Editing Character:Ganamede, Flawless Orichalcum Gear (section)

== Commentary ==
Exalted 1st Ed. never seemed to know whether it was a game of fluff or a game of immaculate crunch, and it shows. Charms are a granular and extensive part of the system, spells are in list form, and equipment has a bevy of associated numbers to compute, but when it comes to Artifacts (like OMage's Wonders), the rules are maddeningly elusive. 

What does a three-dot artifact do? How is it different from a two-dot artifact? When dealing with Artifacts, do the scale like Resources, where 5 dots might mean a nearly unending stream of 1-dot trinkets? The answers are available, but they're scattered and difficult to find. Even when they do make themselves clearer, they're still pretty vague. Which is why I'll define those dots, but at a later time.

Frankly, that's not the only issue I've got. Like D&D, Charms are huge in number and important to game play. Unlike in D&D, Charms are the majority of ones powerset, which means that poorly chosen Charms will hurt you more then poorly chosen Feats ever would. When playing Exalted, it's important to note that your character is primarily defined by Essence totals and Charm selection, plus whatever limits are encoded into the characters by the setting conceits.

I love Exalted, but it's a high-maintenance mistress. There are tricks to making it easier, but a lot of critical data is actually missing from the books.