SoF Exalted/Powers

This section was very deliberately not called "Charms" which is what you might have expected. First and foremost, because it is not intended to be a one-for-one translation of Exalted's Charms into Powers. The aim is simply to be guidance for mimicking collections of Charms with Powers. Secondly, Powers are the term of reference Strands of Fate uses, and one of the motivations is to get us away from Exalted-think.

Exalted Powers

All supernatural abilities fall under the aegis of Powers in this adaptation, no matter what their source. There are two sets of potential "freebies" available to characters who are more-than-mortal, Power Packages and Anima Powers. Everything else is done with Power Advantages, which might be considered Mortal Thaumaturgy, Sorcery or Supernatural Martial Arts amongst other things. The Power Advantages rules are used to model everything that mundane skills and knowledge cannot do, whether it's done by an Exalt, Fae, Demon or God.

All Exalted receive the following Power Package:

Exalted Package (12 AP)

• The Essence Affinity Ability at 2 (2 AP)
• An Essence Stress track (2 AP)
• Regeneration (2 AP)
• Resistance [Disease - Immunity] (4 AP)
• Resistance [Poison - Improved Resistance] (2 AP)

Dragonblooded characters have a base Essence Stress track equal to their Essence + Willpower.

All other Exalted have a base Essence Stress track equal to their Essence + Willpower +2.

Note that there is a cap on the maximum Weapon Rating (WR), Armour Rating (AR) or Explosive Rating (ExR) achieved with any Power equal to the character's Power Tech Level x2. Only Sorcery is exempt from this restriction.

Most Exalted Powers are temporary, Essence-fuelled effects, rather than more permanent, innate abilities. Use of the Passive modifier by Exalts should be rare, except for particular thematic or signature Powers for high-Essence Exalts.

Dragon-Blooded Powers

Dragon-Blooded characters tend to have Powers along the lines of an elemental theme matching their Aspect. Note that this is not a restriction on their Power choices, merely that some Powers are most thematically appropriate for someone playing a character of that Aspect. They reflect the sorts of things a Dragon-Blood of that Aspect will tend to excel at and find the most natural to develop.

However, someone playing a Dragon-Blooded should feel free to take Powers from any of the Aspect lists. An Air-Aspect swordsman would be using Fire-Aspect Powers relating to martial skill. A Wood-Aspect martial artist would be using Water-Aspect Powers for unarmed combat.

Air

Air Aspects are the scholars and assassins of the Dragon-Blooded. Their thematic Powers include:

• Astral Perception (not Touch)
• Chameleon
• Clairsentience
• Echolocation
• Enhanced Reflexes
• Invisibility
• Mindlink
• Power Attack, Ranged (Thrown/conjured weapons)
• Read Emotions
• Read Thoughts
• Sense
• Telekinesis

Earth

Earth Aspects are the craftsmen and generals of the Dragon-Blooded. Their thematic Powers include:

• Awe
• Breathless
• Clairsentience
• Echolocation (target must be touching the earth)
• Emotion Switch
• Enhanced Endurance
• Enhanced Hearing/Sight/Smell
• Enhanced Strength
• Imbue Zone (War effects)
• Resistance
• Sleepless
• Transmute Matter or Energy

Fire

Fire Aspects are the socialites and soldiers of the Dragon-Blooded. Their thematic Powers include:

• Astral Perception
• Absorption
• Augmented Movement
• Awe
• Enhanced Speed
• Enhanced Reflexes
• Flight
• Imbue Weapon (Melee weapons)
• Influence Thoughts
• Power Attack, Melee
• Wall-Walker

Water

Water Aspects are the sailors and criminals of the Dragon-Blooded. Their thematic Powers include:

• Augmented Movement
• Breathless
• Echolocation
• Environmental Protection
• Imbue Weapon (Unarmed)
• Insubstantial
• Precognition
• Sense
• X-Ray Vision

Water Aspects also have numerous minor powers (such as mimicking someone's handwriting) which can be emulated with an Essence roll.

Wood

Wood Aspects are the healers and rangers of the Dragon-Blooded. Their thematic Powers include:

• Affliction
• Blessing
• Environmental Protection
• Heal
• Imbue Weapon (Ranged weapons)
• Invisiblity (Telepathic, while playing instruments)
• Mindlink (through performance)
• Poison
• Power Attack, Ranged (Archery and musical manifestations)

One of the major themes of the Dragon-Blooded is teamwork, family ties and bloodlines and soldiers. Sworn Brotherhoods should take Five-Fold Elemental Wheel which enhances their Powers when working together.

As per the CamPL table, Dragon-Bloods may not take Super Powers. The only way they can access them is via Celestial Martial Arts.

Solar Powers

Excelling at stuff powers, outline what sorts of powers each Caste has.

Themes: light, emotions (particularly awe), holiness, leadership, trans-humanism

Lunar Powers

Physical upgrades, shapeshifting, nature-related powers, outline what sorts of powers each Caste has.

Themes: shapeshifting, adapation, survival, illusions and protection of others

The keystone Lunar Power is Lunar Shifting, which covers all beast transformations. Every Lunar should have this Power. In addition, many take on Deadly Beastman Transformation. While these may seem superficially similar to Shapeshifting and Transmogrification, those Powers are the preserve of the hated chimera, those who stray too close to the Wyld.

Changing Moon

Full Moon

Full Moon Powers tend towards those most useful in combat, both physical upgrades like...

No Moon

Sidereal Powers

Wierd fate-bending stuff, outline what sorts of powers each Caste has. Special uses of Essence Affinity Ability.

Themes: probability control, fate and destiny, teleportation, spiritual awareness, deciet/memory alteration and (last but not least) kung fu

Other Exalted Powers

Abyssal Powers

Themes:

Alchemical Powers

Themes:

Infernal Powers

Themes:

Non-Exalted Powers

These are mostly for the benefit of NPCs and God-Blooded characters with their parents' Powers.

God-Blooded

A God-Blooded character's supernatural powers are dependent on their parentage. This determines what Powers they have access to. All God-Blooded have a Power Package in common, which they receive for free:

God-Blooded Package (6 AP)

• The Essence Affinity Ability at 1 (1 AP)
• An Essence Stress track (2 AP)
• Resistance [Disease - Improved Resistance] (2 AP)
• Resistance [Poison - Resistance] (1 AP)

God-Blooded have a base Essence Stress track equal to their Essence +2.

They also receive heritage powers for free (see below). They may learn Terrestrial Martial Arts, Terrestrial Sorcery (or Shadowlands Necromancy), and the Powers of their supernatural parent. Though the latter are likely to be much weaker due to their lower Power TL and cap on AP expenditure on any single Power.

God-Blooded's bodies are mortal, and as such were not meant to contain the energies that their unique heritage imbues them with. This often manifests as both positive and negative characteristics, the number and potency of which depend on the God-Blooded in question. Mechanically, this is best represented by Powers with appropriate Limitations and the Weakness Meta-Power. Unlike the vast majority of character types in Exalted, the Passive Modifier is perfectly appropriate for Powers meant to represent Mutations. The scion of an Earth Elemental doesn't need to spend Essence to make his hands and skin hard as stone (Body Weaponry and Armor, respectively). As far as Weaknesses go, many God-Blooded inherit the vulnerabilities of their supernatural parent, such as the Fae-Touched who must fear the touch of Cold Iron.

The most important thing to keep in mind when constructing God-Blooded Powers is focus. A God-Blooded descended from a Dryad, for instance, would have Sense (People Within Her Forest) rather than Sense (People), and one descended from a Forest Walker might only be able to use the Shapeshifting Power to assume the form of creatures native to the forest, rather than any shape at all. If the latter character had the ability to cause his skin to be covered with the toughest of bark (Armour), it would provide no protection against fire (a -1 Limitation).

Half-Castes are the exception, as their Powers should seek to emulate those of their Exalted Parent, and would not have Limitations unless that is considered common for that Exalted type (such as with Sidereals). Some Powers, however, prove to be taxing for the Half-Caste to properly replicate (Limitations that add a FP cost or increase the Activation Difficulty are acceptable).

Demon-Blooded

Demon-Blooded characters may access both the Universal Spirit Powers and the Demon Powers described below.

Their heritage powers are as follows:

• Astral Perception (Demonic) [1AP]
• Environmental Protection (Malfeas) [1AP]
• Weakness (Essence Stress track recovers at the same rate as the Social Stress track, unless in a place of great sin and suffering) [-1AP]

Demon-Blooded characters with an appropriate Infernal patron (one able to channel prayer-created Essence to them) can buy off their Weakness.

Fae-Blooded

Fae-Blooded characters may access the Fae Powers described below.

Their heritage powers are as follows:

• Environmental Protection (Wyld) [1AP]
• Leach (Ranged; deals Mental Stress and heals Essence Consequences) [4AP]
• Resistance (Wyld/Glamours) [1AP]
• Weakness (Cannot heal Essence Consequences outside of Wyld-tainted areas) [-2AP]
• Weakness (Weapons wrought from cold iron deal +2WR) [-1AP]

Ghost-Blooded

Ghost-Blooded characters may access the Ghost Powers described below. They may not learn Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, but may learn Shadowlands Necromancy instead.

Their heritage powers are as follows:

• Astral Perception (Ghosts/Underworld) [1AP]
• Environmental Protection (Underworld) [1AP]
• Leach (Limitation: Blood-drinking; heals Essence Consequences) [2AP]
• Weakness (Cannot heal Essence Consequences outside of Shadowlands or the Underworld) [-2AP]

God-Blooded

God-Blooded characters may access the Universal Spirit Powers and God Powers described below.

Their heritage powers are as follows:

• Astral Perception (Spirits/Gates) [1AP]
• Heal (Self-Healing, Once per scene; Essence Consequences only) [3AP]

Half-Castes

Half-Castes are the children of the (non-Terrestrial) Exalted who have inherited a small share of their parent's power. They do not receive an Anima power like their Exalted parent. Instead they receive heritage powers as follows:

• Experienced (+1 Ability point) [1AP]
• The cap on Abilities is raised to 5 [2AP]
• Persistent Speciality Aspect [2AP]
• Celestial Initiation (grants access to Metro-Class Super Powers) [1AP]

Unlike other kinds of God-Blooded, Half-Castes tend not to have Limitations on their Powers or Weaknesses associated with their nature, but rather their more tenuous control of their Powers.

There are five varieties of Half-Caste, corresponding to each of the (non-Terrestrial) Exalted:

• Golden Children are the offspring of the Solar Exalted. While they may access some Solar Powers, this does not include Supernatural Martial Arts or Sorcery higher than Terrestrial.
• Moon-Born are sired by the Lunars. They do not have the broad scope of shifting that their parent does, and cannot purchase Lunar Shifting. Instead they may purchase Morph for their totem animal, and Deadly Beastman Transformation.
• Star-Blessed are the children of the Sidereals.
• Shadowwalkers are the children of the Abyssals. They may learn Terrestrial Martial Arts, but not Terrestrial Circle Sorcery. Instead they may learn Shadowland Necromancy.
• Grandchosen of the Yozis are the get of the Infernals.

Spirits

Spirits cover a wide range of beings; demons, elementals and gods; who share some common abilities despite their differing origins. The most important thing to keep in mind when developing a Spirit's Powers is the purview of their concept. A God of Murder might have the Blessing Power, but only be able to aid murderers. Even if he wanted to help the virtuous maiden, his powers simply don't work that way. This is true of all but the most universal of Spirit abilities, though some powerful Spirits have a handful of powers that are unrestricted in their function.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Spirits are born with the Powers they have, rather than developing them like Exalted and other similar beings. As such, they tend not to develop unless the Spirit itself is promoted in a Terrestrial Court/Yu Shan/Malfeas. While Spirits are capable of learning some Sorcery and Necromancy, this is actually more commonly found among their God-Blooded offspring, as many Spirits dislike actually having to work to develop Powers.

There are few practical differences between Gods, Elementals, and Demons for the purposes of selecting Powers. The most important thing is developing appropiate limitations. Every spirit revolves around a concept. One God's might be the Caravan, one of the many Gods of Travel. A Thunderbird, as an Elemental of Air, would have Powers related to storms and the like. Demons are a bit harder to sum up in single-word concepts, but most Demons (and their powers) were created to perform a certain duty that will further a Yozi's agenda.

Universal Spirit Powers

These are a collection of Powers that all spirits can access:

• Astral Perception (to see immaterial beings)
• Enhanced Reflexes (representing stored up emergency actions)
• Insubstantial (actually Materialise for those who are naturally insubstantial)
• Invisibility (while immaterial)
• Lifeless (Immortal - most are not physical beings with mortal concerns like eating, sleeping and breathing)
• Sense (Essence and their own particular sort of supernatural energy)
• Shapeshifting (often Themed)
• Teleport Self (only to its domain, sanctum, a gate to Yu-Shan or the point where the spirit entered creation)

They will also tend to have Wellspring and buy up their Refresh.

In addition spirits may learn Mortal Thaumaturgy and Sorcery. Least or lesser spirits may have learned Terrestrial Circle Sorcery or Shadowlands Circle Necromancy. More powerful beings may have learned Celestial Circle Sorcery or Labyrinth Circle Necromancy. A rare few of the most powerful spirits may even have learned Solar Circle Sorcery or Void Circle Necromancy.

Spirits may also learn supernatural martial arts, though many lack the patience and discipline that their study requires. Least or lesser spirits might learn Terrestrial Martial arts. More powerful beings Celestial Martial Arts, and a rare few Sidereal Martial Arts.

Demon Powers

Demons exist to further the agendas of the Yozis, and thus the prime determinant of a demon's Powers is the purpose for which it was forged. At the very least, demons will have Lifeless (Immortal) and Insubstantial from the list of Universal Powers, and more powerful demons will have others. In addition, demons will have Powers associated with their purpose.

Demons often have Limitations on their Powers relating to their intended purpose and Weaknesses reflecting their nature. This includes susceptibility to summoning for the weaker demons.

Elemental Powers

All of an Elemental's Powers are aspected to their particular element, that applies both to their Universal Powers (Insubstantial is required for them to become immaterial, Sense also includes their element, Shapeshifting is restricted by aspect) and the following natural Powers specific to elementals:

• Absorption (of their aspected element)
• Augmented Movement (a form appropriate to their element)
• Breathless (able to breathe in their native element)
• Environmental Protection (again immune to their native environment, able to survive in their respective Pole)
• Power Attack (could be Melee, Ranged or Pulse, depending)
• Resistance (Immunity to their element)
• Additionally, they have access to Control (Air/Earth/Fire/Water/Wood with Conjure from Nothing).

Finally, specific elementals have whatever other Powers which are appropriate to their place in the order of Creation. A wood spider might have Binding to represent magically conjured webs and Poison for its deadly bite, for example.

Limitations on their Powers and Weaknesses upon their persons related to their elemental-aspecting are common to elementals. This includes susceptibility to summoning and vulnerabilities to specific elements:

• Fire consumes wood.
• Wood covers earth.
• Earth blocks air.
• Air freezes water.
• Water drowns fire.

So do the elements destroy.

Furthermore, all but the most powerful elementals weaken and eventually die when removed from their associated element.

God Powers

As a general rule, most gods, even the lowliest Terrestrial god, have all of the Universal Powers common to spirits. At the very least, they will have Lifeless (Immortal) and Insubstantial.

Gods will generally have Control (Reality Sub-domain) related to their portfolio as a minimum. More powerful gods will often have mental Powers that allow them to compel, control and manipulate mortals.

Just like Elementals, gods often have Limitations on their Powers relating to their assigned portfolio and Weaknesses reflecting their nature.

Ghost Powers

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