Seasoned Criminal Method

Cost: —; Mins: Larceny 1, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Exalt adapts the nature of the iconic criminal, who must one day become a master of her craft. She is a creature of the criminal element; duplicity is in her every word and step. This Charm allows the Solar to invoke and discard a number of special distinctions at her leisure, which allow her to gather information, infiltrate criminal society, and protect her position there.

The distinctions are as follows:

Familiarity: To a member of a criminal organization, she seems familiar—that is, she can play on a Minor Intimacy to make her target believe she is a criminal with whom to be treated: a member of the organization, a prospect for initiation, etc.

Dissonance: Magistrates or other officials seeking to establish her identity suffer a -2 penalty to their Bureaucracy and Investigation actions. Persons who do not know her personally but may have spotted her or seen her hanging around the scene of a crime find her unrecognizable and cannot remember doing so.

Vulnerability: The Exalt makes herself seem the best possible target for a type of crime dictated by the player. Confidence men will see her as an easy mark, gamblers will seek to engage her with betting gossip or games of chance, thugs will try to mug her, and so forth. This effect has a visual component: thieves are less likely to steal from an Exalt wearing armor and a battle axe, while a serial killer might find a person who wears her hair a certain way irresistible.

Receptivity: Similar to vulnerability, interested parties perceive the Exalt as a local player. Rather than prey on her directly, she may be identified as a drug buyer or seller, or a person looking to make a bet, hire a prostitute, or take part in other illicit or seedy activities. Such parties will be interested in providing her with information about where to go and who to talk to.