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Power Ceiling Exalted: Backgrounds
Power Ceiling Exalted works on the principle that all Backgrounds are created equal; it is only access to these Backgrounds which is restricted or easy based on character origins. With that in mind, many Backgrounds are changed or altered. In addition, Power Ceiling prefers a bit more mechanical backing to the looser systems designed by the standard ruleset.
With that in mind, the following Backgrounds are both unchanged and available to all characters: Artifact, Backing, Connections, Cult, Manse, Mentor, Reputation, Resources, Savant, Whispers.
The following Backgrounds are available to all characters, but are modified They are explained fully below: Allies, Destiny, Familiar, Followers, Henchmen, Liege, Retainers
The following Backgrounds are removed: Arsenal, Celestial Manse, Contacts, Family, Influence, Salary, Sifu, Spies, Underworld Manse
The following Backgrounds are available only to a single Exalt type, due to being based on their inherent nature: Acquaintances (Sidereals), Birth (Fair Folk), Breeding (Dragon-Blooded), Gossamer (Fair Folk), Heart's Blood (Lunars), Solar Bond (Lunars, modified), Style (Fair Folk), Taboo (Lunars)
While most Backgrounds are thus available to all characters, every group has character creation restrictions or reduced costs for certain Backgrounds, reflecting their organizational or natural benefits.
Finally, Power Ceiling Exalted makes use of 6-dot Backgrounds. These will be expanded upon in a later update.
Modified Backgrounds
Allies
Characters have many friends and companions in Creation. The Allies Background is based on a character's relative power compared to the PC's, rather than on absolute capability. Because of this, as time goes on, it is expected that characters will either increase the amount of time that allies will spend on them, or else increase their allies' power. The Storyteller is the ultimate judge for which increase is appropriate.
An Ally's cost is based on the total of her Power and her Flaws. All Allies must have a total of 1 dot after all modifiers are applied:
Power 1: The ally is roughly the same power as the character. Power 2: The ally is up to 100 XP stronger than the character. Power 3: The ally is up to 250 XP stronger than the character. Power 4: The ally is up to 500 XP stronger than the character. Power 5: The ally is up to 800 XP stronger than the character. Power 6: The ally is over 800 XP stronger than the character.
Sample Flaws:
Powerful Enemies (-1 to -2): The ally has their own enemies, who consider the character a threat. The character must deal with attacks or opposition from people she doesn't know. For -1 pt, this is frequently aggravating, while for -2 pts, it is frequently life-threatening.
Unavailable (-1 to -3): The ally is not usually around. For -1 pt, the ally will only be available about half the time the character wants to contact her. For -2 points, this decreases to a quarter of the time, and for -3 points she is almost never around, appearing only rarely.
Weaker Type (-1 to -2): The ally is a weaker type of being than the player, along the following tier: Celestial Exalt, Terrestrial Exalt-God-Elemental-Demon-Fair Folk-Ghost, Dragon King-Mountain Folk-Mortal. Every step below the character is worth -1 (so a mortal ally would be worth -2 pts for a Celestial Exalt.) Note that allies are always heroic in nature.
Destiny
Any being may have a destiny. However, the power of the Exalted quickly overshadows fate - only the most powerful fates can remain, and even those are washed-out and faint. Characters do not require a Destiny to Exalt.
Celestial Exalts have exceptional power, and as such Destiny does not favor them. A mortal Destiny of 1-2 would be wiped out, a mortal destiny of 3-4 becomes a Destiny rating of 1, and a mortal destiny of 5 becomes a Destiny rating of 2. Celestials may never have Destiny above 2.
Terrestrial Exalts grow into their power, and thus Fate can better prepare their way. A mortal Destiny of 1 would become nothing, a mortal Destiny of 2-3 would become a Destiny of 1, a mortal Destiny of 4 becomes a Destiny of 2, and a mortal Destiny of 5 becomes a Destiny of 3. Terrestrials may never have Destiny above 3.
Familiar
A familiar is a natural creature whose Essence has bonded with that of the Solar, creating a companion that will stay by their master's side for all eternity. The resulting creature is often far more capable and powerful than a standard example of their race, extending to intelligence and Essence of their own.
All Familiars have the following basic abilities, in addition to being creatures:
They do not age so long as their Exalted companion lives.
They heal and resist disease and poison as though they were Exalts as long as their Exalted companion lives.
They always have the Motivation "Serve my master" and an Intimacy to their master. These cannot be broken by any means.
The Familiar background provides Familiar Points, which are used to customize the character's Familiar.
0 - A weak familiar. 1 pt. 00 - A familiar who is slightly more powerful or impressive. 3 pts. 000 - A powerful and useful companion. 6 pts. 0000 - A devastating magical compatriot. 10 pts. 00000 - An awe-inspiring supernatural creature. 15 pts.
The points can be spent as follows:
CREATURE: (At least one point must be spent in this category)
1 pt - The creature is something small and without exceptional talents. Examples: Mouse, cat, starling.
2 pts - The creature is a useful or skilled animal. Examples: Horse, wolf, falcon.
3 pts - The creature is powerful and dangerous. Examples: Omen hound, raiton.
4 pts - The creature is useful in a variety of ways. Examples: Claw Strider, Eight-Tailed Mole Hound.
5 pts - The creature is among the pinnacle of natural power. Examples: Tyrant Lizard, Strix.
ENHANCEMENT:
1 pt - The creature has 5 additional bonus points over the normal template. If unintelligent, the creature can raise any Physical Attribute, or Ability it already possesses, by up to 3 pts. It may also raise Willpower, Virtues, and (if it is magical) Essence. If sentient, it may raise any Attribute or Ability to 5 or 3 above its baseline rating, whichever is higher. If using Flaws, the character may also purchase up to 2 pts worth of physical, mental, or supernatural Flaws. This may be purchased repeatedly.
Familiars may spend bonus points on mutations, or purchase mutations using negative mutations, as per The Wyld.
1 pt - The creature has Awakened Essence. It has a natural Essence pool of (Essence x10) motes, and a supernatural heritage (godly, demonic, fae, ghost, or Exalt). It may learn Charms of the appropriate Exalt types and raise its Essence up to (character's Essence halved, rounded up). It attunes to artifacts as though a creature of the appropriate type. The creature purchases Charms at a cost of 5 BP or 12 XP, and Essence at a cost of 8 BP or (Current Rating x10) experience. All other costs are as normal for mortals. Note that a creature can have Awakened Essence either due to existing supernatural heritage, or due to their bond with their owner (which will always give an Exalt-type the same as their owner's), but not both.
1 pt - The creature has natural Essence reserves drawn from its link to the character. Each time this is purchased, the creature gains 5 motes which the character can draw on and spend. If the creature has Awakened Essence, it may also spend these motes. This power may be purchased once per Essence dot of the creature.
1 pt - The connection between the character and her Familiar is such that they may reflexively share each others' senses as long as they are within (Combined Essence) miles of each other. They can also always sense roughly where each other are.
1 pt - The creature is intelligent. It develops an Intelligence of 2, is considered to have human intellect, distributes 5 dots among its Virtues (in addition to base Virtues of 1), develops a Willpower score equal to the sum of its two highest Virtues (if not already higher), and may learn new Abilities and raise its Mental Attributes with bonus points or experience. In addition, it gains experience - every 2 XP that its owner gains gives it 1 XP. This may be spent on anything the creature can buy, up to the limits for bonus points.
Familiars gain XP at a rate of half of whatever their master gains. Their maximum Traits are all at 3 pts higher than their base rating before bonus points are spent, and they pay 15 XP per Charm purchased if they have Awakened Essence.
Followers
Followers functions much like it does in the Second Edition corebook, except that the traits of Followers can be defined as follows:
Attributes 4/3/3 (No Attribute higher than 3), Abilities 21 (no Ability higher than 2), Backgrounds 3 dots, Virtues 4 dots (No Virtue higher than 3), Willpower Highest Virtue +1, Essence 1, 6 bonus points.
Followers do not gain XP.
Henchmen
Henchmen are highly skilled mortal or supernatural minions, who use their capabilities to serve the player. Dots in Henchmen are divided between Power and Numbers, as follows:
Power:
x: Heroic Mortals, Fair Folk Commoners (Nonheroic) 0: Mountain Folk Commoners, Fair Folk Commoners (Heroic), God-Bloods, Ghosts 00: Dragon Kings, Fair Folk Nobles, Enlightened Mountain Folk, Gods, Elementals, Terrestrial Exalts 000: Celestial Exalts +0: Add 50 XP
Numbers:
0: One henchman 00: Two henchmen 000: Five henchmen 0000: Fifteen henchmen 00000: Fifty henchmen
A Henchman's base Traits are those of a starting character of her type. Henchmen gain XP at half the rate of the character, and spend it as per their character type. The Henchmen Background may be purchased multiple times, with each time referring to a different set of minions.
Liege
The Liege Background functions as it does for Abyssals, except that any character with a sufficiently powerful and demanding patron may purchase it. A character's Liege does not need to be a Deathlord, or even an evil being. The Perfect of Paragon would be a perfectly acceptable liege, as would the leader of a Great House or a powerful God - anyone who expects total loyalty and interferes with their subject's affairs qualifies. Liege cannot be purchased higher than a character's patron could manage to supply the character.
Retainers
Retainers are the middle ground between Followers and Henchmen; elite support that the character can call upon as needed. They are constructed and purchased as follows:
Attributes 5/4/3 (No Attribute above 3), Abilities 25 (No Ability above 3), Backgrounds 3, Virtues 5 (No Virtue above 3), Willpower Highest Virtue +1, Essence 1, Bonus Points 12.
Number of Retainers:
0: Two retainers 00: Five retainers 000: Twenty retainers 0000: One hundred retainers 00000: One thousand retainers
Elite soldiers are typically Retainers, and this is the background purchased by a military commander to represent his personal troops (army troops are represented through the Backing background). The Retainers background may be purchased multiple times. Not every Retainer needs the same stats, but no fewer than one-fifth of a character's Retainers may use a given stat block. Retainers do not gain XP.
