Fun and Games with the Eye of Autochthon

[Persell]

Recently, I had the Eye of Autochthon make its fourth known appearance in the setting, popping right into the middle of the Parko Llana in Nexus. Two of the city's NPC Solar Exalts (it's a solo-play game) almost immediately went to war over it with each other, and the Emissary had to smack them both down. In-game time hasn't progressed much since it just showed up, so the full ramifications haven't been felt throughout the city yet.


There are four Solar Exalted in the city, not counting the PC and his NPC Twilight circlemate who, even though she is an Autochthonian, is scared shitless of the artifact, believing it to be the fetich soul of the Great Maker. Two of the Solars are badly wounded, following their off-screen battle with each other and are, respectively, a Dawn Caste mercenary (not Dace, he doesn't exist in my world) formerly from Lookshy and a Linowan Twilight sorcerer. The other two are an Eclipse socialite and a Zenith monk.


Three Lunars would also love to get their hands on the thing, two Changing Moons and a No-Moon. None of which are known to the PC, or will be his as-yet unmet mate.


Four Sidereals have been dispatched to Nexus by Oversight, all with different orders. Two are to watch and guide various forces in the city, one is to direct the overall course of the battles for the Eye, and one is under orders to claim the artifact for Heaven.


One Abyssal wishes to use the Eye in her quest for redemption; in a trip to a possible future (made cheesily possible by an older version of the PC's Twilight Circlemate who claimed the Eye 50 years hence) the PC learned that this Abyssal using the Eye to turn back to a Solar is one of the Seven Signs of the Reclamation.


Not to mention all the Dragon-Blooded who would dearly love to use the artifact to win the brewing Civil War on the Blessed Isle. The war hasn't begun yet, but all signs point to it, to any Dynast keeping his finger on the pulse of imperial politics.


Three separate Yozi cults operate in the city: two dedicated to Kimbery (located in the Nighthammer and Nexus districts near the docks) and one to She Who Dreams the Endless Dark, a custom Primordial I created for a game a few years back. If they could get the eye for their infernal masters, all sorts of hellish awards await them.


The annual meeting of the League of Rivers is due to begin immediately after Calibration, which is only four months away in the timeline, hosted this year by Nexus and the Council of Entities. This means that every petty warlord of the Hundred Kingdoms, the generals of Lookshy, the gods of Great Forks and the Mask of Winters will be throwing their hat into the ring in the battle for the Eye.


The Guild wants it as well, for obvious reasons. Not to mention the hundreds and thousands of regular people in Nexus who would use it to their own ends, disregarding the stories of the Eye's previous appearances and treacheries. In fact, the only local or distant power NOT interested in the Eye is Sijan.


The Council of Entities has made it punishable by death to attempt to claim the eye, and has four of its mercenary companies sealing off the appropriate section of the park, with stonemasons (closely guarded) constructing a tomb/vestibule for it. Despite this, Nexus will shortly turn into a battleground.


I plan on having the Eye scythe through claimants, not unlike the Ring of Sauron but with far greater rapidity. It has a mind of its own, and a will of its own, and desires above all else to be reunited with Autochthon. But what, in particular, I can have the Eye do, I'm rather drawing a blank on. In replaying FF9, I had some vague inspiration a section of Nexus vanishing and being replaced with a small Haltan tree-town (a la Cleyra), and an attempt at cleansing the Wyld zone in the Firewander... opening the Tombs of Nexus (which are not actually tombs in my game, see here) to discover their wonders, the Fair Folk mounting another Crusade...


Does anyone have any suggestions for other things the Eye can be used for? Big or small... I intend to rip Nexus a new one, and I'm open to the most devilish and weird suggestions on how to do it.

 

[Inverse]

Partial control of Autobot's charms? Partial mental influence from Autobot's intimacies and motivation? Control/influence over gods? Instant Enlightenment? Ability to create anything/Exaltations? Uncontrolled "enhancement" of charms, desires, imagination, emotions, limit breaks? Madness? Sparta?

 

[wordman]

Rebuild the entire Exalted setting into Earthdawn/Shadowrun's setting.


I also used the Eye to bestow a mark on characters that wanted it that let them do an end run around some of the training rules that had become a nuisance in my campaign. (Warning, that mark used first edition rules and is tailored fairly specifically to my campaign, and is not generally balanced.)

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

lol, this is kinda funny...I just started a new campaign and decided to have the Eye show up first session as a major driving plot point...


I like these marks...

 

[Inverse]

So.......did anyone encounter spontaneous Daft Punk music? :mrgreen:

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Totally took and heavily modified wordman's mark idea.

 

[wordman]

Totally took and heavily modified wordman's mark idea.

How'd this turn out? Have you posted your version anywhere?

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Well, in my game, Autochthon is actually half a primordial. He lobotomized himself to 'perfect' himself, the other half becoming the Dreaming, all his creativity in a primordial form. My finished product looked like this:

Spoiler

For the purpose of workspace, powers that are nearly identical will have differences separated by a / Autochthon's Mark will always come first in order.


The mark is considered to be an insubstantial artifact, with no commitment cost. Once applied, it is permanent change to the character and cannot be transferred. It is normally invisible to the naked eye, but under some conditions, it will appear on your chest as a series of spectral gears/untethered chaos, in colors matching your anima. The conditions where it can be seen are:


â–ª Any time your caste mark shows, the mark is equally visible.


â–ª Essence sight of any kind can perceive the mark on a Perception + Occult (5) roll.


â–ª Alchemical exalted/shaped raksha will notice the mark on a Perception + Occult (2) roll.


â–ª Spirits of Autochthonia/unshaped fae will notice the mark automatically.


â–ª You can spend 2 motes to make the mark obvious to any onlookers.


Emissary of the Maker/Chaos: Any entity native to Autochthonia/The Dreaming who sees your mark immediately knows its significance, and will consider you to be highly connected to their patron. This will generally result in a highly favorable reaction. Older gods in Creation may also recognize the mark; their reaction will depend on their opinion of Autochthon/The Dreaming


Avatar of Law/The Wyld: Any stunt that meshes with your chosen patron's goals receive an additional die. This does not affect the rewards you choose from a stunt (i.e., a 2 die stunt does not reward an exp. by being raised to 3 dice through this power, although a 3 die stunt raised to 4 dice would)


Five-Fold Synchronicity/Gossamer Thread Attunement: Adamant and all five of the magical materials are now considered your "favored" material; you no longer need to commit double the motes to attune to non-favored materials. If you have particular abilities that work specifically on your favored material, they expand to work on all five materials. (For example, various shapeshifting rules interact specifically with moonsilver; these now interact with all five metals.).


Cog in the Wheel/Whorls of Chaos: When confronted with a situation that obviously advances the goals of Autochthon/The Dreaming, if you want to act counter to those goals, you must fail an appropriate Virtue test to do so. This works like normal virtue suppression, so if you get any successes on this test, you either need to work toward Autochthon's/The Dreaming's goals or spend a point of Willpower to avoid doing so (gaining a point of Limit as well).


Infinite Variety in Infinite Forms/Dreams of a Thousand Lives: You gain the ability to learn combos instantaneously. You must still pay their xp cost, but learning a new combo takes no training time at all. You can even create them on the fly during combat. In addition, the xp cost of adding favored charms to a combo changes: you pay xp equal to either the minimum Ability or minimum Essence, whichever is lower. Each time you learn a combo in this way, you gain a dot of Precision/Bedlam (see below)


Opening the Mind's Eye/Breaking the Limits: You gain one favored Attribute upon receiving the Mark, even if your Exalt type does not normally allow favored Attributes. Experience discounts apply as normal


Deep Resonance/Dive Into Chaos: You may enter an eight-hour trance that allows you to learn rapidly. While in the trance, each point of Willpower you spend compresses 100 hours of training into the trance. In any given trance, you may pay as much Willpower as you like, but may only train toward a single goal (e.g. learning one charm, improving a trait by one dot, etc.). You are considered to have a teacher for the training time. After each trance, you gain a dot of Precision/Bedlam (see below). During this trance, you enter a vivid dream-like state, where anything is possible and events unfold that "explain" your training. Part training montage, part vision quest, these dreams can seem to cover any span of time. They might be totally realistic or surreal and metaphorical. They might reveal great truths or hideous lies. They may give you glimpses of the future, or lie to you. What you see is up to you. While your character is in the trance, you may choose to invent and describe his vision to the rest of the players. If you choose to do so, when the character comes out of the trance, he gains an immediate test to regain Willpower. If your character uses this ability to raise Essence or learn sorcery, you must do this.


Mark of Autochthon Specific


Precision


Being connected to the Great Maker tends to make you more machine like. While this provides some benefits, you also run the risk of losing your humanity entirely. Even creatures like the Alchemical Exalted, who are built for such things, can loose themselves to the machine. They measure this with a trait called Clarity, but it works a bit differently for you, being born human. Your loss of humanity is measured by a Background called Precision.


Precision is increased by tapping into the connection to Autochthon (as outlined above). Any time you gain a point of precision, you also gain a point of Limit. To summarize the above, any of the following increase Precision:


â–ª Receiving the mark starts you off at one dot


â–ª Gain a dot by using the Infinite Variety in Infinite Forms power to instantly learn a combo.


â–ª Gain a dot by using the Deep Resonance power to shorten training time.


â–ª Gain a dot from any stunt that is affected by Avatar of Law


Embracing your humanity and human emotion in significant ways decreases Precision, represented as follows:


â–ª Any time you spend Willpower to channel a Virtue, and the resulting action is successful, you automatically loose a dot of Precision.


â–ª Any time you use a stunt of two dice or more that reaffirms your humanity or expresses genuine emotion (joy, rage, pity, love), if the stunt succeeds, instead of regaining motes or Willpower, you may choose to loose a point of Precision.


â–ª Significant appropriate emotional or social experiences may reduce Precision by a point.


Precision acts as both a blessing and a curse, with the following general effects:


▪ Precision rating is added to…


▪ …initiative rolls.


▪ …the number of dice used for any Temperance checks or Temperance channels.


▪ …the number of dice used for any meticulous, detailed, but not particularly emotional work. In addition to most complex repair work, this also explicitly includes calligraphy tests targeted at Pattern Spiders (e.g. sidereal astrology).


▪ …the number of dice others use for Perception tests to notice your mark.


▪ Precision rating is subtracted from…


▪ …the number of dice used for any Compassion checks or Compassion channels.


▪ …the number of dice used for any social tests. This always includes tests involving Charisma, Manipulation, Socialize, Performance and Presence, but may include any other test with a social component as well.


▪ …the number of dice used for any defenses against social attacks.


▪ …the number of dice used for any attempts at artistic self expression. This would include poetry, dance, painting, and any Craft test meant primarily to convey emotion, manipulate the viewer or make a social point.


In addition, as the rating increases, the more mechanical your personality becomes:


â— - No noticeable changes, but the character's thoughts are often more coldly logical.


â—â— - Mannerisms convey a sense of distraction and an increased disdain for mortals and mortal frailty. Less patience for people.


â—â—â— - Notably inhuman. Movements and speech become clipped and laconic, replacing courtesy with efficiency. Mortals are never pitied and are largely ignored.


â—â—â—â— - Humanity is a distant memory. Mortals are treated like resources, to be used as efficiently as possible. Enjoyment, desire and other feelings no longer exist. At this level, the character loses the ability to channel Valor and Compassion entirely.


â—â—â—â—â— - An utterly alien extension of the Machine God. The character has free will and is not a drone, but will consider the needs of the Machine God over its own. At this level, the character automatically fails Compassion rolls and can no longer roll to resist the Will of Autochthon (see above).


Precision can be reduced to zero, but the trait itself will remain as long as the mark does. Precision may not increase over five dots; attempts to do so simply fail.


Mark of the Dreaming Specific


Bedlam


Being connected to the Dreaming tends to make you more chaotic. While this provides some benefits, you also run the risk of losing your sanity entirely. Your loss of sanity is measured by a Background called Bedlam.


Bedlam is increased by tapping into the connection to the Dreaming (as outlined above). Any time you gain a point of Bedlam, you also gain a point of Limit. To summarize the above, any of the following increase Bedlam:


â–ª Receiving the mark starts you off at one dot


â–ª Gain a dot by using the Dreams of a Thousand Lives power to instantly learn a combo.


â–ª Gain a dot by using the Dive Into Chaos power to shorten training time.


â–ª Gain a dot any time a stunt is affected by Avatar of the Wyld.


Controlling your humanity and human emotion in significant ways decreases Bedlam, represented as follows:


â–ª Any time you spend Willpower to resist a Virtue, or a Virtue roll fails, lose a dot of Bedlam


â–ª Any time you use a stunt of two dice or more that controls your humanity or shows a calm, rational thought pattern, if the stunt succeeds, instead of regaining motes or Willpower, you may choose to loose a point of Bedlam.


â–ª Significant appropriate emotional or social experiences may reduce Bedlam by a point.


Bedlam acts as both a blessing and a curse, with the following general effects:


▪ Bedlam rating is added to…


▪ …initiative rolls.


▪ …the number of dice used for any Compassion checks or Compassion channels.


▪ …the number of dice used for any inspired, artistic and emotional work. In addition to most forms of art, this also explicitly includes repair rolls made for anything created as a work of beauty


▪ …the number of dice others use for Perception tests to notice your mark.


▪ Bedlam rating is subtracted from…


▪ …the number of dice used for any Temperance checks or Temperance channels.


▪ …the number of dice used for any mental tests. This always includes tests involving Intelligence, Wits, Perception, Lore, and Occult, but may include any other test that requires calm thought.


▪ …the number of dice used for any attempts at monotonous work. This would include most repairs, research, and any roll the requires a significant amount of concentration without creating something of artistic beauty.


In addition, as the rating increases, the more erratic your personality becomes:


â— - No noticeable changes, but the character's thoughts are often more irrational.


â—â— - Mannerisms convey a sense of distraction and an increased fascination for mortals and mortal emotions. More easily distracted


â—â—â— - Notably inhuman. Movements and speech become erratic and sudden, and often changing in style. Mortals are beyond fascinating, and often garner much attention from the marked.


â—â—â—â— - The emotions of humanity are overwhelming. Mortals are treated like prized pets, to be cherished, adored, and obsessed over, sometimes to the point of danger. No patience for monotonous tasks exist anymore. At this level, the character loses the ability to channel Temperance and Conviction entirely.


â—â—â—â—â— - Completely lost to the Dreaming. The character has free will and is not irrevocably mad, but will consider the needs of the Dreaming over their own. At this level, the character automatically fails Temperance rolls and can no longer roll to resist the Will of the Dreaming (see above).


Bedlam can be reduced to zero, but the trait itself will remain as long as the mark does. Bedlam may not increase over five dots; attempts to do so simply fail.


For the most part, I only slightly modified some of the stuff for 2nd ed, clipped some stuff I didn't want, and changed the flavor to match the opposite side

 

[wordman]

Sweet. How have your players used the mark?

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

It's only been one session, so, all are sitting at 1 point, except the Dawn of the group, who made a combo right away, and is sitting at two precision. I'm thinking of adding in more powers as their Essence increases.