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. Any person, place or object recognizably and specifically represented in either type of painting is referred to as "imaged" in the charm descriptions below. The image may be sparse and stylized, even quick cartoon, but to be used for imaging, a painting must recognizably illustrate the specific target, demonstrate the charm's the specific desired effect and must have been crafted by the artist. A single painting may be made of more than one subject, but only one subject may be affected at a time. 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 charms cast like this 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 has proper materials—such as a brush, paint, a paintable surface such as paper, the floor, a wall—and the freedom of motion to paint. 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.

Some charms may be used to "enchant" images, empowering the image to deliver an effect to a specific target at a later time. Charms used in this manner are considered to have a duration of a year and a day unless otherwise noted. As such, 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

Not content to merely provoke a subjective emotional reaction to his work, the artist renders his subject with such emotive power that reality itself takes notice and instantly twists the subject's feelings to conform to the artist's intent. 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 enchant 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. They 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

While lesser artists idealize the landscapes in their paintings, the artist alters the landscape to meet his painting's ideal. 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: Sable Disposition of Being Form

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: 11m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6; Type: Simple (5 long ticks)
Keywords: Shaping, Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: none

Just as the artist can turn fiction into reality, so can he turn the harsh reality of crippling wounds, disease and even heartache into fiction. The artist spends five minutes of dramatic time (or 5 ticks of social combat) drawing an idealized version of any target he can see, as a vision of perfect health. The artist makes a test combining her Manipulation with either Martial Arts, Craft (Air) or Medicine against a difficulty of the target's Essence. This roll is treated as if it were a shaping attack, so the target may have automatic defenses which prevent it entirely. On success, the art shapes reality, making the body of the target whole in some way. Each invocation of this charm can have one of the following effects:

• The target is healed of all bashing damage.
• The target is healed of lethal damage equal to the number of extra successes on the roll, plus the artist's Essence.
• The target is healed of aggravated damage equal to the artist's Essence.
• The target is cured of a Sickness effect.
• The target is cured of all Poison effects.
• The target is cured of one Crippling effect.
• The target is cured of all "damage" to an existing Intimacy.
• The target's age is reduced by a number of years equal to the number of extra successes on the roll, plus the artist's Essence, to a minimum of 1 year old.

The artist may not use this charm on themselves.

Significance Capturing Stroke

Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Kiss of Pigment

So great is the artist's connection to image and reality that his metaphoric ability to capture the essence of a subject becomes literal. With several strokes in the air, the artists parries an incoming attack. Any non-perfect attack, even an attack attack that is normally unblockable, is completely stopped as long as the artist can see the attacker and is aware of the incoming attack. An opposed test is made between the attacker's Conviction + Integrity and the artist's Dexterity + Martial Arts, with the artist adding his Essence in automatic successes. If the artist achieves more successes, the attacker is drawn body and soul into the lines drawn to block the attack, transforming into an prayer strip-like scroll containing an exact likeness of the attack. The paper, which has all of the defensive traits of a standard prayer strip, clatters to the ground at the foot of the artist as the attacker is sucked into it.

For the attacker, time stops completely while captured in the painting, leaving them unable to react or interact in any way, not even through mental communication. Should the painting be destroyed, the attacker reappears nearby, still locked in mid attack and completely unaware that any time has passed.

This charm does not require an image to cast, instead building an image of its own as a result.

Silencing the Critics

Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sable Disposition of Being Form

Even the most vocal critics can be won over when reality itself turns against them. When this charm augments a successful social attack against an imaged target, calculate the number of successes that remain after defense and other modifiers are applied. Should the target wish to resist the effect of the attack, he must pay willpower equal to the number of remaining successes. If consenting to the attack would violate the target's Motivation, this total is cut in half (rounded up).

Alternatively, the artist can instead use this charm to enhance a social attack which issues an unacceptable order. Such an attack can be resisted with a single point of willpower, if available.

Intimacy shaping stance

Cost: 20m; Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6; Type: Simple (5, -1 DV)
Keywords: None
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Silencing the Critics

For the remainder of the scene, any social attack against an imaged target that is intended to erode or build an intimacy is considered to be unnatural influence. If such an attack is not resisted, every two full successes remaining after MDV and other modifiers act as if the artist had spent additional "scenes" making similar attacks for the purposes of increasing and/or reducing Intimacies.

Example: Hammer of the Woods seeks to make a city governor betray his wife (to whom he has an Intimacy) and join Hammer's cause. The governor has an MDV of 5 and a Conviction of 3. Normally, Hammer would need to spend at least three scenes with the governor in which she made social attacks to erode the intimacy with his wife and build one with Hammer, but she doesn't have that kind of time. She quickly prepares a painting of the governor standing loyally by her side, with his wife crying off in the distance, abandoned. She then dons this stance and holds a meeting with the governor, during which she makes a number of social attacks, quickly reducing his willpower to 0. She then makes one more attack, knowing he cannot resist if the attack succeeds, rolling 10 successes. His defense eats 5 of these successes, leaving 5 to get through, which allow the attack to act as if it had been applied for two additional scenes. Combined with the current scene, the attack is as effective as if it had been made on three scenes total. This equals the governor's Conviction, so the intimacy with his wife is destroyed, replaced by one to Hammer.

Curse of the Tortured Artist

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

This charm may only be used to back an attack (social or normal) against an imaged target who has previously made a successful attack on the artist (social or normal) this scene. The attack need not have done damage. In addition to doing normal damage, the attack transfers an astrological effect from the artist to the target. The duration and other aspects of the effect remain the same, but the Essence rating attached to the effect (see "Multiple Effects", Sidereals pg 212) becomes that of the artist. This effect generates two dice of Paradox for the artist, even is he is not a sidereal.

If the effect being transferred is an ascending or descending destinies, the artist may invert it, changing a Sloped Floor Curse into an Artless Prodigy Blessing or vice versa, for example. The target also may begin to take on one or more trappings of the effect's College and gains an Intimacy related in some way to the College of the effect, generally a loyalty to, idealism about or behavior involving one of the correlations of the College. For example, someone under an effect of the Haywain may start wearing dishevled robes and become obsessed with aging.

Resplendent destinies may also be transferred, forcing the target to adopt the persona of the destiny and forgetting who he is while it is in effect. While under the destiny the target can gain Paradox just like a sidereal. If the artist had previously worn the destiny (instead of just using it for effect dice), she may also be subject to Paradox if the target appears as the destiny to people who knew the destiny when the artist wore it. The target treats this new persona as if it has always been his and will not remember his previous life. Once the destiny ends, however, he will remember both his previously life and his life under the destiny. All remaining effect dice are transferred to the target, and he may use all but the last one as normal. The last die may only be spent on a specific date of each month (e.g. the 2nd, 15th, etc.), but only if the target is weaing all of the trappings of the destiny's College and only if performing an action suitable to the College. Spending the last die will dissolve the destiny completely, as normal, prior to its full duration.

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.

Life Imitates Art

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.