Charms:Obsolete


 * This section is probably obsolete. For the replacement, see New Charms

Beyond their basic abilities, Princesses can develop Charms, means of applying the Inner Light to perform supernatural feats. Charms are rated from 1 to 5 dots, and are organized into paths; to buy a Charm you must have all the predecessors on its path. (Many Charms branch into two paths; the Charms on one path don't require buying from the other.)

Most Charms are activated by spending Wisps (and Willpower, for the most powerful Charms) and rolling a dice pool equal to an Attribute + Skill + highest rated Charm you have on its path. That is, if you buy Balm 4, all your Balm charms add 4 dice to their Attribute + Skill dice pool. These are a few Charms that use a dice pool of Attribute + Inner Light, and others that don't call for activation rolls at all. The dice pools for Charms are calculated from the Princess' mundane Attributes and Skills, without adding the dots from her transformation -- the transformation and Charms both draw on the Light, and nobody can apply the Light's power in two different ways at once.

There is currently a new, revised Charm and Invocation system being discussed, though it's not finalized and might not even end up replacing the current one. To see it, go to NewCharms

Modifiers
Some Charms can be used on distant targets, or on multiple targets, by taking penalties to their activation roll. If a Charm's dice pool is modified by Sympathy, the strength of the connection between the Princess and her target affects the power of the Charm. Consult this table for the penalty to the activation roll:

If a Charm's dice pool is modified by Commonalty, it can affect all the members of a social group at once. If such a Charm is resisted, the member of the group with the best resistance trait resists for the whole group; for a contested Charm, each member rolls to contest individually. The difficulty of extending the Charm over a social group depends on the commitment the members have towards each other, or towards the common goal for which the group exists. Consult this table for the appropriate penalty:

Calling-Specific Charms
These Charms can only be learned by Princesses of a specific Calling.
 * Balm
 * Destiny
 * Kiai
 * Plainsong
 * Veritas

Elemental Charms
Each Queen favors one of the elements, and teaches a Charm that both commands it, and strengthens the other traits she favors.
 * Aqua
 * Aria
 * Fuego
 * Legno
 * Terra
 * Vetriolo
 * Vuoto

Other Charms
These Charms may be learned by anyone, though each Calling learns two of them more easily.
 * Aegis
 * Arete
 * Illusion
 * Salvation
 * Twining

Orisons
There is an Orison merit associated with each Charm. With the exception of Aegis, the powers granted by a Charm's Orison follow a strict pattern. The first dot gives you a persistent bonus in a specific circumstance, as long as you bear an emblem of some sort. The bonus almost always adds the 9-again quality to rolls of one Skill for a specific purpose. A Princess may use her phylactery as the emblem; mortals must dedicate an item as the emblem when they buy the merit, and lose the Merit dots if that item is destroyed.

The second and third dots are rituals that enchant the emblem from the first dot. The rituals are extended actions, rolling an Attribute + Skill dice pool, with a target of 11 minus your Belief or Morality; each roll takes one minute. The second dot's power grants some benefit lasting at most until the end of the current scene; the effect ends if you lose the emblem. The third dot's power is triggered by touching the emblem as a reflexive action; if you don't use the power before the next time you sleep, it dissipates without effect. Both the 2-dot and 3-dot powers cost 1 Willpower or 1 Wisp to activate.