War Charms

 Immanent Solar Glory (War) 

Cost: —; Mins: War 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: Mirror (Essence Engorgement Technique), Native Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm is identical to its counterpart in Lore (see Exalted, p. 218), save for its different Ability placement (in all points where the two Charms differ save for Ability placement, this version of Immanent Solar Glory is considered to take precedent). The two are, in fact, the same Charm, and so a purchase of Immanent Solar Glory in War counts against the total maximum number of purchases for the Charm in any Ability. Immanent Solar Glory is also available in Performance, Larceny, and Bureaucracy.

Dawn King’s Strife

Cost: —; Mins: War 4, Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: Mirror (Ash Child's Requiem), Native Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Elegant Dance of Bow and Blade

Locked away in the insane prison of their King’s body, the Yozis dream, and their sleep is troubled with nightmares of the Bronze Tigers. All too well, they remember the futility of opposing the blades of the Unconquered Sun, and they know that there is nothing—in Creation or beyond—that is not a weapon in the hands of the Dawn Caste. The character may cross-apply his Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown and War Excellencies. For example, the Solar might use his First War Excellency to organize a coordinated attack upon an Abyssal Exalt, and then in the very next tick use that Excellency to boost his Melee Parry DV against the deathknight’s attack. This benefit also applies to the character’s Infinite (Ability) Mastery, (Ability) Essence Flow, and Supreme Perfection of (Ability) Charms for the aforementioned Abilities. It is specifically incompatible with Divine Transcendence of (Ability).

 Elegant Dance of Bow and Blade 

Cost: —; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: Mirror (Ever-Ready Killer’s Tools) Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: None

There is no such thing as an unprepared Solar warrior. Effortlessly changing tactics to suit the shifting battlefield, the Lawgiver easily keeps pace with the desperate stratagems of his opponents. The Solar may reflexively change which weapon he has readied without the need of a miscellaneous Draw/Ready Weapon action. For example, the Lawgiver could hurl a readied throwing knife into one opponent, reflexively ready his bow, shoot a second opponent, and then pay one mote to reflexively switch to a slashing sword to finish off a third opponent, all in the span of a single flurry. Each shift per action after the first costs one mote.

Supreme Martial Instinct

Cost: — (1m, 1wp); Mins: War 4, Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: Mirror (Manifold Murder Arts), Native Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Elegant Dance of Bow and Blade

Solars of the Dawn Caste are the ultimate warriors, allowing an uncanny instinct for battle to inform their every action. Infusing his battle arts with Essence, the Solar’s comprehension of combat becomes holistic; his knowledge of an arrow’s proper trajectory may guide the path of his sword, and the instinct that turns his fist into a deadly weapon will continue to serve him when guiding knives into the vitals of his enemies. By paying one mote and one Willpower, the Solar raises his ratings in Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown and War to the value of the highest rating among any of those five Abilities until his DV refreshes. This is considered a natural increase—for example, if the Solar had Dexterity 5, Melee 5, and Archery 1, he would be considered to have Archery 5, and would be able to add up to ten dice to his Dexterity + Archery dice pools. Moreover, the Solar may use the First, Second, or Third Excellencies of his highest-rated Ability to enhance any of those five Abilities until his DV refreshes.

Certain Victory Formulation

Cost: 0m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, Native, Overdrive Duration: Two actions Prerequisite Charms: Heroism-Encouraging Presence

In the heat of battle, giving a Solar time to consider his strategy may be a fatal error. As the Lawgiver formulates a method by which his opponent may be dispatched, he experiences a surge of Essence to compensate his battle strategy. This Charm grants the character a ten-mote Overdrive pool. An activation of this Charm allows the character to gather one offensive mote per tick, to a maximum of ten motes, with which to fill this pool. If the Solar takes any damage to his health track or uses a Charm with one of the Four Flaws of Invulnerability (see Exalted, p. 194) during this time, his concentration is interrupted; the mote gain ceases and the character must repay the activation cost of the Charm if he wishes to resume the effect. The Solar must be in combat and inside a hostile enemy’s engagement range in order to use Certain Victory Formulation.

Cover Shrouding Movement

Cost: 3m or 3m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, War Duration: One action Prerequisite Charms: None

During the Primordial War, Solar generals often found themselves marching armies against foes whose very shoulders buffeted the skies. From such a vantage, all manner of horrors might be hurled on the heads of the Lawgivers’ forces. Only the peerless tactics of the Solar Exalted saved the Celestial Host from such a fate. By paying three motes and activating this Charm, the Solar becomes impossible to target for all opponents outside of his engagement range. Alternately, the Solar may pay an additional one Willpower when activating this Charm to protect a complementary unit he leads.

This Charm is accomplished by use of terrain; the character uses brilliant combat maneuvers to position himself in a locus of absolute tactical advantage. For one action, the Solar may continue to move himself and his army toward or away from his foe without reprisal. However, any opponent in combat who moves into the Solar’s engagement range may target and attack the Exalt. Cover-Shrouding Movement may not be used if the Storyteller determines that there is no possible cover for the Solar to employ. Note, however, that possible does not necessarily mean reasonable—a famous Solar general hid his army in the shadow of Mardukth as he moved his forces in for the kill.

Vanishing March Maneuver

Cost: 5m or 5m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, War Duration: One tick Prerequisite Charms: Cover Shrouding Movement

The Solars used this Charm to sow confusion amongst enemy forces and control the tenor of battle. Upon paying five motes to activate this Charm, the Solar makes a critical combat maneuver which completely obscures him to all opponents in combat outside of his engagement range, rendering him impossible to target. By paying an additional point of Willpower, the Lawgiver may extend this benefit to a complementary unit he leads. The effect of this maneuver is perfect: it does not require cover, nor will an enemy moving into the Solar’s engagement range negate the effect. The first time during a tick an opponent attacks a Solar using Vanishing March Maneuver, the attack is also considered to constitute a Join Battle roll.

Strife-Drawing Tactic

Cost: 6m; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Elegant Dance of Bow and Blade

The Bronze Tigers are cued to the very Essence of combat. Using a preternatural comprehension of all the modes and methods of battle, a Solar may force his opponent into a fatal showdown. A character who activates this Charm is so attuned with the movements of combat that he becomes difficult to attack from a distance. To compensate for this strain, all opponents in combat outside the character’s engagement range must pay an extra one mote surcharge on any offensive Charms they wish to launch against the Solar. In addition, all attacks made against the Lawgiver from outside his engagement range suffer a -1 external penalty.

 Behemoth-Slaying Attitude 

Cost: 7m; Mins: War 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive; Keywords: Combo-OK, Mirror, War; Duration: One scene; Prerequisite Charms: Mob-Dispersing Rebuke

It is the lot of Solars to stand before the titans and their creations, and to be unafraid—they were made to kill giants. The Solar sets herself into a battle rhythm which causes larger opponents to expose their weak points and get in their own way as they attempt to destroy her; their strength becomes her own. Any warstrider-sized or larger opponent suffers a -3 external penalty on all attempts to strike the Lawgiver, while her own blows ignore half the target’s soak and raise the minimum damage of successful attacks by two. The Solar also ignores any Magnitude advantages enjoyed by opponents who are considered to be solo mass combat units due to their vast size, such as Juggernaut. Finally, if facing landscape-scale opponents (such as Mount Mostath or Mother Bog), the Solar may always use that opponent’s own bulk as a point of concealment permitting her to attempt to re-establish surprise.

At War 6+, Essence 6+, while this Charm is active the Solar lowers by one mote (to a minimum of one mote) the cost of all Charms which create undodgeable attacks or cause attacks to be undodgeable, so long as those attacks are directed solely at warstrider-sized or larger opponents.

In Doubt of Legions Spirit

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: War 6, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive; Keywords: Combo-OK, War; Duration: One scene; Prerequisite Charms: Behemoth-Slaying Attitude

In the Era of Dreams, Solars of the Dawn Caste are as legends outside of time, relics of a Primordial War long ended, known for their ability to stand alone against armies. The Lawgiver’s insuperable tactics wreak havoc upon enemy formations, turning their numbers into a liability and lessening the effectiveness of their attacks. This Charm may be activated when the Solar fights as a solo unit. All attacks against her by complementary units suffer an external penalty equal to (the total aggregate Magnitude of opponents facing her on the battlefield) – (unit’s Might).

For example, if the Solar faced a force of 10,000 erymanthoi, split into 10 Magnitude 6 units, this would count as Magnitude 9 opposition, not magnitude 60. Since a unit of erymanthoi enjoys Might 3, each unit’s attacks upon the Solar would suffer a -6 external penalty. Were the units composed of mortal soldiers with mundane weapons, the penalty would instead be -9 (reflecting their Might 0).

The Solar also ignores any formation benefits such a unit may enjoy.

One With Strife Method

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive; Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack; Duration: One scene; Prerequisite Charms: Fury Inciting Presence

Some Solars learn to avoid conflict. Those of the Dawn Caste learn to revel in it. One With Strife Method enhances the Lawgiver’s capacity for violence, allowing him to use any of his combat abilities to make one free counterattack per action against each opponent that attacks him during that action.

Yozi Fighting Principal

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: War 8, Essence 8; Type: Reflexive; Keywords: Combo-OK, Native; Duration: One scene; Prerequisite Charms: One With Strife Method

Yozis are one of the greatest challenges a Solar will ever face in combat, for they are not one being, but hundreds. Yet none may stand in superiority to the Solar Exalted. Using Yozi-Fighting Principle, the Lawgiver’s killing instinct expands to encompass foes which are armies unto themselves. By conceptualizing all such combatants as intrinsically linked, the character may extend the actions he takes against one opponent to all of them, enabling him to face impossible odds and engage in legendary battles which form the heart of mythology.

While Yozi-Fighting Principle is in effect, any Charm activated against or in response to a networked being is considered to have had its cost prepaid for use against all other elements of that networked being. This cost discount applies until the Exalted’s next action tick.

For example: A Solar is attacked by Ligier and activates a Combo of Heavenly Guardian Defense and Solar Counter-attack, paying normally for this defense and counterattack. One tick later, he is subjected to a two-attack flurry by Ligier’s soul, Gervesin. The character may activate Heavenly Guardian Defense and Solar Counterattack for no cost in response to Gervesin’s first attack, but would need to pay for it against his second. Then, one tick after that, Malfeas himself strikes the Solar with a three attack flurry. The Solar may use Solar Counterattack and Heavenly Guardian Defense twice in response to the titan’s onslaught for no cost, but would have to pay a third set of activations.

“Networked beings” are considered to be creatures whose sum totality of being is encompassed by multiple bodies—Yozis and Primordials are the premiere example, but the Emanations of an unshaped raksha also count. This Charm is effective moving both ‘up’ and ‘down’ a Yozi’s chain of souls—an attack against Gervesin could roll over into a discount against Malfeas as easily as an attack against Malfeas could roll over into a discount against Gervesin. Attacks against Exalted are never discounted, though in the bizarre event that an Exalted somehow began growing subsidiary souls, attacks directed at the Exalt would provide a discount to then target her souls.

Exalted akuma form an exception to this rule—they are considered a part of the Yozi they have sold themselves to, and may be fully treated as such by this Charm.