Aleph
Princess of Stabbity
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Technically, mushrooms and such are fungi, not plants...
General Exalted Thread
- Thread starter Aleph
- Start date
Or if someone goes through the trouble to create an Inugami or similar.
Is that true for Creation?Technically, mushrooms and such are fungi, not plants...
Well, for things like that, you ask yourself what you're actually trying to do with that Charm. In the case of that Charm, it is "provide limited but extra manoeuvrability but not deny people the ability to engage you".
Since in space everyone can just jump around between objects and engage you that way, it's fair for such effects to allow free flight outside of a gravity well - as if you were wearing a thruster pack, which should be an equipment option for everyone else.
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Dynamesmouse
Bzzzzzz
I don't see why fungi wouldn't have least gods.
What's above the sky in creation? How deep a hole can you dig before you hit the Wyld?
I meant to ask if Plants and Fungi are separate things in Creation.
They are on Earth, but Creation isn't Earth.
I assume that physics and biology in Creation generally works the same way they are on Earth.
- Location
- England
You could theoretically dig forever as creation is mounted on the pole of earth, which does'nt really have a limit as far as total material goes.
That's only in the center of the Blessed Isle, what about the rest of Creation?
UrsaTempest
Don't Panic!
I guess at some point of the digging you'll dig yourself to the Wyld, much like if you keep travelling to one of the direction you'll hit endless desert/ocean/forest/snowfield.
All of the bedrock of Creation is still connected to the Pole of Earth, which extends infinitely down and outwards from the Mountain itself, not unlike an iceberg with the Imperial Summit as the tip breaking the surface. Only the greater distance from the Pole causes the landscape to take on the influence of other Directional elements, and it unclear how far these elements extend down into the underground given that greater distance from the Isle is also a higher degree of influence from the Wyld. So the horizon eventually drops away entirely, into black, starry void in the North dotted by drifting chunks of solid ground, mirror-sheen ocean in the West that becomes a breathable wall of water as the sky and waves merge together, unfathomably deep tangles of roots into branches in the East as layers of canopy pile into the clouds, down and out into unreadable darkness as far as the eye can see, and lastly in the South where dunes blur into a shimmering haze of blinding white heat with no footing or gravity, like pushing through into the surface of the sun.
How much of this is Wyld-make and how much is simply generated by the influence of other Elemental Poles is up for debate, but the result is equivalently the same, its unstable and absolutely inhospitable. But the central roots of Creation are stable, and seemingly always have been, so there is nothing to say either for or against the notion of the Wyld crawling along the underside of the world. If anything, digging that far downwards to find out would lead to any aspiring expedition uncovering increasingly dense and dangerous strata composed of First Age detritus, darkbrood hives, malformed offspring of forgotten gods, fossilized remnants of ancient primordial projects, prehuman civilizations blasted to ruin and the like. In fact, it might be something even worse than the Wyld, because we know for certain that the intermingling of the previously listed things often break open boltholes into the Underworld's labyrinth, causing seeping shadowland taint and various Oblivion-dwellers to spill out, where they inevitably become a nuisance to the Mountain Folk.
Since the Underworld's static death-essence and the chaotic tides of the Wyld are directly opposed to eachother, the takeaway here seems to be "don't even try."
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
So, had a charm idea, but could use some second opinions on where to put it prereques wise and effects wise. And it's for third edition (no, I don't give a damn about edition wars) but is likely broadly applicable across the board.
So, Sail charm to navigate ones way to Malfeas. Pretty straightforward application of Sails navigating to and going to far away places, but definitely not a low level effect. Builds off of Perfect Reckoning Technique as the obvious starting place, so Essence 3+ (as it probably should be anyways), along with a Malfeas version of Chaos-Cutting Galley, since you'll need to be able to sail the acid seas of Kimbery to do anything.
Now, just to be clear, I'm not really interested in a charm to 'find the hidden portal into Malfeas', because that's really more of an Occult thing, and 'I'm good enough at Sailing I can navigate across dimensions' is just very much a Solar thing. Moreover, it's stupid applicable to the Eclipse caste.
So the first question I'm grappling with is the 'should there be an Occult prereq'. Because on one hand, that is very fitting. On the other it locks out Supernal Sail, which is problematic from the stand point of 'letting players go to Malfeas' at anything but high XP games.
The other problem I'm thinking of is the enter/exit point one- which is 'pop into Malfeas, pop out elsewhere in Creation'. Which on one hand, useful effect with decent amounts of story, since you can't get away from the 10 day minimuim there and back, and no one will characterize Malfeas as safe. On the other hand, such an effect is worthy of a charm in and of itself, particularly for how it would wreck most attempts at tracking a ship and the ability to reach places otherwise inaccessible. So I'm mostly wondering how to word the limits on such a charm.
Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated!
So, Sail charm to navigate ones way to Malfeas. Pretty straightforward application of Sails navigating to and going to far away places, but definitely not a low level effect. Builds off of Perfect Reckoning Technique as the obvious starting place, so Essence 3+ (as it probably should be anyways), along with a Malfeas version of Chaos-Cutting Galley, since you'll need to be able to sail the acid seas of Kimbery to do anything.
Now, just to be clear, I'm not really interested in a charm to 'find the hidden portal into Malfeas', because that's really more of an Occult thing, and 'I'm good enough at Sailing I can navigate across dimensions' is just very much a Solar thing. Moreover, it's stupid applicable to the Eclipse caste.
So the first question I'm grappling with is the 'should there be an Occult prereq'. Because on one hand, that is very fitting. On the other it locks out Supernal Sail, which is problematic from the stand point of 'letting players go to Malfeas' at anything but high XP games.
The other problem I'm thinking of is the enter/exit point one- which is 'pop into Malfeas, pop out elsewhere in Creation'. Which on one hand, useful effect with decent amounts of story, since you can't get away from the 10 day minimuim there and back, and no one will characterize Malfeas as safe. On the other hand, such an effect is worthy of a charm in and of itself, particularly for how it would wreck most attempts at tracking a ship and the ability to reach places otherwise inaccessible. So I'm mostly wondering how to word the limits on such a charm.
Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated!
- Location
- England
What about having a difficulty check against exit point with low success meaning you ended up in the right Direction, high success you emerge within a few hours from you destination by mortal means, and botches meaning you may not end up in the right realm of existence.
The expansion charms would allow you to return to places you've been before, or specify places you won't end up. Occult could help you by aiding in realm hopping.
It could work like a sorcerous working, were every time you depart, you roll against the difficulty with accumulated successes from your previous attempts, ensuring you reach any destination, provided you can survive the Odyssey.
The main advantage that because it works off the 10 day rule per attempt, you could potentially go between all 4 Directions in just under 2 months, or you could spend years trying to cover a 2 week journey.
In this case I'd say broaden it: it's not sailing into Malfeas specifically, but instead sailing from one reality to another: you can also get to Heaven, the underworld, or back from one of those locations. Maybe do it like 2ed Master Horseman's Techniques, where you get one alternative realm to travel to when you get the charm and can get others for a small xp cost. You probably want to put some delays on getting to and from the other locations if you do this.
As for beating tracking, I'd ad two things. First, ships nearby can follow the Solar, so you can't just pop the charm to escape. Second, using the charm again should basically leave you where you left unless you've managed to find another way back, so you can't just use this to teleport from the far south to the far north with a 10 day tax, and smart enemies can keep watch and wait for you to reappear. And probably have some signs that can be interpreted with (Int+Occult) that indicate whatever realm you ended up at.
In terms of prereqs, I'd say just stick with Sail. I'm always sort of leary of multi-Ability prereqs. You may want to up the Essence mins, in that case so that it better represents that either Sailing a core part of your character(getting there through Supernal) or that as a Solar, you approach the power of those that came before, if not necessarily their mastery.
As for the enter and exit points and using it as a "get out of danger" card, I'd say in the aftermath of a character using the Charm, a pursuer can follow them into Malfeas(or back into Creation) with a successful Intelligence + Sail Roll(or whatever attribute is appropriate) with an accompanying Occult roll to figure out that, if they follow, they're going to cross realms.
For entrance and exit, on return you'll probably end up back where you activated the Charm in the first place. Alternately, while you can default to returning where you started, you could make a roll to get somewhere you want to go. It could be just once die or it could be a full roll depending on how much you want luck to be a factor. A Success will put the Solar somewhere within a few dozen miles or so of where they're aiming. A failure puts them further off and requires them to make a successful navigation roll to figure out where they are and where they're supposed to go. A Botch gives the Storyteller the ability to put them anywhere they feel like, so long as it isn't in somewhere immediately super lethal like a whirlpool or in the middle of a koi pond in the Blessed Isle or something like that. A major success(rolling a ten if you're rolling only one dice, five or ten or whatever if you do a full pool) lets the player decide where they come out.
Well, I'm just going to write this as a 2e thing because I don't know the internal balance of 3e, but we have the precedent of Hell-Walker Technique for Infernals. The Solar version should be weaker, but not linked specifically to a single realm.
Beyond-The-Horizon Adventure
Cost: 25m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Perfect Reckoning Technique
In ancient times Sun-blessed mariners journeyed beyond Creation, the winds of alien worlds filling their sails.
The Solar may only make use of this Charm in an area which has thematic associations and history with an alien realm. For example, the site of an ancient naval battle may lead to the Underworld, or a cursed reef where demons are known to dwell might lead to Hell. Upon activating this Charm, the character engages in a dramatic action to navigate a route to another realm of existence, rolling (Intelligence + Sail). The difficulty of this action varies, with a shadowland in the day or the site of a recent demon prince's incursion being Difficulty 2, while vague rumours and ancient hints may result in a Difficulty of 5 or more. In places which geographically parallel Creation (such as the Underworld) she will appear in the nearest equivalent, while other realms will put her in the metaphysically "closest" location.
During the journey, the waters and the sky above the Solar change subtly so they can never be sure of exactly when they crossed the threshold of the worlds, save that it occurred some time in this scene. At the end of the scene, the vessel and its contents are within the destination realm. If the Solar wishes to return, they need only return by the same route - assuming that nothing has changed that would invalidate it. The black rivers of the Underworld are fairly constant, but the vicissitudes of the Wyld or the capricious nature of the Demon Realm are much less predictable. When visiting Hell, the Solar's vessel will find itself five days from the Demon City in water-fine sands of Cecelyne, an out-reaching tributary of Kimbery, or some nameless demon river. This Charm guarantees that it will be possible to complete the trip to the city walls of Malfeas, but provides no assurance of navigation within the Demon City itself.
The Solar can use this Charm to return to Creation, although this is much less predictable unless she follows her previous course. She must find a location in the alien realm which resonates with Creation, and make a roll to plot her course that way. By default she arrives in the metaphysically "closest" location in Creation. However, on purchase of this Charm, she may choose one location as her "home", which must be a place of emotional and personal importance to her. By channelling a Virtue rated at 4 or more on the activation roll she may always make her way back there. At the end of a story, she may change where her home is.
If a character uses this Charm while others are tracking her, they may find themselves following the same path without intending to unless the hunting party has Magnitude greater than the Solar's Sail rating. Each individual pursuer or the leader of a pursuing unit makes a (Perception + [Survival or Occult]) roll at difficulty 5, with success allowing that character to turn back in time to avoid making the journey. He may also call out a warning to other pursuers travelling with him, letting them benefit from his success. If he fails or chooses to proceed anyway, he finds himself arriving in the alien realm in the same location where the Solar appeared.
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Aleph
Princess of Stabbity
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Isn't there a Sidereal Charm to steal the mechanics of? Something Salt Voyage?
Mirror-Shattering Method.
The Normal use turns a ship Immaterial and lets it sail over dry land, but if you know what you're doing you can plot a course to Yu-Shan, Malfeas, or the Underworld because Sidereals. 2.5 notes that you have to be familiar with the normal means to get to the realm you're sailing towards and that the difficulty to plot a course is never less than 6.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Thanks guys, I have pretty decent idea of what I'm doing now.
I think I'm not going to go with the ability to reach any realm with one Charm, even with repurchases though. Mostly because that way I can tailor in things like acid/poison protections for the ship and crew when sailing into Kimbery, and something similar for sailing the Underworld or Autochthon (assuming that realm is even an option). It's needed, as the ship environmental protection charms in 3e are bit lacking- there's only really one, Ash and Storm Aegis, and its a cross Ability- I might ignore that fact, but still.
The other consideration for me is Yu-Shan is quite a bit more secure then the other places (Autochthon with the Seal up excepted). It just feels weird to treat accessing it the same way as the others. I'm all for throwing out the exact number of gates with exact locations for a more free form approach, including ones that can actually allow ships (dammit Compass Yu-Shan), but accessing Yu-Shan should be a bit of a 'papers please' situation, unless your using one of the official hidden routes to the Department of Piracy, Smuggling and Fences, or one of the actually hidden no shit illegal passages. And the latter two feel like the sort of thing that work really well as quest things, as opposed to 'here, Charms give you these!'
Hmmm... cluster charm I think. Base effect, then specifics for each realm. Repurchase adds another realm.
I think I'm not going to go with the ability to reach any realm with one Charm, even with repurchases though. Mostly because that way I can tailor in things like acid/poison protections for the ship and crew when sailing into Kimbery, and something similar for sailing the Underworld or Autochthon (assuming that realm is even an option). It's needed, as the ship environmental protection charms in 3e are bit lacking- there's only really one, Ash and Storm Aegis, and its a cross Ability- I might ignore that fact, but still.
The other consideration for me is Yu-Shan is quite a bit more secure then the other places (Autochthon with the Seal up excepted). It just feels weird to treat accessing it the same way as the others. I'm all for throwing out the exact number of gates with exact locations for a more free form approach, including ones that can actually allow ships (dammit Compass Yu-Shan), but accessing Yu-Shan should be a bit of a 'papers please' situation, unless your using one of the official hidden routes to the Department of Piracy, Smuggling and Fences, or one of the actually hidden no shit illegal passages. And the latter two feel like the sort of thing that work really well as quest things, as opposed to 'here, Charms give you these!'
Hmmm... cluster charm I think. Base effect, then specifics for each realm. Repurchase adds another realm.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Frankly I wouldn't include environmental protections in the same charm; they should be a higher purchase and anyone who doesn't want to invest in it will need to expend large amounts of Resources to plate ship hulls with jade and provide primitive hazmat suits for the crew.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Given the intent is to allow them to sail into Malfeas, gating the ability to actually sail in Malfeas behind another Charm would be dickish, pointless, and speed bumpy.
If this was a rite or a ritual to open the way with sorcery, sure, but when you can solve the problem by throwing a little more XP at it, players do that. Or they glare at you for forcing them to buy two charms so they can do one thing. Or they sailed their expensive artifact ship in and it melts.
Honestly, your way is just... annoying, trapish, and generally bad design. And frankly, I don't give a fuck about world building here, I want to be able to have Solar Eclipses do the whole explorer/shaman thing without loosing their ship and crew or forcing them to modify it.
If I wanted to do crazy modifications to sail Malfeas, I'd be making this Charm for a DB, not a Solar.