Gaian Charms

Gaia Charms

Not to be confused with Charms that possess the Gaia Keyword, the abilities that follow are a selection of Gaia’s “Infernal” Charms.
Unlike her siblings, Gaia’s nature resonates easily with that of all living things, and her Charms are comparatively easy to learn, requiring only that the student possesses at least one level of Permanent Communion. Typically this is limited to her servants, but under the right circumstances, any creature born of Creation can be sufficiently exposed to her essence to begin developing a bond to her. Any such creature that can channel essence can learn the following Charms from a tutor, though they require twice the normal experience cost and training time that Infernals require for their Charms. They must also possess a level of Permanent Communion at least equal to the Charm’s minimum Essence prerequisite. When a being gains at least 5 ranks of Permanent Communion, they become capable of developing these Charms without a tutor, and their costs and training times are halved.

General Charms

First Gaia Excellency

Cost: 1m per die
Mins: Essence 1
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

This Charm functions as do the First (Yozi) Excellencies, except that it only applies to actions that match Gaia's particular themes, as follows.
Gaia: The Mother of Life is tied to symbiosis and evolution. She is pure and primal in her savage splendour, and is always searching for what is missing in herself and in the world. She rests rarely, and is strongest when pressed to her limits. She cares for the world and for all life because she has given of herself to them, such that there is a part of her in the land and in every creature. The Maiden of Plenty acts on strong emotion and cannot accept cold logic, which in turn causes her to fear technology. Caught up in her own unlimited energy, she can be thoughtlessly cruel but remains beautiful even to the victims of her terrifying power.

Though she has immense vitality, she draws her strength from what she loves and will not do anything if she cannot commit herself whole-heartedly.
Characters can apply this Charm to actions in which they invest their passion, especially those that support their Motivation or Intimacies. Gaia enhances efforts backed by moral selfconfidence; though they may be subtle, deceiving or cruel, her power can still enhance a character's actions so long as they are being true to their own nature. She understands others and shows her glory best when she is completely unrestrained. Her power does not serve those who doubt themselves, and she has difficulty putting forth her full efforts when not in the presence of those things which drive her: when outside Creation, this Charm's mote cost doubles unless the character is in the presence of an object of their Motivation or Intimacies. It cannot be used to enhance rolls made to use, build or maintain magitech or to deal positively with creatures of the Underworld. The Mother of Life rejects the unnatural until she has made it change to suit her ideals.

Gaia Mythos Exultant

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: First Gaia Excellency

As with (Yozi) Mythos Exultant, this Charm enhances stunts to which the First Gaia Excellency would apply.
Gaia: The Mother of Life is a being of full-bodied passion and vitality, hurling the depth of her being into her emotional attachments. An appropriate stunt that resonates with the character's Intimacies in a clear and dramatic fashion, as decided by the Storyteller, is raised by one level in the same manner as those that match their Motivation (Exalted pg. 123).
Other Infernal Excellency Charms function for Gaia as they do for the Yozis.

Comprehension

One Form Understanding

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None

Though humanity has invented many languages, they all strive to express aspects of a world that every creature shares. Whatever methods a being may use to say something, Gaia can already understand what they mean, for she understands the world they come from. A character can use this Charm to comprehend those whose way of living is the same as themselves. They can understand the speech of any other human, no matter what language they use. This does not allow the character to talk back, to understand any form of recording or to automatically see through deliberate deception.

Infernals and Gaia Charms

As with any primordial, Infernal Exalted can learn Gaia's Charms. And, as with other primordials, those Charms can be learned by any Infernal once they have been taught to one.
But there's a catch.
Green Sun Princes experience the Yozis from their former mortal perspective, seeing them as immeasurably vast, mighty entities of infernal glory, utterly without peer in their own domains. They do not realise, not truly, the real depth of what their masters have lost. How can they? But Gaia is not merely a healthy and free primordial: she is the whole, unblemished and unrestrained Titan, the living expression of what it is to be complete and pure and powerful; even Autochthon is cold and calm and alien in comparison to Gaia's wild, passionate spirit. In tasting her nature, an Infernal will suddenly realise for the first time the true, terrible, unspeakable loss of those from whom they took their Second Breath; what they were, what they could have been, and what they should be, compared to what they are.
When an Infernal uses any of Gaia's Charms, they feel a terrible sense of loss that floods from the bonds to their patron, and must immediately succeed at a Difficulty 3 Temperance roll to overcome the surge of grief and outrage that attends it. If they fail, they immediately suffer the effects of either the Heart of Tears or Red Rage of Compassion Limit Breaks, as appropriate to their own personality. Partial control is possible, as is the recovery of willpower from expressing the unrestrained emotion of their Yozi master. This happens only the first time the character employs a Gaia Charm's effect within a particular scene. In subsequent scenes that take place within a day of a previous usage, the Difficulty of the roll is reduced to 2.
For the first [Compassion] scenes in which a Green Sun Prince suffers this effect, they may count each such scene as one spent building an Intimacy either for the Yozis or against their enemies.

Five Worlds Understanding

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: One Form Understanding

Within Creation there are five worlds: the world of green fields and forests, the world beneath the waves, the world of clouds and wind, the world of dry rock and hot sand, and the world without light beneath the earth. Each of these dominions of Gaia's Dragons is host to innumerable forms of life, beasts that have been born to live in their environment. Humans, too, feel a longing for the wild places, though it often remains buried underneath their higher soul. This Charm upgrades its prerequisite by allowing the character to touch on this sense of belonging and thus understand the worlds in which animals live, thereby allowing her to understand them as she can any human being. This does not necessarily mean that they have much to say; as a general rule, beasts will have trouble with any concept that is not linked to a physical or emotional sensation.

Higher Understanding

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: One Form Understanding

Though they may not suffer the same ills or see the same sky, all intelligent creatures think in terms of reason and language. They see themselves as separate from the world, but in so doing define their own connection to it. Intelligence is born in the world, in men, spirits and those races made by the primordials. This Charm enhances its prerequisite by allowing the character to understand the world of sensation, intuition and cogitation that all thinking beings share. This allows her to understand any intelligent being, including gods, shaped Raksha, most demons, and other races such as Jadeborn and Dragon Kings.
All three Understanding Charms together are still incapable of understanding truly incomprehensible beings, such as Unshaped Fae, the most alien Behemoths and the Neverborn.

Speaking From the Shared Mind

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: One Form Understanding

In understanding, one finds commonality; in commonality, a bond. In learning the nature of the creatures that she encounters, Gaia learns, grows, and can meet them on their own terms. A character who reflects that ability to adapt can, similarly, use her understanding of others as a link through which she can communicate with them. This Charm allows its user to speak with any creature that she can comprehend. Note that she does not literally speak their language: they simply find that, somehow, they understand what she means. Because of this, this Charm's communication does not allow any use of the Linguistics Ability, nor does it allow the character to make any kind of recording that can be understood as her speech is. The nature of the Charm also prevents the character from lying when not using an actual shared language, save by omission. The character still needs to actually speak (or use sign language, or make any other legitimate attempt at direct communication) for the Charm to take effect.

Evolution

Self-Perfection

Cost: Special
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: None

Gaia seeks endlessly to improve herself: out beyond Creation, she strives against unknowable dangers to find the next stage of her existence. It is the nature of life itself to advance as she does, constantly changing to conquer death and find its way to survival in any situation. There is now no environment in which there is not a beast that has developed to suit its role, and this Charm allows the character to achieve that same purpose of form.
This Charm can be bought multiple times: with each purchase, the character specifies one concept or purpose which they seek to attain. These should be of only a few words, based on capability ("strong", "tough", "stealthy"), environment ("aerial", "aquatic", "malfean") and/or role ("hunter", "guard", "traveller"). The character receives 6 points with which they can purchase Merits, mutations or Attribute dots, and can purchase more at 2xp per dot for up to [Essence x 3] points' worth of benefits. All such changes must, however, be in line with a single concept; each purchase of this Charm, adding another concept, creates a new "package" of changes that is tracked separately. All changes must be physical ones.
A package of alterations, referred to as an Ideal Form, can be activated for 1m per point used, causing the character's body to visibly transform. This lasts for one scene. Multiple Ideal Forms cannot be in effect at the same time; each activation of the Charm overwhelms any that have already been used. However, mutations from Permanent Communion can stack wherever possible.

Selection of Nature

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Self-Perfection

Gaia's splendour takes many forms, and each endures as only that which is alive is capable of. This Charm enhances its prerequisite, allowing the character to spend a point of willpower and commit an Ideal Form's essence cost in order to maintain the transformation indefinitely

Ascent From Man

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Selection of Nature

Lesser beings as they are compared to her, Gaia's creatures can paradoxically attain what she herself has yet to find: the next step upwards beyond their base, insufficient form. In purchasing this Charm, the character decides to forsake humanity forever, selecting one of their Ideal Forms and taking it on themselves permanently. From then on, this is the character's natural shape for all intents and purposes. Any other Ideal Forms that the character possess can be activated on top of this new nature. The character can take their old form temporarily by using Self-Perfection at the same costs that they used to pay for their new form.

Above the Rising Beast

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Self-Perfection

The world contains far more than mortal creatures; all manner of spirits and other supernatural entities dwell in Creation, and Gaia's spirit touches them all. The most magical creatures and the strangest manifestations of elemental energy are born from her, not just things of flesh and blood; the path of essence is a well-trod and worthy way to reach the next level of evolution. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing supernatural Merits and mutations to be purchased; the character receives a one-time opportunity to rearrange all Ideal Forms they possess in order to include these if they wish. The control that this Charm represents over body and essence also allows a greater measure of power, at a balancing price; the character can now add negative mutations and Flaws to their Ideal Forms, so long as they are in line with the Form's concept. This does not provide free points, but increases the maximum amount of alterations by an amount equal to the mutation or Flaw's value.

Blood-Spiral Forge

Cost: 5m
Mins: Essence 5
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Critical, Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: Special
Prerequisites: Selection of Nature, Above the Rising Beast

Locked into the blood of every living creature is a basic pattern which guides their growth and defines their nature. Formed of two threads joined together, twisting ever upwards, this pattern is born ultimately from Gaia and symbolizes her nature: the foundation of all mortal life, bound inextricably to Creation and its inhabitants, ever reaching to greater heights. These bloodspirals contain the secrets of shape that inform the abilities of the Lunar Exalted, and hold the life essence that feeds the dead. The Wyld taints them to twist a creature’s form, and the vengeful essence of Malfeas breaks them apart to bring the fearful Green Sun Wasting. But Gaia is their creator, and ultimately, their mistress.
With this Charm, a character in dire need can directly wield the essence of the Emerald Mother to temporarily reweave their own blood-pattern. Spiraling streamers of essence burst from their anima and reconvene about their body, forming into new shapes that better serve their needs. The player declares an immediate, in-scene goal (to kill a particular enemy, for example, or to escape a falling airship, or to rescue their lover from a stormy sea) and instantly develops up to [Essence] points of mutations or increased Attributes (priced as for purchase with bonus points) that will aid them in that purpose. The improvements last until they complete their stated goal, or until they are persuaded that it has become impossible to complete within the scene. If the stated goal is directly related to the character’s Motivation, their allowance of points is doubled. The number of points can also be increased by spending willpower (point for point) or by activating the Charm with a stunt that resonates with Gaia’s values, as described under her Excellency; this increases the points allowed by twice the stunt’s value. Dice pool increases earned this way do not count towards the limit on dice gained through Charms.

Danger

Death-Watching Aura

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None

Life exists on an edge; all natural beasts know that they face danger on all sides, and hold that tension in readiness to fight or flee at any moment. This Charm enhances that awareness in its user, allowing them to sense when mortal peril approaches. A character with Death-Watching Aura becomes automatically aware whenever they enter a situation in which their life may be on the line. This is of limited use in some environments; being in Malfeas, the Labyrinth, the Deep Wyld or similarly hostile surroundings will constantly register as dangerous. The Aura should be interpreted generously, however; characters can roughly sense the level of danger they're in, which is modified based on their own capabilities. A Full Moon Lunar, for example, will feel no danger when faced with any mortal opponent.
In the case of sensing other creatures who are a danger, this Charm triggers when such a being comes within the distance from which they could strike a death blow. This aspect of the Charm identifies which character is dangerous and roughly how much of a threat they could be, but not anything else about them. At Essence 3, this Charm becomes capable of detecting threatening creatures even if the character's other senses have yet to perceive them, so long as they are concealed only by mortal means. At Essence 4, the owner of this Charm can detect the presence of supernaturally concealed threats, though it won't give them their precise location - only the sensation that something dangerous is present.

Finding the Edge

Cost: -
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Death-Watching Aura

This Charm builds upon its prerequisite, enhancing the character's danger sense to the point that they can sense the precise moment when death brushes against them, whether it be the edge of a sword, a ton of falling rock or the presence of poison in their meal.
Whenever they're subject to a surprise attack or an unexpected lethal danger, they receive a reflexive [Perception + Essence] roll, on top of any other chance they get, to detect the threat and respond as if they had seen it coming. The difficulty of this roll is normally 1, but an enemy using supernatural stealth increases the roll to equal their Essence rating (or the rating of the Artifact they're using, if that's the source of the effect). This Charm can't detect threats that have no chance of killing the character.

Desperate Power

Cost: 1m per 2 dice
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 Attacker, Step 2 Defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Critical
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Death-Watching Aura

Mortal flesh and bone are stronger than most would give them credit for. Thousands of years of gods and Exalts have settled the idea that the bodies of mere men and beasts are frail and flimsy, but this is not true. What is true is that life limits its own power, holding back its strength to avoid doing damage to itself. In the face of death, however, the desire to live overpowers all else; Gaia knows this best.
This Charm can be used to purchase extra dice on Strength-, Dexterity- or Stamina-based rolls or static values, up to a maximum equal to that Attribute's rating. However, these dice do not count as dice gained through the use of Charms and can stack with any other dice-adding ability.
There is an extra price, however. When the scene is over, the character loses a dot of Strength, Dexterity or Stamina for each time this Charm was activated (this does not necessarily match the Attribute that was enhanced). If this puts the character to 0 or below in an Attribute, they fall unconscious. Attribute dots recover by one for each day of full rest for an Exalt, and one each week for an enlightened mortal.

Suggestion Refused

Cost: 4m, 1wp
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Critical
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Death-Watching Aura

The purpose of pain is to create fear, and fear is a ward against danger, meant to protect life. When pain and fear no longer serve their purpose, it serves life better to refuse their urgings. This Charm allows its user to overcome the fear of their own pain, allowing them to ignore all wound penalties for one scene.
At Essence 4, the Charm evolves, allowing the user to overcome all mortal forms of fear while it is in effect. At Essence 5, it protects even against supernatural fear.

Symbiosis

Feeling for Another

Cost: 3m
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

All living things in Creation are part of a greater whole. The grass that grows form the soil is devoured by cattle, who are in turn slain for the tables of humanity, who offer prayer to the gods, who serve the Unconquered Sun, whose light feeds the grass. Prey feed their predators, who prevent the prey from destroying themselves through overpopulation. Gaia herself takes strength from the wellbeing of Creation, and in turn, Creation draws its vitality from her. Through this spiritual commonality, one who has learned Gaia's ways can become as aware of others as they are of themselves - or even more. Touching another creature (which must be a Creature of Gaia) and activating this Charm allows the character to instantly perceive the target's physical well-being. They detect any wounds, scars, mutations, diseases or poisons and learn their nature and effects. Characters with any dots in Medicine can make instant, easy diagnosis and gain a bonus equal to half their Essence rating on any treatment rolls. When the user reaches Essence 4, the Charm becomes capable of divining a target's spiritual condition as well, revealing their nature (including Exalt type and Caste if applicable) as well as any ongoing supernatural effects. This Charm cannot defeat supernatural concealment, however, unless the user's Essence is higher than the source of the effect.

Sympathetic Penitence

Cost: 4m, 1wp
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple (Speed 6)
Keywords: Touch, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Feeling for Another

The Emerald Mother loves the world, and all her children who dwell within it; and it is her nature to feel pain when they are harmed. When people are wracked by pain and death, she takes part of their hurt on her own flesh, and this is what causes shadowlands to form as wounds in the essence of Creation. Those who emulate her can perform such acts of martyrdom themselves, relieving the hurts of others by allowing their own flesh and soul to accept that pain.
This Charm can be used on creatures on whom the character has already used its prerequisite Charm, Feeling For Another. This allows them to transfer health levels of damage from their target to themselves: they roll their [Compassion + Essence] and suffer health levels of damage equal to the number of successes they achieve, curing their target by the same amount. Aggravated damage is taken first, followed by lethal and finally bashing damage. At Essence 4, the character can use this Charm to take malevolent supernatural effects onto themselves instead of physical injuries. To do this, their [Compassion + Essence] roll must score more successes than the Essence or Artifact Rating of the effect's source.
In either case, an unwilling (for whatever reason) target can resist the Charm if their MDV is higher than the roll's result, or by spending 2wp.

Shared Soul Blessing

Cost: 3m
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple (Speed 6)
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Feeling for Another

Imitating the benevolence of Gaia, who gives of her soil and her waters to feed all mortal creatures, the user of this Charm can share their strength with others. Committing 3 motes of essence, the character transfers one beneficial supernatural effect from themselves to their target, on whom the character has already used its prerequisite Charm, Feeling For Another. This can be an effect caused by a non-Permanent Charm, a Spell or an activated Artifact. The effect lasts as long as it normally would, and the character themselves cannot benefit from the same effect so long as the Charm is active.

Twin-Heart Survival

Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Sympathetic Penitence, Shared Soul Blessing

Those who speak with Gaia's servants often may eventually discover an unlikely-sound belief about their Goddess: that alone of all the primordials, Gaia is free from the threat of true death, able to survive and recover from injuries such as those that cast many of her sibling Titans down to suffer in agony as the Neverborn. This, they say, is because Gaia has bound herself to Creation and to all mortal creatures, allowing her to survive so long as they do; in return, they may elaborate, Gaia herself can heal the world of its ills… and would, were it not for the foolishness of gods and Exalted. It is at this point that one may feel inclined to cease listening, but the fact is that there may be truth in this belief, for those who use Gaia's powers can learn this Charm, binding themselves to another living creature to ensure the survival of both.
Selecting a willing target, the character commits the mote cost of the Charm to them and expends a dot of willpower. So long as that essence remains to bind them together, each character feels the ills of the other; in recompense, they will also protect each other from permanent harm. They can suffer the most terrible injuries, be ravaged by the worst diseases and poisons and even be "killed"; the other character will feel the pain of such wounds, suffering all the same penalties, but will not actually be injured. And so long as that other character survives, their partner will heal as an Exalt does until their health matches, even from seeming death. The only way to kill either character, or cause them permanent physical harm at all, is to do so to both.

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