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[Exalted] Heaven's Reach - Information & Experance


Heaven's Reach ST

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Starships

Abilities Most important: Sail(Piloting), Firearms (Guns), Lore(Computers, Deep Space Navigation), Craft (Engineering), War (Strategy/Tactics), Awareness (Sensors)

Boarding Actions: Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Martial Arts (ranged weapons are often not used in such because of the problem of putting holes in the hull and exposing the interior to the vacuum of space)

Classes

- Fighters - 1 man ships, maximum manvouver and speed in combat, but least firepower, though a group of fighters can be very dangerous, and they are often employed against stationary targets.

- Frigates - Most common ships, good manvouverablity and viable firepower, usually fast enough to outrun anything larger and powerful enough to shoot down anything smaller.

- Cruisers - the middleman of the starship classes, capable, but not best at anything, more common as a merchant ship then anything else, but they do serve some purposes in combat, most combat cruises are are the next type. The most common combat cruiser is that of the Carrier, a cruiser fitted to carry a small fleet of fighters in docking bays.

- Battlecruisers - Combat focuses cruisers, a bit bigger then the average cruiser, but these ships have powerful weapons and decent maneuvering and are more common in combat focuses fleets then cruisers

- Battleships - Short of the dreadnought the battleship is the most powerful ship out there, but dreadnoughts are expensive and take years to build, a battleship can be built in a year or so, so they are the most common of the large warships in the galaxy, but even.

- Dreadnoughts Slow, but having the most powerful weapons that can be fitted to a starship, Dreadnoughts are among the most feared ships in the galaxy, but are generally very uncommon.

Special: Artifact Ships (Break Classification): It is impossible to say with any certainty anything about these ships, they break the general classification, the most powerful of them is the Ship known as the Unconquered Sun, which was built to head the war, and is sort of a kind of lesser stellar intelligence, presently guarding the system of Riel.

 

Languages

Celestial (aka Spirit Code) - Old Realm (used mainly by spirits and Exalts)
Imperial (aka High Realm) - Used by the rulers, nobles and wealthy of the Empire
Low Imperial (low realm) - Used by the commoner's of the Empire
Varian (Rocktongue) - Used by the Vara
Sarian (High Holy Speach aka Dragontongue) - used by the Sarians

Trade tongue aka Common (Riverspeak) - Common Trading language of the Frontier and much of the empire, in much of the galaxy is the only language spoken

The following four languages are also major tongues in the 4 major regions of the frontier

Larathia (Flametongue) - In a region of space containing hundreds of thousands of desert and volcanic planets, fairly distant from the empire, the language eventually shifts to this tongue, this part of the galaxy contains a large number of isolated and tribal societies the further you get from the empire.

Serakan (Skytongue) - In a region of hundreds of thousands of arctic, tundra, and some of the colder forest planets, Serakan is the common language, though the Void Walker Nomads who travel this region of space also. The Syndics of Whitewall, The Haslanti, League and the Sezekan Republic are all found in this part of the Galaxy.

Adetha (Sea Tongue) - Ocean, Swamp, Archpeligo (dominated by thousands of islands) and similar planets dominant the region of space where Adetha is spoken, it is the primary language of the Seahome Federation, the Coral Dominion, and the Star Pirates known as the Lintha (who have given their allegiance to the Yozi Kimbery).

Faria (Forest Tongue) - Forest and Jungle planets dominant the region of the frontier where this language is spoken, and for the most part, this part of the galaxy is farthest from the Imperial center, it is a wild place, but also a region filled with life. The capital of the Sarian Combine, the planet Rathess is found in this region of space, but they speak a different tongue then the human inhabitants of this part of the universe. This is the main tongue of the Chaya Republic, and the other powers in this region.

Other Languages: They exist, but are usually resigned to a single planet, people or special group (Such as Guild Can't, or lunar Clawspeach)

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Glossary

Autochthon: One of the last surviving unaltered Stellar Intelligences, Autochthon has spent the last millennia absorbing worlds into his being and converting them into mammoth machines.

canals: Weakened regions of subspace connecting solar systems to one another, which allow for faster-than-light travel between stars, avigable only by starships equipped with anima-fields. [see Wormholes]

Central Empire, the: What remains of the galactic empire founded by First Emperor, built up by the Immaculate Golden Engineer, and maintained for millennia by the Exalted.

Death Avatars: Extrusions of a Tomb-Star’s will, the Death Avatars are powerful beings capable of interacting directly with the lifeforms and ghosts in Terminus and occasionally entering into the Known Worlds. They act as intermediaries between the Abyssal Exalted and the Tomb-Stars.

eschatechnology: The strange dark-matter and dark-energy devices of the Tomb-Stars, Abyssal Exalted and Death Avatars.

femtotechnology: The most advanced form of nanotechnology developed, where picotechnology and nanotechnology manipulated individuals atoms and molecules, femtotechnology manipulates individual nuclear particles and motes of Essence, allowing almost miraculous effects. Picotechnology was the stage of technology before femtotechnology, in use by First Emperor.

First Emperor: Ancient human who conquered much of the galaxy using pre-Essence technology and is still renowned, millennia after his death, for brutality and ruthlessness.

frontier, the: The region of space surrounding the Central Empire made up of worlds largely outside of Imperial control.

Grand Celestial Mountain: The subspace informational network that permeates the entirety of the galaxy, inhabited by the Sidereal Exalted and Essence-programs of varying power and importance.

Immaculate Golden Engineer: The imperial personage who created much of the infrastructure which allowed for the invention of the Exalted, the interstellar canal system, and the Stellar Intelligences.

Known Worlds, the: The term for the known universe as it has come to be understood, remapped and redefined in the aftermath of the Malfean War. The Known Worlds consists of both the frontier and the Central Empire.

Shrieking Hordes: Strange beings made up of chaotic, half-formed matter and driven by an alien intellect, these creatures dwell in the broken reality of the canals or at the periphery of the galaxy, where physics break down under their powerful whims. [see Fair Folk]

Solar Dynasties, the: The millennia where the Solar Exalted, aided by the Stellar Intelligences and their fellow Exalted, ran the galaxy. Much of the technology and accomplishment of this era is largely deemed mythical except by those rare beings who remember it first-hand.

Son of Heaven, the: One of the oldest surviving Exalted, the Son of Heaven slew his bride, Dema Osirian, last of the Solar imperial rulers, and took control of the Central Empire a century after the Malfean War. He still rules it today.

Stellar Intelligences: Stellar macro-phenomena whose mass and Essence output were altered until they were sentient supercomputers run by Essence programs of immense power and unfathomable intent. Most were destroyed or altered by the Solar Dynasty.

Terminus: A pocket universe which exists on the other side of the Tomb-Stars, it grows with each iota of matter and energy absorbed by the dead Stellar Intelligences.

thaler: The common currency used throughout the Central Empire, made of an alloy nearly impossible to forge, and also a common unit of exchange in the frontier.

Thousandth Dynasty, the: The common term for the Central Empire under Heaven’s Son, often used on internal documents.

Tomb-Stars: Stellar Intelligences destroyed by the Exalted in the Malfean War exploded and collapsed in on themselves, creating massive black holes and other destructive phenomena. Their intellects still survive in the subspatial realm known as Terminus. [see picture]
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  • 2 weeks later...

The Web of F.A.T.E.

Forecasting

Analysis

Temporal

Engine

The masterpiece of the Sidereal Exalted, the web of F.A.T.E is capable of predicting the future to a 99.99998% in the case of mortals, 98.7% plus or minus 1% in mortal essence users, and 91% plus or minus 2% in the case of the dragon blooded and 87.3% plus or minus 3% in the case of the celestial exalt... baring the entrance of powers outside fate, which besides the Shrieking Hordes, unfortunatly include the Yozis and the Terminus subspace can throw results off by as much as 37.3%.

Originally the engine of FATE was intended to include the stellar intelligences, but the war began before they could be integrated, and save for Autochthon all stellar intelligence are not integrated into the system, and the discord between them means that they can not be at the present.

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  • 8 months later...

The Incarnae

The Celestial Incarnae a triumph of essence shaping, though the full knowledge of how they were created is lost to stellar civilization.. some even claim they were not shaped or created, but found or that they existed in a less material form before they came into existance, or that they were simply a requirement to create the Celestial Mountain itself. Below are the seven and the one, and the general concepts that they cover.

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  • Sol Incarnate: The Most High, Ignis Divine, The Most Holy, The Guiding Light. Deity of Light, Glory, Excellence, Virtue, & Perfection. Chief Deity of War and Justice in the Heavens, the highest and most powerful of all the Incarnae, the ruler of all of the Material Intelligence's (gods) of the Celestial Mountain, the final authority within the Celestial Mountain, who dwells with the rest of the Incarnae at the peak of the Celestial Mountain.
  • Luna Incarnate: The Silver Mirror, the Light's Consort , the Fickle Lady, The Changing Maiden. Deity of Adaptation, Change, Evolution, Luck, & Survival. Luna is everything that Sol is not, the impossible made possible, ever changing, she refines and reflects further changes, she is the Chief Deity of Nature in the Heavens, though she is also a War Deity, much as Sol is. Furthermore, she is the only being who has looked into the heart of Sol and not been destroyed or irrevocably altered. As such, she is his Consort as much as Sol is her Consort.
  • The Maidens of Destiny: Five in number, yet working forever as a unit, the Maidens are both individualistic and collectivist in their nature, and save for one.. Sol and Luna's only Peers. They are also far more closely invested in the Sidereal Exalted then Sol and Luna are in the Solars and Lunars.
  • Mercury Incarnate: The Maiden of Journeys, Deity of Travel, Ships(both Space and Sailing), of the Canals, of Going Here and There, of Planning for the Future, and similar things
  • Venus Incarnate: The Maiden of Serenity, Deity of Peace, Pleasure, Passion, Love, Fertility, Beauty, of Music, Sex, Drugs, and anything related to such matters
  • Mars Incarnate: The Maiden of Battles, Deity of Conflict, Strategy, Tactics, Competition, Combat, of all those who fight in wars, from generals to soldiers, even the conflicts of children fall under her domain, all conflict is hers.
  • Jupiter Incarnate: The Maiden of Secrets, Deity of Mysteries, Sorceries, Knowledge, Keys, Treasures, Lost and Forgotten Things, of the Unknown and Unknowable, if any deity represents the Future, it is her, anything secret or mysterious is her domain
  • Saturn Incarnate: The Maiden of Endings, Deity of Death, Funerals, Finality, Destruction and Rebirth, if it involves anything that comes to an end, a individual, a city, a corporation, and empire, it falls under her preview.
  • Gaia: The Daughter of the Incarnae, the Beloved, the Child Goddess, the Maiden of Plenty, no one is quite sure what Gaia is, she is multi-manifested like the Stellar Intelligences, but her nature is more in tune with the Incarnae then them. What is more, she claims all 7 incarnae as parents, and they agree, though Luna is often the most invested and active with regards to her daughter. When asked for more explanation, the Incarnae refer everyone to Jupiter, who as usual, simply smiles. From her nature comes Gnosis, whose nature is not fully known, and the Five Elemental Dragons, and from them, the elementals which are so vital to the life patterns of the many worlds throughout the galaxy.
  • The Games of Divinity: Of special note, the Games serve several purposes, they keep the Incarnae from becoming bored or overly concerned with matters that should be left to mortals, keeping them grounded in the celestial mountain, they are a source of endless joy and pleasure to them, but more then simply revitalizing deities, they revitalize the galaxy, both bringing in and holding off the forces of chaos and entropy, stars touched by the games never run out of fuel, energy and essence tapping the regions of chaos and dark matter to restore their energies. The turns of the Games are also how time is measured on the galactic scale, 25 hours a day, 15 minutes for every turn of the games, 100 turns in a day. 15 months corresponding to the major seasons of the games, Air, Water, Earth, Wood, Fire.. and Calibration, when the games are naturally returned each year.
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The Illuminated Accords

- A frontier Alliance produced by the Gold Stars a group of Sidereals lead by Ayesha Ura, the Vara Consensus Telepath, Diplomat and Adamant Caste Crystal Resonance, the Sarian Diplomant and Elder Dragon King Ath'aen, the Twisted Stone Conclave lead by the Lunar Gerd Marrow Eater.. they were the primary signataries, but others have been added sense.

- Primary Signatories: The Vara Consensus, The Sarian Combine, The Golden Stars, The Twisted Stone Conclave
- Secondary Signatories: The Haslanti League, The Sezekan Republic, The Seahome Federation, The Confederation of Rivers, The Syndics of Whitewall, the Halta Council (diplomatic efforts work at getting more signatories)

The Star Marshals are a product of the Illuminated Accords, they can be considered independent law officers trained to police the space lanes, dealing with interstellar problems of pirates, slavers, drug lords, criminals on the more normal level, but at a higher level... they deal with problems involving the Yozi's and Tomb-Stars, Yozi Cultists, Death Knights, Warlocks, and Shrieking Hordes who have slipped into normal space... some call the Star Marshals the Wyld Hunt and stories about them have spread as far as the Empire. Star Marshals generally are not planetary law and usually have little authority over internal matters of a star system, their authority goes outward to interstellar space.

Reactions: In frontier, on the more isolated planets, Star Marshals can be the only Law ever seen.. appropriate then that the returning Lawgivers are often recruited by them. They are generally looked on with a degree of awe and respect in the frontier. Within the empire, the common folk of the Empire admire them, but the powers that be are suspicous of them, especially sense so many of them returning Solar Exalted.. relations between the Star Marshals and the Empire can be considered tense.

Training: While they prefer the Exalted, the Star Marshals will train anyone, at Kether Rock or the Sequested Tabernacle, though mortals don't finish training until they know at least one terrestial martial art, or a few spells of the Emerald Circle

Character Notes: Backing (Star Marshals) 2 is free to players who chose to be one of them..

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  • 5 months later...

The Exalted Host

  • Essence Limit: With certain exceptions, the general limit of Essence is 5, though some races (Vara and Sarians) can reach 6 by their essential nature, furthermore, the Exalted (especially Solar Tier) have ways to push the limits beyond the norm. [NOTE: The rules below replace any of the above house rules they apply to]
  • Exaltation: While exaltation can and does happen by chance, with some of the more established groups (Sidereals and Lunars) with the technology, it is directly implanted, those with the technology can hold and implant a shard in the right individuals if they chose. The creation of new shards is for the most part lost knowledge (leaving it in the hands of the Incarnae, specifically the Maiden of Secrets and the God-Constellation Autochthon, the Yozi's are bound against such creations, and the Tomb-Stars, if they are capable of such, have chosen instead to create the Abyssals from solar Shards, or so it is believed, the much worse and frightening possibility is that they can create such things without a corrupted solar shard)
  • Solar Exalted: Designed to interface with the Stellar Intelligences, the Solar Exalted also have a particularly close relationship with Sol Incarnate, one fifth of the Solar Host, the Zenith Caste were designated as his interface with the Galaxy, as his Priests, in essence. And when they created the Stellar Intelligence The Unconquered Sun to fight the Maefean Wars, they bound it irrevocably to Sol Himself. Solar Exaltation is bound to greatness and heroism, only those who possess these qualities can actually become Solar Exalts, others who somehow encounter a unbound solar shard(which isn't viable or detectable) can host it, but are only carriers (not exalted), until a more suitable host can be found.. this is usually a lethal prospect.
  • The Great Curse: Unknown to most, the Stellar Intelligences struct back as they lost the war, cursing the Exalted, the brunt of this curse fell upon the Solars, but it affected others in more subtle ways. The Solars found a cure, of sorts, the solar shard could be rebooted, but only in death, this is part of the reason so many of the solars withdrew from galactic civilization so willingly, to seek the cure. Newly Exalted Solars have no great curse, but they can gain it if they learn certain charms, for the curse was partly rooted in these capabilities. [Mechanically, certain charms produce Discord points, when this number reaches 10, the solar gains the great curse and a limit attached to their highest virtue]
  • Gaining the Curse: Divine Transcendence of (Ability) [ 0.6 Point for Caste Abilities, 1 points for Favored Abilities, 2 points for Non-Favored], Glory to the Most High [10 points], Black Mirror Revelation [5 points], Primordial Principle Emulation [5 points],
  • - Note, the Above charms allowing bypassing the limits, but not every charm is available, consult your ST (me) if you want a charm at this point.
  • Abyssal & Infernal: Resonance and Urge fills the effects of the Curse, they already have their own versions of the curse.
  • Infernal: Ascendacy Mantle of (Yozi) allows a Infernal to reach Essence 6, and access to the Devil-Tiger Transformations
  • Abyssal: Use the Doom of the Black Exaltation Rules Hack from Shards of Exalted rather then the Resonance rules from the Abyssal Book.
  • Solar Numbers: Prewar - 400,000 - Postwar - 250,000 || Infernal Numbers: 50,000 || Abyssal Numbers: 100,000 [NOTE: These numbers are approximations rather then exact, the numbers can shift a few thousand this way or that - Infernal Number are deceptive, the number of active Infernal Shards is far less then the number of Yozi corrupted shards, the Yozi's have a much harder time controlling the Infernal Shards in Heaven's Reach then in other Shards.. also, some Infernal Shards have already re-written themselves with Devil-Tiger Charms, and more then five Yozis were involved in shard redesign... Slayers, Malefactors, Defilers, Scourges and Fiends are the most common, but not the only Infernal castes out there, Devourers, Ravagers, Rhapsodies and Dements, for example, also exist, if in much smaller numbers, most such shards were created before the defeat of the Stellar Intelligences and lost somewhere in the galaxy. ]
  • Lunar Exalted: The first of the celestial exalted, and the rulers of the most powerful empire in the galaxy, the lunars are close in nature to their patron, but like her, are difficult to pin down. Faction wise, they are separated into the Long Warriors and the Imperial Lunars, but their are plenty of their kind associated with neither, going their own way. Lunars are less effected the curse, but it's effects are still in them, just less noticeable and considered more natural to their kind.
  • Gaining the Curse: Certain charms and knacks can be learned even if the essence requirement is too high, if the Lunar has learned Impossible (Attribute) Improvement, which must be learned before this can be done, the charm will then create a degree of discord- consult the ST to find out if a charm can be learned this way, and to find out how much it affects you. Alternatively, Some Lunars already have their version of the curse in effect, due in part to inconsistencies gained over a thousand incarnations in more then a 100 thousand years... if you wish to start with an active affect of the curse, consult with your ST (Me)
  • Lunar Numbers: 400,000 (approximately)
  • Sidereal Exalted: Created as living predictive engines to interact with the Material Intelligence of the Celestial Mountain at the same time the Solars were designed, the Sidereals possess great finesse and delicacy, and their numbers are far more regulated, they heavily interact with even the Incarnae, especially the Maidens who are closest to their own caste. Even Sidereal Charms are carefully limited and regulated, in order to better interface with the Weave of Fate. The Sidereals also find themselves in two factions, the Emissaries and the Exiles, the first mainly concerned with running the Celestial Mountain, and the other believing that there are more then enough Sidereal Exalted to cover the functions needed, the Exiles spend most of their time in the galaxy rather then the Mountain. The Sidereals count among their number the greatest Martial Artists in existence at this time, though in the past a few Solars, before they vanished, were among those ranks.
  • The Curse: Sidereal Exalted gain their version curse from the study of Sidereal Martial Arts, but it is a slow process, and it isn't produced by any particular curse so to speak, but more by the essence shifting effects from internalizing aspects of existence the Sidereal Exaltation wasn't designed to handle. Before a Sidereal can learn a Sidereal Style, they must have mastered a Celestial Style.
  • Gaining the Curse: Learning a Sidereal Style up to the form charm produces only 1 point of discord, learning each charm beyond that adds 1 point of discord + 1 additional point of discord per essence dot over 5. Once the Sidereal gains 10 points, they suffer predictive discord and gain the flawed fate associated with their caste
  • Special: Prismatic Arrangement of Creation is a special case, it is a study of essence itself and is perfectly in turn with the nature of the universe, it's ultimate charm is a form charm and it has no charms above essence 5.. as such, it produces no discord for a Sidereal to learn. || Additionally: Certain Sidereal Styles are very much in nature for a certain caste to learn; Serenity - Sapphire Veils of Passion; Secrets - Quicksilver Hand of Dreams; Battles - Scarlet Patterned Battlefield; Endings - Charcoal March of Spiders; || These styles create much less discord for a sidereal of the proper caste, reducing the discord cost by 1 for each charm past the form charm that is learned.
  • Sidereal Numbers: 100,000 [Exactly]
  • Some Notes: A Thousand Score Fellowship - Often followed by a caste name [A Thousand Score Fellowship of Secrets], this refers to all members of the Caste. || The Five Thousand Score Fellowship - Representing all Sidereal Exalts in existence.
  • Alchemical Exalted: Already possessing their form of the great curse, the first Alchemicals were the Vara, and as such Vara Adamant Alchemicals are the only really known in the universe.. though the God Constellation Autochithon remains active in the universe, though outside the normally traveled areas of space.
  • Alchemicals who reach essence 6 go though a very special processes that begins to transform them into artifact starships, a very involved process that can take more then a year to complete. Beyond this, unconfirmed rumors suggest that there is a further process that can convert them into cities, but if this is true, it is a secret that the Vara have never confirmed, and remain unwilling to confirm to any but their closest friends and allies.
  • Alchemical Numbers: Full numbers unknown, but higher then a million.
  • The Dragon Blooded: The Host of the Dragon Blooded is vast and varied, they are associated with Gaia, but they are forerunners of all of the Exalted. Unlike the other exalted, the Dragon Blooded exaltation is transmitted genetically, and grand breeding projects covering generation after generation have created the great trading clans.
  • The Passions: Generations of breeding and elemental alignment have created the Dragon Blooded equivalent of the great curse, a slight effect, but it is not known as such, it simply seeing as being lost to elemental passions, and believed to be an aspect of Terrestial Exaltation.
  • The Imperial Trading Clans: The Mnemon Syndicate, The Carthak Corporation, Peleps & Ragura, Cygnis & Sesus Industries, Ledaal Interests & Investigations, V'neef Incorporated, Iselsi Trading Syndicate, Syndicated Tepet, Nellens Conglomerate
  • The Seventh Legion: Of special note, the Seventh Legion does not bow to the empire and is powerful, with enough allies to make it stick, besides about a 1/2 dozen trading clans within thier ranks, they also have a few lunars who support them, and rumor has it, now one or two solars have appeared in their families. The primary export of the Seventh legion is mercenaries, especially into their local area of space, the so called thousand kingdoms.
  • Frontier Trading Clans: Ferem Incorperated(Minor Corperation, has ties to the empire, but has never quite managed to become a major trading clan, limited power), Marmarean Investigations (Trade in Information and Secrets), Glass Spiders (Assassination and Master Thieves), The Forest Witches of Oreithyia (Strange, Enigmatic with Wierd Powers - created the Sirens), Emissaries of Perfect Water (A Seafolk Water Aspect clan whose goal is to prevent Imperial and Guild Interests from finding purchase in their area of the universe), and many other minor clans.
  • Essence 6 is available to elder terrestrials, after a century of life, much like it is for Sarians and Vara, but no Dragon Blooded can reach beyond that point.
  • Numbers: Vast, more then 10 million Imperials alone, millions beyond them... most common exalted
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  • 4 months later...

Extra Abilities and a few House Rules

NEW ABILITIES
DRIVE
Trait Description: Drive measures a character’s ability to control a motorized vehicle at high speeds, from the cars and motorcycles of Exalted: the Modern Age to hovercrafts, speeder bikes, and other futuristic personal conveyances in Heaven’s Reach. Drive also serves as a limit on a character’s martial prowess when driving a vehicle. If a character’s Drive is lower than the combat Ability she is using, she suffers an internal penalty equal to the difference between the two Abilities.

Specialties: Compact Cars, Trucks, Muscle Cars, Motorcycles, Speeders, Tailing, Daredevil Maneuvers, In Combat, Off-Road, Heavy Traffic.

Trait Effects: Someone with Drive 1 can guide a car through heavy traffic at speed. Someone with Drive 3 can weave through heavy traffic under aerial bombardment at top speed without a scratch. Someone with Drive 5 can jump a motorcycle from atop a tall building and into the open door of a helicopter to finish a chase scene—without scratching the paint.


FIREARMS
Trait Description: This trait is important in combat.
Firearms allows the character to use all manner of guns, from the pistols and shotguns of Exalted: the Modern Age to the blasters and disruptors of Heaven’s Reach, and their artifact equivalents.
Specialties: Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Blaster Rifles, Disruptors, Duels, Sniping, While Driving
Trait Effects: Someone with Firearms 1 can head-shot the paper targets at the firing range. Someone with Firearms 3 can shoot the guns out of assailants’ hands—while running. Someone with Firearms 5 can keep a coin dancing in the air until she runs out of bullets, without disfiguring the coin.

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Special House Rule: Firearms damage is precision based, while most combat attributes use strength to add to the damage, firearms adds Perception to the damage... charms that increase perception increase firearms damage. Most other attacks add strength, except for a crossbow or firewand, these also would use perception.

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Piloting: Sail covers Stellar Navigation and Starship and Starfighter Piloting, specialties in particular types of starcraft may be purchased - It is Renamed to Piloting for the setting
Lore is needed to find the Canal Routes though Interstellar Space, and to operate computers
Drive covers Ground based Vehicles


MATTERS OF CASTE AND ASPECT
Certain Exalts inherently favor Drive and Firearms, considering them Caste/Aspect Abilities, as appropriate.
They are listed as follows:
Drive: Eclipse, Moonshadow, Fiend, Earth, Journeys
Firearms: Dawn, Dusk, Slayer, Fire, Battles

However, this does not grant certain castes six Caste Abilities. Players of the above-mentioned Castes in the game must, during character generation, decide which five of the six Abilities they will take as their character’s Caste/Aspect abilities. For example, an individual creating a Dawn Caste character in Exalted: the Modern Age might consider the rarity of bows and the ubiquity of guns in the setting, and decide to drop Archery from his character’s list of Caste Abilities, keeping Firearms in its place.
Dragon-Blooded still enjoy their Aspected mote discount for Charms of the ‘dropped’ Ability, even if they gain no experience discount when buying its Charms and raising its rating.


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• Hacking (Lore): Hacking a computer or a similar electronic device allows a character to gain unrestricted access to all its contents and functions, as arbitrated by the Storyteller. Doing so is a minute-long dramatic action in which the character rolls (Intelligence + Lore). The difficulty usually ranges from 1-5, based on the level of security used to protect the computer. An average person’s home computer might be difficulty 1, a technical expert’s might be difficulty 2-3, while computer systems owned by governmental organizations, intelligence groups, militaries, or technologically skilled Exalted could have a difficulty of 4-5, or even higher in exceptional situations. Hacking usually requires the character to have physical access to the computer he is attempting to gain control of. If he attempts to do so from another computer that is part of the same local network, he takes a -2 external penalty; if he does so from a remote network, the penalty rises to -4. Failed rolls cannot be retried unless the character is able to gain a greater situational advantage—obtaining more direct access to the computer he is attempting to hack, acquiring superior equipment, using magic, and so on.

• Bypass Security (Lore/Larceny): Electronic security measures such as pass-coded locks, key card scanners, andbiometric security can be bypassed with either an (Intelligence + Lore) roll or a (Dexterity + Larceny) roll. Lore-based attempts involve exploiting flaws in the programming of such devices to gain illicit access; Larceny-based attempts involve physical manipulation of the device. Difficulties range from 1-5 based on the sophistication of the security system, and characters suffer a -1 external penalty on the roll if they do not have appropriate tools.

• Space Navigation (Lore): Deep space navigation is also a Lore specialty, and Lore is used to plot courses across the stars and though the canels.

• Piloting (Sail): The base assumption in this setting is that you have learned piloting, which is sail for starships, should you desire more - Operating atmospheric based aircraft also uses Piloting, requiring at least two specialties in Aviation. These do not count toward the maximum number of specialties for the Ability. A sailing ship uses Sail, which is in essence a different form of piloting; traditional sailing vessels require two specialties in Nautical Engineering for anyone who has learned piloting, if you have instead learned Sail, because for example having been raised on an aquatic world, then two specialties in Voidfaring are required to operate spacecraft, allowing them to use Sail as Piloting in essence. Again, this does not count toward a character’s maximum number of specialties in Sail/Piloting, learning different forms of Piloting are considered subcatogories of piloting rather then specialties

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Craft House Rule: Each Dot of Craft gives you one of the 5 basic crafts, they do not have to be purchased separately.. the exotic crafts (Genesis, Magitech, Glamour, Fate and Vitorol are purchased as specialties, you must still met the basic craft requirements (Air, Fire, & one other to learn Magitech, or Medicine, Occult and Lore to Learn Genesis). Craft can have any number of these specialities with regards to learning a specific type of craft (such as Magitech or Fate), these are considered subcatagories of craft rather then actual specialties. Weapons however, would count as an actual speciality and has the normal limit regarding specialties. Starship Engineering is covered under the Magitech craft Specialty; Genetic Engineering is covered by the Genesis craft Specialty..

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The following is Not a House rule, but a 2.5 Update that I believe everyone needs to be aware of:
Exalts need not spend experience to purchase or create Combos, nor spend Willpower to activate them. Characters may simultaneously activate as many of their Charms as they desire, so long as the combination of powers activated obeys the rules for creating Combos (for example, characters still may not activate two Simple Charms simultaneously, nor activate another Charm at the same time as a Charm that lacks the Combo-OK keyword).
- It should also be noted, all Combos are Obvious and will flare your anima to full Iconic display.
- It should also be noted, A combo should still have a name and a unique display, these should be stunted.

,,

- Increasing essence is not done with experience or freebie points, but is only allowed once your ST (that's me) says you can.. and it will only be possible after major achievements are achieved, and down time will be required. On the plus side, it will not cost anything to increase essence, if and when I allow it, and I've decided starting essence is 3, but remember that you can't buy it any higher.

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Artifact Guns are known as Shell Casters
Artifact Blasters are known as Star Casters

Many weapons from Alchemicals are commonly available here, such as Beam Weapons for example, but regular artifacts are just as common, sense any artifact weapon can be terribly dangerous.

Chaomorphic Symbiotes are fairly common in certain parts of the galaxy

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Genetic/Cybernetic Alterations (Background created by me for the purposes of this game.. encouraging alien and altered humans)

The following Points may only be spent on special merits (like Telepathy for a Telepathic Race) or Mutations (like the Wing's Abomination), they cover more humanoid alien races (Except for folks like the Vara(Jadeborn) or Sarians(Dragon Kings), genetically altered races like the People of the Air, and folks who have been be personally altered in some way or another, using genetic or cybernetic technologies. They work like Background Points, but may only be spent on mutations and merits, you may also use regular BP's to increase this further... the new form should work around a theme of sorts. They must be designated as cybernetic or genetic from the start. [NOTE: It only costs 1 point per dot to raise this background above 3]

1 - 2 Alteration Points
2 - 4 Alteration Points
3 - 6 Alteration Points
4 - 8 Alteration Points
5 - 10 Alteration Points

Survival in outer space

Artifact 2+ - Gaia's Embrace: this artifact projects a field around the user about 1 inch, and defends the user from the effects of outer space, it does not provide food or drink, or travel capabilities, but otherwise sustains the attuned as though it was a space suit. It can be added to any Artifact armor at rating 4+ at no cost except the Attunement increase- Attunement Cost: +3 motes (Exception: Warstriders, Armor of the Immaculate Dragons and Celestial Battle Armor come with this effect already installed at no extra Artifact or Attunement Cost). NOTE: Adding this to a existing artifact does not require spending bonus point to raise it above 3, nor does it cost more then 1 BP per dot to add it to any artifact.. you may use regular bonus points to add this effect to any artifact even raising it above 3 dots.

Abomination: Void Adaptation (Includes the effects of Air and Fire Adaption, a lack of need to breath, and ability to draw nourishment directly from solar energies) [NOTE: Some Chaomorphic Artifacts are installed with this Abomination]

Chaos Repelling Pattern renamed: Void Sanctuary Pattern - Will shield one from the effects of Outer Space as though it was the wild, though it doesn't cover the ability to actually move in space, you need some way to do this to actually move around, or dealing with hazards, such as stars or gravitational pull..

Element Resisting Prana would allow someone to walk naked though the depths of space and even swim in the corona of stars (though some form of travel would still be needed to escape the gravity well, as well as withstand the crushing gravitational forces), and even with Hardship Surviving Mendicant Spirit, finding food in outer space is unlikely.

External Hide Protection With all 5 directional Mastery Techniques will allow a lunar to ignore the effects of space, though a lunar can also take a animal that possesses Void Adaptation to survive.

The Void is a place of Desolation - Transcendent Desert Creature will allow anyone with that charm to survive in space with ease

Unbreathing Earth Meditation Will allow a Dragon Blooded to walk though the depths of space without protection

NOTES: Alchemicals don't need any help to survive in space, though they can be vulnerable to effects like solar winds or powerful electromagnetic fields in some areas. Lunars often have Tattoos for the effect of Gaia's Embrace.

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Alien Races

- The Vara
- AKA: The Jadeborn, the People of Adamant, the Maker's, The People of Earth

Vara Adamant Caste (With Wings installed): Slightly Mature Image


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This telepathic silicon based race are born of crystal and essence, they are amoung the most ancient races in the galaxy, though they are in a state of near constant war with the void based races known as Voidspawn (aka Darkspawn). The Vara live in a state of near perfect harmony, possessing four castes who exist in a diamond of perfection, and answering the Consensus, the spiritual and telepathic synthesis of their combined unconscious and dreaming minds, but active burning stars disrupt this connection on some sort of deep level, and as such the Vara are only comfortable in brown dwarf star systems, though their Exalted caste can overcome this difficulty, the rest of them simply are too uncomfortable to live outside such places without exalted help. The will of the consensus embraces the Exalted (Even human ones) hold a level of spiritual holiness among them though the Consensus, though association with the enemies of creation is rejected amoung them... the Adamant do not have this difficulty either, which is why they are the Priests, Diplomats and Envoys to the outside universe.

Adamant: Though there are rumors that the Stellar-Intelligence known as Autochthon has Alchemical Exalted (possibly true, considering that the Vara were heavily involved in Autochthon's design), they are young in comparison to the Adamant Caste. The Vara never created (and never would create) any kind of Alchemical but the Adamant (Jade is used in their own birthing process, and the other magical materials, with the exception of Adamant, are not Crystaline enough to hold the souls of this Silicon based race)

Vara possess four castes, and three layers of power: Worker(54.9%), Warrior(40%), Artisan(5%), Adamant(0.1%) || Unenlightened (75%), , Enlightened (24.9%), Exalted(less then 0.1% - about 1 in a thousand)

Cultural Peculiarities: (1)As a telepathic race, the Vara view dishonesty as a form of insanity, though they know and understand such behaviors they find it strange that other races persist in such peculiar behavior. (2) They love beauty and artistry, they can take much longer to create things but what they make is made to last and made to be beautiful. (3) Not having a sense of modesty the Vara only use clothing when it's a matter of function, protection or decorative purposes, they consider humanity's view on clothing to be a bit ridiculous.

Major Star Systems (All Brown Dwarf Stars): Urvar, Teffa, Dijak, Rurk, Lutar, Shinning Kren, Pless

Vara Characters: Use Mountain Folk rules with the following changes - the Basic Pattern Charms: Essence Satiation Method (x3), Stone-Still Lungs (x3) and the Telepathic Merit are added for Free. Advanced Enlightened (Essence 5+) Can install Alchemical Charms of up to essence 3, allowing Vara access to quite a few charms beyond their own.. but they can't use them in Arrays or combo them. Affected by the Mountain Folk Curse as part of their nature and connection to the Consensus, not a limit placed upon them.

Vara Exalted: Alchemical Adamant Caste only, use Alchemical Creation Rules with the following Changes: Change Mentor for Genetic Alteration 3 and reduce Bonus points by one.. the these points are used to grant them the telepathic merit. Vara Adamant Castes do not posssess or need soul gems, Vara possess soul gem effects by virtue of the Consensus. Besides not needing to breath, Vara Adamants (As apposed to Autochthon Adamants) do not need to eat or drink either. 

 

Animal Banner: Instead of causing memory loss, Vara Adamants add Essence to any teamwork related action with allies as automatic successes, this includes such things as coordinated attacks, repair, piloting or assisting in command of starships, etc.  Furthermore, Vara Adamant caste can learn Mountain Folk charms (excluding the enlightened pattern) at a cost of 12 xp per charm if they so chose, which they rarely do, as most Alchemical Charms are better.

 

NOTE: Adamant should never possess Appearance less then 3.

 

[NOTE: This is the only Player Character Alchemical available - the other castes are not available. Deal with Clarity like other Alchemicals, but they are linked to the Consensus not the Design of Autochthon, Aesthetic beauty is also important at all levels of clarity, and the Collective Well-being of the Consensus always matters.]
 

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The Sarians


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AKA: Lizardmen, Dragon Kings

The Sarians are a young race, according to the lore they rose to a intergalatic society just before the Malfean war began, as such they have no normal Exalted in their ranks, but the Sarians have different ways of things then humanity. They practice the elemental arts of aeromancy, geomancy, hydromancy, pyromancy, and biomancy, arts which have relation to ancient dragon blooded arts, but are different in their exploration, for the universe has changed greatly.  Some however, chose instead to follow the paths of Martial Arts or Sorcery for further power and enlightenment, and these are also great among their people.

 

In addition, a few Sarians form 'Pacts' with the various spirit intellects and create a fusion, or 'Chosen' to deal with the kinds of things that humanity has the Exalted do.  But their embrace of Sol Invictus and seeking his patronage has brought a new kind of exalt, one that has only just begun to appear among humanity as well, the Exergents.

Sarians are a lizard like warm blooded warrior race who evolved on the planet Rathess, they ended up following four seperate evolutionary paths, creating the 4 breeds of Sarians that exist today. They only gain sentience as they gain essence, , and thus their youth is a time of savage growth that affects this warrior race for all time. Some of the planets under their rule are not Sarian but human worlds who sought thier protection, or were conquered by them.

Saurians also pay attention to maintaining the environment of the planets they inhabit, they make use of a strange vegetative and crystal technology that interests other races, and non of their worlds are city worlds, deceptively, the most inhabited worlds of the saurians tend to be jungle worlds, like their homeworld of Rathess.

Elder Saurians are called Dragon Kings, and are powerful leaders, for the Sarian Combine is a weird mix of Monarchy, Meritocracy, Theocracy and Tribal Chiefs that humans find somewhat disconcerting but that the Saurians seem to lean toward naturally. They have a very strong code of honor and personal responsibility.

 

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Genetically Engineered Humans

-Ariels - aka, the Sky Born, the People of the Air

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  • Genetically altered for wings and sharper vision, their home star system of Szezakan is quite deep in the frontier, and the system is not even a planet, but a ring torus of atmosphere taken from a gas giant, according to legend the system was actually designed this way, a massive ring of air circling around a star. The location is dominated by air and wood elemental aspects, with some water, but very little earth or fire related elements. Great floating trees that stretch from one end of the breathable zone to the other, huge jungles floating in the central regions, fliers dominant this vast domain, which is why the Ariels are the dominant race in this region. A few dragon blooded bloodlines of Air and Wood can be found among them, and sometimes even Fire Aspects as well as a few celestial exalted.
  • [Homage: Larry Niven - Integral Trees]

-Aquatics - aka - Ocean born - People of the Sea

 

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  • Bearing the Gills and Elemental Water Adaptation and Longevity genetic alterations, the Aquatics are also far from the Imperial center and live on mainly ocean planets, a large collection of them centered around a star system containing several water and ice planets known as Seahome.  Seahome itself, the primary planet is water to the center core, some very unusual projects were part of it's creation, and series of interlocked artificial rings made of orichalcum, moonsilver and jade around the planet, producing the magnetic field necessary to protect the worlds life from the solar rays.  Nothing appears capable of harming the rings, and several space elevators and space stations (they can be harmed) have been anchored to them, as they remain exactly 50 miles above the equator of the planet all the way around.
  • The Aquatics were genetically engineered for survival in such worlds back even before the creation of the Solar and Sidereal Exalted. Some water aspect bloodlines are found among them as well, and they have the occasional Lunar among them.

-Siren's - aka - Daughters of Serenity, Derogatory: Breeder Telepath, Mind Witch,

  • Possessing the Telepathy, Selective Conception, Longevity and Enlightened Essence || Unique Deficiency: These Traits are passed on genetically, but only to female offspring. [NOTE: Exalted Siren's only have Telepathy and Selective Conception]
  • The Sirens are something of a particular genetic engineering project began many years ago by a collection of Serenity Caste Sidereals and the Dragon Blooded clan of Forest Witches, on their jungle world in the Oreithyia star system, where interaction with the arcane and strange mists that exist in the star system allow them access to very unusual powers, but does not reach beyond their world. Nevertheless the Breeding project of the Serenity and the Forest Witchs have created the Siren's, whose powers do continue beyond their world. Mortal Sirens practice Thaumaturgy, Terrestial Martial Arts or rarely even Emerald Circle Sorcery, but it is the Exalted Siren's who get the most attention. In some parts of the universe, their kind are very unwelcome, but the Forest Witchs who are Sirens have lead to some very high breeding Dragon Blooded among their own, and as the Siren's have grown better known, they have become extremely welcome among a number of Dragon Blooded bloodlines. Sidereals among them also are mysterious and sometime speak of specific breeding projects.
  • [Homage: Frank Herbert - Dune - Bene Gesserit]
  • NOTE: Dan's Daughter and much of his crew belong to this Human Variant

- Lintha - aka - The Demon Pirates

  • Lintha have been altered from the basic human matrix by the Stellar Intelligence now known as the Yozi Kimbery, worked some very unusual changes into their basic essence matrix. All Lintha can learn spirit charms as though they were Demon-Blooded, and essentially possess enlightened essence, but even more then that, they can host the Infernal Essence of the Ravager Caste much easier then human Infernals, living more then a thousand years rather then a century or so as other Infernals (who do not become Devil-Tigers) do. The Ravagers were made from twisted eclipse castes exaltation, and can sanctify oaths based on revenge, hatred and other negative intimacies, as well as learn non-infernal charms like other eclipse related casts... there are not many such exaltations, perhaps a dozen or so at the most.
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