View source for Charms

[[Category:Jim Arona]]
A charm is a magical phrase which is recorded in writing, usually on parchment. It doesn't need to be read out or even carried for it to be effective, however the number of charges is always reduced by one whenever the charm works. This is not affected by the locations of the utterer and the record. The one who possesses the record is the one who owns the charm. Once used, a charm becomes unavailable until after the following dawn.<br>
Charms have some association with the number three. Often, the magical phrase will have to be uttered once a Pulse (not Action) over 3 Pulses. Uttering the phrase is a Free Act and does not interfere with any of their other Actions. These do not have to be consecutive Pulses, but the last phrase must be uttered within a minute of the first, or thereabouts. The utterer will have to start from the beginning if they should enter Pulse time partway through the process.<br>
=Examples=
===Pureheart Charm===
[[Image:Pureheart.jpg|right|120px]]
This scrap of parchment weighs Â¼ lb and contains three charges of the Pureheart Charm. It does not need to be read out, in fact the phrase must be memorised and uttered, requiring a Free Act, the parchment itself might be kept in the owner's backpack, or even at home.<br>
When the charm is spoken aloud, the number of charges is reduced by 1 wherever they are, and it may not be uttered again until after the next dawn. The phrase must be spoken by the character's player in a clear voice without hesitation, stumbling or unnecessary pause. The phrase is:<br>
'My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure!'<br>
It will not work for anyone whose heart could not be reasonably considered pure, and never for anyone who has any Ranks in Assassin. If it does work, the effect lasts for three Pulses and  multiplies the utterer's base PS by 10. Bonuses from magic and items are added after the multiplication.<br>

=== Justice Charm ===
[[Image: Thunderbolts.gif|right|180px]]
This scrap of parchment weighs Â¼ lb and contains three charges of the Justice Charm. It does not need to be read out, in fact the phrase must be memorised and uttered, requiring a Free Act, the parchment itself might be kept in the owner's backpack, or even at home.<br>
When the charm is spoken aloud, the number of charges is reduced by 1 wherever they are, and it may not be uttered again until after the next dawn. The phrase must be spoken by the character's player in a clear voice without hesitation, stumbling or unnecessary pause. The phrase is:<br>
"Let justice be done though Heaven falls!"<br>
A number of thunderbolts fall from the sky equal in number to the utterer's base EN. No thunderbolt may be more distant than the utterer's Size Factor x 10 Hexes. Each thunderbolt inflicts 5 x the utterer's base WP Lightning damage (Spell Armour and Damage Reduction protect against this) upon everything in each of the target Hexes, unless they Break 100 + AG + WP. Everything within 5 Hexes must Break 100 + PS + AG or take 2 x utterer's base WP Thunder damage (Protection and Damage Reduction protect against this) and be thrown prone. Finally, they must Break 100 + PC + MD or be deafened for 4 Pulses.<br>
No thunderbolt may fall within 10 Hexes of another.<br>
Although a truly frightening display, the Charm does no direct harm to innocents (most children and animals) but adults, even the saintly, are not, similarly, immune.

===Force of Will Charm===
[[Image:Forcefield.jpg|right|120px]]
This scrap of parchment weighs Â¼ lb and contains three charges of the Force of Will Charm. It does not need to be read out, in fact the phrase must be memorised and uttered once a Pulse for 3 Pulses. Each utterance will require a Free Act. The parchment itself might be kept in the owner's backpack, or even at home and it may not be uttered again until after the next dawn .<br>
When the charm is spoken aloud for the third time, the number of charges is reduced by 1 wherever they are. The phrase must be spoken by the character's player in a clear voice without hesitation, stumbling or unnecessary pause. The phrase is:<br>
'By the strength of my will and the power of my Art!'<br>
It will not work for anyone who is not an Adept. If it does work, it surrounds them in an immobile dome of force 15 ft across  that will absorb 10 x their base WP damage from any source before failing. Bonuses from magic and items are added after the multiplication.<br>

===Last Stand Charm===
[[Image:Laststand.jpg|right|120px]]
This scrap of parchment weighs Â¼ lb and contains three charges of the Last Stand Charm. It does not need to be read out, in fact the phrase must be memorised and uttered once a Pulse for 3 Pulses. This will require a Free Act. The parchment itself might be kept in the owner's backpack, or even at home and it may not be uttered again until after the next dawn.<br>
When the charm is spoken aloud for the third time, the number of charges is reduced by 1 wherever they are. The phrase must be spoken by the character's player in a clear voice without hesitation, stumbling or unnecessary pause. The phrase is:<br>
'Though all about me fall, yet shall I endure!'<br>
If it works, the utterer may not be stunned and can only be slain if their head is separated from their body. This effect lasts for a number of Pulses equal to one half their base EN (rounding up). All damage should be recorded, including Specific Grievous Injuries, but no matter how negative their EN drops, they will not die until the charm expires. Bonuses from items and magic are not considered at all for the purposes of calculating the duration of the effect.<br>
===Demonskin Charm===
[[Image:Demon_skin.jpg|right|120px]]
This scrap of parchment weighs Â¼ lb and contains three charges of the The Demonskin Charm.  It does not need to be read out, in fact the phrase must be memorised and uttered once a Pulse for 3 Pulses. This will require a Free Act. The parchment itself might be kept in the owner's backpack, or even at home and it may not be uttered again until after the next dawn.<br>
When the charm is spoken aloud for the third time, the number of charges is reduced by 1 wherever they are. The phrase must be spoken by the character's player in a clear voice without hesitation, stumbling or unnecessary pause. The phrase is:<br>
'That is not dead which can eternal lie'<br>
This is a Free Act but cannot be combined with a Cast Action. If it succeeds, the utterer's armour and damage reduction (except for his Natural Armour) fades away. At the same time, his skin (but not his hair) turns black for the duration of the charm, which is 6 Pulses.<br>
While under the charm's effects, the utterer cannot suffer Specific Grievous Injuries, nor may their head and limbs be torn off by creatures with enormous strength.<br>
Damage is not subtracted, however a square root function of each discrete source of damage is taken instead. This means that if 5-9 damage was taken, 3 would be inflicted, from 10-16 damage, 4 inflicted, or from 82-100, 10.