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General Exalted Thread

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Lioness said:
Not seen the developer comments, but I suspect the problem is less with reptile people and more the fact that there's such overt Aztec inspiration which is going to impact how people perceive and use them.
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Oh yeah, that's also tricky. I was thinking of doing a write-up of Ixcoatl for fun and I'm wondering how to approach that.
 
I, for one, quite enjoy the new Infernal Caste Marks. They feel showy enough to stand out while calling back to the Solar array. If I had to pick, I'd say the Ascendant Caste mark is a bit much.
 
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Changes I've noted so far in this version of Exalted Essence:
  • There's an expanded bit on what being Incapacitated means in a fight; you can't die by default from hitting your Incapacitated health level, you're usually just wounded enough that you can no longer participate in the fight. Players, with the permission of the ST, can opt in to the potential for death in a plot-critical fight in exchange for gaining 2 Anima and 3 Power at the start of the fight.
  • Personal Milestones can be used to buy the first dot of a new ability now, as well as buying personalized modes for your character's charms. Not sure about this since they still tend to pile up a lot and making people homebrew is always a bit dicey for me, but it's better than how it was in core.
  • Major Milestones largely still the same, but they clarify that you can buy a Merit at an appropriate level according to recent story events, such as securing a 5 dot Ally you just made.
  • Exalt Milestones can buy any charm now, not just Exalt-exclusive ones.
  • The Knockout gambit has been removed entirely.
  • More Liminal modes have been added to the Universal Charms.
  • A few more Infernal charms, like Mind-Hand Manipulation, Cosmic Transcendence of (Virtue), and Intolerable Burning Truths, were added.
 
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Some interesting setting stuff I spotted that were like, incongruites of 2eisms bleeding in that were fixed:

The armies of the gods and the Exalted include a lot of mortal humanity. Dragon-Blooded were officers, not footsoliders, as per 3e.

The Immaculate Philosophy's view of Anathema is no longer non-Dragon-Blooded.

Mention of addiciton to the Games of Divinity no longer is there. The gods do play them, but it's small bit feels like it's a perk of their retirement.

Kind of some mechanical ones too:
- Equipment is cleaned up quite a bit. Simpler templating. Weapon stats toned down a bit more too so they don't hit your cap so quickly.
- Soak similarly is kind of toned down inherently. Less ways to max it out as easily.
- Merits no longer have dots at all. There's some nice templating for htings like Familiar. Evocation number seems no longer tied to artifact rating. Merit is more about scope.
- Animals are cleaned-up a bit where they just are normal, fighty, or biggo. There's some weirdness still I think with how qualities are prsented, which I commented on.
 
I think there was also a thing in the draft setting chapter about specific Incarna being tied to specific bureaus in Heaven which got taken out. I don't think I've seen it anywhere else in canon. It was kind of neat but inexplicable.
 
Queshire said:
Man, I'm just waiting for a Getimian to show up with a backstory involving Truck-kun or something.
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Well, she's not canon per se, but in my current game, Lady Aza* claims that she intentionally turned herself into a Getimian, and she knows things she shouldn't know.

How much of this is her lying, her being genuinely mistaken, or her actually telling the truth is ambiguous. She certainly doesn't dream small, that's for sure.

*Who now makes a total of four Getimians who have no part in Rakan Thulio's war: Flint (me), the PC of the player who dropped early, Cascade, and Lady Aza. One of each caste.

Which now that I think about, further evidence that the Getimians don't belong, because Creation has five seasons, not four.
 
Potato Anarchy said:
I think there was also a thing in the draft setting chapter about specific Incarna being tied to specific bureaus in Heaven which got taken out. I don't think I've seen it anywhere else in canon. It was kind of neat but inexplicable.
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Not super inexplicable. The Maidens obviously are strongly associated with BuDestiny. Gaia and Luna both resonate with BuNature. In so much as he is king of heaven/king of the gods the Unconquered Sun has at least some ties with BuHeaven. BuSeasons is a breakaway from BuNeature and BuHumanity doesn't really have any Incarna left.

That was all somewhat more explicit in 2E and may have been excised as a 2Eism.
 
I mean, yes, I was not surprised by the Maidens part lol. And I know the UCS being tied to BuHeaven was around before. The kickstarter manuscript tied Luna to the Bureau of Humanity as well as Seasons/Nature, which is the part that seemed most surprising.

As far as I can tell none of this made it into Sidereals.
 
Yeah, I really like Yu-Shan in 3e, it feels like you could really run a whole chronicle in it. I love the emphasis on the Beureau of Seasons as a successful labor movement. I can totally see the sometimes petty drama between the various beureaus.
 
I'm glad I waited for the true PDF to come out before really doing a deep dive, it's much easier to read than the draft.

Also doesn't have Weird Shit like Alchemicals having one of the worst Ox Bodies despite being designed as one of the tankier types. Now they get a -0 and a -1, which is one of the stronger ones.
 
SunnySprings said:
  • There's an expanded bit on what being Incapacitated means in a fight; you can't die by default from hitting your Incapacitated health level, you're usually just wounded enough that you can no longer participate in the fight. Players, with the permission of the ST, can opt in to the potential for death in a plot-critical fight in exchange for gaining 2 Anima and 3 Power at the start of the fight.
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This rule makes me wonder how the Liminal Advantage that revives you after you die is actually supposed to work. Outside of this one mechanic, there are not actually any ways that a Liminal can be killed during a scene. So the ability to revive after death is somewhat at odds with Exalted: Essence's approach to death - which is that it's a thing that doesn't happen. And this opt-in ability seems to effect *everyone* present in the scene, which also feels strange. If I were playing a Liminal I'd want to play fast-and-loose with my mortality to make good use of my character's ability to come back after death, but taking this option means that I'd be creating a risk of death for my allies as well! It feels bad that using one of a Liminal's most central features requires putting their entire party at risk like that.
 
And of course I'm at work and can't look at the pdf.

SunnySprings said:
Personal Milestones can be used to buy the first dot of a new ability now, as well as buying personalized modes for your character's charms. Not sure about this since they still tend to pile up a lot and making people homebrew is always a bit dicey for me, but it's better than how it was in core.
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Yeah, not great, but in my inexpert opinion, homebrewing a Mode should probably be easier that homebrewing a whole Charm.

SunnySprings said:
Exalt Milestones can buy any charm now, not just Exalt-exclusive ones.
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Does that include Martial Arts/Sorcery/Evocations, or do those still need a Minor Milestone?

SunnySprings said:
Major Milestones largely still the same, but they clarify that you can buy a Merit at an appropriate level according to recent story events, such as securing a 5 dot Ally you just made.
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Oh, that's a nice touch.

Blaque said:
Merits no longer have dots at all. There's some nice templating for htings like Familiar. Evocation number seems no longer tied to artifact rating. Merit is more about scope.
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Merits don't have dots, but do have ratings? I am confused.

Kind of disappointed that Evocation number isn't tied to rating, tbh, it made things nice and straightforward.
 
HamSandLich said:
So, one of their themes is ruthless ambition and the terrible costs it can inflict upon those who have it or benefit from its legacy. And that to me felt far easier to do with a Celestial tier exigent.
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The decisions' been made by now, but I've found the Terrestrial tier makes the most use of limitations and interesting to overcome them.
For example, I could see the Tyrantspawn having a version of Sapphire Talisman Apocrypha that gives them limited access to the second circle of sorcery or necromancy but helps to further characterise them as this extremely unwholesome asset their mortal relatives keep at arm's length.

SunnySprings said:
Oh yeah, that's also tricky. I was thinking of doing a write-up of Ixcoatl for fun and I'm wondering how to approach that.
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They probably need to be hybridised with another culture to draw expectation away from human sacrifice.
 
I'm still irked that Accuracy affects both withering and decisive, but damage only boosts decisive. Not much point in heavy weapons. Artifact tag is now just +1 to all bonuses, which is better.

I like that the soak bonus was moved from Fortitude to Physique.

I need to reread League of Iron Preparation, it feels different compared to the manuscript.
 
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