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

**Lix Lorn** · 2012-03-30, 04:54 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by aetherialDawn

This here seems like an amazing and very interesting look at an alternative Unwoven Coadjutor, both as a part of the game and as a background.

It also provides for more reasons to have a 'quiet' Coadjutor than "They don't talk" or "They're Navi, but less useful"

...anyone feel like an Infernals game?

As a rule? Always. :3

**Lady Serpentine** · 2012-03-30, 05:58 PM (ISO 8601)

So... I've been, for various reasons (mainly, seeing characters adapted from it in the Nexus. Also reading through parts of these threads, and various other details picked up in miscellaneous areas) interested in Exalted for a while now. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, none of the local gaming stores have any books for it, meaning that I can't read through and tell which of the (apparently many) books that aren't the core rules are, if not mechanically useful (which I don't expect to be able to figure out until I've at the very least read through the rules, and probably more realistically after I've been playing in my first game for a bit), at least interesting...

As such, I have a couple of questions - first, can someone please provide a rundown of the Exaltations, so that I can at least determine which ones sound worth looking at? And also, are there any bits of errata that I should definitely take a look at, no matter what I decide to do?

**horngeek** · 2012-03-30, 06:20 PM (ISO 8601)

I'm not sure I can do justice to the various Exalted types…

But In terms of errata, DriveThru RPG carries the Scroll of Errata for free.

Get it. They've recently done an update than can be summarized as Exalted 2.5, and most games on the forum will likely use it.

**Lix Lorn** · 2012-03-30, 06:22 PM (ISO 8601)

You'll need to get the Scoll of Errata, since they just did a massive system update.
Solar Exalted are the base exalted, and technically the strongest. They are good at being humans but better.
Abyssal Exalted are them, but killy.
Infernal Exalted serve, basically, demon god-things. Their powers are /weird/, wonderful, and the best written.
(Also they are the best exalted. Xefas said so!)
Lunar Exalted are shapeshifters and guardians. They're weaker than those three.
Sidereal Exalted are martial artist fate-manipulating xanatos ninjas. Their charmset was broken before errat. They're theoretically about the same as lunars in power.
Alchemical Exalted are communist robots. They are awesome, and marginally weaker than siddies/lunars.
Then there's the Dragonblooded. They are elemental themed warriors with vastly more numbers than the others. They are weaker, though. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Wood.

**Gensh** · 2012-03-30, 06:25 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by C'nor

So... I've been, for various reasons (mainly, seeing characters adapted from it in the Nexus. Also reading through parts of these threads, and various other details picked up in miscellaneous areas) interested in Exalted for a while now. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, none of the local gaming stores have any books for it, meaning that I can't read through and tell which of the (apparently many) books that aren't the core rules are, if not mechanically useful (which I don't expect to be able to figure out until I've at the very least read through the rules, and probably more realistically after I've been playing in my first game for a bit), at least interesting...

As such, I have a couple of questions - first, can someone please provide a rundown of the Exaltations, so that I can at least determine which ones sound worth looking at? And also, are there any bits of errata that I should definitely take a look at, no matter what I decide to do?

The problem with your first question is that which ones are interesting depends on what you're interested in. Maybe it's all of them. Maybe you really like magic items and would want to get Wonders of the Lost Age first. Maybe you really like undead and want to get Abyssals first. Maybe you want to fight pirates and want to get Compass: West first. It's all a matter of personal preferences, really. In particular, a lot of the fanbase likes Infernals, while a lot of the rest hate them. Though I'll note that you'll want to be careful so as not to accidentally get a First Edition book by mistake like one of my players did.

I'll leave the rundown of Exaltations to someone who won't make them sound silly, but as far as errata goes, you'll want all of it. It's actually it's own supplement at this point in time, and the core combat system experienced some serious changes recently. There's also the Ink Monkeys Ultimate Collection, which is material taken from the writers' now-defunct blog.

Errata
Ink Monkeys

**Lord Raziere** · 2012-03-30, 06:28 PM (ISO 8601)

Ok, first, get the Exalted corebook, it has the rules on it, but this also means you'll be getting Solars no matter what.

as for errata, you can download the Scroll of Errata on Drivethrurpg.com. it contains all the errata you'll ever need, and is in fact vital that you have it, since it contains the changes to Exalted 2.5- combat is very different now, and some of the stuff of the corebook, is outdated and broken.

as for Exalts….kay…

Solars: Don't let the "sun king" fluff fool you. Their powers are about taking things humans can naturally do and making them epic to the point of myth- you go from Lukes lightsaber retrieval trick, to summoning your sword from another dimension whenever you want, to creating a sword of sunfire whenever you want. thats only one example. They are supposed to be any hero you want, the flexible "fill in the blanks" splat.

(however I personally consider them a failure in being able to be any hero, because many heroes aren't purely human in their powers, so whatever)

Lunars: are shapershifters…..and thats about it. not recommended, since they as a splat, are so messed up that…..well….hardly anyone plays them, just wait for Lunarrata to hit.

Sidereals: these guys are if you want to play scheming masterminds of fate, with the 2.5 errata they are awesome, they are also the masters of martial arts. their powers are less straightforward than Solars, and it requires a clever mind to use them effectively, as they are also more subtle, as they are basically fate ninja bureaucrat macgyvers of heaven.

Dragon-Blooded: these guys are not as strong as other Exalts. they are supposed to work as a team. their elemental powers are just fluff. their real thematic is that they are soldiers who work together to do things.

Abyssals: they are dark mirrors of Solars. in that while a Solar is about doing anything you want and being an awesome hero, Abyssals are about being able to only do one thing (destroy everything) and being a tragic figure where death and destruction constantly hound and all that they do is DOOOOOOOOOOMED, with no end in sight.
(some people however disagree and want more heroic Abyssals, I'm one of them, but what are you going to do?)

Alchemicals: they are basically communist robot superheroes in Autocthon. they take place in Autocthonia, entirely different from Creation, they are flexible about what powers they can have, and are all about being this celebrity guardians of communist nations, who are the good guys. the bad guys diseased techno-mutants trying to turn the entire world into an eldritch techno-abomination of death.

Infernals: you are the rockstars of hell. basically, you get strange transhuman powers from the architects of Creation, who want you to be a villain that terraforms Creation into something that resembles hell so that the architects can come free from their prison and rule everything once again.
however, the entire in reality is to rebel against them and go off and do your own thing, and become your own super-titan of reality that are improvements upon the old super-titans of reality. Why? because said old supertitans are crazy, stupid outside their domains and are being led by the evilest thing in all of existence, who can literally do nothing but betray, spite, deceive unless the truth is more horrible, and scheme to make everyone else lose.

**Teln** · 2012-03-30, 06:30 PM (ISO 8601)

So, now that I've finally managed to drag myself away from my Kingdom Hearts binge, I have discovered that 2.5 has finally been released! [/slowpoke]

Do we have a verdict on it yet, or are people still digesting it?

**tonberrian** · 2012-03-30, 06:34 PM (ISO 8601)

Be forewarned that these summaries miss a lot for being a few sentences.

Solars: Shining Heroes of Holy Light (but Light is Not [Necessarily] Good)

Abyssals: Tragic Heroes of Darkness and Entropy (but Dark is Not [Necessarily] Evil)

Infernals: Hell's Rockstars (where Hell, while unpleasant, is not necessarily evil - but it is Alien, and its masters are terrifyingly insane and horribly powerful)

Dragonblooded: Decadent masters of elemental power trying to hold a peace that will shatter at the lightest touch while combating corruption from within

Lunars: Shapeshifters fighting to break the power of conquerers who took a world that wasn't theirs

Sidereals: Overworked Fate-Bureaucrat Kung-Fu ninjas

Alchemicals: Robo-communists living in a sick and dying god.

**golentan** · 2012-03-30, 07:29 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by C'nor

So... I've been, for various reasons (mainly, seeing characters adapted from it in the Nexus. Also reading through parts of these threads, and various other details picked up in miscellaneous areas) interested in Exalted for a while now. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, none of the local gaming stores have any books for it, meaning that I can't read through and tell which of the (apparently many) books that aren't the core rules are, if not mechanically useful (which I don't expect to be able to figure out until I've at the very least read through the rules, and probably more realistically after I've been playing in my first game for a bit), at least interesting...

As such, I have a couple of questions - first, can someone please provide a rundown of the Exaltations, so that I can at least determine which ones sound worth looking at? And also, are there any bits of errata that I should definitely take a look at, no matter what I decide to do?

As has been said, what books to get depends largely on what you like. I'm going to suggest you get at least 1 compass book, depending on what type of exalt you find yourself most interested in. I'd also suggest considering what aspect of play appeals most to you, because that will influence what rule supplement to get (magitech, sorcery, martial arts, elder powers, gods, demons, and ghosts are all options, for example).

For the types of exalted...

Solars are the God Kings of Old, glorious and holy heroes who led the world against the evil of the primordials and who were betrayed by their subjects and advisors, banished for an age. Now they have returned to the cycle of reincarnation, and the world will once again be saved by them. Of course, they're also raving lunatics prone to massive breakdowns and the reason they were overthrown was a prophecy said they might destroy the world in their mad lust for power. Suggested Compass Book: Any (special mention: scavenger lands)

Abyssals are the defenders and rulers of the dead, dark heroes with unrivaled power over the underworld. The shadow image of the solars, they were once the heroes of the sun who have since been given over to the powers of the dead. They loyally seek justice for the unjust slaying of their masters, the neverborn and the deathlords, brutally killed by the exalted in ages past. Of course, they're also a bunch of omnicidal lunatics who are probably going to blow up the setting. Suggested Compass Book: Underworld

Infernals are the servants of the yozis. They too seek redress for the wrongful rebellions perpetuated by the exalted host, but unlike the abyssals they try to return creation to its rightful rulers, who are the only beings who have demonstrated unambiguously the power and will to safely shepherd the world. Given time, they may themselves grow into primordials, beings with many souls who are whole worlds unto themselves and who are the embodiment of a principle seared into the face of reality. Of course, they're also a bunch of crazy failures willing to turn reality over to a group who can best be described as "infinitely powerful petulant children angry at everyone." Suggested Compass Book: Malfeas

Lunars are the shapeshifting guardians of creation, defending the edges of the world from threats intra, extra, and juxtaterrestrial. They seek to make a world which doesn't need the exalted because the common men may take care of themselves. They thanklessly carry out these tasks for the greater good. Of course, they're also a bunch of civilization destroying barbarians who can and will rip out the still beating hearts of children to take their shape for this "greater good." Suggested Compass Book: Any (special mention: the Wyld)

Sidereals are the only of creation's exalted who still follow their ordained purpose, protecting the workings of fate from threats against reality. Their power to read and even rewrite destiny goes hand in hand with their peerless skill at the martial arts, and they dwell in Heaven where they oversee the workings of the divine bureaucracy that maintains reality. They foresee and prevent problems before they happen, defending the world from the depredations of the mad god-kings of the first age and the continuing threats of the Wyld, Oblivion, and Hell among others. Of course, they're also a bunch of egotistical lunatics despised by all of heaven for their part in orchestrating the usurpation and who can't make a good decision to save their own lives when they get things into committee. Suggested Compass Book: Yu Shan

Terrestrials are the noble and righteous rulers of creation. They police rogue spirits and bring their excesses to heel, they defend the populace and prevent them facing the horrors mortals are ill equipped for, they face down the lunacies of the fey and the mad power of the other exalted with equal courage, defending and ruling the largest and most successful land of creation and protecting the bounty and knowledge of ages past. Their power over the elements gives them tremendous strength, but not as much as their loyalty to each other and the bonds of blood that bind them. Of course, they're also a bunch of backbiting politicking egoists who overthrew the solars and plunged civilization from its greatest triumphs into a feudal fallen age in the process. Suggested Compass Book: The Blessed Isle.

Alchemicals are the champions of their god and state, defending an entire living machine world from entropy, rogue spirits, war, and dangers too numerous to count. They loyally serve their people, rather than dominating them in the manner of most exalts, and shepherd a society which has not fallen and which has no equal in creation. Their powers are technological, and modular, being able to switch from a war footing to an industrial powerhouse in a few quick hours. Of course, they are also an apocalypse waiting to happen, a ravening horde willing to strip mine creation of everything from metal to grass to the souls of children to support their fascist totalitarian nations and their inscrutable, human soul devouring god. Suggested Compass Book: Autochthonia.

**aetherialDawn** · 2012-03-30, 07:31 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by C'nor

As such, I have a couple of questions - first, can someone please provide a rundown of the Exaltations, so that I can at least determine which ones sound worth looking at? And also, are there any bits of errata that I should definitely take a look at, no matter what I decide to do?

All below are my opinions only.

The Solar Exaltation seeks out classical heroes; Gilgamesh, Achilles, Odyseus. It doesn't seek out moral heroes, necessarily - it seeks out those who will step up and use their power to reshape the world.
It grants them powers related to perfection of skills, and the light of the sun.
As a splat, they are extremely flexible and extremely powerful. As individuals, they tend to be the absolute masters of their chosen fields.

The Lunar Exaltation seeks out those who have a will to survive and to continue - sometimes termed 'survivors', but perhaps better put as those who refuse to be stopped.
It grants them powers related to raw force (attributes) and the adaptability of the moon.
As a splat, they're borked outside of unarmed murderbeasts compared to essentially any other splat. As individuals, they can fight against that to some degree, and they generally use slightly fewer excellencies than most.

The Abyssal Exaltation is offered as a choice at the moment of death. The Deathlords, who rule the Underworld, decide who to offer it to. It is best wielded by tragic heroes such as Oedipus, whose ability to change the world is matched only by the harm they inflict on themselves and all around them as they do.
It grants them powers related to deadly skills (even in Medicine and Presence) and the inevitable entropy of Oblivion.
As a splat, I know very little about them. I'm fairly sure they kill things well... and have great difficulty managing anything else at all (although they are still pretty good when they do.)

The Sidereal Exaltation is fated; it goes where it needs to go. They generally get picked up by the Bureau of Destiny in Yu-Shan (heaven) to act as secret agents on behalf of Fate (physics; not just destiny) and sometimes act as 'teacup ninjas.' They are best at acting as Light Yagami or Gendo Ikari - capable of planning ahead for details that make them seem pretty crazy.
It grants them powers related to manipulating reality a little more directly than most powers, and the ordering influence of the five Maidens (Journeys, Joy, Battles, Secrets, and Endings.) Also they can master martial arts better than anyone else.
As a splat, they recently got errata that made them properly playable, and are quite esoteric. As individuals, they tend to be a little strange, but can pursue most fields now. They're about as strong as Lunars overall, but they sacrifice raw combat power for being able to do other things.

DBs, Alchemicals, and Infernals later.

**Hiro Protagonest** · 2012-03-30, 07:50 PM (ISO 8601)

Exalted has been out of print for years now. They've just started to get back with a "print on demand" option at DriveThruRPG, the main stocker for the books (I really should've payed an extra thee dollars to get the Infernals PDF in addition to the book, since that only takes a few minutes to download), but there's zero chance of finding them at gamestores that don't carry old stuff like D&D 3.5.

Anyway, Solars are superpowered humans who eventually go insane. You're kinda stuck with them though, since they're in core. A good example of a Dawn Caste Solar is Beowulf. A good example of a Zenith Caste Solar is Jesus.

Lunars also experience bouts of insanity, but they attribute it to Luna, although only the Neverborn and the Yozis (and maybe certain Infernals) know the truth. They focus on talent rather than skill (their charms are attribute-based rather than ability-based), and can turn into at least one animal. A good example of a Full Moon Lunar is Heracles, if Heracles could turn into an elephant. A good example of a Changing Moon Lunar is Hitler (seriously, Charisma + Appearance + the Thousand Streams River experiment).

Dragon-Blooded are very abundant compared to the others, but they're also the weakest. There used to be about a million DB during the Shogunate, and probably tons more during the height of the First Age of Man (since a lot of them would've been killed by the Solars and loyalist Lunars), but now there are only about ten thousand. They experience a watered-down version of the Lunar and Solar curses. A good example of an Earth Aspect Dragon-Blooded is Toph. A good example of a Fire Aspect Dragin-Blooded is Zuko.

Abyssals are Solars. Except they kill more, do other stuff less. And they suffer Resonance instead of going insane, which means that if they don't kill things, the people they love start getting bad luck, then worse luck, then they die. I don't really have any examples of Abyssals.

Infernals are like Abyssals, except they suffer Urges (a desire to do a certain thing that advances the Yozis' plans), but they're like Solars with more thematic stuff (seriously, Yozi excellencies are based on theme), and they can eventually give the Yozis the slip entirely, effectively making them Solars that won't go insane. A good example of a Slayer Infernal is... well... *points at avatar* *points at avatar's name in sig*

Sidereals are fate ninjas. Your best friend that you met last summer could be a Sidereal in disguise and you wouldn't even know it. The very same Sidereal could also have been Bruce Lee. You could even have met the Sidereal in his true form, but not remember him at all. Older ones also believe they're always right.

Alchemicals are communist cyborgs that eventually turn into colossi, then cities. Not sure how their Clarity works.

The Fair Folk are carefee, and the people in Creation are all jerks who want to ruin their fun. They also survive in Creation by taking emotions from people, and most of them want to just destroy it.

Mortals are like flies. The rules actually give you a better chance of surviving if a PC knows your name. The average farmer can also jump six feet in the air, fight skillfully, and survive in the wild.

Just remember. In Exalted, there is only one non-mortal guy everyone other than himself thinks of as evil. The Ebon Dragon. Some of the Solars well into the Curse might also count.

**Volthawk** · 2012-03-30, 08:02 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Jade Dragon

Alchemicals are communist cyborgs that eventually turn into colossi, then cities. Not sure how their Clarity works.

Clarity is essentially the balance between the man and machine in Alchemical - remember, although they may have artificial bodies, their minds and souls are formed from fragments of past mortal lifetimes their soul has lived through. High Clarity means the balance is more towards the machine end - high-clarity Alchemicals eschew humanity, their minds becoming efficient, goals-orientated, with emotional ties becoming less and less relevant and important - things are assessed in terms of how they relate to the Alchemical's goal, not in terms of how he used to feel about it.

Clarity isn't a permanent thing, though, and unlike the other Exalt's Limit tracks, isn't all bad. It's a sliding scale showing the balance between the two ends, increased by spending long times away from humanity, suppressing your emotions, and certain charms (and advancing into the later stages of Alchemical evolution, past the human form and into the transhuman colossi and metropoli), and decreased by embracing your emotions and spending time with humanity.

**Hiro Protagonest** · 2012-03-30, 08:27 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Volt

Clarity isn't a permanent thing, though, and unlike the other Exalt's Limit tracks, isn't all bad. It's a sliding scale showing the balance between the two ends, increased by spending long times away from humanity, suppressing your emotions, and certain charms (and advancing into the later stages of Alchemical evolution, past the human form and into the transhuman colossi and metropoli), and decreased by embracing your emotions and spending time with humanity.

Rhyvurg thinks they're the only Exalted with the possibility of being objectively good (except to the Fair Folk and people that should be in an asylum), simply because Clarity isn't really a bad thing. I countered with the fact that Infernals can slip the Yozis and become something similar to Solars that don't turn insane, and not using soulsteel and certain charms gives them a distinct possibility of being objectively good. Although they could also become Primordials that can relate to mortals instead. The only problem is what happens when a Green Sun Prince dies... although in my opinion, placing the Infernals in power would also include lowering Malfeas's rage levels and convincing Isidoros to take a smaller form, then somehow freeing them (maybe killing another soul? But I don't know if that would work, since you can't exactly free them by killing a first or even second circle demon, and Ligier's such a nice guy). Then we free most of the other Yozis, except we kill the Ebon Dragon and Adorjan (Adorjan's bat**** insane and the ultimate assassin, she's like an unstoppable mass murderer), and maybe some others (I'm not sure how Cecelyne or She Who Lives in her Name would work, since I don't have the Infernal book (yet) or the Malfeas book).

**horngeek** · 2012-03-30, 08:38 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Jade Dragon

Rhyvurg thinks they're the only Exalted with the possibility of being objectively good (except to the Fair Folk and people that should be in an asylum), simply because Clarity isn't really a bad thing.

...no, they can't, because in the context of Creation, there is no objective measuring stick of 'good'.

However, if we want to go down that road... redeemed Abyssal.

**Hiro Protagonest** · 2012-03-30, 08:45 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by horngeek

However, if we want to go down that road... redeemed Abyssal.

I don't know how those work. Do they just become Solars without the Curse?

**tonberrian** · 2012-03-30, 08:46 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by horngeek

...no, they can't, because in the context of Creation, there is no objective measuring stick of 'good'.

Obviously some manipulation of the shinmaic substrata of Creation needs to be done.

Originally Posted by Jade Dragon

I don't know how those work. Do they just become Solars without the Curse?

In a nutshell.

**HerrTenko** · 2012-03-30, 09:11 PM (ISO 8601)

Well, since it's apparently Splats Time, here's what I think about them, but keep in mind I mostly talk about fluff, because I'm not used to their mechanics yet :

If you want to play Big Damn Heroes that are pretty much able to punch the very concept of Impossible in the face and tell it to go sit in a corner, play Solars. They are humans made perfect. They fight perfectly, inspire perfection, control the most perfect sorcery, technology, cooking, knitting, writing, what have you... But keep in mind they might throw a perfect tantrum and perfectly destroy Creation if they wish so.

If you want to play Werewolves on Steroids, play Lunars. They are shapeshifting beings with awesome raw power, but not as refined as Solars in that they depend more on talent than skill. They make great killing machines, but I tend to like their sexy courtesans because SHAPESHIFTING! Think of the possibilities.

If you want to play Angst : The Killing, play Abyssals. They are masters of murder, be it violent, sneaky, not on purpose or whatever : they are beings of death and they can't even help it. They are supposed to work towards the end of Creation, but this is Exalted, so there ARE exceptions.

Sidereals do not exist, but if they did, they would be kung-fu master bureaucratic scheming fate ninjas from heaven that could jump out of a tea-pot to punch your destiny so hard it would spin twenty times in its socks before realizing it doesn't even exist in the first place. Or something.

Finally, about Dragonblooded. They are soldiers, politicians, martial artists, teamworkers, and more to the point, they kinda dominate the mortal world right now : there's 10 000 of them running around, their empire covers about every civilized land there is in Creation, and they have access to ressources and knowledge long lost to everyone else. And they need it : they are, by design, weaker than the other Exalts when taken alone. You might want to give them a try, though, because they have a potential for awesomeness too.

Infernals... I didn't even start reading about them thoroughly, so I can't really say.

If you want something a lil' different, you can play Mortals. They are squishy, not that magic, not that heroic compared to Exalts, but they can be Badass to their own level.

If you want to know what it feels like to be high on every single drug at the same time, try Fair Folk. They are wonderful, but not that easy to understand. I wouldn't recommend mixing them with other character types, because they tend to do their own thing (which is, everything). Meschlum would explain it better.

And finally, for something totally unrelated (or not), you might try Alchemicals. They've already been described pretty well, so I'll just add something : they can have lightsabers, which is, well, the coolest thing ever.

Also, now might be a good time to suggest reading Keychain of Creation. That's what got me into it. It has some non-canonical elements, but really helps grasping the whole mood of the thing.

**Rhyvurg** · 2012-03-30, 10:17 PM (ISO 8601)

I don't care for nation building or Infernals, so...

**golentan** · 2012-03-30, 10:34 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by horngeek

...no, they can't, because in the context of Creation, there is no objective measuring stick of 'good'.

However, if we want to go down that road... redeemed Abyssal.

Well, also, many forms of limit aren't going to disqualify someone as good. A solar who periodically gets the weepies (like Misho in Keychain of Creation) isn't all that likely to do evil things as a result of his curse. Similarly, one with the temperance flaw to go and get hammered is likely to make no worse decisions when drunk than a solar with temperance 1: the consequences of an exalted bender may be dire, to be sure, but are not inherently evil.

Even, loathe as I am to embrace them, abyssals with the proper set up don't bring evil into the world automatically. An abyssal who's only friends with guys who are already dead and who hangs out in the underworld can theoretically vent resonance in such a way that they look really scary to any mortals passing by a few days out of every week. And nothing compels them to create or use soulsteel.

And, of course, there are infernals. As I am fond of pointing out, it is a perfectly valid act of "villainy" to spare the life of someone who's been making your life miserable so that you can monologue to them about your wedding plans and how happy you are with your spouse-to-be before giving your enemy a wedding invitation and saying you admire their continued conviction in opposing you and you look forward to many years of cheerful rivalry.

**meschlum** · 2012-03-31, 02:25 AM (ISO 8601)

Despite having no contract, I appear to have some contractual obligations here.

Fair warning: I am highly amused by Fair Folk, hopefully proficient at using them, and have (regrettably) found very few opportunities to play them. Prospective GMs keep waving cold iron when I get near, and that messes with computers (of course).

Fair Folk are not Solars. Limiting yourself to being merely a paragon of humanity, without the naive ability to fly, turn people into goldfish, and create your own personal pocket universe is tiresome. If you enjoy crushing people with your raw superiority and going insane in dramatic ways, the way of the Solar is for you.

Fair Folk are not Lunars. Having to hunt and devour people to take their shapes is rather gauche, not to mention mechanics whose main feature is they don't work. If you must be a ravening beast or highly versatile charmer, claiming to be a Lunar is an excellent plan.

Fair Folk are not Abyssals. Kill, kill, kill is boring. Mix in a little maim and politics with ancient ghosts, and there's some potential there. If you plan to wander in the Underworld, or want to destroy large swathes of Creation, you should probably blame an Abyssal for the carnage.

Fair Folk are not Infernals. While they have a commendable knack for transforming themselves into more (and less) than human beings, being limited to a small range of themes is unpleasant. When the human form grows monotonous, and you want to wander in strange realms where you are equally worshiped and manipulated, don the mask of the Infernal.

Fair Folk are not Dragon-blooded. Elemental manipulation, teamwork, and fragility in the face of other Exalts might have you confused, not to mention the politics and corruption. In fact, wandering in Creation as a Dragon-blood lets you get away with pretty much anything so long as you're not caught by others of that ilk, so it's well worth trying out.

Fair Folk are not Alchemicals. Depending on massive infrastructure to completely rebuild yourself is clumsy, and a slowly collapsing techno-dystopia makes for few truly glorious stories. Still, if you ever visit the belly of a sleeping, diseased Primordial, it's a good way to explain where your powers come from.

Fair Folk are definitely not Sidereals. Learning a whole martial art style in order to warp reality is inefficient, dealing with godly bureaucracy is slow, making excellent group decisions means too much time spent in meetings. Should you wish to tamper with memories, be a martial arts sage, or meddle with Fate itself, remember to look like a Sidereal.

Fair Folk are not mortals. Dying to just about anything cuts far too many stories short, and mortals never get a chance to pick up White Veil style. Not that it exists, which makes it all the more fun to use. Cultivate the company and friendship of mortals, for they are tasty and can become almost anything with just a little help.

Fair Folk cannot be Raksha. Those horrible soul eating beasts with unlimited potential and incomprehensible rules have no relationship at all with the Fair Folk. When you wander in the Wyld and seek to create your fondest dreams, don't bother with the Raksha - they can only grant your wishes.

I'm not sure how helpful this is, but it was fun to write. And if, perchance, you happen to wonder about playing Fair Folk... feel free to ask.

**TheCountAlucard** · 2012-03-31, 02:37 AM (ISO 8601)