Draxar
2011-08-26, 05:11 PM
On his Twitter, The Demented One Said "Every time Cracked does an article on animals, Lunars get cooler." about this article: The 5 Creepiest Ways Animals Have Mastered Mind Control. After a conversation about that artcle on the #Exalted IRC channel, I had an idea for a Lunar charm brewing...
Instinct Twisting Parasite Infliction
Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1lhl
Mins: Manipulation 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Social, Sickness, Touch.
Duration: Indefinite.
Prerequisite Charms: Perfection of the Mockingbird
Instincts are powerful tools of survival. But the way they are built into the body, the nature of beings leaves them open to manipulation through the body itself.
The Lunar activates this charm during contact with the target — this contact can be an attack with hand or claw in combat, shaking hands, in the midsts of sex, or many other ways. A small part of the lunar's body stays upon the target, sinking into their flesh and taking on some kind of parasitic form; worms, weevils, whatever.
The target gets a Perception+Awareness roll, difficulty (The Lunar's Essence) to notice the the feeling of something sinking into their flesh, but the ST should apply appropriate distraction penalities, especially if the Lunar has gone to efforts to create distractions.
Once within the body of the target, the parasite attempts to engender a change in the targets reactions to certain stimuli. When he activates the charm, the Lunar must specify what kind of action the created instinct will push towards, and may specify what sort of stimulus will cause the instinct to manifest.
Both the action and the stimulus must be relatively simple. "Run away", "attack", "go outside" "get as high up as possible" are all suitable actions "write a letter to your mother" is not. Similarly "When in combat", "when inside", "when someone argues with you" are suitable stimuli, "When talking to a member of house Nellens" is not. The stimuli cannot be something totally unavoidable.
If the Lunar does not pick a stimulus, the instinct to do the action manifests once a day, either when the target wakes up, or if the target does not require sleep or is avoiding doing so, at a random moment chosen by the ST.
If the Lunar picks a stimulus, then the instinct will manifest when the stimulus presents itself, however the parasite has limited power, so the instinct will only tug at him once a scene, and twice a day in total.
When the instinct manifests, it acts as a Unnatural compulsion effect to do the instinctual action that costs 2 willpower to resist.
The parasite will persist as long as the Lunar keeps the essence for this charm committed (the health level and willpower costs of the charm are not committed), unless it is removed from the host (at which point it lets out a piercing screetch, and expires messily into silvery essence-stuff which quickly disappears). It is visible to All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight and similar effects. Beyond that, the victim has only the inexplicable urges he's labouring under and possibly the memory of feeling something slithering into his body to tell him what's happening to him.
To remove the parasite requires realising it's something within the body, diagnosing that it's specifically a parasite, and then locating and removing the parasite. Unseen Sorcerers Sight allows for the realisation, diagnosis and location, otherwise this requires something to prompt medical examination, a diagnosis roll at a difficulty of (Lunar's Essence) is required, followed by a treatment attempt at a difficulty of (Lunar's Essence). Charms may enhance this process as normal.
***
IMHO, the base concept for the charm is good, but it could quite possible use some polishing and perfecting.
So, what do other people think of it? I've vague ideas for upgrades for it, and perhaps similar charms that use parasites to other ends, but those can wait until I've got the base one sorted.
Instinct Twisting Parasite Infliction
Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1lhl
Mins: Manipulation 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Social, Sickness, Touch.
Duration: Indefinite.
Prerequisite Charms: Perfection of the Mockingbird
Instincts are powerful tools of survival. But the way they are built into the body, the nature of beings leaves them open to manipulation through the body itself.
The Lunar activates this charm during contact with the target — this contact can be an attack with hand or claw in combat, shaking hands, in the midsts of sex, or many other ways. A small part of the lunar's body stays upon the target, sinking into their flesh and taking on some kind of parasitic form; worms, weevils, whatever.
The target gets a Perception+Awareness roll, difficulty (The Lunar's Essence) to notice the the feeling of something sinking into their flesh, but the ST should apply appropriate distraction penalities, especially if the Lunar has gone to efforts to create distractions.
Once within the body of the target, the parasite attempts to engender a change in the targets reactions to certain stimuli. When he activates the charm, the Lunar must specify what kind of action the created instinct will push towards, and may specify what sort of stimulus will cause the instinct to manifest.
Both the action and the stimulus must be relatively simple. "Run away", "attack", "go outside" "get as high up as possible" are all suitable actions "write a letter to your mother" is not. Similarly "When in combat", "when inside", "when someone argues with you" are suitable stimuli, "When talking to a member of house Nellens" is not. The stimuli cannot be something totally unavoidable.
If the Lunar does not pick a stimulus, the instinct to do the action manifests once a day, either when the target wakes up, or if the target does not require sleep or is avoiding doing so, at a random moment chosen by the ST.
If the Lunar picks a stimulus, then the instinct will manifest when the stimulus presents itself, however the parasite has limited power, so the instinct will only tug at him once a scene, and twice a day in total.
When the instinct manifests, it acts as a Unnatural compulsion effect to do the instinctual action that costs 2 willpower to resist.
The parasite will persist as long as the Lunar keeps the essence for this charm committed (the health level and willpower costs of the charm are not committed), unless it is removed from the host (at which point it lets out a piercing screetch, and expires messily into silvery essence-stuff which quickly disappears). It is visible to All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight and similar effects. Beyond that, the victim has only the inexplicable urges he's labouring under and possibly the memory of feeling something slithering into his body to tell him what's happening to him.
To remove the parasite requires realising it's something within the body, diagnosing that it's specifically a parasite, and then locating and removing the parasite. Unseen Sorcerers Sight allows for the realisation, diagnosis and location, otherwise this requires something to prompt medical examination, a diagnosis roll at a difficulty of (Lunar's Essence) is required, followed by a treatment attempt at a difficulty of (Lunar's Essence). Charms may enhance this process as normal.
***
IMHO, the base concept for the charm is good, but it could quite possible use some polishing and perfecting.
So, what do other people think of it? I've vague ideas for upgrades for it, and perhaps similar charms that use parasites to other ends, but those can wait until I've got the base one sorted.