The Solars

The so-called “lawgivers” have just been reborn into a world of strife. About nine-tenths of the solar exaltations were locked away a few-thousand years ago after the mandate to rule was usurped by the terrestrials. Some solars are just trying to adjust and survive under the oppressive immaculate faith, which deems them to be as wicked as devils. The world is under a lot of stress, and there is inequality and injustice around every corner. Eventually a solar will enough to want to do something about it, and that's when they’ll discover that their `Limit` attribute has positive uses too. This power may give the solar an incredible and insatiable drive. It is same drive caused their eventual downfall so many centuries ago, but few remember the mistakes of that time and the great curse rides through the exaltations still...

The solars are arguably the most powerful exalt-type in the setting, at least in terms of raw numbers: they get a nice stat boost, higher stride, a shade-shifted skill for free, and lots of general skill points! Finally, if they're willing to relentlessly abuse their Limit they can achieve some great things in a short amount of time, but can also burn out pretty fast. The slower paced, more mindful, solars are harder to play but potentially more rewarding in the long run.

Solar are have some slightly punctilious rules and more than a little trait bloat, so they are not recommended for new players.

Solar Common Traits
All solars have the following traits:

Caste Traits
Solars choose one of the three following caste traits for free. Within each caste, a solar may choose 6 spheres from a list of 13. As with traits, the first in the list is required; but the rest can be chosen for customizability.

Solar Miracles
As mentioned in the Essence section, each exalt type has a few extra unique uses for their Essence attribute. For the solars, they are the following:

Note: Unlike any of the common exalted miracles, none of these powers require a mantra to be used because they are too specific. That also means that they can’t be woven into charms though.

Fading Twilight — Ob 4
A trick of the god’s, gifted exclusively to the lawgivers to help them get out of tight situations. The effect always causes your anima to flare, then as the corona fades as you pass into it and vanish. If successful, you’ll cease to exist until the sun next crosses the horizon. You reappear at the nearest crossroads—wherever that may be.

Purification — Ob 5
See BWG pg 525. Works on wyld-taint, ghosts, demons, possessions, etc., excluding gods.

Consecration — Ob 6
See BWG pg 525. Pretty much the same as Purification but affects a larger area. Works on wyld-taint, ghosts, demons, possessions, etc., excluding gods.

Banishment — Ob 5-9
The solars original purpose in The Primordial War was to deliver the finishing blow to the lesser souls of the Yozis, to send them to another dimension—their newly constructed hellish prison. Contemporary solars retain this power. Few yet realise it, but it may yet be a useful bargaining chip in the face of the apocalypse.

There are three types of demon that can be banished, and thus three obstacles for this power: Ob 5 to banish a first circle being, Ob 7 to banish a second circle being, Ob 9 to banish a third circle being.

In order for this special miracle to be performed, the creature to be banished must first be subdued or restrained (physically or otherwise). If the banishing fails, the test rides for a year and a day.

Note: When a demon is outright “killed” (instead of banished) it undergoes a major change and reforms in hell a few months later with a wounded Essence score. In this sense, demons can never be destroyed, only changed. Hence why hell exists in the first place.

Limit (The Great Curse)
''When the exalted slew the enemies of the gods, those ancient monsters pronounced a terrible death-curse against their traitorous gods. The Sun’s charioteer and his compatriots had anticipated this, however, and drew up mighty magic wards to protect themselves. What they failed to notice was that the curse of the fallen ancients took root in the hearts of their chosen instead. That Great Curse still haunts the exalted to this day, leaving a seed of darkness in each exalted shard.''

The growing strength of the Great Curse in solars is measured by an emotional attribute called `Limit`. Limit functions very similarly to Dwarven Greed (BWG pg 121), except the starting exponent is determined differently, and the `Idiom` and `I Must Have Her` rules are encapsulated as a special fourth instinct.

Starting Limit
A solar’s starting Limit rank is B2. The exponent is modified by your answers to the questions below. Exponent 9 is the absolute highest that Limit can go during character burning. Five exponent points may be spent to shade-shift Limit.
 * +1 Limit if your character age is  between 100 and 500 years, +2 Limit if it is between 500 and 1000 years, and +3 Limit if they are more than 1000 years old.
 * +1 if your Will exponent is 4 or lower.
 * +1 if your character has killed out of anger or negligence before. +1 more Limit if the one killed was family, a friend, a lover, or an innocent stranger. −1 Limit if the character tried to repent or went into isolation (or similar) immediately after the incident.
 * +1 if you have ever wanted revenge or felt spiteful about something, but ultimately just hid and did nothing.
 * −1 if your character followed the immaculate teachings prior to solar exaltation and (or otherwise) rightfully considers themselves to be a monster.
 * −1 if your is comfortable with their lot in life and is just letting their divine powers go to waste instead of seeking to change the world.
 * −1 for each non-hateful romantic or close-family relationship. +1 Limit for each hateful-close-family or hateful-romantic relationship.

Trigger and Response
Limit has a fourth instinct tied to it that defines the solar’s unique `trigger` and `response`. Typically, the Limit trigger revolves around witnessing, facilitating, or failing to prevent an act that the solar deems particularly heinous or viceful; but it can be anything really. The response should be a massive overreaction to the transgression. Some examples are given later on.

Limit follows the same rules as the `Greed Idiom`, `She’s Magnificent…`, and `I Must Have It!` (BWG pg 122) except applied to the solar’s personalised trigger and response.

The solar must test Steel at an Ob equal to the highest of their Hesitation or Limit whenever they are triggered, and if they fail then they must either hesitate (as per usual) or engage with their written response and roleplay appropriately; avoiding hesitation, but marking two routine tests for Limit!

Limit advances like a skill, but like Greed (BWG pg 123) routine tests always count towards advancement. (Any two of the three bars filled will advance Limit at exponent 5 and beyond).

Note: Since the Trigger and Response are written as an instinct, leaning into this with your roleplaying this can easily get you into trouble and earn you a fate point too.

Bonuses and Penalties
Solars gain +1D to their Steel test if the scene involves a romantic or close-family relationship, and +1D if the scene is in total privacy (e.g. completely alone, or with one or two trusted allies). They suffer a +1 Ob penalty if the scene involves a hateful relationship or enemy circle, and +1 Ob if the scene is in total publicity (e.g. a busy street, a court, or in front of the troops).

“No, don’t do it! Don’t let it get to you!”
If there are other characters in the scene who know the solar well and recognise when he’s about to be triggered, they may Help the solar's Steel test with an appropriate Stat to convince or restrain the solar from engaging his response. Getting involved like this ties them into the failure conditions of the Steel test though, which can be dangerous.

How Often?
The GM should work to intentionally introduce at least one triggering scenario into the game for each solar character, roughly once per adventure. Accidental, unforeseen, or PC-induced triggering will probably happen as well every now and then, just by virtue of playing the game. Players and GMs alike should always keep an ear out for potentially triggering scenes. If you realise after a scene that something should have triggered them then it is assumed that you passed your Steel test, so mark the appropriate test at the end of the session.

Changing the Instinct
The Limit instinct is a somewhat malleable thing, but unlike normal instincts it cannot be altered every session. The wording of a Limit instinct can be change slightly—so long as the theme remains the same—but it should only ever be fully re-written during a trait vote, or with the agreement of all the other players and the GM.

Limit and Artha
Limit represents your character’s ability to bottle up their emotions and agonies. It also represents a source of energy reserves that a solar can call on to selfishly get what they want. The artha goes into the Limit attribute. These are the temptations:

Persona: Tapped for Power
The reserves of your Limit may be drawn upon with a point of Persona. This adds your Limit exponent to any other ability test in the game as advantage dice. Doing this will always mark difficult or challenging test for Limit, whichever is needed.

Like ‘Fuel the Fires’ for Greed (BWG pg 123), this power can only be used if it is dramatically appropriate to the current scene and the solar's idiom. Usually only when the solar is wilfully engaging in their response without actually being triggered, or during a critical moment for a long-standing belief.

Fate: Into the Magic Bottle
Solars can opt to force a Tax test on their Limit, instead of Forte or Will to avoid anima flare. This costs a point of Fate and marks an appropriate test for Limit based on the Ob of the Tax test. (No dice are actually rolled, the power just gets bottled up as a test).

Note: This works on both Essence and Sorcery-related tax tests.

Losing Limit
Whenever you complete a belief that grants a Deeds point, if you resisted the temptation and never tapped your Limit for power (or if the GM otherwise deems it appropriate), you may drop your Limit exponent down by 1 instead of taking the Deeds point. The choice is yours.

The character can also work towards losing a marked test by using the practise cycle of Will (BWG pg 48). This involves a period of pilgrimage, meditation, calm thought, solitude and introspection. This cannot bring the Limit exponent down though, it can only delay increase.

Inner Turmoil
Once a solar’s Limit reaches exponent 7 and above, they begin to feel inner turmoil. This should be represented by new traits. The group may discuss an appropriate trait to add based on actions portrayed in the fiction so far (but don’t double-dip on the trait just being a reflection of the instinct).

If you can't think of anything—or if your Limit exponent is 7 or higher during character burning—roll 2d6 to obtain a random trait that reflects the Limit bubbling up in unforeseen ways: Note: * Decide what your character is afraid of, or which substance or behaviour they’re addicted to.

Limit Break (Exponent 10)
Once a character’s Limit exponent reaches 10 all of their bottled up trauma and hatred and insanity spills out uncontrollably and consumes their every thought. The player and the GM decide whether the character simply kills himself, retries and escapes into the wilderness to peacefully meditate and avoid all human contact for the rest of time, or uses all of their powers and strength to fulfill a desire that will never be sated. Whatever you choose, the solar character becomes forever unplayable at the end of the session (but their exalted shard remains bound to them until their body is slain).

Example Limit Instincts
Feel free to use one of these as is, modify one slightly for your character, mix-and-match the triggers and responses, or write a completely new one to suit the situation, character, or setting: Note: The instinct should be written such that it is a little looser and more generally applicable than a standard instinct. This is so that it’s open to discussion and interpretation among the players and the GM upon a failing the Steel test.