Resources for Exalted Second Edition
Please note: You must create separate user accounts for Lore 5 and the ECR forums.Half-Dragons
By Jukashi
Submitted on 23 Nov 2006 at 01:08:13 AM ESTLast updated on 18 Dec 2006 at 04:40:30 PM EST
Category: Character Types
Introduction
The world of Exalted is not so limited as many would think. Where the power of essence resides, there too does possibility. And the nature of essence is such that it imprints itself on the world around, so that those of great power find the world bending to match their image. In this manner, god-blooded are born; for essence passes through womb and seed to imprint an echo of power upon the offspring of greatness. First and most common of these are the true god-blooded, the sunset dalliances of gods and mortals. Second in the lack of rarity are the Half-Caste, offspring of the Exalted, for it is in the nature of the Chosen to stand between divinity and mortality. Demon-blooded, ghost-blooded, half-fae; all of these exist.
But the sires of these are not the only beings of power in Creation. There are other beings of power; Primordials, Behemoths, the dark things sealed away in forgotten places. And, of course, there are the Dragon Kings, once rulers of the world in the time before mankind. They were many, and they were potent. And yet, no lore seems to speak of any crossbreeds, any hybrid of these puissant creatures with mundane humanity.
There are, of course, many reasons why there should not be. Though Dragon Kings through the power of their immortal souls posses much semi-divine power, it is nevertheless ensconced within a mortal body; and that flesh is of a different nature to that of humanity. Just as the seed of man may not mingle with that of beasts, save through massive divine power or the energies of the Wyld, so too is offspring between the races of man and Dragon King an unnatural thing. And of course, it is not in the nature of Dragon Kings and humans to love each other in such a way, for each finds attraction in different qualities.
And yet…
Though it is a rare thing, and a thing of certain humility to both species, sometimes, ever so rarely, circumstances come together in such a manner as to facilitate the mixture of Dragon King and mortal human being; the genesis of a Half-Dragon.
Conception
Half-Dragons have been rare throughout the history of Creation. Not only are Dragon Kings and humans very rarely attracted to each other in such a way, even such relationships as this, unless undertaken by exceedingly powerful and enlightened Dragon Kings, rarely find consummation within the places that such can bear fruit: within the raw fertility and freedom of the Wyld.Secondly, as is the case with other magical beings, for the echo of a Dragon King’s power to be felt in such offspring, the saurian parent must be an Adult of their race (Essence 4+). However, being the focus of a Cult or spending a lot of time in an uncapped Demense can reduce this requirement (By 1 dot of essence for each). An Essence 4 Dragon King must be in the Middlemarches or greater to concieve a Half-Dragon child; Essence 5 Dragon Kings must be in the bordermarches or greater; and Essence 6 Dragon Kings possess the raw power and potentiality of essence to conceive Half-Dragons in Creation. Breeding with an Exalt of higher Essence than the Dragon King will produce a Half-Caste Dragon King beastman, not a Half-Dragon. Unions with other forms of magical beings do not create Half-Dragons; they may, however, sometimes create Dragon Kings with the powers of other kinds of God-blood.
Because of the limited range between the power required to facilitate conception and the power level at which Dragon King spiritual development ceases, Half-Dragons are normally Inheritance 2 or 3. Inheritance 4 and 5 are only possible with the aid of a Cult, a Demense, or magical power on the other parent’s part. Inheritance 1, however, cannot happen, as Dragon kings of Essence 2 or 3 do not have enough power to facilitate hybrid offspring.
In the First Age, interbreeding between Dragon Kings and humans was almost always a product of the decadence and corruption of the Deliberative, and so was extremely unlikely to take place in such dangerous areas as the Wyld where fertilisation could occur (Elder Dragon Kings are generally too careful of themselves to create many Half-Dragons). However, within the remnants of Dragon King society that remained after the primordial war, such xenophilic tendencies were severely frowned upon by the priests of the Unconquered Sun (though the involvement of a Solar in the relationship could ease the pressure), and humans were not so very approving either, as can be imagined. Thus, once in a great while, a Dragon King and their human lover would flee both societies, and find their way to the Wyld. And, in the even more unlikely event that they survived, a Child of Prehistoric Blood might be born.
With the Usurpation, Dragon Kings withdrew from human society, and such couplings as there had been grew less. With the Contagion, Dragon King culture collapsed; the vast majority of Dragon Kings that remained were mindless beasts, disinclined to mate with humans and lacking in enough power to produce anything anyway. But the Solars have returned, and a revival of the Dragon Kings may become reality. Who knows? Perhaps some day soon, the Ancient Kindred will walk the earth once more.
Physiology
Half-Dragons appear as humans with Dragon King traits, similar to beastmen but less savage in appearance. They have thick skin rather than scales, their faces are flatter and smoother, they have hair and five fingers and mammalian characteristics. However, their hide is of the colours of the Dragon Kings; their eyes are slitted, they have claws and fangs and tails, and they sprout colourful feathers upon the shoulders, elbows, knees and spine.The physical qualities of a specific Ancient Kindred are dependant on the Breed of their prehistoric parent; Half-Raptok are the most common, slim and lithe and quick and deadly. Half-Pterok are light, for their bones are hollow, possess many more feathers than others, and have leathery flaps between arm and torso or, rarely, full-grown wings. (See Merits & Flaws, below). Half-Anklok are large and muscular, with a thick hide and the heavy clubbed tail of their ancestry. And Half-Mosok are adept in the water, with webbed fingers and toes, and powerful rudder-like tails; sometimes, they possess their parent’s voluminous lung capacity, allowing them to remain underwater far longer than normal humans.
Table: Half-Dragon Breed Advantages Refer to Dragon Kings 2nd Ed.
Pterok: +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Perception. Bite attack as Pterok. No damage from falls. Raptok: +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Stamina. Claw attack, as Raptok. + 1L/1B soak. Anklok: +1 to Strength, +1 to Stamina. Tail attack, as Anklok. + 3L/3B soak. Mosok: +1 to Strength, +1 to Stamina. Claw attack, as Mosok. +2L/2B soak.
Heritage Power
Aside from the advantages listed above, Half-Dragons do not possess a heritage power as other god-blooded do. However, the Children of Prehistoric Blood may select one Favoured Path, for which they pay prices as true Dragon Kings do for non-favoured Paths.Associations
Half-Dragons feel a bond with the savage, prehistoric world of the Dragon King ancestors. They are often inclined to resolve disputes through violence, though they also generally possess a good sense of honour. They may also feel an affinity for the light of the Sun, his favoured metal and his Exalted.Sobriquets
Half-Dragons, Children of Prehistoric Blood, Ancient Kindred.
Character Creation
As for God-blooded, except for the following: Half-Dragons select one Favoured Path. They pay 5 Bonus Points (10 to raise above three) for dots of this Path. Powers from other Paths cost 7 Bonus Points (12 to raise above three). Experience costs are current rating x 5 for the Favoured Path and current rating x 7 for non-favoured Paths. Half-Dragons with the Awakened Essence Merit have an essence pool of (Essence x 2) + (Willpower x 2) + (Highest Virtue).Merits & Flaws
In general, Half-Dragons may purchase Merits & Flaws as normal humans do, and also have access to most of the generic God-Blooded Merits & Flaws. Their version of the Past Lives Merit allows them to access the echoing memories of their parent, and they may buy up to to three point’s worth. They may also purchase the Half-Caste Material Resonance Merit, allowing them to attune to orichalcum, vegetative and crystalline artifacts as their ancestors can. However, they may not obtain the God-Body Merit; they have their own version. Half-Dragons do not need to purchase mutations to reflect their natural advantages as beastmen do, though they will generally have Unusual Appearance.Prehuman Form (3- to 10- point Physical Merit)
The body of a Half-Dragon with this Merit is closer to that of their Dragon King parent, allowing them them physical advantages that normal humans do not. The cost of this Merit depends on the level of additional power they possess; each level is cumulative with the last. For 3 points, the Half-Dragon has their parent’s natural armour, as is appropriate to their Breed. For 5 points, they also possess their ancestor’s resistance to bleeding, poison and harsh environments. For 7 points, they have the full superhuman potential of the Dragon Kings, and fully gain all of their parent’s Attribute bonuses. And for 10 points, they have the most dangerous powers of their Breed descent: they gain all of their ancestor’s natural attacks. In addition, Half-Pterok gain full flight abilities, and Half-Mosok have all the aquatic powers of their prehuman heritage.
In addition, at the 7 points and above range of this Merit, a Half-Dragon’s body is similar enough to their parent that they may host Graft Artifacts as if they were Dragon Kings, rather than humans. so long as they also possess the Material Resonance Merit.
Stalker’s Heart (4-point Flaw)
A Half-Dragon with this Flaw is afflicted with an echo of his ancestor’s violent instincts. In short, a prehistoric predator dwells in their heart, forever sniffing the air and watching the shadows and urging them to bestial savagery. This functions in a very similar way to the Throwback Flaw. If the Half-Dragon finds themselves in a situation where their passions are running high and they’ve been holding back too much, they may lose control. At such times, the player of the character must roll Willpower against a difficulty of their own Inheritance rating. If they fail this roll, they will lash out in whatever action their savage nature is urging, violently. If they botch the roll, their inner beast takes over for the rest of the scene, and they will become a violent, instinctual creature, incapable of higher thought, concerned only with self-defense, food, territory and reproduction. Anyone who is not “theirs” will be attacked until killed or driven off; anyone who is, will probably wish they weren’t. This is a very cathartic experience, however, as all the character’s inhibitions come off at once; thus, they regain 2 dots of temporary Willpower.
A Note on Paths
Players should note that Half-Dragons do not possess any of the heavenly rights or privileges that true Dragon Kings do, and thus are advised to exercise extreme caution, or at least a very good excuse, when using Open the Celestial Doorway or Summon Celestial Servant.Additionally, Half-Dragons cannot use the Shaping Wood Path to turn into any Dragon King Breed they like; what they can do is turn into another Half-Breed, or into a full Dragon King of their parent’s type, or into a full human.
Half-Dragons and Endowment
There are two ways which Endowment may be used on Half-Dragons. Which way, however, depends on the view of the Storyteller. Some people interpret the hint at the top of page 45 of the Player’s Guide to mean that the Dragon-Blooded are related to Dragon Kings. This is not, however, a common view. I have catered for both.If you want Dragon-Blooded to be related to Dragon Kings, then you may consider Endowment to be the means. This article details the Dragon-Born, Half-Dragon Terrestrial Exalted, who in a slightly altered setting were the first and most powerful Terrestrial Exalted.
If you don’t want Dragon Kings and Dragon-Blooded to be related, then you can have an Endowment do something different when bringing the character from Essence 3 to Essence 4. In this case, use of the Charm causes the Half-Dragon to fall into a deep sleep, in which they dream strange dreams of the ancient world and the memories of their ancestors. While they sleep, their very soul is reshaped; changing, transcending humanity. They remain unconscious until the Sun next dawns, and their final dream is of his glorious radiance, burning away the mists of their mundane, human self. Their human soul transforms into a Dragon King soul.
Though they retain their physical appearance, they now have all the powers and abilities of an Essence 4 Dragon King of their parent’s Breed. They gain two Breed Paths (reselecting their Favoured Path if there is overlap), they have all physical capabilities, pay training costs as if they were Dragon Kings, may attune orichalcum, and so on. They can no longer become ghosts; when they die, their soul will be reborn into a Dragon King body. The only caveat is that they do not have past life memories as other Dragon Kings do.
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