increases the cost of There is no Wind to 3 motes.
COMMENTS:
Rapid-Fire Concentration
6 motes, 1 wp. One Scene, Simple
Archery 5, Essence 5
Combo-Basic, Obvious
Trance of Unhesitating Speed
Each Archery attack roll once, apply twice: take onslaught like two attacks, roll damage twice. Applies to Flame Weapons. Any attack made with Archery weapons apply, even if used with MA charms such as Righteous Devil Style or Wood Dragon Style. 1 mote surcharge added per shot for siege weapons (i.e. Large Essence Cannons, Implosion Bows, etc.) Adds 1 to the number of attacks that can be made with Archery Extra Actions charms. Each attack still counts as two. If applying a supplemental Charm to the attacks, must be paid for twice in order to achieve the effects twice.
If comboed with an effect such as Our Arrows Will Blot Out the Sun, this charm allows the Solar to affect targets on a scale of Magnitude, rather than on a personal level
COMMENTS:"Each attack still counts as two" -- so with Our Arrows will Blot Out the Sun, instead of 5 times against 500 targets, it's 10x against 500 targets? The provision for extra action charms seems a bit strong to me, but I suppose at essence 5 it's kind of appropriate... Maybe a 1m surcharge on extra action charms, per extra action enhanced by it...
Our Arrows Will Blot Out the Sun
8 motes, 1 willpower Archery 5, Essence 5
Instant, Simple
Combo-Basic, Obvious
Rain of Feathered Death
One attack roll applied [Essence] times to all targets within [Essence x 100] yards. Does not cost more with firewand. When used with firewand, often called “Rain of Hellfire”
COMMENTS:
So, for 8 motes and 1 willpower at Essence 5, you could hit everything in 500 yards 5 times. Slightly curious here. Does that mean if you combo the First Excellency or another Charm into it, you only have to apply it to the initial hit since it simply replicates? Also, I can't help but compare this against Thumbnail Spider March, an SMA Charm that costs 12 motes, 1 willpower, works as an extra action charm, requires 6s in Essence and MA, and only allows one to make 3 attacks. Plus a little bit extra, I grant it, and balancing Charms isn't an expertise of mine. I guess this still seems overpowered, even for Essence 5.
Deadly Warhead Techinque
8 motes. Archery 5, Essence 5
Instant, Simple
Combo-Ok, Obvious, Holy
Essence Arrow
One attack roll, area of effect Essence x 10 yards, Base damage x 5, creatures of darkness take Agg. On next action, second detonation as though same # of successes. Destroys scenery.
COMMENTS:
Mote-Scattering Shot
4 motes. Archery 5, Essence 3
Instant/Supplemental
Combo-Ok
Accuracy Without Distance
Rather than do damage, the attack forces the target to lose 1 mote per damage die that would have been rolled. Lost motes are recovered normally.
This becomes a Reflexive (Step 10) Charm at Essence 5.
COMMENTS:
I really like this one. Very useful, if a little selective. And I always love Charms that scale.
Vehement Bolt of Destruction
5m; Archery 5, Essence 3
Instant/Simple
Combo-Ok, Obvious
Forceful Arrow, Essence Arrow Attack
Drawing his ammo across his bow or aiming his fire wand the Lawgiver flares with brilliant essence that shimmers through his weapon. As he fires his attack a brilliant eruption of Essence explodes from the point of his ammo’s take off: the ammo itself is consumed by passionate, burning essence that turns it into a streak of fiery destruction that trails blistering motes of gold and crimson essence as it flashes across the battlefield. The Solar makes an archery attack as normal but the base damage of the attack is changed to aggravated.
COMMENTS:
Bolts of Solar Devastation
---; Archery 5, Essence 4
Permanent
None
Vehement Bolt of Destruction
This Charm enhances the Charm Vehement Bolt of Destruction: it changes its type from Simple to Supplemental, allowing it to be used more often. The more that the Charm is used in a tick the greater the cloud of burning essence is that trails off from the attack. Entire fields and forests have been decimated by so much violent essence expenditure and fledgling Solar-aspected demesnes have been birthed in an overt display of this Charm’s use.
COMMENTS:
Perfected Solar Archer’s Assault
10m, 1wp; Archery 5, Essence 5
One Scene, Extra Actions
Combo-Ok, Obvious
Infinite Archery Mastery, Archery Essence Flow, Arrow Storm Technique, Accuracy without Distance
Essence colored in the identical manner as the Lawgiver’s anima flows outward from his caste mark to cover his entire body in lambent, billowing essence-flame. In every action he unleashes a hail of arrows as easily as he can hold a conversation, face a squad of Anathema-slayers or repair the broken bodies of his fallen allies.
This charm gives the Solar a free, independent action which can be used only for Archery-based attacks. It is compatible with archery charms and effects and can be flurried normally without affecting your normal action. It is freely compatible with similar charms in other abilities that also allow a free action, allowing you to have multiple free actions. This Charm is explicitly compatible with the effects of Rapid-Fire Concentration.
COMMENTS:Perhaps this should be essence 5 or 6 to keep it more in line with another Wholly Independent Actions Scenelong Charm from Charcoal March of Spiders, as mentioned earlier...
Regnant Golden Streamer
4m; Archery 3, Essence 4
Instant/Supplemental
Combo-Ok, Obvious
: Phantom Arrow Technique
The Lawgiver unleashes an attack that is completely consumed by radiant essence. His attack moves as quickly as a ray of light and is just as nearly impossible to defend against. This attack is explicitly Unparriable and Undodgeable.
COMMENTS:
Rain of Burning Sparks
5m; Archery 4, Essence 3
Until Next Action/Supplemental (Step 7)
Combo-Ok, Obvious
Regnant Golden Streamer
Even the bravest Solar archers know that their assaults can be avoided either through advanced training or the application of powerful defensive Charms. This Charm punishes even the most agile of foes and tests their resiliency.
This charm suppliments an archery attack made by the Solar. This attack becomes an Environmental Effect dealing Base Damage each tick to everyone within the Solar's (Essence) in yards until the Exalt's next action.
The initial attack can be parried normally, but this does not prevent the subsequent environmental effect. The damage caused by the environmental effect can be defended against normally using perfects and soak enhancing charms, charms which prevent environmental damage or by moving out of the range of the attack.
COMMENTS:
Very inventive and imaginative. Works a lot like something I once had, only yours has much tighter writing.
Rain of Luminous Threads
8m, 1Wp; Archery 5, Essence 4
Instant/Simple
Combo-Basic, Obvious
Rain of Feathered Death, Vehement Bolt of Destruction
The Lawgiver’s power of destruction is beautiful to behold even in its most terrifying. When this Charm is used the Solar’s weapon glows along the most geomaniticley positive lines that it possesses as he readies his attack. Drawing his arrow across his bow or aiming his fire-wand his ammo glows as brilliant as his anima, and with similar colorations, as if he had spent 8 to 10 motes. In its final display the Lawgiver’s shot explodes into a host of radiant ribbons that flicker with the color of his anima on one side and a prismatic sheen on the other that fly gracefully towards his foe.
This Charm costs 8m and 1wp and for that cost the Solar may apply his archery attack a number of times against a single foe equal to his Essence, this includes all supplementing and reflexive Charms that effect that attack. Although this seems an identical effect as Rain of Feathered Death it has a few different effects. The Solar still makes a single attack roll but each deadly-beautiful ribbon strikes moments after the last requiring the target to apply a single DV (either dodge or parry, he cannot rotate between them) to each ribbon and he suffers normal Onslaught penalties for those attacks. This also means that the target must apply any defensive Charms multiple times if he wishes to benefit from them against all the ribbons but, as a special exception; he may only use a counter-attack Charm once against the Solar.
COMMENTS:
Solar Hunter’s Mandates
10m, 1wp; Archery 5, Essence 5
Instant/Simple
Varies
: Infinite Archery Mastery OR Archery Essence Flow, Accuracy Without Distance, Trance of Unhesitating Speed, Radiant Essence Bolt, Inexhaustible Bolts of Solar Flame
Within each of the hallowed abilities that are the Caste of the Dawn there are powerful Charms known only as Mandates. These Charms are among the most powerful of the Solar Exalted and, comparatively, among other beings as well.
The lesser Mandates, of which all possess a minimum ability and essence requirement of 5, possess three of the seven common edicts among the least of these Charms and when it is used he may activate a single of these edicts. Also, when this Charm is used, a scribe in the Crimson Panoply of Victory in Yu-Shan notes its use and if the attack was successful or not and whether its user was victorious it does not, however, mark exactly the user and the target.
The basic effects of this Charm are that it cannot miss its target because the Lawgiver has commanded it so: the attack is undodgeable and unblockable. Despite this level of perfection the attack is still rolled as normal applying all successes to damage as normal.
This is actually a series of Charms that must each be bought separately, such as Keen [Sense]Discipline. Each Charm costs the normal number of Experience or Bonus points.
- Edict of Absolution:
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious,Shaping
There is no question as to whether the Solar can strike his target, it is whether his target will be prepared for it. As the Solar launches his attack his caste mark burns brightly and his shot travels no more than a foot or two before it pierces reality like a stone landing in a pond and vanishes, leaving reality to ripple like the surface of water. A moment later the Solar’s attack appears a similar distance from his target striking him with the full brunt of the Solar’s attack. Upon the point of impact the Solar’s Caste mark explodes as a radiant mandala around his target.
The target of this attack rolls his Essence against a difficulty of 2 and if he is successful then the Mandate’s strikes the Solar’s target no matter his distance or location within reality. The attack strikes at him and the target knows who has attacked him. This attack cannot be countered against unless the target has a similar far-reaching strike. Even this basic effect is a [perfect] surprise attack that can only be detected with Charms, but any Charms supplementing the attack fail to activate and the attack gains only the bonuses from this Charm. If the roll fails then the attack is not only a surprise as a successful roll but is also fully supported by all supplementing Charms. A botch not only applies all the effects of a failed roll but, at the Solar’s choice, instantly teleports his target to him and they engage in immediate combat with the Solar acting on tick 0 no matter the rolls of his opponent. - Edict of Defeat:
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious, Crippling
Though the very use of the Mandate attack is a potent deterrence for his foes and, usually, leads to their defeat this edict works to command it so. The Lawgiver’s strike damages his foes body, but it cripples his Essence as well. When the Solar launches this edict at his foe he must chose a single ability to which he wishes to cripple within his target and the essence of this strike, much like a mortal hamstring, wounds the target’s power to access that ability. The attack causes an essence eruption from his weapon as it is fired that looks like hundreds of coin shaped images of his caste mark that twinkle and vanish as they bounce of the ground and surrounding area. A foe affected by this edict has a noticeable scar from the impact that looks like a brand the shape of the Solar’s Caste mark and an Essence one on his Anima, if the target possesses one.
The target of this edict rolls his Essence against a difficulty of 2 and on a success then the named ability’s dice pool is reduced by 5 for the rest of the story. This reduction cannot reduce the total dice pool in that pool below 0, but if it would have been negative then any Excellencies or effects that would directly affect that pool must overcome the negative number first before raising the pool above 0. If the roll is a failure then the dice pool of that ability is reduced to 0 before Charm use. To apply any Charms that would directly affect that dice pool or that are derived from that ability cost 1wp to ‘unlock’ until the target’s next action. After spending a number of points of willpower equal to his own Essence the target overcomes this surcharge for the scene. If the roll botches then not only is the dice pool reduced to 0, but the target cannot use any Charms that would directly affect or that are derived from that ability unless he willing spends a number of willpower equal to his Essence score and a number of aggravated health levels equal to half that number, rounded down. Doing so frees him of the effect of this edict for one scene or reduces its overall effect to that of a failed roll for the rest of the story. - Edict of Perfection:
Keywords:Combo-Ok, Obvious, Compulsion
Of all the edicts this one is an overt display of the inherent perfection that Solars more readily command than any other Exalted and almost all other beings, save the Incarana and the Primordials. A Mandated attack powered by this directive is nearly unstoppable and it undoubtedly announces its use to those nearby and within heaven: in the Crimson Panoply when this directive is used it notes for sure the user. As the Solar draws or aims his attack his anima erupts around him as if he had spent 15 motes and it billows as if in a celestial breeze that blows against his strike and his ammo glows a brilliant white. As he launches his attack his anima leaps, briefly, to the 16 mote range before settling down again. His attack soars through the air and his caste mark follows it infinitely as a radiant mandala behind it until it strikes its target with an explosion of essence that can only be described as awesome. The Solar's attack is so perfect, so flawless, that his foe realizes that resistance is futile.
The target cannot use any charms in his defense against the Solar's attack. This is an unnatural mental influence and can be resisted by spending 3 wp.
COMMENTS:
The Mandate of the Arrow
20+m, 2+wp; Archery 6, Essence 6
Instant/Simple
Combo-Basic, Obvious
: Both Infinite Solar Mastery and Archery Essence Flow, all three Archery Excellencies Solar Hunter’s Mandate
Like the Solar Hunter’s Mandate, this Charm is a powerful one but its power outstrips even its predecessor in power and effect. It has the base effect as the Charm Solar Hunter’s Mandate except that this Charm cannot be benefited by any of that Charm’s ‘lesser’ edicts. Built within the fabric of this Charm are three edicts that span the fabric of every being ever born, created or formed from nothing by its self. The scope of these edicts is much more powerful then its weaker predecessor and they are the edicts of the Body, the Mind and the Spirit. This Charm possesses all three once it is purchased but when this Charm is used only one effects the target unless the Lawgiver spends an additional 10 motes and 1 willpower to add another edict; he may apply all three if he pays the proper amount and an additional 1 aggravated health level.
Each of these edicts is applied even if a perfect defense stops the original attack unless another, specific; defense is brought to bear on this Charm. These further required defenses are listed within each edict.
- Edict of the Body: The attack gravely cripples the Lawgiver’s target before the attack’s damage is even applied. Only a perfect soak, such as Adamant Skin Defense will prevent this but its cost is increased as per the increase of any perfect against the Charm Solar Hunter’s Mandate.
As the attack is launched it vanishes in a flash of light and it leaves reality rippling in all directions and dimensions. A moment later the attack reappears, striking its target multiple times and from all possible directions almost simultaneously. The effect of this edict completely fills every -0 and -1 health level the target possesses before the application of the attack’s regular damage. This damage cannot be soaked or redirected. If all of these health tracks are already filled then the target loses one -0 and two -1 health levels permanently. This effect stacks until his target no longer possesses these health tracks any more. If the story teller is lenient these may heal at a rate of one a month for -0 and one a season for -1 health tracks, but many are left permanently effected. - Edict of the Mind: Fear and anguish wrack the target’s mind as he looks upon this attack. Only an integrity Charm that grants perfect immunity to Illusion and/or Emotional effects can counter this Charm or these effects can be canceled while they are possessed by the target if he possesses such a Charm (such as Transcendent Hero’s Meditation) but even these effects are increased in cost as per the use of any perfect effect against the Charm Solar Hunter’s Mandate.
This attack seems to vanish as it is launched by the Lawgiver but, in reality, it only disappears to all those except the Solar and his target and those who can see Essence effects. The target of the attack stares at this strike as if it were the last he would ever see. Fear wells up within him and the attack strikes not only his body but also his mind, severing him from his courage and bolstering his newly learned stream of rationality.
At the beginning of every action, before any actual actions are declared or taken, the target suffers an Emotion effect that causes him to believe the Solar is undefeatable and he must succeed at a Valor roll to not flee as quickly as possible away from the Solar until he can no longer sense him. The target may spend 1 willpower to avoid this effect until his next action. Even if he succeeds on the Valor roll (or suppresses it) he must fail a Temperance roll as he is also afflicted by an Illusion effect that tells him it is pure suicide to face the Solar in combat; it’s already bad enough he isn’t fleeing when he feels he should. Again the target may spend 1 willpower to suppress this effect until his next action. When the target has spent a total amount of willpower equal to the Solar’s (Essence x 2) he is free of both effects. If a defense would cancel one effect but not the other (such as canceling the Emotion effect, but not the Illusion) reduce the amount of willpower needed to overcome this edict to the Solar’s (Essence). Even when this edict is overcome the target is left with an Intimacy to Fear the Solar and one to Never Oppose him and these last until they are naturally overcome. - Edict of the Soul: A deep, penetrating despair ravages the Lawgiver’s foe’s soul tearing his ability to trust in others and himself to shreds. This edict can only be defeated by Charms such as Elusive Dream Defense or Transcendent Hero’s Meditation but, as per the other edicts, they suffer from the increased cost that perfect effects face when confronting Solar Hunter’s Mandate.
The body of the Lawgiver’s target glows with a slight halo around it like the aurora borealis: a prismatic sheen. The target’s four chakra points glow with an unearthly light, beckoning the Solar’s strike. As his attack is fired it splits into four duplicates of the same attack, each one striking at one of the four chakra points. As the attack lands his target is knocked into the air and backwards a single yard, but is not knocked down or into any objects: he cannot be harmed by this. Behind him are knocked four after images of himself, each one an image of how he pictures himself as seen through the eyes of his virtues, then the four images die, shrieking as they fade from existence. The only thing left within him is despair.
The target cannot gain any benefit from his Motivation(s), Intimacies (although they can negatively effect him) and he cannot channel his virtues without also suffering a level of aggravated damage. He truly believes himself alone and because of this he cannot use any Charms that target anyone else other than himself and he is not a legal target for beneficial effects from any sources that do not originate from himself. This means he cannot gain beneficial effects from others’ Charm use, from blessings or bestowed gifts or even from artifacts, manses or demesnes. This is a permanent effect unless he is confronted by a significant experience that relates to his Motivation or his friends force their help upon him, but even then he must spend 3 willpower in that scene to accept it and he must spend a total of the Solar’s (Essence x 3) willpower before he is free of its effects.
COMMENTS:
Warrior Magistrate of the Arrow
---; Archery 6, Essence 7
Special/Permanent
None
The Mandate of the Arrow
This Charm permanently enhances the Charm The Mandate of the Arrow: in reduces the total cost of that Charm by 10 motes and 1 willpower, to a minimum of 10 motes, 2 willpower and 1 aggravated health level. It also increases the Solar’s Essence rating by 2 for every instance of it in that Charm’s description (especially in the case of willpower expenditure).
COMMENTS:
