General Exalted Discussion V: Our Armies are Pants

[Rikandur Azebol]

And wheres Malfeas in his green balette costume ?

Thinking that Yozi are childish, what kind of opinion it bestows on the Solars who made them this way ?

[Gensh]

I see you haven't been to my homebrew thread.

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[golentan]

Hey guys, I thought I'd get your opinions on this.

The first neverborn is and always was autochthon. The Engine of Extinction has been moving towards its goals since before the first age, and is the real reason the primordials feared autochthon. His disease has been aware and plotting the whole time, and much of the setting owes its existence to his machinations whether autochthon is aware of the extent to which he is compromised or not. The primordial is little more than a nascent egg for the true being that is almost ready to emerge upon the world.

In the distant past, it invented soulsteel for its own uses and convinced autochthon to sacrifice an entire species for the purposes of acquiring it. It convinced him to join the gods rebellion. Why? To engineer allies for itself. By using the exalted, it crafted more neverborn, a variety of being far more to its tastes than primordials. Even more so, while autochthon appeared to field no exalts it is because the Engine of Extinction fielded whole armies of them. Abyssals are not an accident: solars and possibly other exalts were deliberately engineered so that the Engine could seize control of them when the time came, as reflected in the original exaltation blueprints for the soulsteel caste. Possibly even the great curse was accounted for: canonically the limit track was a deliberate design feature to allow mental resistance. But perhaps it was a deliberate backdoor to weaken creation's defenses prior to the moment of truth.

Once the war was over, the Engine set in motion the final phase of its ascendance. It convinced autochthon to withdraw to a place that neither god nor primordial nor exalt could interfere (a violent and unplanned birth being not to its liking) and lulled autochthon to sleep, arranging matters so that his own paranoia would keep him from ever waking and carrying enough resources to forge and outfit an army of ghosts and automata and exalts. Over the millennia it has grown stronger and begun to ready whatever the next stage of its plan may be. It is reaching out to its servants: first those most directly tied to it (the alchemicals) who have shown the first stirrings of gremlin syndrome, preventing the humans within it from taking sufficient action to reawaken its prison. But soon other exalts as well will begin to feel the call.

The egg is getting ready to hatch. Gods help us.

Awesome cosmic horror campaign idea, interesting theory, or sit down and shut up, that's idiotic?

[Gensh]

Hey guys, I thought I'd get your opinions on this.



Awesome cosmic horror campaign idea, interesting theory, or sit down and shut up, that's idiotic?

That actually sounds like a great idea. Then again, I might be a bit biased considering what I'm doing with my current campaign.

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The same thing except with Sacheverell. I've got Auto-kun transforming into Zerg-tech. His ultimate goal is to turn all sentient creatures into dragonblood-esque things.

[SurlySeraph]

Awesome cosmic horror campaign idea, interesting theory, or sit down and shut up, that's idiotic?

Good campaign idea.

[Story Time]

Awesome cosmic horror campaign idea, interesting theory, or sit down and shut up, that's idiotic?

Um...it needs some punctuation and spelling checks?

The sound of it is cohesive, but the theme wouldn't be in my tastes. Not at all. Sorry?

[golentan]

Well, I know I'm prone to run on sentences. But apart from that, I do spell check so ignoring the standard homonym situations (to for too) I'm reasonably confident that... TWELVE WINDS WHY AM I HAVING THIS CONVERSATION?!

[Rikandur Azebol]

You may need a hug ?

Idea isn't that bad. EoE surely cares not for "time non-interference" pact between Primodials and Incarnae. Heh, it is even worse than Skynet.^^

[Qaera]

That's two winds more than the best, golentan.

[golentan]

That's two winds more than the best, golentan.

Twelve winds is an invocation of the beliefs of my childhood. Thirteen winds is that combined with a curse. Ten winds is different, but incredibly awesome.

And now you know.

[Qaera]

Now, for the second half of this war...

[TheCountAlucard]

Now, for the second half of this war...

Red lasers and blue lasers.

[Volthawk]

Red lasers and blue lasers.

Indeed.

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[golentan]

Ah, yes. Similar quotes I like include "I don't know what world war 3 will be fought with, but world war 4 will be fought with laser cannons and hovertanks" and "If I have seen further than other men, it is because I have stood on a pile of hundreds of midget corpses."

[Rikandur Azebol]

Huh ? Wasn't the first one "I don't know with wich weapons WW3 will be fought, but I'm sure WW4 will be fought used sticks and stones " ?

And ... anyone have some nice ideas for Chaos Cult ?

[golentan]

I prefer my version. For both of them.

[Qaera]

If I have seen further than other Citizens, it is because of the Optical Enhancement.

[SurlySeraph]

Huh ? Wasn't the first one "I don't know with wich weapons WW3 will be fought, but I'm sure WW4 will be fought used sticks and stones " ?

That's the joke.

[Edge]

Right, the idea for the following artifact(s) has been bubbling around in my brainpan for a while now, and I've finally committed them to cyber-paper. I'm worried about the power on them, both generally, and how they stack up with each other. Thoughts and critiques would be welcome.

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Offerings of Strife (Artifact ●●●●●)


It is ever the Ebon Dragon’s desire to corrupt and subvert that which is virtuous in the world. Given their ancient and artificial dichotomy, it is no wonder that the Shadow of All Things should seek first and foremost to undermine those things given over to praise of the Unconquered Sun. If such things, once turned to the Dragon’s will, may be utilised to cause more strife and harm to the world, then all the better.

It can be assumed that such was the Ebon Dragon’s desire with the Offerings of Strife. The Dragon and his slaves only ever produced four of these artifacts, but each one is a sublime mockery of a prayer piece and one of Sol’s precious Virtues.

Forged primarily of tainted soulsteel, each Offering has its own unique decorations and additions composed of various materials – black iron, ebony, Cecelynian glass and demon ivory being favoured, though each Offering also uses one of the other four magical materials as adornment.

The artifacts’ function is effectively identical to a prayer piece’s: shrines engraved along the inside of the barrel force the ammunition out at great speed, though the shrines in the Offerings are inhabited by elthidoti, who praise the Ebon Dragon’s sheer oppositional force rather than his martial prowess. Unlike prayer pieces, Offerings of Strife can chamber at least 6 shots at once, rather than five. Like a prayer piece, an Offering requires the expenditure of 1 mote to fire.

Sidebar: Elthidoti

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Many monstrous beings hide in the Ebon Dragon's shadow, too weak or cowardly to live long under the harsh glare of Ligier. Taking out under the light of the green sun quickly turns them to black, ephemeral vapour, consisting of billions of demonic near-life that exists close to the motonic level known by scholars of demonic lore as elthidoti.Typically, they quickly disperse into nothingness, each one of these entities hiding in a patch of shadow, and there consuming or being consumed by any pre-existing members of their kind. A skilled thaumaturge can capture a batch of these creatures before dispersal in Malfean ebony sap, caging the creatures once the sap turns to obsidian amber. Minuscule flakes can be chipped from the amber and installed in artifacts, where the elthidoti can be instructed (or programmed, depending on one's view of them) to act just as least gods do in Creation.

{table=head]

Speed

|

Accuracy

|

Damage

|

Rate

|

Range

|

Ammo

|

Attune
5

|

+2

|

10L

|

2

|

50

|

6

|

8

[/table]

Any Essence wielder may attune to an Offering of Strife for the listed Attunement rating, though only creature who resonant with soulsteel or tainted soulsteel gain the Offering’s soulsteel material bonuses.

If the Offering’s wielder is a creature of darkness that may naturally attune to soulsteel or tainted soulsteel, they may pay a 10m, 1wp surcharge on the attunement cost to subsume the weapon’s solid ammunition and suborn its least god rifling to his will and anima. Doing so immediately and irrevocably destroys any ammunition chambered within the Offering. Whilst attuned to in this manner, the Offering effectively duplicates the Inexhaustible Bolts of Solar Fire Archery Charm (Exalted pg 189), save that the weapon fashions its ammunition from the Essence of ambient shadows and its wielder’s anima. Attuning to the weapon in this manner also obviates the need to spend 1 mote per shot.

Furthermore, each of the four Offerings of Strife has its own unique capabilities – one mundane that any attuned wielder can benefit from, and one that only wielder paying the attunement surcharge may utilise.

Mercy, Strife’s Offering of Compassion: The Ebon Dragon knows that sometimes a quick death can lead to the greatest suffering – he need only look to his dead siblings for proof. Any wielder attuned to Mercy finds its black jade mechanisms ideally constructed for rapid firing, the better to spread the suffering of the afterlife to as many as possible. Mercy is Rate 4, Ammo 12 rather than Rate 2, Ammo 6. A wielder paying the attunement surcharge reduces the multiple action penalty imposed on his attacks by (Essence divided by 2, round down).

Certainty, Strife’s Offering of Conviction: The Ebon Dragon always knows his place in the world – to stand in opposition to everything else in it. Any wielder attuned to Certainty finds that its tainted orichalcum barrel allows for vastly more potent shots, making the weapon piercing. A wielder paying the attunement surcharge turns Certainty into a devastating tool against the righteous: when Certainty deals damage to a target, one level of lethal damage is upgraded to aggravated for every Charm with the Holy keyword the target knows.

Restraint, Strife’s Offering of Temperance: The Ebon Dragon is always restrained: outbursts do not lend themselves well to subtlety. Any wielder attuned to Restraint finds the weapon constructed with tainted moonsilver, and built far smaller than the other Offerings, resulting in the most subtle of these weapons: Restraint may be drawn as a reflexive action and imposes a -2 external penalty to notice an unexpected attack made with the weapon. A wielder paying the attunement surcharge treats the first attack made with Restraint after it was drawn as an unexpected attack.

Mettle, Strife’s Offering of Valour: Just because the Ebon Dragon flees, does not mean he cannot fight. He would simply rather wait until his victory is total and assured; the better to revel in his own cleverness and the defeat of his enemy. Any wielder attuned to Mettle finds that the tainted starmetal sights reward his preparation with fateful excellence: for every tick spent on an Aim action, the wielder gains a full +3 Aim bonus as though they had taken Aim actions for three ticks. A wielder paying the attunement surcharge treats the bonus dice from Aiming as automatic successes when attacking with Mettle. Both of these functions are bound by the typical rules of Aiming, prohibiting the wielder from banking more than a +3 bonus.

[Qaera]

Interesting idea, only thing I can see wrong is the Artifact cost.

[Edge]

Interesting idea, only thing I can see wrong is the Artifact cost.

*facepalm* Somehow missed it in the cut and paste. I have them pegged as Artifact 5. Added it to the post.

[TheCountAlucard]

Any Essence wielder may attune to an Offering of Strife for the listed Attunement rating, though only creature who resonant with soulsteel or tainted soulsteel gain the Offering’s soulsteel material bonuses.

Why? First of all, why mention tainted soulsteel? If it's tainted, it doesn't matter what base magical material it is. Second of all, why soulsteel?

If the Offering’s wielder is a creature of darkness that may naturally attune to soulsteel or tainted soulsteel, they may pay a 10m, 1wp surcharge on the attunement cost to subsume the weapon’s solid ammunition and suborn its least god rifling to his will and anima.

If it was made in Malfeas, it shouldn't actually have any gods. That's a trait specific to Creation, though I think they mimic it in Autochthonia.

A wielder paying the attunement surcharge reduces the multiple action penalty imposed on his attacks with Mercy by amount equal to his Essence.

This, on its own, is a very strong effect.

The Ebon Dragon is always restrained: outbursts do not lend themselves well to subtlety.

No offense intended here, but I'm going to disagree with you about this line on principle. The Ebon Dragon not only lacks Temperance, he revels in it. And flying about the Demon City, blotting out the sun, with a miles-long mutation parade beneath you is hardly what I'd call "subtle."

Just because the Ebon Dragon flees, does not mean he can fight.

I'm going to assume this is a typo.

...for every tick spent on an Aim action, the wielder gains a full +3 Aim bonus as though they had taken Aim actions for three ticks. A wielder paying the attunement surcharge treats the bonus dice from Aiming as automatic successes when attacking with Mettle.

Err, on its own, this is a very strong effect, especially if it is uncapped. You can pretty much guarantee the enemy will either perfect it or die.

Unless you mean to say that it only takes one tick to get the maximum +3 Aim bonus. That seems fairly nifty.

[Edge]

Why?

Point. Given that each Offering uses one other magical material significantly in its construction, I may just get rid of the magical material bonus altogether.

If it was made in Malfeas, it shouldn't actually have any gods.

This is what I get for just re-reading prayer pieces before writing this up. As the artifact's description says, these are mockeries of prayer pieces, which have microscopic shrines inhabited with least gods inscribed into the barrel as a means of propelling ammunition. Any appropriately puny demons I could sub in to live in the shrines? Things That Dwell In Corners, maybe? Make something up?

This, on its own, is a very strong effect.

Yeah, thought as much. Advice for replacement/improvement?

No offense here, but I'm going to disagree with you about this line on principle. The Ebon Dragon not only lacks Temperance, he revels in it. And flying about the Demon City, blotting out the sun, with a miles-long parade beneath you is hardly what I'd call "subtle."

Choosing a brazen course of action over a subtle one forfeits any opportunity to use this Charm.

Fair enough, but I think the above quote at least shows where I was coming from with the subtlety angle.

I'm going to assume this is a typo.

Umm... why? The Ebon Dragon is a coward through and through, but when cornered, or at other times when he absolutely must to ensure his own survival or freedom, he can and will fight. Life-Blighting Emptiness Attack and it's cascade show that he has Charms for it.

Err, on its own, this is a very strong effect, especially if it is uncapped.

Functions just as Aiming does normally, meaning the bonus is capped at +3. The basic effect is cribbed from an Essence 2, Awareness 4 Ink Monkeys Solar Charm (Panoptic Fusion Discipline). If this still seems too potent, advice for changing it?

[TheCountAlucard]

This is what I get for just re-reading prayer pieces before writing this up. As the artifact's description says, these are mockeries of prayer pieces, which have microscopic shrines inhabited with least gods inscribed into the barrel as a means of propelling ammunition. Any appropriately puny demons I could sub in to live in the shrines? Things That Dwell In Corners, maybe? Make something up?

Probably that last one.

Fair enough, but I think the above quote at least shows where I was coming from with the subtlety angle.

True. Humorous, then, that the Ebon Dragon is such a fan of ostentatious displays.

Umm... why? The Ebon Dragon is a coward through and through, but when cornered, or at other times when he absolutely must to ensure his own survival or freedom, he can and will fight.

Err, that's my point. Shouldn't it be "doesn't mean he can't fight," then?

[Edge]

Err, that's my point. Shouldn't it be "doesn't mean he can't fight," then?

*facepalm*

Is there a word for a comprehension fail of your own writing?

[TheCountAlucard]

*facepalm*

Heh, no problem, man. We're here to help.

[RPGuru1331]

I'd actually say Restraint's power is a little disgusting. 10m is a pretty deep commit, but unlimited ammo helps there... and yeesh, permanent unexpected attacks? I know a lot of folks are used to RSS/SSE combos, but still...

Also, why the hell are non-magitek guns so hard to find in Exalted? It seems an apropos time to ask and all.

[Qaera]

Because firedust (the gunpowder of Exalted, as well as a few other things) is too powerful to be contained by Resources materials? It would explode the wood or metal of a normal gun.

[RPGuru1331]

Let me rephrase;
Why was the world constructed to not have guns? It always bugged me, I always found ways around it, and in general it just seemed a bizarre thing to deny, especially given Draw Pardner Righteous Devil style.

[Guancyto]

They weren't fantasy enough, which is why there are handheld energy cannons, flamethrower guns and blaster spears, but no slugthrowers.

It was a very deliberate choice.