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Addtional Dragon King Artifacts

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Exalted: Additional Dragon King Artifacts

The following artifacts did not make it into the Dragon Kings section of the Exalted Players Guide due to space considerations, so I'm posting them here.

Dragon King Artifacts

Other more powerful items can be found both in ancient ruins, tombs, and in use among the few groups of civilized and semi-civilized Dragon Kings still around in the Age of Sorrows.

Mundane Weapons of the Dragon Kings

While many Dragon Kings used spears, javelins, spear throwers, boomerangs, clubs, slings, throwing clubs and throwing knives, others fought and hunted with more exotic weapons that their kind first created long ago. Sword-clubs and throwing blades are their most common weapons.

Sword-Club (Resources *, *** to non-Dragon Kings)
Lacking the aptitude for metalwork possessed by humanity, the Dragon Kings created weapons quite similar to chopping swords. The best are made from ironwood that either have chipped obsidian blades slotted into their sides or they are carved so that a row of jutting razor sharp blades project from each side of the weapon. The weapon looks much like the tooth-filled jaws of a sawfish.

Speed Accuracy Damage Defense Resources Minimums
+1...........0.............+4L........+1..........*/***........S***

Throwing Blade (Resources *)
Throwing blades looks much like a curving triangular shuriken the size of a large man's hand. They have significantly greater range and do far more damage, but unlike shuriken, the Dragon King can only throw one of these deadly weapons at a time. While some are made from ironwood, the best throwing blades are all carved from razor-sharp crystal.

Accuracy Damage Rate Range Resources
+1...............+3L........2..... 30.......*

Crystal Throwing Blade (Artifact **)
This throwing blade is made from jet black enchanted crystal. In addition to being both deadlier and more accurate than mundane throwing blades, it also unerringly whirls back to the throwers hand immediately after it either misses or strikes its target. The Dragon King can throw this weapon up to twice a round and it almost instantly returns to his hand after each throw. This weapon costs 2 motes to attune, and when attuned by Dragon Kings or Solar Exalted they gain +1 to both Accuracy and Damage and 10 yards to their range.

Accuracy Damage Rate Range
+3...............+4L........2......50

Flame Projector (Artifact *)
Using their connection to both fire and the sun, the Anklok long ago created a crystalline equivalent of the Southern firewand. These artifacts are slender crystal wands as thick as a young child's wrist and two feet long. One end tapers to a flame-shaped point - the other is flat and fits comfortably against the wielder's shoulder. To use this weapon, the Dragon King must aim the pointed end at the target and spend 1 mote of Essence. Once activated, the weapon fires a bolt of crimson fire at the target. In addition to causing damage, this flame ignites anything flammable that it touches. This item costs 3 motes to attune, attuned flame projectors glow with a soft red light.

Accuracy Damage Rate Range
+1................12L........1......20*

• 20 yards is the maximum range the jet of flame will reach. Flame projectors have no longer ranges

Flame Cannon (Artifact *****)
This is the most powerful personal weapon ever created by the Dragon Kings. Formed from a single piece of ruby, inlaid with orichalcum, it is 3 feet long and as thick as a grown man's calf. It is normally carried over the wielder's back and requires the user to stand still and use both hands to fire it. When fired, this weapon shoots balls of golden sun fire that fly as swiftly as an arrow and then explode into a sunburst 2 yards in diameter. If two targets are standing next to each other, the explosion will affect both equally, otherwise, it only affects a single target. This attack can be dodged, but it cannot be parried without Charms that allow the user to parry any attack. These sunbursts burn the target with the heat of the sun and damage stone or metal as readily as they damage flesh. The user must expend 2 motes of Essence for every shot. Although this weapon can only be fired once a turn, if the wielder desires, he can cause it to simultaneously fire as many additional balls of sun fire as the wielder's level with the Path of Blazing Fire - a Dragon King who has learned four levels of this Path could fire up to five balls of sun fire at once. Each attack must be aimed at a separate target - each target dodges each ball of sun fire separately but all of these attacks use the same attack roll, with no loss of dice from multiple actions. However, each ball of sun fire costs an additional 2 motes of Essence ? firing four in one turn costs the Dragon King 8 motes of Essence. Attackers who have not studied the path of Blazing Fire can still fire one ball of sun fire every turn. This weapon requires the user to commit 7 motes of Essence to it. In addition, he must also insert a hearthstone into the base of the weapon. This hearthstone provides no benefits to the user, instead all of its energy is used to help power the flame cannon.

Accuracy Damage Rate Range
+3..............18L.........1*....200

Armor of Leaves (Artifact *)
This suit of armor consists of an interlocking and overlapping garment of palm-sized living leaves that appear to be ribbed with shining gold. The Dragon Kings treat these leaves so that they are each as hard and flexible as the finest steel. When not worn, this hauberk appears to be made from unusually resilient autumn leaves and is both roughly made and somewhat misshapen. However, if the wearer commits 3 motes of Essence to the armor, the armor instantly changes so that it appears to be made of an exquisitely made garment of green and living leaves that fits the wearer exceptionally well. If worn by a Dragon King or one of the Solar Exalted, this armor gains +2 to both Bashing and Lethal soak.

Soak (L/B) Mobility Penalty Fatigue
5/5................-0.......................0

Belt of Crystal Adaptation (Artifact ***)
This belt of flat rectangular crystals allows the wearer to exist in almost any environment. He can remain comfortable in a blazing desert, walking barefoot through a frigid arctic blizzard or even underwater. This artifact even allows the wearer to exist unharmed in the depths of the Wyld or in the furthest extremes of the North or South. While wearing this artifact, the wearer also does not need to eat, drink, or breathe, the item's essence sustains the wearer in addition to protecting him from harsh environments. This item only protects the wearer against harsh environments, it does not protect him from elementally-based attacks. To attune this item, the wearer must expend 4 motes of Essence. Once attuned, the belt sizes to fit the wearer. A single large flat circular crystal forms the belt's buckle, this crystal is a setting for a single hearthstone.

Crystal Vambraces (Artifact ***)
This item is a pair of crystal bracers that size to fit around the arms of any being who commits 5 motes of Essence to them. When worn, they allow the wearer to reflexively parry any attack that she can see coming. This parry is a normal, unmodified parry with whatever weapon the character is using. If the character is unarmed, this artifact allows the wearer to safely parry lethal damage. The left vambrace has a setting for a single hearthstone. The character can also perform any normal actions in addition to these parries.

Crystals of Air Walking (Artifact ***)
This artifact consists of a pair of wide crystal bands that fit around the wearer's ankles. They size themselves to fit if they wearer commits 4 motes of Essence to them. Anytime the wearer spends 3 motes of Essence, this artifact cause glowing disks of Essence to appear under the wearer's feet. These disks allow the wearer to float above the ground. He floats a few inches above the ground and walk safely over water, quicksand, pools of acid or rivers of molten lava. Alternately, he can use these disks to fly. The character walks, runs or sprints at his normal movement rate (which he can enhance with Charms) he can fly up to 30 yards above the ground and can move up or down at his normal movement rate. The left leg band has a setting for a single hearthstone.

John Snead - freelance RPG author

Additional Comments

Original Posted by TygerTyger

Is there any minimum rating for the Hearthstone used by that Fireball Cannon of Doom? I'm thinking something like a Manse 3 fire-aspected stone or Manse 4 of any other aspect - that thing is ungodly.

And the Crystal Vambraces give you a permanent persistent parry for a 5-mote commitment? Whoa.

I accidentially cut out that part, it should have been "a Hearthstone of at least level 3 into the base of the weapon"

Wrt Crystal Vambraces, I originally had them priced as a 4 dot artifact, but just before I posted this I looked over the artifact rules in Savant and Sorcerer, and according to them, it should be less expensive. I'm still uncertain about this though.

John Snead - freelance RPG author

Comments

Wrt Crystal Vambraces, I originally had them priced as a 4 dot artifact, but just before I posted this I looked over the artifact rules in Savant and Sorcerer, and according to them, it should be less expensive. I'm still uncertain about this though.

This is partially because he's misuing the S&S artifact creation rules; an artifact 3 has an attunement cost of 10, and he hasn't noted the three dots of mandatory Drawback (probably Notoriety 1, Component 2). It's unbalanced-ness also stems from being based on Fivefold Bulwark Stance, which is arguably overpowered for an Essence 3 charm with only 3 prereqs. The artifact is even better than the charm, though, because it works unarmed, and adds a hearthstone socket.

The Belt of Crystal Adaptation is also way overpowered for the S&S construction rules; by those rules, a 3-dot artifact can reproduce the effect of three Essence 2 charms. But it's giving the combined benefits of Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit, Empty Stomach Fasting Meditation, Controlled Breathing Exercise, Integrity Protecting Prana, and Ascetic Monk's Purification Discipline (which is Essence 3). On top of that, this artifact ignores the duration limitations which are built into most of those charms, and tosses in a socket as a bonus gift. All for only 4 motes, when the rules say it should be 10.

I'm not sure what this guy was reading when he wrote this, but it doesn't look like the same S&S I've got.

Not that the artifact creation rules are very good to begin with. They rate the power of charms solely based upon Essence and charm prereqs, ignoring the balancing effect of activation costs (motes/WP/Health Levels/XP), and duration. By those rules, one could create an artifact 4 that combined the effects of Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Flow Like Blood, and Ready in Eight Directions Stance, perpetually on for 15 committed motes. Quite a bargain for duel stacked persistant defenses and an auto-counterattack. --Toram

Just based on the fact that the Crystal Vambraces are more powerful then a level 3 hearthstone that lets you reflexively dodge only ranged attacks, it seems a bit undercosted. I know artifacts and hearthstones don't exist on exactly the same scale of measure, so it may not be the best comparison...still, with all the extra powers (and no balancing drawback), I'd bump it up to a level 4.
--DarkWolff

Or more. One other issue I have with the rules is that they say to always use Solar charm power levels. If a Dragon-Blood is making the artifact, this gives them a way to circumvent the fact that their charms are generally weaker. I think it would make more sense if the power rating was calculated based on comparisons with charms of the creator's type. Effects that are in a particular Exalt's schtick (Perfects for Solars, Healing for Lunars, Astrology for Sids, Elemental effects for DBs) should require the corresponding magical material, and require full material attunement, incurring the double-cost commitment penalty for other Exalts, as per the Infinite Jade Chakram.--Toram

While I kinda like the idea of requiring full attunement for stepping on another Exalt's schtick, I don't think it should be a hard a fast rule. The same with using Solar charms. Honestly, when I make artifacts using the S&S rules, I tend to look at almost all charms as a basis...knowing the Solar charms are seen as the best by the system. It all comes down to the ST's involvement though, which is a factor that some never take into account.
--DarkWolff

I like to read something into the passage, "Orichalcum . . . alone of the Five Magical Materials can embody perfection" (S&S, 39). I choose to interpret that as meaning that only an Orichalcum artifact can provide a perfect effect. It could be used to provide canonical support for Toram's assertion that schtick-stealers need a type of MM. I think the limiting of DBs to level 3 artifacts might help some, as some perfect effects have enough pre-requisites to put it beyond level 3 without screwing around severely with the stats that are averaged to determine an artifact's level. The artifical intelligence in Aspect Book: Air, for example, is a marvel of DB artifice . . . but a mistake. ~Andrew02

Though the hearthstone does give you some extra benefits, like Essence regeneration and a magic castle... -szilard

True, but those benefits are offset by the drawback of having to defend said magic castle from any greedy forest imps that come within a couple of miles of it.
--DarkWolff

I'd consider the magic castle more of a drawback than a benefit, since defending it is a pain, and if you actually put anyone in it, you need to devote effort to keep it from deteriorating. This is compounded by the fact that the only published way to create a ward with a decent duration is to use the mortal thaumaturgy rules, which means one emerald countermagic shatters it. IMHO, a manse should really come with some built-in defenses.

The way I play, they do come with built-in defenses. Besides, it isn't as though artifacts can't be stolen. If a Manse is taken from you, at least you know where it is. Besides which, the number of things that can reasonably alter a manse in order to deattune it from you and then rebuild it to be useful to them are somewhat limited. -szilard

Ah, but you can't take your Manse with you when you leave town...defended or not, an Exalt is more dangerous then most automated defenses.
--DarkWolff

One possible thing to do with them is treat the bonus from the bracers as something inate to the crystals. Much like Infinate Jade Chakrams, its a side effect of the crystal tech being so much like orichalchum. As such, unless they fully harmonize and double-commit, they do mote commitment, they're just shiny bracers. And eight motes I think would be more balanced simply five.

Stuff. Blaque

I'd still consider 8m to be a bargain. IMHO, a 'balanced' Artifact 3 version of these vambraces would be commitment 10 (doubled for all but Solars/DKs), would not have a Socket, and while it would work unarmed, it would only provide the user's Essence in free parries each turn.

I'm not sure why or how these have a socket to begin with, given that they aren't made of one of the 5MM... -szilard

Well, it's been established that the crystal technology of the Dragon Kings is equivilent to the Five Magical Materials, and in fact echos Orchalic. Also, it's becoming increasingly obvious that the Dragon Kings use their technology to fill a lot of 'holes' in their abilities that their lack of a flexible charm structure prevents. -LeSquide