Braydz/Houserules2

Character Creation

These are little things but I think they work nicely. It's all about making the character you want to play, but also making sure there's room for growth.

• Attributes: Total the number of Attribute points given for the type of character you're making and distribute them among all nine Attributes, putting no more than the highest priority number and no less than the lowest priority number in each group (Physical, Social and Mental).

Example: A Solar character starts with 18 points to distribute between all nine attributes (4+6+8=18), putting no fewer than 4 in each group and no more than 8.

• Abilities: Characters may have only one Ability at 5 even after Freebies.
• Virtues: A character may not have more than 4 in any Virtue even after Freebies.
• Essence: No character may start with more than 3 Essence.
• Charms: Creation is a dangerous place and the Exalted were created as a warrior body. While not a requirement, every character should have at least one "attack" Charm and one "defensive" Charm. If you don't have an "attack" Charm, have two "defensive" Charms.
• Spells: A character may choose a Spell in place of a Charm. No more than half (rounded down) of a character's starting Charms may be switched for Spells.
• Procedures/Rituals:
  • Characters without degrees in Thaumaturgical Arts start with a number of Procedures equal to their Occult rating. This includes 0-Degree Rituals.
  • Characters with degrees in an Art start with a number of Rituals equal to Occult+Degrees in addition to all 0-Degree Rituals of each Art possessed, and may buy additional Rituals at 3/1 Freebie which are interchangeable with Procedures.

• Permitted Character Types
  • Heroic Mortals (Come on, you know you want to...)
  • Half-Caste & God-Blooded (Humans with a spiritual heritage)
  • Dragon-Blooded
  • Lunar Exalted
  • Solar Exalted
  • Anything with my approval (but you'll have to work for it).

General/Miscellaneous

• Stunted static values including defenses assume that each die is a success.
• Fractional Mental Defense Values round up for Heroic characters, like all other derived values.
• Speed may not be reduced below 3. For each point that an effect would have reduced Speed below 3, the user instead gains +1 Rate. (Conrad Hubbard)
• Sustained clinches are modified as follows:
  • No participant is rendered Inactive.
  • All characters participating in a clinch take a -3 DV penalty in addition to any other DV penalties, and cannot use Parry DV (except for the use of Stunts and magic, and as noted below).
  • When a character is a participant in a Clinch at the beginning of their action they may only Guard or attempt a Clinch action (Strength or Dexterity + Martial Arts vs. target's Clinch Parry DV).
  • A Clinch Parry DV is [(better of Strength or Dexterity) + Martial Arts]/2. Clinch Parry DV is not subject to the general -3 DV Penalty incurred by participating in a Clinch, and is only usable while in a sustained Clinch to resist Clinch attacks.
  • If an attack from a non-participant misses the intended target when that target is engaged in a clinch compare the same attack roll to the DV of the other character participating in the clinch (if more than two characters are participating the attack targets the character with the lowest DV among all other participants).
• An Exalt in the throes of Limit Break cannot suppress their Primary Virtue for the duration.
• An Exalt in the throes of an uncontrolled Limit Break cannot fail rolls of their Primary Virtue for the duration.
• The XP-cost reduction of Caste/Favored Abilities also applies to Specialties in that Ability, making the cost 2 XP/dot.
• A character can have 3 or (Ability rating) dots of Specialties in an Ability, whichever is greater, however no more than 3 dice from Specialties may be added to any one roll.
• The differentiations between Crafts adhere too much to the literal considering the divisions made. Try this instead:
  • Craft: Earth; masonry, architecture, carpentry, anything utilitarian or that would be a structure
  • Craft: Wood; anything having to do with growing things, from bonzais to livestock, as well as goods based on such things like cloth, rope and cooking and simple every-day items
  • Craft: Water; what one would generally think of as chemistry or rooted in chemistry, though not Alchemy: tanning as well as dying leather, soaps, basic acids

The crafts are only so broad as is reasonable; a farmer knows how to make basic repairs to his tools and fences, and a baker need not worry about understanding the intricate chemical dance going on in the oven. Characters with a Craft often focus on only one aspect or application of the whole field, i.e. Specialty points in tanning, bonzai, weaponsmithing, etc.

• A character with Degrees in an Art buys Rituals for that Art at 1/1 XP in-game, automatically gaining additional Rituals equal to their Occult rating with every Degree learned in-game.
• Enlightened Humans have an Essence pool of EssenceX5 + WillpowerX2
• An Enlightened Mortal, including God-Blooded and Half-Castes, has free access to a number of motes equal to their Willpower. Access to motes beyond this amount costs 1 WP and lasts a scene.
• SeeBraydz/Esoterica2 andBraydz/Wonders2

Solars

• A Solar gains Limit from suppressing any Virtue rated at 3 or higher, not just their Primary Virtue.
• The anima-ability of a Night-Caste Solar costs 5m and activates automatically at the 11+motes anima-banner level. Note that stealth is impossible at this anima-banner level, so the increased difficulty to perceive the Exalt is replaced with the identity-obscuring power given in the Core rulebook. The increased difficulty to track the Exalt if unaffected by the stealth prohibition imposed by appropriate anima-banner displays.
• The anima-ability of a Twilight-Caste Solar reduces the levels of damage done to them by (Essence/2) rounded up per attack for the remainder of the Scene.

Lunars

• At character creation Lunars get 1 Knack and 8 Charms which may be substituted for more Knacks.
• Knacks cost 4 freebies/10 XP each.
• Lunar Exalted may benefit from Attribute and Ability Specialties on the same roll, but never more than 3 dice of Specialties on one roll.

Terrestrials

• Characters starting with a Celestial-level Martial Art get two appropriate initiation Charms and 5 Charms from their chosen style.
• Dragon-Blooded pay no "elemental surcharge" on Charms associated with their Favored Abilities.
• Dragon-Blooded may do any of the following at the cost of 1 mote per effect: cause their anima to glow brightly enough to read by for one scene in a color appropriate to their aspect (Water-Aspects glow deep blue), know the direction to their corresponding elemental pole.
• The anima abilities of the Dragon-Blooded activate automatically when their anima banner reaches the 11+ mote level.
• The Earth-Aspect anima ability bonus to resist KB does not stack with the bonus to all Stamina rolls.
• The damage from the Fire-Aspect anima ability does not add to the raw damage of an attack. It is rolled as a separate additional damage pool only if the attack inflicts damage normally.
• The Fire-Aspect anima ability grants a bonus to Soak against non-magical fires equal to (Essence) in addition to its stated effects.
• The poison inflicted by the Wood-Aspect anima ability has the following characteristics: Damage (Essence[[Braydz/Minute]]; Toxicity (Essence); Tolerance (None); Penalty –[(Essence)/2], rounded up.
• Five-Dragon Style is 'elementally neutral,' so no Dragon-Blood pays an out-of-aspect surcharge.
• Knowing Five-Dragon Style at character creation requires a character to have studied at a monastery, such as the Cloister of Wisdom, and there-by have the Ability scores that indicate such an education.

Supernatural Martial Arts

• See:Braydz/MartialArts2

Original Pages

Braydz/CharacterCreation I know, I'm picky. Braydz/AnimaPowers2 Just a few old tweaks.