sol invictus.indd

EXALTED • SOL INVICTUSgames in which the PCs begin play as people of greatinfluence and power within existing societies — forexample, a game in which the PCs are the foundersof the Realm’s Great Houses, or an alternate settingin which the all-powerful Solar Deliberative fightsoff enemies from outside Creation. To help reflectthis, a Storyteller may choose to make availableBackgrounds with ratings greater than 5. Note thatthis rule does not require characters to possessEssence ratings of 6 or greater — while magicalpower may often assist in gaining political power,it is not an absolute prerequisite for it.These Backgrounds are intended as a purelyoptional rule. As such, the Storyteller should selecta maximum allowable rating before play begins, inorder to suit the intended position of the characters.Note that in such a game, most PCs will generallybe expected to possess one or more Backgroundsat such a higher level; the Storyteller will want toprovide additional Background points at charactercreation, and waive the rule capping Backgroundsat 3 dots before spending bonus points, to permitthis.ALLIESThe scale for Allies continues upward usingthe same progression. As a general guideline,each point of Allies either purchases a new allyabout equivalent to a powerful heroic mortal, orincreases the approximate Essence rating of anally by 1. Therefore, Allies ••• might purchase asingle reasonably strong Celestial Exalt, or threecompetent God-Bloods; Allies ••••• •• wouldprovide a powerful First Age Lunar, or a wellconnectedElemental Dragon.ARTIFACTIn general, high-ranked artifacts follow the patternsestablished for artifacts of levels 1-5. Weapons,armor, and artifacts which boost statistics will do soat rates extrapolated from existing artifacts. Existingartifacts with drawbacks can also be increased toabove five dots by removing these penalties — forexample, an artifact which requires maintenancecan be purchased without that requirement for anadditional dot. Sample artifacts for ratings 6 - 10follow:••••• • — A Royal Warstrider which requires nomaintenance.••••• •• — Thousand-Forged Dragon.••••• ••• — The Mantle of Brigid.••••• •••• — The Five-Metal Shrike.••••• ••••• — The Eye of Autchthon.BACKINGTo determine the effect of a high Backing trait, takeyour position within the organization and add thescope of the organization.• — A low-ranking member.•• — A slightly elevated position.••• — A mid-level rank.•••• — A high position.••••• — The upper echelons of leadership.••••• • — The absolute and unquestionedleader.••••• •• — Leader of multiple relatedorganizations.+ x — A reasonably-sized group: a kingdom or theCult of the Illuminated, for example.+ • — A large group, generally spanning the faceof Creation, such as the Guild.+ •• — A sizeable and powerful faction, on theorder of the entire Realm.+ ••• — Heaven, Malfeas, the Underworld, etc.CONTACTSEach dot of Contacts beyond 5 grants a majorcontact in an additional area.CULTWhen gauging a character’s cult rating, assume thatCult • represents a small cult, localized within asmall village; Cult ••••• represents the worship186