Arcana 101
Arcana are beings created for one purpose or another by means of magic. There are three types of arcana we can make(Golems, Simulacra, and Emanations). If the draft chapter is indicative, they are unlocked with the same charm as prodigies.
Common Qualities of Arcana(Exceptions can exist):
1. Arcana Come into existence able to perform their functions
2. Arcana possess a general understanding of the world.
3. Arcana do not possess specific knowledge outside of their intended functions.
4. Arcana are able to learn things
5. Arcana are loyal to their creator. As an intrinsic quality of being, Arcana will obey both the
letter and spirit (to the best of their understanding) of their creator's instructions. Moreover, they
generally wish to protect and promote the interests of their creator. This is not an invincible
quality, particularly in the case of older, more intelligent and strong-willed Arcana. It is difficult,
but possible, to fray an Arcana's loyalty through protracted abuse.
6. The Loyalty of an Arcana is transferable(They can be gifted, though the loyalty becomes less absolute with each owner it passes between)
7. Authority over an Arcana can be delegated(It will always weigh others requests against what it considers to be its owners interests)
Besides the Unique qualities, Arcana are built the same way for their dot rating, regardless of type.
Golems
Step 1: Design Phase
This is an extended roll involving intelligence+Occult, or in the case of tech based Golems/Simulacra, Intelligence+Technology. The Design is not reusable. The Difficulty is 9, each roll represents a week of work, the goal is (Arcana rating X 3) Successes
Step 2: Gather Resources
Purchasing materials suitable for a Golem necessitates a resources rating 1 dot over the Golem's rating. 5 Dot Golems are Resources 5, and additionally necessitate the sacrifice of a suitable 3 dot prodigy or item of equivalent power.
Step 3: Make the Golem
Making a Golem necessitates a workshop inside a Dragon Nest. This needs an extended Crafts or Technology roll depending on the approach(1 week intervals).
Step 4: Animation Ritual
The final step is a ritual to animate the golem. This takes 1 to 5 hours, is essence intensive, and ends in an intelligence+occult roll. This temporarily exhausts a Dragon Nest, except in the event of a botch with permanently exhausts it.
Unique Qualities of Golems: Golems can heal in a dragon nest, otherwise necessitating manual repair by us or someone qualified to do so(Harry Might count). 2 dots bonus Strength and Stamina, capable of taking those over 5. No Mental Attributes over 5 ever. No appearance higher than 3. Obviously inhuman and made of inanimate materials. Can soak Lethal but not aggravated damage.
Simulacra
Design Phase: As Golem
Resources: Highly Variable. Elegant Golem/Android type simulacra necessitate materials worth resources 3, resources 4 for a 3 dot simulacra and resources 5 for a 4 or 5 dot simulacra. Clones necessitate a resources 5 specialized lab or an apparatus level gadget to help the process, along with genetic material. Frankenstein type Simulacra are made of corpses
Making the Simulacra(Dragon nest workshop required): Extended Dexterity+Crafts(Animated Masterworks/Golems/etc, 1 week intervals), Intelligence+Technology(Androids, 1 month intervals), Intelligence+Science(Clones, 1 month intervals), (Dexterity or Intelligence)+Medicine for corpse people(1 Day intervals)
Animation Ritual: As Golem
Unique Qualities of Clones: Clone type simulacra are essentially normal people. Being clones doesn't grant them anything unique. They heal like normal people when damaged.
Unique Qualities of Corpse type Simulacra: Corpse type Simulacra experience significant social penalties(-2 to social rolls for interacting with ordinary people due to creeping people out, appearance capped at 5), have an additional bruised health level, and can soak lethal damage. They heal like normal people. Their loyalty is also weaker than that of other Arcana. Corpse type simulacra look like what they are at appearance 1. At appearance 2 they look like they needed extensive reconstructive surgery after an accident.
Unique qualities of Golem/Android type Simulacra: Can soak lethal damage. Can pass as human through various means, though this may fail in violent or extremely stressful situations. They heal like Golems.
Emanations
Design Phase: As Golem
Resources: Needs a keystone, which can be any small item of great emotional(Not necessarily to Molly) or financial value. 5 Dot Phantasms need a 2 dot prodigy as the keystone.
Making the Emanation(Dragon nest workshop required): Extended (Charisma or Intelligence)+Occult roll at 2 week intervals.
Animation Ritual: As Golem
Unique Qualities of Emanations: Can soak lethal damage. Are always otherworldly, disturbing, demonic looking beings that cannot pass as human. Emanations have a native home, I'm not sure where it is in this cosmology but I suspect it to be Between(Where Dresden's Ghost was). The Emanation can roam freely, interact with other residents of its native realm, and navigate without undue difficulty.
Emanations heal like mortals.
An emanation can manifest in the physical world within 10 yards of us, or 100 yards of its keystone.
Emanations die with their keystone. If they are slain otherwise, they spend 100 years reconstituting themselves within the keystone, accelerated by 10 years per point of essence we invest in the process.
The sentence is kind of ambiguous but I think we've got some kind of long range communication linked to the emanations name too?
If the phantasm's master the emanation's name, the Arcana hears her words wherever it may be.
Emanations spend 1 willpower to manifest for a scene without our summoning or teleport to us without our prompting. If we prompt them, they can teleport to us or their keystone and manifest without paying willpower.
Emanations can treat our hell as a keystone if we have created it.
