Kyeudo
2010-01-14, 01:02 AM
The following is a Charm set for one of Exalted's canon Yozis, namely Szoreny, the Silver Forest. Let me know what you think.
Szoreny
Originally unassociated with the Reclamation, the time has come now that Szoreny, the Silver Forest, has chosen to teach his Charms to the Green Sun Princes to further his own plans.
First Szoreny Excellency
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
This Charm functions identically to the other First (Yozi) Excellencies, except that its benefits only apply to actions that meet Szoreny's particular set of criteria. A description of Szoreny's purview follows.
Szoreny: The Silver Forest is patient and determined. He moves slowly, but inexorably towards his goal, like a tree root splitting a stone. He opposes sudden action unless it is necessary, instead preferring to work subtly. He plans far in advance and plans for every contingency. He turns seeming failures into successes.
Being less than infinite, Szoreny expands his influence, growing greater with each passing day and stubbornly refusing to give way to any. He is verdant and full of life. Where the other Yozis ignore or mistreat their lesser progeny, the Silver Forest is relatively benevolent, providing succor to those beneath him. However, he values conformity and seeks to impose his values on others.
The Silver Forest prefers to work by misdirection. He seeks to confuse his enemies and attacks unexpectedly. He poisons his foes, either physically or by slowly cutting off their social and mental resources. Where possible, others do his dirty work for him
Additionally, Szoreny's Excellency may always be used to enhance any Larceny action to create a disguise. Szoreny's chromed branches easily reflect the images of others.
Szoreny Mythos Exultant
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
As with other versions of (Yozi) Mythos Exultant, this Charm enhances any stunt the Infernal performs that could benefit from the First Szoreny Excellency.
Silver Forest: Szoreny is a creature of patience, growing through failure until he reaches success. If the stunt fails, the Infernal still receives half the motes he would have gained from succeeding. The Infernal cannot choose to receive a point of Willpower instead.
Silver Gardener Spirit
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
The Silver Forest grows forever, expanding to fill the wasted parts of Malfeas with vibrant, silver life. This Charm allows the Infernal to recover a number of motes equal to his Essence for every hour he spends spying on others, planning for the future, expanding his influence over others, or tending a garden.
Additionally, the Infernal gains an additional Peripheral Essence pool capable of holding 10 motes. Essence from this pool cannot be committed to artifacts or spells and can only be refilled by Szoreny Charms that restore motes.
Seeds of Victory Prana
Cost: 5m per task; Mins: Essence 4; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Stackable
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Szoreny Mythos Exultant, Szoreny Inevitability Technique
The Silver Forest's victories build upon seeming losses. When the Infernal commits Essence to this Charm, he chooses one task with a definite end, such as "Destroy Sijan," "Free myself from prison," or even "Defeat my rival in battle." For as long as the Infernal continues to commit Essence, every roll that he makes that furthers that goal that fails grants the Infernal a bonus success on all further rolls related to that task until he finally succeeds on a roll related to that task.
The successes from this Charm stack with each other, up to a limit of the Infernal's Essence, so an Infernal who fails three rolls related to his chosen task would receive three bonus successes on rolls that work towards the completion of that task. If he then succeeded on his next roll, all the accumulated bonus successes would then be lost.
An Infernal can commit Essence to this Charm multiple times, once for each task he defines, but separate tasks do not stack with each other and their number of accumulated bonus successes are tracked separately. If a roll would further two tasks at the same time, only the greater number of accumulated bonus successes would apply to the roll. However, a failure on such a roll would cause both tasks to accumulate a bonus success.
This Charm lasts until the defined task is completed or the Infernal chooses to end the Essence commitment. If the Infernal chooses to end the commitment early, all accumulated successes are lost; Reactivating the Charm later for the same task would start with no accumulated bonus successes.
Thousand Words Picture
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
Szoreny speaks with images as fluently as some speak with words. This Charm enhances a dramatic action by the Infernal to create any sort of image. It could be a doodle, a painting, or even a sculpture, so long as it is not normal script of any sort. As he creates the item, he encodes within it a message or a meaning which can be of any length. As long as the image's creation is successful, this meaning is immediately apparent to anyone who views the image. While a social attack may be encoded into the image, only one social attack may be encoded per image.
Alternatively, the Infernal can create the image in such a way that only a select few can understand its meaning. The Infernal is free to define as many or as few individuals or groups that can understand it, such as "My Coven," "The Scarlet Empress," or "The People of Nexus."
Mirrored Meaning Confusion
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Illusion, Sorcerous
Duration: (Essence) days
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Words Picture
Szoreny's mirrored surface reflects not only images, but concepts and meanings. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he rolls (Manipulation + Socialize) against his target's Dodge MDV, adding a number of additional successes equal to his Essence but taking an external penalty equal to his target's Essence. The Infernal need not speak to his target, but he must be in his target's presence.
If successful, the target has the consequences of his social attacks reversed for the duration of the Charm's effect. His friends hear biting sarcasm behind his greetings, his closest lovers hear hatred behind his declarations of love, and attempts to insult his enemies get taken as compliments. As long as the Charm is in effect, all attempts to create or reinforce an Intimacy instead work to weaken that Intimacy or create a negative Intimacy, as appropriate. Attempts to create a compulsion to follow one course of behavior instead inflict a compulsion to do the opposite course of behavior.
This Charm is not Obvious, so the target is initially unaware of the effect it has on him, though he may become aware of the effect by observing its results. There is no way to surpress the effect, but it can be worked around. Unlike most sorcerous Charms, the Infernal can terminate this Charm's effect at will.
A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 5+ increases the duration to (Essence) weeks, while a third purchase at Essence 7+ allows the Infernal to make the duration indefinite.
Mirror Matches Movement
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Silver Forest needs no preparation to imitate another's face. Their movements are already his own. This Charm permanently removes the difficulty increase for attempting to disguise one's self as a specific person and also removes the difficulty increase for attempting to mimic that person without first spending several weeks observing the target.
Meeting Mirror Deflection
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror Matches Movement
No matter how fast a man strikes, he cannot outpace his own reflection. With this Charm, an Infernal perfectly matches his foe's attack, so much so that their attacks meet and cancel each other. This is a perfect parry that suffers from the Imperfection of the Silver Forest.
The Imperfection of the Silver Forest
The Silver Forest shows the world a twisted reflection of all that stands before it. It is his greatest strength, yet it derives from his ability to understand his opponents' every move and duplicate them. Accordingly, Charms noted as suffering from the Imperfection of the Silver Forest must use the same Ability to defend against an attack as the attack was made with. Further, the Infernal must have at least one dot in that Ability to qualify. For example, an Infernal armed with only sword could not use Meeting Mirror Deflection to parry an Archery-based attack, nor could an Infernal who does not have at least one dot in Archery. If the attack to be defended against is a spell, the Infernal must at least be initiated into Terrestrial Circle Sorcery or Shadowlands Circle Necromancy. Stunts are allowed to improvise appropriate methods of defense, so an Infernal armed with only a sword could throw the sword as an improvised weapon to parry a Thrown-based attack using Meeting Mirror Deflection.
Mirror-Strike Counter
Cost: 8m; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2 & Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Counterattack, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Meeting Mirror Deflection
Those that strike a mirror do so at their own peril. Those that strike the greatest of mirrors are fools beyond measure. When an Infernal uses this Charm to defend himself, he mimics his opponent with exacting precision until, at the very moment the attack would strike, he becomes his opponent.
This Charm supplies a perfect dodge, subject to the Imperfection of the Silver Forest, in Step 2 of attack resolution. In Step 9, the attacker rolls his attack as a counterattack against himself. This includes the effects of any Charms the attacker may have used to enhance the original attack.
After the opponent attacks himself, the Infernal reverts to his normal appearance.
Shifting Quicksilver Visage
Cost: - (1m); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Illusion
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror Matches Movement
Szoreny uses no makeup to mirror others. By reflexively committing a single mote, the Infernal can use illusion to alter his appearance as though making a mundane disguise, except that it only takes a single instant to do so and requires no makeup or props. Further, the Infernal is not restricted in how high his effective Appearance can be.
This illusory disguise looks, feels, and even smells exactly how it should, based upon the Infernal's (Intelligence+Larceny) roll, so it cannot be detected simply by touching the disguised Infernal. The disguise lasts until the Infernal uncommits the mote.
Charm Concept: Szoreny and Disguises
After the Primordial War, Szoreny was turned upside down by his rough treatment at the hands of the Exalted. In protest to this, Szoreny now refuses to show a truly perfect reflection of anyone except his fellow Yozis upon any of his silver branches. Because of this, none of Szoreny's Charms can provide a perfect disguise. They can eliminate penalties and speed the process, but it will always remain possible, if only remotely so, that ordinary sense will pierce his disguises and see them for what they truly are.
Impossible Form Duplication
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Shifting Quicksilver Visage
The reflections of the Silver Forest know no limits to the forms that they may take. This Charm removes all penalties and difficulty increases causes by attempting to impersonate someone of a different gender, age, or body type. Further, this Charm allows the Infernal to use Shifting Quicksilver Visage to impersonate anything of approximately the same dimensions as the Infernal, even inanimate objects. The Infernal can just as easily impersonate a fat man as appear to be a small tree.
Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious, Illusion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Shifting Quicksilver Visage
Images step free of Szoreny's branches to walk beside their original. On activating this Charm, the Infernal creates a number of illusory doubles of himself equal to his Essence. These doubles look exactly like the Infernal and nothing short of a perfect detection effect (not merely Essence sight) can tell them apart.
The Infernal can reflexively direct their actions, having them take any action he is capable of. The illusions are not real, however, so they cannot truly interact with anything. The doubles initially occupy the exact same position as the Infernal, but they can move at the same rate as the Infernal himself. This gives the appearance that the Infernal just separated into multiple copies when invoked.
The Infernal can pass through his own doubles without destroying them, but any other object that passes through them destroys them. They have the Infernal's Dodge DV, but no Parry DV.
The Infernal can only have one set of doubles at a given time. If he uses this Charm again, his existing doubles shatter like glass as the new set forms.
Shattered Mirror Defense
Cost: - (+3m); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Making illusions takes less than a thought for the Silver Forest. This Charm improves its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to activate Mirror-Hall Misdirection in response to an attack as a Reflexive Charm by paying an additional three motes.
Instead of the attack hitting the Infernal, one of his illusory doubles takes the attack instead, while he and his remaining doubles are instantly shifted to any location within (Essence) yards he could reach by normal movement.
This provides an automatic dodge against most attacks, but cannot be used to defend against undodgeable attacks or unexpected attacks. If the attack affects an area and using Shatter-Mirror Defense does not remove the Infernal from the area, he is still affected.
Same Sword Reflection
Cost: 3m per duplicate; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
The same image can reflect endlessly upon the Silver Forest's branches. This Charm duplicates the Infernal's attack with incomplete reflections, turning one blow or one arrow into many swinging swords or a hailstorm of shafts. Each duplicated attack costs three motes and the Infernal can duplicate his attack a number of times equal to his Essence score. Treat the original attack and the duplicates as a single attack for making an attack roll and applying DV, but if the attack hits, each duplicate deals damage seperately.
Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: <>
Keywords: Illusion, Touch, Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Finding the Silver Forest is easy. Finding Szoreny when he does not wish to be found is impossible. Upon activating this Charm, the Infernal causes the object or creature he touches (which could be himself) to become impossible to find by any means as long as it is near at least (11 - Essence) objects or creatures similar in appearance, such as a daiklave in a rack of swords, a single tree in a grove, or a single person on a crowded street. Note that this is based on appearances, so an Infernal disguising himself as a tree could not use this Charm to hide himself among humans. The affected creature or object must be fairly similar to those around it to be hidden by this, so a pine tree in an oak grove or a blood-drenched Infernal in full armor at a dinner party would be as obvious as they normally would be.
If another Charm contests this effect, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
Lost in Reflection
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Sorcerous, Illusion, Combo-Ok
Duration: (Essence) days
Prerequisite Charms: Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Those who displease the Silver Forest find themselves caught within his boundaries, cursed to wander lost until the Yozi chooses to spare them. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he chooses a creature or a group of creatures with Magnitude no more than his (Essence - 2) that is within his sight. He rolls (Manipulation + Survival) against the highest Dodge MDV in the group, adding his Essence in automatic successes and applying a penalty equal to the group's Magnitude. If successful, the targeted group becomes supernaturally lost.
Any time an affected creature wanders more than 30 yards from where it was at the time it was affected, it loses all ability to tell direction and identify landmarks. It wanders lost for about an hour before returning to its original location. If anyone attempts to take pity on an afflicted creature and lead them somewhere, this Charm momentarily includes the would-be good Samaritan, causing both to wander lost before returning to their original location. This only persists for as long as they attempt to help an afflicted creature. As soon as they abandon the creature, they regain their ability to navigate. If another Charm contests this effect, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
An affected creature can spend one Willpower to attempt a (Intelligence + Survival) roll against a difficulty equal to the Infernal's Essence. If successful, this Charm's effect is suspended for one hour. Wherever the creature reaches in that time becomes the creature's new original location for the purposes of this Charm. This Charm ends when the target has successfully navigated to a new location three times.
An Infernal with Essence 4+ can purchase this Charm again. Doing so allows the Infernal to reflexively renew the Charm just as it would end, if the Infernal so chooses. He need not have the original target or targets in sight when he does so.
Mirror-Maze Navigation
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Szoreny is never lost within himself. This Charm enhances any attempt by the Infernal to find a person, place, or object, guaranteeing success. The Infernal learns the distance and direction to the sought after person, place, or object. If the Infernal is attempting to track the target of this Charm, he automatically gets (his target's successes +1) successes on the opposed roll for the tracking contest. The Infernal must know exactly what he seeks or this Charm will lead him only to the nearest person, place, or object matching the general description he seeks. This Charm cannot read minds, so it cannot do things such as lead the character to someone who knows the answer to a question or lead him to his nearest unknown enemy.
If another Charm contests this effect, such as to keep a character hidden or untrackable, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
Freed From the Mirror
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -1)
Keywords: Obvious, Touch, Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Szoreny's silvered bark reflects all, not only himself. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he lays hand on some creature or object no bigger than himself and gently pulls its reflection away from it. The reflection comes free in the Infernal's hand as a physical object, identical in function to the original and almost identical in appearance. If a character is attuned to the original, it is automatically attuned to the mirror at no additional cost. Creatures mirrored this way create a lifelike but immobile statue of themselves. A successful (Perception + Awareness) roll against a difficulty equal to the Infernal's Larceny reveals some flaw in the appearance of the mirrored object that marks it different from the original.
A creature or object can only have one physical mirror in existence at a time. Attempting to use this Charm on creature or object already so mirrored automatically fails.
An Infernal with Essence 4+ can purchase this Charm a second time. Doing so removes the touch keyword from the Charm, allowing the Charm to be used on any creature or object within sight.
Wake the Mirror
Cost: - (+3m); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Freed From the Mirror
The Silver Forest's reflections are empty shells, waiting for Szoreny to fill them with purpose. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite. Whenever the Infernal uses Freed From the Mirror to create a mirror of a creature, he can increase the cost by an additional three motes to give the mirror a semblance of life. It can still be told apart from the original as normal for Freed From the Mirror and has no Charms, but otherwise has all the same statistics and mannerisms as the original, including whatever gear the original was carrying. If the original was attuned to an artifact, the animated mirror is attuned to its duplicate.
The mirror does not know any of the original's secrets or memories, but if engaged in ordinary conversation will attempt to respond suitably with information drawn from the Infernal's knowledge.
The animate mirror always follows the Infernal's orders without question and to the best of its ability. Animate mirrors are considered Extras and follow all appropriate rules. An animated mirror shatters like glass and crumbles to nothing when it dies or its duration ends.
Thousand Reflections Legion
Cost: 10m, 2wp; Mins: Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: War, Sorcerous, Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Wake the Mirror
The Silver Forest's myriad reflections are all the army Szoreny will ever need. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he creates dozens of mirror copies of himself, all animated and capable.
These copies form up with the original as a unit of extras with a magnitude equal to the Infernal's Essence.
The copies are only extras and have no Charms, so they have a base Might of 1, but they are armed identically to the Infernal himself and attuned to their weapons (if necessary), which may increase their effective Might. The copies obey the Infernal's orders without question, so they have Drill 5 and need no relays in order to function as a cohesive unit. The unit has perfect morale and comes into existence in close formation.
Because so many doubles of the Infernal exist as part of the unit, all attempts to specifically target the Infernal with an attack suffer an external penalty equal to the unit's current Magnitude.
Image of Greatness Reflection
Cost: - (+5m,+1wp); Mins: Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Wake the Mirror
Szoreny is the only mirror great enough to hold the image of his brother, Isidros. Lesser images are but a paltry thing beside his visage. This Charm permanently enhances Freed From the Mirror. As with Wake the Mirror, this Charm allows an Infernal to animate any creature he mirrors using Freed From the Mirror at an increased cost. However, the cost is greater, an additional five motes and one willpower instead of three, and the effect is greater. An animated mirror enhanced by Image of Greatness Reflection is a heroic character, even if the original was not not, and so is capable of stunts and has a full set of health levels.
As with Wake the Mirror, animate mirrors are attuned to all the gear they possess (if necessary), are unflinchingly loyal and obedient to the Infernal, and do not know any of the original's secrets, nor do they have the original's Charms.
One Tree Forest
Cost: 15m; Mins: Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Image of Greatness Reflection
Though Szoreny is the Silver Forest, he is only a single tree. He is both one and many. Upon activating this Charm, the Infernal steps out of himself, creating an additional self. Both copies of the Infernal are the Infernal.
The new copy comes into being with copies of all the Infernal's mundane gear, but not his artifacts or other magical gear. The copies have separate health tracks, but share Essence Pools and a Charm activation - if one has activated a Charm and has not yet recovered from using it, the other can only activate that Charm. As long as one copy is alive, the Infernal lives. When one copy dies, its body shatters like glass and dissipates to nothingness, the Charm's duration ends, and the other becomes the Infernal. If one copy is aware of something, both copies are aware.
The additional copy lasts as long as the Infernal leaves the Essence committed to this Charm or until it is killed. If the Infernal chooses to uncommit the motes from this Charm, he chooses which copy shatters.
Szoreny
Originally unassociated with the Reclamation, the time has come now that Szoreny, the Silver Forest, has chosen to teach his Charms to the Green Sun Princes to further his own plans.
First Szoreny Excellency
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
This Charm functions identically to the other First (Yozi) Excellencies, except that its benefits only apply to actions that meet Szoreny's particular set of criteria. A description of Szoreny's purview follows.
Szoreny: The Silver Forest is patient and determined. He moves slowly, but inexorably towards his goal, like a tree root splitting a stone. He opposes sudden action unless it is necessary, instead preferring to work subtly. He plans far in advance and plans for every contingency. He turns seeming failures into successes.
Being less than infinite, Szoreny expands his influence, growing greater with each passing day and stubbornly refusing to give way to any. He is verdant and full of life. Where the other Yozis ignore or mistreat their lesser progeny, the Silver Forest is relatively benevolent, providing succor to those beneath him. However, he values conformity and seeks to impose his values on others.
The Silver Forest prefers to work by misdirection. He seeks to confuse his enemies and attacks unexpectedly. He poisons his foes, either physically or by slowly cutting off their social and mental resources. Where possible, others do his dirty work for him
Additionally, Szoreny's Excellency may always be used to enhance any Larceny action to create a disguise. Szoreny's chromed branches easily reflect the images of others.
Szoreny Mythos Exultant
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
As with other versions of (Yozi) Mythos Exultant, this Charm enhances any stunt the Infernal performs that could benefit from the First Szoreny Excellency.
Silver Forest: Szoreny is a creature of patience, growing through failure until he reaches success. If the stunt fails, the Infernal still receives half the motes he would have gained from succeeding. The Infernal cannot choose to receive a point of Willpower instead.
Silver Gardener Spirit
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
The Silver Forest grows forever, expanding to fill the wasted parts of Malfeas with vibrant, silver life. This Charm allows the Infernal to recover a number of motes equal to his Essence for every hour he spends spying on others, planning for the future, expanding his influence over others, or tending a garden.
Additionally, the Infernal gains an additional Peripheral Essence pool capable of holding 10 motes. Essence from this pool cannot be committed to artifacts or spells and can only be refilled by Szoreny Charms that restore motes.
Seeds of Victory Prana
Cost: 5m per task; Mins: Essence 4; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Stackable
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Szoreny Mythos Exultant, Szoreny Inevitability Technique
The Silver Forest's victories build upon seeming losses. When the Infernal commits Essence to this Charm, he chooses one task with a definite end, such as "Destroy Sijan," "Free myself from prison," or even "Defeat my rival in battle." For as long as the Infernal continues to commit Essence, every roll that he makes that furthers that goal that fails grants the Infernal a bonus success on all further rolls related to that task until he finally succeeds on a roll related to that task.
The successes from this Charm stack with each other, up to a limit of the Infernal's Essence, so an Infernal who fails three rolls related to his chosen task would receive three bonus successes on rolls that work towards the completion of that task. If he then succeeded on his next roll, all the accumulated bonus successes would then be lost.
An Infernal can commit Essence to this Charm multiple times, once for each task he defines, but separate tasks do not stack with each other and their number of accumulated bonus successes are tracked separately. If a roll would further two tasks at the same time, only the greater number of accumulated bonus successes would apply to the roll. However, a failure on such a roll would cause both tasks to accumulate a bonus success.
This Charm lasts until the defined task is completed or the Infernal chooses to end the Essence commitment. If the Infernal chooses to end the commitment early, all accumulated successes are lost; Reactivating the Charm later for the same task would start with no accumulated bonus successes.
Thousand Words Picture
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: First Szoreny Excellency
Szoreny speaks with images as fluently as some speak with words. This Charm enhances a dramatic action by the Infernal to create any sort of image. It could be a doodle, a painting, or even a sculpture, so long as it is not normal script of any sort. As he creates the item, he encodes within it a message or a meaning which can be of any length. As long as the image's creation is successful, this meaning is immediately apparent to anyone who views the image. While a social attack may be encoded into the image, only one social attack may be encoded per image.
Alternatively, the Infernal can create the image in such a way that only a select few can understand its meaning. The Infernal is free to define as many or as few individuals or groups that can understand it, such as "My Coven," "The Scarlet Empress," or "The People of Nexus."
Mirrored Meaning Confusion
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Illusion, Sorcerous
Duration: (Essence) days
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Words Picture
Szoreny's mirrored surface reflects not only images, but concepts and meanings. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he rolls (Manipulation + Socialize) against his target's Dodge MDV, adding a number of additional successes equal to his Essence but taking an external penalty equal to his target's Essence. The Infernal need not speak to his target, but he must be in his target's presence.
If successful, the target has the consequences of his social attacks reversed for the duration of the Charm's effect. His friends hear biting sarcasm behind his greetings, his closest lovers hear hatred behind his declarations of love, and attempts to insult his enemies get taken as compliments. As long as the Charm is in effect, all attempts to create or reinforce an Intimacy instead work to weaken that Intimacy or create a negative Intimacy, as appropriate. Attempts to create a compulsion to follow one course of behavior instead inflict a compulsion to do the opposite course of behavior.
This Charm is not Obvious, so the target is initially unaware of the effect it has on him, though he may become aware of the effect by observing its results. There is no way to surpress the effect, but it can be worked around. Unlike most sorcerous Charms, the Infernal can terminate this Charm's effect at will.
A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 5+ increases the duration to (Essence) weeks, while a third purchase at Essence 7+ allows the Infernal to make the duration indefinite.
Mirror Matches Movement
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Silver Forest needs no preparation to imitate another's face. Their movements are already his own. This Charm permanently removes the difficulty increase for attempting to disguise one's self as a specific person and also removes the difficulty increase for attempting to mimic that person without first spending several weeks observing the target.
Meeting Mirror Deflection
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror Matches Movement
No matter how fast a man strikes, he cannot outpace his own reflection. With this Charm, an Infernal perfectly matches his foe's attack, so much so that their attacks meet and cancel each other. This is a perfect parry that suffers from the Imperfection of the Silver Forest.
The Imperfection of the Silver Forest
The Silver Forest shows the world a twisted reflection of all that stands before it. It is his greatest strength, yet it derives from his ability to understand his opponents' every move and duplicate them. Accordingly, Charms noted as suffering from the Imperfection of the Silver Forest must use the same Ability to defend against an attack as the attack was made with. Further, the Infernal must have at least one dot in that Ability to qualify. For example, an Infernal armed with only sword could not use Meeting Mirror Deflection to parry an Archery-based attack, nor could an Infernal who does not have at least one dot in Archery. If the attack to be defended against is a spell, the Infernal must at least be initiated into Terrestrial Circle Sorcery or Shadowlands Circle Necromancy. Stunts are allowed to improvise appropriate methods of defense, so an Infernal armed with only a sword could throw the sword as an improvised weapon to parry a Thrown-based attack using Meeting Mirror Deflection.
Mirror-Strike Counter
Cost: 8m; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2 & Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Counterattack, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Meeting Mirror Deflection
Those that strike a mirror do so at their own peril. Those that strike the greatest of mirrors are fools beyond measure. When an Infernal uses this Charm to defend himself, he mimics his opponent with exacting precision until, at the very moment the attack would strike, he becomes his opponent.
This Charm supplies a perfect dodge, subject to the Imperfection of the Silver Forest, in Step 2 of attack resolution. In Step 9, the attacker rolls his attack as a counterattack against himself. This includes the effects of any Charms the attacker may have used to enhance the original attack.
After the opponent attacks himself, the Infernal reverts to his normal appearance.
Shifting Quicksilver Visage
Cost: - (1m); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Illusion
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror Matches Movement
Szoreny uses no makeup to mirror others. By reflexively committing a single mote, the Infernal can use illusion to alter his appearance as though making a mundane disguise, except that it only takes a single instant to do so and requires no makeup or props. Further, the Infernal is not restricted in how high his effective Appearance can be.
This illusory disguise looks, feels, and even smells exactly how it should, based upon the Infernal's (Intelligence+Larceny) roll, so it cannot be detected simply by touching the disguised Infernal. The disguise lasts until the Infernal uncommits the mote.
Charm Concept: Szoreny and Disguises
After the Primordial War, Szoreny was turned upside down by his rough treatment at the hands of the Exalted. In protest to this, Szoreny now refuses to show a truly perfect reflection of anyone except his fellow Yozis upon any of his silver branches. Because of this, none of Szoreny's Charms can provide a perfect disguise. They can eliminate penalties and speed the process, but it will always remain possible, if only remotely so, that ordinary sense will pierce his disguises and see them for what they truly are.
Impossible Form Duplication
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Shifting Quicksilver Visage
The reflections of the Silver Forest know no limits to the forms that they may take. This Charm removes all penalties and difficulty increases causes by attempting to impersonate someone of a different gender, age, or body type. Further, this Charm allows the Infernal to use Shifting Quicksilver Visage to impersonate anything of approximately the same dimensions as the Infernal, even inanimate objects. The Infernal can just as easily impersonate a fat man as appear to be a small tree.
Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious, Illusion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Shifting Quicksilver Visage
Images step free of Szoreny's branches to walk beside their original. On activating this Charm, the Infernal creates a number of illusory doubles of himself equal to his Essence. These doubles look exactly like the Infernal and nothing short of a perfect detection effect (not merely Essence sight) can tell them apart.
The Infernal can reflexively direct their actions, having them take any action he is capable of. The illusions are not real, however, so they cannot truly interact with anything. The doubles initially occupy the exact same position as the Infernal, but they can move at the same rate as the Infernal himself. This gives the appearance that the Infernal just separated into multiple copies when invoked.
The Infernal can pass through his own doubles without destroying them, but any other object that passes through them destroys them. They have the Infernal's Dodge DV, but no Parry DV.
The Infernal can only have one set of doubles at a given time. If he uses this Charm again, his existing doubles shatter like glass as the new set forms.
Shattered Mirror Defense
Cost: - (+3m); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Making illusions takes less than a thought for the Silver Forest. This Charm improves its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to activate Mirror-Hall Misdirection in response to an attack as a Reflexive Charm by paying an additional three motes.
Instead of the attack hitting the Infernal, one of his illusory doubles takes the attack instead, while he and his remaining doubles are instantly shifted to any location within (Essence) yards he could reach by normal movement.
This provides an automatic dodge against most attacks, but cannot be used to defend against undodgeable attacks or unexpected attacks. If the attack affects an area and using Shatter-Mirror Defense does not remove the Infernal from the area, he is still affected.
Same Sword Reflection
Cost: 3m per duplicate; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
The same image can reflect endlessly upon the Silver Forest's branches. This Charm duplicates the Infernal's attack with incomplete reflections, turning one blow or one arrow into many swinging swords or a hailstorm of shafts. Each duplicated attack costs three motes and the Infernal can duplicate his attack a number of times equal to his Essence score. Treat the original attack and the duplicates as a single attack for making an attack roll and applying DV, but if the attack hits, each duplicate deals damage seperately.
Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: <>
Keywords: Illusion, Touch, Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Finding the Silver Forest is easy. Finding Szoreny when he does not wish to be found is impossible. Upon activating this Charm, the Infernal causes the object or creature he touches (which could be himself) to become impossible to find by any means as long as it is near at least (11 - Essence) objects or creatures similar in appearance, such as a daiklave in a rack of swords, a single tree in a grove, or a single person on a crowded street. Note that this is based on appearances, so an Infernal disguising himself as a tree could not use this Charm to hide himself among humans. The affected creature or object must be fairly similar to those around it to be hidden by this, so a pine tree in an oak grove or a blood-drenched Infernal in full armor at a dinner party would be as obvious as they normally would be.
If another Charm contests this effect, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
Lost in Reflection
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Sorcerous, Illusion, Combo-Ok
Duration: (Essence) days
Prerequisite Charms: Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Those who displease the Silver Forest find themselves caught within his boundaries, cursed to wander lost until the Yozi chooses to spare them. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he chooses a creature or a group of creatures with Magnitude no more than his (Essence - 2) that is within his sight. He rolls (Manipulation + Survival) against the highest Dodge MDV in the group, adding his Essence in automatic successes and applying a penalty equal to the group's Magnitude. If successful, the targeted group becomes supernaturally lost.
Any time an affected creature wanders more than 30 yards from where it was at the time it was affected, it loses all ability to tell direction and identify landmarks. It wanders lost for about an hour before returning to its original location. If anyone attempts to take pity on an afflicted creature and lead them somewhere, this Charm momentarily includes the would-be good Samaritan, causing both to wander lost before returning to their original location. This only persists for as long as they attempt to help an afflicted creature. As soon as they abandon the creature, they regain their ability to navigate. If another Charm contests this effect, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
An affected creature can spend one Willpower to attempt a (Intelligence + Survival) roll against a difficulty equal to the Infernal's Essence. If successful, this Charm's effect is suspended for one hour. Wherever the creature reaches in that time becomes the creature's new original location for the purposes of this Charm. This Charm ends when the target has successfully navigated to a new location three times.
An Infernal with Essence 4+ can purchase this Charm again. Doing so allows the Infernal to reflexively renew the Charm just as it would end, if the Infernal so chooses. He need not have the original target or targets in sight when he does so.
Mirror-Maze Navigation
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Tree Amidst Forest Camoflage
Szoreny is never lost within himself. This Charm enhances any attempt by the Infernal to find a person, place, or object, guaranteeing success. The Infernal learns the distance and direction to the sought after person, place, or object. If the Infernal is attempting to track the target of this Charm, he automatically gets (his target's successes +1) successes on the opposed roll for the tracking contest. The Infernal must know exactly what he seeks or this Charm will lead him only to the nearest person, place, or object matching the general description he seeks. This Charm cannot read minds, so it cannot do things such as lead the character to someone who knows the answer to a question or lead him to his nearest unknown enemy.
If another Charm contests this effect, such as to keep a character hidden or untrackable, add the Infernal's Essence in automatic successes to the opposed roll to maintain the Charm.
Freed From the Mirror
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -1)
Keywords: Obvious, Touch, Combo-Ok
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Mirror-Hall Misdirection
Szoreny's silvered bark reflects all, not only himself. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he lays hand on some creature or object no bigger than himself and gently pulls its reflection away from it. The reflection comes free in the Infernal's hand as a physical object, identical in function to the original and almost identical in appearance. If a character is attuned to the original, it is automatically attuned to the mirror at no additional cost. Creatures mirrored this way create a lifelike but immobile statue of themselves. A successful (Perception + Awareness) roll against a difficulty equal to the Infernal's Larceny reveals some flaw in the appearance of the mirrored object that marks it different from the original.
A creature or object can only have one physical mirror in existence at a time. Attempting to use this Charm on creature or object already so mirrored automatically fails.
An Infernal with Essence 4+ can purchase this Charm a second time. Doing so removes the touch keyword from the Charm, allowing the Charm to be used on any creature or object within sight.
Wake the Mirror
Cost: - (+3m); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Freed From the Mirror
The Silver Forest's reflections are empty shells, waiting for Szoreny to fill them with purpose. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite. Whenever the Infernal uses Freed From the Mirror to create a mirror of a creature, he can increase the cost by an additional three motes to give the mirror a semblance of life. It can still be told apart from the original as normal for Freed From the Mirror and has no Charms, but otherwise has all the same statistics and mannerisms as the original, including whatever gear the original was carrying. If the original was attuned to an artifact, the animated mirror is attuned to its duplicate.
The mirror does not know any of the original's secrets or memories, but if engaged in ordinary conversation will attempt to respond suitably with information drawn from the Infernal's knowledge.
The animate mirror always follows the Infernal's orders without question and to the best of its ability. Animate mirrors are considered Extras and follow all appropriate rules. An animated mirror shatters like glass and crumbles to nothing when it dies or its duration ends.
Thousand Reflections Legion
Cost: 10m, 2wp; Mins: Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: War, Sorcerous, Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Wake the Mirror
The Silver Forest's myriad reflections are all the army Szoreny will ever need. When the Infernal invokes this Charm, he creates dozens of mirror copies of himself, all animated and capable.
These copies form up with the original as a unit of extras with a magnitude equal to the Infernal's Essence.
The copies are only extras and have no Charms, so they have a base Might of 1, but they are armed identically to the Infernal himself and attuned to their weapons (if necessary), which may increase their effective Might. The copies obey the Infernal's orders without question, so they have Drill 5 and need no relays in order to function as a cohesive unit. The unit has perfect morale and comes into existence in close formation.
Because so many doubles of the Infernal exist as part of the unit, all attempts to specifically target the Infernal with an attack suffer an external penalty equal to the unit's current Magnitude.
Image of Greatness Reflection
Cost: - (+5m,+1wp); Mins: Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Wake the Mirror
Szoreny is the only mirror great enough to hold the image of his brother, Isidros. Lesser images are but a paltry thing beside his visage. This Charm permanently enhances Freed From the Mirror. As with Wake the Mirror, this Charm allows an Infernal to animate any creature he mirrors using Freed From the Mirror at an increased cost. However, the cost is greater, an additional five motes and one willpower instead of three, and the effect is greater. An animated mirror enhanced by Image of Greatness Reflection is a heroic character, even if the original was not not, and so is capable of stunts and has a full set of health levels.
As with Wake the Mirror, animate mirrors are attuned to all the gear they possess (if necessary), are unflinchingly loyal and obedient to the Infernal, and do not know any of the original's secrets, nor do they have the original's Charms.
One Tree Forest
Cost: 15m; Mins: Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Image of Greatness Reflection
Though Szoreny is the Silver Forest, he is only a single tree. He is both one and many. Upon activating this Charm, the Infernal steps out of himself, creating an additional self. Both copies of the Infernal are the Infernal.
The new copy comes into being with copies of all the Infernal's mundane gear, but not his artifacts or other magical gear. The copies have separate health tracks, but share Essence Pools and a Charm activation - if one has activated a Charm and has not yet recovered from using it, the other can only activate that Charm. As long as one copy is alive, the Infernal lives. When one copy dies, its body shatters like glass and dissipates to nothingness, the Charm's duration ends, and the other becomes the Infernal. If one copy is aware of something, both copies are aware.
The additional copy lasts as long as the Infernal leaves the Essence committed to this Charm or until it is killed. If the Infernal chooses to uncommit the motes from this Charm, he chooses which copy shatters.