Ars Exaltavi

Introduction

This is the page for an Exalted campaign I was... talked... into doing. As the name suggests, I'm borrowing (stealing) an idea from Ars Magica - namely, group construction. Players will design a domain, and, in many ways, determine the setting. Like Mandate of Heaven, but with less... well I'll keep my opinions about the Mandate of Heaven and Mass Combat rules to myself. The game will be played on OpenRPG. That is not negotiable, sorry.

It works like so - each person who creates a Celestial for the campaign (currently, only Solars) begins with no backgrounds. Instead, they get a number of Construction Points to spend on their domain, which includes things like armories, veins of magical materials, contacts, allies, underlings, peoples... you get the idea. Heck, nothing says the domain has to be a piece of land - it can be a wandering army, a skyship, etc.

Characters bring fifteen (15) Construction Points to the table. They may purchase up to ten (10) more, at a cost of two bonus points each. Since I am looking for a perfect circle to start, that implies a minimum of 75 points to spend.

Character Creation

The players' 'main' characters will be more experienced than normal - or at least, otherwise more talented.

• Attributes: Begin at 2 instead of 1. 7/4/4
• Abilities: Five at 4 (must be favored or caste), Five at 3, Five at 2, Five at 1, Five at 0 (may not be favored or caste).
• Virtues: Primary virtue begins at three, remaining virtues begin at two.
• Willpower: Begins at seven - raising virtues does not raise willpower
• Essence: Begins at three
• Backgrounds: None. See above and below
• Charms: Begin with twenty. Every caste and favored ability must have at least one.
• Bonus Points: Begin with 25

• • Physical Merits Allowed: Selective Conception, Ambidextrous (1 pt version only), Large Size, Small Size (2 pt Merit, as Flaw but no strength penalty and +1 to DV), Legendary Attribute (May raise score to twice permanent Essence), Special Sense, Mutation
  • Mental Merits Allowed: Internal Compass, Eidetic Recall, Prodigy
  • Social Merits Allowed: Innocuous
  • Property Merits Allowed: None
  • Supernatural Merits Allowed: Alternative Divination, Priest, Lucky, Taint's Warning

• Flaws: Small and Greater Curse may be taken without explicit permission. You may ask for one other flaw, but social and property flaws are banned outright. There will be a limit of 5 points without good reason.
• No, you may not begin with Sidereal Martial Arts or Solar Circle Sorcery.
• If you take Legendary Attribute, you may not raise an attribute higher than six at character creation.

House Rules

• The Mandate of Heaven and Mass Combat rules are not going to be used. At all. I have rough drafts of my own, based off my Exalted Lite work, and they will be used when needed.
• Characters have a number of Incapacitated health levels equal to their permanent Essence.
• Reflexive Charms may be added to combos after the combo has been purchased.
• Craft is one skill, period.
• Obviously, Backgrounds are completely different.
• Raising Essence to 6 or higher does not take a century or more for PCs (though it still can't be done at character creation and will definitely requires something special).
• Complex devices like warstriders and skyships are considered to be multiple artifacts, working together. A common warstrider usually requires an armory or similar multi-artifact background (of the kind Terrestrials of Lookshy and the Realm get) at ●●●●● to purchase, while more complex items require an even heavier investment. I do have a rather comprehensive set of rules for this but I will leave it generic unless required.

• I tend to up the power of Celestial and Solar Circle Sorcery, as well as Labyrinth and Void Circle Necromancy.
  • Secondary circles (Celestial, God-Machine, Labyrinth...) always require Essence 5, and I am fairly liberal about interpreting spell effects, and will allow players to tweak spell effects that seem weak. In addition, there is no such thing as Sapphire Unweaving Rune (not that it makes any difference with any canon spell).
  • Third Circle magic requires Essence 7. Few spells act as weakly as described - they are each mighty, nation-shaking powers.

Domain Creation

The players will largely determine the flavor of the game via constructing the domain. This isn't necessarily a kingdom, it's merely something that they own as a group and communally own, and represents their overall standing - materially and socially - in Creation.

Setting

These determine the time and place of the group's escapades, and who they're near.

Year

The year of the campaign largely determines the strength and promptness of the intervention of Dragon-Blooded. Since starting later means the plans of other enemies are advanced, this costs no points regardless of when you choose to set the game.

• 764: Until the the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, the Bronze Faction was often aware of Solar Exaltations before they even occurred, and responded accordingly. At least one person in the group - if not the entire group - is known and agents are already on their way. Normally, the Bull of the North dies early in this year.
• 765: The response of the Wyld Hunt is fraying slightly, and resources are somewhat diminished. A response is still certain, however, though it may take longer.
• 766: If the Solars keep their heads down, a response can be avoided. Resources are in marked decline, and no warstriders or other major artifacts are available to the Hunt except in extreme circumstances.
• 767: Response is sluggish, if it occurs at all.
• 768: Standards starting year. Little response from the Realm, but others have had an additional four years to plan and act.

Place

Where you are. Again, most of these do not cost or grant points, except for beginning in the Blessed Isle - which gives a decent boost, 'cuz that implies a lot of pain about to happen. Being Mobile be

• Blessed Isle: -50 points, +250 xp to all characters. If discovered, which is almost certain, the characters are looking at starting an unusually unified Realm Civil War very early.
• Mobile: 5+ points. You have a skyship, a teleporting fortress, a ship that sails across both land and sea, and possibly under...

Otherwise, pick one of the following. The implication is that the group will have an emotional connection to an area of their

• Ocean: Yarr! You work off of a boat. Ninja-Pirates, maybe.
• Scavenger Lands: You are based somewhere inside the great river basin that flows into the Yanaze.
• East: This covers the heavily forested region far to the East.
• Southeast: The jungles and mountains of the Southeast, from the Bayou of Regret to Rathess.
• South: Lots of sand.
• Southwest: The jungles and other fun areas down here. Autocthonia may be saying hello.
• West: An island, or part of one.
• Northwest: Covers the northern islands of the West, out to the areas controlled by the Varajtul Cannibals.
• North: A little frozen place to call home.
• Northeast: Halta, Linowan, and a few others.

Proximity

Choose your enemies! If starting in the Realm, or Mobile, skip this section. Otherwise, continue. Each of the following choices implies you will be facing them as enemies at one point or another. Also, only so much bad news can fit into a single spot before "An enemy of my enemy is my friend." starts to take over, so there is a limit of -50 points from this.

No bonus is given for being near purely mortal kingdoms. They are chaff.

• Autocthonia: -25 points. You are next to the Seal of Eight Divinities (if in the Southwest), or are next to some other opening to Autocthonia that is going to be bad news. Some day.
• Realm Satrapy: 0 to -10 points. You border one of the 'allies' of the Realm, or are within it. This is worth a number of points depending on the strength of Imperial interests in the region as well as the general attitudes of the people towards Anathema. A strong interest with a potentially friendly populace will balance out, while an initially hostile populace with a strong Realm interest can net up to 10 points. If 'Place' is Ocean, this covers the strength of the Realm Fleet currently assigned to hound you.
• Deathlord: -3 to -25 points. You operate near, or perhaps within, a Deathlord's territory. This is never a good thing, though that Mask of Winters fellow sure seems nice. If you chose Ocean, this implies you have a port of call near the Silver Prince's realm, or another seafaring Deathlord.
• Exalted: -1 to -20 points. Dragon-blooded or another solar (or a circle) have set up shop nearby, and don't like you.
• Lunar: -1 to -25 points. This implies a fellow that 1: Does not like Civilization, 2: Does not like Solars, or 3: Both. You can have multiple Lunar opponents, but the 50 point limit still applies (and they really, really hate you...). If Oceanic, you have angered a seafaring Lunar.
• Raksha: -1 to -5 points. You are near one or more freeholds. They like to make things interesting, and the threat they pose will effectively scale with you - the more reality you lend them, the more powerful they become.
• Spirits: -1 to -10 points. An elemental or god has chosen to go a little too far regarding affairs in the mortal realm.
• Yozis: -1 to -5 points. You are near a powerful cell of Yozi worshipers, though this may not be public knowledge. Their tactics may be open, underhanded, or both, but always a problem, and chances are they have god-blooded among their ranks.

Features

Features of your land. This may cover a number of things, typically your demesne (or demesnes), and the material value of your land.

• Shadowland: -25 points. Your domain is within a Shadowland. In addition to problems of ghosts both hungry and annoying, you have half the normal number of heroic mortals available to you (if populated), and Fertility is rated at -10, for no points. If you manage to cast Benediction of Archgenesis, you will make enemies.

• Fertility: -10 to 10 points. This governs how lush and fertile your domain is. At the low end of the scale, it's a desert or wasteland, where only the hardiest of people survive. At the high end, it is thriving with life, both wanted and not.

• Natural Resources: 0 to 50+ points. While, technically, there is no limit to the number of resources that your domain may hold, you do want to be able to defend them. This implies a certain minimum.