Editing Lunar Exalted

==You want to play a Lunar Exalted game because:==

In the midst of a vast jungle, feral beastlords gather around the ruins of an ancient ziggurat, holding council in preparation for a campaign of conquest that will shake the very pillars of Heaven and Earth. Above the gathering, the most ancient of them all, a survivor of two cataclysmic endings of epochs, addresses them with a voice that is as primal as it is hauntingly beautiful.

In the windswept plains of the South, great half-animal, half-man creatures stalk the vanguard of a Fair Folk army, alien and awe inspiring. Like shadows, they pass through the long savannah grasses with barely a ripple. They long to put an end to these princes of chaos, so far from the borders that their brothers and sisters enforce. The time is not yet, but soon...

In the snowy evergreen forests of the Northeast, a wise Elder, known for his effective teaching methods and his vast knowledge of the spirit courts, passes on his lore to the next generation. They are all No Moons, the keepers of lore, the singers of the songlines. Theirs is the task of preserving culture, and knowledge... for we must never forget that in our time of need, civilization failed us. Whatever we replace it with in this world, it must be something better.

In the stinking warrens of Thorns, surrounded by the open decay and necromantic filth that only a city of the dead could produce or endure, a tiny housecat slinks unseen. But the cat has seen much - learned much - and she now knows the weakness of the one called the Mask of Winters.

If these sorts of stories appeal to you, then a game of Lunar Exalted should be a shoe in! Of course, like all Exalted games, Lunars are very versatile, and there are many more potential stories to be told about them than I could possibly hope to write here. Whether you play the barbaric crusader against a corrupt civilization, the wise and compassionate idealist who wishes to start a new order, or the cunning ex-street urchin who lives by his own wits - or anything in-between! - the Lunars are where it's at.

Their power is centered primarily around shapechanging - and truly protean beings they are. They can assume the form of any animal who's heart's blood they have tasted. Perhaps their most well-known power is the Deadly Beastman Transformation, which allows them to assume a hybrid form of their human self and their totem animal - and makes them into truly deadly combatants. Of course, Lunars are not defined solely by Deadly Beastman Transformation (DBT), nor by their combat effectiveness. They have a society all their own, as interesting and as powerful in its own way as the Realm or Lookshy, in addition to all the variety and flavor that "uncivilized" peoples can provide. If you find yourself lacking inspiration, look at real-world cultures like the Native Americans, Inuits, Mongols, Zulu, or a thousand others. All of these and more are possible - even likely! - within the Exalted setting.

==The Lore of the Wilds:==
''Or, What Books do I Need?''

Indispensable: <u>Exalted Core</u> and <u>Exalted: the Lunars</u>

The Exalted Core provides all the basic rules for running the game, while the Lunars book provides information on creating and running Lunar characters, including their society and powers, as well as details on the wild lands of the Threshold that they tend to live in, and the chaotic forces of the Wyld that they battle against.

Very Useful: <u>Scavenger Sons</u>, <u>Kingdom of Halta</u>, <u>Games of Divinity</u> (out of print), <u>Savant & Sorcer</u> or <u>Book of Three Circles</u> (out of print), and <u>Exalted Players Guide</u>.

<u>Scavenger Sons</u> details many of the more interesting lands of the Threshold. Most of them are more civilized than barbaric, but some walk the line, and either way, the Lunars are likely to interact with the civilized lands on their borders in some fashion. Obviously, this book is also very useful for city Lunars, as it gives them somewhere to come from.

<u>Kingdom of Halta</u> details a "barbaric civilization" that has been heavily influenced by Lunars from the earliest days of its inception right up to the present. It can give you a good idea of what many more far-seeing Lunars might want to replace the current version of civilization with, as well as just being an interesting setting all-around.

<u>Games of Divinity</u> detail the gods, elementals, and demons of the Exalted world. This is very useful for Lunars in general, because they deal with the gods of the wilderness and those who have abandoned their duties in Heaven on a day-to-day basis. It is especially important for No Moons, because they are the ones most likely to make pacts with or coerce service from gods or elementals, and also the most likely to be summoning sorcerous aid.

<u>Savant and Sorcerer</u> is, in some ways, the newer edition of the <u>Book of Three Circles</u>. Both are viable resources on magic in the world of Exalted in general and sorcery in particular, and their information is not 100% identical - Book of Three Circles focuses more on the nitty gritty of individual Hearthstones and such, while <u>Savant and Sorcerer</u> gets more into the theories of sorcery, manse-creation, artifact-creation, demon-summoning, etc. Either one will do just fine, but having both is not entirely redundant, and allows one to pick and choose to his or her taste.

The <u>Exalted Players Guide</u> provides a wealth of other character types for the characters to interact with, including Dragon Kings (ancient lizard warriors from before the time of men), Akuma (Exalted servant/slaves of the demon princes), and god-blooded (the offspring of powerful spirits or Exalts). It also provides Merits and Flaws to customize characters with, and has the optional Power Combat and Mail and Steel rules sets. (If you intend to use some or all of Power Combat, vice classic combat, this book becomes an indespensable purchase).

Useful: <u>Exalted Storyteller's Handbook</u>, <u>Creatures of the Wyld</u>, <u>Exalted: the Fair Folk</u>, or potentially any of the other hardbacks.

The <u> Exalted Storyteller's Handbook</u> provides a Storyteller's screen, and simplified rules for using the various Exalt types as antagonists in your game (quite useful if you don't have the relevant hardback, significantly less so if you do), as well as some information on spirit courts, elementals, and demons.

<u>Creatures of the Wyld</u> is a beastiary of interesting and dangerous creatures from all over Creation. Many of them are the product of the dangerous mutating properties of the Wyld, and as such, are especially likely to be encountered by the Lunar Exalted, who deal with the Wyld quite often.

<u>Exalted: the Fair Folk</u> gives another look at the Wyld from a different perspective - that of the alien princes of chaos who call it home. It is useful in a Lunars game not only for allowing more fleshed-out statistics for what might be considered the Lunars primary antagonists, the Fair Folk, but also for its information on the Wyld and its dangers, and for the fact that Lunar Exalted are able to learn any Fair Folk Charm at all - provided they have a mystical Grace forged for them.

The other hardbacks are useful for the detail they bring antagonists. For example, if you plan for the main plot of the story to pit the characters against the forces of the Underworld, Exalted: the Abyssals is very useful to have.

==To Walk in Savage Lands==
''Or, The Setting and Society of the Lunar Exalted.''

The primary setting of the Lunar Exalted is the Threshold; specifically, those portions of it outside the purview of civilization. Wherever there are wild, untamed lands, wherever there are barbarian peoples, so too are the Lunar Exalted. Getting more specific, Lunar lands tend to be on or near the borders of Creation with the Wyld - the Bordermarches, where reality begins to come apart at the seams. Though the Lunars themselves are largely unconcerned with the Wyld itself - as those with their Castes fixed by the silver tattoos are utterly and perfectly immune to any force other than their own will attempting to change their shape - the proximity of the Wyld has a strong effect on their setting.

The only fully-fleshed out setting so far that could be considered barbarian lands under Lunar purview (or at least influence) is the great woodland kingdom of Halta, in the Northeast. The treetop people of this nation fight a never ending war with their sworn enemies, the Linowans, and revere beasts almost as much as humans. They even have many semi-intelligent and fully intelligent animal companions, known as ata- and san-beasts, and the most intelligent of these are actually considered full citizens.

There is a decent amount of information on a number of other barbarian cultures, including the savage and inhuman Arczeckhi of the East; their neighbors the Ten Tribes of the Oak, recently deprived of their powerful spirit patron and floundering for a new way of life; the mysterious and insular Forest People from deep within the primal forests of the far East; the totem beast-worshipping Icewalkers of the northern tundras; the desolate and death-worshipping Tear Eaters of the Northern shadowlands; the Delzahn, a conquering desert people and current rulers of the city of Chiaroscuro; the sun-seared albinos of the Dune People in the deserts of the South; the human Island Tribes of the West; and their inhuman neighbors, the aquatic Pelagothropes.

Even outside of these cultures detailed in the books, there is plenty of inspiration to be had from the countless examples of real-world "barbarian" peoples, from the Mongols to the Zulu, which rarely fail to be interesting.

==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 teh 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.

==Bathed in Luna's Light==
''Or Advice for Players''

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Original Author:  fith_child on RPG.net

[[Category:Exalted]]