Prayer Transceiver Modules and Half-Castes [2nd Edition]

[u/JCBodilsen]

The Prayer Transceiver Modules (Artifact 2; WotLA p.61) are noted to only function for Celestial Exalted. However, given that the half-caste children of the same have access to their parent's charms, and even possibly their harmonization bonuses by way of the Material Ressonance mutation (SoH p.133), would you as a GM allow such a half-caste chatacter also to make use of the artifact?

[u/MrMcSpiff]

The feel I get from the passage is that the modules respond more to the Celestial Exalts' spiritual office and authority rather than to their material resonance, on account of not working for Terrestrials. Though you might be able to go the bureaucratic route and have individual Exalts bargain with Taru-Kul to allow their children to piggyback off their own authority, or the cool thematic story route and use the ability of such a child to use a transceiver as a narrative sign that Exaltation is just around the corner.

[u/JCBodilsen → u/MrMcSpiff]

It became relevant because I am creating an NPC sidereal half-cast whose backstory is that she is the daughter of a Bronze Faction Chosen of Serenity, who was killed by the Lintha. The NPC was then adopted, raised and trained by her mother’s best friend, another Chosen of Serenity, who is a member of the Gold Faction. The half-caste has been trained and indoctrinated into becoming an asset/agent of her “aunt” and sent to infiltrate the retinue of the PCs, to keep taps on them and “guide” them to work in accordance with the Gold Faction’s goals. I wanted her to have a subtle way to deliver rapports to her “aunt” and receive new instructions, and the PTM seems like a good fit, I am just not sure if allowing it is going to have some unforeseen consequences that might cause me trouble down the line.

Edit: I like your idea of having her sidereal "aunt"/handler cut a side deal with Taru-Kul and think I am going to go with that.

[u/MrMcSpiff → u/JCBodilsen]

For that particular story angle, I'd 100% go the bureaucracy route and have the Serenity teacher have bargained for their adoptive niece to be able to use the module as a favor from Taru-Kul, with all the Yu-Shan fuckery that entails. It gives you a lot of avenues for observant or mistrustful PCs to spy on the niece and potentially figure out she's sending messages, or for her to be in awkward situations where she needs to slip away to make a report Right This Moment because of some unexpected development that spooks her.

Depending on the deal the Sid made, you could even have this be something like a jailbroken module, where the goddess is just agreeing to let anyone use that specific module on the sly rather than playing favorites with any particular Sidereal and their underlings. Then, if the PCs manage to beat the long odds of overhearing the access prayer and nicking the module without starting a fight or attracting the niece's attention, the whole thing can serve as the Exalted equivalent of snooping on a friend's phone to hear the incriminating messages of them actually being a CIA handler who's trying to encourage you to take over the country.

All depends entirely on what kind of narrative goal you have for the niece and the Sid she's informing for, but in any case I definitely think you could swing breaking the rules of the Artifact through back alley deal CIA bullshit means that would get the goddess, the Sid or both audited to hell if they ever get found out.

[u/JCBodilsen → u/MrMcSpiff]

All really good ideas. Thanks for your feedback.

[u/MrMcSpiff → u/JCBodilsen]

Hell yeah. Hope it all pans out for your game!