I Chih

Form of the Soul
Alchemies: Any but Nei Tan at Level One (especially Hou Tan or Tieh Tan)
Balance: Yin
Base: Read Elemental Soul
Description: Observant hsien have discovered that with effort, they can cajole the Elemental Souls of other shen to give up the person's true nature. Silent communication of a target's Elemental Soul can aid the changeling's Shentao ability. This seems to work best with Hou Tan or Tieh Tan. This may be in part due to the nature of Metal to be truthful and Fire to be proper (keeping one's true nature purposefully hidden can be considered improper. In formal meetings, the shen identify one another, unlike in the West where secrecy between supernatural societies is tight and demanded).
System: This I Chih can briefly increase one's Shentao score in order to study a suspected shen. The only standard modifier commonly used with this I Chih is Abundance (to study several at once). The hsien declares how many extra Shentao dice he desires for the roll (which is made next turn; splitting dice pools is unnecessary). Each additional die of Shentao requires two successes (c.f., the note on increasing Attributes with I Chih above). Continuance can be used with this I Chih, but to be able to study more than one subject requires Abundance.

Call the Mists of Time
Alchemies: Di Tan 2
Balance: Yin
Base: Diminish Elemental Soul
Description: Through this helpful magic, the Shinma may aid their natural hiding abilities. This spell effectively "speeds up" Pakua, and the tendency for witnesses to "forget" blatant acts of divinity and magic incurred by a hasty hsien. In truth, all hsien have this ability; those with Pakua are able to do it better. And those who cast this spell can do it better still. This I Chih does not cause instant forgetfulness. Instead, it merely speeds up the inevitable decay of the witness's memory of the hsien. This I Chih can triple the time it normally takes for a witness to "forget" a display of obvious magic or a hsien taking his Wani form. Like the Mists of the Waigoren, the witness is liable to not so much forget as rationalize.
System: The hsien will need Magnitude of Change to alter the target's perceptions of his memories (which falls under the dominion of Intelligence -- and hence Earth Alchemy). The modifier level must equal the target's Intelligence score (it can be determined via Di Tan 1). If targeting multiple targets with Abundance, use the highest Intelligence score in the group. Circumstance 1 is needed to narrow the spectrum of the soul tweaking to "hsien". Continuance is needed at level 4 -- a week or so is needed to kick in the "Pakua-boost" without a clumsy, sudden attempt to alter the memory (which would only fail). This I Chih can be difficult to undertake but is often necessary. It is often used by high-ranking hsien officials in an area to clean up after their underlings (said underlings may be punished or required to pay retributions in exchange).

Curse of Autumn
Alchemies: Lin Tan 2
Balance: Yin
Base: Decrease Elemental Attributes
Description: Although attacking a target's Attributes is possible through any Elemental Alchemy, this version bears special note. A common curse inflicted by offended Hou-Chi, this I Chih condemns the target to a terrible facial rash, a major breakout of acne, or even ugly wrinkles or scars. In short, it is a minor punishment inflicted upon mortals who forget to pay the forests the proper respects -- an all-too-common mistake humans make in the Fifth Age.
System: This simply reduces the target's Appearance for a duration of time determined by Continuance. Use the Attribute-tweaking rules mentioned above and in the book to declare how low the target's Appearance is to be taken. Of course, Strength can be targeted instead of Appearance -- useful before engaging a foe in combat.

Camera of the Mind
Alchemies: Di Tan 2
Balance: Yang
Base: Increase Elemental Attributes
Description: Some hsien find it helpful to store images in their memory for later perusal. This I Chih permits a Shinma to take a "snap-shot" of something -- a person, a picture, a paper with text, anything -- and effectively commit it to a temporarily superior, eidetic memory.
System: Instead of raising Intelligence directly, the hsien instead concentrates on raising his memory only, an element covered under the Intelligence Attribute. Continuance is required to determine duration as usual. Magnitude of Change 5 is needed to enhance the mind appropriately.

Soft Flesh
Alchemies: Shui Tan 2
Balance: Yin
Base: Decrease Elemental Attributes
Description: Through this sinister spell, the Shinma can weaken an enemy's already fragile body against certain attacks. One version causes the bones to become brittle; another makes the target a virtual hemophiliac. This I Chih is most often delivered by poisoning the target's drink (drinking at the same time would also count as a Fortune, of course. Many particularly cruel Suijen sharing a cup of tea cheer their partner's health while actually poisoning them).
System: The hsien must determine if he's targeting the foe (or foes, using Abundance) to weaken them against blunt weapons (brittle bones) or edged weapons (making him a "bleeder"). In either event, the system effect is the same. For every Magnitude of Change success declared on the roll, the target will lose one soak die against this form of attack. Continuance determines duration. It should be noted that reducing a target's soak pool to 0 requires only an additional two declared successes, rather than the usual +3.