PassengerPigeon/Lunars

Changing Moon: The Lunar Exalted

by passengerpigeon

Introduction

Once upon a time, the sun and moon and stars were plotting a rebellion. To form their army, they decided to pick the humans they liked best and make soldiers out of them.

"I will choose the most glorious men and women to be my soldiers," boasted the sun. "I will take the ones who have done the greatest deeds and built the greatest cities."

"Your soldiers will be capable, but they will also be proud," said the stars. "Someday their glory will turn to horror."

"Then who will you choose?" asked the sun.

"We will choose the wisest men and women to be our soldiers," declared the stars. "We will favor those who have the most knowledge and make the most cunning plans."

"Your soldiers will be learned, but they will also be arrogant," said the sun. "Someday their wisdom will turn to blindness."

"Which of us is right?" they asked the moon.

"You are both fools," the moon replied. "Glory and wisdom do not prove a person's fitness."

"Then what does?" they said.

"Survival," said the moon.

Character Creation

Lunars receive three Caste Attributes and choose one Favored Attribute.

New Moon -- the tricksters: Wits, Manipulation, Appearance

Every month the moon is reborn.

• As the new moon cannot be seen, so the New Moons have no caste mark. When they would otherwise display it, they may (and must) instead choose and display the caste mark and anima banner of any other Essence-channeling being, including but not limited to Exalts, Gods and Fair Folk. They may not change their banner and caste mark while it is still visible; however, between scenes, they may snuff their banner entirely, instead of reducing it by one level. Identifying the charade requires the ability to see Essence and a Perception + Occult roll with a difficulty of the Lunar's Essence. During the new moon, this deception is perfect; only perfect Charms can penetrate it.

Crescent Moon -- the sneaky ones: Wits, Dexterity, Perception

Every month the moon is hidden.

Half Moon -- the wise ones: Intelligence, Perception, Stamina

Every month the moon is divided.

Gibbous Moon -- the patriarchs: Appearance, Stamina, Charisma

Every month the moon is pregnant.

Full Moon -- the hunters: Strength, Dexterity, Charisma

Every month the moon is mad.

alternate breakdown:

new moon: wits man

crescent moon: dex

half moon: int per

gibbous moon: app sta

full moons: str cha

Shapeshifting

As a reflexive action, a Lunar may spend 3m or 1wp to change into one of his true forms.

Your human form is always considered a true form, although it cannot be modified. You may have any number of True Forms, which you gain using Finding the Spirit's Shape, below. (Throughout this document, true form without capitals refers to all your true forms, including human, while True Form with leading capitals refers to your animal forms.)

Your True Forms may be anything you like; however, the mechanical capabilities of your True Forms are determined by spending Build Points. You have a number of Build Points to distribute among your forms equal to your Willpower plus the product of your Essence and your Heart's Blood.

Attributes

For each True Form, Physical Attributes begin at 3, Social Attributes begin at 0, and Mental Attributes are equal to the Lunar's values. Physical and Social Attributes may be improved at 1 Build Point per Attribute point, or reduced to a minimum of 0 at 1 Build Point for each two Attribute points subtracted. A True Form with an Attribute of 0 may not attempt actions depending on that Attribute.

Abilities

True Forms have the same abilities and specialties as the Lunar; however, True Forms start Inept in each ability. When a Lunar in a True Form attempts an action depending on an ability their Form is Inept in, the ability is treated as being 0, and the difficulty of the action is doubled. (If the action in question is opposed, the opposing roll's successes are doubled instead.)

You may buy Aptitudes in abilities to be able to use them as normal. The first Aptitude is free. Additional Aptitudes cost 1 Build Point each.

To further increase a form's capabilities, you may purchase Adaptations. Adaptations apply to specific abilities and have breadths equivalent to a specialty. When they apply, they provide a number of automatic successes equal to the Lunar's Essence. They stack with specialties and with each other, but you may not buy the same Adaptation twice. An Adaptation costs 3 Build Points. You may not purchase an Adaptation in an ability you are Inept at.

Health Levels

A True Form begins with 15 Health Points, which may be spent on health levels as follows:

||-0: 4 Health Points|| || -1: 3 Health Points|| || -2: 2 Health Points|| || -4: 1 Health Point||

You may purchase 5 Health Points for 2 Build Points, or sell back 5 Health Points for 1 Build Point. You must, if possible, buy at least one Health Level of each type, starting from the most expensive. (This means, basically, that if you sell back Health Points once you end up with -0/-1/-2/-4PassengerPigeon/Incap, and if you sell back twice you have -0/-4PassengerPigeon/Incap. If you sell back three times, you just have Incapacitated, which is probably not a good idea.)

Natural Weapons

A True Form begins with no natural weapon. Natural weapons equivalent to most normal and artifact weapons can be purchased by paying the weapon's Resource cost in Build Points or three times its Artifact cost in Build Points, assuming the form has the attributes necessary to wield them (not necessarily the abilities). Natural weapons are always used with Brawl.

Soak

A True Form begins with bashing soak equal to its Stamina, lethal soak equal to half its Stamina, and Hardness 0. You may spend 1 Build Point to add the True Form's Stamina to its lethal or bashing soak, or 2 Build Points to add its Stamina to its Hardness, as many times as you wish.

The Little Details

• A True Form begins capable of moving via land at the same speed as a human with his Abilities. Each Build Point spent doubles this speed. Alternately, you may gain one Build Point by reducing his speed to one-third of normal. For 1 Build Point, you may swim at the same speed as a human; for 2, you may swim as the same speed as you can travel on land. Alternately, you may give up your ability to travel on land to gain the ability to swim at your former land speed. Equivalent costs apply to gaining the ability to climb. For 4 Build Points, you may fly at your land speed; for 3 Build Points, you may instead reduce your ability to travel via land to half a yard per turn and gain the ability to fly at your former land speed.
• A True Form is normally capable of picking up and moving one object of about the size a human of his stats could carry in one hand, at the cost of being unable to attack while he is doing so. For 2 Build Points, you may instead be just as deft with your object-handling as a human would be, including having the ability to wield weapons you are holding. Alternately, you may gain 1 Build Point by giving up your ability to handle objects entirely.
• A True Form can be whatever size, look however you want, and in fact be any animal you feel like; any mechanical effects have to be bought separately anyhow. I encourage you, however, to build Forms that do not make your fellow players roll their eyes and throw things at you.

The Tell

No matter what form a Lunar takes, one small detail always remains unchanged, allowing the quick-witted and sharp-eyed to recognize him for who he is. This, too, is the gift of the Moon, who loves a good story, and enjoys her Chosen persevering in the face of failure as much as she does their eventual success.

Each time an individual encounters a particular Lunar, they may roll their Perception + the Lunar's Essence, difficulty 3. On a success, they notice the Lunar's Tell. If an individual notices the Lunar's Tell in two different forms, he may make a Wits + Occult or Awareness roll to make the connection. (If you fail to "notice" the Tell, you may still see it, you just don't think anything of it.)

Impromptu Shapeshifting

It is possible for a Lunar to assume shapes outside his True Forms, but the process is difficult and draining. Forms thus assumed may have a Build Point total no greater than his Heart's Blood. Assuming such a form is a simple action costing 5m 1wp and requiring a Wits + Essence roll against a difficulty equal to the Build Point total of the form. Failed attempts still require actions, though not other costs. Once a Lunar has assumed an impromptu form, he may not assume any other impromptu forms until the next moonrise, although he may assume that form as many times as he wishes and can afford to do so.

Revised Backgrounds

Heart's Blood

In its heart, every animal worships the moon. The chosen of Luna harness this dominion, and in hunting the wild beasts and drinking their blood as it runs from their heart, they strengthen their bailiwick and improve their mother's gift of shapeshifting. Heart's Blood measures a Lunar's dominance as a predator and thus his ability to assume other forms.

||X|| You do not hunt and have no true animal forms. Why?|| ||*|| You are afraid of the dark.|| ||**|| Like a jackal, you make an art out of knowing when to scavenge and when to run.|| ||***|| One of the voices that calls to the full moon is yours.|| ||****|| You never go to bed hungry.|| ||*****|| You stride your dominion with the pride of an unchallenged hunter.||

Revised Charms

Obviously a lot of Charms have to change, but here are the first two.

Finding the Spirit's Shape

Cost: 1m

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. Charisma: 2

Min. Ess.: 1

Prerequisites: None

Using this Charm requires the Lunar to drink the heart's blood of an animal. Upon doing so, that animal becomes one of her True Forms, displacing one of her choice if necessary. A Lunar without this Charm may not have any True Forms, regardless of their level of Heart's Blood. Using this charm requires the ability to shapeshift and the possession of True Forms.

Deadly Beastman Transformation

Cost: 5m

Duration: One scene

Type: Reflexive

Min. Charisma: 2

Min. Ess.: 2

Prerequisites: Finding the Spirit's shape

This Charm allows the Lunar to shift his shape into a hybrid of the human form and one of the animals it is most accustomed to. Upon activating it, the Lunar chooses one of his True Forms. While this Charm is active, all his Attributes, as well as his Health Levels, become the higher of the True Form's or his normal form; he has access to any Adaptations the True Form possesses; he gains the natural weapons and soak of the True Form, if any; and he enjoys any increased movement capabilities of the True Form, but may ignore any decreased or removed movement capabilities. While this Charm is active, the difficulty of noticing the Lunar's Tell is 1. This Charm may be comboed as if it had an Instant duration. Using this Charm requires the ability to shapeshift and the possession of True Forms.

Example Forms

Ant

Str 1 Dex 2 Sta 0 Cha 0 Man 0 App 0 (-3 BP)

Aptitudes: Stealth, Craft (1 BP)

Adaptations: Stealth (Being Tiny), Stealth (Being Uninteresting) (6 BP)

Health Levels: -0/-4PassengerPigeon/Incap (-2 BP)

Speed: 1/3 normal (-1 BP)

Total: 1 BP

Wolf

Str 3 Dex 5 Sta 3 Cha 0 Man 0 App 0 (2 BP)

Aptitudes: Brawl

Adaptations: Brawl (In a Team) (3 BP)

Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4PassengerPigeon/Incap

Speed: Twice normal (1 BP)

Natural weapons: Teeth (equivalent to a short sword) (1 BP)

Total: 6 BP

Mammoth

Str 8 Dex 3 Sta 8 Cha 1 Man 0 App 1 (12 BP)

Aptitudes: Brawl

Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/-4/-4PassengerPigeon/Incap (6 BP)

Soak: 16B/12L/8H (4 BP)

Natural weapons: Big stompy feet (equivalent to a goremaul) (3 BP)

Item manipulation: human-like (2 BP)

Total: 27 BP

Comments

Okay, it is obvious that the numbers here aren't quite ideal, but I hope the basic idea shows through. I hope to massage the numbers and make them prettier, although exactly how I'm not quite sure. --p