Difference between revisions of "Shataina/ManseCreation"

Revision as of 08:08, 5 April 2010

Excitableness

5.30.07: Oadenol's Codex is out! Yay! As I read over the finished product and compare it to this page, I am freshly impressed by how well my co-writer streamlined my system. Go Dustin, I love working with you so much! For me, the most fun part was writing the sample manses/demesnes (credit where credit's due, though, Dustin did the Hidden Tabernacle). Which brings me now -- I'd love to see what people are doing with this system. If you come up with any nifty manses/demesnes, do post links to them in the comments. The MansesAndDemesnes section needs love, and I'm hoping this book will give it some love ....

1.21.07: Dustin Shampel and I were hired to do a new version of this system for the upcoming Oadenol's Codex. While the new version lacks the rather dubious charm that comes from the barely-edited and very ad-hoc nature of this one, it has deliciousness all its own (as well as sample manses, and demesne rules, and damage rules, etc, etc). It will be out, uh, later this year.

A Point-Based Manse Creation System

People always ignore the "Manse" half of the Manse background, focusing instead far more closely on the Hearthstone. This is partially because we haven't been given any good rules for actually creating Manses; the only canonical Manse with interesting powers that I'm really familiar with is the Invisible Fortress -- I've only otherwise seen powers mentioned vaguely, like "Air-Aspected Manses tend to have X kind of powers". It seems clear to me that canonically, Manses can have their own powers, and I think that moreover, giving Manses their own powers makes the game a lot more interesting and flavourful.

So I'm trying to make up this point-based Manse creation system. It's tough going, so I welcome comments.

I've put together a PDF of this system, available here. Feel free to download and use liberally.

• back to Shataina.
• back to Shataina's Houserules.
• back to MansesAndDemesnes.
• back to Backgrounds.

Contents

• How Many Manse Creation Points You Get
  • Sacrificing Hearthstone Levels for Points
  • Taking Drawbacks for Points
    • Notoriety Drawback
    • Maintenance Drawback
• Spending Manse Creation Points
  • Zero-Point Powers
  • One-Point Powers
  • Two-Point Powers
  • Three-Point Powers
  • Four-Point Powers
  • Five-Point Powers
  • Six-Point Powers
  • Seven-Point Powers
  • Eight-Point Powers
  • Nine-Point Powers
  • Ten-Point Powers
• Example Manses
• Further Notes
  • Manse-Related Merits and Flaws
• Comments

[#PointGetting]

Points to Spend

A Manse starts with a number of Creation Points equal to 4 x the Manse's level. You can get more Creation Points in two ways:

• The player may sacrifice a level (or more) of the Hearthstone, channeling the extra power into the Manse's powers, defenses, whatever.
• The player may take Drawbacks for the Manse. Drawbacks include: Notoriety and Maintenance.

[#HearthstoneSacrifice] Sacrificing Hearthstone Levels

The player gains a number of Manse Creation Points for every level of Hearthstone he sacrifices equal to the specific Hearthstone level being sacrificed. He may sacrifice as many levels as he wishes, but should keep in mind that the Hearthstone level goes down each time and he therefore gets one less point per level. If the player sacrifices all his Hearthstone levels (thereby creating a Manse with a level 0 Hearthstone), then he gets an extra 2 Points.

A Manse with a level 0 Hearthstone still produces a Hearthstone; however, the Hearthstone grants no unusual powers, manifesting merely as an inert crystal tinted faintly with a colour associated with the Manse's Aspect. A Manse whose Hearthstone has been reduced to level 0 grants those attuned to it only 1 mote per hour outside the Manse, 2 motes while within the Manse.

Note that the Manse's level stays the same when Hearthstone levels are sacrificed -- thus, a level 4 Manse whose Hearthstone is reduced to level 2 remains a level 4 Manse; only its mote-granting rate and its Hearthstone's power are affected.

Example. Bob the Solar is designing a Manse. Bob starts with four levels of the Manse background (16 base Manse Creation Points). Bob decides that he wants to sacrifice Hearthstone levels in order to gain more points. Bob first sacrifices only one Hearthstone level, bringing his level 4 Hearthstone down to level 3. For this trade, Bob gets 4 more Manse Creation Points (because he sacrificed the fourth level of his Hearthstone), bringing him up to 20 Points. Pretty soon Bob decides that's not enough either, so he sacrifices another Hearthstone level, reducing his Manse's Hearthstone to level 2 and gaining 3 more Points (because he sacrificed the third level of his Hearthstone). Now Bob has 23 Points, and a level 4 Manse that produces a level 2 Hearthstone. Bob's Manse also only grants those attuned to it four motes an hour (eight while in the Manse), rather than the eight (or sixteen) that a Manse with a level 4 Hearthstone would grant.

Supposing Bob were to go back to his Manse design and decide that he doesn't really need a Hearthstone of any power at all. Accordingly, he takes his Hearthstone down to level 0 from level 2. Bob gains 2 Points from sacrificing the second Hearthstone level, 1 Point from sacrificing the first Hearthstone level, and 2 Points because he sacrificed all his Hearthstone levels. He now has a level 4 Manse with a level 0 Hearthstone, and 28 total Manse Creation Points.

[#Drawbacks] Drawbacks

Taking Drawbacks gives the Manse a number of extra Manse Creation Points equal to the level of the Drawback. I have purposely not created Manse "Flaws", and I'm trying to avoid creating further Drawbacks as well, although something interesting or original enough might convert me. I'm not a big fan of getting points through Flaws in general, and I think everything important has been covered here anyway.

[#Notoriety] Notoriety: The Notoriety Drawback reflects not only how well-known the character's Manse is, but also how valuable it is perceived as being and how highly desired it is by other beings. Notoriety levels are as follows:

x : The Manse is perceived as broken, useless, or not worth the effort it would require them to take it by all beings who know of its location, which are few. There are no records left that mention it, or at least not any that are currently public (the open libraries of Yu-Shan count as "public" for this purpose; private ones, of course, don't). The base difficulty for discovering anything about it through research is 5.
• : The Manse exists in rumours and half-formed memories, only mentioned in passing in antique scriptures or the rarest of stories known by the elder No Moon. Either nobody has a clear idea of where it is and very few beings are likely to even consider looking for it, or it is possible to determine where it is, but it's not worth the effort of going after (for example, a Level 1 Manse in the mouth of the Kukla would simply not be worth the trouble). The base difficulty for discovering anything about it through research is 4.
•• : The Manse is known, although not by any means well-known. Specialists in occult architecture will probably have heard of it, though they will not know much; it is possible, but difficult, to do extensive research and find out more, but it will probably take a long time. Alternatively, the Manse could be slightly better known and more sought-after, but the legal property of the character, who has laid claim to it in such a way that other beings are unwilling to directly challenge her for it (e.g. it is a Manse in the middle of Nexus which the character blatantly owns, and any military challenge to her ownership would be quickly obvious and probably considered disruption of trade; or perhaps she is a Dragon-Blood and the Manse is legally owned by her in the Realm). Another alternative is that the Manse is not known (is perhaps even mostly secret), but is highly prized by a certain group (e.g., one of the Great Houses of the Realm, the military of Lookshy, etc) to which the character does not belong and from which the character must defend it. The base difficulty for discovering anything about it through research is 3.
••• : The Manse is not quite famous, but it is rather well-known. It occasionally shows up in stories, and the full records of its building can be found at least in the public libraries of Yu-Shan. Research will find a fair amount of information about it if the researcher knows where to look (i.e. knows its location and Aspect, or perhaps knows who originally built it). Alternatively, the Manse could be famous, but the legal property of the character, who has laid claim to it in such a way that other beings are unwilling to directly challenge her for it. Another alternative is that the Manse is not known, but is highly prized by a certain very powerful being or group (a very major spirit court, for example) from which the character must defend it. The base difficulty for discovering anything about it through research is 2.
•••• : The Manse is famous and easy to find, and although it does not legally belong to anyone else, the character has no particular legal claim on it either. Powerful beings consider taking it from the character with monotonous regularity, and must be either persuaded away from this idea or fought. Very extensive records of the Manse can be found with a small amount of research, and the base difficulty for discovering anything about it through research is 1.
••••• : Not only is the Manse famous both within and without Creation, it is also the legal property of one or more relatively powerful beings who are even now seeking to get it back and are too offended by its theft to negotiate (e.g. it's Mnemon's favourite Manse and all of her favourite stuff is in it and also the character stole it from her after seducing her, drugging her and leaving her snoring). (The issue of how the character managed to take someone else's Manse should probably be addressed in his or her history.) The character must not only defend it from its rightful owner(s), but also from other puissant beings -- Deathlords, Third Circle Demons, and ancient Sidereals would be great examples -- who seek to take it for their own. Records -- including, possibly, full blueprints -- are freely available for those who do even the tiniest amount of investigating.

The Hidden Manse Merit is not mutually exclusive with this Drawback. If a character takes 0 Notoriety and the Hidden Manse Merit, then her Manse is completely secret -- not only is it unknown today, but it was built in secret, without a single blueprint in existence, and there is no one left in Creation or outside it who can recall it except for the character and anyone she chooses to tell. If the Hidden Manse Merit is taken on top of Notoriety 1 through 5, then it indicates that the character's Manse is notorious, but nobody knows that the character is the one in residence. For whatever reason, any being who encounters the character will assume that the character does not have the notorious Manse; if the being knows that the character has a Manse, then the being will assume that it is a different Manse with no relation to the notorious Manse.

Optional Ruling: All Solar, Abyssal and Lunar Manses get an automatic two points of Notoriety, but only if you can immediately tell that the Hearthstone and the Manse are Solar, Lunar or Abyssal. (So, for example, a Lunar Manse that looks like an Air-Aspected Manse, or a Manse that produces a Solar Hearthstone that is easily confused with a Fire Hearthstone, wouldn't get the automatic points.) Sidereal Manses get an automatic one point, but only if you can immediately tell that the Hearthstone and the Manse are not Elemental. (Obviously, no one would be able to figure out that they're Sidereal due to Arcane Fate; but people hypothetically will gain interest in a Manse if it's of a type they've never seen or heard of before, and on top of that, Sidereals will hypothetically keep an extra-attentive eye on Sidereal-Aspected Manses.)

[#Maintenance] Maintenance: This Drawback represents the fact that the Manse in question requires attention and, of course, some maintenance. Additonally, this Drawback represents how easy it is to mess around with the Manse (changing its geomancy, etc). Maintenance levels are as follows:

x : The Manse requires no maintenance. It can keep running just fine until the end of time. It is very difficult to interfere with this Manse's workings by means of simple geomancy; the difficulty of the roll to figure out how to damage the Manse (by rearranging pictures, breaking mirrors, etc) is 5.
• : The Manse requires very simple maintenance which can be accomplished within an hour by anyone who has been instructed what to do. This maintenance needs to be performed no more often than once every few months. The Manse is a little more delicate, and the difficulty to determine how to mess it up is 4.
•• : The Manse requires simple maintenance which may be accomplished by anyone with instructions, but it takes a full day and must be performed once a month. The difficulty to determine how to mess it up is 3.
••• : The Manse requires more complicated maintenance, which takes two full days and which must be performed once a month either by an individual attuned to the Manse or by a sorcerous technician with scores of at least 3 Occult, 3 Lore, and 3 Crafts: Architecture. (Hiring such an expert costs 3 Resources.) The difficulty to determine how to mess it up is 2.
•••• : The Manse requires very complicated maintenance, which must be performed for two full days every three weeks by the Hearthstone bearer or a sorcerous technician with scores of at least 3 Occult, 3 Lore, and 4 Crafts: Architecture. Whoever performs the maintenance must have a team of at least ten people who are carefully instructed in what to do and can work together exceedingly well. (Hiring such an expert costs at least 3 Resources, 4 if he has his own crew; the crew, separately, is 2 Resources.) The Manse is particularly delicate and easy to mess up; the leader of the maintenance crew must roll Intelligence + (the lowest of the 3 relevant Abilities). If she should fail, the Manse will be damaged and require repairs. A botch will make the Manse stop working entirely. The difficulty to determine how to mess up the Manse is 1.
••••• : The Manse is painfully, frustratingly difficult to repair and maintain. Just walking into it can screw it up sometimes. Nobody even has to roll to figure out how to screw with it, and if anyone botches any roll while inside the Manse, the Storyteller should roll one die; if that die is a success, then the Manse is somehow damaged. The Manse requires one full day of maintenance every week, which must be performed by the Hearthstone bearer or a sorcerous technician with scores of at least 4 Occult, 3 Lore, and 4 Crafts: Architecture. Whoever performs the maintenance will require a full team of at least 25 people who have been fully instructed and will barely twitch a finger inside the Manse without permission. (Hiring someone to do this will probably cost right around 4 or 5 Resources; the crew alone would be 2.) Additionally, whoever performs the maintenance must roll Intelligence + (the lowest relevant Ability), difficulty 2. If she gets only 1 success, the Manse is damaged; with no successes, the Manse stops working entirely, even if the roll wasn't botched.

Alternatively, for higher levels of Maintenance, the Manse may not require multiple maintainers or difficult rituals, but instead require particularly complicated, insane, sick or twisted things. For example, a Manse with 5 Maintenance may simply require a daily virgin sacrifice; or perhaps it requires a full chorus of at least 25 14-year-old castrated boy singers to keep singing at all times lest it fall apart.

You can't get around this Drawback by having, for example, an intelligent Manse with automatons that maintain it. If the Manse can maintain itself, then it can't take any levels of this Drawback.

[#SpendingPoints]

Spending Points

Since Manses are capable of basically anything, these rules are more like guidelines and sample powers. Please don't feel limited by the Manse powers suggested here. Powers for which I haven't bothered coming up with point values include mild thaumaturgy and magical library or laboratory facilities. (Note that if a player takes magical facilities, they still need to buy the things to put in those facilities; in other words, you can spend Manse Creation Points to buy a magical orichalcum library with super-duper computerized cross-referencing whose books never decay, but if you actually want books to put in it, you still have to buy the Library background.)

All Manse powers are on a scale of 1 - 10 Creation Points each. A player cannot give a Manse a power if the power's Creation Point value divided by two, rounded up, is greater than the Manse's level. In other words, since 10 divided by 2 is 5, a Manse cannot have a 10-point power unless the Manse itself is level 5; to use another example, 5 divided by 2 is 2.5 which rounds to 3, so a Manse cannot have a 5-point power unless it is level 3 or higher. A rare few powers (which would be better called "qualities") are exempt from this rule; for example, the Fortress power [5] can be taken by Manses which are levels 1 or 2. Such powers are accompanied by an asterisk.

If the Manse goes without its required maintenance or is damaged, then it loses access to its Powers. Lack of maintenance (as defined by the Manse's level of the Maintenance Drawback) causes it to begin losing its powers at a rate of one per every (10 - the power's Point value) hours. Thus, a 10-point Power goes away immediately, with a 5-point Power following five hours later, and a 1-point Power malfunctioning and disappearing nine hours after that. In general, Powers with higher point values malfunction first, although the Storyteller may change this if she feels it is dramatically appropriate (for example, it may be more interesting for a Manse's Full Sentience only to disappear after all of its other powers have gone, so that the Manse can feel itself malfunctioning, scream and cry, beg for aid, and have its voice dwindle down to nothing only once it's completely "dead".) The rate at which damage causes the Manse to lose its Powers is left up to the Storyteller.

Alternatively, a Power may have a optional Damage Effect associated with it. In that case, if the Manse goes without maintenance or is damaged, then the Power isn't lost; the Damage Effect may represent the way it malfunctions. Sometimes Hearthstones also have Damage Effects (examples of these can be found over at Darloth's Hearthstone disadvantage page). I've listed a few potential Damage Effects under some powers.

There is no limit on the number of powers a Manse may have except, of course, for the number of Creation Points the player has to spend.

Keep in mind that the major purpose of all these powers is -- and was -- always defense. Lacking any other instruction, these powers will generally be used by the Manse to protect itself and the Hearthstone bearer. They won't do anything extreme that is outside their main function, but their "instinct" (for lack of a better word) is such protection. So, for example, an unintelligent Fire-Aspected Manse with Affinity Element Control can be relied upon to -- purely by such "instinct" -- attempt to burn anyone who enters who isn't attuned to the Manse (or accompanying such people), or anyone who damages it, or anyone who damages those attuned. However, while keeping this in mind, don't give the Manse too much credit. If it doesn't have any powers that grant it instructions or the semblance of intelligence (such as Computer [5]), then it is considered to have an effective Intelligence of 0 and to know next to nothing beyond "Damage bad" and "Intruders bad".

[#Zero] 0-Point Powers (i.e. what every Manse automatically gets)

• The ability to sense sound and movement within its range, which by default (i.e. unless augmented by a power) includes everywhere within its walls and everything immediately touching its walls
• The ability to recognize the Hearthstone bearer and those attuned to the Manse

[#One] 1-Point Powers

• Cosmetic Powers: for one Point, the player may give her Manse as many cosmetic powers -- that is, powers that are pretty but almost entirely useless -- as she wishes. Examples include halls which look to be the wrong length, fountains of light instead of water, and mirrors that reflect backwards.

[#Two] 2-Point Powers

For two Points, the Manse can take one power that is only very slightly useful.

• Halls that appear to be infinitely long unless you can figure out (or are told) how to look at them (a.k.a. the "Labyrinth" effect)
• Lights that are controlled by a simple sound, such as one hand clapping (how Zen)
• Mirrors that don't reflect properly unless reflecting one of the Manse's illusions (assuming it has one of the illusion powers)
• Self-Cleaning: the Manse always keeps itself perfectly clean. This power explicitly does not extend to the repair of damage sustained by the Manse. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse also begins to clean up items that don't need cleaning -- relocating them to random places, for example ("Honey, have you seen my keys?").
• Speakers: the Manse has some form of "speakers" and can thus produce controlled sound. (The Manse does not need this power to produce useless sounds, such as faint and continuous background music, as long as it has Cosmetic Powers [1].)

[#Three] 3-Point Powers

These are simple powers which are useful but weak.

• Anima Sense: the Manse can sense and analyze the animas and powers of those within range as long as they spend even a single mote of Essence (even if the mote is from Personal Essence). It can use this information to deduce what type of being they are, what Caste they are (if applicable), and what Charms they are currently using (if it's got enough information / has been programmed to do so, which will probably require another power). The Manse may also be capable of sensing powers that aren't Charms, such as the powers of Artifacts or Hearthstones within its range; it probably has a generally good idea of basically all Essence flows within its range that aren't actively hidden.
• Central Control: the entire Manse may be controlled by a central control room, probably by means of dials, levers, etc.; with extra powers, it could use anything. This room is automatically accessible to all those attuned to the Manse.
• Climate Control: the Manse is climate-controlled. If it's located inside a volcano, it's always perfectly cool. If it's located in the ice-fields of the North, it's always pleasantly warm. If it's in the uttermost forests of the East, it keeps the bugs out. Et cetera.
• Grounds Sensors: the Manse may sense things outside its walls for a radius of its rating, squared, in miles.
• Passwords: the Manse requires passwords for certain functions, such as opening its doors. The passwords may be anything that the Manse has the capability to sense; thus, for example, the Manse cannot use telepathic passwords unless it also has the power Telepathy [5] or one of the later variants of the same power. If the Manse has this power coupled with the Anima Sense power [3], then it can accept a being's Essence signature or a certain Charm use as a password. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse randomly trades passwords between functions so that the owner never knows what a password will actually accomplish.
• Recording: the Manse can record what goes on within its range. However, the Manse can only play back the recording in formats it is capable of displaying; so, for example, it can't play back a visual scene that it observed unless it also has the Basic Illusions [4] power, and it can't play back sound unless it has the Speakers [2] power.
• * Secret Doors and Passages: the Manse is riddled with secret doors and passageways.
• * Single Automaton: the Manse has a single automaton servant. Note that in order to use this servant, the Manse must also have a power to do so, such as Passwords [3] (which might allow the person who knows the passwords to command the automaton) or Full Sentience [10] (which might allow the Manse itself to command the automaton as an independent "body"). If no other powers control it, then the automaton has a fixed routine which may not be altered without reprogramming (this would require, of course, the expertise of someone who knows how to program automatons). The automaton fails to function outside the Manse's range; it cannot fight (for fighting robots, one must take the Defensive Army [6] power) and does not perform functions on its own beyond the most extremely basic.

[#Four] 4-Point Powers

• Basic Illusions: by means of reflective crystals, light manipulation, or whatever, the Manse is capable of creating illusions (but only within its range, of course). These illusions cannot hurt anyone, but they can be extremely confusing -- or particularly helpful, especially in the (metaphorical) hands of a Manse with, say, Full Sentience [10]. The Manse cannot create anything too complicated (such as a specific person) or big (like a tyrant lizard), and all of the illusions are entirely visual. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse begins to replicate random items within its range using its illusion powers ("Honey, I found your keys! I think ....").
• Elemental Temple: the Manse is a temple to the appropriate Elemental Dragon, which has been fully consecrated by means of highly effective rites. This may aid in prayer rolls or even give the Manse itself some slight divine favour, at the Storyteller's discretion. This power may only be taken by elementally-aspected Manses; the Celestial version costs 5 Creation points.
• * Multiple Automatons: as per Single Automaton [3], save that there are multiple automatons. The Manse has a number of automatons equal to its rating x 5.
• * Mundane Tricks and Traps: the Manse is riddled with relatively simple tricks and traps. These need not be unmagical, although they should be weak; a giant wall of fire, even if it is magically created, counts as the same level of trap as, say, a poison dart array or scything blade which is tripped by a pressure plate on the floor. The point of these traps is that they are easily dodgeable and soakable; think of them like those irritating dungeon-crawling traps from "Dungeons and Dragons".

[#Five] 5-Point Powers

• Affinity Element Control: the Manse may control the Element it is aspected towards, as long as the Element is within its range. It cannot create or destroy the element directly, although it can probably do it easily indirectly (e.g. a Fire Manse can't put out a fire automatically, but it can direct a fire to a place where it has nothing to burn). (Wood-Aspected Manses may only control living plants; they cannot control dead wood.) This power may only be taken by elementally-aspected Manses, although different versions may exist -- they would, however, have a significantly higher point value (for example, a Sidereal version might have some control over Fate but would certainly cost 10 points).
• Charm Emulation, Solar Essence 1: the Manse may emulate any Charm of Essence 1 Solar power level. For weird interpretations, ask your Storyteller. Note that the Manse has to be able to take whatever action is required in order to use its Charm -- so a Manse can't use Monkey Leap Technique unless it already has Ambulatory [8], for example; this Power does not confer the ability to take relevant actions. At the Storyteller's discretion, there are probably limits to how often the Manse can use the power; one option is for it to spend motes from a pool equal to (rating x 10), which either "respires" like an Essence-user or must be "charged" by the Manse's Hearthstone bearer.
• Celestial / Abyssal Temple: the Manse is a temple to the appropriate Celestial Incarna (or, if Abyssal, to the Malfeans), which has been fully consecrated by means of highly effective rites. This may aid in prayer rolls or even give the Manse itself some slight divine favour, at the Storyteller's discretion. This power may be taken only by Celestial or Abyssal Manses; the Elemental version costs 4 Creation points.
• Computer: the Manse has a central computer, which, though not particularly advanced, can understand and obey simple commands and run automated processes if it is programmed to do so. Note that in order to use its computer for anything, the Manse must have another power such as Telepathy [5] or Central Control [3].
• Dematerialize-Proof Structure: the Manse's structure has been reinforced with Essence in such a way that its structure may not be penetrated by dematerialized beings. In other words, if a demon, spirit, or whatever else dematerializes inside the Manse, it will find that every part of the Manse remains normally solid to it; for example, it will be unable to walk through walls. Things that are not part of the Manse's structure and geomancy, such as people, may still be treated as normal; it is only items intrinsic to the Manse that are dematerialize-proof. The walls are still be breakable or penetratable by normal means, so a strong spirit would still be able to break down a door or a wily spirit to pick a lock. This power explicitly does not equate to a ward and does not behave like a ward. Only spirits with an Essence score equal to or lower than the Manse's rating are affected by this power. Items in the Manse still behave normally aside from the fact that they are solid; so, for example, although the material things feel solid and impenetrable to the spirit, it still may not actually affect material things while it is immaterial.
• Far Sensors: the Manse may sense locations that aren't anywhere near it, by means of underground connections, air currents, whatever. The number of places it can sense is limited by its level; a level three Manse can only keep track of a few specific places, while a level five Manse may be able to keep track of an entire cardinal direction.
• * Fortress: the Manse is a large and defensible fortress or castle.
• Provider: the Manse provides for those inhabiting it; it feeds them, bathes them, and generally pampers them. The number of people the Manse may provide for is equal to ([the Manse's Rating - 1] cubed). Potential Damage Effect: the Manse begins to synthesize random non-food items instead of food ("I didn't ask for keys, I asked for dinner!").
• Telepathy: the Manse may not be at all intelligent, but it is telepathic. This means that it can take mental commands to activate whatever powers it may have (which, of course, must be paid for separately); it can take mental passwords (if it has the Passwords power [3]), including images or emotions; if it has the power Full Sentience [10], then it can have detailed telepathic conversations with as many people as it wants at once; if it has the power Recording [3], then it can record the surface thoughts of those it makes mental contact with. The Manse, however, cannot make mental contact without the permission of those it makes contact with, and its telepathy only functions within its range.
• Zone: the Manse creates a zone that mimics its interior for [its rating] miles surrounding it. For example, if it has Physical Law Repealment [6], those physical laws are also changed within its Zone. An Abyssal Manse may be able to create a shadowland around itself, or a crazy Fae-type Manse, a Wyld zone. If the Manse can move (if, for example, it has Ambulatory [8] or Translocation [10]), then it takes a day to alter the area around it, but can do so to any extent the Storyteller's comfortable with -- for example, it may be able to drag a lake with it wherever it goes, or bring the deep Wyld with it, or whatever. Affected areas return to normal a day after such a Manse departs unless this power is taken as a 9-point version (in which case it's called Forced Zone). The Manse cannot sense what's going on in its Zone (that would require Grounds Sensors [3]) or use its deliberate powers there (that would be Ground Sensor Projection [6]).

[#Six] 6-point Powers

• Charm Emulation, Solar Essence 2: the Manse may emulate any Charm of Essence 2 Solar power level. For weird interpretations, ask your Storyteller. Note that the Manse has to be able to take whatever action is required in order to use its Charm -- so a Manse can't use Monkey Leap Technique unless it already has Ambulatory [8], for example; this Power does not confer the ability to take relevant actions. At the Storyteller's discretion, there are probably limits to how often the Manse can use the power; one option is for it to spend motes from a pool equal to (rating x 10), which either "respires" like an Essence-user or must be "charged" by the Manse's Hearthstone bearer.
• Complex Illusions: as per Basic Illusions [4], except that the Manse may make any illusion as long as it does not take up an area larger than one of its rooms. The illusion may involve one more sense besides sight.
• * Defensive Army: the Manse contains a small army of things which have been programmed or instructed to defend it to the death. These things could be anything from demons to automatons. They are not considered intelligent, or to have any really useful supernatural abilities, unless the player buys another power (such as Computer [5]) which the Manse may use to direct them. Alternatively, the player could just spend more points on this power, with extra points buying him anything up to the Storyteller's limit.
• Grounds Sensor Projection: as per Grounds Sensors [3], except that the Manse may also use limited powers on the outside areas where it has sensors; these places are now considered to be within the Manse's range. What the Manse can actually do in these areas is left up to the Storyteller.
• Physical Law Repealment: normally-immutable physical laws, such as gravity, friction, or magnetism, do not apply normally within the Manse's range; the speeds of light or sound might also be faster or slower; et cetera. The Manse, however, operates by an immutable code within this law repealment. In other words, if gravity doesn't apply within the Manse, it always doesn't apply (or, if it selectively applies, then it does so in a calculatable and noticeable pattern); if the speed of sound is different from the usual speed of sound, then it's always different from the norm in exactly the same way; et cetera.

[#Seven] 7-Point Powers

• Clever Room Rearrangement: as per Room Rearrangement [8], except that the rooms don't shift randomly -- they shift according to a pattern, which the Hearthstone bearer instinctively understands. On the down side, others may calculate and figure until they, too, learn the pattern.
• Clever Physical Law Repealment: normally-immutable physical laws, such as gravity, friction, or magnetism, do not apply normally within the Manse's range; the speeds of light or sound might also be faster or slower; et cetera. The Manse changes these rulesets according to a certain pattern, which the Hearthstone bearer instinctively understands. On the down side, others may calculate and figure until they, too, learn the pattern. Minor changes (slightly slowing the speed of sound) take an hour to take effect, medium changes (reversing gravity) half a day, major changes (human beings within the Manse now must breathe water rather than air in order to survive) a full day.
• Far Sensor Projection: as per Far Sensors [5], except that the Manse can also use limited effects on certain of the places where it has sensors; these places are now considered to be within the Manse's range. How effectively the Manse can work at long range is left up to the Storyteller.
• Forced Telepathy: as per Telepathy [5], except that the Manse can make mental contact against the will of those it makes contact with. However, they will know.
• * Impossible to Reach: the Manse is just impossible to reach by any normal means. It may be deep within the Wyld, inside a volcano, floating on a cloud, hidden in an abandoned city six miles underwater, etc. It is assumed that the Hearthstone bearer either knows a route in, or is provided one by the Manse itself. How the Hearthstone bearer got there in the first place should probably be addressed in his or her history.
• * Weaponry: the Manse has Essence cannon, Essence catapults that fling Greek fire, giant Essence mirrors that reflect terrible swathes of blazing death, or whatever. At this level, the weaponry should be imperfect: slow, requiring time to recharge, not capable of taking out too many people at once, etc. More points can be invested for more deadly weaponry; Weaponry [10], for example, would get instantaneous, practically infinite shots of laserdeath that can level armies.

[#Eight] 8-Point Powers

• Ambulatory: the Manse can move, albeit slowly. It may be supported by automatons, carried on a cloud by captive air spirits, or have giant chicken legs. It cannot move quickly enough to actually outrun anyone reasonably fleet of foot, but it can certainly confuse people who are looking for it.
• Basic Sentience: while the Manse is not actually sentient, it puts up a good showing. It has been programmed with an absolutely huge number of possible alternatives and can understand all but the most complicated of commands. Essentially, it's one of the greatest supercomputers ever made. It was, however, constructed for a purpose, which is probably defending and maintaining itself; its outlook is limited and it knows little of matters that don't pertain to its mission statement. Note that the Manse may be smart, but in order to actually use its "intelligence", it must have another power such as Telepathy [5] or Central Control [3].
• Charm Emulation, Solar Essence 3: the Manse may emulate any Charm of Essence 3 Solar power level. For weird interpretations, ask your Storyteller. Note that the Manse has to be able to take whatever action is required in order to use its Charm -- so a Manse can't use Monkey Leap Technique unless it already has Ambulatory [8], for example; this Power does not confer the ability to take relevant actions. At the Storyteller's discretion, there are probably limits to how often the Manse can use the power; one option is for it to spend motes from a pool equal to (rating x 10), which either "respires" like an Essence-user or must be "charged" by the Manse's Hearthstone bearer.
• Invisible: as per Impossible to Reach [7], but the major reason the Manse is so hard to find is that it is, in fact, entirely invisible (and cannot be sensed by senses other than sight, either, including Essence-analyzing magics such as Measure the Wind or All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight).
• Perfect Telepathy: as per Forced Telepathy [7], except that the targets won't necessarily know that their minds are being contacted.
• Room Rearrangement: the Manse's rooms are not always in the same place. They shift randomly, losing themselves (and those within them) in unpredictable ways. Only those attuned to the Manse (or their delegates, identified by passwords or mental commands or whatever) can figure out where a given room is when, but they cannot control it, and they may not be able to even reach it. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse randomly rearranges its rooms every time someone walks through a door, so they never know where they'll end up.

[#Nine] 9-Point Powers

• Controlled Room Rearrangement: as per Room Rearrangement [8], but the Hearthstone bearer (or his or her delegates, identified by passwords or mental commands or whatever else the Manse communicates with, or even the Manse itself if it's intelligent) may decide what rooms appear where and when.
• Dematerialize: the Manse may dematerialize into the spirit world. When it does so, nothing goes with it except for things intrinsic to it and necessary for its geomancy (like furniture), not even people (although if someone has the power to dematerialize on their own, they may do so and end up in the dematerialized Manse). Even the Hearthstone bearer will not accompany the Manse when it dematerializes unless she is capable of doing so on her own. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse begins to dematerialize at random, or dematerializes only certain parts of itself and not others ("Where did the floor go all of a sudden?").
• Self-Repairing: no matter how much damage the Manse may take, as long as its Essence flows are uninterrupted, it will regenerate -- unless the Hearthstone bearer doesn't want it to. (If this is the case, then the Hearthstone bearer must close her eyes and concentrate while the damage is sustained; damage sustained while she's concentrating will not be repaired.) If a catapult hits a wall, the wall will cave in, but it will quickly be as good as new. If the Manse has the Maintenance Drawback, then this power does not negate it; this power will only work as long as the Manse is properly maintained.
• Uncontrolled Full Sentience: as per Full Sentience [10], except that the Manse is not required to obey its Hearthstone bearer.

[#Ten] 10-Point Powers

This level of power includes the greatest possible defenses and powers any Manse has ever possessed.

• Charm Emulation, Solar Essence 4: the Manse may emulate any Charm of Essence 4 Solar power level. For weird interpretations, ask your Storyteller. Note that the Manse has to be able to take whatever action is required in order to use its Charm -- so a Manse can't use Monkey Leap Technique unless it already has Ambulatory [8], for example; this Power does not confer the ability to take relevant actions. At the Storyteller's discretion, there are probably limits to how often the Manse can use the power; one option is for it to spend motes from a pool equal to (rating x 10), which either "respires" like an Essence-user or must be "charged" by the Manse's Hearthstone bearer.
• Controlled Physical Law Repealment: the Hearthstone bearer or her delegates (or the Manse itself, if it's smart enough) may decide at will that normally-immutable physical laws, such as gravity, friction, or magnetism, do not apply normally within the Manse's range; the speeds of light or sound might also be faster or slower; et cetera. Minor changes (slightly slowing the speed of sound) take an hour to take effect, medium changes (reversing gravity) half a day, major changes (human beings within the Manse now must breathe water rather than air in order to survive) a full day.
• Full Sentience: the Manse itself is fully sentient, and has an intelligence on par with the greatest constructions of the First Age. It is wily, cunning, paranoid, manipulative, and brilliant as necessary. It may have its own interests, like philosophy or art, and will probably have a full-fledged personality as well. It might even have its own Virtues, Willpower, etc. Note that the Manse may be sentient, but in order to actually use its sentience, it must have another power (such as Telepathy [5], Central Control [3] or Speakers [2]). Otherwise, it will just be a fully sentient being trapped in a shell from which it cannot communicate or do anything -- something a First Age Solar might easily have done for her own twisted, bizarre reasons. The Manse may not be friendly towards the Hearthstone bearer, but it is definitely required to obey her. Potential Damage Effect: the Manse's consciousness goes mad, or its personality is dramatically restructured in a very unpleasant way ("Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?").
• Indestructable: the Manse's walls are made of a rare, lost material and bolstered by Essence by means of a rare, lost process; they cannot be destroyed by any processes known today. This does not necessarily mean that its geomancy can't be altered -- its furniture can still be moved, for example -- but it does mean that the actual walls are, well, indestructable. Cannons can be fired, the God-Spear may flash, but nothing will destroy the Manse's walls. Note that although the Manse's walls are impossible to bring down, the Manse itself is not particularly defensible unless it also has the Fortress [5] power.
• Perfect Illusions: as per Complex Illusions [6], except that the Manse's illusions may involve all five senses. Additionally, the Manse may now use these illusion powers on its outside walls -- enabling it to look like anything it isn't, from a ramshackle hut to a palace of butterfly wings to something more exotic, like a dragon or a crying baby. There is probably at least one way to penetrate the illusions so created, but it won't be easy, and it'll probably require passwords, actual Manse damage, extremely difficult rituals, or something even more esoteric. The Manse may also create illusions for "formats" besides the 5 senses, if it is capable of understanding them; for example, a Manse with the Anima Sense [3] power may be able to create illusions of magical activity, actual animas, or magical sensations, while a Manse with Telepathy [5] or one of the higher Telepathy versions may be able to create telepathic illusions -- whatever that means.
• Telepathic Control: as per Perfect Telepathy [8], except that the Manse may also attempt to mentally command relatively weak-willed beings (Willpower 5 or less) with an Essence no higher than 1 that step within its walls. The Manse uses a dice pool of 10 to roll against the target's Willpower to command it, modified by any further difficulty it may have with a given command. For example, it is almost impossible to command a mother to kill her well-loved child; it is easy to command a woman to kill an ant that she doesn't care about. The former would be a difficulty of the woman's Willpower + 5, and the latter would be a difficulty of the woman's Willpower. In the end, though, the limits and definitions of what the Manse may force others to do are entirely up to the Storyteller.
• Translocation: the Manse can teleport itself entirely; alternatively, it may be able to go Elsewhere. It is highly recommended that limits be placed on this power by the Storyteller, such as: the users (even the Hearthstone bearer) being unable to control the Manse's translocation; the translocation taking a long period of time (like two weeks) to successfully effect; a chance that the Manse will be damaged or even "lost in transit"; the Manse being required to go to certain places in a certain pattern; or the translocation automatically taking place at strange or unreasonable intervals (a.k.a. the "Brigadoon" effect).

[#Examples]

Examples

Morpheus's character Gabriel has a level 2 Manse. This Manse belongs to House Ledaal, and they're going to come after it, so it has 2 Notoriety; however, it requires no Maintenance. Thus, the Manse has 10 Creation Points: 4 x 2 is 8, so that's its base number to work with, and then 2 extra Points for the Notoriety are added.

Because it is a Level 2, Gabriel's Manse cannot take any powers valued at more than 4 Points unless they have an asterisk. Morpheus looks over the point values and decides he doesn't want any of the higher-valued asterisked Powers anyway.

He ends up giving his Manse Cosmetic Powers [1], Passwords [3], Central Control [3], and Secret Doors and Passages [3]. Gabriel's Manse is a spreading, open-topped set of passages like a labyrinth; it's not very labyrinthine, though -- at least not to the naked eye. A casual viewer might even think that it looks pretty straightforward. It's surrounded by a small hedge maze which poses absolutely no barrier to the detemined. The Manse's confusingness comes in with the secret doors and passages -- the place is absolutely full of them, the deceptively simple hallways surrounded by at least three each. Those make it into a real maze for those who don't know the place. Those doors and passages each have their own passwords, compounding the difficulties. Gabriel can fully control those doors and passages from the Central Control Room overlooking the place, opening and closing them at will from a distance to confuse and lose those who try to come through the Manse; he can also change the passwords whenever he wants. So to outsiders, if they're trying to get to Gabriel in the Central Control Room and he doesn't want them to find him, the Manse appears to be a constantly shifting set of hallways, disappearing doors and dead ends. Gabriel can also get to most places within the Manse in record time, beating pursuers who don't know the passwords to certain passages or who don't even know that the passages exist.

Shataina's character Ishira has a Level 4 Air Manse that was formulated using this system; the Manse's (fairly long) description is here.

[#Further]

Further Notes

This system only marks how good I'm willing to allow the Manses of player characters to be; it does not at all mark what I consider to be the limit of how good a Manse can be. For all I care, there could be a super-secret Manse of Doom out there with a Level 5 Hearthstone and all the level 10 powers I've described; I wouldn't allow a PC to take it at character generation, though. For example, for the purposes of this system, the Invisible Fortress is a Manse NShataina/ManseCreation/A.

The excellent Morpheus helped me come up with a number of these powers and was in general a good sounding board.

[#MeritsFlaws] New Manse-Related Merits and Flaws

As I said above, I've purposely not created "flaws" that a player could take within the Manse-building process to give himself more Manse Creation Points. However, I have no real issue with Manse-related Flaws that give freebie points during character generation (or Merits that take them away). I've already mentioned how the Hidden Manse Merit interacts with this system under Notoriety; here are a couple more ideas.

Legendary Manse: This Merit costs ten points and requires 5 Manse as a prerequisite; it is roughly analogous to Legendary Artifact (reference: "Players' Guide"), and means that the player gets a Manse of level NShataina/ManseCreation/A. Mechanically, the player may take as many Powers as she wishes, or make up new ones wholesale with no regard for balance; the Manse need have no Drawbacks. It is suggested, for the sake of drama if nothing else, that the Manse have some sort of world-shaking curse or problem attached to match its raw power, much like the NShataina/ManseCreation/A Artifact the Eye of Autocthon (reference: "Storyteller's Companion").

Damaged Manse: This Flaw has a variable cost and functions exactly as the "Damaged Artifact" Flaw (reference: "Players' Guide").

Are you using this system in your games?

A few people have said that they might use these rules. If you do, please let me know how it goes. I haven't actually playtested this to my satisfaction, and I'm still frowning to myself a little bit about some of the point values and power levels.

[#Comments]

Comments

Archived Comments ~ read these first; your question might be answered.

Guys, this is a long page, and there have been multiple occasions on which someone's tried to edit it and the text has apparently been too long for their browser. When your browser has a text field maximum like that, then the version you get, if you save it, ends up cutting off an end chunk of the page. Don't save the page you're editing if you can't add text to the field, and don't save it if you see that the text in your field has text cut off. You will end up accidentally deleting large chunks of content if you do -- it's easy to revert if you catch it in time, but not everyone always does.
~ Shataina

Went ahead an archives some commetns, to shorten the read a bit. Hope you don't mind. Also, I'm currently using these rules for my Manse. I tweaked provider a bit, dropping the amount of food, and adding some workshop space. But that's just personal preference. Great System. - Scrollreader

I do have to say I wish you'd asked me to do it, but well done anyway. I just hope people read the old comments before they ask me the same questions. <grin> And thanks for the compliment. What do you mean by "adding some workshop space" -- you mean, buying Provider gets the Manse not only food but also workshop space? Or are you charging points for some kind of special (tunnels? magical archiving? etc?) workshop space? (I wouldn't personally charge points for mundane just-a-big-room workshop space at all.)
~ Shataina

7.5.06: New powers, some inspired by IanPrice's False Manse: Weaponry [7] (why didn't I think of this before? I guess I'm too much of, you know, a prissy emotional "drama over combat"-focused girl -- pfft! :grin:), Zone [5], Clever Physical Law Repealment [7] / Controlled Physical Law Repealment [10], and Charm Emulation [varies]. I'm not entirety comfortable with the point levels of Charm Emulation; I guess we'll see how that goes.
~ Shataina

Not sure where you'd put this, but my Storyteller and I recently agreed that it would be cool for me to have a Manse with an effecient gold mine and orichalcum refinery in it. That is, the mine is part of the Manse, and has the same level of "script immunity" to problems, as well as enhanced production due to various mystic enhancements (Essence-powered railcarts, Essence lighting in the shafts, Essence highlighting of the ore, precision Essence-based mining tools, etc.). And as I said, it also has full facilities for refining mundane gold into Orichalcum, and forging Orichalcum-Steel alloy. In this version, the Manse didn't come with automatons or whatnot included, my character summoned his own demon workforce to populate the mines. So, I think that along the same lines as what Scrollreader was saying, there should be some powers that say "my Manse is useful to me as a craftsman." Perhaps with a level 10 power your Manse is a functioning Factory-Cathedral. - IanPrice, a boy who likes his toys... and explosions.

Don't worry; the book will cover those options. You'll need Wonders of the Lost Age, though ... and in the meantime, yeah, 10 pts for a functioning Factory-Cathedral is reasonable.
~ Shataina

One thing I'd be interested in is a way to convert my character's bonus points into Manse Creation Points. I keep getting boxed in with points, even with a level-5 Manse. It's so easy to run out when you start with 25, and immediately grab a 10-point power (Sentience), and a 5-point power (Telepathy). Getting Self-repairing adds another large amount, and suddenly, you're running quite low. I don't think I need to go all the way to Legendary Manse, so I'm wondering if there are other (non Hearthstone weakening) ways to boost the powers. One method I thought was converting character BP directly to Manse Points, or alternately, allowing two manses to be built "on-top" of one another. Thus, you might have a Level 3 Fire-aspected Manse providing the 'drudgery' points (such as automaton servants, cosmetic powers, etc), while the Solar Manse built into it is providing the more esoteric functions. In such a situation, to prevent the possible canon-breaking issue of having two hearthstones, you can simply require that the 'weaker' or 'submissive' aspect of the manse must sell all of its hearthstone levels back. In fact, I really like this second solution, allowing characters to develop Solar-aspected manses that, in many ways, have secondary features. If you get really crazy, you can even have a 'battle bridge' of the secondary control room... -- GreenLantern, now currently wondering how to stat the Enterprise as a Manse.

Enterprise would have to be Ambulatory, have Charm Emulation sufficient to emulate Essence 4 or 5 charms to fly, have a Computer, two Control Centers, and have level 8 or 9 weaponry. As for adding additional features to your Manse, my question (based on this system's implied world function) is: where are you getting the Demense strength to power the additional aspects? If your facility is truly huge, perhaps an entire city built as one interlocking geomantic design, I could see doing something like you're talking about. Or perhaps you built additional Essence Accumulators into your Manse, and should be statting out the additional features as Artifacts? Just some suggestions and thoughts. - IanPrice

Interesting. I love it when this system get all point-grabby ... it's the best way to test balance. Firstly, why do you only have 25 pts? If you're really desperate, with a level 5 manse, you start with 20 and then with 2 Drawbacks at 5 get 30. Anyway, I'm kinda okay with your limitations, to be honest, and I probably wouldn't let someone do what you're describing in a game. But if you're really determined, (spoiler!) there should be a power in Oadenol's Codex (unless it's cut for word count) called Network Node (it'd be 2pts under this system), which allows one manse to connect to another. I guess if someone bought me chocolate I'd let them buy two manses, give them both Network Node, and have them be totally interconnected in the way you describe, if they really wanted to. Anyway, no more spoilers from me.
~ Shataina

I wonder if White Wolf compiles stats on how many people plan to buy books based on what you post here. If they do, consider one person already looking to find where he can pre-order Oadenol's Codex. I also wonder if I can pay you for the words that White Wolf cuts out of their books. I mean, heck - how much does it cost to pay you to write a book for me? These are questions to which I believe answers are worthy. Imagine getting a Wiki-sponsored "Endowed Chair" or some such - the Wiki, taking donations, and having books written, on demand. Glorious. -- GreenLantern

White Wolf generally pays freelancers $0.03 per word. - IanPrice, who wishes he could write for some Exalted as well as World of Darkness.

Wow! What an interesting question!

Huh. Well, here's what I know: (1) My contracts state, "8. Trademark Production. In consideration of the fee paid under this contract, the Writer agrees that, upon execution of this contract, he will not participate in any EXALTED or 'suitable for use with EXALTED' project except for the company or its licensees, unless the Writer receives direct written permission from the Company. 'Participation' shall include publication, writing, editing or other consultation on games or supplements. This shall in no way limit the Writer's right to write magazine articles, reviews and the like." (2) I asked for permission to leave my fan content up (like the stuff on this site and my thesis, for example), and received it. That stuff, since I never sold it to them, technically belongs to me, I think -- but as you can see from my contract, I can't use it in any way the company doesn't approve. (3) I also asked for permission to post some of the things I liked that had been cut from the books, could probably not effectively be used in future books, and had not been cut for any reason other than word count (frex, hadn't been cut because the developer thought it didn't suit the game), and I received that, too -- as long as I always run it by White Wolf when I do it. I'm informed that that material technically belongs to them.

Sooo ... I'm allowed to give away some of the material that they own, as long as they won't otherwise publish it and they don't disapprove of it. I'm also allowed to write minor amounts of material as a fan. Selling a bunch of new material, though, would be a whole different ballgame. I *could* ask their legal and development departments what they think of, say, putting the Exalted stamp on a PDF that was directly requested by the fans ... but I suspect the answer would be that they'd want to take a cut somehow, if authors were being paid (which is, really, totally reasonable -- it is their setting!). I also suspect that once money became involved like that, they'd want to make sure the work was at least partly produced in the normal White Wolf way, going past a developer who would edit it and vet it as appropriate for the game line -- even if it would only end up being "published" on the Internet.

One thing that might work could be having the Wiki or RPGnet or something ask White Wolf for permission to run (or help run) a contest in which fans ask for certain material, a bunch of possible ideas for new work are posted ("expanded Familiar system", say, or "revamped Mandate of Heaven rules"), and then fans vote on which material is most deserving of being written -- then the top five concepts are put together in an outline that's overseen by the developer and written by whatever authors show interest / are asked to contribute. Then the "contest book" could be released on PDF or something. White Wolf has run contests before ... so I could maybe see this happening. But I doubt they'd leave it so much as a Wiki Chair. Hmmm ... I don't know; what do you think?
~ Shataina White Wolf pays 3 cents plus, but it takes a little while to go up on the scale.

This is intresting, Lydia. Are you implying that components of this system appears in Oadenol's Codex? I Actually intended to PM you and ask you about that. I used the system for quite some time, and it often works great. Only thing is I alos ofte lackedpoits to make my ideas complete. One thing to consider for GL is to allow special components used in the construction to grant extra points. I used that, to a limited extent in artifacts However, I agree with Shataina that there is a discripancy between "CharGen" and Gained through play -Azurelight

Yes, this system was our jumping-off point for the one that'll appear in the book, and so the book will have many familiar elements for those who've been using this. However, in case it wasn't clear, we are not taking suggestions for this system. The final draft has already been handed in. But we have been using it for years ourselves, and think we have a good sense of what needed adding.
~ Shataina

Oh, that was clear, no worries. The Suggestion was for GreenLantern, not you, And also as a contrib to possible discussion here. -Azurelight

First, I want to say congratulations on making something that was fan done into something that has became official. Even more than official, well done, useful and interesting. I am actually liking the new point-buy system for player manses and I think it works completely well. Second, is that I have a question. I would like to use some of the other features you wrote above that was not put into the official version. So my question is, is the point system in the fan version the same as it is in the official version. What I mean is point one features in the above system equal to point one features in the official, same as with the other levels. All in all, very nice job, glad that it was including for it makes Exalted a much better game. I am not just saying it, by having official rules now for Manses it has become clearer to me what they are capable of and how their Essence works. --Heru

Hi! Shame you minor edited this, it took me a while to notice. As for importing powers, go ahead; yes, a 1-2 point power does become 1 point under the official system, etc. I should say, though, that some powers were nixed by the developers (in this case, Dean Shomshak and John Chambers) on purpose. For example, I believe Mr. Shomshak felt that fully ambulatory manses are inappropriate, so he removed the new version of Ambulatory (power 8 above). I mean, personally I have no problem with ambulatory manses, but if the developers feel something is a problem, sometimes it's good to think twice before including it in your games.

And thank you very much!
~ Shataina