Custom Artifact: Pillars of Virtue

[Alconoth]

After being given an inordinate amount of downtime and nigh-limitless resources I decided to put together five pillars (Each representing a Fulcrum of the Sun and its associated virtue / willpower in the case of the fifth) to be the foundation of my Nation's religious and social ideals. Each is a 5-dot artifact in its own right and can be attuned to by multiple people. If you have any suggestions, responses- what have you, please post them!


Before reading:


Industry: Conviction, War: Valor, Health: Compassion, Reflection: Temperance, Justice: Willpower.


Pillar of Industry


Those attuned to the Pillar of Industry feel compelled to work together for the betterment of all. So long as they work on the same project, laborers find their efforts increased by a factor of 4. Furthermore, the worker's every action is perfectly efficient- reducing the resource cost (or exotic ingredient requirement) by one for any project.


Pillar of War


There is a sad fact about Creation. One must either fight to take what they need, or fight to defend what they have. The Pillar of War stands as a monument in defiance of this truth. Those who attune to the Pillar of War need not fight to defend what they have, nor to fight to take what they don't- For they have all that they need, and none can take what they have. In stead, the people of Denandsor fight to defend Creation itself, and all of those who still fall pray to the sad conflicts of self preservation.


When acting in defense of another, those attuned to the Pillar may reflexively take Defend Other and Blockade Movement actions. Those who seek to harm the defender or his ward must pay 2 willpower to do so for a scene, as they stare upon this blatant insult upon Creation's martial law.


Malfeans and the Undead must pay 3 willpower to resist this effect- they are more bound to rules than the average denizen of Creation (Fae need not pay this, for they care nothing for the rules of creation.)


Walking dead or other Creatures of Darkness with an essence of 1 reduce their dicepools to zero (Before the use of charms) when confronting the Defender or his Ward.


Mass Combat:


Units enjoy a +3 bonus to their might and are considered to be one magnitude higher than their numbers suggest so long as they fight in defense for Creation and its people, while Malfeans or the Undead suffer a -3 penalty to their might (to a minimum of zero) and count as one magnitude less.


Pillar of Health


Gaia, the mother upon which all life exists. It is in her nurturing embrace the world grows. The Pillar of Health stands as a testimony to Gaia's kindness and sacrifice to all of Creation.


Those who attune to the Pillar of Health enjoy the healing prowess of the Exalted, as well as three -0 health levels. Anything they touch and tend to, as the Mother of all Life would, grows as it was meant to: Pestilence shall not plague the crops or animals, and children will grow strong and healthy. (Crops and stock animals produce three times as much as they normally would in the wild. Likewise, the gods of Disease find the place to be draining- they lose 4 motes per hour rather than respiring, as well as receiving no benefit from Cult)


Elementals (Wood more so than any other) are drawn to the Pillar of Health, further increasing the fecundity and health of the area.


Pillar of Reflection


Without self control… without some way to control one's urges- what would separate Creation from the Wyld that eats at its edges? The ability to look inside of one's self… to choose his own actions… that is perhaps the greatest gift bestowed upon Creation.


Those attuned to the Pillar of Reflection find that their minds are no longer such easy prey for the creatures beyond Creation- Be it assaulted from creatures beyond its borders, the slaughtered kings of Heaven, or those who gave their freedom for their life.


The cost to resist any Unnatural Mental Influence used by Creatures of Darkness is reduced by three willpower, and the MDV against such attacks are considered 4 higher.


Also, those attuned to the Pillar are able to spent one aggravated health level in lieu of willpower (this works against those born of Creation), even to the point where they die- The heroes of Denandsor shall never sacrifice their freedom for their life.


The Pillar of Justice


Creation exists and survives because of one thing… Love. Love for the world, for one's family, for one's city… Every form of true love is perhaps the most pure and incorruptible thing in existence. Love is what drives life, and love is the core of the Unconquered Sun's being… and when that love is threatened, life will struggle and reach beyond its mortal limits to see that it is kept safe.


Those attuned to the Pillar of Justice choose a single intimacy based on love which shall become their most powerful shield and weapon. In every way, this intimacy becomes a second motivation to the character- though they cannot be made to betray it even if they are reduced to zero willpower. No form of mental influence can alter or change this intimacy- nor can it be corrupt in any fashion.


When fighting to defend their empowered intimacy, the character may spend one willpower so that his attacks are considered to be supplemented by Bane Weapon (But only against those who have sought to harm or corrupt the empowered intimacy)


Should enough people act together to defend what they love most (Hundreds, at least), the Unconquered Sun immediately receives a blessing of 2 willpower which must immediately be spent to turn his head from the Games of Divinity to witness cinders of the very flame within his heart burn in the eyes of those he loves so dearly.


Lastly, any prayers to the Unconquered Sun directed through the Pillar of Justice are magnified- Each prayer is considered to be coming from twiceas many people. (Five times if they are asking for him to protect their empowered intimacy)

 

[Virjigorm]

Are these meant to be attuned by a single Exalt? If they are supposed to empower a vast group of mortals, like the population of Denandsor, they are quite overpowered to the point of silliness. For a single Exalt to wield the powers of each Pillar, bestowing the blessings on units he leads, social groups he oversees, and agricultural regions he tends to would be better. It's not that any one ability of any Pillar is outright ridiculous, but for all the listed powers of any of these to come from a single 5 dot artifact is way too much to be affecting a huge number of people. Alternately, if you want to make bureaus of empowered public servants, a group of people could attune to each Pillar, limited to a number of individuals who's collective magnitude is equal to the average Essence of the group. Going this route, you get a few score enlightened mortals for each pillar who can be military officers and give their bonuses to their units, a group of labor supervisors who enhances the productivity of their workers, farm overseers who enhance production, and so on. There are still a few things I would scale down a bit if they are being spread among large groups, but it's a good starting point.

 

[Alconoth]

Each is a 5-dot artifact in its own right and can be attuned to by multiple people.

Pillar of Industry:


At its base, the Pillar of Industry mimics the Mountain Folk charm Incomparable Efficiency Trance which multiplies the work done by the user by a factor of their essence (Or in terms of solar charms Craftsman Needs No Tools but nerfed down to be about an essence 2 version.) This effectively sets the artifact at a rating of 2-3.


The ability to reduce the resource cost or remove a required exotic ingredient at best another 2-3 dot power, since it grants a very/extremely useful power in a selective field. Together, that would essentially put the artifact at a healthy 3 (Reaching its upper limits). However, this is a 5-dot artifact which

offer unbeatable advantages in their areas of focus

. In this case, its area of focus is its ability to spread it to an unlimited number of people- Which ,on top of its other powers, clearly makes it rated at 5.
Pillar of War


Using the same framework as before: The Pillar's initial power to take reflexive Defend Other actions is an essence 4 solar charm, setting it at a high 3 or low 4.


The secondary power is quite similar to Majestic Radiant Presence, save with a holyish effect that raises the willpower cost by one more for creatures of darkness with the exception of Fae.


Lowering the dicepools of essence 1 creatures of darkness is practically negligible for a 5-dot artifact.


However, the Mass Combat bonus is potentially what tips the scale- but given that a 5-dot artifact

May be likened to a higher-Essence Charms (6+)

it can do all of these things, including affect such a wide scope of people without stepping on any toes.
Pillar of Health


Copies Anointment of Miraculous health- raises it to roughly a 2-dot artifact. Its ability to affect living creatures and make sure they grow is similar to Harvest Multiplying Labor- an essence 1 Mountain Folk charm that normally affects only animals and crops, leaving its ability to help sentient children to raise it to roughly an essence 3 charm (and subsequently raising the artifact to a 3-dot).


The Elementals it tends to draw is really nothing more than something neat it does- but can be assumed to be around an essence 4 power, at best raising it to an upper 3-dot artifact. Again, leaving its breadth of who it affects the only thing making it a 5-dotter

 

[Alconoth]

Piller of Reflection


This could in reality mimic something akin to Righteous Lion Defense, but for sake of fairness it floats somewhere between using Temptation-Resisting Stance, Spirit-Maintaining Maneuver, and Transcendent Hero's Meditation.


These effects, dumbed down a bit (Which they are), would roughly bring the artifact to a 4-dotter. However, again, its power to allow multiple attunements raises it to a 5.


Piller of Justice


Righteous Lion Defense.


The Bane-weapon portion of this artifact should probably be lowered so that its one willpower for each attack, if not for an action.


Potentially the only real part about this is the part where the Unconquered Sun receives a blessing that gives him willpower to resist the Games.


Again, raised to a 5 because of how many people can attune to it.

 

[Virjigorm]

When the description of an artifact rating likens the power level to that of a charm, you should really read the whole charm, and also consider that said charm represents the entire power level of the artifact. Most of the charms you're basing this on are personal use only. Check out the Essence requirements of some of the charms that give similar benefits to unlimited numbers of people..oh, wait...there are none. Not even at Essence 10 are there charms that affect unlimited numbers of people over an unlimited distance. The Shinmaic charms are close, but they still scale down over very large regions/populations. Just tacking on an arbitrary 5th dot to a 4-dot artifact does not cover the cost of making it's power a virtually universal bonus to infinite people.


As far as the War one: Do you realize that a bonus of 3 to Might represents the difference between the unit being mortal conscripts or ENTIRELY composed of Dragon-Blooded?! The bonus/penalties you want represent 6 points of Might; the value of making up the entire unit of ELDER Celestials and Incarnae. This is before even accounting for the magnitude, valor, or anything else. The willpower cost to attack is ok, if that was all it did, so is the Magnitude bonus/penalty. Even the two of those together would be ok, if they affected a SINGLE COMMANDER'S units. A 5-dot artifact is enough to make a unit led by an Exalt wielding that artifact nearly unstoppable, but it is not enough to make an INFINITE number of units, each more powerful than the combined military might of Lookshy.


Here's my idea: Everyone attuned to the Pillar of War gains access to an effect identical to Glorious Solar Saber, except that it does not count as charm use. They may extend the effect to a unit (arming all members with GSS) by paying a number of extra motes when activating this power equal to twice the unit's Magnitude. This Divine armament increases the unit's Might by +1 and makes all its attacks Holy. As an additional bonus, the motes used to activate this artifact power are not committed for the scene, and may regenerate normally.


Those attuned to the Pillar of War may also make a number of Reflexive Defend Other actions each scene equal to their Compassion. These actions may be used at any time, do not count as charm use, and do not cost essence. This ability does not extend to units under the wielder's command, but may be used by unit's comprised entirely of those attuned to the Pillar, if all members use this ability.


Creatures of Darkness are the sworn enemies of the Pillar of War, and when engaged in combat with unit's led by or comprised of those attuned to the Pillar, all creatures of darkness suffer a -1 external penalty to all combat and mass combat actions, while the Defenders enjoy a +1 external bonus to such actions.


That's what a 5-dot artifact can do. Really, it's more than 5 dots can do, but it's what I'll allow.


If you want me to get specific, the Pillar of Industry is fine, the Pillar of War does more than any 10 5-dot artifacts combined, the Pillar of health is not too bad, and I agree that attracting Elementals is just cool flavor. The Pillar of Reflection is almost ok, but change it to say "When resisting unnatural mental influence from Creatures of Darkness, those attuned to the Pillar of Reflection may pay 3wp any time they are subjected to such influence in a scene to resist all such influence from all such creatures for the rest of the scene" and the MDV bonus is fine. The Pillar of Justice is not bad, but compelling the Unconquered Sun is blatantly out of bounds at 5-dot. Creating a second Motivation is ok, but this power level cannot make it perfectly inviolate all the time for free. Users need to spend 2wp to make the Motivation inviolate for a day. Otherwise, treat it as a true Motivation, which it is. If the Motivation created this way is the same as the character's regular Motivation, reduce the wp cost to 1wp/day of perfect protection. Multiplying prayers is fine, but I'd allow the effect to target anything the group prays to, with the blessing of wp being limited to beings who's Essence is equal to or lower than the group's Magnitude. This may be used by any group(s) led in prayer by those attuned to the Pillar. For beings of Essence 10, it takes 50,000 participants to affect them with this power.


With these changes I'd uncap the numbers, but scale the attunement cost to equal the Magnitude of the number of people attuned, starting over at 9. So if you have 1,000 people, it's 6m per person to attune, 10,000 people each commit 9. Over 10,000, start a new magnitude scale, so 11,000 would be 15m each and so on. This would represent that each Pillar is nearly a 5-dot artifact if wielded by one person, with the extra Essence effectively crafting it into something greater by the will and dedication of the group.

 

[Alconoth]

You're right, there are no essence 10 charms that affect unlimited numbers of people over an unlimited distance. There are, however, essence 10 charms that let you grow soul hierarchy and become a primordial which are in every right more powerful. Likewise the shinmaic charms are much more powerful than anything these artifacts are doing and if you for some reason think they are limited to their regions you should reread the charm... in fact, they can reach across realms of existence.


However, at essence 4 Solars gain access to their training charms which can affect an unlimited number of people. Likewise any performance charm can affect an unlimited number of people, though the boundary here is who can hear them. Citing Sun ing Radiance, Walking in Legend's Shadow, Halo of Ministerial Dominion- Hell, any bureaucracy charm can affect any single organization... without limit of how large it is or widely dispersed. A few linguistics charms likewise have an unlimited number of people it can affect- though the limiter there is that they have to read it (Or in the case of a few abyssal charms, hear them read.)


Overall the problem that you seem to have is that there are no examples of artifacts which really benefit followers rather than just an Exalt- So I'm afraid my comparisons may be a little off.


Looking at the Soulbreaker Orb, it alone can counter the effects of all of the pillars at once. Why? Because it kills everyone. Now lets turn to the Ring of Being. The wearer is completely immune to the magic of anything that is not born of Creation Proper. This is a solid 5-dot artifact and given that it inoculates a character to pretty much every being thats a threat to creation (Save for mundane attacks) which completely overpowers any of the pillars- Or in mass (Social or regular) combat the men behind them as well.


There is little that can be argued when its said that Exalted is fairly greedy in how it focuses everything on the Exalted proper- leaving mortals to be little more than fodder (Which they are). A single 5-dot artifact in the hands of an Exalt is much, MUCH more potent than giving an unlimited (Though in truth its limited to those who physically travel to attune to the pillars and have the luck it takes to make the roll to attune) number of mortals.


Back to the Pillar of War, though, which seems to be the most problematic... Incantation of the Invincible Army raises the unit's might by a number of either the unit's magnitude or the caster's essence, though it is limited to (essence x 5000) soldiers. For any fight that consists of more soldiers than this- I doubt any such artifacts as the Pillar of War will actually matter. (Also I've already admitted that its problematic and should likely have its might bonus lowered by 1 or 2 for both sides.)


However, lets look at your fix: You're suggesting to give them something which would provide a great boon to their Close Combat Rating (and subsequently their DV), give them unlimited rate as well as aggravated damage vrs. Creatures of Darkness, and then give them a +1 success to all mass combat actions while penalizing the enemy army with -1 success? Overall thats (If not just as good) better than what was proposed.

but it is not enough to make an INFINITE number of units, each more powerful than the combined military might of Lookshy.

-- See Thousand Corrections of The Upright Soldier. It doesn't.
Moving to the Pillar of Justice... One could easily make a charm at essence 6 or 7 that allows for a Solar to bestow his followers a Righteous Lion effect toward him- However the Pillar does not compel the Sun to do anything, it gives him the means to turn his head (albeit for a moment) from the Games of Divinity. Though this part I have little problem with fixing.

 

[Virjigorm]

First, the Shinmaic charms are much less potent as you spread your changes out further.


Second, none of the charms you mentioned bestows a 4 or 5 dot artifact power or even anything remotely close to that on every person it affects. In fact, the training and bureaucracy charms effectively make the unit or organization into an item which gives the Exalt bonuses or accomplishes some goal of the Exalt. And you make my point with the linguistics charms: they have a sensory range.


As for the artifacts you mention, the Soulbreaker orb has a range and is also limited to a single use, ever. The Ring of Being only works on one person.


Incantation of the Invincible Army is a Solar Circle spell and also requires that the caster remain immobile and concentrate on maintaining it. At best, you might squeeze it's power into a one-time-use 5 dot artifact. Solar Circle Spells are generally more immediately powerful than 5 dot artifacts; artifacts generally do less but last longer, been that way forever.


My fix for the War Pillar is, as I said, too powerful, but at least it's back within the realm of reason. The bonuses I suggest represent a substantial outlay of essence and a little willpower, and in return create a substantial advantage. The benefit of Glorious Solar Saber is too much, but I'm being generous.


You're right about an Essence 6 or 7 charm letting a Solar bless his followers like that, but it would probably have a Magnitude limit or a time duration when it would need to be re-applied. Your previous post definitely says that the Pillar is supposed to outright compel the Unconquered Sun:

Should enough people act together to defend what they love most (Hundreds, at least), the Unconquered Sun immediately receives a blessing of 2 willpower which must immediately be spent to turn his head from the Games of Divinity to witness cinders of the very flame within his heart burn in the eyes of those he loves so dearly.

I can't honestly believe that you thought your original ideas were reasonable, and I think that's why you posted them here. We can get this to a mostly balanced set of artifacts if you want to, but arguing is not the way to do it. You know that at least the War Pillar was blatantly ridiculous, and now you're only defending it because you want to win the argument. Give me a rewrite that even glances at the rules and basic ideas of game balance and artifact rating and I'll consider it.

 

[Alconoth]

The original post, which I rightly deserve to have made, has been removed for the sake of diplomacy.

Second, none of the charms you mentioned bestows a 4 or 5 dot artifact power or even anything remotely close to that on every person it affects.

Neither do the Pillars

As for the artifacts you mention, the Soulbreaker orb has a range and is also limited to a single use, ever.

People can only die once. Ever.

The Ring of Being only works on one person.

Any effects on the leader of a mass unit affects that mass unit, since mass units are worn.

Incantation of the Invincible Army is a Solar Circle spell and also requires that the caster remain immobile and concentrate on maintaining it. At best, you might squeeze it's power into a one-time-use 5 dot artifact. Solar Circle Spells are generally more immediately powerful than 5 dot artifacts; artifacts generally do less but last longer, been that way forever.

Artifacts of level 5 can mimic the effects of Solar Circle Sorcery, read the book. So, at worst, it would require activation. For the Soul-Breaker Orb, though... it has a timed detonation- which is fairly powerful for something mimicing a Solar Circle Spell, pretty much ensures that those who died rise as hungry ghosts, and also pretty much makes sure a Shadowland will form. So really, its about a Solar and a Void circle spell wrapped into one and made a one use power.

My fix for the War Pillar is, as I said, too powerful, but at least it's back within the realm of reason. The bonuses I suggest represent a substantial outlay of essence and a little willpower, and in return create a substantial advantage. The benefit of Glorious Solar Saber is too much, but I'm being generous.

No. You're taking what I offered, and making it more powerful- but its ok because you made it. This is also ignoring the fact that 5-dot artifacts are meant to be world shattering.


Six might is a bit much, which I admitted awhile ago. it is also why I was willing to concede and back down to roughly a total of four might- However, that wasn't your idea- as such it is bad. Instead, by using your suggestion (and maintaining some semblance of a real weapon rather than the maximized benefit of a +10 accuracy Solar saber), each Soldier has a weapon, compared to a mundane sword, with a surplus of +6 accuracy. On its own, this accuracy represents a similar affect to a +3 might bonus in combat. With the addition of your proposed +1 success / -1 external penalty, this +3 might bonus is raised to an equivalent level of +5 might. Now we add in the flat +1 you had for a total of 6. Solar sabers as equipment easily adds +2 or +3 bonus... leaving the overall might bonus from the initial +6 in the original that I had admitted was a bit much to your version where its raised to a base might equivalent of 8.


On top of this, though, the unit now has an unlimited rate and deals aggravated damage.I'm not sure if Mass Combat units are limited by their rate, but they should be- and in the hands of an exalt who is also using Glorious Solar Saber the army can pull off around 6-7 attacks in a flurry with a reasonably good chance of hitting. Oh! And this also removes any real chance of allowing the enemy to restore lost magnitude because of the aggravated nature of the damage (against creatures of darkness)...


So lets compare...


Free Defend Other Actions


Total Might Bonus of +6 (Equivalently)


2-3 willpower drain, which can be defended against by charms, since its a compulsion effect


vs


Unlimited Rate


Aggravated Damage vs. Creatures of Darkness


A guaranteed rating of 8-9 Might


Oh, and if you factor in unit arrangement (Close Formation for being in melee engagement, of course) the effective "might" granted by the Solar Saber's accuracy doubles, to a total of 11-12 might equivalent.


Objectively, your proposed "Fix" is in every regard more powerful than my original design- yet why is yours acceptable? You made it.

You're right about an Essence 6 or 7 charm letting a Solar bless his followers like that, but it would probably have a Magnitude limit or a time duration when it would need to be re-applied.

No. You clearly don't understand what an Essence 6 or 7 charm is capable of. It would, at worst, require 5m with an indefinite duration.

First, the Shinmaic charms are much less potent as you spread your changes out further.

Sure they are! With only two purchases of the charm, you can manage to have an effect on par with Solar Circle Sorcery activate under one trigger for sixty years which affects an entire population and works within the entirety of Creation.


(Five Nirvikalpa, two Dharma, one Nishkirya, one Nirvishesha, three Nirupadhika

I can't honestly believe that you thought your original ideas were reasonable, and I think that's why you posted them here.

I posted them here because I was looking for shallow praise and useful suggestions from people who know the system- neither of which you have fulfilled.

Give me a rewrite that even glances at the rules and basic ideas of game balance and artifact rating and I'll consider it.

At this point I'm going to try to ignore this blatant insult and bring up the fact that you seem to have little grasp on artifact creation, power level scaling (Especially in regards to essence scaling), or how insignificant empowering mortals is in the big picture.

 

[Virjigorm]

I know that you don't like the way I run my game when it conflicts with some tiny little thing you want, but when it comes to broad issues of game balance, I can and will make rulings as ST.


Most of your arguments are redundant, and the issue should be considered settled. Your opinion of what is acceptable and my decision of how these things apply to my game come from differing interpretations of the rules. My interpretations have been the core of the game for six years, and everything is not going to change now. Your enemies do not field thousands of Warstriders and devastating fleets of skyships in every battle because I do not feel that it would be appropriate to the balance and fun of the story if they did so. Your enemies do not control the Realm Defense Grid, the Eye of Autocthon, or all the Thousand Forged Dragons because I decided they don't. That's what a ST does. Any of these things could happen, but they didn't, at my discretion.


All the other artifacts in the game follow my interpretations of the rules and so will yours. It's obvious that the power of artifacts in my setting is a touch lower than most others, and that's just the way it is. It's the same for PCs and NPCs. This is all because I do not want someone with more time to spend than I have picking through rules technicalities to build a borderline-acceptable artifact that tips the entire game in a disruptive and cheap way when combined with some other obscure power. I don't do it to you, and i don't want it in the game.


That said, I like the ideas behind these artifacts. I am not trying to insult you, I just don't appreciate cheap rules-lawyering. I came up with the Solar Saber idea on the fly, so maybe it is not really appropriate. It was just an idea. Rewrite the War Pillar to something that is balanced within the framework of my setting and interpretation, and include your proposed attunement cost for each person. If you do not want to cap the number of attunements to each artifact, then each one needs to be re-written to artifact level 3 or lower, as unlimited targets is worth more to me than the difference between this power level and level 5. If you want to keep most of what you have, find a scaling mechanism that will apply to how many people can use the artifacts at one time. I will even admit that part of my ruling is coming from the fact that I have already approved 99% or your plans to build a vast nation of Essence 3 enlightened mortals and I am well aware of the fact that you plan for each of these artifacts to have literally millions of people attuned to them. The fact that you don't want to talk about that tells me that you are hoping I will overlook it. I just don't have time to search every book for every example of every power you want to make. Instead, I judge general power level based on the rules, which I have read, and a lot of experience running this game.


Work with me and stop being arrogant and hostile, and we can hash out your artifacts in a way that works well for everyone. I don't want to make these artifacts for you, or to simply disallow them, since the idea is creative and appropriate to the game. I only want you to follow the rules that everyone else and all my NPCs follow, and accept ST rulings when they are given. I do not know every detail of every rule, and I do not have time to memorize them all, that's why we have books to look things up in, but I do know how to run the game. I like your character, and I like your ideas, and I like the fact that you are a part of the game. All I want is cooperation when it comes to balancing mechanics and powers.

 

[Alconoth]

Arrogance I will give you, but I did not become hostile until

I can't honestly believe that you thought your original ideas were reasonable, and I think that's why you posted them here. We can get this to a mostly balanced set of artifacts if you want to, but arguing is not the way to do it. You know that at least the War Pillar was blatantly ridiculous, and now you're only defending it because you want to win the argument. Give me a rewrite that even glances at the rules and basic ideas of game balance and artifact rating and I'll consider it.

whereupon my reaction was well warranted.

Most of your arguments are redundant

Well, thats because of

All the other artifacts in the game follow my interpretations of the rules

Your enemies do not control the Realm Defense Grid, the Eye of Autocthon, or all the Thousand Forged Dragons because I decided they don't.

We had a Directional Titan thrown at us. And, if I am not mistaken, the enemy has several Dawning Sun Indomitable-Class Heavy Battle Cruisers along with all of the resources of Malfeas at their back. On a lesser note, we also had a Soul-Breaker Orb detonated in our face.

This is all because I do not want someone with more time to spend than I have picking through rules technicalities to build a borderline-acceptable artifact that tips the entire game in a disruptive and cheap way when combined with some other obscure power.

Examples of existing problematic artifacts in your game made by you which tips the game in a cheap way: Book of Three Circles, Azalea's Sword. Likewise, rumor has it we're facing an army of Dragon-Blooded Blood Ape Akuma, The Ebon Dragon, and every Infernal. This is leveling the field. How empowering mortals, or more specifically- the Party's army- disrupts the game is beyond me.

I will even admit that part of my ruling is coming from the fact that I have already approved 99% of your plans to build a vast nation of Essence 3 enlightened mortals

Is a Solar (Specifically built for nation building) supposed to do something else with 70 years of downtime at essence 5 and all the training charms, and then the last 30 years (For a total of 100) spent at essence 6?

The fact that you don't want to talk about that tells me that you are hoping I will overlook it.

Its fairly hard to overlook the entirety of a character's downtime

I do not know every detail of every rule, and I do not have time to memorize them all

Then don't make statements like

I can't honestly believe that you thought your original ideas were reasonable

and

Give me a rewrite that even glances at the rules and basic ideas of game balance and artifact rating and I'll consider it.

To quote Peleps Deled, "You're wrong to think there's such a thing as an "interpretation" of the Texts."


However, you aren't some random monk nor am I the leader of the Wyld Hunt. Had you said from step one, "These artifacts seem a little too powerful for my game and the world I've set down" I would have fully accepted that explanation and acted accordingly. Instead you tried to argue mechanics with me- and yes, I do have more time than you to pour over the books and confer with the party. I've spoken to most of the other party, they liked the Pillars, as well as other GM's- who in fact helped me design them. Save for the Pillar of Justice, all of the artifacts follow the rules and the guide given for artifact creation, but again this is moot because you feel they are too powerful for your world.


-And to touch base back on the issue of me having more time than you... it probably means I've done my homework extensively.

 

[Virjigorm]

I went back and read the Mass Combat section of the mainbook and the artifact creation rules from the Codex and I firmly stand behind the opinions I've already given. Bottom line is that I'm not willing to approve this set of artifacts as you wrote them. I'm not interested in this level of arguing. I play this game for fun; it is not my job, or some sort of divinely appointed responsibility, and I won't tolerate the kind of crap you're giving me. I have an idea that will make this work out almost exactly as you've intended, without creating artifacts that are beyond an appropriate scope. If you want to have a reasonable conversation about it, give me a call. All I'm interested in is balancing the cost/benefit equation here. The idea is great, but I disagree with the execution.


As far as the artifacts you mentioned, I have completely reasonable explanations for why and how they entered the story. I also don't think you know exactly how all those items work, because no one in the party does. I'd be happy to explain all that to you as well.


The Demon Blooded Blood Ape Terrestrials were a joke. I did let slip that the Empress was instituting a eugenics program on the Blessed Isle. That's all. I haven't even decided how it will work yet.


I'm willing to give on some points, but there are others that you'll just have to live with. Give me a call and we'll hammer out something we both like and it will probably be twice as awesome as anything either of us has suggested yet. The whole "game" thing is supposed to be fun, remember?

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

BEHOLD! The dick-waving wars of the ECR return! DeLand Edition.