A&O House Rules

AlphaOmega

House Rules

• There are no new Charms created for such trees as Computer or Firearms, you will have to develop these. Excellencies are fine though.

• You can have up to two non-Excellency "custom" Charms at character creation pending ST approval.

• No Artifact at the start.

• The Magical Materials are legendary and lost to time.

• Manses are super rare nowadays, but Demesnes can be found.

• When an Exalted hits their Dying health levels, they do not die or further deteriorate immediately; rather, they lose a Dying for each day they go without help. This means it will be hard to put down Exalts for good, but you can ensure they're dead by shooting their corpses a couple times for good measure.

Skill Changes
Ride = Drive
Sail = Pilot
Larceny is still Larceny but covers high-tech Security
Craft (Technology) is the primary skill of engineers and mechanics
Archery is still viable but Firearms is a more common substitute
War covers using military weaponry like bazookas and stuff
Lore and Occult are now one skill called Academics. It has all the Charms of both.
Academics can be used to disarm bombs with electronic triggers.
Computers has been added as a skill to the Twilight caste abilities (other Exalted types to be determined).

Charms

• Perfect Blazing Blow adds the character's MA in automatic successes to his attack, replacing the canon effect.
• Combos can be updated and extended with new charms even after their creation.

World

THE UMBRA

When the Maiden of Weaving came to power, the Wyrm of Balance commanded her to make the world more orderly, to regulate Essence and seperate Matter from Spirit, Prime from Forces. She wove a Veil between this world and the Spirit one, which rapidly became flooded with Essence and Elsewhere. All spirit Sanctums, even Yu Shan and Malfeas, fell into what became the Spirit World, and the material world became the pale shadow of Creation you walk in today.

The Umbra is a world of Essence, more so then the world you're used to. Only the Gauntlet keeps the natural unity of Matter and Spirit apart and it is fragile and dependant on human banality and technology to maintain itself. In places of mystic origin and ancient worship, it's practically negligible. In cities like Las Vegas, it is almost impassible. At least at Todd Brown's flamey church of Doom, Spirit and Matter are now one. Spirits are solid there and one may walk out the church and into the Penumbra.

The Penumbra is the part of the Umbra closest to us. It reflects the world we see, a city street in our world is still a city street in the Penumbra for example, but the Pattern Web stretches from building to building in heavy bundles thicker then electrical wire, ghosts and spirits hide in trash-cans and alleyways, and the haunted house down the road is really filled with Wyrm spirits breeding in darkness. The deeper into the Umbra you go the further you go from the real world and the stranger the Velvet Shadow becomes. You can enter the domains of any number of deities, explore alternate realities akin to Creation but different, or even travel below to the Dark Umbra (or the Underworld) or climb to the skies to visit the Astral (or High) Umbra. Deeper then any of them, the Wyld still beats with the shinma's heart, though as second, weaker Gauntlet called The Membrane protects the Spirit World from the corrupting influence of the Wyld.

In the Spirit World, your animas have much greater effects. You fill the world with your power, Solar anima banners make it daytime in the Umbra, Lunars night-time. Terrestrials change the whole region about them to match their elemental natures, Fire aspects setting city blocks ablaze with spectral flame as they walk and Wood aspects covering the scenery in vegetation until they leave it's effects. More scary then that is how much like your Totemic form you slowly become. As you go up the ranks in anima levels, you begin to take traits of your totemic form (eagle eyes, wolf's fur) until when you reach totemic you actually physically become your totem anima banner. Darius becomes an eagle, Cassidy a golden goddess and yes, John a pair of shaking hands.

This is because in the spirit world your anima IS your body. You are spirit. This transformation can be disconcerting, and even mind-warping. If you don't spend a Willpower point when you reach Totemic form you can become wrapped up in it's power. You gain several minor advantages to being consumed by your totem but also lose some ability to perform mundane tasks and may forget you're human in the haze of power and symbolism. Luckily, this will not last for more then a scene and the process is empowering; losing yourself to your Totem restores all your Essence and health levels as you bask in the raw Essence of the Umbra.

Now, how do I get into the Umbra, or how do I get out? Well, you've seen the worst method to get there, all go totemic in a small area. I imagine this will be unavoidable and you will be leaving holes in the Gauntlet like swiss cheese wherever you go until the thing eventually breaks under the stress and Matter and Spirit become one again. A better method is to travel to an already harmonious spiritual location, like the heart of a demesne or node.

Better then either of those is what werewolves call "stepping sideways" or Kuie-jin call "Walking in the dragon's footsteps". Different rituals exist but the process is mostly the same. As Exalts with awakened Essence, each of you is exactly as much spirit as you are matter. It only takes meditation and a focus to shift your perceptions and presence to the other perspective of Creation. You dissapear in a flash of your anima banner and appear where you were standing on the other side of the Gauntlet after making a successful Essence roll. It's not even a Charm, you just need to be shown how to do it. Sui Mae already has been shown, and also she already knows the danger of losing herself to her totemic form.

Link to the OOC post

Everyone's Animas in the Umbra OoC Post

• John can sense and seal bonds in a wide area.
• Darius can fly and has piercing eagle eyes that give him a +3 Search specialty in daytime.
• Gabriel's a weird one, but he can bargain for forbidden knowledge. He imparts secrets and insights of value defendant upon the sacrifice offered before him.
• Robert gains great size and strength. As a Spirit Wolf he has one extra dot of Strength and one extra -0 Health Level.
• Sui Mae and Johnny can both fly and their martial arts attacks become lethal. All of their attacks are considered "elemental" for people with weaknesses or strengths against them.
• No one can lie in front of Liz.
• Cassidy hears all prayers in the area.