Forgotten Suns: Log - Chiaroscuro

Abilities in Exalted frustrate some people because individual abilities have vast differences in scope, and sometimes mechanics. Some, like Dodge, are focussed extremely narrowly while others, like Lore and Occult are extremely broad. The rules presented here attempt to:

• provide a bit more unity and cohesion for how abilities behave
• provide a mechanism that requires a cost to use broad skills broadly
• provide a simple mechanic for "defaulting" to other skills
• keep actual mechanical changes minimal, so that the changes augment, rather than completely alter, the ability system

These rules are written against Exalted: Second Edition, and assume that all rules in that edition are followed unless otherwise indicated here. The should be adaptable to First Edition with little problem.

Stunts

As a preface to all of this, note that stunts basically let you break the rules. The rules below are bread and butter mechanics for everyday use. Nearly any of them could probably be transcended by a good stunt. That is, if you don't have a point of this or that, you can probably get the same effect with a decently described stunt.

Correlated Abilities

Abilities tend to tread on similar ground to certain other abilities. For example, there are Resistance aspects to Survival and can be Socialize aspects to Presence. By rule (pg. 106), however, if you lack an ability, you suffer a two die penalty, regardless of what else you know.

Under this system, this penalty may be eliminated if a convincing case is made that another "correlated" ability could provide enough "reinforcement" to complete the task at hand. Note that the task is still made without rolling any ability dice, just the penalty is eliminated. If the correlated ability has a rating of three or less, the penalty is reduced to -1 die. If the rating is five or more, the penalty is eliminated.

This is, in effect, formalized stunting, really, though it is more about logic than style. The idea is that it would be possible to use a correlated ability and stunt on the same roll if your are clever enough. That is, use a correlated ability to remove the penalty (appealing to logic), then give a really cool description of what you are actually doing to get normal stunt bonuses (appealing to style).

Specialties

Specialties in this system work as normal; however, the use some of these rules may supplant some specialties.

Arts

Some complex abilities may be broken into sub-disciplines called arts. Arts generally expand the ability from which they are derived, adding to what is possible with the skill. While they represent mastery of additional knowledge, they also represent additional focus and investment from the character into practicing the art. Arts largely follow the rules in the Players Guide for Occult arts (pg. 126), except they are expanded in these rules. Arts do not have a rating; you either know them or you don't. Some abilities rely heavily on the arts while others consider arts as "bonus" abilities. Some don't use arts at all. Those that do will have an artless penalty which applies to rolls made with the ability without using an applicable art.

If an art is available for an ability, then what the art represents is not available as a specialty for that ability. For example, since Thaumaturgy is represented in these rules as various arts, and Summoning is an Art, neither of these can be taken as Occult specialties.

Arts can be learned at three levels: general, specialty and subspecialty. For any given art, you may learn any combination of these three levels, once each. Mastering the general Art usually gives +2 dice for tasks within its sphere and costs 5 bonus points to learn at character creation and 5 experience points to learn after, requiring three months of training. Art specialties add +1 within their aspect (usually some kind of conceptual or target specific subdivision, e.g. Fair Folk) and cost 2 bonus points or 3 experience points. Subspecialties also +1 within their purview (usually a geographic division of the aspect, e.g. Eastern Fair Folk or Staff-based Fair Folk) and cost the same as specialties, with training that is just as intense, but deep instead of broad. Specialties and subspecialties each take three weeks training time. Bear in mind that it entirely possible to have any of these specialties without the others. Since they are paid for separately, art specialties stack with ability specialties, if applicable, and do not count towards normal ability specialty limits. For example, someone with a normal occult specialty of Ghosts +3, the Summoning art, a general Summoning specialty in Ghosts and a subspecialty in Chiaroscuro Ghosts would add seven dice to attempts to summon a ghost in Chiaroscuro. (They also would have paid 20xp for this privilege.)

Each art also provides some kind of effect or makes something possible to those who know them, and these will vary greatly with each ability and often with each art.

Sciences

A few abilities have complex bodies of knowledge, laws and rules that require extra investment to understand and follow. Experience with such technical minutia is known as a science in an ability. Sciences have ratings, but these ratings do not translate into extra die or other bonuses. Instead, ratings define a limit of what can be achieved with the ability. That is, without the training in the science governing the art, you can't actually succeed at the act no matter how high your ability score is. (Again, stunts could possibly transcend this limitation.)

Sciences are based on the rules in the Player's Guide (pg. 136). At character creation, the first dot of a science costs 5 bonus points, with each additional dot costing 7. Afterwards, existing sciences can be improved by spending experience equal to the current rating time 6. The first dot of a new science costs 7 experience. Learning a new science takes three weeks and improving one takes a number of weeks equal to twice the current rating.

Formulas

Some arts or sciences, such as the Occult science of Alchemy, depend on specific recipes for using the science called formulas or procedures. Using formulas follow the rules in the Players Guide (pg. 124). Formulas cost 1 bonus point or 1 experience point and take a day to learn.

Rituals

Every person has a limited ability to manipulate reality and can do so following certain formalized procedures, even without understanding them. These are rituals and they are generally slow, require tools or props and are fairly weak (compared to charms or sorcery), but tend not to cost much Essence and usually last longer than a day. Each ritual procedure is attached to an ability. The vast majority are attached to Occult, but some are not. Each ritual has a rating and to use the ritual, you must have an rating at least as high of the ritual being used in the ability connected with the ritual. At character creation, rituals can be bought for 2 bonus points, plus 1 for each level of the ritual. Later, rituals are bought for 3 experience points, plus 1 for each level. Mastering a ritual takes a number of days equal to its rating. It is possible to learn rituals for which you do not have the corresponding ability, but this takes twice as long, and you may not actually use them at all until you improve the ability.

Some rituals are nearly universal, available for every ability. Any of the following can be purchased for any ability, though must be purchased separately for each.

Ritual of Meditation

Time: 10 hours
Cost: None
Rating: 1 through 5
Effect: By spending 10 hours in meditation on the ability associated with the ritual, the character prepares the mind for using the ritual in the future. This usually requires quiet time alone, still, and uninterrupted. Once completed, the ritual provides a temporary pool of dice equal to the rating of the ritual that can be used for up to the ritual's rating in days. Whenever the character makes a test using the associated ability over that period, they may use one dice from this pool to augment the test if desired. Only one die may be used on any given test and once dice from the pool are used, they are gone and may not be used again. Dice from this pool do not count against pool limits, but nor do they count when doubling pools with charms. If the pool is partially or totally depleted, it may be restored by using the ritual again, but at no time will the number of dice in this pool exceed the ritual rating.

Ritual of Training

Time: Special
Cost: None
Rating: 1 through 5
Effect: Each ability has certain standing training rituals that aid in practicing the ability. These differ for each ability, but always have the effect of speeding the training. Training rituals may be used as part of a training in their associated ability, and decrease the time needed for the training by their rating in days.

Abilities

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

Archery

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals: Something like aim, but a zen-like penalty thing.

Athletics

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals: Stretching?

Awareness

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals: Zen

Bureaucracy

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Craft

Artless Penalty: Using craft for anything at all, even with an art, is always done at a -2 die penalty. This is a universal penalty for all Craft tests. Worse, no charms of any kind may be used in areas of Craft for which the exalt does not have an art or applicable art specialty or subspecialty. Also, no general Craft specialties exist; all specialties must be associated with arts.
Arts: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Wood, as per core book (pg. 107). Note that the universal Craft penalty is exactly negated by the bonus from knowing the general art. Knowing an art allows Craft charm use for tasks within the domain of the art. When a character buys their first dot in Craft, they gain a general art of their choice for free.
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 magitech places a cap on what the character uses to which the character can pu the skill: characters can only use the magitech science on artifacts, manses or devices with a rating equal to their magictech 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.
• 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. 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". 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:

Dodge

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Integrity

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Investigation

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Larceny

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals: luck

Linguistics

Artless Penalty: Linguistics tests using a language the character does not know imposes a -4 die penalty.
Arts: Linguistics has only one general art: Calligraphy. Characters with this art may use Linguistics skill instead of Craft (Air) for tests of penmanship. Languages are purchased as general art specialties. With each dot of linguistics, the character gains a language for free. Subspecialties usually represent dialects.
Sciences: None
Rituals: Written stuff?

Lore

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: Instruction?
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Martial Arts

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: Allows combo mixing per style.
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Medicine

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Melee

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Occult

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Performance

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Presence

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Resistance

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Ride

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Sail

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Socialize

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Stealth

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Survival

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Thrown

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

War

Artless Penalty: None
Arts: None
Sciences: None
Rituals:

Arts allow cross comboing.