Editing Age Of Dragons: Legacies

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=Death and The Legacy=

The nature of an '''Age of Dragons''' chronicle is such that it is unlikely that any one player will play the same character throughout. Death is the one true inevitable, be it from old age, from war or the dangers inherent in draconic existence.

However, when a dragon dies he does not die without leaving his mark on history. He has a '''Legacy''', which is passed on to his '''Successor'''.

The player can then choose to start playing the '''successor''' as a new player character. The breed and age of this successor should already be known, and this will effect the character generation process accordingly.
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==Resource Legacies==

First, any '''Resources''' that the Dragon may have acquired will likely remain after he has gone on. A Dragon is presumed to have made some provision as to what happens to his resources after he is dead, usually by naming a beneficiary of his possessions and estates.

His '''Successor''' may gain some or all of the deceased Dragon's resources as an inheritance. Some '''Resources''' are harder to hand on than others - for example, a successor would find it hard to inherit a network of alliances, but could definitely inherit a draconic hoard of gold and jewels, or a fine magical weapon.

How easy it is for the successor to retain these resources is another matter altogether, of course. Dealing with an inheritance should almost certainly be the subject of at least one story!

A '''Successor''' may, of course, have acquired resources of his own while waiting for his inheritance. This is up to the GM and player to decide, and generally is most appropriate when the successor is already at least a few hundred years old.
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==Legacies of Reputation and Station==

Second, the political commitments and legendary deeds of the deceased dragon will reflect upon his chosen successor. If a dragon was a bloodthirsty soldier of the Ascendancy in life, it is not unreasonable for others to expect that his successor will be the same.

There are no in-game rules for inherited reputations, but players should consider that their actions will have impact down the generations.
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==Legacies of Agenda==

Third and finally, a dragon may pass on certain motivations to his successor. 

It is up to the player whether the successor carries on these motivations or not.
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=Successors=

A player's successor character can either be his offspring, or his protégé. It is entirely possible that a player character might have multiple successors at the time of his death. If this is the case then he selects one to be his ongoing character.

Note that ''successors'' themselves are '''not''' an inherited resource. Unused and unselected ''successors'' immediately become ordinary NPCs, and are not treated as ''successors'' to the new player character.
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==Offspring==

If a player character has children, then they are automatically assumed to be valid successors. However, thanks to the nature of the ''Birthing Sickness'' it is extremely likely that these dragons will be mere neonates when the player takes them on.

Refer to the sections below for more on this:

* [[Age_Of_Dragons:_Reproduction_and_the_Birthing_Sickness|Reproduction and the Birthing Sickness]]
* [[Age_Of_Dragons:_Playing_Neonate_Dragons|Playing Neonate Dragons]]
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==Protégés==

'''Protégés''' are dragons who look up to the player character dragon but aren't his offspring. '''Protégés''' are assumed to be valid ''successors'' to the character, and are treated as a '''Resource'''.

Acquiring a '''Protégé''' must be done in-play, as with any other ''Resource''. While their mentors are still alive they are considered to be NPCs under the GM's control. '''Protégés''' are dragons with their own agendas, and the relationship with them must be maintained by the would be mentor. The GM decides when a dragon becomes another's '''Protégé''', and likewise can remove '''Protégé''' status if over the course of time the relationship breaks down, or if he feels that the '''Protégé''' no longer looks up to the Mentor (for example, because of a shift in the balance of power).
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==Starting Afresh: No Successors==

It is possible, especially if a character dies young, that there will be no suitable successor. In this case, the player must start afresh, making a new character from scratch as per the normal rules in the Hatchery chapter.

His legacy is not passed on to this character, though at the GM's discretion he can have arranged for his Resources to be passed on to other player characters, or to non-player characters.

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[[Category:Age_of_Dragons|Legacies]]