sol invictus.indd

CHAPTER 3 • STORYTELLINGSupreme Power: Invincible Armor of Faith. ThePillars of the Sun have the strength to endureany opposition in the name of their cause. Whensuffering health levels of damage, a Zenith CasteSolar may spend 5 motes and roll his permanentEssence. Each success subtracts one health levelfrom the damage he would take.Divine Privilege: Anointed Priests of the UnconqueredSun. Each Zenith Caste Solar is a full-fledged priestof the Unconquered Sun, with the rights, powersand responsibilities pertaining thereunto. Theyintrinsically know all the rituals and sacramentsof worship, and can call down the fire of the Sunto burn a dead body by spending 1 mote. Theyare aware of the proper addresses and prayersfor all gods, and gain the full benefits of theirpriesthood whenever they seek divine guidanceor assistance. Furthermore, they alone of the SolarExalted are vouchsafed a personal experience of theUnconquered Sun upon their Exaltation, the betterto spread the word of their divine benefactor.TWILIGHTInherent Excellence: Essence-Directing Will. TheDescending Suns weave the flows of Essence withan offhand elegance, producing with the merestenergy effects others must channel immense powerto create. Each turn, a Twilight Caste Solar mayreduce the combined costs of Charms he usesthat turn by a number of motes equal to half herpermanent Essence, rounded down. No individualcharm may cost less than 1 mote. Constant flowsrequire constant attention; reducing the committedcost of a Charm reduces the effect of this anima powerby an equivalent amount until the commitment isreleased.Supreme Power: Thought Becomes Action. Appliedknowledge is the cornerstone of the Twilight Caste;their peerless sagacity allows them to accomplishany design with a minimum of effort. Once a day,by spending 5 motes, a Twilight Caste Solar maycomplete in one turn any non-opposed task thatwould normally take no longer than a day -- theinformation she needs is already within her mind,the tools she has at hand can easily be made idealfor the job, and the work necessary is performedin a few simple motions. This effect does not andcannot actually speed up the Twilight’s movementor actions; it merely allows them to see the bestway to accomplish a certain goal. As an example,if this were used to deliver a message to a nearbytown, in a few seconds, it would be there. It’s up tothe player to optionally describe some mechanism,such as catapult, flock of birds, or pneumatic tube,that did the job.Divine Privilege: Inquisitor-Kings of the CelestialHierarchy. The Children of Twilight are taskedwith the responsibility of gathering, sorting, andproviding all the knowledge under Heaven. Inpursuit of this sacred duty, they may enjoin anymember of the Celestial Hierarchy to aid them bydisgorging their hard-won information. Once ascene, a Twilight Caste Solar may ask a question intheir official capacity as a Twilight of any memberof the Celestial Bureaucracy; the person asked mustanswer to the best of their ability.NIGHTInherent Excellence: Noon at Midnight Display. Thisis the corebook Night caste anima-suppressionability, except that the cost is 2 motes, rather thandoubling the motes being spent.Supreme Power: Unbroken Twig Step. This is thecorebook Night caste perception-dulling ability,except that the cost is 5 motes, rather than 10, andthe difficulty penalty is equal to half the Night’spermanent Essence rounded up.Divine Privilege: Thrice-Bound Agents of the GodsUnderground. The Daggers of Heaven occupy anintentionally undistinguished but essential role inHeaven: the secret police. Since their ability to servein this position would be compromised by a freeflow of information, injunctions laid upon Heavenallow them to keep their activities to themselveswhen they deem it necessary. No servant of the189