Moxiane/Backgrounds

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[#Top]

New Rules for Backgrounds

by Moxiane

Index

[#Introduction]

Introduction

The system of Backgrounds in Exalted is a wonderful tool for just that, determining your character’s background during generation. However, they are also more than that –many of them measure and even affect in-game events. The following is a simple set of mechanics designed to expand on the Backgrounds mechanic, as well as introducing new elements such as Background specialities and even new Backgrounds for specialised uses. [#AlteredBackgrounds]

Altered Backgrounds

[#Resources]

Resources

The Resources background is, in all honesty, too damn vague - particularly given the propensity for shopping and collecting that infests players everywhere. The following is an attempt to provide slightly more detail while avoiding coin counting.

The Resources background bought with Background and freebie points is split into three seperate categories: Income, Property & Wealth. Resources provides a pool of dots equal to twice it's rating, which can then be spent to increase these three categories. No category can be raised in this manner higher than the Resources rating.

After character creation, the three categories, while not full backgrounds in and of themselves, can be raised through the expenditure of experience at the same rate as Incremental Backgrounds.

Income

Sometimes a character has an independent source of money, whether it be a controlling interest in a series of Nexus restaurants or rent from his tenants. Whatever the source, this can be highly useful to the travelling Exalt.

X
You have to rely upon yourself for your financial health, garnering cash wherever you can.
•
••
•••
••••
•••••

Property

X
You have no land or home to call your own. You live either in rented accomodation or sleep rough.
•
••
•••
••••
•••••


Wealth

Disposable cash is useful for any

X
Your pockets are almost empty, with only a few tiny coins to your name.
•
••
•••
••••
•••••

[#NewBackgrounds]

New Backgrounds

[#OccultLibrary]

Occult Library

Exalted of all stripes across Creation often have access to a library of sorts, ranging from the public libraries of Nexus to the repositories of astrological notes in Varang. Somewhat rarer, but still existing in some numbers, are the occult libraries of Creation – the musty stacks of the Heptagram, the dank and dangerous scrollrooms of the Deathlords and the Celestial Library in Yu-Shan are but three examples – and they are often sought out by sorcerers and other occultists to aid them in study and research.

This new Background covers none of these possibilities, instead it is a representation of the character’s own personal occult library – a collection of sorcerous knowledge and magical lore that he intimately familiar with, having constructed it himself. This provides a number of benefits, as well as some drawbacks – all of which are given below the level descriptions.

X
You have not yet begun to amass a personal store of knowledge on the occult, and must beg, borrow or steal that of others.
•
You have collected a small number of musty scrolls and ancient books, mostly copies of relatively common tomes, and what rare works you have are copies in poor condition.
••
You own enough manuscripts and parchments to fill a room, with a number of uncommon books in near-pristine condition. You have become noted by a few well-read scholars of magical lore.
•••
You have become a collector of note in matters of the occult, having obtained one or two uncopied original works, and many hundreds of lesser, but still potent, tomes. Offers of trade are a common occurrence.
••••
Your collection of magical lore rivals many of the best known in size and completeness, as well as having several unique items in good condition. Requests from sorcerers for time in your library are an everyday thing.
•••••
You own one of the largest single collections of occult knowledge anywhere in Creation, with many scrolls and librams found nowhere else. Students and sorcerers from all directions flock to your library wishing to learn from it.

An occult library requires housing in a building with a Resources cost equal to its level – this renders all but libraries of size • and •• non-portable, and a level •• library is only portable because it can just about be fitted into a yeddim-drawn wagon of similar scale to those used by Guild caravans. The benefits that the Occult Library background provides can only be claimed by a character that has direct and constant access to it for the duration of the task in question.

If the character is researching a new spell, because of his familiarity with the organisation and contents of his own occult library, he may add its level to any Occult or Lore rolls required for the research process. An Occult Library level of at least ••• is required for this benefit to apply for Celestial Circle magic, and ••••• is required for research into the Solar Circle (these limitations also apply to the equivalent levels of Necromancy, i.e.: the Labyrinth and Void Circles). A character may also use his library to aid in the research for construction of an artefact – in this case the level of the library must at least equal the level of the proposed artefact in order to be of any use in this matter, adding its level in dice to all Occult rolls regarding researching the item, and half this amount (round down) to the Occult rolls required for the construction process.

Should a character wish to take some of his occult library with him (because he plans to be away from it for some time, for example…) then he may do so, taking up to •• on his travels. But, due to the necessity of taking only the most relevant volumes from his library to make this selection worthwhile, should the books that were taken be lost or destroyed then his total Occult Library Background is reduced by •. This is just one more risk that the travelling occultist must take.

Possible specialities: Artefacts, First Age Weapons, Necromancy, Sorcery

[#Types]

Background Types

This system classified a character’s Backgrounds into one of three categories: creation, incremental and static. Creation Backgrounds are those that only matter during character creation, as they provide extra bonus points or better access to certain kinds of resources (spells or artefacts). Incremental Backgrounds provide increasing effects with each increase in level, starting with X (or zero) and going all the way up to ••••• much like Abilities do. A static Background is one that simply exists, a character either has the background (and the associated resource) or he doesn’t – the value of any given static Background will almost never actually change.

[#Creation]

Creation Backgrounds

Cannot be purchased after character creation.

  • Artefact (EDB & ETA)
  • Experience (EPG)
  • Inheritance (EPG)
  • Knowledge (EPG)
  • Liege (ETA)
  • Manse (EDB)
  • Necromancy (ETA)
  • Resources (MRB)
  • Sorcery (ETO)

[#Incremental]

Incremental Backgrounds

An incremental Background is one where each new dot means something extra. The Background level is used far more.

  • Arsenal (ETO)
  • Acquaintance (ETS)
  • Breeding (EDB)
  • Command (EDB)
  • Connections (EDB)
  • Contacts (MRB)
  • Cult (ETL)
  • Familiar (MRB)
  • Followers (MRB)
  • Henchmen (EDB)
  • Influence (MRB)
  • Retainers (ETO)
  • Salary (ETS)
  • Undead Command (ETA)
  • Whispers (ETA)

[#Static]

Static Backgrounds

A static Background is one the character either has or he doesn’t. The level of the Background is rarely used as anything other than a marker of power.

  • Ally (MRB)
  • Artefact (MRB)
  • Manse (MRB)
  • Underworld Manse (ETA)

[#Specialities]

Background Specialities

Operate in much the same way as specialities for abilities – up to three per Background, each one adding an extra die/level in an appropriate situation.

[#Experience]

Experience & Backgrounds

Spending experience points on buying new or increasing current Backgrounds buys them “plot protection” (aka “script immunity). Otherwise they are up for grabs by the ST.

[#New]

New Backgrounds

Static Backgrounds cost (3 x level of Background) xp to purchase. Incremental Backgrounds cost 3xp to purchase the first dot.

[#Increasing]

Increasing Backgrounds

Increasing an incremental Background costs (2 x current level of Background) xp to increase by one dot. Takes current rating in months to increase.

[#Comments]

Comments

If you only have 2 dots in this can you then take the WHOLE thing with you? (yes you would then risk loosing the whole thing) - Malikai

Sure. Lugging around a bungalow-sized wagon full of flammable materials is always fun. :) -Moxiane

Would Resources, under this system, be better as a Creation Background, where it would provide a set number of points to increase the three sub-elements--income, property, and wealth--that can then be increased through play/experience expenditure? Or maybe some variation on this? Otherwise, I like this, and intend to get my players' backgrounds straightened out with it. Thanks! ^_^ -Suzume

Thanks for liking it! ^_^ Now, to answer the question - yes, it would. Haven't gotten around to finishing it, but basically - you buy Resources at chargen, get twice the number of dots it has to split between the three sub-ratings, none of which can be more than • the Resources background. needing to finish what he starts - Moxiane

What exactly is ETO please? I can work out the rest of the acronyms, but that one is stumping me. (I've worked out a vaguely similar system for hard-cash, which I call the Loot background, because that's often where it comes from. I can summarize it here if that might help?)
-- Darloth

ETO is Exalted: the Outcaste. And, sure - feel free to stick it here, or do a page of your own & link to it. :) - explicative Moxiane

It's not full enough to be an entire page. I might note it on my page one-day, but here is as good as anywhere: Loot: An amount of loot can buy anything that an equivalent amount of resources could buy. Thus, Loot •• could be spent on a Resources •• purchase. However, that would completely remove the Loot. If Loot is spent on a purchase one-below, then it drops by 1 dot instead. (Loot •• paying for Resources • drops to Loot •). If you use the Loot to pay for something more than two levels below, then there is no functional change, although STs are encouraged to drop the Loot by 1 dot if someone decides to buy 173 chakrams with Loot •••. Loot is generated by Resources, basically at STs discretion, but around once a month. Resources is non-mobile (much like income+property here), but can still be used to pay for things if you have to (representing selling stuff). Resources converts into a Loot rating 1 higher than it, and Loot converts into a resources rating 2 lower than it. Loot x + Loot x = Loot x+1. That's about it.
-- Darloth

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