Exalted Lite/SupernaturalBackgrounds
Supernatural Backgrounds
Supernatural [[../Backgrounds|backgrounds]] are the miscellanious category, of sorts. They represent things not easily seen by others. Some of these have an effective maximum of five levels - Breeding and Destiny, and in those which aid in the unlocking of secrets have a maximum of five levels for certain others.
Breeding
Dragon-Blooded Only
Maximum of 5 ranks
Breeding counts for many things. It limits the ultimate power of the Dragon-Blooded, and increases the likelihood of children Exalting. High-breeding individuals are extremely rare, of course, as the cost reflects.
- ○○○○○ : You were born to one or more mortal parents, or otherwise have extremely thin blood. Your maximum Essence is 3, or 4 if you have assistance and keep a strict diet, such as through the Immaculate Order.
- ●○○○○ : Your parents were likely both Dragon-Blooded, or perhaps you had one parent with good breeding. Your maximum Essence is 4, or 5 with help.
- ●●○○○ : Only the most potent of 'blooded can sire such breeding with a mortal lover. Your maximum Essence is 5, or 6 with assistance.
- ●●●○○ : Your parents were both Terrestrials, and with good breeding between them. Your maximum Essence is 6, or 7 with aid.
- ●●●●○ : You were fathered and mothered by Dragon-Blooded of good breeding. Your maximum Essence is 7, or 8 with significant assistance.
- ●●●●● : You are the pinnacle of Terrestrial Power, and it shows. Your maximum Essence is 8, or 9 with extensive support and aid.
High breeding is a garauntee of good social status, and for males, a sure way to enjoy many carnal benefits. Characters with no breeding are little better off than the Dragon-Touched.
When checking to see of a child exalts Terrestrially, the game master should add together the potency of the parents. A dragon-blooded is worth three plus her Breeding, while a dragon-touched is worth two, and a mere mortal with the Terrestrial Bloodline [[../Merit|Merit]] is woth only one.
The game master first flips 17 coins. The parents then subtract their combined Potency from the result, and if it is less than zero, the child will Exalt. The age of Exaltation is 17, plus the result (so 16 for just barely making it. The minimum age for Exaltation is always 8).
If the child will not Exalt, and will not become a Dragon-Touched, the parents roll their potency. If there is a single success, the child carries their blood, under the Terrestrial Bloodline Merit.
- The difficulty and age of Exaltation are based on the current number of Dragon-Blooded in Creation. For the All Creation campaign, this is the base 2 log of the number of DBs, rounded up (~110,000, rounding up would be 131,072). Game Masters should adjust as fits their campaign. The maximum difficulty should be 24.
- There is a further implication to this, in that slaying the entirety of the 'blooded host is going to lead to millions of certain Exaltations after a period of a decade or so. During the Primordial War, this was called 'Gaia's Curse' by the servants of those who would become the Yozis and Neverborn.
Exalted children have a Breeding score equal to the average of their parents, rounded down, +1 if they were of the same element.
Breeding can only be increased by Sorcery of Celestial circle or higher.
Destiny
This functions much as the [[../Merit|Merit]] in the First Edition Player's Guide does (level for level), with a maximum of 5 levels. Celestial Exaltation is pretty much a level 5 Destiny. Game masters should only allow a few points in this background, or assign it themselves.
Past Lives
The mysteries of the heights of the First Age are difficult to comprehend for most. Complex languages and other things that seem so far beyond the ken of the mortal mind. A few, however, retain their memories of such works, most notably among them are the Celestial Exalted.
When trying to comprehend or replicate High First Age technology, the game master may assign a difficulty penalty between +1 and +10 to the roll. In addition to granting other forms of benefits from flashbacks, this background subtracts its level from that difficulty penalty, potentially negating it.
- Celestial Exalted count their rating in this Background as double for such purposes. Therefore, the maximum rank they can have in this backgrouund is 5.
- Dragon Kings and Enlightened Mountain Folk have a rating in this background equal to one less than their permanent [[../Essence|Essence]] score.
- Solar Exalted begin with 2 ranks in this Background for free.
Typically, one's Past Lives rating does not increase after Character Creation, outside of Dragon Kings and Enlightened Mountain Folk, though Celestials are sensative to many things. In addition, until the Solar Exalted begin reenacting the greatest works of the First Age, memories of its greatest secrets are hazy. No non-Solar Exalted may possess an effective score of 6 or higher in this background (3 or higher for Celestial Exalted).
Some technologies may only be available to a specific group through Past Lives. Dragon Kings, for example, tend to remember only their own technology. Dragon-Blooded and mortals only recognize that which they were able to dabble in, though all groups might recognize something of Celestial technology. In these cases, their benefits from Past Lives to not apply outside their own narrow purview. The Celestial Exalted are not so limited, however, and their benefit always applies.
Soul Memory
Alchemicals and Autocthonians do not recall the First Age, as they had no part in it. Autocthonian technology, however, still endures, yet it takes much more than a single lifetime to learn. Many autocthonians thus carry some remnants of their past into the present, to further their invention along with their education.
When trying to comprehend or handle the strange technology of Autocthonia, the GM may assign a difficulty penalty between +1 and +10 to the roll. In addition to granting other forms of insight (navigating the Reaches, etc), this background subtracts its level from that difficulty penalty, potentially negating it.
- Alchemical Exalted have a rating in this background equal to one plus their permanent Essence, to a maximum of 5. Their rating counts double, eliminating the need for higher rankings.
- While the Celestial Exalted are not directly familiar with the technology of Autocthonia proper, their Past Lives provided an extremely broad understanding, and functions just as an Alchemical's does, enabling them to uncover Autocthonian technology extremely quickly.
Only Alchemical Exalted may increase Soul Memory, and only through the rise in their Essence score.
Whispers
The echoes of the Neverborn ring in your ears. While they drive many insane, they also offer up a great many secrets.
When trying to comprehend or create the dark technology of the Underworld, the GM may assign a difficulty penalty between +1 and +10 to the roll. In addition to granting other forms of insight (navigating the Labyrinth, for example), this background subtracts its level from that difficulty penalty, potentially negating it.
- Celestial Exalted count their rating in this Background as double for such purposes. Therefore, the maximum rank they can have in this background is 5.
- Abyssal Exalted begin with 2 ranks in this Background for free.
There is a price to the Whispers background, of course. If a character's rating in the Whispers background ever equals their permanent [[../Essence|Essence]], the whispers overwhelm the character and drive them irrevocably insane. The two free ranks Abyssals receive in this Background do not count towards this limit, and thus, at Essence 4 they can unlock the full secrets of the Underworld without penalty.
