Post by Lorekeeper on Mar 3, 2007 2:27:05 GMT -8
Sovereign (Lawmaker’s Boon)
The nobility of the fae have long rules not just with their enhanced social abilities but with their command over this Art. Interested in all the perks of nobility, Sovereign allows the wielder to create powerful orders, reduce the difficulties of rulership, and awe the common folk. Most of these powers can be resisted once during the effect by a Willpower roll against a difficulty of the caster’s Sovereign+3, with each success canceling one of the caster’s (at least as they apply to the subject involved). Those that have less Title the caster in her own court or faction must spend a Willpower point to make this roll. Those with equal or higher Title in the same organization automatically resist these powers as if they had rolled enough successes to cancel out the casting successes. Fae that do not belong to the caster’s faction may add their Title in any one other organization as extra dice to their resistance roll. Whenever someone partially or fully resists the effects of Sovereign, either through Willpower or other forms of resistance such as Lucidity or Banality, it becomes immediately evident to the caster and to anyone in the vicinity who makes a Perception + Kenning roll against difficulty 6. The exception is that successes cancelled via Contempt are not obvious. A character cannot develop Sovereign to a level higher than her Title (in any organization) unless specifically taught by a superior noble.
Request (Noble’s Privilege) •
At the beginning of the chain of this Art, nobles simply learn to make subjects more pliant to their requests. For sentient creatures, this takes the form of reducing by 2 their effective Willpower when resisting orders or magicks from the caster. For non-sentient creatures or inanimate objects, invocation means that the caster gains –2 difficulty on all rolls to manipulate, use, or otherwise affect the target. This does not extend to making it easier to attack or damage the subject, but does involve most other uses of the subject.
The power lasts for one minute per success.
Realm: The Realm indicates who can be socially manipulated or what can be used more effectively. Using Space to affect multiple, specific targets reduces the effect to –1, while using it to affect an entire area merely makes the assembly slightly more willing to work with the caster, but has no system benefit.
Dictum (Judge’s Protocol) ••
The next power of rulership is to make commands and have them obeyed. The primary use of this power is to create a list of rules to which the subject (usually subjects, plural, using Space) must adhere in a court setting. Each success is one rule that the assemblage must adhere to, stated in order of importance, such as "No speaking or making noises until recognized" or "No filibustering" or "Duels must stop after first blood." Especially unusual or limiting statements may cost multiple successes at the storyteller’s option. Subjects who resist via the standard resistance rules are often specifically targeted by the power until they are unable to resist further, and will continue to be subject to the most important tenets unless the successes are completely negated. Used in this way the power lasts for the duration of a court proceeding, which is typically until the noble in charge declares the session adjourned.
The secondary use of this power is to deliver actual orders backed with the power of Glamour. A subject targeted with this power must follow orders to the spirit and the letter. Typically the successes on this use of the power are used simply as the measure of how hard the power is to resist. For most orders the successes are reduced by one every 15 minutes, such that a 4 success casting will last an hour unless resisted, but especially dangerous castings may evaporate more quickly, down to one success per turn (for castings such as "Hold still while I kill you").
If cast on an inanimate object, the subject is unable to be used by others against the rules placed on it unless they can make the Willpower roll to resist the effects. In this case the roll does not permanently negate the successes, merely allows the person in question to use the object. Castings on inanimate objects last a year and a day unless a shorter duration is specified by the caster.
Realm: The Realms used designate who the power can target. Casting a Protocol effect on a Space has full effect, regardless of who is in the area, so long as it is a proper court area.
Authority (Leader’s Grandeur) •••
With this power the noble can create a palpable field of true awe around herself or another target. The recipient of this effect exudes competency, elegance, charisma, and power. She gains +2 dice on all social rolls that involve the sense of half-fear, half-love inspired by the effect (such as rolls to convince, intimidate, distract, etc.). Additionally, the subject cannot be attacked by anyone who does not resist the power (per the standard resistance of Sovereign) unless she attacks first (in which case she only breaks the effect on the attacked subject, making it very hard for friends to help). The power does make it hard to deal with people in an open forum or similar state, because the character is basically treated like a superstar for the duration of the effect. The effect slowly loses successes, dropping one per turn of physical confrontation (i.e. when in combat), one per hour when in a normal social situation, and one per day if cast on an inanimate object.
Realm: The Realm indicates who or what benefits from the power. Obviously, non-sentient creatures and inanimate objects cannot benefit from the social bonus, but still cannot be attacked, damaged, or otherwise defaced without overcoming the effect. Realms are not needed for the individual types of subject affected.
Governance (Master’s Summons) ••••
This power allows high-ranking nobles to easily assemble their courts. All those targeted by the power are compelled to approach the caster or another Realm-designated subject. Each subject hears in her head the name of the caster and the location and time of the meeting (the time may well be "right now"). For every week that passes between the casting and the time of the meeting, the successes on the effect increase by one, making it harder to resist events that are scheduled in advance. A subject who is not actively trying to get to the meeting must spend one temporary Willpower per hour of resistance unless she is sedated or restrained. When the character spends Willpower equal to the caster’s Sovereign the effect is resisted.
Realm: This effect often requires multiple Realms, typically the Realm or Realms representing the targets plus Space to affect individuals at range (though an order to one subject to return at a specified time is certainly possible). An additional secondary Realm can be included to have the targets meet at a specific object rather than arriving at the caster’s location. This power is rarely used on mortals, due to the inclusion of the caster’s name in the summons.
Dominance (Ruler’s Punishment) •••••
This power allows the caster to impose a geas, curse, oath, ban, or other Dreaming-enforced restriction on the subject. Each success makes the effect last for one week (or until completed). The subject must attempt to resist the effect at the time of casting or not at all. A higher-title individual can revoke the effect with the same power. The power must have some form of justification for very hard strictures.
Realm: The Realm indicates what can be affected.
The nobility of the fae have long rules not just with their enhanced social abilities but with their command over this Art. Interested in all the perks of nobility, Sovereign allows the wielder to create powerful orders, reduce the difficulties of rulership, and awe the common folk. Most of these powers can be resisted once during the effect by a Willpower roll against a difficulty of the caster’s Sovereign+3, with each success canceling one of the caster’s (at least as they apply to the subject involved). Those that have less Title the caster in her own court or faction must spend a Willpower point to make this roll. Those with equal or higher Title in the same organization automatically resist these powers as if they had rolled enough successes to cancel out the casting successes. Fae that do not belong to the caster’s faction may add their Title in any one other organization as extra dice to their resistance roll. Whenever someone partially or fully resists the effects of Sovereign, either through Willpower or other forms of resistance such as Lucidity or Banality, it becomes immediately evident to the caster and to anyone in the vicinity who makes a Perception + Kenning roll against difficulty 6. The exception is that successes cancelled via Contempt are not obvious. A character cannot develop Sovereign to a level higher than her Title (in any organization) unless specifically taught by a superior noble.
Request (Noble’s Privilege) •
At the beginning of the chain of this Art, nobles simply learn to make subjects more pliant to their requests. For sentient creatures, this takes the form of reducing by 2 their effective Willpower when resisting orders or magicks from the caster. For non-sentient creatures or inanimate objects, invocation means that the caster gains –2 difficulty on all rolls to manipulate, use, or otherwise affect the target. This does not extend to making it easier to attack or damage the subject, but does involve most other uses of the subject.
The power lasts for one minute per success.
Realm: The Realm indicates who can be socially manipulated or what can be used more effectively. Using Space to affect multiple, specific targets reduces the effect to –1, while using it to affect an entire area merely makes the assembly slightly more willing to work with the caster, but has no system benefit.
Dictum (Judge’s Protocol) ••
The next power of rulership is to make commands and have them obeyed. The primary use of this power is to create a list of rules to which the subject (usually subjects, plural, using Space) must adhere in a court setting. Each success is one rule that the assemblage must adhere to, stated in order of importance, such as "No speaking or making noises until recognized" or "No filibustering" or "Duels must stop after first blood." Especially unusual or limiting statements may cost multiple successes at the storyteller’s option. Subjects who resist via the standard resistance rules are often specifically targeted by the power until they are unable to resist further, and will continue to be subject to the most important tenets unless the successes are completely negated. Used in this way the power lasts for the duration of a court proceeding, which is typically until the noble in charge declares the session adjourned.
The secondary use of this power is to deliver actual orders backed with the power of Glamour. A subject targeted with this power must follow orders to the spirit and the letter. Typically the successes on this use of the power are used simply as the measure of how hard the power is to resist. For most orders the successes are reduced by one every 15 minutes, such that a 4 success casting will last an hour unless resisted, but especially dangerous castings may evaporate more quickly, down to one success per turn (for castings such as "Hold still while I kill you").
If cast on an inanimate object, the subject is unable to be used by others against the rules placed on it unless they can make the Willpower roll to resist the effects. In this case the roll does not permanently negate the successes, merely allows the person in question to use the object. Castings on inanimate objects last a year and a day unless a shorter duration is specified by the caster.
Realm: The Realms used designate who the power can target. Casting a Protocol effect on a Space has full effect, regardless of who is in the area, so long as it is a proper court area.
Authority (Leader’s Grandeur) •••
With this power the noble can create a palpable field of true awe around herself or another target. The recipient of this effect exudes competency, elegance, charisma, and power. She gains +2 dice on all social rolls that involve the sense of half-fear, half-love inspired by the effect (such as rolls to convince, intimidate, distract, etc.). Additionally, the subject cannot be attacked by anyone who does not resist the power (per the standard resistance of Sovereign) unless she attacks first (in which case she only breaks the effect on the attacked subject, making it very hard for friends to help). The power does make it hard to deal with people in an open forum or similar state, because the character is basically treated like a superstar for the duration of the effect. The effect slowly loses successes, dropping one per turn of physical confrontation (i.e. when in combat), one per hour when in a normal social situation, and one per day if cast on an inanimate object.
Realm: The Realm indicates who or what benefits from the power. Obviously, non-sentient creatures and inanimate objects cannot benefit from the social bonus, but still cannot be attacked, damaged, or otherwise defaced without overcoming the effect. Realms are not needed for the individual types of subject affected.
Governance (Master’s Summons) ••••
This power allows high-ranking nobles to easily assemble their courts. All those targeted by the power are compelled to approach the caster or another Realm-designated subject. Each subject hears in her head the name of the caster and the location and time of the meeting (the time may well be "right now"). For every week that passes between the casting and the time of the meeting, the successes on the effect increase by one, making it harder to resist events that are scheduled in advance. A subject who is not actively trying to get to the meeting must spend one temporary Willpower per hour of resistance unless she is sedated or restrained. When the character spends Willpower equal to the caster’s Sovereign the effect is resisted.
Realm: This effect often requires multiple Realms, typically the Realm or Realms representing the targets plus Space to affect individuals at range (though an order to one subject to return at a specified time is certainly possible). An additional secondary Realm can be included to have the targets meet at a specific object rather than arriving at the caster’s location. This power is rarely used on mortals, due to the inclusion of the caster’s name in the summons.
Dominance (Ruler’s Punishment) •••••
This power allows the caster to impose a geas, curse, oath, ban, or other Dreaming-enforced restriction on the subject. Each success makes the effect last for one week (or until completed). The subject must attempt to resist the effect at the time of casting or not at all. A higher-title individual can revoke the effect with the same power. The power must have some form of justification for very hard strictures.
Realm: The Realm indicates what can be affected.