XerExaltedLite/Artificing
Contents
Artificing
- Back to /Craft
Making artifacts is an involved process. Even mortals, through persistance and coordination, can make minor trinkets, but these, at best, are candles before the mighty works of the Exalted. There are several steps to the process.
- The first, of course, is to decide what the Character wants. Many guidelines are given below, but it is not terribly easy to pin such nebulous concepts down. Regardless, the total Scope of the project, in /Craft terms, must be decided.
- The Scope of the Artifact for Research and Design will typically be the Artifact's level, cubed.
- The next step is the Research phase. This works much like the Design phase in /Craft, but it uses the /Lore ability instead. During this time, the necessary materials are discovered for the project, allowing others to gather them while the Design phase begins.
- The Design phase is no different than that of the /Craft section.
- Then comes the actual construction of the Artifact. Again, this follows under /Craft.
That's the outline. See below.
Guidelines
Three factors must be considered for artifact construction. These rules may bend slightly, for fluke incidents, but should follow a similar mold.
The most important factor of Artifact construction is Quality. When making an Artifact, its power requires exacting standards. The lowest number of successes assigned to Quality limit the ultimate Artifact Rating of the creation. This depends, partially, on the nature of the being doing the work.
- For Solars, the Incarna, and Primordials, this is the average Quality Rating, in terms of successes made (they can 'buffer' Quality with extra successes).
- For Celestial Exalted (including Abyssals and Chimerae), 3rd Circle Demons, and Deathlords, this is the lowest Quality Rating.
- For Dragon-Blooded, Dragon Kings, noble Raksha, 2nd Circle Demons, Elemental Dragons, and Greater Gods, this is the lowest Quality Rating, -1.
- For first Circle Demons, lesser gods, lesser elementals, heroic ghosts, common Raksha, Wyld-Tainted, Beastmen, and Spirit-Blooded, this is the lowest Quality Rating, -2.
- For heroic mortals, this is the lowest Quality Rating -3.
Wyld-Tainted refers to the posession of the Essence Channeler Merit.
This does mean that Artifact •••••• items are possible for some beings, and that some mortals can make Artifact • items fairly regularly.
The second most important aspect is the quality of ingredients and other components needed. Each artifact requires its level squared in special components. Some (in fact, most) special components count more than once:
- Unusual, but mundane. A widow's fingernail clippings or a lion's tooth.
- Unusual and not trivial to obtain, or semiprecious. Quartz crystals. The fresh blood from a lion's heart.
- Extremely unusual or precious. Gold, silver, gems. The still-beating heart of a lion.
- A lesser but truly wondrous magic. Banal Soulsteel / Dreamsilver, Jade, Gossamer. Or weird - a Lion's roar, the first raindrop after Calibration.
- One of the Five Greater materials. Oricalchum, Moonsilver, Starmetal, True Soulsteel, Dreamsilver. Beyond weird - a lion's fear, the first tear shed for a loved one after Calibration.
Magical materials will generally overwhelm lesser versions of themselves, and impose their 'attitude' on the Artifact, so combining them is rarely wise.
The third most important part is committed Essence. Once Design is finished and actual construction begun, the person (or persons) working on the Artifact must commit a total number of motes equal to twice the Artifact's level, squared. A single familiar may grant part of the needed Essence.
Commitment
In all cases, Artifact commitment cost begins at 1 mote, plus 2 motes per level of the artifact.
Hearthstone slots cost 1 mote of commitment cost per slot that does not power the artifact. You may place no more useable Hearthstone slots into an artifact than the level of the artifact itself.
For any artifact level, you may reduce the commitment cost by 2 instead of taking a bonus for that level. This may not reduce the commitment cost below 0. However, if it is reduced to 1, mortals may attune the device for a point of Willpower at a cost to their lifespans, aging a third faster while so attuned. Age-Staving Cordial allows them to age normally.
By increasing the commitment cost by 4 motes, you can have another artifact level to spend. This can only be done once, making the maximum 'generic artifact' have a commitment cost of 20 motes.
Hearthstones that power an Artifact commit 5 motes per Hearthstone level. In addition, some of their nature can be bled through to add additional features to the Artifact.
Scope
The Scope of an Artifact is a rough measure of complexity - in effect, it represents multiple Artifacts joined together.
The SkyWolf, for instance, is a massive assembly of several dozen level ••• - ••••• Artifacts. All SkyShips of significant size or complexity are.
WarStriders are another common example of increased Scope. They consist of as many as twelve seperate Artifacts, working jointly to provide an overall effect.
In such cases, the combined commitment cost must still somehow be paid. Hearthstones and Essence Engines are popular means by which this is achieved, in addition to using efficient Artifact construction.
Maintenance
Artifacts which require maintenance are considered to be one level higher than their 'real' Artifact level when determining powers. Maintenance is a paired Intelligence + Craft and Intelligence + Lore roll, with a difficulty equal to the square of the Artifact's 'real' level. One hour of Maintenance is required for every 100 hours of continuous use. High-scope Artifacts count each Artifact individually.
New Magical Materials
Only Celestial Exalted may weild, or even forge, with the True Magical Materials - True Dreamsilver, Moonsilver, Orichalcum, True Soulsteel, and Starmetal. Weilding these is a clear indicator of one's nature, for the rest of Creation is forced to make do with substitutes.
- Banal Soulsteel
Banal Soulsteel is a more common form of Soulsteel, attuneable by Ghosts.
Where True Soulsteel is forged from the irons of the Labyrinth and the souls of the haughtiest (Essence 4+) higher souls, Banal Soulsteel lacks these important features, making it significantly more common. It has a dull, eternally tarnished appearance, gray, cold, and rough to the touch. Its bonuses are identical to those of Jade, except for weapons, which all drain and dissipate a single mote (or temporary Willpower) from those they strike.
- The 'proper aspect' of Banal Soulsteel is a Ghost.
- Dreamsilver
Dreamsilver is Wyld-tainted silver alloyed with gossamer and the dreams of mortals. Like soulsteel, it too has banal and true forms - banal being made with either more common silver or, for lack of a better term, more banal dreams. Dreamsilver is a extrimely glittery, flowing silver - easy to mistake for white marble or gossamer strands at a distance.
True Dreamsilver has the same bonuses Moonsilver does, except for weapons, which have an effective minimum Brawn of 0, for all purposes. Banal Dreamsilver acts like Jade, again except for weapons, which subtract 1 from the effective minimum Brawn, or add +50 to range.
- The 'proper aspect' of Banal Dreamsilver is a Wyld tainted being.
- Gold
Weapons and armor made of gold are normally soft, easily dulled and cumbersome. Worked properly and infused with Essence as a magical material, it effectively becomes a lesser version of Orichalcum. It functions like Jade, except for Weapons which grant +1 to Accuracy.
- The 'proper aspect' of Gold is a Dragon King.
Armor, Shields and Weapons
Artifact Armors
Built much like normal armor, naturally. The limit to Fatigue and Mobility Penalty is two (2), not five, however.
Begin with a Resources 5 armor, with the above restriction.
Artifact levels count exactly like resources. That is, each level counts for three (3) points, or two (2) points if it is concealed. While worn, concealed artifact armor is still considered armor, but is also concealed from essence-sensing attempts such as Measure the Wind.
Magical Material bonuses, except for Jade, work normally. Dreamsilver grants the same bonus for armors that Moonsilver does, ignoring the Mobility penalty.
Jade armor may not have a fatigue value above zero if it is made concealed. In addition, the standard benefit Jade armor provides is reducing the Fatigue penalty by 1. Only Dragon-Blooded of the specific aspect ignores the Fatigue penalty completely.
Special abilities, of course, require eyeballing.
Artifact Shields
Begin with an 'exceptional' Target Shield - ie, it adds one to the difficulty of all attacks made against the bearer.
For each level of artifact, you may add one to either its effectiveness against ranged attacks, or one to its effectiveness against melee attacks.
You may, of course, always add special abilities, though they do have to be eyeballed some. These may likely subsume the Magical Material bonus provided.
Magical Material Bonuses for Artifact Shields:
Orichalcum: Adds 1 to the difficulty of all attacks made against the bearer.
Moonsilver: On an unsuccessful melee attack, the opponent's weapon gets stuck in the shield, and loses two successes on his next action.
Jade: +1 to Bashing Soak, +1 to both Lethal and Bashing soak if a Dragon-Blooded of the correct Aspect.
Starmetal: Subtracts one success from damage rolls inflicted on the bearer. This is cumulative with Starmetal armor.
Dreamsilver: On an unsuccessful melee attack, the opponent's weapon gets stuck in the shield, and loses two successes on his next action.
True Soulsteel: Adds 1 to the difficulty of all attacks made against the bearer.
Artifact Weapons
Each level of Artifact adds its artifact level in points to spend. Thus, 1 point at level 1, 3 points at 2 dots, 6 points at 3 dots, 10 points at 4 dots, 15 points at five dots, and 21 points at five dots with +4 commitment cost. Like normal weapons, concealment depends on the amount of damage bonus purchased.
- Minimum Strength for Artifact Weapons is 1/3rd Damage, or 1/6th for two-handed Weapons.
- Artifact Weapons of any sort may not purchase speed bonuses.
- Artifact Crossbows follow this pattern.
- Maximum Accuracy and Defense is +10. Minimum is -0.
- Artifact Bows purchase Range, at 1 point per 50 Yards.
- They have no maximum or minimum Strength, but may purchase Damage bonuses normally, up to a limit of +10.
- For Magical Material bonuses, Crassbow ranges are halved - an Orichalcum Crossbow only has a +25 yard Range, for example.
- Jade Melee Weapons add +3 to Speed only in the hands of a properly-aspected Dragon-Blooded, otherwise the bonus is merely +1.
- Jade Bows give +100 range in the hands of a properly aspected Dragon-Blood, or +50 otherwise.
- True Dreamsilver Weapons are more fluid than the Moonsilver they mimic, having an effective minimum strength of zero.
- Banal Dreamsilver merely subtracts 1 from minimum Brawn.
- True Dreamsilver Bows add +150 yards to their range, Banal only +50 yards.
