General Exalted Discussion VI: Ascendancy Mantle of the Playground

[Tavar]

Well, Grit your Teeth also removes limit, and can do so to anyone who the Lunar has a positive intimacy towards.

For Infernals, there is the fact that the methods they can use all involve things that are actively detrimental to the character.

[TheCountAlucard]

For Infernals, there is the fact that the methods they can use all involve things that are actively detrimental to the character.

1) They're either doing Acts of Villainy, or they're not. If they are, then they have no reason to come to you to remove Limit for them. If they're not, then they're pretty much in the same boat as Abyssals, and thus your removing one Limit from them isn't really going to help.

2) Only some of them are detrimental. Best Enemy Recognition and Insane Death-Dealing Provocation, for instance. Exquisite Bride Obsession, Fiendish Deathtrap Compulsion, and Kindly Lunatic's Blessing are nowhere near as problematic.

[Tavar]

Hmm. How about removing Essence/2 limit? Or still too weak, in your opinion?

[TheCountAlucard]

Hmm. How about removing Essence/2 limit? Or still too weak, in your opinion?

Not sure, really.

Removing two-to-five Limit from someone once per story's definitely better, though.

[Uec]

I don't post much here, but I thought I'd run a artefact past you guys before asking my ST. It's not immediately necessary, since my current character is alive at the moment, I have however (to my large distress) found out that a DB without a good escape mechanism is pretty much toast - and if others from my group had not been awfully loud mouthed he would have croaked.

So I'm sort of working on a reserve character (it takes me a awfully long time to come up with a character I like. So I have a question, is this something that would deserve a "nice try, but I'm not that stupid!" from my ST?

Glorious portable wardrobe: Artifact 4, attunement 1
Designed by a particular vain solar this was originally just a wardrobe. The dragon bloods have found somewhat more practical uses for these closets.
The artififact is a miniature closet that when activated by spending two motes opens up a portal the size of a closet door from which the exalt can withdraw previously disposed items. The exalt cannot see the contents of the closet however, and finding the right item requires 10 ticks and a wits+investigation roll (difficulty 2) to find the right item.
If the exalt spends six additional motes she automatically finds the right item instantly in a single tick.
Living things cannot be stuffed into the closet.
The closet has a size of 1.2x2x0.75 yards and has no limits, beside the size, to contents

Its awfully convenient storage, and with no limit to how many artefacts it can hold, it's rather powerful storage. And having a easy place to stuff that body after killing someone is not a small thing either.

It's basically a cache egg that is more expensive per cubic yard, but doesn't require 20 (!!!!!) motes to make discrete and indiscreet again.

As in, is the ease of transportation, disposing stuff ad withdrawing stuff too cheap for the extra artefact cost and lower storage (it's somewhere between a cache egg 2 and 3 in storage space).


Yes, I'd like a hammer space that doesn't turn a DB into a ****ing bonfire for withdrawing a pair of socks.

[Xefas]

Yes, I'd like a hammer space that doesn't turn a DB into a ****ing bonfire for withdrawing a pair of socks.

Don't Elsewhere storage charms typically require a de-commitment to withdraw your stuff? That doesn't activate the anima.

[meschlum]

Well, then.

The Gauntlet of Infinity

In any normal environment, the Raksha can merely desire something for it to appear. Creation and its cousins are painfully restrictive, and thus refuse to allow such simple tamperings with the stuff of reality. A Fair Folk noble who sought the perfect sock at the heart of the Blessed Isle refused to allow lack of rope impede her progress, and forged the Gauntlet from a fallen Worker. Wearing it, she easily conjured all the miracles needed for her quest, only falling when a clever Dragonblood unleased a swarm of moths to devour the sock, and the other clothes around it.

Her Redness was furious, but the Gauntlet had taken on enough of a legendary aspect to survive.

1-dot Inward Facing Oneiromancy
Assumption of Dreams and Passion - the Gauntlet almost radiates resolve in the way its leather and metal is cut and decorated.
Ordinary Object Conjuration (x9) - the owner of the Gauntlet can summon nine pre-defined items at will. If the Haunter of Broken Dreams is involved, they are likely to be Perfect items.

Variant: As an Outward-facing Oneiromancy, you only get three copies of Ordinary Object Conjuration, but you can create the three items. So unlimited swords, jade talents, and medium-rare steaks, for instance.


The Wyvern Tapestry

To the Raksha, image and reality are largely the same. Thus, when a Fair Folk noble was driven away from a small village by a painting of a Dragonblood legion, he was amused beyond measure, and retailiated with a tapestry showing winged reptiles flying the town. Wehn the beasts emerged, the villagers were far less entertained, and were only saved when a proeminent citizen Exalted, gaining the power of Elemental Air.

The new Dragonblood then travelled towards the Realm, to seek aid for his people and keep the Tapestry out of the Wyld's clutches. As it was carried further inland, the landscape it showed changed subtly, but there was always a flying beast somewhere within it.

1-dot Chancel
Hang the Tapestry somewhere, and you can walk into it, gaining access to a large (and mostly uninhabited) landscape - at least 650 square miles to start with. Items stored there tend to remain untouched, and the Tapestry can be closed from within, though essence and magic can still push through. Still, it's a good way to hide if you're chased by less occult conscious foes.

The Tapestry is rumored to be inhabited by the Haunter of Broken Dreams, which may explain why so many Dragonbloods find it easy to use - and vanish if they remain its owners for too long, or seek to explore its contents in depth.


The Haunter of Broken Dreams

A Luminary among the Raksha, the Haunter was long ago condemned to remain in Creation until some strange conjuction should come to pass. Adjusting as best it could to the rigors of this new and deadly land, it took on its new name and sought power, by feeding on the aspirations of the most powerful beings it found - the Dragonblooded.

Somewhere, somehow, it seems to have attained immortality of a sort, though its endless hunger for dreams and souls suggests that evading death come with a heavy price on the Haunter's essence. Still, it has been slain a dozen times over and returned, offering powerful artifacts, sage advice, and potent servants to those who heed its promises and make suitable offerings.

Creation-level Raksha Noble
Birth 4
Essence 3

Unshaped Sword and Cup Transformation - allows the spawning and reforming of behemoth clones of the Haunter, as well as changing the items created by the Gauntlet.
Soul Carving Artifice - allows accelerated behemoth rebirth and Gauntlet changes, so long as a willing Creation-born is at hand.
5 free charms
6 free bonus points

The Haunter can commit the motes for the Tapestry, making it cost its owner 0 motes. This means that the Tapestry only opens if the Haunter wills it, of course...


Total cost (without Haunter): 3 bp (2 dots of artifacts, one bp for a Grace) and 6 committed motes. Plus 1 gossamer per season.

With Haunter: ? bp. The Haunter could own both items for one background dot, so take it as an ally. Spend 1 bp to have a Grace, and you can use the Gauntlet. 3 committed motes (for the Gauntlet).

Cheap version: Haunter as an ally, and Variant Gauntlet (3 items). The Haunter commits all motes, so 0 committed motes, and you don't even need to spend a bp for a Grace. This makes it a good idea to be on excellent terms with the Haunter, though.

[Qaera]

Well, then.

The Gauntlet of Infinity

I love the Gauntlet of Infinity. It's so bad.

~ ♅

[Lord Raziere]

ok screw it, I'm definitely getting GWM. I'm pretty sure my mind is like the Wyld anyways: weird and always coming up with some new idea.

[Rockphed]

Hmm. How about removing Essence/2 limit? Or still too weak, in your opinion?

Or Clearing a limit track, and stopping any related limit break. If the target was in a limit break, he regains willpower as though it had ended normally, even if he was controlling it.

In this way it can stop a limit break at a crucial moment or prevent one from happening. Seems a bit meta though.

[Kris Strife]

Or Clearing a limit track, and stopping any related limit break. If the target was in a limit break, he regains willpower as though it had ended normally, even if he was controlling it.

In this way it can stop a limit break at a crucial moment or prevent one from happening. Seems a bit meta though.

Actually, this sounds closest to what Grit Your Teeth does in the show.

[Tavar]

Actually, this sounds closest to what Grit Your Teeth does in the show.

Except, if you remember the show, he then goes on an even bigger funk. Yes, there are other circumstances at play there, but there are other things at work here as well. For instance, if this charm can clear a limit track completely, then it totally breaks the setting. This is an essence 4 charm, so no where even close to the pinnacle of charm power, and with that change it suddenly obliterates the great curse as a real threat.

With the current version, it can slows down the great curse, in return for an even bigger episode later on, which in many ways would help the setting along.

[Turalisj]

What about making a Solar Presence charm that gives anyone near him a positive intimacy towards either him or something he states.....

[TheCountAlucard]

What about making a Solar Presence charm that gives anyone near him a positive intimacy towards either him or something he states.....

You Can Be More already works a lot like this... all you need for it to work is the right positive Intimacy, and bam.

Luckily, you can give yourself the Intimacy you need, with Elusive Dream Defense.

Kamina: Hold on... Elusive Dream Defense, to give myself an Intimacy toward believing in Simon...

Simon: ?

Kamina: You Can Be More, don't believe in yourself - believe in me! Believe in the Kamina who believes in you!

[meschlum]

[mutter]And I don't even get a percentage on GWM sales.[/mutter]

The Sunglasses of Awesome

Remarkably spiky, and adjusting themselves to always be bigger than life (and their wearer's head), the Sunglasses are so undeniably awesome that anyone seeing their wearer cannot help but find the wearer equally awesome.

2-dot Adjuration: "I shall encourage my friends to reach for the heavens!"
Brilliant Glinting Lure: all social attacks of the wearer which seek to induce positive intimacies towards the wearer (such as "I'll master the drill to help my sunglasses-wearing friend pierce the heavens!") require a single scene to create an Intimacy. This is a permanent effect, and so works with any and all charms / combos / normal social conflict.


The Cape of Awesome

Fluttering in a wind all its own, the Cape is so awesome to behold that it immediately raises the spirits of anyone seeing it, changing them from indifferent or depressed into enthusiastic seekers after the means to drill through the Heavens themselves!

1-dot Outward-facing Oneiromancy
Assumption of Dreams and Passion: seeing the Cape is to see hope and optimism made manifest.
Emotion-Weaving Style: anyone seeing the Cape flutter in its own wind and hearing its wearer make a speech will have their Motivation changed to "Reach for the Heavens and never give up!" This works on mortals, and even on unExalted humans if the Cape belongs to someone awesome enough.
Unwanted Obsession Provocation Technique (x2): the hope radiated by the Cape will simply wash away any attempts made to honestly share one's despair with others. This gives a -(Essence) penalty (possibly external) to all attempts at removing Intimacies of hope and optimism via Charisma + Perform or Charisma + Presence. Those with treacherous minds can try to trick others into giving up, as such lies are not based on true hopelessness.

The Spiral Training Course

Usually manifesting as a cape wearing maniac with a huge grin and an utter inability to feel despair, the Course is a man of legendary prowess, capable of making anyone fall for him and able to transform the deepest despair into unbounded optimism with a single speech. When dealing with beastmen (and their Lunar parents), repeated exposure to the Course can teach them to overcome their inherent weakness and lack of hope, pulling them from the Anti-Spiral of the Wyld and restoring the sanity they lose to their bestial natures.

Creation-level Fair Folk Scribe
Essence 3
Temperance 4
Conviction 5
Sword 2
Poisoned Whispers - with a Presence social attack, the Course can convert someone's negative Intimacies into positive ones. Fear, distress, and the like are not merely banished but inverted before the awesome power of the Spiral!
Spirit Flaying Meditation - if the Course teaches this Charm to a Beastman leader (Lunar), said Beastman becomes capable of ridding herself of the taint of the Anti-Spiral and deeper mental hang-up as well (can remove dots of permanent or temporary limit). The Course i so awesome it has no need to use such methods itself, but is always ready to help others learn them. Eclipse-alikes can also be enlightened, and benefit just as much (Resonance, Urge, or Limit dots vanish in the glare of true Spiral power!).
Antagonist Naming Technique - with a slap or sharp word, the Course can waken truly epic wrath within those it seeks to educate initially aimed at itself, true. But this anger is easily converted into cheer and aspirations to reach for the heavens, via the Sunglasses or Poisoned Whispers!

2 free bp
2 free charms

Optionally, take All Consuming God Monster Stance (2 charms) to allow the Cape to work at high power.

On meeting Shinji: Slap him with Antagonist Naming Technique to pull him out of apathy, switch his anger at you into wild optimism via Poisoned Whispers, and let the Cape and Sunglasses do their work if he seems likely to backtrack.

On meeting Abyssals: Transform emo despair into love and hope. Teach their Eclipsoids to transmute Resonance into figments of Wyld stuff. Create a killing ground where they can release all the Resonance they want with no ill effects, using a Chancel and Awakened Dream Manufacture to get ever renewed things to slaughter in a portable Wyld pocket.

[Lord Raziere]

I've Read GWM, then read the Errata for it, and I've decided to declare it "awesome"

and it isn't as hard to understand as you say it is.

oddly though, I find myself sympathizing more with the Fair Folk than anyone in Creation. I don't know why. Maybe its because Fair Folk just want to have fun shaping stuff and examining mortals- even if said examination just happens to be sucking their souls out, they are alien like that.

[Gensh]

oddly though, I find myself sympathizing more with the Fair Folk than anyone in Creation. I don't know why. Maybe its because Fair Folk just want to have fun shaping stuff and examining mortals- even if said examination just happens to be sucking their souls out, they are alien like that.

That's probably because none of the canon raksha are really bad people. Maybe bad larpers, but not bad people. They just want to kick back at the all-you-can-eat buffet and escape the million Jaws expies that have taken over their home. Compare that to the designated heroes the Solars, and you'll see how huge the difference is.

Got you guys a present:

Spoiler

Show

Yeah, I need a better font.



I don't know why nobody's colored her yet. She's so adorable~ And the fact that Kejak is lying dead at her feet makes it that much better.

[meschlum]

Sure, Fair Folk are fun. Why do you think I chatter about them so much?

And they're not difficult to understand and work with, so long as you're in Creation, or dealing with non-Raksha. Shaping Combat is... in dire need of houserules, to say the least. And, of course, power levels in Creation can vary from low to arbitrarily high, at character creation. Which serves the cause of awesome, but means Shaping Combat needs to work to balance things out (hint: it's not easy to do this), and the players and ST need to agree on just many shenanigans to allow.

But they're fun, and provide a neat toolbox too.

[Kris Strife]

Except, if you remember the show, he then goes on an even bigger funk. Yes, there are other circumstances at play there, but there are other things at work here as well. For instance, if this charm can clear a limit track completely, then it totally breaks the setting. This is an essence 4 charm, so no where even close to the pinnacle of charm power, and with that change it suddenly obliterates the great curse as a real threat.

With the current version, it can slows down the great curse, in return for an even bigger episode later on, which in many ways would help the setting along.

Nah, the funk he was in after that battle was a controlled limit break. The events were that traumatic he limit broke 3 times.

[Drascin]

I've Read GWM, then read the Errata for it, and I've decided to declare it "awesome"

and it isn't as hard to understand as you say it is.

oddly though, I find myself sympathizing more with the Fair Folk than anyone in Creation. I don't know why. Maybe its because Fair Folk just want to have fun shaping stuff and examining mortals- even if said examination just happens to be sucking their souls out, they are alien like that.

Mostly because most of the splats' characters are written such that a good 75% of everyone are unlikable bastards (sad as it is, people like Avaku are the exception, not the norm - I spent a long time pretty much convinced that either Exaltation was heavily skewed towards choosing ****s, or the very process of Exalting turned you into one, because damn) that are unwaveringly convinced, in what is probably the influence of the proverbial river in Egypt, that what they're doing is right - so the raksha's "trololo we just wanna have fun", even if evil, strikes one as more understandable. They're weird, and alien, and do some damn horrible things sometimes, but it seems oddly easier to sympathize with them. Yes, the unreal people-eating abominations from beyond the veil manage to be more sympathetic characters than most of the actual "main" example characters .

This about Creation, of course. Autochthonia is a whole other kettle of steam-powered fish.

[Lord Raziere]

This about Creation, of course. Autochthonia is a whole other kettle of steam-powered fish.

well yea, I like Auto to. their society and how it deals with Exalts, seems to be more reasonable and better planned that what Creation has, sure there is a lot of fascism and such, but aside from the void-cancer, Auto has fewer problems than anything in Creation and is actually brighter and more optimistic in a way: the only real problem is this void cancer, and oh wait, the resources are running out, might have to take care of that soon. war between the eight nations? not actually possible. Auto made it to be impossible.

now if only we could find a way to combine autocthonian ingenuity with fair folk glamour.....

[Recaiden]

That's probably because none of the canon raksha are really bad people. Maybe bad larpers, but not bad people. They just want to kick back at the all-you-can-eat buffet and escape the million Jaws expies that have taken over their home. Compare that to the designated heroes the Solars, and you'll see how huge the difference is.

Got you guys a present:

Spoiler

Show

Yeah, I need a better font.



I don't know why nobody's colored her yet. She's so adorable~ And the fact that Kejak is lying dead at her feet makes it that much better.

Compare Panther to his Abyssal counterpart.
Yeah, Canon Exalted are mostly written as seriously flawed people, while the other characters are written as just people. Which is why demons come off so well to me.
Same with the Raksha, as Drascin said.

war between the eight nations? not actually possible. Auto made it to be impossible.

By 'not actually possible' you do mean 'has happened and will happen again', right?

[Lord Raziere]

By 'not actually possible' you do mean 'has happened and will happen again', right?

oh. ok. I was wrong.

Auto still seems to have fewer problems though.....

[Drascin]

oh. ok. I was wrong.

Auto still seems to have fewer problems though.....

Not really. Autochthonia has a hell of a lot of problems. Their world is literally dying on them, and it was not meant to host organic entities, so people die to wires and gears and stuff. The difference is that the Autochthonians seem to actually try to solve them instead of spending their time in self-destruction.

Or to put it another way - the biggest threat to Autochthonian Exalts is their environment and the corruption they have to fight every day. The biggest threat to Creation's Exalts are the other Exalts.

As Recaiden says, this comes from the fact that Exalts are written as ... well, he puts it as "very flawed people", which is a more charitable way than I would put WW's writing tendencies, so let's go with that.

[Lord Raziere]

ok, ok...whatever you say....

in other news, my first attempt at an Oneiromancy:

Boots of the Racing Dragon
1 dot inward facing Oneiromancy
Assumption of Bestial Visage: They appear as cheetah-skin boots
Racing Dragon Speed: increases your move and dash rates by forty five yards as long as you wear them

I used mutation points cause I couldn't find whatever points you get from the Glamour keyword, its pretty simple but I like it. my only concern is that it might not be animalistic enough for Bestial Visage.

[Gensh]

Compare Panther to his Abyssal counterpart.
Yeah, Canon Exalted are mostly written as seriously flawed people, while the other characters are written as just people. Which is why demons come off so well to me.
Same with the Raksha, as Drascin said.

Ligier/Jacint for President 2012!

[Turalisj]

Panther/Swan for president!

[golentan]

On Autochthonia: I agree it's a much better place. The vast, vast majority of autochthonian exalts are not going insane or disregarding the importance of humanity. It's possible even to be high compassion and high clarity: you're just bad about taking feelings into account and you become more utilitarian as I understand it. The necessities are mostly taken care of (food, shelter, and the like) even if they are thinner than many in creation are used to. On the upshot, technology is widely available, and everyone has a place in the world where they can contribute. War happens, but it's relatively infrequent (nations have a narrow window of opportunity in which to act), and cities are virtually unassailable. As I understand it, Estasia mostly picks on tunnel people and towns, because unless a city surrenders to siege before you enter it you're facing a superhumanly efficient battlefield/essence 8+ exalt hybrid, and that is not a sane thing to do.

I do wish they weren't so harsh when it came to any dissent from the opinions of the tripartite, though.

[Turalisj]

The difference between Alchemicals and other exalts is simple: Other exalts have the Great Curse and the Mandate of Heaven. Remove those two things and suddenly life becomes much greater in Creation.

[Tavar]

The difference between Alchemicals and other exalts is simple: Other exalts have the Great Curse and the Mandate of Heaven. Remove those two things and suddenly life becomes much greater in Creation.

There is another difference, though. Alchemicals are reliant on part of humanity for their charms and such. The same can't be said for Creation-exalts.