Revision as of 20:00, 7 July 2011

Deathlord Book

• Essence 6 Excellency charm that allows reflexives of that ability to be used without a combo, provided you would still meet the Essence and Ability pre-reqs if they were increased by 5.
• Essence 9 charms should start to merge abilities together, requiring charms from multiple ability trees.

The Contest

The Maidens each pick a champion and give them a specific artifact related to their purview, then set some goal for the champions. The champions don't know what the goal is.

• Present as articles describing the artifacts before describing the contest.
• Examples of contests
• Side moves between the Maidens as an adjunct the the Games of Divinity. Perhaps the artifacts are addictive?

Improvisational Magic

Game-altering house rule (or maybe an Occult tree of permanents that allow it?) that allows exalts to use charm effects without actually knowing the charm.

• Only usable on instants.
• Must meet charm prereqs for Ability, Attribute, Virtue and/or Essence.
• Occult score must be two dots greater than the minimum Essence for the charm.
• Mote cost multiplied by (1 + 0.5 * charm's minimum Essence requirement). That is, 1.5 for Essence 1 charms, 2 for Essence 2 charms, 2.5 for Essence 3, etc.
• One willpower must be spent the first time improvisational magic is used in a scene.

Disarming Style

The style was developed to use the weapons of an opponent against him. The few that have fought against this style know this, and most realize that the best defense against it is not to use a weapon at all. Few of its charms can be used against unarmed opponents, and for this reason the style is not particularly popular. Even its masters usually consider it a secondary style used to augment more general techniques.

A martial arts style that is really based on disarming. The disarming mechanics are very funky and could be played with in cool ways.

Disarming (-2 or -4): Knocking a weapon out of someone’s hand has a -2 external penalty with a close combat attack or -4 using ranged. If the attack hits, it inflicts no damage, but the victim’s player must reflexively roll (Wits + the appropriate wielding Ability) against a difficulty of the net successes on the attack roll. For every success by which the victim fails to meet the difficulty, her weapon fl ies one foot away from her grasp. Retrieving a dropped weapon is a difficulty 1 (Dexterity + wielding Ability) roll and is only possible if a character can feasibly do so. Duels fought over looming chasms or aboard a ship might not afford such a luxury. Note that characters cannot be disarmed of their natural weapons (fists, feet, claws, fangs, etc.), nor can they have weapons taken from them that are actually strapped to the body such as a cestus or tiger claws. If players regularly take advantage of disarming as a prelude to executing a helpless victim (instead of using the maneuver for dramatic purposes), the Storyteller should feel free to raise the penalty imposed by the technique. With a flurry, it is possible for an attacker to disarm and then use a retrieval action to take the weapon for himself, provided he has hands free to take it. Doing so almost always involves a stunt.
C = Clinch Enhancer Must be used for clinching wielded through Martial Arts.
D = Disarming Adds additional +2 Accuracy when used to disarm an opponent.

• Need to see if one of these exists already. Probably does.
• Can use any weapon (to allow use of captured weapons), but some charms only work with disarming weapons (or, perhaps, sai explicitly).
• Charms that always use disarming, but in ways that allow more standard mechanical MA effects (such as soak enhancement, counterattacks, clinch effects, etc.)
• Something that turns successful parries into disarms (Resplendent Sash Grapple as example)
• Ranged disarm augmenter.
• Something that deals bashing in addition to disarm.
• Form eliminates roll to resist disarms, or perhaps allows the artist to give the target a DV bonus in order to reduce successes on disarm resist?
• Charms that play with weapon recovery

• At least one charm useful against unarmed attacks (maybe one that uses sai as clinch enhancers).
• Charms progressively more "magical". Ultimately something like call the blade in reverse (i.e.
• If wounded by a weapon, a connection is created allowing the weapon to be more easily disarmed, and to wield it even if artifact attuned to someone else.
• Something that allows increased movement based on grabbing tossed weapons during a disarm and moving with them?
• A metaphysical "disarm": deattuning target artifact weapon

An Anti-Demon Style

A celestial martial arts style that a solar might have made to fight demons, using a much different approach than MartialArts/VermillionSentinelStyle. Uses the imagery of the various templates for summoning demons against them (four charms, one for each virtue, but can be learned multiple times, one for each template -- idea should be that demons use twisted versions of Virtues, and the charms "un-twist" them back to normal). Mechanics to interact with the rules that use them somehow. Possibly manipulating Limit of the demon, etc. Possibly manipulating or using virtues as well.

Perhaps contains one charm slot that is filled with a different charm, depending on caste, harnessing the particulars of the caste in a specific way vs. demons (the zenith one, for example, could be a supplement allowing channeling of their anima ability through a form weapon, maybe wood aspects turn blood of the demon against it as poison). Maybe the second charm in the tree. The first gives a generic demon-fighting perspective, the second teaches how to personalize opposition to demons.

Somewhere along the line (maybe the pinnacle), allows permanent destruction of demons, perhaps similar to SolarOccult/Dorchadas.

1. A 1 die demon specialty in every ability? Every favored and caste ability? Would need to be expensive, maybe committing willpower.
2. Charm(s) based on Compassion templates. Only need to learn one.
   1. Ecstatic: love
   2. Functionary: obsession
3. Charm(s) based on Conviction templates. Only need to lean one.
   1. Horror: delusion
   2. Hunter: restlessness
   3. Vizer: desire to own
4. Charm(s) based on Temperance templates. Only need to learn one.
   1. Courtesan: degradation
   2. Slave: emptiness
5. Charm(s) based on Valor templates. Only need to lean one.
   1. Killer: lust
   2. Warden: Possessiveness
6. Form: Add Virtues to various traits when fighting demons. Add Essence dice to resist demon effects. Completely useless against non-demons (or perhaps choose a single one of the Virtue effects to count against all targets at activation).
7. Effect that channels anima, so changes based on the type of exalt.
8. Something that messes with demon Limit.
9. Permanent demon destruction.

NPCs

• Recipe for Disaster: abyssal
• Icily Cool Breath: alchemical

The Harvest

A campaign based around a group of sidereals who suddenly launch a series of "purges", bringing spirits who have been slacking to trial, and manipulating unexpectedly harsh sentences. Many get cast down and turned to starmetal, which the sidereals have "coincidentally" arranged to have discovered and brought to them. Why?

Lytek's Cabinet

Lytek's Cabinet adapts the ruleset of Spirit of the Century (also known as FATE 3.0) for use in the setting of Exalted. Spirit's interlocking character structure, aspects and much of its pulp sensibility work well for Exalted-like games, though their flavor is somewhat different that canonical Exalted gaming.

Rather than calling this adaptation "Spirit of Exalted" or something similar, the name of this system was taken from the setting's actual "spirit of exaltation": Lytek.

Sources

A number of other attempts have been made to meld Exalted and Spirit of the Century, all of which had some influence on this adaptation. Sources include:

• The FATE 3.0 SRD
• The Exalted setting
• Spirit of the Exalted
• Conversion to Spirit of the Century
• Spirt of the Unconquered Sun
• Wheel of Exalted Fate
• Aspects instead of stunts
• Exalted PDQ conversion

Goals

This variation has the following goals:

• Stick to the basic FATE 3.0 system as much as possible.
• Use as little of the Exalted mechanics as possible.
• Tune FATE 3.0 to handle the higher power level of the Exalted storyline without breaking it.
• Allow longer campaigns than those typical for Spirit of the Century. As a practical matter, this means thinking more about character advancement.
• Make martial arts at least as important as it is in Exalted, preferably with more focus on their dramatic aspects (feuds over styles, student/sifu relations, etc.)
• Handle sorcery-level effects elegantly.
• Avoid essence bean-counting.
• Handle mass combat.

Basics

Character Creation

1. Memories of the First Age - each has to involve another player's character, and while the PC had that memory, the other PC didn't, at least not initially
2. Memories of the First Age - each has to involve another player's character, and while the PC had that memory, the other PC didn't, at least not initially
3. Youth
4. Exaltation - possibly a required aspect here related to caste. Could be that anima flares could be how you gain fate points with such aspects.
5. Since Exaltation

Aspects

Skills

Stunts

Excellencies

When using an aspect with a given skill add +3 instead of +2? Must learn for each skill.

Enhancement

One for each skill; can grant self an aspect related to the skill for the scene?

Astrology Based Aspects

Character can claim the influence of a sign.

Secret Techniques

Characters can get along just fine using aspects and stunts as normal; however Lytek's Cabinet offers an additional choice for characters that mix the two together in the form of secret techniques. Each technique is typically centered around a philosophy or teacher (an aspect) that provides access to a group of special effects (stunts) more cheaply that usual, but at the cost of obligation, philosophical restrictions, feuds, and other drama related to the technique.

The most common secret techniques are martial arts styles, but other types exist as well. Martial arts play a larger role in Lytek's Cabinet than even in Exalted, but have a different flavor, focusing more on the drama of competing styles and schools, making the teacher more important and so on.

Learning Secret Techniques

Every secret technique is linked to exactly one skill. In order to begin training in the technique, a character's rating in that skill must be Good or better.

Characters must gain some type of narrative access to the technique. That is, no one can begin to train in a secret technique until the story allows them to do so. Perhaps the character finds a secret book of wisdom, or joins a particular religious sect, or meets a mysterious teacher. Even the stories created as part of character creation can provide this, but some rationale for why the character can learn the technique must exist.

To start training in the technique, the character buys an aspect related in some way to the technique (referred to here as the technique aspect). This can be done using an aspect gained a character creation, or any other time the character is allowed to choose a new aspect. The technique aspect cannot be learned via a shuffle (see "Improvement", below).

How to invoke the technique aspect depends on the technique, but should be fairly obvious. Like all aspects, however, the technique aspect should be chosen such that it can be compelled as well. Some typical ways to do this include:

• The technique implies some kind of stricture that must be followed that may sometimes be inconvenient. This might be a philosophy, religious rules, a code of conduct or even a general expectation like "tiger warriors never back down from a fight". If this is enough to complicate the story, the aspect can be compelled.
• The aspect is related to a specific teacher, and it can be compelled like any other aspect relating to a person.
• The aspect is related to a school or other organization that has a reputation, political obligations or conflicts with other organizations. For example, maybe the Order of the Gold Mantis has a blood feud with the Snake Fang Guild. This might color interactions between members of these two schools in ways complicated enough to act as compels.
• The technique may contain a known weakness that makes certain tasks more difficult. For example, a technique based on aggressive, loud attacks might have trouble being subtle or stealthy. Or, a technique might leave a "signature" that would lead back to the character, and so on.

Note that those who know of the character's technique aspect can often use many of these same reasons to tag it. (A Snake Fang Guild member, for example, might call out a known Gold Mantis member, or use the tenants of her order against her.)

To complete training in a secret technique, the character must spend a stunt advancement on it (see "Improvement", below). This "technique stunt" allows the character to gain the benefit of two standard stunts (specific to the technique). This "two for one" stunting is the primary benefit of secret techniques. Some techniques may also allow the "technique stunt" to be expanded with further advancements. The "technique stunt", however, always counts as only one stunt for the purposes of the maximum number of stunts allowed to a character, no matter how many benefits it provides.

Martial Arts

Terrestrial Martial Arts

Terrestrial martial arts tend to be based on a applying a lesson from nature to combat. They typically teach being like something: the bending of a tree, the fall of leaves, the stance of an animal. These arts must be based on either Fists, Athletics, Bow or Weapon. Terrestrial arts tend to be the most formalized and nearly always have some kind of weakness. The stunt provided by a terrestrial style always provides two benefits based on combat or athletic stunts. In rare cases, other types of of stunts might be used (such as a terrestrial style based on horse-mounted combat), but such styles are the exception, not the rule.

Any character can learn terrestrial martial arts, but those without access to magic (e.g. mortals) must put up with much more narrative restriction, usually involving a formal school or other strict organization.

Celestial Martial Arts

Celestial martial arts tend to be based on emulating something in combat. They typically teach becoming something: an animal, an ideal. These styles work as terrestrial styles do, but after the technique stunt is purchased (providing the standard two effects), the character can later spend an enhancement to expand the technique stunt to include another effect (again, specific to the style).

Only the exalted and more powerful spirits can learn celestial martial arts. Terrestrial exalts will typically need to deal with more narrative restriction in order to use such techniques.

Sidereal Martial Arts

Sidereal martial arts tend to be based on changing the world using a metaphor. They typically teach wielding something abstract: a symbol, a concept. These styles work like celestial martial arts do, except they have no limits on which skill the technique is based or what types of stunts can be included in a given style. That is, the technique stunt of a sidereal style will always contain the same benefits, but those benefits can be based on any skill at all.

Only celestial exalts and very powerful beings can learn sidereal martial arts. Celestials that are not sidereals must put up with much more narrative restriction, almost always involving sidreals in some way.

Social Techniques

Astrology

Anyone can use. Sidereals gains some free aspect for astrology, easier learning.

Based on constellation. Can throw an aspect onto someone. Or can allow you to "see the future" enough to gain some bonus when someone else uses a particular aspect?

Shapeshifting

Lunar war form

Aspect includes concept of "tell".

Assumption

Mutation

Sorcery

Can invoke aspect for knowledge purposes, reputation, etc.

• Terrestrial: put aspect on yourself
• Celestial: put aspect on environment or others
• Solar: put aspect on players or story as a whole

Artifacts

Improvement

Each session gains either two shuffles or an advance. Shuffles are:

• Swap out an Average (lowest rung) skill for another not currently in the pyramid
• Change the places of two skills in the pyramid that are not more than one rung apart from each other.
• Swap out one aspect for another
• Drop a stunt that hasn’t seen much use, and pick up a new one.

Advances are:

• Advancing a skill one rank of the skill pyramid (or raise a Mediocre one into the Average level). At any given time, the "width" of any given level of the pyramid cannot be greater than one more than the starting width. Can't make the pyramid higher.
• If the "width" of every layer of the skill pyramid has been increased, advance one skill on each level up a rung (and pull one up from Mediocre to Average). This does raise the height of the pyramid, and represents a "quantum leap" in power level. This is roughly equivalent to raising Essence in Exalted, and should require the same sort of narrative.
• Gain a new aspect.
• Gain a new stunt, provided your total number of stunts don't exceed half your number of aspects (rounded up)

Zodiac

A listing, with full stats, for the 25 gods of the constellations. Each entry should follow some type of pattern, like a rise-fall-recover story maybe. One twist might be to posit them as the original Incarnae who were ousted by the current Incarnae, and the current backstory of Exalted is revisionist history. Maybe like a "competing pantheon". Maybe make use of the constellation/ability pairings.

Or, perhaps they are disjoint from Heaven in some mysterious way. Maybe someone tried to sanction them and it didn't work.

Needs to tie to the loom in some way.

Use resplendent effects of sign with motes for Endurance and Willpower for Paradox.

Important that they are the god of the constellation, not the concept itself.

The House of Journeys

The Captain

Sail

The Gull

Thrown

The Mast

Resistance

The Messenger

Ride

The Ship’s Wheel

Survival

The House of Serenity

The Ewer

Dodge

The Lovers

Socialize

The Musician

Performance

The Peacock

Craft

The Pillar

Linguistics

The House of Battles

The Banner

Athletics

The Gauntlet

Presence

The Quiver

Archery

The Shield

War

The Spear

Melee

The House of Secrets

The Guardians

Larceny

The Key

Investigation

The Mask

Stealth

The Sorcerer

Occult

The Treasure Trove

Lore

The House of Endings

The Corpse

Medicine

The Crow

Awareness

The Haywain

Bureaucracy

The Rising Smoke

Integrity

The Sword

Martial Arts

Exalted 2.5

A list of the edits I'd make to the core book to make it more consistent and generally better.

Pick a defense philosophy.

Embrace and extend keywords for charms. Expand the sections for the rules for each keyword, so that the same text need not be repeated in every single charm.

Create an explicit section for interpreting rules. Charm text -> keyword rules -> general rules.

Name general rules somewhat like charms.

Terminology changes.

Fix timing, clinching etc.

Goal for charms should be to have text say as little as possible.

Paths

A rewrite of exalted from the ground up, using "paths" that characters follow in a way that provide incentives for players to make them behave a certain way. That is, mechanics award players for making solars do things that would make the Unconquered Sun proud, making terrestrials walk the path of the Dragons and so on.

Paths would largely represent phiolosophies. There would be lots of them. Anyone could follow any path (but some get more out of particular paths than others). Paths would provide mechanical advantages not only for investing in the path, but embracing the code of conduct the path finds admirable.

Characters would have an affinity for one particular path of their choice. This would be loosely analogous to 'caste' in most cases. Some characters (noble fair folk, for example) might have multiple affinities, but these would be rare.

Paths would be collected into groups. For example, paths of Dawn, Zenith, Night, Twilight and Eclipse might exist in an Unconquered Sun path group. (Maybe this is a bad idea).

Some paths would provide more to people with affinities to paths in the same group. For example, anyone might walk the Dawn path, but someone with an affinity to a path in the same group (i.e. a solar exalt) would get more benefit from the Dawn path than someone with an affinity in the Terrestrial path group.

Path and path groups can be loosely conceptualized as if they were major arcana tarot cards. That is, as more of an archetypal ideal or concept. Some path groups:

• Racial paths (must have exactly one)
  • The Man
  • The Dragon King
  • The God
  • The Elemental
  • The Ghost
  • The Raksha
  • The Unconquered Sun
  • solar caste-like paths
• The Moon
  • lunar caste-like paths
  • chimera
• The Maidens
  • sidereal caste-like paths
• Gaia
  • the elemental dragons
  • dragon king-like paths
• Oblivion
  • abyssal caste-like paths
  • ghosts?
• Nemesis
  • infernal caste-like paths
  • demon template-like paths
• The Great Maker
  • caste-like paths
  • paths for First Age-like sciences
• The Wyld
  • fair folk graces
• The Celestial Bureaucracy
  • paths for virtues
  • spirit paths?
• The Religious Man?
  • something for the Immaculate Order?
• The Sky
  • paths for the constellations
• The Lotus Root
  • philosophy of terrestrial-like styles
• The Lotus Bulb
  • philosophy of celestial-like styles
• The Lotus Blossom
  • philosophy of sidereal-like styles
• The Primordial
  • sorcery
  • necromancy
  • weaving
  • shaping
  • shapeshifting?
• The Thaumaturge
  • mortal magic-like paths? Or, maybe start with these, and expand them into sorcery, sort of like schools

Exalted Prime

Exalted Prime (aka X′) hacks Christian Griffen's Anima Prime rules into the Exalted® setting.

Introduction

Licence

Because Anima Prime is released under a Creative Commons licence, hacks to it can be released under the same license, making use of the original text as the hacker sees fit. Unfortunately, that is not an option for this hack, because the hack is also based on intellectual property of White Wolf's parent company (CCP hf), and the author is not authorized to released said property under a Creative Commons licence. Consequently, this work will reference material from Exalted and Anima Prime as much as is possible, rather than duplicate it.

Any use of CCP hf’s or Berengrad Games intellectual property, copyrighted material or trademarks in this work should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. Exalted is ©1990-2011 CCP hf.

Sources

This work assumes the reader is familiar with:

• The main Anima Prime rules.
• The main Exalted rules.
• The concepts of the various "splats" of Exalted.
• The faction rules available from the Anima Prime website.

What is the Same?

Exalted Prime uses most of Anima Prime exactly as written. Unless this document says otherwise, follow the main Anima Prime rules. Few to none of the rules from Exalted itself are used, just its setting elements and some conceptual ideas.

What is Different

A quick summary of the changes:

• Switch to using d10 instead of d6 (probability remains similar).
• Generation of charge dice now influenced by passive powers and takes advantage of using d10s.
• Eidolons expanded to emulate powers that Exalted builds complex subsystems to handle (e.g. sorcery, shapeshifting, shaping, astrology, hellforging, etc.)
• Powers specific to Anima Prime's default setting are removed or altered.
• A few new powers are added.
• The list of passions is reworked.
• The list of conditions is expanded.
• Marks play a slightly more active role in the mechanics.
• Character types (solar, fair folk, etc.) are given a small number of specific rules, and suggested limitations.
• Some non-character concepts from Exalted, such as manses and warstriders, take advantage of Anima Prime's more abstract character representation to be treated as characters in X′.

Enlightenment and using d10s

A bit further down, this text will describe a new passive power called Elightenment. This power, among other things, controls how easily a character can generate charge dice with maneuvers. In the standard Anima Prime systems, a die rolled in a maneuvers generates charge dice on any 6, or 16.6% of the time:

Enlightenment functions by changing which numbers generate charge dice. In order for this to work without totally breaking the system, the dice need to be a bit more granular. For example, if you could double the "resolution" of the system by using d12s instead and awarding charge dice on 11 or 12, and this would provide exactly the same probabilities as the existing system. The difference would be that you can tweak the result in "half-steps" compared to the original system (e.g. suppose someone got charge dice on a 10 as well).

Alas, Exalted players are more likely to have huge buckets of d10s lying around, so X′ will use them instead. Since ten and six have few common divisors, using d10s changes the odds:

Most exalted characters will have Enlightenment II. At that level, odds are fairly close to this in Anima Prime. Failure is a bit more common, but so is the creation of charge dice. This seems in keeping with the Exalted aesthetic, where it is really your powers that steal the show and mortals get screwed.

Also, note that adding more and more Enlightenment has the effect of limiting the number of strike dice you can earn. Thus, gaining higher levels of Enlightenment is less about gaining raw power, and more about giving up physical interaction for mystical interaction (transcendence, in other words). Generally speaking, higher levels of enlightenment should be very rare, likely reserved for powerful gods.

It may be that Enlightenment III and higher break the game. Testing needs to be done.

Organization

This work is presented in an atypical order, with the more important changes to the Anima Prime system (and Exalted's setting) coming first. More pedestrian (and predictible) changes follow. You'll find the following sections:

• A chapter briefly describes changes and additions to the conditions available in X′.
• The Eidolons chapter details the main changes to the summoning system, and how it is used to fill out some of the more specialized flavor of Exalted.
• A chapter which suggests a different set of passions for use in the setting.
• The Powers chapter details which powers from Anima Prime are removed or changed, as well as a few new powers.
• A chapter which gives describes how Marks function in X′
• Character Creation translates the various types of character in Exalted into the system.

Conditions

All conditions used in Anima Prime remain. The following are added: Add Celestial, which certain exalts and gods have.

Enlightened
The character has the ability to use magic intrinsically. Characters who lack this condition cannot gain charge dice through maneuvers (though may gain them through their Passion), and typically can work magic only through complex ritual, if at all. Some powers may function differently if used against a character with this condition.

Flying
The character can move through the air as if on solid ground. At the start of her turn, she can add one of the following until the start of her next turn: 1 bonus dice to her maneuvers, 1 bonus dice to her strikes, 1 point to her defense. This bonus does not apply to other characters with the flying condition. If the flying condition is removed, this bonus immediately vanishes.

Profane
The character is tainted with the energies of the Underworld or Malfeas.

Eidolons

The eidolons presented in Anima Prime come in many forms, but are conceived as one "type" of thing. This changes in X′, which makes use of several families of eidolon. Each family of eidolon uses variant rules, detailed below, and roughly correspond to specific types of power wielded in Exalted. These are:

• Conjurations most closely map to the eidolons presented in Anima Prime: summoned creatures that act on behalf of the summoner. These include the elementals and demons summoned by sorcery, the behemoths shaped by the Fae, necromantic engines, even Autochthonian machine-spirits.
• Invocations are flexible, but very short lived eidolons that represent the will of the summoner. These are the spells of various circles of sorcery and necromancy and the protocols of weaving.
• Skins, when summoned, wrap around the summoner, giving the impression that the summoner has changed his or her own form.
• Influences, the most subtle of eidolon, are rarely noticed, scattering their enduring effect over a wide area. These are the signs of astrology and the glamours of the fae.

Eiodolon Powers

The powers available to eiodolons remain roughly the same. Assume eiodolon powers work as writen, with the following tweaks:

Passive powers

Only thing changed here might be the resistances list. Might need to add stuff to match changes to conditions or elemental types.

Persistent
The eidolon stays in the world longer than usual (though not as long as one summoned as a companion). If a conflict involving the eidolon concludes with the eidolon completely unwounded, it remains in the world. Further, the eidolon may be summoned during a character scene, provided the summoner uses the scene specifically for that purpose and forgoes any other scene benefit for that scene. Outside of conflict scenes, any wounds cause the eidolon to disappear. This means, in order to summon the eidolon outside of a conflict, it must first be fully healed. It may be summoned while wounded during a conflict, but returns once the conflict ends, unless healed.

Tradable
A character with an Open Bond to the eidolon may trade the eidolon to a character who also has an Open Bond to an eidolon with this power, if both characters agree to the exchange. This breaks the Open Bonds of both characters, and replaces them with an Open Bond to the eidolon each receives. This power may only be taken by certain types of eidolon, such as behemoths.

Charge powers

Eidolons can select any of the charge powers and use them exactly the same way that PCs do, keeping in mind the changes detailed in the Powers section, below. In a departure from Anima Prime, some powerful eidolons (particularly demons) may be able to use the Soulbound Weapons and various summoning powers, subject to GM approval and keeping with the theme of the eidolon. It is suggested that those rare eidolons who can do their own summoning never be allowed to summon eidolons more powerful than themselves.

Weaknesses

Any of the weakness listed in Anima Prime may be selected. You may choose one of these instead:

Rogue
The eidolon breaks from the control of the summoner as soon as it arrives. It may act independently from the summoner, receiving its own action each turn, but it follows its own motivation and is controlled by the GM. Most rogue eidolons hold ill feelings toward their summoner.

Summoning Powers

X′ uses the standard set of summoning powers in Anima Prime. Technically, the Summoning power may be used to summon any family of eidolon; however, a given character type will usually stick with a certain family. For example, lunar exalted will almost always bond to skins and, perhaps, to invocations if they are more sorcerously inclined, but won't bind to the others. Keeping "true to type" like this is not enforced, but strongly encouraged. Some GMs may wish to enforce it more strictly.

Conjurations

Conjurations behave the most like the eidolons in Anima Prime, and follow the rules therein. There are several genera of conjurations, differentiated mostly by there origin and the trappings needed to call them.

• Elementals are called by those who consider themselves thaumaturges, sorcerers or weavers. Elementals always have a favored material, either a typical Creation element (earth, air, fire, water, wood) or a more esoteric element (crystal , lightning, metal, oil, smoke, steam, etc.). This will usually translate to some type of elemental resistance, a vulnerability to some "opposite" element, and often powers that project elemental effects.
• Sorcerers with claim to ancient surrender agreements with the Primordials, or those with some other connection to hell, can call demons. Demons are the most variable of the conjurations. Demons always have the Profane condition, in addition to any other vulnerabilities.
• Those with a strong connection to the Underworld can create/summon necrotech, undead constructs or spirits animated by death energy. All necrotech must select the Body Resistance and Soul Resistance powers. Most will also have the Persistant power. Necrotech eidolons always have the Profane condition, in addition to any other vulnerabilities.
• Fair Folk and others used to shaping the Wyld can call on behemoths. All behemoths must select the Tradable power. Behemoths are far more likely to have the Crazy vulnerability than other eidolons.
• Weavers with a strong connection to Autochthon can summon golems, machine spirits representing some aspect of the Great Maker. Golems usually have at least one level of Resilience and Toughness, and appear biomechanical.

Invocations

Invocations express themselves differently each time they are called, reacting and adapting to the desires of the summoner. These are the spells of sorcery and necromancy, and the protocols of weaving. Some say they are not true eidolons at all, but rather constructs of the summoner's will. Even so, they function like eidolons, except in the following ways:

• Level 0 invocations start with two powers, and gain two more for each additional level.
• When binding to an invocation, only half of the powers of that eidolon are determined.
• Each time the character summons a bound invocation, the player may select the eidolon's remaining powers, which last for the duration of that particular summoning. The summoner may "sacrifice" any or all of these powers to provide dice for the eidolon. Each power sacrificed provides either 2 strike dice or 1 charge die, though any dice that would exceed the eidolon's pool limits are wasted.
• While the invocation is summoned, the summoner must spend her action to give the eidolon an action of its own. If the summoner cannot act, or uses her action herself, the summoning ends immediately.
• The type of the eidolon (individual, squad, swarm) is selected by the summoner at the time of the summoning.
• The eidolon's skill is chosen at the time of summoning, but only has a rating of 3.
• As part of the summoning, the summoner's player must describe the appearance of the eidolon, using
• A weakness is not selected for invocations. Instead, invocations only remain for a limited time, working on a countdown. At the end of the invocation's action, it automatically takes a wound, disappearing as soon as its wound circles are filled, as normal. Any wounds taken like this are automatically healed when the invocation disappears (though any other wounds remain).
• When a character earns a level of Empower Eidolon, they may break Open Bonds with any invocations and replace them with bonds to new invocations. Bonus powers provide by Empower Eidolon are not selected immediately, but are chosen during summoning.

Example: The jade alchemical Asymmetrically Growing Crystal is a master of god-machine protocols. Among her powers are Summoning, Warfare Summoning, Empower Eidolon III and an Open Bond. Her powers allow her to summon Level 3 eidolons, but she has chosen to bond with a level 2 invocation, as they are cheaper to summon.

The invocation starts with two powers, and gains two for each level, for a total of six. Half of these must be selected when she makes the bond. She selects two levels of Toughness (to keep the protocol going longer) and Soul Resistance (because she always hates when people drain her work).

During a conflict Crystal gets surrounded, and needs some quick defense to hold out until her friends arrive. She spends her action summoning her bound invocation, spending three charge dice to do so. Based on its level, it has three additional powers that can be selected during the summoning. Plus, Empower Eidolon III provides a bonus power to the Level 2 eidolon. She selects Auto Guard (so the attackers have to go after the eidolon), another level of Toughness (taking the total to the max of three), and two levels of Resilience. She wants to make her attackers think twice so chooses Intimidate as the invocation's skill, and decides to summon it as a swarm. The eidolon arrives with a defense of 3, an Intimidate skill of 3, an full action pool of two dice and four wound circles. Crystal's player describes gears of all sizes, materializing around her by the hundreds, and whirling around her with a rhythmic, menacing humming.

Because of Warfare summoning, the invocation can act immediately (and has two strike dice as well). Crystal is more interested in having the invocation just suck damage for her, but she must make it act. She decides she might as well have it maneuver. She describes some of the gears as spinning further away from her, then back, at random, sort of pulsing against her attackers, warning them to stay back. The maneuver uses the eidolon's Intimidate skill, so starts with three dice. Since it probably will not last long, she burns the eidolon's whole action pool, adding two more dice. She saves her own action dice. The maneuver roll comes up 1, 4, 7, 9, 10, for three successes. Since the eidolon lacks any levels of the enlightenment power, all the successes become strike dice. Even added to the two strike dice already in the pool (from Warfare Summoning), these don't exceed the eidolon's limit of six, so it keeps all of them. Its action is now over, so it immediately takes a wound from its countdown. The round continues, and several opponents attack the eidolon. One even manages to wound it, leaving it with two empty wound circles.

On Crystal's next action, her options are limited, as she has to give her action to the eidolon, or it will vanish. She has it attack, using all of its strike dice. She figures a lucky hit might just take out an attacker, so adds one of her own strike dice to this pool. The eidolon has no charge powers to help the attack, so rolls the six dice. All of them succeed and manage to take out an attacker. Its action is now over, so it immediately takes a wound from its countdown, leaving it with one empty circle.

As the round continues, the opponents manage to give the eidolon another wound, taking it out of the conflict. The wounds caused by the countdown immediately heal, but the other two remain. Crystal could use her next action to summon the eidolon again, but it would appear with these two wounds, so she would need to buy enough Toughness to handle that, otherwise the eidolon would disappear as soon as it arrived.

Protocols

Skins

Influences

Signs

Glamours

Powers

Changes to Existing Powers

Passive Powers

Need a "magical link" power to represent character link to other characters, particularly manses. What does it do?

Enlightenment
The character gains the Enlightened condition. When a die in an maneuver roll comes up 10, the character gains a charge die instead of a strike die. This power can be taken up to five times. Each time it is taken, the number which provides a charge die decreases by one. So, a character with Enlightenment III gains charge dice when a maneuver die comes up 8, 9 or 10. Gamemasters may which to place a cap on how many times PC's can select this power. Characters with Enlightenment III or higher should be rare.

Charge Powers

Summoning Powers

Character Creation

Passions

• Compassion: as rules
• Conviction
• Temperance: If you have strike dice in your pool, but choose not to use them and manever instead.
• Valor:
• Succor, etc.

Marks

Marks/anima banner function differently based on type. When charge dice are gained anima mark lights. At certain levels, anima provides free passive ability, depending on character type.

Types

Each type (or maybe caste) gets a free power.

Abyssal Exalted

Alchemical Exalted

Automaton

Dragon King

Fair Folk Commoner

Fair Folk Noble

Ghost

God

Hero

Infernal Exalted

Lunar Exalted

Manse

Mortal

Mountain Folk

Sidereal Exalted

Solar Exalted

Terrestrial Exalted

Unshaped

Warstrider

Soulbound

Something about hellforged stuff?

Over Complicated Crap

Eidolons

The eidolons presented in Anima Prime come in many forms, but are conceived as one "type" of thing. This changes in X′, which makes use of several genera of eidolon. Instead of one main Summoning power, each genus of eiodolon requires its own summoning power and often has restrictions on what type of character can learn it. These genera are:

• Invocations are summoned using thaumaturgy and sorcery, with the resulting eidolons called elementals, demons or spells.
• Banes are summoned using thaumaturgy and necromancy, with the resulting eidolons called necrotech or curses.
• Skins, when summoned, wrap around the summoner, giving the impression that the summoner has changed his or her own form.
• Signs, the most subtle of eidolon, are summoned with astrology.
• Scourges are summoned by masters of vitriol.
• Protocols connect to the machine realm of the Great Maker, with summoned eidolons called machine spirits, golems, elementals or patterns.
• Graces are summoned from dreams using shaping, and take the form of behemoths, adjurations or glamours.

With the exception of the power used, summoning and controlling an eiodolon works as per the Anima Prime rules. Similarly, customizing eiodolons works as standard. Some methods of summoning may modify the standard rules, which will be noted below.

Eiodolon Powers

The powers available to eiodolons remain roughly the same. Assume eiodolon powers work as writen, with the following tweaks:

Passive Powers

Only thing changed here might be the resistances list. Might need to add stuff to match changes to conditions or elemental types.

Charge Powers

Eidolons can select any of the charge powers and use them exactly the same way that PCs do, keeping in mind the changes detailed in the Powers section, below. In a departure from Anima Prime, some powerful eidolons (particularly demons) may be able to use the Soulbound Weapons and various summoning powers, subject to GM approval and keeping with the theme of the eidolon. It is suggested that those rare eidolons who can do their own summoning never be allowed to summon eidolons more powerful than themselves.

Weaknesses

Any of the weakness listed in Anima Prime may be selected. You may choose one of these instead:

Rogue
The eidolon breaks from the control of the summoner as soon as it arrives. It may act independently from the summoner, receiving its own action each turn, but it follows its own motivation and is controlled by the GM. Most rogue eidolons hold ill feelings toward their summoner.

Summoning Powers

The list of summoning powers (Anima Prime, pp. 118-119) is altered as follows:

• The Summoning power becomes three different powers: Thaumaturgy, Shaping and Weaving. These all work as per the Summoning power, but only summon certain genera of eiodolon, and may have limits on what types of characters can learn it. Some of these powers work on more than one genera of eidolon, and some do not. In particular:
  • Thaumaturgy allows the summoning of Level 0 Invocations, Banes and Signs.
  • Shaping allows the summoning of Level 0 Graces, Skins and Scourges.
  • Weaving allows the summoning of Level 0 Protocols.
• The mechanics of the Empower Eidolon power remain the same; however, each genus of eiodolon requires learning this power separately. Each genus gives is own set of names to these powers.
• The Open Bond power works as described, but may be given a name more appropriate to its purpose. For example, a lunar might call her version of this power "War Form".
• All other summoning powers (e.g. Charged Summoning, Companion, etc.) work as written, and may be applied to any summoning the character does. For example, one purchase of Warfare Summoning would apply to both banes and signs, if the summoner knew how to summon both.

Thaumaturgy

Type: Action
Cost: 1+Eidolon Level Charge Dice
Limits: Any sentient being can learn thaumaturgy.
Effect: The summoner conjures an invocation, bane or sign with which she has a bond (i.e., the power is useless without a bonded eidolon). The eidolon appears instantaneously. She can only have 1 eidolon summoned at any one time. The eidolon only acts when the summoner orders it to, which uses up the summoner’s action.

If this power is used by someone without the Enlightened condition, roll a d10 and add the number of wounds the summoner has. On a 1-5, the eidolon arrives as planned. On a 6-8, the eidolon refuses the summons and the action is wasted. On a 9 or more, the eidolon arrives, but with any weakness it has replaced by Rogue (see above).

Empower Invocation

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning invocations. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Sorcerous Initiation: May only be learned by those with the Enlightened condition.
2. Terrestrial Circle Sorcery: May only be learned by those with the Enlightened condition.
3. Celestial Circle Sorcery: May only be learned by those with the Celestial condition.
4. Solar Circle Sorcery: May only be learned by solar exalted, infernal exalted and some very powerful gods.
5. Master Sorcerer: May only be learned by solar exalted, infernal exalted and some very powerful gods.

Empower Bane

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning banes. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Necromantic Initiation: May only be learned by those with the Enlightened condition.
2. Shadowlands Circle Necromancy: May only be learned by those with the Celestial condition and ghosts.
3. Labyrinth Circle Necromancy: May only be learned by those with the Celestial condition and powerful ghosts.
4. Void Circle Necromancy: May only be learned by abyssal exalted and some very powerful ghosts.
5. Master Necromancer: May only be learned by abyssal exalted and some very powerful ghosts.

Empower Sign

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning signs. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Kyu Calligraphy: May only be learned by sidereal exalts and gods with the Celestial condition.
2. Jun Shodan Calligraphy: May only be learned by sidereal exalts and gods with the Celestial condition.
3. Shodan Calligraphy: May only be learned by sidereal exalts and very powerful gods with the Celestial condition.
4. Dan Calligraphy: May only be learned by sidereal exalts.
5. Shihan Calligraphy: May only be learned by sidereal exalts.

Shaping

Type: Action
Cost: 1+Eidolon Level Charge Dice
Limits: Fair folk, gods and those with the Celestial condition only.
Effect: The summoner conjures an grace, scourge or skin with which she has a bond (i.e., the power is useless without a bonded eidolon). The eidolon appears instantaneously. She can only have 1 eidolon summoned at any one time. The eidolon only acts when the summoner orders it to, which uses up the summoner’s action.

Empower Grace

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning graces. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Waking Circle Shaping: May only be learned by fair folk, gods with the Celestial condition, solar exalted and lunar exalted.
2. Dreaming Circle Shaping: May only be learned by fair folk and lunar exalted.
3. Desire Circle Shaping: May only be learned by fair folk.
4. Samadhi Circle Shaping: May only be learned by folk nobles.
5. Shinma Circle Shaping: May only be learned by folk nobles.

Empower Scourge

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning scourges. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Vitriolic Initiation: May only be learned by demons and infernal exalted.
2. First Circle Hellforging: May only be learned by demons and infernal exalted.
3. Second Circle Hellforging: May only be learned by demons and infernal exalted.
4. Third Circle Hellforging: May only be learned by demons and infernal exalted.
5. Master Hellforger: May only be learned by demons and infernal exalted.

Empower Skin

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning skins. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Samhara Shifting: May only be learned by fair folk, gods with the Celestial condition, infernal exalted and lunar exalted.
2. Sthiti Shifting: May only be learned by fair folk and lunar exalted.
3. Anugraha Shifting: May only be learned by fair folk nobles and lunar exalted.
4. Tirobhava Shifting: May only be learned by lunar exalted.
5. Srishti Shifting: May only be learned by lunar exalted.

Weaving

Type: Action
Cost: 1+Eidolon Level Charge Dice
Limits: Alchemical exalted only.
Effect: The summoner conjures a protocol with which she has a bond (i.e., the power is useless without a bonded eidolon). The eidolon appears instantaneously. She can only have 1 eidolon summoned at any one time. The eidolon only acts when the summoner orders it to, which uses up the summoner’s action.

Empower Protocol

This set of powers works as the Empower Eidolon power set (Anima Prime, pg. 119), except that it only takes effect when summoning skins. The five levels of this power have their own names and limitations:

1. Allocation Protocol: May only be learned by alchemical exalted.
2. Initialization Protocol: May only be learned by alchemical exalted.
3. Man-Machine Protocol: May only be learned by alchemical exalted.
4. God-Machine Protocol: May only be learned by alchemical exalted.
5. Autochthonian Protocol: May only be learned by alchemical exalted.