General Exalted Discussion V: Our Armies are Pants

[Yuki Akuma]

Yes, and only if they're a Twilight.

[Qaera]

I don't think so canonically, but it's easy to homebrew in, as a Southeastern bean that increases Awareness for ~6 hours then decreases it for the next ~4. or something, I don't drink it.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Ambrosia is chocolate, so they probably have it in Yu-Shan.

[The Rose Dragon]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bookworm

Ambrosia is chocolate, so they probably have it in Yu-Shan.

Chocolate does not shift colors.

[golentan]

Originally Posted by DragonSinged

See, I was wondering about that, but the thing is that (At least on Celestial Battle Armor) the Hearthstone that powers the armor has to go into one of it's three Hearthstone sockets, and in the core book, page 382, it says "When an Exalt is attuned to a manse, places that manse's hearthstone into an item made with one of the five magical materials and then invests Essence in the item to attune it to himself, the hearthstone resonates as well. Such a resonant hearthstone has a benefical effect on the Exalt who carries it."

I could be wrong, but this indicates to me that you probably need to be attuned to a Hearthstone in order for it to provide benefit, such as powering magitech.

But see, there's some artifacts composed of the magical materials and powered by hearthstones that don't require attunement. Hearthstone variant essence canons, for example, are attunement free and clearly weaponize the item. The hearthstone's power is pretty much universally not granted to the wielder in such cases IIRC, and the power is the benefit that that passage references unless I'm completely misinterpreting it. So...

I could be wrong, and an ST could go either way if they chose without significantly effecting game balance I think.

[tonberrian]

Originally Posted by The Rose Dragon

Chocolate does not shift colors.

Magic chocolate, then.

[Qaera]

Ambrosia's way better than chocolate, though. Since it can be anything a lot of things.

[Yuki Akuma]

The description always made me think of Turkish delight, really.

[Lochar]

Yes, Edmund would agree with you, Yuki.

[Xefas]

Originally Posted by Lochar

Yes, Edmund would agree with you, Yuki.

Edmund was always my favorite. "Sell out friends for MILF and candy" Best Plan Ever. Gave me instant empathy for the character. He then goes on to stab Satan in the back. Even at nine(ish) years old, I knew this kid was a badass.

[Qaera]

Originally Posted by Xefas

Edmund was always my favorite. "Sell out friends for MILF and candy" Best Plan Ever. Gave me instant empathy for the character. He then goes on to stab Satan in the back. Even at nine(ish) years old, I knew this kid was a badass.

She had kids?

[Xefas]

Originally Posted by AThousandWords

She had kids?

Probably not, although it's possible they said something about that in The Magician's Nephew. I dunno, its been over a decade since I read the series.

Also, I'm now following your tumblr. Your Isidoros looks good.

[Qaera]

Thanks, I only use it to post in my Doodle thread mobiley. I'm waiting until I can get to my computer (Wednesday) to do Hakuna Matata that looks clean and designed rather than... smudgy.

Also, Tavar, can you update the "Currently Recruiting" section pretty please?

[Tavar]

Do you want me to add a game, or take away the ones up there? Regarding adding, what should I add.

[ShadowFighter15]

Originally Posted by Yuki Akuma

Yes, and only if they're a Twilight.

Now I've got an idea for a Twilight who's First Age incarnation made the coffee bean with Craft: Genesis, but it only grows in his manse.

Either that or I'm looking forward to that barista course I signed up for a bit too much.

[DragonSinged]

By the way, I noticed today that it says in CoTD: East that Cocoa grows in Halta. I remember someone asking about that.

[Yuki Akuma]

Originally Posted by Xefas

Probably not, although it's possible they said something about that in The Magician's Nephew. I dunno, its been over a decade since I read the series.

She was a Queen - I think it may be safe to assume she had kids at one point.

[The Rose Dragon]

Originally Posted by Yuki Akuma

She was a Queen - I think it may be safe to assume she had kids at one point.

Well, there is the Virgin Queen. Then again, I don't know if she ever had kids or not.

((You might say that the virgin part might make that problematic, but I also don't know whether it is entirely accurate.))

[Tael]

Does anyone have a link to James McMurray's Mod of Democritus's sheet for the Epsilon NPC system? I've searched for all over the place, but all of the links I've found are broken.

[Kylarra]

Assuming these files tagged as fillable with autocalc are his, then I do have both 1 and 2 page versions. I'm not sure if uploading them violates forum rules or not though...

[Indon]

Originally Posted by DragonSinged

Or are they just basically pretty baubles without some way of figuring out where the manse is, then travelling to the manse (which is likely in Realm controlled territory if they were wielded by the Wyld hunt) to attune to it?

A creative sorceror (or maybe even thaumaturgist) could figure out clever things to do with hearthstones they aren't attuned to, like use them to teleport to their manse - or perhaps geomantically attack it.

[Qaera]

Jukashi has posted his work so far on Servants of Gaia, and so far from what I've read it is equally fascinating and awesome. Thought you guys aughta know.

[Mr.Bookworm]

As much as I like and respect Jukashi, the most I can say so far is that it's a very pretty book.

[meschlum]

Originally Posted by Kylarra

Completely unrelated, is there a fast gestation//training charm anywhere? I'd like to know before someone else finds it.

Still not fully available, but let's see what we can do...


Short Gestation Period is a mutation, and we all know what excels at granting people mutations, don't we?

The Celebration of Flesh

Some progressive Fair Folk have suggested that mortals are an endangered species, and therefore conservation efforts are called for. After spending some time explaining that 'conservation' did not mean 'preserve their weirdly rounded ears in formaldehyde', they came up with the Celebration, as part of a theme park for the education and entertainment of immature Raksha. There are no immature Raksha, but the Celebration remains - where it is invoked, mortals and Creation-born become nigh-immortal and intent on producing more of themselves, with the only noticeable side effect being a prevalence of long ears and fluffy tails. Their souls remain fragile and delicious, so perhaps the Celebration is best described as a game preserve...

3-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of the City's Heart - affect a large area.
Behemoth Forging Meditation - grants Immortal Flesh, and whatever Derangements are required to encourage remaining inside the reach of the Celebration
Bestial Transformation (Bunny!) - Short Gestation Period, a few aesthetic improvements.
Heart Stealing Kiss - none of those affected have any Temperance left, ensuring the party goes on.


The Elsewhere Party

When Exalts come to interrupt the utterly harmless passtimes of the Fair Folk with cold iron and rude questions about their wives, husbands, children, and other livestock, the Raksha have found that the second best response (after a pack of mutated lawyer-sharks) is to be somewhere else. Hence, the Party, which channels the geomantic energies of Elsewhere and madness into a truly satisfactory space and refuge. When especially rude Exalts invade and kick out thei rightful owners of these spaces, they find that portable Manses with surpassing geomantic power are well worth the occasional idiosyncracies they manifest.

3-dot Chancel
This Chancel contains 10 waypoints, ensuring that it can become a 5-dot freehold - and thus Demesne, and then Manse. It also holds around 7000 square miles of Middlemarch level Wyld, entirely shapeable by its owner. As it's an artifact, Fair Folk can reflexively send it to Elsewere at will, where it will continue to function as normal.


The Shrivelling Plague

Many portions of Creation have the makings of exceptional real estate, but for the mortal infestations that permeate them. Accordingly, the less enlightened Raksha have formed the Plague to eliminate these vermin. More thoughtful Fair Folk also rely on the Plague to ensure only the most choice specimens (or all of them) surrender to the Celebration, but this is by no means compulsory. When the Plague affects the land, all Creation-born within suffer from horrible nightmares as weird dream-things devour them from within - surgery will reveal these creatures swarming within their bodies. Once they are on their last legs, an agent of the Plague manifests within them, consuming them from inside and leaving behind a shrunken corpse - and a small, warped beast that will carry the Plague further.

3-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of the City's Heart (large area)
Unparalleled Terror Technique - instead of recovering willpower, Creation-born take lethal damage every morning.
Manacles of Virtue - Creation-born get enhanced Conviction while in the area affected by the Plague, ensuring they die faster.
Bestial Transformation - Creation-born inside the Plague become hosts to a Hive of weird creatures that live inside them.

3-dot Behemoth
Assumption of the City's Heart (same area as the Oneiromancy)
Assumption of the Person's Heart (when someone is near death due to the Plague, infect said person - you have a whole day to do so)
Shuffling the Pieces (people you kill spawn minor Wyld beasts - typically mannikins)
Tiny (you are really small, with fewer health levels than normal. Transfer this condition to those you've infected, and they lose their last health levels, shrinking in on themselves and releasing a Wyld beast)
Assumption of Bestial Form (look like a giant disease carrying bacteria, or some such. Get the Huge mutation, which you can share with your carrier if you want them to live a bit longer, or they are simply going berserk where you want them to. Then drop it so they'll die when necessary).

[Kyeudo]

With the thread named as it is, I'd like to present something for you:

Mass Combat: Taking Off the Pants!

Let me know what you think.

[Xefas]

Here is what Xefas fantasizes about in his spare time.

Spoiler

[The Rose Dragon]

Look! I wrote a (mostly useless) Charm!

Originally Posted by Khantalas

Undying Admiral's Privilege
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (DV -0)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: Omnipotent Admiral Authority (Lands of Creation, page 82-83)

Once, the mightiest of Solar sailors commanded not individual ships, but whole fleets, prepared to sail and halt under their command. While in this debased Second Age, man might have forgotten this fact, their vessels did not. This Charm allows the Solar to issue undeniable commands to the least spirit of the ship, making any operation of the vessel by others impossible, even if the ship is owned by others and not the Lawgiver. This command must be verbally expressed in Old Realm and heard by the ship's god, therefore it is usually only useful to paralyze ships within earshot. If placed in a combo with Charms that allow the Solar to be heard further, such as Horizon-to-Horizon Performance Method, this range drastically increases. This use of the Charm does not affect vessels owned by other Solars, Abyssals or Green Sun Princes. It also does not affect vessels without a least god, such as the various demonic sailships of Kimbery and the somber, soulless frigates of the Underworld.

At Sail 7, Essence 7, this Charm is expanded to allow more than simple paralyzation of vessels. By committing an extra 7m, the Solar can command the ship as if he fully owns and captains it. While commanded by the Solar in this manner, the ship cannot be intentionally sunk, nor can the sailors be thrown overboard, but poor sailing can still doom the vessel. An additional 3m expenditure also allows the Solar to command vessels without a least god. In demonic vessels, this is enforced by the Yozis' surrender oaths, and the ship convulses in pain while the Solar's power runs through it, though this does not affect efficiency. In Underworld vessels, this has a much greater transformative effect. The ship is actually granted a temporary least god, bringing it to life as long as the Solar maintains this Charm. The vitalization of the vessel inflicts a -1 external penalty to all actions of any creatures of death aboard the ship (Abyssals are immune). While vessels owned by other Solars, Abyssals or Green Sun Princes are still immune to commandeering in this manner, Lunars, Sidereals and Dragon-blooded can also prevent this commandeering of ships they own with a diceless miscellaneous action to call to the ship's least god in Old Realm, which prevents misappropriation of their rightful possessions by the Solar for the scene. Alternatively, they can spend 5m to shield their vessel for an entire day, though doing so in the First Age was often reason enough for the offended Solar to court-martial the insubordinate Exalt.

[hangedman1984]

Originally Posted by Xefas

Here is what Xefas fantasizes about in his spare time.

Spoiler

di..did..did he just stick a morality core into swlihn???

[golentan]

Originally Posted by Xefas

Here is what Xefas fantasizes about in his spare time.

Spoiler

You sir, may take an internet of your choosing.

[Lord Raziere]

this just gave me an idea: the Reclamation Yozi's singing "Still Alive"

edit: and the Neverborn singing "now I just want you gone"