Exalted Art Challenge Concept Sketches - Favorite Charm
The concepts for Favorite Charm (or magical ability) gave me a chance to explore the many glorious flame FX of the Celestial firepower of a Righteous Devil like Kalara. It also granted a bit of wish fulfillment since she never learned Garda Flies on Gilded Wing Attack. These FX are just SCREAMING to be animated and are giving me more incentive to learn animation in Procreate!
I'm saving the top right thumbnail of Cloud of Ebon Devils for a cover piece because it just has presence! Future cover of a sequel story to The Uncrucified, perhaps? Or at least some cool promo art!
A conversion I did for an NPC in my game to wield and because it’s a cool gun-fu style.
For generations, in the deepest regions of the South, the Righteous Devils have stood premier among dojos - unstoppable unattainable martial artists without peer. However for every Dragonblooded that studied the art, another flunked out. Those that failed to master the style often became the very unrighteous creatures the style hunted down; in their hands, the firewand became a weapon to fight back with.
Form Weapon: Firewands, Flame Pieces, or other Flame weapons or their artifact equivalents.
Form Armor: Golden Exhalation style can be practiced in up to Medium armor.
One Eye Follows the Bird
Cost: 2m, 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: None
An watchful eye kept on the law man chasing her down, the Exalt can pin him in shots of flame with as much ease as an archer hunting a bird. This charm instantly completes a Martial Arts aim action with a Firewand or Flamepiece against the target the Martial Artist last attacked.
Garda Takes Flight
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: None
Every bird leaves its nest, from humble sparrow to mighty Garda. And when the first beats of a Garda's wing strike the air, they ignite it. The Exalt spreads fire around her, and up to (Martial Arts) enemies in short or close range of her become targets of her decisive attack. Each of these attacks must split her initiative evenly between them.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalted can only attack the lower of (Essence) or (Martial Arts) targets instead.
Mother Disobeys Father
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Uniform, Mastery, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: One Eye Follows the Bird, Garda Takes Flight
Opponents who think themselves the Martial Artist's better deserve the quick punishment that awaits, and no amount of planning can prepare them. This charm extends the range of an attack made with a Flame weapon to Medium. If the resulting Aim action required is reduced with One Eye Follows the bird, the attacks swerves towards the attacker, ignoring all but full cover.
Mastery: This charm instead extends the range to Long. For an additional 1WP, One Eye Follows the Bird will instantly complete two Aim actions, granting the full accuracy bonus.
Terrestrial: This charm only reduces cover by a single step. Full cover is still unaffected.
Golden Exhalation Form
Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Mother Disobeys Father
Every student disobeys his master, but not every student is a Golden Exhaltation stylist. With this charm, none but the most skilled firewand users can duel the Martial Artist to a standstill. Those who lack such skill can only dream of accomplishing that much. While this form is active, every breath she takes is an act of rebellion and for 1m, she may reload all Flame weapons currently wielded with a single word. The Exalt also makes attacks with Flame weapons made at Close range with Short Range's accuracy bonus and her weapons lose the Slow keyword.
While in this stance, she may parry attacks with her firewand as easily as with a Medium Melee weapon (or Light Melee weapon for a flame piece). She can parry even fire based attacks and her parry is considered 1 higher when doing so. Effortlessly spinning through crowds of armed guards or the fire of a rival's flame piece, she adds (higher of Essence or 3) to her soak or double that amount against a flame based attack.
Special Activation Rules: The Martial Artist can activate Golden Exhalation Form reflexively by successfully defending against an attack made by a Flame weapon.
Flame-Eater Stance
Cost: 4m; Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Clash, Perilous, Terrestrial, Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: Golden Exhalation Form
It is a sad day when a Righteous Devil thinks that he can stop the Martial Artist with his own gun. Like a salamander that consumes the flames of a volcano, the Exalt points her gun to the attack and catches it. This charm creates a Clash Attack against an elemental or essence based attack. The Martial Artist rolls (Wits + Martial Arts) with (Essence) non-charm successes against the attackers roll. If she succeeds, she catches the attack, turning it into ammunition in her weapon. If her weapon was empty, this loads a charge into it. If she had already reloaded, she can make two decisive attacks on her next turn, with each attack splitting her initiative evenly between them.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalted only gets Essence non-charm dice.
Mastery: A Solar Exalted's decisive attacks created by this charm gain (Essence) base damage.
Salamander Licks the Pot
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: Golden Exhalation Form
With a swift curve of her firewand, the Exalt ensures that her shot hits, even if her initial target dodges the attack. The Exalt chooses two targets in range of her Firewand. Against her first target, this attack is unblockable. If her opponent manages to successfully dodge the attack, then she may redirect the attack roll at the second target. This second attack is an unblockable attack that rerolls all 6s in the original result.
Mastery: A Solar exalt truly ensures this attack hits true. Rather than rerolling 6s, the Solar can reroll up to (Higher of Essence or 3) failed dice.
Flaming River Burns the Boat
Cost: 8m, 2i, 1wp; Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Counterattack, Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite: Flame-Eater Stance, Salamander Licks the Pot
Like a great fire, the Exalt releases a burst of flame that consumes wooden weapons and those unfortunate enough to take them up against the wielder. When the Solar attempts to parry an attack with a loaded Firewand from an opponent within the range of her Firewand, she may activate this charm to make a decisive counterattack against the attack before it is rolled against her. This counter attack does not reset the Martial Artist to base initiative. Additionally, if her attack hits, wooden weapons her opponent wields are destroyed. Arrows burn in the sky while spears disintegrate to ash in the hands of her attacker, cancelling the attack against the Solar if it was made with one these weapons.
This charm can only be used once per scene.
Mastery: A Solar exalted can reset this charm by crashing an opponent who had initiative higher than his own.
Oh & have a Caleb too. He got his poncho. He really ought to have a hat too, but as I can’t make it look right, assume someone stole it from him for photos.
The 2nd collection of Early Access sketches for my Exalted Art Challenge is up a month in advance for Patrons! This collection explores the spell "Death of Obsidian Butterflies", the hedonistic nobles of House Cynis, and the Silver Lady herself, Luna, goddess of the moon.
More sketches and discussion at the post! It is available to Patrons at any level.
Miss the first collection with Favorite Charm, Favorite Caste, etc.? Find it here!
