[3E] The Artifact and Evocation Workshop

[Khazadir]

You're welcome.

As further feedback, the first Evocation can probably now be back at 3m, or even 2m; it now takes your action in the round, so you can't attack anymore while doing it. I'd also suggest, if you want to plus it up a bit, is that it can be used continually for the round until an opponent exceeds its 'Parry' value. That way, it's freakishly effective against people who can't garner at least 5 successes, but basically once per round against Exalts and others who can generate a dice pool in excess of 10 regularly.

I would recommend this rewrite:


Guard the Field
Cost: 3m+1m/attack Minimums: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Duration: 1 Turn
Prerequisite: None

This Evocation represents a special Defend Other action. It follows the rules for Defend Other with the following exceptions: First, it applies to all characters within Short Range that the wielder has a Positive Tie towards. Secondly, it uses the wielder's (Dexterity+Thrown+Specialty)/2 to calculate the Parry of the Defense. Lastly, the attacker cannot choose to hit the wielder of this Artifact. Each attack intercepted costs 1m. This Evocation ends after any attack exceeds the Parry of The Defender's Blade.

Resonant: This Evocation applies to all applicable characters within Medium Range.

If I understand it correctly, this should give you everything you were looking for while minimizing the mechanical language (and piggybacking off the Defend Other work in the book).

Thoughts?

[gfrobbin84]

I do really like that and makes a lot of sense as the entry evocation, but how will this enteract with the Defensive Zone evocation as it is meant to allow one free parry on attack against an ally per round while still acting as normal other wise.

[Khazadir]

Try this:

Zone of Defense
Cost: - (1 WP) Min: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite: (Previous Evocations)

Zone of Defense upgrades Guard the Field permanently in the following ways. First of all, it makes Guard the Field Reflexive. Secondly, it allows Guard the Field to protect characters out to Long Range, and, while active, allows Guardian's Retribution to Counterattack out to Long Range. Lastly, for an extra cost of 1 WP when activating Guard the Field, it makes the Duration of Guard the Field one Scene.

Activations of Guard the Field after the first scene-long activation may drop the WP cost for the scene.

[gfrobbin84]

Ok cool thanks a lot man. I'll edit the post when I get home from work later.

[Khazadir]

I like creating these kind of things, so I'm glad I could help.

[A Not Quite Simple Soul]

Ok I have a bit of an odd concept and need to know if it'd be better as a god, elemental, or artifact. It's very artifact-esque so I figured this might be the place to start.

Basically it's a sapient magical sword that can take humanoid form. In the sword form it has a few neat evocations, and in humanoid form it can act somewhat independently and attack as if it was wielding itself, plus one of the upper tier evocations would be to allow it's attuned user/person with the familiar merit concerning the sword-spirit (i'm not sure which should apply, or maybe both?) to use charms with the sword spirit even when it's operating in humanoid form at a distance.

[Khazadir]

Soul: In my opinion, it all revolves around a few questions.

1) Does the sword naturally roll Join Battle for itself in combat?
2) Can it employ its Charms (as a Spirit) or its Evocations (as a weapon) itself?
3) Does it have its own Essence Pool?

If the answer to #1 is No (at least as a baseline), it probably is best to be an Artifact. If the answer to #3 is No, it should, in my opinion, again should be an Artifact.

I think the fairest way to represent it is to have the base form and the lower level Evocations represent the sword prior to it being fully conscious. Once you learn the Evocation that fully wakes up the sword, you have a couple of different ways to go:

1) Permanently change the Sword into a Spirit (I would change it from a 3-dot Artifact to a 3-dot Familiar and take all the xp invested in Evocations and turn it into xp to power up the Familiar (either through Familiar boosting Charms or via direct boosting) OR
2) The final Evocation acts like a Sprit's Materialize charm; when activated, the Spirit manifests. For balance purposes, it might be fairest to have the Exalt who wields the sword pay the cost of Materialization (as, otherwise, he gets the best of both worlds). If that balance point isn't a concern, though, the Spirit could pay for it.

I recently made a Powerbow whose final Evocation was to animate it. I modeled the power off of the Single Point Shining in the Void Form charm.

Hope these ideas help!

[A Not Quite Simple Soul]

1.) Not without heavy exp investment from a wielder.

2.) A few, it has a couple tricks. It can reshape it's grip to suit the wielder, if the physical body/sword is destroyed without employing spirit killing techniques it will pop up again at some future point, and if it crosses paths with the nimrod who let that happen it'll be annoyed, it can choose to refuse to attune to wielders it dislikes, and it can take the from of a lesser blade in order to temporarily accommodate unattuned or mortal wielders, or as a disguise. Of those only the last is really a charm in my mind.

3.) Yes, but without investment and attunement it has a limited ability to use that pool.

The idea of the sword being only partly conscious until you learn the final Evocation has merit, thanks.

[ArchangelAzrael]

Hello there Awesome thread! Can I make a request for an artifact that I haven't seen yet?

I wanted an artifact Barding (armor for mounts). Aside from the attunement cost to be paid by the exalted Cool evocations that would be nice to have would be:

an evocation that would make a big animal have a chibi cute form
an evocation that would allow to spend essence to feed your animal
an evocation that would protect your animal from extreme environment

Thanks in advance!

[Brambleclaw]

Not sure if I should make this a separate thread or not but I would like some help on two artifacts I gave to the players. I gave them the artifact versions with only one evocation at the time with the plan of adding more in the future. One is the Oni slayer from Dark souls 3. I wanted to give him the biggest, baddest bow I could think of so it was stated an artifact heavy archery. The second weapon is a chakram. He wanted the infinite Chakram from the core book but I want to make it more.

Now the bow I have more of an idea for. I want it to be more effective against opponents with high soak. The first one I gave him (before I really understood how evocations worked) was basically a charm that added his essence to the post soak damage or added to decisive damage. I told him it was irreducible dice but does not go around hardness. The Chakram user is a sorceress so the evocation I gave him is the ability to store up to 5 sorcery motes that he can use later on but goes away at the end of the day. While it has that charge, it increases the weapon damage by that much. He has not been using it much as he has been relying on his sorceries more so I am not sure if I should keep that.


Recently I saw a charm in the righteous devil martial arts tree that fits more of what I want for the bow (Azure Abacus Meditation on page 451). It allowed the exalt to ignore all soak if the target is not in any cover (and ignore reduced amount of soak depending on cover) One question I want to ask is how powerful would this be on a bow? Another charm I was thinking to be the show stopper is a decisive only attack that converted so much of the targets soak into decisive dice (I was thinking half the soak) . Would that be too powerful? In context to the enemies they have been facing, some of them have had high soak but not all of them.


For the Chakram, I want to surprise him with this one but I am not sure what direction to go with it. I do want it to compliment his character's sorcery style. (He has been using his sorcery from time to time to compliment his martial arts style with the wooden claws. Most of the time it is obsidian butterflies followed up with brilliant raptor). I would like to hear some general ideas you all have here to help.




P.S. The Unsung Hero: I am using your nasty weapon that can cut the gods, the one that got forged by several different people over the years. I made it a grimscythe instead to fit but I am loving the idea of it. The funny thing is, nobody in the party has the intimacies to unlock that weapon's full potential.

[ArchangelAzrael]

Benevolence for the Alter I (Artifact 3) – Moonsilver and orichalcum barding breastplate

Once there was a Solar who loved exploring the world, he would often venture to the unknown pushing the boundaries of creation and taming the wild. Of course in his adventure he was never alone he had his faithful familiar on his side. Alas what familiar can survive all the dangers that the world has to throw? He lost his first companion, a sabretooth tiger, due to hunger when they became trapped in the bowls of the earth after an extremely violent earthquake. Although he was able to survive without food and water for the 2 months it took him to escape, his familiar was not. Devastated he mourned for a year and a day before allowing himself to bond with another animal. This time it was a powerful tyrant lizard towering over all of his kind. For many years they explored the eastern edges of the world until they were trapped in a maze of primordial wild constructed by a powerful Raksha for his amusement and hunted by a horde of Fae. In the end exhausted and battered they managed to locate an exit albeit one only as wide as the size of barrel. With no way to retreat he choose to make his final stand with his tyrant lizard but the brave companion would have none of that, with a mighty shove he pushed him to safety. The dying throes of his second familiar hunted him for years to come. His third and last companion was a Mice of the Sun. Together they explored the vastness of the western seas. They discovered many island and new wonders, from islands made of Orichalcum to fountains that could restore youth. Eased in his knowledge that his friend could accommodate him everywhere and never starve to death he become overconfident and hubris was not far behind. While exploring the most dangerous part of an area filled with whirlpools a storm that put all storms to shame broke lose. Under the fury of the nature he and his companion were sucked to the depths of the sea in a place where even the rays of the sun failed to reach. The pressure was immerse but the solar had ways to protect himself. The same could not be said for his familiar. He lamented in his inability to extent his protection to his small friend and in his powerlessness to save him. He vowed to never let history to repeat itself. He would not acquire another familiar ever again before he could make certain that he could protect it. With the help of his circle twilight and his better-half Lunar they crafted a powerful barding of Moonsilver, Orichalcum and his solidified guilt and love for each of his fallen companions. The result was Benevolence for the Alter I. However as fate would have it, he was never given the chance to use it as the usurpation occurred not too long afterwards and the barding was lost along with the body of Solar.

Attunement: 4m
Type: Light (+5 Soak, 4 hardness, -0 mobility penalty)
Tags: none
Hearthstone slots: 2

Evocations of the Benevolence for the Alter I.
The barding resonates with the familiar and the exalted strengthening the bond they already share. The Exalted master attuned to it can allow a familiar to wear the barding and benefit from the unlocked evocations when active by the Exalted. No additional cost is required from the familiar as all the essence cost and willpower cost are paid by the master, this includes the attunement cost. Upon attunement the exalted my equip her familiar with the barding which changes its size and shape to accommodate for the familiar in question. By paying 2 additional motes on attunement the Exalted may make the armor merge with the familiar effectively making the armor discreet.

Lastly Hearthstones inserted on the baring affect the familiar if appropriate but any essence cost that might be need to use the powers or evocation required must be paid by the Exalted master


Disperse the Hunger
Cost: 1m or 5m or 10m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Day
Prerequisites: None

Even mighty familiars need to sleep eat, drink and recover their strength. While the familiar may sate hunger and thirst by normal means that is not always possible. With this evocation the Exalted master may also feed and quench her familiar thirst by feed her familiar a single mote of Essence to restore her vigor for a single day. If the familiar is larger than a hound the cost raises to 5 motes per day, while if it possess the Legendary Size merit the cost raises to 10 motes per day.

Resonance: A Solar or Lunar activating this charm also alleviates any penalties that might come from lack of sleep or physical exhaustion for a single day.

Dissonance: This evocation can be used for a number of consecutive days equal to the exalted survival score before needing at least 1 day to reset in which the familiar is fed and watered normally.


As One
Cost: 2m Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One Day
Prerequisites: Disperse the Hunger

The Exalted can endure even the harsh environment of the poles or the frenzy energies of the wild and is able to surpass countless hardships if he is so incline. With this evocation he may extent his protection on his second self. When activating any charm with a duration longer than a scene he may pay two extra motes to have it also affect her familiar. The storyteller may decide that certain charms with a scene duration are also thematically appropriate to be shared with the familiar and allow them. Furthermore the Exalted master may grant the familiar any of the benefits of his anima banner for free when he uses them himself, or may pay separately to activate them on the familiar’s behalf. This is not compatible with anima effects that allow characters to acquire permanent traits, such as an Eclipse’s ability to learn certain spirit Charms or a Twilight’s ability to bind spirits as familiars. In addition, the familiar may reflexively surround itself with radiance emulating its master’s anima banner at the burning level.

Resonance: A Solar or Lunar can also commit 2 motes to allow the familiar to gain the benefit of a protection she is under ,not granted by a charm, such as the protection the wielder of the artifact Stormcaller enjoys against environmental penalties from wind, precipitation, and other weather.


Inseparable
Cost: 5m, 1w Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Day
Prerequisites: Disperse the Hunger

No place is too small or too narrow that the familiar can’t follow its master for the exalted that have unlocked this evocation. The Exalted Master may commit 5 motes and change the size and the appearance slightly of his familiar. This evocation shrinks the familiar roughly 1 size (from a tyrant lizard like statue to a horse like statue and from a horse like statue to a cat like statue, and from a cat like statue to a mouse like statue). The familiar might lose any merits associated with its size such as Legendary Size merit for the duration of the evocation or even gain appropriate merits such as Tiny Creature merit subject to storyteller’s jurisdiction. Furthermore for each size category that the familiar shrinks it reduces its strength and stamina scores by 2 (minimum 1) and raises its dexterity score by 1 (maximum 5).
If the familiar in question is of a smaller statue than her exalted master the artifact may awaken a different evocation in its place that works the other way around.

Resonance:A Solar or Lunar don’t have a restriction on the shrinking steps they can take and for example could if they wanted reduce the size of a tyrant lizard to that of a mouse. Furthermore they can make the familiar look harmless and cute in the new size making highly more likely to be allowed to follow the exalted in civilized places that might have otherwise shunt the presence of a terrifying tyrant lizard.


Never Again
Cost: 5m or 5m, 1w, 1hl Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinitely, Special
Prerequisites: As One, Inseparable

Familiar and Master share a bond so strong it almost impossible to discern if they are two souls or one sharing two bodies. The familiar may unknit its physical substance to vanish into the Masters essence until its master calls it back, this cost 5 motes which remain committed for the duration. While those motes stay committed the familiar speeds her natural healing by a factor of (Exalted's Essence x 5) In addition, if the familiar would be killed, it instead vanishes into the fires of its master anima, slowly reforming over the course of the story. Once the next story has begun, the familiar emerges at an unforeseen moment to aid its master, this costs 5m, 1w and 1hl.

Resonance: A Solar or Lunar that unlocks this evocation also grants to the familiar extra defenses against poison and diseases. When the familiar has to roll (Stamina + Resistance) in response to a poison or disease it gains the Exalted's essence as automatic successes. This effect is permanent and incurs no additional cost for the Exalted

Dissonance: The master of this evocation unlocks only the second part of the evocation that triggers upon the death of the familiar.


SO IT IS DONE! please critic and evaluate. Some ideas are not original so please don't be to harsh on those.

EDIT: On the Evocation Never Again The Italics part have been edited in after taking into consideration remspeedwagon advice. I am considering changing the Dissonance to exclude the life saving part instead.

[remspeedwagon]

You should probably buff Never Again a bit... The not dying is nice, but only once per story, and then summon the loyal steel for your familiar seems a bit...small, for a capstone.

[ArchangelAzrael]

Thank you for your feedback... hm ok I see your point although unlike other powerful artifacts its is only an artifact 3 and the essence for the capstone is 3... I could add some increased healing mechanics and perhaps poison immunity. Expect version 1.1 soonish

[Esbilon]

Skofnung (Soulsteel Daiklave, Artifact ●●●●)
An ancient sword forged from the souls of the twelve greatest kings of the North. It calls out to fallen warriors, compelling them to once more raise their swords in battle.

Accuracy: +3*
Damage: +12*
Defense: +1*
Overwhelming: 5
Attunement: 5
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Hearthstone slots: 3

Skofnung can house the souls of the fallen. Those who have been called to serve by previous wielders describe the world inside as a vast battlefield surrounding a single great hall of black stone. They would fight from grim morning until a darkness as complete as Oblivion fell, and then feast in the torch-lit hall until morning when the fallen would once more pick up their weapons and join a battle without purpose.

When Skofnung contains souls, it gains the following bonuses to its traits depending on the number
1-6: +1 Accuracy
7-36: +1 Damage
37-144: +1 Defense
145-1200: +1 Accuracy
1200+: +1 Damage

Calling Home the Fallen
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

Solemnly placing the sword point first into the soil bloodied by war, the wielder calls to those fallen in battle all around them and compels them to find a new home within Skofnung. Roll (Charisma or Manipulation + Presence) to influence the ghosts of all those fallen in battle no longer three days and three nights before, and who are close enough to be affected. All those whose Resolve is low enough to be influenced are automatically compelled, unless they have an Intimacy they could use to resist the call, in which case they may spend a point of Willpower to resist the call of Skofnung. The range of this power depends on the wielder's Essence rating in the following manner:
Essence 1: Close range
Essence 2: Short range
Essence 3: Long range
Essence 4+: Extreme range

If the wielder is Resonant with Skofnung, their Essence counts as one higher than it is for the purpose of determining range, and only a Major or Defining Intimacy can protect a ghost from being called.

Unleashed from Beyond
Cost: 5m, (1lhl); Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Calling Home the Fallen

Raising the sword high, the wielder summons the fallen to fight once more. This brings forth a Battle Group of the fallen from within Skofnung. This Battle Group has size (Essence/2 rounded up + 1), though it cannot be larger than the total of all souls contained within Skofnung. They arrive armed and ready to fight, but are Immaterial unless the wielder has spent the extra activation cost of (1 lhl), Materializing them through their own blood. Any ghosts slain while called into the world like this return unharmed to the blade once the Charm has run its course, or once they fall in battle.

The Battle Group's traits are determined by the average member, it further has Perfect Morale and Might 1.

If the wielder is resonant with Skofnung, the Battle Group is of size (Essence/2 rounded up + 2), though still limited by the number of souls contained within the blade.

Wisdom of the Gravebound
Cost: 5m, (or less); Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Unleashed from Beyond

Holding the sword close to their heart, the wielder calls forth an individual contained within the blade to serve them in a wider capacity than simply as part of an army. Those called forth come fully realized with all the memories and knowledge of their former life, as well as their Intimacies, though they have acquired an additional Defining Intimacy of loyalty (or a similiar emotion) towards the wielder. While the Charm is active, it may be activated once more to call forth another ghost to serve. The cost to activate the Charm goes down by 1m for each ghost already manifested in this manner. No more than (Essence + 1) ghosts can be manifested at once.

If the wielder is resonant with Skofnung, the number of ghosts than can be simoultaneously manifested is doubled.

Relics of the Dead
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Unleashed from Beyond

When the dead come forth, they do so with the finest gear taken from all the battlefields of Creation. Every time the wielder calls forth the ghosts bound within Skofnung, they may decide how the ghosts are armed and armoured (or even dressed with Wisdom of the Gravebound). Furthermore, when called forth with Unleashed from Beyond, the Battle Group formed has Might 2 rather than 1. Similarly, when called forth with Wisdom of the Gravebound, the ghosts may have simple Thaumaturgical items to aid them.

If the wielder is resonant with Skofnung, the ghosts become valid targets for Training Charms such as Tiger Warrior Training Technique or Flowing Mind Prana.

Irresistible Call of Oblivion
Cost: 10m; Mins: Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Wisdom of the Gravebound

By placing the pommel of the sword on the forehead of one recently dead, the wielder may force them into service. Activating this Evocation requires no roll, and cannot be resisted, even with a Defining Intimacy. However, such intimacies still remain, so the wielder of Skofnung should take care when calling forth the ghosts of those who hate them.

What the Void Spews Forth
Cost: 10m (1ahl/scene); Mins: Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisites: Relics of the Dead, Irresistible Call of Oblivion

Raising the blade above their head, the wielder calls calls upon the Void itself to empower the ghosts under their command, and the Void answers. In return for the souls of the slain, Skofnung's ghosts come clad in the raiments of Death itself, and fight with the strength of the Void. When called forth with this Evocation, there is no size limit to the Battle Group summoned, every single soul is called from within Skofnung. They arrived armed and armoured in Soulsteel, granting them a Might rating of 3, and each ghost counts as two for the purposes of determining the Size of the Battle Group. However, once the Charm has run its course, every single ghost as well as the souls of all those slain by this army of the dead is doomed to Oblivion. Skofnung is empty once more, and the forbidding castle in its core falls silent.

If the wielder is resonant with Skofnung, they may prolong its Duration by spending paying 1 Aggravated Health Level per additional scene. This damage may not be healed while the Charm is active.

[ArchangelAzrael]

Skofnung (Soulsteel Daiklave, Artifact ●●●●)

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Although it is not as awe-inspiring as volcano cutter and stormcaller with their environment changing properties I would argue it is just as (if not more) strong. Furthermore when powered up ( which is not hard to accomplice) it becomes better stat-wise than any printed artifact. The +2 defense in particular is very strong. Therefore an artifact 5 would be more appropriate.




Calling Home the Fallen

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Seems well balanced.




Unleashed from Beyond

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This seems strong to me for an essence 1 evocation… maybe essence 2? Also it needs to have a reset condition so it can only be used 1 per day as the exalts could just use it again to have almost always max size battlegroup. There is a lhl cost but I think it needs further restrictions.




Wisdom of the Gravebound

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I am not too sure for this charm… For 15m committed you get to have 2 to 6 (or more realistically 4-12) Ghost retainers. It seems too much to me. Essence 3 for the evocation and reduce the number of ghost to be equal to Essence. Perhaps also add A dissonance so that the number of Ghost are essence/2 round down for everyone else




Relics of the Dead

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I think balance wise this is a good evocation for its essence requirement. I would be tempted to switch the resonance power with the rise in might as it seems to be the strongest of the two and weaker exalted have worse “training armies charms” usually anyway.




Irresistible Call of Oblivion

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Ok the no roll to resist seems inappropriate to me. I would have at least but some restriction like cannot target a creature with an essence score higher than yours or something similar. Still if it is recently dead it more likely than not means the exalted in question defeated him so he clearly was able to overcome him. I just think it can bypass some mechanics and can force in combination with the last evocation some entities that would be hard to completely destroy into oblivion. Also as a player I would be pissed off if I was told no chance to resist it, it just happens (despite the fact that my char would be dead by then :P).





What the Void Spews Fort

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I like this charm a lot! But I think it can be too strong depending on how dedicated the player was in filling it with souls. Perhaps the artifact should have a max soul capacity? Other than that the fact that the defeated fall into oblivion as well without a roll to resist it is not to my liking. Now balance wise I think its ok for an essence 5 evocation on a lvl 5 artifact.