The Elemental Spells of Shining Phoenix Sentinel

From the Library of Shining Phoenix Sentinel:

One of the more prolific spell designers during the height of the First Age, Shining Phoenix Sentinel’s love of sorcery was surpassed solely by his love for his Lunar Mate. As they adventured often together, there was little conflict in his two passions.

Feng Shan was fascinated by the potential of elemental magics, both in their power and their more subtle applications. Though denied Charms that could manipulate such elements, controlling the material of Creation is the very heart of Sorcery, and so he devised a series of spells that would allow him to tap into that wellspring of versatility. While his own Terrestrial students surpassed him in his first effort, eventually his achievements would allow him to rival the power of even the most potent elemental dragons.

Elemental Authority

Circle: Terrestrial
Cost: 10 or 15 motes

This spell grants the caster an opportunity to control one of the five elements, if he is skilled enough. Casting the spell initially requires one turn. The turn after the spell is cast, the Exalt makes a Wits + Occult roll. Each success grants a certain amount of ability to command the substance of the element chosen when the spell was cast. One success grants control equal to a strong breeze or the shaping of a fist-sized crystal, two can create a torch-sized fire or turn a flower into a bush, three can call forth a rushing stream or a wall of stone, four can reshape a tree or banish a crashing wave, and five can shape wind to lift boulders or create towering pillars of flame. This translates to negligible Strength, damage, or material soak with one success, a Strength/damage/soak of one at two, three Str/dmg/soak at three, six Str/dmg/soak at four, and ten Str/dmg/soak at five successes. This spell grants no extra benefits to a sorcerer who garners more than five successes on the initial Wits + Occult roll.

Any of the elements can be used to create bashing or lethal damage; air can be used as a bludgeon or to shape and summon lightning, for example, while fire can be used to immolate or merely wrap the target in health-sapping heat. Further, with five successes, the sorcerer can move freely through the element (fly through air, swim through/breathe water, burrow through earth, etc.) at his normal speed. A barrier can be made of any element save fire, and is treated as an inanimate object rather than armor (even if it is moving) when attacked. Fire cannot make solid barriers, but any who pass through a sheet of flame take full damage as they cross it. This damage can be soaked normally, but bypasses any armor that is not attuned to the wearer.

The power granted by the spell lasts for one scene. While the power of the spell is based on the initial roll, each shaping or direction of power is performed with a further Wits + Occult roll, including attacks. Only one target can be struck, bound, blinded, or otherwise inconvenienced at a time by an attack, though the use of Extra Action Charms can allow the sorcerer to affect multiple targets in a turn. The target may always choose to defend with Dexterity + Dodge, though some indirect effects may alternately be defended against with Wits + Awareness. Volume is based on the number of successes on the initial Wits + Occult roll, as if those successes were the permanent Essence of a spirit with Affinity Element Control. Indeed, aside from the different dice pools, this spell is very similar to that spirit Charm. The spell costs 15 motes for all sorcerers except Dragon-Blooded, who can spend 10 motes to gain Elemental Authority over their favored element. While the spell need only be learned once to be able to affect any element, only one element can be controlled at a time. Casting Elemental Authority a second time allows the sorcerer to choose a new element, not control two elements at once.

Elemental Command

Circle: Celestial
Cost: 25 motes

This spell functions in a manner nearly identical to Elemental Authority, with some important exceptions. First, the caster gains one automatic success for each dot of permanent Essence she has. Second, the maximum number of successes is increased to eight, with each success above the initial five increasing the element’s Str/dmg/soak rating by five. Third, the spell’s duration is increased to a full day. Finally, the sorcerer can choose one Elemental Power from the “Common Elemental Powers” selection on page 296 of the core Exalted book and use it at a cost of one mote per turn, for as long as the spell lasts. The Elemental Power to be used must be chosen when the spell is cast and cannot be altered without recasting Elemental Command.

Elemental Supremacy

Circle: Solar
Cost: 50 motes (25 committed)

As Elemental Command is to Elemental Authority, so is this spell to Elemental Command. It functions as Elemental Command does, with the following changes. The spell lasts for as long as the caster wills it (though 25 of the motes spent on Elemental Supremacy are committed until the sorcerer ends the spell). Elemental Supremacy grants a number of automatic successes equal to Essence + Occult, and there is no maximum number of successes. Instead of targeting individuals for attacks, an attack can be directed at an entire volume, the maximum size of which is unchanged from the rule given in Elemental Authority. The sorcerer gains two Elemental Powers instead of one, and they may be used at will and without further Essence cost. Unlike weaker versions of the spell, two versions of Elemental Supremacy can be active at once, though this means that the sorcerer has 50 motes of Essence committed as long as both are active. Finally, all displays of elemental power glow with the gold-white light of the sun, from the most carefully crafted grasping hand of air to the mightiest golem of stone. This sorcery can circumvent the limitations of the Solar Exalted, but it cannot hide their nature. (Should an Infernal version exist, equivalent toxic-green displays flow from the sorcerer’s hands.)

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