New Hearthstones

Emaciated Avalanche Gemstone

   This blue stone is oblong and is constantly cold to the touch. It teaches the cold detachment of emotions from our objectives and goals of the soul. The Hearthstone allows the bearer to spend a Willpower point to suppress a Conviction check without adding to her Limit. This Hearthstone has no effect on Limit Break conditions.

   This blue jewel has a small black circle in the center. The jewel itself is oblong and resembles a bird's egg. The stone provides you with a +3 bonus to all Intelligence rolls as long as it is the active hearthstone.

   This blue gem has a flowing white vein that moves throughout the stone's center, much like water trapped in glass. The Hearthstone provides a 6 dice bonus to Soak against water attacks as well as water environmental damage as long as it is the active Hearthstone. Take in mind that the stone will only prevent the individual from environmental damage, any items you carry are still subject to damage from a wet environment.

   This stone is in the shape of a raven's egg and is black as night. The Hearthstone provides a 6 dice bonus to Soak against wood attacks as long as it is the active Hearthstone.

   This stone has cool blue wisps playing around the center of the stone. The surrounding area ranges from a dark muddy color to bright white ice. The Hearthstone absorbs the cold and frost from the character, providing a 6 dice bonus to Soak against cold attacks. The effect only occurs if it is the active Hearthstone.

   This white gem is flawless in form and color. The immutable shape affects the mind of its bearer, becoming a rock to their mind and body. The Hearthstone allows the bearer to spend a Willpower point to suppress a Temperance check without adding to her Limit. This Hearthstone has no effect on Limit Break conditions.

   This grey colored stone is small and feels like bone in your hand. It has a crack down the side of the stone. This stone gives you a +2 bonus to any dodge roll as long as it is the active hearthstone.

   I came up with a simple system of making hearthstones that boost abilities and attributes. You can use this to help your campaign or change it completely. Hey, you are the boss. First, you must determine if you wish the hearthstone to boost attributes or abilities. In my game, I decided that no hearthstone could boost an attribute above 6 for the sake of sheer power reasons. That is just my limit, you can do what you want.

   Attribute hearthstones start at Level 2. I didn't feel that a Level 1 hearthstone could provide a bonus to an attribute. A Level 2 Manse background will give you a +1 attribute bonus. Level 3 gains a +2 attribute bonus, etc. This max goes up to a Level 5 Manse background, which will give you a +4 attribute bonus. You may think this is restrictive, but it is a natural debate on whether you wish your PCs to start off so strong in one particular attribute. After all, they start off pretty strong as it is.

   Abilities are completely different. It is natural that some hearthstones would give bonuses to ability rolls. This can be bought for a one for one ratio on the Manse background. In other words, a Level 1 Manse background would give a +1 ability bonus. A Level 2 would provide a +2 ability background, etc. Very simple really. Below are some examples of the hearthstones I have created.

   This may seem rather limited in some Storyteller's minds. However, keeping the idea that hearthstones also provide a bonus to Essence gained per hour, these bonuses seem reasonable. Hearthstones in the Book of Three Circles provide one power that is limited as well. Hearthstones must remain balanced to keep the players within a reasonable level when they first begin.

   If you are having trouble determining which type of hearthstone a certain attribute or ability might fall under; I have placed additional material below to aid you. The chart shows the separation of abilities and attributes into the five magical elements. I do not see how these bonuses would lie under the Sidereal, Lunar, Abyssal, or Solar categories.

   Many people have been asking me for some advice on how to use Hearthstones in their campaigns. I thought I would make a short, concise advice section just for them. Ok, so two people have asked me for advice... I'm not really that popular. Shut up!

   As far as Manses are conserned, I am rather sparse on their locations. According to what I remember, the Exalted canon claim that Manses are located sparsely throughout the countryside. Most of the area is covered in Demenses, which if you have the time, skills, and resources you could convert into a Manse. So this means that Manses are rare and hard to find without some necessary skills or Charms. Finding an anattuned Manse is EXTREMEMLY rare, since powerful creatures, fair folk, and Dragon-Blooded have been around for a while.

   So, if your characters (such as mine) chose high level Manses at character creation, they have become huge targets. A level 5 Manse is a rare thing, especially to high power fair folk, Dragon-Blooded, spirits, other Exalted, etc. In other words, this newborn Solar came in on the bottom of the food chain and its supper time.

   You could always limit the Hearthstones in your campaign. After all, its difficult to challenge a character with a Gem of Incomparable Wellness. You can get around the problem with high power Hearthstones in one of three ways: a broken Hearthstone, a broken Manse, or one BIG NPC.

   The broken Hearthstone method is a rather direct one. Someone would have to have the knowledge to know what the stone was, which is pretty obvious if the power is rather significant. This would eliminate quite a few people. Mortals have a hard time identifying Hearthstones, Manses, artifacts, etc. They're mortals. They do not have the capabilities that Exalted have. However, Dragon-Blooded know Hearthstones very well. They would more be more than happy to steal or break a Hearthstone if it would aid their plans. More often then not, they would steal them for future use. Dragon-Blooded, as a rule, don't like to waste mystical items.

   The broken Manse is much harder to arrange and would be done by someone who stumbled upon the Manse or truly hates the character. Those that stumble upon the Manse is much more likely. After all, it takes great skill and a great plot to explain how an enemy found the Manse that belonged to the character. Some sample ways include sorcery, Charms, or spirit knowledge.

   The one that is the most self-explanatory is the big, bad NPC. Its hard to fight a huge Dragon-Blooded who has lived since just after the Great Contagion. This would definitely challange, if not kill, your characters.

   Mind you, this does not mean that smaller Manses are not coveted as well. Even small level 1 Manses bring some sort of power, which can lead to highjinks for your PCs. Local spirit courts could plaque the area around the level 2 Manse and decide it would make a great location for a break room. The Immaculate Order might be eyeing your PC's Manse as a new temple site. One especially interesting plot hook could be a shadowland rising around your Manse, which would constitue at least two of the story ideas above. You get a broken Manse and a powerful enemy (try fighting a Shadowland, bitch!).