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This Charm can be used on any action which flaunts, accumulates, or hoards wealth. It can also
be used to supplant or subsume a rival, as well as to monopolize resources beyond the grasp of
her opponents. It cannot be used on any act of purely altruistic charity; only with the promise of
compensation, however symbolic, can this Charm lend aid to others. The mortally-wounded, the
fatally poisoned, the terminally ill, and the starving are always behind the help of this Charm. At
best, the character may hasten deaths and rebirths.
The coins have several benefits. First, they may be freely dispatched and retrieved from
Elsewhere so long as the Infernal owns and touches them. Second, they emit a Psyche effect that
makes them universally acceptable currency. Third, their value is intrinsically understood and,
in their lowest denomination, is roughly equivalent to a Realm koku; a single coin will suffice for
a peasant’s monthly wages, a barely survivable income. With but a touch, the Infernal may
compress several coins into one of a higher denomination or split one into several coins of lower
value. The exact progression of the denominations is determined by the Infernal.
This charm may be purchased a second time at Essence 3+, causing clothing so enhanced to
additionally grant (Resources cost) Hardness, up to a limit of (Essence). Multiple articles of such
raiment do not stack this.
If successful, the land sprouts new groves of trees for lumber, fertile soil for agriculture,
undiscovered veins of precious metals, coastlines full of pearl-bearing oysters, or whatever else
might be thematically appropriate for the landscape. The Infernal does not entirely control what
appears, as if it were a Finesse 3 Sorcerous Working. These new sources of income are in
addition to whatever the land already produced and can provide steady income of at least
Resources (Threshold successes, maximum 5) for the Infernal in addition to what value it
already possessed if harvested regularly over one year. After a year of persistent harvesting, the
new Resource is exhausted, though the land may be renewed by another use of this Charm.
A second purchase at Essence 4+ extends the duration of the harvest for (Essence) years. A third
at Essence 5 increases this to (Essence) decades. Unbeknownst to Ta’akozoka herself, with this
repurchase, the Exalt also enriches all lands she owns with her death as though she had rolled
five threshold successes. In this way, the Great Tentacled One blessed the White Valley with rich
soil rather than blighting the landscape, for it had belonged to her until the moment of her
demise.
With a repurchase at Essence 2+, if the Infernal offers her employees sufficient wages to provide
them with an income on which they can live without having to worry about necessities such as
food or shelter, they may treat any time spent working for the Infernal’s organization as time
spent training Attributes or Abilities relevant to their job, require no tutor to do so and reduce
the increment of training by step. They must still spend Experience as normal if they track such.
If the Infernal knows Nacre-Minted Numismatics, characters who have been paid with the
Infernal’s nacre coins will preferentially buy from the Infernal’s businesses over others while
they retain any such coins, provided that doing so is reasonable. A character might choose the
Infernal’s business over another in the same town, but would not travel to a different city to do
so. This Psyche effect may be resisted for a scene for 1 Willpower, and is removed altogether
when a character has spent (Infernal’s Essence) Willpower to do so over the course of multiple
scenes, but is reapplied whenever a character makes a purchase of something with a Resource
cost equal to or greater than (target’s Essence) using the Infernal’s nacre coins, or gains an
amount of coins representing a Resource cost equal to or greater than (target’s Essence).
With Essence 2, this charm may be repurchased, allowing it to be invoked with an Instant
duration for an increased cost of 8m, 1wp, applying its effects to the target in perpetuity as a
Blasphemy effect.
With Essence 4+, if another being carries the coin, she may reactivate this Charm when casting
her awareness to the coin. She rolls her permanent Willpower versus the target’s if they wish to
resist, and if she is successful takes control of the target’s body as a Psyche effect for (Resources)
minutes, or until the being spends two points of Willpower to resist her or is required to roll Join
Battle. When the control ends, the enchantment on the coin also fades away, preventing her from
taking command of the target’s voice again or perceiving his location unless he possesses
another enchanted coin. If (Infernal’s Essence + her organization’s Resources) exceeds the
target’s Resolve, they suffer a delusion causing them to believe that the words they spoke were
their own.
This charm may be repurchased with Essence 3+, allowing the Infernal to pay for sorcerous
workings with her Resources instead of her Experience, on a one-to-one basis (e.g. if the
sorcerer is attempting an Ambition 3 working, he may offset 5 of the 8 xp which would need to
be expended with a Resources 5 purchase), provided that such workings are intended to further
increase the Infernal’s Resources.
Furthermore, she may spend 2m upon composing a dispatch or other message for a subordinate
in an organization she controls or a subsidiary thereof, passing it to a tendril which curls from
Elsewhere to take it. This allows the message to arrive no later than a day after the Infernal sent
it, no matter the distance. This cannot be used to send messages between realms of existence.
The Infernal may determine whether the missive arrives seemingly as normal, finding its way
onto a subordinate’s desk, or whether the message is handed directly to the subordinate by a
bouquet of tendrils extending from Elsewhere.
When she uses Sunken Treasures Shrewdly Wagered to enhance a project to lend resources or
capital to a subsidiary organization, the recipient may count their effective Resources as one
higher while the lending is ongoing, at no additional expense to the Infernal’s organization.
Finally, any leadership project which attacks one of her subsidiaries or their projects suffers a
penalty equal to half the Resources of the Infernal’s primary organization.
With a second purchase at Essence 3+, Riches (4), the subsidiaries of her of subsidiaries also
receive the protection of this Charm’s penalty. As a Riches (5) effect, this protection extends
down infinitely long chains of subsidiaries.
If the being’s or organization’s Resource rating or his organization’s Wealth rating is higher than
her own, the Exalt gains a Major Intimacy of jealousy, envy, or covetous desire toward the being
or something he is known to possess. Once she acquires the desired possession or higher
Resource or Wealth rating, the Intimacy automatically falls away.
With a second purchase at Essence 2+, the Infernal need not make Read Motivation actions to
discern a being’s monetary worth unless it is being actively hidden. She receives this
information automatically for all beings she can perceive.
At Essence 3+, the Infernal may instead employ the Resource rating of the wealthiest
organization she controls in place of her Appearance, though this cannot exceed her Essence by
more than one.
AVARICE-AS-VIRTUE UNDERSTANDING
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Riches (1)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Gilded Aegis Uncaring
The Great Tentacled One holds no principle higher than greed. This charm permanently modifies
the Infernal’s psychology. The Infernal gains a Defining Principle reflecting all-encompassing
greed or avarice, or enchants a preexisting one. This Intimacy is perfectly immune to any
attempt to erode it or remove it (e.g. by social influence or Freedom Lets Go), though the context
of the Infernal’s covetousness may be altered, and the enchantment is removed if the Infernal
loses access to this charm by losing all Resources. All other Principles she holds are secondary to
this: whenever this Principle would conflict with another Principle, the conflicting Principle is
ignored. Acting against a Major or Defining Principle in pursuit of the Infernal’s avarice does not
count as doing so for the purposes of gaining Limit.
The Infernal’s singular drive rewards her, as all things should. Once per day, the Infernal gains a
point of temporary Willpower for succeeding at a bargain action which feeds her
all-encompassing avarice.
A second purchase at Essence 3, permits this Charm to enhance written social attacks.
If the Infernal knows Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, she may instead choose to gain (Resources)
sorcerous motes, which dissipate at the end of the story unless used.
Soul-Purchasing Charms
LOYALTY MONEY CAN BUY
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Miser and Merchant Awareness
Other Primordials gain the loyalty of their servants by being glorious or fearsome. Ta’akozoka
has no need for such trickery. If she desires someone’s loyalty, she will buy it honestly. This
Charm supplements a bargain action, or one that immediately follows the acceptance of such an
offer. So long as the price of the bribe or payment is less than the Warlock’s current Resource
rating, the defender’s Resolve or Guile suffers a penalty equal to the Resource rating of the offer,
and costs an additional point of WIllpower to resist.
As a Riches (1) effect, if the supplemented influence is successful, the base Willpower needed to
resist it is increased to the Resource cost of the offer.
MONEY-OVER-AUTHORITY SUPREMACY
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Psyche, Riches (1)
Duration: One Day
Prerequisite Charms: Loyalty Money Can Buy
Where wealth goes, none can stop it. This Charm exerts a Psyche effect on all sentient beings
within Medium range who have a Resolve less than the Warlock’s (Manipulation + Resources).
Affected beings are compelled to permit the Infernal to do as she pleases, so long as her actions
do not personally harm them. For example, if a man spots the Infernal mugging another in a dark
alley, he will not seek to offer aid to the victim or inform the authorities. Those with Resources
greater than the Infernal’s or who command an organization with greater Resources are
immune to the effects of this Charm. Resisting this Charm costs Willpower equal to the
difference between the Infernal’s Resources and the affected being’s, minimum one.
A second purchase at Essence 3+ increases the radius to (Resources) miles. For each dot of
Essence above three, the Infernal may repurchase this Charm to increase its radius by a factor of
ten.
With Essence 2+, if the Infernal paid the target’s price entirely with her own nacre coins or with
an object bought with those coins, the total number of Willpower the target needs to spend
before breaking free of this Charm’s influences increases by +(Resource cost of target’s price). If
the Exalt also knows Coins Have Eyes, she becomes aware whenever the target spends
Willpower to resist this Charm, so long as they possess a nacre coin bearing her image.
This Charm also taps into ancient protocols imbedded into reality by Ta’akozoka herself. Any
being sent through Lethe by the Infernal, including her Indentured Dead, are guaranteed to
reincarnate into families possessing the same Resource rating the being had in life. These souls
will preferentially be born onto land that Warlock has blessed with her Charms, such as
Plundering Landlord Deed, or into organizations she controls, if a suitable family can be found
there.
A second purchase at Essence 2+ allows the Infernal to pay two additional motes. Doing so
permits her to stretch any and all limbs, digits, or other appendages out to Short range. While
her limbs are stretched in this fashion, they may be attacked at a -2 penalty, inflicting damage to
the warlock as normal.
If the Infernal also knows Paying the Boatman’s Fare, the eyes produced by this Charm also
recognize all the past lives of a being observed with Verdant Iris Envy if they and the Infernal
have had any past dealings.
Grasping Charms
CRACK AND CREVICE INFILTRATION
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Tendrils Extended
Ta’akozoka sought treasure wherever it might be hidden. No vault, no matter how secure, could
keep her from claiming its wealth. This Charm may only be used while its prerequisite is active.
Coming upon a locked chest or door, the Infernal’s tendrils snake through any opening large
enough to slip a lockpick through, such as a keyhole or under the door frame. Touching an object
within, the Infernal momentarily unravels it into tendril-like cords of essence and draws it out of
its container, where it reforms. If the Infernal has Writhing Body Unraveled active, she may pour
her entire body through such an opening, either compressing herself formlessly into a chest or
jewelry box indefinitely, or bypassing locked doors and gates.
SOUL-ENTWINING POSSESSION
Cost: 1m; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Tendrils Extended
Defining herself by the things she owns, the Great Tentacled One’s possessions are a part of her
in ways most beings could not comprehend. Holding an object she owns, the Infernal spends one
mote and causes the object to change into a wriggling mass of tendrils. The tendrils merge with
her own or burrow into her flesh if she does not currently have Grasping Tendrils Extended
active. So long as she maintains the commitment to this Charm, her possession is safely stored
within her body as though it were Elsewhere. Releasing the commitment causes the object to
snake out of her flesh and reform, readying it for use as appropriate.
PULLED BELOW
Cost: 1m, 2i; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Tendrils Extended
The Infernal need only expend one round of control over a clinched foe to restrain or drag him
(Exalted, pp. 201), and doing so inflicts an onslaught penalty.
Animated Possessions
Combat
Attack (Arms): 7 dice (Damage 7B)
Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (10 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 6 dice (see Ink)
Evasion: 3; Parry 3
Soak/Hardness: 2/0
Special Abilities
Many-Armed: When flurrying an arm attack, reduce the flurry penalty on both rolls to
−1.
Venom: A decisive beak attack inflicts a poison with damage 4i/round, duration 3
rounds, and a −1 penalty.
Merits
Amorphous Body: Double 7s on rolls to squeeze through tight spaces.
Sharp Sight: Double 9s on all sight-based Perception rolls thanks to multiple golden
eyes.
Tiny Creature: They add +2 Evasion against larger character’s attacks, and subtract 2
successes from rolls to notice them. Their withering attacks have damage 3 against
larger characters.
Legendary Size: In addition to this Merit’s benefits (Exalted, p. 574), their attacks gains
+1 die on attack rolls, +3 Damage, and Overwhelming 3, and they have soak 6 and
Hardness 4. They gain three additional −1 and −2 health levels.
Growth Charms
WRITHING BODY UNRAVELED
Cost: —(+4m); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Tendrils Extended (x2)
Once the Infernal has learned this Charm, her entire body may unfurl grotesquely into a mass of
tentacles and tendrils. She must pay the full four mote cost of Grasping Tendrils Extended as
well as the surcharge for this Charm. This Charm bestows a number of benefits:
● From anywhere on her body, the Infernal may grow up to (Essence) tentacles, granting
herself the Extra Limbs merit. She may do this immediately or add a more later as a
Miscellaneous action.
● If a limb is crippled, broken, amputated or otherwise severely damaged (generally via a
Crippling injury), it may be shed and replaced by adding a tentacle, which can be
reformed later into the original limb as described by Grasping Tendrils Extended.
● Stretching out to a distant location, the Infernal may grab hold of her destination and,
transforming momentarily into a torrent of wriggling tentacles, arrive at any point she
can reach as a Move action.
● Suckers on her tentacles and tendrils provide the benefits of the Wall Walking mutation
(Exalted, p. 167).
A second purchase of this Charm allows the Infernal to inflict a Crippling injury upon herself to
shed any unwanted shaping effect or mutation at the cost of three motes, causing the mutated
flesh to simply slough off. She may inflict as many such Crippling injuries as she wishes per
story.
In combat (that is, after Join Battle has been rolled), she instead gains one Temporary -2 Health
Level at the beginning of each of her turns. She may only have (Resources) undamaged
Temporary -2 Health Levels at a time, but may continually grow new ones as old ones are
damaged. The tendrils produced by this Charm expand with powerful muscles and are lined
with fanged suckers; each undamaged Temporary -2 Health Levels adds one to the Damage of
her Savage attempts in Grapples, and so long as she possesses at least one undamaged
Temporary Health Level of any sort, her Clinches inflict Lethal Damage.
This Charm costs five motes if Writhing Body Unraveled is active or ten motes otherwise. When
this Charm ends, the Infernal immediately heals (Resources) Health Levels. Thus, she will not
die due to damage rolling over from the temporary health levels into her own, though she is
unlikely to emerge unscathed.
Holding Charms
WRESTLING THE DEVILFISH FOLLY
Cost: — ; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Tendrils Extended
Twisting and bending in inhuman ways, the Warlock teaches her foes a valuable lesson. He
might grab the octopus, but he can never contain or outmatch it. While the Infernal is clinched
by another being, she inflicts her unarmed attack’s Overwhelming in initiative damage every
action. If she is released or successfully escapes the clinch, she may immediately and reflexively
Disengage from her opponent.
With a second purchase of this Charm at Essence 2+, the Infernal’s Overwhelming damage for
clinches is increased by one for every two limbs dedicated to the clinch. For example, if she holds
a foe with two arms, she increases her minimum damage by one but if she entwined her legs
around him as well (possibly requiring her to be prone as well), she would increase her
minimum damage by two. This Charm cannot increase her minimum damage above her Essence.
If successful, the Infernal flings or leaves behind one of her own tendrils, which coils tightly
around her foe’s neck. He immediately makes a (Stamina +Resistance) roll to hold his breath.
Each time his turn begins counts as thirty seconds without air.
The target or his allies may attempt to pull the tentacle off with a (Strength + Athletics) roll,
difficulty (Infernal’s Essence + Resources). Alternatively, the victim may offer the Infernal
sufficiently large payment to reduce his Resource rating by one. After such a promise the tendril
dissolves into Essence. The target need not pay immediately but must cease hostilities. If he
initiates hostilities again before paying or does not pay the Infernal at the earliest reasonable
opportunity, he suffers a number of botches equal to his current Resource rating, minimum one.
The Storyteller determines when this curse of misfortune strikes; generally at the worst possible
time.
If her target dies while she is inside him, she seizes control of the corpse. The victim’s eyes
change to those described by The Flesh That Sees, and the Infernal must employ the victim’s
Physical Attributes in place of her own and speaks with his voice. If attacked at this point she
uses either her own soak or her victim’s, whichever is higher, and gains a number of Temporary
-0 Health Levels equal to the victim’s total Health Levels. The corpse loses one health level every
(Resources) days as it slowly rots away; once it has lost five health levels in this way it is
unmistakably dead and the Infernal counts as a creature of death so long as she continues to
wear the corpse. When all the Temporary Health Levels granted by the corpse are filled or lost,
the body is too damaged or rotten to use and this Charm immediately ends. Damage from these
temporary health levels does not cycle into the Infernal’s own upon this charm’s termination.
● The Infernal’s body explosively unravels into a gigantic mass of tentacles. She gains all
the bonuses of Grasping Tendrils Extended and Writhing Body Unraveled. If either of
those Charms are currently active, they immediately end and the Infernal recovers the
motes committed to them.
● The Infernal’s new tentacle-body begins with at least (Essence + Resources) limbs, and
she may add more as per Writhing Body Unraveled. Each is as long as the reach provided
by Grasping Tendrils Extended and may not be increased further.
● The transformation occurs with such force that the all beings within reach of her
tentacles must make a (Dexterity + Athletics)check to remain on their feet. The Infernal
may make a reflexive Grapple attempt against anyone knocked prone by this Charm.
● Grapples require only one free tentacle to perform and she may maintain as many
grapples as she has tentacles, though she suffers Flurry penalties for doing so.
● She possesses no other body parts. She need not eat or breathe and suffers no
pre-existing penalties for fatigue, sleep deprivation, hunger, or thirst. She speaks with a
deep sonorous voice emanating from the very center of the coiling mass. For the
duration of this Charm the cost of The Flesh That Sees is zero motes.
● Upon making a successful attack or grapple attempt, she may attempt to reflexively
pickpocket one of the target’s belongings or make a Disarm Gambit. Even if the target
prevents this effect, he still suffers the remaining consequences of the attack.