Brother-Against-Brother Insinuation
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Emotion, Illusion, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Any two Socialize Excellencies
A great many Dragon-Bloods, particularly among the Dynasts, are skilled at casually destroying deep and abiding relationships connecting other people. Often, such manipulations are done for fun as well as for profit. In order to activate this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must be in the same immediate area as his chosen target and whichever person he wishes to turn the target against. Once the Charm is activated, the Exalt need only make some comment to one individual about the other—perhaps snidely, perhaps with the most persuasive sincerity—calculated to make the listener doubt the intentions or loyalty of the other person. Augmented by Essence and Willpower, this single comment is sufficient to weaken the bonds of friendship between the listener and the other person. Exactly how this plays out is largely a matter of Storyteller discretion, but it should be fairly easy for the Dragon-Blood to provoke harsh words between the two or perhaps even a fight.
The Exalt's player must roll (Manipulation + Socialize), adding the Dragon-Blood's Essence in automatic successes. Only Dodge MDV is applicable to this social attack. Even one success is enough to stir up feelings of resentment in the target against his erstwhile friend. Three or more will almost certainly move the target to violence.
The effects of this Charm last for a scene, after which cooler heads prevail and the two characters' normal feelings reassert themselves, assuming of course that nothing has happened in the meantime to permanently sever those feelings. Neither party immediately remembers the role the Dragon-Blood initially played in starting the disagreement, but the character who was the original target might recall the Exalt's well-timed turn of phrase if his player makes a successful (Intelligence + Socialize) roll with a difficulty equal to the Dragon-Blood's Manipulation. This Charm is well known in both the Realm and in Lookshy, where its abuse can lead to social censure and possibly even the filing of criminal charges.
This Charm automatically fails when used against a being with a higher Essence than the Dragon-Blood. It also automatically fails when used to attempt to turn a Dragon-Blood against another member of her sworn brotherhood.
Latest Errata: The roll for the Charm's unblockable unnatural social attack is (Manipulation + Presence), adding a number of bonus successes equal to the Exalt's Socialize. If successful, the target instantly gains a negative Intimacy toward the badmouthed person with an emotional context appropriate to the Terrestrial's allegations. If the target has an existing positive Intimacy toward the subject of the Dragon-Blood's ire, success converts that connection to a negative emotional context. Resisting the creation of a new Intimacy costs 2wp. Preventing a positive Intimacy from becoming tainted is easier, requiring only 1wp. Those who fail the roll to remember the Exalt's involvement later on may pay 3wp to recall the truth, shattering the Charm's unnatural Illusion.