How I wish charms were written

[BlueWinds]

Sounds good to me.

Would also be a good place to clarify what happens if your Initiative changes suddenly. Like...if I split my 12 Initiative into three 4-damage attacks, and my opponent uses Solar Dodge to steal one of my Initiative after dodging the first, what happens?

Done.

Looks better. I'd want to try it (preferably both versions) in play before drawing conclusions, though.

Any particular reason for moving the double 9s from damage to accuracy?

Unintentional move, but given how seldom it's worth risking this charm (if you're not sure you'll probably just waste 5m, 1wp), I may just leave it there to give a peripheral benefit even if you fail. Need to see it in play for sure.

Might be better not to require the anima to be paid when activating Adamantine Fists of Battle, since AFoB is the kind of Charm you wanna use at the very start of a fight.

Honestly I'm not a fan of paying anima levels as costs for things. But the neatness of how it'll probably feel to players when they use it overrides my flavor-dislike, so in it stays.

But anyway, Orichalcum Fists of Battle is back as an independent charm.

That would be cool, but Sorcery seems to be hard to break this edition. Can't even use countermagic against complete spells anymore.
Breaking Forms is narrow, but might be enough for a Charm. It was a thing in 2e, after all.

You can still distort spells - perhaps cancel MA form + roll Brawl vs. (difficulty) to distort personal-scale sorcery?

I plan to use this rewrite once it's done, but I don't wanna leave out the DBZ stuff. So I probably will.

Anyway, I just noticed something. Devil-Strangling Attitude is required for Dragon Coil Technique, so most grapplers will want to take it at some point. But in this rewrite, Devil-Strangling Attitude does literally nothing if you have Dexterity 5. This seems like a problem.

PS: Any thoughts on those Awareness Charms I posted?

Ah, point about Devil Strangling Attitude. Changing Dragon Coil's prerequisites so that DSA hangs, nothing depending on it.

I like the Awareness charms, will get to them tomorrow (busy tonight *^^*). I think a few of them could be made a bit simpler without hurting anything.

[BlueWinds]

Sanctaphrax Mkay, Awareness charms added in.

Curse Catching instinct, I allowed it to be supplemented but made the difficulty (curser's Essence). Also removed the ambiguous bit about being subtle - let's just assume they always are, and that's where the difficulty comes from.

I'm not sure about the power of Vulnerability Seeking Stare - I added 1wp to the cost, and removed the roll. Compare to Azure Abacus Meditation - it requires an aim action, but is otherwise better for the same cost. Rolling vs soak/3 just felt weird.

Also tweaked Fragility-Creating Examination - wouldn't it be nice if we already had a number which encompassed weak points and general fragility? Non-charm dice ahoy - this way it isn't as redundant with the Athletics excellency.

For Vigilant Friend Technique, factors of 10 seem to give reasonable results. If an actual battle starts, you'll almost always learn about it, which is fine by me. It's only subtle threats - poisoning and whatnot - where distance really matters.

[Sanctaphrax]

Did you mean to remove Warrior-Evaluating Glance? If so, you should change the prereq on Vulnerability-Seeking Stare.

Since you've removed the roll from Vulnerability-Seeking Stare, you should remove the last line from Guard-Piercing Gaze.

Anyway, changes look sensible. Having both Aim Charms cost wp seems to discourage using both together, though, which is a shame.

FWIW, I avoided using strength minimum for Fragility-Creating Examination because I didn't want bigger things to be harder to analyze. But in retrospect this is probably a sensible change.

I think it would be good if, by increasing Dexterity to 5, you could dissolve Devil-Strangling Attitude into xp.

Not sure about distorting spells with Brawl. The guidelines in the Sorcery chapter make it really hard to do, so the difficulty will probably unattainable unless you make Brawl better than actual Sorcery at distortion. Which seems undesirable.

[BlueWinds]

Since you've removed the roll from Vulnerability-Seeking Stare, you should remove the last line from Guard-Piercing Gaze.
Anyway, changes look sensible. Having both Aim Charms cost wp seems to discourage using both together, though, which is a shame.

FWIW, I avoided using strength minimum for Fragility-Creating Examination because I didn't want bigger things to be harder to analyze. But in retrospect this is probably a sensible change.

I think it would be good if, by increasing Dexterity to 5, you could dissolve Devil-Strangling Attitude into xp.

Not sure about distorting spells with Brawl. The guidelines in the Sorcery chapter make it really hard to do, so the difficulty will probably unattainable unless you make Brawl better than actual Sorcery at distortion. Which seems undesirable.

Replaced the "share a roll" line with a "share 1wp" line.

Hm. Getting XP refunds is a little weird, but agree it's worth it for this particular edge case. Definitely want to encourage increasing abilities, even if it's subtle.

[Sanctaphrax]

Noticed another typo: "soaked my the target's Stamina" should be "soaked by the target's Stamina" on Vulnerability-Seeking Stare.

[BlueWinds]

Bureaucracy. This is another tree that could use a bit more meat to it, especially at the E4-5 range. One or two more interesting charms and it would feel really solid. Last tree before Craft. Après cela, le déluge

---

Bureaucracy

Insightful Buyer Technique
Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Solar gains a feel for a particular marketplace, however distant, intuiting roughly how much a given object will fetch. The more specific the venue contemplated, the more accurate the forecast - "to the south" will give only vague ideas of how people further south will value a thing, while "the central bazaar of Gem" will give her a sharp understanding. As always, things change - the longer she waits before acting on this information, the less accurate it may be.

Consumer-Evaluating Glance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

This charm may be activated whenever the Solar sees a character considering a bargain with her. The Solar makes a Read Intentions action (without the need for further interaction) with (Essence) automatic successes. If successful, the Lawgiver learns her target's Resources rating, if he intends to accept the current offer or needs further incentive, and can tell if he plans to betray or cheat her. If he does, she gains a +(Essence) bonus to her Resolve against all bargain attempts by that character.

Deft Official's Way
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 1, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Lawgiver can sense who to talk to in order to produce results, who expects or is amenable to bribes, which functionaries are actually useful or friendly and which are officious tyrants. Whenever she encounters a rule, law or regulation, she immediately understands both the full text and the spirit in which it is actually enforced (or not). She adds (Bureaucracy) bonus dice to all Read Intentions actions related to understanding bureaucratic obstacles or untangling them.

Measuring Glance
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

The Solar makes ([Social or Mental Attribute] + Bureaucracy) Read Intentions actions, spread among any number of individuals, without need for interaction, regarding their most relevant intimacies towards a given organization.

All-Seeing Master Procurer
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Consumer-Evaluating Glance

For the rest of the scene all of the Solar's customers or potential customers gain a Minor Tie of "this merchant is reliable and knowledgeable."

Enigmatic Bureau Understanding
Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Measuring Glance

The Exalt may activate this charm when she enters the presence of a member of an organization she has control over or belongs to who has developed or lost an intimacy relating to it since they last met. She knows something has changed, and may make a Read Intentions action with regards to the new intimacy without needing to interact with them. If the intimacy was caused by a curse or blessing, she becomes aware of the general effect and purpose of the magic.

At Essence 3, if she succeeds on the Read Intentions action, in addition to learning of the intimacy she also gains a general understanding of what caused it - dissatisfaction, a conversation with a stranger, a bribe, etc. This charm can also now be used to detect curses or blessings that don't modify intimacies.

Illimitable Master Fence
Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: All-Seeing Master Procurer

By spending an hour observing normal transactions, speaking with merchants and customers, and watching the general course of economic dalliance, the Lawgiver learns the Bureaucracy ratings and specialties of all notable individuals strongly connected to a specific market, possibly including characters whose names she doesn't know and whose faces she has never seen.

At Essence 3, she will also recognize any of these individuals on sight.

Speed the Wheels
Cost: 8m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One task
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

By speaking with the right individuals and in just the right way, the Solar sets a bureaucracy's wheels in motion at record speed. While this charm doesn't affect material labor (such as building a road or receiving a shipment), the organization, planning, approval, etc of a single task all occur significantly faster. Reduce the time required by two increments.

Bureau-Rectifying Method
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: One investigation
Prerequisite Charms: Speed the Wheels

This charm supplements the Solar's investigation of an organization. While attending or leading inquiries, reviewing records and interviewing involved parties, the Lawgiver adds (Bureaucracy) automatic successes to Investigation and Socialize rolls. In addition, all members of the organization are treated as having a Minor Tie (trusting respect) towards her.

Graceful Magistrate's Eye
Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

This charm may be used any time, but only once per target per scene. The Solar makes a Read Intentions action against any character she can see, without the need for interaction and with double 9s. If successful, she learns whether he supports - or would support - a specific law or organizational rule, and any intimacies that affect said support.

Enlightened Ministerial Halo
Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Week
Prerequisite Charms: Enigmatic Bureau Understanding

The Solar spends a day organizing, researching and otherwise participating in the workings of an organization she does not control. She rolls (Mental Attribute + Bureaucracy), difficulty 4. For the remainder of the week, the organization's leader gains (threshold successes) bonus dice on all Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny and War rolls related to running the organization.

Irresistible Salesman Spirit
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Consumer-Evaluating Glance, Insightful Buyer Technique

During a high-pressure or tense exchange, this charm supplements a Bargain action with double 7s, pressing against (but not necessarily exceeding) the bounds of politeness.

Bureau-Reforming Kata
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2;
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Bureau-Rectifying Method, Enigmatic Bureau Understanding

When the Solar is aware of hostile magic such as Indolent Official Charm, astrological curses or similar affecting an organization she has control over or influence within, she spends a day moving individuals to new positions, hiring, firing and reorganizing, and in so doing cleanses the magic. The organization is immune to that specific power for one month.

With an Essence 3 repurchase she can activate this charm in minutes rather than a full day, and she learns the identity of anyone whose hostile magic she cancels. The organization is immune to the effect for a full season.

Indolent Official Charm
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

This charm is the reverse of Speed the Wheels - with a sidelong glance and a word in the right ears, a single bureaucratic task grinds to halt. While this charm doesn't affect material labor (such as building a road or receiving a shipment), the organization, planning, approval, etc. of a single task all takes one increment longer.

This charm may be active multiple times on a single organization for different projects, but doesn't stack for any given request. It may be used in advance of a request, or speculatively - for example, she could stymie "any police investigation into my business". As long as the motes are committed, such an investigation would take much longer to complete.

Subject-Hailing Ideology
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

This charm supplements any social influence roll. For purposes of this roll, the Solar's target treats a single weakened or abandoned intimacy as though it had its former strength. The intimacy must be related to some official duty or role - marriage, bodyguard, employee, etc.

Lawgiver's Smile
Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Day
Prerequisite Charms: Measuring Glance

The Solar spends 15 minutes walking among her subordinates or comrades. Other members of the organization she belongs to or controls who are present in the scene gain a Minor Principle related to joy, optimism or some similar positive emotion related to a particular aspect of the organization, which fades when the charm ends. Employees are unnaturally enthusiastic about their jobs, and any battle groups they form the majority of have +2 dice on rout checks.

Empowered Barter Stance
Cost: —; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Irresistible Salesman Spirit

Once a day, the Solar gains 1wp when she succeeds at a Bargain action.

Soul-Snaring Pitch
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute, Psyche
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Irresistible Salesman Spirit

The Exalt makes a Persuade action to convince a character that a particular thing is his heart's desire. She rolls (Manipulation + Bureaucracy) with (Essence) automatic successes against the target's Resolve. If successful, a character must spend (Solar's Essence) willpower, or develop a Defining Tie (I must have it) towards an object of the Solar's choice as long as the charm remains active. Resisting Soul-Snaring Pitch makes a character immune to the Charm for one week.

Foul Air of Argument Technique
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Indolent Official Charm

Pronouncing words of doom about in front of a large number of organizational members, the Lawgiver makes a ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Bureaucracy) roll against the Resolve of each character leading the project she's doomsaying. For each success threshold success the Solar attains against a particular leader, one of their failures on a roll related to the project will become a Botch.

Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Stackable, Psyche
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Foul Air of Argument Technique

The Solar repeatedly inveighs against a certain action relating to an organization she controls or has major influence within. Members of her organization gain a Major principle against the action unless they spend 1wp. The behaviors must be specific, and related to the organization - she could not inflict "Stealing is wrong," or but she could give members a Principle of “The company coffers are inviolate” or “Embezzlement from clients is a sin.” This charm may be applied any number of times to a single organization (but only once for a specific intimacy). The intimacy fades if this charm ends.

With an Essence 5 repurchase, at the end of every month in which a person - member or not - interacts with the organization regularly they roll (Willpower). On a failure, they must spend 1wp or gain the intimacy at Minor strength permanently (it doesn't go away when the charm ends, and is in all ways a normal intimacy). As a rule of thumb for the Storyteller, after a season with this charm active half the populace will have the intimacy, and after a few years virtually all of them will. A particularly accepting or hostile population might speed or slow down the spread.

Order-Conferring Action
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One month
Prerequisite Charms: Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe, Subject-Hailing Ideology

By spending a day advising an organization (including by proxy), the Solar turns in into a bulwark of Creation. The Wyld cannot penetrate further into territories it controls or operates in (though Fair Folk themselves still might), diseases struggle to cross its borders, and Shadowlands encroach upon it more slowly.

---

Removed charms

• Frugal Merchant Method - Speed bump charm. This should be just a basic roll, not even a difficult one.
• Enlightened Discourse Method - Do not need another boring psuedo Infinite Mastery.
• Ungoverned Market Awareness - Again, not really sure this needs to be a charm? I could be persuaded, but seems pretty weak.
• Semantic Argument Technique - Just say no to conditional excellency discounts.
• Woe-Capturing Web - Moved to Bureau Reforming Kata repurchase.
• Omen-Spawning Beast - Combined with Woe-Capturing Web into Bureau Reforming Kata repurchase.
• Infinitely-Efficient Register - I don't like narrative-warping powers with no real rules other than "ask the ST."
• Eclectic Verbiage of Law - Once per season mote discount is the lamest of things.

[Sanctaphrax]

Bureaucracy. This is another tree that could use a bit more meat to it, especially at the E4-5 range. One or two more interesting charms and it would feel really solid.

Do you think making and keeping money is fun to play through?

I'm torn. On one hand, it's not very hard for someone with high Bureaucracy. On the other, money-making can go in a lot of interesting directions.

My personal rule for Charms that make problems disappear is that they should only obviate boring problems. So I'm not sure if "automatically get and stay rich" is good space.

Anyway, other ideas:

-Intuitively understand every single law, everywhere you go, in detail.
-Write really good legislation, really fast, in a way that respects the conflicting needs of all relevant stakeholders and shapes society in a positive way.
-Improve the morale of your organization, infecting everyone with your own attitude.
-Make your laws enforce themselves, either by alerting you or by psychic pressure or by automatically burning criminals with lasers.
-Keep track of an infinite amount of financial data in your head. If you know of five hundred loans between eight hundred people, each using a different method of compound interest, then you know the current value of each and every one.
-Tiger-Bureaucrat Training Technique.
-Pronounce a new rule. Even if you're some random foreigner with no legal authority whatsoever, it will be accepted as an actual law. All but the strongest-willed authorities will enforce it.

Last tree before Craft.

That reminds me, my rewrite needs a new draft.

Consumer-Evaluating Glance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

This charm supplements a Read Intentions action, granting (Essence) automatic successes. If successful, the Lawgiver can additionally tell if the target plans to betray or cheat her. If he does, she gains a +(Essence) bonus to her Resolve against all bargain attempts by that character.

I liked this Charm. And you took out some of the best parts.

Enigmatic Bureau Understanding
Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Measuring Glance

The Exalt may active this charm when she enters the presence of a member of an organization she has control over or belongs to who has developed a new intimacy relating to it since they last met. She may make a reflexive Read Intentions action with regards to the new intimacy without needing to interact with them.

At Essence 3, if she succeeds on the Read Intentions action, in addition to learning of the intimacy she also gains a general understanding of what caused it - dissatisfaction, a conversation with a stranger, a bribe, etc.

Typo: "active" should be "activate".

Also, you should probably clarify what happens if you fail the roll: I assume you know there's been a change, but not quite what it was.

And I think this ought to work when an Intimacy is weakened or lost too.

Irresistible Salesman Spirit
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Consumer-Evaluating Glance, Insightful Buyer Technique

During a high-pressure or tense exchange, this charm supplements a Bargain action with double 7s.

I don't think there's any need to limit it to tense bargains. Might be able to drop the cost, too, now that that weird willpower-fiddling thing is gone.

Bureau-Reforming Kata
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Bureau-Rectifying Method, Enigmatic Bureau Understanding

If the Lawgiver succeeds in uncovering malignant forces at work in an organization she has control over or influence within with Bureau-Rectifying Method, she may invoke this charm. By moving individuals to new positions, hiring, firing and reorganizing, she cleanses an organization of any hostile magic such as Indolent Official Charm or astrological curses, and makes it immune to that specific power for one season.

With an Essence 3 repurchase she can also activate this charm on successful use of Enigmatic Bureau Understanding, without need for an extended investigation, and she learns the identity of anyone whose hostile magic she cancels with this charm.

I don't see much point in tying the repurchase to Enigmatic Bureau Understanding. In canon you automatically know you've been hit, and I think that's worth retaining.

Indolent Official Charm
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

This charm is the reverse of Speed the Wheels - with a sidelong glance and a word in the right ears, a single bureaucratic task grinds to halt. While this charm doesn't affect material labor (such as building a road or receiving a shipment), the organization, planning, approval, etc. of a single task all takes one increment longer.

This charm may be active multiple times on a single organization for different projects, but doesn't stack for any given request. It may be used in advance of a request, or speculatively - for example, she could stymie "any police investigation into my business". As long as the motes are committed, such an investigation would take much longer to complete.

Maybe make it two increments?

I agree that (Essence) increments is overkill, though.

Foul Air of Argument Technique
Cost: 13m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Indolent Official Charm

Pronouncing words of doom in front of a large number of organizational members, the Lawgiver makes a ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Bureaucracy) roll against the Resolve of each character leading the project. For each success threshold success the Solar attains against a particular leader, one of their failures on a roll related to the project will become a Botch.

Typo: You said "success" twice.

Also, useful as this is, I can't see myself committing 13m to it long-term.

Eclectic Verbiage of Law
Cost: —; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Deft Official's Way

Once per season, the Solar may apply a full free Bureaucracy Excellency. This Charm can be reset by the Solar aiding in the success of a particularly difficult project.

Can you please not keep this piece of crap?

Once a season, a mote discount. That's the lamest of things.

Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Stackable, Psyche
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Foul Air of Argument Technique

The Solar repeatedly inveighs against a certain action relating to an organization she controls or has major influence within. Members of her organization gain a Major principle against the action unless they spend 1wp. The behaviors must be specific, and related to the organization - she could not inflict "Stealing is wrong," or but she could give members a Principle of “The company coffers are inviolate” or “Embezzlement from clients is a sin.” This charm may be applied any number of times to a single organization (but only once for a specific intimacy). The intimacy fades if this charm ends.

Order-Conferring Action
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One month
Prerequisite Charms: Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe, Eclectic Verbiage of Law

By spending a day advising an organization (including by proxy), the Solar turns in into a bulwark of Creation. The Wyld cannot penetrate further into territories it controls or operates in (though Fair Folk themselves still might), diseases struggle to cross its borders, and Shadowlands encroach upon it more slowly.

Same problem as Foul Air Of Argument Technique: the mote commitment is just brutally heavy.

Also, I liked the bonus dice from Order-Conferring Action. If you're dropping it here, maybe have it show up somewhere else?

Removed charms

• All-Seeing Master Procurer - I'm not even sure what this does.
• Ungoverned Market Awareness - Again, not really sure this needs to be a charm? I could be persuaded, but seems pretty weak.

I think it makes people act like they've got a minor tie of respect for you. Seems fairly worthwhile to me.

And I think maybe it's an anti-pickpocketing Charm? Not sure what else a Larceny-based transaction would be.

[Sanctaphrax]

Alright, fixed up my rewrite. Wanted to get that done before you posted Craft.

Incidentally...did you ever specify which Charms let blind Solars function as though sighted? If so, I missed it. Even with Keen Hearing Technique active, it seems that you still suffer that -3 penalty to doing stuff.

[Imrix]

I don't post here anymore for reasons I won't state publicly, but I thought I'd drop in to mention how much I appreciate your efforts. Good show.

[BlueWinds]

Do you think making and keeping money is fun to play through?
I'm torn. On one hand, it's not very hard for someone with high Bureaucracy. On the other, money-making can go in a lot of interesting directions.
My personal rule for Charms that make problems disappear is that they should only obviate boring problems. So I'm not sure if "automatically get and stay rich" is good space.

What I find interesting is how one makes money, without machines and automation. It requires people! What are those people doing? I don't want a charm that says "your business is more profitable", because that cuts out the interesting bit of Bureaucracy, which is that organizations are mode of people. So I like Bureau charms that interact with people explicitly.

Anyway, other ideas:

1. Intuitively understand every single law, everywhere you go, in detail.
2. Write really good legislation, really fast, in a way that respects the conflicting needs of all relevant stakeholders and shapes society in a positive way.
3. Improve the morale of your organization, infecting everyone with your own attitude.
4. Make your laws enforce themselves, either by alerting you or by psychic pressure or by automatically burning criminals with lasers.
5. Keep track of an infinite amount of financial data in your head. If you know of five hundred loans between eight hundred people, each using a different method of compound interest, then you know the current value of each and every one.
6. Tiger-Bureaucrat Training Technique.
7. Pronounce a new rule. Even if you're some random foreigner with no legal authority whatsoever, it will be accepted as an actual law. All but the strongest-willed authorities will enforce it.

1. This has potential, but seems a little narrow, could use some strengthening. Or, actually, while I was writing the charm it mutated. How's Graceful Magistrate's Eye strike your fancy? I like that it's actually more useful to criminals than it is to magistrates, which is why the Bureaucracy requirement is so low.
2. Who are the stakeholders, what do they want, etc. I think it was one of the devs that said "there is no charm for ruling well."
3. I like it. Cross-synergy with war and socialize. Maybe a minor intimacy of cheer and optimism? Lawgiver's Smile is pleased to meet you.
4. This is sort of what Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe is already for. But thinking a little more, that sounds like a neat E5 upgrade - the Intimacy granted can infect non-members in areas the organization controls. This would be super creepy and is awesome. I'm happy to have very, very rare mass-magic, given that this has the Psyche keyword. What do you think of the new repurchase?
5. That's pretty cool. It reminds me of Spice and Wolf, how all the merchants seem to be able to track currency fluctuations, towns, good prices, everything, all without ever referring to written notes.
6. I'm kind of bored by this? Nothing wrong with it conceptually, just doesn't seem that cool, compared to training soldiers (war) or training anything (lore).
7. Hm. Lawyer charm upgrade, which is good, but AOE "everyone adjusts to my new reality" effects only feel special when they're rare, and this tree already has one as (near) its capstone.

I liked this Charm. And you took out some of the best parts.

Hm, I see your point. Better?

Typo: "active" should be "activate".
Also, you should probably clarify what happens if you fail the roll: I assume you know there's been a change, but not quite what it was.
And I think this ought to work when an Intimacy is weakened or lost too.

Done.

I don't think there's any need to limit it to tense bargains. Might be able to drop the cost, too, now that that weird willpower-fiddling thing is gone.

I actually liked the tense-only aspect, gives it a bit more flavor than a generic dice booster. When the stakes are high, that's when you can put on the pressure with all sorts of subtle tricks - and it costs 1wp because you're making the situation even more stressful for yourself. I'll reduce the mote cost though, agreed it could be a bit lower.

I don't see much point in tying the repurchase to Enigmatic Bureau Understanding. In canon you automatically know you've been hit, and I think that's worth retaining.

My purpose here is that you need interaction - it's a thing your character needs to participate in. You come in for morning coffee, see that everyone's a bit in the dumps, notice your secretary keeps touching her wrist (she was talking to a stranger who grabbed his wrist), make a flurry of changes and suddenly everything is better. It presents a logical (though magical) chain of events, rather than acting as a magic trip-wire which is set off by other magic.

Maybe make it two increments?
I agree that (Essence) increments is overkill, though.

In an actual gameplay sense, I think one increment would work pretty well, whereas two would remove a lot of tension. As is it's a tool rather than a solution, gives you time to do other things. "It usually takes seconds for me to call security, but I guess I can wait until you're out the door, Ms. Solar (Seconds -> Minutes)" or "I guess I can make sure the report gets lost at the bottom of his inbox. He only clears that out on Marsdays. Will that give you enough time to move on the information? (Hours -> Days)."

The only place I'd want to increments is the Months->Seasons->Years progression. So let's just take "Seasons" out of the continuum, and leave the charm as is. "Hah, yeah, that is horrible. Sure I'll take him to court to stop the project. It'll take them years to sort out the paperwork. (Months -> Years)"

Typo: You said "success" twice.

Also, useful as this is, I can't see myself committing 13m to it long-term.

Hm. Agreed the high-end charms are more expensive than they should be. The new costs look more reasonable?

Can you please not keep this piece of crap?

Once a season, a mote discount. That's the lamest of things.

It is the lamest thing. I don't know what I was thinking keeping it.

Same problem as Foul Air Of Argument Technique: the mote commitment is just brutally heavy.

Also, I liked the bonus dice from Order-Conferring Action. If you're dropping it here, maybe have it show up somewhere else?

Ooh, vizier charm! The effect seems strong enough that I'm happy to give it its own charm.

I think it makes people act like they've got a minor tie of respect for you. Seems fairly worthwhile to me.

Ah, that's a good effect. All-Seeing Master Procurer, arise from the grave!

[BlueWinds]

I don't post here anymore for reasons I won't state publicly, but I thought I'd drop in to mention how much I appreciate your efforts. Good show.

Thanks. I've never used TAW, but like a lot of the ideas you put into them, and it means a lot that some of the people I really respect in the Exalted community like my work.

[Sanctaphrax]

Formatting on All-Seeing Master Procurer and Enigmatic Bureau Understanding is messed up.

What I find interesting is how one makes money, without machines and automation. It requires people! What are those people doing? I don't want a charm that says "your business is more profitable", because that cuts out the interesting bit of Bureaucracy, which is that organizations are mode of people. So I like Bureau charms that interact with people explicitly.

Makes sense.

1. This has potential, but seems a little narrow, could use some strengthening. Or, actually, while I was writing the charm it mutated. How's Graceful Magistrate's Eye strike your fancy? I like that it's actually more useful to criminals than it is to magistrates, which is why the Bureaucracy requirement is so low.

It's fine. Also kinda narrow, though. I wouldn't blink if it was folded into Deft Official's Way.

Anyway, the reason I suggested that Charm is that Solars travel a lot. Also, law often involves ridiculous amounts of book-consultation. So for a Solar lawyer, being able to learn the laws of the area quickly - or instantly - seems pretty important.

Oh, and this just occurred to me: it should apply to the laws of heaven. Thematically, it seems important for the Lawgivers to know the laws of the gods.

2. Who are the stakeholders, what do they want, etc. I think it was one of the devs that said "there is no charm for ruling well."

Writing good laws is very different from ruling well.

Really, legislating well has little to do with wisdom. It's an exercise in rules-lawyering and in understanding the nature of the people being legislated to. Pretty close to writing a balanced RPG, but much harder and with much higher stakes.

Solars can already write very good laws just by using the excellency. But they're slow. If I'm trying to reform the cumbersome, prosperity-strangling, and easily-cheated tax code of Somewhereland, I don't want to spend the years that it would take a mortal. And I don't want to spend years learning about the area first.

3. I like it. Cross-synergy with war and socialize. Maybe a minor intimacy of cheer and optimism? Lawgiver's Smile is pleased to meet you.

It's not bad, but I was angling for something that makes your workers more productive. Turn ordinary people into quasi-fanatics, so enthusiastic about working towards your goals that it's kinda creepy.

4. This is sort of what Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe is already for. But thinking a little more, that sounds like a neat E5 upgrade - the Intimacy granted can infect non-members in areas the organization controls. This would be super creepy and is awesome. I'm happy to have very, very rare mass-magic, given that this has the Psyche keyword. What do you think of the new repurchase?

I like it. Might be against the philosophy of 3e to have Change Social Rules Prana, but shifting public opinion is sufficiently boring that I'm happy to see it abstracted away.

5. That's pretty cool. It reminds me of Spice and Wolf, how all the merchants seem to be able to track currency fluctuations, towns, good prices, everything, all without ever referring to written notes.

Maybe this and the know-all-the-local-laws Charm could be merged?

Hm, I see your point. Better?

Yeah.

My purpose here is that you need interaction - it's a thing your character needs to participate in. You come in for morning coffee, see that everyone's a bit in the dumps, notice your secretary keeps touching her wrist (she was talking to a stranger who grabbed his wrist), make a flurry of changes and suddenly everything is better. It presents a logical (though magical) chain of events, rather than acting as a magic trip-wire which is set off by other magic.

My concern is that curses which don't affect anyone Intimacies are gonna go unnoticed. And none of the curses in Solar Bureaucracy affect Intimacies.

In an actual gameplay sense, I think one increment would work pretty well, whereas two would remove a lot of tension.

Maybe, but it's narrow enough that when I use it I want a big effect.

Hm. Agreed the high-end charms are more expensive than they should be. The new costs look more reasonable?

Yep.

Ooh, vizier charm! The effect seems strong enough that I'm happy to give it its own charm.

Did you write one? I can't see one.

[Chejop Kejak]

This is an amazing project! Expecting another generic complaint thread, I'd avoided it until now - I am most fortunate that an errant click rectified my mistake. I love the concept here, and the Charms largely seem really well-executed. I admire it, and shall likely adopt most of this should I ever get another EX3 game off the ground.

I do have a couple of thoughts, but I'll try not to-

I like nitpicks! They're really gratifying, actually, shows that people care and are paying attention. By all means!

Oh. Oh, dear. Well, since you say so...

1. I like the keyword list, but I am curious - why have Quickshot, but remove the more-common Decisive?
2. Likewise, why have an Attack-Action Tag, but no Move-Action tag?
3. For that matter, what's going to use the Attack-Action Tag? Other than the Terrestrial versions of one or two Martial Arts Charms, I could only think of Charms which specified that they don't use your attack action. A quick search turned up Blade-Rebuking Wrath, but literally nothing else. Is this a case of future proofing?
4. What about Dual - is the idea that you'll avoid Charms being that conditional?
5. Exploding/Disappearing dice is amazing. Honestly my favorite thing in the whole project - that's one sorely-needed bit of standardization. There's no question here, just had to say it.
6. I like the idea of unified multiattack rules, but why not have a Tag for that?
7. Would it be useful to have a term such as "split initiative" for how many common multiattacks cause the user to "divide her initiative evenly among all attacks"?
8. Also, I'm actually still unclear on what happens under these rules if someone gets Crashed partway through a multiattack (say, but a Counter Attack). Do they get to finish, then reset back out of Crash?
9. I am reasonably certain you did not intend for Excellent Solar Dodge to boost Larceny.
10. Wise Arrow, as revised, has nothing to do with Cover. Why not just make it give the target -1 Defense (plus the stuff about hitting people in Full Cover)?
11. Blood Without Balance's odd "better to be set to 6 than to 7" fussiness always bugged me. Any reason not to simply down to just a minimum of 7 damage?
12. This is a flaw going back to the book's writeup of Phantom Arrow Technique, but I always wanted a clearer idea of what "numbs" meant. I assume the intent is that it cannot be used by/against you in social influence until a scene is spent restoring it, but it always reads to me as just an overly-poetic reset for this one Charm.
13. I never liked the low-stakes minigame of Dazzling Flare Attack, and it still annoys me as an upgrade to Fiery Arrow... but at least it's not a prerequisite for anything anymore. Or is it? I believe that Shadow-Seeking Arrow and Searing Sunfire Interdiction both need Fiery as their prerequisite.
14. For whatever it may be worth, I've found Seven-Omens Shot to be one of the strongest Archery Charms. Adding successes on a Decisive attack roll to damage is a HUGE deal, especially if said attack can hit from a mile away, and is thus very likely to be an Ambush. Tacking an extra 14 dice of Decisive damage onto an opening snipe will frequently kill even an Exalt.
15. Finishing Snipe, like Phantom Arrow, suffers from prominent use of something which isn't really a rules term. My sense of OCD is super bothered by how "within range" is technically meaningless on its own, and if it means "anywhere that you can shoot with your bow," timing issues would make it impossible to use There Is No Wind and strike at Extreme Range - I'd feel better if it just said "within Long Range," or whatever the intent might be. I may literally be the only person bugged by this, though.
16. Sadly, although I briefly played a Solar Archer, she never did take Solar Spike, so I cannot attest to its power it play. I also suspect it is too strong, however - as I mentioned under Seven Omens Shot, 28 dice of Decisive Damage out of nowhere ends fights, and at least for Seven Omens, you need time to set it up, limiting its use. Spike you can just break out once a fight, whenever, and with (Initiative) extra dice as needed. On a more OCD note, I know you got "rating" from the book, but the term they wanted was "value," since that's what it uses when assigning numbers to the Intimacy ratings back on page 170.

Reading those, I'm not sure how "gratifying" you'll find them, but I hope you do - I have nothing but respect for this project!

[BlueWinds]

This is an amazing project! Expecting another generic complaint thread, I'd avoided it until now - I am most fortunate that an errant click rectified my mistake. I love the concept here, and the Charms largely seem really well-executed. I admire it, and shall likely adopt most of this should I ever get another EX3 game off the ground.

I know, right? I wished I could change the thread title the very minute I hit submit. It was intended with a little parenthetical "(and what I'm doing about it)" which never made it in. And even so, it could use a more descriptive and positive title. I'd just finished editing Wyld Shaping Technique down to four paragraphs (conveying roughly the same information), and wasn't feeling particularly generous at the time. ^^;;

Responses to your other stuff coming tomorrow, when I'm not falling over on my nose from lack of sleep.

Formatting on All-Seeing Master Procurer and Enigmatic Bureau Understanding is messed up.
It's fine. Also kinda narrow, though. I wouldn't blink if it was folded into Deft Official's Way.

Anyway, the reason I suggested that Charm is that Solars travel a lot. Also, law often involves ridiculous amounts of book-consultation. So for a Solar lawyer, being able to learn the laws of the area quickly - or instantly - seems pretty important.

Oh, and this just occurred to me: it should apply to the laws of heaven. Thematically, it seems important for the Lawgivers to know the laws of the gods.

I see what you mean. DOW feels like it could use a boost, and GME does seem narrower than it did when I was writing it. How're the updated (and upgraded) versions of them?

It's not bad, but I was angling for something that makes your workers more productive. Turn ordinary people into quasi-fanatics, so enthusiastic about working towards your goals that it's kinda creepy.

Tweaked just a little to give it more of that flavor, which I like.

My concern is that curses which don't affect anyone Intimacies are gonna go unnoticed. And none of the curses in Solar Bureaucracy affect Intimacies.

I made a bunch of other charms affect intimacies, but not the big curses. Added a clause to the E3 upgrade that lets the charm detect magic that doesn't interact with the social system.

Did you write one? I can't see one.

I forgot! And right now it's nearly 2am. I'll try not to forget again in the morning.

[zenvious]

I've actually been doing something similar with the charms myself. Nothing radical as changing them (yet) - just cutting out the flavor text, maintaining the mechanics, and adjusting all s/he to a gender neutral "Their" or "They" or "The Exalt".

If you'd like me to send any of that your way to help it the thinning process, let me know. I've done it already so will save you time and effort to repeat what I've already knocked off