Sable Disposition of Being

This sidereal martial arts style owes its existence to Sable Evocation of Image, an uncompleted relay style, which inspired this style and provided some of the charms. This style is somewhat different in tenor and execution, though similar in concept. Much of what follows was either stolen from or inspired by the original creators of Evocation of Image: Darloth, Dasmen, DigitalSentience, FlowsLikeBits, Issaru, OhJames, Overshee, and Wohksworth. Thanks to them!

Practitioners of the Sable Disposition of Being wield paintbrushes as weapons, using art to alter, shape and control reality. Portraits are particularly utilized, but any painting can be made representing how the practitioner wants the subject to be, and the charms of this style realize these wishes. While practitioners wielding brushes as weapons are considered to be unarmed for the purposes of charms in this style, most practitioners prefer to fight barehanded or else not at all. This style is incompatible with armor.

Intended for Second Edition, this style makes use of (and manipulates) the social combat rules in some cases. Some of the charms in the style can be used both during social combat and standard combat. Listed speeds refer to standard combat. Unless otherwise specified, charms used in social combat have a speed of one long tick.

Charms of this style usually make use of images of the specific target to be effected. Such images can be painted ahead of time or rendered on the spur of the moment. The image may be sparse and stylized, even quick cartoon, but must convey the essence of both the specific target(s) and the desired effect of the charm. The practitioner must have proper materials, such as a brush, paint, a paintable surface such as paper, the floor, a wall and the freedom of motion to paint to use any of the charms in this style. Images created ahead of time are referred to as "prepared", while those created on the fly are called "impromptu".

• A prepared image may be used more subtly and quickly, but since all images used in this style must represent a specific target and specific effect, this approach requires good planning, so is less flexible. Prepared images are created somewhat similarly to Prayer strips. Proper materials (Resources ••) are used over six hours to construct the portrait using a Dexterity + Martial Arts or Dexterity + Craft (Air) test, with a difficulty of 2. Prepared images can also be made during social combat by spending a Miscellaneous Action and making the same test with a difficulty of 4 (such creation is usually obvious). When using a prepared image to invoke a charm, the caster need only have the image on his person or otherwise be in physical contact with it for it to be effective, so tend to be nearly unnoticeable. All charm stats below assume the use of prepared images unless otherwise noted.
• An impromptu image can be created in the same action as the charm invocation, provided the practitioner can actually do so (i.e. is free to move, has materials available, etc.). This adds the Obvious keyword to that invocation of the charm. If the charm is used as part of the artist's action, creating an impromptu image as part of that action increases its speed by 4 (if appropriate) and reduces DV by 1. No roll is needed for the creation of the image, with any rolls needed by the charm itself assumed to include that.

Any person, place or object recognizably and specifically represented in either type of painting is referred to as "imaged" in the charm descriptions below. To qualify as imaged by a prepared painting, the martial artist must have the painting on his person or otherwise be in physical contact with it. Only one painting may be used to image for a single charm invocation. For charms affecting a single target, group paintings containing a specific target may be used to attack that target, but other figures in the painting are not effected. For charms allowing effects against multiple targets, all targets must be represented in the painting, but the artist may exclude those in the painting he does not wish to effect. Images must depict the specific effect the artist is trying to achieve. Images used by charms must have been painted by the artist.

Some charms may be used to enchant images, empowering the image to deliver an effect to a specific target at a later time. Unless otherwise noted, motes powering such charms remain committed until the charm is triggered and expended. The artist may also release the motes, which are considered spent and must regenerate normally, at any time, rendering the painting a mundane piece of paper.

Artistic Vision Affliction

Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 4; Type: Simple (5 ticks)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

The artist makes a social attack on a single imaged target within line of sight. This attack may take place within standard combat time, and is an unblockable, undodgeable shaping attack made using Manipulation + Martial Arts. If used during social combat, the attack has a speed of 1 long tick and a rate of 1. This attack may be used on inactive targets.

The effect depicted by the image is imprinted on reality with no discussion or argument, so unless the target is given reason to suspect otherwise, he will assume any effects of the attack are his own idea. If he should realize the effect is foreign, he still may not realize the attack came from the caster unless the caster was obviously involved in some way (e.g. using an impromptu image).

Alternatively, this charm can empower the image itself to deliver an identical attack to an imaged target as a written attack (Exalted 2, pg. 175).

Drafting of Soldiers

Cost: 5m + 1m per soldier ; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 4; Type: Simple (3 ticks)
Keywords: Obvious, Stackable
Duration: 1 day
Prerequisite Charms: none

Warriors painted into an image leap from the image and grow into full sized, idealized soldiers. This soldiers are obviously magical phantoms, solid to the touch, but occasionally transparent. The artist may summon up to Charisma + Martial Arts soldiers with a single invocation of this charm (or as many are represented on the painting, whichever is less). All soldiers carry any weapons and armor the artist painted; however, no matter how fantastical, magical or formidable such gear might appear, it remains completely mundane, using standard statistics. The soldiers use the statistics for elite soldiers (Exalted 2, pg. 280) except that they never need to make valor checks and are considered to be automaton when resisting effects. The will follow orders intelligently, but not particularly creatively. They can speak, but will rarely do so.

A mote committed to animate a single soldier may be uncommitted if that solider dies prior to the expiration of this charm. Similarly, some soldiers may be "dismissed" by reflexively releasing motes without dismissing them all. (Such motes are still considered spent, however.) Should a solider be killed or dismissed, it and its gear vanishes with a slight flash and audible pop.

Images used for casting this charm are specifically exempt from the need to paint specific targets and effects. Only a general notion of the warriors and their gear need be depicted. If created with an impromptu image, the speed of this action increases by 1 for each soldier drawn rather than the standard 4.

This charm may be used to enchant a prepared image, which is then folded. The soldiers will not appear until the image is unfolded by anyone. In such cases, the image must depict what the soldiers will do when the image is unfolded. The image will remain enchanted for a year and a day, but when unfolded the soldiers will appear for 1 day and then the magic expires. Unfolding the note in combat is considered a Miscellaneous Action.

Example: Hammer in the Woods paints an image of five warriors protecting Cynis Aran. She then casts this charm, folds the image, and sends it to Cynis Aran. Two months later, the image arrives. Knowing its contents, Aran holds it for a month, until she is suddenly attacked in court. She unfolds it and the five soldiers emerge to defend her. Once the soldiers do their job and vanish, the essence Hammer has committed to this charm becomes spent and Hammer knows instantly the charm has faded.

Impressing the Landscape

Cost: 25m, 2wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (speed 8)
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: none

Using a painting depicting a region within eyeshot, the artist shapes reality to make the landscape conform to his portrayal of it. The artist's painting might show a spring welling up from the desert before him, and this charm makes the spring appear. The walled city he is laying siege to may be painted with crumbled fortifications, and the walls will fall.

The artist makes a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll against a difficulty proportional to how radical or unlikely the desired change is. For example, painting an avalanche into a mountain covered in loose rocks would probably only need one success, while palace of ice painted into a volcanic lava flow would probably require five. While the effects of this charm are open ended, there are a number of restrictions:

• The charm cannot alter, harm or otherwise directly effect living creatures, spirits or other entity with a permanent Essence rating. So, if the artist paints a picture of the village he is in burning to the ground, the structures will burn, but all of the inhabitants will escape miraculously unharmed.
• The charm may only target an area the artist can see. As always, the painting used must image the exact area and effect.
• The charm can only affect mundane material. The marble used in manses, the five magical materials and any material altered by charms or sorcery are completely immune to this charm. The charm may not create or alter demesnes or manses in any way. Unliving items made from gossamer, however, may be altered by this spell.
• The charm can only affect terrain, including buildings and streets. For example, it could not be used to remove the armor from an army or the army from a battlefield, but could depict the land on which the army stands as being underwater (though somehow the soldiers would not drown).
• The charm can alter 100 cubic yards of terrain per point of the artist's Essence.
• Effects can be as varied as the artist's imagination, but cannot exceed celestial sorcery in power. For example, if the artist paints a building in the middle of an empty plain, a spell like Ivory Orchid Pavilion should act as a guide to the upper limits of what such a building can be. Even if the artist paints a city street under a rain of corrosive venom, he cannot produce the effects of a solar spell like Rain of Doom. In general, if an effect on a landscape cannot be a celestial spell (even a theoretical one), then it cannot be produced by this charm either.

From the time this charm is cast, events in the painting play out as real until the sun both rises and sets, though the artist may cancel the charm before this. Once the charm ends, all changed terrain returns to normal. Buildings burned to ash are now whole, walls are rebuilt, springs dry up. Memories, however, remain.

Capturing the Moment

Cost: 9m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

This charm may only be invoked while attacking or being attacked. When used while dodging a dodgeable attack, the artist paints a crude depiction of an available attack on an available surface (or in the air, if using this style's form) capturing it within the lines of his art and completely dodging it. The the number of successes made on the attack, as well as its base damage, are stored within the painting.

When used to augment any Martial Arts attack, this charm makes use of the painting of a previously captured attack, releasing it's energy and destroying the painting in the process, as the art comes alive to back the attack. The successes stored in the painting are added to the attack and the attack's base damage is replaced by the base damage within the painting. This is not considered an imaged effect, and such an attack can be made against any target, regardless of who made the attack that was stored.

The artist may maintain up to Essence paintings at once, but the magic fades from the paintings when the scene in which they were made ends, leaving only the art behind. Paintings may be attacked like any other inanimate object, and a single point of damage is enough to cancel a painting's magic, making it unusable for an attack. The artist may also reflexively release the magic from a painting made with this charm at any time with no effect.

Sable Disposition of Being Form

Cost: 12m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (Speed 4, -1 DV)
Keywords: Form-type
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: none

To invoke this form, either the artist or his motivation must be imaged at the time the form is activated. This image specifically is not required to be a depiction of the artist's current situation, but may be a generic likeness; however, once the image is used as to activate a form, it may be used as an arcane link to the artist until it is either altered or destroyed. The image may also be created to contain the sutra for this style, allowing even an impromptu image to act as a sutra prayer strip would. If the image is used to activate the sutra (Sidereals, pg 184), the image will be visible to others, with images drawn on surfaces other than paper lifting off and floating in air, but otherwise acting just like a prayer strip, including its defenses (Sidereals, pp. 130-1). An image can be used as a sutra before the form is invoked, thus discounting it's cost as normal. Should the form be cancelled prior to the end of the scene, the sutra will remain, though if the image is destroyed, both the sutra and form will end. Images used as sutras will destroy themselves when the scene ends.

Under the effects of the form, the artist treats reality as a canvas, with her brush (or even fingers) generating pigment of any color that stays exactly where the artist puts it, even suspended in air or under water. This paint reduces the speed penalty for impromptu images by one and the artist is always considered to have the proper materials to generate images for this style. The artist adds two dice to preparing paintings for use with the charms of this style and any Craft roll involving painting.

Unlike most martial arts forms, this form is almost solely in the mind, showing few outward signs but steeling the artist's uncompromising vision of the world. During social combat, the artist adds her Essence to her parry MDV and may suffer only two points of willpower drain from persuasion attempts, either natural or unnatural. Attempts after that automatically fail unless made by perfect effects.

Within standard combat, this form combines the discerning eye of artist with the patterns of combat, making it easier to anticipate and avoid attacks. The artist adds her Essence to her dodge DV for the duration of the scene.

Beholder's Eye Transfiguration

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping, Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

The exalt paints a target how he should be instead of how he is, then lashes out with this image, convincing reality of its truth. As part of an unarmed Dexterity + Martial Arts attack against an imaged target, the artist may deal standard damage if he wishes, but does not have to. In either case, for each success that remains after defense is applied (just as step 7 begins), the artist may rearrange traits of the target, exchanging any of the following items for another for the rest of the scene. This may lower some traits below the minimums required for some charms. Such charms can no longer be cast, but established charms are not affected. These changes are made before damage is soaked. The artist cannot use this ability on himself.

• 1 Attribute point. Attributes may not be lowered below one or raised above natural maximums.
• 1 Virtue point. Virtues tied to the Great Curse may not be lowered below three. Other Virtues may not be lowered below one or raised above five.
• 1 point from each of two different Abilities. Abilities may not be lowered below one or raised above natural maximums.
• 4 points of lethal and bashing armor soak. Armor soak may not be reduced below zero and may not be altered by more than 16 points.

Example: Hammer in the Woods, with sutra blazing, flows paint from her fingers, painting a naked version of her target as she strikes. The attack is a good one, leaving four successes remaining after the target's DV and other modifiers are applied. The target is heavily armored, with 15L soak from armor. Hammer decides to use 3 successes to reduce this. The first subtracts 4 points of soak, adding 1 to the target's Compassion. The second subtracts 4 more soak, adding 1 to Sail and 1 to Ride. The third reduces 4 more points, increasing the target's Appearance by 1. The last success is used to reduce the target's Stamina by 1, adding a point to his Manipulation. Hammer also elects to do damage with the attack, now soaked with only 3L from armor. Later, Hammer decides to reconfigure an one of her allies, making an "attack" against him. The ally decides not to dodge or parry at all, but Hammer rolls badly, only getting four successes remaining as step 7 starts. She reduces her ally's Appearance of 5 to 1 with four of these successes, trying to adding 3 points each to both Melee and Dodge abilities of the ally and increasing his armor soak by 4.

This charm may also enchant an image to deliver a similar attack in writing. When the intended target touches the image, it explodes into an array of color, that seeks to enter and rewrite him. An attack equal to the artist's Dexterity + Martial Arts at the time the painting was made is rolled, using 1L base damage. This attack may be dodged, but can only be blocked with a parry capable of blocking insubstantial attacks. Written attacks cannot be made with combos and, for the purposes of arranging traits, may only benefit from two successes. The artist must specify the traits to be rearranged at the time the charm is cast.

Kiss of Pigment

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (5 long ticks)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration: 5 minutes
Prerequisite Charms: none

A long (five minute or so) kata/painting process that allows the repainting of a friendly target to do things like heal damage, regenerate limbs, cure disease and possibly reverse aging. Can't be used on self.

Trapping soul in painting

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: none

Dodge that traps a soul in a painting.

Extra willpower

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

Extra successes on social attacks require more willpower to resist

Intimacy shaping stance

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (5, -1 DV)
Keywords: Social
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: none

Extra successes act as scenes for purpose of eroding or building intimacies.

Curse of the Tortured Artist

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

An attack charm that transfers one of the attacker's resplendent destinies onto the target, by force. The target is forced to adopt that identity for some period (I suggest a year and a day). Essentially, the attack "repaints" the target.

Perhaps does something to groups for non sidereals?

Conjure from other paintings

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (4, -1 DV)
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

Animation of form? Touch a painting and bring it to life. Items as well a creatures.

Sincerest Flattery

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Extra Action
Keywords: None
Duration: ?
Prerequisite Charms: none

Paint duplicates capable of independent actions for a short time.

Representing Heaven

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: ?
Prerequisite Charms: none

Painting to enhance astrology somehow. Maybe a ranged, unnoticeable "attack" that allows the attacker to paint a portrait of someone in eyesight. The portrait can later be used to make astrology easier against that target. One (possibly over the top) idea is to create a painting of a group, and the group can be affected using only highest Essence rating of the group, rather than their sum (assuming non-mortal people in the group). This would get around a huge restriction on astrology. Maybe painting a subject under certain star configuration?

Maybe some alternate attack on a group.

alter motivation

Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

Alters a motivation.

creative, imaginative, inventive, expressive; sensitive, perceptive, discerning; informal artsy. antonym unimaginative. 2 artistic touches aesthetic, aesthetically pleasing, beautiful, attractive, fine; decorative, ornamental; tasteful, stylish, elegant, exquisite. picture, illustration, portrayal, depiction, representation, image, artwork; oil (painting), watercolor, canvas pigment coloring matter, coloring, colorant, color, tint, dye, dyestuff.