House Rules & Winning in Lori Games

I thought I had this posted somewhere, but it looks like I may have killed the previous post.

BATTLE

I have planned battles. And I have random encounters available depending on actions of the group. I have plots that would have you fighting every minute of every day. I have bar brawls waiting for you. I have moot games itching to be played. But they have meaning.

Roll or not to Roll: If you are facing a bunch of really easy opponents, I may just let you go crazy with descriptions and actions. If you want to roll, go for it. Armies of humans, yes I will roll and expect rolls. Armies can take you out.

IF YOU WANT TO PICK A FIGHT...DO ET. I don't believe in stupid fight scenes. Do I have drunks that will pick fights? Yes. Will I throw shit at you just because? Depends. I like battles to have reasons. You may not know the reasons, they are there.

If you want to be a combat monkey, seek it out. Trust me. I will come at you, bro.

Dueling and Sparring....why not? Your best opponents are EACH OTHER! Why not do some sparring? Use spells. Go nuts. You can heal up later pft.

PLOTS

I have so many plots, it would make your head spin. To the point your head WILL spin.

The Plot Hurricane: If you do not have a personal plot, a reason to do things, a direction, I WILL THROW THINGS AT YOU TILL YOU SCREAM. If you plot your own shit, makes plans, seek things out, seek a direction, I will build from there. So if you want me to slow the fuck down, pick something and go for it. Otherwise, get your hankies ready to cry into.

"My Character doesn't plot": I call BULLSHIT on that play. You do! You just don't realize you do. Plot just means hobby, plan, interest, vacation, adventure, "what's in this door". Seeking Rathess for goodies. Building a flying citadel. Learning the secrets of Demetrius and doing something with it. What the fuck are abyssals. What happened in the Labyrinth. Finding and saving Luna.

Alot of you are sorta messing around in plots I put before you. You don't have to follow them, or even better, turn them around! Go after Demetrius. Take over a Death Lord's home. Break into the Heptagram for first age knowledge and give it back to the solars...or steal it for the lunars. Take control of the lunars, or solars. Replace the Scarlet Empress. Build a secret organization within the Guild. Build a market with connections to the Fair Folk one you found. Build a city. Loot all the first age things. Check out Yu'Shan. Uncover the secrets of the Broken Winged Crane, put the books together, and learn what it means.

Need help with direction? No problem! Here are examples of how to build personal plots:

-- Merit / Flaw - You can earn these in game or pay them off if you already have them. You could earn a flaw, not just enemy, but supernatural, or physical due to wound or curse, so many options. You could seek a merit. What would be required to earn Small God's Favor? Seek a First Age ghost mentor.
Example: Ivory has a hard core drug addiction. That would be a personal plot to overcome, or...deepen. Does she get off the shit? Or go Fear and Loathing? "This is bat country..."

-- Backgrounds - Some backgrounds take time and roleplay, alot of building or outright Conan Conquering. Seeking a fantastic familiar. Build a cult and use it. Take over a manse. Seek the backing of a powerful group. Gain influence over a city, area, etc. I HAVE AN EXPANDED LIST OF BACKGROUNDS...and they rule. In next posts...

-- Your First Age Soul - You lived before. You died. You may have left secrets, a horde of treasures, a series of maps, and enemies seeking you out. You could visit Sijan to learn of your past. You can even gain merits, flaws, and backgrounds for your soul sliver. You may have mates looking for you. An ancient cult left in tatters and remnants.

There are tons of things to do! I can also post a list of current things you all have come across if it helps.

Linguistics

1 dot = 2 languages
2 dots = 4 languages
3 dots = 8 languages
4 dots = 16 languages
5 dots = 32 languages (pretty much you know all languages and can create your own)

Specialties can include:
Ciphers - The building blocks of language are based in ciphers. You can break down written and spoken language with these. For example...Stargate scene where he relearns ancient Egyptian by talking with the girl.

Calligraphy, Connotations, Written, Spoken, Translations

Backgrounds

You can earn these through roleplay and adventures!

Resources - Money IS everything. You can get quick amounts by selling things you find, or build long term businesses. We can work out your staff.

Mentors - They teach you everything you know, can be sought for adventures/charms/knowledges/etc. They will seek you out with their own needs. If you want them around more, you have to work them in with me. You can earn these at any time.

Familiars - Helpful beasts from simple and plain to rare and amazing. If they are a 4 pt, they provide a general gift. 5 pt they are super rare and provide an exceptional gift. Some of these can be constructs. The uber familiars as examples: Denlan, Chevas, C3PO, R2D2, Companions in Mercades Lackey books (Yfandes and Bond Birds, etc), Strider's horse in Lord of the Rings, BoBo the owl in Clash of the Titans.

Backing - Gain a position within an organization. These include fine houses of the DragonBlooded (you could use a disguise for this), the Guild, cities like Lookshy, governments like the Syndics, Sijan, DelZhan Horde in the south, Haslanti League, Pirate groups, University of Nexus, Spirit Court of the East, Raksha Courts, you name it. It does mean you report for duties, you have jobs to do. The higher the backing, the more resources and access you have to the organization.

Influence - Aiding your city/community/a people...or ruling them. Typically, you are known as the helpful benefactor, but you could also be the goto man for something, the leg breaker, etc. Archimedes and Theon have Influence x 1 with Sal Maneth for example. This provides support and aid in those cities and locations, to push through things you want done etc. Examples: Gandalf has influence in all major cities and with many peoples, Bricktop in Snatch has extreme influence in the black market, etc.

Cult - A group of people that would do anything for you, revering you as a god. Example: the desert people in Dune that followed Muab Dib, Thor's buddies in the movie Thor, etc.

Some additions for Cult:
● - Small
●● - Community
●●●- Region
●●●●- Nation
●●●●●– Elemental Quarter

These are extreme based on far extended play:
●●●●● ● – Creation, 2nd Age: Gain Willpower every three hours; recharge 8 motes per hour.
●●●●● ●● – Creation, 1st Age: Gain Willpower every hour; recharge 10 motes per hour; plus 5 motes to periphery Essence Pool
●●●●● ●●● – Dominion, Barrier: Gain Willpower every half hour; recharge 10 motes per half-hour; plus 10 motes to periphery Essence Pool
●●●●● ●●●● – Dominion, Wyldfarer: Gain Willpower every round; recharge 10 motes per fifteen minutes; plus 15 motes to periphery Essence Pool
●●●●● ●●●●● – Concord: Gain Willpower every round; recharge 1 mote motes per round; plus 20 motes to periphery Essence Pool

Followers - Like cult but they won't die for you.

Manse / Demense - You all know this one.

Area Lore - Knowledge and familiarity with certain regions. The region must be specified when gained. This can be based on a city like Nexus or an area within like Firewarder District. It can be based on an area such as Raksha Eastern Bordermarches or Far Southern Flame deserts of the South.

Bastions - A new type of Artifact-Manse hybrid designed to create lairs and ancient fortresses with vast powers in and of themselves. I have ideas for this. Speak to me if interested.

Disciple- A Former Flaw that could instead be a background. This is someone you train and teach. You must spend time with them. This gives them a character sheet with a number of points based on the dots you work on the disciple. For example, Lynn! If someone became her teacher, she would become your Disciple as a background. They act as an ally. But instead of their influence and connection to you, the dots = experience points to spend in her sheet. They become an asset, but require investment of work and study. I am willing to consider group disciple purchase, as in multiple people spending points on the same person.

Exposure - Your character has been exposed to facets of Creation and knows more than the layman. This is something new I am playing with. It can be supplimental to Lore, implying a knowledge outside of what a character should know rightly based on their scores. Exposure means you have seen it or heard of it. Some of the highest of scores does come with FLAWS! Be warned! Some of you should already have this *coughTheoncough*.

X: You have lived a life like many happy souls in creation, and are not familliar with any of the more frightening sights of the world.
●: Be it an unlucky brush with fate or a very pecuiliar cirumstances in growing up, your character has either personally dealt with (in brief), or heard many (somewhat factual) tales of fantastic and horrifying things. This level of the background offers no bonuses, but may be grounds for allowing the standard Lore rolls when faced with an example of whatever the background pertains to.
●●: You have had several encounters (or perhaps one very long, vivid one) with your bizarrity of choice. When dealing with Lore or other roles involving the unnatural or conspiratorial, you might be eligable for a reduction in penalties, or a small bonus.
●●●: You either were in the close company of your exposure for a short amount of time, or have dealt with them in very delayed bursts over your entire life. Either way, any rolls you make involving knowledge on this group should gain bonuses.
●●●●: There is a chapter of your life, likely one you do not share with people if it has passed, in which you had a near-constant interraction with your related exposure. Definate bonuses to this feild of knowledge should be given. Mortals should have a minor phobia or derrangement at this level.
●●●●●: Encounters with or stemming with this creature are common place, or at least were for some long stretch in your life. A three-die bonus should be minimum at this point, roll penalties not withstanding, and more should be common. Mortals definately have flaws.
Example Varieties: Autocthonia, The Bronze Faction, Celestines (specific one), The Cult of the Illuminated, The Deathlords (Specific one), The Exalted (Specific type), The Lookshy Gens, Gods (specific one), the Gold Faction, The Guild, The Dynast Houses The Immaculate Order, Malfeans (Specific One), Malfeas, Necromancy, Necrosurgery, the Neverborn, Primordials (specific one), the Silver Pact, Sorcery, The Thousand Scales, The Underworld, The Wyld, The Wyld Hunt, Wyld Mutations, Yu-Shan.

Feature - Your character has a particular location or object that makes life easier. What this really is ...is a place, item, thing, etc that isn't an artifact that increases your dots or provides an ability. For example: If you own a very nice palatial house with a hall, when in that hall, you have Socialize attached to it. If you have a circle you are bound to, this may provide Occult when in your circle. If you own or rent an office in a city, you could have Bureaucracy attached to it. If you raise a garden, you could have Medicine, Craft: Cooking, or Craft: Poisons attached to it. The lists go on and on!
• +1 Die to rolls using Feature.
•• +2 Dice
••• +3 Dice, -1 Difficulty of all rolls related to Feature.
•••• +4 Dice, -2 Difficulty.
••••• +5 Dice, -3 Difficulty.

Laboratory - A Background for mortals or slumming Exalts that represents the results of mortal geomancy. This is not a manse, just a place to work in.

Legends - The unique powers of Heroes! I love this idea...so very much. And I want to make it open to you all! This...is learning First Age powers/charms/spells as a personal affect, having a charm permanently attached to your soul shard as an effect, incurring the blessing of a Small God/God/Yozi/Raksha that affects your soul shard, etc. These can be...impressive and amazing.
• The Legend is a lesser magical trick of some utility and power. It is equal to...
... a Terrestrial Exalted Charm, Martial Art or Anima Power.
... an Arcanoi or Dragon King Path.
... Hearthstone powers with a sum total of 3.
... a First Age Charm of equal level.
•• The Legend is a strong, defining ability of Celestial caliber! It is equal to...
... a common Lunar or Sidereal Exalted Charm(not a Transformation or a Prayer Strip), Anima Power, or Celestial Martial Arts Charm.
... a Spirit Charm.
... a Terrestrial Circle Sorcery Spell.
... Hearthstone powers with a sum total of 4.
... a First Age Charm of equal level.
••• The Legend is as strong as the most strongest powers of the Celestial Exalted! It is equal to...
... a Celestial Circle Sorcery Spell.
... a permanent Resplendent Destiny whose abilities cost Willpower instead of effect points to activate.
... Hearthstone powers with a sum total of 5.
... a First Age Charm of equal level.
•••• The Legend is mighty, a power that inspires awe and can fell Gods or break cities! It is equal to...
... a Solar Charm.
... a Prayer Strip Sidereal Charm(with the same or another sort of limitation) or a Transformative Lunar Charm.
... access to another being's Charms in the manner of a God-Blooded.
... a First Age Charm of equal level.
••••• 5 The Legend is one of the most powerful abilities available to any being, anywhere, able to torn the world asunder. It is equal to...
... Sidereal Martial Arts Charm.
... a Solar Circle Sorcery Spell.
... a First Age Charm of equal level.

Occult Library - Exalted of all stripes across Creation often have access to a library of sorts, ranging from the public libraries of Nexus to the repositories of astrological notes in Varang. Somewhat rarer, but still existing in some numbers, are the occult libraries of Creation – the musty stacks of the Heptagram, the dank and dangerous scrollrooms of the Deathlords and the Celestial Library in Yu-Shan are but three examples – and they are often sought out by sorcerers and other occultists to aid them in study and research.

This new Background covers none of these possibilities, instead it is a representation of the character’s own personal occult library – a collection of sorcerous knowledge and magical lore that he intimately familiar with, having constructed it himself. This provides a number of benefits, as well as some drawbacks – all of which are given below the level descriptions.

X You have not yet begun to amass a personal store of knowledge on the occult, and must beg, borrow or steal that of others.
• You have collected a small number of musty scrolls and ancient books, mostly copies of relatively common tomes, and what rare works you have are copies in poor condition.
•• You own enough manuscripts and parchments to fill a room, with a number of uncommon books in near-pristine condition. You have become noted by a few well-read scholars of magical lore.
••• You have become a collector of note in matters of the occult, having obtained one or two uncopied original works, and many hundreds of lesser, but still potent, tomes. Offers of trade are a common occurrence.
•••• Your collection of magical lore rivals many of the best known in size and completeness, as well as having several unique items in good condition. Requests from sorcerers for time in your library are an everyday thing.
••••• You own one of the largest single collections of occult knowledge anywhere in Creation, with many scrolls and librams found nowhere else. Students and sorcerers from all directions flock to your library wishing to learn from it.

An occult library requires housing in a building with a Resources cost equal to its level – this renders all but libraries of size • and •• non-portable, and a level •• library is only portable because it can just about be fitted into a yeddim-drawn wagon of similar scale to those used by Guild caravans. The benefits that the Occult Library background provides can only be claimed by a character that has direct and constant access to it for the duration of the task in question.

If the character is researching a new spell, because of his familiarity with the organisation and contents of his own occult library, he may add its level to any Occult or Lore rolls required for the research process. An Occult Library level of at least ••• is required for this benefit to apply for Celestial Circle magic, and ••••• is required for research into the Solar Circle (these limitations also apply to the equivalent levels of Necromancy, i.e.: the Labyrinth and Void Circles). A character may also use his library to aid in the research for construction of an artefact – in this case the level of the library must at least equal the level of the proposed artefact in order to be of any use in this matter, adding its level in dice to all Occult rolls regarding researching the item, and half this amount (round down) to the Occult rolls required for the construction process.

Should a character wish to take some of his occult library with him (because he plans to be away from it for some time, for example…) then he may do so, taking up to •• on his travels. But, due to the necessity of taking only the most relevant volumes from his library to make this selection worthwhile, should the books that were taken be lost or destroyed then his total Occult Library Background is reduced by •. This is just one more risk that the travelling occultist must take.

Resources

Basic Equivalents

Yen Slip or Pence= Trinket, drink

Eighth Yen= Meal

Quarter Yen= Food for a day, Moderately Expensive Meal (Including, say, meat)

Half Yen= Moderately Expensive Meals for two people for a day, food for two people for four days.

Yen= New clothes, food for a large family for a day or a moderately expensive meal for said large family, new set of farm tools or new set of pottery for the kitchen.

Siu=MEM (Moderately Expensive Meal) for a week for a family, buys a coop full of chickens ready to lay eggs, or feeds a feast to an extended family. Buys a farmer's whole seed stock for planting or a couple of fruit or nut trees.

Quian=Week's wages for a peasant. Can buy a dozen sheep or a couple of milk cows. Rent a one-man apartment in a city or a sad little country cottage for a month

Koku=More than two month's wages for a peasant. Can buy a new plough or oxen team or start entire cottage industry. For 2 koku can renovate entire house and outbuildings or hold a wedding. For 3 to 4 koku can set up someone in a house with a plot of land to farm.


Conversions
Jade Currency

1/8th Yen= 2 Yen Slips
1 Siu=8 Yen
1 Quain=2 Siu=16 Yen
1 Koku=8 Quian=16 Siu=128 Yen
1 Obol=8 Koku=64 Quian=128 Siu=1,024 yen.
1 Shekel=8 Obols
1 Mina=2 Shekels=16 Obols
1 Bar=8 Minae=16 Shekels=128 Obols
1 Talent=8 Bars=64 Minae=128 Shekels=1,024 Obols

Guild Silver Standard

1 talent (jade)=5 talents (silver)
1 talent (silver)=64 pounds=4 Dirhams=1,600 Dinars=204 � Obols (jade)
1 Dirham=16 Pounds=400 Dinars=51 ' Obols
8 Pounds (silver)=200 Dinars=25 ' Obols
1 pound (silver)=25 dinars=3 ' Obols
' Pound (silver)= 6 ' Dinars=3/4 Obol=6 Koku
Dinar= 1 Koku and 2 Quain, or 160 Yen, or 1,280 coppers.

[At this point, the dinar is the lowest denomination. Converted into 'real dollars', this is approximately the equivalent of having your lowest denomination being an 800$ bill. I invented 'strips' of silver and added copper coins to try and bring things down to something reasonable]

1/8th Dinar=20 yen=10 strips
1 Strip=10 yen=1/16th Dinar
½ strip=5 yen= 1/32nd Dinar=40 coppers
1 copper=1/8th Yen
Pence= 1/2 copper=Yen Slip


Income

(THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY EXPENSES OR TAXES, NOR ANY ACTIONS OF PROFIT MAKING OR LOSS OF INCOME IN-GAME. IT IS MEANT AS A BASELINE ONLY):

Resources X=Beggar, very poor peasant. Less than 6 koku a year.
Resources 1= About 6 koku a year. (Peasant)
Resources 2=About 96 koku a year. (Single farmer, Shopowner, Merchant, Artisan)

[It is assumed that at least 60-90% of the population is Resources 2 or lower. According to available Exalted literature, there is a huge ramp up between Resources 2 and 3 that is much larger than the difference between other levels, for whatever reason.]

Resources 3=About 4,000 koku a year (Comfortable Merchant or Artisan, Wealthy Farmer)
Resources 4= About 32,000 koku a year (Rich landowner, merchant, or aristocrat)
Resources 5= About 128,000 koku a year. (Merchant Prince)


(Unfortunately, reworking the system does not lend itself to the standard of ½resource level=take it down a notch on the resources table. The author of this table has done his best to keep items restricted to their resources class. Sadly, some of White Wolf's expenses for things simply do not make any sense, making some things more or less expensive than they are originally portrayed.)


Savings

Based on worldwide trends in saving in 1998, the Exalted savings rate is assumed to be 100% of resources at beginning of play, as explained by 20% of income each year over a term of 5 years if your character is starting at the age of 13. Add more money as appropriate.


Assets

Based on 1998 U.S. census data, the average household has about four times net worth in assets than income. Thus, the available assets one could liquidate for cash would be their amount in resources x4. If the character does not have significant material possessions like a house or some very valuable piece of portable merchandise or the like, assume they only have 1/8th of the assets given with them.

Resources 1= 24 koku worth.
Resources 2= 384 koku.
Resources 3= 16,000 koku.
Resources 4= 128,000 koku.
Resources 5= 512,000 koku.


Basic Two Week Pay Period

(Except for Resources 2, little decimals off of yen have been rounded. If you want exact amounts, you can do the math yourself.)

Resources 1= 2 Quain
Resources 2= 4 koku
Resources 3= 166 koku and 84 � yen
Resources 4= 1333 koku and 42 1/4th yen
Resources 5= 5333 koku and 42 1/4th yen


Range of prices of items in terms of sheer Resources dots:

[Based on the whole month's pay thing as in Exalted]

Resources 1= 1/8th yen to a yen
Resources 2= 1 yen to 4 koku
Resources 3= 4 koku-300 koku
Resources 4= 300-10,000 koku
Resources 5= Above 10,000 koku

Specialties

I allow endless amounts of specialties per Ability. You can go up to a max of three dots each.

AND..... I will now allow them to stack. I spoke with some other STs and they also go with the stacking rule. Makes things interesting.

If you need help figuring out specialties, we can chat on ideas. Here is a great list of specialties per ability: http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/Specialities