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The Scripture of the Clay Maiden
Once, there was a maiden...
Generalized Ammunition Technique
Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1) Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
...who made herself from the substance of the world.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of fate, sometimes the Sidereal must adapt her needs to best fit the things found in her current circumstances. This charm allows the adaptable Exalt to give anything no heavier than her fist and no longer than her arm the fate of an arrow. She may thus use handfuls of dust or fire, a book, dragonflies, whispered prayers or a shadow as an improvised arrow that inflicts damage as a normal arrow of whatever type she prefers in addition to any unusual effects appropriate to the arrow's true nature. Living things may avoid this fate with a reflexive (Dexterity + Dodge) roll with a difficulty equal to the Sidereal's Archery ability. The Sidereal may only shape arrows from concrete things, rather than firing arrows of intention or desire as the Maiden of Battles is known.
Any Direction Arrow
Cost: 4m; Mins: Archery 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
She knew how to eat an owl's heart and gain its insight.
Eager to fulfill it's fated purpose, the Sidereal's arrow gleefully weaves through the air, perhaps seeming to miss before striking it's target from an unexpected direction. This charm allows the Sidereal to make a (Manipulation + Archery) roll for his just released arrow to reestablish surprise (Exalted, p. 156) with regard to its target. The first time he uses this charm during a battle, this roll receives two bonus successes. The opponent resists this, trying to keep the arrow in sight, with a reflexive (Wits + Awareness) roll and if the Sidereal wins this opposed roll his next Archery-based attack is considered an unexpected attack.
This attack may occur immediately, if the Sidereal has an appropriate Attack in a flurry with the attempt to Restablish Surprise, but if he does not make an Archery attack by the end of his next action the benefits of this charm are lost as the arrow forgets its fate and falls to the ground. At Essence 3, the Sidereal may spend a Willpower when he uses this charm to ensure the arrow remains until he is ready to attack with it, until the end of the scene if required.
The action this charm enhances is considered an Attack, and may be placed in magical flurries as such. It enhances one and only one Archery-based attack, though the Sidereal may flurry as many attempts to Reestablish Surprise as he wishes, but may have no more than (his Archery rating) hanging attacks at any one time. Each of these attacks is subject to the limits above, and requires it's own Attack roll to actually hit it's target.
Every Direction Arrow
Cost: (3m or 8m) per duplicate; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Any Direction Arrow
She knew how to bake herself in the sun and melt herself in the rain.
A fate, achieved once, is more easily achieved the second or third time. This Charm creates shadowed duplicates of the Sidereal's arrow, which meet the same fate as the original, following the same path. She spends three motes per duplicate and can create up to (her permanent Essence score) in duplicate attacks. Handle attack resolution up to Step 6 normally, then apply Steps 7, 8 and 10 once for each individual missile. If Every Direction Arrow is used with ammunition costing more than one dot of Resources per shot or placed in a Combo with Charms that affect the arrow's damage, the cost for this Charm increases to eight motes per duplicate. After the attack, all of the shadowed arrows fade away into a colorful display of violet essence
Opportune Shot
Cost: 5m, Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Social Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
She knew how to mess up wisdom.
The best, most unexpected openings are when a target is embroiled in their own actions during a conflict. This Charm enhances an attack action, even in social combat, reducing its Speed by two, to a minimum of three. If a Sidereal uses this Charm on a tick in which he will act simultaneously with the target of any of his attacks, all of the Exalt’s attacks are resolved before the target’s actions. If another Charm contests this secondary effect, all actions are resolved normally. This Charm is explicitly permitted to be in a Combo with Charms of other Abilities.
Five Seasons Approach
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK, Fate, Virtue(Any) Prerequisite Charms: Every Direction Arrow, Opportune Shot
She knew how to love, and how to hate.
When a Sidereal's skill is not sufficient to make her shot, she may trust to Creation's esteem for her. If not to that, then to the world's fear of that which she hopes to overcome or to Creation's dreams of the glories the Vizier strives for. Even if all these things fail her, she may trust to luck. While within Creation, the Sidereal may use this charm to apply an external penalty to both of her opponent's Defense Values equal to (the Sidereal's Essence rating). If this attack achieves more successes than the target's reduced DV, the attack hits with its full force. Calculate raw damage by adding the total number of successes rolled, unreduced by her opponent's DV, to the base damage of the attack.
This charm explicitly fails outside of Creation, or in any other place denied access to the Loom of Fate.
Many Missiles Bow Technique
Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1hl; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 5) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Prayer Strip Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Generalized Ammunition Technique, Five Seasons Approach
"Survival is flexibility," said she.
This Charm uses a prayer strip marked with the scripture of the Clay Maiden, which the Sidereal casts into the sky to hover 10 yards above her bow and glow a garish pink. While this strip remains, the character's arrows have triple their normal range and the character can spend 1m as a reflexive action to transform an arrow in flight into some other aspect of Creation. You may only transfer a given attack once. Some example Transformations follow:
The Sidereal gains one free transformation when she purchases this charm, and can purchase additional transformations for 1 experience point each (or two for one bonus point).
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