Iron Skin Concentration

Template:Cost 2m or 6m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Dual
Template:Duration Instant or Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit Strengthens the Skin

This Charm hardens the Exalt's skin, making it incredibly difficult to cut or pierce. Against a withering attack, the Solar can pay two motes to apply her Stamina as soak against unsoakable damage as an instant effect. Against a decisive attack, she may pay six motes after damage has been rolled to create (Stamina) -0 health levels, which take damage first, effectively shunting the attack away from her bones and vital organs. She still feels the pain of the strike, but a blow that appears to run her through may be shrugged off while drawing a mere trickle or no blood at all. If the created health levels exceed the damage successes for that attack, subsequent attacks' damage is automatically applied to remaining created -0's before damage begins registering with her regular health levels. The motes for the decisive version's cost are committed indefinitely. The Solar keeps her commitment to this Charm for as long as she remains injured; after combat ends, the health levels convert from -0 to -1 wounds, requiring the Solar to seek rest or treatment in order to end the Charm. These health levels are the first healed by any kind of rest or magical healing. Healing these levels is the only way to end the Charm; once they are healed they vanish. Undamaged health levels vanish at the end of the scene. The Solar may choose to continue fighting while carrying shunted injuries, but each day she does so increases the wound penalty by -1.

At Essence 3+, the Solar may create up to (Stamina + Essence) health levels, but choosing to do so changes the cost of the Charm to five motes + one mote for every -0 created beyond the Solar's Stamina.