HearthStones/Darloth
My Hearthstones.
Currently only two, so I won't bother putting it in any section or anything. It was originally developed for mechanical effect only, but I think it has enough flavour to make it worth putting up here.
Stone of Earth's Fortitude
Earth Aspected Manse •• Trigger: Taking Damage
The stone of earth's fortitude is a rather featureless pebble, rough and irregular. However, it is surprisingly heavy, and feels more solid than the strongest steel when you hold it in your hand.
Mechanics:
The stone's power grants some of the endless fortitude of the earth to it's bearer. It reduces all wounds by 1 wound-level after damage is rolled by redirecting the force of the blow into the earth, but only if the bearer is currently standing (or lying, whatever) on the ground. Standing inside is usually counted as being on the ground, as long as you are on the bottom floor. Note that this may well be the basement. The instant the bearer steps up to another floor or jumps, runs along rooftops, etc, this power stops working. However, it should be noted that the stone is especially effacious against falling damage, and if you fall onto somewhere that allows the stone to activate, it will subtract 3 wound levels from whatever damage you take, instead of 1.
Visuals:
Since the force of the blow or impact is redirected into the ground, it will crack, crumble, and generally burst around the bearer of the stone. However, this is purely visual effect and will never impede the user, the disruptions rarely even reaching ankle-height. Whether this will damage buildings or do anything to anyone other than the user is up to the storyteller, although probably not unless it is an extreme circumstance. Falling for 3 wound levels almost certainly counts as an extreme circumstance, and will probably damage floors and obscure vision a bit.
Comments:
Not sure what level this should be. It feels too strong for level 1, even with the limitation, but it's a fairly strict limitation, so I'm not sure. Suggestions please?
-- Darloth
Something that helps against falling damage, awesome - Jarons20
Stone of Architectural Awareness
Earth Aspected Manse •• Trigger: Concentration(Simple)
The stone of Architectural Awareness is a perculiarly shaped hearthstone, in that it always depicts the manse of it's origin down to the slightest detail. However, it is always spherical as well, and is centred on the hearthstone chamber, so the representation is rather warped and hard to use, if anyone attempts to do so (Diff 4 Perception + Craft(Architecture) to use it as a map of the manse). The colour of the stone varies
Mechanics:
The stone can be used to grant an extra sense to the attuned bearer, allowing them more detailed awareness of the interiors of any buildings with which they are familiar. Quite simply, this grants an effect similar to the dragon-blooded charm Feeling the Dragon's Bones, but applies instead to a single building. To activate the effect, the bearer must spend 1 willpower, and will then have perfect awareness of everything touching that building in any way. Furthermore, they can never become lost and always know where in the building they are. The effects are not limited by range, but are limited to buildings in the same plane of reality. (Creation, the Underworld, Yu Shan, etc)
Regarding the level of detail, the stone can provide roughly equivalent to 2 or 3 successes on Feeling the Dragon's Bones, which is about enough to tell exactly what shape and size someone or something is, and how heavy. It's enough to recognize anyone you're familiar with, but not enough to tell more than basic details about anyone you're not. You could also recognize basic actions such as walking, drawing a sword, or throwing something. As stated in that charm's description, something floating in water or suspended in air in some fashion is essentially invisible to the stone's effect.
The definition of 'familiar' with a building is simple. Either the person has lived and moved around in the building for more than a lunar month, or they have spent a day or two (depending on building complexity) specifically exploring every nook and cranny for the purposes of knowing it. If there are secret passages, then they must be found to enable the stone via the exploration method, although the stone will still work (and reveal the existance of those passages) if it is enabled through the living in method.
Finally, the stone -always- grants it's power regarding the manse that it originates from, and this requires no willpower expenditure, being always in the background of the bearer's consciousness whenever the hearthstone is active. Spending a willpower enables the sense to apply to another building for 24 hours, and only one other building can be so sensed at any one time. To change requires the expenditure of another willpower point.
Comments:
Again, power level is questionable. I -think- it's level 1, but it might be level 2. Then again, other useful but functionally limited effects are available with the level 1 stones from canon. What do you lot think please?
-- Darloth
I don't think it should work for another building other then it's Manse, it is the ultimate in Manse security and great for a NPC with agoraphobia -Jarons20
It may be completely boring if it's just for the manse though... a willpower isn't a small cost. I want to keep that optional extra-building effect... thus, should it be level 2 because of that power?
-- Darloth
I would go 2, close to 3 as the ultimate in home surveillance, and I keep thinking of the Marauders Map with dots and moving labels, A great present for a Night Caste Exalted this Christmas Season. Also once used to sense another building, the origin manse is vunerable, is there a failsafe if the origin manse is entered, like an alarm to warn the user someone is there when he isn't. You would have such an advantage on an opponent with this stone. -- Jarons20
It's not quite like that. It's more an extra sense, and so you can miss things if you're not paying attention. In addition, you often won't know who the intruders are, and there are lots of tricks to avoid the effects. You're right though, it probably -is- too powerful for a level 1. I shall increase it to level 2. About the origin-manse vunerability, well, if you're paying attention to one building, you won't be paying attention to your manse, so there's a window of opportunity there. On the other hand, all hearthstones -always- tell you when your manse is in danger (I rule they detect any unattuned essence use, or the instant someone moves something out of place, but this is interpretation of a few lines of text). Read pg 53 of Savant and Sorcerer for more info on the hearthstone-manse security effect. It's very vague though. Thus, since you can always check your manse with a stone like this, they simply provide further detail once you are aware of a problem.
-- Darloth
Just read Savant, and I agree it is vague but I like your ruling, makes good sense - Jarons20
