Are mortals just canon fodder in exalted? Everything seems to

>>47667277
Not all mortals.

Heroic mortals can kick some serious ass and if you get attached to some, they can become awesome. Especially if you train them to become Tiger Warriors, or use whatever that charm was in the War Charms section that lets you train forces to become incredibly elite.

>>47667277
Which edition?
Regardless they can match exalts simply by doing things the exalt cant. Like a dawn with 20 combat charms could beat any mortal in a fight sure but a mortal with performance 5 is still going to sing better than him.

>>47667404
In 3e I don't think mortals can get 5 dots in abilities or attributes I don't think...

>>47667404
A Dawn Caste with anything doesn't need to sing better, they make the mortal sing for them.

whats the best way to troll ebon dragon?

>>47667664
Have sex with his feitch soul

>>47667277
>how mortals survive alone
Not sure they do, really. Who in any setting survives alone? Even in DnD, you're limiting yourself to solo monsters, dragons and such.

The Exalted setting has a conceit in its backstory that human beings are perfect for generating prayer. We've got soft sensitive skin instead of shells so that we can feel pain strongly, we can use weapons rather than have claws so we can be helpless and want something that will make us stronger, we need food and water and rest every day, etc. All those desires and weaknesses, and we have the intelligence and the voices to be able to pray in a pretty way. That's why the Primordials in Exalted created mortals; to be weak and to constantly beg for help, so that the Primordials can eat the prayers and occasionally grant requests in order to encourage more prayers. Foolproof plan there, Primordials. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

So yes, mortals are pretty much just cannon fodder. There's the occasional hero or mortal mystic (3e lets mortals be sorcerers), but as a rule either you have a supernatural patron or you get stepped on by someone who does. No Ayn Rand self-made men for this setting, unless you count the Perfect of Paragon (who mostly just uses a magic item he found that someone with a supernatural patron made).

What are anons favourite backer charms?

>>47667664

This question got answered last thread.

>>47668366
by one person right before it locked. so thats two votes for "fuck him" one for "live life" and one for "genuinely befriend him and be blind to the backstabs"

>>47667429

Yes, they can. Retainers have 4-5 dots in the relevant abilities/attributes, and 2-dot retainers can be mortals.

>>47667818
>No Ayn Rand self-made men for this setting

Brem Marst founded the Guild, and was a vanilla mortal. He made deals with supernatural powers, of course, but he wasn't subordinate to them.

>>47668246
source on gif?

>>47667277
>I wonder how mortals survive alone.
By not being alone. Mortals everywhere organize into societies. That way they can help each other. Also, most of the time they get help from local gods or other patrons like their ancestors. And you have to remember that not every part of Creation is a shithole filled with suffering and Hungry Ghosts. Most of the time danger is just other mortals and rowdy low-Essence supernaturals that can be beaten by organized mortals.

>>47667277

Yes. The only thing mortals have going for them is the ability to Exalt.

>>47667277
>Everything seems to be stronger than mortals
Most are, but not by a huge margin. First circle demons, normal undead, terrestrial spirits, many species of elemental, all those are strong but not strong enough to just crush mortals no effort.

If I wanted to homebrew Lunars or Infernals (or other exalts), how should I build their charm trees and design the lower Essence charms? How can I tell if a charm is too strong or weak?

>>47669176
Thats a much bigger question than can reasonably be answered on an image forum.

>>47667277
Yes, strangely enough, mortals are incredibly weak in a game focused on demigods.

Why are you even asking?

>>47669176

Run it past a Lunar player. If they don't bitch about it, it's probably too strong.

>>47668406
The hell, why did the thread get locked?

I've been gone the last couple of days.

>>47669876

Not locked, it just fell off the board because it was past autosage.

>>47669876
natural causes

does infernal contagious torment affect ALL intimacies or only ones to specific people. for example if somebody with a cecelenian urge loves his country...

>>47670771

Go with whatever does less damage to the game from your ST's perspective, since it's a dumb mechanic to begin with.

>>47669176
Is adding 1 success on a withering attack roll too weak for a 1m Str 1 Ess 1 charm, or should it be Ess/2 or Str/2?

>As the Solar continues to play her most sorrowful tune, a prince might endlessly mourn his dead husband. With an aria that inspires hope, she might cause the prince to open his husband's private gardens to the city's children, in honor of an old wish.
Oh, cool, I forgot that hereditary monarchies practiced gay marriage.

Fuck off.

>>47671032
>what is polygamy
>what is the fact Creation regularly uses the word "prince" outside that context, and more often in its context as "princeps"

>>47671025
1 success for 1m at 1/1 is better than the Excellency, and roughly comparable to Excellent Strike (which rerolls 1s out, but also costs 2 more motes), so it's probably fair, but boring. I'd probably add a rider effect (like Excellent Strike has) that gives it a little more texture.

Str/2 or Ess/2 successes for 1m would be retardo strong.

>>47671137
See, the idea I had for Lunar charms was that you would get a lot of rider effects for motes, a lot like 2e Alchemicals. So you would have relatively few charms, but the charms would have very modular effects. You would also have a lot of charm interactions a la Relentless Lunar Fury.

>>47671137
>>what is polygamy
>>what is the fact Creation regularly uses the word "prince" outside that context, and more often in its context as "princeps"
If you were a pre-modern dude who had another man that you loved passionately and with open acceptance of your society, do you know what you called him?

It wasn't husband. It was lover, blood brother, erômenos or erastês, wakashū or nenja, maybe pullus, perhaps wife, or something else altogether.

>>47667277
Mortal prayer is delicious. People want to protect that smile so they can drain it for motes.

>>47671175
Crushing Strike
Str 1, Ess 1
1m
Supplemental;Instant
Gain 1 success on a withering attack roll.

Str 3: For 5m, you can ignore your(Strength/2) soak.

Str 4: For 5m, on a successful attack roll, you can choose to forgo half the initiative you would have gained to push your enemy back one range band.

Excellent Sight
Per 1, Ess 1
Simple; Instant
5m
Ignore Awareness penalties from fog, smoke, or other similar visual effects.

A repurchase at Ess 2 changes the duration to scenelong for a 1 wp cost.

At Ess 3, if you have performed an aim action on a target, this charm allows you to see the target through solids and liquids.

At Ess 5, ignore the previous condition.

>>47671175
>>47671252
Seems legit to me. Fits with an idea I myself had; the idea that Lunar Charms are "hungry," you can always pump more motes into them, as a representation of the "unleashed" side of things.

>>47671223
Good thing Creation isn't Earth, then, or we'd only have 999 things to call our buttlovers, instead of 1,000.

>>47671309
>Good thing Creation isn't Earth, then, or we'd only have 999 things to call our buttlovers, instead of 1,000.
It's superimposing modern ideas of marriage onto a backdrop where it isn't appropriate and intentionally ignores and undermines the supposed attempt to create genuine-seeming culture of the setting to win quick brownie points with liberals.

>>47671361
Ah, so nothing unusual for Overly "Progressive" Publications.

Into the trash it goes.

>>47667277
>Are mortals just canon fodder in exalted?

Most of them. I'd say a good 95% or higher.

>Everything seems to be stronger than mortals

Yup. Pretty much everything.

>I wonder how mortals survive alone.

They don't. Creation is a dangerous place. Rogue gods, terrible demons, crazed Exalts, the Fair Folk, ghosts, and all manner of other things stalk the land. Creation itself as only managed to survive because the Exalted protect it. Mortals can handle the small stuff, but if a new god on the block demands tribute, you either obey or you die. When the ancestor cults take hold, you better start worshiping the dead or you're going to join them. If a guy with a glowing mark on his forehead and the power to take out an army with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back calls himself your god-king, your best chance for survival is taking the winning side. Mortals in Creation survive by hoping they never meet anything bigger than them groveling at the feet of anything that is, hoping that they've got enough stuff to appease them.

Exaltation is agency. If you have it, you've got the power to hit back against everything trying to keep you down. If you don't, present your ass and hope whatever's kicking it feels merciful today.

>>47667277
It's why they have gods, spirits, and dragonblooded overlords.

Barring that, a large enough mortal battlegroup is scary.

>>47671361
>where it isn't appropriate
>in the made up world with made up values

Just admit you're triggered like a tumblrina and be done with it.

which level of oathbound flaw would "can't lie(still able to lie like a jedi("what I said was technically true from a certain pov") or state a falsehood through ignorance if they believed it was true)

>>47671505

Zero.

The former is just "I can't lie, but I can anyway, so whatever" and the latter is kind of inherent to any "can't lie" thing, since otherwise you could use your inability to lie as a way of finding out any fact.

>>47671309
yeah, that sound good to me(and I'm in favor of anything that distances a splat from simply behaving like a solar). posts the lunar stuff when you're done

>>47671505
you mean like "generic magic user's truth bound-ness that generally means less than people assume cause they're sneaky bastards"?

We didn't seem to discuss the backer charms for too long. Do they significantly change what you should shoot for in the tree or any of the Supernal starting packages?

>>47671568
>>47671530
Sounds like honor code 1-3 to me. Probably 1 because of the loophole even if it's being applied to a wide audience. Although oathbound 1 is practically nothing as far as life or gameplay impact, more like a personality quirk

>>47671588
Supernal Survival probably changes the most. I really wouldn't want to play that without the backer charms.

>>47671309
Something else I toyed with is shapeshifting being tied to charms. So for example you would have a speed charm, and it would let you shapeshift into big cats. Then a charm that lets you emit a terrifying roar, and that lets you turn into a lion. A charm that enhances stealth and balance, and that lets you turn into a cat. Etc.

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>>47667277
>Are mortals just canon fodder in exalted?
Sometimes.

>I wonder how mortals survive alone.
By not being alone.

More seriously? If they don't try to compete in a field where an exalt has charms, they're no better or worse off than the exalt is. The Dawn is probably worse at blacksmithing than a mortal smith, the Twilight probably can't fight as well as a mortal soldier, and so forth.

What's more, people, as a rule, are social animals. They don't survive alone, they form into nations, tribes, and cities. Sure, a lone mortal is probably fucked if an elemental decides to eat him, but an army of mortals can put such a beast down.

And finally, when it comes to dealing with magic shit, most mortals either avoid magic shit or try to leverage some kind of magic shit as protection. Most mortal cities and kingdoms form in areas that have relatively low levels of scary magical shit trying to kill them. Most mortal cities and kingdoms have some deal with local gods or Dragon-blooded or whatever to provide protection - that's literally the idea that the Realm and its satrapies is founded on. And in plenty of places, mortals have some unique magical feature offering them protection - like a magical road to the sea where no Creature of Darkness can walk and no violence can be enacted, for example.

Now, when all of that fails? When a mortal tries to face a supernatural being in their field of expertise? When a mortal tries to deal with a major threat without the assistance of society? When a mortal's put in a situation where they can't avoid magical bullshit, and don't have any patrons to protect them or magical resources to hide behind?

That's when mortals die.

Or when they exalt.

>>47672204
Also, how's this for a capstone?

Night Terror
Essence 5, Intelligence 5
Simple;Instant
Prereqs: Sapphire Circle Sorcery, Any 9 Int Charms
20 or 40m
Instantly cast a spell for 20 motes per circle. This charm can be used only once per scene, except in Calibration, where every subsequent usage costs an extra willpower.

Violation of the Non-Existence of the Black Moon, or Shadow of Abraxus
Ess 5, int 5
Permanent;-
Prereqs: Night Terror
Choose a single Solar Circle Sorcery spell. You can cast that spell as normal. You cannot choose Demon of the Third Circle, or any other summoning spell. That spell is not treated as your control spell.

>>47668618
>source on gif?
Kill la Kill, a very Exalted anime.

>>47672422

The Voice of One who Does Not Exist
Ess 5, Cha 5
Simple; Scene
Prereqs: ???
20m, 2 wp
The Lunar gains (Ess) non charm successes to all rolls against raksha, ghosts, or other creatures from the Wyld or Oblivion (excluding Neverborn/ Abyssals).
Those creatures fail all rolls to establish stealth or disengage from the Lunar, as well as any social influence roll to dissuade the Lunar from attacking them. The Lunar similarly cannot disengage from such creatures or perform any non-intimidation social influence. Remove willpower costs from charms and evocations (but not spells) used against those creatures.

>>47671483
I've got nothing against "made up values." I like the Delzahn's gender gimmick, I think it's interesting and very appropriate for the milieu of Exalted. What /isn't/ a made up value is superimposing modern ideas of marriage as a purely romantic, emotional, and individual affair onto "bronze age" cultures.

>>47672472

But that's not Kill la Kill. That's not Kill la Kill at all!

I've been playing with the idea of a Performance charm that lets you speed up an extended action's interval rate with a musical montage/cinematic musical number. Like Craftsman Needs No Tools, but with singing and dancing, and also applying to shit like research, calligraphy, or medical treatments. It would definitely have a Willpower cost, and it would also need to be re-used after every roll if you want the next interval to be similarly accelerated.

What Essence do you think I should make it?

>>47672597

Essence 3 Fair Folk Charm that only works in the Wyld.

>>47672581
No? Is that not short-hair-slut with red-half-scissors-daiklave exploding someone?

>>47672637
That's just strictly worse than Wyld-Shaping, in that scenario.

>>47671916

Why not? The backer charms don't give that much. The battle-group charm is cool, but the key to Survival is still Deadly Predator Method.

>>47669176
There is pretty much complete charm set posted in the OPP forums. Seems like people have played with those charms and have mostly posted positive about them.

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>>47672646

Will The Maiden of Endings still be secretly thirsty for the Unconquered Sun's dick?

>>47672699
I've seen them but I don't like them. I think they're too boring. I also don't agree with a lot of what he thinks the Lunars should or should not be able to do. Seriously, there's an army training charm there.

I guess my problem with it is that there's too much of a "Silver Solar" theme with it.

>>47672723
She's only secretly thirsty for the climax and afterglow. She prefers it right at the end.

>>47669176

I'm also working on Infernals again, but I don't know how long that'll take to complete.

Hoping by the end of the month, unless the town I'm living in now also fucking burns down.

>>47672723
I suspect they're going to really dial back how much they explain what the Incarnae are doing up in the great Floor Hockey game in the sky.

>>47668618
I think it's Kyoukai no Kanata. I could be wrong.

>>47672816

Don't spoonfeed. Although now that you put it out I find this strangely appropriate to >>47672597

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cejZBXxuZI

>>47672729
Yeah, well the charms are atleast something to start from. If you don't like the work someone did by themselves, then change it or make your own.

Seems like you know what you want from Lunars, do you mind writing a bit more about in what ways and themes they should be different from those charms?

>>47672872
He can spoon feed who he wants cunt.

2e mutation: is manic only for during the full moon? or all the time and only strongest on full moon?

>>47672872
>Don't spoonfeed.
If I don't get spoonfed, I literally won't be able to eat, in this case. I don't have the resources or knowhow to figure out what any given anime is on my own, so if someone doesn't give me a source, I'm just fucked.

>>47672204
Taking away heartsblood hunts? I'd rather leave shapeshifting to those. Sticking it on charms make it generic. I liked the other stuff you mentioned though.

>>47672661

yeah. that isn't good. does feel like a fiarfolk charm in general though

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>>47672952

Really its OK. You are saving yourself from another Kyoani anime. One day young one you will be able to figure out shows based off of their company if you care enough.

Its actually a good show

>>47672204
>>47672962
Yeah, Heartsblood hunts are a cool concept and tying different animals to specific charms would be pretty dumb and overtly restrictive.

If you want to go that way, maybe instead have that the speed charm is more effective if you turn into an animal that is known for its speed part of the activation? Roar charm is better if you turn into something that can roar powerfully, like a gorilla or lion.

>>47672979
>fiarfolk charm
>Craftsman Needs No Tools, but with singing and dancing
Disagree.

>>47672597
Definitely Essence 3+, though. Essence 4+ if it can apply to Training effects like Tiger Warrior Training Technique. Essence 5+ if it can apply to Workings or summoning.

And you'd want to fluff it as equal parts morale bonus - letting people get lots of work done immediately by not hesitating at all - and your voice nudging shit to just work out correctly, with shit falling into place correctly, unmeasured cuts turning out to be the right length, and so forth. The trick is making it something in-theme for Performance, rather than something as reality-warping as a true, proper montage.

So as someone who has never played the other editions, are the corebooks normally supposed to be psudo propaganda pieces for each Exalt type they cover? Because holy hell does this book really want you to think the Realm is literally Hitler and that every single Solar is nicer than Jesus.

>>47673172
>are the corebooks normally supposed to be psudo propaganda pieces for each Exalt type they cover?
Yes. The corebooks are supposed to be written from a viewpoint that makes the splat in question seem like The Heroes.

>>47673172

Sort of? The Realm is nearly Hitler though. Its suppose to be. As Dragonblooded you can hope to control and reform it. Unless you want to Goebbels it up. If so you can.

>>47673172
There are no good guys in Exalted

The Solars ruled, and their rule led their lieutenants to decide that genociding them and locking their powers away was the only way yo save the world.

The Dragonbloods rule, and their rule has led to not one, not two,but three potentially world-ending apocalypses.

It reads like Solar propaganda because it's a book about playing Solars. So yes, in a way

>>47673203

>The Dragonbloods rule, and their rule has led to not one, not two,but three potentially world-ending apocalypses.

Technically the Solars led to two potentially world ending apocalypses. It would not matter who rebelled as those were done by the Deathlords.

Not sure what the third one is I am missing. Great Contagion and Balorian Crusade are the only two that come to mind.

>>47671032
>>47671223
I'm pretty sure that the "prince" in question is assumed to be a female sovereign.

...Wait, fuck, it says "his." That's really stupid, then.

Maybe it works if you assume the prince was some degenerate like Elagabalus who wanted to be a woman.

>>47671032
Nigger it offhandedly mentions that in one place. You could get upset if it shoves this down your throat like other rpgs but that is literally as inoffensive as it gets.

>>47672723
Not his dick so much as the end of his virginity.

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>>47673257
>the Maiden of Endings is super into deflowering
>and castration

>>47673172
>that every single Solar is nicer than Jesus.

were you not paying attention when they described the solars going apeshit during the first age?

>>47671032

i hope the sjws put it in your butt and you cry

>>47673279
The rest of the book keeps wanting to imply though it was really because of Sidreals being Sids and that they were wrong to not jsut convinced them to stop

I know Dragon-Blooded are up next, but do we know the order they want to release the other Exalts in?

Like are we going to get books about the Celestials and Abyssals before we get into the lesser known ones like Alchemicals, Infernals?

Or they gonna shove in the new ones first like the Getimian, Exigents and

>Liminals

>>47673342
Exigents are third, then probably Lunars.

After that we're shooting into the dark, but Siddies & Getmians will likely be back-to-back, Abyssals & Liminals the same.

>>47673361
So in like 30 years I can get my Alchemical Exalts then.

>>47673021
its the narrative trope of the montage. gotta look at the fluffy bits too

>>47673373
>So in like 30 years I can get my Alchemical Exalts then.
Alchemicals will be last, if ever, just like in every edition.

Because they literally don't inhabit the same setting. They're irrelevant to Creation, and vice versa, and any crossover play is non-canon, so they're going to be the final splat released.

If you want Alchemicals, either get to homebrewing, or make a character that has an Artifact 5 God-Body and then get to homebrewing anyway, but this time Alchemical Evocations.

>>47673342

We don't know. Last I saw was Arms->Realm<->DBs->Towers of the Mighty->Paths of Brigid->The Exigents->Different Skies. Anything after that is up in the air as they never said anything after Different Skies and stopped putting dates on things. (Different Skies was labeled Summer 2016 kek)

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>>47673373
>30 years
>that soon

>>47673342
Exigents is right after DB's with the intent bring that book can be used to homebrew just about anything. After that it'll probably follow something like the release schedule of old editions but with the new guys thrown in at points. Also I forget where but I remember reading that not every new splat is getting their own book.

>>47673373
possibly longer. just play 2e, its got everything :D

>>47673412
>Also I forget where but I remember reading that not every new splat is getting their own book.
There have been implications that Getimians and Liminals will be softcovers, rather than full, proper books.

>>47673428
Getimians I'd beleive but I'm pretty sure liminals will get their own if only because they had their own two page spread in the core

>>47673405
>>47673426
>>47673403
New to Exalted, but is there a reason why book releases are taking so long?

Its just the Core book is out right?

Was it like this for the earlier editions?

>>47673457
Shame since Getimians seem much more interesting to me than Promeathean-Blooded Exalts.

>>47673467

They have two part time fuckwits in charge with little to no supervision. That is why it is taking so long.

And no. 2e has a book out every couple of months due to having a dozen parttime fuck wits with hard deadlines, no coordination, and no supervision.

>>47673467
Been less then two months since the core hit and the devs have said they could potentially have fully playable DB's by gen con.
The core took a long ass time because they decided they wanted to re do all the systems half way through, and needed to test all those systems. Neither of those are even options at this point so future books will probably be alot quicker. Still probably slower than 2e through, but 2e had like zero actual oversight or communication and suffered big time for it.

>>47673457
That's why it's still just implications.

>>47673467
The core book was officially released just a few months ago. It took several years to produce for several reasons - the first draft was scrapped and they started from the ground up halfway through, there was a severe health scare that left the devs not working for half a year, and on top of that the book was in layout for literally more than six months because there are some slow-ass motherfuckers involved in this.

This is not normal.

Also, other editions worked completely differently from this one. In past editions, they'd used freelancers to turn out questionable-tier shit constantly. In this edition, they're keeping the core dev team throughout in the supposed hopes that they keep consistent quality and tone as a result.

Whether they continue to be breathtakingly slow is yet to be seen, but most people expect them to be slow as all hell based on how long it took them to release the Core book.

The fact that they apparently just scrapped their first draft of the Dragon-blooded book - exactly like they did with Core - certainly goes to suggest that they're going down the same path with this one.

Are there any non-combat non-feat of strength non-jumping effects suitable for a strength charm?

>>47673546
Strong-Cock Meditation

>>47673546
Intimidation. Being huge as fuck, having a crushing handshake, whatever.

Long-range communication. Stomp on the ground so hard that people ten miles away can feel the morse code.

Bare-handed wood chopping or stone chiseling.

>>47673582
Craft charms sound good, yes. But Intimidation is charisma/manipulation/appearance. Long range communication is definitely not strength. Stomping on the ground that hard would destroy everything around you.

But still, lots of architectural craft charms (making a cave, etc.) and other craft-related activities. What else?

>>47673609
>But Intimidation is charisma/manipulation/appearance.
Why can't it be both? There are Performance/Presence charms that can apply to combat. Why not a Strength charm that gives you a bonus to intimidation?

>>47673529
>The fact that they apparently just scrapped their first draft of the Dragon-blooded book - exactly like they did with Core - certainly goes to suggest that they're going down the same path with this one.

Sauce?

>>47672524
>What /isn't/ a made up value is superimposing modern ideas of marriage as a purely romantic, emotional, and individual affair onto "bronze age" cultures.

No, you're assuming that "marriage" in Exalted means the people involves individual love, and isn't usually part of some scheme/surival tactic/political maneuver/power play/tradition people have long forgotten the true meaning of.

Which, given how stuff usually works in Exalted, is more likely to be the latter than the former.

That partners may happen to be something other than a male/female pairing and end up caring for one another on some level is incidental. There's weirder shit going on.

Then again, you do also have some Exalted and spirits who are basically powerful enough to do whatever the fuck they want because there's nobody high enough in rank around who really cares to address any one of their particular idiosyncrasies.

>>47673625
Because a strength charm is not a muscle charm. Static Bonuses belong to Appearance and are highly conditional.

Ability to intimidate people does not derive from strength. A charisma charm might have "Auto intimidation attempt upon crashing/killing non0trivial enemy" but it doesn't fit the domain of strength.

Heck, I'd say teleportation by moving so quickly you rip through space-time fits strength more than intimidation.

>>47673668
I strongly disagree with you. I think that a Strength charm expressing the raw, physical danger of your sheer, physical might as a Tiger's Dread Symmetry style bonus to Intimidation makes perfect sense. Strong, dangerous things are scary in a way that doesn't necessarily relate to Appearance or Charisma in any way.

Don't ask for feedback if you don't want to get it, though, homie.

>>47673721
I want feedback, I just don't agree with this particular piece of it. Expressing the raw, physical danger of your might is Charisma if it's instant and Appearance if it's scenelong. If you are scared of someone because of his physical appearance or what you saw him do, its enhanced by Charisma or Appearance.

What other strength charms could I make?

>>47673780
>What other strength charms could I make?
Your guess is better than mine. I clearly don't agree with your design philosophy.

>>47667277
>Are mortals cannon fodder in a setting where damn near everyone is at least a demigod?

>>47673399

>If you want Alchemicals, either get to homebrewing

Done

http://www.mediafire.com/download/8xz9yao6pym5h3p/Alchemical3eHomebrewVersion1.4.pdf

>>47671032
They do in Exalted. They probably have some cute peach orchard festival where the groom and the groom write poems on a tree and then a baby grows out of or something.

Or maybe they just keep a royal neomah around, for heirs born not only of same-sex couples but free of sickness and possibly with some behemoth bits thrown in.

Or maybe it's that's little country in the Dreaming Sea with the weird ten-person super children, and they're like the nobles in Twig, barely-human abominations of science that've been so completely mentally and physically fucked by their own biopunk brain-and-body augmentations they're incapable of anything approaching a normal human relationship anyway, and things like anatomy are effectively irrelevant to them.

There's a lot of ways you can make it work. And you pretty much gotta pick one: like one out of three people is gay in Exalted, and another third are bisexual. You may not like it, but the last time someone tried to be reasonable to the developers Holden splooged out a whole spiel about how Christina Hoff Sommers (of all people) is a rape apologist, just like the poor fool trying to talk to him, and then basically told HIS OWN MODERATOR to go fuck herself when integrity compelled her to red-text him for blatant personal attacks. You know? And that was over someone suggesting that the fact that girls don't play Exalted might NOT represent some deeply-embedded misogynistic culture poison in the OPP community. Chew that over. The fucking OPP community.

Good luck with historical realism that gets in the way of gay representation in Exalted (not that there's anything wrong with that etc etc, but they do like their hereditary kingdoms).

is there any way to add merits once the game started? in 2 or 3 e

Where the hell is the usual post? I was hoping to find the backer charms? Usually someone would at least add the infodump thing.

>>47674504
There are 3 types of Merits: Story, Purchased, and Innate.

All 3 can be bought with Merit dots/Bonusu Points at character creation however after Story Merits can only be gained by the Story, you get an Artifact or Resources as the game happens not because you sink XP into it.

Purchased Merits meanwhile can be bought with XP once the game begins, most of them are some sort of training you do to improve yourself.

Innate are weird in that they can only be gained at character creation and cannot be bought with XP somewhat like Story Merits except through magical means such as exposure to the Wyld and sorcery. I personally have it set where if you gain it through sorcery you still have the pay the equivalent XP cost because as a Terrestrial Ambition 2 working it is way to easy and cheap to gain rather powerful mutations.

>>47674549
>What is Exalted?
An epic high-flying role-playing game about reborn god-heroes in a world that turned on them.
Start here: http://theonyxpath.com/category/worlds/exalted/

>That sounds cool, how can I get into it?
Read the 3e core book (link below). For the basics of combat, read this tutorial. It'll get you familiar with most of the mechanics.
https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?769761-Exalted-3E-Combat-301.

>Gosh that was fun. There were a lot of lesbians though. How do I find a group?
Roll20 and the Game Finder General here on /tg/. With the new edition, though, chances are more games will crop up.

Resources for Third Edition:

>Final 3E Core Release
https://mega.nz/#!ctgxyJaC!ygkrLnFsrnBJzIUZY-dJsMfyFrhFQgDsQuuo52fcW0I
http://www.mediafire.com/download/q51qw8skdw1rg15/Exalted_3e_Core.pdf

>Frequently updated Character Sheet with Formulas and Autofill https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pfjmZKzcUqAX9mB58IAEUIFkZr8rq4CvdRRM4kzwwgU/edit?usp=sharing
>General Homebrew dumping folder: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByD2BL6J89NiQzdCWWFaY0c5Mkk&usp=sharing
>Collection of old 3e Materials, including comics and fiction anthologies https://www.mediafire.com/folder/t2arqtqtyyt28/Exalted_3Leak
>Charm Trees:
>Solar Charms: https://imgur.com/a/q6Vbc
>Martial Arts: https://imgur.com/a/mnQDe
>Evocations: https://imgur.com/a/TYKE4

Resources for Previous Editions:
>http://pastebin.com/raw/EL3RTeB1


Backer Charm Book:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/x7i7p5c4rm7kacq/Backer_Charms_Plain_Text.pdf
Post the original version if you have it.

>>47672681
>Why not? The backer charms don't give that much. The battle-group charm is cool, but the key to Survival is still Deadly Predator Method.
You forget the ability to turn a kitten into a tiger and the e5 charm that lets you activate everything remotely for free.

>>47674588
Thanks, I don't have it sitting around no, but the backer charm was my reason for swinging by. You're a good man anon.

>>47674662
Turning a kitten into a tiger is suboptimal compared to just starting with a tiger, and the mote discounts are nice, but not exactly game-changing.

Survival post-backer charms is pretty much the same as Survival pre-backer charms, just a little less expensive, and with one less buff.

>>47667277
>I wonder how mortals survive alone.

1) Don't go into the dark woods

2) Always travel in groups

3) Meditate to unlock your essence

4) Hire a sword-sage or a witch

>>47676330
>3) Meditate to unlock your essence
Nice joke m8

>>47667818
>No Ayn Rand self-made men for this setting,

This is partially because those with the potential for true greatness tend to exalt

So out of curiosity how do you punish players in Exalted without killing them for trying to do something not impossible, but over estimating their capabilities to a degree?

For example, imagine five solars Exalted tried to go take out an army mortals and five new born dragonbloods with a few experienced ones in a fortified position. Is that an a challenge worthy for solars or should I be worried about things going bad? On the up side for the solars, collateral damage is likely not a concern.

>>47676353
Considering there are only >1000 merit based Exaltations and the size of Creation, not most of them.
But your point is valid.

>>47676373
I meant <1000

>>47676371
>For example, imagine five solars Exalted tried to go take out an army mortals and five new born dragonbloods with a few experienced ones in a fortified position. Is that an a challenge worthy for solars or should I be worried about things going bad? On the up side for the solars, collateral damage is likely not a concern.
Always let them try. If they fail, remind them that they can try to escape and/or hide.
They can be captured (and sent to that one place where the Realm experiments on and tortures Anathema), some rebel/spy can release them to cause chaos, etc.

But don't be afraid to have the more foolish ones die.

>>47671032
That is just so funny.

There is an author, somewhere, somehow, who thought perfectly rational for a prince to have a husband in a hereditary monarchy, like it's the most casual thing ever. What did he drink that day? We will never know.

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>>47672952
Don't bother, Kyoukai no Kanata is the most beautiful piece of shit ever made by Kyoani. Beautiful visual, incredible animation, moronic plot, characters so bland you want to kill yourself and a moeblob so cancerous /a/ hated her on sight. When a character goes way beyond /a/'s moe tolerance, you know it's time to pray.

How do make a alternative setting with a lunar realm (instead of a Dragon Blooded realm)?

>>47676632
City state alliance, Lunar rulers with Dragonblood vassals.

>>47676353
>tend
No, they tend to die. It's only the rare few who get to exalt, because of how rare it is.

So, if one happens to *be* a Battle Group (Faster Than Self), does one qualify for reflexively activating White Reaper Stance, which requires being in the midst of a battle group?

>>47677003
I'd rule no. But you could if you were engaged with another one.

>>47677003
The way I read White Reaper Form implies to me that you're supposed to be within an enemy battle group, not standing among allies. So I'd say no.

If you read it as standing among an ally's army as being okay for the activation, then yes.

>>47673172
>every single Solar is nicer than Jesus
This is really, really not the impression I got from the core, though admittedly that may be due to reading it with certain preconceptions.

>>47676941
Or just become remarkable mortals. I mean, most rulers, most generals, most crime lords, almost all Guild factors and merchant princes are mortals. A lot of these are highly capable people with considerable regional influence and plenty of impressive achievements under their belt. They're just not Exalted, that's all. Mortals in Creation aren't any less impressive than mortals in, say, real life Earth, it's just that there are more impressive entities around.

>>47676371
>So out of curiosity how do you punish players in Exalted without killing them for trying to do something not impossible, but over estimating their capabilities to a degree?

I kill them.

It sucks now, but it means that every campaign where they DON'T die, they know that they made it through not by my mercy but by their own perseverance.

>>47677089
>Mortals in Creation aren't any less impressive than mortals in, say, real life Earth, it's just that there are more impressive entities around.
They're actually significantly more impressive than mortals in Earth. Remember, the Difficulty table is shit that mortals are capable of with enough skill or a lucky roll. For example:

>Removing someone's appendix in the dead of night, without sufficient light, in a howling storm is Difficulty 2.
>Breaking a man-eating horse born in the Wyld so that it accepts you as its rider is Difficulty 3.

And Difficulty 5? That's:
>Examples might include reading a letter in pitch blackness by feeling the texture of ink on the paper, leaping over the rail of a sorcerer’s flying chariot to land safely in a hay cart hundreds of feet below, or running for three consecutive days and nights without succumbing to exhaustion.

You don't even need charms to be rad as shit in Exalted. Just successes.

>>47676371
>So out of curiosity how do you punish players in Exalted without killing them for trying to do something not impossible, but over estimating their capabilities to a degree?

Ancillary damage? Degradation of influence, reputation, followers or contacts abandoning them? In my game, one Solar who was careless about flashing his anima and concealing his identity while deliberately antagonizing Realm forces had his family killed while he was away.

>For example, imagine five solars Exalted tried to go take out an army mortals and five new born dragonbloods with a few experienced ones in a fortified position. Is that an a challenge worthy for solars or should I be worried about things going bad? On the up side for the solars, collateral damage is likely not a concern.

It really depends on how experienced the Solars are. Five young dragonbloods and a mortal army should be able to be taken by five Solars, if they have some sort of martial focus - even if its not their supernal. It's the experienced ones that could turn the battle.

If I was setting up that situation, and I thought it was appropriate for the Solars to win, I'd try to build in opportunities for the Solars to escape, in case I'd mis-estimated the likely outcome.

Incidentally, I'd also give any Solar with a War score a chance to roll - both before and during the battle - to determine their chances at winning. If I was to "punish" them, it'd only be for knowingly biting off more than they could chew. If they went in at good odds, and the dice went against them, I'd try to give them an out. I wouldn't fudge the dice or anything, but they should have an opportunity for strategic withdrawal. Honestly, any capable battle-planner should factor those sort of things into a plan, so I'd fluff them as things the Solar general had engineered to begin with.

>>47676632
A Lunar realm does not make sense. Why should the Lunar rebel against the solar?

>>47677158
In the old days of 1e, when Exalted was supposed to be the prehistory of oWoD, I remember reading a tidbit of lore that said whatever caused the fall of the Exalted world for oWoD also made things harder to do, as a general rule.

So mortals in Creation would succeed at tasks that should have been impossible for oWoD mortals, because things were generally easier to do at this time. Whatever happened broke the world so hard the concept of succeeding became harder.

It ties nicely with the concept of Age of Heroes/Gods as it is expressed in countless mythologies and even Tolkien's legendarium.

>>47677158

That is impressive, yes. Although if everything you generally do is compared to supernatural creatures who can stronger, faster, and better at doing everything you do...it seems kinda pointless. I wonder if those difficulties are more due to a limitation to the system.

>>47677367
Is it pointless to be a pretty good scientist in a world were true geniuses exit? Is it pointless to be a doctor who saves lives if better doctors exist, somewhere? Is getting a mere bachelor's degree pointless when doctor's degrees are a thing?

>>47677398

More like, unless the heroic mortals can show that they are badass in a way that can not be ignored it does seem pointless. Like how many people have played an Exalted game where a heroic mortal has accomplished something that the other Exalted or supernatural allies could not do better? Numbers? That's all they got and even if you have one hundred mortal tiger warriors there is no reason other than moral reasons that an Exalted sorcerer can not go to an army of 100 elementals or demons with tiger warrior training as well.

>>47677458
None of that answers the question of whether and why it is pointless to do things if someone can do them better.

>>47677458
Mate, exalts are fucking mega-rare.

An exalt will do better than a mortal in their specialty, yes, and that's going to eclipse even the most badasss of mortals.

But most parts of creation don't have an exalt within 100 miles at any given time, and those who do tend to have Dragon-blooded.

And even if that wasn't the case? Sure, the exalted swordsman is going to be better than his former peers. But do you know what's better than a lone exalted swordsman? That same swordsman, but those time with three heroic mortals backing him up.

This isn't some case where either mortals have to be able to stand on the top of the stack or else they're lame. Exalts are rate, and mortals cam be rad bastards regardless.

>>47677534
Yeah, there's like, what, ten thousand mortals for every Dragon-Blooded? Twenty thousand? Solars, Abyssals and Infernals combined are less than one for every million mortals, I'm pretty sure. Most things that happen in Creation happen between mortals, and even when somethin 'Exalted-tier', so to speak, happens, it's far from guaranteed that any Exalts are around to deal with it.

>>47677612
Half of Creation's Dragon-blooded are on the Blessed Isle. Half of the remainder are in Lookshy. Most of what's left are in the Near Threshold, especially Realm satrapies.

So that Dragon-blooded number only tells half the story. There's nowhere close to an even distribution.

>>47667664
Live a nice, fulfilling life. Die wothout regrets. Leave a wondrous legacy that will last forever.

>>47677519
I'm not sure what you want me to say to this. Of course mortals should do stuff even if there is someone better out there. Heroic mortals can be relevant, but making them stand out narrative being a badass or notable to Exalted doesn't happen that often? I mean, how would you have a player heroic mortal stand out in a circle of solars?

>>47677534
I'm not talking about just Exalted you know. I'm talking about any supernatural creature. Exalted, Spirits, Godbloods, Fair Folk, etc. Only ones they meet on even-ish grounds are wyld mutants and the like.

>>47677686
>I mean, how would you have a player heroic mortal stand out in a circle of solars?

Become the waifu?

>>47677686
Just because it doesn't happen on the same scale as the exalted doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. In Exalted, a skilled single mortal man can, without any charms:
>fight a small army to a standstill
>dive hundreds of meters into a bale of hay and walk away uninjured
>summon am army of elementals to do his bidding
>make deals and contacts with gods and other spirits

And so forth. Is he going to fit in well in a party of people who can shoot lasers out of their swords, leap over a mountain, turn an elemental into Godzilla, or kill a god with a backhand? No.

But is he still a remarkable hero in his own right? Fucking obviously. Especially because that Circle of Solars are beyond rare.

And he's not going to get compared to spirits either. Fair Folk are rare and avoided whenever possible. Elementals are mostly animal-like dangers of the wilderness. Gods are fucking gods - where they're interacted with, they mostly just want a bribe. And ghosts? That's what exorcists are for.

99% of mortals in Exalted interact almost exclusively with mortal societies. That's where human stories are set. Even most exalts tend to gravitate towards cities and nations of mortals.

Getting compared to gods and fairies just isn't a thing. You're judged against other human beings, and heroic people come out looking line heroes.

>>47677686
> I mean, how would you have a player heroic mortal stand out in a circle of solars?

You don't.

Exalted is a postmodern deconstruction of D&D and power leveling in RPGs in general. The difference between epic characters and non-epic character is not only meta-acknowledged, but acknowledged as a driving force in the setting. In D&D, you would never put a 1st level character in an epic party. It wouldn't happen, because it would not be proper. Exalted recognizes this difference, but gives an explanation.

>>47678163
>postmodern deconstruction

?

>>47678175
>?
Some nerd decided to pull apart the genre conventions, look at what makes them tick, and reassemble them in a way that addresses them instead of taking them for granted.

>>47677838

Lets agree to disagree here. I'm going to chalk this up to different experience in play. Yes, a heroic mortal can do those things. Although that small army part depends on what edition. If the game stayed strictly mortal in problems, yes. A heroic mortal can be a phenomenal tool.

In my experience rarely does a game stay on the mortal level long enough for the heroic mortals to show they are capable of doing such feats as you've listed and it matter to the narrative in a significant way.

Against a circle of solars, which is the usual amount I see in the standard Exalted mortal issues doesn't last long.

>>47678163
That is my point more or less. A heroic mortal can stand out if he has room for it, but often he likely will not. I mean if you guys have some stories where a heroic mortal stands out as a legitment badass without being parry 13, i'd be glad to hear it.

I do hope this does not come off as me going "Nya nya nya, I can't hear you."

>>47677838

I forgot to add, but most Exalts tend to gravitate towards cities and nations of mortals is most likely due to the fact they can release their demigod powers without being opposed on a significant level most of the time. It's kinda the reason people hate Bull of the North in my opinion. He made it very hard to do the solar empire because there is another in the region.

Never heard people complain about Nexus though.

>>47678323
Sure, I agree that we disagree, but saying 'let's agree to disagree' and then continuing your argument is a super rude thing to do, mate.

I think that, fundamentally, you're failing to realize how rare exalts are, and area failing to address the fact that, because of how rare they are, most of the setting's kings, sorcerers, champions, and other heroes are mortal ones. Mortal society is the background that Exalted takes place on, and trying to ignore or diminish the accomplishments and power of humanity makes it seem more like a blank canvas instead.

>>47673394

Yes but 'Using narrative tropes to your advantage' is a fair folk charm.

>>47678615
I think the guy you replied to was saying that same thing.


Unrelated to exalted...but does anybody remember those chrome ball bearing sprinkles from childhood? I was trying to find them in stores and all I could find were some matte finish irregularly shaped knockoffs, do they have a specific name I could search to buy online?

>>47678354
also gengis khan was a dick and I kinda wanna stab him *anyway*

>>47674126
that was fast. do infernals and lunars and sidderals next

does anyone have the usual /exg/ copypaste? I want some 1e books.

>>47676500
they'll just summon a demon to craft a child out of chunks of both, close enough right? (surely nobody'll object to a bastard twin getting ditched in hell later)

Actually, how *does* the distant Threshold stay free from Fair Folk dominance? I mean, the Realm presumably has the military power to shoot Fair Folk, but what do all the mortals do?

>>47679207
Failed the thread reading check, did we?

>>47679225
Lost eggs, Lunars, Solars, Exigents like Janest probably play a big part in 3e

Would be a unbound Third Circle Demon bad for creation?

>>47679225
>how *does* the distant Threshold stay free from Fair Folk dominance?
Fair Folk not trying to dominate, mostly. If the Fair Folk launched another Crusade, they'd wipe the entire distant Threshold off the map. But that story simply hasn't come to pass yet.

If/when it does, player characters will be there, because it'll be a campaign in its own right.

>>47677278
>to punish a player I once had his family killed while he was away.
new motivation: find and murder whatever ultragod would represent the storyteller in game

>>47679225
Fair Folk aren't literally everywhere around the Threshold, not all of them are all that interested in bossing around mortals, there are other supernatural entities to bargain with for protection, brave soldiers with iron weapons help, and there may well be ways to create some kinds of wards against the Fair Folk, even if nothing like that is in the core.

>>47679230
I guess I am, because I'm hunting through with control+f and not finding anything.

>>47677315
they were too perfect and went nuts, old yeller had to put them down. it was sad, but necessary to protect their stewardships

>>47679312
so basically the same

>>47679331
Pretty much

You know, until they whipped out the Lunar-Taming Leash and mind raped the Lunars back into line

>>47677458
theres less than 300 solars in all of creation, they've been gone for a very long time, and most are still newbies in this generation. how often is the godling going to stop by to be the cause and solution to all your problems?

>>47679283

How much supernatural stuff is around in Creation seems to be up for debate because I thought fair folks would be pretty common. Not as common as dickish elementals though.

>>47679297
Here you go, nerd:
>>47674588

>>47679358
Only 300 solars? Where is that stated?

>>47679344
each lunar is weak to exactly one solar and no others

>>47679394
And if the Solars suspected the Lunars were working against them and planning a coup, every single Solar would have had that charm eady and waiting

>>47679265
What I mean is, how does, say, Ixcoatli stay free from getting munched on by every third Raksha warlord?

>>47679382
Most mortals lead mundane lives. They work their fields, feed their families, maybe run a shop in the city. Their roads sometimes have bandit troubles, but that's what the guard is for.

Most mortals know of the fair folk, but have never had the misfortune of seeing one. Most mortals know elementals exist, but have never had the wonder of glimpsing one. Most mortals know gods exist, but have never had the gift of meeting one.

The closest glimpse most mortals get of the supernatural is that those who live in the Realm or one of its satrapies will see a Dragon-blooded Dynast on a patrol or a walk.

When there are rare miracles, they are both rare and miraculous from the perspective of those who witness them.

>>47679405
lunars just need to run in packs with db backup(maybe bring some beastmen or enlightened animals or whatever for distraction) pick them off

>>47679421
Iron weapons, not that many Raksha warlords, and being literally thousands of miles away from the edge of Creation.

>>47679428
>Most mortals know elementals exist, but have never had the wonder of glimpsing one.

Bullshit, that's like sayong people know cows exist but most will never see one

>>47679429
but mostly they'd cheat, like the db+sidderals did, plan a is they don't see it coming

>>47679455
>that's like sayong people know cows exist but most will never see one
No, that's like saying people know cheetahs exist but most will never see one.

Elementals aren't farm animals that people have domesticated and live inside of their societies. They're wild, primordial creatures of untamed elemental might.

If you glimpse a Garda Bird in the sky, or a greenmaw rustling in the distance, or a tidemare's trails drifting languidly in the tide, that's a rare moment of dangerous wonder that most other people, living in their villages and cities, won't share.

It is not 'Eh, just Tuesday.'

>>47679455
Yes, and...?

>>47679444
Ixcoatli is explicitly getting fucked with by Raksha.

>>47679428

That seems really weird. I can understand mortals not necessary knowing an elemental from a fair folk, but that description seems off? So most mortals never have to deal with the supernatural threats? Why is the second age called times of turmoil then or something similar?

>>47679455
more like bears or big cats.

>>47679519
In WW2, the vast majority people never had to fight.

>>47679519
big picture turmoil. the solars just came back and realm was about to civilwar before that, and now infernals are showing up and maybe alchemicals will need to reconnect soon, etc.

>>47679519
>So most mortals never have to deal with the supernatural threats?
Yes. Most mortals live in mundane cities and mundane villages places in places where they don't get killed by the local spiritual fauna. People stay the fuck away from that kind of magical badness, and those who decide to settle next to it usually die.

>Why is the second age called times of turmoil then or something similar?
The Age of Sorrows. The wonders of the past are broken, humanity is fractured and at war, and there are upcoming threats looming on the horizon. But for the past 750 years or so, everything's been in an uneasy equilibrium.

>>47679455
People in Creation are unlikely to die more than a hundred miles away from where they're born. If you live in New York City in 2016, and live there for your entire life, nothing short of a trip to the zoo is likely to bring you within visual range of a deer. If you never go to the zoo, then unless you take a camping trip upstate, you may never see a deer in person for your entire life. That doesn't mean you don't know they exist.

>>47679558
like ww2 or the like, how much did that effect the average american?

its the age of turmoil because thats world changing stuff right on the horizon, but its not the great contagon and balmoran crusade with elves fucking with every random village. at least not yet. so many places are still living normal lives unless your circle comes crashing through(and even then theres large periods of downtime when you're just passing through random normal villages or whatever)

>>47679519
>>47679558 and >>47679562 have it right. Also a big part of what makes Age pf Sorrows so filled with sorrows are things mortals do. Mortal bandits, mortal slavers, mortal kingdoms waging perfectly mundane wars against each oher, mortal thugs stabbing people in dark alleys, stuff like that.

>>47679499
>>47679521
>>47679573

Gods are the spirit "people", Elementals are the spirit "animals". You might never see a garda bird, but some Essence 1 pigeon that shits ice is going to be pretty common.

>>47679613
>some Essence 1 pigeon that shits ice is going to be pretty common.
Sure, relatively speaking. It's still rare as fuck where mortals live. You find elementals in the deep wilderness, where the essence of the world runs strong. Not in the simple farms and cities of mortals.

>>47679613
>>47679633

>random mortal toils farm land on a hot day.
>Bird shits ice on his face.
>Mortal looks up in awe at this amazing sight and gesture, considering himself to be blessed.

>>47679684
Yeah, a magical bird flying around and dropping winter snow on your face in the middle of summer is something your typical mortal would perceive as a strange and wondrous miracle.

>>47679711
Not if low essence air elementals are common; what's wondrous to you as an inhabitant of our boring world will be just another critter to keep away from their field.

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>>47667277
Do I have to know every little piece of lore to run Exalted?

I really like the setting and the concept of some exalted, while I hate others (Infernals, for examples, can go suck a fat one, along with Liminal and Getiman)

How much stuff do you cut out from your games generally, if at all?

>>47673412
>Also I forget where but I remember reading that not every new splat is getting their own book.
Found it. Its on the what we now wiki under the books page. Basically the ones set up as antagonists for other main lines, like getimians for sidereals and other new guys for lunars, may appear as pseudo supplements for those lines.

>>47679859
1. Core book will do, add other stuff to taste.

2.
>Infernals, for examples, can go suck a fat one

Whilst you're entitled to your opinion, your opinion is bad.

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>>47679859
>Infernals, for examples, can go suck a fat one

>>47679741
Your problem is that you're assuming that they're both common and places where people are, when in fact neither of those are true. Elementals are things from the primeval wild places outside of civilization, not places right next to where people live, and even their most common ones aren't common, they're just the least-uncommon.

Most people don't lead lives where they see the wondrous, the magical, or exceptional at all. That's the sort of thing that only great heroes or people with an unusual amount of wonder in their lives can see as mundane.

>>47679941
>Your problem is that you're assuming that they're both common and places where people are, when in fact neither of those are true. Elementals are things from the primeval wild places outside of civilization, not places right next to where people live, and even their most common ones aren't common, they're just the least-uncommon.

Where are you getting that from?

>>47679859
infernals were one of the more interesting splats. If you were talking about *abyssals* then I'd understand

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>>47679264
I dunno mate. You think?

>>47679071
It's a 'dragee' and it's like french pronunciation or something.

>>47680084
>".......imma fuck that thing's ass"

Bloody Solars

>>47680033
>>47679902
>>47679882
I honestly still cringe a little to realize that they missed the perfect opportunity to go full Borgstrom and start with Infernals as core, and instead did exactly what they said they were sick of doing in 2E, rewriting other people's work to be a little less terrible over and over again.

And now they're all bitter and miserable and spend most of their time shitting on their own forums. Could there be a correlation? I fucking wonder.

>>47679859
>Do I have to know every little piece of lore to run Exalted?

No. Just like you don't need to know every little piece of Eberron lore to run that setting. If you want to go outside the box, your players will probably forgive you so long as it's interesting enough.

>Infernals, for examples, can go suck a fat one, along with Liminal and Getiman

You're a gigantic faggot and your opinion is shit, but to each their own cock in their mouth.

>How much stuff do you cut out from your games generally, if at all?

The nice thing about Creation is that it's such a phenomenally huge place that it's unlikely you'll ever have to show everything to any given circle. So, it's not so much "cutting out" as just "not dealing with." Like, I don't really like just how much emphasis is put on house Mnemon stirring shit in the Scavenger Lands. I don't like Mnemon. I think she's a boring character. So I just never deal with it. Nothing the party does will ever cause them to run into her. If succession time ever actually happens, she's going to fucking lose to Ragara or something.

>>47680186
A third circle demon is one the few things that can, actually, make Solars shit their pant.

>>47680221
Maybe, doesn't mean I'm not gonna find a way to fuck their ass

>>47680236
To each their own.

I'd much prefer the second circle demon that look like a genderbended Unconquered Sun, Malfean patron of whores. Much better.

>>47680221
As a complete newbie (I only know the third edition), how dangerous is a third circle demon?

>>47680317
Sentient natural disaster with it's eye on your gonads and nation-state surrounding them.

>>47680317
Third circle demons are among the most dangerous things that are not unique one-offs.

Third circle demons are such hugely powerful spiritual entitites that they have multiple souls, *each* of which has the power to create entire new races of beings, and each of *those* beings can fuck up a mortal's shit.

>>47680317
A second circle demon is roughly on part with a celestial exalt in its domain of predilection. There is huge discrepancy in power, of course. Some can take on a Solar on its domain and fair reasonably well.

A third circle demon is roughly on par with a circle of Solars working together. They wreak havoc on a continental scale. Huge discrepancies exist, of course, but even the 'subtle' 3cd can 'only' influence the mind of everyone on the continent, or transform every single mortal of a city into an abomination, etc.

>>47680317
One of the most prominent Third Circle Demons is Ligier, the Green Sun. He may as well be Exalted Lucifer (Like, SMT style), and he's so powerful that he doesn't have stats, but his sword does and it's pretty beef.

>>47680317
A First Circle demon may be enough to kill an ordinary village militia. Three or four well-trained guardsmen could probably put it down, though, as could a single mortal hero (the Odysseus kind, 5s on the sheet) with luck and good steel.

A Second Circle demon is likely a match for the average mortal army, but a supernaturally-trained and armed one with said supernatural combatant present could certainly hope to fell the beast, as could a single exemplary Solar (well-designed, has system knowledge and some in-game experience under her belt) of the Dawn persuasion. Exemplary, though.

A Third Circle Demon is the ruin of nations. It is a yawning darkness into which whole histories can fall. A powerful and well-outfitted Solar Circle who have prepared for the fight, and who have stories aplenty of victory at their backs, may be able to defeat such a thing without losing a member of the Circle.

Keep in mind that many (most, even) of these demons, of all three Circles, are not by trade warriors - but some are, and even gentle Amalion could lay waste to a kingdom if some cruel summoner made of her gifts a weapon.

>>47680383
Also, "Ligier" is just his demon name. His real name is a nuke. Literally. Like, his name is the last word of a sorcerous incantation from previous editions that causes a gigantic nuclear blast, and the name is the really important part because the explosion happening is actually his name and the whole ritual is just preparation to say the name. So, if that's what his name does, imagine what the guy himself can do.

>>47680525
>>47680383
IIRC, there is no rules for Ligier losing. Literally.

If Ligier is 'vanquished' in combat, it is only because he sees his opponents as worthy of him, and such decides to return to Malfeas of his own volition because he's a good, honourable guy.

>>47680572
Killing Ligier with GOT would do the trick, but doing so would royally fuck up the demon realm

>>47680117
YES
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KC09UL8/

thanks :)

File: 1393029637698.png (20KB, 97x130px) Image search: [Google]

20KB, 97x130px

>>47679071
>>47680117
>>47680671

>>47680490
>A Second Circle demon is likely a match for the average mortal army, but a supernaturally-trained and armed one with said supernatural combatant present could certainly hope to fell the beast, as could a single exemplary Solar (well-designed, has system knowledge and some in-game experience under her belt) of the Dawn persuasion. Exemplary, though.
There are plenty of 2CDs that can be defeated by a Solar who either isn't primarily a combatant or who is a fighter but not an optimized one. I'd say most 2CDs fall into that category, even. Someone like Octavian is a different story, but Octavian is both unusually powerful an unusually combat-focused.

>>47679189

Currently doing Infernals.

Halfway done I think. Just need to avoid things like house burning down anymore.

>>47680763
Octavian's a dick

>>47680869
Sure, but I don't see how that'r relevant here.

>>47680973
Octavian's dick is always relevant

>>47676632
regular setting, lunars set up gigantic empires in the threshold, war between them and the realm for the past 800 years

>>47677458
Almost every single kingdom you see in creation is there because of a mortal most of the time.

>>47680490
>>47680366

Both of you are dramatically overselling the average Third Circle demon's combat prowess, but especially the guy who thinks an average Second Circle is on par with a Dawn.

Mechanically, a Second Circle has never been the combat equal of a focused Dawn, except in 3e with Octavian, who is an outlier of second circle power and not representative of them as a whole. As far as Third Circles go, it is true that they have non-combat powers of vast scope, acting on the scale of Solar Circle sorcery, but the 1e lead dev said that your average non-fetich Third Circle is roughly on par with Ahlat, directional War God of the south - only fetiches, like Ligier, are substantially more powerful. Considering how 3e is concentrating power in essence 1-5, I really doubt they will be an appropriate challenge for elder exalts only.

Narratively, it doesn't make any sense for them to be that far above Celestials. In 1e canon, there were 23 Yozis imprisoned in Malfeas, and an unknown number of Neverborn. As a thought exercise, lets say that there were 40 Primordials alive at one time. Each one has an average of 14 Third Circle souls (GoD), which means there were 560 Third Circle demons, who each have 7 souls, so 3920 Second Circle demons. The defining conflict of the Exalted is patently impossible if each Third circle can casually fight on even terms with a full circle of powerful solar exalted. Lets not forget that the Primordials themselves are even stronger, and you have over two dozen of those things you need to kill.

>>47682409

>The defining conflict of the Exalted is patently impossible

It was. The Exalted one anyway.

>>47682452

>one

JESUS CHRIST I got to wake up. Won. I meant one.

So, wait, is this the current general thread, just with a shitty OP?

>>47682472
>Won. I meant one.

At least you're getting there.

>>47682479
Fun fact there used to be these things called threads. Back before anyone had ever heard of generals

>>47677158
>running for three consecutive days and nights without succumbing to exhaustion.
There are real world races that last for 2 days

That is nowhere as outlandish as the others, especially not on a world where humans are stronger than their real-life counterparts and magic exists

What do people think of the question of how much magic BS there should be in Exalted? 1/2e-style "everyday magic" where the weather's caused by elementals and the five elements are the building blocks of everything, etc, versus 3e's more laid back attitude?

I'm not really sure which one I prefer, and I'm curious about other peoples' opinions.

>>47682504

Give me breakfast and I might make it.

>>47682527
There's a part of me that really liked the 1/2e style "everyday magic." Sure, people said it was gonzo and stupid, but the setting, and I mean the whole entire setting, was definitively alive. Tiny wind fairies carried the wind across the world, every field of grain had a god governing it, and there was magic in absolutely everything.

In fact, I would be all over that as the basic conceit behind a fantasy setting. Stupidly-convoluted metaphysics aside, it was a good enough idea. However, I also fully understand the criticism that it made a lot of things feel too far removed from the actions of the characters.

>>47680289
Ipithymia is a third circle demon.

>>47679613
>You might never see a garda bird, but some Essence 1 pigeon that shits ice is going to be pretty common.
In your game maybe, that's just something you've made up or a hold-over from 2e.

>>47679276

Eh, you climb aboard the flagship of a dynastic house, and piss on their standard in front of their whole crew with anima flaring, and there's going to be consequences. Even if they're too scared to take on you personally.

>>47682592

I'm pretty sure 3E is the same, fluff-wise, it's just if you try to interact with it on a mechanical level, you get slapped and told "no". There are still little gods, but they exist as part of the background, not as discrete things you can, say, awaken, enlighten, or consume.

>>47667277
They survive through sheer numbers. Most mortals will never attract the attention of an Exalt or a god or a gorilla or anything else that can effortlessly destroy them. They need little to survive and they breed relatively quickly, not to mention that many beings collect populations of mortal worshippers for the Essence, the prestige, and just for reassurance of their own moral superiority. Mortals are the bottom of the food chain, like plankton: helpless and individually inconsequential, but still important.

>>47676353
Exalts aren't self-made, they're just lucky jerks.

Either they were literally born into the right family, or they won the lottery by being the one who got picked out of probably thousands or millions of potential candidates.

>>47677686
>I mean, how would you have a player heroic mortal stand out in a circle of solars?

You don't.

Life isn't fair.

>>47683617
I dunno, at least Solars have to be in the top .01% in their field and have a personality bent on achieving and greatness.

>>47677686
>I mean, how would you have a player heroic mortal stand out in a circle of solars?
By granting them double XP and granting them a shitton of artifacts. In short they're Perfect of Paragon.

>>47682592
>In fact, I would be all over that as the basic conceit behind a fantasy setting.

Take a look at Nobilis (preferably 2e, because the 3e book completely drops a bunch of setting detail to save page count). The setting is explicitly animistic with magic everywhere, where mundane reality is like a thin shell spread across how-things-actually-work to keep normal people from going crazy from not being able to handle magic.

>>47683664
So? That still leaves a ton of possible candidates. Creation is a very big world.

>>47683689
>So? That still leaves a ton of possible candidates. Creation is a very big world.
I'm saying that yes they got lucky in a lottery, but getting into that lottery is incredibly hard, unlike DBs or Sids.

>>47676353
But it's mostly because the two main influences on Exalted, ancient mythology and anime, are not kind to self-made men. The hero is always the chosen one with supernatural gifts unattainable by mere commoners. Whether you're Rock Lee or Mr. Satan or one of the guys jobbing to Gilgamesh or Samson, no amount of work will get you far enough ahead of the chosen ones to succeed.

>>47683689

There's tons of "possible" candidates for becoming Batman, but there's only one Batman. That doesn't mean there's some whimsical Batgod ignoring candidate X in favor of candidate Y, it means there's something different about those candidates such that they never catalyze into Batmen.

In short: There are two schools of thought. There are people who think everyone who would ever become a Solar does, and those who believe in "Batman but he didn't become Batman, even though nothing changed."

>>47683730
>>47683743
It's still fundamentally unfair. Being really, really good at something isn't enough to "deserve" the power. That's the point of how it works, and it's a point that authors across multiple editions of Exalted have emphasized.

Aside from the deconstruction aspect, it's also intended to emphasize the "miraculous power" part of it. Even the most pious or righteous person doesn't "deserve" a blessing or absolution from sin, they must be gifted it.

>>47683736
I wouldn't say exalted has any significant mythological inspiration other than extremely broad, vague thematic resemblances

It's just high fantasy themed anime

>>47683795

That I'll grant, but whether "nobody 'deserves' this" is bitter complaining or a moral challenge on the part of the bestowed comes down to a character's (and, more often, a player's) viewpoint on the matter.

>>47682592
3E doesn't say little gods don't exist. It just never mentions them. You can still get a god of lone spring or small, forgotten path through the woods but giving every single leaf separate spirit results in stupid questions like ""can I harvest them for starmetal".

>>47683908
Nobody 'deserves' it. Nobody. That's not "viewpoint", it's just how the setting works.

>>47684055

Nobody 'deserves' anything, if you're just looking at how the world works, let alone a fictional setting.

>>47684064
Yes, that's part of the point.

>>47684146

We agree, and so, again: the only difference is viewpoint. Whether the character (player) sees "nobody deserves X" (a fact) as a moral challenge to the bestowed, or as a way of absolving themselves of responsibility or interest.

>>47684020
Late 2e did get really silly with how little gods were treated like a wacky fantasy replacement for nanotech and AIs.

>>47680317
Their one of the very few things that could serve as BBEG's against a whole circle of exalts. Besides that demons have a specific area they're really good at. Liger is good at fighting, orbalis is good at knowing things, janct (or however you spell that) is good at moving people places

So there are now going to be fifteen distinct splats of Exalted (if the Exigent are only counted once). Most of which sit in the Celestial tier IIRC.

Does that seem like too much?

>>47683617
>they're just lucky jerks.
I wouldnt really call abyssals or infernals 'lucky'
Not when the criteria is 'you fucked up and died' and 'you fucked up in general' respectively.

>>47684378
They're lucky compared to every other person in those kind of positions who gets the short end of the stick.

>>47684369
>Does that seem like too much?

It feels dumb to me, especially because at the rate the writers produce stuff it'll be the heat death of the universe before they even finish releasing the original set of splats.

>>47683617
>got picked out of probably thousands or millions of potential candidates.
exaltation aren't literally little magical pellets that go around and stick themselves on the first dude who matches the criteria they find anymore. Exaltation is just being chosen by the unconquered sun. If someone gets exalted dawn that means they were one of the thirty best warriors in the entire world, period. Well that and also they need to be the sort of person thats actually going to do things with their power.

>>47684424
>one of the thirty best warriors in the entire world, period

...which still leaves twenty-nine other guys who get jack squat and are forgotten by history after they die.

>>47684439

He didn't choose 30 on accident, you dingus, that's the number of Dawn castes that exist in total.

>>47683736
Not only that in anime self made men tend to show up has the bad guy.

>>47683617
>Either they were literally born into the right family
actually doesn't require being that lucky. Any amount of DB blood anywhere down the line is enough to exalt if you're a cool enough guy

>>47684424
So how many people do you think are running around at the peak of mortal ability?

If we convene the Olympics this year and pick out, say, the 75 "best" people on some arbitrary scale, that leaves 10,000 other top-contenders-in-the-entire-world.

Even if you limit yourself to the top-ranked athletes in each event, you're still getting basically luck of the draw from one guy having a slightly better breakfast that made him run slightly faster that day.

>>47680236
eramboor made swallowed darkness style yes?
>>47680352
>fuck up a mortal
or in the case of a stomach bottle bug, steal all of his beer

>>47684529
>So how many people do you think are running around at the peak of mortal ability?
Probably less than a hundred.
We use mechanics and dots on a sheet to represent skill, but its not like in universe all people with 5's are exactly the same.
Also again, it requires more than just peak capability. There are people with that level of skill who are also content to just stay where they are and use it for personal gain. Exalts have to be the sort of people who would go out and shape the world given the power.

>>47683617
Not necessarily always the case in 3rd edition. Like, there's that one Exigent of Plentimon who won his Exaltation by defeating the god of gambling in a game of Nexus Hold 'Em.

>>47684424
No. You could still be a farmgirl with minimum dots in combat Abilities who Exalts as a Solar. You don't have to be the best of the best, you just have to have that "undefinable something" that the Unconquered Sun likes.

>>47684483

This. And nowadays, there's probably like... 0.001% of the population that doesn't have at least a single Dragonblooded SOMEWHERE in their family tree, even if it was 5000 years ago.

>>47684618
Correct.

>>47684369
I can think of several splats that are more deserving.

Nocturnals. After some legal negotiations, these could easily fulfill the same role as liminals and getimians. Getimians make more sense as a faction anyway, and you could fluff that resurrected constitute defied fates and thus eligible for nocturnal exaltation. (I know resurrection is explicitly impossible, but you could clone them or do something else crazy like in XXXHolic.)

New flavors of Terrestrial/Dragon-Blooded: Underworld elements, Autochthonian elements, and Malfean vitriol.

Abyssal and Infernal foils to the other celestial exalted.

>>47684563
>eramboor made swallowed darkness style yes?

Yeah. It kind of makes me sad we'll never see the style in 3rd edition.

>>47684667
Nocturnals was made by like two specific people, right? So they really could just buy/license/whatever the content off them.

>>47684369
Well some of those aren't getting the full splat book treatment. Also they've said they have the intent of giving more books to the more central lines so im not really that worried.

>>47684667
>New flavors of Terrestrial/Dragon-Blooded: Underworld elements, Autochthonian elements, and Malfean vitriol.

Whatever bullshit Holden and Morke pull of their ass would be more interesting than reflavored Terrestrials.

>>47683683
Granting them five times the XP and a shitton of Artifacts won't make them good, anon. Their limit is the attribute + ability cap. However good a thief you are, you can't learn Flawless Pickpocketing Technique or Stealing-In-Plain-Sight Spirit.

do other tail mutations get the balance bonus from the base tail?

does taking multiple tail mutations give multiple tails? or a single tail that is both prehensile and scorpion? does prehensile x2 give a stronger prehensile tail?

>>47684483
i thought it was extreme emotion of some sort, and that even though you can always technically exalt the odds go way way down below a certain threshold(dragonblooded merit aside)

>>47679393
corebook I think. 30 of each caste. less now cause infernals got 50 of them(spread evenly among the castes) and abyssals got another 100

>>47684950
I mean 30 of each caste *after half got stolen*

(although 3e may have made it fuzzier with tome kind of time prison thing holding more exaltations than exist because some are imprisoned more than once?)

>>47684950
It's stated in 2E corebook. I don't think its fixed in 3E any more, on the principle of making things less defined and more mythic, but the same rough ballpark.

>>47684378
infernals iirc aren't even just random fuckups, they're potential solars who missed the boat(either came right o the edge and failed to stand up or stood up but got knocked down hard without the solar firepower backing them up and then crumbled in the aftermath) abyssals I could see being lucky since they're more or less random dead people

>>47684969
>3e may have made it fuzzier with tome kind of time prison thing holding more exaltations than exist because some are imprisoned more than once?
What? No, all 3E did was not giving the exact number of Solars and Lunars. Also, IIRC 3E Core never confirmed what Jade Prison actually was and how Deathlords broke it. I am not even sure it's clear on why Solars returned but I'm too tired to check.

>>47684692
In the right hands "Dragons of a Different Color" could be fascinating in their own right.

>>47685113
They are almost literal DB recolors, deserving maybe a separate chapter at most. I will take Liminals anytime, at least they introduce something new to the setting.

>>47672872
Spoonfeeding is an /a/ thing since otherwise threads would devolve into constant requests.

It's not only accepted but encouraged here so that we can share our interests and have fun instead of being eliist cuts about it.

>>47685113
Creating Exalted who are linked to the Underworld Elements is a neat idea (look at Liminals), but just recoloring Dragon Blooded isn't nearly as interesting.

I agree someone competent could probably do something with them, but I think they would be better served by simply coming up with a new idea as a base rather than reusing an old one.

can an exalt get the short life mutation and cut their lifespan unless reversed somehow?

recolored dragonbloods? pffft, crap.(and it makes no sense fluff-wise anyway) recolored death flavored solars were luigi enough

So, am I right to assume that the Yozi are greater powers than the Neverborn.

Are the Deathlords the Neverborn's Third Circle equivalent?

>>47685511

The Yozi are more *energetic* powers than the Neverborn. They have interests, and plans, and agendas.

Both the Yozis and the Neverborn are the diminished forms of Primordials, the Yozis being mutilated and imprisoned, the Neverborn being the undying dead. I don't know that the power level is ever directly compared, but you're more likely to be actively engaged against a Yozi than you are a Neverborn.

>>47685511
>So, am I right to assume that the Yozi are greater powers than the Neverborn.
In that the Yozi have agency, while the Neverborn are swirling masses of pain and hatred. Whether or not one has a lot of "power" is rather irrelevant if it's all spent tormenting yourself in hopes of eventually driving yourself to suicide.

>Are the Deathlords the Neverborn's Third Circle equivalent?
No.

>>47685511
The neverborn are dead. Dead things tend to not do a whole lot.
Neither of them can actually win, they can just win by proxy.

>>47685511
Maybe? We don't really know what the Neverborn can do.

We do know in 2nd edition that the Black Nadir Concordant barely managed to survive waking up the Neverborn and getting out of their tombs with Necromancy, and even after that challenging the Dreams of the Neverborn was a big fucking deal for those First Age Exalted who decided to do it.

Is Snake Style's Serpentine Evasion combo-able with Dodge? If so, how does it work with the Martial Arts limitations on working with other abilities? If not, how is it useful at all, given that Drifting Leaf Elusion exists?

Does anybody have a chart with what sorts of clothing are common in each region?

>>47685819

Yes, it is. Martial Arts cannot be comboed with Brawl, Melee, Archery, or Thrown. Everything else is fair game.

>>47685819
>If not, how is it useful at all, given that Drifting Leaf Elusion exists?
for one thing not everybody can use solar charms...

>>47685891
I dont think such a chart exists. Im not sure that info was ever given and directions are so big that there probably aren't common dresses.
People of the North probably wear big heavy stuff.
People of the South probably wear things to keep the heat off
People of the East probably wear looser clothes so they dont get caught on things
People of the West probably wear lightweight stuff that wont drag them down if they get in the water

>>47685912
Huh. Makes the dodge-based MAs much better than the parry ones, IMO.

>>47685932

No, but presumably everyone else will at least have an excellency capable of raising their static defence by one point at the base-efficiency rate of 1 dice per mote.

>>47685953

Parry based ones tend to be more self contained as a result. It means not having to buy up two abilities to maximize combat potential.

>>47685935
that would explain why I didn't find one

>>47670771
then you could use that one adjoran charm to love a region then deliberately piss off the yozi to ka-smite it. so probably limited to individuals