WoA-SolarWar

Existing Charm Changes

The following section details the changes that should be made to the existing Solar War Charm set. Among these changes is a reorganization of the Charm Tree structure itself.

Mob-Dispersing Rebuke

Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Spd 5, or Spd 3 in long ticks)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Under the judgment of the Lawgivers, the unjust can only quail. This functions as a Scatter Opponents action that adds a number of automatic successes equal to the Solar’s Essence against a single unit within (Essence x100) yards, or within two Movement Units using War of Ages.

Additionally, any unit targeted by this Charm automatically has its maximum Morale reduced by one for the rest of the scene. If the Solar’s Essence is greater than the Magnitude of the targeted unit, this becomes a two point reduction.

No given unit may be targeted with this Charm more than once a scene. At Essence 4+, the Solar may target one additional unit for every 3 additional motes he spends on the activation of this Charm, to a maximum number of units equal to his Essence.

When used against a non-military Social group, this Charm simply treats that group as though it were a military unit. In such a case, the group has a Morale of the average Valor + the average Stamina or Resistance of its members, and no Drill (meaning it is much easier to disperse a random mob of bystanders than it is to get rid of a trained unit of military personnel).

Rout-Stemming Gesture

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mob-Dispersing Rebuke

With a gesture and benediction, the Lawgivers calms fearful minds and rallies the brave. This allows the Solar to perform a Rally Troops action as a reflexive action on a number of units equal to his Essence.

If used on individuals that are not grouped into units, the Solar may affect up to (Essence x100) scattered individuals within his rough line of sight, which the Solar can choose if he wishes. Otherwise, it affects the nearest non-enemy targets. This Charm causes targets to automatically succeed at their next Valor roll within the scene.

This Charm may also be used on those who have already failed a Valor roll, granting them an immediate re-roll of Valor. This use does not guarantee success, however.

Fury-Inciting Presence

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: War 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mob-Dispersing Rebuke

It is the duties of the Chosen of the Sun to lead Creation against inequity and injustice, and with a call, the Lawgiver may forge even the most rag-tag mob into a fighting unit ready to do just that. The Solar rolls (Charisma + [Performance or War]). Individuals whose Dodge MDV is lower than the successes rolled and who do not resist this natural mental influence are forged into a military unit of Unordered Formation immediately.

This military unit is limited to the Solar’s Essence in Magnitude; any additional affected individuals feel the desire to assist, but are not affected by the magic of the Charm sufficiently to form a unit. The Solar also gains a number of points equal to his War + Essence to divide among the Drill, Accuracy, Damage and Defense of the military unit. None of these may be rated higher than the Solar’s (Essence –1).

At Essence 5+, the Solar may actually create multiple military units, spending 5 motes per additional unit. These units are still limited in Magnitude to the Solar’s Essence, though the Solar may elect to organize those who answer his call into multiple units of smaller Magnitude, rather than a single massive unit.

Heroism-Encouraging Presence

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: War 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Spd 6)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, War
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Rout-Stemming Gesture, Fury-Inciting Presence

The Lawgivers reassure those who follow them with the mere glory of their presence. When this Charm is invoked, it immediately heals all Morale damage inflicted on the unit, and increases the unit’s maximum Morale by the Solar’s Essence for the remainder of the scene.

At Essence 5+, any unit being directly commanded by the Lawgiver also regenerates Morale at an impossible rate. When the Solar’s DV refreshes, his player rolls the character’s Essence. Every success on that roll heals one point of Morale damage to that unit.

Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army

Cost: 3m; Mins: War 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Infinite War Mastery

The armies of the just can hear the voices of the Lawgiver when he issues his orders. The Solar’s commands to his troops become instantaneous. A message of up to 12 words in length can be conveyed to allies and commanded units automatically within (Essence x100) yards or up to a number of Movement Units equal to the Solar’s Essence. When paired with any Charisma- or Manipulation-based War roll to affect his own units, this Charm adds a number of successes to the roll equal to the Solar’s Essence.

General of the All-Seeing Sun

Cost: 1m; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Infinite War Mastery

The Lawgiver knows where his allies stand beneath the light of the Sun. Activating this Charm grants the Solar the position and status of all units within (Essence x10) miles loyal to the Solar or to the cause for which the Solar is fighting. This includes solo units.

The Chosen of the Sun is given understanding of not just unit whereabouts, but of the lay of the land, as well as current status on those units, including damage inflicted, current Morale, formation and Magnitude. This information is instinctual, but the Solar may convert this information to a representational medium of some sort, such as a map.

When activated, this Charm can be used to extend the Planning Successes of a Tactical Plan by one success per dot of the Solar’s Wits. This can only be used while actually engaged and in the middle of using that Tactical Plan, representing the Charm's ability to allow a Lawgiver to modify such plans to take events of the battlefield into account.

Ideal Battle Knowledge Prana

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (Spd 6)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, War
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army, General of the All-Seeing Sun

In following the Lawgivers, others find unity and precision of purpose. All allied units within the purview of the Solar’s power instinctively know what is necessary, turning them into an eerily silent army of dangerously skilled fanatics. This Charm has the following affects on all allied units within the Solar’s Essence x10 miles:

• The need for Signal Unit actions is eliminated entirely.
• The Drill of all allied units is increased by +1.
• The Might of all allied units is increased by +1 (max. 3).
• The Solar may act as the Unit Commander for any allied unit within the area of effect for the remainder of the scene. In other words, he is no longer required to act as the commander for merely a single unit — he may make attacks with any unit that recognizes his authority within the range of this Charm’s effect, including using War Charms to augment their actions. Most such units have lieutenants to tend to their leadership while the Solar is occupied elsewhere, however.

Tiger Warrior Training Technique

Cost: 10m, 2wp; Mins: War 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Touch, Training
Duration: One week
Prerequisite Charms: Any Two War Excellencies

With but a short period of time, the Lawgivers confer excellence in war into even the weakest and most undisciplined of troops. With this Charm, the Solar trains a group of people as a military unit, and requires five or more hours of effort at some point during the Charm’s duration in order to bear fruit.

For each activation of this Charm, the Solar trainer may choose one of the following Traits to train. At the end of the Charm’s Duration, the individuals so affected gain an automatic one-dot increase in that Trait. If those affected are Player Characters, the amount of XP necessary to increase that Trait by one dot is added to the character’s Experience Debt total.

• Attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
• Abilities: Archery, Dodge, Martial Arts, Melee
• Virtues: Valor
• War of Ages Traits: Drill

The Solar using this Charm may not increase others’ Traits higher than his own rating in that Trait, but he may himself train using this Charm. In any event, this Charm may not be used to increase Traits above four dots, regardless of how high the Solar’s own Traits are.

Legendary Warrior Curriculum

Cost: —; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Tiger Warrior Training Technique

As a continuing outgrowth of his training skills, the Solar with this Charm imbues those he trains with some of his own divine excellence. This Charm alters the way Tiger Warrior Training Technique works. Add the following Traits to the list of Trains that may be trained with Tiger Warrior Training Technique:

• Attributes: Wits
• Abilities: Thrown, War, Integrity, Resistance, Survival, Craft, Medicine, Athletics, Awareness, Stealth, Ride, Sail
• Willpower (to a maximum of 7 dots)
• Broad Specialties: The Solar can devote one week’s training to a variety of rare and special techniques. Mechanically, these “broad specialties” grant their bonuses on any rolls where the specialty applies, without limitation by Ability, as long as it is a military application of some kind. These specialties are generally used to prepare a unit for specific circumstances, and so reflect those circumstances: Silent Communication for a team of silent commandos, Fighting When Outnumbered for guerillas and resistance fighters, Nocturnal Fighting for midnight raiders or Aboard Ship for marines. These cost four XP worth of Experience Debt.

New Charms

The following are new Charms, specifically designed for use with the War of Ages battlefield system.

Radiance of Devastation Command

Cost: 4m; Mins: War 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any War Excellency

Driven by the knowledge of their righteous cause, the followers of the Lawgivers unleash a terrible fury on those who oppose them. By spending four motes to supplement a War-based attack, this Charm allows a Solar to count extra successes on the attack roll twice for the purpose of determining raw damage. This does not include automatic successes gained from Magnitude or Might.

Administration of Heavenly Justice

Cost: 3m or 4m; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any War Excellency

The Lawgiver’s anima blazes high, and holy fire glints from the weapons of those who follow him. A unit — which may have a Magnitude of up to the Lawgiver’s Essence — has its Might rating increased by the Solar’s Essence for a single War attack. For an additional mote, this charm grants the attack the Holy keyword, allowing it to inflict aggravated damage against creatures of darkness.

Glorious Martyrs of the Sun

Cost: 3m, 1lhl (unit); Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Administration of Heavenly Justice

The Lawgiver’s soldiers are fanatical and dedicated to their cause, and strike at their enemies with the first opportunity — even those who assault the Solar’s unit do not come away unscathed. The Solar invokes this Charm after using his unit’s War DV against a War-based attack within range for his unit to attack. This Charm gives the Solar a counterattack at his full normal War-based attack pool, resolved as normal for such attacks.

Ten Thousand Shards of Morning Light Approach

Cost: 3m per attack; Mins: War 3, Essence 3; Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Radiance of Devastation Command

A sudden, instinctual understanding descends on those who follow the Lawgiver into battle, and they act with flawless cohesion and execution, seemingly performing a hundred different things at once. This allows the Solar commander to construct a magical flurry by spending three motes per War attack, receiving the DV penalty for only a single such attack. All of these actions must be War-based attacks, and the Solar may perform up to his Essence +1 such attacks in a single invocation of this Charm.

Gold-Clad Colossus of War Understanding

Cost: —; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Ten Thousand Shards of Morning Light Approach

As an understanding of the vicissitudes of war becomes part of the Lawgiver, his capabilities on the battlefield unfold like a deadly blossom. This Charm alters its prerequisite Charm, Ten Thousand Shards of Morning Light Approach. When this Charm is purchased, the rules for that Charm are changed by one of the following ways, chosen when the Charm is purchased. Additional changes to that Charm may be purchased at a cost of 2 xp apiece.

• Charm’s Keyword changes from “Combo-Basic” to “Combo-OK.”
• Actions purchased may now be used for any War-based action, rather than solely for attacks.
• Maximum number of actions becomes Essence +2.
• Cost to invoke Charm reduces to 2m per attack.

Unconquered General Strikes From Heaven

Cost: 4m, 1 wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ten Thousand Shards of Morning Light Approach

Who can gainsay the right of the mightiest Solar generals to lay the enemies of Heaven to rest? This Charm allows the Solar to perform a mighty War-based attack, guaranteeing that it strikes true. If the attack would have missed without this Charm, it hits, calculating its raw damage based on an assumption of 0 attack successes. This Charm does not change the normal rules for valid targets.