FrivYeti/RevisedAnimas

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Revised Anima Abilities

I really like the 2e anima powers, for the most part. However, there seems to be a power disparity in some situations, and a major versatility disparity in others. While it all more or less balances out, I've decided to sit out and even out the versatility applied to each group. Hopefully, this will work.

Some of these powers (and the format) are loosely inspired by another anima system, by CrownedSun.

Solars

Solar Exalts each gain three powers; a Caste Power, an Anima Ability, and an Anima Effect. Caste Powers are permanent enhancements that increase a caste's ability to do their job. Anima Abilities are effects that can be activated at the cost of 5 motes of Essence, and cause a moment of anima flare (at the 11+ mote level) when activated, but which do not retain that flare. Finally, Anima Effects are effects which activate automatically whenever the character's anima banner reaches the 11+ mote range. For Solars, these three effects are always different.

Dawn Caste</b>

• Caste Power: Heavenly General: Dawn Caste Exalts naturally inspire devotion to battle. Any ally within (Essence x5) yards in normal combat, or within the Dawn's unit in mass combat, may choose to apply a +1 die bonus to any required Valor rolls. Multiple Dawn Caste characters add their Essence together when determining the range of the effect, but do not otherwise stack it.
• Anima Power: Warriors of the Sun: For 5 motes, Dawn Caste Exalts can remind their foes of their divine nature. Anyone who sees this anima flare suffers a -1 die penalty to their Valor rolls for the duration of the scene. This effect does not stack with multiple Dawn Caste or multiple activations.
• Anima Ability: Sun's Intimidation: A Dawn Caste whose anima flares at the 11+ mote range is affected by their anima power as listed in the Exalted 2e corebook. This DV bonus applies to both physical and mental DVs, and does not count towards die caps.

<b>Zenith Caste</b>

• Caste Power: Heavenly Priests: Zenith Caste Exalts are considered to be priests of all gods, and thus suffer no penalties when summoning gods, as listed in the Summoning Gods section of the corebook.
• Anima Power: Priests of the Sun: At a cost of 5 motes, a Zenith Caste Exalt can imbue her touch with holiness. For the duration of the scene, any corpse that she touches is immediately consumed with solar fire, passing its soul into Lethe. If the corpse already has a ghost, the ghost must win an opposed Essence roll against the Zenith to not pass into Lethe. If the corpse is animated, its controller must win the Essence roll to prevent the corpse's destruction.
• Anima Ability: Holy Might: A Zenith Caste Exalt whose anima is burning at the 11+ mote level doubles all minimum die pools in rolls against creatures of darkness, including damage rolls.

<b>Twilight Caste</b>

• Caste Power: Heavenly Teacher: Twilight Caste Exalts are natural teachers. If acting as a tutor for anything with training time, each day of tutoring counts as two days.
• Ability Ability: Endurance of the Sun: The Twilights were made to withstand damage. This power functions as the ability to reduce damage in the corebook, save that it does not activate automatically at the 11+ mote range.
• Anima Effect: Anima Protection: The Twilights were often required to perform surgeries, repairs, and the like in battlefield conditions. A Twilight Caste Exalt whose anima is flaring at the 11+ mote level takes no DV penalty for any non-Attack actions she may perform. This includes Shape Sorcery actions, as well as Cast Sorcery actions for non-attack spells.

<b>Night Caste</b>

• Caste Power: Heavenly Shadow: The Night Caste can disguise their animas. This power functions as the ability to surpress Essence use in the 2e corebook.
• Anima Power: Shadows of the Sun: This functions as the power in the corebook, except that it costs only 5 motes.
• Anima Effect: Anonymous Features: This functions as the power in the corebook.

<b>Eclipse Caste</b>

• Caste Power: Heavenly Connection: Eclipse Caste Exalts may freely learn the Charms of other Exalts, gods, demons, elementals, Fair Folk, and other beings that use Charms. They may not learn non-Charm powers, nor may they learn Charms that are specifically forbidden to them. Learning such Charms costs 16 XP each, and if they are of non-permanent duration, they cost +2 motes to activate.
• Anima Power: Emissaries of the Sun: Eclipses are charted as negotiators and ambassadors, and they may reinforce this. At the cost of 5 motes, an Eclipse may flare her anima to declare herself as an Emissary of the Sun when in the presence of gods, demons, Fair Folk, or ghosts. They are thus protected by diplomatic immunity and cannot be attacked so long as they are present on business. This includes hospitality that must be provided, as well as safe passage out of the person's domain for the Eclipse and her companions.
• Anima Effect: Oathbinding: As witnesses of Heaven, Eclipses can automatically seal any witnessed oath, so long as her anima is active at the 11+ mote level. Sealing an oath costs no further Essence or Willpower, but otherwise functions as in the Exalted 2e corebook.

Lunars

All Lunars gain access to a Caste Power, as well as an Anima Power. All Lunar Anima Powers trigger automatically as Anima Effects when the Lunar reaches the 11+ mote level on her anima banner.

<b>Full Moon</b>

• Caste Power: Natural Proficiency: As natural hunters, Full Moons reduce external penalties to physical actions by 1.
• Anima Power: Incredible Speed: Full Moons may spend 5 motes to double all movement and jumping speeds for the scene.

<b>Changing Moon:</b>

• Caste Power: Subtle Skin: As natural shapeshifters, Changing Moons increase the difficulty to spot their Tells by 1 in all forms.
• Anima Power: Shifting Features: This power functions as the power in the Manual of Exalted Power

<b>No Moon:</b>

• Caste Power: Priests Of The Moon: As priests of Luna, No Moons are considered priests at all times, as the Zenith Caste.
• Anima Power: Essence Occultists: This power functions as the No Moon power listed in the Exalted corebook.

Sidereals

Sidereals are slightly stranger; they do not have Caste Powers. Instead, they have access to the Lesser Sign and the Greater Sign. All Lesser Signs normally cost 10 motes to activate; if the Sidereal's anima is active at the 11+ mote level, this cost drops to 5 motes, and if it is active at the 16+ mote level, the cost drops to 1 mote. Greater Signs are far more dangerous; most Sidereals use them with great reluctance, if at all. They require the expenditure of 10 motes and one Willpower, and cause an automatic Pattern Bite (as per taking 10 points of Paradox) which cannot be avoided by any effect, which triggers at the end of the scene. Character mays only activate the Greater Sign once per scene, and activating the Greater Sign is a Simple, Speed 5 action. Both the Lesser and Greater Signs last until the end of the scene.

Multiple Lesser Signs triggered next to each other add the combined Essences of the Sidereals involved to determine the total range of the effect, but are not otherwise modified. The same applies if multiple Greater Signs are triggered.

<b>Chosen of Journeys:</b>

• Lesser Sign Of Mercury: The character, and all allies within (Essence x5) yards, add the character's Essence to her Move, Dash, and Jump rates.
• Greater Sign Of Mercury: The character, and all of her allies within (Essence x10) yards, may immediately teleport to any location within fate that is not warded against teleportation.

<b>Chosen of Serenity:</b>

• Lesser Sign Of Venus: The character, and all allies within (Essence x5) yards, add the character's Essence to their Appearance when determining MDV modifiers due to Appearance.
• Greater Sign Of Venus: All enemies of the Sidereal who are within (Essence x10) yards of her must spend an additional (Essence) motes per action in order to activate any Charms that action, and must pay 1 additional Willpower in order to activate a Combo.

<b>Chosen of Battles:</b>

• Lesser Sign Of Mars: The character, and all allies within (Essence x5) yards, reduce damage dealt to them by 1 die in the post-soak stage.
• Greater Sign Of Mars: The character, and all allies within (Essence x10) yards, may reflexively co-ordinate any attacks made on a given tick against the same target at full effect. This lasts for the duration of the scene.

<b>Chosen of Secrets:</b>

• Lesser Sign Of Jupiter: The character, and all allies within (Essence x5) yards, add the Sidereal's Essence to their MDPV and MDDV scores.
• Greater Sign Of Jupiter: All creatures and locations normally outside of fate that are within (Essence x10) yards of the Sidereal are considered to be inside of fate for the duration of the scene.

<b>Chosen of Saturn:</b>

• Lesser Sign Of Saturn: The character, and all allies within (Essence x5) yards, increase their post-soak damage of any attack that deals post-soak damage by 1 die.
• Greater Sign Of Saturn: All allies of the character who are within (Essence x10) yards of her deal aggravated damage with their attacks for the duration of the scene.

Terrestrials

Terrestrial Exalts gain access to an Anima Power, which automatically triggers as though it were an Anima Ability when they reach the 11+ mote range. These powers are identical to those in the Manual of Exalted Power: Dragon-Blood.