east vs west in exalted

[orionstark1482]

hi everybody. something has been floating around in my mind with exalted for awhile.


in storytelling in all its forms their are 2 themes that are almost universal


the western story of the chosen one who must save people


and the eastern story of the individuals search for enlightenment that every soul takes eventually.


exalted is a unique blend of east and west. the motifs of the world and the celestial buracracy is like chinese folk lore and the Immaculate faith is similiar to Buddism


but the over arching story of exalted is that the great heros have come to save humanity is very western.


i feel that to properly have the eastern hero's journey their has to be more of a seeking with exaltation.


the idea that you are chosen by a higher power for great things is against the eastern idea of the road to enlightenment.


i know this is way off cannon but just a thought i had.

 

[Persell]

I have never thought of this, but find it an interesting observation. Maybe the search for enlightenment can be reflected in the exalt's grow in power, Essence being a meter for the degree of enlightenment. Like Arete in Mage.


It could also be an interesting change if the exaltation was something you had to quest for before it happened. The Essences are out there, hidden in the secret places of the world, but can't be found unless sought for by a soul with the right mindset. Eastern style.

 

[orionstark1482]

I have never thought of this, but find it an interesting observation. Maybe the search for enlightenment can be reflected in the exalt's grow in power, Essence being a meter for the degree of enlightenment. Like Arete in Mage.
It could also be an interesting change if the exaltation was something you had to quest for before it happened. The Essences are out there, hidden in the secret places of the world, but can't be found unless sought for by a soul with the right mindset. Eastern style.

right. the idea of a chosen one comes from the JudeoChristian tradition of Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed. in Buddism no one chose buddha to be a messanger. he found enlightenment because he went looking for it and found it. i am not saying their is no merit to the chosen idea. it seems to me that a lot of the times we find ourselves in situations that we have no idea how we got their. i am just saying that it would be interesting if one could achieve enlightened essence by their own fruition and not the will of the divine.

 

[Persell]

it would be interesting if one could achieve enlightened essence by their own fruition and not the will of the divine.

By, for example, learning the Essence Flow Merit? WW is way ahead of you.


Now exalted Essence, that's another thing altogether.

 

[Persell]

Exaltation is per definition what the name implies, being exalted over others by a god. being an essence channeler is something different and it does not neccessarily have anything to do with enlightment.

 

[orionstark1482]

Exaltation is per definition what the name implies, being exalted over others by a god. being an essence channeler is something different and it does not neccessarily have anything to do with enlightment.

i just feel like they should make a soft cover about people who have awakened their essences by their own right.


how they do it and what they can do with it.

 

[Persell]

Exaltation is per definition what the name implies, being exalted over others by a god. being an essence channeler is something different and it does not neccessarily have anything to do with enlightment.

i just feel like they should make a soft cover about people who have awakened their essences by their own right.


how they do it and what they can do with it.

there is a hardcover about it, it is called the player's guide

 

[Jukashi]

Mortals who have awakened their own essence, and they can, can learn Terrestrial MA Charms and Sorcery.


And that's pretty much as far as enlightenment alone will bring you.

 

[orionstark1482]

Exaltation is per definition what the name implies, being exalted over others by a god. being an essence channeler is something different and it does not neccessarily have anything to do with enlightment.

i just feel like they should make a soft cover about people who have awakened their essences by their own right.


how they do it and what they can do with it.

there is a hardcover about it, it is called the player's guide

they bearly scratch the surface in that. that is like saying we don't need a book about outcastes because they made a book called dragon blooded. oh heck why bother with supplements at all we have a core book.

 

[orionstark1482]

Mortals who have awakened their own essence, and they can, can learn Terrestrial MA Charms and Sorcery.
And that's pretty much as far as enlightenment alone will bring you.

i wonder if anyone ever raised themselves to godhood by themselves?

 

[Lotus1]

i did

 

[Silence In Daylight]

And see how he turned out...


 Mortals seeking enlightenment into godhood, beware. One misstep, and you'll turn into Lotus.

 

[Quchu]

Does Lotus count as an elemental, a god or a demon? Or a whole nother kind? Can Lotus ride mortals?

 

[Gtroc]

Does Lotus count as an elemental, a god or a demon? Or a whole nother kind? Can Lotus ride mortals?

I could make  a joke here, but I will not. but damn that is a funny idea.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Does Lotus count as an elemental, a god or a demon? Or a whole nother kind? Can Lotus ride mortals?

 Of course he does--he's even posted a picture of himself doing so.  8)

 

[orionstark1482]

Does Lotus count as an elemental' date=' a god or a demon? Or a whole nother kind? Can Lotus ride mortals?[/quote']
 Of course he does--he's even posted a picture of himself doing so.  8)

ummm


wow


it just seemed to me that ingrained in most eastern thinking is the idea that i can achieve enlightenment and escape the cycle of death and rebirth. so if a human can raise their own essence and if you get essence rating 3 from endowment you become a god do you need the endowment charm to become a god or will hard work do it for you?

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Essence 4.


 Canonically, you need a supernatural effect to push you over Essence 3. Now, it doesn't have to be via Endowment, but it's the only effect out there that's official.


 The idea of some special root thousands of years old, growing somewhere, that may be able to confer such an effect...it's up to the ST.

 

[orionstark1482]

Essence 4.
 Canonically, you need a supernatural effect to push you over Essence 3. Now, it doesn't have to be via Endowment, but it's the only effect out there that's official.


 The idea of some special root thousands of years old, growing somewhere, that may be able to confer such an effect...it's up to the ST.

i rather like that idea. maybe it is a form of vision quest. it can only be found by the spiritually enlightened.

 

[orionstark1482]

Essence 4.
 Canonically, you need a supernatural effect to push you over Essence 3. Now, it doesn't have to be via Endowment, but it's the only effect out there that's official.


 The idea of some special root thousands of years old, growing somewhere, that may be able to confer such an effect...it's up to the ST.

maybe it only grows in the western ocean of the underworld. i remember in chapter one of Abyssal their was this myth of an island with 3 doors. one led to Lethe, one led to Oblivion and one led to Yu Shan. maybe if you go through the Yu Shan gate you become a spirit.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Ah, ah, one gate led to Yu Shan, the other to Malfeas or Oblivion, the last lead to somewhere unknown.

 

[orionstark1482]

Ah' date=' ah, one gate led to Yu Shan, the other to Malfeas or Oblivion, the last lead to [i']somewhere unknown.[/i]

so one makes you a demon, one makes you a god, and the other takes you to Las Vegas.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Yes, yes it does.

 

[orionstark1482]

Yes' date=' yes it does.[/quote']
if the Gambling god is in town i'll hit Yu Shan but if he is in creation i'll take Vegas


i had a thought. what if you modified the exalted rules to create a new universeal rules. in this world humans have the ability to awaken their essence through teaching and training. as soon as you awaken your essence to at least 2 you can begin taking charms from one of the 5 exalt types.


the essence calculations would have to be universal


this is just coming to me as i type but it is a thought

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

*once again...blink*

 

[orionstark1482]

*once again...blink*

just saying that you could make the game a  completely different setting where exaltation can be achieved through personal enlightenment rather then being chosen by gods. probably a bit similiar to the Jade empire world.