Essence

This section covers the biggest change to the base BWG rules. Also known as  “Breath”, or “Atma”, “Qi”, “Chakra”, or simply “Soul”, Essence is functionally equivalent to Faith from the base game, but with a few tweaks. Firstly, the power is gained via a different Trait: Before continuing, it is recommended that any GMs reading this go and also re-read the `Religion` chapter in the Burning Wheel Codex (pg 270), if they have it. And remember that like everything else in this game, Essence is subject to the the `Say “Yes”, or Roll`, `Let It Ride`, and `Test-Mongering` paradigms.

Additionally: A new reader will have to excuse the use of some unfamiliar terminology going forward. Just keep reading and it should all make sense, but please comment if it does not.

Working Miracles
The miracles of Essence work in largely the same way as Faith’s `Divine Interventions` (BWG pp 522-527), except that the power comes from within, not without, and the powers that you can use depend on your chosen `spheres` which are determined by your exalt type, caste, and other associations.

The exact powers that one can utilise are discussed in more detail in each individual section for the different exalt types, but the following rules are applicable to all Essence tests.

Names / Prayers
For Essence to be woven into a miracle—for the power to be channelled through the appropriate chakras and called into being—it must be set in place by a name. This is a mantra, a title, an axiom, a spiritual chant or prayer, or something similar that calls the Essence into shape.

This is arguably the most important but oft-overlooked part of using the Essence mechanics, like saying a prayer for Faith. It must be spoken or sung out-loud or physically woven with a dance or kata by the essence weilder

There is one exception: when the power uses its own subset of rules, like lunar shapeshifting, or dragon-blooded elemental bending. (These rules will always explicitly state that they don’t require names to be used). Powers without names cannot be woven into charms.

Spheres / Domains
These function like the domains of gods (BWC pg 271), and they are determined at character creation. Choosing them works like choosing traits, but from a set list determined by your caste trait. A character’s spheres inform the players and the GM about the limits of what a character can do with their Essence.

The names of most of the spheres are intentionally designed to be vague and interpretive; they often embody multiple things, and there’s usually some cross-over between similar spheres. It may be possible to strictly tie a few abilities to them, but generally their use is situational and context dependant, and open to GM and player discretion.

E.g. Melee, Strength, Survival, Fire, Resistance, Archery, Larceny, Throwing, Manipulation, Investigation, War, ...

As an exalt, you choose your spheres at character creation like taking skills from lifepaths (i.e. with points and a list); but the choices available are determined by you caste. New spheres cannot be learned. So choose wisely.

Non-exalted Essence Users
Not all essence wielders are exalts, but all exalts are essence wielders. Characters that have gained the Essence attribute through another lifepath—such as the religious lifepaths—will get one sphere of choice, for free, so long as it pertains to the doctrine of their religious setting or domain of their gods. This might also change the common miracles available to them (see below), but that has to be discussed on a case-by-case basis. They will have to buy any extra spheres with their rps or learn them in-game.

Boon — Ob 2
''See BWG pg 524. ''Open-ends an ability for the scene. A boon can also be employed to produce a narrative effect similar to `Spooky Stuff` for Spirit Binding (BWC pg 311). Sometimes, these can work in conjunction (again, so long as the spheres align).

Aid — Ob 4
See BWG pg 524. Adds +1D to a single upcoming test. Marginal successes may be spent to linearly increase the effectiveness or duration (i.e. to make it last multiple tests).

Note: The `Wait and Release` component of the Aid power may be used but you cannot have more than one Aid “stored” at any one time. Also note that area of effect cannot be altered with margin of success, Aid must always target yourself.

Minor Miracle — Ob 5
See BWG pg 525. This constitutes all game-breaking, rules-bending, and fiction-altering effects. Typically the effects of miracles only last for a single intent. Depending on the context they could have instantaneous or absolute effects instead.

For example, if a minor miracle was used to re-attach a freshly lost limb, then it will not fall off again at the end of the scene. If used to summon a weapon for a fight, then it will only hang around for the duration of that fight.

When appropriate, marginal successes can be used to exponentially increase the area of effect, to linearly increase the effectiveness, or to logarithmically increase the duration. Use of such successes here depends largely on the original intent though.

Note: This power can be used to cause indirect harm or hinderance, but it cannot simply deal damage. As seen in the example above, it can be used to manifest tools or objects of your desire. You can get quite creative with these kinds of miracles, but try not to get too bogged down in implementing strict mechanical effects—that is the domain of true spell-casting

Intercession — Ob 8
See BWG pg 525. This kind of miracle basically negates all damage or other failure consequences from a single source, excluding your own use of Essence. This power can be used instantaneously, but failure causes immediate hesitation for a number of actions equal to the margin of failure and makes you lose a challenging or difficult Essence test.

Major Miracle — Ob 10
See BWG pg 525. This is the big one. The stuff out of legend. Channel forth your patron god to manifest within your very being and enact a single task and intent. Regardless of success or failure, there will be consequences to such acts… Working out the mechanical effects of such intents is probably fruitless. They will usually cause dramatic changes in the local region, especially when they go wrong!

Witness Me!
An exalt can spend 5F, 3P, and 1D when they fail a Major Miracle to have it succeed anyway, but this will kill them instantly, martyring them in the process.

Consequences
A fairly unique property of Essence is that the exact success and failure consequences are not typically determined before the roll, this is because every Essence test can conclude in one of two ways: Tax or Anima Flare.

Tax
Often the simplest option is to suppress and internalise the expended energy, redirecting it through still-open channels and quelling the inner fires. This results in a Tax test as per the rules for Sorcery (BWG pg 504) except that there are two kinds of Tax: (Which kind of Tax test you make is ultimately determined by the GM, when it’s not obvious).
 * If the channeling you used was physical or spiritual then use a Forte-based Tax.
 * If the channeling you used was mental or social then use a Will-based Tax.

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Like the opposite of a Linked Test: If you failed the Essence test then you’ll gain +1D to your Tax test, but if you got success above the Ob then the Tax test will suffer +1 Ob. This is because using Essence twists at the fabric of reality, and Taxing retards the visible effects of that. Once the player knows their Tax Ob, they can choose whether to take the test or release the grip and flare their anima.

Anima Flare
The anima is a colourful and partially material manifestation of a character’s inner aura or halo. The description of one’s anima is thematically directed by exalt-type and caste and the sphere used, but ultimately determined by the player. Some players like their anima to always manifest in the same way, and so write it down or draw a picture. Others prefer their anima to be more free-form and make it up in the moment. Some are flashy aureola, others are subtle velificatios. Regardless of how cosmetic they are, they are always obvious to onlookers, revealing to them that you are a supernatural being.

If anima flare is chosen then it instantly ignites and will continue to burn until the end of the scene. The `zone of notice` is roughly equal to your Presence, unless line of sight can be drawn. A character who continues to use their Essence afterwards and who chooses to flare anima again within the same scene, increases this zone of notice by ten-fold each time. Everyone in the area will begin to feel all the ambient energy being drawn towards the epicentre.

Fear The Divine
If the user’s Essence rank is higher than a witness’s Will then they must make an active Steel test for Wonderment, if it is lower then they just mark a passive test at the end of the session. (Add +1-3 Ob for differences in Essence Shade). Like Aura traits these tests can only be invoked a maximum of once per scene.

Note: This is often a useful side-effect of Essence, but it can also draw unwanted attention. If no one is around to witness an anima flare, then something else should be given as the consequence of use. The GM can even start a `Clock` (to lift a term from PbtA) when Essence is used excessively, and advance it appropriately thereafter with additional use. This can lead to new situations and some ultimately quite drastic scenarios, if you’re imaginative enough.

Other Consequences
Additionally—regardless whether the Essence user chooses Tax or Anima—most Essence tests should have their own extra failure conditions. These are based on the original intent of the task. Often this can just be as simple as “You don’t get what you want, the magic fails you”, but sometimes it can be more interesting (and can keep the story flowing forwards) if you add a twist, introduce a new character, or reveal new information off the back of the failed test.

Advantage Dice
There may be other sources of bonus dice for Essence too, but these are the main ones:

Help
Enlightened characters may normally only help one another with Essence tests when their spheres of influence cross-over with the intent. In this case, the usual Help rules may be applied, except that if Tax is chosen then all Helpers must Tax independently, or if anima flare is chosen then all Helpers must flare their anima. (The leader of the Essence test chooses which).

After accruing 3D of help, you must use the `Join us in Prayer` rules instead (BWG pg 526), but with total Essence divided by 20, rather than Will.

Working Carefully
You may work Carefully when channeling Essence to get a +1D bonus, but remember that this allows the GM to introduce an additional time-based failure consequence, or to simply raise the stakes.

You may not work Carefully for a Tax test.

Essence cannot really be used Quickly, but marginal successes on miracles typically have their own use, and any leftovers can always be allocated to working Patiently for some extra flair.

Weaving Charms
“Charm” is the term we give to a miracle that has been woven and reproduced so many times that they have become commonplace. This works like `Weaving Magic into the Fibre of My Being` for Art Magic (BWC pg 289), except that you must successfully perform the miracle a number of times equal to 10 minus your Will exponent, and the miracle must of course have a name or title or mantra.

This is an extra bookkeeping step that not all players will be willing to track, but those who do will eventually gain a permanent +1D bonus whenever they attempt to perform the charm. It can therefore be useful to also write down a little description of what the miracle does and what it’s Ob is, alongside the Aptitude tracker.

Charm-like Traits
Additionally, there exist charms that impart a more permanent effect. These are created with the old Trait Burner from the Monster Burner (pg 68), except that they also require you to have an aligning sphere, and they may not shade-shift abilities. A list of examples is given in Catalogue III.

To learn charm-like traits in game, simply make an Essence test at an obstacle equal to the points cost. This test takes a number of hours per day for a number of months both also equal to the points cost. Failure generally just means that the time is wasted, and they must try again later, but it could mean that the trait gets an unintended effect or drawback instead.

Starting With Charms
Those who wish to begin play with a few charms pre-established may do so by first describing the effect to the GM and deciding with them what kind of miracle it resembles, and which sphere of influence it falls under, to set the obstacle. Then multiply that Ob by 2 and add 1 to get the resource points cost of the charm. They count as gear.

If you wish to start with a charm-like trait simply spent the appropriate amount of trait points.

Note: You cannot start with a charm with an Ob or Pts cost higher than your Essence exponent.

Cults
Cults have ratings from 1D to 3D, depending on their size and influence. A cult’s rating may be added to a single Essence test of the patron’s choosing, once per session.

A cult requires two things: An Affiliation with an organisation that worships you on a regular basis, and a Reputation within that organisation as its patron. Both must have the same rating (eg. a 2D Cult costs 50 rps in total). It functions like the usual rules for Affiliations and Repuations, except that the GM can invoke the `Creepy Clause` (BWC pg 261) as failure consequences when circling up members of your own cult.

Mechanically—from the patron’s point of view—cults just work: they are a daily source of extra power. But from the cultists point of view; they are collectively praying, making sacrifices, performing austerities, and so on, all in the name of generating those bonus dice for you. As such, cults must be maintained. Usually as part of a Resources maintenance test by adding the Cult's rating to the Ob, or by using your Essence to answer their prayers every once in awhile.

Finally, using any Essence powers on your own Believers works at −1 Ob.

Note: Private cults are illegal in the Scarlet Realm and in any other places where the immaculate faith is strong, so having a cult there can invoke the `Mortal Enemy Clause` (BWC pg 262). Most gods in the Realm can be assumed to have a 1D cult with the immaculate faith.

Miracles in a Conflict
Like Songs, Howls and Prayers (BWG pg 526), using Essence does not cost actions during a Fight (but they must still be bound by names). The only exception is when working Carefully, in which case it does cost an action—like casting a spell—but you get +1D to the test.

In Range and Cover a miracle may be woven by using up a free shot or by purchasing an action with a marginal success. If two actions are purchased instead, then add +1D.

In Duels of Wit the power must be scripted as an action, like a spell, but you can’t work carefully.

Note: To keep players honest in a Fight, Essence use must still be scripted, and it may only be used a maximum of once per exchange. It is recommended that you use some kind of card, token, or mark, to determine which volley the miracle will be used in.

The Deeds of Essence
An essence wielder may spent a Deeds point to add their Essence rank to a single test within the range of their spheres of influence. That is, the exponent and shade of the dice are added as open-ended artha dice, which do not affect the test difficulty. (This does not mark a test for Essence, but the Deeds point goes into Essence instead of the tested ability).

Stunts
The usual spending limits on Artha (BWG pg 67) are lifted for enlightened beings. That is, for example, you can spend a Fate for `Luck` to re-roll all 6s, then you can spend as much additional Fate as you like to re-roll any traitor dice; or you can blow all of your Persona at once! Just remember that dice that get re-rolled by Fate are not themselves open-ended.

Whenever you use enough Artha to go over the limits like this—for the most fulfilling storytelling experience—it is recommended that you describe your efforts in zealous detail and then see if the dice agree with you. At the table, we call these moments out as “stunts”. (The nature of your description must still fall in-line with the original intent and task though, and be purely narrative).

New Restrictions: First, each traitor in a test can be re-rolled at most once from each source: Fate, Call-ons, and Deeds (i.e. 3 times max). Secondly, any Artha expended above the normal testing limits (i.e. 1F, 3P, 2D) does not contribute towards an Epiphany. It’s just for showing off.

The Limit of Miracles
No magical force or power in the universe can grant someone true immortality, bend space or time, create perfection, or resurrect someone from the dead. Such effects are under the dominion of the other chief deities, whose roles in The War were neutral. Some powers can approximate those effects, but there is always a catch. Additionally, miracles cannot be used to create more miracles or grant new spheres. You can’t wish for more wishes!

Practical Magic (Exponent 5)
Once an essence user reaches an Essence exponent of 5 they may permanently open-end all abilities that are pertinent to their spheres. (This will probably require some discussion, so if it happens mid-session then leave it until the end of the session to sort out).

Why? Because once you’re at Essence 5, continually performing Boons gets boring and slows down pacing—especially since routine tests no longer matter at that level—it’s equivalent to just saying “Yes” all the time.

Transcendental Power (Exponent 10)
As an exalt grows in power, they will approach an Essence exponent of 10. At exponent 9 they gain the Aura of Martyrdom trait. And at exponent 10 their mortal soul becomes unstable, and the shard of supernal power within them is instilled with primordial energies. This causes the destruction of the character—as the exaltation leaves their body—but their enlightened soul passes on into the axis mundi where they can be at peace.

The empowered exaltation moves on, and it’s next host will begin with +1 Essence for free. This is represented as a special trait, such as Priest of the Ever-Rising Sun; or in the case of the terrestrial exalts, one of the character’s children will begin with the Pure-Blood trait upon exalting instead.

(If they get martyred before hitting exponent 10 then use the rules from that trait instead).

Note: Gods, spirits, and certain other supernal beings are not subject to this sort of restriction.