Template:Build/Attune Manse

Build/Attune Manse (Craft, Lore, Occult)

As explained on page 113, Essence does not flow evenly through Creation, it gathers in eddies and wellsprings of power known as demesnes. Each of these sites has an aspect, defining the type of power that resonates there. Possibilities include, Sidereal, Lunar, Solar, Abyssal or any of the five elements. Magical beings capable of channeling Essence may attune themselves to these locations through a simple meditative ritual (Intelligence + Lore), difficulty 1. This attunement is a dramatic action requiring a number of hours equal to the site’s rating. If the demesne already has beings attuned to it, they mystically feel the ritual regardless of their current location, but they do not know who is attempting to attune to the demesne unless they are physically present. Unless every owner gives consent, the attunement automatically fails. With a successful ritual (and consent, if necessary), a character becomes the new owner or a co-owner of the demesne and may automatically draw (the site's rating x 4) motes of Essence from the location whenever he is present.

While useful, demesnes are not portable, and their untamed energies can gradually mutate beings dwelling in close proximity like the touch of the Wyld does. For these reasons, Exalted raise manses atop demesnes they control whenever possible. Doing so is an enormously costly undertaking, both in terms of the resources required and the labor that goes into raising one of these arcane citadels. Characters must have at least 12 Ability dots divided among their ratings in Craft, Lore and Occult to design such a structure, and then, only for manses rated 1 to 3. Appropriate specialties count toward these totals. The total number of required Ability dots rises to 15 for level-4 manses and 20 for level 5. Characters cannot design a manse with a rating greater than the rating of the demesne it is intended to cap.

Designing a manse is a dramatic action requiring a month of in-game work, followed by a roll of (Intelligence + [the architect's lowest rating in Craft, Lore or Occult]) at a difficulty of the manse's intended rating. Other characters with sufficient Ability totals to build the manse may check the results, providing limited cooperation. If the roll fails, the character finds flaws in the blueprint and must start over from scratch. If the roll succeeds, actual construction may begin. In the event of a botch, the character’s designs include fatal flaws that will make the manse collapse or even explode within a month of its construction.

The construction materials and pay for 100 workers costs Resources 3 per month for level-1 through level-3 manses. Level-4 and level-5 manses cost Resources 4 per month (or Resources 3 for materials, assuming unpaid slave labor). The entire construction project takes a number of years equal to twice the manse's rating. Adjust this time proportionally to the labor pool available, so 200 workers take half as long, while a lone, maddened Exalt hauling stones into place would take 200 years of grueling daily effort to build a level-1 manse. Using supernatural labor also speeds the process, with every such being counting as multiple mortals. For instance, most First Circle demons are worth five laborers. If a completed manse has a lower rating than the demesne it caps, the excess energies produce dramatic but largely useless special effects around the manse.

Once the manse is completed, all attunements to the demesne immediately break. In the central hearthroom of the structure, a hearthstone will grow over the course of a month. The specific stone produced must correlate to the aspect of the manse, but it may be whatever one the architect planned. Characters can attune to a manse as if it were a demesne and gain additional Essence at the same rate when present at the site. Altering or defacing a manse's hearthroom in any substantial way disrupts the manse, breaking all existing attunements. The manse must be repaired before anyone can re-attune, which requires labor and materials equivalent to a month of construction. A character attuned to a manse may take the hearthstone and carry it against his skin, using the jewel as a conduit to the site. Doing so restores (the manse's rating x 2) motes per hour to the character. If it is socketed in a dedicated artifact made from one or more of the five magical materials, the stone also provides an additional enchantment according to its specific type.