Charm:Govern

The Govern Charms control supernatural powers and those who possess them. Graces and Seekers have affinity for them.

=One-dot Charms=

Consecrate (•)

 * Action: Extended, 10 minutes/roll, threshold = Sanctuary
 * Dice pool: Presence + Occult
 * Cost: 3 Wisps
 * Duration: special

The Noble blesses the ground she stands on, and dedicates it temporarily to her Queen and the Light. The Noble needs to cleanse and purify every part of the area she wishes to dedicate; this can be as simple as giving it a thorough spring cleaning, or it can be an elaborate rite for casting out evil spirits, depending on the Noble’s cultural background. However, if she applies an Invocation, the method of purification invokes the relevant Queen and must use symbols appropriate for her.

The Charm also requires a representation of the Noble’s Phylactery to be somewhere in the area. This can be as slight as a sketch of it done in felt tip on paper and taped to the underside of a table, or as intricate as a carefully woven tapestry with its image part of the decorations. There can be multiple such representations. However, if all such representations are destroyed or removed from the area, the Charm automatically ends.

When the Noble reaches the threshold, the target Sanctuary gains the Consecrated Condition for 1 day. The Noble may continue working to extend the Charm’s duration: If an area is already Consecrated, the new Charm will not take effect until the Noble reaches enough successes to exceed the remaining duration of the previous Consecration. (For instance, if an area will be Consecrated for five days, the Noble must reach enough successes for a week’s duration, after which the area will be Consecrated for a week.) If any part of an area is Tainted, the Charm automatically fails, and if any part becomes Tainted while the Consecration remains, the Charm immediately ends.
 * Threshold = 1 day
 * 2 * threshold = 1 week
 * 3 * threshold = 1 month
 * 4 * threshold = 2 months
 * 5 * threshold = 3 months
 * Each additional multiple extends the duration by another month.

Upgrade: Purifying
The Noble may Consecrate a Tainted area. The Taint will always overcome this Charm given enough time, but it can allow the Noble some vital breathing space. Add the Taint’s Severity to the threshold; when the Noble reaches it: Even though the Taint is suppressed, later uses of Consecrate still must overcome it to extend the Consecrated Condition. Also, the Taint shortens Consecrate’s duration: each multiple of the threshold adds just one day to the Charm’s duration. When Consecrate expires the effects of the Taint return; the Noble may invoke Consecrate again to extend the Condition, but this only delays the inevitable.
 * The Taints’ Curses go dormant.
 * The Taint will not attempt to corrupt nor will it cause Hauntings for characters with Sensitivity.
 * The Taint no longer provides access to and from the Dark World.

Upgrade: Sanctuary
Several Charms have special benefits when cast upon Consecrated ground. When Consecrate is invoked with Sanctuary, all Charms that interact with the Consecrated Condition are immune to being dispelled while that Condition remains.

It is important to note that Consecrate itself can be dispelled, or removed by other methods, and this upgrade offers no protection against that.

Dreaming Vision (•)

 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Unrolled
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: 1 scene

The Noble can perceive natives of the Dreamlands who have escaped to the waking world. If she spends a Wisp, for the rest of the scene she sees any Dreamlanders present in Twilight Form, and can make Perception rolls to notice Manifestation Conditions related to a Dreamlander in her vicinity. Physical objects still block her sight, so a Dreamlander can hide behind - or inside - such objects to evade her.

Entities from the Astral Realms who somehow get to Earth are also disclosed by the Charm.

Upgrade: Touching
By spending an additional Wisp, the Noble shifts her flesh partly into Twilight, allowing her to touch or attack Dreamlanders, and they her, until the Charm ends. All of her regalia (including weapons and armor) are carried into this state with her, and Dreamlanders are valid targets of her Charms.

Upgrade: Spiritual (Legno •)

 * Cost: apply Legno

One of the Wilds may attune herself to the presence of spirits. If she applies Legno instead of spending a Wisp, the Noble sees spirits in Twilight Form, and can make Perception rolls to notice Manifestation Conditions related to a spirit, or the presence of a locus [CofD 126]. She cannot see Dreamlanders and spirits at the same time. Applying Touching makes the Noble tangible to spirits, not Dreamlanders.

Upgrade: Ghostly (Lacrima •)

 * Cost: apply Lacrima

A follower of Tears can part the veil and see into the great beyond. If she applies Lacrima instead of spending a Wisp, the Noble sees ghosts in Twilight Form and objects made of ghostly ephemera, and can make Perception rolls to notice Manifestation Conditions related to a ghost, a ghost’s Anchor [CofD 133] or an Avernian Gate [CofD 136]. She cannot see Dreamlanders and ghosts at the same time. Applying Touching makes the Noble tangible to ghosts, not Dreamlanders.

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What About Angels?
Readers may wonder why there isn’t an upgrade to perceive the third type of ephemeral beings described in the Chronicles of Darkness. We left it out, along with any other explicit reference to the God-Machine, because in our opinion it’s not possible to add the God-Machine to a game of Princess: the Hopeful without turning it into the centerpiece of the story. A campaign in which a nakama discovers the God-Machine and tries to do something about it could be an excellent thing, but we would need much more than a few Charms to do justice to it.
 * }

Forgotten Lore (•)

 * Favor (Occult)
 * Action: Permanent

When the Noble transforms, she throws light on strange and horrifying mysteries.

Upgrade: Spiritual (Legno ••)
The Noble has unusual insight into the behavior of the spirits. During any research action involving a spirit, including summoning or exorcising it [CofD 139], the Noble may spend 1 Wisp to reduce the successes she needs by her Legno.

Upgrade: Underworld (Lacrima ••)
The Noble has a great understanding of the needs of ghosts. During any research action involving a ghost, including summoning or exorcising it, the Noble may spend 1 Wisp to reduce the successes she needs by her Lacrima.

Living Image (•)

 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Inner Light + Intelligence
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: lasting

Certain artists among the Hopeful have found a method to infuse the Light into their art, and make it bring forth magic. This Charm allows a Princess to embed another Charm into a work of art she has made with her own hands, so that it takes effect not when she casts it, but when another person studies or appreciates the art. The crafting of the artwork is integral to the use of Living Image - the art means, is about, the Charm embedded in it, and a wholly or partly finished work on another subject cannot carry the intended Charm. Making a valid target for Living Image is a mundane extended action, with a threshold of 3x the rating of the Charm to be placed in it.

To be embedded in a work of art, a Charm must be targeted at a single person who is physically with its user. The Sympathy and Commonalty modifiers make a Charm incompatible with Living Image, and animals, objects or areas cannot understand art in a way that Living Image will recognize.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble’s magic goes out of control and ruins the artwork. She must recreate it from the beginning, using new materials.
 * Failure: The Noble fails to prepare the artwork. Further attempts to use the Charm on it take a cumulative -1 penalty.
 * Success: The artwork becomes a valid target for the Charm it’s based on. When that Charm is used on it, the artwork gains the Waiting Charm Condition, which will resolve when a person next experiences the art in the proper way - a painting must be looked at, recorded music must be listened to, etc. When the Condition resolves the suspended Charm immediately takes effect on the person experiencing the art. Damage to the artwork ends the Condition.
 * Exceptional Success: The artwork is a perfect expression of the Charm to be held inside it. Anyone using that Charm on it has 9-again on the activation roll.

As part of learning this Charm, the Noble also learns how to recognize another Hopeful’s enchanted artworks, and discover what they do without discharging them. Analyzing an artwork prepared for Living Image (which includes Bequests) is a mundane extended action with a dice pool of Inner Light + Intelligence, an interval of 5 minutes/roll, and a threshold equal to the rating of the Charm the artwork expresses. Reaching the threshold answers one of these questions:
 * Which Charm the artwork is based on?
 * Which Living Image upgrades were applied during its making?
 * If it’s Duty-bound, what task creates the Waiting Charm Condition?

Upgrade: Copied

 * Cost: +1 Wisp

The magic in the Noble’s art may flow through copies of that art. When the original artwork has the Waiting Charm Condition, it resolves when a person next experiences any duplicate of the original, as well as the original itself, and the delayed Charm takes effect on that person. Normally copies must be exact - any imperfection or degradation in the copy breaks its connection to the original; however, the Noble may take a penalty of -2 when activating Living Image to let it work through imperfect but recognizable copies (photos or digital images of a visual work, re-recordings of an audio work, etc.)

Applying Copied makes Living Image compatible with Charms modified by Sympathy. For those Charms the Condition resolves when the intended target experiences the art, in either a copy or the original. No other audience can trigger the embedded Charm.

Upgrade: Performative
The Noble dispenses with solid materials - she can weave magic into pure meaning, while delaying its effect. In the course of a performance or conversation, the Noble must tell her intended target both what will happen when the suspended Charm takes effect, and what action or situation will release it. She can be as cryptic ("When all eyes turn toward you, you’ll find the strength to carry on") or as direct ("Hey, jackass! Try stealing someone’s purse again, and you’re going to get set on fire!") as she wishes. She activates Living Image as she speaks, and the Charm she wants to delay immediately afterward.

If both Charms succeed, the target gains the Waiting Charm Condition. It will resolve at the first opportunity that fits what the Noble tells the target - a vague and cryptic description may release the Charm at a quite unexpected and inconvenient moment. Dramatic failure distorts the Noble’s magic, giving her a Hypersensitive Condition that expires when the scene ends.

Performative is not compatible with Copied, but applying it does make Living Image compatible with Charms modified by Commonalty. For those Charms, the Condition resolves when any member of the target organization fulfills the stated conditions, and the Charm affects all members who witnessed the performance.

Upgrade: Instructive

 * Cost: +2 Wisps

The Noble’s art becomes not an expression of her magic, but a guide for others to enact it themselves. When she gives the artwork the Waiting Charm Condition, the Noble pays for the Charm but does not roll to activate it. Instead, when a Light-touched character experiences the art, he becomes aware that magic lies within it, ready to release. If he chooses, he can resolve the Waiting Charm Condition to make the activation roll, using his own traits rather than the Noble’s. Characters who aren’t Light-touched can’t resolve the Condition. The Noble specifies which upgrades, if any, are applied to the Charm when she embeds it; the activator chooses its target and controls its effects.

Instructive is not compatible with Copied or Performative. Because the activator can direct the embedded Charm, applying Instructive makes Living Image compatible with any Charm, including those that need no roll to activate. A permanent Charm, if embedded, confers its benefit on the activator for one scene.

Upgrade: Bequeathed

 * Requires Instructive
 * Cost: +1 Willpower dot

The Noble turns her art into a free-standing object of power. The artwork becomes a Bequest; anyone with the ability to pay the Charm’s cost can do so to give it the Waiting Charm Condition, or to activate the Charm directly, if they are touching it.

Upgrade: Duty-bound

 * Requires Bequeathed

By fulfilling a special duty, the Bequest’s owner can catch raw power from the Light to empower it. When the Noble creates a Bequest, she can specify a task to be completed. A character with the Bequest on his person who performs that task can impose the Waiting Charm Condition on the Bequest without paying any Wisps. All other costs for activating the Bequest’s Charm must still be paid. The difficulty of the specified task depends on the Charm’s effective rating. Bequests based on 1-dot Charms can be primed by an action taking as little as a turn. Bequests based on 3-dot Charms usually require a scene or two to prime. Bequests based on 5-dot Charms require at least a session to prepare.

Upgrade: Empowered (Specchio •••)

 * Requires Bequeathed

When creating a Bequest a Chosen can embed a gem created by Enduring Beauty as a source of power. If she does so the Bequest has an equipment bonus to its activation roll equal to the Availability rating of the gem she used. Analyzing the Bequest will reveal the details of its Empowerment but anyone with experience of Bequests will have little trouble figuring it out.

By pressing an Empowered Bequest to the forehead of the gem’s original owner, the owner’s beauty may be restored; doing this destroys the Bequest beyond repair.

The question that haunts many Nobles is whether using such tools is an endorsement of their creation. Knowingly using an Empowered Bequest, unless a Princess has reason to believe the gem at its heart was created consensually, is a compromise with a -1 penalty to the roll.

Reflected Light (•)

 * Action: Permanent

While the Noble is transformed, her senses are opened to the influence of magical powers. Whenever a supernatural power, whatever its source may be, is initiated by or actively affects a being within 10x Inner Light yards of the Noble (or on her directly) she becomes aware that something magical is taking place, though she can't tell what it was. Any supernatural concealment of the effect, its origin or its target defeats the Noble's reflexive perception automatically.

In addition, each time she notices a magical effect, the Noble may make a reflexive mundane Wits + Occult roll, and if successful perceives the basic facts about it: what it is affecting, the type of the being who used it, and (if it's initiated within her range) where that being is. Identifying a power from the Light or Darkness is instinctive for all the Hopeful; other types of supernatural, however, must be learned from experience. (For example, the Noble can tell that all vampiric Disciplines have the same origin, but she won't know that they're vampire powers unless she sees a known vampire using one.)

Finally, if she suspects its presence, the Noble can deliberately look for traces of hidden magic near her. This is an instant mundane unrolled action, and reveals the targets of any active supernatural effects within her range. Unlike her passive sense, this active scrutiny provokes a Clash of Wills with supernatural concealments. Any effects she notices, the Noble can reflexively examine as above.

Upgrade: Light-Attuned
The Noble can distinguish powers that come from the Light. Whe she rolls for information on an active Charm, she learns the Charm's function and what Invocation (if any) was applied in the casting. She will recognize by name any Charm and upgrades she knows herself or has seen in use before.

Upgrade: Dark-attuned (Tempesta •)
The Queen of Storms teaches the Nobility to recognize the works of her enemies. When she rolls for information on an Umbra or Caligo, the Noble learns exactly which power the Dark creature used.

=Two-dot Charms=

Charge (••)

 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Stamina + Empathy
 * Cost: none
 * Duration: lasting

By touching someone (or something) with a pool of Wisps, the Noble transfers some of her own Wisps to the other pool. She gives 1 Wisp for each success, up to her normal Wisps/turn limit. She cannot give more Wisps than the target can hold.

Upgrade: Accepted
The Noble may take Wisps from others, if they are willing to give them. If the target consents, the Noble takes 1 Wisp for each success, up to her normal Wisps/turn limit.

Upgrade: Distant
The Noble can send Wisps to any person she can see; she need not touch them. With Accepted, she can take Wisps from those she can see as well.

Upgrade: Anonymous

 * Requires Distant
 * Modified by Sympathy
 * Cost: +1 Wisp

The Noble may use the Charm on people who are not present, applying the Sympathy modifier.

Upgrade: Stolen (Lacrima ••)

 * Requires Accepted
 * Cost: + Sensitivity check

The Noble can take Wisps from the unconsenting. Subtract the target’s Resolve from the activation roll. Moreover, unless she applies Distant or Anonymous, the Noble must already have a hand on her target; if she needs an instant action to touch him, the Charm does not work.

Upgrade: In Memoriam (Lacrima ••)
The Noble can convert between Wisps and ghost Essence at a 2:1 ratio, in either direction, allowing her to share her reserves with ghosts. Nobles cannot store Essence - she must give converted Wisps to a ghost, and transform taken Essence into Wisps.

Gold Abhors Ebon (••)

 * Action: Instant and contested
 * Dice pool: Presence + Intimidation vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: 1 scene

Invoking the Light’s authority, the Noble drives off a being of the Darkness. This Charm is used on a Creature of the Darkness. If the Noble wins the contest, the target cannot approach her and does his best to avoid her; he immediately takes the Fearful Condition, with her as the source.

Upgrade: Searing

 * Cost: +1 Wisp

If the Noble wins the contest, the target runs from her in a blind panic - he immediately takes the Terrified Condition.

Upgrade: Ruling
Inhuman monsters must acknowledge the Noble’s authority. She may use the Charm on ephemeral beings, such as ghosts and spirits; they contest it with Resistance + Rank.

Upgrade: Majestic

 * Requires Ruling
 * Cost: +1 Willpower

All those with power bow to the Light. The Noble may use the Charm on humans with supernatural powers that aren’t derived from the Light. This includes anyone with a major or minor template, and anyone with powers they would lose if they gained a template, except for Beacons, Sworn and Hopeful.

Upgrade: Fearsome (Lacrima ••)

 * Cost: + Sensitivity check

The Queen of Tears claims the right to rule all the world, mortals, Nobles and supernaturals alike. The Noble may use the Charm on humans without supernatural powers, and on Beacons, Sworn and other Hopeful.

Light Over All (••)

 * Action: Permanent

The force of the Noble’s will banishes ghosts, spirits, demons, and other possessing or haunting entities. When she attempts an abjuration [CofD 140] her roll gains the 9-again quality, and she may apply an Invocation to her dice pool. The Charm’s benefits apply both to abjuring ephemeral beings and to abjuring Tainted places.

In addition to modifiers from Belief, Virtue and Vice, when the Noble abjures an ephemeral being, the following modifiers apply:
 * +3: The entity was never human, and is anathema to reality (Abyssal entities)
 * +2: The Noble knows the entity’s real name.
 * +1: The entity was never human, but is not anathema to reality (Strix, spirits); or was human, but thinks nothing like a human (Darklings and Mnemosyne)
 * 0: The entity was once human, and still thinks in somewhat human ways (ghost using Possession, Vampire with Dominate 5, Amonajaku)
 * -2: The entity is human, and thinks like a human (Thaumaturges, Psychics, Mages, Witches)

Upgrade: Brilliant
The Noble may spend 1 Wisp to add her Inner Light to her dice pool for an abjuration.

Upgrade: Friendly (Legno •)
By applying Legno to an abjuration, the Noble may befriend an ephemeral being instead of banishing it. Instead of suppressing Conditions relevant to the entity, a success gives the Noble the Connected Condition [CofD 288] to the entity. On an exceptional success, until the Condition ends, the entity treats harming the Noble, or anyone under her declared protection, as a violation of its ban. Attacking or betraying the entity will resolve the Connected Condition immediately.

Upgrade: Caustic (Tempesta •)
The Noble may take resistant damage to add bonuses to her dice pool for abjurations. 1 bashing damage gives a +1 bonus; 1 lethal damage gives a +3 bonus.

Seed of Light (••)

 * Action: Extended, (20 - Willpower) minutes/roll, threshold = 3 * seeds made
 * Dice pool: Dexterity + Expression
 * Cost: 1 Willpower, 1+ Wisps (special)
 * Duration: lasting

The Light exists within the world, within the hearts of all men. However, with will and effort, the Hopeful may calcify Wisps into gem-sized, imperishable Seeds, proof against the ravages of chance. Each Wisp spent on the Charm forms a separate Seed. The Princess does not have to decide how many Seeds to calcify beforehand; after spending the Willpower, she starts to concentrate on her pool of Wisps. Each three successes accumulated allows the Princess to transform one Wisp into a Seed, and she may roll a number of times equal to her dice pool, or until she runs out of Wisps. Extra successes are wasted.

The shape of a Seed is a profound expression of its creator’s soul, and is heavily influenced by the Invocation (if any) applied in its making. (Applying Legno, for instance, often creates Seeds in the form of living, unchanging flowers - roses, in particular.) Any character examining a Seed, if they make a Wits + Occult roll, can recognize a Seed as coming from the same hand as one they’ve seen before.

To recover the Wisp from a Seed, a Noble must bring it into contact with her phylactery, and spend a minute in concentration. No actions may be performed while doing this, and the Noble is at -3 to all Wits-based rolls, so deep is their focus. The Seed glows, and becomes incohesive, melting into their soul, and adding the Wisp to their pool. If the Noble’s Wisp pool is full, the Seed vaporizes and releases the Wisp into the air, where it dissipates.

As tiny fragments of solidified Light, Seeds are incredibly alluring to creatures of the Darkness. Any such creature can consume Seeds to regain Willpower, gaining one point of Willpower per Seed eaten. The Darkened can smell out Seeds kept in quantity - they gain a cumulative +1 bonus to all Perception rolls to notice a person carrying Seeds for each Seed above the carrier’s Composure, and tend to aim first at opponents carrying the most Seeds. Moreover, any location where large numbers of Seeds are stored will tend, by seemingly random chance, to attract more Darkspawn to it, drawn by their hunger. For this reason, Alhambran outposts, where they store their misbegotten gains, tend to either be very heavily protected, or to try to move them back to their rain-soaked city as fast as possible. And for the same reason, servants of the Queen of Storms have been known to use captured Seeds as Darkspawn bait.

A Bequest based on Seed of Light creates Seeds from Wisps in its holder’s pool.

Upgrade: Bereaved (Lacrima •••)
The production of Seeds by Alhambrans occurs on an almost industrial scale... or, at least, so they would wish. Nevertheless, in their raids on the Rebellious Provinces, they have learned secrets of their construction. Reduce the time per roll to (10-Willpower) minutes; if this reduces the time needed to 0, the character may roll once per turn.

As a side effect of applying this Upgrade, the Noble may remove the unique traces of her identity from the Seeds she makes. Instead, the Seed forms as one of the seals of the Kingdom, the crown of the Queen of Tears prominent on it. The production of such a Seed is frequently used as a test of identity by an Alhambran outpost sent a new Noble, and documents and packages sent between groups are sealed with wax imprinted with this mark. This leaves unmistakable magical traces, which a character with Lacrima 1 or higher, or the ability to see auras, can detect with a Wits + Occult roll, making forging the seal harder.

Upgrade: Militant (Tempesta •• or Fuoco •••)
One cannot simply wait for the Light to diffuse into one’s soul! All of existence is a war against the Darkness, and no soldier of the Seraphic General should be caught without her arms! When creating the Seed, the Noble may choose to make it release its energy quickly. If Tempesta was applied, the Wisp can be recovered from the Seed as a reflexive action, at a cost of 1 resistant lethal damage, with no more than skin contact with the Seed. There is no limit to how many Seeds can be tapped in this way per round, beyond the limits of one’s well-being.

The followers of the Queen of Swords are less rash, but no less aware of the dangers of the world. By applying Fuoco, they create Seeds that release their Wisp as an instant action, and inflict 1 resistant bashing damage when released. A Noble can learn either the Fuoco or the Tempesta version of this upgrade, but not both.

Light's Riposte (••, Fuoco •)

 * Action: Reactive and resisted
 * Dice pool: Wits + Occult - target’s Stamina
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: lasting

Those who cast hostile magics at the Noble shall suffer for their temerity. When she is the target of a supernatural effect that she recognizes as such, she may activate the Charm. For each success rolled, the magic’s user takes 1 bashing damage.

Upgrade: Lethal (Fuoco ••)

 * Cost: +1 Wisp

The Noble’s rebuke grows harsher; for each success rolled, the target takes 1 lethal damage.

=Three-dot Charms=

Magical Eyes (•••)

 * Requires Reflected Light
 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Inner Light + Composure
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: 1 scene

The Noble heightens her occult awareness and mixes it with her mundane senses, so that she may see all forms of magical power.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble confuses her senses and falls into trance, fascinated by her new perceptions. She takes the Insensate Tilt [CofD 285].
 * Failure: The Noble’s senses are not extended.
 * Success: For the rest of the scene, the Noble can see, hear and smell magic. She may reflexively make mundane Wits + Occult rolls to notice supernatural phenomena that exist within the range of her mundane senses. This includes the supernatural beings which trigger her Unseen Sense from Reflected Light; it also includes activations of supernatural powers, and the ongoing effects of powers that enchant a target. (Ongoing effects are less obvious, however; apply a penalty of -3 to the roll to notice them.)
 * Rolls to notice beings supply the same information to the Noble that her Unseen Sense would. Rolls to notice powers, if successful, give the Noble a basic idea of what the power did when activated, and the type of supernatural who activated it. If the Noble’s senses have been extended by other magics to let her perceive other places, Magical Eyes let her notice supernatural phenomena there as well.
 * The commingling of her senses leaves the Noble slightly confused about mundane details. All her Perception rolls not related to magic take a -1 penalty until the Charm ends.
 * Exceptional Success: The Noble keeps a clear head. Her Perception rolls take no penalty.

Ofuda (•••)

 * Action: Extended, 5 minutes/roll, threshold = 4x strength
 * Dice pool: Presence + Crafts
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: 1 scene

The Noble imbues an object with the power to repel a type of supernatural being. She chooses the type of being, and the strength of the repulsion, when activating the Charm. As long as the Charm lasts, any character of that type coming within (2x Inner Light) yards of the imbued object reflexively rolls Composure + Supernatural Tolerance - the Charm’s strength. Failing the roll gives the character the Fearful Condition, focused on the imbued object and the area within the given radius of it; on a dramatic failure the character gains the Terrified Condition instead. Either Condition ends when the Charm does. If the imbued object is destroyed, the Charm ends.

Upgrade: Exemption
The Noble may allow a number of trusted individuals, up to her Inner Light, to bypass her protections. Alternately, by adding Commonalty to the roll she may allow members of an organization to enter unbarred. The Noble may change who is permitted and who is not after the Ofuda is created by casting Ofuda again while touching the Imbued Item. This will not change the strength of the defenses.

Upgrade: Sanctuary
The Noble may intertwine an Ofuda with Consecrated ground. This both extends its range to cover the entire area, as measured by its Sanctuary rating, and extends the duration until the ground is no longer Consecrated or until the imbued object is destroyed.

An Ofuda invoked with Sanctuary must be built into the physical structure of the Consecrated ground it protects, even if only by nailing it to the wall. If it is removed from the Consecrated ground the Charm ends.

Upgrade: Lasting (Legno ••+)

 * Stackable 4 times
 * Cost: +1-4 Wisps
 * Duration: 1/2/4/8 x Inner Light hours

The Ofuda wards the area for a long time. The first purchase of this upgrade extends the Charm’s duration to the Noble’s Inner Light in hours, if she spends 1 more Wisp. Each subsequent purchase allows spending 1 more Wisp to double the duration. The Noble may purchase the upgrade up to her Legno - 1 times.

Privy Counsellor (•••)

 * Action: Extended, 10 minutes/roll, threshold = 3x Dreamlander’s Inner Light or Rank
 * Dice pool: Inner Light + Presence
 * Cost: 1 Wisp
 * Duration: indefinite

To escape the Dreamlands for good, one must either be reborn, or bind oneself to one of the Hopeful as a Shikigami; but some Princesses are able to grant Dreamlanders temporary leave from their beautiful prison. The target of the Charm must be a Dreamlander who has come to the waking world and is currently in Twilight Form - generally the Noble has just gone to the Dreamlands to find a willing Dreamlander, and led him back through Crawlspace to her body. When she reaches the threshold, the Dreamlander becomes Fettered to herself, exactly as if the Dreamlander used the Fetter Manifestation [CofD 133].

The Fetter lasts until the Noble next sleeps; at that point the target returns to the Dreamlands, unless he or the Noble spends a Wisp to extend his stay for another day. An exceptional success during the Charm’s activation may be used to prolong the target’s stay; he need not spend Wisps to remain for the Noble’s Presence in days. The target may use the powers given them by the Urged Condition on the Noble. Actors and stars roll Intelligence + Empathy to read their host’s surface thoughts, and use any appropriate Social Skill to urge the host to act. In lieu of Influences, an actor or star may contribute to the host’s actions using the teamwork rules.

Upgrade: Animal Companion

 * Cost: +1 Willpower

The Noble can bind Dreamlanders into material vessels, allowing them to act independently. She must find an animal, or sometimes a doll or plush toy, in the waking world who bears some resemblance to the Dreamlander she wants to bind - the closer, the better - to serve as his vessel. When she reaches the threshold, the Dreamlander is Fettered to the vessel instead of herself, and gains access to the Possess Manifestation for that host alone. Actors and stars who have Possessed a vessel use their own Attributes and Skills, except the Physical Attributes, for which they use the vessel’s.

It is somewhat difficult to use a vessel who is larger than a Noble can easily carry; the Noble takes a penalty when applying the upgrade of -1 for each point of the vessel’s Size above 2. And for some reason, it’s impossible to use a vessel who could be mistaken in any circumstances for a human being. Dolls or figurines in human shape must be Size 2 at most to serve as a vessel; the Charm fails completely on any larger figure.

The Dreamlander must still spend a Wisp each time the Noble sleeps to sustain the Fetter to his vessel. If the Dreamlander vows himself to at least one Noble while possessing his vessel, he merges with the vessel and the Charm ends, leaving the merged entity a Shikigami.

Suggested modifiers: vessel resembles Dreamlander (+1 to +3), vessel significantly unlike Dreamlander (-1 to -3), vessel is not a living being (-2)

Upgrade: Dreaming Exile (Specchio ••)

 * Cost: +1 Wisp and 1 Willpower

The Noble can bind a Dreamlander into the body of a human whose mind is currently elsewhere, projected in a Dream Form. To use this Charm the Noble and the Dreamlander must be at the waking end of a fully open Crawlspace passage. When she reaches the threshold, the Noble applies the Usurping Manifestation Condition to the Dreamlander, turning him into an Amanojaku.

Making an Amanojaku is a compromise, normally at a -4 penalty.

Spirit's Friend (•••, Legno ••)

 * Requires Forgotten Lore with Spiritual
 * Action: Instant and resisted
 * Dice pool: Manipulation + Persuasion - target’s Resistance
 * Cost: 2 Wisps
 * Duration: 1 scene or indefinite

The creatures from the spirit world are alien and dangerous, but they need not be hostile. The Charm is used to influence a spirit.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble offends the spirit; it either attacks her or runs from her.
 * Failure: The spirit is not influenced.
 * Success: The spirit feels an attraction to the Noble. It takes the Swooning Condition [CofD 291] linked

to her, lasting until the Charm ends.
 * Exceptional Success: The spirit is strongly attracted; the Swooning Condition lasts indefinitely.

Upgrade: Influenced

 * Cost: +1 Wisp

The Noble’s person becomes attuned to the spirit’s Influence. As long as the spirit remains under the Swooning Condition, the Noble is Resonant with it [CofD 135] and all the spirit’s powers that require the Resonant Condition will work on her.

Capitation (•••, Lacrima ••)

 * Requires Charge
 * Action: Instant and resisted
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Intimidation - target’s Resolve
 * Cost: Sensitivity check at +2
 * Duration: lasting

All humanity ultimately owes allegiance to the Kingdom-which-is-Alhambra. Though they may not follow their oaths, it is still possible to extract the taxes rightfully owed. The Noble can extract hope and joy from a mundane human, converting them into Wisps for herself. After at least fifteen minutes of uninterrupted conversation, during which she touches her target at least once, she activates the Charm.
 * Dramatic Failure: The target becomes deeply disturbed by the Noble. She takes the Notoriety Condition [CofD 290] related to him.
 * Failure: The Noble gains nothing from the target.
 * Success: The Noble taxes the target’s hope. She gains 1 Wisp and rolls the target’s Integrity, gaining 1 more Wisp for each success on that roll. However, the target gains an instance of the Tainted Condition (or, if he has Sensitivity, undergoes a Haunting.)
 * Exceptional Success: As for normal success, and the target becomes captivated by the Noble, and wants to talk to her again. He gains the Spooked Condition [CofD 291] linked to the Noble.

Upgrade: Anonymous

 * Modified by Sympathy
 * Cost: +1 Wisp

The Noble may use the Charm on people without touching them or speaking to them, applying the Sympathy modifier. She still needs to spend fifteen minutes thinking about a target before she can activate the Charm.

Upgrade: Enervating (Lacrima •••)
The Noble can choose to tax people’s energy. If she applies this upgrade, the target loses a Willpower point and the Noble gains Wisps equal to his Resolve, instead of the normal result.

Upgrade: Seeded

 * Requires Seed of Light with Bereaved
 * Cost: +1 Willpower

Applying this upgrade converts the Wisps gained from the Charm directly into Seeds, instead of adding them to the Noble’s pool.

Resting Place (•••, Lacrima •••)

 * Action: Full turn
 * Dice pool: Presence + Occult
 * Cost: 2 Wisps
 * Duration: Inner Light in days

With access to both a ghost and any object a Raven can bind a new anchor for the ghost. This is temporary and only with great and constant effort can a Noble keep a loved one on this plane, more commonly it is used by the Followers of Tears to position their ghostly retainers where they can be of greatest service to the Last Empress.

It should be noted that the defenses around Alhambra prevent ghosts from crossing the boundary of the fortress city, even if they have anchors on both sides.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble offends the ghost; it either attacks her or runs from her.
 * Failure: The ghost is not anchored to the object.
 * Success: The object gains the Anchor Condition [CofD 133] linked to the ghost for a number of days equal to the Princess’ Inner Light.
 * Exceptional Success: The ghost finds manifesting near the object an easy feat. The new anchor gains the Open Condition.

Purgation (•••, Tempesta ••••)

 * Action: Extended, 5 minutes/roll, threshold = Severity of the closest Taint Focus
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Occult
 * Cost: 2 Wisps, 1 resistant lethal damage
 * Duration: lasting

The Noble invokes the power of the Queen of Storms to scour away the Darkness with blood. To use Purgation, the Noble cuts herself and drips blood from the cut onto a Tainted area. As she continues to invoke Purgation the blood writhes and boils, channeling the endless fury of the Queen of Storms. When she reaches the threshold the nearest Focus immediately catches alight with green fire. This destroys all the Curses associated with that focus.

The green fire that is created by this Charm is mostly mundane. It spreads or dies like an ordinary fire, it does however burn in both the Tainted Place and the Dark World beneath it. The fire created by Purgation is Intensity 2, but against creatures of the Dark or the physical structure of the Tainted place it acts as Intensity 3. The initial Size of the flame based on the Size of the focus. It only lasts one turn unless something other than the focus catches alight. If the fire does spread, and it reaches the border of the Tainted place, any flames that cross the border will be completely mundane orange fire.

If the Noble is interrupted she must begin the Charm from scratch; her spilt blood bubbles and boils, evaporating in seconds.

=Four-dot Charms=

Forced Vows are No Vows (••••)

 * Action: Full turn
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Occult
 * Cost: 2 Wisps, 1 Willpower
 * Duration: lasting

Many supernatural beings have the power to give a promise the force of a natural law, calling on Fate itself to punish an oathbreaker. And all too many of those abuse that power, gaining great advantages from the promiser and giving mere crumbs in return. The Light has empowered the Noble to correct such injustice. This Charm is used on a person who has sworn a supernaturally enforced oath; the target must not have broken the oath yet.
 * Dramatic Failure: The oath’s enforcer regards the Charm as a breach of promise. The target suffers all the consequences of breaking the oath, and the Noble reaches a breaking point.
 * Failure: The oath remains in force.
 * Success: The Noble begins negotiating with the oath’s enforcer. The negotiation is an extended Social action with an interval of 1 turn/roll; the Storyteller sets the threshold. If the action succeeds the Noble can rewrite the terms of the oath, or cancel it altogether. A rewritten oath can’t set terms beyond the power of the being who sealed the oath; the new terms must be ones the target could have sworn to and be bound by when the old oath was made.
 * Exceptional Success: The Noble becomes a very persuasive negotiator; she gains a +2 bonus to her rolls

in the negotiation. Modifiers: The Noble doesn’t know the oath’s real terms (-1 to -3), the Noble has tried to alter the oath before (-2 for each previous failed attempt)

Unweaving (••••)
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Disciplines, Gifts and Contracts. Oh My!
Can a Princess unravel a Gift, or unpick a Contract? Well no. By default a Princess can only use Unweaving on magic created by Princesses, the Dark and other things found in the Princess books. Even when a Gift is mechanically similar to a Charm they are metaphysically different enough that a Princess cannot unpick the threads and end the magic.

This is true, unless you, the Storyteller, decide it is not. Allowing Princesses to undo the magic of others is certainly an advantage over other creatures, but if all the players are Princesses or the other creatures are given an equivalent ability to undo Charms this might not be a problem. You might choose to allow Unweaving to work against all forms of magic, at say a -2 penalty for targets unrelated to Princesses (waive the penalty if the Princess belongs to an appropriate Embassy).
 * }
 * Action: Reactive and resisted
 * Dice pool: Dexterity + Occult - target Charm’s effective rating
 * Cost: 2 Wisps
 * Duration: lasting

To unravel magical defenses, to unpick a curse upon a beloved little sister, to tear apart a hostile Charm flying at you. There are many reasons why one Noble might need to unweave the Charms of another; this Charm allows her to do so. Unweaving may be used against another Charm when it activates, or on a Charm already activated after several minutes of close study.

The Noble can also unweave the dreadful powers learned by Dark creatures. Unweaving may be used against an activated Caligo, either when it activates or while it’s in effect. Permanent Caligines and Umbrae can’t be unwoven.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Noble strains her own magic. She gains a Hypersensitive Condition that expires when the scene ends.
 * Failure: The target Charm is unaffected.
 * Success: The Noble disrupts the target Charm. If it was in place its duration ends immediately; if it’s being activated, it fails automatically.
 * Exceptional Success: A Charm intercepted as it activates has an automatic dramatic failure. Otherwise, the Noble gains insight into the Hopeful who created the target Charm, gaining the Informed Condition [CofD 289] for tasks related to her.
 * Suggested modifiers: the target Charm is cast on a human (including Sworn and Princesses) (+2), the target Charm is cast on something other than a living being (-2), the Princess knows a Charm from the same family (+1), the Princess knows the target Charm (+3), the Princess applies an emotionally appropriate Invocation, such as Fuoco to unpick magic that turns love to loathing or Acqua to remove a curse of ignorance (+2), the Princess applies an elementally appropriate Invocation, such as Acqua to extinguish a magical fire (+2), the Princess applies an emotionally or elementally inappropriate Invocation (-2).

Accept Fealty (••••, Invocation •••)

 * Action: Extended, 10 minutes/roll, threshold = target’s Willpower
 * Dice pool: Presence + Persuasion
 * Cost: 1 Wisp/roll, 1 Willpower dot
 * Duration: lasting

With this ceremony, the Princess swears a mortal into the service of the Queen she follows. When she reaches the threshold, the target becomes one of the Sworn, with the traits and drawbacks of that template. The target must understand what he is doing, and do it voluntarily; on an unknowing or unwilling target, the Charm fails. It also fails on mortals steeped in villainy; the target must not have Vice-Ridden [CofD 46]. Each Queen has a different version of this Charm, and a Princess can learn and use only the one for her own Queen.

A Bequest of any Queen’s version of Accept Fealty fails to work unless used by someone loyal to that Queen who has at least 3 dots in her Invocation. Thus a Beacon cannot use any such Bequests, and Sworn or Nobles cannot use a Bequest attuned to any Queen but their own, and not even that except after long study of their Queen’s magic.

Publican (••••, Lacrima •••)

 * Requires Charge
 * Action: Extended, 10 minutes/roll, threshold = Sanctuary
 * Dice pool: Intelligence + Politics
 * Cost: (Rating of Sanctuary + 1) Wisps, Sensitivity check at +2
 * Duration: indefinite

The Princess has a commission to collect the tax of hope rightfully owed to Alhambra from a territory in the Rebellious Provinces. The Charm affects an area, which the Princess must walk through and study carefully to activate the Charm.

When she reaches the threshold, the area gains the Tax-Farmed Condition, making it possible for her to extract Wisps from it. The activation dice pool is modified if the target area is Tainted or Blessed: each dot of a Tainted area’s Severity gives a -1 penalty, each dot of a Blessed area’s Beauty gives a +1 bonus.

Upgrade: Anonymous

 * Modified by Sympathy
 * Cost: +1 Wisp

After the Princess has created the Tax-Farmed Condition, she may draw Wisps from the target area without visiting it, applying the Sympathy modifier to her dice pool. She must still be in an area to activate the Charm on it and create the Condition there.

Upgrade: Seeded

 * Requires Seed of Light with Bereaved
 * Cost: +1 Willpower

After the Princess has created the Tax-Farmed Condition, she may convert the Wisps drawn from the target area directly into Seeds, instead of adding them to the Princess’ pool.

=Five-dot Charms=

I am Become Light (•••••, Fuoco ••••)

 * Avatar (Swords)
 * Action: Instant
 * Dice pool: Resolve + Intimidation
 * Cost: 3 Wisps, 1 Willpower
 * Duration: 1 scene

The Princess’ Regalia shifts into garments of pure Light, flowing cloth of sunlight, and garbed like this with a pure heart, she may walk among things not of the light, and know that they are the ones at the disadvantage.
 * Dramatic Failure: The Princess’ phylactery shatters, and she reverts to mundane form. The normal procedures for obtaining a new phylactery must be followed.
 * Failure: White light scintillates from the Princess' clothes, but there is no further effect.
 * Success: The Princess goes through a second transformation, her normal Regalia replaced with ones of even greater purity. The shift releases a burst of the Light that burns away magics alien to it; all activated supernatural powers not of the Light currently extant within a radius of Inner Light + successes yards must win a Clash of Wills or be dispelled. Powers that did not require activation remain intact. Further, for the duration, the following rules apply within a radius of Inner Light + activation successes yards of her person:
 * The area is illuminated by true sunlight, acting as such for all mystical purposes (e.g. a vampire will take damage as long as he remains there.)
 * All supernatural powers not of the Light take a penalty equal to the activation successes on their activation rolls. Powers that do not have an activation roll are not affected, but anyone benefiting from one or more such powers suffers a -1 penalty to all rolls.
 * All creatures of the Darkness reflexively roll Resolve + Composure, penalized by the activation successes. Characters that fail this roll gain the Terrified Condition, focused on the Princess; on an ordinary success they gain the Fearful Condition; only an exceptional success leaves them unfazed by the Princess' light. If a Tainted area is close by a Terrified creature of the Darkness will probably flee to the Dark World through it.
 * Exceptional Success: The extra successes are their own reward.