Forgotten Suns: House Rules and Forgotten Suns: Log - Nexus: Difference between pages

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==Abilities==
[[Forgotten Suns: Log - Beginning|previous chapter]]


===Craft===
==Back to Civilization==


By official rule, “characters who wish to master multiple crafts must take this ability multiple times.” In our campaign, this rule is replaced with the following: Craft uses specializations to represent the various crafts a character knows. Any craft roll within a specialty that a character has is rolled normally including the bonus from the specialty; however, craft rolls in an area in which the character does ''not'' specialize have three dice subtracted and their difficulty increased by one. Characters who learn Craft gain one specialty for free. In addition, Craft ignores the usual limitation on three specialities per ability, allowing as many specialities as desired, though no one speciality may be chosen more than three times. In addition, Craft specialties start at +0 instead of +1. This is spelled out in a bit more detail [http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Wordman/Craft here].
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The specialties follow the lead of Second Edition, but others that are more or less specific may also be used. The primary specialties are:
[[Varden]] introduced. Circle hears rumors of the "[[White Queen]]" who rescued the costal village of [[Lush]] (near [[Thorns]]) after it had been “abducted by a deathlord”. Go to bar where [[Trieste]] is supposed to be and find [[Sage]], a geeky scholar fascinated by Anathema. He’s been waiting every day for months, so is taken to strip club. Trieste meets there and invites group to meeting with “superiors” in two days, indicating he will give word on where.


*Mortal arts (anything a mortal can make fits into one of these)
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**Air: calligraphy, jewelry-making, creating precision instruments, glassblowing and composing music (making small, decorative or high-precision items)
|-
**Earth: masonry, sculpture, stone cutting, creating earthworks (creating buildings and large objects with stone or earth)
| colspan="2" |'''22nd day of Ascending Earth, RY 769'''
**Fire: blacksmithing, making ceramics (forging and casting large metal objects and creating objects using fire)
|-
**Wood: carpentry, weaving, paper-making, flower arranging (carving, weaving and manipulating natural materials)
| ''Nexus''|| align="right" |''6 January 2004''
**Water: cooking, painting, brewing, leather working, pharmacy and poison-making (boiling and cooking plants, chemicals and animal materials)
|}
*Esoteric arts
**Fate (Sidereals, pg. 104)
**Glamour (Fair Folk, pg. 104)
*Ghostly arts (Abyssals, pg. 232-234)
**Jadecrafting
**Soulforging
**Moliation
**Pandemonium


===Lunar Shapeshifting===
[[Gutts]] trades soulsteel articulated plate and fair folk armor for suit of orichalcum articulated plate “with some additional powers” with [[Tepet Mason]] (who can’t believe his luck). Still, he has Gutts followed. Suspecting this, circle changes hotel, discovering and eluding their tails. Gutts puts on armor and passes out.


When in animal form, a lunar's own Brawl and Martial Arts abilities are supplanted by the Brawl skill of the animal form when making natural attacks. This reflects the fact that much of the training represented by human Brawl and Martial Arts skill assumes human limbs and hands. Lunars may buy specializations to Brawl skill that will add to fighting when in a specific animal form.
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When wearing moonsilver armor to which they are attuned, a lunar may choose to banish the the armor Elsewhere when shapeshifting into any form. Such armor is still attuned and any hearthstones mounted in it continue to provide their effects. Lunars can only "summon" this armor by making another shapechange. This costs the same and takes just as long as normal. A lunar, for example, could change any form (including normal human form) into their normal human form with armor for the standard 1 mote, reflexive shapechange. Changing from any form into an armored animal form costs a simple action and the normal 3 motes, etc.
Gutts has a [[Emerald_Fortress_Vision|vision]] while attuning to armor. To him, it lasts nearly a week but actually took place nearly instantly. Starving, he eats a lot. Circle trains for a while, then sleeps.


==Backgrounds==
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===Heart's Blood===
As entire party sleeps, a [[mysterious woman|Kerin]] breaks in. Under cover of a Shadowy Simulacrums of Smoke spell and serious stealth charms, she steals the [[moonsilver box]] the characters were to deliver to [[Milo Divivovich]] from Gutts’ bag. She leaves a note in its place:


This lunar background has been substantially [[Heart's Blood|reworked]].
<blockquote style="font-family: cursive; font-size: 12pt">Honored Brethren -<br>
I have temporarily borrowed the moonsilver box. It will be returned safely on one condition: that you allow me to accompany you when you deliver it. I seek an audience with the man to whom you intend to deliver it. If you accept this proposal, meet me at midnight tomorrow in the spire of the Silent Bell Tower in the Bastion District.</blockquote>


===Manse===
The circle spent the next day shopping (weapons and clothing), but went to the spire. The building, a First Age construction now adapted into a fine winery, had several guards, who raised an alarm when the circle walked in the front door. The circle managed to elude them and head up to the top of the spire.


If a hearthstone is mounted into an artifact to which you are attuned, you gain the benefits of the hearthstone (both essence respiration and other abilities) through the attunment, regardless of where the artifact is. Skin contact is not required. This functions even if the artifact is Elsewhere, but not across other dimensional boundaries. So, if you were in Creation, but an artifact with your hearthstone was in Yu Shan, no benefit would be derived from the stone. Effects of specific realms on hearthstones continue to apply in the way most detrimental. For example, if you are in the Underworld, but an artifact with your hearthstone is Elsewhere (or vice versa), the penalty preventing essence respiration in the Underworld still holds.
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==Combat==
| colspan="2" |'''24th day of Ascending Earth, RY 769'''
|-
| ''Nexus''|| align="right" |''14 January 2004''
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Since the characters were built with standard rules, we continue to use standard combat rules, with a few exceptions.
The mysterious woman stepped from the shadows and asked for their answer. They argued, but eventually agreed, on the added condition that she disclose what the box contained. She joined them for a late dinner, introducing herself as Kerin. She reveals contents of box as a red seed, and information is exchanged between them.


===Aborting to Cascading Parry===
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Characters may abort their action to parry the same way they can abort to dodge, with a -1 cumulative penalty for each parry. The main difference is that the initial penalty starts at -2 instead of zero. Aborting to parry uses Dexterity and either Melee, Martial Arts or Brawl, gaining the defense rating of the weapon.
After sleeping until morning, the circle awoke and, while Cruxis made an appointment to meet Milo Divivovich, the rest trained. After Cruxis returned with news of a meeting for the mid afternoon, a western woman visits, claiming to be a servant of Kerin. The slave indicated that Kerin would meet the group before the meeting. Later, an Immaculate stopped by, giving word that the meeting with [[Trieste]] would be later in the evening.


===Clinches &amp; Holds===
Before the meeting, a page gave the circle the message that their &ldquo;carriage awaits&rdquo; and they went down to meet it (Gutts racing down to see Kerin). In the carriage was the same western slave, indicating that her lady had sent her instead. Guen didn&rsquo;t trust the slave (and caught slight scents of Kerin) so left the carriage. The rest continued, and Guen trailed in hawk form.


Clinches and holds are resolved using the new Power Combat mechanics. These just make more sense and are easier to apply.
After driving and being escorted through a startling array of wealth and waiting for some time, the solars in the circle met with Divivovich. The slave girl was not allowed in while, all the while, Guen watched from outside. The meeting progressed amiably, with Gutts&rsquo; brashness surprising Divivovich into liking the group. They agreed that the circle could take the box as payment for the delivery and suggested that, for an orichalcum hearthstone amulet, the circle could perform a task for the factor. He agreed to consider this and sent them to wait downstairs.


===Delaying Action===
As the left the meeting, they discovered the guards left in the anteroom unconscious and the slave girl missing. The circle was shuttled into a room down the hall as the guards mobilized. Guen continued to watch Divivovich who, after waiting a time, took the box and opened a secret entrance to a staircase leading down. Guen followed as soon as was safe. He continued slowly down the stairs, uncovering a secret door that led even further down. He eventually found a first age hallway and strode slowly down it, alert.


We tend not to have "race towards zero" problems, but the following rules are used to delay action. If you do not want to act on your standard initiative tick, you may do one of two things. You may ''conditionally delay'' your action, specifying a condition that will trigger your action. For example, you might delay and say "if someone tries to attack my friend, I will attack them." If the condition is triggered, you may act ''before'' the condition takes effect. The delay generates no penalty for your action. To continue the example, when an enemy declares an attack on the friend you are protecting, you may act first, effectively interrupting the attack. Once your action is completed, if declared actions of others were interrupted, they may change their minds and redclare their action.
Meanwhile, the solars were being questioned about the girl. Gutts botched a memory roll and was convinced that Kerin&rsquo;s name was Melissa, giving the guards the impression that she was a casual fling and that they thought nothing of the slave girl. The guards believed that the group had been seduced and duped, and left, re-locking the solars in the room. Shortly after, two thumps sounded from the hall and the solars decided to break out. They left into a hall filled with unconscious people. They went back into the office and found the secret passage as well. Thundering down the stairs, they met up with Guen.


You may also ''unconditionally delay'' your action. This allows you to act at a later time in the round without penality; however, it does ''not'' allow you to interrupt the actions of others. You can act before someone declares an action, but once they have done so, you cannot use your action until they are done.
While Gutts and Varden broke into a treasure room (containing records of slave and drug trades that the circle never read, minor talismans, paintings and three strong boxes containing talents of jade, talents of silver and jars of heroin), Guen led the others through a secret door. Inside was a thick (open) door into a vast vault. Within the vault was a weeping Milo Divivovich, kneeling next to a shattered glass sphere that appeared to have been filled with rose petals. The petals littered the floor, along with a [[Corn Husk Thief|corn husk]]. (The petals were the souls of his ancestors which Milo believed to have been &ldquo;protected&rdquo; from the Underworld and living in paradise. In fact, they were imprisoned within, not in paradise at all.) Four glyphs were written on the wall in blood:


If you chose to conditionally delay and wish to react to something that doesn't involve the condition, you can abandon the conditional delay and follow the rules for an unconditional delay.
<center>[[Image:Ongenwahl.png]]</center>


In either of these cases, you may split your pool when you announce that you are delaying. Usually you would do this to declare defenses that can be used while you wait. Such defenses may be used without defaulting your action.
The glyphs were speculated to be written in the blood of Milo&rsquo;s daughter . The party ignored Milo&rsquo;s pleadings to leave, and eventually finalized the trade of the amulet for a future task. Milo believes they had something to do with the slave girl and does not trust them, so agreed to the deal in order keep tabs on them, giving them a white stone which will glow when he needs them.


===Martial Arts Styles===
Eventually leaving Milo, Gutts insisted on breaking into the remaining doors. He found a room full of skulls (also hiding some first age artifacts which the circle did not find). The other two rooms were filled with gold, sculpture and treasure, but were guarded by traps. One put Gutts and Guen to sleep. The other shocked Varden with electricity. The circle left all of the treasure, more curious than greedy, and carried out their sleeping companions through the other end of the hall, which led into an apartment of Milo&rsquo;s. They did not notice, but a woman (a mistress) slept in the bed of the room they exited. The managed to get out, though Cruxis had to go out a different way (meeting the woman, [[Forgotten_Suns: Extras|Shaylai]], in the process).


A clarification: martial arts styles can be divided into four groups:
The circle made their way to the park surrounding the Tomb of Singing Blades, where they met Trieste on schedule. He brought them to a nearby house and sat them down. Then the lights went out.


#Styles that allow use of armor at all times
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#Styles that allow specific (usually light) armor at all times
|-
#Styles that prohibit use of armor with their form (and maybe one or two other) charms, but allow it with other charms of the style
| ''Nexus''|| align="right" |''28 January 2004''
#Styles that prohibit use of armor with all charms in the style
|}


It is often forgotten that most styles are actually the third type. Five-Dragon and Immaculate styles are the first type, except Fire-Dragon, which is the third.
After a falling sensation, the lights faded in on a different scene. In place of the table was a large sundial, with Trieste and five robed figures seated around it. In fact, this was all happening in the groups heads, as the sundial is an artifact for meeting in a dream like space. The group was [[Sundial]], and they pitched to the circle their vision that the world was doomed to either endless war, domination by the abyssals or renewed rule by the solars (their preference). They want to be on the winning side. They believe using the blade known as [[Soul Mirror]] as a bargaining chip may allow them to manipulate one or more deathlords (or, at least, aim them in a specific direction). They claimed to know where the blade is, in [[Rathess]], and want the circle to get it.


===Mixing Martial Arts Styles===
In return, the circle asked for:
*(Guen) Help in reverting Regret of the Sun.
*(Varden &amp; Guen) Training in Immaculate martial arts.
*(Jorias) An undisclosed favor (help repairing manse)
*(Cruxis) Descrete armor and three virgin daughters to bear his children.
*(Gutts) Wealth


The rules on how weapons and armor work when mixing more than one style of Martial Arts are slightly confusing. This campaign interprets these rules enforcing a "low watermark" concept, where the greatest restriction applies. In particular: bonuses to attacks or parries granted by charms can only enhance attacks or parries made with form weapons, or barehanded. If you attempt otherwise, any such charm effects terminate before the attack is resolved.
At no time did the party ask the names of Sundial, nor did they verify anything about who they were or what they might be. The party agreed to look for the sword and Sundial suggested that this was just the beginning and indicted that Trieste would deliver preparation materials like maps and so on the next morning.


The practical upshot of this is that, unless two styles share the same signature weapon(s), fighters wanting to use  charms for attack or parry from both styles at once must fight bare-handed. Note that it is possible to use charms that neither attack nor parry from other styles while using incompatible weapons. For example, Distracting Finger Gesture does not enhance a weapon attack or parry, so could be used while holding a goremaul or other weapon incompatible with Ebon Shadow Style.
Returning to the hotel, the circle found [[Jaguan]] in their room. After greetings, he exchanged Guen&rsquo;s sorcery book for a suit of moonsilver reinforced breastplate. He also delivered a message, given to him by a no moon who owed a favor to a spirit:


===Celestial Practice of Immaculate Styles===
<blockquote style="font-family: cursive; font-size: 12pt">Honored Exalts,<br>
At the recommendation of the huraka [[Morakkan]] (with the permission of his master [[Red Stalking Bear]], Master of the South Wind), your presence is requested at the spire of [[Fakharu]], Censor of the Celestial Bureaucracy, Dragon of Water, for an urgent matter of mutual interest. At your request, the bearer of this missive, Mikani, Messenger to the Spirit of the River of Tears, stands at your disposal to convey your exalted personages to the nearest seashore where a ship will greet you at the sunset of your arrival and bear you safely to your destination.</blockquote>


The errata to the ''Dragon Blooded'' makes several changes regarding the Immaculate Martial Arts styles, most of which became official in the ''Player's Guide''. Some, however, did not, making it a bit ambiguous. Regardless of the intent, this campaign works as follows:
In discussing what to do, the circle (well, mostly Gutts) decided to return to Milo&rsquo;s place to steal the treasures seen before. After a great deal of argument, the party agreed, sending Cruxis ahead to &ldquo;distract&rdquo; the mistress and allow them to enter the vault through the secret back entrance. In spite of a number of botched stealth rolls by the armor intensive Gutts, they made it into the vault undetected.


*Celestials do not need to make rolls when activating Immaculate forms.
Having noticed the broken locks Gutts left previously, Milo had posted around thirty guards in the vault hallway. He then locked himself in the vault and killed himself in grief. The guards, not knowing this, remained at post and tried to drive off the circle. After a slight bit of slaughter from Gutts and some sorcery from Jaguan, the guards fell and the looting began.
*Celestials do not need to dedicate themselves to an Immaculate path, so may learn other Celestial Martial Arts before, during and after mastering an Immaculate style.
*Celestials transcend the need for "elemental harmony", so gain signature weapon benefits and do not pay a 1 mote penalty for each charm.


===Mixing Shaping and Normal Combat===
Jaguan became obsessed with the documents in one of the vaults. Guen became obsessed with the skull room and became convinced that Milo needed to be killed. After breaking into the vault room and finding Milo dead, the circle left the vault, though Cruxis (who came down from his &ldquo;duties&rdquo;) incinerated the skulls.


The rules governing how shaping combat mixes with normal combat are a bit confusing. The following is how these rules are interpreted in this campaign:
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A raksha gets a single shaping action per scene. This action may be backed with a shaping charm. The raksha may take this action reflexively at any time during the scene; however, if multple raksha are involved, a standard shaping initative roll is made and those with higher initiative may preempt the action of slower characters with their own.
Gutts, Guen and Jorias trained all night long. By morning Jaguan woke up and watched. Gutts decides to give a talent of silver to each of the servants he bought to take care of his elephant. Jorias suggested another talent of jade may make a good gift for Fakharu.


This can be a typical shaping attack, in which case it is resolved as such, with effects based on how the given shaping attacks affect creatures of Creation. Most shaping attacks can only be targeted at a single target at a time, but there are exceptions.
While Guen and Jaguan visited [[Mikani]], Cruxis and Gutts deposited the rest of the loot from Milo&rsquo;s house in a Nexus bank (19 talents of jade, 18 talents of silver, 21 talismans). He chose a talisman for everyone on the party, including Jaguan:
*Cruxis: walkaway
*Guen: talisman against disease
*Gutts: talisman against disease
*Jaguan: good luck charm
*Jorias: ward vs. demons
*Varden: walkaway


The raksha may also use his shaping action to form a more generic narrative shaping, defining the parameters of a scene. Narrative shapping is assumed to affect any targets involved in the scene that tha raksha wishes to include in the narrative. This works as per the "Effects of Reality Shaping" on pg. 134, where targets from Creation can either accept the reality, gaining one die Wyld bonus, or can spend a Willpower to reject it, suffering an environmental penalty equal to the raksha's Essence. Other raksha are assumed to be aware of the narration, but are not beholden to it in any way.
Upon reuniting, Jorias announced that he would be staying with Jaguan for the time being, surprising everyone (especially Jaguan). Hinting that Jaguan would be teaching him sorcery, he said he would go to the libraries in [[Sijan]] to seek answers to the the circle's [[Forgotten Suns: Questions|questions]].


Charms such as Integrity-Protecting Prana compeletely stop shaping attacks. They also allow those protected to reject a narrative shaping without spending Willpower; however, even protected characters suffer the environmental penalty, though it is cut in half (round up).
After splitting the water used to contact the manse (which the group finally remembered to actually do), the group parted, with Guen, Gutts, Varden and Cruxis going with Mikani.


=== Stunts ===
Pleased to see them, Mikani showed them her &ldquo;new toy&rdquo;, a necklace that created a sphere that allowed Mikani to take the group underwater downriver at incredible speed, reaching the coast by sundown. From there, Fakharu&rsquo;s ship picked them up and they slept.


In an effort to encourage more stunting, we will be using the stunt rewards from Second Edition. These essentially double the mote reward for stunts.
[[Forgotten Suns: Log - The West|next chapter]]
 
==Charms Changes==
 
===Tweaks===
 
====Martial Arts====
 
The Air Dragon signature weapon effect is a bit unbalanced compared to the other effects. This campaign replaces it with the effect from Second Edition: An Air Dragon Immaculate may hurl two chakram as a single attack, using one attack and defense roll, but they do damage independently. To use a charm for such an attack, an additional mote must be spent.
 
Because we allow anyone to abort to a cascading parry, the Mantis Form is no longer as useful. It now adds Essence to any parry attempts, but must have a base Martial Arts pool available to use this bonus.
 
====Craft====
 
Shattering Grasp claims that it "doubles damage successes" when augmenting an attack on an object; however, rules for attacking objects state that you don't actually roll damage against objects. Whatever the intent behind this is, in this campaign, this charm doubles the raw damage of such an attack.
 
===Power Combat Changes===
 
Our campaign, having gone on fairly long using the original combat rules, elects not to use the new power combat rules from the [[Exalted Player's Guide|Player&rsquo;s Guide]]; however, these rules contain a some changes/clarifications to charms that make sense for either rules system. Note that some of them are significant changes. The following are considered official in our campaign:
 
====Archery====
 
''Immaculate Golden Bow:'' Accuracy and rate equal to Essence. Range 300 yards.
 
''Trance of Unhesitating Speed:'' Costs a flat 3 motes per attack. No more extra attacks than Essence.
 
====Athletics====
 
''Feather Foot Style:'' Cost now 5 motes. Duration one scene. In addition to effects listed in book, also doubles running and sprinting rate (though this does not stack with other speed enhancemnets).
 
''Monkey Leap Technique:'' Distance measured in yards, not feet.
 
''Spider-Foot Style:'' Cost now 3 motes, duration one scene.
 
====Brawl====
 
''Sledgehammer Fist Punch:'' Type now supplemental, duration instant.
 
====Endurance====
 
''Armored Scout&rsquo;s Invigoration:'' Cost now 3 motes per point of mobility and fatigue negated, a max number of times equal to Endurance. Each 3 motes negates a point of each.
 
''Essence-Gathering Temper:'' Each success on the roll gains a number of motes equal to Essence, though no more successes provide benefit that the character has points of Stamina.
 
''Front-Line Warrior&rsquo;s Stamina:'' Cost now 5 motes + 1 Willpower. Cancels all fatigue and mobility until the armor is removed.
 
''Tiger Warrior&rsquo;s Endurance:'' Cost now 6 motes + 1 Willpower + 1 lethal health level. While in effect, character regains Essence as if meditating (8 motes/hour) and cannot suffer fatigue checks or penalties. Character does not and cannot sleep. Duration is Essence + Endurance in hours. Health level remains &ldquo;comitted&rdquo; while the charm is active.
 
====Martial Arts====
 
''Armor-Penetrating Fang Strike:'' Cost now 4 motes + 1 Willpower.
 
''Essence Venom Strike:'' Cost now 7 motes + 1 Willpower.
 
''Striking Serpent Speed:'' Cost now 6 motes only.
 
====Melee====
 
''Fire and Stones Stike:'' Each mote make a damage die an automatic success. (From erratta).
 
''One Weapon, Two Blows:'' Cost now 2 motes.
 
''Peony Blossom Attack:'' Costs a flat 3 motes per attack. No more extra attacks than Essence + 1.
 
====Presence====
 
''Majestic Radience Presence:'' The Willpower roll to oppose or attack character made every time attempting to disobey or harm character, but no more than once per turn.
 
''Terrifying Apparition of Glory:'' The Valor and Confiction rolls to oppose or harm character made every time attempting to disobey or harm character, but no more than once per turn.
 
====Resistance====
 
''Durability of Oak Meditation:'' Cost now 1 mote per 2B added to bashing soak. A roll is no longer needed. May be used with existing armor.
 
''Iron Skin Concentration:'' Big change: now reflexive and of instant duration, costing 3 motes only. It reduces the damage dice of any attack you are aware of to the attackers Essence.
 
''Spirit Strengthens the Skin:'' Big change: now reflexive and lasts one scene. For 2 motes and 1 willpower, you may soak lethal damage with your bashing soak until the end of the scene. Incompatible with armor. (Note that this is somewhat similar to what Iron Skin Concentration used to do, but is slightly cheaper with a higher resistance requirement).
 
''Unfailing Toroise Technique:'' Cost now 2 motes. Character's natural lethal soak becomes Stamina + Resistance to defend against a single, even unanticipated, attack. Charm is compatible with armor.
 
''Iron Kettle Body:'' Cost is now 3 motes. Character gains +8B/+9L soak to a single attack. In addition, if the number of damage dice rolled for the attack starts at eight or less, the attack does no damage at all.
 
====Thrown====
 
''Fiery Solar Chakram:'' Cost now 4 motes. Accuracy bonus equal to Essence.
 
===Additional Charms===
 
The following charms are legal in this campaign and may be learned like any others:
 
*[[Leopard Style]] martial arts
*Any of these additional [[Exalted Charms|charms]]
*Any of these combos [[Exalted Combos|combos]]
 
==Sorcery==
 
===Lunar Sorcery===
 
Lunars have an innate connection to the Wyld and a lot of practice shaping themselves with their will, both of which make them natural sorcerers, particularly no-moons. To reflect this, experience costs for lunars to learn new spells are reduced to 7xp for no-moons and 9xp for other castes.
 
Costs for learning necromancy remain unchanged.
 
==Training==
 
===Combo Training Time===
 
As written, the rules do not set a fixed training time for combos. In this campaign, the base time for learning a combo when all of the charms in the combo are in a favored ability is equal to the sum of the minimum abilities of all the charms in the combo, plus the highest minimum essence of the charms, in days. If ''any'' of the charms in the combo are unfavored, add the minimum essence of ''all'' charms in the combo.
 
The training time assumes a teacher is available. If the exalt is self-training, ''triple'' the base time. The idea behind this rule is to provide role-playing incentive for tracking down combo trainers.
 
===Modifying Existing Combos===
 
Using canon rules, combos cannot be modified. If you want to add a charm into a combo, you must learn a whole new combo. Unfortunately, this has the effect of preventing people from developing combos. In our game, we allow this rule to stand, but provide steep discounts in xp cost and training time for learning the new combo.
 
Suppose you have a combo with two charms in it and you want to add a two more charms into it. Determine the training time (T<sub>2</sub>) and xp cost (X<sub>2</sub>) spent learning the two charm combo. Then determine the xp cost (X<sub>4</sub>) and training time (T<sub>4</sub>) that would be required to learn the four charm combo from scratch. To learn the four charm combo, you pay X<sub>4</sub>-X<sub>2</sub> xp and you must train for T<sub>4</sub>-T<sub>2</sub>. At the end of this, you know both the original two charm combo and the new four charm combo.
 
If you want to learn a subset of a combo you already know, you must learn a brand new combo; however, as with adding charms, you do so at a much reduced cost. Removing charms is much easier, so to learn such a combo, you pay a number of xp equal to the minimum Essence of each charm removed. You must train for a number of hours equal to the minimum attribute/ability of each charm removed. Note that, since reflexive charms in combos do not require activation when the combo is used, learning a subset combo should really only be needed to remove non-reflexive charms.
 
===Attribute Training Time===
 
Being masters of their own form, Lunars cut the training time to raise an attribute in half.
 
===Trainers Required===
 
In addition to things in the rules that ''require'' trainers to learn, characters must have tutors to learn the following:
 
*Your very first martial arts charm of any kind
*Any martial arts form charm
*The pinnacle charm for a martial arts tree
*Any Immaculate martial arts charm
 
===Training Others===
 
Exalted can both learn and teach at the same time. Thus, two exalted could be teaching each other different charms simultaneously. This is slightly non-sensical, but makes the game flow a little more smoothly (particularly since training times are long enough already).
 
===Lunar Martial Arts===
 
Lunar characters may learn martial arts charms from a style based on their totem animal for eight experience points each. The lunar may do this with one and only one style, selected by the lunar.
 
===Sidereal Martial Arts===
 
The ''Sidereals'' book implies that any celestial, including lunars, can learn sidereal level martial arts (in addition to sidereals, of course). The ''Players Guide'' restricts this to only solars and abyssals. In this game, Lunars can learn sidereal martial arts at a cost of 18 xp per charm (16 if MA is favored).
 
Note that all sidereal MA charms ''require'' a tutor, and finding one is the most difficult part of learning these styles. Sidereal ''sifu'' tend not to give up these secrets lightly, if at all. In this game, to qualify as a tutor to non-sidereal exalted, the teacher must be a master (i.e. know ''all'' of the charms) of the tree he or she is teaching.
 
===Fair Folk Charms===
 
As mentioned in the Fair Folk book, Lunars (along with Eclipse and Moonshadow caste) can learn Fair Folk charms, provided a Fair Folk has forged an appropriate grace for them. In a departure from the standard rules, however, Lunars pay only 17xp to learn these charms (not double cost).
 
===Graces===
 
Non-Fair Folk may improve the rating of any grace forged for them, even if they do not own it. All graces held by non-Fair Folk are considered to be minor graces.
 
==Armor==
 
Clothing of any kind may be used with charms that do not allow armor, even if the clothing provides soak bonuses. Charms that don't allow armor (such as martial arts forms) conceptualize this restriction with the idea that the bulk of armor restrains movement needed for the charm, which is not a factor in clothing (else the charm could only be used naked). Examples of clothing with soak bonuses would be Demon Embracing Robes or the gossamer garments of Fair Folk. Note that such clothing ''is'' bypassed by charms that explicitly penetrate or avoid armor (e.g. Armor Penetrating Fang Strike). To balance out this change, such clothing provides no soak against aggravated damage.
 
==Astrology==
 
Officially, a character may not have "two of the same destiny on herself" (side.218). In this campaign, this is purposely misinterpreted to mean that the sidereal cannot have two of the exact same identities at the same time; however, a sidereal ''may'' have multiple destinies from the same college on themselves, provides they are distinct identities. The practical result of this is that sidereals use effect dice from one destiny for special effects while reserving those of a maintained identity in the same college. Since the number of astrological effects on a single person is already limited by their Essence, this does not seem particularly unbalancing.


[[Category:Forgotten Suns]]
[[Category:Forgotten Suns]]
[[Category:House Rules]]
[[Category:Campaign Log]]
[[Category:Exalted]]

Revision as of 16:49, 12 August 2005

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21st day of Ascending Earth, RY 769
Nexus 6 January 2004

Varden introduced. Circle hears rumors of the "White Queen" who rescued the costal village of Lush (near Thorns) after it had been “abducted by a deathlord”. Go to bar where Trieste is supposed to be and find Sage, a geeky scholar fascinated by Anathema. He’s been waiting every day for months, so is taken to strip club. Trieste meets there and invites group to meeting with “superiors” in two days, indicating he will give word on where.

22nd day of Ascending Earth, RY 769
Nexus 6 January 2004

Gutts trades soulsteel articulated plate and fair folk armor for suit of orichalcum articulated plate “with some additional powers” with Tepet Mason (who can’t believe his luck). Still, he has Gutts followed. Suspecting this, circle changes hotel, discovering and eluding their tails. Gutts puts on armor and passes out.

Nexus 14 January 2004

Gutts has a vision while attuning to armor. To him, it lasts nearly a week but actually took place nearly instantly. Starving, he eats a lot. Circle trains for a while, then sleeps.

23rd day of Ascending Earth, RY 769
Nexus 14 January 2004

As entire party sleeps, a Kerin breaks in. Under cover of a Shadowy Simulacrums of Smoke spell and serious stealth charms, she steals the moonsilver box the characters were to deliver to Milo Divivovich from Gutts’ bag. She leaves a note in its place:

Honored Brethren -
I have temporarily borrowed the moonsilver box. It will be returned safely on one condition: that you allow me to accompany you when you deliver it. I seek an audience with the man to whom you intend to deliver it. If you accept this proposal, meet me at midnight tomorrow in the spire of the Silent Bell Tower in the Bastion District.

The circle spent the next day shopping (weapons and clothing), but went to the spire. The building, a First Age construction now adapted into a fine winery, had several guards, who raised an alarm when the circle walked in the front door. The circle managed to elude them and head up to the top of the spire.

24th day of Ascending Earth, RY 769
Nexus 14 January 2004

The mysterious woman stepped from the shadows and asked for their answer. They argued, but eventually agreed, on the added condition that she disclose what the box contained. She joined them for a late dinner, introducing herself as Kerin. She reveals contents of box as a red seed, and information is exchanged between them.

Nexus 21 January 2004

After sleeping until morning, the circle awoke and, while Cruxis made an appointment to meet Milo Divivovich, the rest trained. After Cruxis returned with news of a meeting for the mid afternoon, a western woman visits, claiming to be a servant of Kerin. The slave indicated that Kerin would meet the group before the meeting. Later, an Immaculate stopped by, giving word that the meeting with Trieste would be later in the evening.

Before the meeting, a page gave the circle the message that their “carriage awaits” and they went down to meet it (Gutts racing down to see Kerin). In the carriage was the same western slave, indicating that her lady had sent her instead. Guen didn’t trust the slave (and caught slight scents of Kerin) so left the carriage. The rest continued, and Guen trailed in hawk form.

After driving and being escorted through a startling array of wealth and waiting for some time, the solars in the circle met with Divivovich. The slave girl was not allowed in while, all the while, Guen watched from outside. The meeting progressed amiably, with Gutts’ brashness surprising Divivovich into liking the group. They agreed that the circle could take the box as payment for the delivery and suggested that, for an orichalcum hearthstone amulet, the circle could perform a task for the factor. He agreed to consider this and sent them to wait downstairs.

As the left the meeting, they discovered the guards left in the anteroom unconscious and the slave girl missing. The circle was shuttled into a room down the hall as the guards mobilized. Guen continued to watch Divivovich who, after waiting a time, took the box and opened a secret entrance to a staircase leading down. Guen followed as soon as was safe. He continued slowly down the stairs, uncovering a secret door that led even further down. He eventually found a first age hallway and strode slowly down it, alert.

Meanwhile, the solars were being questioned about the girl. Gutts botched a memory roll and was convinced that Kerin’s name was Melissa, giving the guards the impression that she was a casual fling and that they thought nothing of the slave girl. The guards believed that the group had been seduced and duped, and left, re-locking the solars in the room. Shortly after, two thumps sounded from the hall and the solars decided to break out. They left into a hall filled with unconscious people. They went back into the office and found the secret passage as well. Thundering down the stairs, they met up with Guen.

While Gutts and Varden broke into a treasure room (containing records of slave and drug trades that the circle never read, minor talismans, paintings and three strong boxes containing talents of jade, talents of silver and jars of heroin), Guen led the others through a secret door. Inside was a thick (open) door into a vast vault. Within the vault was a weeping Milo Divivovich, kneeling next to a shattered glass sphere that appeared to have been filled with rose petals. The petals littered the floor, along with a corn husk. (The petals were the souls of his ancestors which Milo believed to have been “protected” from the Underworld and living in paradise. In fact, they were imprisoned within, not in paradise at all.) Four glyphs were written on the wall in blood:

The glyphs were speculated to be written in the blood of Milo’s daughter . The party ignored Milo’s pleadings to leave, and eventually finalized the trade of the amulet for a future task. Milo believes they had something to do with the slave girl and does not trust them, so agreed to the deal in order keep tabs on them, giving them a white stone which will glow when he needs them.

Eventually leaving Milo, Gutts insisted on breaking into the remaining doors. He found a room full of skulls (also hiding some first age artifacts which the circle did not find). The other two rooms were filled with gold, sculpture and treasure, but were guarded by traps. One put Gutts and Guen to sleep. The other shocked Varden with electricity. The circle left all of the treasure, more curious than greedy, and carried out their sleeping companions through the other end of the hall, which led into an apartment of Milo’s. They did not notice, but a woman (a mistress) slept in the bed of the room they exited. The managed to get out, though Cruxis had to go out a different way (meeting the woman, Shaylai, in the process).

The circle made their way to the park surrounding the Tomb of Singing Blades, where they met Trieste on schedule. He brought them to a nearby house and sat them down. Then the lights went out.

Nexus 28 January 2004

After a falling sensation, the lights faded in on a different scene. In place of the table was a large sundial, with Trieste and five robed figures seated around it. In fact, this was all happening in the groups heads, as the sundial is an artifact for meeting in a dream like space. The group was Sundial, and they pitched to the circle their vision that the world was doomed to either endless war, domination by the abyssals or renewed rule by the solars (their preference). They want to be on the winning side. They believe using the blade known as Soul Mirror as a bargaining chip may allow them to manipulate one or more deathlords (or, at least, aim them in a specific direction). They claimed to know where the blade is, in Rathess, and want the circle to get it.

In return, the circle asked for:

  • (Guen) Help in reverting Regret of the Sun.
  • (Varden & Guen) Training in Immaculate martial arts.
  • (Jorias) An undisclosed favor (help repairing manse)
  • (Cruxis) Descrete armor and three virgin daughters to bear his children.
  • (Gutts) Wealth

At no time did the party ask the names of Sundial, nor did they verify anything about who they were or what they might be. The party agreed to look for the sword and Sundial suggested that this was just the beginning and indicted that Trieste would deliver preparation materials like maps and so on the next morning.

Returning to the hotel, the circle found Jaguan in their room. After greetings, he exchanged Guen’s sorcery book for a suit of moonsilver reinforced breastplate. He also delivered a message, given to him by a no moon who owed a favor to a spirit:

Honored Exalts,
At the recommendation of the huraka Morakkan (with the permission of his master Red Stalking Bear, Master of the South Wind), your presence is requested at the spire of Fakharu, Censor of the Celestial Bureaucracy, Dragon of Water, for an urgent matter of mutual interest. At your request, the bearer of this missive, Mikani, Messenger to the Spirit of the River of Tears, stands at your disposal to convey your exalted personages to the nearest seashore where a ship will greet you at the sunset of your arrival and bear you safely to your destination.

In discussing what to do, the circle (well, mostly Gutts) decided to return to Milo’s place to steal the treasures seen before. After a great deal of argument, the party agreed, sending Cruxis ahead to “distract” the mistress and allow them to enter the vault through the secret back entrance. In spite of a number of botched stealth rolls by the armor intensive Gutts, they made it into the vault undetected.

Having noticed the broken locks Gutts left previously, Milo had posted around thirty guards in the vault hallway. He then locked himself in the vault and killed himself in grief. The guards, not knowing this, remained at post and tried to drive off the circle. After a slight bit of slaughter from Gutts and some sorcery from Jaguan, the guards fell and the looting began.

Jaguan became obsessed with the documents in one of the vaults. Guen became obsessed with the skull room and became convinced that Milo needed to be killed. After breaking into the vault room and finding Milo dead, the circle left the vault, though Cruxis (who came down from his “duties”) incinerated the skulls.

25th day of Ascending Earth, RY 769
Nexus 11 February 2004

Gutts, Guen and Jorias trained all night long. By morning Jaguan woke up and watched. Gutts decides to give a talent of silver to each of the servants he bought to take care of his elephant. Jorias suggested another talent of jade may make a good gift for Fakharu.

While Guen and Jaguan visited Mikani, Cruxis and Gutts deposited the rest of the loot from Milo’s house in a Nexus bank (19 talents of jade, 18 talents of silver, 21 talismans). He chose a talisman for everyone on the party, including Jaguan:

  • Cruxis: walkaway
  • Guen: talisman against disease
  • Gutts: talisman against disease
  • Jaguan: good luck charm
  • Jorias: ward vs. demons
  • Varden: walkaway

Upon reuniting, Jorias announced that he would be staying with Jaguan for the time being, surprising everyone (especially Jaguan). Hinting that Jaguan would be teaching him sorcery, he said he would go to the libraries in Sijan to seek answers to the the circle's questions.

After splitting the water used to contact the manse (which the group finally remembered to actually do), the group parted, with Guen, Gutts, Varden and Cruxis going with Mikani.

Pleased to see them, Mikani showed them her “new toy”, a necklace that created a sphere that allowed Mikani to take the group underwater downriver at incredible speed, reaching the coast by sundown. From there, Fakharu’s ship picked them up and they slept.

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