WXLTD
Contents
What is it?[edit]
Working name for yet another Wushu/Exalted hack by Aprogressivist.
References & Inspiration[edit]
- Exalted, of course.
- Wushu for much of the game engine, as such.
- Wuxalted, by Benjamin Baugh.
- Exwushu, a similar work by Shreyas Sampat.
- Wuxalted Redux; Aprogressivist's previous attempt, for what it's worth.
Terminology[edit]
- Essence: This corresponds to the usual cap one can gain when describing actions in Wushu, as well as to a character's maximum Chi. In WXLTD, a character may gain one more dice than this when detailing actions, but only by tapping into her Virtue.
- Mote: Chi in Wushu. Motes are a broad umbrella for Essence motes, Willpower and Health levels in Exalted.
- Scarlet / Ebon: Yang / Yin from Wushu.
- TN: Target Number (see the Conflict section).
Characters[edit]
This section describes the traits used to define characters in WXLTD.
Motivation[edit]
Define a grandiose Motivation for your character, as in Exalted 2E. This is the character's driving goal and desire in life; whenever your character takes significant steps towards achieving her Motivation, she may regain a Mote immediately.
Furthermore, such achievements should be pivotal to the character's progression.
Primary Virtue[edit]
Choose one of the four Virtues described below. This is your character's strongest Virtue; whenever that Virtue is tested, you may add +1 dice to your rolls during a Conflict.
- Compassion: Empathy and forgiveness
- Conviction: Emotional endurance
- Temperance: Self-control and level-headedness
- Valor: Courage and bravery
Limit, Limit Break & Flaws[edit]
Gaining Limit[edit]
Once per Conflict, before a roll is made, a character may choose to get a point of Limit to gain an automatic Ebon success. However, whenever he does this, he rolls dice equal his total Limit; if any dice come up 6s, the character then undergoes Limit Break.
Limit Break Effects[edit]
While undergoing Limit Break, characters find themselves restricted by their Flaw, and must act out according to it. If they resist their Flaw, they suffer the following penalties:
- Solars: TN reduced to 1 for all Conflicts until the Limit Break ends.
- Lunars & Sidereals: Subtract 1 from TN (minimum 1) for all Conflicts until the Limit Break ends.
- Dragon-Blooded: May not regain Motes by fulfilling their Motivation.
A character's Limit score is reset to zero at the end of the Limit Break. Furthermore, if a character did not resist her Flaw during Limit Break, she regains a Mote at the end of it.
Choosing a Flaw[edit]
Solars:[edit]
Choose a Flaw related to your Virtue. Here are some examples.
Compasson Flaws
- Compassionate Martyrdom - Throws himself into helping victims in the most direct and dramatic way possible.
- Heart of Tears - Weeps uncontrollably
- Red Rage of Compassion - Attacks the cause of suffering without consideration for himself or the situation.
Conviction Flaws
- Deliberate Cruelty - Uses terror and cruelty to accomplish goals.
- Heart of Flint - Feels and expresses no emotions. Lacks empathy
Temperance Flaws
- Ascetic Drive - Turns back on worldly affairs.
- Contempt of the Virtuous - Loses respect for the faults of others and has to show them a better way of life.
- Overindulgence - Self-control fails and he character surrenders to all forms of excess.
Valor Flaws
- Berserk Anger - Attacks anything that moves.
- Foolhardy Contempt - Knows no fear.
Lunars:[edit]
Sidereals:[edit]
Dragon-Blooded:[edit]
Attributes[edit]
The three Attributes, Physical, Mental and Social, describe the raw capabilities of characters in those three basic kinds of Conflicts. They are rated from 1 to 3; 1 is as good as an ordinary person; 2 is impressive and heroic; 3 is legendary.
Examples: Herakles, son of Zeus, was reputed to be a warrior of legendary strength and prowess; he had Physical 3. King Solomon, renown for his wisdom throughout the ages, had Mental 3.
Abilities[edit]
To simplify matters, each character has only five Abilities to choose from; which Abilities he has depends upon his character type. These loosely describe both a character's training and, to a certain extent, her philosophy in approaching the Conflicts she deals with. How these five Abilities map to Exalted's regular twenty-five is denoted in the parentheses.
Abilities are rated from 0 to 2; 0 represents little to no training; 1 represents significant time and training; 2 represents a life-time of dedication and hard work.
Solars[edit]
- Dawn (Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown, War)
- Eclipse (Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail, Socialize)
- Night (Awareness, Athletics, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth)
- Twilight (Craft, Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Occult)
- Zenith (Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)
Dragon-Blooded & Elementals[edit]
- Air (Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth, Thrown)
- Earth (Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance, War)
- Fire (Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence, Socialize)
- Water (Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Martial Arts, Sail)
- Wood (Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride, Survival)
Lunars[edit]
- Glory (Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Ride, War)
- Mettle (Athletics, Integrity, Resistance, Sail, Survival)
- Cunning (Awareness, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth, Thrown)
- Succor (Bureaucracy, Performance, Medicine, Presence, Socialize)
- Wisdom (Craft, Investigation, Linguistics, Lore, Occult)
Sidereals[edit]
- Battles (Archery, Melee, Presence, Resistance, War)
- Endings (Awareness, Athletics, Bureaucracy, Martial Arts, Medicine)
- Journeys (Integrity, Ride, Sail, Survival, Thrown)
- Secrets (Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Occult, Stealth)
- Serenity (Craft, Dodge, Linguistics, Performance, Socialize)
Abyssals, Ghosts & other Undead[edit]
- Day (Athletics, Awareness, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth)
- Daybreak (Craft, Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Occult)
- Dusk (Archery, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown, War)
- Midnight (Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)
- Moonshadow (Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail, Socialize)
Celestial Gods[edit]
Choose between Lunars, Sidereals or Solars, as you feel is appropriate.
Heroic Mortals[edit]
Choose whichever of the above you feel is most appropriate.
Specialties[edit]
A Specialty denotes investment over and above that afforded by Abilities. Specialties map to the twenty-five regular Exalted Abilities. Once per Conflict, a character may reroll one of his dice (except Virtue dice), as long as the Specialty can be related to the Conflict at hand.
Backgrounds[edit]
Backgrounds represent the material and social investment and infrastructures that the character can bring to bear in Conflicts.
In WXLTD, Backgrounds are not described by a number of sub-traits, but by the circumstance in which they may be brought to bear. The regular Backgrounds from Exalted are a good starting place for inspiration, but not sufficient and final in their description.
Backgrounds are rated from 1 to 3; a Background may be used in a Conflict a number of times equal to its rating. The use of a Background must be declared before any rolls are made. They may do the following:
- General: +1 dice on a Minor Challenge (Scab roll), or counter the use of another Background that is appropriately negated.
- Offensive: gain +1 Scarlet success.
- Defensive: gain +2 Ebon successes.
Examples:
Minor Connections in the Deliberative 1: very useful for social maneuverings within the Realm's byzantine politics.
Wise Old Immaculate Master on Mount Meru 2: the esoteric training that the character's mentor has given him permits the use of this Background to represent powerful martial arts moves and Charms, very useful in combat. (Yes, you're using Mentor to beat people up. Would it really make a difference if it was an Artifact?)
Suit of Jade Superheavy Plate 3: this Background may be used to negate physical damage, typically combat. It may also be used to impress people with your character's wealth, and possibly even to intimidate them.
Essence[edit]
Your Essence caps the total dice you can receive from Details in Conflicts; only by tapping into your Virtue can you exceed this. Essence is also the maximum number of Motes a character may hold. Motes represent narrative immunity in the story: enough Health Levels, Willpower, etc. to continue.
The rate at which lost Motes are regained are usually defined in the Stakes of a Conflict.
Essence is determined from the following table:
| Character | Base Essence |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Mortals | 1 |
| Heroic Mortal | 2 |
| God-Blooded | 3 |
| Dragon-Blooded | 4 |
| Lunars, Sidereals | 5 |
| Solars, Abyssals | 6 |
| Established (after a long campaign) | +1 |
| Veteran (survived several decades) | +2 |
| Elite (survived several centuries, the Empress(?)) | +3 |
| Legendary (First Age Solars, Deathlords, the Empress(?)) | +4 |
Example:
Tepet Dunado is an Established Dragon-Blooded; he has Essence 5 (4+1).
Raging Bear is a Veteran Lunar; he has Essence 7 (5+2).
Anima Flare[edit]
{to be expanded}
Note: Anima & Charms[edit]
The use of a character's Anima Banner and Charms, as per Exalted, is taken into consideration in their Essence score and the Details they narrate. That is to say, there are no longer any separate mechanics for Anima Banners or Charms; those are now Details.
Conflict[edit]
Calculating Target Number[edit]
Your Target Number (TN) for dice rolls is equal to the Attribute + Ability related to the Conflict at hand.
For example, a Solar engaged in a duel with Physical 2 and Dawn 1 has a Target Number of 3.
