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When the spirit of the city of [[Q'in Sanizaj]], in a desperate attempt to stave off the Wyld forces assaulting it, attempted but failed to create a stable merger of itself, the city and its inhabitants, the tragic result was an unshaped, Wyld monstrosity, an entity now known as Kinaniz.
Some possibilities for [[Guen]]. These make use of the [[Exalted Improving|costs and training table]], the [[Monsoon Needles]] and the [[Mark of Autochthon]].


Formed from a slowly shifting mix of environments, some urban, some natural, some a disturbing or wondrous melding of both, Kinaniz moves slowly, using its outer waypoints like the legs of an insect to propel itself. When stationary, it will elevate itself on a tree trunk miles in diameter and a hundred miles high, and arrange its waypoints into a more defensible arrangement, generally forcing visitors to enter through the hall of glass.
Guen has a lot of unspent experience. He should be able to use the Mark to train for things quite quickly.


==History==
== The Supremacy of Dexterity ==


Little is known about Kinaniz's history, even to Kinaniz itself. Barely sentient when initially formed, it's first act was to eject [[Wyr'palja's mausoleum]], it's reality engine irritating the innards of the beast. It then assimilated, destroyed or expelled the vast majority of the raksha who had been trapped by its formation, shaping what remained of them and their freeholds into itself. Those citizens, both alive and dead, who were incorporated into Kinaniz remained protected by the unshaped as best it could manage, and many of these ghosts remain within Kinaniz today. As the Fair Folk invasion of Creation continued, it wandered the Wyld. By the time the Empress had expelled the invaders, Kinaniz was in the Deep Wyld, slowly mutating even further.
One of the big advantages of lunars is that their charms are based on nine Attributes instead of 25 Abilties. So, things that boost these attributes have a much wider reach. Guen also now has access to two additional types of charm that make pumping up attributes even easier.


Stories of its existence would surface occasionally in Fair Folk courts, usually as an unstoppable force that wondered in from the deep Wyld, absorbing or destroying those foolish enough to try to tame it, then wandering back out again.
One of the things the Mark revealed to use is the existence of [[First Edition Excellencies|excellency]] charms. The lunar version of excellencies, a set of nine [[Attribute Affirmed]] charms, provide some advantages that may not be obvious at first. The basic charm effect is decent: it lets you convert die in your pool to successes prior to rolling, one mote per die. While this isn't as strong as some of the other excellency charms, it is very wide reaching. For example, learning Dexterity Affirmed would let you do this when dodging, making martial arts attacks, leaping, firing an arrow, and so on.


As time progressed Kinaniz become more intelligent, self-aware and focussed. About a century ago, it realized that it was once a city, and wasn't sure what to make of that. A few decades later, it realized that not only had it been a city, but it was possibly one of the greatest cities ever made. A few decades after that, he decided it could be so again and began looking for its original location. During its search, it also realized that, quite naturally, it was the site of a great deal of treachery, murder and conflict. Concluding that this must be the natural state of all great cities, certain changes began to take place within itself to embody this idea.
The secondary benefit of this charm, however, is that it can act in the place of similar (more limited) charms in the lunar book. As an example, see the section on Archery, below. Basically, the charm is not only flexible in use, it also allows more flexibility in picking charms.


Most recently, it came across [[Wyr'palja's mausoleum]], which had come under the control of [[Cahlenna]] a high ranking member of the [[Opal Court]]. Without realizing exactly what it was, Kinaniz realized the tomb was once important to the city and promptly surrounded it. Cahlenna, of course, led an expedition into Kinaniz to get the tomb back, which did not end well for Cahlenna. Most of the expedition was destroyed, and Cahlenna and her entourage were bested and force to swear an oath to protect the tomb. She remains within, torn between scheming to escape and scheming to gain control of Kinaniz.
The second method that Guen has access to (that most lunars don't) are the [[Embodiment of Luna]] charms revealed by the [[Monsoon Needles]]. These are nine charms that permanently increase what the maximum rating of your Attributes can be. Normally, your attributes can only be as high as either five or your Essence rating, whichever is larger. So, to raise your Dex to, say, seven, you'd need to have Essence 7. With these charms, you can raise Dex that high without raising Essence first. Learning the Dexterity version of this charm, then raising Dex to the new max, would not only give you more dice, it would also raise the limit on how many dice you can add from charms. The whole thing would look like this:


The tomb itself is now nestled like a pearl within Kinaniz, its reality engine now more of a source of comfort than irritation to the rest of the unshaped's body.
* ''Dexterity Affirmed'' (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 16 hrs untrained): Before roll, convert up to Dexterity dice to successes for 1m/die.
* ''Embodiment of Full Moon's Dexterity'' (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 24 hrs training using Needles as tutor): The maximum that you can raise Dexterity becomes seven.
* ''Dexterity to 6'' (19xp, -1xp if using the Monsoon Needles, would take 480 hours without training, but with the needles both acting as a trainer and accelerating the process, only takes 120 hours). Note that if this is still not fast enough, the Mark could be used to compress it into eight hours for two Willpower a point of Precision.
* ''Dexterity to 7'' (23xp, -1xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 144 hours with needles). Note that if this is still not fast enough, the Mark could be used to compress it into eight hours for two Willpower a point of Precision.


== Structure ==
== Martial Arts ==


An an unshaped Kinaniz is a mobile freehold, currently containing 16 waypoints. As a freehold, it contains an arcane redoubt, a stronghold, a fountainhead and a glory, but lacks a throne room. This means the unshaped has purpose, strength, self-awareness and majesty but no real society. Life within the freehold functions much like an ecosystem or immune system would, guided by its own internal forces but without any guiding society. While the guiding intelligence and more powerful fair folk function on a network of oaths, the vast majority of manikins, poppets, ghosts and common fair folk do as their natures dictate. The result is a city without a society, making the majority of the freehold a somewhat familiar urban setting hosting extremely unorthodox behavior (and, occasionally, vice versa).
=== Leopard Style ===


The urban landscape is more dense with both structure and ideas. As such, the narrative waypoints that make up Kinaniz are fairly compact for waypoints, usually only a one or two miles across. Some are even smaller. Kinaniz may occasionally grab additional waypoints, usually sections of wyld forest, with which it surrounds itself.
Some time ago, I reworked the charms in [[Leopard Style]] based on some internet feedback and things I noticed in play. One of the issues of the original style was "speedbumps", where charms higher in the tree would be such you would never have a reason to use their prerequisites. So the newer versions change the prerequisites to be more functional. I will attempt to draw attention to some of these in the "combo" section below.


Because Kinaniz contains a glory (see the Imminent Eminence, below), the entire freehold radiates a beguilement glamour that effects visitors anytime they accept the hospitality of the freehold. Any time this happens, creatures with Wits + Essence less than 7 must make a Willpower (2) check or be forced to offer no resistance to fair folk within the freehold and accept their charms. As a work of glamour, many charms prevent this effect and cold-wrought iron can dispel it on contact with the victim.
There are two charms in this style that Guen doesn't yet know; however, they are not particularly compelling given Guen's other abilities.


<center>[[Image:KinanizWaypoints.png]]</center>
=== Tiger Style ===


===The Glass Lamentation===
You have a number of charms to learn in tiger style. Since this style matches the notion of your totem form, by our [[Forgotten Suns: House Rules#Lunar Martial Arts|house rules]], you only need to pay 8xp per charm for these.


During [[Wyr'palja]]'s final days, for reasons known only to her, she turned an entire neighborhood, including inhabitants, into multicolored glass. Mortals of the time felt that those transformed remained alive, trapped immobile but aware of their surroundings. True or not, the sorcery that transformed them has proven powerful enough to withstand the effects of the wyld and, barring the occasional statue or building moving on its own from time to time, the neighborhood remains much as it was when first transformed and incorporated into Kinaniz.
* Raging Tiger Pounce (8xp). Successful attacks automatically knock down opponent.
* Spine Shattering Bite (8xp, req. Raging Tiger Pounce). Attacks do 4L barehanded or +4L with tiger claws. Add up to Dexterity + Martial Arts dice to attack roll.
* Stalking Cat Movement Meditation (8xp). Add up to Essence dice to Stealth and Awareness when stalking target.
* Leap From Cloaking Shadows Attack (8xp, req. Stalking Cat Movement Meditation). Unaware targets have soak halved.
* Angry Predator Frenzy Style (8xp, req. Spine Shattering Bite, Leap From Cloaking Shadows Attack). Make two Martial Arts attacks at full pool each turn. In addition, may counterattack with pool equal to Martial Arts plus attackers extra successes. This charm ''requires'' a trainer.


The frozen "residents" of this waypoint, largely petrified into silent, horrific grimaces, paint a macabre scene that most visitors find disquieting. When pressed, some admit the dead silence of the place keeps them away. Others claim they can sense the souls trapped in the glass slowly going insane. A rare few don't mind either and admire the colorful glow of the place. Most, however, stay far away, which suits the primary inhabitant and guardian of the waypoint just fine.
=== Hungry Ghost Style ===


The glass dragon [[Diamaskratos]] prowls the waypoint, and does not like visitors.
You are starting to learn Hungry Ghost Style. There is some good stuff there, particularly for lunars, who don't have other ways to do some of these tricks. You have a way to go if you want to master the whole thing. Charms that seem good for Guen


===The Perpetual Bustle===
* Shrouded Claw Attack (12xp, 32 hours untrained). Targets attempting to dodge or parry halve their pool.
* Hungry Ghost Form (12xp, 64 hours untrained, req. Shrouded Claw Attack). Regain a mote for every point of damage you do. Lunars don't have many choices for regenerating essence, and this is a pretty good one. Only trouble is that a form, and you can only use one of those at a time.
* Consuming Entropy Strike (12xp, 80 hours untrained, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Reduce the target's soak for one attack at a rate of 2L/mote. Reducing soak is almost identical to gaining attack successes; assuming the attack hits, they both generate more damage dice. (The difference, of course, is that successes help you beat defenses like dodging, and reducing soak does not.) Still, this is pretty cheap for the effect.
* Power Reaping Prana (12xp, 64 hours untrained, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Regain essence when others activate charms around you. Not bad, but costs Willpower, which lunars have a hard time regenerating.
* Charm Smothering Technique (12xp, 80 hours untrained, Power Reaping Prana). This is one of the few charms in Exalted than can mess with other people's charms, making it quite powerful.


There are millions of stories in the naked city, this waypoint acts out all of them, all at once. Appearing as a dream-like, idealized main thoroughfare of a fantastical First Age city, every action that might have ever happened on such a main street happens all at the same time. Crowds watch a parade. Friends meet on corners. A man is mugged. An opera lets out. A man proposes to a woman by a fountain. Two carriages get into an accident at an intersection. Couples and families enjoy meals at sidewalk cafes. A prostitute is dragged into an alley by a gang of thugs. A horse gets loose and bolts. An angry man exhorts a mob of farmers to storm a building. A fire brigade attempts to put put a raging building. A gang of pickpocket kids runs from a well to do man. A throng of well-dressed people celebrates the new year. Two men argue loudly until one stabs the other.
Other charms can be learned, but don't suit Guen's current abilities very well:


One notable absence in all these vignettes is a complete lack of commerce. There are no street vendors, stores or anything of that kind.
* Unnatural Shambling Deftness (12xp, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Take Essence extra actions this round. Can't be used with armor. Given Guen's abilities at multiple actions, this charm isn't with the activation cost.
* Lunging Phantom Method (12xp, req. Unnatural Shambling Deftness). Cool looking, but sort of pricey for the effect it gives, which is to allow you to "attack from behind". You also would need to learn the previous one, making it even less cool.
* Blood Freezing Technique (12xp, req. Consuming Entropy Strike). If an attack deals damage, it also reduces your target's Dex by a dot. This is a neat effect, but is way too expensive to see real use.
* Soul-Flaying Strike (12xp, req. Lunging Phantom Method, Blood Freezing Technique, Charm Smothering Technique). On an attack, roll Essence against the target's. If you win deal an additional Essence levels of aggravated damage. Victims who die from this rise as hungry ghosts. Spirits and Fair Folk who die from this are permanently destroyed. This is very costly, sort of opposite of Guen's personality, requires a bunch of gunky prerequisite charms (see above), requires a trainer and isn't all that impressive. The spirit destruction is the most compelling thing about it, but probably not worth it. On the plus side, if you did want to learn it, the health level cost of the charm would be less troubling to Guen than it would be for someone else.


The actors in these vignettes seem to notice only their local situation, even if it overlaps with others. They completely ignore both visitors and the other actors and, over time, will repeat roughly the same actions over and over, though never completely identically. The vast majority appear human, but from all ethnicities and social conditions with fashions that vary widely, as if styles from various periods over hundreds of years are all in vogue at once. Occasionally, some actors appearing as Dragon Kings, god-blooded or fae-blooded might appear, but they act as the others, ignoring everything else. All of these actors are basic products of Awakened Dream Manufacture, programmed to act out typical city life as Kinaniz remembers it. If disturbed, all actors within the same vignette will react to the disturbance, but are ignorant of its source. For example, if a visitor pushes over a mugger, the mugger will fall but assume he tripped. If the head of a person talking to a group is cut off, all will react in horror, but it will seem to them as if the head just detached on its own.
=== Mixing Styles ===


The buildings on the street use Dragon-King crystal and vegetative technology as well as the glass forging techniques used in places like Chiaroscuro. Glass buildings are usually blue or green, but all colors can be seen. Vegetative buildings seem to be growing out of the ground. Each building is a wonder to behold, but there is no particular pattern to the layout and the whole street is a mish-mash of styles. The long thoroughfare has side streets, but these all lead inexplicably back onto the main road. Some street lights shine but, while there is no discernible external illumination, some vignettes appear in brightest daylight, while others are cloaked in shadow (sometimes even while occupying the same space).
All of the styles you know use tiger claws and have forms that prevent the use of armor. (You get around the armor restriction in beastman form thanks to [[Shaping the Silver Skin]].) One of the benefits of learning different styles is that you can combo charms of compatible styles together. Even better, lunars do not have to match the ability or attributes of charms within a combo like other exalts do, so they can combo their own charms with martial arts charms. Assuming you eventually follow the advice above, the comboable charms from the styles you'll know are:


Scattered through the crowd are [[Mute Sentinel]]s of all varieties. Their appearance seems completely out place among the city-dwellers, but they are ignored by those around them. Any sentinel who sees intruders will silently tail them. They will attempt to be stealthy, but continue even if seen. A large horde of sentinels is likely to pick up the trail of the intruders, but will make no threatening moves. Eventually, the idea is to drive the group further into the city, into a plaza containing many more sentinels, then attack all at once.
* Leopard:
** [[Flawless Sweep Attack]] (Supplemental)
** [[Feline Grace Meditation]] (Reflexive)
** [[Low Stance Counterthrow]] (Reflexive)
** [[Cat-in-a-Box Kata]] (Reflexive)
** [[High Stance Counterattack]] (Reflexive)
* Tiger:
** Striking Fury Claws (Supplemental)
** Spine-Shattering Bite (Supplemental)
** Leap From Cloaking Shadows Attack (Supplemental)
* Hungry Ghost:
** Shrouded Claw Attack (Supplemental)
** Power Reaping Prana (Reflexive)
** Charm Smothering Technique (Reflexive)
** Consuming Entropy Strike (Reflexive)


===The Consummate Repose===
More on how these might work combined in the "Combo" section below.


Surrounded in constant night, this waypoint consists of miles and miles of residences, hotels, inns and other places where someone might rest. If you walk far enough, you can find nearly any kind of dwelling, from walled manor houses to apartment complexes to abandoned farm houses. The most notable structures, however, are numerous inns from ornate to simple, but all inviting. Weather in the waypoint changes from day to day, but is always of a type that motivates people to seek shelter: spitting rain, biting cold, muggy heat, sandy wind.
== Defenses ==


The entire waypoint has been constructed as a trap for intruders, intent on both making them sleep and stripping them of their possessions (particularly iron, artifacts and wards). The primary mechanism for doing so is [[Clean Pillow Wish]], a shinma circle spell cast over the whole waypoint that convinces visitors that they are dirty and exhausted and addicts them to the area.
Guen is pretty tough, but something like a 60L attack would probably kill him if it hit. Lunars, unfortunately, don't have completely perfect defenses, but they have some that come close. This would take you down the path to get them.


Adding to these effects are the shaping actions of the waypoint's primary residents. Nearly all of the raksha that managed to avoid becoming [[Tribute Bird]]s live here, tasked with entrapping those that wander in. Most are common entertainers that man the inns, bathhouses, brothels and hotels, using their wiles to convince visitors to clean up and sleep in the most possible comfort. Common workers inhabit many of the other residences, particularly farms and apartments. Other common raksha are scattered about as well, some as soliders in barracks or even as inanimate objects within otherwise abandoned houses. A handful of nobles also control areas of this waypoint, the most prominent of which are [[Blooming Radiance]], a Courtier appearing as a human woman (and who is also the loremaster of Clean Pillow Wish) and [[Purity Song]], an Artisan shaped as a human male. The pair are both extremely attractive and run the largest, most opulent and most obvious inn in the waypoint, the [[Resting Garden of Blossom and Song]]. It is the first major landmark one sees when entering the waypoint, an obvious place of rest and pampering. The approach is flanked by a number of other, lesser inns, each with workers outside attempting to tempt people to avoid the Garden and come into their inn instead.
* Unmoving Bear Defense (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 48 hrs untrained, pg. 165). Dodge without moving, adding Essence dice. Can also provide a dodge of Essence dice if you don't have one reserved.
* Flowing Body Evasion (12xp 10xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 64 hrs untrained, requires Unmoving Bear Defense, pg. 165). An almost perfect dodge. It has a flaws, though: you can't have acted yet in the round to use it. So, what this means is that you need to do a little strategizing against tough foes. Still, would allow you to stand toe to toe with a deathlord, briefly. Note that [[Forgotten Suns: House Rules|our house rules]] make this charm Reflexive, not Simple, and one of the annoyances in the book has been removed.
* Sinuous Striking Grace (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 16 hrs untrained, pg. 136). Note that, thanks to the Monsoon Needles, this charm has no prerequisite. It lets you increase your initiative. Nothing to write home about, but...
* Snake Body Technique (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 64 hrs untrained, requires Sinuous Striking Grace, pg. 165). Probably one of the best charms in the lunar book, providing you a full Dex + Dodge pool to dodge a hand-to-hand attack in such a way that if you avoid it, the attack is reflected back onto the attacker.


Regardless of where the visitors end up, raksha near them will use narrative shaping to build two interlocking stories, wether the visitors are affected by Clean Pillow Wish or not:
== Shapeshifting ==


# "Weary from their travels and trials, the group finds a completely safe place to heal and rest and, after tending to their wounds, each retires to their own room for a long sleep." Those who go along with this narrative gain +1 dice to healing attempts. Any who resist, including those who rest as if not safe (such as sleeping in armor), sleep in the presence of others, or stand watch, receive a two die penalty to all actions.
*[[Thousand Forms as One]]
# "Filthy from travel and fighting, the group all take individual baths and feel much refreshed after." Those who go along with this narrative gain +1 dice on an immediate check to recover willpower. Those who resist this narrative, including those who don't remove everything to bath, or bathe in the presence of others, receive a two die penalty to all actions, including willpower recovery.


Visitors can accept or reject these narratives independently, with bonuses and penalties from each being cumulative. Note that any who accept any offered hospitality open themselves to the beguilement of the glory (see above) in addition to any other effects, even if they reject both of the shaping narratives.
== Archery ==


Anyone who removes their clothing to bathe or sleep is visited by a small army of poppets and manikins (sometimes spawning from furnishings, or even the floor) who gather up their possessions and run away with them. Those who notice this will likely be able to stop some of their possessions from getting away, but the manikins will run in all directions, so gathering them all will require help or magic of some kind. If a visitor appears to be going after an artifact or iron item, nearby poppets will stop running and make distracting attacks in an effort to let the item be taken by others of their number.
Of the two root charms in the lunar ranged combat tree, one is Eagle Eye Advantage. Even though this is a Perception charm, what it actually does is convert Dexterity dice into successes. But, that's what the new [[Attribute Affirmed|Dexterity Affirmed]] charm does (and it is half the cost). So, any charm that requires Eagle Eye Advantage can instead use Dexterity Affirmed as a prerequisite.


===The Vaporous Anchorage===
== Familiar ==


On top of trees, towers flying vehicles would connect to.
*[[Binding Companion Connection]]
*[[Favored Companion Feeding]]
*[[Rushing River of Return]]
*[[Sympathetic Companion Transformation]]


Bees. Wyld creatures.
== Combos ==


===The Vicious Bazaar===
Combos allow you to activate more than one charm a turn. They are powerful, but they have four basic drawbacks. The first is that they take a while to learn. Fortunately, the Mark of Autochthon lets you learn them instantly. The second issue is that they are expensive to activate, especially in terms of Willpower. The third is that they are expensive to learn in terms of xp (though the Mark helps out here as well). Lastly, there are many restrictions about which charms can be comboed together. As a lunar, you can ignore a number of these restrictions, but not others.


A trading zone. Buildings from all angles. Gravity on surfaces.
The main restriction is that all charms in a combo must be Instants. Another restriction is that more or less all of the charms in a combo have to be activated, so they are "all or nothing". The huge exception to this are Reflexive charms, which you can choose not to activate. Consequently, there are usually three types of combos:


Limit breaks?
# Combos based around a Simple and/or Extra action charm (only one of each allowed), with lots of supplementals and maybe one Reflexive for a defensive "safety". These tend to be "finishing moves", where you burn lots of essence to make sure a guy dies, since you can't split your pool when you use Simples.
# Combos entirely (or nearly so) made of Reflexives. These give a bunch of flexibility, allowing you to handle a wide range of situations. Usually, these are set up so the combo is more reactive, letting you do a "normal" action, but with some other options to use against incoming attacks.
# Combos that use a few compatible Supplementals and some Reflexives. This is more of a hybrid approach, the main benefit being that the supplementals usually provide some attacking ability, but still allow you to split your pools. The drawback is that you still ''must'' use the supplementals on any action where they could be used during the turn the combo is up.


===The Clamorous Smoke===
It's tempting to build a combo with every reflexive you know in it. With the Mark, that's almost viable. Still might be overkill.


Production.
Snake Body Technique
 
Flowing Body Evasion
Machine behemoths.
Dexterity Affirmed
 
Cat-in-a-Box Kata
===The Antediluvian Necropolis===
High Stance Counterattack
 
Deadly Beastman Transformation
Transluscent Dream Sheathing Technology
 
Ghosts?
 
===The Amaranthine Esplanade===
 
A city park, sort of.
 
===The Sauroid Mnemonic===
 
Remnants of Dragon Kings.
 
Dragon king culture. Statues of Leena.
 
Shaping trap with Dragon Kings devoting themselves to solars?
 
===The Impecunious Propinquity===
 
A maze of slums.
 
Sorcery of being lost. Also fey, weird creatures, mortals, beastmen.
 
===The Imminent Eminence===
 
Glory. Center and focus of majesty of the freehold. Magical and wondrous place. Hall of Memory? Causes beguilement throughout freehold (pg 190). Might be some stray mortals hanging around.  Hanging Gardens style place. Statue of Wyrpalja, but not like vision. The point is to convince the group that this was a city that could be restored to glory?
 
Misplaced Promise has embedded his own Cup into the spiritual structure of the freehold, forming this glory.  This allows him to prevent selected raksha within from naturally regaining Essence. He can also Cup-shape in any of the freehold's waypoints, and defend the waypoints from Sword-shaping. He could also reflexively give himself the Curse of Alienation though he would be unlikely to do so.
 
Visit from Promise's spokesperson. Intent?
 
===The Determined Citadel===
Stronghold. Center for active and aggressive strength.
 
Symbolism using both trees and the idea of power from the people.
 
The Regency has embedded his own Sword Grace into the structure of Kinaniz to form its stronghold. This allows the freehold to control 40 waypoints, which the Regency may arrange has he sees fit. He can also Sword-shape in any of the freehold's waypoints, and defend the waypoints from Sword-shaping. He could also reflexively give himself the Curse of Namelessness, though he would be unlikely to do so.
 
Defended by The Regency and Revolting Proletariat.
 
=== The Avian Valence===
 
Fountainhead gives freehold self-awareness and identity. Feminine/passive symbolism. A wooded glen, filled with [[Tribute Birds]]. These birds are elemental birds, made in tribute to Wyr'palja's love of birds. They hate Misplaced Promise and will bargain against him, but they hate each other more, so will undermine attempts of others.
 
Hoi Polloi has embedded her own Ring Grace into the spiritual structure of Kinaniz to form its fountainhead, making the freehold conscious. This allows her to sense anything that happens in the freehold or near its pennants or cysts. She can also Ring-shape in any of the freehold's waypoints, and defend the waypoints with Ring-shaping. She could also reflexively give herself the Curse of Meekness, though she would never do so.
 
Defended by Hoi Polloi and birds.
 
===The Angelic Sacrifice===
 
Before Q'in Sanizaj fell prey to the Great Contagion and the Fair Folk, a handful of raksha called the city home. One of these, an entertainer named Angel Finger, witnessed the formation of Kinaniz, and willingly joined it. Heartbroken at the loss of the city she loved, she volunteered her Heart to Kinaniz, sacrificing her existence to become the bonefire at the center of the unshaped's existence and turning it into a mobile freehold.
 
A single cathedral-like room makes up this waypoint, Kinaniz' arcane redoubt. The room originally was an unrivaled First Age music hall, one of the wonders of  Q'in Sanizaj, constructed from equal parts crystalline and vegetative technology of the Dragon Kings. The room has been warped nearly beyond recognition, of course, the tall silver bonefire burning in the center. Air flows through the massive crystal and wood organ pipes, driven by large, misshapen bladders that expand and contract on their own accord. Gilded cages have been added over the centuries, holding wyld creatures possessing unnatural voices that sing, act, lecture or recite poetry. The choir loft is filled with what appears to be the happily singing heads of a mortal children's choir, all connected to the same millipede-like leather body. Instruments of all varieties, including an abundance of those not yet invented, play and move on their own accord, occasionally dancing to the music of their brethren. Individually, every sound, voice and song within the redoubt would make mortals weep with their beauty and passion, but combined the noise can nearly drive men mad.
 
Misplaced Promise has attuned his heart to the redoubt, which allows him to enflesh himself within the freehold, becoming aware of all things the happen within and shape as if present anywhere within (all such test adding Essence successes). He can also spy on any carrying the freehold's pennants or cysts, and may wither this objects at will.
 
Defended by Misplaced Promise.
 
===The Thoroughfare Lattice===
 
Web of streets. You can fly inside if you want, but this makes you vulnerable to shaping? (Sorcery that allows flight, but forces you to respect the temple.)
 
Within this reality, rasksha will use a shaping action to declare that "the heroes see the impressive display and run away, avoiding the freehold's guards." If the players accept this reality, they will have +1 die to escape the freehold. If they refuse, they suffer environmental penalties as per pg 134. Other raksha will form similar realities. Single target at a time?
 
Perhaps other locations attempt to move the party in specific directions.
 
Defended by Cahlenna and her entourage.
 
===The Reclaimed Sepulcher===
 
This is [[Wyr'palja's mausoleum]]
 
==Inhabitants==
 
===Guidance===
 
The primary guiding intelligence of Kinaniz, [[Misplaced Promise]] is all that remains of the original spirit of [[Q'in Sanizaj]]. He has embedded his own graces in both the redoubt and the glory, and spends most of his time enfleshed in the body of Kinaniz. He occasionally takes the form of a winged, parrot-headed man. He seeks to return the city to its former glory, but has some confused notions about what its former glory. He will be torn about intruders trying to breach the tomb, concerned about what they might take or damage, but extremely curious about what is inside.
 
===The Regency===
 
In addition to everything else it was, Q'in Sanizaj can legitimately claim to be the first city taken over by a largely mortal revolt (with the help of Dragon Kings, god-blooded and a raksha or two). All that remains of this revolutionary spirit and the government-by-the-people it spawned has coalesed into the [[Regency]], the second guiding intelligence of Kinaniz.
 
===Hoi Polloi===
 
 
Pulled in during the merge. Slightly insane
 
Deeper Into Trouble
Technique, Furiously Stalling Destiny, Ill-Approving
Eyes, Inauspicious Moment for Attack, Laughing Monster
Stance, Subtle Hammer; plus Assertion of a Greater
Vision, Howling Dream Consumption Prana, Sapphire
Emptiness Kata, Shuffling the Pieces, Thieves
Fall Out and Unitary Being Forge.
This model is suitable for an unshaped wielding
litany bones and focusing on defense and support. The
guiding intelligence with this model would enter into
battle with Howling Dream Consumption Prana and
Laughing Monster Stance active, using Shuffling the
Pieces to collapse the defense of enemies already
wounded by its lesser minds.
 
[http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/2633916 Potrait]
 
==Inhabitants==
 
===Raksha===
 
Misplaced Promise does not trust the Fair Folk (a reaction against the Fair Folk's destruction of Qin, which he remembers only subconsciously). As a result, Promise tends to turn the Sword grace of any raksha he defeats into behemoths with Great Words of the Sword. He then forces the raksha to maintain the behemoth and take the shape of a [[Tribute Bird]]. The graces of common raksha are usually forged into a [[Mute Sentinel]]. Those of nobles, typical of the "run by the common man" nature of Qin, are usually forged into mounts of the sentinels. Some, however, become more esoteric beasts that prowl the labryth.
 
===Behemoths===
 
*[[Revolting Proletariat]]
*[[Diamaskratos]] and [[Erratic Threnody]]
*[[Mute Sentinel]]
*Mortals mutated by Behemoth-Forging Meditation
 
===Others===
 
*Poppets
*Awakened Dream Manufacture, some as citizens, some as their tools.
*Shape Forged Servant
*Tainted Creature Command
 
== Booty ==
 
*[[Regrettable Evacuation Curse]] - Held by Misplaced Promise
 
== Statistics ==
 
Freehold <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;</span><br>
Heart: Embedded by Misplaced Promise.<br>
Stronghold: <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;</span> - formed using the Regency's sword grace. 40 waypoints maximum<br>
Glory: <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;&#x25CF;</span> Misplaced Promise embedded own cup grace<br>
Fountainhead: <span style="font-size: smaller;">?&#x25CF;</span> - formed using
Hoi Polloi's ring grace<br>
Throne Room: none<br>
Tokens: Cyst <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;&#x25CF;</span> (Misplaced Promise), Cyst <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;</span> (The Regency), Cyst <span style="font-size: smaller;">&#x25CF;</span> (Hoi Polloi), six pennants
 
[[Category:Forgotten Suns]]
[[Category:Location]]
[[Category:Freehold]]
[[Category:Raksha]]

Revision as of 04:30, 4 October 2009

Some possibilities for Guen. These make use of the costs and training table, the Monsoon Needles and the Mark of Autochthon.

Guen has a lot of unspent experience. He should be able to use the Mark to train for things quite quickly.

The Supremacy of Dexterity

One of the big advantages of lunars is that their charms are based on nine Attributes instead of 25 Abilties. So, things that boost these attributes have a much wider reach. Guen also now has access to two additional types of charm that make pumping up attributes even easier.

One of the things the Mark revealed to use is the existence of excellency charms. The lunar version of excellencies, a set of nine Attribute Affirmed charms, provide some advantages that may not be obvious at first. The basic charm effect is decent: it lets you convert die in your pool to successes prior to rolling, one mote per die. While this isn't as strong as some of the other excellency charms, it is very wide reaching. For example, learning Dexterity Affirmed would let you do this when dodging, making martial arts attacks, leaping, firing an arrow, and so on.

The secondary benefit of this charm, however, is that it can act in the place of similar (more limited) charms in the lunar book. As an example, see the section on Archery, below. Basically, the charm is not only flexible in use, it also allows more flexibility in picking charms.

The second method that Guen has access to (that most lunars don't) are the Embodiment of Luna charms revealed by the Monsoon Needles. These are nine charms that permanently increase what the maximum rating of your Attributes can be. Normally, your attributes can only be as high as either five or your Essence rating, whichever is larger. So, to raise your Dex to, say, seven, you'd need to have Essence 7. With these charms, you can raise Dex that high without raising Essence first. Learning the Dexterity version of this charm, then raising Dex to the new max, would not only give you more dice, it would also raise the limit on how many dice you can add from charms. The whole thing would look like this:

  • Dexterity Affirmed (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 16 hrs untrained): Before roll, convert up to Dexterity dice to successes for 1m/die.
  • Embodiment of Full Moon's Dexterity (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 24 hrs training using Needles as tutor): The maximum that you can raise Dexterity becomes seven.
  • Dexterity to 6 (19xp, -1xp if using the Monsoon Needles, would take 480 hours without training, but with the needles both acting as a trainer and accelerating the process, only takes 120 hours). Note that if this is still not fast enough, the Mark could be used to compress it into eight hours for two Willpower a point of Precision.
  • Dexterity to 7 (23xp, -1xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 144 hours with needles). Note that if this is still not fast enough, the Mark could be used to compress it into eight hours for two Willpower a point of Precision.

Martial Arts

Leopard Style

Some time ago, I reworked the charms in Leopard Style based on some internet feedback and things I noticed in play. One of the issues of the original style was "speedbumps", where charms higher in the tree would be such you would never have a reason to use their prerequisites. So the newer versions change the prerequisites to be more functional. I will attempt to draw attention to some of these in the "combo" section below.

There are two charms in this style that Guen doesn't yet know; however, they are not particularly compelling given Guen's other abilities.

Tiger Style

You have a number of charms to learn in tiger style. Since this style matches the notion of your totem form, by our house rules, you only need to pay 8xp per charm for these.

  • Raging Tiger Pounce (8xp). Successful attacks automatically knock down opponent.
  • Spine Shattering Bite (8xp, req. Raging Tiger Pounce). Attacks do 4L barehanded or +4L with tiger claws. Add up to Dexterity + Martial Arts dice to attack roll.
  • Stalking Cat Movement Meditation (8xp). Add up to Essence dice to Stealth and Awareness when stalking target.
  • Leap From Cloaking Shadows Attack (8xp, req. Stalking Cat Movement Meditation). Unaware targets have soak halved.
  • Angry Predator Frenzy Style (8xp, req. Spine Shattering Bite, Leap From Cloaking Shadows Attack). Make two Martial Arts attacks at full pool each turn. In addition, may counterattack with pool equal to Martial Arts plus attackers extra successes. This charm requires a trainer.

Hungry Ghost Style

You are starting to learn Hungry Ghost Style. There is some good stuff there, particularly for lunars, who don't have other ways to do some of these tricks. You have a way to go if you want to master the whole thing. Charms that seem good for Guen

  • Shrouded Claw Attack (12xp, 32 hours untrained). Targets attempting to dodge or parry halve their pool.
  • Hungry Ghost Form (12xp, 64 hours untrained, req. Shrouded Claw Attack). Regain a mote for every point of damage you do. Lunars don't have many choices for regenerating essence, and this is a pretty good one. Only trouble is that a form, and you can only use one of those at a time.
  • Consuming Entropy Strike (12xp, 80 hours untrained, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Reduce the target's soak for one attack at a rate of 2L/mote. Reducing soak is almost identical to gaining attack successes; assuming the attack hits, they both generate more damage dice. (The difference, of course, is that successes help you beat defenses like dodging, and reducing soak does not.) Still, this is pretty cheap for the effect.
  • Power Reaping Prana (12xp, 64 hours untrained, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Regain essence when others activate charms around you. Not bad, but costs Willpower, which lunars have a hard time regenerating.
  • Charm Smothering Technique (12xp, 80 hours untrained, Power Reaping Prana). This is one of the few charms in Exalted than can mess with other people's charms, making it quite powerful.

Other charms can be learned, but don't suit Guen's current abilities very well:

  • Unnatural Shambling Deftness (12xp, req. Hungry Ghost Form). Take Essence extra actions this round. Can't be used with armor. Given Guen's abilities at multiple actions, this charm isn't with the activation cost.
  • Lunging Phantom Method (12xp, req. Unnatural Shambling Deftness). Cool looking, but sort of pricey for the effect it gives, which is to allow you to "attack from behind". You also would need to learn the previous one, making it even less cool.
  • Blood Freezing Technique (12xp, req. Consuming Entropy Strike). If an attack deals damage, it also reduces your target's Dex by a dot. This is a neat effect, but is way too expensive to see real use.
  • Soul-Flaying Strike (12xp, req. Lunging Phantom Method, Blood Freezing Technique, Charm Smothering Technique). On an attack, roll Essence against the target's. If you win deal an additional Essence levels of aggravated damage. Victims who die from this rise as hungry ghosts. Spirits and Fair Folk who die from this are permanently destroyed. This is very costly, sort of opposite of Guen's personality, requires a bunch of gunky prerequisite charms (see above), requires a trainer and isn't all that impressive. The spirit destruction is the most compelling thing about it, but probably not worth it. On the plus side, if you did want to learn it, the health level cost of the charm would be less troubling to Guen than it would be for someone else.

Mixing Styles

All of the styles you know use tiger claws and have forms that prevent the use of armor. (You get around the armor restriction in beastman form thanks to Shaping the Silver Skin.) One of the benefits of learning different styles is that you can combo charms of compatible styles together. Even better, lunars do not have to match the ability or attributes of charms within a combo like other exalts do, so they can combo their own charms with martial arts charms. Assuming you eventually follow the advice above, the comboable charms from the styles you'll know are:

More on how these might work combined in the "Combo" section below.

Defenses

Guen is pretty tough, but something like a 60L attack would probably kill him if it hit. Lunars, unfortunately, don't have completely perfect defenses, but they have some that come close. This would take you down the path to get them.

  • Unmoving Bear Defense (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 48 hrs untrained, pg. 165). Dodge without moving, adding Essence dice. Can also provide a dodge of Essence dice if you don't have one reserved.
  • Flowing Body Evasion (12xp 10xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 64 hrs untrained, requires Unmoving Bear Defense, pg. 165). An almost perfect dodge. It has a flaws, though: you can't have acted yet in the round to use it. So, what this means is that you need to do a little strategizing against tough foes. Still, would allow you to stand toe to toe with a deathlord, briefly. Note that our house rules make this charm Reflexive, not Simple, and one of the annoyances in the book has been removed.
  • Sinuous Striking Grace (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 16 hrs untrained, pg. 136). Note that, thanks to the Monsoon Needles, this charm has no prerequisite. It lets you increase your initiative. Nothing to write home about, but...
  • Snake Body Technique (15xp, 12xp if using the Monsoon Needles, 64 hrs untrained, requires Sinuous Striking Grace, pg. 165). Probably one of the best charms in the lunar book, providing you a full Dex + Dodge pool to dodge a hand-to-hand attack in such a way that if you avoid it, the attack is reflected back onto the attacker.

Shapeshifting

Archery

Of the two root charms in the lunar ranged combat tree, one is Eagle Eye Advantage. Even though this is a Perception charm, what it actually does is convert Dexterity dice into successes. But, that's what the new Dexterity Affirmed charm does (and it is half the cost). So, any charm that requires Eagle Eye Advantage can instead use Dexterity Affirmed as a prerequisite.

Familiar

Combos

Combos allow you to activate more than one charm a turn. They are powerful, but they have four basic drawbacks. The first is that they take a while to learn. Fortunately, the Mark of Autochthon lets you learn them instantly. The second issue is that they are expensive to activate, especially in terms of Willpower. The third is that they are expensive to learn in terms of xp (though the Mark helps out here as well). Lastly, there are many restrictions about which charms can be comboed together. As a lunar, you can ignore a number of these restrictions, but not others.

The main restriction is that all charms in a combo must be Instants. Another restriction is that more or less all of the charms in a combo have to be activated, so they are "all or nothing". The huge exception to this are Reflexive charms, which you can choose not to activate. Consequently, there are usually three types of combos:

  1. Combos based around a Simple and/or Extra action charm (only one of each allowed), with lots of supplementals and maybe one Reflexive for a defensive "safety". These tend to be "finishing moves", where you burn lots of essence to make sure a guy dies, since you can't split your pool when you use Simples.
  2. Combos entirely (or nearly so) made of Reflexives. These give a bunch of flexibility, allowing you to handle a wide range of situations. Usually, these are set up so the combo is more reactive, letting you do a "normal" action, but with some other options to use against incoming attacks.
  3. Combos that use a few compatible Supplementals and some Reflexives. This is more of a hybrid approach, the main benefit being that the supplementals usually provide some attacking ability, but still allow you to split your pools. The drawback is that you still must use the supplementals on any action where they could be used during the turn the combo is up.

It's tempting to build a combo with every reflexive you know in it. With the Mark, that's almost viable. Still might be overkill.

Snake Body Technique Flowing Body Evasion Dexterity Affirmed Cat-in-a-Box Kata High Stance Counterattack Deadly Beastman Transformation