Haku/Dust SunBloodedChargen
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
~ T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) - The Waste Land (1922)
Character Generation
Below are the rules for Sunblooded character generation in the game.
~ Haku
Please note this is a character generation for the Sunblooded or Solar Exalted, as found in the Realm and such. This is strictly for my game 'Fear in a handful of Dust'.
The Sunblooded, in an out of character manner of speaking, are a special breed of Solar Half-caste designed and bred in the first age to compliment the Dragonblooded. Unfortunately, the Sunblooded sided with the Dragonblooded against their masters and makers, for unknown reasons. This has resulted in them being a part of dragonblooded society, up to the current incarnation of the Scarlet Dynasty.
Because of their relative numbers and ability to breed true, the Sunblooded or Solar Exalted as revised history made them out to be, serve the Dragonblooded in the Realm in much the same manner the terresterial exalted used to serve their Celestial exalted masters in the Solar Deliberate.
They typically are the captains and support crew of the legions under Dragonblooded officiers, senchestals to a Dragonblooded noble house, courtesans, consorts, spies, assassins and even bodyguards. They also tend to serve in calvary units where Realm legions have found room and need for such. This is mainly due to their non-destructive anima.
There is an attitue concerning the Sunblooded's ancestress' supposed flightiness and thus, they do face a glass-ceiling that they have to over-come in any line of work that calls for any level of seriousness.
Yes, the official image of Sol, the golden maiden of Light is that of a sterotypical blonde, this is one that is reflected in the Realm's official history, myths and in the Immaculate Order's holy texts. Any mention that her correct name is Sol Invictis and that she is a mighty and intelligent warrior who espouses perfection in all things tend to get laughed at.
There are temples to the Celestial Incarna, but they are rare in the realm... at least for other then the five Immaculate Dragon and the Maiden of Light. The temples to the Maiden of Light are small, quiet affairs unlike the Immaculate ones. The religious order for Sol isn't quite as strict as that of the Immaculate Order, at least for the nuns and monks. But they are usually held to be lesser in status and scale of abilities. They do teach martial arts for those Sunblooded who seek a measure of discipline. But the serious martial artists amongst the Sunblooded tend to seek their training in the Immaculate Order's temples.
The concept of Sol as THE archetype blonde is fairly grounded into popular belief of general human civilization and mythos. Even the barbarians buy into it, although, they emphasis different aspects (for those who worship the sun).
The motifs and mottos of the temples that serve the Maiden of Light can be summed up thus; Always strive upwards for perfection. Be like Sol, strive to help those around you. Do your best. Don't be ashamed if you can't reach your goal or perfection, as long as you did your best. Pride in one's ability is good, however, too much pride leads to hubris and that was the path the Yozi led the original Anathema down.
Sunblooded can be found all over Creation, but are relatively rare outside of the Realm, where the majority of them live. Where there are supposedly 10,000 dragonblooded in the Realm, there are uncountable numbers of Sunblooded, perhaps numbering at 1 sunblooded for every 500 to 1000 mortals or godblooded. This means that there are generally at least 10 Sunblooded for every Dragonblooded, at the least in the Realm.
That said... it should be noted that the Sunblooded buy into the Realm's history and mythos as to do otherwise is just unsettling. Those outside of the Realm, also believe the myth and tales of the origins of the Sunblooded and they are considered to be true exalted, at least by those who can NOT remember the world before the Fey invasion, the Contagion and... the Ursuption or simply don't know any better. Please remember to seperate the OOC facts from the IC beliefs of the characters when you inteact.
Please note that the Sunblooded or 'Solar Exalted' ARE a step up from normal godblooded and half-castes, even if they're no match for the Princes of the Earth, the Dragonblooded.
The 'exaltation' mentioned below is not a true exaltation, in the manner of the Celestial or Terresterial exalted. This is merely their godblooded powers fully manifesting and was based on the Dragonblooded's exaltation method.
The sunblooded heal, stunt and recover essence as exalts. The break down of what merits and flaws they possess will be listed after the experience tables at the bottom.
From here on, Solar exalted can and will be used interchanagbly with Sunblooded. And the point of view used will be from the Sunblooded perspective.
Step One: Character Concept
What is your character like? What does she do? What makes her, her? Without a concept or a key image in place... your traits are just that, meaningless numbers on a sheet of paper. Firm this up and everything else flows into place.
Bear in mind that if you are crafting a Realm-based Sunblooded, there will have to be social considerations to be take into account. Outcaste Sunblooded lack such considerations, for the most part. Building a Sunblooded is similiar to building a Dragonblooded.
The Perfected Hierarchy
There is a food chain, the Dragonblooded are the top-dogs, then there are the Solar exalted, and then there are the mortals (or not so mortals). The mythos of the Realm states that the Dragonblooded are most spiritually advanced, save for the Lunars who dwell in the hinterlands of Creation and thus don't really count. The Sunblooded are below them in this order. They are accorded certain privielages and duties.
The Dynasty
There are currently eleven Great Houses, each descended from the Scarlet Empress's consorts, twelve if you count House Iselsi (this house is considered a minor power at best). Due to the intermixing of blood, Sunblooded can be found in every house, but there is a greater number of them in House Stingray, given that the consort that resulted in this house was a Sunblooded.
Other then this, the set-up is identical for the Dragonblooded character creation as in the Dragonblooded book.
House
In the Realm, all Dragonblooded tend to be from the great houses, not so with the Sunblooded, they can come from any level of social strata. Outcaste Sunblooded can be found in all levels of society outside of the Realm.
Aspect
Due to the nature of their exaltation, Solar exalted have an aspect like their Dragonblooded cousins. Unfortunately, due to the weakness of their patron ancestress, the Sunblooded only have a single aspect; Light.
This aspect, while, lending some of the fabled flightiness of their ancestress does not control their behaviour, merely color it. Among individual Sunblooded, there are wide diverse personalities and behaviour patterns,
Aspect Markings
Aspects of Light are typically sleek, with females on the somewhat curvous side. Their movement are always graceful, almost hypnotically so. Their skin tone tend to take on a light milky-golden tint, while their hair are usually some variant of blonde. Looking at well-bred Elders is like looking at golden light made flesh, their flesh is flawless creamy alabaster with just a hint of gold, while their hair is like polished gold kissed by the morning sunlight. They also possess a physical comfortable warmth that radiates from their bodies, while light around them seems to be ever so brighter, accenting their bodies and actions.
Aspect Anima
Unlike her mightier and more elemental cousins, a Solar exalt's anima is not destructive and thus there is no anima flux to worry about; at the most her anima will only bleech her surroundings as if they had been exposed to the sun for many days.
When she spends Pheripheral Essece, her anima erupts into a shimmering aura of pale whites and pastel yellows. This aura looks much like a abstract pillar of sunlight. The more essence is channelled, the greater this pillar is. After spend 16+ motes, the solar exalt's anima banner is truly impressive, almost appearing as a pillar of light that reach up to the heavens above for a brief moment.
If the Solar exalted choses to spend 5 motes, she may reflexively attune her anima to the light around her, causing her to flare brilliantly, so that her nearby opponents may not look at her directly for the rest of the scene. This imposes a 2 die penalty equal to all hand to hand or melee attacks directed at her. This has no effect on ranged attacks.
Aspect Abilities
Unfortunately, solar exalts are generalists in much the manner of their patron, and thus they do not possess any aspect abilities, they do possess 5 favored abilities that they may chose during their exaltation.
Anima Effects
Just as their cousins can channel essence through their anima banners, so too can the Solars channel clean wholesome light essence throught their animas to minor effects. All Sunblooded can reflexively spend a single mote of essence to;
- cause her skin to sparkle with light, while her hair becomes golden white blonde and glows as if it were a halo of sunlight. This effect lasts for a scene and clearly marks her as a Chosen of the Golden Maiden.
- Cause her anima to flare bright enough to read by for a scene
- Tell the exact time of the day or night for the rest of the scene.
Magical Metal Attunement
Sol, the golden maiden, is said to love shiny things, and thus the metal Orichalcum is associated with her. This means that the Sunblooded are unable to get material resonance with the more potent elemental might of Jade, instead, they can tap on the power that lies within the bright metal that their goddess loves. Dragonblooded may double attune to resonate with Orichalcum, but their lesser cousins can never double attune to gain the Jade magical bonus.
Because Orichalcum is not as swift or elemental as Jade, but do attempt to aid their user to the best of its limited capability. They also emphasis reaching for perfection and do occassionally attain it.
- Orichalcum melee weapons gain a bonus of Speed +1, Accuracy +1 and Defense +1.
- Orichalcum powerbows fire arrows as sure as sunlight and thus gain a bonus of Accuracy +1, Damage +1 and Range +50.
- Orichalcum armour strives to protect its wearer and thus give +2 soak to lethal and bashin damage
- Orichalcum bracers steady the blows of those who use them, and thus give a +2 damage bonus.
Associations
The color yellow, Gaia the Maiden of Plenty, kittens, flowers, the sun, and the metal gold.
Sobriquets
Children of Sol, Golden Children, Bright Daggers, Sun Motes, Mice of the Sun, Pale Reflection / Shadow (derogatory by the Solar Anathema and certain Elder Beings of Creation and Beyond)
Nature
This trait functions the same for Sunblooded as it does for everyone else. Your character may take any nature you wish.
Paragons of Light
The central tenet of the Temple of Light is that the Golden Children are there to help, not lead. Leadership is for the Dragonblooded. The powers and abilities given to you are a tremendous gift and responsibility. It is your duty to use them in the pursuit of righteous altruism. You may be a role model, but public displays are to assist and nurture, not to seek the hubris of the Gallant for its own sake, for that is the way of chaos paved by the Yozi.
Paragons of Light gain willpower whenever they accompalish a task towards the greater good.
Step Two : Attributes
As with all characters, the Sunblooded start with all attribute at one dot. Being spiritually advanced beings, Solar Exalted have greater physical potential then mortals. They, however, can not compare to their greater cousins' potent might.
A Sunblooded has six (6) dots to spread amongst her primary attributes, five (5) dots in her secondary attributes and three (3) dots in her tertiary attributes. There is no limit to how many dots may be spend on a single attribute, save that it may not go over 5 dots in a single attribute without the use of a 'legendary attribute merit.
Step Three : Abilities
Abilities begin with a score of zero and are not divided in any way for the Sunblooded like they are for their cousins. Because her children were weaker, Sol decided not to lock down any abilities into any single aspect as she, herself, did not have a single defining trait like her elders beyond her beauty and her desire to help.
Instead, Sunblooded get to select five (5) abilities as her favored abilities. These abilities are how a Solar exalted affirms her ancestress' desire to help, and thus are mastered faster and easier then her other abilities. It is also cheaper for her to raise them, using bonus points and experience points. The five favored abilities may not be 'doubled' up for a greater discount.
Young dynasts are pressured throught their childhood to learn and are phenomenally skilled compared to an average person. Sunblooded are pushed just as hard, if not harder then their Dragonblooded cousins. You have 15 points to spend on a Solar exalted's favored abilities and an additional 25 points to spend on any Abilities you wish.
There may not be more then three dots in any ability without expenditure of bonus points. Bonus points may also be spent to purchase ability specialties as per the core Exalted book.
All Dynasts, due to their training must have an absolute minimum of Archery 1, Brawl or Martial Arts 1, Melee 1, Performance 1, Presence 1, Ride 1, Lore 2, and Socialize 2. This represents the basic training in martial and social skills that lie at the root of the Scarlet Dynast's culture. Most sunblooded will have the above skills at 2 dots, if not more, those Sunblooded who don't meet the minimums are considered to have fallen prey to the flightiness that lie at the root of their exaltations and thus are not equipped to properly handle critical issues in life. Characters raised outside of the Realm, do not need to meet these minimums.
If the character is raised outside of the Realm and is an outcaste Sunblooded, she should only be given thirty (30) points to spend as she wishes on any of her abilities as she wishes.
A Sunblooded's favored ability MUST have at least one dot in it. While the favored abilities are skills that come easier to her, she must still put some effort into mastering it.
Please note that Solar exalted may not have an ability score above five (5) without the use of the Prodigy attribute.
Step Four : Advantages
Despite being members in the mightiest empire in Creation, Solar exalted have to fight against a glass-ceiling that is the result of the preceived flightiness in their nature. Thus, Sunblooded get nine (9) dots to spend on their backgrounds. In addition, they can call upon their social support structure just as any dragonblooded can (All Sunblooded use backgrounds as listed in the Player's Guide for Godblooded, backgrounds are used where applicable).
Like their kindred, the Solar exalted are spiritually advanced beings and thus they have access to supernatural powers beyond mortal ken. While, it is not required of them, some of the Sunblooded have undergone further spiritual training, refining their souls and gaining greater enlighthenment and discipline by mastering the sacred arts of war as given to them by Mela, the Elemental Dragon of Air.
Other then the number of charms listed below, a Solar can purchase additional charms and spells, if he meets the requirements using his bonus points.
- Traditional Solar Exalted : Select three (3) charms from the core exalted book. At least one charm must be from her Favored Abilities.
- Members of the Order of the Immaculate Dragons : Characters who've devoted their life to the faith of the Immaculate Order, seek enlightenment that Mela gifted them after the slaying of the traitorous Fallen ones. This faith is quite different and strict as opposed to the religion that caters to those who pay their respects to the Celestial Incarna or to the Golden Maiden.
Because they seek enlightenment, they must select three charms from the 'Five Dragons Fight as One' or some approved terresterial martial arts. They may opt to purchase the Ox-body charm, and this is all the secular charm that's allowed to the Solar while he undergoes spiritual fortification. While dragonblooded have no problems mastering terresterial martial arts, the Solar must struggle... first attaining three (3) dots of Essence and five (5) dots in Martial Arts before being able to learn the charms in the chosen martial arts style.
- Members of the Heptagram Alumni : Characters who seek the knowledge and powers of the occult, gain great power at a cost of their social life. This path is just as strict and narrow in scope for the Sunblooded as the Dragonblooded in all ways, but one. Due to the fact of the Sunblooded's limited command of the Essence that lies within them, all attempts to master or cast the spells 'Summon Demon of the First Circle' and 'Summon Elemental' are doomed to utter failure.
To master the Emerald Circle Magic or Terresterial Circle sorcery, a solar exalted must have a minimum of Occult at five (5) dots and an Essence trait of three (3).
Because they are close to the mortal folks of Creation, the sunblooded are driven by their desires and emotions. In addition to a single starting dot in each virtue, a Solar exalted has five dots to spread about his virtues as he wishes, but he is unable to go over 3 dots in any given virtue without the use of bonus points.
In addition, the Solar exalted, like their cousins, suffer the effects of the Great Curse. Their version is not like the elemental fury of the Dragonblooded, rather because their ancestress was flighty in deed and thought, their curse is tied to their virtues.
Mechanically, it functions just as noted on page 131 - 133 of the Exalted core book, they have to pick an associated curse from a virtue at 3 or higher. If there are multiple such virtues, then the player may pick one that the Curse focusses on.
Step Five : Finishing Touchs
The Solar exalted's willpower is calculated by adding the two highest virtue together. Sunblooded, unlike the Dragonblooded, are not blessed with a bounty of essence and thus start with an Essence of 1, Each of these traits may be increased by spending bonus points.
As with their kin, Solar exalted may channel the essence within them, subtly or in an awe-inspiring manner. Effects created with the use of Personal Essence are subtle, while effects created with Pheripheral Essence are brilliant displays of a character's celestial power, causing her anima banner to flare even brighter with the light of the Golden Maiden.
Because, of the relative weakness of Sol to her elder siblings; a Solar Exalt's essence pool is extremely limited, compared to the Dragonblooded. The Sunblooded's essence pool is calculated by multiplying her Essence by five and then adding the Sum of your Virtues (Essence x 5) + (Sum of Virtues). This is the total essence pool. The personal essence pool is equal to one third of that sum, rounded down. The peripherial essence pool is the remaining two thirds.
Sunblooded possess the normal mortal seven health levels, plus any gained from the Ox-body technique. Because, they're meant to be the footsoldiers, their Ox-body technique tend to be somewhat potent. For each purchase, Sunblooded get 2 x -2 health levels.
Solar Exalted have 21 bonus points to be spent at any point during character creation.
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