Outcaste gaining breeding after the fact...

[Guest]

Ok, before we get to the question at hand, some behind the scenes background on my game. [NOTE- If you're reading this Geoff, stop, move on. Knowing this WILL take the fun outta the game for you.]


See, currently the game I run is small. We have two more players joining soon, and they are accounted for in the equation. The plotline they know not runeth so;


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One day, shortly after the contagion, Raksi woke up to discover that she had, apparenlty, in her sleep written a prophecy down. It follows.

There will come a time,


When the Red Queen is not seen,


And the Usurpers Realm,


Will be torn between Blood versus Blood.


Into this time the Golden Ones will return,


Separated from their brothers and their past,


To fight, strive, and conquer,


To regain their heritage.


Into the chaos will come three companions.


These three will be as different as oil and water,


And yet they will stand as one when they are called.


In a field of death, in the tree of life,


They will be chosen by fate.


They will represent the unified Heaven,


One, a survivor, child of Luna,


One, an adventurer, chosen of the Sun,


The last, a scholar, a Child of the Sky.


The Sun, the Moon, and the Sky,


The Three will stand as one,


They will unify the broken people,


And find their destiny with the Stars.

Or at least, she remembers writing it down after the Contagion. In reality, it was transcribed shortly after last Calibration.


See, a small portion of the Gold Faction has an idea that maybe, just maybe, things would work out better if they tried to get all the original Exalted types on the same page again. So, with some string pulling and some favors, a little bit of wink wink, nudge nudge, they talked those that would need be involved into an experiment. They would arrange to have three people Exalted at the same time, one Solar, one Lunar, and one Sidereal. To maintain a good control group for the experiment, the Gold faction would work to keep this Sidereal hidden from the bronze, but not recruit him themselves. He would be made Ronin on purpose. So, things were set in motion via their agents, and then, the three Exalted.


Except the Sidereal missed the boat by three months, cause the bastard in question managed to avoid his fate. Go figure. However, they got their sky...  the third turned out to be a lesser terrestrail bloodline, and the sheer power of the essence flows aroud him during his compainions Exaltation activated his latent blood. So, Outcaste Air aspected. Sun, Moon, and Sky. Just not the way that was expected.


Discussions were had among the gold and those following and involved in the experiment. What went wrong? Was fate working to make their false future a real future? And, where would their "lost" ronin sidereal fit in?


All the while, the experiement went on. The Lunar got his caste fixed as Full Moon, the Night caste Solar and Air aspect taking part in the same trials (and the Dragon Blood barely making it, but getting great respect for doing so), they secured a Manse, the Lunar went to work getting his own tribe, the Air aspect inadvertenly getting followers of his own by killing a fae...


And still the debates continued...


Then, Raksi, in the process of bedding a strong, healthy youth from the Red Scar tribe, was surprised when he manifested star filled eyes and an anima banner...  she quickly set him in the direction of the three, thinking that maybe she had given the prophecy to the wrong three, or maybe there was more than one child of the sky...


The debates ended. The experiment was taking on life of it's own. The Ronin would join the Solar and the Lunar. Sun, Moon, and Sky. Was the Sky meant to mean both the stars and the air between the ground and the stars?  The Maiden of Secrets just smiled. Hiru, Elemental Dragon of the Gold faction, was looked to. "What," they asked of him, "have we done to that man's destiny? He was not to be of the dragons, just to carry the blood. He has not the power to stand equal with these three Celestials, his blood is too weak. What can we do?"


Hiru had an idea. But it would break the rules...


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The question is a simple one. Is it in the power of any elemental dragon, lesser or greater, to take an existing Dragon Blood and "purify" his blood, in effect giving him a Breeding Rating after the fact? Hiru knows that he can't make this Outcaste on par with a Celestial, but maybe having more essence and a more efficient anima might give him a better chance. But is it possible? Could it be done as a version of the endownment charm?


Feedback greatly appreaciated.

 

[Fruan]

But is it possible? Could it be done as a version of the endownment charm?

If you want it to be possible, of course it is. You've even identified a good way to do it. What was the question again?

 

[wordman]

Endowment from an elemental dragon seems perfectly reasonable to me. You don't even have to stray from canon, as all spirit charms work a bit differently for each spirit. Seems logical that the version known by an elemental dragon would be geared toward elemental blood.


Also, make sure your Air Aspect knows he can activate as many different reflexive charms per turn as he wants. This is a huge Dragon-Blooded advantage.

 

[Guest]

Oh, he knows. He just runs out of essence so damn fast, that by  the end of the fights, he's making due with virtues for die additions.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Damn, you must end stories quick for him to regain or he has a shitload of virtues.

 

[Guest]

Damn' date=' you must end stories quick for him to regain or he has a shitload of virtues.[/quote']
My average story arch is 3-4 game sessions. The overall campaign lasts for anywhere from 20-30 stories. Think TV seasons.


And, the DB player does hav a lot of virtues. Seeing as he's the only one to not get limit form them, he figured why not. With a Savant nature. He's an odd critter.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Indeed he is, and yeah, I run mine like TV seasons, but with the curse of movie sequels. Bigger effects! More money! Twice the killing!  

 

[Silence In Daylight]

One alternative to the Endowment variant is to take a page from wuxia novels and have the DB come across something--a herb, root, or something else--containing a fragment of pure Elemental Air. He ingests it, and the primary effect is to boost his Breeding. Secondary effects may include an Essence Pool expansion and/or xp reduction for raising Essence...

 

[Persell]

I know this is only tangentialy related.


but I wrote a little set of house rules on how to determine breeding.


And i'd agree it might be possible. it should be difficult, otherwise their would BE no poorly bred dragon blooded in any kind of important position


either an endowment or some other charm of the 5 or 6 range.

 

[Guest]

Ok, now that we agree, that if so inclined, an Elemental Dragon can "purify" the blood of a Terrestrial, and thus give him a breeding rating, the only question that remains is how much?


Starting from 0, how high would you say it can go? 1? 2? 3? Maybe just maybe 4? I'd say 5 is right out.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

1, 2, 4...


3 sir!


3! *boom he's endowed by the Holy Hand Endowment of the Elemental Dragons* Terrible pun? Yes, but it gets the point across. Give'em three, two at the least.

 

[Solfi]

[hands Cthulhu_Wakes the "lame joke of the year"-award]

 

[Flagg]

There was a joke there? A pun, no less? It must be so lame that I'm completely unable to see it.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

*bows*

 

[Samiel]

The bridgekeeper will ask us five questions.. (Three sir!) Three questions..


Another way of increasing his essence pool: Give him a skin-mount amulet. Or, if he's to be blessed by a god, use a godlike variant of power-awarding prana to increase his essence pool.


You might consider endowing him outright to give him an edge. Even an essence five DB is only approaching a celestial essence 2/3.


I do like the idea of purifying him though. It's certainly a cunning one..

 

[Persell]

I don't see a problem with Breeding going through the roof.


Maybe not in a single application, mind.  But I could see it getting boosted all the way to 5.


The god in question'd likely be asking some hefty favours of your little Dragon-Blood, though.

 

[Guest]

I don't see a problem with Breeding going through the roof.
Maybe not in a single application, mind.  But I could see it getting boosted all the way to 5.


The god in question'd likely be asking some hefty favours of your little Dragon-Blood, though.

They are alrady using him as a tool of fate. They feel kinda guilty. Cause they missed. It was supposed to be someone else.

 

[Guest]

Well, the ball is rolling, choices made, Fate decreed. When he returns to the group (he's currenlty seperated on a side quest) he'll have a Breeding 3 (from 0), and a few new scars as well.


Likely, to balance out his new gifts, one or both of his wing blades will end up kaput.


Thanks for the advice on this one everyone.

 

[jeveler]

Well, the ball is rolling, choices made, Fate decreed. When he returns to the group (he's currenlty seperated on a side quest) he'll have a Breeding 3 (from 0), and a few new scars as well.
Likely, to balance out his new gifts, one or both of his wing blades will end up kaput.


Thanks for the advice on this one everyone.

You could use a variation of the Dragon King Ride charm and have a Lesser Air Dragon (or Elemental) Ride him....

 

[Jukashi]

Doesn't need to be varied, that charm can be used on any mortal creature.