Aria
Aug 9, 2018 15:22:58 GMT -6
Post by Lestat on Aug 9, 2018 15:22:58 GMT -6
Homebrew Exaltation - Aria
The Great Wheel is a vast expanse that reflects the passions and desires of those that inhabit it. It is also a cruel place home to daemons, and heartless warring gods. In such a grim darkness many find themselves looking for a reprieve from the rigors of everyday life. Arias are guides for a people with no spirit. With their otherworldly voices, and soulful renditions they alter the very fabric of reality with their music. Composers, and popstars might hook an audience with a catchy tune, but only an Aria can bring a Dragon to weep stirring the memories of a long lost love with a familiar song, cause longstanding enemies to hold hands in solidarity, or topple an unjust regime with a single note.
Powers:
Magical Soundtrack: When you begin play you gain one Soundtrack from the Soundtrack table, and you gain another each time you increase your Rhythm. Soundtracks are a special genre of magical music that an Aria can perform live, which requires no action to maintain. Anyone who can hear your music is subject to any applicable effects from your current Soundtrack, although it must be a live performance to have any effect, ending when you fall unconscious. You may only play one Soundtrack at a time, and you must spend a half action to change a Soundtrack to a different one.
Magic Music: An Aria may weave magic, and music into one transcendent experience. When you cast any spell you may use Rhythm + Fellowship in place of the normal Focus Power test. When you cast a spell in this manner you add the verbal, and remove the language dependent keywords from any spells cast as you fill the air with potent music.
Artifact Instrument: You have one artifact instrument that takes a form of your choosing. It could be a microphone, a turntable, a hoverpiano, or any other instrument you can think of. It counts as an implement for spells cast using Magic Music, and you may integrate one Recital weapon into your Artifact Instrument which gains +1k1 damage, +4 Pen, and counts as magical. It requires no power to loudly broadcast your current Soundtrack to everyone around, and it is capable of linking up to other speakers to spread your Soundtrack far and wide. Any sound, including Magic Music, and Soundtracks that come directly from your Artifact Instrument can not be rendered silent via magic, passes through any material or the vacuum of space as if it was air, and is able to affect deaf creatures.
Musical Savant: You can never become deaf or mute, and you may go up to 6 dots in Fellowship, and Performer. Additionally you may make a social combat test using Performer + Fellowship to instill an emotion upon a listener, or to convince a listener to act on their current emotion.
Power Stat: Rhythm
An Aria's Rhythm represents their growth on an internal pilgrimage to discover the secrets of music. An Aria might listen to a single song one thousand times, or a thousand songs one single time and learn just as much. When an Aria's Rhythm increases phantom notes, and hidden meanings begin to become clear as the Aria becomes further able to hear the tempo of the universe.
Resource Stat: Beats. Arias have a number of Beats equal to their Rhythm + Fellowship + Performer Skill. Once per day an Aria may perform a concert to restore their lost Beats. They must spend at least 1 hour performing. At the end of the concert they make a Performer + Fellowship test against TN 20 to regain 1 Beat plus 1 for each raise. They also gain 2 Beats each time they perform a stunt to solve a problem with music instead of a more conventional solution.
Rhythm | Power Gained |
★ | Crescendo - You may spend 1 Beat to add +Xk0 to a Performer or Magic Music roll where X is the number of rounds participated since rolling initiative. This can only be done once per scene. |
★★ | Amp It Up - You may spend 1 Beat as a half action to provide the Amp Effect of any current Soundtrack to everyone applicable for one round. If the Soundtrack is changed the Amp Effect is lost. |
★★★ | The Power of Music - Once per scene, you may make a Performer test in place of any other skill test. |
★★★★ | Mashup - You may play two Soundtracks at a time. |
★★★★★ | Broadcast - You may spend 1 Beat to consider the origin point of a spell you cast with Magic Music, or an attack you make with your Artifact Instrument to start from any speaker playing your live music instead of you. Touch spells and melee attacks also gain a reach of 10m when cast this way. |
Soundtrack Table
Name | Effect | Amp Effect |
Tenor of Fear | Enemies that can hear this Soundtrack test against a Fear rating equal to half your level rounded up whenever they take critical damage, or suffer blood loss. | When amped non-Exalted enemies that have had half or more of their current allies defeated this scene test against a Fear rating equal to half your level rounded up. |
Tenor of Rage | Enemies that can hear this Soundtrack must make a TN 15 Willpower test in order to disengage from combat, or back down from a fight. | While amped enemies in combat must make a TN 20 Willpower test or they spend their next turn attacking and approaching the nearest enemy. |
Tenor of Empathy | You are aware of the emotions of anyone who can hear this Soundtrack, and gain an additional raise to social combat tests when you encourage their current emotion. | While amped you may make social combat tests to convince someone to act emotionally even if they have become jaded to your attacks. |
Tenor of Dignity | Non-Exalted who can hear this Soundtrack who have a Disposition for a given cause between Unfriendly and Friendly have their Disposition temporarily lowered or increased by one step. | When amped you may permanently change the subject of this Soundtrack, and change whether it has a positive, or negative influence. |
Tenor of Determination | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack add twice their Devotion to their Mental Defense whenever a social attack would attempt to compel them to act against their Alignment. | When amped you and allies who have no Resolve gain 1 point of Resolve. |
Tenor of Calm | Enemies that can hear this Soundtrack must spend 1 Resolve to initiate a fight that isn't key to upholding their Alignment. | When amped enemies must make a TN 15 Willpower test or they are unable to take damaging or lethal actions this round unless they spend 1 Resolve. |
Tenor of Courage | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack never need to roll Fear tests against normal scenes of gore and death. | When amped you and allies end any Fear or Pinning tests currently affecting you. |
Tenor of Mercy | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack may instead deal an equal amount of fatigue damage if they would deal critical damage with an attack. | While amped enemies that would deal critical damage instead deal an equal amount of fatigue damage. |
Tone of Silence | Your enemies subconsciously do not notice your music, but are affected by it. | While amped enemies do not notice any noises you make. |
Tone of Adrenaline | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack ignore the effects of difficult terrain, and move at their full speed while climbing and swimming. | While amped you and allies may take the Shift, and Stand actions as free actions on their turn. |
Tone of Agitation | Enemies that can hear this Soundtrack suffer two checks to Perception tests, and rolls of actions that require multiple rounds to complete. | While amped enemies are Dazzled. |
Tone of Reverberation | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack suffer no penalties to attacking while blind as the Blind Fighting feat. | While amped you and Exalted allies can hear through nearby walls, and automatically pinpoint the position of any creature not hiding within 10m. |
Tone of Veiling | You may send subliminal or secret messages to any chosen listener, or listeners of this Soundtrack. | While amped you may mimic any sound you have heard and send it through your music. |
Melody of Peace | You and allies that can hear this Soundtrack regain 1 hit point for every hour they commit to bedrest. | When amped you and allies lose one level of fatigue, and wake up if they were rendered unconscious due to fatigue, and are now below their threshold. |
Anthem of War | You may use the Aid Another action on anyone listening to this Soundtrack from any distance. | While amped allies count you for the purposes of ganging up if they normally wouldn't. |
Aria Artist Assets
A Capella
You do not begin play with an Artifact Instrument, your voice gains all the benefits it would provide, and you may absorb the essence of a Recital weapon to integrate it to your natural form. Melee Recital weapons take a -0k1 penalty to damage, but gain the Brawling property (which adds your base 0k1 unarmed damage to the weapon). Ballistic weapons operate the same as normal, but you do not need to bring ammunition to reload, you simply spend actions to clear your throat for the reload duration. Additionally you gain a +1k1 bonus to any Social Combat test that involves the use of your voice.
Galactic DJ
You gain an additional Soundtrack when you begin play, and you gain an extra one each time you increase your Rhythm.
Idol
Meeting your fan's expectations is a part of your alignment, you also are considered to have the Armor of Contempt feat but only for this goal. This only occurs when you believe a fan can hear or see you, and any 2-die or higher stunt performed "for the fans" earns you 1 Beat. You gain the Appearance asset.
Osbourne Effect
You may spend a Beat to ignore the negative effects of any drug taken, but retain any positive effects. You can never be immune to drugs.
Spoony Bard
You begin play with the Jack of All Trades feat, the Academy and Education assets, and you may advance any skill or characteristic as if it appeared in your class track.