Latest revision as of 16:39, 10 October 2007

Chapter Five

Lost Trinkets

Expanded and Revised Anima Powers

The Terrestrial Exalted are not as powerful as their Celestial or Solar cousins but their powers are more natural to them, flowing through their bodies and coloring every aspect of their lives. Their Anima Banners have two functions for each Aspect. The first function is the Environmental Banner, it allows the Exalted to function more perfectly in places dominated by their element. The second function is the Assumption Banner which allows the Exalted to take on an aspect of their element.

Both Anima Banners have a cost of 5 motes and last for the scene. If a Dragon-Blooded wishes, he may activate both his Banners at once. Their cost, like all Anima Banner costs, is not committed.

Air Aspects

Environmental Banner

Gentle winds surround the Air Dragon, lifting him should he leap, cushioning him should he fall. All falling damage is ignored and his leaping distance is tripled. Azure Dragons can walk off cliffs and leap moderately sized homes in a single bound.

Assumption Banner

The nature of wind is chill, quick-moving and intangible. An Air Aspect who use the Assumption Banner gains some of the speed of the wind, doubling his running speed and adding his Essence to his base Initiative rating.

Earth Aspects

Environmental Banner

Boulders break themselves rather then break an Ivory Dragon, Earth-based environmental damage is ignored. The Environmental Banner also protects from the darkness that is the natural state of the Earth, removing all penalties related to a lack of light.

Assumption Banner

Taking on the stalwart strength of Earth allows a Dragon-Blooded to absorb great amounts of damage unharmed and demonstrate phenominal endurance. The character's Stamina-based soak scores are doubled and Lethal damage is soaked with full Stamina.

Fire Aspects

Environmental Banner

Flames can be kind, offering warmth to a Fire Dragon when he needs it and warding away excessive heat when it would be harmful. For the duration of the Banner, the negative effects of Fire, including damage, vision penalties from smoke and inhalition, are ignored as are all penalties for cold.

Assumption Banner

Drawing upon the Fire in his blood, a Terrestrial Exalted can grant himself some of the aspects of Fire's nature. His passions wax in strength and he can immolate himself at will. At any point during the scene in which the Assumption Banner is active, the character may choose to ignite himself, causing 2L damage per turn for anyone within Essence yards of his body. During the entire duration of the Banner the Dragon-Blood also reduces the difficulty of all Valor and Compassion rolls by 1. Temperance rolls, however, have their difficulty increased by 1.

Water Aspects

Environmental Banner

Water is kind to those who share its Essence, allowing them easy motion and perfect support. A character with this Anima active is able to act in water as he would on land. He can run, walk, perform ballet or shoot a bow underwater as easily as he could on land. In addition, he never has to worry about breathing underwater as the Water Essence sustains him.

Assumption Banner

The Assumption of Water imparts some of the fluidity and passive strength of the oceans to the character. Once per turn a Water Aspect may make a reflexive Dodge roll with a pool equal to his Essence + Dodge. In addition the Dragon-Blooded recieves a perfect success on any swimming related roll for the duration of the Banner.

Wood Aspects

Environmental Banner

The very Essence of life infuses and protects a Dragon-Blooded using this Anima. He becomes immune to natural poison and disease, even to the extent of curing any mundane poison or disease he is currently suffering from when he activates the Anima.

Assumption Banner

Assuming the power of Wood grants increased vitality and some of the innate connection that Wood has to all living things. A Wood Aspect with this anima active can sense all living things within 30 yards of himself, increasing the difficulty to surprise him by his Essence. Bashing Damage against a Wood Aspect using this power is halved before soak is applied unless the attack is magical in nature.

Anima Manifestations

Lords of the Five Elements, Dragon-Blooded do not need their Charms to invoke minor elemental effects. For the most insignificent manifestations of their elemental nature the raw power of their Essence is enough. Anima Manifestations cover a wide variety of sublte effects not powerful enough to deserve Charms. Often these effects can be replicated by stunts. They include finger-flames, making flowers bloom or wilt, summoning light breezes to cool yourself on a hot day or making your beer cold by glaring at it.

To create such minor effects, the Dragon-Blood simply rolls his Essence score against a difficulty set by the Storyteller. Rarely will this difficulty be beyond 1 or 2, more difficult effects often edge into the range of Charms. While the Dragon-Blooded can use Charms to manipulate any of the five elements, their Anima is specifically attuned to the element of their Aspect. Anima Manifestations may not be used to affect non-Aspect elements.

Elemental Dedication

While typically considered to be empowered by only one of the Five Elements, each Dragon-Blood is actually able to channel all five Elemental Essences. The Aspect simply determines which of the five they channel easiest and with the greatest efficiency. There are cases, however, of Dragon-Blooded who are willing to sacrifice their ability to channel certain forms of Essence for greater skill and power in that which they most love.

Dedication is a long and grueling process by which a Dragon-Blooded permanently impairs his ability to use Charms outside his Aspected Element. There are two types of Dedication: Total Dedication and Abandonment.

Total Dedication

To engage in Total Dedication is to intentionally and permanently give up the ability to channel four of the five Elemental Essences. Once the Total Dedication is complete the Dragon-Blooded will have lost the ability to use Charms which are outside his Aspect. Sorcery and non-Immaculate Martial Arts are the only exceptions. All non-Aspect Charms the Dragon-Blood currently knows are lost, their XP is not regained.

In return for such a great sacrifice, the cost of all remaining Charms is reduced by 4 motes, to a minimum cost of 1 mote. The Dragon-Blood raises his Breeding to 5 and if it was already 5 it is raised to Legendary. A Total Dedicate may invoke his Anima Ability for free and learns all in-Aspect Charms at a 2 XP discount.

Abandonment

Abandonment is a lesser form of Total Dedication; it results in the loss of only a single Element. As with Total Dedication, Sorcery and non-Immaculate Martial Arts are exempt from the effects of Abandonment. Any and all Charms of the abandoned Element are lost and their XP cost is not regained.

After abandoning one of the five Elements the character reduces the cost of all his in-Aspect Charms by 2 motes, to a minimum cost of 1 mote. More Benefits To Come

Comments

Nice ones! But... isn't the Earth Anima too situational? Even harder to appear or be important than the Water Aspect's... the theme of enviromental banners is immunity, but it probably could use immunity to something more common, somehow. Poison and Fire are very common, far as hazards go, after all. ~ GoldenCat

Indeed, the Environmental Banners are designed to protect the DB from harm related to their Aspected Element. They can survive in that element without problems. Air DBs can survive falling through air, Water DBs never drown, Fire DBs don't burn, etc. But what hazards does Earth offer aside from big rocks and sand? If you have a suggestion, or if anyone does, I want to hear it. Because, yeah, the Earth Anima is a bit boring. Maybe it could also give dark vision? - Telgar

Maybe dark vision, plus the ability to draw oxygen - well, to not be asfixiated under the earth? That would make them great miners, and in conjunction with Earth Awareness, allow for some interesting sorts of earth-ninjas who burrow and wait... and still fits 'resisting enviroment' ~ GoldenCat

Perhaps some extra soak vs metal/stone weaponary or non-5MM weapons crafted of materials from the earth? ~ Haku

I considered that, but damage resistance is the focus of the Earth Assumption Banner and honestly soak vs Earth (metal, stone, glass) is basically soak vs weapons. Very few weapons are made from wood, bone, etc. So I'm hoping for something not-soak. - Telgar

Some kind of weight distribution ability that allows them to walk over quicksand without sinking and also avoid being knocked off their feet. - Talion

Nice! Especially like the Fire Anima's Virtue-Effect. However... the Earth Assumption Banner already doubles the Stamina-based soak scores; Why make it Soak lethal with full stamina? It is not like that is not a power a DB can get from 5-Dragon Form, or likely some Resistance Charm, easily; It seems to bloat that one. ~GoldenCat (Who, as an aside, found the Anima Manifestations and Total Dedication Nifty! - but shouldn't the Anima Manifestations cost 1 mote, just to be in line with the minor Anima Effects?)