Aethyrflames

Aethyrflame Features

These are additional abilities an Aethyrsoul can obtain by expending their Aethyrpoints when their Aethyrflame Intensity increases in level. Some features are instead granted automatically by an Aethyrsoul’s technique or source.

Unless otherwise noted, an Aethyrflame Feature can only be obtained once and only by Aethyrsouls with the required Technique, Source, and/or Affinity (where applicable). Several features also have a specific Aethyrflame Intensity level and/or another Aethyrflame Feature as a prerequisite.

Source exceptions: Aethyrsouls with the Suffusion source can obtain Bodily Improvement features, and those with the Dedication source can obtain Aura features, whatever their Technique. The features’ Source, Affinity, level and prerequisite requirements still apply.

How features are obtained

Every Aethyrflame Feature is obtained in one of four ways. The compendium page for each feature says which.

• Technique features are granted automatically when your Aethyrflame Intensity reaches the level your Technique lists them at in the Aethyrflame Technique Levels table. They can’t be bought with Aethyrpoints.
• Source features are granted automatically in the same way from your Source’s rows in the Aethyrflame Source Levels table. Your Source’s focus grants features too, and these can’t be bought either:
  • Dedication: your dedication’s tier I, II and III features (such as Dedication: Life I) come with Dedicated Purpose at level 1, Realized Purpose at level 10 and Exalted Purpose at level 19.
  • Possession: the boon you choose for Acquired Boon at level 1 (Acquired Boon - Artifact, Gift or Pact).
• Free picks come from technique and source features that let you choose a feature of a given kind without spending Aethyrpoints: a Fighting Style, Martial Maneuver, Metamagic or Antimagic option, a Bodily Improvement, or the features a boon names. Fighting styles, Bodily Improvement features and Combat Superiority can only be obtained with a free pick. Fighting styles come only from a technique’s Fighting Style advancements, which also grant the Fighting Style feature itself.
• Purchased features are every other feature. You buy them with Aethyrpoints once you meet their requirements.

Aethyrflame Ability

Some features will refer to your Aethyrflame Ability Modifier and Aethyrflame Spell Save DC. When your Aethyrflame is sparked (at level 1), you select from either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. The chosen ability is your Aethyrflame Ability and it determines your modifier. Your Aethyrflame Spell Save DC is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Aethyrflame Ability Modifier.

Aethyr Points

Aethyr Points are motes of magical power used to measure the strength of an Aethyrsoul’s Aethyrflame. Characters with ignited Aethyrflames receive Aethyr Points in the following ways.

• Encounter Aethyr Points: An encounter should provide at least one aethyr point per character when completed
  • ~3 Encounters per session
  • An encounter is a roughly 1 hour (IRL play time) challenge the party faces and overcomes (3 types: exploration, social, combat)
  • Additional Encounter Aethyr Points: Depending on difficulty of the challenge, the ingenuity shown in overcoming it, and the importance to the narrative, the DM may award additional Aethyr points to the party, up to a total of 3 aethyr points per character from overcoming a single challenge.
    • The DM may also choose to award additional Aethyr Points when overcoming a challenge takes additional time due to its scale. They should do so at a rate of about 1 Aethyr Point per additional hour of gameplay spent overcoming the challenge. These additional points should still not exceed a total of 3 Aethyr Points per character from a single encounter.
      • Taking additional time to review rules, discuss plans during the session, or complete downtime logisitics, while valuable, should not contribute to the length of an encounter when determining how many Aethyr points should be awarded
    • Thus the maximum Aethyr Points awarded from encounters in an exceptionally challenging, impactful session with 3 encounters would be 9, but the average amount of Aethyr Points gained from encounters would be more like 4.5 per character.
• Aspiration Aethyr Points
  • An individual character can gain additional Aethyr Points when they complete one of their Aspirations and gain a new one.
    • Aspirations: Upon character creation, the player selects 1-3 goals their character aims to complete that are particular to their Persona (Values, Axioms, Personality, Goals, Relationships, Challenges, and Background) and strengthens their actualization with their Aethyr Flame
    • When an aspiration is completed, the character receives 5 Aethyr Points.
    • A character can have a maximum of 3 Aspirations at a time.
    • When a character completes an aspiration, its aspiration slot becomes available for the character to commit to a new aspiration of their choice.
      • When a character selects a new aspiration, they gain 1 Aethyr Point after conducting a 1-hour ritual which imbues their commitment into their Aethyrflame.
      • A character can choose to switch an already-committed aspiration by conducting an hour-long ritual to commit to the new aspiration of their choice. Committing to this new aspiration does not award the character 1 Aethyr Point.
        • When an Aspiration is dropped from a character’s committed aspirations, it can still be completed, but doing so will not award the character any Aethyr Points
    • A character can only gain Aethyr Points from completing an Aspiration once every 5 days, meaning that a character will likely only obtain Aethyr Points from completed Aspirations once per session and most sessions they will receive none
      • Characters can share the same aspiration (such as ‘defeat the BBEG’, in which case, when completed all characters who completed the aspiration receive the full 5 Aethyr Points.
      • There should be roughly 1 aspiration completed per character every 5 sessions, for an averaged-out total of 1 Aethyr Point from Aspirations per session.

Examples of Aspirations

  - Party Objectives (Main Narrative Plot Points)
    - Defeat a major foe (nemesis / bbeg)
    - Liberate or protect a region
    - Uncover an obscured threat
    - Obtain a great source of power or destroy one
    - Secure a powerful ally
    - Complete a significant mission / contract / assignment / expedition / operation
  - Personal (Personal Story Plot Points)
    - Values
      - Improve in living by your self-identifies values
      - Inspire another to adopt one of your self-identified values
    - Goals
      - Find an answer to a significant mystery or quandry
      - Gain a heightened level of renown and influence
      - Personal Objectives (same list as the party objectives listed above)
    - Relationships
      - Reconnect with an important relation
      - Forge a closer relationship with someone important to you
      - Create a new connection and foster that relationship with someone new
    - Challenges
      - Overcome or make a breakthrough in overcoming a shortcoming caused by one of your challenges
      - Help another make a breakthrough in overcoming a shortcoming caused by one of their challenges

• Player-Given Boon Points
  • At the end of each session, each player can award another player an Aethyr Point for any reason of their choosing. The DM awards two Aethyr Points to two players’ characters.
  • Characters receive an average of 1.5 Aethyr points per session from Player Given Boons
• Average Aethyr Points per Session
  • Encounters: 3-9
  • Aspirations: 1 (~5 every 5 sessions)
  • Boons: 1-2
  • Total: 4-16 (Average 6)
• Shorthand Approximation: 1 Aethyr Point per ~1 hour of gameplay, plus extra from Boon Points and Aspiration Points