sol invictus.indd

CHAPTER 1 • CHARM DESIGNSIDEREAL MARTIAL ARTSThe Sidereal martial arts published in Exalted:the Sidereals are an excellent source of inspirationfor high Essence Solar Charms. These threestyles make use of several approaches tocreating powerful Charms. Some operate onan increased scope or scale compared to othereffects, while others change the rules of combatin unexpected ways. While Solar Charms won’tbe as unusual and quirky as Sidereal MartialArts, they should convey the same feeling — thatyour character is learning powerful techniquesthat give her new eand exciting capabilities. TheSidereal Charms are also a good watermark forthe power level of your Charms — an Essence5 Solar with a selection of powerful Charmsshould be a significant challenge for a Siderealwho has mastered the Form Charm of a SiderealMartial Art.Technique, Spider-Foot Style, or Stealing FromPlain Sight Spirit. This is also the level at whichCharms begin to interact with Essence directly,as can be seen in Charms like Essence-GatheringTemper and All-Encompassing Sorceror’s Sight.Essence 3: At Essence 3, Charms begin to seriouslyramp up in power level. At Essence 3, Solars gainaccess to persistent defenses like Flow Like Bloodand Fivefold Bulwark Stance. Other combat Charmscan provide more powerful self-sufficient effects(like Fiery Solar Chakram and Glorious Solar Plate)or make attacks that require Charms to defendagainst (like Sun’s Flaming Tongue Attack orBlazing Solar Bolt.) These Charms can also providesignificant power boosts to a single attack (as withCascade of Cutting Terror or Knockout Blow).In social abilities, Essence 3 Charms can affectlarge groups of people and completely reversetheir behavior — see Performance Charms likeRout-Stemming Gesture or Presence Charms likeMemory Reweaving Discipline. In other abilities,Essence 3 Charms can allow the Solar to achieveeffects that enter the level of the impossible —survive in a volcano with Element-Resisting Prana,fix anything with Crack-Mending Technique,become invisible with Sound and Scent BanishingAttitude, or heal with a touch using Anointment ofMiraculous Health. This level also represents thebeginning of outwardly magical effects like WyldShaping Technique and large-scale self-sufficienteffects like Phantom Crew Charm. In general, atthis level Charms can stretch Essence 1 effects outto scene length, or apply several Essence 2 effectsin a single Charm (as in Immunity to EverythingTechnique).Essence 4: At Essence 4 and above the number ofpublished Solar Charms decreases significantly, butconclusions can still be drawn about what Charmsare likely to look like. In combat abilities, Essence 4allows for Charms which perfectly negate incrediblenegative modifiers (like Shot Without DistanceExercise) or damage a character’s Essence or otherfundamental characteristics (like Maw of DrippingVenom or Soul-Cleaving Strike). Charms can boostindividual combat statistics significantly (likeDeadly Starmetal Offensive) or multiple statisticsmoderately (like Angry Predator Frenzy Style).They can affect groups of perhaps 10 people, or dealaggravated damage (both exemplified by TsunamiForce Shout). For social abilities, Charms increasedrastically in scope. They can provide control andcomprehension of an entire army (with Generalof the All-Seeing Sun) or even a kingdom (withIron Tyrant Mien). In other applications, Essence 4Charms allow a Solar to reach well into the realmof impossibility. She can magnify her physicalcapability a thousandfold (as with MountainCrossing Leap Technique), eliminate the negativeeffects of powerful magic on a person (throughOrder-Affirming Blow or Perfect ReconstructionMethod), or disguise oneself as one’s completeopposite (through Solar Impersonation Style). Selfsufficienteffects can reach a massive scale (likeGlorious Solar Ship) or achieve an effect superiorto the real thing (like Soaring Spirit Steed). At thisEssence level, Exalts can directly affect the useof Charms or other Essence-fueled powers, as in15