[Ex3] Building Zsofika, The Kite Flute, Second Circle Demon

[ElfSpeaker]

I've taken a stab at converting Zsofika to Ex3 rules since I'm planning on using her in upcoming sessions of my campaign. She should be a threat, especially while on the hunt, even to Exalted prey. I'd like any feedback you have on my design. I've included design notes where relevant.

Also, I'm considering starting a blog to post the work that I do for my own game for others to use. I'd also take requests for NPC design. Would anyone here be interested in following that?

Zsofika, The Kite Flute Essence: 6; Willpower: 9; Join Battle: 10 dice
Personal Motes: 110
Health Levels: -0x1/-1x6/-2x6/-4x4/Incap
[I wasn't sure what to do for health levels. This is based on the other second circle demons presented in the core book.]
Actions:

• Performance 9 dice (Kite Flutes +3)
• Read Omens 11 dice
• Senses 11 dice
• Tracking 14 dice

[I feel like she should have some more actions, but I'm not sure what.]
Appearance 4, Resolve 5, Guile 3
Combat

• Attack (Wicked hunting blades): 14 dice (+2 for Clash attacks, damage 14, minimum 2)
• Attack (Nails): 16 dice (damage 10)
• Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (8 to control)
• Combat Movement: 9 dice
  Evasion 6, Parry 4
  Soak/Hardness: 15/8 (Steel-hard skin)

Example Intimacies

• Defining: I will track, kill. and devour the prey of my sacred hunt.
• Major: Jacint, the Prince Upon the Tower
• Major: Music and Storms (Fascination)
• Minor: Progeny (Predatory Adoration)

Merits

• Cult 2: Zsofika receives worship through ritual hunts; practices which the Immaculate Order has been unable to stamp out. In the South, where she can occasionally wander freely, Zsofika receives worship from those seeking vengeance, whispering the names of their enemies so they may become the subject of her hunt.
• Master of the Sacred Hunt: Zsofika always moves faster than the target of her sacred hunt, not matter the made of travel and she always know the direction of her prey.
• Spirit Cutting: Zsofika's attacks can affect immaterial beings, though she attacks as if blind (-3) if their location is unknown. Zsofika always knows the locations of her prey and does not suffer a penalty to attack it.
• Smoldering Skin: During the hunt, Zsofika's steel-hard skin heats like bronze moments before the metal turns molten. Each turn, roll one die to inflict withering damage to all characters withing close range. This die inflicts lethal damage to characters in initiative crash and trivial opponents. Zsofika leaves smoldering footprints and flammable materials in her immediate presence may catch fire.
  [I struggled with this one for a while, but settled on Anima Flux as a good way to represent this power. I've made in a Merit rather than a Charm since it's not targeted, and limited to the duration of her hunt.]
• Spirit Child Bargain: When Zsofika is unbound in creation, she bargains with mortals, offering her services as a huntress in exchange for leaving a pieces of herself within a host to grow to maturity. Lucky or powerful surrogates suffer unshakable melancholy bring the child to term while the unfortunate are devoured from within. These children are demon-blooded and all carry some mark of their mother.
• Standard-bearers of the Kite Flutes: During the celebratory hunt, until Zsofika's quarry is slain, a host of minor, spindly, ember-eyed demons bears her Kite Flute aloft as they follow her hunt. The Kite Flutes emit a keening hunting anthem that inflicts unreasoning terror upon those who hear it. Roll Zsofika's Kite Flute Performance (12 dice) against the Resolve of all who hear the music. Insignificant character cower in fear or flee. All other characters subtract one success from any actions that do not involve escaping the scene. Characters may resist this affect for one scene by paying two Willpower. Characters with an Intimacy representing valor, courage, or a reason to fight fearlessly need pay only one Willpower. Beings with Essence higher than Zsofika’s are immune to this effect.
  [Somewhat adapted from the Garda bird's Fiery Terror Aura, though it has wider application and is only active during the hunt.]
  The standard-bearers are a size 2 battle group that takes no action other than to follow Zsofika and hold the Kite Flutes aloft. They do not participate in combat, but if slain, the keening of the Kite Flutes ceases. When struck, they dissolve into the wind and rain of the storm. As extensions of Zsofika's will, they cannot be influenced.

Offensive Charms

• Dragon Fan Dance (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse, Perilous, Uniform; Essence 4) Great fans open beneath Zsofika’s arms and darkness writhes up over her in the form of a great serpent. She rises with the serpent, then plummets down to strike at her target with blades like fangs. The player of anyone hit by this attack must succeed at a (Resolve + Essence) roll for his character. Otherwise the victim spends the next three actions in a trembling panic, only able to take action to dodge or parry attacks made against him. Zsofika stole knowledge of the Dragon Fan Dance from Gumela during the First Age, though the Jeweled Auditor himself no longer makes use of the technique.
• Infernal Might of the Hunt (2m+; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 4): Zsofika may add up to five successes to any roll at a cost of two motes per success as long as the roll furthers her sacred hunt.
  [Adapted from Octavian, limited only to pursuing the hunt to highlight Zsofika's focus.]
• Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): Zsofika moves with blinding speed, taking a flurry without the usual restrictions—she may flurry two of the same action if desired, and it ignores the usual penalties to dice pools and Defense.
• Storm-Stirring Lash (15m, 1wp; Simple; Essence hours; Eclipse; Essence 3): Zsofika's hunt calls the storm. Black clouds to darken the sky and strong winds to rage, creating a heavy rainstorm a radius that can range from half a mile to three miles. The storm forms over the course of about half an hour, generally too slowly to be applicable in combat. The storm follows Zsofika as she pursues her prey. The precise effects of the storm are narrated by the Storyteller, but it generally imposes a -3 penalty on ranged attacks and vision due to rainfall and heavy winds. Zsofika is immune to the inclement effects of her own storm.
  During the sacred hunt, this charm costs 5m and the willpower cost is waved.
  [Cribbed from the Storm Mother. I reduced the cost during the hunt so that she could bring the storm without sacrificing combat ability against her prey.]
• Truths Like Blades (5m; Simple; Instant; withering; Essence 2) Truths spoken by Zsofika strike like knives, leaving her foes reeling. Zsofika rolls Read Omens (11 dice) as a withering attack against against the Resolve of a target within Medium Range. If the target harbors a secret related to a major or defining intimacy, Zsofika gains double-9s on the roll. The attack ignores soak provided by armor. The base damage of the attack is 7. For the following round, the target suffers a -3 penalty on all actions. Limited to once per scene per character.
  [This charm is my own create based loosed on the words of power spirit charm from Ex2. I considered making this charm Perilous, but decided against it because I loved the idea of Zsofika using it to turn the tide of battle against an opponent who though she was on the ropes.]

Defensive Charms

• Living Plaits Evasion (2i+; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): Zsofika's hair has a life of its own and her plaited bracers pull her away from danger. Increase Zsofika's Evasion by 1 for every two initiative spent.
  [Cribbed from the Solar charm list without the benefit of the increased Evasion cap.]

Miscellaneous Charms

• Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Zsofika fades away and vanishes on his next turn,drawn instantly to her summoner’s side. This Charm is unavailable when Zsofika is unbound.
• Materialize (55m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Zsofika materializes with a thunderclap drumbeat and the Things That Dwell in the Corners stream out from her like pulsing shadows as the drumbeat continues.
• Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Zsofika can size up her victim and those who would defend her.
• Omens in the Storm (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 2) Zsofika sees the truth of the future in in the storms that surround her hunt. Pausing for just a moment, Zsofika sees clashes deemed inevitable by Destiny, but not the outcome.

[Sundance]

Always like to see Zsofika again, thanks for grilling her up. So just a couple of things I noticed. First, Smoldering Skin should probably do something extra against barehanded attacks or grapples to reflect not just the heat rolling off of her, but the pain of actually touching her. That could be a counterattack or some kind of buff to her decisive attacks. Also, Dragon Fan Dance is underpowered. It costs her a will, but I can ignore it with one success on a Resolve + Essence roll? Not to mention, it's strange to roll a static value as dice. How would an Integrity excellency work, for example? I would probably change the mechanics on it. Maybe make it a Wits + Integrity roll or something, and make the difficulty of the roll her Essence. And maybe with that upgrade, raise the mote cost, because that's a significant threat.

[ElfSpeaker]

Always like to see Zsofika again, thanks for grilling her up. So just a couple of things I noticed. First, Smoldering Skin should probably do something extra against barehanded attacks or grapples to reflect not just the heat rolling off of her, but the pain of actually touching her. That could be a counterattack or some kind of buff to her decisive attacks. Also, Dragon Fan Dance is underpowered. It costs her a will, but I can ignore it with one success on a Resolve + Essence roll? Not to mention, it's strange to roll a static value as dice. How would an Integrity excellency work, for example? I would probably change the mechanics on it. Maybe make it a Wits + Integrity roll or something, and make the difficulty of the roll her Essence. And maybe with that upgrade, raise the mote cost, because that's a significant threat.

Thanks for the feedback and good point about resisting the Dance. But rather than upping the cost, I'll give it a once/scene limit with a refresh trigger. Here's my new take.

Dragon Fan Dance (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse, Perilous, Uniform; Essence 4) Zsofika stole knowledge of the Dragon Fan Dance from Gumela during the First Age, though the Jeweled Auditor himself no longer makes use of the technique. Great fans open beneath Zsofika’s arms and darkness writhes up over her in the form of a great serpent. She rises with the serpent, then plummets down to strike at her target with blades like fangs. The player of anyone hit by this attack must succeed at a (Wits + Integrity) roll against Zsofika's Essence (5). On a failure, the victim spends the next three actions in a trembling panic, only able to take action to dodge or parry attacks made against him. This attack also allows Zsofika to pass over barriers such as low walls. Once per scene unless Zsofika crashes an opponent with Truths Like Blades.