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COMBOS

Normally, an Exalt can use only a single Charm per action. However, with long practice and focus, the
Exalted can combine Charms together, becoming able to use two or more Charms in the same action.
For example, an Exalt who has mastered the Combo of Peony Blossom Attack and Fire and Stones
Strike can make a magical flurry of several attacks and inflict extra damage with all of them. The
number and power of the Combos an Exalt has mastered are a better measure of her power than the
raw number of Charms she knows.

DEVELOPING COMBOS

Characters develop Combos through long exercise of their powers, devoting hours of effort toward
integrating their Abilities and understanding their Charms and how they interact. Many characters will
have done this prior to the beginning of play, at least to a limited degree. Starting play with a Combo
costs a number of bonus points equal to the number of Charms in the Combo.

During play, a character can develop Combos through arduous practice. The experience cost of
Combos developed during play is equal to the sum of the minimum Ability values of the Charms.
However, Storytellers dont have to let a character learn a Combo just because the player has enough
experience points saved up. Combos are hardthey dont just develop overnight or when you really
need them. Characters often must undergo arduous training or seek out special conditions to learn their
new secret moves. Make learning new maneuvers part of the game, not just a matter of writing
something new down on a character sheet. As a general rule, training for a Combo takes a number of
days equal to three times the sum of the minimum Abilities of the Charms in the Combo.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Combos may include only those Charms with the Combo- Basic or Combo-OK keywords. Charms
with the Combo-Basic keyword can share a Combo with only reflexive Charms. A Combo can include
more than two Charms but it can never include the same Charm more than once. Storytellers are
always free to veto the combination of certain Charms, and the Storytellers decision is final when it
comes to defining how a given Combo works.

Once a Combo is bought, it is set. While there is no limit to the number of Combos a character can
develop, a character cannot add Charms to a Combo after she develops it. A character who wishes to
add another Charm to a Combo must purchase the Combo again, with the additional Charm in it. The
character then knows both versions of the Combo. The use of the individual Charms that compose the
Combo is in no way restricted by them being part of a Combocharacters may use the individual
Charms normally outside of the Combo.

When a character uses a Combo in battle or in war, there is an unmistakably brilliant display of
Essence. Any character present will know that the Exalt is using a Combo the moment she pays the
temporary Willpower to activate it. However, the witness will not know the exact nature of the Combo
until he has seen it used once. The display of a Combos activation is very distinctive, and once a
character has seen it activated, he will be able to recognize it if he sees it again.

Characters can use Combos in a social conflict or to enhance dramatic actions. This use does not
produce a Combo display unless one of the Charms in the Combo is Obvious.

TIMING

Combos allow a character to use two, three or more Charms in a given action. Dont worry if this
seems like it could get confusing. This section presents a point-by-point description of how the
different types of Charms work together in a Combo. There are a lot of rules, but its not as complex
as it looks. Beneath the precise wording and occasional repetition, the core concepts are simple ones.
Simplea Combo can have only one simple Charm in it.

If there are supplemental Charms in the Combo, the character must use them to supplement the simple
Charm.

If there is an extra-action Charm in the Combo, the character must use the simple Charm as every
action in the magical flurry. The character must use the simple Charm a number of times equal to the
minimum number of actions in the flurry. The simple Charm must be from the same Ability as the
extraaction Charm unless one of the Charms explicitly permits the combination, and it must be an
appropriate action for every action the magical flurry contains.

SupplementalThere is no limit to the number of supplemental Charms that can be part of a Combo.

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo, the supplemental Charm must be used to benefit it. This
means the supplemental Charm must be from the same Ability as the simple Charm unless one of the
Charms explicitly permits the combination, and it must be able to benefit the kind of action the simple
Charm is.

If there are no simple Charms in the Combo, the supplemental Charm must benefit all of the
characters non-reflexive actions. Unless the Charms description indicates otherwise, supplemental
Charms can only benefit uses of the Ability on which they are based.

The supplemental Charm may benefit the characters reflexive actions, including actions given by
reflexive and permanent Charms, if it can validly apply to them. Unless the Charms description
indicates otherwise, supplemental Charms can only benefit uses of the Ability on which they are
based.

ReflexiveThere is no limit to the number of reflexive Charms that can be part of a Combo.

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo that can validly benefit from the reflexive Charm, the
character may use the reflexive Charm to supplement it.

If there is an extra-action Charm in the Combo and one or more actions in the flurry can validly
benefit from the reflexive Charm, the character may use the reflexive Charm to supplement it.

If there is neither an extra-action nor a simple Charm in the Combo and the reflexive Charm can
validly benefit one or more of the characters dice actions, the character may use the reflexive Charm
to supplement it.

If there is a supplemental Charm in the Combo and the reflexive Charm gives a reflexive action and
the supplemental Charm can validly apply to that action, then the supplemental Charm may benefit
that action.

The reflexive Charm can be used outside the characters dice actions, as usual. However, the player
must state that the Exalt is using a Combo, and which Combo, and must pay the price for the Combo
(see below), as soon as the player uses the first Charm for that Combo in a given actionhe cannot
use a reflexive Charm and then later in the action declare that he actually wishes to use a Combo
containing that Charm.

Extra ActionOnly one Charm of the extra-action type may be used in a given Combo.

If there is an extra-action Charm in the Combo, then the character must activate it.

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo, the character must use the simple Charm as every action in
the magical flurry. The character must use the simple Charm a number of times equal to the minimum
number of actions in the flurry. The extra action Charm must be from the same Ability as the simple
Charm unless one of the Charms explicitly permits the combination, and the simple Charm must be an
appropriate action for every action the magical flurry contains.

If there are supplemental Charms in the Combo, they must all benefit all of the actions in the flurry.
This means that they must benefit the same kinds of actions that the flurry includes.

If there are reflexive Charms in the Combo, they may be used to benefit any of the actions in the
magical flurry.

PermanentPermanent Charms may not belong to Combos. Characters may use the ongoing benefits
of permanent Charms during a Combo.

PAYING THE PRICE

Developing a Combo enables the Exalt to use multiple different Charms in the same action, but this is
not without cost. Channeling so much Essence is an act requiring tremendous willpower. The
character must pay the normal cost of the Charms involved, and if she cannot afford to pay the cost of
all the non-reflexive Charms in the Combo, then it does not work. Some Combos will have a variable
cost. In this case, the character must be able to pay at least the minimum possible cost to activate the
Combo.

The character must also spend one point of temporary Willpower to activate the Combo, above
and beyond the cost to activate the Charms that make up the Combo. A character can activate a
Combo only once per action and cannot use a Combo during an action in which she has already used
Charms of any other sort.

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