Difference between revisions of "XerExaltedLite/Geomancy"

Revision as of 20:23, 11 June 2005

Geomancy

• /Craft - Back to Craft
• /Mansing - Manse Creation

This is partially inspired from the original rules in the Book of Three Circles, Savant and Sorcerer, and Shataina's Manse Creation rules. Specific Manse Creation rules are above, however - the following covers Demesne formation and geomancy. The Savant and Sorcerer text forms the base - especially in terms of flavor.

For the purpose of these rules, Demesnes are found at about 1 for every 50 square miles, and posess an average level of 2. These numbers won't be addressed much as the rules are only concerned with altering the local area

Demesne Types

Demesnes focus energies of various types of Essence - most commonly elemental Essence. Over nine tenths of all Demesnes are of various elemental aspects, and they occur in roughly equal proportions throughout Creation. About half of each are found in their respective cardinal direction.

The remaining Demesnes are Solar, Lunar, Sidereal, Abyssal and Chimeric in that order. Abyssal Demesnes are generally made by a corruption of another Celestial Demesne by a growing Shadowland, while Chimeric Demesnes are generally Wyld corrupted elementally-aspected Demesnes. Both of these latter are highly dangerous, though pushing back the Wyld or Shadowland may eventually revert their nature.

• Abyssal Aspected Demesnes are always considered Shadowlands if they are in Creation.
• Chimeric Aspected Demesnes are always considered to be one level of Wyld more serious than the surrounding area.

Not all Demesnes are located on the ground.

Demesne Strengths

Demesnes are rated on a scale from 0 to 6. 0-rated Demesnes are odd eddies in the local Essence flows, and many times they are the result of mortal thaumaturges practicing their craft. They are one-quarter the strength of level 1 Demesnes. Exalted landscapers will frequently cannibalize these regions to form more useful wonders. 6-rated Demesnes are nigh unheard of - the only known examples to survive to the current Age are capped by the Imperial Manse and the Temple of the Sun in Rathess.

Demesnes have an effect on the well being of the surrounding region. Depending on their strength, they will have a more and more serious effect on whatever may choose to make a home there, as well as the homes themselves. During each period:

1. One Year
2. One Season
3. One Month
4. One Week
5. One Day
6. One Hour

Roll the Demesne's Strength in dice. 10s do not count twice, but the number of successes indicates the severity of the warping that goes on. Beings subtract their permanent Essence from this roll, making level 1 Demesnes quite safe in this regard:

1. Mundane alterations. Hair, eye, or skin color changes, streams or roads will change course, trees, rocks or buildings move. Stuff may grow at an unusual rate, but it still remains much as before.
2. Minor alterations. Creatures might gain a pox, deficiency or derangement. Streams might be made to flow uphill, roads wind back on themselves, materials change slightly - but stay related. Buildings might not be anymore - walls being forced apart, together, turning it into a maze, though it will remain an obviously man-made structure for some time. Aging may halt or double for the period.
3. Significant alterations. Creatures might gain an affliction, debility, or perhaps a serious form of a derangement. Streams will flow into the air, roads disappear and even the simplest of paths will become strange mazes. Materials may change significantly - water might become wine in some areas. Constructions might revert into their basic components, or perhaps be warped into some other alien effect. Plants may becom sentient. Aging might reverse or triple or the period.
4. Serious alterations. Creatures might gain a few poxes, afflictions, debilities or deficiencies. Derangements are almost garaunteed. Materials will undergo drastic effects, streams might turn to ice yet still remain warm and flow. Streams will vanish from one area to begin in another - and fish will swim between them. Paths will do much the same - people walking alongthem may suddenly find themselves in strange places. What happens to any sort of construction could only be guessed at. Aging might strike different parts of different entities - aging their minds while their bodies become young, or vise versa.
5. Miraculous alterations. Blights and deformities are common results. Derangements are certain. Gold nuggets might melt into morning dew or flowers may be made of liquid crystal. Time may flow at a different rate, perhaps effectively stopping entirely.
6. At this point, various landscaping features will be sculpted from raw flowing Essence itself. Little can be garaunteed, except that time will not reverse itself. The untrained might mistake such an area for the Deep Wyld, but the reasonable consistancy of laws and the raw visable Essence emissions will give it away.

A character may make a Willpower check to resist any effect that would change her, with a difficulty equal to the Demesne's rating minus her permanent Essence. A success means that she has resisted the changes for the time being. A Wits + Lore roll, difficulty 3, can allow her to determine the type of mutation to see if she wishes to allow the change or not.

Individuals attuned to a Demesne of their own aspect will find their magics to be more potent, and are more likely to gain beneficial effects from them. They gain a third of the Demesne's level (round down) in automatic successes while in the Demesne. Charms and Spell effects who use Essence of the Demesne's nature cost 2 less motes per level of the Demesne (minimum 1). Characters who make an Intelligence + Lore roll at a difficulty equal to triple the Demesne's level may also try to ensure beneficial effects while within. Although less reliable, this does not require the character to be attuned to the Demesne.

Mutations gained in this manner are represented by the Mutation Merit - they are not Wyld mutations. All of these effects are subsumed when capping such a Demesne with a Manse.

Altering and Landscaping

Altering and strengthening Demesnes are arduous, meticulous tasks. Both physical and spiritual energies must be applied to alter a Demesne. The basic start requires performing a ritual at every period (on the chart above, according to the level desired - level 0 is 5 years) and altering the landscape.

The rituals can be done by mortals. For elemental aspects - wind dances and weather worshiping, water rituals, bonfires, constructing stone rings, planting trees, and so on. Celestial rituals require astrological performances, acts of heroism, despotism, insanity, trickery or bravery. Essence must continually be spent - 5 + the Demesne's desired level squared, every period for the duration of the landscaping, with a minimum of a single ritual.

The rituals, whatever form they may take, require a difficulty of 5 + the Demesne's desired level squared. This is often, but not always, an Intelligence + Lore roll.

The landscaping is a bit more difficult, and is in many ways very similar to /Artificing. First, research is performed using Intelligence + Lore rolls, and follows the same pattern designing does under the /Craft rules. The scope of this project is 100 + 100 times the desired Demesne level cubed. This scope is used for the Research, Design and Construction phase of both the Demesne and the Manse to cap it.

As with /Artificing, Quality is the key observance. The maximum resulting Demesne level is determined using the same table.

Wyld-Tainted refers to the posession of the Essence Channeler Merit.

The Storyteller may assign additional difficulties if the goal of the Geomancy results in bringing Demesnes 'too close together'. This will vary between campaigns, of course.

Minor Geomancy

Demense 'effects' beneath 0 can still produce meaningful, if minor, results. The results themselves are described on page 147 of the Player's Guide. The mechanics differ slightly.

Effective Quality is determined in the same manner. -3, -2, -1 and 0 'results' may still be used to achieve these effects.

• -3: Map the Essence flows of a region. This is a 25 scope project per acre of land covered (1 scope to note a household).
• -2: Apply a single 'lucky' effect on a small household. This is a 25 scope project. Celestials others of similar competance have a hard time affecting such meagre results (see the '0' effect).
• -1: Cover an area with a single 'lucky' effect. This is generally a 100 scope project per acre of land covered.
• Zero: Apply multiple effects to a single household. This is a 100 scope project per effect.

Lucky effects include:

• Regain an additional mote of Essence per hour while within.
• Negate two botches per Story
• Negate two health levels of damage from a lethal or maiming wound per Story
• Reduce the effective Virulence and Morbidity of diseases within by one

Detecting Demesnes

Demesnes radiate minor effects in the local Essence flow out to (1 + their rating) squared in miles. Capped Demesnes subtract the Manse level from the effective rating of the Demesne. Only characters with Awakened Essence of some sort (as all Exalted and spirits are) may detect the presence of a Demesne from a distance (though mere mortals with enough Lore can certainly guess at level 2+ Demesnes once there).

Exalted know immediately when they enter a Demesne, other beings must make a Wits + Lore roll difficulty 1. The difficulty of this roll increases by 1 for every (Demesne rating +1) miles from the Demesne. A single success notes the Demesne's presence. Three successes notes its relative direction, or strength if already in the Demesne. Six successes will note the Demesne's strength, exact direction, and distance.

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