Spell:Dance of the Smoke Cobras

Source: Book of the Emerald Circle by Brian Hon/Limited Reagent

Cost: 13m, 1wp

Circle: Emerald

Type: Simple

Keywords: Banish, Obvious

Duration: Instant (One scene or until dismissed)

The sorcerer chooses a target that he can see within (Essence x 30) yards. Dark, fiery Essence shatters the ground at the target's feet in a star pattern, forming deep cracks. Streams of thick, gray smoke, flecked with emerald green, rise from the points of the cracks and coalesce into five giant, blood-eyed cobras. Poison drips from the fangs to char and blacken the ground. They have the following traits:

Motivation: Bite the sorcerer's foe and those attacking me.
 
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 6, Stamina 4; 

Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 1; 
 
Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 4
 
Virtues: Automaton: Never fails Valor checks, never makes others.

Abilities: Athletics 6, Awareness 6, Dodge 6, Brawl 6

Powers:
 
  Blood-Red Vision — Automatically detect foe. If this contests with another 
effect, (the sorcerer's Essence + Willpower) is used in the roll-off.

  Solid Smoke — Reflexively blockade movement in all directions at no DV penalty. 
1wp extra to add (sorcerer's Willpower) dice to a single blockade movement roll.

  Serpentine Movements — Reflexive (Step 6) 1wp to add (Dodge) to Dodge DV pool 
against one attack.

  Cunning Fangs — Reflexive (Step 9) 1wp to make a Brawl counterattack 
with (the sorcerer's Essence) bonus dice against anyone attacking a the snake or 
attempting to break through the snake's blockade, from any direction.

   Billow from the Depths — If the Incapacitated health box is filled with damage, 
it immediately disperses, dematerializing and healing all its damage. It materializes as 
its next action at for 1wp. It can be permanently destroyed by effects that can
permanently destroy spirits.

Join Battle: 10 (all serpents use the same Join Battle roll)

Attacks: Bite

Soak: (2 + [sorcerer's Essence])L/(4 + [sorcerer's Essence x 2])B

Health Levels: -0x(Essence)/Incap

Dodge DV: 6      

Willpower: 10 (all cobras share one pool of 10 Willpower points)

Essence: 1

Other Notes: The serpents cannot move, but can attack up to three yards 
away. The cobra's venom is Damage (sorcerer's Essence)L/action, Toxicity 
(sorcerer's Essence), Tolerance —/—, Penalty -(sorcerer's Essence x 2). 
Note that the serpent's blockade movement pool is 12 dice, and overlap their 
blockade with each other; three cobras need to be simultaneously dispersed to 
open enough area so to bypass the blockade without rolling. The snakes will use 
all their powers at every opportunity.

Attack	Spd	Acc	Dmg	Parry DV	Rate	Tags
Bite	5	12	5L*	-	1	N, R.

• plus venom, see "Other Notes" above.

These serpentine automata of smoke, Essence and fire immediately roll to Join Battle; all use the same roll and always act on the same tick. Because of their placement around the target, these cobras are assumed to gain all the benefits described for multiple attackers who have closed around an opponent (see Exalted, p. 155). The serpents attack only the target chosen when the spell was cast. The sorcerer can also coordinate his snakes with a standard Coordinating Attacks miscellaneous action (see Exalted, p. 144).

When the spell ends, the cobras vanish into smoke and sucked down into the cracks with a wailing scream. The fissures close, leaving only a scar-like seam behind. All the snakes are banished as one target.