Distraction of the Babbling Brook
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Thoughtful Gift Technique
Anyone who is not proficient at the arts of the deal is wise to be suspicious of any contract he does not fully understand. But even the craftiest of traders should be suspicious of contracts with the Dragon-Blooded, some of whom can draft fine print capable of ensnaring the most sophisticated Guild operative as if he were a country bumpkin. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can conceal penalty clauses, conditions, extra fees and almost any other sort of fine print into a contract without the other party noticing their presence until after he signs it. The added contract clauses must be reasonably subtle, which may call for Storyteller discretion. A clause stating that interest on a loan balloons to 50 percent compounded weekly if the other party is late on a single payment or that the other party's business is forfeit if he fails to complete a task within a certain deadline is permissible. A clause stating that the other party will sell himself into slavery for a nominal fee or that he agrees to buy a horse without noticing that it only has three legs is not permissible. Also, contract clauses that the Dragon-Blood knows to be impossible to fulfill automatically fail. The Dragon-Blood must define the clause when drafting the contract, and a contract can contain only one clause obfuscated by this Charm. When the other party reviews the contract, his player must successfully roll (Wits + Bureaucracy) roll against a difficulty equal to the Dragon-Blood's (Bureaucracy + Essence) in order to notice the clause or to grasp its import. This Charm automatically fails to conceal the fine print when the contract is reviewed by a party with a higher Essence than the Dragon-Blood or a party using Celestial-level Bureaucracy Charms. Such beings might still agree to the terms anyway, however, particularly if the other party desperately needs whatever the Dragon-Blood has to offer.
Latest Errata: This Charm can enchant any written contract already written or any spoken contract the Exalt plans to offer with his next action. Either way, it requires an activation roll of (Wits + Bureaucracy), adding successes equal to the Exalt's Essence. Anyone whose Dodge MDV is less than the number of successes falls prey to the unnatural Illusion unless she pays 3wp to notice the truth for a scene. Higher Essence and use of appropriate Celestial Charms also provides immunity as stated in the Charm. Application of MDV replaces the listed roll for defense.