**Admission to the Eye of the Beholder**
Circle: Terrestrial
Cost: 15 motes
Description: Illusionists' most basic ability is deception. By use of this spell an Adept can create magnificent imagery to beguile any sense. These images have no substance, however, and if put to the test they dissolve like smoke.
System: The caster's player describes arbitrary modifications or additions to a scene. Nothing may be removed, but features may be concealed or obscured. Scent, sound, and even light touch will be fooled. The changes are strictly illusory, however: an illusory bridge will not bear the weight of a fly, and someone shot with an illusory arrow will not be injured. During the first scene after casting, the caster can continue to update the illusion. For example, if an enemy steps on an illusory bridge and falls through, everybody including the victim might see him safely walking across. After the first scene, however, the illusion becomes nearly static: illusory birds will still chirp and flit about, but it will not respond to outside stimulus. The first "impossible" event will destroy the delicate balance of the spell, removing it entirely.
Even during that first scene, anyone can spend a Willpower point to make an Essence+Perception roll with a difficulty equal to the caster's Essence. Success dispels the illusion.
**Appellation of Enhanced Syllables**
Circle: Terrestrial
Cost: 5 motes/die (minimum 20)
Description: Each object has a Name. Sometimes this name is not merely its own, but reflects a greater truth. I sit not in any named chair, but in an aspect of Chair. Each Name is composed of syllables: this chair is Dark, Wooden, Comfortable. To a Wizard, these syllables are as easily edited as the papers of his students.
System: This spell allows a caster to essentially give specialties to anything without a True Name. The caster names a field, which should be about as broad as a specialty in a skill. For each five motes spent in the casting, the object gains a specialty die in that field. This will not boost weapon or armor statistics, but can be used to make other objects Tough, Comfy, Warm, or any other one-word simple concept ("Correct" is not available, for example). Each time the pool is used, it decreases in size by one die.
**Autonomous Visions of the Crowd**
Circle: Celestial
Cost: 30 motes + 10 motes/object
Description: Most people like being lied to. They are uncomfortable with the truth. This spell capitalizes on that fact to fuel expansive, nearly permanent illusions. With proper use of this spell, it can create objects which are *almost* real and last *almost* forever. A bridge in a populous area of town, for example, or a guard tower which is always manned.
System: This spell behaves much as Admission to the Eye of the Beholder. The dominant difference is that the spell does not become uncontrolled after the first scene. Instead, it links to the psyche of all observers with an Essence strictly less than the caster. Thus, it continues to react to stimuli in the way that the audience consensually believes it will react. If ever left unobserved, the spell dissipates. The difficulty for disbelief is the highest Essence of those in the audience, plus 1 for each order of magnitude of observers. If an crowd of 300 containing one person with Essence 4 were interacting with the illusion, the difficulty would be 4+2=7. A crowd of 3000 would be difficulty 8. Additionally, the caster may spend an extra ten motes when the spell is cast to reinforce particular aspects of the spell. For each ten motes spent, one object created, or one set of modifications to an object, become effectively real for the duration of the spell: illusory swords will cut, illusory bridges will bear weight as if real wood. Int+Craft or Performance rolls may be necessary to create some objects.
**Deception of Ultimate Truth**
Circle: Solar
Cost: 45 motes
Description: Through deceit, the greatest truths become known. In universal truths are hidden the most vicious lies. All reality is but an Illusion crafted by the ultimate master of Truth. By use of this spell, an Illusionist pierces the veils of conventional wisdom and reveals the empty truths which underly reality. It is not uncommon for powerful Illusionists to carry a few charges of this spell around for use on eminent targets.
System: In a ritual lasting a day and a night, and requiring no fewer than three participants, the caster devises a riddle which demonstrates the nonexistence of any one thing. At any point in the next year, the caster or any participant may pose the riddle to the target. If it does not swiftly answer, its illusory nature becomes clear, and it is unwoven and destroyed as if it were an illusion which was disbelieved. One third of the participants in the ritual must know the caster's true intent. One third must be ignorant of the outcome throughout the entire casting. One third must be deceived, believing this process beneficial to the target. The caster, of course, is in the first category. If the target's player can't solve the riddle, the target gets a roll to solve it: Wits+Lore, with a number of automatic successes equal to its Essence. The difficulty is the caster's Essence, plus one for every triplet of participants in the spell. Even the spirits of non-sentient targets may, on rare occasions, manifest a solution to the riddle, whether with waving branches or diagnostic output. The target is not necessarily permanently gone: the dispelled target remains a magical effect, and is susceptible to Adamant Countermagic by anyone who knows the original riddle used, as well as its answer.
**Forging of the Gods**
(Modified from http://exalted.rpgcompendium.com/section.php?sec=3&article=15&var=1&sorcery=397)
Circle: Solar
Cost: 20 motes or 35 motes
Description: A craftman's greatest materials are those of his surrounding environment. The ancient smithy Sun Hammer created this spell, under the tutelage of Brigid, with the intent of creating stronger and more efficient weapons for his Exalted brothers and sisters. With this spell a sorcerer is able to use the elements from his surroundings as the raw materials for his craftwork. Sun Hammer used this to create Blazing Mane, a suit of armor made of fire and the sands of the South, and Strikes from the Heavens, a powerbow made from lightning. The articulated plate protected its wearer from the fires of dragons and elementals while the powerbow hurled bolts of lightning with the fury of Mela. As a gift for her teachings, Sun Hammer gave to Brigid the Band of the Maidens, a circlet of starlight that granted Brigid vivid dreams of the destiny the Maidens wove. Sun Hammer forged many wonders from various elements which he entrusted to his friends and allies. Sadly, after the fall of the Solars many of these rare artifacts ceased to exist. If any still remain, they are closely guarded and passed down through the Dragon-Blooded Houses or the secret possessions of ancient No Moon Lunars.
System: This spell has two different costs, one for the terrestrial elements and one for the celestial elements. For 20 motes a sorcerer may take one terrestrial element (air, earth, fire, water, wood) and preserve it to be forged into items of wonder. The resulting artifact would have the same properties as one made of the appropriate Jade (i.e. air = blue, earth = white, etc.) but would actually be composed of that element (a crown made of fire or a daiklave made of water) and would also possess one or more benefits from the element it was made from (i.e. air would be weightless, or water could flow past armor) at the storyteller's discretion. For 35 motes a sorcerer could take one element from the Heavens (sunlight, moonlight, starlight, or darkness) and forge it into an artifact. These artifacts would work as their respective materials (sunlight = orichalcum, moonlight = moonsilver, starlight = starmetal, darkness = soulsteel) but would be composed of that element (a daiklave made of sunlight or a suit of armor made of darkness) and would also have spectacular benefits appropriate to the element(i.e. sunlight artifacts, when uncovered would shine light for a number of yards equal to the artifact's rating, or the opposite with one made of darkness) at storyteller's discretion. The casting sorcerer, after spending the essence cost and willpower, must then make an Intelligence + Craft roll at standard difficulty, the number of success rolled determines how much of the element\x{2019}s essence has been extracted. The sorcerer can create a number of artifacts whose combined ratings are equal to the number of successes rolled (i.e. 3 successes can make three level 1 artifacts, a level 2 and a level 1 artifact, or one level 3 artifact). The gathering of material and the forging of the item must be done entirely in the element of choosing (i.e. water artifacts must be forged in the ocean, river, etc. Or sunlight artifacts must be forged in the open daylight). The forging of the artifact will take the same amount of time as appropriate to its rating (see Book of Three Circles, pg. 89) and the essence of this spell remains committed until completion (the commitment holds the raw element in place so one does not need to recast this spell for artifacts that take a long time forge). The attunement will cost the same as any other artifact of the same rating (i.e. daiklaves cost 5 motes, articulated plate costs 6 motes, etc.), but effects native to the element used will function without attunement.
**Investiture of Astral Energy**
Circle: Celestial
Cost: double the cost underlying spell, including Essence, Willpower, and any other costs.
Description: Most spells expire after a while, as they fade back into the astral clouds from which they were formed. Application of a Name to a spell can prevent this, though at no small cost to the Namer.
System: This spell must be cast bracketing the spell to be named: the two WP for CCS, the WP and Essence for the spell to be made permanent, and then the Essence for this spell. The spell must be given a name, like "Bernal's Gift to Mananantian of Metal Wings". Somebody then must invest some of his Legend into the spell. This person spends 5 XP per level of the spell Invested. The Name of the spell must include the Name of the person spending the XP and the name of the caster, and is a ritual link to them both. The same person must cast both spells.
**Seven-Sacrament Introduction of Universal Significance**
Circle: Solar
Cost: 100 motes
Description: All reality is balanced on the edge of astral chaos, maintained only by the strength of its Names. By creating a new Name, a new reality can be brought into being. It is said that the Passions and the Dragons created themselves with this spell.
System: This spell requires a ritual lasting a full week, which may only be properly performed in the Netherworld — what would happen if it were used in a normal reality isn't quite clear. At the beginning of the rite, the officiating Wizard speaks a Name which has never been heard before. The remaining week consists of murmered chanting of the Name, together with enactments of its nature. At the close of the rite, the new Name becomes real. The participants each gain some measure of the Name, as if affected by Appellation of Enhanced Syllables.
**Shell of False Enchantment**
Circle: Terrestrial
Cost: 15 motes
Description: A good illusionist can bring you wealth, success, power, truth, and morality.
System: This generally works as Ritual of Elemental Empowerment, creating
"Artifact 0" objects of deception, truth, and illusion. Because there
are so many more choices than REE, there is a restriction: the effect
applied must fit with the object. Lockpicks can receive Morality
Immorality; most clothing could receive Wealth, Cheapness, Power, or
Weakness. Pick one of the following effects to apply to the item being
empowered:
Wealth -- The illusionist can make an item appear to be made of the
best non-magical materials, with exquisite craftsmanship and any
reasonable appearance (i.e. it doesn't let you disguise an item as
something else; a sword enchanted this way must still look like a
sword, but you could make Bob's scimitar look like a katana). A
typical use of this spell would be to make a normal suit of chainmail
become a jewel-encrusted silver work of art with the royal seal on it,
fit for a king to wear into battle. A detailed examination by a
skilled professional (getting more successes than caster's essence on
an int+craft roll) will show that it is not actually as valueable as
it seems (i.e. a skilled jeweler with int 3, crafts 2 and a couple
dots in craft:jewelery could plausably detect that the aforementioned
chainmail enchanted by an ess 3 sorcerer wasn't made with real diamonds)
Success -- The illusionist can make an item appear to always succeed at
some task which it normally performs. The task does not actually
succeed, it just convinces all onlookers that it did. For example, an
enchanted fake id would always appear to register as valid when a cop
checks it, but the cop's computer would still have registered it as
fake, and eventually HQ will ask him what he did about the fake id he
found. A weapon could be enchanted to always hit; if you rolled a
miss, all onlookers would percieve the weapon hitting for no damage
(victim thinks he just rolled well on the damage roll), which could be
great for forcing people to take cover, waste their perfect defenses
if they think that you are using a perfect attack, etc. Alternately,
it could be enchanted to always do damage; if you hit but all damage
dice failed to affect the target, target (and onlookers) percieve that
one die rolled high enough to hit; the illusory damage fades away if
it eaches the incapacitated box, or victim gets medical attention, and
does not cause wound penalties (though the victim thinks it does,
which may cause him to change his actions).
Power -- The illusionist can make an item appear to have been enchanted
by REE; for example make armor appear to have the 'earth' enchantment,
though actual hits that would be affected by the extra armor will
mysteriously appear to do +2 damage to counter the +2 armor of the
enchantment.
Lies -- An illusionist can enchant an item to conceal the truth,
either making it appear to be something else of roughly the same size
and shape (adding the casters essence to the difficulty of rolls to
discover what it really is), or adding a +1 difficulty to rolls to
spot the item (or person wearing the item, if it is something such as
a cloak or suit of armor).
Morality -- An illusionist can enchant an item so that the user gains a
+1 to rolls to convince people that they are moral, when caught in a
related immoral act (pick a specific act that is considered immoral in
the caster's society, appropriate to the item). An example would be a
suit that gives the wearer the Clinton effect; +1 to convince people
that you are generally honest, useable only when you've just been
caught in a lie (it won't convince them that that particular lie was
the truth, just that you are a generally fine upstanding moral
truthful person). You could get a beer stein of +1 to convince people
you aren't an alcoholic, useable only while drinking. Or a dress of
+1 to convince people you are innocent, useable only after seducing
someone ("I thought he was just coming up to my apartment to see my
seashell collection, I swear!").
Cheapness -- change appearence to look worthless. This isn't a top of
the line aries coilgun, it's a badly rusted immitation AK...
Failure -- the weapon always appears to miss, the credstick always reads
as containing $0, etc.
Weakness -- the item appears to be cursed with the opposite of elemental
empowerment — it's at -2 armor, is exceptionally heavy, etc.
Truth -- the item appears to be unmistakably what
it is "there's no mistaking it, this is a tail dagger". Even people
who normally wouldn't have the relevant skill can tell what an item is
and does, and how to use it, up to the limit of what the caster knew
at the time of casting (so the caster can't use this to figure
something out). Good for making a vehicle which doesn't require much
sail skill or complex tools that don't require much craft skill to
use, by making the UI blindingly obvious. Alternately, makes an item
easier to spot by adding +1 auto-success to any perception rolls to
find it or the person carrying it (good for protecting stuff you are
afraid will be stolen by a stealthy thief...)
Immorality -- automatic +1 to convince someone you are guilty when you
are actually innocent; the shirt that always has lipstick on the
collar, money or documents that just look fake despite being real.
Specify what to be guilty of at casting time; must be apropriate to
item. Potential use in smuggling ("This can't be a Ming Vase, it says
"Made in Taiwan" on the base. Let me show it to your expert, he'll
tell you it's fake...), or framing someone.