nWoD fansplat: Dragon: the Inheritance

[Amechra]

I have an alternate idea for Unity, for use with my revision:

The Life And Death of a Hive - Unity
Unlike other creatures, a Hive does not possess Health or Corpus; instead, it possesses Unity, a measure of their general coherence.

Unity	Group Size	Willpower	Synergy	Attention
0	N/A	N/A	N/A	None
1	10	25	8-again	One Group
2	15	40	8-again	Two Groups
3	20	55	Rote	Two Groups
4	25	70	Rote	Three Groups
5	50	100	Exceptional	Three Groups

Supernatural Tolerance:
A Hive's Unity is shared with all of its constituent members; they use their Unity as a Supernatural Tolerance trait if theirs isn't already higher.

Group Size:
A Hive is comprised of a large number of former-people; whenever another Hive trait references a Group, it consists of a number of people as given on the table above. A Hive must consist of a number of groups greater than or equal to their Unity, though there is no upper limit on how many Groups a Hive can contain.

Willpower:
A Hive's mind is not like that of a normal human being; it's a vast disembodied consciousness that rides in dozens or hundreds of puppets, thinking dozens or hundreds of thoughts. As such, they have access to unspeakably vast stores of Willpower.

Synergy:
A Hive's Drones are coordinated to a seemingly impossible degree; a vast organic machine, with every cog and cam doing its job to perfection. Drones benefit from 8-again on all Teamwork rolls; once the Hive's Unity reaches 3, they also get the Rote quality. Once Unity reaches 5, Drones get an Exceptional Success on Teamwork rolls when they achieve at least three successes.

Attention:
A Hive can pay attention to and cognitively manage a vast puppet army, but sometimes it needs to move the bulk of its mind into a few vessels. This is modelled with the advantages and disadvantages on the following table:

Attention Level	Drone Willpower Limit	Effects
None	Zero	The Group's Drones lose the benefits of Synergy.
Cursory	Once/Scene	The default level of Attention; there are no benefits or drawbacks.
Focused	Once/Turn	The Hive may activate its Dread Powers through the Group's Drones, using their traits and subject to their Willpower limit. The Drones are immune to the Beaten Down Tilt, as well as any supernatural ability that would alter their emotions.
Intense	Three/Turn	As Focused; in addition, the Drones' minds are entirely suppressed by that of the Hive. They no longer fall unconscious when their Health Levels are filled with Bashing, don't suffer Wound Penalties due to Bashing, and share all of their senses. The Hive can speak through their mouths and hear through their ears.
Pervasive	Unlimited	As Intense; in addition, all other characters have their Willpower spending limit reduced by one, the sheer mental mass of the Hive choking off their ability to rise above mediocrity. The Drones may make rolls for Assimilation each turn, rather than once per hour, and they may apply the benefits of Synergy to any Dread Power that directly affects another character's mind.

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I have to get to class, so I'll pick this back up when I get home again.

Yes, Pervasive attention is insane. Don't get in a psychic pissing contest with a Hive; it... usually ends poorly.

[Almarck]

Very interesting Amechra. I like the idea of attention here since it's easy to slide up and down. Also like that at the highest level the Hive passively causes psychic disturbance in the local area.

Idea. Perhaps if casulaties are taken, Unity Breaking Points take penalties based on how much control the Hive exterts when the lossss aee talied, basically because as control rises the Hive exposes itself psychically. For instance ar Cursory the death of half the drones in the force does not trigger a breaking point. The same casualties in intense is a breaking point. And the same loss on pervasive might be an automatic loss with no roll.... assuming of course Unity also functions as integrity in your draft.

Anyways I'm wondering if the Hive should have powers to basically saturate the area with their influence or build structures that act as conduits lf the Hives will. I'm thinking up some Dread Powers for them and I keep going back to the idea that physical objects, especially monuments, are also part of identity, particularly "national" identities. Also "alien nests " that are alive like in so many scifi
Is this worth pursuing or just move this onto something else?

[One Tin Soldier]

Heh. While you were writing up that material, Amechra, I was making my own variant on Attention in the main doc. Go ahead and check it out, see what you think.

I was also thinking of making Unity a 1-5 scale, just like you were, apparently.

[Amechra]

To be fair, Almarck, I kinda see Hives like SCP 1011; the way it warped the workers is very Hive-like, as is the "tools are inferior to the body" mentality. So living structures? Yes vote from me!

I'll take a look at that, OTS.

Edit: Interesting; I think it's a little over-complicated, but that's just me. One thing (yet to be implemented) with my take is that they can potentially focus on multiple groups - also, I think I leaned a bit more heavily on the "psychic mass" thing.

You know, just to keep this project on track, I think I'll split off my version of the Hives and get to work on yours.

One idea for Protocol URSF is that the Hive removes their Willpower spending limit for the scene; it is entirely there, after all.

[Almarck]

Very intersting. Tin may want to clean up the text to specify that by body you mean the entirety of the Hive since that kept tripping me up.
Also can you update the book marks to include the new additions ?



Also Ame, you familiar with Tyranid synapse ?
I'm thinking Hive structures baixsllt function something like that, being concentrated nodes of the Hives will. They should provide buffs of some sort for Drones in their presence or have active abilities of their own.

[Amechra]

Heh. My initial elaboration on your rough idea had "Nests", which are basically Tyrranid Synapses (or Zerg Cerebrates, if you prefer), because the idea of Drones dragging their victims back to "the Nest" was... appealing.

[One Tin Soldier]

To be fair, Almarck, I kinda see Hives like SCP 1011; the way it warped the workers is very Hive-like, as is the "tools are inferior to the body" mentality. So living structures? Yes vote from me!

I'll take a look at that, OTS.

Edit: Interesting; I think it's a little over-complicated, but that's just me. One thing (yet to be implemented) with my take is that they can potentially focus on multiple groups - also, I think I leaned a bit more heavily on the "psychic mass" thing.

You know, just to keep this project on track, I think I'll split off my version of the Hives and get to work on yours.

One idea for Protocol URSF is that the Hive removes their Willpower spending limit for the scene; it is entirely there, after all.

Actually, I think I like the idea of using some of the stuff you have there for the higher levels, like the "not falling unconcious" and "suppresses WP expenditure."
Unlimited WP expenditure could actually get a bit too crazy, I think, given how huge their WP pools can potentially be. I mean, would you want to watch the ST roll 80 dice against you in a grapple? Would you, as an ST, want to try rolling that many dice? Does your group even own that many dice?

EDIT: Speaking of which, given how easily a Hive's diepools can become utterly stupid, I do think that I'll put in some notes on simplifying huge teamwork rolls for the ST to use. Or, for that matter, simplifying gigantic die pools in general. I remember doing a statistical analysis on how many successes, on average, each die is worth based on the roll-again number, but I've forgotten what the actual values are now. And no, AnyDice isn't actually providing much help, since I don't have an easy way to get it to calculate successes.

[Amechra]

Alternatively, you could have them get a Success rather than three dice if they spend Willpower - might speed stuff up.

[One Tin Soldier]

Alternatively, you could have them get a Success rather than three dice if they spend Willpower - might speed stuff up.

Perhaps, though that does fail to take 8-agains or 9-agains into account. Still, it is simpler, and doesn't require a calculator.
A pool with 9-again gives an average of 0.37 successes per die, and a pool with 8-again gives an average of 0.42 successes per die. (I went back and brute-forced the probabilities.) (A pool with only 10-agains gives exactly an average of 1/3 successes per die, and a pool without 10-agains gives 0.3 successes per die.)

So anyway, the suggestions I intend to make in the book for simplifying the gigantic die pools:
1) Roll all of the secondary actors' die pools at once. It will make things much clearer and faster than trying to roll each NPC's pool individually.
2) a) When the die pools become truly huge, just average them out, using the numbers I mentioned above. Round down.
2) b) Or, if you don't have a calculator handy (or just don't want to bother with it), just use the following metrics: For 10-agains, give 1 success for every 3 dice. For 9-agains, give 3 successes for every 8 dice, and then 1 for 3 for any remainder. For 8-agains, give 3 successes for every 7 dice, and then 1 for 3 for any remainder. If 10-agains are denied, give 3 successes for every 10 dice, and then 1 for 4.

Huh. That works out much cleaner than I thought it would. Weird. In fact, after checking some examples, it's actually cleaner than option a). So... I'll just eliminate that one.

[Almarck]

So while you’ve got Unity and Attention keeping you busy, I’ve got some work on “Monuments”

Spoiler

Show

Hives have the tendency to create permanent structures upon their holdings, representing everything from nesting grounds to convention centers, to statues to mainframes. Depending on the nature of the Hive, such things might be anywhere, from being well known local monuments, to being secret places in parts unknown.

By gathering their will together, the Hive undertakes public works project to better express and reinforce their ideals; these monuments act as stationary nodes of the Hive’s collective will. Hives use Monuments for a variety of functions, but the one trait all Monuments share is their ability to recruit more Drones, either by performing Assimilate on bystanders or by generating its own Larvae It is interesting to note that even if the Rest of the Hive dies, if any of the Hive’s monuments survive, the Hive has a chance of returning.



Monuments have 4 statistics rated by 1 to 5 each:
Scale. How big the monument is as well as its effective range for its abilities.
Defenses. How resilient it is to damage.
Potency: How powerful its powers are as well as how much access does it have to other powers..
Rate: How frequently will it use its powers.




However, despite these, Monuments are costly, requiring a massive investment in Willpower relative to Drones to become operational.

Aside from other resource concerns, the cost of creating a Hive Monument is 1 willpower point for the total result of multipling the Monument’s statistics together. As an example: A S3, D2, P5 R1 Monument is about 30 willpower while a 5 in everything Monument is worth about 625 willpower.

I get that this is all very bare bones, but I was thinking that at base, Monuments might well be the “safe house” equivalent merit. At this point, figuring out ground rules is quite important...


Also, I would just like to say that I was never expecting the Hives to be such a big topic. I think we're in atleast a week just nonstop talking about them.

[One Tin Soldier]

So while you’ve got Unity and Attention keeping you busy, I’ve got some work on “Monuments”

Spoiler

Show

Hives have the tendency to create permanent structures upon their holdings, representing everything from nesting grounds to convention centers, to statues to mainframes. Depending on the nature of the Hive, such things might be anywhere, from being well known local monuments, to being secret places in parts unknown.

By gathering their will together, the Hive undertakes public works project to better express and reinforce their ideals; these monuments act as stationary nodes of the Hive’s collective will. Hives use Monuments for a variety of functions, but the one trait all Monuments share is their ability to recruit more Drones, either by performing Assimilate on bystanders or by generating its own Larvae It is interesting to note that even if the Rest of the Hive dies, if any of the Hive’s monuments survive, the Hive has a chance of returning.



Monuments have 4 statistics rated by 1 to 5 each:
Scale. How big the monument is as well as its effective range for its abilities.
Defenses. How resilient it is to damage.
Potency: How powerful its powers are as well as how much access does it have to other powers..
Rate: How frequently will it use its powers.




However, despite these, Monuments are costly, requiring a massive investment in Willpower relative to Drones to become operational.

Aside from other resource concerns, the cost of creating a Hive Monument is 1 willpower point for the total result of multipling the Monument’s statistics together. As an example: A S3, D2, P5 R1 Monument is about 30 willpower while a 5 in everything Monument is worth about 625 willpower.

I get that this is all very bare bones, but I was thinking that at base, Monuments might well be the “safe house” equivalent merit. At this point, figuring out ground rules is quite important...


Also, I would just like to say that I was never expecting the Hives to be such a big topic. I think we're in atleast a week just nonstop talking about them.

Hmm, that's an interesting idea. If there's space, I think I'd like to use these Monuments.
EDIT: At the very least, I might like to include it as a Dread Power, since using monuments makes a Hive considerably less flexible in exchange for power.
EDIT 2: Actually, that would put it as being quite similar to the Lord of the Manor Dread Power in Mortal Remains, which is intended to model a Mummy's Tomb.

As for why its such a popular topic, that's because they're so different than standard characters that they need a whole set of their own rules and fluff. So of course everyone has their own ideas on what those rules should be.
I know that once we have all the rules down, I want to repost the whole deal on the main WoD thread, see what they think of it.

[Almarck]

Hmm, that's an interesting idea. If there's space, I think I'd like to use these Monuments.
EDIT: At the very least, I might like to include it as a Dread Power, since using monuments makes a Hive considerably less flexible in exchange for power.
EDIT 2: Actually, that would put it as being quite similar to the Lord of the Manor Dread Power in Mortal Remains, which is intended to model a Mummy's Tomb.

As for why its such a popular topic, that's because they're so different than standard characters that they need a whole set of their own rules and fluff. So of course everyone has their own ideas on what those rules should be.
I know that once we have all the rules down, I want to repost the whole deal on the main WoD thread, see what they think of it.

I haven't seen it.
So I would not know to compare or between other dread powers.

I will note that I structured the thing to be more like the housing merits so that it can scale up, and down as needed instead of a dread power. Too many variables since Monuments are everything from small shrines, statues, to well... the statue of Liberity.

I personally think that monuments should be while provide bonuses would have perhaps an upkeep cost to keep them working. The idea being that it's a symbol of prestige and growth but one that take out so much out of an operating budget.


But hey. Your are the writer.

[Amechra]

While you guys are working on the Hives, is there anything in the Legacies that you'd like me to work on? I kinda want to take a break from THE HIVES, but still want to contribute.

[One Tin Soldier]

While you guys are working on the Hives, is there anything in the Legacies that you'd like me to work on? I kinda want to take a break from THE HIVES, but still want to contribute.

I still haven't thought of a good Touch sensory effect for Eyes of Eternity. If you want to take a crack at that, or think of a sense that would work better, go for it.

There's also a few scattered Auxiliary Legacies that still need to be filled in.

[Almarck]

It's fine, Amechra, I have the same feelings much myself. I would want to do something other than the Hive for a while, so I'm currently looking into the Knights and the Garuda as I feel they are too... undeveloped right now.I'm not sure on how to further development of legacies at this point, so sadly, I cannot suggest things for you.




On the subject of Hives, a part of me thinks that maybe "Castes" should in addition to Dread Powers, be able to take certain Numina or replace their Dread Power choice with built in "gear". I'm thinking that some Hives will want to take the Blast numen for one, but is not likely going to equip the ability to use it on anything but say a Warrior or something. Just as well, I think it should make sense built in gear would also be allowed, such as say in the case of Warriors again. They'd transform from an unarmed and unarmored human being into say a hideous bugman, a terminator, or something else: either way, their bodies are suddenly equipped with built in natural weapons and armor. Just replace the Dread Power "slots" with gear and Numen, right?

Nice work on converting the ideas that I only partially developed earlier though. Love the work on "The Dead Join"


On Garuda, I've currently got it in my head that... they are basically a Contemporary or a Predacesor race of the old Empire.Except, they did not undergo the sacrices the Dragons did to survive and well.... they are no longer of this world entirely.

[Amechra]

An idea about Sorcery, just at random:

You know how all the Legacies have an attendant description of the form "I am <blank>", right? What if Sorcery used the Legacies as themes? So if you have Sorcery 3 and Hide of Iron 2, you could create two-dot effects along the themes of endurance and protection (whatever "two dot" means).

I'll think of sensory effects. Touch is a bit of a toughie, I'll admit.

[Xallace]

On Garuda, I've currently got it in my head that... they are basically a Contemporary or a Predacesor race of the old Empire.Except, they did not undergo the sacrices the Dragons did to survive and well.... they are no longer of this world entirely.

Soldier and I have been thinking of them as being predecessors to dragons, yeah, although we don't want to come right out and say it in the fluff. Garuda are supposed to be super ~mysterious~ so any fluff we write about them (or would want input on) would be more heavily geared towards their observed behavior than their history. Multiple, competing myths about their origins framed as dragon theories are just fine though.

Edit: And given the whole reptile-bird dynamic and dragon history having roots in the dinosaurs, it's even possible the Garuda are "evolved" dragons. I'm sure some Zmaj is absolutely certain the mythic destiny of dragonkind is to become Garuda and rise above Fate's punishment.

I'm also certain that particular Zmaj is very unpopular.

An idea about Sorcery, just at random:

You know how all the Legacies have an attendant description of the form "I am <blank>", right? What if Sorcery used the Legacies as themes? So if you have Sorcery 3 and Hide of Iron 2, you could create two-dot effects along the themes of endurance and protection (whatever "two dot" means).

Are you thinking it ought to be a more modular system than the one we have currently?

Edit2: We also should make a decision on whether or not sorcery counts as a legacy for the purpose of Unique legacies.

[One Tin Soldier]

An idea about Sorcery, just at random:

You know how all the Legacies have an attendant description of the form "I am <blank>", right? What if Sorcery used the Legacies as themes? So if you have Sorcery 3 and Hide of Iron 2, you could create two-dot effects along the themes of endurance and protection (whatever "two dot" means).

I'll think of sensory effects. Touch is a bit of a toughie, I'll admit.

So something like Arcana?
Honestly, that sounds like way too much work. I mean, look at Mage. That system takes up, like, half the book. *goes and checks* Yep, that's actually right. 180 pages of a 400 page book. Doing a system anything like that would be just too much for a part of the game that not every character would have.
Besides, "two-dot effects along the themes of endurance and protection" are already a thing. They're called Auxiliary Legacies.

Are you thinking it ought to be a more modular system than the one we have currently?

Edit2: We also should make a decision on whether or not sorcery counts as a legacy for the purpose of Unique legacies.

I've been assuming that Sorcery should count. And if it doesn't count, then we should remove it from the "core dot" dynamic. Because otherwise, any character who put starting dots in Sorcery wouldn't get their Unique Legacy.

[Amechra]

The Mage system just looks long because there are so many examples. I'd suggest looking at the Ephemeral Being Influence rules for what I'm thinking about.

My idea was really just that Sorcery extends your Will beyond yourself; a normal Auxiliary Legacy for Hide of Iron couldn't reinforce an object, for example, while Sorcery would let you do so.

[Almarck]

Mage has the problem of reposting the same spell multiple times with slight variations between them.

For instance, despite being more or less functionally identical save for the kind of injuries the treat, there's 3 different healing spells, one for bashing, one for lethal, one for aggravated. All of them are given full stat treatment, and given their own unique lore entries, bringing the word count higher. And all of them have "Rotes", which double the word count since they all add a bunch of lore. There's 3 different Forces effects, one for "kinetic force", another for "fire", another for "lighting", which if I recall correctly also had multiple entries of each... All of them do damage of some sort, with the differences being what types.

There's also basically 1 "Armor" spell", atleast 1 "Damage" spell, and 1 "sight" spell for each Arcana. There's a reason in 2e some of these spells are getting consolidated together.

In short, Mage's core spell list is basically artificially inflated due to reposting and insistance on giving full fluff blurbs for everything. The actual spell list is probably much shorter if you strip out the multiple redundancies and brush aside the Rote entries for everything. It'd still be pretty big, but probably a whole lot smaller.


Since Dragon the Inheritance uses an "effects" based system rather than a "sphere" based system, we will not run into the same problem Mage had. We will not need to repeat a Sorcerery entry ever. I'll back up Amechra on Sorcery, the idea has merit.

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As for Garuda, well, I guess that's good then. I am still of the opinion that more Garuda varieties would be neccesary. So far, I've thought about asking if "Trickster" birds would be a thing, since mythology often has ravens and crows being sly pranksters.



Just as well, what can you tell me about the Knights? I'm thinking with the new changes to Slayers, the Knights are probably... not as impressive as they once were. I mean, now that Slayers have "anti-Legacies", the Knights taking dragon legacies for themselves seems a little cheaty to me. They need more uniqueness.

[One Tin Soldier]

The Mage system just looks long because there are so many examples. I'd suggest looking at the Ephemeral Being Influence rules for what I'm thinking about.

My idea was really just that Sorcery extends your Will beyond yourself; a normal Auxiliary Legacy for Hide of Iron couldn't reinforce an object, for example, while Sorcery would let you do so.

Sorry, I'm just not open to making the kind of changes you're suggesting. Sorcery, as it is, is something we've been working on for months, and the current fluff is integrated into the rest of the game. I'd be ok with tinkering with the Sorcery system, but not erasing all the work we've put into it so far by making sweeping changes to the spell list.

The one thing I do want to do with Sorcery is get a bit into why it's an Heir thing. What is it about being a dragon that grants them access to ritualistic spells? Some of them tap into fate, or the power of blood, or sympathetic connections. What ties all of this together?

[Amechra]

Understandable; would having a few spells that require dots in a Legacy be fine, though?

[Xallace]

Actually, I am interested in the idea of a modular sorcery system given the caveat that it doesn't go so inflated that there's a) no reason not to take it, and b) every reason not to write it. Like Soldier said, 100-odd pages linked to Sorcery is not something I'd like to deal with.

I think part of limiting that inflation is by narrowing the sorts of things Sorcery should be able to accomplish. Limiting them by known legacies is one way to do it, another would be really consolidating the fluff of what sorcery is supposed to be. Magic is certainly something dragons have in certain myths, but what does it actually represent in our system? Imposing one's will on reality creates legacies, not sorcery.

Edit: Well, if Soldier's against the idea. I agree we need to better integrate sorcery into the fluff, though.

Just as well, what can you tell me about the Knights? I'm thinking with the new changes to Slayers, the Knights are probably... not as impressive as they once were. I mean, now that Slayers have "anti-Legacies", the Knights taking dragon legacies for themselves seems a little cheaty to me. They need more uniqueness.

They're based primarily on the legends that dragon blood confers special benefits to the drinker (like Siegfried being able to speak to birds after killing Fafnir). They are missing quite a bit as far as hunter compacts go, though. Never really put much thought into them.

[Amechra]

Would you mind if I made a revision of the Knights? I too agree that grabbing Legacies directly feels like a bit of a cheat (they're like the Spurned, only better!)

Speaking of Spurned, the 2e "thing" is that such half-templates get their own little section on the back, with the idea that you might want to play them instead of the full template (for a change of pace, or just a lower powered game.) Do you think it would be a good idea to move the Spurned into half-template status, and have the Knights be a Spurned faction?

[Almarck]

I’d be for Sorcery not being a general legacy. Looking back, my problem has mostly been that Sorcery felt too out of place being a “Legacy”, and you know, it does not feel like something Dragons “inherit”. Ritual felt like something that is studied, learned about, experienced, not something that is just… given. As a result, I think perhaps Sorcery should represent something outside of Legacy, something… new or self discovered.

Maybe they represent the dragon’s attempts to actively try to find and learn more about the great powers of old? Or maybe something else.
Either way, I can easily see dragons using more complex rituals that require Legacy powers to work.

---

Thematically, the Knights as they are overlap too strongly with Slayers. They both have too much in the “take power from a dragon” angle as well as representing archetypes of archaic warriors normally associated with dragons, albeit that is a stereotype.

It’d probably make more sense for a “Siegfried” to be the end result of a Slayer defeating his dragon, effectively, transcending being just a mirror of the dragon he chose to slay.

Granted, that’d probably undermine the whole point of the Conspiracy without providing a suitable replacement theme of which I do not have, so let's gloss that suggestion over unless you want to put it on the table.

Amercha has a good point about Knights being better as a Spurned faction. I agree that it would be more interesting and would be quite cool and not something done all too often in World of Darkness except maybe with ghouls over throwing their vampire overlords.

I’m thinking they’ve got it in their belief structure that by slaying dragons and drinking their blood, they can “cure” their condition and “ascend”.
I am also thinking a “Tells” system would be quite cool.

[Xallace]

We were talking about better integration of the sorcery fluff into the game, and we agreed that sorcery should be imbuing the material of the world around you with your will, personality, and ambitions... which Soldier pointed out is exactly what Amechra said earlier. So credit to you, Amechra, that's what we're going with!

That does mean the current sorceries need refluffed a bit, and several of the sorceries need replaced. We'll take care of most of the legwork on that, but suggestions are welcome as always.

We were also talking about making Form of the Destroyer a merit (a very expensive one), since it's basically the draconic version of "Going Loud," but making it an innate ability would be essentially ripping off DtD. Thoughts?

Edit: Some more thoughts:

I'm in favor of making the Spurned more interesting and powerful, and making the Knights a Spurned group. I don't know much about the new Wolf-Blooded so that'll be up to Soldier and you all how that gets implemented.

"Monuments" were brought up as something the Hive (bzz) gets, but honestly, making big monuments to their own greatness sounds a lot like something a dragon would do. I'd be interested in a second class of magic items for dragons that are called Monuments. I'm not sure what they'd do, but the "leave a lasting legacy" theme is right there with it. Edit2: Heck, finding ancient Monuments from the Empire could be fun plot, and might be a good goal for many dragons. Perhaps you can only by Monument with Draconic experience, to represent the sort of effort necessary to go into it.

In a similar vein, I'd be interested in discussing an idea I had a while back that I'm not sure I've brought up: Testaments. As in, "Last Will & Testament." It'd be a dragon's Will that lives on after the dragon's death, and is inherited by other dragons and can be used by them. Soldier and I have discussed several ideas for mechanics, but we don't have anything concrete. Still, I like the idea a lot.

[Almarck]

Spoiler: Monuments

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Perhaps as a counter proposal/comprimise to the Monuments thing: Both Hives and Dragons strive to create monuments, but Hives go out of their way to destroy or corrupt Monuments of other Hives and Dragons.

The reason I chose to name them Monuments is because it was a good way to bring up the right conotations and scale for what Hives strive to accomplish. But I will admit that dragons work just as well for making or finding their own, as they represent a permanent idea of legacy. Perhaps we can go further and say even the Garuda want them as well? In short, maybe the idea of monuments is not a faction specific concept or conceit, but rather a generally important "item" that many factions and creatures in DtI strive to control and create, much like how werewolves and all manner of spirits and human magicians strive to control Loci?

I'm not sure of what Monuments should really mechanically do that makes them so desired, but I am thinking that some Sorcery probably interacts with them. I definately think "Free" willpower is probably not ideal as well. Perhaps... allowing you to influence the area it is in, such as say Hives have monuments that cast assimilation on bystanders while dragons use them to project their glory?

Spoiler: Testaments

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As for Testaments, I am confused over how they would be mechanically implemented, but I had an initial idea. I'm thinking that alot of Heirlooms, Monuments, and so on probably have a special restriction over who may or may not use them, as defined by their owners and rites of inheriance. The point of a Testament then is to act a trigger to divvy up and transfer full control of a magical item or building (Monuments can get pretty big) to another Heir.

Sadly, that seems like something that really does not work as a playable piece that players buy with exp.

As another suggestion, perhaps we should really define what the purpose of Testaments should be in a game about the theme of Inheritance. Especially if they are going to be magical binding contracts.

Spoiler: Destroyer Form

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"Going Loud" costs exp to use since it destroys a Cover completely and puts you at serious risk of getitng destroyed since it means combat angels will be alerted to your position and will track you down if you do not quickly assume a new Cover. It is also template inherent and triggered as an instant action. You should not fear about it encroaching on Demon though, the point of it is basically the emergency mode Demons activate when their backs against the wall and their espionage spy tactics no longer work and its time to drawout the military grade hardware.

I do however feel that Form of the Destroyer is not worth it as is. You're forcing yourself into dragon form for a whole month (and creating a Slayer maybe more) for slight mechanical increases across the board. It actually does not strike me as worth it because while it means the dragon is all around more powerful, there's no real "Wow Factor" that comes into play because all of the stat increases are so slight that make the drawbacks seem worth it.

Here's what I am thinking and it's pretty drastic:
Everything about Form of the Destroyer's drawbacks and bonuses as it is right now stick, but now:
-Willpower costs do not apply while in form of the Destroyer. You are still limited by your Kau's expenditures per turn, but you simply do not pay Willpower costs for anything.
-Form of the Destroyer becomes template inherent, meaning all dragons get access to it by default.

Reasoning:
Werewolf Wasu-Im Death Rage and Demon Going Loud, in my opinion both give very big boons for drawbacks that are nowhere near as severe in my opinion. Sure Death Rage and Going Loud have the drawbacks of losing all control except for the urge to murder everything and Going Loud means that all Angels nearby attack you, but those states can atleast be done in over with quick. Not to mention, both of them basically give the player unlimited resources to spam their abilities.

I also feel there needs to be more... inherent things with the Dragon template, things that are outside of the specialization and division of Legacies. Form of the Destroyer as an "all-round" template inherent ability would suit that, and would basically put it on par with other supernatural's "supermodes". Buying it as a merit and having the same drawbacks is not worth it.

Spoiler: Spurned and Wolf-Blooded and Knights

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Okay, so, how Wolf Blooded work is really simple. For a cost of 2 merits on Character Creation, an ordinary mortal character can become a Wolf-Blooded.

This affords the Wolf-Blooded the following benefits:
-Wolf Blooded may learn Pack Rites. Rites in Werewolf are divided up into 2 categories, Wolf rites which only werewolves may know and Pack Rites which both werewolves and wolfblooded they know. Rites in second edition are basically equivalent to merits and Wolfblooded may exchange merit dots for Rites. The power of Rites is about the same, but there is a slight different in purpose of Pack and Wolf rites. Pack rites tend to be supportive, while Wolf rites deal with the inherent nature of being a werewolf.
-Tells. Essentially, minor supernatural powers that are each about equivalent to something a starting werewolf would get. However, Wolf-blooded typically only get one (barring say, GM intervention) Tell and get that only boon. Typical Tells include the ability to turn into a wolf at will, claws and fangs, healing equivalent to a werewolf. They just do not get everything else.
-Immunity to Lunacy and do not suffer breakpoint points for using some Rites (One of them by the way allows you to turn the entire pack humans and wolf blooded included into wolves).

For the Spurned to be equivalent:
-We would need to drop the cost of the Spurned Merit to 2 dots or just say that Spurned characters start with only 5 merit dots instead of 7.
-Distingiush Sorceries between those that Dragons and Spurned may learn, those that only Dragons may learn, and those that only Spurned may learn.
-Create a Tells equivalent. I'm thinking having tied to Legacies in some manner, but I am not sure how to make them not outright Legacy abiltiies.

Asside from that though, I do not have any idea on how to adjust the Knights.

[Amechra]

Correction on Wolf-Blooded: becoming one at character creation is free, and you get the 10 dots of Merits that is now usual for templates. The merit is specifically for becoming Wolf-Blooded in the middle of a game, or if a Wolfblooded character wants a second Tell.

[Xallace]

I very much like the idea that monuments are something basically all denizens of DtI are after. I don't have much on that yet, but here's what I've written on the subject, if you all would be so kind as to take a look:

Spoiler: Monuments

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"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
- Ozymandias

Far-flung through time and destiny though it was, the Empire was not some ephemeral dream conjured by dragons. It is not a tale told to make Heirs feel as though they are part of something greater. It was, in all ways that a thing can be. Evidence of its existence remains to this very day, pillars of embodied draconic will that burn bright with glory in spite of Fate's designs. These evidences, dragons call Monuments. They are the Once & Future Glory, the empire that was and will be.
A Monument is a physical structure, often a building or a statue, that embodies the eternity for which a dragon strives. It is a mark on the world in stone and metal and wood, a grand signature written into time and space. For many dragons, building new monuments is a goal in itself, as well as a stepping stone to the return of the Empire proper.
Dragons can both find and create monuments. Ancient monuments, those from dragons centuries past or even from the Empire itself, can be claimed by the dragons who find them and put to use. These monuments are so often troublesome to get one's claws on, as they are more often claimed by archaeological researchers or government agencies as "symbols of cultural heritage" before the rightful Heirs can get there first. For those monuments a dragon can claim, however, they prove invaluable in the information and power that they bring. More than a few violent altercations have begun with a race for a monument.
New monuments are a difficult endeavor, but worthwhile for those dragons willing to put in the effort. New monuments can be designed to a dragon's specifications, and include only such information, influence, and power as a dragon enjoys. Dragons must be wise in choosing what aspects go into a monument, however, as they form a legacy that lasts for as long as the monument stands – and no Heir wants their lasting mark to be a foolish one.
Monuments can come in nearly any size and shape, but they are universally grand, large, and recognizable. They can be temples, palaces, obelisks, monolithic stones, or even such things as fountains or so-called "eternal flames," that are meant to burn forever more. They are stationary, built into a space that makes it a place of power. Many monuments are known to the general populace, and recognized as significant things. Of course, very know them as being of draconic origin – whether the Washington Monument was built Free Masons or Dragons or patriotic Americans is of no concern, and most dragons recognize that as a good thing. Regretable, yes, that the Empire should be hidden for now, but it's better than Slayers left-and-right, isn't it?

Monuments provide little direct benefits for dragons, but that is not their purpose. Monuments do not empower dragons; they glorify them.

Being able to claim a monument grants a dragon an extra touchstone, which grants the usual +1 to Serenity degeneration rolls. The bonus rises to +2 if the monument is one of the dragon's own creation. Monuments reinforce the draconic identity, and even an ancient one still provokes a sense of pride in an Heir.

Of considerable more importance, a monument contains two things: information and presence. To unpack that, all monuments contain information that can be accessed by any Heir that touches the monument. The Heir must spend a point of Willpower to access the information, which often takes the form of sensory memories. The Heir immediately experiences these memories as though they were there. An Heir who creates a new monument decides what memories are to be instilled in the monument, and what senses are to be contained there-in. Up to one scene per dot of Kauchaomai can be contained within a monument.

Monuments should also contain some considerable ability to influence the place and people around them, although I am not quite sure what sort of mechanics would go into that yet. They would, essentially, impart the creating dragon's will onto both the physical area and the people existing there-in, such that it would change things culturally.

The problem I'm seeing so far is that they need some "boom," some big hook. Any thoughts one what that might be? And thoughts on what there is so far?

[Sgt. Cookie]

Let me preface this by saying two things: First, this is awesome. Keep up the good work. Second, nWoD is an unfamiliar system to me and this fansplat is probably what's going to get me my first game. Possibly.

Anyway. I found a gallery on Imgur (link) about a tiny dragon that hoards pennies and lives under a sofa-chair. Personally, I felt this was too fitting and too adorable to pass up, so, here it is:

Spoiler

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(General Merit)
Hoardling (●●)(?)

For some reason or another, you've gained the friendship and trust of a Hoardling, a small creature, around the size of a large rat, that resembles a Drake. In times past, Hoardlings would live in and around Blacksmiths, their Draconic instincts telling them to hoard bits of metal. A Hoardling in modern times does much the same, except instead of metal scraps, they hoard coins for the most part.

Unlike ordinary dragons which can be... unwilling, to give up parts of their hoard, a friendly Hoardling acts a little like a child, presenting various coins to their (Friend? Owner? Trusted? Guardian?) seeming to draw them from many different places (Leading many to theorise that a Hoardling is not after the bits of metal, but rather companionship. Though more the more cynical would say "protection"). If a Hoardling's (X) owns a backpack, handbag, etc, they will often prefer to keep their hoards there, where the Hoardling's (X) has "easy" access to them. In game terms, this basically means you will always have correct change for whatever you want to do (This doesn't mean you have infinite money, of course, just that you can assume you have a whole bunch of coins. It is suggested that a Hoardling stores around $10-50 worth of change in your holdall, depending on size, of course.). Assuming of course, you have access to your things. If you don't have access to your belongings, then you can let your Hoardling loose. It will return in about an hour with around $4-5 in assorted coinage.

As mentioned before, Hoardlings don't always have coins in their hoard. Once per week, you can make a Chance roll to see if your Hoardling has found something special (Though always small-ish. As a rule of thumb, if it can't sit nicely on top of a tin can or can't be carried like a dog carrying a stick, it's too large for the Hoardling to care about). One success means that your Hoardling has found something interesting, but not necessarily valuable. Perhaps a particularly shiny bottlecap, a good fountain pen or a pin-badge. Three successes indicate something valuable, but not extremely so. A plain gold earring, some silver cuff-links or an old coin. Five successes or more indicate that your Hoardling has found something pretty worth while. A gold diamond ring, a necklace studded with rubies and emeralds or even something just plain lucky, like a spare key to the warehouse you're trying to infiltrate.

Caring for a Hoardling is, fortunately, no more costly than any other pet. Though technically omnivores, Hoardlings have a particular fondness for fish-based cat food. They'll clean themselves given a pool of water and lacking fur or hair, they can't get lice or fleas and are remarkably resilient to illness. They can be injured, though and most human vets don't know how to deal with Hoardlings, for obvious reasons. The Nagaraja dynasty has the largest number of vets trained for dealing with Hoardlings, but as Dragons can come from all walks of life, pretty much any Dynasty will have more than a few vets that will see Hoardlings.

Last couple of notes, Hoardlings are not "impressive" enough to cause Enkindling, though whipping one out in public is likely to draw attention. As mentioned before, Hoardlings are a lot like children and if their (X) just so happens to be a proper Dragon, a Hoardling will, over time, develop traits and abilities that appear to be "mini"-legacies, though they will only ever develop abilities similar to General Legacies.