ExaltedAbilityExpansion

• Combine MA and Melee into Fight
• Make Dodge an art of Athletics
• Melee charm trees become exalt-type specific MA styles, allowing all weapons and all armor, but having weaker (or no) forms. Form for the "Solar Blade" style would be Fivefold Bulwark Stance, probably. DB would be Refining the Inner Blade (which actually would make the whole style cool, I thnk). Sid and lunar would probably have no form.
• Make thrown weapon attacks use Athletics skill generically, but change thrown charm trees into specific MA styles.
• Continue to use Archery for personal ranged weapons (bows, crossbows, firewands, etc.). Maybe change the name to "Ranged".
• Add an ability (maybe called Seige, or Wartech, or Ordinance) which governs the use of heavy weapons (implosion bows, manse weapons). Also governs piloting (and attacking with) warstriders. If you wanted a low impact change, you could just reuse the Archery charms for this ability as well. It can think of some cool charms specific to heavy weapons and warstriders though, and some reasons why Archery charms for them would be undesireable.
• Move Ride to Dawn list.
• Add Eclipse ability of Instruction, and move the charms for teaching people things that are scattered all over (mostly in War and Lore) into the charm tree for this ability. Instruction could also affect training times (and, perhaps, cost). This has the advantage of making Lore less broad, something I think it could use.
• Hell, might as well use Profession while I'm at it. This turns Sail into a more generic ability and makes Craft less generic (sort of).

So, that would leave (changes from 2nd edition solars and 1st edition everything else in bold):

• Dawn - Fight, Ordinance, Ranged, Ride, War
• Zenith - Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival
• Twilight - Craft, Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Occult
• Night - Athletics (which now allows thrown attacks, but not charms), Awareness, Lingusitics, Larceny, Stealth
• Eclipse - Bureaucracy, Instruction, Politics, Profession, Socialize
• Air - Instruction, Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth
• Earth - Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance, War
• Fire - Athletics, Politics, Presence, Socialize, Ordinance,
• Water - Fight, Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Profession
• Wood - Medicine, Performance, Ranged, Ride, Survival
• Journeys - Integrity, Ranged, Ride, Profession, Survival
• Serenity - Athletics, Craft, Linguistics, Performance, Socialize
• Battles - Fight, Ordinance, Presence, Resistance, War
• Secrets - Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Occult, Stealth
• Endings - Awareness, Bureaucracy, Instruction, Medicine, Politics

Abilities

As mentioned above, different abilities have different uses for arts and sciences. Many have none. The skills break down like so:

Athletics

Athletics allows a character control over her own movement, coordination, balance and application of physical strength. It governs leaping, climbing, acrobatics, sport and reflexes. Athletics also now incorporates the canon skills of Dodge and Thrown as arts, treating the charm trees for those skills almost like martial arts styles. In actual martial arts styles based on thrown weapons are now governed by Athletics.

Caste Ability For: Night, Fire, Serenity

Used For: Physical actions, thrown combat, dodging

Specialties: Climbing, Leaping, Running, Lifting, Uneven Terrain, In Alpine Environments, etc.

Artless Penalty: Anyone with Athletics may make any athletics test (even to dodge or throw weapons) at no penalty and use Athletics charms; however, each Athletics-based art usually as associated charms which may not be used without knowing the art. Furthermore, while charms associated with an art may be comboed within the art, they may not be comboed with charms from other arts without the science of Martial Synergy (unless, of course, the charm specifically allows this).

Arts: Athletics-based arts represent specific schools of movement, usually containing associated charm trees. Canonical Thrown and Dodge trees are now considered to represent specific martial arts styles. Thus, knowing Solar Thrown as an art allows access to solar thrown charms. An Eclipse might learn both Solar Dodge and Sidereal Dodge as arts to gain access to those charms.

Some martial arts styles, like Air Dragon, may be a mix of unarmed and thrown combat. To use an ability with styles like this, an art must be learned for each ability. Learning the Athletics-related Air Dragon art, for example, allows use of known Air Dragon charms with chakram, but not unarmed. Likewise, learning the Fight-related Air Dragon art allows use of known Air Dragon charms while unarmed, but not with a chakram. Such styles always use Athletics for thrown attacks and Fight for unarmed attacks.

There may also be arts that require extreme physical training or dedication, without actually having associated charms. For example, Yoga might be an art, or the physical techniques one must master to be an escape artist.

Buying dots in Athletics does not provide any arts for free.

Aspects: Aspects for athletics based arts would be based on specific maneuvers or situations. Dodge aspects include Multiple Opponents, Leaping Dodges, Multiple Opponents, Dodging Ranged Weapons and so on. Thrown aspects include While Running, At Long Range, Ricochets, etc.

Focus: A typical focus for thrown based arts would be a specific thrown weapon. A dodge focus would usually be avoiding attacks from a specific kind of opponent, such as animals or undead.

Sciences: Athletics has no sciences of its own; however, it may benefit from the Fight sciences to, for example, create combos using multiple Athletics arts, or even a mix of Athletics and Fight arts. This does not change charm definitions, however. A charm that specifically enhances ranged attacks cannot be "forced" to combo with a charm specifically for unarmed attacks.

Rituals: Training?

Other Rule Changes: When using this skill, canon Thrown charm trees are considered distinct fighting styles, much as First Edition Brawl trees were turned into styles in Second. Such styles are usually formless. All, of course, allow armor. Likewise, canon Dodge trees become much like styles, though are always formless.

Of existing martial arts styles, Air Dragon is both Athletics and Fight.

Awareness

Awareness works just as in canon rules.

Caste Ability For: Night, Earth, Endings

Used For: Noticing details, vision (Ex2, pg. 135), detecting stealth (Ex2, pg. 131), penetrating disguises, resisting theft (Ex2, pg. 128), joining battle (Ex2, pg. 141), noticing unexpected attacks (Ex2, pg. 155), resisting surprise (Ex2, pg. 156)

Specialties: Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Sensing Ambushes, Keeping Watch

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Sciences: None.

Rituals: Expand awareness?

Other Rule Changes: None.

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy works just as in canon rules.

Caste Ability For: Eclipse, Water, Endings

Used For: evaluating goods (Ex2, pg. 135)

Specialties: Foot-Dragging, expediting, bribery, concealment, bending rules

Artless Penalty: Dealing with a bureaucracy for which you do not know the art carries a -3 external penalty and charms cost twice the usual number of motes.

Arts: There are a number of spheres of existence, and each one has bureaucratic possibilities and practices nearly alien to the others. An art exists, therefore, for each of the major spheres: Creation, Yu-Shan, the Wyld, Underworld, Malfeas and Autochthonia. Knowing one of these arts prevents the penalty in, and increased mote cost of charms for, dealing with bureaucracies in that sphere.

Aspects: Aspects cover broad areas of existence that tends to manifest bureaucracy, such as Law, Commerce, Military, Government and Education.

Focus: Focus in bureaucracy tends to be either regional, such as the Blessed Isle, the Scavenger Lands, Nexus, the Labyrinth, etc. or within a large organization, such as the Guild or the All-Seeing Eye.

Sciences: None.

Rituals: Paperwork?

Other Rule Changes: None.

Craft

Craft is assumed to be a general measure of creativity and self-expression through creation of objects.

Caste Ability For: Twilight, Earth, Serenity

Used For: Item creation, manse building (Ex2, pg 133), understanding how something was made (Ex2, pg 132),

Specialties: Working in haste, improvised materials, style over substance, in groups

Artless Penalty: Using craft without a relevant art or science imposes a -2 penalty. Worse, no charms of any kind may be used in areas of Craft for which the exalt does not have an applicable art, aspect, focus or science.

Arts: Knowing an art allows Craft charm use for tasks within the domain of the art. Standards arts are defined in the core book (pg. 107): Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Wood. A number of esoteric arts are also available, usually limited to certain character types. Often these arts have their own systems and/or require skills or costs to use (e.g. Colleges, gossamer, etc.), but learning the art works as outlined in these rules. Feats made possible with esoteric craft arts are not generally possible without knowing them. Esoteric arts include: Fate (Sidereals, pg. 104), Glamour (Fair Folk, pg. 104), and the ghostly arts of Jadecrafting, Soulforging, Moliation and Pandemonium (Abyssals, pg. 232-234).

Aspects: Aspects generally cover either broad areas of expertise within an art. The Wood art, for example might have aspects like cooking, brewing and leather working. Aspects might also take the form of broad regional styles, such as "northern cultural design" or "first age visual style".

Focus: Focus in craft is a deep understanding of a very limited medium and style, such as "western stone engraving".

Sciences: The universal Craft penalty is waved for tests involving a science that the character knows even one dot of. Characters may also buy specialties in sciences as if they were arts. Known sciences include:

• Magitech: Described in Wonders of the Lost Age, knowing the science of magitech allows use of Craft skill on magical devices. Anywhere rules call for a Craft (Magictech) roll, use plain Craft ability (plus any magitech specialties) as the pool. The rating in this science acts as a limit: characters can only use the magitech science on artifacts, manses or devices with a rating equal to their magitech science rating or less. This science requires the Air and Fire arts and cannot be higher than the character's Lore rating.
• Genesis: Also described in Wonders of the Lost Age, this science works just like magictech does, but replacing Craft (Genesis). This science requires the Wood art and cannot be higher than the lowest of the character's Lore, Medicine or Occult ratings.
• Necrosurgery: Introduced in Abyssals and expanded in the Book of Bone and Ebony, necrosurgery is the science of assembling and animating dead flesh and harnessing necrotic energy. Anywhere rules called for Craft (Necrosurgery), use plain Craft ability (plus any necrosurgery specialties) as the pool. The rating in this science sets an upper limit on the size class (BoBE, pg. 97) or artifact rating of an item created using this science. Necrosurgery does not require knowledge of a craft art, but its rating may not exceed the lowest of the character's Lore, Medicine or Occult ratings.
• Perfection: This science deals with creating exceptional weapons and other creations and represents the dedicated knowledge of metallurgy, heat and other minutia that are need to forge exceptional weapons, armor and other items. It requires an art for creating such equipment (usually Fire). The first dot of this science allows objects to be made up to the level of "Exceptional" (see Players Guide, pg. 145). The second allows creation of "Perfect" items. Generally learning this science beyond this is pointless. The magitech science may also be used for the creation of exceptional items, so this science is rare among exalts; however, the requirements for this science are less stringent, so mortals (and some exalts) may prefer this path.
• Permanence: This lost science contains the secrets to making self-sustaining items (see Wonders of the Lost Age, pg. 7). No one knows it any more but, in theory, it's rating would define a limit on what level of artifacts could be made permanent.

Rituals: Craft as focus?

Other Rule Changes: None.

Fight

Fight allows a character to engage in personal close combat, with or without weapons, but not in warstriders (see Ordinance). It combines Melee and Martial Arts (and, in the case of First Edition, Brawl) into a single ability, with a number of arts covering various styles of fighting.

Caste Ability For: Dawn, Water, Battles

Used For: Combat

Specialties: Specialties cover situational aspects of fighting such as Multiple Opponents, Single Combat, In Formation, While Blind, Under Water, Mounted

Artless Penalty: Fighting without knowing a related Art carries a -2 internal penalty. Fight charms provide no benefit in situations where no related art is known. Even with arts, without the science of Martial Synergy, charms from different arts may not be comboed.

Arts: Each fight-based art defines a particular fighting style, eliminating the penalty and allowing charm use (if any) with the weapons and techniques of that style. Learning the Snake Style art, for example, allows use of known Snake Style charms would eliminate the -2 internal penalty when making attacks in the snake style while unarmed or using the style's form weapons. The canonical Melee charm trees are each considered a style, but with an additional complication regarding style weapons: an different art is required to use each category of weapons. For example, the Solar Blade art would allow the use of the canonical solar Melee charms and eliminate penalties, but only for actions involving bladed weapons. The charms themselves need be learned only once, but an art must be purchased separately for each of the four weapon categories: blades, impact, polearms, martial arts.

When making a ranged attack without using charms, it is assumed that the character is attacking in the style of related art he knows. So, a character who knows two blade-related arts would be assumed to be using the style of either one when making sword attacks (thus avoiding the -2 penalty). He might stunt differently depending on which of the two arts he used, but there would be no other mechanical effect. Arts need not have associated charm trees. There are likely several mortal schools of thought on fencing, for example, each of which is represented as a different art, but none of which would have associated charms.

Some martial arts styles, like Air Dragon, may be a mix of unarmed and other combat. To use an ability with styles like this, an art must be learned for each ability. Learning the Fight-related Air Dragon art, for example, allows use of known Air Dragon charms and would eliminate the -2 internal penalty when making unarmed Fight attacks, but not with Athletics tests using the chakram. Likewise, learning the Athletics-related Air Dragon art, for example, allows use of known Air Dragon charms and would eliminate the -2 internal penalty when making Athletics attacks using the chakram, but not unarmed Fight attacks.

For each dot of Fight purchased, a character may learn one Fight art for free. A solar with Fight 4, for example, might learn Solar Blade, Solar Impact, Snake Style and Solar Hero. A mortal with Fight 4, who does not care about charms but wants to avoid the artless penalty, might learn Unarmed, Blades, Impact and Polarms as arts.

Aspects: A typical aspect to a fighting art include various maneuvers or techniques used within a style, such as clinching, parries, attack, maiming, disarming, pulling blows, dual-weilding, etc.

Focus: A typical focus to a fighting art is a particular weapon. For example, someone with the Lunar Polearms art might choose a focus of Short Spear.

Sciences: Those who learn Fight sciences dedicate a large part of their lives to understanding every aspect of combat. They are often reclusive masters or famous sifu, or both. Often, they will have written philosophical texts on combat. There are two known Fight sciences are, both of which may also be be used with fighting style based Ranged and Athletics arts:

• Martial Synergy: Those who dedicate time to this science study the flows of essence and underlying meaning of fighting styles. Their deep knowledge of the Perfected Lotus allows them to combine magic from different fighting styles. The rating of this science acts as a limit to the number of additional styles that may be added to Fight combos the character creates. So, a character with a rating of two in this science would allow the character to build combos containing charms from up to three fighting styles. Each such combo could contain a different combination of styles, but no more than three per combo. Note that this science allows much more combo flexibility than canon rules but costs significantly more for a feature that was canonically free. It allows, for example, combination of canon Melee and Martial Arts charms, but you pay for the priviledge.
• Expanding the Lotus: Only those who truly and deeply study the Perfected Lotus and its relation to the universe are qualified to add to it. Those who know this science have incorporated this knowledge into themselves so thoroughly, that they may create new martial arts styles. The first level of this science allows creation of mortal and terrestrial styles. The second allows creation of celestial styles and the third allows creation of sidereal styles. Sidereal characters reduce the cost (in bonus points or xp) to learn this science by three.

Other Rule Changes: When using this skill, canon Melee charm trees are considered distinct fighting styles, much as First Edition Brawl trees were turned into styles in Second. Such styles may or may not have forms. For solar melee, Fivefold Bulwark Stance might work as a decent form. Terrestrial melee might use Refining the Inner Blade as a form. Other trees, like lunar armed combat may have no form at all. All, of course, allow armor.

Martial art styles that allowed both ranged and close attacks to use the Martial Arts ability no longer do so, instead using the ability appropriate to the type of attack (see Athletics and Ranged).

Rituals:Zen?

Instruction

Instruction allows a character to more quickly and easily teach what they know to others.

Caste Ability For: Eclipse, Water, Endings

Used For: Training others

Specialties: Specific ability, specific attribute, specific martial arts style, teaching groups, training individuals

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: Instruction comes into play most often while training other people, with the instructor reducing the amount of time training requires. Base training time now always begins as if no trainer was available, that is, double the values listed on page 274. If using a tutor, the tutor makes a Manipulation + Instruction test as a dramatic action, every two full successes on this roll cut the training time in half. If the instructor has a higher rating in what he is teaching than the student, he adds a number of dice equal to the difference in ratings to the teaching roll. The tutor must have an Instruction rating at least as high as the rating of the trait he is teaching or, if teaching a charm, to its minimum Essence requirement. It is possible for a tutor to help a student learn a trait the tutor does not have, but this is extremely difficult, both subtracting dice equal to the difference in ratings and requiring five full successes for each halving of the time. For example, a tutor with Dexterity 2 would be able to teach a student Dexterity 5 as long as the tutor also had Instruction 5, doing so at a 3 die penalty and needing five successes for each time reduction.

Existing charms for teaching are scattered all over the charm trees, canonically. These are pulled out of these trees and unified into an instruction tree. For example, the solar Instruction tree would include Instruction excellencies, Tiger Warrior Training Technique, Harmonious Academic Methodology and Legendary Scholar Curriculum.

Integrity

Integrity works just as in canon rules.

Caste Ability For: Zenith, Earth, Journeys

Used For: Mental defense (Ex2, pg.172)

Specialties: Charms of a particular exalt type, spirit charms, the fair folk, persuasion, torture

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Investigation

Investigation works just as in canon rules.

Caste Ability For: Twilight, Water, Secrets

Used For: Reading motivation, lie detection (Ex2, pg.131), examining scene, concealing evidence (Ex2, pg.132), countering surprise social attacks (Ex2, pg.169), attacking and parrying in social combat (Ex2, pg.172).

Specialties: Library research, conducting interviews, finding concealed objects, reconstructing events

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Larceny

Caste Ability For: Night, Water, Secrets

Used For: Disguise, picking locks, picking pockets, shoplifting, slight of hand (Ex2, pg.128).

Specialties: Lock picking, con games, a specific city, cheating at dice, fencing stolen goods, scoring drugs, a certain type of mark, organized crime

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: Much like occult, anyone trained in larceny may perform larcenous tasks at no penalty; however, some train specially in certain disciplines of larceny, elevating them to art. The benefit of knowing a larceny art is that it lowers the difficulty to perform related tasks by 1 (min 1) and increases the difficulty of the results from being detected by one. The three larceny arts are: Disguise, Forgery and Prestidigitation.

Aspects: Aspects in the larcenous arts deal with the various methods of any art. Disguise aspects would be Self, Others, Specific People, Generic People, etc.. Forgery aspects would be different media, such as Documents, Artwork, Signatures. Prestidigitation aspects are Palming, Shell Games, Trick Sets, etc.

Focus: To focus on a larcenous art is to build knowledge of as specific use for an art, such as specific types of disguises (e.g. Immaculate Priests, leprosy victims, etc.), styles of forgery (e.g. the style of a particular artist, the documents of a certain city, etc.) or a particular style of trick (e.g. coin tricks, forcing cards, cup and balls, three-card monte, making elephants disappear, etc.)

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Linguistics

Caste Ability For: Night, Air, Serenity

Used For: Knowing languages, social attacks (Ex2, pg. 172), written attacks (Ex2, pg. 175),

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: Linguistics tests using a language the character does not know imposes a -4 die penalty.

Arts: Linguistics has two general arts: Calligraphy and Poetry. Characters with Calligraphy may use Linguistics skill instead of Craft (Air) for tests of penmanship. Poets gain two dice on any linguistics test in which they use poetry in a venue where it might be relevant, for example social attacks within a culture that admires poetry.

Aspects: Individual languages are purchased as Linguistics aspects. With each dot of Linguistics, the character gains a language for free. Different styles of poetry may also be taken as aspects.

Focus: A regional dialect would be represented as a focus. A character could also focus on the written or oral use of a particular language. Specific subject matter can also be taken as a focus of Poetry.

Sciences: None

Rituals: Written stuff?

Lore

Lore covers how much the character knows about the world around him. Lore tends to be a passive skill, representing knowledge of fact rather than an ability to do something. It includes magical knowledge, which often confuses the line between Lore and Occult. In general, Occult is used for actually manipulating magical energies or patterns (i.e. things you do with magic), while Lore represents knowledge or how knowledge is applied (i.e. things you know about magic).

Caste Ability For: Twilight, Air, Secrets

Used For: Conventional academic knowledge (Ex2, pg. 132), manse design, artifact creation (Ex2, pg. 133), operate technology/artifacts (Ex2, pg. 136)

Specialties: Arts are used instead of specialties for Lore.

Artless Penalty: Characters without a corresponding art suffer a -4 penalty to Lore tests. This penalty may be reduced to (usually to -2) if the character, while lacking the proper art, knows a different art that might reasonably provide insight into the test. For example, a character with the History art may get a reduced penalty to figure out how a magical device of historical import functions, even though he lacks the Enchanted Devices art. Likewise, knowledge of other abilities may be able to reduce an artless penalty as well. Each of the Lore arts can generally be considered a "book knowledge" version of the practical experience of other abilities. For example, a high War ability might reduce the artless penalty for a Lore test involving military history if the character didn't know the Military Lore art.

Arts: As Lore represents the broad expanse of all knowledge, arts represent slightly less broad subsets of this knowledge. For each dot of Lore purchased, one art is learned for free. Though a general art normally encompasses all aspects in its purview, there is an exception in the case of Lore arts: general Lore arts do not contain anything more than a vague knowledge of the First Age or prior. To know such knowledge, the character must by a First Age aspect for each art to fill in the gaps. This additional cost represents both the difficulty in learning about in the First Age and the vast additional knowledge the First Age represents. Many Lore arts are possible, including:

• Literacy: The character can read and write in all the languages she knows.
• History: The character has mastered a broad range of historical facts. Those lacking this art may reduce penalties on historical Lore tests with Politics.
• Geography: The character knows the features of the land. This includes knowledge of mana lines and other geomantic information, as well as information about the weather. In some cases, those with Survival skill can reduce penalties for not knowing this art.
• Culture: The character knows much about a wide array of cultural customs. The penalty for lacking this art may be reduced by those with Socialize or, in some cases, Linguistics.
• Military: The character knows how various armies are organized, military customs, heraldry, what various rank insignia and award ribbons mean, and so on. War ability may reduce the penalty for not knowing this art.
• Architecture: The character knows how to design buildings for strength, beauty and magical potential. This art covers most aspects of manse design. Those with the Craft art of Earth or some Craft sciences may reduce the penalty for not knowing this art.
• Philosophy: The character knows about philosophical and religious matters of all kinds, including the moral arguments, religious dogma, texts and organization of various religions.
• Biology: The character knows about living things and how they interact. This includes knowledge of various plant and animal species and their behavior. Depending on the test, Medicine, Ride or Survival may reduce an artless penalty in this field.
• Economics: The character understands monetary theory, banking, markets and other economic principles, as well as the major forces acting within his world. Characters with commerce-based Bureaucracy arts may reduce the penalty for not knowing this art.
• Theoretical Magic: The character knows about how magic works in an abstract sense, as well as what its capabilities and limitations are. It covers general knowledge of essence, spirits, ghosts, fair folk, Wyld energy, sorcery, charms, artifacts and so on. Occult ability can usually reduce penalties for not knowing this art.
• Applied Magic: The character knows about how magic has been and can be used to solve problems. In particular, this art covers how magical items are constructed and how they operate. It also covers knowledge of specific artifacts, spells, charms, spirits, ghosts, and so on. For example, knowledge of a certain spell's existence, what it can do and for how long, its strengths and weaknesses, perhaps even the location of a copy of the spell, but not the know-how to cast actually it. Those lacking this art may, in some cases, reduce penalties on related Lore tests with Occult or the Magitech science.

Aspects: An aspect is generally a wide subset of the body of knowledge in an art. This might be, for example, the knowledge intersection of two arts, such as, Military Culture or Religious History. Arts can also be divided regionally, such as Realm History, Nexus Architecture, Underworld Economics, Wyld Biology or Scavenger Lands Military. Aspects may also be temporal limits on an art, covering certain periods of time, such as Shogunate History, Recent Philosophy, or Third Century Economics. As mentioned above, knowledge of the first age requires an aspect for each art, such as First Age History, First Age Culture, etc.

Focus: A focus generally dives deeply into an art rather than broadly, giving detailed knowledge of an art, but limited in two ways, such as Realm Religious History, or else limited to a very specific subject, such as Frog Biology. A character also might focus on a specific organization, such as the Immaculate Order. Characters who wish to be literate only on certain languages can take those languages as foci of Literacy without learning Literacy itself.

Sciences: Lore science generally cover the creation of knowledge, or recreation of knowledge that has been lost. Lore sciences are:

• Architectonics: This science covers the detailed, multi-disciplinary knowledge and skill needed to design manses. In order to use the canon methods of manse design, a character must have a rating in this science equal to the rating of the manse being designed.
• Charmcraft: Under canon rules, all exalts can teach themselves most charms. Under this system, learning more powerful charms on your own requires detailed knowledge of charm magic, represented by the Charmcraft science. Rating in this science is compared to the minimum Essence requirement of charms (referred to here as ME). Characters can learn an existing charm without a tutor only if they have a Charmcraft rating equal to or greater than the charm's ME minus three. (This means that any exalt can teach themselves Essence 3 charms or lower without Charmcraft.) Characters with charmcraft can also invent brand new charms; however in this case, the science's rating is compared to ME minus two.
• Spellcraft: Under these rules, creation of new spells (Ex2, pg. 251) cannot be accomplished without knowledge of the science of spellcraft. Rating 1 in spellcraft allows the creation of emerald circle spells and requires the ability to cast terrestrial circle sorcery. Rating two allows invention of sapphire spells, requiring the ability to cast celestial circle sorcery. Rating of three allows the invention of adamant circle spells and requires the ability to cast solar circle sorcery. Creating spells now always uses Lore instead of Occult.
• Necromantia: The science of necromantia works exactly as spellcraft, but for necromancy instead of sorcery.

Other Rule Changes: Any Occult test in the rules to determine something the character knows about magic (as opposed to using magic to do something) is rolled under these rules as a Lore test, using either the Theoretical Magic or Applied Magic art. Any canonical Lore test to determine if the character succeeds in manipulating or otherwise doing something with magic is rolled under these rules as an Occult test instead. In particular, the knowledge of how to attune to a manse is under the purview of Lore, but the test to actually do so is an Occult test.

Ritual: ?

Medicine

Caste Ability For: Twlight, Wood, Endings

Used For: Treating illness (Ex2, pg. 129), knowledge of the body in health, sickness and trauma and remedies for disease and injury (Ex2, pg. 132), diagnosis, treating wounds (Ex2, pg. 137), emergency surgery, stopping bleeding, treating infection (Ex2, pg. 151), healing crippling wounds (Ex2, pg. 152)

Specialties: Infection, specific diseases, broken bones

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: While anyone trained in Medicine can use the ability without penalty, some learn more depth into certain fields, represented as arts. These arts are:

• Acupuncture: A healing technique based on treating the flow of Essence within the body, using needles, pressure, heat or other modification to parts of the body that block that flow, acupuncture's primary game effect is to speed healing. While resting under the care of an acupuncturist, a character's heals each health level as if its wound penalty is a category less for purposes of determining healing time.
• Herbalism: Less concerned with brewing potions (see the Occult art of Alchemy), herbalists hold a vast knowledge of plants and their effect on the body and reduce the difficulty of identifying plants with medical purposes and diagnosing those under the effects of plant or animal toxins by 2.
• Surgery: Those skilled in the surgical arts reduce the difficulty of any surgical test on a living patient by 2.

Aspects: Acupuncture aspects are based on the type of wound (mental, puncture, slashes, bites, etc.) or a specific kind of essence flow in the patient (mortal, dragon-blooded, solar, etc.). Herbal aspects deal with either plants with a specific purpose (antidotes, poisons, pain-killers, etc.) or plants from a certain region. A surgical aspect will either concentrate on a specific surgical purpose (e.g. treating disabling wounds), a certain part of the body (e.g. internal organs, limbs) or a certain type of wound (e.g. puncture, bludgeoning, etc.).

Focus: Acupuncture foci are usually combinations a specific wound type and essence flow (e.g. "bites made on mortals"). An herbal focus is generally in plants with both a specific purpose and a specific region (e.g. disease fighting plants from the Scavenger Lands) or plants focused on a very specific ailment (e.g. plants that treat leprosy). A surgical focus is usually a combination of two aspects (e.g. "emergency treatment of puncture wounds").

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Rituals: Recovery for mortals.

Occult

Ability to manipulate and channel essence

Caste Ability For: Twilight, Air, Secrets

Used For: Mystical knowledge (Ex2, pg. 132), building manses, creating artifacts (Ex2, pg. 133), thaumaturgy (Ex2, pg. 137)

Specialties: Supernatural Etiquette, Exotic Cults, Ghosts, Spirits, The Wyld, Undead.

Artless Penalty: None. Anyone with Occult skill can practice thaumaturgy without knowing arts.

Arts: Summoning, Warding, Astrology (Player's Guide, pp. 126-136). The primary effect of knowing an art is to provide +2 dice to tests that use it. (Note that this means that, since the most general art, aspect or focus provides the default art benefit, someone with only an aspect, for example, would get +2 dice.)

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: Alchemy, Enchantment, Geomancy, Weather Working (Player's Guide, pp. 136-148) Spellcraft

Other Rule Changes: Occult used to attune to Manses, not Lore.

Ritual: Manse attunment.

Performance

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: Oratory, Instrumental, Dance, Song, Acting. I'd make the artless penalty -2 and disallow supplemental charms use unless you have the art.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: Add a science to Performance called Staging, which covers things like special effects, faking assassinations, lighting for emotional effect, etc. Not sure what it would limit, though.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Politics

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

The relationship of Politics to other social skills is akin to the relationship War has to more personal combat skills.

Presence

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Profession

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Ranged

Ranged ability governs the use of personal devices that launch projectiles, either through strength, chemical reaction or magic. Ranged does not cover weapons that are thrown by hand (which is now covered by Athletics) or large ranged siege weapons like catapults (which is now covered by Ordinance).

Caste Ability For: Dawn, Wood, Journeys

Specialties: Specialties cover situational aspects of using ranged weapons, such as From Horseback, Indoors, While Flying, In Formation, etc.

Artless Penalty: Fighting without knowing a related Art carries a -2 internal penalty. Ranged charms provide no benefit in situations where no related art is known. Even with arts, without the science of Martial Synergy, charms from different arts may not be comboed.

Arts: Ranged works much like Fight, with each ranged-based art defines a particular fighting style, eliminating the penalty and allowing charm use (if any) with the weapons and techniques of that style. The canonical Archery charm trees are each considered a style, but with an additional complication regarding style weapons: an different art is required to use each category of weapons. For example, the Solar Bow art would allow the use of the canonical solar Archery charms and eliminate penalties, but only for actions involving bows. The charms themselves need be learned only once, but an art must be purchased separately for each of the three weapon categories: bows (which includes crossbows), ignition (including firewands and other "gun" weapons), essence (covering magical projectiles, such as those from man-portable implosion bows).

When making a ranged attack without using charms, it is assumed that the character is attacking in the style of related art he knows. So, a character who knows two bow-related arts would be assumed to be using the style of either one when making bow attacks (thus avoiding the -2 penalty). He might stunt differently depending on which of the two arts he used, but there would be no other mechanical effect. Arts need not have associated charm trees. There are likely several mortal schools of thought on archery, for example, each of which is represented as a different art, but none of which would have associated charms.

Some martial arts styles, like Wood Dragon, may be a mix of unarmed and ranged combat. To use an ability with styles like this, an art must be learned for each ability. Learning the Ranged-related Wood Dragon art, for example, allows use of known Wood Dragon charms and would eliminate the -2 internal penalty when making attacks in the wood dragon style with a bow, but not unarmed. Likewise, learning the Fight-related Wood Dragon art, for example, allows use of known Wood Dragon charms and would eliminate the -2 internal penalty when making attacks in the wood dragon style while unarmed, but not with a bow.

For every two full dots of Ranged purchased, a character may learn one Ranged art for free. A Eclipse solar with Ranged 4, for example, might learn Solar Bow and Terrestrial Bow. A mortal with Fight 4, who does not care about charms but wants to avoid the artless penalty, might learn Bow and a mortal martial arts style based around flame weapons as arts.

Aspects: A typical aspect to a fighting art include various maneuvers or techniques used within a style, such as trick shots, rope-cutting, indirect fire, hunting, etc.

Focus: A typical focus to a fighting art is a particular weapon or ammunition. For example, someone with the Sidereal Bow art might choose a focus of Short Bow or Frog-Crotch Arrows.

Sciences: Ranged has no sciences of its own; however, it may benefit from the Fight sciences to, for example, create combos using multiple Ranged arts, or even a mix of Ranged and Fight arts. This does not change charm definitions, however. A charm that specifically enhances ranged attacks cannot be "forced" to combo with a charm specifically for unarmed attacks.

Other Rule Changes: When using this skill, canon Archery charm trees are considered distinct fighting styles, much as First Edition Brawl trees were turned into styles in Second. Such styles are usually formless. All, of course, allow armor.

Of existing martial arts styles, Righteous Devil styles is now considered a solely Range-based style, while Wood Dragon is both Ranged and Fight.

Resistance

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Ride

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Socialize

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Stealth

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Survival

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: Possibly Survival arts for various environments: Alpine, Jungle, etc.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

Thrown

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.

War

Caste Ability For:

Specialties:

Artless Penalty: None.

Arts: None.

Aspects:

Focus:

Sciences: None.

Other Rule Changes: None.