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Revlid
2011-01-02, 09:41 AM
Here you go, Horngeek!

This is the first in a series of Infernal Charmsets I hope to write, based off the Four Ruinous Powers of the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 universes. No particular precedence has been given to any incarnation of the Greater Gods, and if they need to be twisted or trimmed to fit into the ranks of the Exalted Yozis, then they will be.

No Urge, Torment, or Act of Villainy yet exists for Tzeentch - I hope to come up with those once I've finished the Charmsets of the other three gods.

Enjoy (and buy Chaos In The Old World - it's a damned fun boardgame).

SACRED NUMBERS: Each Chaos God Excellency mentions a sacred number. Actions bolstered by this number, or multiples of it, may always benefit from the appropriate Excellency, no matter how unrelated, unless it is strictly forbidden. For example, Nurgle may always use his Excellency to direct troops using War, provided their total number or Magnitude is a multiple of seven, and Slaanesh may always enhance a Melee flurry provided he makes six attacks. Actions that oppose this number are not negatively affected.

TZEENTCH
The Great Mutator, The Eternal Maze, The Changer Of Ways, The Puppeteer Of Feathers And Shade, The Capricious Azure, The Eye Of Sorceries, The Lord Of Change, The Coloured Flame, The Subtle Schemer, The Alchemist Of Realities

FIRST TZEENTCH EXCELLENCY
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker; Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Great Mutator is capricious and seemingly random. He engages in labyrinthine plots and byzantine conspiracies, plans within plans that exist sometimes for a purpose, sometimes for his own obscure amusement. Convolution and trickery are the tools of Tzeentch, and he is ultimately a showman, a puppeteer for whom all the world is a stage and all its peoples dancing puppets. Tzeentch fosters ambition and hope, no matter how senseless or impossible, for he is the patron of change and evolution. Despite his colossal intellect, Tzeentch finds it hard to resist engaging in deceit and complexity, even when his plans would be better served by simplicity or honesty. He is no stranger to self-defeat, as his drive for change leads him to upset all stability, even that which benefits him. The Changer Of Ways is the greatest of sorcerers, and encourages curiosity and the gathering of knowledge, no matter how ill-advised or forbidden. He scorns tradition, inciting dynamism and mutation in all things, be it society or the physical form. Tzeentch has no problem with turning on his followers, as loyalty is far too steady for his tastes, though he is loathe to abandon a plan, preferring to incorporate it into one of his other myriad plots. The sacred number of the Eternal Maze is nine.

Characters may apply this Charm to actions that facilitate significant change, as well as those that aid the development and progression of long-term or convoluted plots. Sorcerous or thaumaturgic actions may always benefit from this Charm. Attempts to conceal one’s goals or actions generally benefit, as does any action taken with the goal of manipulating another, though open and grand displays are not opposed to this Charm at all. This Charm may never be used to keep something static, nor may it support an action that has been openly predicted by another; actions that resonate with Conviction are less likely to qualify for this Charm. Finally, this Charm may always aid attempts to harm or hinder Nurgle and his servants.

TZEENTCH MYTHOS EXULTANT
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Tzeentch Excellency
Tzeentch is a master of chance, a feathered serpent with poorly-rolled die for eyes. Though it amuses him to see lesser beings scrabble against randomness of the world, he is careful to see that his fire is unable to burn him. An Infernal with this Charm may, after rolling the stunt-enhanced dice pool, remove up to (Stunt Rating x3) of the individual dice results and roll them again, applying the second result as reality refolds itself around his actions, cushioning him against the failings of fate. Applied to a static value, this allows the Exalt to increase his effective (Attribute+Rating) by (Stunt Rating +1).

ASCENDANCY MANTLE OF TZEENTCH
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 5; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Tzeentch Excellency
The Infernal can spend experience to buy his Essence rating up to a dot higher than his age should permit (see Exalted Corebook, p. 275). As Tzeentch relies on his cultists and sorcerous hideaways, whenever the Infernal is recovering motes at a rate of less than ten motes per hour, he loses all benefits from excess Essence (similar to Cecelyne). This drawback persists only as long as the character’s Essence rating is higher than it could be without this Charm. Upon reaching the age that Essence 10 is naturally available, the Infernal replaces this Charm with another of his choice. The Infernal may learn only a single Ascendancy Mantle Charm.

HAND OF CHANGE
Cost: 1+m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Desecration, Obvious, Shaping, Sorcerous, Stackable, Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Tzeentch sees no appeal in the static forms of Creation. Where his clawed fingers touch, the world ripples and warps, changing in hideously beautiful ways. When the Infernal activates this Charm, he pays one or more motes (to a maximum of (Essence+2) motes per activation) and applies positive physical mutations to the target based on the number of motes spent. A pox costs one mote, an affliction costs two motes, a blight costs three motes, and an abomination costs four motes. These mutations are applied normally as a Desecration effect (though the Creature Of Darkness mutation does not count toward the cost of the Charm), and fade at a rate of (target’s Essence) of mutation dots per day, rounding up if necessary, and starting with mutations of the highest value. The mutations themselves are Sorcerous, and may be dispelled with the appropriate countermagic.

At Essence 3+ the Infernal may increase the cost of this Charm by one point of temporary Willpower to make any mutations applied by this Charm permanent, at the usual xp cost. Doing so prevents the mutations from being Sorcerous, making them immune to countermagic.

At Essence 4+ the additional cost to make mutations permanent is waived if the Charm is used on a willing target.

MOULT THE FORM
Cost: — (+2m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Sorcerous
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hand Of Change
Time is immaterial to the Eternal Maze, as minutes and ages rebound off its mosaic walls like echoes in a concert hall. What does it matter if change comes now, or within a century? It is all the same to Tzeentch, an omnidimensional patience upset only by his love for showmanship. This Charm enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to delay the application of any mutations (or other effects) generated by it. When using Hand Of Change, the Infernal may pay an additional two motes (these do not count toward the maximum cost of the Charm). If he does so, the effects of the Charm do not manifest immediately, but are instead condensed into a Sorcerous mark somewhere on the target’s body, ranging in size from a small coin to a handprint. This mark is invisible to normal sight, but any form of Essence sight reveal a stylised blue symbol of some sort, often a two-tailed comet or feathered serpent; an Infernal can always see their own marks, even through clothing or armour.

The Infernal may reflexively pay one mote at any point to make one of these symbols visible to normal sight, and may (upon doing so) cause the mutations stored within to suddenly erupt into the target’s body, as though the prerequisite Charm had been applied at that moment. If the mark is dispelled, the mutations in question are lost.

Unless it is dispelled, this mark lasts until the death of either the Infernal or the target. There is no limit to the number of marks an Infernal may have placed, nor is there any limit to the number of times a single character may themselves be marked for mutation.

SERPENT FOLDS ITS WINGS
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Sorcerous
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Moult The Form
Tzeentch knows well the value of subtlety. Sometimes, it simply isn't productive to be a winged serpent the size of a planet. Sometimes it is best to slither into conformity, ready to burst forth when the time is right. This Charm enhances Hand Of Change. When using that Charm, the Infernal may instead suppress active mutations, condensing them into a Sorcerous mark somewhere on the target's body. This costs a number of motes equal to the cost to generate those same mutations, with the usual limits on mote expenditure applying. The mark in question acts exactly as the one described in Moult The Form, with the exception that dispelling it causes the suppressed mutations to immediately and painfully return.

This Charm may not suppress natural mutations, such as those describing the form of a beastman or engineered race, but may suppress other mutations, even those not applied by the Infernal himself.

GNARLED PENDULUM INFUSION
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hand Of Change
Evolution is not purely beneficial. Birds lose flight, fish lose gills, bears lose sex drive. In the hands of Tzeentch, however, evolution can be outright malicious. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to inflict negative physical mutations as well as positive ones, at a cost of one mote per deficiency, two motes per debility, and three motes per deformity. The Infernal may also inflict mental and spiritual mutations, as well as physical ones. These mutations otherwise function just as normal ones applied by that Charm.

WARP-TINTED LENSES
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Gnarled Pendulum Infusion
A thousand eyes blink and stare beneath Tzeentch’s feathers, and each time they open they look upon the world anew, their pupils morphed, their irises a different shade, their perceptions totally flipped. This Charm permanently enhances Hand Of Change, allowing the martial artist to use it to alter his target’s perceptions of the world. He gains access to the following unique mutations, which he may only apply through this Charm;

• Pox - Friends To Lovers: One of the character’s intimacies has its context altered. This may not make a positive intimacy into a negative one, or vice-versa, but there are no other restrictions on the new context. The Infernal that applied this mutation chooses both the intimacy and the new context.
• Affliction - Love To Hate: This mutation is equivalent to taking Friends To Lovers twice, and has the same effects, with the exception that no restrictions of any kind are placed on the new context.
• Blight - Nobody To Nemesis: One of the character’s intimacies has its subject altered. The character must be at least aware of this new subject, but otherwise needs no justification for transferring their love for their wife (or their hate for their foe) to them. The Infernal that applied this mutation chooses both the intimacy and the new subject.
• Abomination - I Always Feel Like: One of the character’s intimacies is marked for either erosion or reinforcement, as their mutated mind twitches and reinterprets events as the warlock wishes. If it is marked for erosion, then any scene spent reinforcing this intimacy instead counts as a scene spent eroding it. A scene spent interacting with the subject of the intimacy, or the Infernal who applied this mutation, always counts as a scene spent eroding this intimacy. If it is marked for reinforcement, then the same occurs, except that any scene spent eroding the intimacy instead counts as a scene spent reinforcing it. The Infernal that applied this mutation chooses the intimacy in question.

When these mutations fade or are removed, any intimacies they affected return to normal, unless they have been removed completely or otherwise altered in that time. Applying these mutations permanently never incurs an xp cost.

BROKEN ON THE ETERNAL WHEEL
Cost: — (+1m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Gnarled Pendulum Infusion
Change wears down lesser beings, grinding them like an ever-turning millstone. Tzeentch cares not - twice as many new horrors will be born from their broken bodies, returning to a cycle of infinite variations. This Charm permanently enhances Hand Of Change, allowing the Infernal to drain a single point of temporary Willpower from his target at a cost of one mote. This is still a Shaping effect, but it does not count toward the maximum motes that may be spent on the Charm, and may not be done more than once per activation.

At Essence 4+, this Charm automatically upgrades, allowing the Infernal to assail the minds of those who resist the certainty of uncertainty with leering illusions that mirror their inner madness. If the target of Hand Of Change perfectly defends against its Shaping effects (such as through the Charm Integrity-Protecting Prana; effects that would require a roll, or an additional cost per usage, such as Emerald Angel Unfurling or Purity Of Madness Defense), are obviously not considered perfect) the Infernal may reflexively pay one point of temporary Willpower to increase the target's current Limit track by one point as an Illusion effect that requires the expenditure of two points of temporary Willpower to resist. This may inflict a maximum of (target's Essence) Limit per scene on a single character. Obviously, this has no effect on characters without a Limit Track, but inflicts a single point of Resonance on Abyssals and reduces the temporary Clarity of an Alchemical by one (Alchemicals with a Dissonance track instead increase it by one).

BURNT OFFERING TRANSFERAL
Cost: — (+hl+); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hand Of Change
Fire turns wood to ash, but nothing has been lost - it is just another example of change. Soon the ash will blow away, and make the ground where it falls more fertile, allowing further growth. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to trade his health in order to further a glorious metamorphosis. When using Hand Of Change, he may voluntarily suffer any number of unsoakable bashing health levels of damage in order to decrease the mote cost of the Charm, to a minimum of zero. Motes discounted in this way obviously do not count toward the maximum number that may be spent on the Charm, effectively increasing the maximum number of mutations that may be applied per Charm activation.

FLICKERING FLAME OF MUTATION
Cost: 1m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 5)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping, Sorcerous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Hand Of Change
The fire of Tzeentch does not burn, but writhes in his many palms like a pinned piece of an aurora. The warlock gestures toward his foe, sending forth tongues of heatless flame that flow from one colour into the next. This flame is targeted with (Willpower+Occult), with an accuracy bonus of (Essence), and a range of ([Occult+Essence]x10) yards, ignoring cover entirely (though enemies in 100% cover are still invalid targets). If it hits, the Infernal may immediately apply the effects of Hand Of Change, at the usual cost (this is not a separate Charm activation).

The Infernal need not actually use his hands to project this fire (Tzeentch himself only has access to actual hands about half the time). Eyes, tentacles, feet, or a protruding tongue would work just as well.

SWEEPING WARPFIRE VORTEX
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame Of Mutation
The flames of change drip from a demon's maw like mad napalm, touching children, houses, towns, cities, and leaving none unchanged. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing the warlock to reduce the accuracy modifier of the flame in order to increase the radius of its area of effect, at a rate of one point of accuracy bonus to one yard. The lowest he may reduce his accuracy modifier to in this way is –(Essence). If this Charm strikes multiple targets, the warlock must pay for and select each of their mutations separately (he may choose not to apply any mutations at all, in order to conserve motes).

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 4+ upgrades it, allowing the warlock to only pay the mote cost for the mutations of the most expensive target of each Flickering Flame Of Mutation. Other costs must still be paid separately.

At Essence 10+ the Infernal may instead reduce his accuracy bonus to zero to increase the Charm's radius to one square mile.

FLAMMULE-TO-FUEL TRANSMUTATION
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native, Obvious, Overdrive
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame Of Mutation
The Infernal's mutating flames drip heatlessly over his fingers, falling to the ground. Where they touch dirt, it twists into new and alien shades, leaving a thin trail as the tiny mewling fires crawl back to the Infernal, reinfusing themselves into his burning Essence. This Charm grants the Infernal an Overdrive pool with a capacity of five motes. Initially empty, it gains a single mote every time the Exalt uses Flickering Flame Of Mutation on a target other than himself.

If the Infernal knows the Charm Mutable Ether Blade, then the capacity of the Overdrive pool granted by this Charm is increased to ten motes. In addition, it gains a single mote the first time in a tick the Infernal makes an attack with a weapon enhanced or created by that Charm. Finally, it gains a single mote at the end of any tick in which the Infernal has inflicted more than (Essencex2) points of mutations, spread across any number of characters (mutations he inflicts upon himself do not count for this purpose, and nor do pre-existing mutations that he releases from suppression).

NINE FACES OF DIVINITY
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flammule-To-Fuel Transmuation
When the Changer Of Ways straddled Creation alongside his brethren, he would sometimes spend the time between turns in the Games Of Divinity with a clutch of randomly selected gods. He would take them up into his hands, and let them fall between his fingers, catching and turning them over again and again, smiling as his very touch warped and mutated them. By the time he was called back to the Games, dropping his hobby like an afterthought, the divinities he had toyed with were little more than unrecognisable horrors – or worse. Many of the darker shames of Yu-Shan are still touched by the leftovers of Tzeentch’s attentions.

This Charm permanently enhances Flickering Flame Of Mutation, allowing the Infernal to use it to affect immaterial targets just as easily as material ones, ignoring the natural resistance to mutation possessed by gods and elementals. If the Infernal has enhanced or created a weapon with Mutable Ether Blade, then it can strike immaterial targets as well.

It should be noted here that ghosts cannot be mutated by Tzeentchian Charms (at least, not without employing Heretical Charmtech), being static creatures fundamentally opposed to his paradigm of chaos and organic change. Instead, they suffer one die of unsoakable aggravated damage for every three points of mutations they would have normally acquired. Non-ghostly creatures of death, such as zombies or Abyssals, are affected normally. They are, however, completely disgusting.

IT ROLLS ONWARD
Cost: 4m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame of Mutation
Change, to put things as simply as possible, changes. It shifts from one paradigm to the next, never static, never fixed. Mutation and madness flow into the Infernal, and flow right back out again, his skin bubbling up to the fingers as his fires are vented. The Infernal may activate this Charm in response to any undesired Shaping effect targeting him. The effect is immediately negated, and the Infernal must reflexively use Flickering Flame of Mutation as an innate power, applying a number of mutation points with it equal to the minimum Essence rating of the original Shaping effect. If there are no valid targets for the flame, the Infernal may still use this Charm to negate Shaping, but discharges the chaotic energies into the ground or air, resulting in a warped section of earth with wriggling tendrils and blinking eyes, or a cloud that sings disturbing rhymes.

EMBERS OF EVOLUTION
Cost: — (+1wp); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Sorcerous
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame Of Mutation
The revolution has not been put down. It simmers, cells of cultists and anarchists lying in wait, embers prepared to erupt at the slightest incitement to change. The Infernal may use Flickering Flame Of Mutation with a surcharge of one point of temporary Willpower, as well as the cost of any mutations he wishes to inflict through Hand Of Change, to lay a trap on any surface within range. This trap is a Sorcerous environmental hazard with a radius of (Essence) yards, which takes the form of softly glowing ember-like lights at the centre of the hazard. This will obviously be more suspicious in some places than others – it will likely be unnoticeable in a fire or on a jewel, but placing it in a dark room or a flat marble floor will allow it to be spotted easily. This hazard lasts until the end of the scene.

The first character (other than the Infernal) to step into the radius of the embers immediately suffers an attack by Flickering Flame Of Mutation, using the Infernal’s usual dice pool (he may not augment this pool with Charms). If the target had not noticed the Charm upon triggering this effect, he must roll (Wits+Awareness) against the warlock’s (Essence) or else suffer it as an unexpected attack. If the attack hits, it proceeds as though the target had been struck by a normal iteration of Flickering Flame Of Mutation, using the mutations paid for by the warlock upon setting the trap. After the resolution of this attack, the embers gutter out into nothingness, leaving no trace beyond some twisted discolouration where they once laid.

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 3+ allows the Infernal to charge his embers such that they can strike up to (Occult) different characters before being removed, at a cost of an additional two motes per additional character to be affected. Alternatively, he may lay up to (Occult) individual embers, each capable of affecting one character, at a cost of two additional motes per additional ember.

In addition, the warlock may place a geas on his overeager embers when creating them, forcing them to lie dormant. Instead, they will erupt (as normal) when a specific condition is met within their range while a valid target is also in range, targeting the closest valid target. This condition may range from "At noon" to "When the red-headed dragonblood with the jade powerbow embraces her mother". The embers will not recognise characters by name, though descriptions can be as needlessly specific as the Infernal likes, and they are not fooled by illusions. After this eruption has been resolved, the embers will act as normal, disappearing or waiting for further valid targets if they have more charges in store.

GREEN FIRE OF TREASON
Cost: — (+2m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Sorcerous
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame Of Mutation
The Great Mutator is a selfish titan, gazing through a universe of infinite complexity and seeing only where he might prevail. Viewed through the heat-shimmer of his emerald flame, others can understand a fragment of this mindset. This Charm upgrades its prerequisite. When using Flickering Flame Of Mutation, the warlock may pay an additional two motes (these do not count toward the maximum number of motes that may spent on the Charm). If he does so, then any character struck by it must roll (lowest Virtue) or suffer the effects of the Limit Break Curse Of The Heartless Weasel for the rest of the scene as a Shaping effect. This effect may be resisted at a cost of two points of temporary Willpower, but if it completes its natural duration, the affected character regains one point of temporary Willpower (there is never any Limit reduction from the effects of this Charm).

MUTABLE ETHER BLADE
Cost: 3m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Sorcerous
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Flame Of Mutation
The Puppeteer Of Feathers And Shade generally avoids such pedestrian weapons as blades, but when he must, he wields a great saber crafted from burning time, its edge formed from a thousand carefully sharpened anti-seconds that shimmer with an oily light. The warlock uses this Charm and spends three motes on any melee or martial arts weapon he is currently wielding, enveloping it in an shimmering aura of heatless flame. For the rest of the scene, any attack with the weapon is treated as an attack by Flickering Flame Of Mutation, with a successful hit allowing the martial artist to apply the effects of Hand Of Change, at the normal cost.

At Essence 4+ the effects of this Charm may also be applied to ranged weapons, a corona of mutating fire bursting into existence around each arrow or throwing star.

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 4+ allows the martial artist to create appropriate ammunition of any quality for ranged weapons enhanced by this Charm, at a cost of one mote for each shot costing Resources • or less, and two motes for more expensive ammunition (thrown weapons are treated as ammunition for the purposes of this Charm, with their Resources cost reduced by one). Ammunition created in this manner is formed entirely of the rainbow fire of Tzeentch, its solid parts formed from crystallised flame.

The warlock may now also create an entire weapon by using this Charm with a one mote surcharge, using the stats for any mundane weapon of any quality with a cost of Resources •• or less (he may create multiple weapons with a single activation, provided their total cost is within the boundaries of that allowed by the Charm). The weapon in question erupts into his hand, a shimmering manifestation of rainbow flame or twisted air, and acts exactly as a normal weapon of its type, with the exception that it cannot be sundered or disarmed, may be dispelled by appropriate countermagic, and is under the base effects of this Charm.

A third purchase at Essence 4+ increases the power of weapons created with this Charm, allowing the Infernal to pay an additional point of temporary Willpower when activating it. If he does so, he increases the maximum cost of created weapons to Artifact •• or Resources ••••. Artifact weapons created by this Charm do not benefit from any magical material bonus. The warlock may also pay this additional Willpower cost when enhancing a pre-existing weapon, increasing its quality rating by two levels, to a maximum of Perfect quality (Artifact weapons lack a quality rating, but may be enhanced in this way to add the Fine bonus to their statistics). A weapon enhanced in this way returns to its normal quality when the Charm deactivates, but its aesthetics are forever warped into something alien to Creation; perhaps it now possesses an unsettling oily sheen or a living eye set into its hilt.

If the warlock is wielding a weapon he created or enhanced by paying Willpower, he may channel Flickering Flame Of Mutation through it, reducing its total cost by one mote.

BURNING RAINBOW BACKDRAFT
Cost: 3m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack, Obvious, Sorcerous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mutable Ether Blade
To play with fire is to be burned. Humans first learned this from the Changer of Ways, in the most obvious fashion. The warlock may activate this Charm in response to any attack made against him while he is wielding a weapon enhanced or created by one of his Charms, granting him a counterattack against the attacker in Step 9 of the original attack using his created-or-enhanced weapon. If the weapon in question is one created by Mutable Ether Blade, he may pay an additional two motes to make this counterattack unblockable, as his flames flow around any guard. If the attacker is currently affected by a Sorcerous effect created by the Infernal, this counterattack is undodgeable, his magical resonance drawing the conjured blade as surely as a magnet.

FLESH LIKE MELTED WAX
Cost: — (+1m/+3m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hand Of Change
The bodies of those touched by the Capricious Azure roil and fold, their skin restitching into fur, their wounds becoming perfectly healed mouths. This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to heal those he mutates. When using Hand Of Change, the Infernal may spend one mote to heal a single level of his target’s bashing damage, or three motes to heal a single level of lethal damage, both of which are Shaping effects. These motes do not count toward the maximum cost of Hand Of Change, and he may restore any number of health levels with each use, but the Infernal cannot spend more motes healing a character than he spends on the main effect of the Charm.

A second purchase of this Charm allows the Infernal to heal Crippling effects at a cost of three motes per effect, or four if the effect is an amputation, as wrigglings tendrils reconnect lost limbs and eyes recurdle within their sockets. A third purchase extends his mutating medicine to Sickness effects, which cost three motes to heal, or four if the illness is magical in origin. Both of these are also Shaping effects.

POTENTIAL-UNLOCKING CARESS
Cost: — (+2+m/+3+m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Flesh Like Melted Wax
Within the Eternal Maze are all possibilities, and each turn may bring a traveller to a new path. Whether that path leads to the summit of Qaf, the heart of the Realm Defense Grid, or the maw of a river dragon is unknown to all but the blind fetich Kairos. This Charm permanently enhances Hand Of Change, allowing the Infernal to improve the traits of those he mutates. When using Hand Of Change as a Desecration effect, the Infernal may increase his target’s ability ratings or attributes as a Shaping and Training effect costing two motes per ability dot and three motes per attribute dot. This may not increase the target’s traits over their natural maximums. These motes do not count toward the maximum cost of Hand Of Change, but the Infernal cannot spend more motes healing a character than he spent on the main effect of the Charm.

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 5+ allows the Infernal to increase his target’s trait ratings up to one dot past their normal maximums, although doing so increases the resultant xp cost for the dot in question by half again. When the mutated character in question uses these unnatural skills, he leaves prismatic afterimages behind his movements, and the things he makes bear the undeniable aesthetics of Tzeentch, set with blue feathers, rainbow flames and numerous eyes. If they wish to avoid notice, they may elect not to use their Infernally-granted abilities, dropping their dice pools (and caps) for the roll accordingly.

CALL TO GLORY
Cost: — (+5m, 1wp); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Potential-Unlocking Caress
The potential for greatness lies within every being, in Creation or beyond, a truth exemplified by the process of Exaltation. It is by Tzeentch's carefully considered hand, however, that any pawn on the board may become a queen. This Charm permanently enhances Hand Of Change, allowing the Infernal to elevate those he mutates. If his target with Hand Of Change is a mortal extra, he may expend five motes and a point of Willpower to confer a new and heroic motivation (chosen by the target mortal’s player) as a Shaping effect. Doing so transforms the extra into a heroic mortal. Motes spent on this do not count toward the maximum cost of Hand Of Change, but the Infernal cannot spend more motes elevating an extra than he spent on the main effect of the Charm. When using the Charm in this way, the Infernal may apply dots of the Demonic Inheritance background as though it were a Blight mutation.

Revlid
2011-01-02, 09:46 AM
TENDRIL-MIND INSINUATION
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
Tzeentch knows well how to make others dance for him; their strings, once found, are easily pulled. Sometimes he will simply set the stage, and allow the puppets to manipulate themselves, directed by the levers and pulleys they set up in their own souls. This Charm permanently enhances all social attacks the Infernal makes with Manipulation. When applying an MDV penalty caused by such an attack resonating with the target’s intimacy, Virtue or Motivation, do not simply choose the highest modifier. Instead, these penalties stack, although each one can only be inflicted once per attack. This means that the maximum MDV penalty that can be inflicted in this way is -6 (-3 for resonating with the target’s Motivation, -2 for a dominant Virtue, -1 for an intimacy).

However, the Infernal’s own attachment to his ideals falters, as he comes to see the flimsy malleability of such justifications. Any MDV bonus the Infernal gains due to the social attack in question opposing one of his intimacies, his dominant Virtue or his Motivation is reduced by one, to a minimum of 0. Bonuses gained against social attacks that would lead him to come to immediate physical danger are unaffected; despite his own capricious nature, Tzeentch has yet to become disillusioned with his own existence.

INCOMPREHENSIBLE NESTED HEART
Cost: 3m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Tendril-Mind Insinuation
Tzeentch hides his motives from the whole world, behind bluff and double-bluff and false dead-ends so convincing that at times one might even believe he cares for nothing, that the entirety of existence is but a passing dream to him. Those few who have seen him act directly know this for the lie that it is - the Changer Of Ways is no less attached than any of his siblings, he is simply far better at hiding it.

For the rest of the scene, so long as the Prince does not gain any benefits from an Intimacy or Virtue (such as using it to resist mental influence, or channelling it), it cannot be discerned by mundane means. Even an outright (but mundane) declaration of their feelings on the Infernal's part will result in listeners treating it as a bluff, misunderstanding it, or simply hearing nothing but gibberish. Gaining benefits from an intimacy or virtue immediately rescinds this Charm’s protection of that trait for the rest of the scene, as the Infernal’s ties to the mundane world become clear and comprehensible again.

At Essence 3+, this Charm also obscures the Infernal’s Motivation, provided they do not gain any benefits from it (such as regaining Willpower due to its accomplishment, or using it to resist mental influence). His goals seem alien or nonsensical to others, or else shrouded in layers of byzantine deceptions.

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 3+ extends its protection to all supernaturally-enhanced attempts to discern the Infernal’s Motivation, Virtues or Intimacies, forcing a roll-off against perfect effects (in such roll-offs, this Charm benefits from one automatic success) and automatically defeating all others. Whenever a character attempts to use magic to analyse the Infernal in this way, he may unleash a backlash of hissing taunts that echo in their skull, draining one point of temporary Willpower from them. However, such a direct defence of the Infernal’s true character makes this Charm Obvious to the character in question.

At Essence 7+, the duration of this Charm changes to Permanent, with its mote cost reduced to zero.

LOCKED DOORS AND CLOSED LIPS
Cost: 18m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Illusion, Sorcerous
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Incomprehensible Nested Heart
The champions of Tzeentch move subtly, spreading their influence like creepy tendrils across the face of Creation. It is only right that he should aid them in this. The Infernal may use this Charm when interacting with the leader of any cult (or its supernatural patron, the god or demon or Exalt that is the focus of its worship) worth a background rating no greater than his (Essence). He makes an offer to the leader or patron to obscure the cult. If they accept (it is, of course, permissible to secure agreement beforehand through mental influence), he pays eighteen motes and one point of temporary Willpower (none of which is committed) and weaves a web of subtleties and magical decoys, using the faith of the cult to distort its impact on the Loom of Fate like the blurred veil of a heat haze. If the Infernal is himself the leader or patron of the cult, he may obviously provide permission for this Charm to be used himself.

Every member of the cult now exudes an Illusion that glosses over any but the most overt signs of their membership; neighbours ignore the odd hours they keep, and strange gatherings are treated as being entirely unremarkable, while many become actively opposed to acknowledging the cult’s existence, seeing it as nothing but an imagined bogeyman or nonsense conspiracy theory. This illusion can be seen through by anyone with a Dodge MDV of more than (Infernal’s Essence+Occult), but otherwise has the effect of applying an external penalty of (Essence) to all attempts to investigate the cult, gather details on its organization, membership and activities, or otherwise prove its existence. Characters cannot normally resist this illusion with Willpower, but if it is directly pointed out to them, they may do so by spending two points of temporary Willpower. Characters exuding this illusion automatically see through it, but not through any other illusions created by another application of this Charm; it often benefits Tzeentch to keep his cults (or the cults within his cults) ignorant of each other’s existence. This illusion automatically fools the pattern spiders, as well as any method of divination that relies purely on the Loom of Fate – they gloss over the existence of the cult, giving no more information than the diviner already has access to.

Although this Charm will not muffle the sound of a cultist screaming his chants from the rooftops, or mask ritual killings in the streets, it does exert a separate illusion that hides unnatural mutations, as well as any scars, tattoos or mutilations directly related to the Cult in question, making the character seem like an ordinary being of their species. If the character in question would not be able to live in Creation if all their mutations originated in the Wyld, the illusion is weakened, reducing the Dodge MDV required to see through it to (Infernal’s Essence +1).

When applying this Charm, the warlock chooses a marker that identifies members of the cult. This can be anything; a secret handshake, a hidden tattoo, a codephrase or piece of ritual jewelry. Every member of the cult who benefits from the illusion created by this Charm gains knowledge of the marker (however subconscious), and adopts it in their interactions with the cult (the marker is hidden by the illusion). The warlock himself gains a special eye for the marker – not only can he see through all illusions he creates with this Charm, the marker is Obvious to him at all times, allowing him to instantly identify members of cults he has aided in this manner. A little insurance is always a wise acquisition.

Despite the Sorcerous keyword, the Infernal may end this Charm himself at any point, from any distance, with a miscellaneous action where he informs the wind and world of the name of the cult in question (the patron or leader of the cult may also perform this action, if they are made aware of it). Countermagic removes this effect as normal, but it does not affect individual cult members - it must be cast on the Infernal, or the patron or leader of the cult.

SEE NO HEAR NO
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Locked Doors And Closed Lips
This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, enhancing its ability to shield the cult from the actions of outsiders. A cult under the effects of Locked Doors And Closed Lips ignores any undesirable mundane effect based on proportions of the population that does not specifically target them. A plague that wipes out a fifth of a kingdom will leave the cult unharmed, a raid that destroys a city misses any members of the cult, while lynchings of the religious pass them by. In effect, they become immune to mundane, “offscreen” destruction while they are hidden by the Charm. Chaos, riots, upheaval; these things only benefit the agents of Tzeentch.

A second purchase of this Charm at Essence 4+ cripples the ability of others to sway the cult from its purpose. Any effect that would inflict a belief, taboo, etc, on the entire cult through one or more members becomes Obvious to the leader, and his MDVs are increased by (Patron’s Essence) against it. Tzeentch has little desire to see his plans upset by the mindless bleating of idealists.

In addition, if the group leader has a mote pool, he may perfectly defend against such an effect on behalf of the cult by reflexively paying five motes and openly declaring its source an enemy of the cult. If he does so, every cult member present gains an intimacy of religious hatred toward the source of the effect, and enters into a frenzied state with the same effects as the Red Rage of Compassion Limit Break, lasting until the end of the scene. For the duration of this frenzy, the illusion created by Locked Doors And Closed Lips is completely dropped, and the cult is immune to further mental influence, for obvious reasons. The cult leader himself is not affected by this frenzy, and non-extras may exert Partial Control (though no characters involved regain any Willpower or lose any Limit for participating in this mad lynching).

RECURSIVE MAZE-MIND
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Incomprehensible Nested Heart
The greatest lies are those we tell ourselves, and Tzeentch is among the greatest liars in existence. This Charm may be purchased a number of times equal to the Infernal's Essence rating. Each time it is purchased, the Infernal gains another Motivation. This new Motivation must be somewhat plausible, both with regards to its accomplishment and its objective relation to the Infernal's character and history, but it is still a fake. This fake Motivation may be reflexively adopted by the Infernal at a cost of one point of temporary Willpower, and he acts upon it as though it were his Motivation, only able to work toward his real Motivation subconsciously. Any effect that reveals Motivations, supernatural or otherwise, reveals the fake Motivation rather than the real one. The Infernal may pay one point of temporary Willpower to reflexively drop the fake Motivation in favour of his real Motivation (or another fake one he possesses). A dropped fake Motivation requires a week before it can be donned again.

Fake Motivations differ from real ones in a number of ways.
• While the Infernal is using a fake Motivation, he regains Willpower for working toward it only if he fails a Conviction roll, allowing his mind to sink into the comfort of its own deception.
• Betraying a fake Motivation cannot be claimed as an Unacceptable Order, though it offers the usual MDV bonus.
• A character who becomes aware of the falseness of the Motivation may attempt to erode it in the same manner as an Intimacy, though the Infernal's Conviction is effectively doubled for this purpose. Upon breaking the fake Motivation, it automatically drops, leaving the Infernal with his true Motivation (or another fake one he possesses, at no cost).
• If the Infernal completes a fake Motivation, he cannot immediately increase his Essence, but instead reverts to his true Motivation (or another fake one he possesses, at no cost).
• The Infernal may alter any of his fake Motivations by spending a full day in meditation, during which he will frantically speak in tongues about his deepest, truest desires.

At Essence 4+ the true madness and masterful puppetry of the Eternal Maze comes into effect - any Motivations acquired or changed may be totally unrelated to the Infernal's character, or otherwise totally implausible (making Metagaos into a Bride of Ahlat, for example).

At Essence 6+, up to (Essence-5) fake Motivations may, during a meditation to change them, be altered into fake Urges, following the same mechanics (although they must still follow the guidelines of the Yozi patron in question, and replace the Infernal's Urge rather than his Motivation).

AUTOTHAUMATURGISTIC IDEAL DEDICATION
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Recursive Maze-Mind
Tzeentch lives within the wheels he constructs for his plans, ever-unsure if the plot he is currently constructing is truly his final aim, or merely another step within his own grand strategy. The Infernal gains a 10-mote Peripheral Essence pool, to which he adds one mote of Essence at the end of every hour he actively works toward a fake Motivation created by Recursive Maze-Mind (or, if he lacks a Motivation, obeying the imperatives of a fake Urge).

TREACHERY UNKNOWN TO ALL
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Recursive Maze-Mind
The agents of the Eye Of Sorceries are many and varied, drawn to him by power, madness or a genuine (if naive) desire to change the world. While they sometimes work out in the open like the Purple Hand cult of the South, a smokescreen for Tzeentch's subtler antics, more often they are hidden from the world. Sometimes they are even hidden from themselves. The Infernal may, as a Touch effect costing five motes and a point of temporary Willpower, grant one of his fake Motivations created by this Charm's prerequisite to a single willing target, removing it from his own stock of fakes (this still counts toward his own maximum number of fake motivations).

This fake Motivation overlays the target’s own, automatically taking effect just as though they had donned it using Recursive Maze-Mind. The target cannot remove it themselves (though they can subdue it for a scene at a cost of two points of temporary Willpower, allowing their true Motivation to take effect for that duration), and have all memory regarding its acquisition suppressed, rendering them consciously unaware of the falseness of their goals.

The Motivation removes itself upon being completed, or at a trigger determined by the Infernal when setting it. This trigger may range from a specific time and date, or a condition such as “upon receiving a mutation” or “upon meeting the governor”. The Infernal may set up to (target’s Willpower) triggers. Upon being removed, the false Motivation immediately returns to the Infernal’s arsenal of self-deception, and the target instantly reacquires their original motivation.

At Essence 6+, If the target possesses an Urge of their own, and the Infernal has at least one fake Urge, he may use this Charm to grant them that fake Urge, just as though they had used Recursive Maze-Mind, following the guidelines of the rest of this Charm. A target may have both a fake Urge and a fake Motivation, but may only have one of each at a time.

VIZIER-SELF COUNCIL
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Recursive Maze-Mind
Closing his eyes, the Infernal reopens them to a world swimming with impish manifestations of his own mind, dancing and leering around all he sees, advising him on matters great and small, pointing out things he has missed and things he would rather not see. When purchasing this Charm, choose one of the Infernal’s mental attributes. For the duration of this Charm, all of the Infernal’s rolls based on that Attribute are rolled twice, with him choosing whichever result he prefers (the Infernal may not voluntarily deactivate this Charm before its natural end). If he applies the effects of Tzeentch Mythos Exultant to an action enhanced by this Charm, he may split the redone dice-rolls granted by his stunt between each of the two dice rolls, in any way he desires, for no additional cost.

If both these rolls result in the same number of successes, the Infernal applies his chosen result, but loses the benefits of the Charm for the remainder of the scene. Instead, he suffers an external penalty of (Essence) to all further rolls involving that Attribute for the rest of the scene, as he tries desperately to ignore the contradictory nonsense of his maddening "advisors". He may end this penalty at any point by immediately gaining one point of Limit.

This Charm may be purchased twice more, each time adding an additional mental Attribute (all Attributes are affected with a single activation, at no additional cost; once a committee has been asked its opinion, it will never withhold it).

At Essence 4+, this Charm automatically expands to cover the Infernal’s Virtue rolls, as his inner council advises him on moral and spiritual conundrums. If he should roll the same number of successes on a Virtue roll, the external penalty is applied to any roll he channels a Virtue to enhance.

At Essence 6+, this Charm’s duration increases to Permanent, at no cost.

INEVITABILITY OF BETRAYAL
Cost: 5m or 3m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Vizier-Self Council
Tzeentch neither has nor needs friends. He has allies aplenty, but they are met with sideways, suspicious glances; the Capricious Azure intends to betray them, so they must be preparing their own petty treacheries in turn. This Charm may be activated in response to any sort of mental influence, causing that influence to become Obvious to the Infernal’s senses and perfectly parrying it with a suspicious glance or knowing sneer. The Charm can parry unblockable mental influence.

This Charm may not be used against characters toward whom the Infernal has an intimacy of trust or loyalty; such blindspots are fatal flaws for a master schemer. If used against a character the Infernal has an intimacy of suspicion (mistrust, paranoia, etc) toward, it benefits from a two mote discount. If the Infernal uses this Charm at its full cost, he gains an immediate negative intimacy of suspicion toward the source of the parried mental influence, replacing any positive intimacies he may have had toward the subject.

WITH AN ANARCHIC SCREECH
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social, Emotion
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Tendril-Mind Insinuation
Where Tzeentch walks, peasants overthrow kings, exiled princes return to end republics, and the grand cycle of madness continues. This Charm targets any social group with Magnitude 1+ (be it a cult, a senate, or the entire Realm). The Infernal must have spent at least a day within the last decade fomenting rebellion, unease or a desire for change within the group, whether by putting up provocative posters, having his lackeys give loud speeches from atop buildings, or actually organising a grand conspiracy against the established order. He then activates this Charm in the presence of at least one member of the targeted group.

The Infernal rolls (Manipulation + Socialize + Essence), applying an external penalty equal to the group’s Magnitude. If he fails, the rebellion fizzles and dies out before it really began. If he succeeds, he applies another external penalty of half the group’s Magnitude. If he fails here, then a little under half of the social group (mainly concentrated among its lower levels, if the Infernal has failed to secure the support of a higher-ranked member though other mental influence) will be encouraged into rebellion as an Emotion effect, shunning their former comrades as hidebound fools, unrepentant heretics, or oppressive . This may take the form of actual civil war, but will most likely result in secessions, strikes, violent protests, etc. The rebels in question are not necessarily a united block; this is a general sense of disquiet and disregard for authority, not an organized coup (unless the Infernal has put such a thing in place beforehand, in which case many will likely fall in with it). This unnatural mental influence may be resisted for a scene by paying one point of Loyalty, or rejected entirely by paying three points. Otherwise, it lasts until the “rebellion” is appeased, succeeds, or is put down.

If he succeeds even after applying the second penalty, he applies a third penalty, equal to the Dodge MDV of the leader of the group. If he fails here, then the previously described effect takes place, but encompasses a greater proportion of the population; two thirds, more of whom will be in the higher echelons of power. In addition, the cost to reject it wholesale is increased to four points of Loyalty. If he succeeds, however, then the entire group is afflicted by this Emotion effect, demanding change. The prime minister seeks new blood for his Cabinet, and new policies to champion, totally altering the face of his party. The king shifts his court completely, declaring war on old allies and making peace with ancient enemies, or even abdicating entirely. People riot in the streets to declare free love and openness, or form lynch mobs and start burning books (and people). Even the most loyal and steadfast of factions will begin to reinterpret tradition, or take radical courses of action to combat the subversiveness that has appeared within their group. This unnatural mental influence may be resisted for a scene by paying two points of Loyalty, or rejected entirely by paying six points. Otherwise, it lasts until the rebellion is appeased, succeeds, or is put down.

This Charm has no effect on individuals—only on groups. The Infernal incites chaos and rebellion against the established order within the group, but each individual reacts in their own way. The primary function of this Charm outside of narrative time is to limit the ability of a social group to act, or make it more vulnerable to outside predation (political or military). This Charm is unlikely to result in a fullscale revolution unless other factors (pre-existing conspiracies or unrest) would dictate it, or the Infernal succeeds in his roll despite all three penalties.

EAGLE-EYE SET AFLAME
Cost: 5m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Sorcerous
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Tendril-Mind Insinuation
Tzeentch has many eyes, some of which watch, invisible, about Malfeas and Creation alike. There is nothing he cannot see, nowhere he does not know, and it is atop this foundation of presumed omniscience that he builds his perfect plans. Upon activating this Charm, the warlock creates a Sorcerous eye of flame that floats at any spot within (Essence x100) yards of him (he does not need to be able to perceive this spot). The eye is not actually a creature of any kind, but an immaterial Sorcerous projection, invisible except to sight that can perceive dematerialized spirits. As such, it cannot be destroyed by attacks, even those that would strike immaterial creatures, but can be destroyed with appropriate countermagic, ending this iteration of the Charm.

The warlock may spend a miscellaneous action (Speed 5, DV-1) looking through the eye until his DV refreshes, allowing him to perceive what it perceives. This perception is both omnidirectional and omnisensory, with every sense directed equally in every direction from the eye. It also uses the warlock’s own senses – if he has enhanced or impaired them (such as with Essence-Dissecting Stare or Shuddering Senses Stirred) then these effects apply to his perceptions through his eye. While the warlock is looking through the eye, he may direct it, mentally propelling it in any direction at a rate of up to (Infernal’s Occult) yards per tick. He may still perceive and interact with his own surroundings during this scrying, but suffers an external penalty of -2 to all his dicepools while doing so (if he would rather not suffer this penalty, he can reflexively end the scrying earlier at no penalty, refocusing on the here and now).

The Infernal may have only one eye of flame active at once. Unlike a normal Sorcerous Charm, the Infernal may reflexively end this Charm himself, at any distance. Dimensional barriers do not impair this Charm, though effects that would block scrying prevent the Infernal from looking through the eye in question.

The Infernal may purchase this Charm a second time at Essence 3+, increasing the maximum number of eyes he may have manifested at once to three. A third purchase at Essence 4+ increases the maximum number a second time, to (Essence).

SIGHT OF THE UNIVERSAL ALCHEMIST
Cost: 5m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Sorcerous
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Eagle-Eye Set Aflame
What use is a chemist who cannot read a formula? Tzeentch concocts whole new realities in which to play out his scenarios, and so it is the formula of the universe that he must read. Other than its duration and keywords, the effects of this Charm are identical to those of All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight (Exalted Corebook, pg 222). Despite the Sorcerous keyword, the Infernal may reflexively end the effects of this Charm.

In addition, when activating Eagle-Eye Set Aflame, the Infernal may pay an additional mote. If he does so, he grants the eye created by that Charm the effects of All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight for the duration of its existence.

ALL-SEEING IS ALL-KNOWING
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Eagle-Eye Set Aflame
When Tzeentch was imprisoned, he offered up four of his souls to be executed, though they struggled and cried in a manner most convincing. These days, the peacock-feathers that line his humaniform jouten's cape sport four additional eyes. Few have noticed, and none have commented. Ultimately, only Szoreny knows the truth of what happened to those deva. With each purchase of this Charm, the Infernal’s eyes gain two abilities of his choice, chosen from the four listed below.

Thought: The eye benefits from a fraction of the colossal intelligence of Huga, allowing it to function without the Infernal’s continuous attention. It can move and follow the Infernal’s instructions as though it were an automaton, able to travel to specific locations the Infernal knows the way to, follow specified people it can perceive, or move in a pattern until it finds a specified area, item or character. Orders may be transferred whenever the Infernal is looking through the eye, immediately overriding any previous commands. Once the eye’s orders are completed or inapplicable, it will immediately stop in place. It has no ingenuity or initiative, and will not do anything it was not specifically tasked with doing, nor will it develop solutions to any problems that may occur or innovate in the face of complications with its orders. For example, if it is ordered to follow the dragonblood carrying a set of battleplans, and the dragonblood hands these plans to a mortal servant, the eye will stop in place, its orders considered inapplicable.

Memory: The eye gains a drop of the endless memory of Mune, letting it carry a record of everything it perceives (it is considered to use the Infernal’s unenhanced senses for this purpose – his magical enhancements are only applied when he is looking directly through it). Whenever the Infernal looks through the eye, he may spend a diceless miscellaneous action retrieving its memories, perfectly integrating them into his own. This integration occurs automatically when the Infernal dismisses an eye, but if the eye is dispelled by another character, all stored memory is lost. The Infernal may also have an eye project any of its memories outward in a construct of immaterial light, perfectly portraying events as they occured (though he may have it start or finish its recollection at any point, allowing a certain amount of creative editing).

Decision: The eye is infused with a touch of the perfect judgement of Kosi, allowing it to notify its creator of particular events. When looking through an eye, the Infernal may specify certain conditions, ranging in complexity from “Someone enters the room” to “A blonde man in gold armour says the word ‘Cellar-door’ to a young girl”. When one of these conditions is met, the eye instantly sends the warlock a signal in the form of a beckoning whisper, a sudden sense of illusory heat, a jangling tone or some other unmistakable sign. “My orders are no longer applicable” is obviously an acceptable condition. Each eye may have up to (Essence) triggers lying in wait at a time, each one with a different signal for their conditions being met. If the eye is also infused with Thought, then instead of a signal being sent to him, the Infernal may link a trigger to a new order (as defined in that entry), set when creating the eye. This allows the Infernal to, with a little planning, create multi-layered and complex programs.

Speech: The eye acquires an echo of the many-throated voice of Talo, giving it the ability to transmit the Infernal’s voice. When he is looking through the eye, he may speak through it as well, just as though he were at its location. At no additional cost, he may choose to give his voice a reverberating, ominous tone, increasing the difficulty of any roll to identify him by voice by two. He may also, at no additional cost, cause the flaming eye to become visible, and may (if he wishes) instead have it instead as a humanoid figure composed of those same flames. Finally, he may have the drone telepathically present his message to up to (Occult) characters within (Essence) yards of it, preventing his words from being overheard. Any social attacks the Infernal makes through the eye use his own traits as if though he was present at the eye’s location, and he may enhance them with Charms as normal.

LENS OF THE VIATICAL
Cost: 20m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Sorcerous, Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Eagle-Eye Set Aflame
Tzeentch could tell the lesser beings of the world so many things. He could tell them that all places are as one, that all roads lead to their destination, that paths unseen riddle the universe like tunnels in the woodwork of a house, built into it at the time of its construction. Many of these things would be true, many would be half-truths, a great number would be outright lies. One thing that is certain, though, is that he truly enjoys making a dramatic escape from out of the clutches of his enemies.

This Charm may be activated whenever the Infernal has at least two burning eyes active at once. He touches one, and spends twenty motes to turn both that eye and one other in the same plane of existence into linked portals for the duration of the Charm, allowing instantaneous travel from one point to the other. Eyes altered in such a way pulse and stretch, their pupils lengthening and splitting open into a fire-rimmed tear in reality, through which the other side can be seen (though when no demons can perceive the portal this view sometimes switches to a great void dotted with unblinking eyes). This shift makes them visible and Obvious even to mundane senses, though they are no more vulnerable than before. The Infernal can still use the eye as normal, although it is rendered immobile.

Any character or object that moves into one of the portals emerges out of the other one, just as though they were walking through a mundane door. Each portal is normally large enough to allow a single, average-sized human through at once without slowing. However, the edges of the portal are unnervingly elastic, and larger (or additional) characters can fit through by squeezing – this requires a Speed 6 miscellaneous action from each character, which renders them effectively inactive until their DV refreshes, just as though they were in a clinch with the portal.

Characters who move through a portal must immediately roll their total number of mutation points (counting negative mutations as positive ones for this purpose), at a difficulty of 3. If they succeed, they move through as normal. If they fail, they suffer a single level of unsoakable aggravated damage, which they may only avoid by accepting a number of points of negative mutations (of the Storyteller's choice) equal to the amount by which they failed.

The warlock may use this Charm on an active portal to close it (and any connected to it, if he wishes) and change it back into an eye.

A second purchase of this Charm allows the Infernal to pay (number of linked portals-1) points of Willpower when activating the Charm, or subsequently pay that point as a miscellaneous action when touching a portal. If he does so, the portal (and all portals linked to it) stretches wider with a sound like tearing sinew, increasing its capacity for easy movement to (Essence) average-sized humans at once (or an equivalent mass).

In addition, he may activate this Charm again when touching another eye of his (that is not acting as a portal). If he does so, he may link that eye into his portal network, creating a three-(or four, or five)-way portal. Any character stepping into such a portal will emerge out of whichever portal they desire, if they have one in mind. If not, they will exit out of a randomly-chosen portal from the network (including the one they just entered).

At Essence 8+, this Charm can be used to create portals between two separate planes of existence. Tzeentch has been forbidden from doing so as part of his surrender oaths, and the Yozis cannot escape their prison through such portals, but a Green Sun Prince could easily open gateways into Malfeas, Yu-Shan, the Underworld, or even his own Heretical soulscape. Interdimensional portals are Blasphemy effects, and have the difficulty of the roll to pass through them unharmed increased to 5.

CERTAINTY IS CHANCE UNDERSTANDING
Cost: 2m; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Tendril-Mind Insinuation
Myriad possibilities pass by the eyes of Tzeentch, fizzing and burning out as they go unexplored, or gently glowing with his light as they are fulfilled. He does not engage in the perfect calculations of his sister She Who Lives In Her Name, or embrace the mad totality of his brother Oramus. No, Tzeentch gambles, playing dice with the universe. This is not to say the dice are not weighted. Upon using this Charm, the Infernal specifies an action that he (or any other character whose presence he is aware of) could conceivably take in this scene. This could range from “hit Peleps Deled with my daiklave” to “dodge the traps guarding that door”. He immediately learns the difficulty of the action (or, if the action is an attack, the appropriate DVs of the target), as well as the extent of any external or internal penalties that would afflict it (though not their source). If the difficulty of (or penalties surrounding) the action changes after using this Charm, the Infernal is not notified.

When using this Charm, the Infernal’s pupil warps slightly, splitting for an instant into two conjoined dots. This is not noticeable enough to make the Charm Obvious.

CASTLING THE UNIVERSE
Cost: 4m (+1wp), ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Certainty Is Chance Understanding
The world seems to pause around the Infernal, as possibilities throb through it like glowing ripples through quicksilver. Mentally reaching out, he picks at one that sings of his perfection, peeling it away from potentia and into reality. Time continues, and he avoids or redirects the foreseen attacks of his foes, seemingly without effort or a single unnecessary motion. An arrogant smirk or mocking declaration of foreknowledge often follows. This Charm may be activated in response to any attack targeting the Infernal, allowing him to perfectly dodge or parry it. This may even be used against unexpected attacks, effectively removing that tag, although doing so increases the cost of the Charm by one point of temporary Willpower. This Charm suffers from the Imperfection Of The Changer Of Ways.

At Essence 4+, the Infernal may use this Charm without its Imperfection, at a cost of one mote. Doing so removes the unexpected quality from the attack in question, but does not incorporate any perfect defence.

IMPERFECTION OF THE CHANGER OF WAYS
Tzeentch holds himself aloof, hiding his true goals behind veils of deception. Pierce that veil, and you have good as pierced his heart. Charms suffering from this Imperfection increase their cost by two motes when used against a character that knows the Infernal’s current Motivation. If that Motivation is applicable in the scene is used, this surcharge is increased to four motes. For the purposes of this Imperfection, mindless creatures such as automata that are directly controlled by another character use their master's knowledge of the Infernal's Motivation in place of their own.

If the Infernal does not have a Motivation, he uses his Urge for the purposes of this Imperfection, instead. If the Infernal possesses neither Motivation nor Urge, Charms suffering from this Imperfection automatically fail, devoid of any greater purpose.

CONDESCENDING MASTER DEFENCE
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Castling The Universe
If the clumsy stabs and blows of the Infernal's foes are obvious beyond causality, the flight path of their arrows is all but a burning trumpet, declaring their intent and telegraphing their target. And to seek to combat him with sorcery! The warlock can only shake his head in mocking pity as he dances around their flints and fires. This Charm permanently upgrades its prerequisite, reducing its cost by one mote when used against sorcerous attacks, or attacks made from range (these two benefits may stack, if they both apply). While the discount against ranged attacks only applies when Castling The Universe is used as a perfect defence, the discount against sorcerous attacks is always applied, no matter the Charm’s use.

ECHOING AFTERIMAGE PREDICTIONS
Cost: — (+1m); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Castling The Universe
One possibility splits into a dozen, a tree of potential realities that flow behind the Infernal's enemy like a cloak. As he watches, he scans the myriad ways they might attack, a prediction that becomes more difficult as they flicker and fade. This Charm permanently enhances Castling The Universe. After the Infernal uses that Charm, he may pay one mote to reflexively increase his defence dicepools by (Essence) against further attacks made by the character that Castling The Universe was used against. These additional dice begin to fade at the end of that tick, at a rate of one die per tick. Further applications of this Charm’s effects do not stack, instead resetting the number of added dice back to (Essence).

KAZIRE’S HYPOTHETICAL DOWN
Cost: — (+1wp); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Castling The Universe
Among Tzeentch’s greater souls is Kazire, the Feline Informed. Each of his finely combed teeth glisten with the light of a sun from another world, an alternate reality. An existence where things went one way, and not the other, as they did here. Few minds can withstand such a constant, cosmic uncertainty of the true course of events. Indeed, after a few close calls in the madness of the Primordial War, Kazire himself is beset with doubts as to whether or not he is even alive. This Charm permanently upgrades its prerequisite, allowing the warlock to assault his attacker’s mind with a rainbow deluge of possibilities. Whenever the Infernal uses Castling The Universe to dodge or parry an attack, he may pay a surcharge of one point of temporary Willpower. If he does so, the attacker must immediately roll (Wits+Integrity) at a difficulty of (Infernal’s Essence). If he succeeds, he receives a brief glimpse into the alternate realities governed by the Eternal Maze, but is otherwise unhurt. If he fails, however, his mind is plunged directly into the stream of chance for less than a moment, inflicting (Essence) points of derangements on him. He may avoid gaining these derangements by taking a moment to steady himself and separate his own memories from those lived by a dozen alternates. If he does so, he suffers an internal penalty to all actions equal to the points value of the avoided derangements, lasting until the end of his next action.

Revlid
2011-01-02, 09:50 AM
SORCEROUS ENLIGHTENMENT OF TZEENTCH
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Tzeentch Excellency
The warping aesthetics associated with Tzeentch are rainbow colours, feathers, liquidity of form, and flames. However, he has no particular attachment to any element or use of sorcery – in the hands of a skilled sorcerer, even stasis is a force for change, altering the world around it like a boulder placed in the middle of a stream. Tzeentch places no mechanical restrictions on his sorcerers, except that of the Native keyword; the Eye Of Sorceries welcomes all knowledge, but guards his own jealously.

WOVEN FLAME OF SORCERY
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sorcerous Enlightenment Of Tzeentch
This Charm permanently enhances the warlock’s magical abilities, allowing him to focus and reweave his sorceries like a burning tapestry, refining the images they blaze into reality. Whenever he uses a spell of any Circle, he may reduce its mote cost by ten motes or its Willpower cost by one. Doing so, however, increases the number of necessary Shape Sorcery actions to cast the spell by one.

At Essence 4+, the warlock may instead hasten the creation of his spells, pouring additional power in to compensate. Whenever he uses a spell of any Circle, he may choose to decrease the number of necessary Shape Sorcery actions to cast the spell by one. Doing so increases the mote cost of the spell by ten motes, or its Willpower cost by one.

RIPPLES TURN THE WHEEL
Cost: — ; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native, Overdrive
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sorcerous Enlightenment Of Tzeentch
One of the lower-key attractions of Meru during the First Age was a simple waterwheel, constructed of wafer-thin basalt strips over a structure of starmetal, with joints of moonsilver. It hung, listless and perfectly balanced, within a small artificial pool of crystal-pure water. Whenever someone threw a coin or pebble into the pool, the ripples sent out would tilt the wheel, however slightly, sending it turning and spinning in subtly different ways. A skilled occultist could, by watching the wheel closely, divine high-level information about the Fate of the thrower. The wheel was a gift to the Deliberative from the defeated Tzeentch, and he cursed when the Usurpation cut its role in his plans short.

Just as the ripples of the pool move the mystical waterwheel, the spells cast around the Infernal send ripples through existence, stirring up new Essence within him. This Charm grants the Infernal an Overdrive pool with a capacity of ten motes. Initially empty, it gains motes every time a spell or sorcerous Charm is used within (Essencex5) yards of the Infernal. The number of motes depends on the Circle of the spell; one mote for Iron Circle, two motes for Emerald or Onyx Circle, three motes for Sapphire or Obsidian Circle, and four motes for Adamant Circle. Sorcerous Charms add one mote to the pool if their minimum Essence rating is 4 or less, and two motes if it is higher. The source of the spell or Charm does not matter, only that it was cast within the Infernal’s radius. Spells or sorcerous effects that are reflexively dispelled, or otherwise negated before truly being cast, do not contribute toward this pool.

The Glamour Sorcery of the Fair Folk is just as usable - Tzeentch loved the chaos of the Wyld, and consented to help build Creation only for the colossal change to the status quo it would engender. Many a time the Eye Of Sorceries turned the mad magic of the Raksha back on them, such they cursed and revered his name in equal measure. Oneiromancy of the Waking or Dreaming Circle grants two motes, while the Desire or Samadhi Circles grant three motes and the Shinma Circle grants four.

Protocols act under similar enough principles to Sorcery for Tzeentch to benefit from them (should he ever encounter them). However, Autochthon’s diseased nature and the foreign construction of the Protocols makes the process far less efficient, with Man-Machine Protocols granting a single mote and God-Machine Protocols granting two.

QUILLS PINNED TO JOY
Cost: — (+1wp); Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sorcerous Enlightenment Of Tzeentch x2
Tzeentch’s sorcery is paramount, an expression of himself as inherent as the spheres of She Who Lives In Her Name or the seven wings of Oramus. This Charm permanently enhances the Infernal’s sorcerous abilities. Whenever he casts a spell with the Sorcerous Enlightenment of Tzeentch or uses a Charm with the Sorcerous keyword, and it is not reflexively dispelled or otherwise negated before truly being cast, he may pay an additional point of temporary Willpower to affix it to the workings of local reality. If he does so, then any subsequent attempts to dispel the effect are slowed; the Shape Sorcery actions for countermagic spells targeting that effect cannot be reflexive, and take place in long ticks.

SOUL-MOCKING WITCHERY
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Sorcerous Enlightenment Of Tzeentch x2, Tendril-Mind Insinuation
Tzeentch can see into the souls of every mortal, and he enjoys what he sees; a shifting stew of self-deceit and halfmade decisions, marinated in the occult energies that run throughout the everchanging landscape of Creation. It is rare that he finds something he has not seen before, but when he does he is quick to pluck it from the innovator's brain, delighting in using it against them. Upon using this Charm, the Infernal chooses one individual he can perceive, and rolls (Intelligence+Occult) at a difficulty of (target’s Essence). If he succeeds, he may freely use their Occult rating in place of his own for the rest of the scene, as well as becoming able to apply any of their specialties in that ability. The target feels the Infernal’s twitching snake-fingers trawling their subconscious, making this Charm Obvious to them alone.

In addition, the Infernal may use any of the target’s spells that he qualifies for (i.e. has the appropriate level of Sorcerous Initiation) as though they were his own, though they bear a surcharge of one point of temporary Willpower if used in this way, and are free of the usual aesthetic warping that accompanies Infernal sorcery, using the aesthetics applied by the original mage. If the Infernal casts a spell he knows only through this Charm, he may pay the appropriate amount of xp to immediately internalize and learn it for himself as a Training effect.

At Essence 5+, the Infernal may also use necromantic spells his target knows, treating his Sorcerous Initiation as being a Necromantic Initiation of one level lower than it is for this purpose. He may not permanently learn Necromancy in this way unless he would normally be able to do so, through such effects as Ultimate Darkness Internalization or Heart Of Decay (this is effectively a Heretical effect). Tzeentch’s love for forbidden knowledge is outweighed by his repulsion and fear of endings and rot – the very principles Necromancy and the Underworld embody.

UNBLINKING FATIDICAL ORB SHINTAI
Cost: 18m, 1wp; Mins: Tzeentch 0, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Mocking Witchery, Sight Of The Universal Alchemist, Castling The Universe
Most bizarre is the least Shintai of The Eye Of Sorceries. The warlock’s ribcage opens up, his individual ribs lengthening and flexing like clawed fingers before they stretch entirely backward, forming a pair of wings that hang bare and skeletal for a moment before being sheathed in rainbow feathers. His heart, exposed and beating in his chest, shifts and grows. It fuses with his other organs into a single pulsing mass that encompasses his entire torso, before suddenly gaining a seam down the middle. An instant later, it opens, revealing the wide, staring eye within. Each of the warlock’s limbs undergoes a similar transformation to his ribs, morphing and shifting into a wing with feathers the colour of his anima, each of which is lined with similar eyes. His head evaporates entirely, in its place a halo of throbbing light, dancing with patterns related to his anima totem.

• For the duration of this Charm, the warlock reduces the casting time of all Sorcery Spells cast through Tzeentch’s Sorcerous Initiation by one Shape Sorcery action. If this would reduce the casting time to less than one Shape Sorcery action, then the spell is instead treated as a Simple Charm, with a Speed of 5, all the effects listed in the spell, and the Sorcerous keyword (along with other keywords listed in the text of the Spell). Such a Charm is also a Blasphemy effect, with a minimum Essence rating based on the Circle of the Spell; 3 for the Terrestrial Circle, 4 for the Celestial Circle, and 6 for the Solar Circle.

• The warlock benefits from the effects of Sight Of The Universal Alchemist, and adds (Essence) automatic successes to all Perception or Awareness rolls. He will never suffer unexpected attacks – they are always expected to him.

• For the purposes of Soul-Mocking Mastery, every character with an Essence lower than or equal to the Infernal’s is considered to be Essence 1.

• The warlock can use Certainty Is Chance Understanding as an innate power, rather than a Charm activation.

• Provided its Imperfection is not exploited, Castling The Universe benefits from a one-mote discount.

• The Infernal may fly at twice his normal running speed. He halves this rate if he is ascending, and multiplies it by five if he is diving (no roll is necessary to pull out of a dive). He may hover without exerting any obvious physical effort.

• The Infernal can use clawed fingers within his wings to hold objects, attack, and interact with the world normally - however, he suffers an external penalty of -2 when engaging in fine manipulation with his hands (attempting to pick locks, draw or juggle, for example).

horngeek
2011-01-02, 01:52 PM
:smallbiggrin:

Thank you very much, Revlid!

The Tygre
2011-01-02, 02:10 PM
My God... It's beautiful.

Have you thought about any of the other Daemon Princes as Yozi?

horngeek
2011-01-02, 02:14 PM
Yes. He's doing all four. :smallbiggrin:

This is actually a reposting of something on the White Wolf forums, for two reasons: one, more exposure of this beautiful, beautiful work, and second, because the WW forums are about to move, and it'd be lost if it wasn't here then.