GuideToWealth

From Gameresource

Wealth is kinda complex! It's rather daunting being able to buy anything you want. Here's some guidelines and suggestions.

Contents 1 Artifact 2 Arsenal and Panoply 3 Wealth 0 4 Wealth 1 5 Wealth 2 6 Wealth 3 7 Wealth 4 8 Wealth 5 9 Uses

[edit] Artifact

As a background, Artifact represents items that are beyond your means to simply purchase, as well as special or unique items.

In addition, the sheer scale of manufacture available means that artifacts are easier to come by. Mass produced non-magitech items are considered one dot less (to a minimum of •); for example a daiklave is only Artifact • (and thus a Wealth • purchase using Wealth), but Celestial Battle Armor continues to be Artifact •••••. The reason for this is because all magitech in the First Age is automatically the version that does not require upkeep; check with your Storyteller before

[edit] Arsenal and Panoply

By Dreams of the First Age, you need a rating of Arsenal or Panoply equal to the Artifact's rating to "buy" artifacts using your Wealth. Artifacts bought this way are considered to have a Wealth rating equal to their Artifact rating; this functions similarly to buying mundane items with Resources. Buying an Artifact • item is simple with Wealth ••, but if you try to buy an Artifact •• with Wealth •• your Wealth will be lowered.

Using the book's rules, what this means is that there's little reason for you to take Arsenal or Panoply equal to or higher than your Wealth.

[edit] Wealth 0

Wealth 0 is the equivalent of Resources ••. This is actually important; a Celestial exalt will never go hungry and can always find someplace to sleep. This might represent simply having Resources ••, or it might represent literally having nothing to your name, and getting by on the simple generosity of the populace. After all, a mortal who serves a Celestial is guaranteed a peaceful reincarnation and few people can say that they have served bread to a Celestial.

[edit] Wealth 1

Wealth • is equivalent to Resources •••, ensuring you a decent state of life... compared to most mortals, anyway. Among Celestial society, you're a pauper especially compared to an elder exalt.

Buying artifacts with Wealth • is impossible without lowering your Wealth background.

[edit] Wealth 2

Wealth •• is like having Resources ••••, and you are considered at least normal, especially for a young exalt. You can purchase infinite artifacts with a rating of •. As well, due to First Age constructions, most of the "simple" artifacts in the Core and Scroll of the Monk are one dot cheaper. This means that a standard daiklave is a Wealth • purchase.

Here's a list of interesting things you can buy:

• Every Artifact •. If one of your abilities needs tools, feel free to make a simple artifact tool using the guidelines in Oedanol's Codex.
• You can buy a pair of short daiklaves, since each is only Wealth •. Same with most other weapons usually wielded paired.
• Nearly all of the melee and ranged weapons; normal, short, reaper, reaver, and wavecleaver daiklaves; dire lances, goremauls, grimcleavers, every listed martial arts weapon, every thrown weapon, and short powerbows.
• Breastplates, chain shirts, lamellar, and reinforced buff jackets are easy purchases.
• Hearthstone bracers and amulets.
• Perfected Boots. Since you're too poor to purchase any magitech transportation outside of an actual mount, you'll likely end up walking a lot. Movement is also an oft-overlooked facet of combat.
• Fivefold Harmonic Adapters. This basically opens up every specific Magical Material effect for your use; in fact the only limit is that non-moonsilver armor will not match your body when you shapeshift into another form (such as your warform).
• Aegis Inset Amulets. Considering they are easy to buy and require no commitment, if you're ever going to wear armor (you probably are) then these are a nice buy.
• A Cache Egg holding a cubic foot of material or less. Good for concealing a small weapon.

[edit] Wealth 3

Wealth 3 is where you start getting interesting things available for your purchase. Notably heavier armor and weapons.

• Grand versions daiklaves, goremauls, and grimcleavers.
• Reinforced breastplates.
• Prayer Transceiver Modules, for long distance communications.
• A Rod of Cleansing the Body.
• Translation Crystal, which effectively lets you read anything as long as you can read Old Realm.
• Skin Mount Amulets, for when you need more motes.
• Plasma Tongue Repeaters and Fuel Bolt Launcers, as well as Very Small Concussive Essence Cannons.
• Skin-Like-the-Mountains Oil.
• A Shock Pike, which can let you use your Melee charms at a distance.
• Ashigaru Skirmish Armor. An Exalt wearing one would be considered odd, but has the advantage of surprise when your opponent sees what he thought was a mortal glowing with a Caste Mark. Use this mostly for the power armor benefits, as a Reinforced Breastplate offers better protection.
• Discreet Essence Armor. If you can't wear armor for some reason, this is the thing for you.

[edit] Wealth 4

• Artifact articulated plate.
• An Infinite Resplendence Amulet of one magical material.
• A personal transportation artifact, either a Swift Rider or a Windblade.
• A basic Amulet of Shadow Walking.
• Transcendent Phoenix Pinions.
• Sky Mantis Towers, for regulating weather on your estate.
• Wound Mending Needles.
• Small Concussive Essence Cannons.
• Elemental Lens, Essence Lash, Fire Lance, a Exalted Shock Pike with an internal battery, Power Maces, and Gloves of Martial Readiness.
• Gunzosha Commando Armor, and Yoroi Rapid Response Armor.
• Common or Scout warstriders, as well as most warstrider sized artifact weaponry and ancillary systems.

[edit] Wealth 5

• Artifact superheavy plate.
• Noble warstriders, and nearly all listed warstrider weapons and ancillary systems.
• Chariot of the Infinite Heavens.
• Resplendent Dolphin Undersea Courier.
• Battle Carriers for transporting your doubtlessly large army.
• Swift Midday Brilliance light warships.
• Whirligig couriers.
• Wings of the Raptor.
• Dragon Armor, useful for kitting out your Dragonblooded bodyguards.
• Sun's Fist Chakrams. Boom.

[edit] Uses

Wealth can obviously equip you with a lot of decent equipment in the beginning of the game. Higher Wealth starts to really kick in when you use it to equip subordinates. Henchmen wearing Dragon Armor and soldiers wearing Ashigaru power armor greatly enhance your cumulative might. For personal use however, it becomes better to have unique items made and purchased using the Artifact background. There's little use in being able to buy infinite Celestial Battle Armor if you are the only one that is going to wear it, and it will also give your personal items a degree of plot immunity (since you can't just whip out your Unconquered Express and buy another one).

It peaks in personal gains somewhere around Wealth 3 or 4. Wealth 5 is for when you need to have your Henchmen and Command to be top-of-the-line. By that point your Crafter should be able to make something interesting, or you should have some Contacts to have neat personal Artifacts made.