Dice Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e OOC

[Purr]

I am finally writing his background. It's already up to 1400 words. I did not intend for it to be long, but I am long-winded by nature with a love of detail and atmosphere.

I still have his Flaws to work out (as a longtime Werewolf: the Apocalypse player, I don't understand why it's taking me so long to get him a handful of Flaws. Has it been that long since I've played Werewolf?).

The fun continues!

 

[jaydude]

I've been wondering if it would be possible to play a cat that Exalted and gained a human form and that's what my character would be. Just a little kitten running around in the forest chased by hunters into the Wyld until one day, bang! He became a Lunar and the O Mighty Fat Cat was born!

Interesting idea, but sadly impossible. My understanding is that Exalts have to be human - or enough so - to be considered for the process.

 

[Psychie]

Jaydude is correct. You have to be human in order to become an Exalt.

 

[Psychie]

Also Purr You have the ok to get your sword and armor.

 

[Purr]

Jaydude is correct. You have to be human in order to become an Exalt.

O.K.! =)

Also Purr You have the ok to get your sword and armor.

Hooray! Thank you!

Are there any things you think I should know about the sword and the armor besides beyond what is in their descriptions? Anything in the game or tips on playability? Those sort of things?

Here's one example. Can the sword and my character flank an opponent for striking bonuses like in D&D?

Do to the items start as neutral or resonant with my character or dissonant or what?

 

[jaydude]

Do to the items start as neutral or resonant with my character or dissonant or what?

If your character's a suitable Exalt type, the items are always Resonant with them.

 

[Purr]

Oh cool! I would like for my character's magic items and my character to get along! Hee hee. =)

 

[Psychie]

O.K.! =)


Hooray! Thank you!

Are there any things you think I should know about the sword and the armor besides beyond what is in their descriptions? Anything in the game or tips on playability? Those sort of things?

Here's one example. Can the sword and my character flank an opponent for striking bonuses like in D&D?

Do to the items start as neutral or resonant with my character or dissonant or what?

Unless you so choose to say so, you have had your artifact equipment long enough to know how they work.

You are free to try and come up with tactics to try and take advantage of the independent nature of the Flying Silver Dream sword. There is a penalty in the game called Onslaught. It is a -1 penalty to the defender for each subsequent attack against them when being faced with multiple opponents, so if you attack from one side and the sword attacks from another, it gives your target a minus to their DV because of the multiple attacks. As far as I know, that is the closest thing that Exalted has to a flanking attack besides stunt bonuses for a good description.

BTW, how close are you to done? I want to get you into the IC part of the story soon so you can join the fun.

 

[Purr]

Psychie I should be done in 24 hours? I am ready to play him now if you are. Feel free to add him!

What I want done on his sheet:

Spoiler: Things to do

- I have his Background story written up finally and I need to edit it. (It explains, among other things, how he came by the name O Mighty Fat Cat. Plus, I like the story!)

- Add Flying Silver Dream and Unison.

- I still want to choose a few Flaws for him but I need to open up my Werewolf books for that (because I'm not having much luck thinking of any on my own).

- Per your request, I want to make up a list of all the animals he can turn into.

- I'm sure his Combat Stats because have changed since I've changed some of his Charms and added Mutations. Could I get some help in this direction please? I want his numbers to be accurate.

- I want to add a Tab for Inspirations to add a few things that I find fun and charming about him (for example, I have a video of a voice actor who can do the voice I would like associated with Da Chonk. I want him to sound like this minus the profanity. And I have the ability to share that video with you guys).

After that, I think I'm done?

Unless you so choose to say so, you have had your artifact equipment long enough to know how they work.

Great! That is super-fine by me!

There is a penalty in the game called Onslaught.

I saw this and did not know what it meant. Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me and how I might use it in-game!

 

[Psychie]

Your Resolve is 4, and your Guile is a 2.
Your current Parry DV needs to be adjusted to 3, since your Melee is only a 1.
EDIT: Don't forget that when using the Flying Silver Dream, your Melee Def goes up by one from the sword's Def bonus.

Also, your Committed Essence is now 13 with the addition of your sword, armor and hearthstone.
Don't forget that with Unison, your different meins will adjust your Soak, sometimes by quite a bit.

I'll have an intro post for Da Chonk up today to get you into the game.

 

[Purr]

Your current Parry DV needs to be adjusted to 3, since your Melee is only a 1.

Psychie Is Da Chonk's Dodge and Dexterity sufficient to defend him or should I up that Melee? I thought having a high Dodge was a good idea because of my mind the best defense is not to be there.

When not in human form, I was going to have Flying Silver Dream fight on its own while he used Brawl since he can inflict lethal damage with his bare hands/paws in DBT and Animal form if need be. Is that practical?

Shouldn't he have a Mobility of -2 between his armor and his Carapace Mutation or is that done separately?

What do you think of his animal choices for the Heart's Blood Merit? Did I do that right? If I need more animal forms or if you decide he needs to choose from another region, should I lose Direction Sense to increase Heart's Blood to 3?

 

[Sherwood]

Psychie Is Da Chonk's Dodge and Dexterity sufficient to defend him or should I up that Melee? I thought having a high Dodge was a good idea because of my mind the best defense is not to be there.

I cannot see any reason why you wouldn't want a higher Melee score. It helps you out in your to-hit and your Parry DV, both of which are a good thing.

 

[Psychie]

Psychie Is Da Chonk's Dodge and Dexterity sufficient to defend him or should I up that Melee? I thought having a high Dodge was a good idea because of my mind the best defense is not to be there.

Either a high dodge or a high parry is a very important thing to help you in combat. It may not kill you, but getting frequent hits will keep dropping your initiative pool down and that will prevent you from being able to do any Decisive attacks.

When not in human form, I was going to have Flying Silver Dream fight on its own while he used Brawl since he can inflict lethal damage with his bare hands/paws in DBT and Animal form if need be. Is that practical?

That can work. It will certainly give you more options of how to engage in a fight.

Shouldn't he have a Mobility of -2 between his armor and his Carapace Mutation or is that done separately?

Yes. I missed that.

What do you think of his animal choices for the Heart's Blood Merit? Did I do that right? If I need more animal forms or if you decide he needs to choose from another region, should I lose Direction Sense to increase Heart's Blood to 3?

You have a good variety of forms, and can always pick up more as you travel about Creation.

 

[Purr]

You have a good variety of forms, and can always pick up more as you travel about Creation.

How is this done? Do you have to move the creature down and drink its heart's blood or do you have to have a Charm in order to do it in a less lethal fashion? Or is there a way that I simply don't know about?

Because if this means going around and killing (more?) creatures, I may just have to ask for the Direction Sense Merit later and turn Heart's Blood 2 into 3? Especially if there are other "extremely dangerous creatures" people could recommend? Yeah. I think having three more "extremely dangerous creature" forms beats out Direction Sense, but only if I can somehow have the option of getting that Merit later.

What do any of you think? =)

Psychie Update: Flaws are done! I hope you like them? If they need changing, please let me know?

I cannot see any reason why you wouldn't want a higher Melee score. It helps you out in your to-hit and your Parry DV, both of which are a good thing.

I would like to up his Melee, but... I don't think I have the points yet. Flying Silver Dream is +3 Accuracy, +1 Defense, and he's specialized in swords. Hopefully that'll keep him around until he can get the xp to up his Melee. Given his background, I don't mind him being a beginner in Melee. In some ways, it makes sense so I guess I'll keep it. I like where his Abilities are. =)

Re: Animal selection. I have added another animal (he was missing one animal): Black-necked spitting cobra (naja nigricollis, spits blinding venom, delivers venomous bites, 1.2 - 2.2 meters in length).

Re: Background. It's up! It's big! And in a spoiler. Enjoy! =)

 

[Rykon]

On the dodge/melee debate, If you can't take both at 3 before bonus points, prioritize Melee. Your excellency/die caps are entirely attribute (+thematic second attribute from a stunt) driven where say, a Solar's are Attribute+Ability and a Dragonblood's is Ability+Specialty. So when you're trying to push for a success on a really important roll or in a really intense situation your charms will carry you forward where lacking ability dots won't be a major hindrance like it would for other splats.

Just to drive the point home a little more, notice charms like Agile Beast Defense effect "Defense" generically for both Parry and Dodge. So for abilities, I'd prioritize the one you can attack AND defend with.

Raising abilities with bonus points is twice as expensive for a Lunar as it is for a Solar but only slightly more expensive in XP. So my recommendation is to consider waiting until after obtaining Lunar XP (as opposed to the baseline XP) for raising mundane traits or merits.

Overall priority to me would be Melee (or primary attack ability if it's something else) > Brawl > Archery/Thrown > Dodge > Integrity ~ Resistance... Note: Resistance will end up more of a stylistic choice in this stack. Is the character's resistance to things like poison, disease, or harsh environs more prominent to you as the player than their Resolve? Or to distill the question more simply, should the sheet reflect a higher physical endurance, or mental?

 

[Rykon]

Do you have to move the creature down and drink its heart's blood or do you have to have a Charm in order to do it in a less lethal fashion?

Your assumption is correct. The default method to gain forms is to hunt and kill a target to drink their heart's blood. All other methods are achieved through charms purchased.

 

[Purr]

Inspirations Tab created with two videos. Enjoy! Now I shall stop watching videos and read above what good ol' Rykon has to say! =)

 

[Purr]

Just to drive the point home a little more, notice charms like Agile Beast Defense, effect "Defense" generically for both Parry and Dodge. So for abilities I'd prioritize the one you can attack AND defend with.

Ahhh! I think I get it! Thank you, Rykooooon! =)

Psychie I would like to swap O Mighty Fat Cat's Dodge (3) with his Melee (1), please! =)

Or to distill the question more simply, should the sheet reflect a higher physical endurance, or mental?

Rykon I would like for him to have both a resilient mind and body. But I think I have more in the physical direction in his Mutations and Charms (not seeing ways to improve his mental endurance except with Integrity). I don't know how Resolve works.

Your assumption is correct. The default method to gain forms is to hunt and kill a target to drink their heart's blood. All other methods are achieved through charms purchased.

Huh. So killing is necessary unless one takes a Charm (which I'm out of). I think adding three more "extremely powerful" animals beats out the Direction Sense merit then (especially if Psychie rules that O Mighty Fat Cat can get the latter merit later down the line).

EDIT: Maybe 1. Ox-Dragon, 2. River-Dragon, 3. Tyrant Lizard? (4. Skyscraper-sized Fat Cat as aforementioned by Rykon? Hah!)

Raising abilities with bonus points is twice as expensive for a Lunar as it is for a Solar but only slightly more expensive in XP. So my recommendation is to consider waiting until after obtaining Lunar XP (as opposed to the baseline XP) for raising mundane traits or merits.

O.K.! I have spent my Bonus Points this way: Bonus Points (15/15. Extra Merits = 7 BP. Stamina from 4 to 5 = 3 BP. Strength from 4 to 5 = 3 BP. Willpower from 5 to 6 = 2 BP).

How well would you like Aredin and Da Chonk to know each other? Both have a real thing against slavery. Psychie mentioned in our Conversation that maybe O Mighty Fat Cat joins the Circle because he was waiting on Aredin to show up to close a deal and when Aredin didn't show up, he knew something was wrong and acted on it. The Fat Cat is one loyal friend. If Aredin counts as a friend, he'd be Fat Cat's top priority (along with anyone else Aredin counted as a friend, namely his Circle).

Thoughts?

 

[Rykon]

Rykon I would like for him to have both a resilient mind and body. But I think I have more in the physical direction in his Mutations and Charms (not seeing ways to improve his mental endurance except with Integrity). I don't know how Resolve works.

If you like this sort of logic puzzle as I do, you might appreciate their's two dimensions to tackling this issue on both counts: the Attribute and the Ability. Lunars can use the fact that they are Attribute based rather than Ability based (like almost everyone else) to great advantage with a bit of patience and hopefully not too terribly much effort in planning.

Physical Endurance is encompassed by Stamina on the Attribute side and Resistance on the Ability side. Together, this scope encapsulates your capabilities for weathering harsh environs, diseases, and poisons, where Stamina will also reach things like extended strenuous exercise (swap Resistance for Athletics), and overall damage resistance (Stamina determines withering soak).

Mental Endurance is encompassed by Wits for the Attribute side and Integrity for the Ability. These traits combined govern the calculated stat "Resolve" which is both a measure of Conviction and Courage (Valor). I use those terms because in previous editions Conviction and Valor were "Virtues" but that system was distilled into both Resolve and the newer Intimacy system which is used to modify the Resolve stat based on the context of a situation. Wits, being an attribute, also has a broader function just like Stamina. You could think of Wits as "Mental Speed" or reflexes as well as wisdom to a degree. The wisdom angle distills into what we see in resolve where the reflex aspect is shown In the "Join Battle" roll or what games like D20 or Palladium would just call the initiative roll.

As for how Resolve works in play, it's a calculated number (Wits+Integrity+Specialty)/2, round up. Just like Parry or Dodge, when someone tries to persuade you or instill a connection to something they need to make a social roll with successes equal to or greater than your Resolve. As I mentioned intimacies earlier, you can gain bonuses or penalties to Resolve depending upon whether this "influence" is complimenting or clashing with your existing beliefs or connections. Note: you (the defender) can still choose to spend willpower to consciously reject their argument.

All that to say, you can broadly set yourself up to cover a realm of competence with your Attributes, or chose instead to prioritize a specific proficiency with Abilities (and specialties by extension). You've already made a large, and wise, investment into Stamina. You could have Resistance 0 and still be a damn juggernaut when it comes to Physical Endurance. However, if you find yourself wanting more Resolve, consider a point or two for Integrity if you can spare it. Otherwise, Wits is also a valuable stat even for combat if you wanted to raise that instead of Integrity.

I hope putting it in that frame of reference might help having come from several Palladium games as well as other systems if memory serves.

 

[Purr]

You've already made a large, and wise, investment into Stamina. You could have Resistance 0 and still be a damn juggernaut when it comes to Physical Endurance. However, if you find yourself wanting more Resolve, consider a point or two for Integrity if you can spare it. Otherwise, Wits is also a valuable stat even for combat if you wanted to raise that instead of Integrity.

Have you seen O Mighty Fat Cat's character sheet yet? Except for a few tweaks now thanks to you, he's pretty much done!

I placed 5 into Wits (as I want him to be able to literally live by those) and 3 into Integrity (because he really has a lot of integrity and strong beliefs that he lives by).

He's got 5 in Stamina (as I wanted him to be able to outlast anyone chasing after him and the Circle or rescued slaves he could be carrying). I also upped this because when I first read about Solars and Lunars, the Core Book firmly mentioned that Solars were definitely above Lunars when it came to power and I kind of worried for my lone Lunar here. Psychie has since come in and in her world, Solars and Lunars are (and she stressed this) different. That's great! Still, I love characters who are hard to kill. Having the 2 dots in Resistance came directly from your entire Circle falling to poison and the more I read online about Exalted v3.0, the more I kept seeing that word - Poison!

Poison was a feared word back in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. No matter what class you played, almost nobody was immune to poison and it could kill your PC or take them out of the fight in a single die roll. So... old habits die hard, I suppose? Heh!

I've also completed O Mighty Fat Cat's background story which I enjoyed writing. At just over 4,400 words, it's hefty, but for me it was time well spent. I haven't put this much time and effort into a PC in a long time (and in my other recent games, I've clocked in some serious hours working with my DMs/GMs/Storytellers hoping to create that character I so long to play. In all of the other games I'm involved in, they've lasted (right, Sherwood and Psychie?)! Such is my hope for O Mighty Fat Cat too. I purposely made him "new to the world" (see Flaws) like me so we can discover Creation together as the Circle (does it have a name yet?) flees the Wyld Hunt and takes on the challenges of being Exalted. =)

 

[Rykon]

the Core Book firmly mentioned that Solars were definitely above Lunars when it came to power and I kind of worried for my lone Lunar here.

I have good news for you. What I say here may seem controversial to the Exalted community at large, but I'll say it anyway. If the writers really want to sell the Solars as being stronger, they needed to either do a better job of showing off that power earlier in the Solar charms or make the Lunars less awesome than they ended up being (I think we'd all prefer the former. Lunars both needed and deserved what they got).

As it stands now, if I were to do my best at making an entirely combat-focused Solar and an entirely combat-focused Lunar both at Essence 1, 0XP. I'd put my money on the Lunar not just winning, but embarrassing that Solar pretty handily. Not quite so for 2.5e but that's because some rather disgustingly good synergies exist in Solar combat charms back then. (Disclaimer: when I say combat focused, I mean to the exclusion of all else. Which is something I never do in practice.)

Why would I say that and people still think of Solars as stronger? Well, the way the cards have fallen, Lunars have some head starts on the power spectrum. More motes, broader charms with comparable throughput, better Ox-Bodies, better Self-Healing, and Warform. By the time things even out, the characters are roughly Essence 3 or higher. Strategic play and luck are going to matter more at that point of the game, even into Essence 5 if I had to guess.

 

[Purr]

As it stands now, if I were to do my best at making an entirely combat-focused Solar and an entirely combat-focused Lunar both at Essence 1, 0XP. I'd put my money on the Lunar not just winning, but embarrassing that Solar pretty handily.

Whoa. I had no idea. Rykon

Wow. I understand this is all when put into the hands of experienced players, but I'm kind of left wondering why mine is the only Lunar. My logic says because we have "Real Roleplayers" that, like me, are playing what they really want to play long-term. I don't understand half of the PC Solar character sheets, but I do understand the other half well-enough to grasp what folks want to play. And that's great!

Still, you know me well-enough, Rykon - I always have questions. But in the end, I'm really just very happy to have had something fun and long-lasting to keep my mind off of Hurricane Ian and learn about Exalted v3.0 and everything. It's a labor of love creating a really fun concept out of nothing and it's twice as challenging when you've never played the game (even if you've played the basic system long ago).

Oh. And before I forget, I like your new avatar! =)

If you don't mind my bringing it up again, how do you want Aredin and Da Chonk to know each other? Our dear Psychie sounds like she is soon to put my dear ol' Fat Cat into the game and I think, especially at the very beginning, that a strong foundation built on communication between PCs makes for a better game while the opposite... well... you know. Heh!

 

[Sherwood]

I am a long time Lunar fanboy as can be witnessed by the tagline under my avatar of 'Luna's Concubine'. I love the Lunars, but in this game I decided to go with a Solar. But yes, I can easily make up a Lunar that has 30+ Soak and can do horrific damage in combat before even getting a weapon in hand. Lunars are awesome.

 

[Purr]

But yes, I can easily make up a Lunar that has 30+ Soak and can do horrific damage in combat before even getting a weapon in hand. Lunars are awesome.

Wha?! Yikes, yeepers, and holy wowzercows! No, I'm perfectly happy playing a happy-hearted transporter who's eager to learn about Creation. Fat Cat was never meant to be this huge damage-dealer or whatnot - I just wanted him to be someone who could hold his own. I hope he can given what he's got. I suppose time will tell.

Ultimately, my trust is not in the game system but as always, it's in the people who are playing the game. I have long, long believed that if you get the right group of people together, you can play just about any game (RP or otherwise) and have fun - because that's what friends do.

Part of me is still surprised to be here with you guys at all. Psychie is extremely generous in that she closed this game with the 5 PCs she was looking for and yet, when I asked to LURK, she offered me a 6th position. I can't tell you how much I appreciate things like that. People with ADHD are often outcasts. To not only be accepted but invited is something I will never take for granted. Even (or perhaps especially) with longtime good buddies like Psychie and Sherwood (and everybody in my own two games).

Here's another thing I'm curious about. Should Lunars like mine have two sets of Combat Stats? One for when the Lunar is in human form and the other when they are in their DBT form? Since Psychie has allowed my PC to have his Mutations in both DBT and in his Fat Cat animal form, and me being a longtime Garou player, it feels kind of odd only having one set of stats? When I look at these stats on his character sheet, I'm not fully sure which numbers count for which form.

 

[Sherwood]

There is a big difference in the feel of a game for me if I want to powergame or not. I want to have fun, and being an indestructible avatar of death is sometimes just what I need. But this time I want something different.