General Exalted Discussion Thread IX: Errata is Combo-Ok!

[Turalisj]

There's two games that are virtually always recruiting over on rpol.net. One of them is in several big events which might be a good time to jump in, the other is the game I run (check the OP of this thread) and takes place outside the normal setting.

[Lix Lorn]

Hi! I just heard about Exalted on the Things I May Not Do thread. It sounds pretty cool. How do I get it, and are any of the currently-recruiting PbPs accepting people who are entirely new to the system?

run while you can

You didn't already?

Not properly! He was subsumed into the background level of awesome that the entire playground has.

[Turalisj]

I have about as much awesome as the Ebon Dragon has virtue

I make up for it with crazy game ideas and snarky comments though


Speaking of crazy game ideas, anyone interested in working on that "Exalted as starships" idea?

[golentan]

Hi! I just heard about Exalted on the Things I May Not Do thread. It sounds pretty cool. How do I get it, and are any of the currently-recruiting PbPs accepting people who are entirely new to the system?

My game on Rpol is open, if you're okay with playing an alchemical.

[Qwertystop]

My game on Rpol is open, if you're okay with playing an alchemical.

I honestly know barely anything about Exalted (go to the tvtropes article on Exalted. That's what I know). Are Alchemical fun to play? And where do I get the stuff for the system? My google-fu is failing me.

[horngeek]

I honestly know barely anything about Exalted (go to the tvtropes article on Exalted. That's what I know). Are Alchemical fun to play? And where do I get the stuff for the system? My google-fu is failing me.

Rpg drivethru has all the Exalted books as PDFs.

Alchemicals are fun, but I'd advise looking for a basic Solar game first, mostly because Solars are the easiest splat to build, and are what the core game focuses on.

[Turalisj]

Try ordering online through DriveThruRPG.com. You can get Print on Demand or PDF.

If you don't mind joining a game that isn't set in the canon setting: http://rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=46132

Otherwise, here's a game that's been going on for over a year centered in the Exalted equivalent of New York/Hong Kong/London/etc: http://rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=42240

[Hiro Protagonest]

Hi! I just heard about Exalted on the Things I May Not Do thread. It sounds pretty cool. How do I get it, and are any of the currently-recruiting PbPs accepting people who are entirely new to the system?

Alright, watch this. All of it. Asura is so Infernal.

And you see the game's great story, and its half-assed controls that get redundant quick and would make you quit if the story weren't so damn good? That's Exalted as a video game. 2.5 will help, especially the revised combat system, but there are problems so deep that the only way it'll get fixed is if you discard everything but the very core of the mechanics (point-based system, charms, and d10s. And you have to rewrite how the points and charms work).

Solars are superpowered humans with a dream. They're anything from Martin Luther King Jr. to Hitler to Beowulf, except they're usually quicker to violence than Martin. They have Limit Breaks, but they're... different... from the Final Fantasy ones.

Spoiler

Show

Really the only good Limit Breaks are Red Rage of Compassion and Foolhardy Contempt. Casual Cruelty makes you torture babies in front of people in an attempt to make them obey you. Heart of Flint makes you not care that the guy with Casual Cruelty is torturing babies. Heart of Tears means you do nothing but cry. Compassionate Martyrdom is okay, I guess, but it makes you force the guy with Casual Cruelty to torture you instead of the baby. Contempt of the Virtuous means you lecture strangers on their flaws, and even with Partial Control, you still lecture your friends.

Abyssals are like Solars. Except their powers are focused on death or undeath. All of them. Unfortunately, if they don't kill things, bad things happen to people close to them. Fortunately, no Limit Break.

Infernals are superpowered humans who accepted power from demons. They're so cool, they've been nicknamed the rockstars of Hell. They're like Solars with extra options. They have Urges instead of Limit Break, and unlike Abyssals, they can eventually slip free of it. The most powerful of the Infernals (those that reach essence 10, which they haven't even had enough time to do since they need to be over a thousand years old to achieve it) become Primordials in their own right, able to create armies out of nothing and attain infinite size.

Lunars are shapeshifters. They can always shape into their totem animal, and gain the ability to take other forms by eating hearts. Each Lunar shares eternal brohood or love with one Solar, Abyssal, or Infernal. They have the Great Curse, like the Solars, but their flaws are different.

Dragon-Blooded are elemental super-soldiers. Or at least, that's what they were created to be. They were content with that until the fate ninjas told them to kill the Solars.

Sidereals are fate ninjas. They reside in Yu-Shan, city of the gods and formerly city of the primordials, and are the only exalts to do so. They were advisors to the Solars until the Solars became so disconnected from the mortals and Creation that they killed 40 million mortals as collateral damage, and they, under the hubris of their own Curse, decided that the Dragon-Blooded should kill the Solars and Lunars, and those that voted for it are known as the Bronze Faction. A small number voted to try and persuade the Solars instead, and they are called the Gold Faction. Until the Solars' recent return, the differences between the two were very minor and two Sidereals from the opposing factions could be great friends.

Alchemicals are communist cyborgs from another world. The world is actually a Primordial. The most powerful Alchemicals are giant cities.

[Tavar]

I have at least one game that's kinda on pause at the moment, waiting for the metric ton of errata that's coming down the pipes.

Speaking of crazy game ideas, anyone interested in working on that "Exalted as starships" idea?

YESSSSSS

[Mr.Bookworm]

Hi! I just heard about Exalted on the Things I May Not Do thread. It sounds pretty cool.

It is!

Be forewarned, however, that Exalted is, well, clunky is probably the most polite term. You do, however, happen to be getting into it right before (like, half a week away, now) a big chunk of errata hits that's supposed to resolve most of the must fundamental issues with the combat system.

How do I get it

White Wolf runs all of their stuff out of Drivethru. You can get some of their books on paper (they're updating more), though, through the print-on-demand option. You can also probably find some of them used in various places.

Speaking of crazy game ideas, anyone interested in working on that "Exalted as starships" idea?

Solars are the Enterprise, Lunars are the Streaker (), Sidereals are the Heart of Gold, Dragon-Bloods are Star Destroyers, Abyssals are the Event Horizon, Infernals vary wildly based on preferred Yozi (Malfeas is an Orion-drive ship, for example), and Alchemicals are the SDF-1.

On a more serious note, depends on how you want to take it. What genre do you want? You could do a straight-up sci-fi setting, you could do a magitech setting, and so on. Are Exalted-class ships a new thing, or are they terrible weapons of a long lost age? Are they ships of singular, immense power, piloted only by one person, or are they massive worldships that thousands or millions live and die in?

And so on!

...I need to mentally start parsing you as 'awesome guy'

You didn't already?

Please don't parse me as awesome guy. That is a descriptor I can never live up to. One day, I will crack from the stress of expectations, and then I will exclusively write FATAL fan-supplements (I will still not actually ever show or finish said FATAL fan-supplements, as some things never change).

[Qaera]

Guys, start him with Solars.

Also, I've noticed people that like LoL also like Exalted. And MSPA. And Ponies. Coincidence.....?!?!?!

Edit: once I get my delicious errata, I might throw a game. I also just kind of want to have a light-crunch game. And a webcomic. More on that LATER

~ ♅

[Turalisj]

Solars are the Enterprise, Lunars are the Streaker (), Sidereals are the Heart of Gold, Dragon-Bloods are Star Destroyers, Abyssals are the Event Horizon, Infernals vary wildly based on preferred Yozi (Malfeas is an Orion-drive ship, for example), and Alchemicals are the SDF-1.

On a more serious note, depends on how you want to take it. What genre do you want? You could do a straight-up sci-fi setting, you could do a magitech setting, and so on. Are Exalted-class ships a new thing, or are they terrible weapons of a long lost age? Are they ships of singular, immense power, piloted only by one person, or are they massive worldships that thousands or millions live and die in?

And so on!

Sci-fi setting, I'd like to adapt elements of the original setting but keep it different enough that it doesn't run into the same continuity mistakes.

As for size, I was thinking that it would be relative to essence. An essence 2 ship is going to be one class smaller than an essence 3 ship, while an essence 6 ship is going to be four classes larger. The larger the ship, the bigger a crew is needed.

Masters of Jade actually helps makes things simpler. Each ship crew can be statted out as an organization.

[aetherialDawn]

Guys, start him with Solars.

I agree with this. Solars have some things which annoy me mechanically, but they are far and away the most forgiving splat to build a character in, right now and probably into the future.

Also, I've noticed people that like LoL also like Exalted. And MSPA. And Ponies. Coincidence.....?!?!?!

If it is, it is the most amazingwonderful coincidence.
(I like Exalted, MSPA, LoL, AND Ponies! Hooray for Alchemicals, Vriska, Vayne, and Rainbow Dash!)

[Lix Lorn]

Please don't parse me as awesome guy. That is a descriptor I can never live up to. One day, I will crack from the stress of expectations, and then I will exclusively write FATAL fan-supplements (I will still not actually ever show or finish said FATAL fan-supplements, as some things never change).

You're already living up to it!

Also, I've noticed people that like LoL also like Exalted. And MSPA. And Ponies. Coincidence.....?!?!?!

When one is awesome in one way, others often follow...

If it is, it is the most amazingwonderful coincidence.
(I like Exalted, MSPA, LoL, AND Ponies! Hooray for Alchemicals, Vriska, Vayne, and Rainbow Dash!)

Infernals, Vriska, Derpy and Talon ftw

[aetherialDawn]

Infernals, Vriska, Derpy and Talon ftw

I respectfully agree with Infernals and Derpy, although perhaps not in combination, but I must bah-humbug your choice of Talon. I'd take Graves or Riven over him every time.
Admittedly? I haven't had the chance to play him extensively, so perhaps I've missed something.

[Lord Raziere]

Guys, start him with Solars.

Also, I've noticed people that like LoL also like Exalted. And MSPA. And Ponies. Coincidence.....?!?!?!

Edit: once I get my delicious errata, I might throw a game. I also just kind of want to have a light-crunch game. And a webcomic. More on that LATER

~ ♅

Whats LoL and MSPA?

also, I've come to a conclusion: My position in Exalted is my same position in Star Wars. I'm that weird guy that likes the prequels, jar jar binks and the pod race.

I'm also the weird guy that likes Abyssals as actual heroes, artifacts as magical tools and so on.

Its beginning to become apparent to me, that my tastes just seem to differ from everyone elses, its a law of a universe.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Whats LoL and MSPA?

League of Legends and... something else. I only know about LoL because people who like the Bibliography/Thaumaturge webcomics seem to like it, including Elagune, the creator of those comics.

[Qwertystop]

So, any tips for a complete newbie?

Also, I'd prefer to join a new game over a long-running one, as that way there's not so much history to accidentally mess up, and I don't feel as much like I'm intruding.

Quaera, you said you'd be starting one when the errata comes? Could I join?

[Qaera]

I agree with this. Solars have some things which annoy me mechanically, but they are far and away the most forgiving splat to build a character in, right now and probably into the future.


If it is, it is the most amazingwonderful coincidence.
(I like Exalted, MSPA, LoL, AND Ponies! Hooray for Alchemicals, Vriska, Vayne, and Rainbow Dash!)

Alchemicals/Infernals/Sidereals
Davejohn (basically everything tho)
Katarina/Lee Sin/Blitzcrank/Riven/Ezreal
RD/AJ/FS

Also BBC shows...

So, any tips for a complete newbie?

Also, I'd prefer to join a new game over a long-running one, as that way there's not so much history to accidentally mess up, and I don't feel as much like I'm intruding.

Quaera, you said you'd be starting one when the errata comes? Could I join?

Sure~


~ ♅

[Lord Raziere]

oh I tried to get into League of Legends, but my computer is a Mac, and LoL I think only runs on microsoft stuff so…….yea….I could've potentially been a LoL player, but my system is incompatible….I think….

Though I read up on it, LoL does seem sorta Exaltedish.

[Qaera]

Whats LoL and MSPA?

League of Legends: online video game, play as unique, powerful champions with four teammates to destroy an enemy team's base (in the most common game type)
MSPA: Microsoft Paint Adventures, notably Homestuck is a webcomic about kids that play a game. The game involves multiple universes, curses, buckets, trolls, the Zodiac, and strife.

Queers are also common Exalted fans :B

~ ♅

[Xefas]

League of Legends and... something else.

MSPA stands for the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers Protection Act. Fans of Exalted also tend to be fans of fair wages and working conditions for farm employees in the United States.

Also MS Paint Adventures.

[aetherialDawn]

Once you've looked at how the Realm treats farm workers, you just start to want to apply some fairer practices to the real world, you know?

[tonberrian]

So, any tips for a complete newbie?

Also, I'd prefer to join a new game over a long-running one, as that way there's not so much history to accidentally mess up, and I don't feel as much like I'm intruding.

Quaera, you said you'd be starting one when the errata comes? Could I join?

First, pick up the core rule book. Then, wait about a week and download the new Scroll of Errata on DriveThruRPG. The Errata is free, and while you can pick it up now, there's a major overhaul to the core combat system and a lot of Charms (your basic magical effects; if you've played D&D, they're a cross between spells and feats) coming. You'll know it's out when there will be about 15 posts in this thread saying some variation of "Exalted 2.5 cured my grandmother's cancer!" or "The new errata shot my dog, and I don't even have a dog!".

In the meantime, familiarize yourself with the setting. Most people play Exalted for the setting, as the mechanics work like a rusty jalopy limping away from a collision with an angry sky-twisting bull. But don't let that discourage you! (Or do, and never play Exalted again. *shrug*) The writers are are aware of the problems, and while the errata work is unpaid, they do keep doing it - and from all accounts, a very good job at it too, though we'll see how well 2.5 flies. I'm cautiously optimistic myself, if only because solving the issues in combat is such a daunting task.

If you've got any specific questions to ask, this is the place to ask them. You could also look into the official White Wolf Exalted forums, but they're a lot more acerbic than we are, with a much lower tolerance for what they perceive as idiocy. It's a bit of an acquired taste.

[Tavar]

Sci-fi setting, I'd like to adapt elements of the original setting but keep it different enough that it doesn't run into the same continuity mistakes.

As for size, I was thinking that it would be relative to essence. An essence 2 ship is going to be one class smaller than an essence 3 ship, while an essence 6 ship is going to be four classes larger. The larger the ship, the bigger a crew is needed.

Masters of Jade actually helps makes things simpler. Each ship crew can be statted out as an organization.

wantwantwantwantwantwantwantwantwantwantwantwantwa ntwantwantwant

So, any tips for a complete newbie?

Also, I'd prefer to join a new game over a long-running one, as that way there's not so much history to accidentally mess up, and I don't feel as much like I'm intruding.

Quaera, you said you'd be starting one when the errata comes? Could I join?

I'll be restarting/finishing the recruitment for my game as well soon, if you care to join. Errata should be out in at the most a week, which is when I'll do it.

Oh, and if you're wondering, the reason we're all waiting for errata is that this errata is supposed to fix a major problem with the combat system, as well as make Sidereals actually playable again.

[Turalisj]

The only problem I can see is that you'd have to have two levels of play with the game- Ship size and personal size. And there's no way I can think of to have melee involved, unless you want Outlaw Star style grapple ships or using it for ramming attacks.

Yu-Shan, Autocthonia, the Wyld, Malfeas, and the Underworld could all work as separate dimensions, each with their own version of space.

If I can get 2-3 suckers volunteers who can stick with the project and help me work on it, we could try typing up the setting. I'm just a crazy idea person, I lack the ability to actually put it into a coherent whole

[Tavar]

The only problem I can see is that you'd have to have two levels of play with the game- Ship size and personal size. And there's no way I can think of to have melee involved, unless you want Outlaw Star style grapple ships or using it for ramming attacks.

Yu-Shan, Autocthonia, the Wyld, Malfeas, and the Underworld could all work as separate dimensions, each with their own version of space.

If I can get 2-3 suckers volunteers who can stick with the project and help me work on it, we could try typing up the setting. I'm just a crazy idea person, I lack the ability to actually put it into a coherent whole

I'd be willing to help with that. And their may be a way to work all of that in....

[golentan]

I honestly know barely anything about Exalted (go to the tvtropes article on Exalted. That's what I know). Are Alchemical fun to play? And where do I get the stuff for the system? My google-fu is failing me.

Alchemicals are very fun to play, they are in fact in my top 3 (the top 3 keep changing places). But, as has been mentioned, they play so differently from other exalt types it might not be a good place to start.

For example, like Lunars alchemical charms are based on "talent" rather than "skill:" the requirements are based on attributes rather than abilities. Unlike lunars, alchemicals in my experience rarely bother to learn skills after character creation, because they have a charm which basically installs skill (a natural 5 in an Ability associated with the Attribute) far cheaper than picking up martial arts (for example) the hard way.

And unlike any other exalt type, alchemicals are tied thoroughly to a home base. Given access to a vats complex, they can fix almost any problem relatively quickly. And when tricked out for a specific problem, they can approach solar tier power. But they can only have a limited number of charms at any given time and need to trade between loadouts, so that lone alchemical who's able to curbstomp an entire lunar circle when he's geared up for a combat mission will go down like a chump if a single lowly dragonblood jumps him when he's working on his construction project. But if he survives the surprise attack and makes it to his vats complex, he's once again Deadly McKillbot out for revenge...

[Turalisj]

I wouldn't suggest starting off learning Exalted by playing Alchemicals. Solars are the easiest to start, followed perhaps by dragon-blooded.

[meschlum]

All the descriptions above miss a few rarer character types, which can also be a lot of fun (or not) to play.

First, and most numerous (in setting), you have mortals.

Mortals are horrible. They bleed to death from paper cuts, catch and keep every disease they can find, are unlikely to live more than half a century or so, and are almost incapable of tapping the fundamental forces of the universe.

Mortals are great. From a fragile, worse than realistic base, they can grow into demon summoners, fire spitting martial artists, scholars who design feats of engineering that take decades to complete and affect nations. They can get kidnapped and wake up with extra arms (normal, unnatural, demonic, or undead). When pushed to the limit, they may manage to accomplish the impossible and become Exalted!

Mostly, they die, though. On the plus side, they require very little rule knowledge - and what they do require consists of "No, you can't do this" for the main part.


Far more interesting, you have the Fair Folk. Born from the madness of the Wyld, they are stories and dreams made real by their own wish to become so. Also called the Raksha, they come to Creation as outsiders, alien beings seeking refuge, understanding, and arcane goals that humanity cannot fathom.

Fair Folk are great. A starting character can be pretty much anything. Yes, this includes flying ponies who fight by shooting blueberry muffins at each other. Or sentient pirate airships that convert the dreams of their captain into crew members. Or martial artists who can literally punch through space, teleporting themselves or striking dozens of people at once. Or powerful wizards who can grant immortality and magical prowess to any mortals who dare become their apprentices. Or...

Fair Folk are nightmares. Creation rejects them, forcing them to consume mortal souls if they are to survive there. The Wyld where they were born is now full of horrors that seek to consume them in turn. Nowhere is home, and boredom is worse than death. More to the point, the mechanics for the Raksha are nearly orthogonal to the rest of the Exalted line, so character creation, and playing, are complicated and not very helpful for any other game.

Mostly, they are a fun toolbox, with opportunities to do really crazy things. Assuming you have a GM who doesn't walk around with rulebooks bound in cold iron, of course.


And now to illustrate!

Gemship of Raziere

Created as a gift to a cat loving Lord of Creation, the Gemship was carved from a single massive ruby - if a crystalline block a few hundred yards on each side counts as a single gemstone, that is. Endowed with the power of flight, the Gemship has a strange effect on its passengers, especially those of the female persuasion.

Periodically, waves of light pulse through the Gemship, carrying the scent of fine herbs - an expert might recognize it is that of a form of catnip so refined and exquisite it normally grows only in Heaven itself. Women who are exposed to this atmosphere find it exceptionally comforting, and grow comelier with each burst of light. That they grow feline ears, tails, and other features is seen as a benefit by all concerned.

Though it can travel the skies of Creation, the Gemship is most suited to the proximity of the Wyld, providing comfort and safety to those who align themselves with its captain. When near the edges of Creation, the vicinity of the Gemship is such that reality itself grows fluid, so that its captain might, with effort, remake it into a more pleasant realm.

3-dot Behemoth
Assumption of the Wyld-Tainted Land - the Gemship fills a significant area with Wyld energies.
Assumption of Earth Form - the Gemship is, fundamentally, a massive gemstone.
Assumption of Cat Form - it has notable feline traits as well.
Gossamer Wing Flight - the Gemship ignores gravity.
Racing Dragon Speed (x2) - when moving at a leisurely pace, the Gemship is faster than a skilled athlete at a full run.

2-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of the Land's Heart - anyone coming inside the Gemship will be affected by its more potent magics.
Ordinary Object Conjuration - the Gemship creates Divine Catnip when circumstances demand it.
Behemoth Forging Meditation - female mortals who partake of the scent of Divine Catnip take on feline traits, and grow more beautiful.
Dragon Transformation - if pressed, the Gemship will take on more aggressive seeming traits, grow huge wings, and fly away at an even more impressive pace.


For a Fair Folk character, owning the Gemship as described above calls for 2 bonus points (out of 18), and it comes with a wide range of other powerful magics.