Editing Lunar Exalted (section)

==Luna's Guiding Hand==
''Or, Advice for Storytellers.''

===General Advice:===

First off, one essential piece of advice: whatever you feel about the barbaric nature of the vast majority of Lunars (admittedly, a subject often complained about), do not shackle them isn't explicitly indicated in their book. Even those limitations (real or perceived) that exist in the book can be cast aside, if they don't fit your idea of a fun game. Just try to realize that playing a character from a barbaric background is not, in any way, more limiting than playing a character from a civilized background. It's just a shift in focus, and change of perception.

The second point I'd like to bring up is that the majority of any advice that applies to Solars, applies also to Lunars. They may not have been the god-kings of the First Age, chosen by the leader of the gods' rebellion against the Primordials, but Luna's Chosen are by no means impotent. Keep the scale of the game appropriate to the power level of the characters: raw survival on the edge of the Wyld may work for a session (though even that's a stretch; such a situation is probably only minimally challenging to most Lunars), but in the long term, the Exalted exist to accomplish things, indeed, to change the world. Make sure that NPCs are not overshadowing your PCs - it is, after all, their show. It's true that some of the Elders of the Silver Pact are survivors of the First Age, and that if they wanted to they could eat your characters for breakfast. But instead of worrying that they will, figure out why they won't. As Kasumi so eloquently points out in other parts of this work, the powerful NPCs in Exalted share one basic trait: they are incredibly powerful, but markedly imperfect. They are all wrong, somehow - whether through lack of focus, lack of clarity, too much drive towards the wrong goal, or some other factor, none of them has what it takes to change the world the way your characters are going to. They may have, at one point in their lives, but not any more.

Lastly, don't forget that while the majority of Lunars may be barbaric members of the Silver Pact, there do indeed exist both Lunars unaligned with the Pact and so-called "city Lunars," those who managed to impress Luna with their will to survive outside of a wilderness setting. These characters can be just as fun, interesting, and viable as a standard Silver Pact Lunar. If you're worried about what to do with these characters, treating them largely like Solars (due to their "loose canon" nature and lack of defined societal structure) is far from a bad idea.

===Expressing the Lunar Ideology:===

The Lunars catch some hate because of the "Arrgh! Smash!" stereotype of barbarian characters. I blame this more on a lack of imagination than anything inherently restrictive about playing a character who doesn't happen to come from a city or its outlying farmland. Something to keep in mind is that, as GCG once pointed out, the Silver Pact is headed by a bunch of ancient protean savants with Intelligences of 7 or 8. They're not idiots. They don't just want to tear civilization down and dance on the ruins. They want to create something better. They want to forge humankind, and thus Creation, into a self-sufficient society that doesn't depend on worthless trappings like heartless bureaucracy, with its endless paperwork, or any sort of false rulership based on something other than earned respect - whether it be through strength of arms, cunning, wisdom, charity, or pure mettle.

Certainly, some of the younger Lunars may not grasp the full scope of the Silver Pact's long term plans, or appreciate the amount of dedication, planning, and sheer philosophical insight that it takes to reforge the entire world into a new, better society. After all, it's always easier to demonize your enemies and to hate their methods and way of life than it is to actually espouse your own, or come up with a viable argument as to its superiority. In this way, it is entirely possible to play the young Lunar ravager who wishes to tear down civilization with his own hands and watch the city-dwelling fools founder in the resulting chaos. However, it is essential to keep in mind that the overal agenda of the Silver Pact is not inherently antagonistic. As a matter of fact, in many ways its the most progressive plan out of all the many plots that the various factions from within and without Creation concoct; for the Silver Pact, unlike the Sidereals, unlike the Solars, unlike the Dragon-Blooded, have a largely unified vision of a better Creation. They're actually out to build something, to make things better, and they've got a plan to do it.

===The Wonder of Nature:===

With so much of most Lunar games happening in the wilderness, it's essential for the Storyteller to be able to properly convey the setting. Think of every awe-inspiring natural sight you've ever witnessed: the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, the stately march of the Nile, the pulse-pounding rush of a massive waterfall, the desolate beauty of the desert at night, or the simple tranquility of a quiet streambed in the forest. Now multiply all these things a hundred-fold. Creation is a world of extremes, and beauty and splendor - and also savagery and terror - exist everywhere. If, during the course of your game, the characters don't encounter at least a few locations that leave them with a shiver runing down there spines, or trembling just a little bit from the awe and majesty of it all, you're not playing it to the hilt.

Although the extremes of the lands near the Elemental Poles are enough for breathtaking locations of supreme majesty or elegant deadliness, Creation doesn't stop there. With uncapped Demesnes and the Wyld thrown into the mix, the backdrop for your game is literally as varied as the palette of your imagination.

===Life Outside the Silver Pact:===

So, "barbarism is all fine and dandy," you say, "but the character I want to play is the street urchin who just refused to die." That's fine, say I. As is the cunning thief with a network of informants, who always seems to be one step ahead of both the competition (nobody ever notices the mouse, you know?) and the authorities; or the savant who, determined to finish his life's work, refuses to just give in to the disease which ravages his body; or the soldier who refused to submit or to die in the face of overwhelming odds, proving his mettle under the watchful eye of the moon. Even a barbarian character who exists outside of the influence of the Silver Pact is entirely feasible. All of these characters are just as much Lunar Exalted as the enlightened barbarian animal god-kings of the Silver Pact. They do take some special consideration, however.

First of all, a much larger percentage of non-Silver Pact Lunars will be Casteless. This is an important factor due to its many mechanical effects. Important to note, however, is that not all non-Silver Pact Lunars will be Casteless; any Lunar Exalt (usually a No Moon) who knows the necessary Charms can fix the characters' Caste. This might be a good reason to take the Mentor background... or, it might be a good reason for your character to be beholden to a more powerful Exalt in much the same way that Abyssals are beholden to their Deathlords. Alternatively, it is entirely possible to play Casteless characters; although the mechanical drawbacks are significant, absolute and utter freedom is also a worthy goal, depending on the campaign model.

Whether Exalted in the depths of the wilderness or a stinking gutter, a Lunar Exalted is still a Lunar Exalted. They were all still Chosen for the same reason: they managed to impress Luna herself with their determination to survive. This is a powerful source for theme and drama in any game. The essence of survival is not merely to remain alive, but to change one's surroundings or situation in order to ensure the continuation of such. At higher levels, it changes from a battle for mere survival to a struggle for dominance, for control. The Lunar Exalted work on a scale essentially similar to the Solar Exalted - for though they are weaker, it is not by much - and this is only emphasized in non-Silver Pact games. Free to concentrate completely on their own agendas, outside the societal structure of the Pact, these Lunars resemble Solars in all ways except the flavor of their powers and a shift in the focus of the themes of their stories.