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The Solar knows how to wage war without sacrificing life. By activating this Charm, the Solar devises a method of safely accomplishing one goal that would normally require the death of up to (Ess * War) individuals. At-Will Effect: Soldiers in this Exalt's unit will never be killed as a result of unit damage. This adds the Solar's Medicine to the unit's soak value. Attacks made by this unit will never cause enemy soldiers to be killed; however, this results in no corresponding statistical modifier.
Comments
(K) I have no problem with this charm from a balance point of view (although I do think that it will mostly be used for its At-Will Effect, which makes the Willpower cost less relevant). How do you see the non-at-will part working? - I don't think of "in order to accomplish this goal, I know that it will cost me exactly this many lives" as a common thought process, even for a military commander. Is it more like you just set a goal, send your troops to do it, turn this on and know that you're going to save (Ess * War) lives off whatever the cost would be otherwise?
Each time that this charm is purchased, it is associated with one of the Spirit's Domains. Three questions, relevant to this Domain, are then specified, determining how the charm will function henceforth. The number of questions answered by an activation of this charm depends on the net successes on a Perception + Compassion roll - effects that inhibit the Spirit directly or block the flow of information generally may resist this roll, but effects that hide specific objects or persons will only reduce the information provided on those hidden things.
1 success answers the first question, which allows the Spirit to identify people, places or things essential to its Domain. Most should fit the pattern "Where are the [object]s?" or "Who here is a [person with a certain quality]?" or "Where can I find the nearest [person, place or thing]?" The initial question determines the area of effect of the entire charm: questions about every example of a category (the first two formulas) apply to a 50 yard radius or the unimpeded range of the Spirit's senses, whichever is greater, while searching for the nearest example of a category will direct the Spirit accurately as long as there is a qualified target within the Direction.
3 successes answers the first and also the second question, which provides basic, quantitative information about the subject or subjects identified in the first question or subsets thereof.
5 successes answers the first, second, and also the third question, which provides a deeper, often qualitative level of information, building from the first two.
As in all things, the Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether a set of questions is appropriate for this charm. Here are some examples:
Shepherd the Missing is a charm possessed by Madam Marthesine and her hoarders. It answers the following questions: "Where are the lost things?" (indicating the location of every lost object within 50 yards, including those that are hidden from sight), "What are these things?" (explaining what each object is, and providing a name, if it has one), and "Who lost them and how?" (providing their original owner's name, and a general understanding of how the objects were lost).
Convocation of Anonymous Narcotics is a charm employed by Burning Feather. Its questions are: "Where are the drugs?" (giving the location of any potential narcotics, hidden and unhidden, living or processed, whole or ingested, within the area), "What are their names, effects and quantities?" (ensuring that she will never be caught off guard by a new addition to her portfolio), and "Who is most susceptible to which of these?" (providing a best match of each available drug to each potential user).
Surveying the Bloody Few is a charm belonging to Ahlat, with these questions: "Who is girded for war?" (indicating who in the range of his senses has experience or training in martial conflict), "How are they bloodied?" (telling of the martial power of each person relative to each other and to Ahlat himself), and "For what will they fight?" (providing a brief indication of the cause or purpose that will drive them to war).
Upwards to the Vanguard is one of Vanileth's charms, and these are its questions: "Where is the nearest flightworthy craft?" (any artifice capable of flight qualifies, no matter its state of repair), "What is its name and history?" (this information is fairly basic, and mostly for cataloging purposes: when it was made, by whom and for what purpose and any famous events in which it was involved), and "How do I fly it?" (this includes technical instructions, crew and fuel requirements, and any needed repairs).
Barometer of Forfeitures and Gains is used frequently by Plentimon and answers these questions: "Where is the nearest place of wager?" (anything from the Jade Pleasure Dome to a back-ally dice game qualifies), "Who there is winning, losing, and cheating?" (providing the status and some vague sense of degree), and "What bets will pay out in the next scene?" (this guides Plentimon towards, or away from, those wagers that are scheduled by the Maidens or some other agent of fate to win - as always, intervention by high Essence beings, or from outside Fate, may interfere).
Meticulous Census of Auspicious Election is a basic tool of Lytek's. Its questions are: "Who is Exalted?" (illuminating to him all Exalts within range of his senses), "By whom were they chosen and what are their castes?" (indicated by the color and shade of illumination), and "Who else has held these shards?" (indicated by the spectral images of previous shard-holders trailing after each).
Measure the Wind is a version of this charm used by almost every Spirit - all Spirits have a particular interest in Essence flows and concentrations, particularly those that could pose a danger to their unique physiology. Any Spirit who meets the trait minimums may purchase this charm, regardless of their Domain(s), and use it to answer the following: "What are the mystical perils?" (apprising the Spirit of any being, object or force within 50 yards capable of harming a dematerialized Spirit, or of restraining, altering or permanently destroying one, along with the basic nature of each threat), "Where are the Essence concentrations, and what are they?" (Artifacts, Essence-channelers, dragon lines, Demesnes and Manses all become illuminated with patterns that differentiate between Spirits, Exalts and Hundredfold and other such categories), and "What is their Domain and degree?" (this will reveal a Spirits Domains and those of the god who chose a given Exalt, as well as the aspect of a Manse or Demesne and the Essence or Background rating of any of these subjects).
Comments
(D) That seems to be perfect. Measure the Wind is as... scary as it used to be. However, there should be a Charm after it that is domain-wide; Gods are constantly seeing disturbances to their domains that are farther than 50 yards away. Or maybe make it so sufficiently large disturbances can be felt from afar as an afterword to the charm?
This charm provides the Spirit with a report on the condition of one of its Domains (chosen when the charm is first purchased). The geographic scope of the area reported on determines the minimum Essence for the charm:
3 - a single geographic area (a river, a mountain, a city, a road)
4 - a region of multiple geographic areas (a nation or a mountain range)
5 - a Direction
6 - all of Meru (or all of a different plane in the case of Celestial gods, demons and others who do not reside in Meru)
8 - all of the Planes (if charms of this scope exist, they would only be held by the highest ranking Demons and Celestial gods)
10 - all of Existence (if charms of this scope exist, they would only be held by Malfeans, Primordials and the Yozis)
It is a minor offense for a Spirit to employ a Wisdom charm who's scope exceeds their actual authority.
The quantity and quality of information provided by this charm is based on the net successes on a Perception + Compassion roll - effects that inhibit the Spirit directly or block the flow of information generally may resist this roll, but effects that hide specific objects or persons will only reduce the information provided on those hidden things - as follows:
1 success - general location and disposition of all items of a Spirit's Dominion; something akin to what might be seen if the Spirit were looking down from Heaven at the area, with the elements of its Domain highlighted. Vanileth sees the location of every flying craft in Creation. Ahlat sees every battle in the South. Grandmother Bright sees an aerial view of her neighborhood in Chiaroscuro.
3 successes - sorts this information by broad category, making it possible to draw general conclusions and painting a wholistic picture relevent to the Spirit's duties. Vanileth can list all vessels that are in working order, all needing repair, all that lack a crew and the names of every ship's captain and keeps a running tally of Creation's 77 finest warships on hand in case of a break-out from Malfeas or other major invasion. Ahlat knows which nations and people are at war, full troop rosters and casualty lists for all conflicts and the tide of each battle now underway. Grandmother Bright learns the health and general status of each of her residents, what guests are present in her dominion, and what dangers to her neighborhood or any of its residents are currently at play.
5 successes - permits the Spirit to narrow the focus to a single subject or area and to observe what transpires there for the rest of the scene. Vanileth may examine a ship, its crew, contents and course and watch it for a time. Ahlat may take in a battle from a distance, noting each breath and bladestroke of every combatant. Grandmother Bright may peak into any house on her block and observe all that transpires there.