Stark Truth of Steel Method

Template:Cost 2m, 1i; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fire and Stones Strike

Through combat the Solar sees all things truly. When she witnesses an opponent successfully apply their Parry or Evasion with the aid of Charms or magic, the Exalt is able to understand the principle behind their defense and may strike through it. This Charm adds an automatic non-Charm success to an attack after the opponent has applied their Defense, if and only if they are using a defensive magic the Solar has seen them use previously in the battle. The insight the Solar gains is fleeting and momentary; this advantage fades after the Solar has used this Charm, and she must witness or ex¬perience her opponent's defense again in one round in order to use this Charm in the round that follows. On Stark Truth of Steel Method The backer wanted a Melee Charm that would allow him to exploit a flaw in his opponent's defense to land an attack. I felt that a Charm that magnified wound or onslaught penalties was a bit too divorced from an expression of Melee skill, so I went with this Charm, which would reveal a weakness or flaw in an opponent through a mystical insight. This Charm neither requires nor conveys inherit knowledge of magic; the Solar can simply analyze tactical magic as if it were any other technique and find a way around it. Backer: John Esslinger