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Iron Skin Concentration (Revised)
Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 7) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Durability of Oak Meditation
Only the most powerful of blows can strike down the Lawgivers. The Solar invokes this Charm after an attack hits him but before damage is rolled, and immediately ads +4A/+8L/+8B soak that is fully compatible with armor. He gains 4 Hardness, which stacks with any granted by other Solar Resistance charms. If the still character takes damage in Step 10 of Attack Resolution, he may additionally make a (Stamina + Resistance) with bonus successes equal to his Essence to avoid this damage. This roll has a difficulty equal to the total levels of damage rolled, and success means that no damage is added to the Solar's Health Track.
At Essence 6, you may purchase this charm again to increase its duration to One Tick for an additional mote of essence (Final Cost: 3m). A third and final purchase at Essence 9 raises the duration to One Action and adds a point of willpower (Final Cost: 3m, 1wp).
Commentary: This charm is slightly more powerful, and also slightly less powerful. It's slightly easier for low-Essence opponents to get through the effect, which reinforces a central theme to Exalted. Still, non-charm enhanced attacks have little chance to get through this defense and the bonus successes helps ensure that nicks and cuts won't bring down the character making him more resistant to ping spam. Large attacks are a danger, however, as are combos. At Essence 5, with an Infinite Resistance Mastery active, a Solar could regularly avoid attacks inflicting 15 health levels for minimum cost, but this is comparable to a defense you'd get from a Avoidance-based scheme and attempting both would be prohibitively expensive and there are still some 'holes'.
Unbreakable Warrior's Mastery (Revised)
Cost: -- (3m, 1wp OR 1wp) Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: N/A Prerequisite Charms: Any Resistance Excellency, Iron Skin Concentration
The Solar shakes off wounds that would cripple a lesser person. This charm permanently enhances Iron Skin Concentration, and after the Solar learns it, Adamant Skin Technique as well. Whenever activating either charm in response to an attack with the Crippling keyword or a similar effect, the Solar may spend an additional 3m, 1wp to remove that keyword and its associated effect.
A Solar with this charm who is Inactive from having wounds in his Dying health levels may use Iron Skin Concentration with an additional 1wp surcharge to prevent the infliction of an automatic unsoakable level of lethal damage that occurs in this circumstance and to automatically stabilize himself without medical attention. The Solar may also, explicitly, use any of his soak-enhancing Resistance Charms to resist the infliction of any further damage for as long as he has Essence. Any charms used such, however, have the Obvious effect if they did not already.
Commentary: While expensive compared to a perfect defense (5/7m, 1wp versus simply 3/4m), this combination of effects has the advantage of taking place later in the attack resolution after the Solar knows exactly what he's facing and how dangerous it is. The last bit is just a tiny little boost designed to make a Solar with this charm damn near impossible to kill. At least, until he runs out of Essence.
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