General Exalted Discussion: There's a God for that! Except for Sorcery, of course.

[Sanguine]

{table=head]Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
Sanguine|Possibly|Most Definitely|Green Sun Prince|Alchemical|Dragon-Blood(For Now)|"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" aka Anything[/table]

[Ganurath]

{table=head]Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
Ganurath|One At A Time|Oh Yeah|Fae|Terrestrials|Infernals|Mixed Group[/table]

Also, Neon Knight's game has finished recruiting, so you'll want to take that off the list.

[Morty]

Alright, I'll bite. I'm not really interested in Exalted, but there is one thing that interests me, especially since the setting and system do seem good at what they do. Namely, how possible and viable is it to actually play a Heroic, possibly Enlightened Mortal? From what I know, they're generally relegated to the role of NPC speedbumps, but I've always liked Badass Normals.

[Yuki Akuma]

It depends. If it's a game based around fighting supernatural threats... you might be able to deal with low-Essence demons and Raksha. Anything higher than that - especially things with perfect abilities - will squish you flat.

Against other mortals, however, it can work fine.

[Drascin]

Might as well. I figure the Exalt blocks are to put our favorite splats and such:

{table=head]Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
Drascin|Not Yet|Yes|Alchemical|Dragonbloded/Lunar|Anything but an Abyssal|Story-driven, but I'm game for almost anything[/table]

[Tavar]

I was in a game for a very short time that was all herioc mortals. Of course, it was inspired by Gundam, so we were all in Warstriders(only scout, but still).

[The Rose Dragon]

Alright, I'll bite. I'm not really interested in Exalted, but there is one thing that interests me, especially since the setting and system do seem good at what they do. Namely, how possible and viable is it to actually play a Heroic, possibly Enlightened Mortal? From what I know, they're generally relegated to the role of NPC speedbumps, but I've always liked Badass Normals.

It is perfectly possible and viable if you like grim settings. Because any adventuring mortal will soon run into a savage Dragon King, a Guild mercenary team, a wandering raksha or, worse yet, an Exalt. Most of those threats can be defeated by a resourceful troupe of mortals, but not easily. Especially considering mortals have no way to increase their defenses on the fly and no way to heal as fast as Exalts.

However, if you leave most of these supernatural / well-funded threats for endgame scenarios, where the mortals put everything in line to strike rich forever / save the girl they were going to marry / die a heroic death / win the Exaltation lottery, then mortals have no problem being played. Just forget about changing the world anytime soon.

[Morty]

It depends. If it's a game based around fighting supernatural threats... you might be able to deal with low-Essence demons and Raksha. Anything higher than that - especially things with perfect abilities - will squish you flat.

Against other mortals, however, it can work fine.

Yeah, that's what I figured. Is it impossible for a group of Enlightened Mortals to fight a Dragon-Blooded, even?

It is perfectly possible and viable if you like grim settings. Because any adventuring mortal will soon run into a savage Dragon King, a Guild mercenary team, a wandering raksha or, worse yet, an Exalt. Most of those threats can be defeated by a resourceful troupe of mortals, but not easily. Especially considering mortals have no way to increase their defenses on the fly and no way to heal as fast as Exalts.

However, if you leave most of these supernatural / well-funded threats for endgame scenarios, where the mortals put everything in line to strike rich forever / save the girl they were going to marry / die a heroic death / win the Exaltation lottery, then mortals have no problem being played. Just forget about changing the world anytime soon.

Hm, I see. Now, that I could actually be interested in playing. Especially since Exalted is supposedly about tearing Impossible a new one

[Kylarra]

I'd kind of recommend a god-blooded game over a heroic mortal game, although you will do fine against low-end threats regardless, and assuming you're in an obscure enough area, probably not rank attention from any of the 700 celestial exalts. You'll still fall over to any terrestrial exalt though and they are common enough.

[Drascin]

Yeah, that's what I figured. Is it impossible for a group of Enlightened Mortals to fight a Dragon-Blooded, even?

Now, I'm no expert, but long as the group of mortals has bows and distance and a good ambush to get those Unexpected Attacks to work with, I think it's possible. Poison arrow spam seems pretty nasty for a just-out-of-Character-creation Dragonblooded.

[The Rose Dragon]

Yeah, that's what I figured. Is it impossible for a group of Enlightened Mortals to fight a Dragon-Blooded, even?

You can fight a single, young Terrestrial, even if he is combat focused, and possibly win, but you need to spend all your tactics genius, health levels and other expendables such as Willpower or Virtue channels to have a chance. In turn, Terrestrials' free reflexives are going to help him mount a defense and an offense at the same time, and he will probably enter anima flux, which will burn you very slowly.

But yeah, you can win. It is about as easy as a 1st level team of warriors and experts in 3.5 to defeat an adult dragon without any magic items.

[golentan]

I was in a game for a very short time that was all herioc mortals. Of course, it was inspired by Gundam, so we were all in Warstriders(only scout, but still).

How the heck did you pay the attunement?I mean, the small pool + the 1/3 only without willpower rule kind of puts a crimp on your day...

[The Rose Dragon]

How the heck did you pay the attunement?I mean, the small pool + the 1/3 only without willpower rule kind of puts a crimp on your day...

I assume they at least had Aegis Inset Amulets to ease the pain.

[Morty]

Well, thanks for the answers. I suppose a game of Exalted in which a bunch of Heroic Mortals, enlightened or not, spends a lot of time, resources and takes huge risks to try and take out a single Exalt or a similar supernatural threat could be fun. A bit like Hunter: The Vigil cranked up to eleven.

[golentan]

I assume they at least had Aegis Inset Amulets to ease the pain.

Whoo! Only have to attune 8 motes instead of 10, discounting weapons. Still costs you a willpower every scene unless you're essence three, and...

But...

You know what? Who cares! It does sound like an awesome campaign, even more so if it's an epic psychological struggle to keep up with the group.

[Raz_Fox]

{table=head]Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
Raz_Fox|Someday|Yes|Lunar|Solar|Sidereal|Heroic and Character-Driven[/table]

My knowledge of Exalted Lore is incomplete, so I'd like to know: how many different ways of achieving immortality are there? Purely out of curiosity, of course, it's not like I'm plotting up a new character or anything like that. Ahem.

[Yuki Akuma]

I think there's... ascending to Godhood or attuning to a Manse with a Gem of Immortality hearthstone. And there are drugs that can increase your lifespan, but they're First Age tech.

[Xefas]

{table=head]Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
Xefas|Maybe? Eventually?|Sure|Infernal|Sidereal|Solar|Sandbox[/table]

Also, I just gotta mention this startling bit of information I found out.

The first reading through of Exalted that I did, I picked up the word "Autochthon", and was pronouncing it with a hard 'c', as I was relating it to the word "Cthulhu". Then, after I introduced Exalted to my gaming group, we brought in a new player we hadn't gamed with before who was very familiar with Exalted, and he told us it was pronounced with a soft 'c'. So I pronounced it like that for a while. But then, I was recalled of the word "chthonian" which means "of or pertaining to deities or spirits", which seems like a very likely root wood for the creation of the name Autochthon, and it's 'ch' part is completely silent. So, I've spent most of my time playing Exalted irking my gaming group by pronouncing the 'ch' in Autochthon silently, while they still use that soft 'c' and refuse to convert to the true and righteous path.

But, today, I stumbled upon a truly frightening revelation. Autochthon is actually a real word in the English language. Oh balls. And to make matters worse, the pronunciation is "aw-tok-thuh n", emphasis on the hard 'c'. So now I'm back to square one, and so very very confused as to what I should do.

[Tavar]

Whoo! Only have to attune 8 motes instead of 10, discounting weapons. Still costs you a willpower every scene unless you're essence three, and...

Well, the setting was heavily changed(much easier/faster to make warstriders, and there were more factories that could make them), but I think it was a homebrewed artifact. Halve your lifespan, and in return, you could attune to the artifact for free.

What I really miss is that the game only lasted ~1 session before the DM dropped us.

[golentan]

Well, the setting was heavily changed(much easier/faster to make warstriders, and there were more factories that could make them), but I think it was a homebrewed artifact. Halve your lifespan, and in return, you could attune to the artifact for free.

What I really miss is that the game only lasted ~1 session before the DM dropped us.

So... It's an Aegis Inset scaled up for warstriders? Because normally Aegis systems only work for armor costing up to 5 motes, and still cost half the lifespan.

[Mattarias, King.]

My knowledge of Exalted Lore is incomplete, so I'd like to know: how many different ways of achieving immortality are there? Purely out of curiosity, of course, it's not like I'm plotting up a new character or anything like that. Ahem.

There's a four point mutation, which is just called Immortality. Guess what it does.

Re: playing non-exalts in an exalted setting: I'm showing you guys the head of the first evil exalt I solo.

[Kylarra]

Godblooded are still head and shoulders above heroic mortals. They're no exalts certainly, but having significant enough essence to attune to multiple artifacts and/or use charms well...

[Kyeudo]

My knowledge of Exalted Lore is incomplete, so I'd like to know: how many different ways of achieving immortality are there? Purely out of curiosity, of course, it's not like I'm plotting up a new character or anything like that. Ahem.

There's Peaches of Immortality, in addition to the other things mentioned. I don't recall if only one is needed to attain immortality or if they just add decades to your lifespan. They only grow in Yu-Shan and are jealously guarded by Celestial Dieties because they are so dang delicious and rare.

Do note that immortality-achieving effects don't work for Sidereals. The day they are to die is set in Fate by their own Exaltation. Trying to dodge it one way just causes you to die another way.

[Xefas]

I was reading through Scroll of the Monk, and the Terrestrial Martial Arts Charm "Golden Janissary Form" has the wording "For the Charm's duration, the Janissary's player treats rolls of 10 on a damage die as two damage successes against creatures of darkness."

I thought rolls of 10 were already two successes? Am I missing something?

[Drascin]

I was reading through Scroll of the Monk, and the Terrestrial Martial Arts Charm "Golden Janissary Form" has the wording "For the Charm's duration, the Janissary's player treats rolls of 10 on a damage die as two damage successes against creatures of darkness."

I thought rolls of 10 were already two successes? Am I missing something?

There are a few rolls that don't count 10s as double. Damage is one of them.

[Xefas]

There are a few rolls that don't count 10s as double. Damage is one of them.

Oh. Oooooh. Well, damn. This is just one of those reasons I don't want to try Storytelling on the interweb yet.

Some of my real life games would have turned out vastly different if I'd known this at the time...

[Ganurath]

Do note that immortality-achieving effects don't work for Sidereals. The day they are to die is set in Fate by their own Exaltation. Trying to dodge it one way just causes you to die another way.

I was wondering why Chejop turned down immortality.

Also, there's a Wood Favored Manse Power in Lords of Creation that, if used on a five dot manse, makes everyone living in it stop aging. Among other things. Not worth being stuck in a manse all your life, of course. Surprising Misho didn't invest in it, though.

[Kyeudo]

I was wondering why Chejop turned down immortality.

The reason the other Sidereals offered that hearthstone to him is because the lifespan limit on Sidereals is not a commonly known thing. Few Sidereals actually reach their true date with destiny, as that day is approximately 5000 years after their Exaltation. Most die before then dealing with some creature from outside Fate or one of the other Exalted (Even Terrestrials have the power to shout "Screw You Fate!" at the top of their lungs).

[horngeek]

I was wondering why Chejop turned down immortality.

Also, there's a Wood Favored Manse Power in Lords of Creation that, if used on a five dot manse, makes everyone living in it stop aging. Among other things. Not worth being stuck in a manse all your life, of course. Surprising Misho didn't invest in it, though.

Hmmm... probably because it wouldn't be big enough for his purposes, maybe?

[a_humble_lich]

{table='head']Name|ST?|Player?|#1Exalt|#2Exalt|#3Exalt|Type of Game
a_humble_lich|Someday|yes|Lunar|Solar|DB|Any[/table]