Lady Raiton
In Which Lady Blackbird is Converted for Exalted, Courtesy of Delacroix. Game run by Sovem.
Contents
The Primordial War
The gods of MOUNT MERU chafe under the labor the PRIMORDIALS--the architects of Creation--have placed them under. Bonded with powerful geas to not attack their creators, the gods have found a way, through the help of rebel Primordials GAIA and AUTOCHTHON, to exalt the humblest and least powerful of the Primordials' creations, HUMANS, into an awesome fighting force called the EXALTED UPRISING! Even now, the Exalted train in hidden fortresses, learning powerful titan-killing Charms and preparing their strategies.
But! The two-timing traitor god NOX has had a change of heart, fearing the Primordials' power. He rides the vitriolic dragon, HYDRA, hoping to reach YU SHAN without passing through the Celestial Gates. If he reaches the fantastic GAMES OF DIVINITY before the Uprising can stop him, he will destroy the Exalted's element of surprise, and perhaps doom the rebellion before it starts!
Autochthon prepares one of his sub-souls, the SHRIKE, for pursuit. Will the Exalted be able to stop Nox in time? Will they be able to keep their existence hidden in the process? And, even if they accomplish these goals, does the Exalted Uprising stand a chance against the creators of the COSMOS?
Character Creation
Tags and Traits
Character creation is as per the Lady Blackbird companion. Four traits, 16 tags, three keys, two secrets.
In addition, every player gets a free trait (X Aspect Exalted) and four tags that they can apply to that describing their Exaltation and Gens (etc pure blood, esteemed pedigree, kissing cousins, secretly poor). This trait and the tags attached to it are a measure of that character's place in Exalted society and what that place allows them to do. "Friends in high places" is a tag that might get you access to the ear of the Deliberative, while "Hierophant's secret weapon" might make such public appeals impossible, but offer another avenue for those less democratically-minded...
Dice pools, Keys, Essence, and Limit Break
Every player starts with a full Essence pool, holding the maximum of 7 motes. Spending 1 mote of Essence enables you to add one automatic success (not die) to any roll. You can spend as many motes as you want for any roll. Motes are replenished by a scene of rest/restoration (replenishes full pool) or respiration through hitting Keys. Every time you hit a Key, you may respire 1 mote. If your pool is full, you automatically add one automatic success to whatever action you used to hit your Key. I use this to model "the Exalted never fail at mundane tasks that matter to them".
Keys no longer have buy-off points. Instead, they generate Limit. Every time you are placed in a situation that would have allowed you to buy off your Key that does not allow you to hit another Key, you gain 1 Limit. You never generate Limit by adhering to your principles: as long as you can hit any of your Keys, you never gain Limit. When Keys conflict (Key of the Loyal Servant vs Key of the People's Champion, when a Solar commands you to massacre the mortal peons of his rival), you do not gain Limit but neither do you gain Essence.
Limit can be removed in two ways: a scene of restoration (you may remove one point of Limit, or fully restore your Essence pool), or by Limit Breaking. Whenever a character has less Essence than Limit, she immediately enters a state known as Limit Break, which lasts for a scene in combat or a day out of it. In this state, she must hit a Key with any action, although she may choose which. If the Key of the Courtesan is not appropriate in combat, she may choose to hit the Key of the Hidden Blade instead. If ever put in a situation where Keys conflict, she turns catatonic (or hysterical, or whatever) and can take no meaningful actions until an alternative course of action reveals itself. Does this mean that an Exalt with their back to the wall and low on resources is more likely to Limit Break? Yes. The Ebon Dragon is pleased.
When Limit Break abates, the character has their Limit set to zero and fully replenishes their mote pool.
Charms and Sorcery
Using a Charm requires no Essence use (crazy, I know!). Instead, you roll all applicable dice against a difficulty of the Charm's Essence prerequisite. If you succeed, the Charm activates. If you fail, nothing happens...well, nothing useful anyway.
Sorcery is not invented yet. But if it were, it would only be a means of describing your world-shaking actions. If you choose to have a Trait or Tag involving sorcery, you may invoke those tags on any action described in a sorcerous manner.
Secrets
Instead of XP they are fuelled by Essence. Using the active form of any Secret deactivates its passive benefits for the duration of one scene.
Every character gains a free Secret: (Element) Anima Banner. Whether passive or active, use of an anima banner creates an Obvious display of power; a banner may be voluntarily suppressed to avoid such displays. The Dragon-blooded have a special advantage here: while their anima banners may not be as spectacular as that of the Celestial Exalted, their active anima powers can be extended to any nearby members of a sworn brotherhood in which the Dragon is a member, for no additional cost. An Air Dragon in your brotherhood could protect all of you when you have to leap off the deck of an exploding airship, for example.
- Air Element Banner: add one die to any rolls involving movement, athleticism, speed. For 1m, they can prevent all damage from noncombative impacts (although they can still be hurt if they fall into lava or something).
- Fire Element Banner: add one die to any rolls involving attacking (including social combat). For 1m, they can prevent all damage from extremes of temperature (so they can fall into lava, but this ability is not going to help them get out of it).
- Earth Element Banner: add one die to any rolls involving endurance. For 1m, they can perform a fantastic feat of strength as long as they can remain in contact with a surface of unworked earth or stone. This ability when shared does not allow all brotherhood members to attempt separate feats of strength; instead, they may add their augmented strength to his own, allowing for maneuvers that even the mightiest of the Celestial Exalted might not accomplish on their own.
- Water Element Banner: add one die to any rolls involving defence (including social combat). For 1m, they can render any liquid harmless to consume, as delicious as fine wine, and breathable (the latter effect lasts for the duration of immersion).
- Wood Element Banner: add one die to any rolls involving administering care or aid. For 1m, they can remove any Condition dealing with physical injury (removing the Lost or Angry Conditions doesn't make sense).
Terrestrials who wish access to Celestial martial arts or sorcery must take a relevant Secret.
Experience
Doesn't exist, because some people will hit Keys more often than others and it doesn't seem good to let them advance faster. Everyone advances at set intervals.
Players
Crazy Ivan
- Attendant Wrath
- Wind of the Winter (OBSOLETE)
Fatal Harmony
- Soft Star Dreaming
- Izumi Meilin (OBSOLETE)
- Rose of Virtue (OBSOLETE)
Shawn Hagen
- Inferno Opal
- Black Rain (OBSOLETE)
