LunarHouseRules/RevisedArtifactBackground

The idea that Lunars receive Artifacts at the same rate as Solars stuck me as rather silly. Solars are individuals who stumble upon the remnants of their First Age incarnations, most of which are guarded quite carefully. That's why they get so few Artifacts for their expenditure. DBs and Abyssals are parts of sprawling empires that regularly produce Daiklaives, magical plate, and the like. That's why they get so many Artifacts. Silver Pact Lunars are part of an organization that is actively creating magical items and even has a Charm to aid them to find materials. The Silver Pact is less likely to give you items than a Deathlord if they like you, but moonsilver artifacts are certainly forged more often than orichalcum, so a few more are bound to fall into the hands of aspiring heros. Whether they can keep their treasures is a different matter.

Tools of the Beast-Gods

So, this background modification is intended to reflect the prevalence of magical artifacts in the Silver Pact, and the trials one must go through to hold on to them. To have the honor of bearing an item of great power, you must have proven yourself worthy to the Pact as a whole, earning Renown in the eyes of your elders. Each level of the background provides you with a certain number of artifact points to spend. However, a maximum Artifact level is also listed. To go over this Artifact maximum, you must purchase a point of Renown for each level above the maximum.\\

X - You have no trinkets of magical power. Perhaps you are not trusted?\\ * - You have 2 points to spend on Artifacts, and an artifact maximum of 1.\\ ** - You have 3 points to spend, and a maximum of 2.\\ *** - 4 points, maximum 3.\\ **** - 6 points, maximum 3.\\ ***** - 8 points, maximum 3.\\

Comments

I like the Renown parameter here, but not the increased access to Artifacts.

Why? I dont feel your justification is sufficient. The Sidereals get Solar-quality Artifact, even though they live in Heaven and literally serve Celestial Incarnae. The Lunars, Silver Pact or no, are portrayed as fiercely independent; I suspect they're more about "You can go out into the wilds and make one yourself, whelp" than they are "Carry this sword for me; my arms are weak in my failing age."

If your Renown drops, then does the SP take back the goods?

- FWW

The Siderials get Solar level Artifacts because Starmetal is so FREAKIN' rare. Just imagine how much Starmetal is required to make Starmetal Articulated Plate, and the only sources of Starmetal are 1) meteors and 2) Ambrosia from the Maidens. Moonsilver is relatively common and easy to find, in fact, there's a Charm in the book, Moonsilver Scenting Sense, that aids in finding it. Plus, there are roughly twice as many Lunars as Siderials and Solars combined, so it would follow that more moonsilver objects are made. Furthermore, there has been no real dysjunction between the Usurpation and the Time of Tumult. Sure, they moved out of the nice houses, but that doesn't need to stop them from forging weapons. They've probably been doing it for a little more than a thousand years now, and a thousand years of forging is a lot of weapons. And when the owners of those objects die, the objects are passed down. Plus, artifacts could be used in trade for favors.\\ \\ Yes, Lunars are fiercely independent, but I never said Lunars hand out moonsilver objects _voluntarily_. When you best someone in single combat, you could claim one (or all!) of their trinkets as swag. Plus, dead Lunars often have their stuff divied up by their packmates, spreading the wealth. Also, you have a mentor who has every reason to hope you succeed, because his worth is tied to your own. So he might be willing to loan you something to get you started, if you prove worthy of it.\\ \\ Renown is a measure of how much everyone respects you, not how powerful you are. If you're wielding Floating Silver Dream and the ikth-ya think you're a punk, then you're going to have a hell of a time keeping it when they're trying to take it from you. You gets what everyone thinks you deserve in the Silver Pact, and if somebody manages to take something from you, you obviously weren't worthy enough to have it in the first place.\\ \\

- hplovescats

Looks fine to me. I won't use it, but it's for lack of a Lunar game rather than lack of capable work. Would your non-Silver Pact or Casteless Lunars still use the Solar progression? ~Jabberwocky

I would imagine (though I'm not speaking for hplovescats here) that Casteless Lunars would still use the Solar progression. Non-Pact Lunars would probably still use the revised background-- even if they had their caste fixed and were taught the Silver Way by a non-Pact No Moon, they still would have had more opportunities to acquire low- to mid-level artifacts than a Lunar who has never been initiated into Exalted society at all. And your rep isn't just important inside the Silver Pact, so the Renown connection still works. ~AlecAustin