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The primary purpose of Fate Points is to manage your Aspects in play. Using your aspects in a positive way grants a bonus, but it also costs Fate Points. Having your Aspects used against you will grant Fate Points however. There are three way Aspects may be used:
 
The primary purpose of Fate Points is to manage your Aspects in play. Using your aspects in a positive way grants a bonus, but it also costs Fate Points. Having your Aspects used against you will grant Fate Points however. There are three way Aspects may be used:
*'''Invoking''' You may Invoke your Aspects, or the aspects of an object under your control. You invoke an aspect by spending 1 Fate Point in a situation where the Aspect would be advantageous (for instance you might invoke the aspect 'built like a brick wall' to resist being knocked down, resist damage, or smacking someone else around. But definitely not performing ballet) and you recieve +1d6 bonus to the roll involved or a reroll.
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*'''Invoking''' You may Invoke your Aspects, or the aspects of an object under your control. You invoke an aspect by spending 1 Fate Point in a situation where the Aspect would be advantageous (for instance you might invoke the aspect 'built like a brick wall' to resist being knocked down, resist damage, or smacking someone else around. But definitely not performing ballet) and you recieve +1d6 bonus to the roll involved.
*'''Tagging''' The scenery and other characters can have aspects too. When you want to use these Aspects to your advantage it's called a tag. Tagging an opponent's aspects is just like Invoking one of yours, you spend a fate point, explain how it'll help you, and you gain +1d6 to your roll or a reroll. Of course, you don't necessarily know your opponent's Aspects, in these cases you might guess. If you guess correctly (or at least 'close enough') then the tag works like normal. If your guess is wrong then you get the Fate Point back, unless the fact that you know you guessed wrong reveals something important, in which case you spend the fate point anyway. For instance, if you attempted to tag a hypothetical aspect "Dumb as a Post" on the bumbling, imbecile captian you've been talking to and the GM reveals that the captian doesn't have that aspect (or a similar one). You wouldn't get the Fate Point back, but now you know the captain isn't nearly as dumb as he seems.  
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*'''Tagging''' The scenery and other characters can have aspects too. When you want to use these Aspects to your advantage it's called a tag. Tagging an opponent's aspects is just like Invoking one of yours, you spend a fate point, explain how it'll help you, and you gain +1d6 to your roll. Of course, you don't necessarily know your opponent's Aspects, in these cases you might guess. If you guess correctly (or at least 'close enough') then the tag works like normal. If your guess is wrong then you get the Fate Point back, unless the fact that you know you guessed wrong reveals something important, in which case you spend the fate point anyway. For instance, if you attempted to tag a hypothetical aspect "Dumb as a Post" on the bumbling, imbecile captian you've been talking to and the GM reveals that the captian doesn't have that aspect (or a similar one). You wouldn't get the Fate Point back, but now you know the captain isn't nearly as dumb as he seems.  
*'''Compelling''' Compelling is when the GM decides to use one of your Aspects against you (if an NPC does this, it's tagging). Typically Compelling doesn't involve a bonus or penalty, instead the GM declares that you may not or must do something (although generally the 'how') is up to you. If your Aspect is compelled the GM offers you a fate point and requests that your character follow the aspect. If you don't want to follow it, you must give the GM a fate point in order to ignore it. If the GM really feels that this is important he may offer you two fate points (which will require that you give up two fate points in order to ignore), or even 3. For Example: If your character had the Aspect "Short Tempered" and someone important insulted you during a party where it was important that you be on your best behavior the GM would offer you a fate point, requesting that you respond to the insult in some way (how is up to you, a snippy comeback, a challenge to a duel, or a punch in the face). If you really, really didn't want to get into trouble you would buy off the GM with a fate point, and if he really really wanted to start something he could up the ante (but he may also make more extreme requests).
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*'''Compelling''' Compelling is when the GM decides to use one of your Aspects against you (if an NPC does this, it's tagging). Typically Compelling doesn't involve a bonus or penalty, instead the GM declares that you may not or must do something (although generally the 'how') is up to you. If your Aspect is compelled the GM offers you a fate point and requests that your character follow the aspect. If you don't want to follow it, you must give the GM a fate point in order to ignore it. If the GM really feels that this is important he may offer you two fate points (which will require that you give up two fate points in order to ignore), or even 3. For Example: If your character had the Aspect "Short Tempered" and someone important insulted you during a party where it was important that you be on your best behavior the GM would offer you a fate point, requesting that you respond to the insult in some way (how is up to you, a snippy comeback, a challenge to a duel, or a punch in the face). If you really, really didn't want to get into trouble you would buy off the GM with a fate point, and if he really really wanted to start something he could up the ante (but he may also make more extreme requests).  
  
==Charms==
 
  
Charms are the super-powers that truly make the Exalted the Chosen of the Gods. Each charm is a single, specific ability derived from one of the Exalts existing Qualities. Each Exalt has their own 'style' which influences the effects of their charms. Almost all charms cost motes to use, some also require Failure Ranks or Damage Ranks in order to be activated. The power of an individual Charm is determined by it's Essence level.
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*Essence 1 Charms are the simplest and most mundane, barely above the natural abilities of mortals taken to extremes. Most Essence 1 Charms are Excellencies.
 
*Essence 2 Charms are the minor powers of Exalts. They allow enhancement of an ability or skill to far above what normal mortals could accomplish (balancing on a sword blade, leaping the height of a building), limited bending of mortal wills, or substituting essence for minor purposes (such as creating arrows from pure essence, or picking a lock by touch).
 
*Essence 3 Charms are when Exalts start to recieve full control over their Essence. Weapons or tools can be forged from pure essence and attacks of pure essence energy become possible (such as firing an essence bolt from your weapon). This also lets Exalts completely ignore natural laws (walking through walls or leaping over mountains if need be) or twist or break mortal minds if they need to. This is the level 'perfect' attacks and defenses may become available.
 
*Essence 4 Charms step on the bounds of god-hood. Many things become possible that were beyond the Exalts reach before. Complex objects may be forged from essence (a boat for a sailor, a steed for a knight, or an entire magical workshop for a craftsman) and major feats of manipulation or power are possible. Instead of merely creating an arrow from burning essence an Exalt might create an explosive blast that could crumble city walls. Exalts can even fly at this level if they so desire.
 
*Essence 5 or higher charms are feats of transcendant power. Nothing but an equally powerful Exalt or a perfect defense can stand against them. Many lower essence effects can be activated but last for an entire scene, or affect much larger groups (forging essence weapons for an entire army!).
 
 
 
===Solar Charms===
 
The Solars are the god-kings of Exalted. When he created them the Unconquered Sun granted them the gift of perfection. Their abilities are reliable, glorious and terribly powerful. All of their abilities are extensions of their natural talents or skills, simply enhanced to god-like levels. But all of a Solar's abilities will recognizably extend from one of their natural talents. A swordsman might be able to cleave a mountain in half, or a sweep of his blade might send a surge of essence streaking across the battlefield to cleave an enemy far away, but he won't turn his blade into a bow and fire arrows, or somehow use his sword to create a wall (although he might be able to create a barrier of essence forged swords if he had enough power), or defend himself against a poisoned goblet of wine. Solars are the sages, rulers and warriors of ancient times. They fight, the command, they rule. They do not shapechange (although they might use their powers over the minds of mortals to appear as someone else), shoot ice or fire from their hands, or inject poison through their fingernails, or shoot their mouth out on a tentacle and bite someone to death.. Solars have a very limited command over the elements without sorcerery, they may summon Solar flames, but they cannot create storms, call lightning, or command earthquakes.
 
 
 
===Lunar Charms===
 
Luna gave her Chosen the gift of change and adaptability. The Lunars lack the perfection and and raw Essence of the Solars, but they are still terrible powers in their own right. Lunars do not create things from nothing or forge their essence into tools, they modify. A Solar might make a sword by summoning a forge from his own golden Essence and getting to work, a Lunar would take raw steel and make it malleable, shaping it with her own hands until the weapon is ready and then changing it back. Lunars tend to focus more on innate, natural abilities like raw strength, cunning, or endurance over skill and training but their power is still great. They are also adept at illusion, misdirection and the manipulation of the Wyld. In fact, the energies of the Wyld are required for many of their most powerful charms. The most obvious and iconic Lunar power is their shapeshifting ability, the ultimate expression of the Lunar's adaptability. Overall, Lunars are the best at working purely with their own bodies, but among the worst at shaping pure Essence, a Solar might conjure sun-forged armor from thin air, a lunar is more likely to create a moonsilver carapace exuded from their own skin. While Solars who choose not to be subtle can be very, very obvious, Lunars are overall not quite as good at subtle actions. Their powers usually require them to change shape or manipulate their environments in ways that are obviously inhuman.
 
 
 
===Dragon-Blooded Charms===
 
Although they are the weakest of the Exalts dragon-blooded do have three distinct strengths. First, their charms lack the raw strength of Solar or Lunar magic but they do have unparralleled mote efficiency. Second, Dragon-Blooded are the best when it comes to manipulation of raw elements. Even an essence 2 Dragon-blooded can forge a weapon or tool from the raw material of their element and at higher levels their ability to manipulate the environment can be quite extraordinary. Finally, they have many charms that allow them to combine their strength, generating far greater results together than they could alone. That said, dragonblooded simply can't reach many of the heights that Solars and Lunars can, they lack the Solar's raw power or the Lunars versatility.
 
 
 
===Martial Arts===
 
 
 
Martial Arts are unique because they do not belong to any particular type of Exalted. Instead they are techniques for shaping essence through the mastery of the mind and body which allow for supernatural effects and thus they are not restricted to the thematic ideas above. A Solar who knows Air Dragon Style Martial Arts can use his martial arts charms for spinning tornado attacks and lightning strike kicks, normally elements he has no control over. Martial Arts comes in three levels which determines what power is required to weild it and how strong the effects are:
 
*Terrestrial: This is the weakest level of supernatural martial arts. Although it's abilities are supernatural they rarely involve much in the way of pure essence manipulation or control and tend to focus on purely mundane techniques. Their charms rarely go above Essence 3 and never above Essence 4. Mortals can learn Terrestrial Martial Arts with great effort, while any Exalt or natural Essence-user can learn them quite easily. A Terrestrial martial artist might be able to crack a boulder with a punch, or leap over a house.
 
*Celestial Martial Arts have a greater level of both enlightenment and power and usually focus on more abstract and esoteric concepts. Dragon-blooded who practice for years can learn Celestial Martial arts but it comes naturally to any Celestial Exalted. Celestial martial arts can exceed Essence 5 effects, but rarely go above 6. A Celestial Martial Artist could crack a city wall in half or leap over a castle.
 
*Sidereal Martial Arts are the highest and most awe-inspiring of all. At this level actual, physical confrontation may not even be necessary, a martial artist can defeat you with just a gaze. Sidereal Martial arts focus on universal and deep concepts such as sanity, consumption, dreams, or decay. their effects go far above Essence 5 and only Sidereal Exalted can learn them easily. Solars can eventually gain access but only with deep dedication and a willing Sidereal teacher. A sidereal martial artist could split your soul in half with a punch and leap through the border of reality into Yu-Shan, or the Wyld.
 
 
 
===Sorcery===
 
The other way Exalts can extend their abilities is through Sorcery. Sorcery allows exalts to manipulate the fabric of Creation in incredibly powerful, but extremly mote-expensive ways. Sorcerous effects are always specific and almost never subtle. Like martial arts, your Exalted 'theme' doesn't matter for Sorcerery, you just have to know the right spell. The downside to Sorcery's incredible power is it's difficulty and the often lengthy rituals it requires. Like Martial Arts it comes in three levels.
 
*Terrestrial Circle: These spells can devestate an army or badly damage a city but they are still the weakest sorcerous effects. They are devestating to mortals and still fearsome to more powerful beings. Dragonblooded and mortals can learn this level, but they may never learn any higher spells.
 
*Celestial Circle: Those who see Celestial circle spells in action usually attribute them to acts of the gods themselves. These spells can create abundance, destroy cities, summon demons whose powers rival the gods or grant passage to Heaven itself. Lunars and Sidereals may learn these spells, but they may go no higher.
 
*Solar Circle: Only the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun may learn spells of this level. With this much raw power a Solar could slay a greater god or a behemoth the size of a mountain, he can summon demons whose powers are far greater than any god but the Incarnae, or he could send an entire city beyond time and into Elsewhere.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Bit about the setting==
 
 
 
In general, you don't need to know a ton about the setting beyond the basics on the Directions posted above. But there are a couple of things that deserve mention.
 
 
 
===Organizations===
 
*'''The Realm''' The Realm is the largest and most powerful empire in Creation and it's currently gearing up for a devestating civil war in the absence of it's Empress. The Realm is also the seat of Dragon-Blooded power and it has the largest and most powerful population of Exalted anywhere. Outside the Blessed Isle itself the Realm has more limited power but most countries are at least tributaries of the Realm even if they aren't ruled directly by it.
 
*'''The Immaculate Order''' The Immaculate Order is the official religion of the realm and the main reason Solars and Lunars are feared as Anathema everywhere in Creation. The Immaculate monks are extremely skilled martial artists and many of them accompany Wyld Hunts to search for Anathema and purge heresy.
 
*'''The Guild''' The Guild is one of the largest economic forces in Creation, a huge organization of traders, moneylenders, bankers, and craftsmen. They are responsible for much of the trade outside of the Blessed Isle and are known to deal in anything and everything: slaves, drugs, food, jade, and even artifacts and alchemy. The Guild even makes deals with the Fair Folk.
 
 
 
===Forces===
 
*'''The Wyld''' The Wyld is the raw chaos beyond the edge of creation, which bleeds in along the edges and in pockets throughout Creation (especially the West). Where the Wyld has influence mutations are common and the laws of reality and nature warp. While most civilized people have nothing to do with the Wyld it's quite common for mutated beastmen and wyld barbarians to live along the fringes. Some have become so mutated by the forces of the wyld that they can no longer survive without it. The Wyld is also the home of the Fair Folk.
 
*'''The Underworld''' This is where the unquiet shades of mortals end up when they cannot pass on through the cycle of reincarnation. Many cultures actually believe this is a good thing, it allows them to keep the wisdom of their ancestors from generation to generation and they usually have shamans or rituals that allow them to commune with the ghosts of their ancestors. The Underworld 'leaks' into Creation in the Shadowlands where the two overlap. The underworld is dangerous for the Exalted because they cannot regain Essence there.
 
 
 
===Naming Conventions===
 
The names in Exalted are a big part of the setting and they are usually long, and bitchin`.
 

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