Combos

Latest Errata: Exalts need not spend experience to purchase or create Combos, nor spend Willpower to activate them. Characters may simultaneously activate as many of their Charms as they desire, so long as the combination of powers activated obeys the rules for creating Combos (for example, characters still may not activate two Simple Charms simultaneously, nor activate another Charm at the same time as a Charm that lacks the Combo-OK keyword).

General Guidelines

Combos may include only those Charms with the Combo-Basic or Combo-OK keywords. Charms with the Combo-Basic keyword can share a Combo with only reflexive Charms. A Combo can include more than two Charms but it can never include the same Charm more than once. Storytellers are always free to veto the combination of certain Charms, and the Storyteller's decision is final when it comes to defining how a given Combo works.

When a character uses a Combo in battle or in war, there is an unmistakably brilliant display of Essence. Any character present will know that the Exalt is using a Combo the moment she pays the temporary Willpower to activate it. However, the witness will not know the exact nature of the Combo until he has seen it used once. The display of a Combo's activation is very distinctive, and once a character has seen it activated, he will be able to recognize it if he sees it again.

Characters can use Combos in a social conflict or to enhance dramatic actions. This use does not produce a Combo display unless one of the Charms in the Combo is Obvious.

Timing

Combos allow a character to use two, three or more Charms in a given action. Don't worry if this seems like it could get confusing. This section presents a point-by-point description of how the different types of Charms work together in a Combo. There are a lot of rules, but it's not as complex as it looks. Beneath the precise wording and occasional repetition, the core concepts are simple ones.

Simple—a Combo can have only one simple Charm in it.

If there are supplemental Charms in the Combo, the character must use them to supplement the simple Charm.

If there is an extra-action Charm in the Combo, the character must use the simple Charm as every action in the magical flurry. The character must use the simple Charm a number of times equal to the minimum number of actions in the flurry. The simple Charm must be from the same Ability as the extraaction Charm unless one of the Charms explicitly permits the combination, and it must be an appropriate action for every action the magical flurry contains.

Supplemental—There is no limit to the number of supplemental Charms that can be part of a Combo.

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo, the supplemental Charm must be used to benefit it. This means the supplemental Charm must be from the same Ability as the simple Charm unless one of the Charms explicitly permits the combination, and it must be able to benefit the kind of action the simple Charm is.

If there are no simple Charms in the Combo, the supplemental Charm must benefit all of the character's non-reflexive actions. Unless the Charm's description indicates otherwise, supplemental Charms can only benefit uses of the Ability on which they are based.

The supplemental Charm may benefit the character's reflexive actions, including actions given by reflexive and permanent Charms, if it can validly apply to them. Unless the Charm’s description indicates otherwise, supplemental Charms can only benefit uses of the Ability on which they are based.

Reflexive—There is no limit to the number of reflexive Charms that can be part of a Combo.

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo that can validly benefit from the reflexive Charm, the character may use the reflexive Charm to supplement it.

If there is an extra-action Charm in the Combo and one or more actions in the flurry can validly benefit from the reflexive Charm, the character may use the reflexive Charm to supplement it.

If there is neither an extra-action nor a simple Charm in the Combo and the reflexive Charm can validly benefit one or more of the character’s dice actions, the character may use the reflexive Charm to supplement it.

If there is a supplemental Charm in the Combo and the reflexive Charm gives a reflexive action and the supplemental Charm can validly apply to that action, then the supplemental Charm may benefit that action.

The reflexive Charm can be used outside the character's dice actions, as usual. However, the player must state that the Exalt is using a Combo, and which Combo, and must pay the price for the Combo (see below), as soon as the player uses the first Charm for that Combo in a given action—he cannot use a reflexive Charm and then later in the action declare that he actually wishes to use a Combo containing that Charm.

Extra Action—Only one Charm of the extra-action type may be used in a given Combo.

If an extra-action Charm is included in the Combo, then the character must activate it. (You simply wouldn't include it otherwise.)

If there is a simple Charm in the Combo, the character must use the simple Charm as every action in the magical flurry. The character must use the simple Charm a number of times equal to the minimum number of actions in the flurry. The extra action Charm must be from the same Ability as the simple Charm unless one of the Charms explicitly permits the combination, and the simple Charm must be an appropriate action for every action the magical flurry contains.

If there are supplemental Charms in the Combo, they must all benefit all of the actions in the flurry. This means that they must benefit the same kinds of actions that the flurry includes.

If there are reflexive Charms in the Combo, they may be used to benefit any of the actions in the magical flurry.

Permanent—Permanent Charms may not belong to Combos. Characters may use the ongoing benefits of permanent Charms during a Combo.

Paying the Price

The character must pay the normal cost of the Charms involved, and if she cannot afford to pay the cost of all the non-reflexive Charms in the Combo, then it does not work. Some Combos will have a variable cost. In this case, the character must be able to pay at least the minimum possible cost to activate the Combo.