"I had no idea my Daiklave could do that!"

C

Cynis Filthist

New Member
Just something I'm implementing in my games on the idea that a solar wouldn't have just had a plain ol set o' bracers and a ordinary daiklave sitting around. They had powerful Earth-shattering artifacts, and to reflect this I allowed the players to create unique powers or quirks that increased their artifact rating by 1.


Anytime the character increases his Permanent Essence he can roll his Essence score against the artifact rating, a single success means he has unlocked a new facet of the items power. (for this purpose one success is as good as 5, but a ST may decide to have higher success unlock a more powerful ability) This may also happen where dramatically appropriate, if the ST feels it makes sense and the other characters don't mind a character getting a 'freebie.'


Whatcha think?
 
Secret's weapon, Cluivnarihe, has some aspects of this... but it has different "triggers".


>.>
 
The sad thing about all this is that I never even noticed, and I used to be able to speak Irish reasonably well...
 
That's just because he used a phonetic spelling instead of the Irish spelling. A few more bh sounds and you'd have been set.


It's the Vs that threw you off.
 
That and the fact I haven't spoken a word of Irish for nearly three years... fecking secondary schools.
 
Nifty mechanic, I now plan on using it. I'm just not sure the permanent essence thing is often enough for me, but then again what do I know, I haven't played much Exalted. About how often does that happen?
 
About once every hundred experience points or so.  So, after about 15-25 games.
 
You could always make them more frequent if you want, just tone down the scale, when i say they do something I don't mean an extra point or two to a stat, but some pretty grand stuff eventually cumulating into an Earth Shattering 5-point wonder of the first age.
 
It's a very nice idea, but I don't like the trigger very much. You see, if some Exalt gets one of this items with Essence 5 and less than 30 years of exaltation, he will have to wait at least 70 more years before improving anything, while his circle mate that got his artifact with Essence 2 already has a god-killing nuclear machine. I think the artifact would work better if it adopted to the power of its wielder. This way, it wouldn't mind the level you got the item.
 
Maybe you can just have them spend experience to level up their artifact; or if you like the rolling feature, have it  be less experience and you buy a chance to roll for a new feature. Having both options seems like a nice balance to me, as long as the exp price is reasonable.
 
no.  No chart, this is just something I found spur of the moment that I liked while running my game.  I may full flesh out this idea soon though - especially with the feedback im getting.


Arthur, this idea was implemented assuming starting characters, the idea is that the Solars (worried of the low usurping the high) set in place safeguards that would lock away the power if lower essence beings got ahold of it.  So an Essence 5 solar, would start with a weapon of power - and from there it would grow.


mgnificent, that is certainly another way to handle it, and one that is more than valid.  you can already spend 3xp (i think it was) per point of background - though to allow raising a background I'd prolly suggest going a lil higher for a 4 or 5 in a background.
 
Personally, I think that there are better approaches to this sort of an idea than either the xp or rolling method. To me, neither seems all that interesting or compelling. Now, having a chat with the little god of your piece of ancient gear and seeking to learn the secret method to awaken its full power, then going on an epic quest to complete the arcane requirements seems, well, more interesting on the whole. Instead of just spending xp or having your gear get better at random intervals, earning its improvement through one's own actions seems much more epic and Exalted to me. Otherwise, you might as well just make yourself a new piece of gear the old fashioned way, by crafting yourself an artifact...which often requires a bit of work to get what you need too...unless you're a Solar with access to the Wyld and Lore charms who pulls it out of their ass.
 
Well yeah, if you just award stuff for exp what's the point? I think any expenditures should be STed out, otherwise it just doesn't make sense.


"Well I am sure glad we killed all those bandits, HOLY CRAP! I can shoot fireballs now."
 
Let's imagine a dawn-caste that discovers new powers to a daiklave he found. For some reason, that solar dies. His circlemate, another dawn who witnessed all the power-discovering, inherits the daiklave. Would he have to re-discover all the powers...?
 
I wouldn't allow that personally, maybe at an increased rate, but not immediately. I think you would have to learn the powers of the daiklave for yourself.
 
I think it still would be waaaaaaaay easier for this second solar, as he would know what to look for and witnessing these powers would somehow count as a little tutoring...


Unless the daiklave's powers change from one solar shard to another. Now that would be someting else entirely  :shock:
 
I'd say he knows what the powers are, but not how they work.  So he has to learn how to channel his Essence properly to get the desired effect.


Maybe the channeling has something to do with your Virtues, Motivation and Intimacies.  Or just Virtues and general personality.  Either way, it would make it a different way for every Essence channeler.
 
I use a more Earthdawn-like concept where both the powers and the keys to unlock them have to do with either the legend of the item itself or the item's creator. You could also go full-on Earthdawn and bring in the idea of patterns and names, and how the PC is bringing his own closer to those of both the item and its maker. Some examples:

  • Ophidian Kata Rings - essentially an artifact that grows into perfected kata bracers and beyond. (These were intended largely to get a particular player more engaged in the story.)
  • The Wyr'paljan_Caduceus - a powerful sorcery enhancer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top