General Exalted Discussion VI: Ascendancy Mantle of the Playground

[Lix Lorn]

Vote for me and I won't force you to look up the Mass Combat rules.

OH GOD THE CRUELTY

[Qaera]

Herp derp, I meant to quote this one.

I sort of figured he meant "I won't have a friendly neighborhood Infernal Green Sun Nimbus Flare you," what with voters (maybe) being in Creation and all.

I reread your latest post, Alucard, like five times, and was just like "What is he talking about."

edit: Wait, I did quote that... what. Are you trolling?

~ ♅

[Guancyto]

Vote for me and I won't force you to look up the Mass Combat rules.

Oh gods. He can do it, too, he's got that funky sword that somehow counts as a mass combat unit!

[Lord Raziere]

hey, anyone know why stuff like Teeth of the World or Elemental Weaving Style aren't allowed to be put into Oneiromancies?

I'd love to make a staff that shoots lightning, or at least makes a spear out of lightning I can throw at people.

maybe its cause they aren't glamours and you can't put things that aren't glamours into spells like that....

[Gensh]

You mean the Raksha? They've already been written.

Don't tell me you wouldn't want to play an Exalted of Ishvara? Balor caste is Dawn, Laashe caste is Eclipse...

[Recaiden]

Don't tell me you wouldn't want to play an Exalted of Ishvara? Balor caste is Dawn, Laashe caste is Eclipse...

Okay. I do. Get to writing them.

[Lord Raziere]

meh, I just want to play a Raksha with a staff that shoots lightning.

maybe I can just make it a Treasure instead, take an artifact from Wonders of the Lost Age, and refluff it as a staff that shoots lightning, then add in a beamklaive refluffed as a gossamer stormklaive that has lightning for a blade....yea that sounds right...

[Qaera]

Don't tell me you wouldn't want to play an Exalted of Ishvara? Balor caste is Dawn, Laashe caste is Eclipse...

Next you'll be telling me there's some sort of Primordial Exalted or something else ridiculous. These shards were creating to fight those sorts of things. Powerful Fae, Primordials, same thing really.


Wait, what?

~ ♅

[TheCountAlucard]

Wait, I did quote that... what. Are you trolling?

Actually, it was a mistake on my part; I mistakenly thought you'd quoted Xefas, and (not wanting to take your quote out of context) pasted Xefas' comment in (since normally a quoted post won't have that post's quoted posts in it). My bad.

Still voting for Recaiden, though.

[meschlum]

Racing Dragon Speed is not a Glamour (post errata), so it can't be put into an Oneiromancy. The only way to get it (besides buying the Charm) is via an Adjuration - 1 committed mote gives you 2 copies of Racing Dragon Speed, or Assumption of Cheetah Form and Racing Dragon Speed...

Or you can be a Creation-born, and own a 1-dot behemoth with Assumption of the Person's Heart and 5 copies of Racing Dragon Speed. It'll meld with you until you die, and be able to grant you bonus speed when it wants.

If all you want are animal traits, get a 1-dot Inward-facing Oneiromancy with Bestial Transformation, for (3+Essence) mutations (not mutation-Keyword charms), granting you aspects of the animal of your choice. You still have 7 points left for extra powers / transformations / social warping.


Tossing lightning bolts / magma blasts / ice rays / whatever is easy. You just need to be sufficiently creative. Essence 3+ is recommended.

- Inward Facing Oneiromancy with Elemental Transformation, turning you into a phoenix / lightning spirit / whatever, and granting the Essence Attack / Dragon's Breath mutation. Done. You still have 7 points left to boost your Oneiromancy (and yourself).

- Outward Facing Oneiromancy with Bestial Transformation, turning others into Storm Birds with the same mutation. You'll probably want to add Emotion Weaving Style to make the people you transform utterly devoted to you, of course.

- Outward Facing Oneiromancy with Behemoth Forging Meditation, granting mortals the ability to spit force bolts, per the above mutations. Only works on mortals, and you probably want them loyal to you.

- A Behemoth with either mutation, either naturally or gained as part of Assumption of Bestial Form (requires Essence 6+).

- A Behemoth with a natural weapon that works like a ranged weapon / flamepiece, and a pile of mutations to make it mor deadly (including Luminous Exhalation). Re-fluff the damage as elemental, and you're set.

- A 4- or 5- dot Behemoth with a natural weapon that replicates a 3- or 4- dot artifact weapon with elemental effects. Add mutations to boost the impact, and you're good.

- Endless Yawning Void, in a Behemoth or Adjuration, to inflict your favorite flavor of environmental (elemental) damage to those nearby. Give the Behemoth Assumption of the Land / City / Kingdom in order to fry opponents over a large area of effect.


Then you have to start getting inventive.

[Kris Strife]

So, does Disco Ninja Style give a bonus against turtles?

[Xefas]

So, I just cracked open a copy of Graceful Wicked Masques. And, so far as I can tell, it contains only a single intelligible page, upon which the following appears:

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It all makes sense now.

[Turalisj]

So, I just cracked open a copy of Graceful Wicked Masques. And, so far as I can tell, it contains only a single intelligible page, upon which the following appears:

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It all makes sense now.

Is THAT why mesc is so good at it?

And don't 1 and 2 dot oneiromancies fall flat against anything in contact with wrought iron? If so, my characters are going to start wearing wrought iron bracelets.

[Lord Raziere]

dragons breath mutation?

*looks it up*

but that means I'll have to get Compass of Celestial Directions: The Wyld!

darn it.

I'll just take a small essence cannon or something and refluff into a storm staff or whatever, then take a windblade personal transport and turn it into a cloud, call them treasures, I don't want to spend money on it if the The Wyld ain't worth it.

[DeadManSleeping]

If so, my characters are going to start wearing wrought iron bracelets.

"...and then his wrists were chafed off."

Maybe leather bracelets with wrought iron. I mean, they'd be heavy (with or without leather, really), but they could at least be fitted easily.

[meschlum]

Dragon's Breath, mechanically, is identical to the (Whatever) Angering Mastery effects. Why the errata decided to make the ability only available to people who spent more money on their product (and at twice the pre-errata cost in mutation points) is best not questioned.

If you want a versatile lightning spewing weapon, go for a 4+ dot Behemoth and never look back.


Flight is easy

- Gossamer Wing Flight. 2 points from your Inward-Facing Oneiromancy, so you get to turn into a lightning elemental (and shoot blasts of electrical force), AND fly, for 5 / 10 points in a 1-dot Oneiromancy (including the Assumption form). Or take it as an Adjuration. Or as a Charm. Or put it on a cloak shaped Behemoth, with a natural ranged attack refluffed as lightning bolts.

- Unreal Shipwright Method. Post errata it's painfully slow, but it's still a titanic First Age vessel that can fly, go underwater, and be generically awesome.

- Bestial Transformation for Wings (requires Essence 3+), which combines well with Gossamer Wing Flight to get impressive speeds.

- Behemoth Forging Meditation to turn mortals into winged carriers of your personal palaquin. Or do this on animals with Subversion and Transformation Artifice. Or on minions with Shape Forged Servant.


The Martial Cloud

Once upon a time, a Raksha decided to teach a cloud to fight. When the vapors of Creation failed to provide a sufficient challenge, the Raksha went to the Elemental Pole of Air and played devious games with the powers and Dragons there. Somehow, it survived, and the Cloud came with it, hungry to learn all the secrets of battle... When it found out that employing martial arts required limbs, the Cloud grew unhappy. When it was used as little more than a steed to be ridden into battle, the Cloud grew rebellious. When it was not fed the sound on clashing blades and the blood of heroes for an entire week, the Cloud grew independent - and left, to seek its own mastery of battle in the Wyld and in Creation.

5-dot Behemoth
Assumption of Air Form - it's a cloud.
Gargantuan (x2) - it's a really big cloud
Luminous Exhalation - it never runs out of lightning bolts
Gossamer Wing Flight - it flies
Surpassing Excellence - it has +2 dice to attack with lightning bolts

Lightning Bolts - the Cloud can attack as if with a 4-dot attuned Power bow (assuming such exists), and never runs out of ammunition. The +8 to Strength from Gargantuan makes its shots particularly effective.

Variants:

- Drop Gargantuan for more lethal weaponry - Knife Hand Dream, Hundred Hand Style and Armament of Flesh give it +5 damage, +2 Rate, and +Essence Accuracy (max +4, then boost Rate or damage) instead of one copy of Gargantuan.

- Drop Gargantuan for Racing Dragon Speed and / or Wings. Wings + Gossamer Wing Flight double speed, which is very nice with Racing Dragon Speed being doubled too.

- Drop Gargantuan for Assumption of the Land's Heart and Assumption of the Person's Heart, becoming a moving area that can turn immaterial if uninvited people try to board. This also frees 3 points for extra options.

- Endless Yawning Void gives an aura of electrical environmental damage, and Adaptation to Adversity gives immunity to electrical environmental damage...

[Lord Raziere]

You've been doing the oneiromancy thing a long time, haven't you? I could only come up with one way for flight. and that is just grabbing the charm that grants you mutation points then spend all 6 on the wings abomination.

so, Dragons Breath, mechanically similar to World-Angering Mastery effect huh? 3 motes, does damage equal to essence, inflicting it upon someone in the vicinity? hrm, I still think just making a refluffed Treasure sounds better....

[meschlum]

I'm somewhat familiar with Fair Folk, yes.

Note that Behemoths (and Adjurations) get to use their mutations for free, so there is no cost for using Dragon's Breath (assuming you take that option). And with their ability to take on (and upgrade) the features of a weapon, it's easy to refluff them for the damage type you're after.

Refluffed Treasures are fine as well, but not necessarily cost-effective - which is why I tend to focus on the other forms of Grace Magic, as their 'toolbox' aspect allows a lot to be done with low investment (and some creativity).

[Xefas]

I'm somewhat familiar with Fair Folk, yes.

"I'm somewhat familiar with roundhouse kicks, yes."

[DragonSinged]

Xefas - that just made my evening. Well played, sir, well played.

[Feriority]

You've been doing the oneiromancy thing a long time, haven't you?

You don't understand - meschlum is the one who inspired the writers to create GWM. That's the only explanation compatible with meschlum's denials of having written the book that I can find.

Or maybe meschlum is actually fae... though that raises a few questions...

Gee, I wonder if anyone could come up with a way for fair folk to access our Internet? I'd bet nobody can do it...

[Story Time]

Once upon a time Twilight Solars needed a way to share information secretly. They turned to the Sidereals and said, "What would you advise?"

The, single, Sidereal Exalted said, "I like Pattern Spiders, Boss. That's all I've got."

And so the secret communication system eventually become known as the InterWeb, short for WeaversWideWeb. It's an Artifact N/A so powerful that it still exists until this day.

[Kris Strife]

So, how does one see out of a warstrider while piloting?

[DeadManSleeping]

So, how does one see out of a warstrider while piloting?

The helmet has a window of adamant, and the pilot has their head sticking up there. Yes, you CAN headshot warstriders. At least, your bog-standard designs, anyway.

Gee, I wonder if anyone could come up with a way for fair folk to access our Internet? I'd bet nobody can do it...

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Something like that.

[golentan]

So, how does one see out of a warstrider while piloting?

Very carefully, and with great skill. Looking it up, the pilot's head sticks out of the fuselage and into the helm, which works like any normal helmet (thin strips or mesh allows sight out while hopefully not allowing attacks in). It does come with an awareness/perception penalty (another reason why warstriders are mechanically strictly inferior, albeit awesome). It also references a better version involving a clear adamant faceplate for superior visibility, and that there are other options not practiced in the second age (first age models might have, say, a hologlyphic display of the surrounding environment). Your call, ultimately.

[Kris Strife]

Spoiler

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Something like that.

Not my quote.

Very carefully, and with great skill. Looking it up, the pilot's head sticks out of the fuselage and into the helm, which works like any normal helmet (thin strips or mesh allows sight out while hopefully not allowing attacks in). It does come with an awareness/perception penalty (another reason why warstriders are mechanically strictly inferior, albeit awesome). It also references a better version involving a clear adamant faceplate for superior visibility, and that there are other options not practiced in the second age (first age models might have, say, a hologlyphic display of the surrounding environment). Your call, ultimately.

I'm not the Story Teller. Does Kyeudo's fix have a different method?

[DeadManSleeping]

Not my quote.

Indeed it is not. I have no idea how that happened. Stupid copy-paste function.

[Lord Raziere]

speaking of Warstriders, I've got my own fix to them, can you tell me if its good or not?:

My Warstrider rules:

1. Warstriders have no fatigue or mobility penalties, those are useless

2. Second, instead of having to pay motes from your own Essence pool for a Warstriders high costs, Warstriders have their own rechargeable Essence Battery, how much motes it has depends on the Warstrider:
Common and Scout: 100 motes
Noble: 200 motes
Colossus: 300 motes
Royal: 350 motes

3. Warstriders have their own health levels and people have to fight through them to get to yours, unless they succeed on called shots or stunts.
Common: 100 health levels total, 20 +5/20 +4/20+3/20 +2/20 +1
Scout: 80 health levels total, 20 +4/20 +3/20 +2/20 +1
Noble: 120 health levels total, 20 +6/20 +5/20 +4/20+3/20 +2/20 +1
Royal: 160 health levels total, 40 +7/ 20 +6/20 +5/20 +4/20+3/20 +2/20 +1
Colossus: 200 health levels total, 100 +6/20 +5/20 +4/20+3/20 +2/20 +1

4. Warstriders increase your mental and physical attributes to better pilot the warstrider, how much is noted above along with the health levels, obviously this means that this bonus decreases as the Warstrider gets more damaged

5. soak is double and all warstriders gain hardness equal to half their soak. except for Colossus warstriders, their soak is tripled.

Please don't be too bad, please don't be too bad, please don't be too bad, please don't be too bad....

[Tavar]

Problem with those is that it makes Warstriders so much better than any other option. Unless you're playing in a game where that's specifically the assumption, then they should only be as powerful as another artifact of their rank.

[Lord Raziere]

Problem with those is that it makes Warstriders so much better than any other option. Unless you're playing in a game where that's specifically the assumption, then they should only be as powerful as another artifact of their rank.

is that the only problem? if so, I might be able to live with that and just separate out the warstrider games from non-warstrider games....