The story evolved when I started reading about some of the characters developed by White Wolf's writers, and they fit into what I already had planned. Extremely well, actually, so I read more - and more - and more. Found an appropriate setting, characters, actions, and motivations.
Internal forces as in the knacks. Sadly magics are a external force that was grabbed and stolen for the use of the exalted. And sometimes the best stories start out very simple and evolve into something interesting and unique.
Even then, only the lunar's native charms can do it. The way I understand it, it will prevent any external attempt to change your form, but internal forces can do it. You know, I think I've managed to construct a fairly intriguing story for sunday, which surprises me because it initially started as a thinly veiled reason to yank artifacts out of the group's hands.
Which is why it says in Glories Most High that the tattoos do not effect anything that shapes the mind or soul. Nothing can shape the body, save for the lunar.
When it comes up, my answer in game will always be that if it changes what you look like, its prevented. Everything else is fair game. Looking at what the tats are supposed to do (permanently preventing you from turning into a beast because your shaping went wrong) you can fairly easily deduce what works on you and what doesn't.
However I have seen it stated that spells like invulnerable skin of bronze and incomparable body arsenal cannot effect a casted lunar because of the tattoos. Which would be Lunar page 129-130. For instance, someone asked about Flight of the Brilliant Raptor. While all magic is shaping, the spell is shaped in the casters hands and then sent off to attack. Meaning the 'attack' is not a shaping attack. But invulnerable skin of bronze, magic is shaped and then the 'attack' shapes the form of the caster. It is all very confusing and it is because White Wolf did a lot of copy/paste for their magic book...lazy punks.
Its entirely possible that none of them are shaping. Sorcery as I understand it is the taking advantage of creation's own laws to make effects that seem to be magical - but they aren't. Magic is charms, while sorcery is "science". Sorcery seems like magic because you need to use essence to power the spell's "program".
That background works well. I like it. And errata would be nice. Especially concerning which are shaping. Also...the moonsilver tattoos defend against spells that shape the body. Not spells that shape the mind or soul. They errata'd that up in Glories Most High.
I actually forced her to take backgrounds to let her learn the style. She learns it from a ghost who talks to her in reflecting ponds and mirrors - that only speaks to her when she is alone. It is the ghost of one of the students. I think whitewolf is trying to gather errata for sorcery with that thread.
I see....Cam just forced her to take that Martial Arts because he thinks it is cool. No idea where she learned that martial arts. Since all the practitioners were killed by the creator and the creator then killed or tried to kill himself.
