colossus charms

CCOOLLOOSSSSUUSS

AChampion’s upgrade to the ranks of the Colossi takes place

in a vats complex provided by his sponsor state, in a refitting

process which requires months to complete. During this process

the Champion’s body is stripped away and rendered down into

exotic components to be used in the construction of his new

form. His essence reservoir and sections of his nervous system

are preserved, sealed inside a nearly indestructible vessel of his

associated magical material with his soul gem affixed, and it is

this module that will serve as the core of the Exalt’s being for an

eternity thereafter.

The module is then installed into the first of the Alchemical’s

Colossus Charms – an artifact-body of epic scale and power, in

the form of his first Transfiguration Charm, constructed at great

expense in anticipation of the character’s ascent. The details of

this form are always particular to the Alchemical himself – many

are humanoid in form, though other more radically different

body plans are not uncommon where needed – but while a

Colossus might wear several forms in his long life, each is

uniquely his own and cannot be worn by another.

Beyond the traits specific to his choice of transfigurations, all

such charms render a Colossus physically tougher and more

isolated from injury than their flesh and blood counterparts.

Without the physical needs of his body to contend for an

Alchemical’s essence, his new form also enables him to devote

more of his personal power to the operation of Charms and

other magic. These and other benefits are captured in the

Colossus’s Transfiguration Charms, but all Colossi also gain the

following benefits upon upgrading to Essence 6:

• The Colossus gains a free Transfiguration Charm at no cost

• The Colossus no longer needs eat or drink, nor can he

First comes thought; then organization of that thought,

into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into

reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your

imagination.

- Napolean Hill

11

UPDATED ALCHEMICAL CHARMS

The operation ofAlchemical Charms presented inManual of

Exalted Power: Alchemicals and elsewhere is largely unchanged

for Colossi. In many cases Charms which describe alterations to

specific portions of a Champion’s anatomy take on a

significantly different physical form when installed for use by a

Colossus, but these changes are ultimately superficial in nature,

and the Charms function almost universally in the same capacity

they did earlier in an Exalt’s life.

Many Charms do offer additional or expanded benefits for a

Colossus however, as befits the greater power of so elder and

enlightened a being. In some cases this takes the form of

additional or modified effects, but most commonly it is

expressed in the form ofhigh Essence submodules which expand

upon the themes and nature of the Colossal condition. These

additional features are described below.

COMBAT

PISTON-DRIVEN MEGATON HAMMER

(Alchemicals, Page 122)

Siege-Ram Engine (Essence 6, Strength 5, 3xp): With this

submodule, successes on the attack roll are instead multiplied by

the Colossus’s (Essence x 2) when making close combat attacks

against inanimate objects and structures, whether attacking

armed or unarmed.

ELECTRIFICATION ONSLAUGHT DYNAMO


Capacitance Array (Essence 6): A bank of huge capacitors filled

with an orichalcum infused storage medium permit the storage

of greater quantities of power, allowing Electrification

Onslaught Dynamo’s effect to discharge (Essence) times before

the Charm’s power is expended. This also reduces the cost to 1m

per 2L or 4B damage to be dealt.

Arc Coils (Essence 7): Glowing blue jade coils send bolts of

essence infused lightning lancing out through fluid mediums, or

crawling along the ground in spider-like arcs. With this

submodule, Electrification Onslaught Dynamo no longer

automatically deactivates if the Colossus is immersed in water,

and whenever it discharges the Colossus may apply its effects to

everything within (Essence x 5) yards.

TOROIDAL SHOCKWAVE CATALYST


Singularity Pulse Driver (Essence 6, Strength 3, 3xp): This

submodule expands the area of effect to a radius of ((Strength +

Essence) x 3) yards. A second purchase of this submodule at

Essence 7+, Strength 5+ further expands the area to a radius of

((Strength + Essence) x 10) yards.

PROTOSYNTHETIC AMMUNITION REPLICATOR


Internalized Reproduction System (Essence 6, 2xp): Greater

available volume allows for bulkier but far more efficient

synthesis mechanisms, reducing the cost of all activations of

Protosynthetic Ammunition Replicator by two motes, to a

minimum of zero.

Integrated Essence Feed (Essence 6, Stamina 4): This submodule

allows the Colossus’s Protosynthetic Ammunition Replicator to

extrude a high efficiency power cable that links with an

equipped weapon which costs one or more motes to fire. The

cost of firing a weapon linked in this way is reduced by two.

AIM-CALIBRATING SENSORS


Target Designation System (Essence 6, Perception 5): A small

array of adamant lenses affixed to the Colossus’s Aim-

Calibrating Sensors projects a holographic targeting marker over

any enemy struck by an attack supplemented by that Charm.

Until the Alchemical’s DV refreshes, this Charm negates all

external penalties that would be applied to any attack made

against such a target.

IMPENETRABLE REPULSOR FIELD(Alchemicals, Page 128)

Area Defense Screen (Essence 6, Dexterity 8): By channeling a

virtue in addition to Impenetrable Repulsor Field’s other costs,

the Colossus may extend his force barrier so that it shields all

targets within (Essence x 5) yards of him from the effects of a

single attack. A second purchase of this submodule at Essence

7+, Dexterity 10+ allows this submodule compatibility with the

Overcharge Module submodule.

INTEGRATED ARSENAL SYSTEM(Alchemicals, Page 129)

Arsenal Manifestation Engine (Essence 7, 3xp): This submodule

allows a Colossus’s Integrated Arsenal System to provide

weapons for others. The Exalt can produce enough weapons to

THE PRICE OF CHANGEThe material cost of upgrading a Champion’s essence is

relatively small by comparison to the cost of his initial

construction. The cost of the transition from Champion to

Colossus however is fit to bankrupt nations. For game

purposes, it should usually be assumed that a sponsor state

manages to make resources (equivalent to at least Wealth

• • • • ) available as needed – it is universally considered to

be worth the investment – but such costs can easily strain a

state’s economy.

The majority of this cost reflects the construction of the

Alchemical’s new body, in the form of his first

Transfiguration Charm. A Colossus’s first Transfiguration

Charm is most often of human body plan, but other

variations are available, and he may have more than one at

his disposal. Each such Charm bears similar cost to the first

however, as do their Essence 7 upgrades, so a Champion

and his sponsor state must choose forms wisely.

22

arm any unit with Magnitude less than his Essence by

committing a number of motes equal to that unit’s Magnitude.

Weapons created this way fold out instantly into the unit

members' hands, ready to use, and fold away equally quickly into

Elsewhere should the Alchemical end his commitment to the

Charm. If the Alchemical also has the Material Synthesis Wave

Emitter submodule, equipping a unit in this way increases its

Might by one.

MASS COMBAT

HUNDREDFOLD STRAFING METHODOLOGY


[See existing Siege Devastation Mode submodule.]

SEMIOTIC FLARE PROJECTOR(Alchemicals, Page 130)

Telepresent Command Mode (Essence 6, Charisma 9): This

submodule extends the Colossus’s communicative presence to

the extent that he can effectively command an entire battle from

a single position. By spending an additional point ofWillpower

per additional unit when he activates Semiotic Flare Projector,

the Alchemical may assume command of multiple units

simultaneously. If he does so, this Charm generates a magical

flurry on each of the Exalt’s actions composed of a number of

actions equal to the number of units he commands, each of

which must be used to command a different unit.

STRATEGOS-COMMANDER SYNERGY CIRCUITS


[See existing Industrial Assembly Warfare Mode submodule.]

SURVIVAL

STRAIN-RESISTANT CHASSIS MODIFICATION


[See existing effects of the Charm itself. The reconfiguration

described has no experience cost, and requires the same amount

of time as installing the Charms in question.]

SUBCUTANEOUS/EXOSKELETAL ARMOR PLATING


[See existing effects of the Charm itself. The reconfiguration

described has no experience cost, and requires the same amount

of time as installing the Charms in question.]

LIGHT-ETCHED INTERCEPTOR BARRIER


Light-Forged Cover Projector (Essence 6, Dexterity 8): For an

additional cost of four motes, the Colossus projects not one

shield, but dozens, or even hundreds, flashing in and out of

existence where his allies need protection, or where his enemies

advance might be obstructed. Allies within (Essence x 5) yards

benefit from the cover bonus provided by Light-Etched

Interceptor Barrier, while enemies within that area can move at

only half their normal speed.

ESSENCE SHIELD PROJECTOR(Alchemicals, Page 135)

Field Expansion Coil (Essence 6, Stamina 8): By paying an

additional point of Willpower when activating Essence Shield

Projector, the Colossus may expand the protective field it creates

to encompass a radius of up to (Essence x 5) yards. The field does

not prevent characters from moving through it, but attacks

originating outside its area must overcome the Hardness the

Charm provides to affect anyone within it. Any attack that

successfully does so overloads the Charm as normal.

ALLOYED REINFORCEMENT OF FLESH(Alchemicals, Page 136)

Emergency Recall Beacon (Essence 7, Wits 10): A fine mesh of

starmetal wraps around the pod in which the Colossus’s soul

and mind reside, maintaining an inactive Nullspace bridge

between the Alchemical and his Titanic patron. When the

Exalt’s Alloyed Reinforcement of Flesh prevents him from

suffering lethal damage, he may reflexively spend ten motes and

a point of Willpower to instantly teleport the capsule which is

the core of his being to the nearest vats facility. This effect may

only be activated within the Realm of Autochthonia, or within

(Essence) miles of an Alchemical Metropolis in other realms of

existence. All other Charms the Exalt has installed at the time of

activation are treated as if removed by an amputation effect.

BODY-REWEAVING MATRIX


Bodily Reconstruction Ward (Essence 6, Intelligence 6): If the

Colossus’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with

passenger space, this submodule converts a portion of that space

for use as a hospital or sick bay. The Alchemical may apply the

benefits of his Beneficence Programming submodule to up to

(Essence) passengers at a time with a single activation of the

Charm.

AEGIS INTEGRATION SYSTEM(Alchemicals, Page 137)

Armor Scaling Distortion Engine (Essence 6): Moonsilver nodes

incorporated into the Alchemical’s Aegis Integration System

produce a powerful spatial distortion field, effectively scaling

equipment designed for human use up to an appropriate scale

and configuration for the Exalt’s more Colossal proportions.

This submodule allows the Colossus to equip any armor,

COLOSSAL EQUIPMENTA Colossus’s sheer size, to say nothing of his body shape

for an Alchemical using a non-humanoid Transfiguration,

often make it physically impossible for him to use artifacts

designed for characters of human stature. Most artifacts can

be adapted for use by a Colossus – reengineered along larger

lines and rearranged to fit whatever body plan the Exalt has

chosen – and charms like Panoply Scalar Engine offer

similar options at a moment’s notice.

33

regardless of the size and body plan of the creature for which the

armor was originally designed. Warstriders and similar pseudo-

vehicular armors which rely on an internal mechanical chassis

cannot be equipped using this submodule.

ENSHRINED DIVINITY APPARATUS


Divine Benediction Array (Essence 6): A crown or mantle of

starmetal and jade antennae transmit the life preserving

benefaction of the Colossus’s Enshrined Divinity Apparatus to

all those worthies who gather around him. This submodule

extends the benefits of this Charm to all friendly characters

within a radius of (Essence x 10) yards of the Exalt.

BIOFUNCTION INHIBITOR


Constructive Torpor Catalyst (Essence 7): Nullspace links and

internalized vats components enable the Colossus to perform

limited self-reconfiguration without the aid of a proper vats

facility. While in the torpor provided by his Biofunction

Inhibitor, the Alchemical may reconfigure his Charms as if he

were spending time in a vats complex. This process takes one

week for every day or portion thereof normally required for the

Charm installations selected. This submodule also allows the

Colossus to build the reconstructive framework required to

increase his Essence from seven to eight, making it a common

choice for Alchemicals seeking to ascend to Metropolis status.

SUSTENANCE REPLICATION ENGINE


Refectory Synthesis Device (Essence 6, Stamina 5, 4xp): This

submodule allows the Colossus’s Sustenance Replication Engine

to provide sufficient nourishment for a group of people with

total Magnitude equal to or less than his (Essence ÷ 2).

SIZE VERSUS SPEEDIt’s tempting to think of a being the size of a Colossus as

automatically slow and cumbersome, but nothing could be

further from the truth. Even more so than their junior

counterparts, Colossi are capable of blinding speed. The

distributed processors in their wired reflexes react to

commands seemingly before they’re given, and their

mechanical actuators deliver power with responsiveness

physically impossible for organic muscles. Colossi are

capable of exquisite precision and even grace (though many

find the gradual acceleration in and out of organic

movements inefficient).

SPEED AND MOBILITY

PERSONAL GRAVITY MANIPULATION APPARATUS


Gravitational Stasis Unit (Essence 6, Strength 8): This

submodule removes the activation cost of Personal Gravity

Manipulation Apparatus, increases its installation cost to [2m],

and changes its duration to Permanent. The Colossus may toggle

the Charm’s secondary mode reflexively at will.

Gravity Leveling Gyro-Compass (Essence 6, Intelligence 5, 2xp):

For a Colossus whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides

him with passenger capacity, this submodule extends the effects

of his Personal Gravity Manipulation Apparatus to his

passengers, insuring that the same direction is always down

within the Alchemical’s passenger compartments.

GYROSCOPIC STABILITY SYSTEM(Alchemicals, Page 139)

Inertial Dampeners (Essence 6, Dexterity 6, 3xp): For a

Colossus whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides him

with passenger capacity, this submodule insulates passengers

from the shock of acceleration and deceleration, and jarring

movements of all kinds, making his interior spaces seem

comfortably stationary. While the Exalt’s Gyroscopic Stability

System is active, his passengers never suffer external penalties

due to the Alchemical’s movement, including attacks made

against him.

PLASMA THRUSTER ASSEMBLY


[An Alchemical whose Transfiguration Charm provides him

with passenger space cannot activate this Charm if the combined

weight of any cargo and passengers he carries exceeds what his

strength would allow him to lift (Exalted, Page 127).]

Cargo-Lift Thrusters (Essence 6): This submodule allows the

Colossus to carry up to (Essence) human-sized passengers while

in flight, or an equivalent amount of cargo, though unless he has

free hands to carry them with they must be able to hold on to

him or secured in some other way. It also enables an Alchemical

whose installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with

passenger space to activate Plasma Thruster Assembly even when

carrying more weight than his Strength allows.

Blowback Channeling Nozzles (Essence 6, Strength 7): Jade

nozzles focus the back blast generated by the Colossus’s liftoff,

expanding the radius of the effect to (Strength) yards, and

increasing the DV requirement to avoid the effect by (Strength).

PARAMAGNETIC TETHER BEAM


[Manipulating objects with this charm circumvents the usual

-4 external penalty a Colossus suffers when attempting to make

use of weapons or tools sized for humans.]

Paramagnetic Crux (Essence 6, Psychokinetic Reinforcement

Array, 3xp): Multiply the Exalt’s Essence rating by four rather

than two when determining the effective Strength which he can

generate with his Paramagnetic Tether Beam for purposes of

feats of strength.

INCOMPARABLE EFFICIENCY UPGRADE


Chrono-Static Distortion Node (Essence 7, Wits 10): A perfectly

cut resonating rod of crystal adamant magnifies and spreads the

44

effects of the Colossus’s Incomparable Efficiency Upgrade. If the

Alchemical’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with

passenger capacity, he can multiply or divide the rate at which

time flows inside his hull by up to (Essence x 3).

TRANSHUMAN EFFICIENCY RELAYS


Polyfocal Parallel Tasking System (Essence 6, Wits 8): The

distributed computing power provided by this submodule

enables the Colossus to devote his full attention to multiple

completely unrelated actions simultaneously. When performing

dramatic actions, the Alchemical may activate his Transhuman

Efficiency Relays at no cost so long as his physical form is

plausibly capable of performing all of the actions to be flurried

simultaneously.

LIMB EXTENSION ARMATURES


[See existing effects of the Charm itself.]

Dendrite Extension Paradigm (Essence 7, Dexterity 9): With this

submodule, the Colossus is able to extend his limbs gradually

further and further, sending them probing into the workings of

the Great Maker’s world body in search of resources or query

with equal ease. The duration of the Exalt’s Limb Extension

Armatures is increased to Indefinite, and the Alchemical can

extend his reach to as much as Essence miles. Extending his

reach beyond the normal limits proceeds at a rate of (Essence)

yards per miscellaneous action, and limb retraction is limited to

the same rate.

SOCIAL

PERFECTED UNION PATTERNING

(Alchemicals, page 144)

Internal Unity Formatting (Essence 6, Manipulation 6): If the

Colossus’s installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with

passenger space, this submodule allows a single activation of

Perfected Union Patterning to target any or all passengers on

board.

INDUSTRIAL CHAMPION ICON(Alchemicals, Page 145)

Order Confirming Banner (Essence 6, Clarity 5): A towering

adamant beacon extends from the Colossus’s back, radiating the

orderly power of the Machine God down upon his faithful.

Characters within (Essence x 10) yards of the Alchemical cannot

contract Gremlin Syndrome, and do not suffer any other

incidental ill-effects of exposure to blight zones. This does not

protect against attacks of any kind which seek to deliberately

apply such effects.

Orthodox Assertion Pulse (Essence 7, Clarity 9, Heresy

Declaration Beacon): With this submodule, the Colossus can

employ his Heresy Declaration Beacon in mass combat to label

entire units as creatures of the Void, exactly as if labeling an

individual. Even if the unit later disbands into smaller groups or

individuals, each character remains affected until proper

penance is performed, and the unit itself is considered to be of

the Void as long as half or more of its members are so attainted.

TRANSCENDENT BRUTALITY PROGRAMMING


Chamber of Transcendent Horrors (Essence 6, Manipulation 7):

This submodule allows a Colossus whose Transfiguration

Charm provides him with passenger space to devote a portion of

that space – usually no more than a clutch of soulsteel isolation

tanks – to use as a torture chamber. Characters may be

imprisoned in this area by conventional means, and when so

bound become automatically valid targets for the Alchemicals

Transcendent Brutality Programming as long as they remain

imprisoned.

PERSONALITY OVERRIDE SPIKE(Alchemicals, Page 148)

Sub-Process Mind Invasion (Essence 6, Manipulation 9):

Dedicated processing centers allow the Colossus to invade the

minds of others with such casual ease that he need not even give

the task his full attention. With this submodule the Alchemical

may maintain a single clinch with his Personality Override Spike

as a reflexive action during each of his actions. A second

purchase of this submodule at Essence 7+, Manipulation 11+

allows the Exalt to maintain up to (Essence ÷ 2) such clinches

each action.

MIND-RIPPING PROBE(Alchemicals, Page 149)

Mind-Sharing Interface (Essence 6, Charisma 6): In addition to

its other capabilities, a Personality Override Spike makes for an

exceptionally efficient mind-machine interface. While holding a

willing character in a grapple with Personality Override Spike,

this submodule allows the Colossus to borrow his skills and

abilities. For any roll made by either character under such

circumstances, use the higher of the two character’s relevant

Ability ratings, and combine their Specialties (with the usual

limit of three specialty dice on any given roll).

MEMORY IMPLANTATION SURGE(Alchemicals, Page 150)

Skill Writing Protocol (Essence 6, Intelligence 6, 4xp): This

submodule allows Memory Implantation Surge to be used as a

Training effect to increase a character’s Ability ratings. Abilities

may be increased by one dot per action, to a maximum value no

greater than the Alchemical’s own rating in the Ability.

THOUSANDFOLD COURTESAN CALCULATIONS


Interoperability System (Essence 6, Appearance 8, 2xp):

Reconfigurable moonsilver anatomy makes it possible for the

Colossus to properly interface with his less grand partners.

While the act has little in common with love making of the usual

sort, it remains none the less effective in producing an emotional

response useful to a manipulative Exalt.

55

RADIANT ICONOGRAPHY ARRAY


Iconography Broadcast Node (Essence 6, Intrinsic Evocation

System, 3xp): The radius of the effect is extended to (Essence x

100) yards.

EMOTIVE AESTHETICS OF THE BODY ELECTRIC(Alchemicals, Page 151)

Intuitive Communion Mode (Essence 6, 2xp): For a Colossus

who’s Transfiguration Charm provides him with passenger

space, this submodule ensures that everything within that space

– from its layout to the devices it contains – is superbly simple

and easy to understand, allowing crew members to contribute to

limited teamwork bonuses (See Below) even if they have no

rating in the Ability being rolled.

Hull-Noise Subtlety Algorithm (Essence 7, Manipulation 10):

This submodule allows a Colossus who’s Transfiguration charm

provides him with passenger space to communicate with his

guests in ways so subtle that they don’t even know it’s

happening. Social attacks the Alchemical makes against

characters inside his internal spaces are automatically

unexpected.

STEALTH AND DISGUISE

INTEGRATED ARTIFACT TRANSMOGRAPHIER


[Even for those Colossi whose Transfiguration Charms

provide for a humanoid body plan, it is impossible to disguise

their sheer size and mass. A Colossus who uses Integrated

Artifact Transmographier to make all his Charms Internal is not

disguised as human, but instead as a non-Alchemical example of

whatever body plan his Transfiguration provides. An Alchemical

with Humaniform Chassis Framework could easily pass for an

(occupied) warstrider for example, where as an Exalt using

Structural Chassis Framework might appear for all intents and

purposes to be a conventional building. This appearance is as

fixed for any given Colossus as the details of his true form (but

see Husk-Sculpting Apparatus below).]

TRANS-CHOSEN EMULATOR


Anima Reinvention Array (Essence 6, Appearance 5,

Metatotemic Calibrator, 4xp): With this submodule a colossus

may freely reinvent the visual manifestations of both his anima

banner and any Obvious Charms he employs. This cannot

render an Obvious effect non-Obvious, but can re-theme the

visual effects produced in any other way. With an appropriate

stunt, this effect negates anima-banner based penalties and

limitations on the use of stealth and disguise.

HUSK-SCULPTING APPARATUS


[A Colossus with this Charm can freely rearrange the details

of his appearance as normal, but keep in mind that the weight

and height restrictions provided in the existing text of the

Charm are relative to the character’s natural height and weight.

It does not allow him to change his body plan outside the

general form provided by his Transfiguration Charm, but it can

be used to alter any and all body characteristics across the full

range of forms the Charm in question could conceivably be used

to produce.]

Implicit Acceptance Architecture (Essence 6, Appearance 7): This

submodule renders a Colossus using Husk-Sculpting Apparatus

supernaturally unremarkable. As an unnatural illusion effect,

characters who observe the Alchemical are convinced that it

belongs where it is, and perhaps even that it has always been

there, in the case of immobile Exalts. Resisting this effect costs

three willpower.

AURA-DAMPENING COMPONENT


Luminance Diffusion System (Essence 6, Appearance 8): A

network of orichalcum capacitance threads connects to a fine

coating of adamant powder bonded to the Colossus’s chassis,

allowing him to buffer and diffuse the radiance of his anima

display. When the Alchemical spends motes from his peripheral

pool as part of a dramatic action, he may opt not to count them

towards the elevation of his anima banner by paying an extra

mote for each Charm or effect whose cost is to be excluded.

ANALYTIC AND COGNITIVE

ANTICIPATORY SIMULATION PROCESSOR(Alchemicals, Page 158)

Emergency Alert System (Essence 6, Perception 6): Though the

means vary from one Colossus to the next – holographic

projection and audible alerts being the most common examples

– this submodule allows the Alchemical to activate his

Anticipatory Simulation Processor on behalf of any character

within (Essence x 10) yards. If an unexpected attack would strike

multiple characters in that area, a single activation of the Charm

can remove the unexpected label for any or all eligible targets.

SECONDARY SENSORY UPGRADES


Internal Security System (Essence 6): For a Colossus whose

Transfiguration Charm provides him with passenger space, this

submodule provides perfect awareness of his internal

compartments. If his other senses (including those provided or

augmented by Charms) are capable of perceiving something

inside his body, they do so automatically, and he gains his

(Essence) in automatic successes on roll-offs against perfect

concealment effects operating within his body.

Motonic Resonance Detector (Essence 7, Perception 10): A harp-

like array of delicate essence-resonant threads allows the

Colossus to feel the configuration of the space around him, and

those moving about within it, out to a staggering distance. This

submodule provides the Alchemical with general knowledge of

the layout of the volume around him, and the size, position, and

66

direction of anything moving through it. Its resolution is

insufficient to distinguish stationary objects from scenery

however. The array has an effective sensory radius of (Perception

x 10) miles in enclosed spaces, but this extends to (Perception x

100) miles in sufficiently large open areas.

MOBILE SENSORY DRONE


Nullspace Uplink (Essence 6, Wits 6, 2xp): This submodule

extends the range at which the Colossus can control his Mobile

Sensory Drones to (Wits x 10) miles.

Combat Drone Deployment (Essence 7): For an additional cost

of one point of Willpower, a Colossus with this Charm may

deploy powerful combat-ready drone fighters. These automatons

are based on the standard Mobile Sensory Drone template and

benefit from any other submodules installed for the Charm.

Additionally, combat drones have Strength, Stamina, Melee,

Archery, and Thrown each at a rating of five, posses an Essence

score of two, a personal essence pool of (Colossus’s Essence x 5)

motes, (Colossus’s Essence ÷ 2) additional -0 health levels, and a

selection of (Colossus’s Essence ÷ 2) Alchemical Charms for

which they meet the prerequisites, from amongst the Charms

the Alchemical has installed.

IMPRINTED DATA CLUSTER


Noetic Hyperprocessor (Essence 6, Intelligence 8, 4xp): If his

currently installed Transfiguration Charm provides him with

passenger space, this submodule allows the Colossus to confer

the benefits of his Imprinted Data Cluster upon his passengers.

Any willing character on board the Exalt automatically gains

access to the same set of additional specialties the Alchemical

himself enjoys.

ABSTRACT ABACUS IMPLANT


Message Canceling Claxon (Essence 7, Wits 6): When the

Colossus’s Abstract Abacus Implant defends him from a social

attack which targets multiple characters, he may reflexively

spend four motes to release a deafening roar from this

submodule, perfectly defending all targets of the attack from its

effects. This also has the side effect of rendering the attack

obvious if it was not already.

TECHNOMORPHIC INTEGRATION ENGINE


Internal Hangar Facility (Essence 7, Intelligence 9): A spatial

folding engine harmlessly collapses even those artifacts notably

larger that the Colossus’s own hulking form, allowing them to be

safely stored within his frame. This submodule allows the

Alchemical to internalize artifacts without regard to their size,

including complex artifacts such as magitech vehicles so long as

they contain no passengers. An artifact must be at least

theoretically movable to be internalized in this way however –

the Charm still cannot take in artifacts which are physically

attached to something else, nor can it internalize artifacts which

are themselves architecture such as directional titans. Sorry.

TRANSCENDENT MULTIMODAL ARTIFACT MATRIX

(Alchemicals, page 166)

Template Library Expansion Program (Essence 6): The price of

purchasing templates for artifacts rated at or below (Essence ÷ 2)

to a flat cost of 1xp. When this submodule is installed, or the

Colossus’s Essence score increases, the difference in the cost of

previously acquired templates is refunded, but experience

refunded in this way must be immediately spent to acquire

additional artifact templates for the Exalt’s use.

Polytypical Extrusion Engine (Essence 6, Wits 6, 4xp): With this

submodule, a single installation of Transcendent Multimodal

Artifact Matrix can extrude up to (Wits) artifacts at the same

time. Each artifact requires a separate activation of the Charm to

extrude.

Cannonade Turret Assembly (Essence 6): This submodule

enables directed essence weapons produced by the Colossus’s

Transcendent Multimodal Artifact Matrix to be extruded on

articulated platforms, allowing them to be operated without

need for the use of the Alchemical’s hands. Furthermore, this

mounting system negates any mobility penalties normally

associated with the mounted weapon.

SPIRITUAL

THERMIONIC ORTHODOXY ARRAY


Absolute Stability Matrix (Essence 6, Clarity 5, 3xp): This

submodule expands the radius affected by the Colossus’s

Thermionic Orthodoxy Array to (Clarity x 20) yards. A second

purchase of this submodule at Essence 7+ further expands the

radius to (Clarity x 100) yards.

COLOSSUS CHARM THEMESAt their conceptual core, Colossus Charms adhere to the

same thematic principles as other Alchemical Charms –

they are technological in concept, and each Charm is a

physical thing rather than an abstract magical technique –

and they expand upon these motifs in a fairly literal way. An

elder Alchemical’s Charms are typically inspired by heavy

machinery which is too large – physically or in concept – to

make sense for their smaller counterparts.

Mechanically they expand upon standard expectations to

suit their size, featuring longer ranges and larger areas of

effect, but also expanding upon the Alchemicals’ roll as

integral members of society and paragons of industry. A

Colossus’s panoply is capable of empowering entire armies,

protecting them from harm, equipping them for battle, or

burning them to ash and flickering motes with little enough

effort to impress even Solar generals.

77

COMPASS: AUTOCHTHONIA

SHOCKWAVE DRIVER BARRAGE

(Compass, Page 135)

Flux-Wave Generator (Essence 6, Strength 8): A sweeping wave

of spatial distortion accompanies the Colossus’s attack, rushing

out to buffet and batter all the foes before him. For an additional

cost of four motes, the Exalt may apply the effects of this Charm

(but not the damage or other effects of the augmented attack)

against each target within his reach and in front of him. Targets

whose dodge DV exceeds the successes rolled on the attack are

unaffected.

CASUALTY-MINIMIZING EQUATION(Compass, Page 136)

Passenger Protection Protocols (Essence 6, Dexterity 6): With this

submodule, passengers on a Colossus whose Transfiguration

Charm affords him passenger space are always considered to be

defended by their host Alchemical. Passengers defended in this

way do not count towards any limits on the number of characters

the Exalt can defend.

GEAR-DRIVEN REFLEX AUTOMATION

(Compass, Page 136)

Alpha-Strike Response Pattern (Essence 7, Dexterity 10): For an

additional cost of six motes and one Willpower, this submodule

converts the reflexive counterattack provided by an instant

duration activation of Gear-Driven Reflex Automation into a

magical flurry of counter attacks including a single attack from

each weapon the Colossus wields.

NEW ALCHEMICAL CHARMS

While many Alchemical Charms grow with the Exalted who

use them, the heart of the transformation from Champion to

Colossus lies not in expanding upon what an Alchemical can

already do, but in the entirely new capabilities enabled by his

new-found size and power.

GENERAL

TRANSHUMAN (ATTRIBUTE) SCAFFOLDCost: – [3m]; Mins: (Attribute) 6, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Native, Obvious

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: None

Consistent greatness is the hallmark of the Exalted, and none

more so than the Alchemical Colossus. Their vast and powerful

physical forms, and potent essence-channeling mechanisms are

capable of providing these titans of industry with unsurpassed

and continuous excellence the likes of which their organic

counterparts must inevitably envy.

Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold adds dice to all rolls with

the chosen Attribute equal to the Alchemical’s rating in that

Attribute. Similarly, he doubles the chosen Attribute when

calculating static characteristics such as defense values. Although

these dice are added passively, they still count as dice added by

Charms, and as such Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold effectively

obviates the use of the First and Second (Attribute)

Augmentations for the chosen attribute.

In addition to its installation cost, while this charm is

installed the Colossus must commit a number of additional

motes equal to his (Attribute ÷ 2) from his personal or peripheral

pools. Making this attunement takes one long tick, and it may be

released reflexively, but while not so attuned the Colossus suffers

an Internal penalty equal to his score in the chosen Attribute

instead of receiving the normal benefits of this charm, as major

portions of his internal anatomy cease to function.

KEYWORD: TRANSFIGURATIONTransfiguration charms change a Colossus’s body

structure, far more so than any combination of transhuman

implants ever could. The Charm itself is literally a new body

which the Colossus’s core can be transferred into, and as

such only one Transfiguration Charm may be installed by

an Alchemical at a time.

In practical terms, a Colossus should always have a

Transfiguration Charm installed unless he is in the vats or

in some comparable circumstances where he can do without

– or has been deprived of – access to a body. Without one

the Alchemical is reduced to a capsule-like core of

machinery, unable to move, install Charms, and sense or

interact with his environment, though he may still employ

Protocols if he knows them.

Beyond these basic considerations, the transformation

into a hulking construct has a variety of mechanical effects

on a character. Sheer size makes it difficult to hide, and to

use equipment sized for humans, inflicting a -4 external

penalty on such activities without the use of a charm or

magical effect to resolve the issue. Worn equipment cannot

be used at all unless it is designed for a being of the

Colossus’s approximate size and shape.

Such a form is also notably inhuman, making it more

difficult to interact with others on a social basis, which

reduces the character’s effective appearance by half for

purposes of determining appearance modifiers in social

combat. More insidiously, this inhuman form also devalues

human interaction, inflicting a -2 external penalty on

Compassion rolls to reduce temporary Clarity.

Transfigured characters ignore penalties for using large

weapons up to and including warstrider weapons (Wonders

of the Lost Age, Page 150), and those with Essence 7 may

also use weapons designed to be mounted on buildings.

Additionally, in mass combat they can act as special

characters or a unit unto themselves.

88

TRANSFIGURATION

HUMANIFORM CHASSIS FRAMEWORK

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Charisma 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Transfiguration

Duration: Permanent


The Humaniform Chassis Framework is the most familiar of

the Colossal Transfigurations, and thus the most common

choice for a Champion’s first such Charm. Its form is

humanoid, like the Alchemical’s original body writ large,

typically of approximately the same size and configuration as a

warstrider, and with similar physical qualities.

It may be beautiful or hideous according to the Alchemical’s

Appearance, but as a humanoid figure the Humaniform

Colossus is more relatable than other Transfigurations, making

it an ideal choice for an Exalt operating in a social or

organizational roll. Its body plan also has the advantage of limbs

and hands, which allow it to retain the physical versatility to

which most Exalts are accustomed.

The Humaniform Chassis Framework confers the following

mechanical benefits:

• Personal essence pool is expanded by (Willpower) motes

• Gains additional -0 health levels equal to his (Essence)

• Strength increased by (Essence) for feats and damage

• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence)

• Natural soak is increased by (Essence)

• Ignore Appearance reduction from Transfiguration

Submodules:

Gigantiform Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule

permanently expands the Colossus’s Humaniform Chassis

Framework to truly epic proportions, pushing it to a towering

height of as much as eighty feet, and expanding its physical

strength and reach commensurate to its size, while retaining its

basically humanoid body plan. This confers the following

improved benefits:

• Extra -0 health levels increase to (Essence + (Stamina x 5))

• Strength bonus increases to (Essence x 2)

• Bonus tonatural soak increases to (Essence x 2)

• Reach with melee weapons increases by (Essence x 5) yards

MOBILE CHASSIS FRAMEWORK

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Strength 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


Some colossi emphasize mobility over human convenience,

sacrificing the versatility of normal arms and legs for the

incomparable efficiency of a form optimized for speed. This

Charm provides a Colossus with a body configuration ideal for

over-land movement, typically resembling a giant terrestrial

animal such as a lion, a huge many-legged insect, or a land-going

vehicle with wheels or tracks.

This low slung chassis arrangement provides significant

advantages in terms of over-land movement speed, stability, and

passenger space, but lacks both a comfortable human

appearance, and the ability to use tools and equipment requiring

fine manipulation.

The Mobile Chassis Framework confers the following

mechanical benefits and limitations:




• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence x 2)

• Natural soak increased by (Essence)

• Gains (Essence x 5) cubic yards of passenger capacity

• Automatically passes all balance and handling related tests

• No arms or hands, and cannot perform related actions

Submodules:

Weapon Turret Systems (Dexterity 5): This Charm equips the

Colossus with mounted weaponry – almost always ranged,

except in the case of weapons intended for ramming – which sits

in pivoting turrets or mounts attached to his body. The Exalt

may mount up to two such weapons, though the Multiple Limbs

mutation allows him to mount more, in addition to its other

benefits. These turrets are obvious, but can be retracted and

concealed using Technomorphic Integration Engine or similar

magic.

Juggernaut Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule

permanently expands upon the Colossus’s Mobile Chassis

Framework beyond the proportions of even the most monstrous

natural creature – typically stretching fifty feet or more in at least

one dimension. This transformation augments the Alchemical

with greater durability, far greater speed, and significantly

expanded cargo capacity:


• Speed multiplier increases to ((Essence + Dexterity) x 2)

• Bonus to natural soak increases to (Essence x 2)

• Internal capacity increases to (Essence x 25) cubic yards

VESSEL CHASSIS FRAMEWORK

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


Measuring around the size of a cutter or frigate – between

forty and sixty feet in length – and designed for use in the hostile

environs of the poles of smoke and oil, the Vessel Chassis

Framework creates a fully sealed and self-contained ship-like

body that would find itself equally survivable on and beneath

the seas of creation. With the use of a Plasma Thruster

Assembly, it would also be well suited to the vastness of space or

Creation’s open skies.

The Vessel Chassis Framework is an industrial marvel – large

and tough with copious cargo space – but is not particularly fast

without the aid of additional magic. Its primary liabilities are its

huge size, which precludes its use in the vast majority of

Autochthonian spaces, its inability to move outside a fluid

99

medium, and (like other non-humanoid Chassis), its lack of

hands for fine manipulation.

The Vessel Chassis Framework confers the following





• Base movement speed is multiplied by his (Essence ÷ 2)

• Natural soak is increased by (Essence x 2)


• Passenger space is fully enclosed and sealed


• Can move only through or on fluid mediums such as water

Submodules:









magic.

Ark Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): The most essential functions

of the Vessel Chassis design are capacity and survival, and this

submodule focuses on and enhances those qualities,

implementing permanent upgrades which expand the Colossus

from the size of a light interceptor to the size of a thickly armored

ship of the line. This has the following mechanical effects:




• Weapon Turret Systems turret count increases by (Essence)

STRUCTURAL CHASSIS FRAMEWORK

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Stamina 3, Essence 6; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


Typically built in place by the Demiurges (at least when not

used with Veriform Transfiguration Engine), this Charm is as

near as a Colossus will come to being a Metropolis before

making the final transition to that state. It takes the form of a

building, usually three to five stories tall, although frequently

one or more stories are in fact sublevels or basements, and totally

immobile.

Though it has the obvious disadvantages of both a total lack

of mobility, and a total lack of anatomy with which to

manipulate its environment, it has the countervailing strengths

of being highly efficient and nearly indestructible. Such

configurations are most often deployed as forward bases,

outposts, or in preparation for a Colossus’s forthcoming

evolution to Metropolis status.

The Structural Chassis Framework confers the following


• Personal essence pool is expanded by (Willpower x 2) motes

• Gains additional -0 health levels equal to his (Essence x 5)

• Natural soak increased by (Essence x 2)



• Completely immobile without other charms

Submodules:









magic.

Fortress Chassis Upgrade (Essence 7): This submodule converts

the Alchemical’s Structural Chassis Framework into a literal

fortress, unassailable and all but impervious to harm. This also

results in an increase in the structure’s size, from an average of

four stories to an average of eight, with a commensurate increase

in footprint. The mechanical effects of this change are as follows:

• Extra -0 health levels increase to ((Essence + Stamina) x 5)



• Gains (Essence x 2) creation points worth ofmanse features

VERIFORM TRANSFIGURATION ENGINE

Cost: 5m, 1wp [2m]; Mins: Wits 6, Essence 6; Type: Simple

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping

Duration: Indefinite

Prerequisite Charms: Any Two Transfiguration Charms

This Charm is comprised of hundreds of tiny metal balls –

each of them half moonsilver and half starmetal – placed at key

locations throughout the Colossus’s body. When it is installed,

the Alchemical attunes it to one of his uninstalled

Transfiguration Charms for a number of motes equal to that

Charm’s installation cost, and when it is activated that Charm

unfolds from within these nodes as his current Transfiguration is

folded up within, effectively allowing him to swap between these

two forms at will.

In the event that this transformation leaves the Exalt with

insufficient personal essence to pay the attunement costs of all of

his installed Charms, a number ofCharms of his choice become

inactive (as if uninstalled) to make up the difference, obeying all

prerequisite considerations. They remain inactive until such a

time as he has personal essence available to commit to them. If

this transformation causes the Alchemical to gain additional

health levels, they are added in an undamaged state. If it causes

him to lose health levels, remove undamaged levels before

removing damaged levels.

Submodules:

Transfigurative Restoration System (Stamina 9): When the

1010

Colossus switches forms with this Charm, he may pay a

surcharge of 1m per health level to heal some or all of his lost -0

health levels, as the transformation patches over the most

superficial damage suffered by his machine-body. He continues

to suffer any wound penalties he has based on the worst damage

dealt to him, but enemies must cut their way through his

restored -0 levels before they can push him any deeper.

Dynamic Recomposition Matrix (Dexterity 9): With this

submodule, Veriform Transfiguration Engine may be activated

as a reflexive action for a surcharge of two additional points of

willpower.

Combinatorial Synergy Network (Charisma 6): An Alchemical

with this submodule can forgo the attunement of one of his

standard Transfiguration Charms when installing his Veriform

Transfiguration Engine in favor of a hybrid configuration

designed to integrate directly with other Colossi. Typically each

Colossus with this Charm chooses to configure into a different

part of the anatomy or war gear of their combined form – a head,

an arm, a leg, and so on – but it can also be used to transform

into a suitably large weapon, and as such as few as two Colossi

with this submodule can combine their powers.

Exalts who combine using this submodule form a single body

controlled by one designated character, using that Exalt’s

characteristics supplemented with all the benefits of whichever

Transfiguration Charm most closely corresponds body plan of

the combine whole, along with its Essence 7 Upgrade

submodule even if some or all of the component characters are

only Essence 6. Each constituent character may activate Charms

independently, and retains his place in the sequence of battle,

with all Charms he activates benefiting the collective whole.

LOOK MA! NO HANDS!All of the more radically inhuman Transfiguration

charms deprive a Colossus of his hands and arms, with

obvious consequences for the character’s ability to wield

weapons and use hand-held tools. There are several options

available for such Exalts to rearm themselves:

The Cannonade Turret Assembly and Weapon Turret

Systems submodules both allow an Alchemical to wield

weapons without hands, and Paramagnetic Tether Beam

can also be employed to wield weapons or use tools.

Characters could also use Manifold Transhuman Implants

to acquire the Multiple Limbs mutation in the form of

mechanical grappler arms or similar appendages – extra

arms are extra, after all, even if you start with none.

COMBAT

SPATIAL DILATION PROJECTORCost: 6m[1m]; Mins: Strength 6, Essence 6; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping

Duration: One Scene

Prerequisite Charms: Shock and Awe Cannonade Delivery

Much like its prerequisite, this Charm supplements a ranged

attack, but the effect it produces at the point of impact is

something else again. Where the attack hits, space itself is

expanded out of proportion to other nearby areas – a shaping

effect which targets the environment, rather than anyone within

it. The attack affects a radius of (Essence x 10) yards, and all

distances which pass through the well of expanded space by even

an inch are multiplied by the Colossus’s (Essence). This

multiplication is applied to all distance related considerations –

movement, ranges, and so forth.

Submodules:

Spatial Compression Mode (Wits 6): If the Colossus chooses, the

space within the area is compressed instead of expanded,

dividing distances by his (Essence) rather than multiplying them.

Dilation Lens (Essence 7, 4xp): This submodule expands the

radius of the area affected by this Charm to (Essence x 100)

yards, allowing it to affect entire battlefields.

MECHANIZED REAPER ARMATURE

Cost: 2m [2m]; Mins: Strength 9, Essence 6;

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious, War

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Piston-Driven Megaton Hammer

Huge jade pistons and orichalcum fulcrums replace the

skeletal structures of the Colossus’s arms (or other, equivalent

appendages), giving him the sheer physical power to cut through

one enemy after another with his attacks. An attack

supplemented by this Charm is applied against each valid target

within the Alchemical’s reach. In mass combat, it instead

multiplies the supplemented attack’s pre-soak damage by

(Essence ÷ 2) when dealing damage to mass combat units.

Submodules:

Abattoir Destruction Cycle (Strength 11, Essence 7):

Mechanized Reaper Armature’s duration is extended to One

Scene, and its effects automatically apply to all attacks made

during the scene.

STEALTH AND DISGUISE

NULLSPACE DISPLACER UNIT

Cost: 10m, 1wp [1m];Mins: Appearance 7, Essence 7;

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Internal, Obvious


Prerequisite Charms: Optical Shroud

Comprised of a starmetal driver coil wound around a hoop of

rare, essence negating ceramic, this Charm is capable of shifting

its user almost entirely out of existence by displacing him into

Nullspace. Because it is impossible to leave Nullspace without an

outside impetus however, the Charm leaves behind a sensory

anchor, designed to pull the character back into reality.

This anchor is an apparently mundane object, either one of

the Colossus’s possessions or a part of its body, which will trigger

1111

his immediate return when a particular set of conditions –

determined at the time the Charm is activated – are met in its

presence. The conditions may be a complex as desired, but must

rely only on readily perceptible qualities of the object’s

environment.

When the conditions are met the Alchemical emerges from

Nullspace at the nearest open location to the anchor. He knows

approximately how much time has passed since he entered

Nullspace, but possesses no information about what may have

changed in his absence, baring the use of other magic. The Exalt

is free to act while in Nullspace, at least in so far as that realm

allows, but cannot release his commitment to this charm while

there.

Submodules:

Elsewhere Observation Device (Perception 5, 3xp): The Exalt

may observe the immediate surroundings of the anchor he leaves

behind with all of his natural senses, as well as any senses

provided by his Charms or mutations, but not senses provided

by equipment.

Expulsion Vector Module (Dexterity 7, Essence 7, 3xp): When

the Colossus exits Nullspace, he may do so at speed, emerging at

any speed up to the maximum his traits, Charms, and

equipment allow. An attack made in the same action a character

exits Nullspace in this way is automatically unexpected.

MAN BATTLE STATIONS!A Colossus is not dependent upon the support of others,

but this is not to say he cannot benefit from their presence.

A skilled crew can be invaluable to an Alchemical who’s

Transfiguration provides him with the capacity to use them.

Characters in an Alchemical’s crew always provide a

limited teamwork bonus (Exalted, 5) to his actions if

it is remotely plausible that they could do so. This can apply

even in combat, where an Exalt’s gun crews might provide

this bonus on attacks (commonly offsetting multiple-action

penalties for firing multiple weapons), or a bridge crew

might assist in processing sensor and communications data.

When deemed appropriate, a Colossus can also release

control of some of its systems – typically things like weapon

mounts, but potentially others at the storyteller’s discretion

– to the control of heroic crewmembers. In such a case, the

system in question is operated by the specified character,

but the Alchemical may choose to supplement that

character’s actions with his own charms, subject to normal

rules for charm use.

LABOR AND UTILITY

INTRA-SPATIAL INTERFACE ENGINE

Cost: 5m [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 4, Essence 6; Type: Simple

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious



A gimbaled mechanism comprised of eight gyroscopically

spinning starmetal rings situated near the Colossus’s center of

mass, this Charm is capable of opening a Nullspace bridge into a

fully enclosed extra-dimensional space housed within the Charm

itself. The portal created is typically rectangular, measures

(Essence) yards on each side, and allows any reasonably sized

object or person to pass through. It remains open as long as the

Exalt commits essence to this Charm.

The region beyond the portal is a single open rectilinear space

whose dimensions total no more than (Essence x 30) yards, with

its configuration set when the Charm is purchased. It contains a

normal atmosphere and otherwise appears to be a lightless and

virtually featureless box comprised of the Colossus’s magical

material. It contains whatever atmosphere the portal captures

when it opens.

The interior of the space is completely impervious to physical

damage, and creatures within the space can come or go only by

way of the portal this Charm provides, or magic capable of

crossing the boundaries between realms of existence.

When the Charm is deactivated, all creatures within its

volume are ejected from it along with any items they carry,

appearing scattered around the Colossus’s feet in whatever

arrangement the Alchemical desires. Everything else the space

contains remains within, and the enclosed region continues to

exist even when this Charm is inactive or uninstalled, its

contents sealed off from the outside world.

This interior space counts as passenger space provided by a

Transfiguration Charm for purposes of Charms and

submodules which refer to such spaces, and those within it

count as passengers.

The permanent Charms which enhance Intra-Spatial

Interface Engine each consume a portion of its available internal

space and draw a measure of the Alchemical’s essence that flows

through it. As such, a Colossus can install no more than

(Essence ÷ 3) such Charms at a time.

Submodules:

Environmental Control System (2xp): This submodule provides

the Alchemical’s extra-dimensional space with a continuously

refreshed supply of air, and maintains its temperature and

humidity anywhere within a humanly survivable range. The

conditions may be adjusted to inflict penalties on creatures

susceptible to them, but not so much that they become an

environmental hazard.

Intra-Spatial Compression Field (Essence 7): The total

dimensions of the Colossus’s internal extra-dimensional space

are increased to (Essence x 60) yards. The number of permanent

upgrades the Charm can support is increased to (Essence ÷ 2) at

a time.

Omnipresence Projection System (Wits 6, 4xp): With this

submodule a Colossus may reflexively spend one mote to project

a holographic avatar – usually appearing as he did when he was a

Champion – anywhere within his internal extra-dimensional

space. This avatar can be seen and heard but not touched, tasted,

or smelled. All of the Exalt’s senses extend through it. An

1212

Alchemical can project up to (Essence) such avatars at a time, but

suffers normal multiple-action penalties when dividing his

attention between controlling more than one, or controlling one

while performing other activities.

Cargo Vault Gateway (Stamina 11, Essence 7): This submodule

renders the Alchemical’s internal extra-dimensional space

somewhat fractal in nature, extending it out into Elsewhere. The

additional space this provides cannot be entered by living beings,

but allows him to store up to (Essence x 100,000) cubic yards of

additional inanimate cargo without consuming more useful

space.

INTEGRATED FABRICATION PLANT

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Perception 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Intra-Spatial Interface Engine

This Charm converts a portion of the Colossus’s extra-

dimensional space for use as a vast factory floor and workshop,

suitable for producing all manner of useful and potent items.

This operates as a Factory Cathedral as scribed on page 78 of

Oadenol’s Codex, without the benefit of the improvements

specified on page 102-103 ofDreams of the First Age: Lords of

Creation. This fully automated fabrication facility operates

under the direct mental control of the Alchemical, with no need

for further staff or crew, although a work force can be employed

to aid in crafting if desired.

MIND-FOUNDRY TUTORIAL ACADEMY


Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Training

Duration: Permanent


This Charm converts a portion of the Colossus’s extra-

dimensional space for use as a facility for training passengers and

crew. Holographic illustrations, automaton sparring partners,

and streaming presentations combine with subliminal

communication techniques to produce an environment where

students cannot help but learn.

The Academy can accommodate up to (Essence x

Intelligence) students at a time, and can train them in any

combination of up to (Intelligence) Attributes and Abilities a

time, as a training effect. Each trait can be increased by one dot

per week, to a maximum of the Alchemical’s own rating or the

student’s natural limit, whichever is less. Students may also be

trained in the use ofMartial Arts Charms the Exalt knows, at the

rate of one week per Charm, but only one such Charm may be

learned in a given week.

Submodules:

Infinite Observance University (Intelligence 9, Essence 7): This

submodule expands the number of students this Charm can

train to (Essence x Intelligence x Willpower), and enables the

training ofWillpower, Virtues, and Essence.

TEMPORAL META-STASIS DORMITORY

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Wits 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


This Charm fills a sector of the Alchemical’s extra-

dimensional space with vast arrays of bronze-bound glass stasis

tanks, capable of housing as many as (Essence x 100) people.

Characters cannot be forced into these tanks, but those who lie

in one and spend a point of Willpower fall into a dreamless,

timeless sleep where they do not breathe, require nourishment,

or age. Characters ensconced in this state do not count as

CHARM CONCEPT: NULLSPACEJust as Time Not is the time without time, the realm

called Nullspace is the space without space. When the Great

Maker constructed his bridge to nowhere, it was to

Nullspace that its span stretched, and its creation formally

recognized the shinma Nirupadhika which defines space

and location by its absence, separating every spot from every

other. Nullspace has no location, and is therefore

coterminous with all locations, and while it is conceptually

impossible for a thing to be in Nullspace, every moving

object passes continually through it, during the nonexistent

moments when it is neither here nor there.

Though most do not appreciate the fact, the nature of

Nullspace is key to many magical effects, for it is by

alteration of its narrative of motion that magic manipulates

space and distance, and by way of mote-constructs called

Nullspace Bridges that objects pass to and from Elsewhere.

Most such conditions are purely momentary in nature, but

those whose clarity approaches the Great Maker’s own begin

to understand that while Nullspace is without space it is not

without time, and that these common effects barely scratch

the surface of what can be achieved by its manipulation.

While being within Nullspace is beyond the ability of

localized intellects to conceive, it is never the less entirely

possible in practical fact. An object or entity which sits ‘in’

Nullspace is both infinitely far from and physically present

at every point in the universe, but remains utterly incapable

of movement, for in the realm it inhabits there is no such

thing. Such a creature is nowhere, and only an impetus from

somewhere can dislodge him, but such impossible logic is

well within the realm of Exalted magic, as it was for the

magic of the Primordials before them.

Nullspace is fundamentally the same realm as the

conceptual domain known as Fucking Nowhere, but it takes

itself considerably more seriously lest alpacas ensue.

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passengers for the purposes of Intra-Spatial Interface Engine,

and so can remain contained even when the Charm is

deactivated or uninstalled, existing in a state of indefinite stasis.

Characters wake from stasis at the liberty of the Colossus

using this Charm. Typically they schedule a time or set of

conditions under which they will be woken, but it is ultimately

up to their host to wake them with a trivial reflexive action.

Characters cannot be woken from stasis when the Exalt’s Intra-

Spatial Interface Engine is not installed and active.

In the event that the Colossus is killed while this Charm is

installed and one or more characters are in stasis within, this

Charm is guaranteed to survive his death, and can be found

amongst his remains. The Charm itself can be subsequently

damaged but not completely destroyed, and doing so kills all

those in stasis, leaving their spirits trapped within the extra-

dimensional space until the Charm is reinstalled.

Submodules:

Legacy Capsule Receiver (1xp): This submodule allows the

Colossus to install and use a Temporal Meta-Stasis Dormitory

which originally belonged to another Alchemical. The Charm’s

original owner must be deceased, or he must willingly give the

Charm over to the character with this submodule, but in either

case the Charm in question becomes a permanent part of the

receiving Exalt’s panoply.

METAMORPHIC HARVESTER AGORA

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Dexterity 6, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Shaping

Duration: Permanent


This Charm occupies a section of the Colossus’s extra-

dimensional space with a processing facility capable of milling

and refining raw resources into more valuable forms. This system

can refine a quantity of conventional materials in a week

sufficient to fill the Alchemical’s full cargo capacity, or it can be

used to refine exotic components for use in the creation of

artifacts, including quantities of the magical materials. In this

second function, it can refine up to (Dexterity) components at a

time, and each refinement requires a number of days equal to

the dot rating of the artifact for which it is meant to be a

component. Appropriate raw materials are required for both

magical and mundane refinement, and these must be collected

externally.

Submodules:

Chaos Spinning Loom (Essence 7, Dexterity 11): An Alchemical

with access to the Wyld can use this submodule to produce all

manner of mystical components from the raw stuff of chaos.

Wyld essence is considered an appropriate raw material for any

refined product, and the number of products which can be

refined simultaneously in this way is determined by the depth of

the surrounding Wyld – in True Chaos the Charm can operate

at full capacity, but reduce processing capacity by one for every

step removed the Alchemical’s location is from that state.

ALL-PURPOSE RECONFIGURATION FACILITYCost: – [1m]; Mins: Strength 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


This Charm allows the Colossus to reconfigure his internal

extra-dimensional space at will, extruding complex clockwork

features and buildings, and subdividing the space for maximum

utility and efficiency. The total exterior dimensions of the space

must remain unchanged, but the Alchemical is free to do with

the interior volume as he sees fit. This also enables the

Alchemical to extrude basic amenities – running water, lighting,

transportation systems, and so on – within his internal spaces.

Reconfiguring internal spaces is a diceless dramatic action which

takes a single long tick to complete.

Submodules:

Rubicon Hazard Simulator (Dexterity 5): This submodule allows

the Colossus to create internal defenses equivalent to up to

(Essence) simultaneous instances of the Dangerous Traps manse

feature (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 69), and the Puzzle Manse

feature (Oadeonl’s Codex, Page 73). These features are under

the Exalt’s direct mental control, and their design can be

reconfigured on command.

CONSTRUCT-POPULOUS COMMUNITY CENTER

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Stamina 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent


Duration: Permanent


This Charm devotes a portion of the Colossus’s extra-

dimensional space and resources to a tireless workforce of

automatons equivalent to up to (Stamina) points worth ofmanse

features from amongst Bound Servitor (Oadenol’s Codex, Page

68), Bound Servant Force (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 71),

Guardian (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 73), and Guardian Force

(Dreams of the First Age: Lords of Creation, Page 101). These

constructs can exit the Alchemical’s internal space, but instantly

snap back to their storage facility if they are ever more than

(Essence x 10) yards from the Alchemical.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT HEADQUARTERS

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Charisma 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Social

Duration: Permanent


This Charm outfits a section of the Alchemical’s internal

extra-dimensional space as the ultimate organizational

headquarters, complete with offices and conference rooms,

facilities for the sorting, processing and storage of records, and

elaborate systems of communication from intercoms to

pneumatic message tubes. The facility can headquarter an

organization with Size up to the Alchemical’s Essence (or any

combination of organizations of equivalent size), and the

Alchemical may employ the equivalents of the following Charms

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on their behalf:

• Insightful Buyer Technique (Exalted, Page 230)

• Speed the Wheels (Exalted, Page 231)

• Bureau-Rectifying Method (Exalted, Page 231)

Submodules:

Business Intelligence Driver (Manipulation 7, Essence 7): This

Charm expands the tools at the Colossus’s disposal for helping

the organizations headquartered within him, adding the

following Charms to the list of effects he can employ on their

behalf:

• Icy Hand (Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals, Page 176)

• End Debate (Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals, Page 178)

COMMAND MULTIPLEX STATIONCost: – [1m]; Mins: Manipulation 7, Essence 7;

Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, War

Duration: Permanent


This Charm outfits a sector of the Exalt’s internal extra-

dimensional space with equipment and facilities for directing

large scale military operations. Tactical displays driven by the

Alchemical’s vast processing power and communications systems

operating through the medium of Nullspace allow field

commanders to direct the actions of their troops with effortless

coordination, while strategic simulation systems and

management facilities help ensure that a force commanded from

the Station’s hardened command bunkers always has the

resources it needs to prosecute its campaign.

This Charm allows for the remote command of up to

(Manipulation) mass combat units. They must have

commanders, and those commanders must be present in the

Command Station, but from it they can command their units

without penalty using telepathic communication, holographic

projections, and advanced sensor systems, as long as those units

operate within (Essence x 10) miles of the Alchemical.

Submodules:

Strategic Information Center (Perception 9): This submodule

extends the range at which units may be commanded to (Essence

x 100) miles, or (Essence x 1000) miles if operating in an open,

generally two dimensional region such as Creation.

Command Augmentation Systems (Manipulation 9): The

Alchemical can exercise his magical power to augment the

performance of troops commanded from his Command

Multiplex Station, enabling him to employ effects equivalent to

the following Charms on their behalf, without regard to range:

• Rout-Stemming Gesture (Exalted, Page 197)

• Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army (Exalted, Page 197)

• Ideal Battle Knowledge Prana (Exalted, Page 199)

OMNIPLEX ENTERTAINMENT PROMENADE

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Appearance 7, Essence 7; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Social

Duration: Permanent


This Charm devotes a portion of the Colossus’s internal extra-

dimensional space to the happiness, well being, and comfort of

his passengers, providing anything from conventional amenities

to fully immersive simulation chambers capable of replicating

even the most alien of environments. Throughout all of these are

woven subtle propaganda and messaging systems which produce

a powerful hypnotic suggestion, capable of shaping the behavior

of the Alchemical’s passengers in profound ways.

Characters using these benefits count as resting for purposes

of healing and essence respiration. If a character has made use of

these facilities, he counts as little as four hours of sleep as a full

night’s rest, and automatically passes his Conviction roll to

regain Willpower the following morning unless he spent

Willpower to resist the Charm’s effects as described below.

These facilities are sufficient to entertain any or all of a

Colossus’s passengers and crew.

This Charm is designed to produce and reinforce a particular

intimacy, configured at the time of installation. Each scene a

character spends partaking of the benefits this Charm provides

counts as a scene spent eroding any intimacies which oppose the

one specified at installation. If no opposing intimacies remain,

each scene there after counts towards building up the specified

intimacy. If the designed intimacy has already been established,

each scene spent increases the number of scenes required to

erode that intimacy by one, without limit. All of these are

unnatural emotion effects, and characters may resist these effects

for a scene by spending a point of willpower.

Submodules:

Targeted Messaging System (Manipulation 7): With this

submodule, the Colossus’s Omniplex Entertainment

Promenade may be configured to produce (Manipulation ÷ 2)

distinct intimacies. The Alchemical chooses which of these

intimacies is developed when a character makes use of the

facilities provided by the Charm.

CUBAGEColossus charms measure internal capacity in cubic

yards, and some provide a very great deal of space for the

Alchemical to work with. In light of that, it may be useful to

have a frame of reference in terms of real-world applications:

Volume Application

12 Interior space of a typical car

45 Volume of a comfortable hotel room

120 Capacity of a standard cargo container

250 Volume of a one bedroom apartment

800 Volume of a typical single family home

3,250 Volume of an Olympic swimming pool

5,000 Average volume of an office building

35,000 Volume of a modern navy cruiser

125,000 Volume of a WWII battle ship

720,000 Capacity of a modern container ship

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INTERSPATIAL GATEWAY GENERATOR

Cost: 20m [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 9, Essence 6; Type: Simple

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK, Obvious



The chrome-adamant rings which comprise this Charm

closely resemble those of the Intra-Spatial Interface Engine, and

indeed rotate around the same point, albeit in the opposite

direction. Rather than opening a gateway to the Colossus’s sub-

spatial interior however, the portal this Charm creates opens to

another realm of existence, allowing those who enter to pass

through and emerge in an Alchemical metropolis present in that

realm. The metropolis at the receiving end of the portal must

consent however, and may reflexively block the connection at no

cost to itself.

The portal created by this Charm must cross the boundaries

of two realms to function, and must connect to another

Alchemical. It also cannot breach the Seal ofEight Divinities if it

is intact. It will thus remain little more than a theoretical

footnote until such a time as Alchemicals enter the world at

large, except in those Shards with a radically different cosmology.

Submodules:

Essence Pattern Transponder (Essence 7): This submodule allows

the Colossus to act as a valid target for another Alchemical’s

activation of Interspatial Gateway Generator, exactly as if he

were an appropriate Alchemical Metropolis. All other conditions

of use must still be met normally.

Pattern Routing Switch (Wits 7, Essence 7, 3xp): A colossus with

this submodule can sort passengers who pass through his

Interspatial Gateway Generator, sending each one to one of up

to (Essence ÷ 2) distinct, valid destinations. Those transported

are not aware of this before arriving.

TESERRACT CELL-BLOCK MATRIX

Cost: 5m; Mins: Wits 9, Essence 7; Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Colossus, Combo-OK


Prerequisite Charms: Interspatial Gateway Generator

This Charm consists of a featureless soulsteel canister located

adjacent to the Colossus’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine,

designed to segregate and contain living essence patterns.

Whenever a character steps through one of the portals generated

by the Alchemical’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine or Interspatial

Gateway Generator, coming or going, the Exalt may reflexively

activate this Charm to shunt the character into containment

within this Charm.

Characters imprisoned in this way remain so, utterly helpless,

for as long as essence remains committed to this Charm, trapped

in a Nullspace cell from which there can be no escape. No action

such a character can take will extricate him from his

confinement outside of space. Only the actions of those outside

can recover him – either by ending the Alchemical’s

commitment to this Charm, or by employing some other

extraordinary magic capable of fetching the imprisoned entity up

from beyond the real.

Submodules:

Neural Reeducation Unit (Manipulation 11): This submodule

bombards a character imprisoned by Teserract Cell-Block Matrix

with a constant onslaught of messages designed to reshape his

personality and very motivation. Each day spent imprisoned

counts as a scene spent building an intimacy of the Alchemical’s

design, or eroding an intimacy the Alchemical knows of. If at any

point none of the intimacies with which the character entered

his imprisonment remain, the Colossus may also permanently

replace the character’s motivation with one of his choosing.

Essence Deprivation Oubliette (Intelligence 11): With this

submodule installed, a character imprisoned by Teserract Cell-

Block Matrix is cut off from all outside resources, rendering him

unable to regain essence, points of temporary willpower, and

virtue channels by any means. This also incidentally blocks the

voices of the Neverborn heard by a character with Whispers, and

the thoughts of Autochthon as heard by characters with high

Clarity.

PANOPLY SCALAR ENGINE

Cost: 1m [1m]; Mins: Dexterity 5, Essence 6; Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Colossus, Obvious, Shaping, Stackable



Etched adamant plates in the Colossus’s hands and elsewhere

around his body project a spatial distortion field which enables

him to use equipment designed for drastically different shaped –

and usually much smaller – beings. This is accomplished not by

physically changing the object, but rather by distorting the space

the item occupies, and thereby changing the way it interacts with

the world.

By committing one mote with this Charm to an artifact or

item of mundane equipment, the Alchemical causes it to resize

and reshape itself so as to become compatible with the Exalt’s

own size and body plan. This Charm can be used only on

personal equipment, and is incompatible with items whose

specific physical form is essential to their function, such as

vehicles. The Colossus can maintain up to (Essence)

commitments to this Charm at a time.

SPIRITUAL

EXTRATERRITORIAL UMBILICAL LINK

Cost: –; Mins: Charisma 7, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Native

Duration: Permanent


An essence resonant lattice adjacent to the Colossus’s essence

reservoir produces an arcane link between the Exalt and a willing

Alchemical Metropolis which allows the younger Alchemical to

draw upon his sponsor’s vast reserves of essence and nearly

limitless processing power to enhance himself.

This Charm must be installed in a vats complex in the city to

1616

which it is to be linked, and the metropolis in question must

voluntarily commit three motes to the Charm’s installation. The

city may release this commitment at any time, rendering this

Charm inactive. Barring that however, the Alchemical with this

Charm gains a bonus of (Metropolis’s Essence ÷ 2) motes to the

capacity of his personal essence pool.

Submodules:

Infrastructure Link Device (3xp): A more powerful and stable

uplink allows for much more active channeling of essence from a

sponsor city to its chosen Colossuses. While this Charm is

installed, the Alchemical regains additional motes of essence

each hour equal to his sponsor’s (Essence x 2).

ANCILLARY DESIGN-WEAVING MATRIX


Keywords: Axiomatic, Colossus, Exemplar 2, Internal, Native

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Thermionic Orthodoxy Array

A pair of rectangular adamant chimes, arranged to either side

of the Colossus’s essence reservoir, vibrate and hum with the

rightness of the machine god, expanding the reach of his

Thermionic Orthodoxy Array to (Clarity x 100) yards. Their

resounding harmonics also increase the power of the Charm’s

prerequisite to impose Autochthon’s laws upon the world,

allowing essence to be respired normally in blight zones.

Submodules:

Causality Management System (Intelligence 9, Essence 7): With

this submodule, the area affected by the Colossus’s Thermionic

Orthodoxy Array is considered to be for all purposes inside the

Design of Autochthon. This applies even when the Charm is

used in Creation, temporarily relieving the Pattern Spiders of

their responsibilities for the area in question.

LOOM-SERVER UPLINK


Keywords: Colossus, Exemplar 3, Internal, Native

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Ancillary Design-Weaving Matrix

A single strand of fate from the Design of Autochthon, stung

taught in alignment with the Colossus’s essence reservoir,

vibrates in constant, silent harmony with the maker’s plan for

the universe. An array of orichalcum rings move up and down

along it, keeping it in sync with the actions of the Design

Weavers, and amplifying its presence, allowing the Alchemical to

interface directly with the Design.

An Exalt with this Charm can craft and use ascending and

descending destinies as if he were a Sidereal. He gains no access

to resplendent destinies. These destinies function through the

Design of Autochthon, and as such are only effective when used

on areas, groups, or characters within that. Even natives to the

Fate of creation remain unaffected.

Submodules:

Foreign Host Negotiation (Charisma 9): With this submodule

the Design Weavers can be coerced into transferring

responsibility for a destiny to their elder and less advanced

counterparts on the Loom of Fate, allowing destinies the

Alchemical crafts to affect natives of Creation.

Design Weaving Spindle (Wits 9): An adamant micro-loom

allows the Colossus to pre-fabricate familiar destinies with

astonishing speed. When the Alchemical crafts a destiny with

the same conditions as a destiny he has crafted previously, divide

the required time by his (Wits).

Pattern Enforcement Paradigm (Clarity 7): With this submodule,

the Alchemical’s designs harmonize so completely with those of

the Great Maker that the Design Weavers can see no possible

grounds for objection. Destinies the Colossus crafts entirely

within the Design of Autochthon produce no Paradox.

Divine Presence Directive (Clarity 9): This submodule allows the

Colossus to use the Design itself as a means of communication

with the ministers and subroutines of the Machine God. By

expending a point of Willpower while making a prayer to the

appropriate subroutine, the Alchemical gains automatic

successes equal to his (Essence) on the prayer roll, which do not

count as dice added by Charms.

KEYWORD: COLOSSUS (REVISED)Relevant to non-Alchemical characters who can acquire

Alchemical charms, as well as for use with submodules such

as Combat Drone Deployment and charms such as Remote

Drone-Body Guidance, the Colossus keyword denotes a

Charm whose physical size is a significant component of its

functionality. More than simply size however, such Charms

require the specific infrastructure of an alchemically

transfigured body to support them, and as such may only be

installed by a character that has an installed Transfiguration

Charm.

All submodules for Colossus charms, as well as all

submodules with a listed Essence requirement of 6 or 7, also

implicitly bear this keyword. If a non-Colossus charm with a

such a submodule is installed by a character without a

Transfiguration Charm, the submodule’s benefits are not

available, but the charm and its other submodules function

normally.

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COLOSSAL APOSTATES

Apostasy amongst the ranks of the Colossi is vanishingly rare.

When an elder Alchemical goes to battle against the Void he

does so armed and armored against its touch, and those who

acquire heretical leanings during their early years seldom elude

the scrutiny of their patrons and the Adamant cast for the

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http://forums.white-wolf.com/cs/forums/t/25013.aspx

IMPRINTED DATA CLUSTER


Apocryphal Insight Revelation (Intelligence 9, Essence 6):

Techno-organic tendrils of tainted moonsilver infiltrate the

Colossus’s Imprinted Data Cluster, undulating along its delicate

neural pathways and revealing insights far too mercurial to

resonate with the Maker’s regimented nature. This submodule

allows the specialties granted by Imprinted Data Cluster to be

configured as Attribute specialties (Lunars, Page 142) rather

than Ability specialties.

Characters with one or more Attribute specialties gained in

this way are directly exposed to the most dissonant elements of

Autochthon’s psyche. The effects of this are equivalent to

possessing a rating in the Whispers background (Abyssals, Page

100) equal to the number of installed Ability specialties, except

that the visions experienced relate to the self-destructive

elements of the Great Maker’s nature, rather than to the natures

of the Underworld’s Neverborn.

INTEGRATED GENESIS SYSTEM(Alchemicals, 1)

[See the existing text of the charm.]

Replicant Conception Seed (Stamina 5, Essence 7): A tiny

soulsteel spine within the Dreanaught’s Integrated Genesis

System is capable of ensnaring the soul of any creature which

dies while encased in the Apostate’s genesis womb, and stripping

it of its lifetime of memories. These memories can then be

implanted into a soulless clone body all but indistinguishable

from the original, enabling it to act as a nearly perfect infiltrator.

As a perfect effect, a replicant created in this way is

indistinguishable in all respects from the individual cloned, and

the Alchemical contests any perfect effects which would reveal its

true nature with his (Perception + Craft [Genesis]), gaining a

number of automatic successes on the roll equal to his (Essence).

The replicant’s motivation is to serve the will of its creator, but it

otherwise retains all the traits the original person had in life.

This effect cannot duplicate the effects and benefits of

exaltation, and cannot be used to convincingly duplicate a

creature with an essence greater than one.

ANY TRANSFIGURATION CHARM

(Colossus, Page 9)

Dreadnaught Chassis Reconception (Essence 6): Pulsating

bundles of exposed muscle, glistening chitinous shells of alien

design, and vast fleshy tubules that throb with peristaltic motion

wrap over, through, and around the Colossus’s transfigured

body, remaking him into a nightmare creature of staggering

power, wicked intellect, and horrible, irresistible will. A version

of this submodule exists for every charm with the

Transfiguration keyword, but each has the same general results.

The additional commitment requirements of each instance of

Transhuman (Attribute) Scaffold the character installs are

reduce by (Dissonance ÷ 2) motes (this does not reduce

installation cost). He also adds his (Dissonance) to his natural

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centuries it takes to achieve Colossus status. For all that however

it is not unheard of, and these Colossal apostates – or

Dreadnaughts, as the abominations are formally known – are

amongst the greatest horrors to be found anywhere in the realm

of brass and shadow.

A Dreadnaught is not a subtle thing. Though its nature may

be masked using Husk Sculpting Apparatus or similarly magic,

the physical transformation an elder apostate undergoes is

invariably as dramatic as that undergone by his untainted

counterparts, and his true nature is a thing of meat and metal

and horror the likes of which sane minds dare not ponder.

SUBMODULES

INDUSTRIAL CHAMPION ICON(Alchemicals, Page 145)

Faith Corrupting Insignia (Charisma 7, Essence 6): A thin

underlay of blight-tarnished bronze applied to the hidden

surfaces of the Dreadnaught’s Industrial Champion Icon allows

the tainted Alchemical to install the charm and its immediate

prerequisite (Unconditional Imperative Programming) despite

being a creature of the Void. Perhaps more importantly, it

perverts the effects of both those charms, turning them in to

perhaps the ultimate tools for swaying Autochthon’s faithful

from their path.

This submodule replaces all references to creatures of the

Void in Industrial Champion Icon and its immediate

prerequisite with “the faithful of Autochthon” and all reference

to Clarity with Dissonance. If the Counter-Dissonance Stabilizer

submodule is installed, the Dreadnaught may employ it to

suppress his own Gremlin Syndrome and status as a creature of

the Void. The Heresy Declaration Beacon submodule functions

normally, allowing the Apostate to claim others as his own.

BECOMING A DREADNAUGHTBecoming a Dreadnaught is no easy thing. No state

would commission a Transfiguration with Dreadnaught

Chassis Reconception even in the most dire circumstances,

and the material costs of increasing Essence for heretical

Colossi is at least as great as for their orthodox counterparts.

Some few manage to conceal their corruption long enough

to con their sponsors out of at least the chassis of their

upgrades, installing their own Void tech submodules by

other means, but such solutions are far from perfect.

Eventually, nearly all Dreadnaughts come to rely upon

the charm Transorganic Desecration Cyst (Alchemicals,

Page 180) and its Retromorphic Dynamic Physiology

submodule, but even this is insufficient on its own to reach

the higher tiers of enlightenment. In order to increase his

Essence to 6 or higher, an Apostate requires access to a vast

stockpile of arcane materials with a total cost equivalent to

Wealth • • • • , and lacking the support of a sponsor state

he must take specific action to acquire such vast resources.

soak, and extrudes a number of extra limbs – often but not

always in the form of tentacles – which confer benefits

equivalent to (Essence) instances of the Multiple Limbs

abomination (Exalted, Page 290).

The Dreadnaught’s retransfiguration is not without cost

however, for the biological expansion of his Colossal might

demands to be fed, and its hunger is not for metal, but for flesh.

The Colossus suffers from starvation unless he consumes

(Essence x 50) pounds of meat each day. Nutrient slurry may be

substituted, but (Essence x 100) pounds per day are required to

stave off the hunger.

INTRA-SPATIAL INTERFACE ENGINE

(Colossus, Page 12)

Spirit Harrowing Filter (Perception 8, Essence 6, 3xp): An

almost imperceptible adjustment to the rotation timing of the

Dreadnaught’s Intra-Spatial Interface Engine creates a slight

disharmony where the Alchemical’s internal space co-joins the

design ofAutochthon, and this faint differential marks the souls

of all who pass through that dread portal. The Apostate

possesses an automatic arcane link to every creature that passes

through the portal created by the augmented charm, and this

link persists for a (Essence) months even after the character

returns to the normal world.

OVERDRIVE CONTROL PROCESSOR(Forum Thread)

Terror Harvesting Membrane (Perception 9, Essence 6): A paper

thin membrane of mummified human brain tissue woven with

discarded threads from the Design ofAutochthon resonates with

the fear of those who surround the Dreadnaught. For each

character in the scene who bears an intimacy of fear towards the

Exalt, his overdrive pool capacity increases by five motes and he

receives a mote drip of one offensive mote per action.

CHARMS

FLESH-WRIGHT ABOMINATION LABORATORYCost: – [1m]; Mins: Intelligence 8, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Internal, Void

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Integrated Genesis System, Intra-Spatial

Interface Engine

This charm drastically re-envisions a portion of the Colossus’s

internal extra-dimensional space as a vast complex of tanks and

tubes, organic in design and wet with unwholesome secretions.

Obvious Void tech to those who know the signs, this charm

expands the capabilities of the character’s Integrated Genesis

System to the scale of mass production, allowing him to mass

produce the products of Craft [Genesis] at the same rate a

factory cathedral (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 78) produces magitech

artifacts.

Submodules:

Brood Birthing Vats (Wits 8, Essence 7): This submodule

expands the capabilities of the Dreadnaught’s Flesh-Wright

Abomination Laboratory with the benefits of the improved

version of the factory cathedral manse power described on page

102 of Dreams of the First Age: Lords of Creation, including

the ability to mass produce large batches of product in parallel.

Soul Fixing Sutures (Essence 6, 3xp): With this submodule the

Alchemical gains the means to corrupt and implant captured

soul gems in to his bio-technical creations, allowing such a gem

to be used as an exotic material (Oadenol’s Codex, Page 24) in

any Craft [Genesis] project, regardless of the nature of the

project or the rating of the creature it is meant to produce.

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FROM WHENCE THE VOIDThe tenets of conventional motonic information theory

hold that a mote of essence may exist in one of three

primary information states: Shaped, as found in the motes

of most of the realms of existence, possessing a defined set

of characteristics; Propagating, as observed in the motes

directed by essence using beings, possessed of an essence

pattern which modifies other proximal motes; or

Undefined, as observed in the Wyld, where motes possess

an arbitrary set of characteristics which changes without

regard to outside influence.

A more radical theory proposes a fourth and fifth state.

The first is known as Null and pertains when a mote is

shaped such that its only characteristic is that it cannot be

shaped again. It is motes in this state that are posited to

comprise Oblivion. The second is known as Void, a state in

which a mote is defined as nonexistent and thereby vanishes

permanently from the motonic fabric, taking any

information it held with it. It is this state which is

considered most terrifying, for if it exists then by definition

the eventual demise of existence itself is inevitable.

The Void is not a place or a condition; it is an irrevocable

state of being. By grand artifice, or some instinct for self

preservation which predates Creation itself, the magic of the

Primordials, the Gods, and the Exalted alike avoids this

state – it modifies motes and releases them back into the

fabric with great reliability – but Autochthon was never a

perfect being and it has ever been his great misfortune to

explore that dangerous frontier where his cousins dare not

tread.

Autochthon’s great sickness is in this respect one of his

most profound discoveries, for on the bleeding edge of

motonic theory he discovered the Void, and like all

Primordials, for him to discover a concept was to make it

part of himself. Thus the Void was incorporated into his

functions and there it stubbornly remains, because

deliberate self destruction – the amputation of these

dangerous functions which leak his essence into

nonexistence – is a necessarily foreign concept to an entity

for whom accepting it would mean virtual suicide.


Breed Culling Abattoir (Perception 11, Essence 7): Countless

mechanized vivisection chambers outfitted with hundreds of

devices for recording and measuring the flows of essence equip

the Dreadnaught with the tools to study the nature of other

organic species. By dissecting ((50 – Perception) x 10) examples

of a species, the Dreadnaught permanently reduces the effective

artifact rating of Craft [Genesis] projects related to that species

by one for purposes of determining minimum requirements,

required components, difficulties, and all other craft related

considerations.

Genesis Recombination Module (Intelligence 11, Essence 7,

Breed Culling Abattoir): With this submodule, if the

Dreadnaught reduces the effective rating of Craft [Genesis]

projects by an additional dot if he has studied three or more

related species with his Breed Culling Abattoir.

VOID TRAVERSAL ENGINES

Cost: 20m, 3wp; Mins: Intelligence 11, Essence 7; Type: Simple

(Long Tick)

Keywords: Colossus, Void

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Interspatial Gateway Generator

An array of vast essence capacitors surrounds the

Dreadnaught’s Interspatial Gateway Generator, each of them

with a strand of fate at its core, plucked from the Design of

Autochthon and affixed at one end, with the other left flailing

wildly and bleeding motes away into nothingness. When

activated, this charm rips a hole in the fabric of reality and pulls

the Colossus through into another realm of existence. The realm

into which the Exalt and his passengers emerge is random

(which is to say, determined at the whim of the story teller), as is

the specific location within that realm, although either or both

might be influenced by ritual preparations or special artifacts if

the Apostate has access to information about his possible

destinations. Most Dreadnaughts see their blind journey as a test

of faith however, one which will inevitably deliver them to a

world where they might find the Maker’s doom.

The Seal of Eight Divinities was never meant to contain those

within the Maker’s world body, and as such this charm may be

used to depart the realm of brass and shadow even if the Seal is

intact. It may not be used to return however. This penetration

does not break the seal but does damage it, and the resulting

bleed of the Great Maker’s essence into the void around the

point of departure invariably results in the creation of a blight

zone.

Submodules:

World Glimpsing Lens (Perception 9, Essence 7): A dirt caked

lens of smoky glass flickers with images of another world as the

Alchemical’s Void Traversal Engines are activated, showing him

views of the place he will go with increasing clarity. With this

submodule, the Dreadnaught and his crew may roll (Perception

+ Investigation) during the charm’s activation to discern the

nature of the realm to which he is about to travel. If he chooses,

the Exalt may roll (Wits + Willpower) to abort the activation of

the charm at any time prior to its completion.

Trans-Phase Reintegration Engine (Dissonance 10): Towering

coils of blackened adamant, humming with rhythmless

vibrations allow the true Apostate to force himself back through

the scar left in the Seal by his own departure and into the fabric

from whence he came. With this submodule, a Dreadnaught

who has left Autochthonia can transition back into that realm,

even if the Seal of Eight Divinities remains intact. He cannot

stay however.

The cost of this charm must remain committed as long as the

Exalt wishes to remain within Autochthon’s world body.

Furthermore, after each day in the Maker’s realm, he must roll

his (Essence), with the required commitment increasing by the

number of successes rolled. If he cannot or will not commit this

essence, he and everyone on board him snap instantly back to

his realm of origin.

The use of this technique is equivalent to a Blasphemy effect

within the Design ofAutochthon, and is unmistakably felt by all

creatures within (Essence x 200) miles of the point of return

(which is always the original point of departure), and by the

Divine Ministers regardless of where they are. While forced in to

Autochthonia in this way, the Colossus’s interior spaces count as

being within the realm from which the Dreadnaught traveled for

all purposes, and exhibit strong characteristics of that realm

equivalent to the effects of a correspondingly themed demesne.

UNKNOWABLE COUNTENANCE MASK

Cost: – [1m]; Mins: Appearance 5, Essence 6; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Colossus, Emotion, Obvious, Social, Void

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Any Social Attribute Augmentation

A cold, featureless mask of the Dreadnaught’s magical

material covers his face, smoke rising from its borders and black,

tarry oil oozing from the rivets driven in to his twisted flesh to

hold it in place. The faces of all those the Exalt has slain in the

Void’s name swirl across its surface, more active and more

agonized than those seen in the most horrific soulsteel artifact.

To look upon this visage is to know with certainty that there is

no truth but the Void. To know that the silence of nothingness

is the ultimate fate not just of men and gods, but of every mote

in every realm, the universe over. To know despair.

The Exalt radiates this cold certainty in an aura of doom

which effects all creatures within (Essence x 100) yards, unless

they expend a Conviction channel and (Charisma ÷ 2) points of

Willpower to resist it for a scene. As an unnatural emotion

effect, those in the area who do not resist fall into a deep,

despairing introspection where they are unaware of everything

going on around them unless physically, personally attacked (in

which case they are freed from the effect).

Even for those who resist the effect or are broken from it by

physical violence cannot bear to look directly upon the Exalt,

and suffer an external penalty to all actions directed at him equal

to his (Charisma) unless the action in question was augmented

by the channeling of a virtue.

2020

Submodules:

Mind Searing Ruination Pattern (Wits 9, Essence 6): So terrible

is the Dreadnaught’s visage that it has the power to drive men

truly mad. Whenever a character takes an action which suffers

the external penalty inflicted by Unknowable Countenance

Mask, he must roll (Willpower + Integrity) against a difficulty of

the Colossus’s (Essence), or lose a point of temporaryWillpower.

Characters who lose their last point of temporary Willpower in

this way suffer terrifying delusions (Exalted, Page 289) as a

Shaping effect until the effect is removed by some appropriate

magic.

2121

THE NINTH NATIONXexas and Loran were not the first of their kind. More

than a thousand years before they began their pilgrimages to

the extents of Autochthonia, a Jade Colossus called Onyx

Observer ventured into the reaches to put down roots, and

in time became the Patropolis of Nix. Situated deep in the

pole of metal, but not so deep as to be beyond the interests

of the Octet, his citizens prospered and the powers of the

eight nations wondered if they who had always been eight

might one day become nine. But this was not to be.

When one day the trade from Nix stopped coming, the

eight nations presumed the situation was temporary. That

the churning shuffle of the Great Maker’s inner workings

had carried their new partner temporarily out of contact.

But when time and magical communication failed to reach

the city, they grew concerned, and sent their Champions to

see what had befallen their elder counterpart.

The city they found was a ruin, a corpse, crumbling as if

dead a thousand years, with its citizens skeletal remains

heaped together at its heart. It was not a blight. A trace of

the Void was there, but it was as faint as the stink of smoke

and lightning and all those other trace elements the

Custodians leave behind when they go to war.

And so the Champions turned for home, and warned

their councils away, all the while careful never to utter the

word: Necropolis.

INFORMATION &THANKSThis PDF and these rules and materials are a fan work created

by Dashiel Nemeth (ChainsawXIV), and origenally posted on

White Wolf's Exalted Forums. It is also available in simple form

on Google Docs, and on the Official Exalted Wiki.

My thanks are extended to all those who participated in the

discussion of this work, and contributed to its success.


https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1pJp6rDYHPJLUdenICdj4Y_chPJEIlSajuL8htL8-xt8

http://wiki.white-wolf.com/exalted/index.php?title=Alchemical_Colossus_Charms_%28Chainsaw_XIV%29

colossus charms

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