COLOSSUS

Transcription

COLOSSUS

COLOS S U S
First comes thought; then organization of that thought,
into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into
reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your
imagination.
- Napolean Hill
A Champion’s upgrade to the ranks of the Colossi takes place
in a vats complex provided by his sponsor state, in a refitting
process which requires months to complete. During this process
the Champion’s body is stripped away and rendered down into
exotic components to be used in the construction of his new
form. His essence reservoir and sections of his nervous system
are preserved, sealed inside a nearly indestructible vessel of his
associated magical material with his soul gem affixed, and it is
this module that will serve as the core of the Exalt’s being for an
eternity thereafter.
The module is then installed into the first of the Alchemical’s
Colossus Charms – an artifact-body of epic scale and power, in
the form of his first Transfiguration Charm, constructed at great
expense in anticipation of the character’s ascent. The details of
this form are always particular to the Alchemical himself – many
are humanoid in form, though other more radically different
body plans are not uncommon where needed – but while a
Colossus might wear several forms in his long life, each is
uniquely his own and cannot be worn by another.
Beyond the traits specific to his choice of transfigurations, all
such charms render a Colossus physically tougher and more
isolated from injury than their flesh and blood counterparts.
Without the physical needs of his body to contend for an
Alchemical’s essence, his new form also enables him to devote
more of his personal power to the operation of Charms and
other magic. These and other benefits are captured in the
Colossus’s Transfiguration Charms, but all Colossi also gain the
following benefits upon upgrading to Essence 6:
• The Colossus gains a free Transfiguration Charm at no cost
• The Colossus no longer needs eat or drink, nor can he
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the Charm’s power is expended. This also reduces the cost to 1m
per 2L or 4B damage to be dealt.
Arc Coils (Essence 7): Glowing blue jade coils send bolts of
essence infused lightning lancing out through fluid mediums, or
crawling along the ground in spider-like arcs. With this
submodule, Electrification Onslaught Dynamo no longer
automatically deactivates if the Colossus is immersed in water,
and whenever it discharges the Colossus may apply its effects to
everything within (Essence x 5) yards.
THE PRICE OF CHANGE
The material cost of upgrading a Champion’s essence is
relatively small by comparison to the cost of his initial
construction. The cost of the transition from Champion to
Colossus however is fit to bankrupt nations. For game
purposes, it should usually be assumed that a sponsor state
manages to make resources (equivalent to at least Wealth
• • • • ) available as needed – it is universally considered to
be worth the investment – but such costs can easily strain a
state’s economy.
The majority of this cost reflects the construction of the
Alchemical’s new body, in the form of his first
Transfiguration Charm. A Colossus’s first Transfiguration
Charm is most often of human body plan, but other
variations are available, and he may have more than one at
his disposal. Each such Charm bears similar cost to the first
however, as do their Essence 7 upgrades, so a Champion
and his sponsor state must choose forms wisely.
TOROIDAL S HOCKWAVE CATALYST
(Alchemicals, Page 124)
Singularity Pulse Driver (Essence 6, Strength 3, 3xp): This
submodule expands the area of effect to a radius of ((Strength +
Essence) x 3) yards. A second purchase of this submodule at
Essence 7+, Strength 5+ further expands the area to a radius of
((Strength + Essence) x 10) yards.
PROTOSYNTHETIC AMMUNITION REPLICATOR
Internalized Reproduction System (Essence 6, 2xp): Greater
available volume allows for bulkier but far more efficient
synthesis mechanisms, reducing the cost of all activations of
Protosynthetic Ammunition Replicator by two motes, to a
minimum of zero.
Integrated Essence Feed (Essence 6, Stamina 4): This submodule
allows the Colossus’s Protosynthetic Ammunition Replicator to
extrude a high efficiency power cable that links with an
equipped weapon which costs one or more motes to fire. The
cost of firing a weapon linked in this way is reduced by two.
UPDATED ALCHEMICAL CHARMS
The operation of Alchemical Charms presented in Manual of
Exalted Power: Alchemicals and elsewhere is largely unchanged
for Colossi. In many cases Charms which describe alterations to
specific portions of a Champion’s anatomy take on a
significantly different physical form when installed for use by a
Colossus, but these changes are ultimately superficial in nature,
and the Charms function almost universally in the same capacity
they did earlier in an Exalt’s life.
Many Charms do offer additional or expanded benefits for a
Colossus however, as befits the greater power of so elder and
enlightened a being. In some cases this takes the form of
additional or modified effects, but most commonly it is
expressed in the form of high Essence submodules which expand
upon the themes and nature of the Colossal condition. These
additional features are described below.
AIM-CALIBRATING S ENSORS
Target Designation System (Essence 6, Perception 5): A small
array of adamant lenses affixed to the Colossus’s AimCalibrating Sensors projects a holographic targeting marker over
any enemy struck by an attack supplemented by that Charm.
Until the Alchemical’s DV refreshes, this Charm negates all
external penalties that would be applied to any attack made
against such a target.
COMBAT
IMPENETRABLE REPULSOR FIELD
PISTON -DRIVEN MEGATON H AMMER
Area Defense Screen (Essence 6, Dexterity 8): By channeling a
virtue in addition to Impenetrable Repulsor Field’s other costs,
the Colossus may extend his force barrier so that it shields all
targets within (Essence x 5) yards of him from the effects of a
single attack. A second purchase of this submodule at Essence
7+, Dexterity 10+ allows this submodule compatibility with the
Overcharge Module submodule.
Siege-Ram Engine (Essence 6, Strength 5, 3xp): With this
submodule, successes on the attack roll are instead multiplied by
the Colossus’s (Essence x 2) when making close combat attacks
against inanimate objects and structures, whether attacking
armed or unarmed.
ELECTRIFICATION O NSLAUGHT D YNAMO
INTEGRATED ARSENAL SYSTEM
Capacitance Array (Essence 6): A bank of huge capacitors filled
with an orichalcum infused storage medium permit the storage
of greater quantities of power, allowing Electrification
Onslaught Dynamo’s effect to discharge (Essence) times before
Arsenal Manifestation Engine (Essence 7, 3xp): This submodule
allows a Colossus’s Integrated Arsenal System to provide
weapons for others. The Exalt can produce enough weapons to
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LIGHT-ETCHED INTERCEPTOR B ARRIER
arm any unit with Magnitude less than his Essence by
committing a number of motes equal to that unit’s Magnitude.
Weapons created this way fold out instantly into the unit
members' hands, ready to use, and fold away equally quickly into
Elsewhere should the Alchemical end his commitment to the
Charm. If the Alchemical also has the Material Synthesis Wave
Emitter submodule, equipping a unit in this way increases its
Might by one.
Light-Forged Cover Projector (Essence 6, Dexterity 8): For an
additional cost of four motes, the Colossus projects not one
shield, but dozens, or even hundreds, flashing in and out of
existence where his allies need protection, or where his enemies
advance might be obstructed. Allies within (Essence x 5) yards
benefit from the cover bonus provided by Light-Etched
Interceptor Barrier, while enemies within that area can move at
only half their normal speed.
COLOSSAL EQUIPMENT
A Colossus’s sheer size, to say nothing of his body shape
for an Alchemical using a non-humanoid Transfiguration,
often make it physically impossible for him to use artifacts
designed for characters of human stature. Most artifacts can
be adapted for use by a Colossus – reengineered along larger
lines and rearranged to fit whatever body plan the Exalt has
chosen – and charms like Panoply Scalar Engine offer
similar options at a moment’s notice.
ESSENCE S HIELD PROJECTOR
Field Expansion Coil (Essence 6, Stamina 8): By paying an
additional point of Willpower when activating Essence Shield
Projector, the Colossus may expand the protective field it creates
to encompass a radius of up to (Essence x 5) yards. The field does
not prevent characters from moving through it, but attacks
originating outside its area must overcome the Hardness the
Charm provides to affect anyone within it. Any attack that
successfully does so overloads the Charm as normal.
MASS COMBAT
ALLOYED REINFORCEMENT OF FLESH
HUNDREDFOLD STRAFING METHODOLOGY
[See existing Siege Devastation Mode submodule.]
Emergency Recall Beacon (Essence 7, Wits 10): A fine mesh of
starmetal wraps around the pod in which the Colossus’s soul
and mind reside, maintaining an inactive Nullspace bridge
between the Alchemical and his Titanic patron. When the
Exalt’s Alloyed Reinforcement of Flesh prevents him from
suffering lethal damage, he may reflexively spend ten motes and
a point of Willpower to instantly teleport the capsule which is
the core of his being to the nearest vats facility. This effect may
only be activated within the Realm of Autochthonia, or within
(Essence) miles of an Alchemical Metropolis in other realms of
existence. All other Charms the Exalt has installed at the time of
activation are treated as if removed by an amputation effect.
S EMIOTIC FLARE PROJECTOR
Telepresent Command Mode (Essence 6, Charisma 9): This
submodule extends the Colossus’s communicative presence to
the extent that he can effectively command an entire battle from
a single position. By spending an additional point of Willpower
per additional unit when he activates Semiotic Flare Projector,
the Alchemical may assume command of multiple units
simultaneously. If he does so, this Charm generates a magical
flurry on each of the Exalt’s actions composed of a number of
actions equal to the number of units he commands, each of
which must be used to command a different unit.
B ODY-REWEAVING MATRIX
STRATEGOS -COMMANDER SYNERGY CIRCUITS
Bodily Reconstruction Ward (Essence 6, Intelligence 6): If the
Colossus’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with
passenger space, this submodule converts a portion of that space
for use as a hospital or sick bay. The Alchemical may apply the
benefits of his Beneficence Programming submodule to up to
(Essence) passengers at a time with a single activation of the
Charm.
[See existing Industrial Assembly Warfare Mode submodule.]
SURVIVAL
STRAIN -RESISTANT CHASSIS MODIFICATION
[See existing effects of the Charm itself. The reconfiguration
described has no experience cost, and requires the same amount
of time as installing the Charms in question.]
AEGIS INTEGRATION SYSTEM
Armor Scaling Distortion Engine (Essence 6): Moonsilver nodes
incorporated into the Alchemical’s Aegis Integration System
produce a powerful spatial distortion field, effectively scaling
equipment designed for human use up to an appropriate scale
and configuration for the Exalt’s more Colossal proportions.
This submodule allows the Colossus to equip any armor,
SUBCUTANEOUS /E XOSKELETAL ARMOR PLATING
[See existing effects of the Charm itself. The reconfiguration
described has no experience cost, and requires the same amount
of time as installing the Charms in question.]
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regardless of the size and body plan of the creature for which the
armor was originally designed. Warstriders and similar pseudovehicular armors which rely on an internal mechanical chassis
cannot be equipped using this submodule.
and changes its duration to Permanent. The Colossus may toggle
the Charm’s secondary mode reflexively at will.
Gravity Leveling Gyro-Compass (Essence 6, Intelligence 5, 2xp):
For a Colossus whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides
him with passenger capacity, this submodule extends the effects
of his Personal Gravity Manipulation Apparatus to his
passengers, insuring that the same direction is always down
within the Alchemical’s passenger compartments.
ENSHRINED D IVINITY APPARATUS
Divine Benediction Array (Essence 6): A crown or mantle of
starmetal and jade antennae transmit the life preserving
benefaction of the Colossus’s Enshrined Divinity Apparatus to
all those worthies who gather around him. This submodule
extends the benefits of this Charm to all friendly characters
within a radius of (Essence x 10) yards of the Exalt.
G YROSCOPIC STABILITY SYSTEM
Inertial Dampeners (Essence 6, Dexterity 6, 3xp): For a
Colossus whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides him
with passenger capacity, this submodule insulates passengers
from the shock of acceleration and deceleration, and jarring
movements of all kinds, making his interior spaces seem
comfortably stationary. While the Exalt’s Gyroscopic Stability
System is active, his passengers never suffer external penalties
due to the Alchemical’s movement, including attacks made
against him.
B IOFUNCTION INHIBITOR
Constructive Torpor Catalyst (Essence 7): Nullspace links and
internalized vats components enable the Colossus to perform
limited self-reconfiguration without the aid of a proper vats
facility. While in the torpor provided by his Biofunction
Inhibitor, the Alchemical may reconfigure his Charms as if he
were spending time in a vats complex. This process takes one
week for every day or portion thereof normally required for the
Charm installations selected. This submodule also allows the
Colossus to build the reconstructive framework required to
increase his Essence from seven to eight, making it a common
choice for Alchemicals seeking to ascend to Metropolis status.
PLASMA THRUSTER ASSEMBLY
[An Alchemical whose Transfiguration Charm provides him
with passenger space cannot activate this Charm ifthe combined
weight of any cargo and passengers he carries exceeds what his
strength would allow him to lift (Exalted, Page 127).]
Cargo-Lift Thrusters (Essence 6): This submodule allows the
Colossus to carry up to (Essence) human-sized passengers while
in flight, or an equivalent amount of cargo, though unless he has
free hands to carry them with they must be able to hold on to
him or secured in some other way. It also enables an Alchemical
whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with
passenger space to activate Plasma Thruster Assembly even when
carrying more weight than his Strength allows.
Blowback Channeling Nozzles (Essence 6, Strength 7): Jade
nozzles focus the back blast generated by the Colossus’s liftoff,
expanding the radius of the effect to (Strength) yards, and
increasing the DV requirement to avoid the effect by (Strength).
SUSTENANCE REPLICATION ENGINE
Refectory Synthesis Device (Essence 6, Stamina 5, 4xp): This
submodule allows the Colossus’s Sustenance Replication Engine
to provide sufficient nourishment for a group of people with
total Magnitude equal to or less than his (Essence ÷ 2).
S IZE VERSUS S PEED
It’s tempting to think of a being the size of a Colossus as
automatically slow and cumbersome, but nothing could be
further from the truth. Even more so than their junior
counterparts, Colossi are capable of blinding speed. The
distributed processors in their wired reflexes react to
commands seemingly before they’re given, and their
mechanical actuators deliver power with responsiveness
physically impossible for organic muscles. Colossi are
capable of exquisite precision and even grace (though many
find the gradual acceleration in and out of organic
movements inefficient).
PARAMAGNETIC TETHER B EAM
[Manipulating objects with this charm circumvents the usual
-4 external penalty a Colossus suffers when attempting to make
use of weapons or tools sized for humans.]
Paramagnetic Crux (Essence 6, Psychokinetic Reinforcement
Array, 3xp): Multiply the Exalt’s Essence rating by four rather
than two when determining the effective Strength which he can
generate with his Paramagnetic Tether Beam for purposes of
feats of strength.
S PEED AND MOBILITY
PERSONAL G RAVITY MANIPULATION APPARATUS
INCOMPARABLE EFFICIENCY UPGRADE
Gravitational Stasis Unit (Essence 6, Strength 8): This
Chrono-Static Distortion Node (Essence 7, Wits 10): A perfectly
cut resonating rod of crystal adamant magnifies and spreads the
submodule removes the activation cost of Personal Gravity
Manipulation Apparatus, increases its installation cost to [2m],
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effects of the Colossus’s Incomparable Efficiency Upgrade. If the
Alchemical’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with
passenger capacity, he can multiply or divide the rate at which
time flows inside his hull by up to (Essence x 3).
individuals, each character remains affected until proper
penance is performed, and the unit itself is considered to be of
the Void as long as half or more of its members are so attainted.
TRANSCENDENT BRUTALITY PROGRAMMING
TRANSHUMAN EFFICIENCY RELAYS
Chamber of Transcendent Horrors (Essence 6, Manipulation 7):
This submodule allows a Colossus whose Transfiguration
Charm provides him with passenger space to devote a portion of
that space – usually no more than a clutch of soulsteel isolation
tanks – to use as a torture chamber. Characters may be
imprisoned in this area by conventional means, and when so
bound become automatically valid targets for the Alchemicals
Transcendent Brutality Programming as long as they remain
imprisoned.
Polyfocal Parallel Tasking System (Essence 6, Wits 8): The
distributed computing power provided by this submodule
enables the Colossus to devote his full attention to multiple
completely unrelated actions simultaneously. When performing
dramatic actions, the Alchemical may activate his Transhuman
Efficiency Relays at no cost so long as his physical form is
plausibly capable of performing all of the actions to be flurried
simultaneously.
LIMB E XTENSION ARMATURES
PERSONALITY O VERRIDE S PIKE
[See existing effects of the Charm itself.]
Dendrite Extension Paradigm (Essence 7, Dexterity 9): With this
submodule, the Colossus is able to extend his limbs gradually
further and further, sending them probing into the workings of
the Great Maker’s world body in search of resources or query
with equal ease. The duration of the Exalt’s Limb Extension
Armatures is increased to Indefinite, and the Alchemical can
extend his reach to as much as Essence miles. Extending his
reach beyond the normal limits proceeds at a rate of (Essence)
yards per miscellaneous action, and limb retraction is limited to
the same rate.
Sub-Process Mind Invasion (Essence 6, Manipulation 9):
Dedicated processing centers allow the Colossus to invade the
minds of others with such casual ease that he need not even give
the task his full attention. With this submodule the Alchemical
may maintain a single clinch with his Personality Override Spike
as a reflexive action during each of his actions. A second
purchase of this submodule at Essence 7+, Manipulation 11+
allows the Exalt to maintain up to (Essence ÷ 2) such clinches
each action.
MIND -RIPPING PROBE
S OCIAL
Internal Unity Formatting (Essence 6, Manipulation 6): If the
Colossus’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with
passenger space, this submodule allows a single activation of
Perfected Union Patterning to target any or all passengers on
board.
Mind-Sharing Interface (Essence 6, Charisma 6): In addition to
its other capabilities, a Personality Override Spike makes for an
exceptionally efficient mind-machine interface. While holding a
willing character in a grapple with Personality Override Spike,
this submodule allows the Colossus to borrow his skills and
abilities. For any roll made by either character under such
circumstances, use the higher of the two character’s relevant
Ability ratings, and combine their Specialties (with the usual
limit of three specialty dice on any given roll).
PERFECTED UNION PATTERNING
(Alchemicals, page 144)
INDUSTRIAL CHAMPION ICON
MEMORY IMPLANTATION SURGE
Order Confirming Banner (Essence 6, Clarity 5): A towering
Skill Writing Protocol (Essence 6, Intelligence 6, 4xp): This
submodule allows Memory Implantation Surge to be used as a
Training effect to increase a character’s Ability ratings. Abilities
may be increased by one dot per action, to a maximum value no
greater than the Alchemical’s own rating in the Ability.
adamant beacon extends from the Colossus’s back, radiating the
orderly power of the Machine God down upon his faithful.
Characters within (Essence x 10) yards of the Alchemical cannot
contract Gremlin Syndrome, and do not suffer any other
incidental ill-effects of exposure to blight zones. This does not
protect against attacks of any kind which seek to deliberately
apply such effects.
Orthodox Assertion Pulse (Essence 7, Clarity 9, Heresy
Declaration Beacon): With this submodule, the Colossus can
employ his Heresy Declaration Beacon in mass combat to label
entire units as creatures of the Void, exactly as if labeling an
individual. Even if the unit later disbands into smaller groups or
THOUSANDFOLD COURTESAN CALCULATIONS
Interoperability System (Essence 6, Appearance 8, 2xp):
Reconfigurable moonsilver anatomy makes it possible for the
Colossus to properly interface with his less grand partners.
While the act has little in common with love making of the usual
sort, it remains none the less effective in producing an emotional
response useful to a manipulative Exalt.
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RADIANT ICONOGRAPHY ARRAY
and height restrictions provided in the existing text of the
Charm are relative to the character’s natural height and weight.
It does not allow him to change his body plan outside the
general form provided by his Transfiguration Charm, but it can
be used to alter any and all body characteristics across the full
range of forms the Charm in question could conceivably be used
to produce.]
Implicit Acceptance Architecture (Essence 6, Appearance 7): This
submodule renders a Colossus using Husk-Sculpting Apparatus
supernaturally unremarkable. As an unnatural illusion effect,
characters who observe the Alchemical are convinced that it
belongs where it is, and perhaps even that it has always been
there, in the case of immobile Exalts. Resisting this effect costs
three willpower.
Iconography Broadcast Node (Essence 6, Intrinsic Evocation
System, 3xp): The radius of the effect is extended to (Essence x
100) yards.
EMOTIVE AESTHETICS OF THE B ODY ELECTRIC
Intuitive Communion Mode (Essence 6, 2xp): For a Colossus
who’s Transfiguration Charm provides him with passenger
space, this submodule ensures that everything within that space
– from its layout to the devices it contains – is superbly simple
and easy to understand, allowing crew members to contribute to
limited teamwork bonuses (See Below) even if they have no
rating in the Ability being rolled.
Hull-Noise Subtlety Algorithm (Essence 7, Manipulation 10):
This submodule allows a Colossus who’s Transfiguration charm
provides him with passenger space to communicate with his
guests in ways so subtle that they don’t even know it’s
happening. Social attacks the Alchemical makes against
characters inside his internal spaces are automatically
unexpected.
AURA-D AMPENING COMPONENT
Luminance Diffusion System (Essence 6, Appearance 8): A
network of orichalcum capacitance threads connects to a fine
coating of adamant powder bonded to the Colossus’s chassis,
allowing him to buffer and diffuse the radiance of his anima
display. When the Alchemical spends motes from his peripheral
pool as part of a dramatic action, he may opt not to count them
towards the elevation of his anima banner by paying an extra
mote for each Charm or effect whose cost is to be excluded.
STEALTH AND D ISGUISE
INTEGRATED ARTIFACT TRANSMOGRAPHIER
[Even for those Colossi whose Transfiguration Charms
provide for a humanoid body plan, it is impossible to disguise
their sheer size and mass. A Colossus who uses Integrated
Artifact Transmographier to make all his Charms Internal is not
disguised as human, but instead as a non-Alchemical example of
whatever body plan his Transfiguration provides. An Alchemical
with Humaniform Chassis Framework could easily pass for an
(occupied) warstrider for example, where as an Exalt using
Structural Chassis Framework might appear for all intents and
purposes to be a conventional building. This appearance is as
fixed for any given Colossus as the details of his true form (but
see Husk-Sculpting Apparatus below).]
ANALYTIC AND COGNITIVE
Internal Security System (Essence 6): For a Colossus whose
Transfiguration Charm provides him with passenger space, this
submodule provides perfect awareness of his internal
compartments. If his other senses (including those provided or
augmented by Charms) are capable of perceiving something
inside his body, they do so automatically, and he gains his
(Essence) in automatic successes on roll-offs against perfect
concealment effects operating within his body.
Motonic Resonance Detector (Essence 7, Perception 10): A harplike array of delicate essence-resonant threads allows the
Colossus to feel the configuration of the space around him, and
those moving about within it, out to a staggering distance. This
submodule provides the Alchemical with general knowledge of
the layout of the volume around him, and the size, position, and
ANTICIPATORY S IMULATION PROCESSOR
Emergency Alert System (Essence 6, Perception 6): Though the
means vary from one Colossus to the next – holographic
projection and audible alerts being the most common examples
– this submodule allows the Alchemical to activate his
Anticipatory Simulation Processor on behalf of any character
within (Essence x 10) yards. If an unexpected attack would strike
multiple characters in that area, a single activation of the Charm
can remove the unexpected label for any or all eligible targets.
S ECONDARY S ENSORY UPGRADES
TRANS -CHOSEN EMULATOR
Anima Reinvention Array (Essence 6, Appearance 5,
Metatotemic Calibrator, 4xp): With this submodule a colossus
may freely reinvent the visual manifestations of both his anima
banner and any Obvious Charms he employs. This cannot
render an Obvious effect non-Obvious, but can re-theme the
visual effects produced in any other way. With an appropriate
stunt, this effect negates anima-banner based penalties and
limitations on the use of stealth and disguise.
HUSK-S CULPTING APPARATUS
[A Colossus with this Charm can freely rearrange the details
of his appearance as normal, but keep in mind that the weight
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direction of anything moving through it. Its resolution is
insufficient to distinguish stationary objects from scenery
however. The array has an effective sensory radius of (Perception
x 10) miles in enclosed spaces, but this extends to (Perception x
100) miles in sufficiently large open areas.
attached to something else, nor can it internalize artifacts which
are themselves architecture such as directional titans. Sorry.
TRANSCENDENT MULTIMODAL ARTIFACT MATRIX
(Alchemicals, page 166)
Template Library Expansion Program (Essence 6): The price of
purchasing templates for artifacts rated at or below (Essence ÷ 2)
to a flat cost of 1xp. When this submodule is installed, or the
Colossus’s Essence score increases, the difference in the cost of
previously acquired templates is refunded, but experience
refunded in this way must be immediately spent to acquire
additional artifact templates for the Exalt’s use.
Polytypical Extrusion Engine (Essence 6, Wits 6, 4xp): With this
submodule, a single installation of Transcendent Multimodal
Artifact Matrix can extrude up to (Wits) artifacts at the same
time. Each artifact requires a separate activation of the Charm to
extrude.
Cannonade Turret Assembly (Essence 6): This submodule
enables directed essence weapons produced by the Colossus’s
Transcendent Multimodal Artifact Matrix to be extruded on
articulated platforms, allowing them to be operated without
need for the use of the Alchemical’s hands. Furthermore, this
mounting system negates any mobility penalties normally
associated with the mounted weapon.
MOBILE S ENSORY DRONE
Nullspace Uplink (Essence 6, Wits 6, 2xp): This submodule
extends the range at which the Colossus can control his Mobile
Sensory Drones to (Wits x 10) miles.
Combat Drone Deployment (Essence 7): For an additional cost
of one point of Willpower, a Colossus with this Charm may
deploy powerful combat-ready drone fighters. These automatons
are based on the standard Mobile Sensory Drone template and
benefit from any other submodules installed for the Charm.
Additionally, combat drones have Strength, Stamina, Melee,
Archery, and Thrown each at a rating of five, posses an Essence
score of two, a personal essence pool of (Colossus’s Essence x 5)
motes, (Colossus’s Essence ÷ 2) additional -0 health levels, and a
selection of (Colossus’s Essence ÷ 2) Alchemical Charms for
which they meet the prerequisites, from amongst the Charms
the Alchemical has installed.
IMPRINTED D ATA CLUSTER
S PIRITUAL
Noetic Hyperprocessor (Essence 6, Intelligence 8, 4xp): If his
THERMIONIC ORTHODOXY ARRAY
currently installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with
passenger space, this submodule allows the Colossus to confer
the benefits of his Imprinted Data Cluster upon his passengers.
Any willing character on board the Exalt automatically gains
access to the same set of additional specialties the Alchemical
himself enjoys.
Absolute Stability Matrix (Essence 6, Clarity 5, 3xp): This
submodule expands the radius affected by the Colossus’s
Thermionic Orthodoxy Array to (Clarity x 20) yards. A second
purchase of this submodule at Essence 7+ further expands the
radius to (Clarity x 100) yards.
ABSTRACT ABACUS IMPLANT
Message Canceling Claxon (Essence 7, Wits 6): When the
Colossus’s Abstract Abacus Implant defends him from a social
attack which targets multiple characters, he may reflexively
spend four motes to release a deafening roar from this
submodule, perfectly defending all targets of the attack from its
effects. This also has the side effect of rendering the attack
obvious if it was not already.
COLOSSUS CHARM THEMES
At their conceptual core, Colossus Charms adhere to the
same thematic principles as other Alchemical Charms –
they are technological in concept, and each Charm is a
physical thing rather than an abstract magical technique –
and they expand upon these motifs in a fairly literal way. An
elder Alchemical’s Charms are typically inspired by heavy
machinery which is too large – physically or in concept – to
make sense for their smaller counterparts.
Mechanically they expand upon standard expectations to
suit their size, featuring longer ranges and larger areas of
effect, but also expanding upon the Alchemicals’ roll as
integral members of society and paragons of industry. A
Colossus’s panoply is capable of empowering entire armies,
protecting them from harm, equipping them for battle, or
burning them to ash and flickering motes with little enough
effort to impress even Solar generals.
TECHNOMORPHIC INTEGRATION ENGINE
Internal Hangar Facility (Essence 7, Intelligence 9): A spatial
folding engine harmlessly collapses even those artifacts notably
larger that the Colossus’s own hulking form, allowing them to be
safely stored within his frame. This submodule allows the
Alchemical to internalize artifacts without regard to their size,
including complex artifacts such as magitech vehicles so long as
they contain no passengers. An artifact must be at least
theoretically movable to be internalized in this way however –
the Charm still cannot take in artifacts which are physically
7
COMPASS : AUTOCHTHONIA
calculating static characteristics such as defense values. Although
these dice are added passively, they still count as dice added by
Charms, and as such Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold effectively
obviates the use of the First and Second (Attribute)
Augmentations for the chosen attribute.
In addition to its installation cost, while this charm is
installed the Colossus must commit a number of additional
motes equal to his (Attribute ÷ 2) from his personal or peripheral
pools. Making this attunement takes one long tick, and it may be
released reflexively, but while not so attuned the Colossus suffers
an Internal penalty equal to his score in the chosen Attribute
instead of receiving the normal benefits of this charm, as major
portions of his internal anatomy cease to function.
S HOCKWAVE DRIVER B ARRAGE
(Compass, Page 135)
Flux-Wave Generator (Essence 6, Strength 8): A sweeping wave
of spatial distortion accompanies the Colossus’s attack, rushing
out to buffet and batter all the foes before him. For an additional
cost of four motes, the Exalt may apply the effects of this Charm
(but not the damage or other effects of the augmented attack)
against each target within his reach and in front of him. Targets
whose dodge DV exceeds the successes rolled on the attack are
unaffected.
CASUALTY-MINIMIZING EQUATION
(Compass, Page 136)
Passenger Protection Protocols (Essence 6, Dexterity 6): With this
submodule, passengers on a Colossus whose Transfiguration
Charm affords him passenger space are always considered to be
defended by their host Alchemical. Passengers defended in this
way do not count towards any limits on the number of characters
the Exalt can defend.
KEYWORD : TRANSFIGURATION
Transfiguration charms change a Colossus’s body
structure, far more so than any combination of transhuman
implants ever could. The Charm itself is literally a new body
which the Colossus’s core can be transferred into, and as
such only one Transfiguration Charm may be installed by
an Alchemical at a time.
In practical terms, a Colossus should always have a
Transfiguration Charm installed unless he is in the vats or
in some comparable circumstances where he can do without
– or has been deprived of – access to a body. Without one
the Alchemical is reduced to a capsule-like core of
machinery, unable to move, install Charms, and sense or
interact with his environment, though he may still employ
Protocols if he knows them.
Beyond these basic considerations, the transformation
into a hulking construct has a variety of mechanical effects
on a character. Sheer size makes it difficult to hide, and to
use equipment sized for humans, inflicting a -4 external
penalty on such activities without the use of a charm or
magical effect to resolve the issue. Worn equipment cannot
be used at all unless it is designed for a being of the
Colossus’s approximate size and shape.
Such a form is also notably inhuman, making it more
difficult to interact with others on a social basis, which
reduces the character’s effective appearance by half for
purposes of determining appearance modifiers in social
combat. More insidiously, this inhuman form also devalues
human interaction, inflicting a -2 external penalty on
Compassion rolls to reduce temporary Clarity.
Transfigured characters ignore penalties for using large
weapons up to and including warstrider weapons (Wonders
of the Lost Age, Page 150), and those with Essence 7 may
also use weapons designed to be mounted on buildings.
Additionally, in mass combat they can act as special
characters or a unit unto themselves.
G EAR-DRIVEN REFLEX AUTOMATION
(Compass, Page 136)
Alpha-Strike Response Pattern (Essence 7, Dexterity 10): For an
additional cost of six motes and one Willpower, this submodule
converts the reflexive counterattack provided by an instant
duration activation of Gear-Driven Reflex Automation into a
magical flurry of counter attacks including a single attack from
each weapon the Colossus wields.
N EW ALCHEMICAL CHARMS
While many Alchemical Charms grow with the Exalted who
use them, the heart of the transformation from Champion to
Colossus lies not in expanding upon what an Alchemical can
already do, but in the entirely new capabilities enabled by his
new-found size and power.
G ENERAL
TRANSHUMAN (ATTRIBUTE) S CAFFOLD
Cost: – [3m]; Mins: (Attribute) 6, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Native, Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
Consistent greatness is the hallmark of the Exalted, and none
more so than the Alchemical Colossus. Their vast and powerful
physical forms, and potent essence-channeling mechanisms are
capable of providing these titans of industry with unsurpassed
and continuous excellence the likes of which their organic
counterparts must inevitably envy.
Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold adds dice to all rolls with
the chosen Attribute equal to the Alchemical’s rating in that
Attribute. Similarly, he doubles the chosen Attribute when
8
TRANSFIGURATION
advantages in terms of over-land movement speed, stability, and
passenger space, but lacks both a comfortable human
appearance, and the ability to use tools and equipment requiring
fine manipulation.
The Mobile Chassis Framework confers the following
mechanical benefits and limitations:
• Personal essence pool is expanded by (Willpower) motes
• Gains additional -0 health levels equal to his (Essence)
• Strength increased by (Essence) for feats and damage
• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence x 2)
• Natural soak increased by (Essence)
• Gains (Essence x 5) cubic yards of passenger capacity
• Automatically passes all balance and handling related tests
• No arms or hands, and cannot perform related actions
Submodules:
Weapon Turret Systems (Dexterity 5): This Charm equips the
Colossus with mounted weaponry – almost always ranged,
except in the case of weapons intended for ramming – which sits
in pivoting turrets or mounts attached to his body. The Exalt
may mount up to two such weapons, though the Multiple Limbs
mutation allows him to mount more, in addition to its other
benefits. These turrets are obvious, but can be retracted and
concealed using Technomorphic Integration Engine or similar
magic.
Juggernaut Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule
permanently expands upon the Colossus’s Mobile Chassis
Framework beyond the proportions of even the most monstrous
natural creature – typically stretching fifty feet or more in at least
one dimension. This transformation augments the Alchemical
with greater durability, far greater speed, and significantly
expanded cargo capacity:
• Extra -0 health levels increase to (Essence + (Stamina x 5))
• Speed multiplier increases to ((Essence + Dexterity) x 2)
• Bonus to natural soak increases to (Essence x 2)
• Internal capacity increases to (Essence x 25) cubic yards
HUMANIFORM CHASSIS FRAMEWORK
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Charisma 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Transfiguration
Duration: Permanent
The Humaniform Chassis Framework is the most familiar of
the Colossal Transfigurations, and thus the most common
choice for a Champion’s first such Charm. Its form is
humanoid, like the Alchemical’s original body writ large,
typically of approximately the same size and configuration as a
warstrider, and with similar physical qualities.
It may be beautiful or hideous according to the Alchemical’s
Appearance, but as a humanoid figure the Humaniform
Colossus is more relatable than other Transfigurations, making
it an ideal choice for an Exalt operating in a social or
organizational roll. Its body plan also has the advantage of limbs
and hands, which allow it to retain the physical versatility to
which most Exalts are accustomed.
The Humaniform Chassis Framework confers the following
mechanical benefits:
• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence)
• Natural soak is increased by (Essence)
• Ignore Appearance reduction from Transfiguration
Submodules:
Gigantiform Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule
permanently expands the Colossus’s Humaniform Chassis
Framework to truly epic proportions, pushing it to a towering
height of as much as eighty feet, and expanding its physical
strength and reach commensurate to its size, while retaining its
basically humanoid body plan. This confers the following
improved benefits:
• Strength bonus increases to (Essence x 2)
• Bonus tonatural soak increases to (Essence x 2)
• Reach with melee weapons increases by (Essence x 5) yards
VESSEL CHASSIS FRAMEWORK
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Measuring around the size of a cutter or frigate – between
forty and sixty feet in length – and designed for use in the hostile
environs of the poles of smoke and oil, the Vessel Chassis
Framework creates a fully sealed and self-contained ship-like
body that would find itself equally survivable on and beneath
the seas of creation. With the use of a Plasma Thruster
Assembly, it would also be well suited to the vastness of space or
Creation’s open skies.
The Vessel Chassis Framework is an industrial marvel – large
and tough with copious cargo space – but is not particularly fast
without the aid of additional magic. Its primary liabilities are its
huge size, which precludes its use in the vast majority of
Autochthonian spaces, its inability to move outside a fluid
MOBILE CHASSIS FRAMEWORK
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Strength 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Some colossi emphasize mobility over human convenience,
sacrificing the versatility of normal arms and legs for the
incomparable efficiency of a form optimized for speed. This
Charm provides a Colossus with a body configuration ideal for
over-land movement, typically resembling a giant terrestrial
animal such as a lion, a huge many-legged insect, or a land-going
vehicle with wheels or tracks.
This low slung chassis arrangement provides significant
9
medium, and (like other non-humanoid Chassis), its lack of
hands for fine manipulation.
The Vessel Chassis Framework confers the following
• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence ÷ 2)
• Natural soak is increased by (Essence x 2)
• Passenger space is fully enclosed and sealed
• Can move only through or on fluid mediums such as water
Submodules:
magic.
Ark Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): The most essential functions
of the Vessel Chassis design are capacity and survival, and this
submodule focuses on and enhances those qualities,
implementing permanent upgrades which expand the Colossus
from the size ofa light interceptor to the size ofa thickly armored
ship of the line. This has the following mechanical effects:
• Weapon Turret Systems turret count increases by (Essence)
STRUCTURAL CHASSIS FRAMEWORK
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Stamina 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Typically built in place by the Demiurges (at least when not
used with Veriform Transfiguration Engine), this Charm is as
near as a Colossus will come to being a Metropolis before
making the final transition to that state. It takes the form of a
building, usually three to five stories tall, although frequently
one or more stories are in fact sublevels or basements, and totally
immobile.
Though it has the obvious disadvantages of both a total lack
of mobility, and a total lack of anatomy with which to
manipulate its environment, it has the countervailing strengths
of being highly efficient and nearly indestructible. Such
configurations are most often deployed as forward bases,
outposts, or in preparation for a Colossus’s forthcoming
evolution to Metropolis status.
The Structural Chassis Framework confers the following
• Personal essence pool is expanded by (Willpower x 2) motes
• Gains additional -0 health levels equal to his (Essence x 5)
• Natural soak increased by (Essence x 2)
• Completely immobile without other charms
Submodules:
magic.
Fortress Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule converts
the Alchemical’s Structural Chassis Framework into a literal
fortress, unassailable and all but impervious to harm. This also
results in an increase in the structure’s size, from an average of
four stories to an average of eight, with a commensurate increase
in footprint. The mechanical effects of this change are as follows:
• Extra -0 health levels increase to ((Essence + Stamina) x 5)
• Gains (Essence x 2) creation points worth of manse features
VERIFORM TRANSFIGURATION ENGINE
Cost: 5m, 1wp [2m]; Mins: Wits 6, Essence 6; Type: Simple
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Any Two Transfiguration Charms
This Charm is comprised of hundreds of tiny metal balls –
each of them half moonsilver and half starmetal – placed at key
locations throughout the Colossus’s body. When it is installed,
the Alchemical attunes it to one of his uninstalled
Transfiguration Charms for a number of motes equal to that
Charm’s installation cost, and when it is activated that Charm
unfolds from within these nodes as his current Transfiguration is
folded up within, effectively allowing him to swap between these
two forms at will.
In the event that this transformation leaves the Exalt with
insufficient personal essence to pay the attunement costs ofall of
his installed Charms, a number of Charms of his choice become
inactive (as if uninstalled) to make up the difference, obeying all
prerequisite considerations. They remain inactive until such a
time as he has personal essence available to commit to them. If
this transformation causes the Alchemical to gain additional
health levels, they are added in an undamaged state. If it causes
him to lose health levels, remove undamaged levels before
removing damaged levels.
Submodules:
Transfigurative Restoration System (Stamina 9): When the
10
Colossus switches forms with this Charm, he may pay a
surcharge of 1m per health level to heal some or all of his lost -0
health levels, as the transformation patches over the most
superficial damage suffered by his machine-body. He continues
to suffer any wound penalties he has based on the worst damage
dealt to him, but enemies must cut their way through his
restored -0 levels before they can push him any deeper.
Dynamic Recomposition Matrix (Dexterity 9): With this
submodule, Veriform Transfiguration Engine may be activated
as a reflexive action for a surcharge of two additional points of
willpower.
Combinatorial Synergy Network (Charisma 6): An Alchemical
with this submodule can forgo the attunement of one of his
standard Transfiguration Charms when installing his Veriform
Transfiguration Engine in favor of a hybrid configuration
designed to integrate directly with other Colossi. Typically each
Colossus with this Charm chooses to configure into a different
part ofthe anatomy or war gear oftheir combined form – a head,
an arm, a leg, and so on – but it can also be used to transform
into a suitably large weapon, and as such as few as two Colossi
with this submodule can combine their powers.
Exalts who combine using this submodule form a single body
controlled by one designated character, using that Exalt’s
characteristics supplemented with all the benefits of whichever
Transfiguration Charm most closely corresponds body plan of
the combine whole, along with its Essence 7 Upgrade
submodule even if some or all of the component characters are
only Essence 6. Each constituent character may activate Charms
independently, and retains his place in the sequence of battle,
with all Charms he activates benefiting the collective whole.
LOOK MA! N O H ANDS !
All of the more radically inhuman Transfiguration
charms deprive a Colossus of his hands and arms, with
obvious consequences for the character’s ability to wield
weapons and use hand-held tools. There are several options
available for such Exalts to rearm themselves:
The Cannonade Turret Assembly and Weapon Turret
Systems submodules both allow an Alchemical to wield
weapons without hands, and Paramagnetic Tether Beam
can also be employed to wield weapons or use tools.
Characters could also use Manifold Transhuman Implants
to acquire the Multiple Limbs mutation in the form of
mechanical grappler arms or similar appendages – extra
arms are extra, after all, even if you start with none.
Much like its prerequisite, this Charm supplements a ranged
attack, but the effect it produces at the point of impact is
something else again. Where the attack hits, space itself is
expanded out of proportion to other nearby areas – a shaping
effect which targets the environment, rather than anyone within
it. The attack affects a radius of (Essence x 10) yards, and all
distances which pass through the well of expanded space by even
an inch are multiplied by the Colossus’s (Essence). This
multiplication is applied to all distance related considerations –
movement, ranges, and so forth.
Submodules:
Spatial Compression Mode (Wits 6): If the Colossus chooses, the
space within the area is compressed instead of expanded,
dividing distances by his (Essence) rather than multiplying them.
Dilation Lens (Essence 7, 4xp): This submodule expands the
radius of the area affected by this Charm to (Essence x 100)
yards, allowing it to affect entire battlefields.
MECHANIZED REAPER ARMATURE
Cost: 2m [2m]; Mins: Strength 9, Essence 6;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, War
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Piston-Driven Megaton Hammer
Huge jade pistons and orichalcum fulcrums replace the
skeletal structures of the Colossus’s arms (or other, equivalent
appendages), giving him the sheer physical power to cut through
one enemy after another with his attacks. An attack
supplemented by this Charm is applied against each valid target
within the Alchemical’s reach. In mass combat, it instead
multiplies the supplemented attack’s pre-soak damage by
(Essence ÷ 2) when dealing damage to mass combat units.
Submodules:
Abattoir Destruction Cycle (Strength 11, Essence 7):
Mechanized Reaper Armature’s duration is extended to One
Scene, and its effects automatically apply to all attacks made
during the scene.
STEALTH AND D ISGUISE
N ULLSPACE D ISPLACER UNIT
COMBAT
S PATIAL D ILATION PROJECTOR
Cost: 6m[1m]; Mins: Strength 6, Essence 6; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Shock and Awe Cannonade Delivery
11
Cost: 10m, 1wp [1m]; Mins: Appearance 7, Essence 7;
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Internal, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Optical Shroud
Comprised of a starmetal driver coil wound around a hoop of
rare, essence negating ceramic, this Charm is capable of shifting
its user almost entirely out of existence by displacing him into
Nullspace. Because it is impossible to leave Nullspace without an
outside impetus however, the Charm leaves behind a sensory
anchor, designed to pull the character back into reality.
This anchor is an apparently mundane object, either one of
the Colossus’s possessions or a part of its body, which will trigger
his immediate return when a particular set of conditions –
determined at the time the Charm is activated – are met in its
presence. The conditions may be a complex as desired, but must
rely only on readily perceptible qualities of the object’s
environment.
When the conditions are met the Alchemical emerges from
Nullspace at the nearest open location to the anchor. He knows
approximately how much time has passed since he entered
Nullspace, but possesses no information about what may have
changed in his absence, baring the use of other magic. The Exalt
is free to act while in Nullspace, at least in so far as that realm
allows, but cannot release his commitment to this charm while
there.
Submodules:
Elsewhere Observation Device (Perception 5, 3xp): The Exalt
may observe the immediate surroundings of the anchor he leaves
behind with all of his natural senses, as well as any senses
provided by his Charms or mutations, but not senses provided
by equipment.
Expulsion Vector Module (Dexterity 7, Essence 7, 3xp): When
the Colossus exits Nullspace, he may do so at speed, emerging at
any speed up to the maximum his traits, Charms, and
equipment allow. An attack made in the same action a character
exits Nullspace in this way is automatically unexpected.
MAN B ATTLE STATIONS !
A Colossus is not dependent upon the support of others,
but this is not to say he cannot benefit from their presence.
A skilled crew can be invaluable to an Alchemical who’s
Transfiguration provides him with the capacity to use them.
Characters in an Alchemical’s crew always provide a
limited teamwork bonus (Exalted, Page 125) to his actions if
it is remotely plausible that they could do so. This can apply
even in combat, where an Exalt’s gun crews might provide
this bonus on attacks (commonly offsetting multiple-action
penalties for firing multiple weapons), or a bridge crew
might assist in processing sensor and communications data.
When deemed appropriate, a Colossus can also release
control of some of its systems – typically things like weapon
mounts, but potentially others at the storyteller’s discretion
– to the control of heroic crewmembers. In such a case, the
system in question is operated by the specified character,
but the Alchemical may choose to supplement that
character’s actions with his own charms, subject to normal
rules for charm use.
LABOR AND UTILITY
INTRA-S PATIAL INTERFACE ENGINE
Cost: 5m [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 4, Essence 6; Type: Simple
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious
12
A gimbaled mechanism comprised of eight gyroscopically
spinning starmetal rings situated near the Colossus’s center of
mass, this Charm is capable of opening a Nullspace bridge into a
fully enclosed extra-dimensional space housed within the Charm
itself. The portal created is typically rectangular, measures
(Essence) yards on each side, and allows any reasonably sized
object or person to pass through. It remains open as long as the
Exalt commits essence to this Charm.
The region beyond the portal is a single open rectilinear space
whose dimensions total no more than (Essence x 30) yards, with
its configuration set when the Charm is purchased. It contains a
normal atmosphere and otherwise appears to be a lightless and
virtually featureless box comprised of the Colossus’s magical
material. It contains whatever atmosphere the portal captures
when it opens.
The interior of the space is completely impervious to physical
damage, and creatures within the space can come or go only by
way of the portal this Charm provides, or magic capable of
crossing the boundaries between realms of existence.
When the Charm is deactivated, all creatures within its
volume are ejected from it along with any items they carry,
appearing scattered around the Colossus’s feet in whatever
arrangement the Alchemical desires. Everything else the space
contains remains within, and the enclosed region continues to
exist even when this Charm is inactive or uninstalled, its
contents sealed off from the outside world.
This interior space counts as passenger space provided by a
Transfiguration Charm for purposes of Charms and
submodules which refer to such spaces, and those within it
count as passengers.
The permanent Charms which enhance Intra-Spatial
Interface Engine each consume a portion of its available internal
space and draw a measure of the Alchemical’s essence that flows
through it. As such, a Colossus can install no more than
(Essence ÷ 3) such Charms at a time.
Submodules:
Environmental Control System (2xp): This submodule provides
the Alchemical’s extra-dimensional space with a continuously
refreshed supply of air, and maintains its temperature and
humidity anywhere within a humanly survivable range. The
conditions may be adjusted to inflict penalties on creatures
susceptible to them, but not so much that they become an
environmental hazard.
Intra-Spatial Compression Field (Essence 7): The total
dimensions of the Colossus’s internal extra-dimensional space
are increased to (Essence x 60) yards. The number of permanent
upgrades the Charm can support is increased to (Essence ÷ 2) at
a time.
Omnipresence Projection System (Wits 6, 4xp): With this
submodule a Colossus may reflexively spend one mote to project
a holographic avatar – usually appearing as he did when he was a
Champion – anywhere within his internal extra-dimensional
space. This avatar can be seen and heard but not touched, tasted,
or smelled. All of the Exalt’s senses extend through it. An
Alchemical can project up to (Essence) such avatars at a time, but
suffers normal multiple-action penalties when dividing his
attention between controlling more than one, or controlling one
while performing other activities.
Cargo Vault Gateway (Stamina 11, Essence 7): This submodule
renders the Alchemical’s internal extra-dimensional space
somewhat fractal in nature, extending it out into Elsewhere. The
additional space this provides cannot be entered by living beings,
but allows him to store up to (Essence x 100,000) cubic yards of
additional inanimate cargo without consuming more useful
space.
CHARM CONCEPT: N ULLSPACE
INTEGRATED FABRICATION PLANT
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Perception 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Intra-Spatial Interface Engine
This Charm converts a portion of the Colossus’s extradimensional space for use as a vast factory floor and workshop,
suitable for producing all manner of useful and potent items.
This operates as a Factory Cathedral as scribed on page 78 of
Oadenol’s Codex, without the benefit of the improvements
specified on page 102-103 of Dreams of the First Age: Lords of
Creation. This fully automated fabrication facility operates
under the direct mental control of the Alchemical, with no need
for further staff or crew, although a work force can be employed
to aid in crafting if desired.
MIND -FOUNDRY TUTORIAL ACADEMY
Just as Time Not is the time without time, the realm
called Nullspace is the space without space. When the Great
Maker constructed his bridge to nowhere, it was to
Nullspace that its span stretched, and its creation formally
recognized the shinma Nirupadhika which defines space
and location by its absence, separating every spot from every
other. Nullspace has no location, and is therefore
coterminous with all locations, and while it is conceptually
impossible for a thing to be in Nullspace, every moving
object passes continually through it, during the nonexistent
moments when it is neither here nor there.
Though most do not appreciate the fact, the nature of
Nullspace is key to many magical effects, for it is by
alteration of its narrative of motion that magic manipulates
space and distance, and by way of mote-constructs called
Nullspace Bridges that objects pass to and from Elsewhere.
Most such conditions are purely momentary in nature, but
those whose clarity approaches the Great Maker’s own begin
to understand that while Nullspace is without space it is not
without time, and that these common effects barely scratch
the surface of what can be achieved by its manipulation.
While being within Nullspace is beyond the ability of
localized intellects to conceive, it is never the less entirely
possible in practical fact. An object or entity which sits ‘in’
Nullspace is both infinitely far from and physically present
at every point in the universe, but remains utterly incapable
of movement, for in the realm it inhabits there is no such
thing. Such a creature is nowhere, and only an impetus from
somewhere can dislodge him, but such impossible logic is
well within the realm of Exalted magic, as it was for the
magic of the Primordials before them.
Nullspace is fundamentally the same realm as the
conceptual domain known as Fucking Nowhere, but it takes
itself considerably more seriously lest alpacas ensue.
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Training
Duration: Permanent
This Charm converts a portion of the Colossus’s extradimensional space for use as a facility for training passengers and
crew. Holographic illustrations, automaton sparring partners,
and streaming presentations combine with subliminal
communication techniques to produce an environment where
students cannot help but learn.
The Academy can accommodate up to (Essence x
Intelligence) students at a time, and can train them in any
combination of up to (Intelligence) Attributes and Abilities a
time, as a training effect. Each trait can be increased by one dot
per week, to a maximum of the Alchemical’s own rating or the
student’s natural limit, whichever is less. Students may also be
trained in the use ofMartial Arts Charms the Exalt knows, at the
rate of one week per Charm, but only one such Charm may be
learned in a given week.
Submodules:
Infinite Observance University (Intelligence 9, Essence 7): This
submodule expands the number of students this Charm can
train to (Essence x Intelligence x Willpower), and enables the
training of Willpower, Virtues, and Essence.
TEMPORAL META-STASIS D ORMITORY
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Wits 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
This Charm fills a sector of the Alchemical’s extradimensional space with vast arrays of bronze-bound glass stasis
tanks, capable of housing as many as (Essence x 100) people.
Characters cannot be forced into these tanks, but those who lie
in one and spend a point of Willpower fall into a dreamless,
timeless sleep where they do not breathe, require nourishment,
or age. Characters ensconced in this state do not count as
13
passengers for the purposes of Intra-Spatial Interface Engine,
and so can remain contained even when the Charm is
deactivated or uninstalled, existing in a state of indefinite stasis.
Characters wake from stasis at the liberty of the Colossus
using this Charm. Typically they schedule a time or set of
conditions under which they will be woken, but it is ultimately
up to their host to wake them with a trivial reflexive action.
Characters cannot be woken from stasis when the Exalt’s IntraSpatial Interface Engine is not installed and active.
In the event that the Colossus is killed while this Charm is
installed and one or more characters are in stasis within, this
Charm is guaranteed to survive his death, and can be found
amongst his remains. The Charm itself can be subsequently
damaged but not completely destroyed, and doing so kills all
those in stasis, leaving their spirits trapped within the extradimensional space until the Charm is reinstalled.
Submodules:
Legacy Capsule Receiver (1xp): This submodule allows the
Colossus to install and use a Temporal Meta-Stasis Dormitory
which originally belonged to another Alchemical. The Charm’s
original owner must be deceased, or he must willingly give the
Charm over to the character with this submodule, but in either
case the Charm in question becomes a permanent part of the
receiving Exalt’s panoply.
METAMORPHIC H ARVESTER AGORA
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Dexterity 6, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Shaping
Duration: Permanent
This Charm occupies a section of the Colossus’s extradimensional space with a processing facility capable of milling
and refining raw resources into more valuable forms. This system
can refine a quantity of conventional materials in a week
sufficient to fill the Alchemical’s full cargo capacity, or it can be
used to refine exotic components for use in the creation of
artifacts, including quantities of the magical materials. In this
second function, it can refine up to (Dexterity) components at a
time, and each refinement requires a number of days equal to
the dot rating of the artifact for which it is meant to be a
component. Appropriate raw materials are required for both
magical and mundane refinement, and these must be collected
externally.
Submodules:
Chaos Spinning Loom (Essence 7, Dexterity 11): An Alchemical
with access to the Wyld can use this submodule to produce all
manner of mystical components from the raw stuff of chaos.
Wyld essence is considered an appropriate raw material for any
refined product, and the number of products which can be
refined simultaneously in this way is determined by the depth of
the surrounding Wyld – in True Chaos the Charm can operate
at full capacity, but reduce processing capacity by one for every
step removed the Alchemical’s location is from that state.
14
ALL-PURPOSE RECONFIGURATION FACILITY
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Strength 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
This Charm allows the Colossus to reconfigure his internal
extra-dimensional space at will, extruding complex clockwork
features and buildings, and subdividing the space for maximum
utility and efficiency. The total exterior dimensions of the space
must remain unchanged, but the Alchemical is free to do with
the interior volume as he sees fit. This also enables the
Alchemical to extrude basic amenities – running water, lighting,
transportation systems, and so on – within his internal spaces.
Reconfiguring internal spaces is a diceless dramatic action which
takes a single long tick to complete.
Submodules:
Rubicon Hazard Simulator (Dexterity 5): This submodule allows
the Colossus to create internal defenses equivalent to up to
(Essence) simultaneous instances of the Dangerous Traps manse
feature (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 69), and the Puzzle Manse
feature (Oadeonl’s Codex, Page 73). These features are under
the Exalt’s direct mental control, and their design can be
reconfigured on command.
CONSTRUCT-POPULOUS COMMUNITY CENTER
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Stamina 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
This Charm devotes a portion of the Colossus’s extradimensional space and resources to a tireless workforce of
automatons equivalent to up to (Stamina) points worth ofmanse
features from amongst Bound Servitor (Oadenol’s Codex, Page
68), Bound Servant Force (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 71),
Guardian (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 73), and Guardian Force
(Dreams of the First Age: Lords of Creation, Page 101). These
constructs can exit the Alchemical’s internal space, but instantly
snap back to their storage facility if they are ever more than
(Essence x 10) yards from the Alchemical.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT H EADQUARTERS
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Charisma 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Social
Duration: Permanent
This Charm outfits a section of the Alchemical’s internal
extra-dimensional space as the ultimate organizational
headquarters, complete with offices and conference rooms,
facilities for the sorting, processing and storage of records, and
elaborate systems of communication from intercoms to
pneumatic message tubes. The facility can headquarter an
organization with Size up to the Alchemical’s Essence (or any
combination of organizations of equivalent size), and the
Alchemical may employ the equivalents of the following Charms
on their behalf:
• Insightful Buyer Technique (Exalted, Page 230)
• Speed the Wheels (Exalted, Page 231)
• Bureau-Rectifying Method (Exalted, Page 231)
Submodules:
Business Intelligence Driver (Manipulation 7, Essence 7): This
Charm expands the tools at the Colossus’s disposal for helping
the organizations headquartered within him, adding the
following Charms to the list of effects he can employ on their
behalf:
• Icy Hand (Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals, Page 176)
• End Debate (Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals, Page 178)
COMMAND MULTIPLEX STATION
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Manipulation 7, Essence 7;
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, War
Duration: Permanent
This Charm outfits a sector of the Exalt’s internal extradimensional space with equipment and facilities for directing
large scale military operations. Tactical displays driven by the
Alchemical’s vast processing power and communications systems
operating through the medium of Nullspace allow field
commanders to direct the actions of their troops with effortless
coordination, while strategic simulation systems and
management facilities help ensure that a force commanded from
the Station’s hardened command bunkers always has the
resources it needs to prosecute its campaign.
This Charm allows for the remote command of up to
(Manipulation) mass combat units. They must have
commanders, and those commanders must be present in the
Command Station, but from it they can command their units
without penalty using telepathic communication, holographic
projections, and advanced sensor systems, as long as those units
operate within (Essence x 10) miles of the Alchemical.
CUBAGE
Colossus charms measure internal capacity in cubic
yards, and some provide a very great deal of space for the
Alchemical to work with. In light of that, it may be useful to
have a frame of reference in terms of real-world applications:
Volume
Application
12
Interior space of a typical car
45
Volume of a comfortable hotel room
120
Capacity of a standard cargo container
250
Volume of a one bedroom apartment
800
Volume of a typical single family home
3,250
Volume of an Olympic swimming pool
5,000
Average volume of an office building
35,000
Volume of a modern navy cruiser
125,000
Volume of a WWII battle ship
720,000
Capacity of a modern container ship
15
Submodules:
Strategic Information Center (Perception 9): This submodule
extends the range at which units may be commanded to (Essence
x 100) miles, or (Essence x 1000) miles if operating in an open,
generally two dimensional region such as Creation.
Command Augmentation Systems (Manipulation 9): The
Alchemical can exercise his magical power to augment the
performance of troops commanded from his Command
Multiplex Station, enabling him to employ effects equivalent to
the following Charms on their behalf, without regard to range:
• Rout-Stemming Gesture (Exalted, Page 197)
• Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army (Exalted, Page 197)
• Ideal Battle Knowledge Prana (Exalted, Page 199)
O MNIPLEX ENTERTAINMENT PROMENADE
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Appearance 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Social
Duration: Permanent
This Charm devotes a portion of the Colossus’s internal extradimensional space to the happiness, well being, and comfort of
his passengers, providing anything from conventional amenities
to fully immersive simulation chambers capable of replicating
even the most alien ofenvironments. Throughout all ofthese are
woven subtle propaganda and messaging systems which produce
a powerful hypnotic suggestion, capable of shaping the behavior
of the Alchemical’s passengers in profound ways.
Characters using these benefits count as resting for purposes
of healing and essence respiration. If a character has made use of
these facilities, he counts as little as four hours of sleep as a full
night’s rest, and automatically passes his Conviction roll to
regain Willpower the following morning unless he spent
Willpower to resist the Charm’s effects as described below.
These facilities are sufficient to entertain any or all of a
Colossus’s passengers and crew.
This Charm is designed to produce and reinforce a particular
intimacy, configured at the time of installation. Each scene a
character spends partaking of the benefits this Charm provides
counts as a scene spent eroding any intimacies which oppose the
one specified at installation. If no opposing intimacies remain,
each scene there after counts towards building up the specified
intimacy. If the designed intimacy has already been established,
each scene spent increases the number of scenes required to
erode that intimacy by one, without limit. All of these are
unnatural emotion effects, and characters may resist these effects
for a scene by spending a point of willpower.
Submodules:
Targeted Messaging System (Manipulation 7): With this
submodule, the Colossus’s Omniplex Entertainment
Promenade may be configured to produce (Manipulation ÷ 2)
distinct intimacies. The Alchemical chooses which of these
intimacies is developed when a character makes use of the
facilities provided by the Charm.
INTERSPATIAL G ATEWAY G ENERATOR
Cost: 20m [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 9, Essence 6; Type: Simple
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious
The chrome-adamant rings which comprise this Charm
closely resemble those of the Intra-Spatial Interface Engine, and
indeed rotate around the same point, albeit in the opposite
direction. Rather than opening a gateway to the Colossus’s subspatial interior however, the portal this Charm creates opens to
another realm of existence, allowing those who enter to pass
through and emerge in an Alchemical metropolis present in that
realm. The metropolis at the receiving end of the portal must
consent however, and may reflexively block the connection at no
cost to itself.
The portal created by this Charm must cross the boundaries
of two realms to function, and must connect to another
Alchemical. It also cannot breach the Seal of Eight Divinities if it
is intact. It will thus remain little more than a theoretical
footnote until such a time as Alchemicals enter the world at
large, except in those Shards with a radically different cosmology.
Submodules:
Essence Pattern Transponder (Essence 7): This submodule allows
the Colossus to act as a valid target for another Alchemical’s
activation of Interspatial Gateway Generator, exactly as if he
were an appropriate Alchemical Metropolis. All other conditions
of use must still be met normally.
Pattern Routing Switch (Wits 7, Essence 7, 3xp): A colossus with
this submodule can sort passengers who pass through his
Interspatial Gateway Generator, sending each one to one of up
to (Essence ÷ 2) distinct, valid destinations. Those transported
are not aware of this before arriving.
TESERRACT CELL-BLOCK MATRIX
Cost: 5m; Mins: Wits 9, Essence 7; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK
Prerequisite Charms: Interspatial Gateway Generator
This Charm consists of a featureless soulsteel canister located
adjacent to the Colossus’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine,
designed to segregate and contain living essence patterns.
Whenever a character steps through one of the portals generated
by the Alchemical’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine or Interspatial
Gateway Generator, coming or going, the Exalt may reflexively
activate this Charm to shunt the character into containment
within this Charm.
Characters imprisoned in this way remain so, utterly helpless,
for as long as essence remains committed to this Charm, trapped
in a Nullspace cell from which there can be no escape. No action
such a character can take will extricate him from his
confinement outside of space. Only the actions of those outside
can recover him – either by ending the Alchemical’s
commitment to this Charm, or by employing some other
extraordinary magic capable offetching the imprisoned entity up
16
from beyond the real.
Submodules:
Neural Reeducation Unit (Manipulation 11): This submodule
bombards a character imprisoned by Teserract Cell-Block Matrix
with a constant onslaught of messages designed to reshape his
personality and very motivation. Each day spent imprisoned
counts as a scene spent building an intimacy of the Alchemical’s
design, or eroding an intimacy the Alchemical knows of. If at any
point none of the intimacies with which the character entered
his imprisonment remain, the Colossus may also permanently
replace the character’s motivation with one of his choosing.
Essence Deprivation Oubliette (Intelligence 11): With this
submodule installed, a character imprisoned by Teserract CellBlock Matrix is cut off from all outside resources, rendering him
unable to regain essence, points of temporary willpower, and
virtue channels by any means. This also incidentally blocks the
voices of the Neverborn heard by a character with Whispers, and
the thoughts of Autochthon as heard by characters with high
Clarity.
PANOPLY S CALAR ENGINE
Cost: 1m [1m]; Mins: Dexterity 5, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Colossus, Obvious, Shaping, Stackable
Etched adamant plates in the Colossus’s hands and elsewhere
around his body project a spatial distortion field which enables
him to use equipment designed for drastically different shaped –
and usually much smaller – beings. This is accomplished not by
physically changing the object, but rather by distorting the space
the item occupies, and thereby changing the way it interacts with
the world.
By committing one mote with this Charm to an artifact or
item of mundane equipment, the Alchemical causes it to resize
and reshape itself so as to become compatible with the Exalt’s
own size and body plan. This Charm can be used only on
personal equipment, and is incompatible with items whose
specific physical form is essential to their function, such as
vehicles. The Colossus can maintain up to (Essence)
commitments to this Charm at a time.
S PIRITUAL
E XTRATERRITORIAL UMBILICAL LINK
Cost: –; Mins: Charisma 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Native
Duration: Permanent
An essence resonant lattice adjacent to the Colossus’s essence
reservoir produces an arcane link between the Exalt and a willing
Alchemical Metropolis which allows the younger Alchemical to
draw upon his sponsor’s vast reserves of essence and nearly
limitless processing power to enhance himself.
This Charm must be installed in a vats complex in the city to
which it is to be linked, and the metropolis in question must
voluntarily commit three motes to the Charm’s installation. The
city may release this commitment at any time, rendering this
Charm inactive. Barring that however, the Alchemical with this
Charm gains a bonus of (Metropolis’s Essence ÷ 2) motes to the
capacity of his personal essence pool.
Submodules:
Infrastructure Link Device (3xp): A more powerful and stable
uplink allows for much more active channeling of essence from a
sponsor city to its chosen Colossuses. While this Charm is
installed, the Alchemical regains additional motes of essence
each hour equal to his sponsor’s (Essence x 2).
ANCILLARY D ESIGN -WEAVING MATRIX
Keywords: Axiomatic, Colossus, Exemplar 2, Internal, Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Thermionic Orthodoxy Array
A pair of rectangular adamant chimes, arranged to either side
of the Colossus’s essence reservoir, vibrate and hum with the
rightness of the machine god, expanding the reach of his
Thermionic Orthodoxy Array to (Clarity x 100) yards. Their
resounding harmonics also increase the power of the Charm’s
prerequisite to impose Autochthon’s laws upon the world,
allowing essence to be respired normally in blight zones.
Submodules:
Causality Management System (Intelligence 9, Essence 7): With
this submodule, the area affected by the Colossus’s Thermionic
Orthodoxy Array is considered to be for all purposes inside the
Design of Autochthon. This applies even when the Charm is
used in Creation, temporarily relieving the Pattern Spiders of
their responsibilities for the area in question.
responsibility for a destiny to their elder and less advanced
counterparts on the Loom of Fate, allowing destinies the
Alchemical crafts to affect natives of Creation.
Design Weaving Spindle (Wits 9): An adamant micro-loom
allows the Colossus to pre-fabricate familiar destinies with
astonishing speed. When the Alchemical crafts a destiny with
the same conditions as a destiny he has crafted previously, divide
the required time by his (Wits).
Pattern Enforcement Paradigm (Clarity 7): With this submodule,
the Alchemical’s designs harmonize so completely with those of
the Great Maker that the Design Weavers can see no possible
grounds for objection. Destinies the Colossus crafts entirely
within the Design of Autochthon produce no Paradox.
Divine Presence Directive (Clarity 9): This submodule allows the
Colossus to use the Design itself as a means of communication
with the ministers and subroutines of the Machine God. By
expending a point of Willpower while making a prayer to the
appropriate subroutine, the Alchemical gains automatic
successes equal to his (Essence) on the prayer roll, which do not
count as dice added by Charms.
KEYWORD : COLOSSUS (REVISED )
Relevant to non-Alchemical characters who can acquire
Alchemical charms, as well as for use with submodules such
as Combat Drone Deployment and charms such as Remote
Drone-Body Guidance, the Colossus keyword denotes a
Charm whose physical size is a significant component of its
functionality. More than simply size however, such Charms
require the specific infrastructure of an alchemically
transfigured body to support them, and as such may only be
installed by a character that has an installed Transfiguration
Charm.
All submodules for Colossus charms, as well as all
submodules with a listed Essence requirement of 6 or 7, also
implicitly bear this keyword. If a non-Colossus charm with a
such a submodule is installed by a character without a
Transfiguration Charm, the submodule’s benefits are not
available, but the charm and its other submodules function
normally.
LOOM-S ERVER UPLINK
Keywords: Colossus, Exemplar 3, Internal, Native
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Ancillary Design-Weaving Matrix
A single strand of fate from the Design of Autochthon, stung
taught in alignment with the Colossus’s essence reservoir,
vibrates in constant, silent harmony with the maker’s plan for
the universe. An array of orichalcum rings move up and down
along it, keeping it in sync with the actions of the Design
Weavers, and amplifying its presence, allowing the Alchemical to
interface directly with the Design.
An Exalt with this Charm can craft and use ascending and
descending destinies as if he were a Sidereal. He gains no access
to resplendent destinies. These destinies function through the
Design of Autochthon, and as such are only effective when used
on areas, groups, or characters within that. Even natives to the
Fate of creation remain unaffected.
Submodules:
Foreign Host Negotiation (Charisma 9): With this submodule
the Design Weavers can be coerced into transferring
COLOSSAL APOSTATES
Apostasy amongst the ranks of the Colossi is vanishingly rare.
When an elder Alchemical goes to battle against the Void he
does so armed and armored against its touch, and those who
acquire heretical leanings during their early years seldom elude
the scrutiny of their patrons and the Adamant cast for the
17
centuries it takes to achieve Colossus status. For all that however
it is not unheard of, and these Colossal apostates – or
Dreadnaughts, as the abominations are formally known – are
amongst the greatest horrors to be found anywhere in the realm
of brass and shadow.
A Dreadnaught is not a subtle thing. Though its nature may
be masked using Husk Sculpting Apparatus or similarly magic,
the physical transformation an elder apostate undergoes is
invariably as dramatic as that undergone by his untainted
counterparts, and his true nature is a thing of meat and metal
and horror the likes of which sane minds dare not ponder.
SUBMODULES
INDUSTRIAL CHAMPION ICON
Faith Corrupting Insignia (Charisma 7, Essence 6): A thin
underlay of blight-tarnished bronze applied to the hidden
surfaces of the Dreadnaught’s Industrial Champion Icon allows
the tainted Alchemical to install the charm and its immediate
prerequisite (Unconditional Imperative Programming) despite
being a creature of the Void. Perhaps more importantly, it
perverts the effects of both those charms, turning them in to
perhaps the ultimate tools for swaying Autochthon’s faithful
from their path.
This submodule replaces all references to creatures of the
Void in Industrial Champion Icon and its immediate
prerequisite with “the faithful of Autochthon” and all reference
to Clarity with Dissonance. If the Counter-Dissonance Stabilizer
submodule is installed, the Dreadnaught may employ it to
suppress his own Gremlin Syndrome and status as a creature of
the Void. The Heresy Declaration Beacon submodule functions
normally, allowing the Apostate to claim others as his own.
B ECOMING A DREADNAUGHT
Becoming a Dreadnaught is no easy thing. No state
would commission a Transfiguration with Dreadnaught
Chassis Reconception even in the most dire circumstances,
and the material costs of increasing Essence for heretical
Colossi is at least as great as for their orthodox counterparts.
Some few manage to conceal their corruption long enough
to con their sponsors out of at least the chassis of their
upgrades, installing their own Void tech submodules by
other means, but such solutions are far from perfect.
Eventually, nearly all Dreadnaughts come to rely upon
the charm Transorganic Desecration Cyst (Alchemicals,
Page 180) and its Retromorphic Dynamic Physiology
submodule, but even this is insufficient on its own to reach
the higher tiers of enlightenment. In order to increase his
Essence to 6 or higher, an Apostate requires access to a vast
stockpile of arcane materials with a total cost equivalent to
Wealth • • • • , and lacking the support of a sponsor state
he must take specific action to acquire such vast resources.
IMPRINTED D ATA CLUSTER
Apocryphal Insight Revelation (Intelligence 9, Essence 6):
Techno-organic tendrils of tainted moonsilver infiltrate the
Colossus’s Imprinted Data Cluster, undulating along its delicate
neural pathways and revealing insights far too mercurial to
resonate with the Maker’s regimented nature. This submodule
allows the specialties granted by Imprinted Data Cluster to be
configured as Attribute specialties (Lunars, Page 142) rather
than Ability specialties.
Characters with one or more Attribute specialties gained in
this way are directly exposed to the most dissonant elements of
Autochthon’s psyche. The effects of this are equivalent to
possessing a rating in the Whispers background (Abyssals, Page
100) equal to the number of installed Ability specialties, except
that the visions experienced relate to the self-destructive
elements of the Great Maker’s nature, rather than to the natures
of the Underworld’s Neverborn.
INTEGRATED G ENESIS SYSTEM
[See the existing text of the charm.]
Replicant Conception Seed (Stamina 5, Essence 7): A tiny
soulsteel spine within the Dreanaught’s Integrated Genesis
System is capable of ensnaring the soul of any creature which
dies while encased in the Apostate’s genesis womb, and stripping
it of its lifetime of memories. These memories can then be
implanted into a soulless clone body all but indistinguishable
from the original, enabling it to act as a nearly perfect infiltrator.
As a perfect effect, a replicant created in this way is
indistinguishable in all respects from the individual cloned, and
the Alchemical contests any perfect effects which would reveal its
true nature with his (Perception + Craft [Genesis]), gaining a
number of automatic successes on the roll equal to his (Essence).
The replicant’s motivation is to serve the will of its creator, but it
otherwise retains all the traits the original person had in life.
This effect cannot duplicate the effects and benefits of
exaltation, and cannot be used to convincingly duplicate a
creature with an essence greater than one.
ANY TRANSFIGURATION CHARM
(Colossus, Page 9)
Dreadnaught Chassis Reconception (Essence 6): Pulsating
bundles of exposed muscle, glistening chitinous shells of alien
design, and vast fleshy tubules that throb with peristaltic motion
wrap over, through, and around the Colossus’s transfigured
body, remaking him into a nightmare creature of staggering
power, wicked intellect, and horrible, irresistible will. A version
of this submodule exists for every charm with the
Transfiguration keyword, but each has the same general results.
The additional commitment requirements of each instance of
Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold the character installs are
reduce by (Dissonance ÷ 2) motes (this does not reduce
installation cost). He also adds his (Dissonance) to his natural
18
soak, and extrudes a number of extra limbs – often but not
always in the form of tentacles – which confer benefits
equivalent to (Essence) instances of the Multiple Limbs
abomination (Exalted, Page 290).
The Dreadnaught’s retransfiguration is not without cost
however, for the biological expansion of his Colossal might
demands to be fed, and its hunger is not for metal, but for flesh.
The Colossus suffers from starvation unless he consumes
(Essence x 50) pounds of meat each day. Nutrient slurry may be
substituted, but (Essence x 100) pounds per day are required to
stave off the hunger.
INTRA-S PATIAL INTERFACE ENGINE
(Colossus, Page 12)
Spirit Harrowing Filter (Perception 8, Essence 6, 3xp): An
almost imperceptible adjustment to the rotation timing of the
Dreadnaught’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine creates a slight
disharmony where the Alchemical’s internal space co-joins the
design of Autochthon, and this faint differential marks the souls
of all who pass through that dread portal. The Apostate
possesses an automatic arcane link to every creature that passes
through the portal created by the augmented charm, and this
link persists for a (Essence) months even after the character
returns to the normal world.
O VERDRIVE CONTROL PROCESSOR
(Forum Thread)
Terror Harvesting Membrane (Perception 9, Essence 6): A paper
thin membrane of mummified human brain tissue woven with
discarded threads from the Design ofAutochthon resonates with
the fear of those who surround the Dreadnaught. For each
character in the scene who bears an intimacy of fear towards the
Exalt, his overdrive pool capacity increases by five motes and he
receives a mote drip of one offensive mote per action.
CHARMS
FLESH-WRIGHT ABOMINATION LABORATORY
Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Void
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Integrated Genesis System, Intra-Spatial
Interface Engine
This charm drastically re-envisions a portion of the Colossus’s
internal extra-dimensional space as a vast complex of tanks and
tubes, organic in design and wet with unwholesome secretions.
Obvious Void tech to those who know the signs, this charm
expands the capabilities of the character’s Integrated Genesis
System to the scale of mass production, allowing him to mass
produce the products of Craft [Genesis] at the same rate a
factory cathedral (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 78) produces magitech
artifacts.
Submodules:
Brood Birthing Vats (Wits 8, Essence 7): This submodule
expands the capabilities of the Dreadnaught’s Flesh-Wright
19
FROM WHENCE THE VOID
The tenets of conventional motonic information theory
hold that a mote of essence may exist in one of three
primary information states: Shaped, as found in the motes
of most of the realms of existence, possessing a defined set
of characteristics; Propagating, as observed in the motes
directed by essence using beings, possessed of an essence
pattern which modifies other proximal motes; or
Undefined, as observed in the Wyld, where motes possess
an arbitrary set of characteristics which changes without
regard to outside influence.
A more radical theory proposes a fourth and fifth state.
The first is known as Null and pertains when a mote is
shaped such that its only characteristic is that it cannot be
shaped again. It is motes in this state that are posited to
comprise Oblivion. The second is known as Void, a state in
which a mote is defined as nonexistent and thereby vanishes
permanently from the motonic fabric, taking any
information it held with it. It is this state which is
considered most terrifying, for if it exists then by definition
the eventual demise of existence itself is inevitable.
The Void is not a place or a condition; it is an irrevocable
state of being. By grand artifice, or some instinct for self
preservation which predates Creation itself, the magic of the
Primordials, the Gods, and the Exalted alike avoids this
state – it modifies motes and releases them back into the
fabric with great reliability – but Autochthon was never a
perfect being and it has ever been his great misfortune to
explore that dangerous frontier where his cousins dare not
tread.
Autochthon’s great sickness is in this respect one of his
most profound discoveries, for on the bleeding edge of
motonic theory he discovered the Void, and like all
Primordials, for him to discover a concept was to make it
part of himself. Thus the Void was incorporated into his
functions and there it stubbornly remains, because
deliberate self destruction – the amputation of these
dangerous functions which leak his essence into
nonexistence – is a necessarily foreign concept to an entity
for whom accepting it would mean virtual suicide.
Abomination Laboratory with the benefits of the improved
version of the factory cathedral manse power described on page
102 of Dreams of the First Age: Lords of Creation, including
the ability to mass produce large batches of product in parallel.
Soul Fixing Sutures (Essence 6, 3xp): With this submodule the
Alchemical gains the means to corrupt and implant captured
soul gems in to his bio-technical creations, allowing such a gem
to be used as an exotic material (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 24) in
any Craft [Genesis] project, regardless of the nature of the
project or the rating of the creature it is meant to produce.
Breed Culling Abattoir (Perception 11, Essence 7): Countless
mechanized vivisection chambers outfitted with hundreds of
devices for recording and measuring the flows of essence equip
the Dreadnaught with the tools to study the nature of other
organic species. By dissecting ((50 – Perception) x 10) examples
of a species, the Dreadnaught permanently reduces the effective
artifact rating of Craft [Genesis] projects related to that species
by one for purposes of determining minimum requirements,
required components, difficulties, and all other craft related
considerations.
Genesis Recombination Module (Intelligence 11, Essence 7,
Breed Culling Abattoir): With this submodule, if the
Dreadnaught reduces the effective rating of Craft [Genesis]
projects by an additional dot if he has studied three or more
related species with his Breed Culling Abattoir.
VOID TRAVERSAL ENGINES
Cost: 20m, 3wp; Mins: Intelligence 11, Essence 7; Type: Simple
(Long Tick)
Keywords: Colossus, Void
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Interspatial Gateway Generator
An array of vast essence capacitors surrounds the
Dreadnaught’s Interspatial Gateway Generator, each of them
with a strand of fate at its core, plucked from the Design of
Autochthon and affixed at one end, with the other left flailing
wildly and bleeding motes away into nothingness. When
activated, this charm rips a hole in the fabric of reality and pulls
the Colossus through into another realm of existence. The realm
into which the Exalt and his passengers emerge is random
(which is to say, determined at the whim of the story teller), as is
the specific location within that realm, although either or both
might be influenced by ritual preparations or special artifacts if
the Apostate has access to information about his possible
destinations. Most Dreadnaughts see their blind journey as a test
of faith however, one which will inevitably deliver them to a
world where they might find the Maker’s doom.
The Seal of Eight Divinities was never meant to contain those
within the Maker’s world body, and as such this charm may be
used to depart the realm of brass and shadow even if the Seal is
intact. It may not be used to return however. This penetration
does not break the seal but does damage it, and the resulting
bleed of the Great Maker’s essence into the void around the
point of departure invariably results in the creation of a blight
zone.
Submodules:
World Glimpsing Lens (Perception 9, Essence 7): A dirt caked
lens of smoky glass flickers with images of another world as the
Alchemical’s Void Traversal Engines are activated, showing him
views of the place he will go with increasing clarity. With this
submodule, the Dreadnaught and his crew may roll (Perception
+ Investigation) during the charm’s activation to discern the
nature of the realm to which he is about to travel. If he chooses,
the Exalt may roll (Wits + Willpower) to abort the activation of
the charm at any time prior to its completion.
Trans-Phase Reintegration Engine (Dissonance 10): Towering
coils of blackened adamant, humming with rhythmless
vibrations allow the true Apostate to force himself back through
the scar left in the Seal by his own departure and into the fabric
from whence he came. With this submodule, a Dreadnaught
who has left Autochthonia can transition back into that realm,
even if the Seal of Eight Divinities remains intact. He cannot
stay however.
The cost of this charm must remain committed as long as the
Exalt wishes to remain within Autochthon’s world body.
Furthermore, after each day in the Maker’s realm, he must roll
his (Essence), with the required commitment increasing by the
number of successes rolled. If he cannot or will not commit this
essence, he and everyone on board him snap instantly back to
his realm of origin.
The use of this technique is equivalent to a Blasphemy effect
within the Design of Autochthon, and is unmistakably felt by all
creatures within (Essence x 200) miles of the point of return
(which is always the original point of departure), and by the
Divine Ministers regardless of where they are. While forced in to
Autochthonia in this way, the Colossus’s interior spaces count as
being within the realm from which the Dreadnaught traveled for
all purposes, and exhibit strong characteristics of that realm
equivalent to the effects of a correspondingly themed demesne.
UNKNOWABLE COUNTENANCE MASK
Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Appearance 5, Essence 6; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Colossus, Emotion, Obvious, Social, Void
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Any Social Attribute Augmentation
A cold, featureless mask of the Dreadnaught’s magical
material covers his face, smoke rising from its borders and black,
tarry oil oozing from the rivets driven in to his twisted flesh to
hold it in place. The faces of all those the Exalt has slain in the
Void’s name swirl across its surface, more active and more
agonized than those seen in the most horrific soulsteel artifact.
To look upon this visage is to know with certainty that there is
no truth but the Void. To know that the silence of nothingness
is the ultimate fate not just of men and gods, but of every mote
in every realm, the universe over. To know despair.
The Exalt radiates this cold certainty in an aura of doom
which effects all creatures within (Essence x 100) yards, unless
they expend a Conviction channel and (Charisma ÷ 2) points of
Willpower to resist it for a scene. As an unnatural emotion
effect, those in the area who do not resist fall into a deep,
despairing introspection where they are unaware of everything
going on around them unless physically, personally attacked (in
which case they are freed from the effect).
Even for those who resist the effect or are broken from it by
physical violence cannot bear to look directly upon the Exalt,
and suffer an external penalty to all actions directed at him equal
to his (Charisma) unless the action in question was augmented
by the channeling of a virtue.
20
Submodules:
Mind Searing Ruination Pattern (Wits 9, Essence 6): So terrible
is the Dreadnaught’s visage that it has the power to drive men
truly mad. Whenever a character takes an action which suffers
the external penalty inflicted by Unknowable Countenance
Mask, he must roll (Willpower + Integrity) against a difficulty of
the Colossus’s (Essence), or lose a point oftemporary Willpower.
Characters who lose their last point of temporary Willpower in
this way suffer terrifying delusions (Exalted, Page 289) as a
Shaping effect until the effect is removed by some appropriate
magic.
THE N INTH N ATION
Xexas and Loran were not the first of their kind. More
than a thousand years before they began their pilgrimages to
the extents of Autochthonia, a Jade Colossus called Onyx
Observer ventured into the reaches to put down roots, and
in time became the Patropolis of Nix. Situated deep in the
pole of metal, but not so deep as to be beyond the interests
of the Octet, his citizens prospered and the powers of the
eight nations wondered if they who had always been eight
might one day become nine. But this was not to be.
When one day the trade from Nix stopped coming, the
eight nations presumed the situation was temporary. That
the churning shuffle of the Great Maker’s inner workings
had carried their new partner temporarily out of contact.
But when time and magical communication failed to reach
the city, they grew concerned, and sent their Champions to
see what had befallen their elder counterpart.
The city they found was a ruin, a corpse, crumbling as if
dead a thousand years, with its citizens skeletal remains
heaped together at its heart. It was not a blight. A trace of
the Void was there, but it was as faint as the stink of smoke
and lightning and all those other trace elements the
Custodians leave behind when they go to war.
And so the Champions turned for home, and warned
their councils away, all the while careful never to utter the
word: Necropolis.
INFORMATION & THANKS
This PDF and these rules and materials are a fan work created
by Dashiel Nemeth (ChainsawXIV), and origenally posted on
White Wolf's Exalted Forums. It is also available in simple form
on Google Docs, and on the Official Exalted Wiki.
My thanks are extended to all those who participated in the
discussion of this work, and contributed to its success.
21

COLOSSUS

Transcription

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