Exalted Rework Part 17: Dragon-Blooded Mechanics

The Dragon-Blooded make for a very different game type than Solars.  First of all, they're 'smaller', as in, they don't take up as much narrative space.  A Dragon-Blooded game is unlikely to outgrow a Direction, and thus can more intimately interact with their setting.  As Mortals are much closer to their skill level, Mortals can be viable challenges, Love Interests and NPCs that cannot simply be overwritten with powerful charms.  Perhaps most importantly, the Dragon-Blooded have a society, and so games involving them will tend to be more social and less combative, generally, though there is some irony in that Dragon-Blooded charms generally lean toward combat power.

In design, also, the Dragon-Blooded differ from the Celestials: Aspects are a substantial flavor that a player buys into when they make the character: the Aspect defines both Anima and stunting style, as well as providing a certain set of immunities and powers.

Terrestrial Exaltation Powers:

Fortitude of the Dragons: Terrestrial Exalted are immune to disease, infection and blood loss. They heal rapidly and will recover from minor injuries in a few days, severe injuries in a few weeks and from death’s door in a month.
Terrestrial Anima: The character has an Anima Banner which they may ignite at will. It fades at the end of the scene, or after fifteen minutes. While ignited, the character’s elemental power and Exalted nature is unmistakable to any who look on them.
Anima Flux: While your Anima Banner is up, you radiate a destructive elemental corona which harms anything within a few yards besides your possessions. Though the elemental aspect will vary, it does about as much damage as an open flame and will harm similar sorts of materials, as well as enhancing your combat prowess.
Great Curse on the Terrestrials: Your Resonant Virtue is inherently flawed by the Great Curse. When your Limit Breaks, your Resonant Virtue echoes through your elemental nature, driving you to irrational acts based on that concordance. These are usually harmful to the character, their motivations or things they care about, but only last a scene.

Terrestrial Aspect Core Powers:

Air Aspect:
Glory of the Air Dragon: While your anima banner is ignited, you are surrounded by a whirlwind of snow, ice, hail, rain, lightning or perhaps merely raging winds. The whirlwind provides lift, allowing you to jump even further and preventing you from taking falling damage.

Earth Aspect:
Glory of the Earth Dragon: When your anima banner is ignited, you are surrounded by an aura of hovering stalactites, gemstones, sandstorms or phantasmal magma flows or avalanches. Your anima also hardens around you, granting you Improbable toughness and an immunity to damage from falling earth and stone, such as avalanches or collapsing buildings.

Fire Aspect:
Glory of the Fire Dragon: When your anima banner is ignited, you are surrounded by a howling inferno of crackling sparks, sheets of flame or simply a great bonfire. Your anima burns not only with Anima Flux, but with fire, igniting anything you wish burnt, including anyone foolish enough to touch you. You are also immune to any fire that does not originate from sorcery or a charm.

Water Aspect:
Glory of the Water Dragon: When your anima banner is ignited you are surrounded by a typhoon of surging tides, shredding rains, or pounding waterfalls. While your anima is ignited, you are never harmed or hindered by water. You can breathe it, swim in it at your normal running speed, walk upon its surface and even fight within it or fire a bow through it.

Wood Aspect:
Glory of the Wood Dragon: When your anima banner is ignited you are surrounded by a halo of whirling leaves, crushing roots and scything branches. While your anima is ignited you are immune to plant-based toxins, thorns and other environmental effects from plant life. You may also become poisonous yourself, your touch causing numbness, paralysis and, with prolonged exposure, death.

I've also expanded on the Background-type Assets, especially adding more Merit-types.  I haven't replicated many of the Dragon-Blooded Specific Backgrounds yet, though it wouldn't be hard to work out Retainers, Command, Arsenal or Family.  Connections is less of an appropriate Asset unless the connections are extremely significant.  Note that Breeding is completely gone, though Legendary Breeding might be an appropriate (primarily social) Asset.

Terrestrial-Appropriate Assets:

Artifact:Weapons and Armor: Artifact Weapons and Armor provide +1 to Combat. You may have up to 2 Artifacts stacking this bonus. One Asset slot can represent both a weapon and armor for style purposes. Weapon and Armor Artifacts are highly obvious when used or worn publically, marking the bearer as supernatural at the very least. They will usually have a secondary supernatural effect as well that may be peripherally related to combat but will not be a direct bonus (Void Sheath/Summoning Loyal Steel etc would be appropriate secondary effects).
Non-weapon Artifacts: These will usually have fairly broad-reaching powers and special effects and will be obvious, possibly simply when carried around, almost certainly when used. Most Non-weapon Artifact effects do not require Essence expenditure unless they are both potent and direct.
Social Position:While most casual memberships to organizations can simply be hand-waved, this Asset represents a position of substantial influence within a large organization of significant power, such as a guild merchant who runs her own successful caravan, or even a Guild Factor, a high-ranking and respected Immaculate Monk, or a captain in the Realm or Lookshy’s navy. This is also appropriate to represent someone of significant political power within a city who is not its ruler. Social Position Assets also provide substantial wealth, servants, contacts and some allies.
Familiar:This Asset provides an animal companion who is an extension of the character. The animal character can communicate with the character silently if they are in physical contact with each other, and more openly in speaking distance to each other. The Familiar cannot communicate with other beings unless it would have the ability to do otherwise. In addition, once per game when the character with 0 Essence Points touches their Familiar, they regain 1 Essence Point.
Manse:A magically designed building placed on a significant conglomeration of Dragon Lines. A place of power that your character and your character alone is attuned to and possesses the Hearthstone to, in addition to possessing the resources, allies and followers to maintain the building. The building itself was likely designed with a purpose (to be a library, fortress, observatory, training dojo, crafting workshop or whatever), and provides +1 to relevant Skills while within it, as well as a potent charm-like effect as part of the Hearthstone. In addition, once per game when the character runs out of Essence Points and is in contact with the Hearthstone, they regain 1 Essence Point.
Thaumaturge:You are skilled in Mortal Magic. You know Basic Formulae for all 11 Arts (Alchemy, Astrology, The Dead, Demon Summoning, Elemental Summoning, Enchantment, Geomancy, Husbandry, Spirit Beckoning, Warding and Exorcism and Weather Working) and have a solid learning foundation for learning more. You are likely a master in at least one of these Arts as well. Your skill in these unusual areas has likely earned you fame enough to support yourself through your work or with patronage. Though these magics are small next to the power of Charms, you also have a very solid grounding in the occult knowledge to learn Sorcery, and are probably capable of self-initiating.
Enchanting:
You possess multiple qualities that people find alluring and attractive. These need not be directly physical. The majority of people you interact with will remember you and will generally want to please you, though only a few will be willing to risk harm to themselves for your favor. You will often be sought as a companion, advisor, concubine or spouse by the rich and powerful, if you are not one already (and perhaps even if you are).
Genius:You think extraordinarily fast, your problem solving skills are unmatched. You may call for a Genius Moment when your character is faced with a problem. The game pauses while you talk with the other players and the GM out of character, figuring out what the best course of action with the knowledge you have is, which your character concludes instantly in in-game time. The GM is within their rights to prevent this Asset from being used if it is inappropriate to a situation (you don’t have time to think right now!) or if it is being overused.
Master of Deception/Trustworthy:You either are an exceptionally skilled liar or so incredibly sincere that nobody can bring themselves to doubt you. Most characters will believe you and give you the benefit of the doubt. Note that betraying this trust will give them cause to doubt, but you may be able to get away with multiple small lies before sentiment completely turns against you, especially if you do something extremely helpful and can make it seem like you were misinformed rather than deliberately lying.

Sorry I've been slow, I've been working on "real" games and real projects, but I'll try to keep this ball rolling as much as possible.  I've started work on the Lunars and more or less completed the Dragon-Blooded, I may pause work on the Lunars to do the White and Black Treatises at some point.  Oh, I should talk about Necromancy sometime too, even though it's really just dead sorcery.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave questions or comments as always!