CallMeCanon/Chakras - Revision history

CallMeCal: /* Changing Sides */

2015-05-11T01:53:54Z

‎Changing Sides

CallMeCal: /* Changing Sides */

2015-05-11T01:51:10Z

‎Changing Sides

CallMeCal: /* Changing Sides */

2015-05-11T01:48:15Z

‎Changing Sides

CallMeCal: /* Chakras and Permanent Essence */

2015-05-11T01:45:34Z

‎Chakras and Permanent Essence

CallMeCal: /* Jhor */

2015-05-11T01:26:16Z

‎Jhor

CallMeCal: /* Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation */

2015-05-11T01:23:24Z

‎Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation

CallMeCal: /* Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation */

2015-05-11T01:08:51Z

‎Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation

CallMeCal: /* Chakras */

2015-05-11T01:03:00Z

‎Chakras

CallMeCal: /* Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation */

2015-05-11T00:57:01Z

‎Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation

CallMeCal: /* Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation */

2012-05-15T06:58:04Z

‎Chakras and Chi: The Building Blocks of Exaltation

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 Whichever method is used, at the moment of the change the Exalt instantly receives 100*Essence EXP, spendable on anything, purchasable immediately. <br>
-These two methods each have their benefits and drawbacks. If the Exalt is changing templates simply to gain more or better power for herself, with no intention of serving the masters of the relevant faction, she may prefer to choose the first method. It is much more difficult, but can (in theory) be done in secret, without drawing the immediate attention of any major forces (though sooner or later, it is bound to come out). However, if the Exalt is willing to submit her will to the plans and designs of her target faction, she may wish to forgo the arduous task of gaining and maintaining that much off-template Chi, and the days of sleepless meditation, and just have the masters force the change directly.<br> <br>
+These two methods each have their benefits and drawbacks. If the Exalt is changing templates simply to gain more or better power for herself, with no intention of serving the masters of the relevant faction, she may prefer to choose the first method. It is much more difficult, but can (in theory) be done in secret, without drawing the immediate attention of - or pledging fealty to - any major forces. However, if the Exalt is willing to submit her will to the plans and designs of her target faction, she may wish to forgo the arduous task of gaining and maintaining that much off-template Chi, and the days of sleepless meditation, and just have the masters force the change directly.<br> <br>
 An arduous trek for a distant reward? Or immediate power in exchange for your soul?<br> <br>

@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 Autochthon designed Exaltation Shards to house Honor and Apotheos within a structure of Glory, Shift, Mystery, or Synergy. That structure - the Type Chakra -  is unmovable, unchangeable. It could not be swapped for a different Chakra without destroying and remaking the Exaltation itself, and it is unlikely that anyone besides Authochthon (or <i>maybe</i> Lytek) could accomplish such a thing. Apotheos is the substance and power of the Exaltation, filling in and holding up the structure, and also cannot be changed without destroying the Shard, as it is what makes it truly an Exaltation. Honor, however - the Template Chakra - representes the patterns and essence flows of the Apotheos through the Type Chakra, and it is somewhat less permanent (though only somewhat). Once in an Exalt's lifetime, she may choose to swap her second Chakra for one of the three others (Honor, Jhor, Penitence, or Plot), altering the template of her Exaltation. Such a feat can only occur once per lifetime, and cannot be done simply on a whim. There are two ways to make this happen, and neither is especially easy. <br>
-The first method requires that the Permanent pool of her target Chakra be greater than or equal to her Essence. She must go to a place where essence of the type associated with her target Chakra is strong and concentrated (the most obvious choice would be a demesne or Manse), and meditate there, without interruption or sleep, for however long it takes to succeed on an extended (Intelligence+Occult) roll with a cumulative difficulty of (Essence*10) and a roll interval of four hours. Expect this to take several days. <br>
+The first method requires that the Permanent pool of her target Template Chakra be greater than or equal to her Essence. She must go to a place where essence of the type associated with her target Chakra is strong and concentrated (the most obvious choice would be a demesne or Manse), and meditate there, without interruption or sleep, for however long it takes to succeed on an extended (Intelligence+Occult) roll with a cumulative difficulty of (Current Template Chakra's Permanent Chi + Essence)*5 and a roll interval of five hours. Expect this to take several days. <br>
 The second method only requires a minimum of one Permanent Chi in the target Chakra, <i>but</i> a power and will equivalent to that of a Primordial must actively force the change to occur. (Lytek can also do so, but any attempt to convince him to mess with an Exaltation [other than to restore it to Honor] suffers a -10 External Penalty.) In this case, the remaining Permanent Chi necessary to maintain her Essence is forcibly converted from her current Chakra to her target Chakra. (Choosing to accept insanity while in Limit Break functions as this method, the Great Curse acting as the required "power and will equivalent to a Primordial". However, Limit Break is not necessary; one could theoretically find a Raksha Noble or an Unshaped of sufficient power and get them to do it instead.) <br>

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 == Changing Sides ==
 <i>(Alchemicals work a bit [[CallMeCanon/Machinical#Changing_Sides|differently]] than this.)</i><br>
-Autochthon designed Exaltation Shards to house Honor and Apotheos within a structure of Glory, Shift, Mystery, or Synergy. That structure - the Type Chakra -  is unmovable, unchangeable. It could not be swapped for a different Chakra without destroying and remaking the Exaltation itself, and it is unlikely that anyone besides Authochthon (or <i>maybe</i> Lytek) could accomplish such a thing. Apotheos is the substance and power of the Exaltation, filling in and holding up the structure, and also cannot be changed without destroying the Shard, as it is what makes it truly an Exaltation. Honor, however - the Template Chakra - representes the patterns and essence flows of the Apotheosis through the Type Chakra, and it is somewhat less permanent (though only somewhat). Once in an Exalt's lifetime, she may choose to swap her second Chakra for one of the three others (Honor, Jhor, Penitence, or Plot), altering the template of her Exaltation. Such a feat can only occur once per lifetime, and cannot be done simply on a whim. There are two ways to make this happen, and neither is especially easy. <br>
+Autochthon designed Exaltation Shards to house Honor and Apotheos within a structure of Glory, Shift, Mystery, or Synergy. That structure - the Type Chakra -  is unmovable, unchangeable. It could not be swapped for a different Chakra without destroying and remaking the Exaltation itself, and it is unlikely that anyone besides Authochthon (or <i>maybe</i> Lytek) could accomplish such a thing. Apotheos is the substance and power of the Exaltation, filling in and holding up the structure, and also cannot be changed without destroying the Shard, as it is what makes it truly an Exaltation. Honor, however - the Template Chakra - representes the patterns and essence flows of the Apotheos through the Type Chakra, and it is somewhat less permanent (though only somewhat). Once in an Exalt's lifetime, she may choose to swap her second Chakra for one of the three others (Honor, Jhor, Penitence, or Plot), altering the template of her Exaltation. Such a feat can only occur once per lifetime, and cannot be done simply on a whim. There are two ways to make this happen, and neither is especially easy. <br>
 The first method requires that the Permanent pool of her target Chakra be greater than or equal to her Essence. She must go to a place where essence of the type associated with her target Chakra is strong and concentrated (the most obvious choice would be a demesne or Manse), and meditate there, without interruption or sleep, for however long it takes to succeed on an extended (Intelligence+Occult) roll with a cumulative difficulty of (Essence*10) and a roll interval of four hours. Expect this to take several days. <br>

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 === Chakras and Permanent Essence ===
-As Chakras define the form of an Exaltation, and Chi defines the energy of an Exaltation, so Permanent Essence defines the power and substance of an Exaltation. An Exalt's Permanent Essence rating can never be higher than the lowest Permanent rating among her three defining Chakras. If she wishes to Essence up, she must acquire the necessary Chi to do so. <br> <br>
+As Chakras define the power and substance of an Exaltation, and it is that Exaltation that allows the Exalt to reach higher Essence levels, an Exalt's Permanent Essence rating can never be higher than the lowest Permanent rating among her three defining Chakras. If she wishes to Essence up, she must acquire the necessary Chi to do so. <br> <br>
 == So Who Knows This Stuff? ==

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 === Jhor ===
-'''"Ask not for whom the bell tolls..."'''<br> <br>
+'''"Ask not for whom the bell tolls"'''<br> <br>
 Jhor is the Chakra of Decay. It defines mortality, is defined by entropy, and is associated with the Void. Bringing an end to massive powers or bringing death to powerful beings are likely to earn points of Jhor.
 ----

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ----
-=== Mystery ===
+=== Wisdom ===
-'''"Oh what a tangled web we weave..."'''<br> <br>
+'''"All according to plan"'''<br> <br>
-Mystery is the Chakra of Secrecy. It defines concealment, is defined by hiding (whether a thing, an idea, or even oneself), and is associated with the Five Maidens. Acts of social intrigue and successful deception or acts of stealth that escape certain detection are likely to earn points of Mystery. (Night Castes often earn their Apotheos Chi with this.)
+Wisdom is the Chakra of Thought. It defines prudence, is defined by planning things out, and is associated with the Five Maidens. Avoiding rash action to think things through or seeing a strategy through to completion are likely to earn points of Wisdom.
 ----
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 === Jhor ===
 '''"Ask not for whom the bell tolls..."'''<br> <br>
-Jhor is the Chakra of Decay. It defines mortality, is defined by entropy, and is associated with the Void. Bringing an end to massive powers or bringing death to powerful beings are likely to earn points of Jhor. (Chosen of Endings often earn their Apotheos Chi with this.)
+Jhor is the Chakra of Decay. It defines mortality, is defined by entropy, and is associated with the Void. Bringing an end to massive powers or bringing death to powerful beings are likely to earn points of Jhor.
 ----

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 <i>On this, and on all my pages, please leave comments on the [[Talk:CallMeCanon/Chakras|Talk page]]. Thanks! :)</i> <br>  <br>
-<i>(Based on an adaptation by my Storyteller of the Renown system from cWoD.)</i> <br> <br>
+<i>(Based on an adaptation by my Storyteller of the Renown system from Werewolf: The Apocalypse.)</i> <br> <br>
 ==== Synopsis ====

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:03, 11 May 2015
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	== Chakras ==		== Chakras ==
−	While Autochthon certainly designed Exaltation, he did not design Chakras. Like Virtues, they are concepts inherent to the universe, definitions of behavior and existence that apply to all beings, regardless of power or station, and each one could, in theory, be traced back to its own Shinma somewhere out there in the Wyld. What Autochthon did was design a crucible that would encapsulate and energize specific Chakras within a person, based on those most strongly embodied by the God who Exalted them. In other words, Autochthon invented Chi. <br>
−
	There are ten Chakras, each defined by a type of action and defining a state of being. Each one has a Permanent and Temporary Chi pool, and each pool caps at 10. If an Exalt has 10 Temporary Chi of a type of Chakra, she may use a Standard Action to convert them into 1 Permanent Chi of its same type. She may make the same conversion in reverse, but that is a Full Round Action and requires a successful roll of (Permanent [Relevant Chakra]+Essence), Difficulty 5. Internal penalties apply, External penalties do not. She may not do this if the Chakra in question is one of the three that defines her Exaltation <i>and</i> doing so would bring that Chakra's Permanent Chi lower than her Essence. <br>		There are ten Chakras, each defined by a type of action and defining a state of being. Each one has a Permanent and Temporary Chi pool, and each pool caps at 10. If an Exalt has 10 Temporary Chi of a type of Chakra, she may use a Standard Action to convert them into 1 Permanent Chi of its same type. She may make the same conversion in reverse, but that is a Full Round Action and requires a successful roll of (Permanent [Relevant Chakra]+Essence), Difficulty 5. Internal penalties apply, External penalties do not. She may not do this if the Chakra in question is one of the three that defines her Exaltation <i>and</i> doing so would bring that Chakra's Permanent Chi lower than her Essence. <br>

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 <i>(Based on an adaptation by my Storyteller of the Renown system from cWoD.)</i> <br> <br>
 ==== Synopsis ====
@@ Line 34: / Line 32: @@
 === Mystery ===
 '''"Oh what a tangled web we weave..."'''<br> <br>
-Mystery is the Chakra of Secrecy. It defines concealment, is defined by hiding (whether a thing, an idea, or even oneself), and is associated with the Five Maidens. Acts of social intrigue and successful deception or acts of stealth that escape certain detection are likely to earn points of Mystery. (Night Castes often earn their Quintessence with this.)
+Mystery is the Chakra of Secrecy. It defines concealment, is defined by hiding (whether a thing, an idea, or even oneself), and is associated with the Five Maidens. Acts of social intrigue and successful deception or acts of stealth that escape certain detection are likely to earn points of Mystery. (Night Castes often earn their Apotheos Chi with this.)
 ----
@@ Line 49: / Line 47: @@
 === Jhor ===
 '''"Ask not for whom the bell tolls..."'''<br> <br>
-Jhor is the Chakra of Decay. It defines mortality, is defined by entropy, and is associated with the Void. Bringing an end to massive powers or bringing death to powerful beings are likely to earn points of Jhor. (Chosen of Endings often earn their Quintessence with this.)
+Jhor is the Chakra of Decay. It defines mortality, is defined by entropy, and is associated with the Void. Bringing an end to massive powers or bringing death to powerful beings are likely to earn points of Jhor. (Chosen of Endings often earn their Apotheos Chi with this.)
 ----
@@ Line 62: / Line 60: @@
 ----
-=== Quintessence ===
+=== Apotheos ===
-'''"I am that I am"'''<br> <br>
+'''"Rise beyond your station"'''<br> <br>
-Quintessence is the Chakra of Being. It defines the state of existing, is defined by staking one's Self in reality, and is associated with Shaped Existence. Once per session, an Exalt may spend two Temporary Chi to convert a third into Temporary Quintessence. All three of these Temporary Chi must be from Chakras that do not define her Exaltation. Since Quintessence is a rather esoteric Chakra, it is unlikely to be awarded often in the story, so this is the most reliable way to raise it. This is also the only way that Chi can be converted from one Chakra to another, [[CallMeCanon/Chakras#Changing_Sides|with one exception]].
+Apotheos is the Chakra of Exaltation. It defines exceeding expectations, is defined by achieving the impossible, and is associated with the Exalted. Once per session, an Exalt may spend two Temporary Chi to convert a third into Temporary Apotheos. All three of these Temporary Chi must be from Chakras that do not define her Exaltation. This is the only way that Chi can be converted from one Chakra to another, [[CallMeCanon/Chakras#Changing_Sides|with one exception]].
 ----
 <br>
-Note that all ten Chakras define states and actions that any character can, and probably will, partake in at least a little bit. Chi, however, does not come in quanta the size of motes. A quantum of Chi is more analogous to a point of Willpower in strength and force than it is to a mote of essence. Actions of enough magnitude to gain Chi in a Chakra are more likely to occur in those Chakras that define one's Exaltation, and should certainly be so significantly more often than not. If you find yourself gaining significantly more Chi in an off-template Chakra than in those that define your Exaltation, it's possible you are playing the wrong character. Of course, outside-the-box characters do exist, and can be played well. However, such a character travels a more difficult road, because she is working her will counter to the nature of the power that allows her to do so. This will understandably be more difficult than embracing the nature of the power and working along its natural lines. She may find it useful to create Charms that allow her to use or channel off-template Chi in some useful way, though such a Charm should be extremely expensive and require a high Essence-level to perform, as such a feat by definition runs counter to the Essence of her Exaltation, which is the power that allows her to use Charms in the first place. <br> <br>
+Note that all ten Chakras define states and actions that any character can, and probably will, partake in at least a little bit. Chi, however, does not come in quanta the size of motes. A quantum of Chi is more analogous to a point of Willpower in strength and force than it is to a mote of essence. Actions of enough magnitude to gain Chi in a Chakra are more likely to occur in those Chakras that define one's Exaltation, and should certainly be so significantly more often than not. If you find yourself gaining significantly more Chi in an off-shard Chakra than in those that define your Exaltation, it's possible you are playing the wrong character. Of course, outside-the-box characters do exist, and can be played well. However, such a character travels a more difficult road, because she is working her will counter to the nature of the power that allows her to do so. This will understandably be more difficult than embracing the nature of the power and working along its natural lines. She may find it useful to create Charms that allow her to use or channel off-template Chi in some useful way, though such a Charm should be extremely expensive and require a high Essence-level to perform, as such a feat by definition runs counter to the Essence of her Exaltation, which is the power that allows her to use Charms in the first place. <br> <br>
 == Defining the Shards ==
@@ Line 83: / Line 81: @@
 Authochthon, Lytek, and the Ebon Dragon are the only ones who canonically <i>must</i> know every detail of this. (The Ebon Dragon had to know it to design Infernal and Abyssal Exaltation.) How much of the rest is known, and how common that knowledge is, is up to the Storyteller. It may be that Authochthon and/or Lytek explained to the Celestines exactly what the design was and how it works, and they may in turn have passed that knowledge on to the Exalts of the Primordial War. If that is the case though, an important question must be addressed: <i>Why are there no Charms that use Chi?</i> One explanation could be that even the mad savants of the High First Age were unwilling to toy with the Essence patterns <i>of their own existence,</i> the very substance of their own Exaltation. Or it could be that such Charms did exist in the First Age, but, like so many other ancient wonders, knowledge of these Charms has been lost to the ages. Or it could simply be that Autochthon never shared his designs, and Lytek never betrayed the secret, and so all of this remains unknown. This is all up to the Storyteller.
-In any case, there is nothing stopping Exalts from creating <i>new</i> Charms that use Chi, if they know about it. One Temporary Chi should be considered roughly equivalent in strength to one Willpower — or slightly stronger — when calculating the power of the Charm that uses it. Note that the Charm should in some way reflect the nature of the Chakra it draws from; Chi is always aspected to a Chakra, and the closest it ever comes to being unaspected is when it is aspected to Quintessence. As always when creating new Charms, work together with your Storyteller to come up with something you both like and think is fair.
+In any case, there is nothing stopping Exalts from creating <i>new</i> Charms that use Chi, if they know about it. One Temporary Chi should be considered roughly equivalent in strength to one Willpower — or slightly stronger — when calculating the power of the Charm that uses it. Note that the Charm should in some way reflect the nature of the Chakra it draws from; Chi is always aspected to a Chakra, and the closest it ever comes to being unaspected is when it is aspected to Apotheos. As always when creating new Charms, work together with your Storyteller to come up with something you both like and think is fair.
 == Changing Sides ==
 <i>(Alchemicals work a bit [[CallMeCanon/Machinical#Changing_Sides|differently]] than this.)</i><br>
-The first Chakra that defines an Exaltation is unmovable, unchangeable. It could not be swapped for a different Chakra without destroying and remaking the Exaltation itself, and it is unlikely that anyone besides Authochthon (or <i>maybe</i> Lytek) could accomplish such a thing. The second one, however, is somewhat less permanent (though only somewhat). Once in an Exalt's lifetime, she may choose to swap her second Chakra for one of the three others (Honor, Jhor, Penitence, or Plot), altering the template of her Exaltation. Such a feat can only occur once per lifetime, and cannot be done simply on a whim. There are two ways to make this happen, and neither is especially easy. <br>
+Autochthon designed Exaltation Shards to house Honor and Apotheos within a structure of Glory, Shift, Mystery, or Synergy. That structure - the Type Chakra -  is unmovable, unchangeable. It could not be swapped for a different Chakra without destroying and remaking the Exaltation itself, and it is unlikely that anyone besides Authochthon (or <i>maybe</i> Lytek) could accomplish such a thing. Apotheos is the substance and power of the Exaltation, filling in and holding up the structure, and also cannot be changed without destroying the Shard, as it is what makes it truly an Exaltation. Honor, however - the Template Chakra - representes the patterns and essence flows of the Apotheosis through the Type Chakra, and it is somewhat less permanent (though only somewhat). Once in an Exalt's lifetime, she may choose to swap her second Chakra for one of the three others (Honor, Jhor, Penitence, or Plot), altering the template of her Exaltation. Such a feat can only occur once per lifetime, and cannot be done simply on a whim. There are two ways to make this happen, and neither is especially easy. <br>
 The first method requires that the Permanent pool of her target Chakra be greater than or equal to her Essence. She must go to a place where essence of the type associated with her target Chakra is strong and concentrated (the most obvious choice would be a demesne or Manse), and meditate there, without interruption or sleep, for however long it takes to succeed on an extended (Intelligence+Occult) roll with a cumulative difficulty of (Essence*10) and a roll interval of four hours. Expect this to take several days. <br>