Sheltered by Her Hand

Sheltered by Her Hand (•••••, Lacrima ••••)

 * Avatar (Tears)
 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Empathy, modified by Commonalty
 * Cost: 1 Wisp, 1 Willpower, Sensitivity check at +3
 * Duration: 1 scene

To preserve her city and her subjects is the first principle of the Queen of Tears, and those who incarnate her are able to guard their allies from all harm. A Noble uses this Charm to protect members of an organization she belongs to or has influence over - the subjects of Social Merits such as Status and Allies are eligible, and in a pinch the Connected Condition [CofD 288] will do.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble fails utterly to protect her allies, and is crushed. She suffers the effects of the Broken Condition [CofD 288] for the rest of the scene.
 * Failure: The Noble cannot protect her allies. The Charm fails.
 * Success: The Noble undergoes a second transformation that drains all the color from her body and Regalia. All members of the target group who can see this transformation feel a breath of cold pass over them, penetrating through all clothing for a moment. Until the Charm ends, the transformation expands and substantially modifies the Noble’s Holy Shield. The Shield activates automatically whenever anyone affected by the Charm suffers an injury, spending as many Wisps as necessary to prevent as much damage as possible; while the Charm is active the Shield is not limited by the Noble’s maximum Wisps per turn. She must pay the cost of the Shield in full when it activates. However, the Noble may draw Wisps for her Shield out of her surroundings, draining hope from the land to preserve her people. For each Wisp the Noble drains from her surroundings to power her Shield, the Storyteller rolls 1 die; the area gains 1 point of Taint, focused where the Noble stands, for each success on this roll.
 * While the transformation lasts the Noble is in enough danger to use Inner Strength, and trade her Willpower for Wisps. The Charm ends if the Noble runs out of Wisps and neither draws Wisps from her surroundings nor uses Inner Strength.
 * Exceptional Success: The Noble touches the determination that has sustained the Queen of Tears in her mission. She gains +2 on Inner Strength rolls until the Charm ends.

Drawback: The Queen of Tears perpetually mourns for the lost Kingdom, and the sacrifices that must be made to sustain its remnant; her avatar bears the burden of her grief, and may be crushed by it. At the end of each turn in which the Noble’s Holy Shield activated, the Princess must roll Resolve + Composure to resist the Queen’s grief.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Queen’s grief overbears the Noble; the Charm ends immediately, and the Noble collapses. She takes the Immobilized Tilt [CofD 284] until the scene ends.
 * Failure: The Noble’s will falters. Future rolls to resist the Queen’s grief take a -1 cumulative penalty.
 * Success: The Noble withstands the Queen’s grief. Future rolls to resist it don’t change.
 * Exceptional Success: The Noble recovers lost ground; reduce the penalty on future rolls to resist by 1, to a minimum of -0.