ExaltedPrime

Exalted Prime (aka Ex′) hacks Christian Griffen's Anima Prime rules into the Exalted® setting.

These rules are still in testing, and are highly tailored to the type of game my group happens to play. Please let me know what you think, especially if you play them. Please use the "Discussion" tab (top of the page) for comments and discussion, rather than editing this page. Thanks. - Wordman

Introduction

Licence

Because Anima Prime is released under a Creative Commons licence, hacks to it can be released under the same license, making use of the original text as the hacker sees fit. Unfortunately, that is not an option for this hack, because the hack is also based on intellectual property of White Wolf's parent company (CCP hf), and the author is not authorized to released said property under a Creative Commons license. Consequently, this work will reference material from Exalted and Anima Prime as much as is possible, rather than duplicate it.

Any use of CCP hf’s or Berengrad Games intellectual property, copyrighted material or trademarks in this work should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. Exalted is ©1990-2011 CCP hf.

All content that is not the intellectual property of others released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Sources

This work assumes the reader is familiar with:

• The main Anima Prime rules.
• The main Exalted rules.
• The concepts of the various "splats" of Exalted.
• The faction rules available from the Anima Prime website.

What is the Same?

Exalted Prime uses most of Anima Prime exactly as written. Unless this document says otherwise, follow the main Anima Prime rules. Few to none of the rules from Exalted itself are used, just its setting elements and some conceptual ideas.

What is Different

A quick summary of the changes:

• Switch to using d10 instead of d6 (probability intentionally changes a bit, but remains fairly close to Anima Prime's).
• Generation of charge dice now influenced by conditions and takes advantage of the increased granularity of d10s (10% vs. 16.6%).
• Eidolons expanded to emulate powers that Exalted builds complex subsystems to handle (e.g. sorcery, shapeshifting, shaping, astrology, hellforging, etc.)
• Powers specific to Anima Prime's default setting are removed or altered.
• A few new powers are added.
• The list of passions is reworked.
• The list of conditions is expanded.
• Marks play a slightly more active role in the mechanics.
• Character types (solar, fair folk, etc.) are given a small number of specific rules, and suggested limitations.
• Some non-character concepts from Exalted, such as manses and automaton, take advantage of Anima Prime's more abstract character representation to be treated as characters in Ex′.
• Warstriders have a much different origin, but serve the same purpose.

Enlightenment and using d10s

In the standard Anima Prime maneuver roll, all charcaters generate charge dice the same way, on any dice that come up 6. For any given die, this happens 16.6% of the time:

Result	Chance	Meaning	On Maneuver
1	33.3%	Failure
2
3	50%	Success	Add Strike die
4
5
6	16.6%		Add charge die.

Ex′ adds a number of conditions (Mundane, Enlightened, Illuminated and Transcendent) that change the odds of gaining charge dice. In order for this to work without totally breaking the system, the dice need to be a bit more granular. For example, if you could double the "resolution" of the system by using d12s instead and awarding charge dice on 11 or 12, and this would provide exactly the same probabilities as the existing system. The difference would be that you can tweak the result in "half-steps" compared to the original system (e.g. suppose someone got charge dice on a 10 as well).

Alas, Exalted players are more likely to have huge buckets of d10s lying around, so Ex′ will use them instead. Since ten and six have few common divisors, using d10s changes the odds:

Result	Chance	Meaning	On Maneuver
			Mundane	Enlightened	Illuminated	Transcendent
1	40%	Failure
2
3
4
5	40%	Success	Add strike die	Add strike die	Add strike die	Add strike die
6
7
8						Add charge die
9	20%				Add charge die
10				Add charge die

At the Illuminated level used by most characters, odds are fairly close to those of Anima Prime. Failure is a bit more common, but so is the creation of charge dice. This seems in keeping with the Exalted aesthetic, where it is really your powers that steal the show and mortals get screwed.

Some new powers are also added that turn fours into successes in certain situations. When such powers are in effect, failure becomes slightly less likely than in Anima Prime.

Organization

This work is presented in an atypical order, with the more important changes to the Anima Prime system (and Exalted's setting) coming first. More pedestrian (and predictable) changes follow. You'll find the following sections:

• A chapter briefly describes changes and additions to the conditions available in Ex′.
• The Eidolons chapter details the main changes to the summoning system, and how it is used to fill out some of the more specialized flavor of Exalted.
• Trinkets are a new concept, offering a second means of handling magic items.
• A chapter which suggests a different set of passions for use in the setting.
• The Powers chapter details which powers from Anima Prime are removed or changed, as well as a few new powers.
• A chapter which gives describes how Marks function in Ex′
• Character Creation translates the various types of character in Exalted into the system.

Bonuses vs. conditions

One of the clever bits about Anima Prime is the way it uses conditions to prevent "bonus bloat". For example, the Protection effect and the Shield power both make a character harder to hit, but not by adding directly adding a bonus to defense. Instead they both bestow the Shielded condition, which gives a bonus die to defense. What's the difference? The use of the condition makes it clear that Protection and Shield do not stack. Contrast this with, for example, the Shock Aura effect, which awards a bonus die directly, rather than bestowing the Empowered condition, meaning that the bonus shock die stacks with the bonus from Empowered. Generally speaking, powers that award bonus die are "more powerful" than powers that award conditions, though often such powers mitigate this by being situational (e.g. the bonus die from Power Strike only works against individuals).

This hack is well aware of this difference and choices of when to use bonus dice and when to apply conditions have been made intentionally. For example, the Aerobatic condition (added below) could work by bestowing conditions, but bonus dice were chosen instead, intentionally making combat flight a bit more formidable than it might appear.

Conditions

All conditions used in Anima Prime remain. Some are also added.

Enlightenment Conditions

As mentioned in the section on dice, above, four conditions are also added which control how maneuver rolls generate charge dice for the character. These conditions are also used in certain spots in the rules, particularly powers, to lump characters together in broad categories. For example, a power might be more effective (or only effective) against Mundane characters. A character may only have one of these conditions at a time, and gaining or losing these conditions is not typically possible. These conditions are:

Mundane
The character has no inherent magical ability. Characters with this condition cannot gain charge dice through maneuvers (though may gain them through their Passion), and typically can work magic only through complex ritual, if at all.

Enlightened
The character has the ability to use magic intrinsically. On a maneuver roll, the character gains a charge die for each 10 rolled.

Illuminated
The character connects more deeply to magic than the merely Enlightened. On a maneuver roll, the character gains a charge die for each 9 and 10 rolled.

Transcendent
The character has transcended the physical, connected more deeply to magic than even the Illuminated. On a maneuver roll, the character gains a charge die for each 8, 9 and 10 rolled.

Other Conditions

In addition to these conditions, the following are also added:

Aerobatic
The character can move through the air with effortless grace. At the start of her turn, she can add one of the following until the start of her next turn: 1 bonus dice to her maneuvers, 1 bonus dice to her strikes, 1 point to her defense. This bonus does not apply to other characters with the Aerobatic condition. If the Aerobatic condition is removed, this bonus immediately vanishes. Note: not everything that flies necessarily has the aerobatic condition. A ghost, for example, might float above the ground, but this is not sufficient to gain the bonuses provided by the condition. That is, it is possible to narrate something as flying, but it only gets mechanical bonuses for doing so if it has this condition.

Immaterial
The character exists out of phase with the world and cannot be seen, heard or otherwise detected by characters in the material world. The character also cannot directly act against anything in the real world, though they can perceive it. Characters with this condition may act normally against other characters with this condition.

Profane
The character is tainted with the energies of the Underworld or Malfeas. While this condition carries no mechanical effect of its own, certain powers are more effective against, or restricted to, profane targets.

Wyld
The chaos of the Wyld dominates the character, making the character immune to the mutating effects of the Wyld. Certain powers are more effective against wyld targets.

Added Terminology

This document makes use of a couple of additional game terms:

The word vanish is added to name the idea of an eidolon "returning to its own world", as it is a bit less cumbersome and the whole "own world" notion doesn't match well with Exalted metaphysics. Where, exactly, an eidolon goes when it vanishes is deliberately left nebulous, and probably depends a lot on the family and genus of the eidolon in question.

A slight behaves in all ways like a wound, except one: it disappears when the conflict is over. You can think of them a bit like "phantom wounds" that automatically heal when the conflict is over. In addition, when an eidolon vanishes, any slights it has immediately disappear (this can mean that an eidolon taken out with slights could be re-summoned in the same conflict). Slights come into play mostly with certain families of eidola, but appear in a couple of other places in these rules. To differentiate between slights and wounds, slights are usually marked by putting a slash through a wound circle, while wounds are recorded as an X.

Eidola

The eidola presented in Anima Prime come in many forms, but are conceived as one "type" of thing. This changes in Ex′, which makes use of several families of eidolon. Each family of eidolon uses variant rules, detailed below, and roughly correspond to specific types of power wielded in Exalted. These are:

• Conjurations most closely map to the eidola presented in Anima Prime: summoned creatures that act on behalf of the summoner. These include the elementals and demons summoned by sorcery, the behemoths shaped by the Fae, necromantic engines, even Autochthonian machine-spirits.
• Invocations are flexible, but very short lived eidola that represent the will of the summoner. These are the spells of various circles of sorcery and necromancy and the protocols of weaving.
• Skins, when summoned, wrap around the summoner, giving the impression that the summoner has changed his or her own form.
• Influences, the most subtle of eidolon, are rarely noticed, scattering their enduring effect over a wide area. These are the signs of astrology and the glamours of the fae.

A summoner can have only one eidolon of each family summoned at any time. An eidolon that is a squad or swarm still counts as one eidolon for all intents and purposes. If you want to summon, for example, a different conjuration, you first have to dismiss your summoned conjuration. But if you have a conjuration summon and want to summon an invocation, you can, so long as you don't have another invocation already summoned.

Eidolon Powers

The powers available to eidola remain roughly the same. Assume eidolon powers work as written, with the following tweaks:

Passive powers

Arcane Thread
This works as the character power of the same name. Note that the eidolon's summoner can already transfer charge dice to the eidolon. This power, if used to connect to the summoner, could transfer them back. Or, it could be connected to someone else entirely. In this case, the summoner must agree to the connection; the eidolon need not.

Essence Sight
The eidolon can see the flows of magic. They may see characters with the Immaterial condition. When describing a maneuver against an eidolon, the character gains one bonus die. The eidolon also pays one less charge die when activating the Banishment, Counterspell and Rejection powers.

Integrity
The eidolon may enter the Wyld without being subject to its mutating effects. They are also immune to any powers used by influences and add 1 to their defense against characters with the Wyld condition.

Persistent
The eidolon stays in the world longer than usual (though not as long as one summoned as a companion). If a conflict involving the eidolon concludes with the eidolon completely unwounded, it remains in the world. Further, the eidolon may be summoned during a character scene, provided the summoner uses the scene specifically for that purpose and forgoes any other scene benefit for that scene. Outside of conflict scenes, any wounds cause the eidolon to vanish. This means, in order to summon the eidolon outside of a conflict, it must first be fully healed. It may be summoned while wounded during a conflict, but vanishes once the conflict ends, unless healed.

Preternatural
The eidolon has a stronger connection to magic than usual. This power may be taken up to two times. The first time replaces the eidolon's Enlightened condition with the Illuminated condition. The second replaces that condition with the Transcendent condition.

Resistance to Vitriol
Your eidolon's defense counts as 1 points higher against vitriol-backed strikes (charged or weapon effect). An eidolon can take this power up to 4 times.

Sense Link
The summoner can see through the eidolon's eyes (or other senses), regardless of how far apart the two may be. This power is used most often by eidola summoned as companions.

Tradable
A character with an Open Bond to the eidolon may trade the eidolon to a character who also has an Open Bond to an eidolon with this power, if both characters agree to the exchange. This breaks the Open Bonds of both characters, and replaces them with an Open Bond to the eidolon each receives. This power may only be taken by certain types of eidolon, such as behemoths.

Thematic Form
The eidolon may appear in any of several related forms when summoned, chosen by the summoner. When the power is chosen, select a theme that unites the form variations. The eidolon may appear in any form related to that theme. This power most often appears in skins, where it can supply, for example, several different animal forms, but can be used by other eidola as well (though, it is useless to invocations, as they change their form every time they are cast anyway). For example, a theme of "jungle creatures" might allow a skin to take the shape of an individual gorilla, a squad of frogs, a swarm of mosquitoes, and so on. A "super predator" theme could appear as a tiger, velociraptor, saika, etc. Other themes might include: beasts of burden, beautiful people, stuff of nightmares, birds, rotting decay, elusive mirage, authority figures, welcoming friendship, confusing to the senses, brilliant light, etc. An eidolon can take this power one additional time for each Level (so Level 5 eidola can take it up to 6 times), choosing a different theme at each level. For each level of this power, the eidolon may also swap out one of its powers for another when it is summoned, provided the swap helps it maintain the theme of the form.

Warflight
The eidolon has some means of highly maneuverable flying. While in the air, the character gains the Aerobatic condition.

Other powers

Eidolons can select any of the charge powers and use them exactly the same way that PCs do, keeping in mind the changes detailed in the Powers section, below. In a departure from Anima Prime, some powerful eidola (particularly demons) may be able to use the Soulbound Weapons and various summoning powers, subject to GM approval and keeping with the theme of the eidolon. It is suggested that those rare eidola who can do their own summoning never be allowed to summon eidola more powerful than themselves.

Weaknesses

Any of the weaknesses listed in Anima Prime may be selected. You may instead choose one of these:

Flawed
Imperfections mar the eidolon's magic. The moment it its summoned, a "banish flawed eidolon" goal is created, with a difficulty equal to 4 + the eidolon's level. If this goal is achieved, the eidolon vanishes with all of its wound circles marked, even if it has the Unbreakable Bond power. The story surrounding this goal often involves some known susceptibility to a special material. For example, many creations of the Raksha can be unmade by the touch of cold-forged iron. Achieving the goal, then, often represents knowing of this flaw, having the right materials on hand, and using them correctly.

Fragile
The eidolon is easier to hurt than usual: any fours rolled as part of a strike on the eidolon count as successes.

Predictable
The eidolon is either easy to fool or set in its ways: any fours rolled to maneuver against the eidolon count as successes, generating strike dice.

Rogue
The eidolon breaks from the control of the summoner as soon as it arrives. It may act independently from the summoner, receiving its own action each turn, but it follows its own motivation and is controlled by the GM. Most rogue eidola hold ill feelings toward their summoner.

Summoning Powers

Ex′ uses the standard set of summoning powers in Anima Prime. Technically, the Summoning power may be used to summon any family of eidolon; however, a given character type will usually stick with a certain family. For example, lunar exalted will almost always bond to skins and, perhaps, to invocations if they are more sorcerously inclined, but won't bind to the others. Keeping "true to type" like this is not enforced, but strongly encouraged. Some GMs may wish to enforce it more strictly.

Conjurations

Conjurations behave the most like the eidola in Anima Prime, and follow the rules therein, with one addition: all conjurations have the Enlightened condition. There are several genera of conjurations, differentiated mostly by their origin and the trappings needed to call them.

• Elementals are called by those who consider themselves thaumaturges, sorcerers or weavers. Elementals always have a favored material, either a typical Creation element (earth, air, fire, water, wood) or a more esoteric element (crystal , lightning, metal, oil, smoke, steam, etc.). This will usually translate to some type of elemental resistance, a vulnerability to some "opposite" element, and often powers that project elemental effects.
• Sorcerers with claim to ancient surrender agreements with the Primordials, or those with some other connection to hell, can call demons. Demons are the most variable of the conjurations. Demons always have the Profane condition, in addition to any other vulnerabilities.
• Those with a strong connection to the Underworld can create/summon necrotech, undead constructs or spirits animated by death energy. All necrotech must select the Body Resistance and Soul Resistance powers. Most will also have the Persistant power. Necrotech eidola always have the Profane condition, in addition to any other vulnerabilities.
• Fair Folk and others used to shaping the Wyld can call on behemoths. All behemoths must select the Tradable power and have the Wyld condition. Behemoths are far more likely to have the Crazy vulnerability than other eidola.
• Weavers with a strong connection to Autochthon can summon golems, machine spirits representing some aspect of the Great Maker. Golems usually have at least one level of Resilience and Toughness, and appear biomechanical.
• Some characters take familiars, often animal-like creatures. Familiars are almost always summoned as companions (or at least with the Persistant power), so tend to be low-level.

Invocations

Invocations express themselves differently each time they are called, reacting and adapting to the desires of the summoner. These are the spells of sorcery and necromancy, and the protocols of weaving. Some say they are not true eidola at all, but rather constructs of the summoner's will. Even so, they function like eidola, except in the following ways:

• Level 0 invocations start with the Enlightened condition and two powers. They gain two more powers for each additional level.
• When binding to an invocation, only half of the powers of that eidolon are determined.
• Each time the character summons a bound invocation, the player may select the eidolon's remaining powers, which last for the duration of that particular summoning. The summoner may "sacrifice" any or all of these powers to provide dice for the eidolon. Each power sacrificed provides either 2 strike dice or 1 charge die, though any dice that would exceed the eidolon's pool limits are wasted.
• While the invocation is summoned, the summoner must spend her action to give the eidolon an action of its own. If the summoner cannot act, or uses her action herself, the invocation vanishes immediately.
• The type of the eidolon (individual, squad, swarm) is selected by the summoner at the time of the summoning.
• The eidolon's skill is chosen at the time of summoning, but only has a rating of 3.
• As part of the summoning, the summoner's player must describe the appearance of the eidolon, using the powers selected as a guide.
• A weakness is not selected for invocations. Instead, invocations only remain for a limited time. At the end of the invocation's action, it automatically takes a slight (see "Added Terminology", above).
• When a character earns a level of Empower Eidolon, they may break Open Bonds with any invocations and replace them with bonds to new invocations. Bonus powers provided by Empower Eidolon are not selected immediately, but are chosen during summoning.

Example: The jade alchemical Asymmetrically Growing Crystal is a master of god-machine protocols. Among her powers are Summoning, Warfare Summoning, Empower Eidolon III and an Open Bond. Her powers allow her to summon Level 3 eidola, but she has chosen to bond with a level 2 invocation, as they are cheaper to summon.

The invocation starts with two powers, and gains two for each level, for a total of six. Half of these must be selected when she makes the bond. She selects two levels of Toughness (to keep the protocol going longer) and a level of Preternatural (because spells can often use charge dice). The rest wait until she summons it.

Example: During a conflict, Asymmetrically Growing Crystal gets surrounded, and needs some quick defense to hold out until her friends arrive. She spends her action summoning her bound invocation, spending three charge dice to do so. Based on its level, it has three additional powers that can be selected during the summoning. Plus, Empower Eidolon III provides a bonus power to the Level 2 eidolon. She selects Auto Guard (so the attackers have to go after the eidolon), another level of Toughness (taking the total to the max of three), and two levels of Resilience. She wants to make her attackers think twice so chooses Force as the invocation's skill, and decides to summon it as a swarm. The eidolon arrives with a defense of 3, an Force skill of 3, a full action pool of two dice and four wound circles. The player describes gears of all sizes, materializing around her by the hundreds, and whirling around her with a rhythmic, menacing humming.

Because of Warfare summoning, the invocation can act immediately (and has two strike dice as well). Crystal is more interested in having the invocation just suck damage for her, but she must make it act. She decides she might as well have it maneuver. She describes some of the gears as spinning further away from her, then back, at random, sort of pulsing against her attackers, warning them to stay back. The maneuver uses the eidolon's Force skill, so starts with three dice. She uses one die from the eidolon's action pool, but saves her own action dice. The maneuver roll comes up 4, 7, 8, 8, for three successes, all of which become strike dice. Even added to the two strike dice already in the pool (from Warfare Summoning), these don't exceed the eidolon's limit of six, so it keeps all of them. Its action is now over, so it immediately takes a sllight. The round continues, and several opponents attack the eidolon. One even manages to wound it, leaving it with two empty wound circles.

On Crystal's next action, her options are limited, as she has to give her action to the eidolon, or it will vanish. She has it attack, using all of its strike dice. She figures a lucky hit might just take out an attacker, so adds one of her own strike dice to this pool. The eidolon has no charge powers to help the attack, so rolls the six dice. All of them succeed and manage to take out an attacker. Its action is now over, so it immediately takes a slight, leaving it with one empty circle.

As the round continues, the opponents manage to give the eidolon another wound, taking it out of the conflict. The slights immediately heal, but the two wounds remain. Crystal could use her next action to summon the eidolon again, but it would appear with these two wounds, so she would need to buy enough Toughness to handle that, otherwise the eidolon would vanish as soon as it arrived.

Example: Later on, after healing her invocation, Asymmetrically Growing Crystal gets ambushed by a swarm of twiglings. Knowing their wooden bodies are vulnerable to fire, she again summons her invocation. As before, she has four powers to select. This time, she chooses Firestorm and another level of Preternatural as its only additional powers. The other two she sacrifices to buy four strike dice. She makes the eidolon an individual, with a Craft skill of 3. It arrives looking like an odd metallic whirligig, spewing fire from numerous nozzles. It has defense of 1, a full action pool of two dice, six dice in its strike pool, no die in its charge pool and three wound circles.

The eidolon may act immediately, thanks to Warfare summoning. It uses all its strike dice to attack. It activates the Firestorm power, using three dice from Crystal's charge pool. The power provides four bonus dice for strikes against swarms. The twiglings are also vulnerable to fire, which provides three more dice, for a total of 13 dice. The nine successes wind up dealing two wounds to the swarm. Good, but these are tough little buggers. Since the eidolon's action is now over, it takes a slight.

The twigling swarm goes after Crystal on its action, leaving the eidolon untouched. Crystal again gives her action to the eidolon, using it to make a maneuver. The whirligig wades into the swarm, picking up the burning remains of the previously incinerated twiglings, and shoving them into an opening in its head, stoking its internal fires even higher. It uses its Craft skill, and all of its action pool, rolling four successes: 4, 6, 8, 8, 9. Since the eidolon's levels of Preternatural give it the Transcendent condition, three of these successes become charge dice, one becomes strike dice. Since the eidolon's action is now over, it takes a slight.

The twigling swarm goes after the eidolon on its turn, but fail to wound it. Crystal again gives her action to the eidolon, using it to strike. She adds two of her own strike dice to the strike die the eidolon just earned. The eidolon spends its three new charge dice to activate Firestorm again. Since the eidolon's last wound will be filled at the end of this attack (doubly so: the eidolon takes a wound for acting without any dice in its action pool, but if it did have dice, it would take a slight at the end of its action), Crystal's player describes the whirligig as closing all of its fire nozzles, then quickly overloading, exploding in massive ball of flame that engulfs the surrounding twiglings. The resulting conflagration finishes off the twiglings.

Skins

When summoned, skins wrap around the summoner, becoming part of her. The summoner and the summoned become one. To an outsider, this often looks very much like the summoner is changing her shape or, perhaps, being possessed. Skins are used most heavily by lunar exalted, fair folk and some gods, though other types of characters can also use them. Like conjurations, several genera of skins exist, divided on a mostly thematic level. Gamemasters may wish to restrict which types of characters can bond to a given genus of skin, which include:

• Animal forms are, by far, the most common type of skin. These tend to be low level eidola, often with one or more levels of the Thematic Form power. These are often taken as Companions, so that they can maintain the form out of conflict scenes.
• Lunars are most strongly associated with monster forms, though fair folk, gods and infernal exalted are known to use them as well.
• Some, particularly fair folk, can wrap themselves in disguises. These tend to be level 0, as their main point is to conceal the user's appearance, rather than enhance power. These almost always either have the Persistent power or are taken as Companions.
• Striders more often give the impression of being worn, as you might wear armor. Such skins most commonly appear as metallic (called warstriders), but some appear as other materials (woodstriders, bonestriders, hellstriders, etc.). These are usually quite potent (level 3 or more) and often have the Tradable and/or Persistent powers.

Skins function as typical eidola, except in the following ways:

• All skins must take the Auto Guard power, representing their ability to "wrap around" the summoner. When the skin is in play, the summoner's statistics effectively disappear, and the summoner interacts with the world through the skin's stats.
• All skins must take the Skill Set power. If the summoner has a mark on a skill, and the eidolon happens to have that same skill, the summoner may transfer the mark to the eidolon when it is summoned.
• All of the eidolon's pools are empty when summoned (except for dice provided by the summoner's summoning powers). The summoner must transfer her own pools to the eidolon. Dice that would exceed the eidolon's pool limit are retained by the summoner, but cannot be used to enhance the eidolon's actions.
• When the eidolon is defeated, dismissed or banished, it's action pool flows back into the summoner, but it's other pools are lost. Any dice that would exceed the summoner's pool limits are lost, as well, as are any marks the eidolon has on skills.
• The summoner can never act for herself while the skin is summoned. Her normal action must be given to the eidolon, and any additional actions (from Awesome Tokens, for example) must be taken by the eidolon.
• All of the summoner's passive powers affect the eidolon, without the eidolon needing to buy them itself. Similar powers stack, but may not exceed higher of their limits. For example, if both the summoner and the eidolon have the Resilience power, the combined defense bonus can't exceed three (the limit of the summoner's version of the power), or the eidolon's level (the limit of eidolon's version of the power), whichever is higher.
• When the eidolon is summoned, the summoner may transfer wounds she has to the eidolon. When the eidolon is dismissed, the summoner may transfer wounds the eidolon has to herself. The number of wounds transfered may not exceed the number of levels the summoner has taken in Empower Eidolon.
• When the eidolon is summoned, the eidolon gains all conditions the apply to the summoner (including conditions like Enlightened). When the eidolon is dismissed, the summoner's conditions are replaced by those on the eidolon at the time (except conditions like Enlightened, which remain unchanged on the summoner).
• The eidolon may use the summoner's soulbound weapon powers, but cannot have any of its own.
• The eidolon may use the summoner's summoning powers, but cannot have any of its own and may not summon another skin.
• The eidolon may not use the summoner's charge powers, nor may the summoner use her charge powers on the eidolon.
• The summoner may still unmark one of their own traits to reroll failed dice when the eidolon is acting.
• The skin may be a leader in a combined maneuver or combined achievement.

Example: No moon lunar Poison Vault considers the albino bat to be her totem. Her powers include Summoning, Battlefield Summoning, Empower Eidolon IV, Strike Boost, and two levels of Resilience. She has an Open Bond with a Level 4 skin, a formidable albino bat beastman. The skin has 16 powers:

• Two of these must be Auto Guard and Skill Set.
• It buys three levels of Resilience. These stack with Poison Vault's two levels. The total of five hits the limit for a Level 4 eidolon.
• It buys two levels of Strike Boost. These stack with Poison Vault's own Strike Boost, but the character version and the eidolon version of these powers are not the same; however, they both have a maximum increase of four. Combination of the powers hits this limit.
• In order to match the size of its action pool to that of its summoner, it takes the Stamina power four times. This is under the limit for the eidolon version of the power.
• Toughness. This would stack with Poison Vault's own Toughness levels, but she doesn't have any.
• Living up to her name, she selects Poison.
• She wants to a good flyer, so chooses Warflight.
• Shadow Strike, to hit in the dark.
• Darksight, because, hey... bat.

Example: Daybreak caste abyssal Vexes at a Distance has embraced the whole "creepy vampire" vibe. To cover the shapeshifting parts of a classical vampire, he takes Summoning and an Open Bond to a level 0 skin. The skin has four powers, two of which must be Auto Guard and Skill Set (choosing Athletics 4, Stealth 3 and Force 2). He also chooses Thematic Form, selecting the theme of "creatures of the night" so that he might become individual wolf, a squad of bats, a swarm of rats, and so on. To give himself a chance at keeping the animal form up outside of conflicts, he also picks the Persistent power.

During a conflict, Vexes gets trapped and wants to turn into a squad of bats to make his escape. He summons his skin. He has three action dice, two strike dice and one charge die. He spends the charge die to power the summoning, and his body explodes into a cloud of bats. His pools transfer to the skin. Vexes is already wounded, but to give his escape a better chance of success, he elects not to transfer them to the skin.

His opponents go after the bats. Unfortunately for Vexes, his Profane condition is transferred to the bats, and one of his opponents hits him with a Righteous Strike, dealing a wound. Fortunately, the bat squad gains the benefit of Vexes' Toughness power, so it has one wound left. On Vexes' action, he must make the skin act. With escape on his mind, Vexes' player asks the GM to create a goal for getting away. Vexes' has the skin use its Acrobatics skill and strike dice in an Achievement action, and succeeds in the goal, ending the conflict.

As per the Persistent power, since the skin is wounded, once the conflict ends, the skin automatically vanishes, and Vexes returns to normal. The skin never had use for the action dice, so they all get transferred back to Vexes. Other dice would be lost, but the skin used them all anyway. As the skin vanishes, Vexes takes the opportunity to transfer its wound onto himself. This makes him even more wounded, but fully heals the skin.

Influences

An influence personifies a lie. When an influence is bound, the summoner chooses a lie for it to enforce. When summoned, the eidolon is attached either to a target character, which it follows around, or to a specific area. Whenever anyone nearby behaves as if the lie is true, the eidolon may reward it, while anyone who acts as if the lie is false may be punished. Like other families of eidola, several genera of influences exist, divided on a mostly thematic level. Gamemasters may wish to restrict which types of characters can bond to a given genus of influence, which include:

• Those with close ties to heaven use astrological signs to make their own fate. The lies told by signs are usually those that the summoner wants to make true.
• Masters of deceit, raksha and others connected to the Wyld create glamours. The lies told by glamours are usually those a fair folk wants to make others believe, or at least act like they do.

Influences follow the rules of eidolon, except as follows:

• Influences have the Enlightened condition.
• Influences have the Immaterial condition and nothing can revoke this.
• An influence must be connected to some lie, chosen when a bond to the eidolon is created. The lie may be about the summoner (e.g. "I am the king of the world") or anyone else (e.g. "Harmonious Jade is a traitor").
• When the influence is summoned it is attached to a target. This target may be a character, or even a specific area.
• Anyone in the area of the influence will not doubt the lie unless it blatantly contradicts what is happening around them, or if they take a moment to really ponder it (i.e. make a maneuver).
• If the influence detects a maneuver that incorporates the lie as if it were true, it automatically spends an action die. This die, at the choice of the summoner, may either be added to the maneuver attempt or spent to activate a power which benefits the character(s) doing the maneuver and any of its allies. This power activation does not require an action to be spent by the influence.
• If the influence detects a maneuver that blatantly contradicts the lie, it may, at the choice of the summoner, spend an action die to activate a power which interferes with the character(s) doing the maneuver and any of its allies. This power activation does not require an action to be spent by the influence.
• If the influence's action pool reaches zero, it vanishes. It may be re-summoned normally.
• Influences can never learn strike or achievement powers or take strike or achievement actions.
• Influences can never take part in combined actions.
• Strike dice earned by the eidolon are converted to action dice.
• Influences can only use powers that target others when the lie is embraced or denied (as mentioned above).
• The summoner may give her action to the influence regardless of how much distance separates them.
• Influences remain in the world for prolonged periods of time. It stays attached to the target specified when initially summoned and does not need to be summoned at the beginning of a conflict. If the eidolon is defeated or banished, it returns once at least 1 of its wound circles is healed.
• The summoner may break the bond to an influence at any time. This influence immediately dissolves, as do any conditions it may have placed on targets. The summoner may then bind to a new influence.
• If the lie enforced by the influence ever actually becomes true, the influence dissolves, and the character bound to it may bind to a new influence.
• All players must be made aware of influences present in a scene, and what lie they are telling. This "metagame" knowledge is a big part of the way influences work, as it forces players to factor the ramifications of believing the lie or not into their planning. All characters in the scene are usually unaware of the lie, unless they can see Insubstantial targets.

Example: Chosen of Secrets Hammer in the Woods has a bond to the lie "I am the mortal court astrologer and chief administrator for Chiaroscuro's Tri-Kahn". She summoned it years ago and attached it to herself. This is a level 1 influence with three levels of Stamina, Blindness, Empower, two levels of Preternatural, the Subtlety skill and the Cowardly weakness, giving it an action pool maximum of 8 and a charm pool maximum of 4. At present, however, the influence's action pool has only two dice and its charge pool is empty.

A brawl breaks out in the Tri-Kahn's throne room. Playing the role of the court astrologer, Hammer decides to cower in fear, giving her action to the influence. Since the influence's only choice is to maneuver, Hammer's player describes the influence as settling (immaterially) around Hammer and giving off "nothing here but a lowly mortal" vibes. The influence uses one of its own action dice, supplemented by two from Hammer. Added to its skill dice, it rolls: 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9. These are all successes. Thanks to its Transcendent condition, the 8's and 9 become charge dice. The others would normally become four strike dice, but influences convert them into action dice instead.

Unfortunately for Hammer, one of the combatants has Essence Sight, so can see the Insubstantial influence. Seeing an opportunity to sow dissension in the Tri-Kahn's forces, the intruder calls Hammer out, saying "So, the 'court astrologer' isn't all that she seems", while closing the distance toward her. This is a maneuver which contradicts Hammer's lie. Hammer decides to spend one of the influence's action dice to activate its Blindess power on the interloper (even though the influence already acted this round). The influence spends two charge dice to power the effect, and the target gains the Blinded condition.

Example: Many years later, Hammer in the Woods is on an assignment to increase cattle production among the Atuis tribe of Southern cattlemen. She decides to break the bond to one of her influences and bind to a new one: "The Atuis are the most successful cattle breeders of all time". This is a level 2 influence with 10 powers, two levels of Stamina, one level of Preternatural, Mass Effect, Shield, Weaken and four levels of Charge Boost. She summons the influence and targets it on the tent of the Atuis leader. She then travels on her way, but over the next week, she manages to max out the influence's charge pool (8 charge dice) but only has 2 action dice remaining.

A week later, trouble is brewing in the Atuis camp: a young upstart is challenging the Atuis leader for control of the tribe. The two maneuver against each other, seeking support from the tribesmen. Factions develop, each a squad of loyalists to one of the two men. At one point, the leader says "are we not great cattle breeders?" and the influence takes notice, automatically spending an action die. While Hammer herself is not aware of any of this, Hammer's player chooses to activate the influence's power. The influence spends four charge dice to use Mass Effect Shield on the leader and his loyalists. On the next round, the upstart counters, saying "the gods did not intend us to ranch cattle like women! We are hunters!". The influence detects this, and Hammer's player decides to spend the influence's last action die to cast Mass Effect Weaken on the upstart and his followers. At this point, all of the influence's action dice are gone, so it goes back to its own world. While the conditions it created remain, and Hammer knows it is no longer summoned, Hammer is too far away to re-summon the influence to guide the conflict.

Example: Imperial raksha Erratic Threnody leads a force of fair folk into the scavenger lands. He has summoned a formidable glamour: "All will flee before the might of my army". This is a level 4 influence, with 16 powers: two levels of Preternatural, six levels of Charge Boost, four levels of Stamina, Mass Effect, Weakness, Slow, Power Block, with full pools (12 action dice, 10 charge dice). Threnody's army rides into a village defended by two terrestrial exalted, a squad of trained mortal troops, and a swarm of commoners. Since the influence wants people to flee, the GM decides to create a goal of "flee the battlefield"

When the swarm sees the imposing invaders, they decide to run. In order to do so, they must achieve the flee the battlefield goal, but they need strike dice to do so, and do not have any. They maneuver, signaling a retreat. This embraces the lie of the influence, so it automatically spends an action die. The influence has no other way to benefit the swarm (and, in any case, Threnody wants to use charge dice for other things), so the action die goes to helping the swarm's maneuver. One of the terrestrial exalted decides that he should go with the swarm, to protect them, so he makes a similar maneuver, costing the influence another action die. The squad goes next, taking a maneuver where they dramatically hold the line to cover the retreat of the others. This flies in the face of the lie the influence tells, so Threnody spends another of the influence's action dice to hurt the squad. It spends three charge dice to cast Mass Effect Weakness on the squad. The remaining terrestrial maneuvers against Threnody directly, so the raksha spends another of the influence's action dice, and two more charge dice to cast Power Block on the terrestrial.

Summary

A side-by-side reference of the differences in eidola families:

	Conjuration	Invocation	Skin	Influence
Powers at Level 0	4	2	4	4
Powers at each extra level	3	2	3	3
Summoner must give action to eidolon	no	yes	yes	no
Determined at binding time	All powers Form* Weakness	Half of powers	All powers Form* Weakness	All powers Form* Weakness
Determined at summoning time		Remaining powers Form
Power limits			Must take Auto Guard, Skill Set	Cannot take strike or achievement powers
Initial conditions	Enlightened	Enlightened	As summoner	Enlightened Immaterial
Action pool at summoning (not including summoning powers)	Full	Full	Transfered from summoner	Full
Strike pool at summoning (not including summoning powers)	Empty	1/sacrificed power	Transfered from summoner	Empty All earned strike dice become action dice
Charge pool at summoning (not including summoning powers)	Empty	1/two sacrificed powers	Transfered from summoner	Empty
May use summoner's	Action pool Strike pool Charge pool	Action pool Strike pool Charge pool	Passive powers Soulbound weapons	Action pool Charge pool
May be leader	no	no	yes	no
Breaking bonds	Difficult	On learning Empower Eidolon	Difficult	Easy

• The Thematic Form power may allow this choice to be made at summoning time.

Trinkets

Magical arms, armor and some other types of Exalted artifacts translate well into the Soulbound Weapon concept used in Anima Prime. Some other types of artifacts do not. While Ex′ retains the Soulbound Weapon concept, it adds a second method of handling magic items. Trinkets are magical artifacts which supply only narrative effects. Instead of having powers or effects and so on, ownership of a trinket just means that the player can narrate something they could not before. Some examples:

• A seashell that allows the character to breathe underwater.
• A pair of earrings enchanted such that anything said near one earring can be heard by the wearer of the other.
• A vehicle that can fly.
• An urn that can produce salt.
• A seed that grows into a tower.
• A doorknob that can be put on any door to change the door into a portal to another place.
• A whistle that causes nearby dead bodies to vanish into the ground.
• A key that can open any door.
• Clothing that can transform into any color and style
• A collar that tames any animal
• A bell that prevents lies from being told for five minutes after it is rung.

None of these items fit into Anima Prime mechanisms, but items like this are fairly common in Exalted stories. In Ex′, trinkets provide a way of character advancement, awarded as the story progresses. Characters can have any number of trinkets, though it is recommended that starting characters have none. Trinkets cost nothing to use.

Trinkets may come with usage restrictions, such as "only during a full moon" or "three times per day". Some trinkets may also be consumable (e.g. a potion that lets you read all languages for a day).

Note that the name "trinket" shouldn't be considered a comment on power level. Some trinkets might be extremely powerful. For example, an orb that can destroy a city is basically a narrative device, with a destructive capability far beyond the conflict rules. But since it is just a narrative device, it is a trinket.

Trinkets in scenes

Trinkets most often effect character scenes, where they provide narrative choices and story fodder. For example, using a "seed that grows into a tower" might be used at the start of a scene, framing the whole thing. Or, perhaps characters are looking for a trinket, so a whole scene is based around doing research to find it. Similarly, trinkets can be used during maneuvers, providing color to descriptions or inspiring the whole notion behind the maneuver in the first place.

During conflicts, trinkets can also come into play through a conflict scene's goals. For example, consider the "collar that tames any animal", above. If the characters want to use that collar to tame, say, a golden tiger that might not otherwise be tamable, the GM might create a "put taming collar on golden tiger" goal during a conflict in the tiger's lair. Or, suppose there is a high-difficulty goal on a scene of "tame the wyld horse", the use of the collar might convince the GM to drastically lower the difficulty of an achievement to attain that goal. Goals might also be instated over possession or theft of a trinket.

Trinkets and soulbound weapons

Soulbound weapons may also have, or perhaps develop, trinket-like, narrative-only powers. Such abilities do not require effect slots or powers, just an agreement by the GM. Really, the GM awarding a trinket that allows a player to say X, and the GM awarding a narrative power that allows a player to say X to that player's soulbound weapon are almost the same. The player can just narrate doing X either way. The only real difference is that the player can trade away the trinket, but can't trade away her soulbound weapon.

Trinkets and arcane threads

When the Arcane Thread power (see below) is used to connect two characters, a single tricket is created. This trinket, called a fetish, represents the connection. Typically the fetish provides some narrative power to the person holding it, but only if they are part of its arcane thread. Even though there are two sides to a connection, only one fetish is created, so those involved in making the connection must decide who carries it.

A fetish that connects a person with a manse is called a hearthstone. The narrative power it provides usually has something to do with the nature of the manse.

Powers

Changes to Existing Powers

The following powers from Anima Prime have been altered in Ex′:

• Banishment: changed (see below) to affect only conjurations
• Gate Sense: altered (see below) to match the Exalted setting.
• Skipping: removed
• Spontaneous Gating: removed

Passive Powers

Arcane Thread
Your character is mystically connected to another character (who must have an Arcane Thread back to you). When the connected character activates a charge power, you may supply a single charge die to the character to feed that charge power. This die is transferred regardless of the distance that separates the characters, but you may only send at most one die through the connection each round. This power is most often used to link to a manse. (Unless there are reasons to think otherwise, assume that manses start any conflict with half of their charge pool.) The connected characters maintain a rough idea of each other's emotional state if they choose to. All arcane threads generate a trinket called a fetish (see Trinkets, above), which represents the connection (this is a hearthstone in the case of links to manses, and usually some small token for other kinds). The fetish may, with difficulty, be destroyed to sever the thread (typically the GM will create a goal to represent this). Also, either party may voluntarily sever the link using a character scene, shattering the fetish as the scene's benefit. In some cases, such by tinkering with a manse, it may be possible for others to force the thread to be severed by other means. When a thread is severed, the characters retain the Arcane Thread power. The make keep the thread unattached as long as they, in which case the power provides no benefit, or they may use a character scene to connect the thread to another character with an unattached Arcane Thread power. The thread connects as the benefit of the scene for both characters, creating a new fetish.

Arcane Gestalt
Your may use your Arcane Thread power to make connections to more than one character at a time, wrapping these connections into a single fetish. While the fetish remains, all the characters connected by it may transfer charge dice as if they all had Arcane Threads with each other. You may form multiple distinct "networks" of threads, each with their own fetish, if desired. Usually, no character in a gestalt can transfer more than one of their own charge die per round. An exception to this is when the holder of the fetish leads a combined achievement. In this case, members of the gestalt may funnel as many charge dice to the leader as they like. Essentially, members can all fuel the leader's charge powers for the achievement. If the leader also has the Leadership power, members may transfer as many dice as they like to each other. Again, all transferred dice must be used on the round in which they are transferred.

Elsewhere
You have the ability to transfer items to and from Elsewhere at will. Items must be in physical contact with you when they appear or disappear, and living beings cannot be transferred. This power may be taken up to three times. The first time, you are limited to transferring small items, such as ammunition, small hand weapons, coins, etc. The second time, you may also transfer Soulbound Weapons and gain more nuanced control (such as instantly replacing the clothing you are wearing with a new set). The third time, you may transfer very large items, such as vehicles, small huts, etc.

Essence Sight
You can see the flows of magic. You may see characters with the Immaterial condition. When describing a maneuver against an eidolon, you gain one bonus die. You also pays one less charge die when activating the Banishment, Counterspell and Rejection powers.

Integrity
You may enter the Wyld without being subject to its mutating effects. You are also immune to any powers used by influences and add 1 to your defense against characters with the Wyld condition.

Gate Sense
You can sense connections to other planes, such as shadowlands, Yu-Shan gates and spirit sanctums. You can spend one character scene to find a gate and, if you have the ability, enter it at the end of the scene. That means you don't get any of the other benefits of a character scene, but any characters with you can enter the gate and still claim a benefit for the scene. This power cannot be used during conflicts.

Resistance to Vitriol
Your defense counts as 3 points higher against vitriol-backed strikes (charged or weapon effect).

Warflight
You have some means of highly maneuverable flying. While in the air, the character gains the Aerobatic condition.

Charge Powers

Ambition
Type: Achievement
Cost: 1 Charge Dice
Effect: On this achievement roll, fours are treated as successes.

Assertion
Type: Strike
Cost: 1 Charge Die
Effect: This power adds 3 bonus dice to a strike against a target with the Wyld condition. This power does not work on squads or swarms (but can be made to with Mass Effect).

Banishment
Type: Action
Cost: 2 plus Target Eidolon Level in Charge Dice
Effect: This power must be directed against a conjuration, who is thereby automatically banished. This means that the eidolon vanishes with all of its wound circles marked. This power is costlier for higher-level eidola. For example, banishing a level 4 conjuration costs 6 charge dice.

Counterspell
Type: Action
Cost: 1 plus Target Eidolon Level in Charge Dice
Effect: This power must be directed against an invocation, which has all of its wound circles filled with slights. The causes the invocation to immediately vanish, though, since the slights immediately heal, it could be resummoned immediately. This power is costlier for higher-level eidola. For example, banishing a level 4 eidolon costs 5 charge dice.

Cross
Type: Action
Cost: 3 Charge Dice
Effect: If the character has the Immaterial condition, it is removed. If the character does not have the Immaterial condition, she gains it.

Daisycutter
Type: Strike
Cost: 2 Charge Die
Effect: Add four bonus dice to a strike on a target with the Mundane condition.

Grounding
Type: Strike
Cost: 2 Charge Die
Effect: This power allows a strike to hit any character with the Immaterial condition that the character can perceive. If this attack deals a wound, the Immaterial condition is removed. This power does not work on squads or swarms (but can be made to with Mass Effect).

Invigoration
Type: Action
Cost: 3 Charge Die per wound
Effect: One or more wounds on a target eidolon are changed to slights. An eidolon with this power may target itself. This power may not be used on a Diseased target.

Ravage
Type: Strike
Cost: 1 Charge Die
Effect: For each wound this strike would inflict, the character may instead steal up to three charge dice from the target. This strike may not be augmented with elemental effects (e.g. Blaze, etc.). This power does not work on squads or swarms (but can be made to with Mass Effect).

Rejection
Type: Action
Cost: 3 plus Target Eidolon Level in Charge Dice
Effect: This power must be directed against an influence, which is thereby automatically banished. This means that the eidolon vanishes with all of its wound circles marked. This power is costlier for higher-level eidola. For example, banishing a level 4 eidolon costs 7 charge dice.

Righteousness
Type: Strike
Cost: 1 Charge Die
Effect: This power adds 3 bonus dice to a strike against a target with the Profane condition. This power does not work on squads or swarms (but can be made to with Mass Effect).

Vigor
Type: Strike
Cost: 1 Charge Dice
Effect: On this strike roll, fours are treated as successes.

Vitriol
Type: Boost
Cost: 3 Charge Dice
Effect: This power adds 2 bonus dice to the effect of an elemental strike power (Blaze, Chain Lightning, Firestorm, Frost Spikes, Ice Hurricane, Zap) and allows the strike to ignore the effects of any resistance to the element the target may have. For example, if used to boost Blaze against a target with Resistance to Fire, the target would not get the extra defense from that power. If the target had the Resistance to Vitriol power, she would get its benefit. This power can only be activated by those with the Profane condition.

Zeal
Type: Maneuver
Cost: 1 Charge Dice
Effect: On this maneuver roll, fours are treated as successes, earning strike dice.

Summoning Powers

Summoning powers remain as per Anima Prime, with the following additions:

Extended Influence
Effect: The character may have two bound influences summoned at the same time, rather than just one. The summoner may only give her action to one influence at a time.

Skin Channeling
Effect: Skins summoned by the character may activate the summoner's charge powers as their own. Each time the skin uses a power of their summoner, it costs one additional charge die to activate.

Strider Pilot
Effect: This power allows the character to sidestep some of the restrictions for binding to a particular type of eidolon: strider skins. The character may (by purchase of Open Bond) bind to a strider of any level, regardless of how many levels of Empower Eidolon the character has. This power is not required to pilot a strider skin if the character otherwise qualifies to do so. If, however, use of this power is the only way the character qualifies to bind to it, the skin is summoned with the Hexed condition.

Soulbound Weapon Effects

Soulbound devices function as per Anima Prime rules. The one exception is the Pneumatic effect, which does not exist in Ex′. Some additional effects are also available:

[1] Amplifier
Invocations you summon arrive with the Empowered condition.

[1] Axiomatic
Your strikes against targets with the Wyld condition gain two bonus dice.

[1] Focus
Invocations cost you 1 less charge die to summon.

[1] Ghostly
Your strikes may hit characters with the Immaterial condition.

[1] Holy
Your strikes against targets with the Profane condition gain two bonus dice.

[1] Iron Aura
You are protected from the Wyld as if you had the Integrity power.

[1] Tainted
Your strikes are backed by vitriol. Any elemental effects of your strikes ignore resistance to that element. This effect only functions you have the Profane condition.

[2] Counterer
After you inflict a wound on an invocation (recorded as normal), any remaining wound circles it has are filled with slights. This causes the invocation to immediately vanish. Since slights heal when an invocation vanishes, it could be resummoned immediately.

[2] Surge
Invocations you summon choose an additional power when called. This power may be sacrificed for dice, just as the invocations normal powers can.

[3] Banisher
When you inflict a wound on an conjuration, it is automatically banished. This means that the eidolon vanishes with all of its wound circles marked. (This replaces the version of this power from Anima Prime.)

[3] Warflight
You gain the ability to fly and the Aerobatic condition when you use it.

Character Creation

Creating a character in Ex′ follows much the same path as detailed in Anima Prime:

1. Pick a name and concept
2. Pick a passion from those listed in the Passions section, below
3. Pick three character traits
4. Choose three skills, following the advice in the Skills section, below
5. Choose a template, listed in the Templates section, below.
6. Record basic stats, as instructed by the template.
7. In addition to the powers provided by the template, select seven additional powers. Some gamemasters may wish to limit the powers available to certain templates.
8. Pick backgrounds and links
9. Plant a character seed

All of this follows the rules in Anima Prime, except where indicated in the following sections.

Passions

The list of passions (Anima Prime, pg. 25) available to characters is replaced by the following:

Bloodlust
The character revels in dealing out pain.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die for every wound you inflict on an opponent.

Compassion
The character cares deeply about other people. She puts them first, even if that places her in danger.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time one of your fellow PCs takes 1 or more wounds from a strike. You still gain this bonus if you took a wound that another PC would have suffered (using Awesome Tokens or Guard, for example).

Connoisseur
The character enjoys the finer things in life, and has a discerning eye. She appreciates moments of transcendent beauty and awe.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice when you witness someone other than yourself being awarded an Awesome Token.

Conviction
The character is dedicated to her goal and will not be denied.
Trigger: Whenever you spend charge dice on charge powers for a Strike or Achievement, and that strike or achievement fails (after using traits, if any), you get to keep those charge dice rather than discarding them.

Cunning
The character takes pride in cleverness and achievement.
Trigger: Whenever you single-handedly achieve a goal, gain a number of charge dice equal to half the goal's difficulty.

Fear
The character is driven by fear. She is afraid of getting hurt and tries to avoid being a target, but the more she gets cornered, the more she will lash out.
Trigger: At the beginning of a conflict (or at the beginning of any of your later turns if you forgot to do this), determine the enemy you’re most afraid of. Gain 1 charge die every time this enemy either earns an Awesome Token with a maneuver or makes a strike roll against you or any of your allies.

Harmony
The character admires coordination and unity, aiming to work in connection allies.
Trigger: Whenever you gift dice to someone else's action, and that action succeeds, gain 1 charge die.

Glory
This character revels in victory and achievements.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice each time you inflict a defeating wound on an opponent. In addition, if you are the one who inflicts the defeating wound on the last enemy in a conflict, you get to keep all of your charge dice instead of just half (including the 2 you just earned). You do not gain these benefits for your eidolon’s actions, if you have any.

Leadership
The character likes to be in charge, and takes pleasure in helping her allies succeed.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die if a combined maneuver or achievement you lead succeeds. If you gift dice to another character's action, and that action generates an Awesome Token, gain 1 charge die.

Love
This passion is aimed at a particular other person. It can be a romantic interest, a family member, or someone else who is very close to the character (but it must be a PC). The love does not have to be requited.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time an opponent makes a strike roll against your loved one, and another charge die for every wound that that character receives. You still gain this bonus if you took wounds or were the target of strikes that your loved one would have suffered (using Awesome Tokens or Guard, for example).

Mettle
The character takes pride in enduring hardship and overcoming adversity.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die every time an opponent makes a strike roll against you, whether it’s successful or not, and every time an opponent inflicts one or more conditions on you.

Self-Loathing The character hates some part of herself, but doesn’t necessarily have a death wish. She purposely puts herself in dangerous situations and revels in pain.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice for each wound that you take.

Succor
The character reveres teamwork, and strives to be a good teammate.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die if a combined maneuver or achievement you take part in, but do not lead, succeeds. If you gift dice to another character's action, and that action generates an Awesome Token, gain 1 charge die.

Style
The character favors style over substance, and favors style generating substance even more.
Trigger: Gain 2 charge dice any time you are awarded an Awesome Token. If awarded this Token for a maneuver before even rolling your dice, gain an additional charge die.

Temperance
The character shuns impulsive actions strives to maintain self-control.
Trigger: Gain 1 charge die any time you have multiple strike dice in your pool, but use your action to maneuver instead.

Vengeance
The character has been wronged by someone and seeks revenge. You need to name a specific NPC against whom you’ve sworn vengeance (your nemesis), and the faction to whom he or she belongs. This is a powerful drive forward for the character.
Trigger: You gain 1 charge die at the beginning of any conflict and 1 charge die for every wound that you take. If one or more of the enemies you face belong to your nemesis’ faction, your gain instead is 2 charge dice at the beginning of the conflict and 2 charge dice for every wound that you take (this includes fighting your nemesis with other PCs on your side). If you face your nemesis all by yourself, you gain 3 charge dice at the beginning of the conflict and 3 charge dice for every wound that you take.

Valor
The character admires courage, and strives to demonstrate it when facing danger.
Trigger: You gain 1 charge die at the beginning of any conflict, 2 if outnumbered (counting squads and swarms as single opponents). Whenever you spend charge dice on charge powers for an achievement on your own, you retain 1 charge die for each success rolled (up to the number of charge dice spent), whether the roll succeeded or not.

Skills

Skills in Anima Prime are used only during conflicts (for maneuvers and achievements). Consequently the (already sub-optimal) skill list in Exalted doesn't map particularly well into the system. Since, as the rules mention, "you might have to come up with various uses of the skill a couple of times every conflict", Ex′ functions better with a different skill system. But, the one in Anima Prime isn't ideal either. It is suggested that groups follow a more freeform skill concept where possible. If you really need a list of skills, this one might do (presented with minimal explanation):

• Athletics: running and jumping and lifting
• Audacity: boldness, guts, recklessness, temerity, balls, gall
• Control: riding horses, taming animals, steering vehicles, mastering puppets
• Craft: making things, dismantling things, analyzing construction, tool use
• Deception: double talk, cheating, dirty tricks, feinting, deviousness, guile
• Force: raw physical power, the direct approach, breaking things, intimidation
• Endurance: grit, tenacity, determination, integrity, will
• Grace: balance, flowing motion, elegance, poise
• Lore: armed with facts, well-briefed, knows just what to do
• Luck: improbable acts, coincidence, right place at the right time
• Manipulation: persuading, convincing, taunting, empathizing
• Martial Arts: fighting unarmed or with hand weapons
• Occult: applied magic, magical tricks, magic items & tools
• Ordnance: heavy weapons, destructive devices, war machines
• Perception: spacial awareness, finding weaknesses, noticing patterns
• Presence: battlefield command, morale building, inspiration
• Quickness: raw speed, getting there first, outrunning, impulsiveness
• Ranged: shooting, throwing, judging distance
• Stealth: sneaking, spying, hiding, ambushing, concealing
• Subtlety: delicacy, the indirect approach, minimal effort, slight of hand

Marks

All characters who use charge powers are marked in some way; however, in Ex′, the intensity of the mark reflects how many dice are in the character's charge pool. As dice are added to the charge pool, the mark becomes more and more noticeable. Once activated, marks remain intense for a little while, slowly fading over the next hour or two. The intensity works like a "high water mark", ratcheting up only when the total dice in the pool reach a level not seen before in the scene. Note that marks only activate or increase when new charge dice are earned during conflict scenes, not retained or spent.

Some marks are more intense than others, and some may grant characters a passive power when they reach a certain intensity. While this varies for each template (see below), these power activates when the charge pool first reaches as certain size, then remains until the end of the conflict. The power stacks with the charcater's powers, if appropriate. Importantly, the mark power may exceed limits when stacking. If the character already has the power provided by the mark, and no stacking can be done, the mark power has no effect.

Templates

It is suggested that every character in Ex′ choose a template. The template defines three things for the character:

• Basic stats. In most cases, these will be "standard": 3 wound circles, an action pool with a maximum of 10 action dice, an empty charge pool with a maximum of 6 charge dice, and a defense of 2. A few templates, however, use different basic stats.
• Templates apply permanent Conditions to the character.
• Templates receive some free powers, in addition to the seven powers they select themselves.
• A template's Mark describes how marks work for the character. This will include the mark's style, mark power (if any), and how the mark power is activated. The character should still customize the mark, with the confines of the template.

The templates have been constructed to at least hint at the various dichotomies niches of the various types of characters in Exalted. You may want to alter or ignore them for your game.

Abyssal Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated, Profane
Free powers: Life Drain, Vampiric Strike
Mark: A caste symbol on the forehead begins to bleed at 3 charge dice. At 5 dice, the character gains an anima banner with sickly colors, which intensify as the pool increases. At 6 dice, the anima becomes iconic, and the mark power activates. The mark power depends on caste, chosen at the time the template is selected:

• Dusk: Maneuver Boost
• Midnight: Achievement Boost
• Daybreak: Resilience
• Day: No mark power; however, their mark does not activate at all until their charge pool reaches maximum dice.
• Moonshadow: Squad Tactics

Alchemical Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened
Free powers: Soulbound Weapon, Improved Grip, Soulsmith
Mark: Alchemicals have a soulgem, and usually have obviously artificial parts in their bodies (their soulbound weapon). Arcs of essence crackle around the soul gem at 2 charge dice. At 3 dice, the character glows with electrical colors, which intensify as the pool increases. At 6 dice, the anima becomes iconic, and the mark power activates. The mark power allows the alchemical's soulbound weapon to act as if it had one or more additional effects:

• Orichalcum: Shock Aura, Shining
• Moonsilver: Haste
• Jade: Protection, Toxin Immunity
• Starmetal: Area Strike, Multi Strike
• Soulsteel: Weakening
• Adamant: Elemental Force, Protection

Automaton

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened
Free powers: Body Resistance, Soul Resistance
Mark: Automaton are obviously magitech constructs. They have no mark power.

Dragon King

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened
Free powers: Force Attack
Mark: The lizard-like features of the dragon kings are unmistakable. Their mark power is constantly active, based on their breed:

• Anklok: Toughness
• Mosok: Resilience
• Pterok: Warflight
• Raptok: Strike Boost

Fair Folk Commoner

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened, Wyld
Free powers: Ravage
Mark: Fair Folk can appear human, but often choose not to. Once reaching 4 charge dice, they are unable to hide a feral, unnatural nature. They have no mark powers.

Fair Folk Noble

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated, Wyld
Free powers: Ravage, Summoning
Mark: Fair Folk can appear human, but often choose not to. When human looking, they often appear a little too perfect. Once reaching 4 charge dice, they are unable to hide a chaotic, dreadful nature. They have no mark powers.

Ghost

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened, Immaterial
Free powers: none
Mark: Ghosts are instantly recognizable as ghosts. Ghosts have no mark power.

God

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated
Free powers: Cross
Mark: Gods usually instantly recognizable as gods, but their actual marks are unique to each god. Gods have no mark power.

Hero

Basic stats: 3 wound circles, an action pool with a maximum of 8 action dice, an empty charge pool with a maximum of 4 charge dice, and a defense of 1.
Conditions: Mundane
Free powers: none
Mark: none

Infernal Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated, Profane
Free powers: Heroics, Weaken
Mark: A caste symbol on the forehead begins to shine at 3 charge dice. At 5 dice, the character gains an anima banner with demonic colors, which intensify as the pool increases. At 6 dice, the anima becomes iconic, and the mark power activates. The mark power depends on caste, chosen at the time the template is selected:

• Slayer: Maneuver Boost
• Malefactor: Strike Boost
• Defiler: Resilience
• Scourge: No mark power; however, their mark does not activate at all until their charge pool reaches maximum dice.
• Fiend: Tactical Maneuvering

Lunar Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated
Free powers: Open Bond (must be to a skin), Summoning
Mark: A caste symbol on the forehead begins to shine at 3 charge dice. At 4 dice, the character gains an anima banner with silvery colors, which intensify as the pool increases. At 6 dice, the anima becomes iconic, and the mark power activates. The mark power depends on caste, chosen at the time the template is selected:

• Full Moon: Strike Boost
• Changing Moon: Maneuver Boost
• No Moon: Achievement Boost

Manse

Basic stats: 5 wound circles (representing its ability to function as a manse, not necessarily its structural integrity), an action pool with a maximum of 2 action dice, an empty charge pool with a maximum of 2 charge dice, and a defense of 2.
Conditions: Transcendent
Free powers: Arcane Link, Empower, Brighten
Mark: Manses are obviously magical buildings. They have no mark power.

Mortal

Basic stats: 2 wound circles, an action pool with a maximum of 6 action dice, an empty charge pool with a maximum of 2 charge dice, and a defense of 1.
Conditions: Mundane
Free powers: none
Mark: none

Mountain Folk

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened
Free powers: Soulbound Weapon, Multisoul
Mark: The fae-like features of the jadeborn are unmistakable. They have no mark power.

Sidereal Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated
Free powers: Zeal, Quicken
Mark: A caste symbol on the forehead begins to shine at 4 charge dice and the mark power activates. At 5 dice, the character gains a subtle anima banner. The celestial colors of the anima intensify slightly as the pool increases, growing bright enough to read by at 6 dice. The mark power depends on caste, chosen at the time the template is selected:

• Journeys: Squad Tactics
• Serenity: Body Resistance
• Battle: Leadership
• Secrets: Soul Resistance
• Endings: Tactical Maneuvering

Solar Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Illuminated
Free powers: Ambition, Heroics
Mark: A caste symbol on the forehead begins to shine at 3 charge dice. At 5 dice, the character gains an anima banner with brilliant colors, which intensify as the pool increases. At 6 dice, the anima becomes iconic, and the mark power activates. The mark power depends on caste, chosen at the time the template is selected:

• Dawn: Maneuver Boost
• Zenith: Achievement Boost
• Twilight: Resilience
• Night: No mark power; however, their mark does not activate at all until their charge pool reaches maximum dice.
• Eclipse: Squad Tactics

Terrestrial Exalted

Basic stats: Standard
Conditions: Enlightened
Free powers: Elemental Surge, Super Combo Strike
Mark: Skin tone may reflect elemental heritage. As charge dice are earned, the character's element radiates out in increasing intensity. At 2 charge dice, the mark power activates.

• Air: Resistance to Frost
• Earth: Resilience
• Fire: Resistance to Fire
• Water: Maneuver Boost
• Wood: Body Resistance