Revision as of 17:58, 13 April 2009

House Rules

Wherein lies various house rules I've come up with over the years. So I don't forget I found them useful before and could find them useful again. Plus links to other people's ideas I find useful too.

System Edits

Flaws of Invulnerability

The four flaws of invulnerability are now modified. The result lasts for 2 actions +1 for each additional time a perfect defense is used up to a maximum of 6 actions.

• Compassion - May only attack using bashing damage
• Valor - Must move towards the perceived most dangerous enemy
• Conviction - May only focus on one target at a time
• Temperance - May not use supplemental charms

Sorcery

Each circle of Sorcery comes with its own free spell. Players may choose any spell they wish for their sorcerer to have. Also, on learning Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, the spell Unconquerable Self is immediately learnt, completely free, in addition to the one free spell. Because if you want to go out this way, it's up to you and I won't bother wasting your xp for it.

Spells are now divided into three groups.

General utility spells. These spells have effects that last longer than an instant and usually have some flexibility in its usage. Spell examples include summoning spells, Threefold Binding of the Heart and Curse of Unyielding Mist.

Combat utility spells. These are spells that are basically used in battle. Spell examples include Flying Guillotine, Curtain of Quartz, Geyser of Corrosion and Gaia's Rebuke.

Specific utility spells. These are spells that are supremely narrow in function that is unrelated to combat, to the point that it becomes useless outside of its intended function. Examples include countermagic and banishing spells, Open the Spirit Door, Ivory Orchid Pavillion and Mystic Travel.

During character creation, charms may be traded out for Terrestrial Circle spells. One charm slot gives one general utility spell or two combat spells or four specific utility spells. If favoured, a general utility spell costs 4bp, a combat spell costs 2bp and a specific utility spell costs 1bp. If not favoured, a general utility spell costs 5bp, a combat spell costs 3bp and a specific utility spell costs 2bp.

Solar Experience Costs ||Spell Type||Terrestrial||Celestial||Solar|| ||General Utility|| 6|8 || 7|9 || 8|10 || ||Combat Utility|| 4|5 || 4|5 || 4|5 || ||Specific Utility|| 2|2 || 2|3 || 2|3 ||

Lunar Experience Costs ||Spell Type||Terrestrial||Celestial|| ||General Utility|| 8|10 || 9|11 || ||Combat Utility|| 4|5 || 5|6 || ||Specific Utility|| 2|3 || 3|3 ||

Dragon-Blooded Experience Costs ||Spell Type||Terrestrial|| ||General Utility|| 8|10 || ||Combat Utility|| 4|5 || ||Specific Utility|| 2|3 ||

Mass Combat

This has two variations.

Super Simplified Mass Combat

Mass combat will be very simple. The commander rolls (Attribute)+War with a basic difficulty threshold. The attribute is most commonly Intelligence, but may be another attribute depending on the situation. The difficulty varies according to the enemy faced and type of action attempted. The dicepool gains bonuses from the magnitude, might etc. of the unit. The roll decides how well the unit fares against its enemy or in carrying out its action.

Streamlined Mass Combat

Your unit has the following stats, calculated as per normal according to the core book -

Magnitude:
Might:
Drill:
Close Combat/Ranged Combat Attack Rating:
Close Combat/Ranged Attack Damage:
Armor:
Mobility Penalty:
Morale:

There is an assigned commander. Most times, it ought to be your character. However, for those times when your character is off duelling with another powerful creature, I require the stats for a second-in-command.

Join War is rolled with Wits + War.

Whoever goes first decides on an action. The Storyteller then decides on the difficulty of the action and the (Attribute) + War roll that must be made. Magnitude, Might and Drill adds its number as bonus dice to the pool.

An attack is Dex + War (if the commander leads the attack) or Int + War (if the commander is directing the attack). The Close/Ranged Combat Attack Rating adds to the attack pool as bonus dice as well. The speed of the attack depends on the weapon used by the commander.

The opposing unit defends against the attack with their parry DV. Parry DV is calculated as per normal for the commander, but with Magnitude, Might and Close Combat Rating adding to the DV calculations. If the attack succeeds, damage is soaked by the commander's soak pool + the Armor rating of the unit.

Each Magnitude of the unit grants 7 health levels. Units cannot suffer wound penalties, knockback or knockdown unless said charm/spell affects the whole unit.

Most actions will be speed 5. The usual actions stated for Mass Combat can also be used, like Aim and Guard. Movement is factored into the difficulty of the War roll. The Dash action is replaced by a Retreat action, speed 3, requiring the Charisma + War roll at difficulty (Magnitude - Drill). If the roll succeeds, it allows the full DV to be kept as the unit retreats in an orderly fashion. If the roll fails, DV is penalised by 2 as the unit retreats in a slightly disorderly fashion. If the roll botches, the unit scatters and runs in blind panic.

Rout checks must also be made when any condition of the table in the corebook is met. On a success, nothing happens. On a failure, the unit hesitates and adds its Magnitude in ticks before its next action. On a botch, the unit loses one magnitude as a portion of their troops flee the battle. This resets the unit's health track to full, unless of course, it has already lost its last magnitude.

For units with Magnitude 4 and above, a successful 'Relay Message' roll must be made before any action can be attempted. This is a reflexive Cha+War roll with a difficulty of +1 for every Magnitude above 3. Exalts can solve this problem with charms, but mortals usually just have units with a maximum of Magnitude 3.

Ability Edits

Crafts
You purchase Craft as per normal and select which element you want. To purchase additional Crafts, you select simply purchase them as you would a speciality. Special crafts are bought as seperate craft abilities.

Linguistics
Linguistics becomes solely a function of how well you write something. Languages can be purchased like a speciality. 1bp per language if unfavoured. 2 for 1bp if favoured.

Miscellanous Edits

Revised Jade Bonuses

Blue Jade: +1 dmg, reduces the str requirements by 1, +50 yards to Range value of Bows (10 yards for Throwing Weapons) rather than reducing the str requirement.

Black Jade: +1 dmg, +2 to DV calculation. This applies to both hand-to-hand and ranged weapons.

Red Jade: +2 dmg, can set flammable things on fire, targets hit by a weapon made of red jade must soak a seperate pool of 3 dice of flame damage.

White jade: +2 dmg, +1 to the difficulty of rolls to resist knockdown and stunning caused by the weapon.

Green jade: +1 dmg, steals one mote of Essence from living creatures that take damage from the attack, transferring it to the wielder.

Merits and Flaws

The Merit and Flaw of Good/Bad luck will work slightly differently for this game. It will not function on a point by point system, but rather more subtly. The number of points taken will affect your life in general. You also have the option of making the luck more specialized.

Links to Other People

Changes to Solar Anima Powers Social Conflict Mutation Based Familiars Fix