Flight of the Brilliant Raptor
Cost: 10m Target: Template:Creature
The sorcerer's Essence coalesces into an eagle-sized bird of prey made of diamond and ruby flame. The bird then streaks with unearthly speed toward any target the caster can see within 1,800 yards. Right before it slams into the target, it gives the shrill victory cry of a garda bird. Should the brilliant raptor succeed in its attack, this briefly lived automaton explodes, consuming the area around the target in a holocaust.
The sorcerer's player rolls an attack of (Wits + Occult), with an Accuracy equal to the sorcerer's Essence, but no range penalties. The attack cannot be parried without a stunt or Charm, though it can be dodged normally. If the target is not on guard, the difficulty to spot the attack coming equals the sorcerer's Essence, due to the brilliant raptor's speed. The bird's impact inflicts a number of dice of lethal damage equal to the sorcerer's (Perception + Occult), with a number of automatic successes equal to the caster's Essence. Successes on the attack roll also add to damage as usual.
When the raptor strikes its target, it also sends fiery Essence coursing through the target's body to cause tremendous pain. If the target takes any damage, he suffers an automatic knockdown and a -1 internal penalty to all Dexterity-based rolls for every two health levels (round up) inflicted by the attack. This penalty fades at a rate of one point per five ticks.
Finally, the brilliant raptor explodes on the tick after it strikes, burning the target and everything else within three yards. The firestorm inflicts four levels of lethal damage (Trauma 3), which may be reduced as normal for environmental damage (see Exalted, p. 131). Everything in that area catches fire—hair, skin, objects and even the ground. Every tick they remain in the area, targets suffer further environmental damage of 1L/tick, Trauma 2.
Fleeing the area still leaves the target on fire (Damage 1L/tick, Trauma 1), which may be extinguished with an action (which may be flurried). These flames burn for 10 ticks before going out, though they may ignite other flammable sources with normal flame.