GoldenCat/LunarMechanics

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Mechanics

Attribute Charms

None of a Lunar's Charms may add more dice to the Lunar's pool than the attribute governing his action. In some instances, a different attribute may add to one action, but then the limit of dice added is equal to the governing attribute, not the one being added by Charms.(So if someone with Perception 6, Dexterity 5 made an Ranged attack that receives a bonus equal to the Lunar's Perception, only 5 dice would be added.)

Lunars may freely combo all of their attribute-based Charms as if they were part of the same 'ability', with exception for combos that would not make sense(such as an Extra Action that expressely only works with combat actions comboed being comboed with a Social Simple Charm).

Lunars possess 9 dice-Adders, 9 success-converters, one for every attribute.

The dice-adders require (attribute) 1 and Essence 1, the success-converters require (attribute) 2, Essence 2 and the corresponding dice-adder. They can only add or convert dice up to the Lunar's attribute. They cost each 1 mote per die added or converted.

With greater Essence, the Lunars receive greater options - 9 charms that add their attribute in dice to one action, and 9 charms that convert all attribute dice in the roll into automatic successes. The Charm that adds the Lunar's full attribute requires (attribute) 3 and Essence 3, and the charm that converts all of the Lunar's pool requires (attribute) 4 and Essence 4. They cost 4 motes, both.

  • The Dice-Adders are named Silver-Soul's (Attribute).
    • They cost 1 mote per die added.
    • They have no prerequisites.
  • The Success-Converters are named (Attribute) of the Moon-Kissed
    • They cost 1 mote per die converted.
    • They have the corresponding Silver-Soul's (Attribute) as a prerequisite.
  • Those that add the Lunar's full attribute are named Overwhelming Lunar (Attribute)
    • They cost 4 motes to add tHe full attribute in dice.
    • They require the corresponding (Attribute) of the Moon-Kissed as a prerequisite.
  • Those that convert the Lunar's full attribute are named Unparalled Lunar (Attribute)
    • They cost 4 motes to convert all attribute dice into automatic successes.
    • They require the corresponding Overwhelming Lunar (Attribute) as a prerequisite.
  • They are all Instant and Supplemental, obeying all rules for such charms.
  • Strength-dice adding can be used to increase damage in a strike.
  • Strength-Converting Charms can be used to convert damage dice into successes, up to the Lunar's strength as usual.

Natural Shapeshifters

Of all the Exalted, Lunars are those that are changed the most. When one becomes a Lunar, one's body becomes protean. The Lunar receives a Tell, as his identity shifts. The Lunar receives Favored Attributes, and no longer favors abilities. The Lunar becomes as much a beast as a human.

Lunars have some advantages from this - they are always considered to be omnidextrious, able to use even their feet as as readily as most use their right hands. They are also able to regenerate severed limbs naturally - to know how long it takes to heal, treat it as simple an aggravated injury, a -0 for an eye or ear, -1 for a hand, and -2 for a whole limb.

As Natural Shapeshifters, Lunars also have quite a protean nature on charms. They are personal things, modified according to their whims. A Lunar may pick a Charm that gives a striking appearance as a peacock's plumage, great butterfly or moth wings, a resplendent mane or stripes. May use a charm that creates a scorpion's tail to simulate a wasp's stinger or even a natural lance. A single Lunar may do all that, changing imagery and style to the moment.

Abilities

Never favoring abilities, Lunars always pay 13 experience points for Martial Arts Charms, and may combo them with their native Charms(But with usual ability restrictions, and so, only with their Reflexive Charms, or vice versa).

Martial Arts are also patterns made for human forms, not animals. Lunars simply cannot use Martial Arts Charms while in their animal forms(with few exceptions, such as using Tiger Form in the shape of a Tiger). Lunars may learn Sidereal Martial Arts like any other Celestial Exalt, but it requires an even greater finesse of essence, incurring on a penalty equal to the Essence minima of the Martial Arts Charm used when the Martial Artist uses it on Hybrid Forms(and this penalty applies to all actions when the Martial Artist is using a Sidereal Martial Arts Form. It also applies to any animal form that for some reason is an exception and resonates with the Martial Art, likes spiders and Charcoal March).


Shapeshifting

Lunars may take the shape of any creature they have tasted the Heart's Blood of. There are no restrictions about its size. In that shape, they receive the natural abilities of the beast - those are Mutations applied to the Lunar's base statistics. However, any attribute bonus given by those Mutations is not counted for the purposes of the Lunar's Charms - those are not the Lunar's natural ratings. Human Forms and other humanoid ones do add mutations, but also substitute make the Lunar substitute ger Strength, Dexterity, Stamina and Appearance with the Form's.

To shapeshift is a Simple Action, costing 1 mote + the Mutation Point Cost of the creature the Lunar is turning into.

Shapeshifting does not count as a Charm Use.

Different animal forms' stats are seen in the sample animals, above. A transformed Lunar is not under the effects of a Charm, as the magic was only used to change his shape - afterwards, the Lunar simply *is* in that shape. The only hope for one to see anything unusual is to spot his Tell, or with powers that show the animal as a Lunar.

Of course, while some statistics are open, for species that are very close in gameplay terms('Small Dog', 'Fish' and 'Bird', for example) each type must be bought separately - different species of birds and small dogs elicit different reactions from others, after all, and may fit different situations, as noted below.

While wearing a form appropriate to her surroundings, the Lunar receives 2 automatic successes to all Larceny and Stealth rolls. Those act as increased difficulty to spot his Tell. This works for bestial forms as well as human ones - a green-haired individual could be easily mistaken for a Haltan, and a famous socialite can be excused suspicious behavior at a ball.

To acquire a beast's Heart's Blood, the Lunar must drink its blood, its essence, as it dies. Only one Lunar may benefit of the kill of such a beast, even if more than one takes place in a Hunt. The Lunar may take the shape of any creature, no matter its size or how deeply it has been warped by the Wyld. However, it may not be a being of pure essence, such as Spirits, Raksha, and other such beings. Only creatures of flesh and blood may be emulated this way. This does, however, include Exalted, Behemoths of all types, and stranger creatures of flesh and blood. This will emulate the body's capabilities but not essence-based powers, however; Even the body of a Dragon-Blooded yields little more than its Aspect Markings(Without the aid of Charms, at least). The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what is a Mutation - but as a rule, things like Sayla's Yasal Body would be a Mutation, and Mokrelus' power over Sorcery would not be.

The Lunar may take the shape of creatures of a gender other than their own without problems.

The Tell

The Tell is the Lunar's foothold in identity. No matter how much he changes, the Tell shall remain. It is the sliver of his soul that still holds to identity even as a mortal tries to emulate the insanity of Luna. The Tell is a very personal thing, always manifesting as a mutation on the individual, or something that comes off him. Sometimes it is an animal trait, such as the tail of a fox, the stripes of a tiger, the ears of a wolf, the eyes of a snake. Sometimes, it is a particular mark or deformity - scars that appear on all forms, extra eyes, backward-bending legs... others still drip poison or blood from their claws.

The Tell is always there, but naturally conceals itself from those that do not know better - those around the Lunar always need to at least try and notice the Tell, unless expenditure of Peripheral Essence has made it obvious for all to see. However, for those who know of it, the Tell is nearly impossible to Miss. And one needs not to see the Tell for himself to know of it - if many inhabitants of an area are warned against a fox-tailed trickster, they will be wary.

Every time one meets a Lunar, make a Wits+Awareness roll at Difficulty 6. Each new Day spent with the Lunar counts as a new meeting, even if those days are not shown - it is not possible to become so familiar with the Lunar as to not notice the Tell in his True Forms. However, when not in any of his True Forms, this difficulty increases by 2, may only be rolled if the person becomes suspicious of the Lunar, and after a person becomes familiar with a person in this form, forming a relationship of any sort, no more such rolls can be made. Those who know of the Tell receive a 3-dice bonus on the roll to spot it. When a form is specially appropriate to its surroundings, such as local animals and features, the difficulty to spot the Tell increases further 2 points.

Every two full levels of the Totem Background take one from the base difficulty of this roll. The beast is too great, and too powerful, within the Lunar not to be noticed. Once one buys Ascension, this difficulty decreases by 2, but for a whole different reason - to Ascend is to lose yourself in the terrible power of Luna, to create a body out of pure chaos, pure celestial essence. It is a terrible and exalting thing, and a human soul needs a greater foothold in his Identity. Once the difficulty is lowered to 0, the Tell is unmistakable, always.

This may be avoided by charms that increase this difficulty.

Or simply:

  • True Forms need a Wits+Awareness roll against Difficulty 6 to notice the Tell.
  • If the Lunar is in any form but his True Forms, the difficulty increases by 2.
  • If the Lunar is in a form appropriate to his surroundings, the difficulty increases by 2.
  • A person who knows of his tell and is actively looking for it receives 3 bonus dice to this roll.
  • Every two full levels of the Totem Background the Lunar possess reduce the difficulty by 1.
  • Purchasing Ascension lowers this Difficulty by 2.
  • The Tell is obvious for all observers when the Lunar reaches the 8+ stage of anima display.

The Truth of Luna

When the Lunar reaches 8+ level of Anima Banner, his tatoos appear, his Tell becomes unmistakable, and he is locked in his True Forms.

Wielders of Chaos

Lunars are able to deal with the forces of the Wyld better than most other Exalted - indeed, they are able to wield them themselves. Some say this is because of the Wyld tampering with their Shards. Some say it was before, and that Luna created them able to deal with it, as she herself rules over the flux of the Wyld on Creation, being its Change and keeping it away... whatever the reason, the Lunars have the ability to use the powers of Chaos. Lunars may learn Fair Folk charms, but always learn and purchase them as out-of-Caste(If using the Changing Moon Caste, they count Fair Folk Charms as Favored Charms, and may make them freely. A Charm on Mysticism, Harmony of Dreams Technique, allow all Lunars to do so as well) and usually need to be taught by the Raksha.

  • Lunars need Graces to use most of those Charms, which they usually do not have, but can have them forged by Fair Folk or other Lunars - bought at character creation, each Grace is an Artifact **, giving 2 Gossamer with it, and the option to exchange one starting Charm with a Raksha Charm.
  • Lunars may buy artifacts forged from Graces - Glamour Sorcery, Behemoths, Wyld Artifacts and Adjurations - normally. Adjurations are counted as natural magic for shapechanging reasons. Graces always start at 1, and may be increased the same way as with the Raksha.


True Forms

Of all the Shapes the Lunar can change to, some of them are natural to him, as much as his own Human body. Those are the True Forms

All Attribute Bonuses granted by the True Forms counts as Natural for the purposes of Charms


  • Human

The Lunar's normal Human form. It receives no modifiers whatsoever.

  • Totem

The Lunar's Totem says much about his nature, about his personality and disposition. The Totem is an animal with which the Lunar identifies, be it in the sense of what the animal is, or what the animal means to the Lunar(for example, a Lunar might see himself as a 'Lone Wolf', even though wolves are very social animals).

The Lunar may shift into his Totem Form reflexively, by paying a number of motes equal to 1 + the Background Level of the Totem. This does not count as a Charm Action. The Lunar may return to his Human Form by paying 1 mote, as a Reflexive Action once again.

In the Totem Form, the Lunar is an animal. He may not speak like a human, although he may speak and understand the language of other animals of the same totem as his own. Different Charms may make the Lunar speak like a human when in this Form, or to understand his Totem Animal when in Human Form.

The Lunar may use his Charms freely when in Totem Form, however. With the expection of Sorcery or Martial Arts Charms.

The War-Totem Cascade deals exclusively with enhancing the resilience and strength of the Totem Form.

  • Beastman

Using the Charm Harmony with the Inner Beast, the Lunar is able to select traits from his Totem - Mutations such as flying wings, enhanced eyesight or venom - and manifest them in his Human Form. It ceases to be his Human Form then, however - even adding something as inconspicuous as feline eyes to his Human Form already makes the Lunar be in his Beastman Form. It varies from something as simple as feline eyes and nails, to something as elaborate as becoming a fur-covered wolf-headed-man.

The Beastman Form is a popular choice between Lunars, as it only requires Harmony with the Inner Beast to draw upon the characteristics they already possess on their Totem, and still allows them full use of weapons, armor, Sorcery and Martial Arts as if he was in the Human Form.

Harmony with the Inner Beast may be used to splice those traits in other True Forms, but then it is not considered a Beastman.

However, it can do so on Shapes of the Lunar's Blood Library.

In the Beastman Form, the Lunar is still mostly human, but can comminicate with animals of the same species as his Totem.

The War-Totem Cascade has enhancements to the Totem Form that can explicitly enhance the Beastman Form. Harmony with the Inner Beast and Argent Regalia provide an easy, if costly, path to superhuman traits, and are very common among Lunars who do not wish to devote their time and power to the Ascension.

As a Hybrid Form, the Lunar receives a penalty equal to the Essence Minima of a Sidereal Martial Arts Charm when using them in this Form.

  • Ascension

The Ascension Form is the liberation of all the wild, untamed power within the Lunar's Essence. It is an expression of Chaos, of change, of terrible divinity. Luna's Ascension has been known as Lunar's Liberation, as Ascension Form and Liberation Form, and even as Divine Punishment Form.

The Lunar must buy the Charm Luna's Ascension to have access to this Form.

As he does so, the difficulty to notice his tell lowers by 2.

Activating the Ascension Form costs 6 motes. That gives access to its enhancements - increased attributes and a natural weapon. However, those are the bare bones of the Form. Ascension if favored among Lunars for its endless expandability - there exists a myriad of Charms one can learn to enhance the Ascension Form further and further, increasing its power and versatility. Those Charms can be found here.

The Ascension Form takes some characteristics from the Totem, but the Lunar's communication abilities are the same as if he was in his Human Form. Despite the impressive display of the transformation, the Lunar retains and can still use all his gear while in the Ascension Form.

As a Hybrid Form, the Lunar receives a penalty equal to the Essence Minima of a Sidereal Martial Arts Charm when using them in this Form.

  • Gargantua

Learning the Gargantuan Creature Transformation, the Lunar can choose one of his True Forms and become a living Warstrider.

If doing so in the Totem Form, all restrictions to communication and Charms remain.

  • Unity

For Lunars, the bond between them and their animal companion is more than a link between their essence, their soul - for a Lunar, their flesh can become one. The Charm Unity of Form Prana allows the Lunar to access the Unity Form, in which he becomes one with his Familiar. The Unity Form has traits of both Forms, and may be as anthropomorphic as the Lunar desires.

While in this Form, the Lunar may communicate like a human, and also in all ways his Familiar can.

The War-Totem Cascade Charms may be bought for the Unity Form separately, with Unity of Form Prana standing in for Harmony with the Inner Beast in their prerequisites. Those variations are only effective for the Unity Form, however, and the Charms have to be learned again to be of use to the Totem and Beastman Forms.


Natural Weapons

Many Lunar Charms reference Natural Weapons. Mutations that grant Claws, Fangs, Tails and other similar implements of violence are Natural Weapons, and the Lunar possess many Charms - such as Luna's Ascension and Arsenal of Flesh Method - which grant them new ones. Natural Weapons are always considered unarmed in relation to Charms, and may be enhanced by a variety of Lunar Charms.


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