Repair

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• Repair Tables (for First Age artifacts)

Repair and Maintenance

Although many of the more elegant artifacts familiar in the Age of Sorrows (such as daiklaves and other weapons) are designed to be maintenance-free beyond basic cleaning and the like, other artifacts (particularly those constructed during the Shogunate) require substantial ongoing upkeep to ensure proper function. Shogunate-era artifacts are especially prone to this necessity as the Dragon-Blooded were forced to use expendable reagents and fuels in place of the permanent, but no longer available, substances the Solar Exalted provided during the High First Age. This upkeep takes the form of reinforcement or reapplication of enchantments in some items, while other artifacts need to have exotic components such as expendable reagents or catalysts replenished, particularly after long or strenuous use. While Shogunate technology was powerful, the Dragon-Blooded paid for that power with the time spent to keep them functioning. With a great deal of study and reverse engineering, the savants of the Shogunate could duplicate the function of many First Age weapons, but they could not duplicate the durability and solidity of those devices.

Artifacts have a Repair rating when they require substantial maintenance and repair in order to keep functioning. This rating acts as a general guideline for how expensive and difficult that artifact is to maintain, how much labor must be dedicated to the artifact and how much its expendable parts and materials cost to replace. An artifact's Repair rating reflects a double cost hidden in these items: the ongoing cost of maintaining the device and the cost of repairing it when it breaks down, as all such items eventually do. Most devices with a Repair rating were originally manufactured during the Shogunate when the loss of Deliberative- era technology suddenly made upkeep necessary in order to mimic the effects and power level of High First Age technology. The High First Age versions of these artifacts might still exist, but they're incredibly rare. These ancient artifacts are identical to their Shogunate equivalents, but they channel Essence to maintain and repair themselves. Therefore, First Age variants of such items are imperishable (until actively physically damaged) and have no Repair rating, but they cost one or more additional Background dot(s) to purchase at character creation. The default version of any item is the Shogunate-era version with a Repair rating to convey that those lesser items require constant maintenance and repair.

Characters could run across technology level four and five versions of the same item, though the latter version will be much less common—and much more expensive if it's ever found on the market. (Scavenger lords have learned how to tell the difference between the two, and they price their wares accordingly.) Either version can be purchased at character creation, with one exception: Artifact 4 and 5 items from the Shogunate could have imperishable versions, but if they do, those older, self-repairing variants have an effective Artifact rating of N/A and cannot be taken at character creation. They may be found amidst caches of High First Age artifacts later in the game, however, if the Storyteller so chooses.

Example: Dragon armor was first made in the First Age, but it was still possible to construct it with Shogunate-era technology. With great effort, it can even be manufactured in the Second Age (though only in Lookshy and the Realm). Dragon armor is typically an Artifact 4 item, but it needs to be continually maintained. The much less common First Age version has no Repair rating, but its Artifact cost is one or more dots above the base price, so it will have an Artifact rating of 5 or N/A, at the Storyteller's discretion. ===Maintenance=== Maintenance is work needed to keep a device functioning— consisting of not just tightening belts, filling reagent tanks, replacing expendable components and the like, but ritual tasks as well. Such tasks include prayers or sacrifices made to appease the artifact's least god, reapplying or strengthening enchantments and so on.

Maintenance is assumed to be automatically successful. Provided the character has sufficient time, resources and ability, she can keep the device working indefinitely.

Artifacts normally need maintenance dependent on usage. A device that is not used will likely need basic maintenance to bring it up to full working order, but it will not continue to decay. Heavy use of artifacts, especially in combat situations, typically counts as twice normal usage. (Count each hour or fraction thereof as two hours when determining the need for maintenance, unless otherwise noted in the artifact's description.) There is usually a grace period between when maintenance is needed and when the item's performance starts to suffer. Unless stated otherwise, assume the device loses 10 percent of its Speed or Maneuverability, 4B/2L Damage or Soak, or one Power (for certain automata) for every 10 hours by which the device is overdue for maintenance. These penalties accrue until all of the required maintenance has been performed. In extreme cases, the device might actually break from the abuse, causing it to function at this reduced level until it undergoes repairs equal to twice its normally required maintenance. Such repairs reflect a total overhaul, essentially stripping the item down to its component parts and rebuilding it entirely. If a character lets an artifact degrade this badly, have his player roll (Intelligence + Lore [not Craft]) to see if the character possesses the knowledge needed to perform this kind of total rebuild.

Repairs

Artifacts that have been broken or damaged can sometimes be repaired, though whether repair is possible depends on a variety of factors. Very old or poorly maintained artifacts can be more difficult or even impossible to repair. Many High First Age artifacts, on the other hand, need only basic maintenance to bring them back to full functionality even after thousands of years of abuse. Repairs are normally a simple task requiring the player to roll (Intelligence + the pertinent Craft Ability—usually Craft [First Age Weapons]) against the difficulty listed on the Repair tables.

Fixing large or unusually complex devices (Artifact rating 4 or higher) might be an extended task, with a total difficulty equal to the Repair rating squared. (To fully repair a Repair 4 device requires the player to accumulate 16 successes on a difficulty 4 task.) Even these massive devices can usually be made to function a time or two with a simple success. The Skywolf's sorcerer-engineer could keep her in the air for a short time with a difficulty 5 success, but long-term repairs would require an extended task. A botch on such an extended roll costs the player all accumulated successes and increases the number of successes needed by an amount equal to the number of 1s rolled in the botch.

Repair Teams

The largest artifacts cannot be maintained by a single sorcerer-engineer, regardless of his understanding of First Age systems, as there are simply too many time-consuming adjustments and repairs that need to be done nigh-simultaneously. Smaller devices can sometimes benefit from an additional technician as well, but for many projects, a single assistant is sufficient (or can even be too much help). Controlling a repair team requires a successful (Charisma + Presence) roll to keep the workers motivated and operating at peak efficiency. The difficulty is equal to the size of the team divided by three (rounded down if the character is a Terrestrial Exalt; rounded up if the character is a Celestial Exalt). Charms that facilitate teamwork, including those associated with the War and Presence Abilities explicitly affect this roll. A repair team must have a number of technicians with Craft (Magitech), Lore or Occult scores equal to (that of the sorcerer-engineer whose player is making the roll, minus 2). All remaining members should have at least one Ability (Craft [First Age Weapons], Lore or Occult) of at least 2. The total size of a repair team is typically equal to the Repair rating times three for large artifacts (such as a Kireeki-class skyreme) and times two for smaller artifacts.

Tools

Even the most skilled sorcerer-engineer can be hampered if she doesn't have the proper tools for a particular task. Very few artifacts can be repaired with the contents of a carpenter's toolbox or a blacksmith's shop. Such work requires a mixture of sophisticated tools, measuring devices and calibrated instruments and utensils. Even the best hammer, chisel or tongs in Creation is of no use if the artificer requires an Essence needle or a Hyperion key to complete his repairs.

Tool kits from the First Age and the Shogunate can still be found, though they are extraordinarily expensive. A partial kit of random First Age tools assembled in no particular order costs Resources 3. A mostly complete set in decent shape can be found for Resources 4, while a complete set of the most common First Age tools, in good shape, requires Resources 5.

These tool kits are often large. Even the smallest minimal set barely fits in a carefully packed frame pack, and the largest fills a good-sized workshop. If multiple engineers are working on a large project, they all require their own sets of tools. Since there is some limited overlap, however, the total Resource cost for each additional set decreases by one.