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General Exalted Thread

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linkhyrule5 said:
"I'm so skilled that I've broken reality" is his thematic in the Nasuverse; "I'm so skilled I'm a mortal with a perfect attack" is a roughly comparable statement in Exalted.
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Really, I'd just make him a Solar with an extremely specific Charm selection. If you're mapping Servants to Solars, he goes toe to toe with them in his area of focus, he's just a bit of a one-trick pony.
 
notthepenguins said:
Really, I'd just make him a Solar with an extremely specific Charm selection. If you're mapping Servants to Solars, he goes toe to toe with them in his area of focus, he's just a bit of a one-trick pony.
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That's going a bit too far in the other direction, though. He doesn't have the sheer potential or metaphysical power of an Exalt, he doesn't have the legend or raw Mystery backing him up that is the Nasuverse equivalent of raw Essence and Exaltation.

He's a mortal who's just really, really good, to the point that the universe gave up and let him do something impossible. It's exactly as BS as it sounds.
 
linkhyrule5 said:
That's going a bit too far in the other direction, though. He doesn't have the sheer potential or metaphysical power of an Exalt, he doesn't have the legend or raw Mystery backing him up that is the Nasuverse equivalent of raw Essence and Exaltation.
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Well, I'm talking pure mechanics. Fluff him however you like to make him fit Creation.
 
So I was reading the update over the Princess quest thread, and it got me wondering just how young could one to exalt was a solar?
 
There's no age limit or requirement, so far as I know. Children or the elderly Exalt much more rarely among an already rare group because they don't usually have the opportunity or capacity to exhibit the kind of heroism required, but it does happen.
 
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linkhyrule5 said:
That's going a bit too far in the other direction, though. He doesn't have the sheer potential or metaphysical power of an Exalt, he doesn't have the legend or raw Mystery backing him up that is the Nasuverse equivalent of raw Essence and Exaltation.

He's a mortal who's just really, really good, to the point that the universe gave up and let him do something impossible. It's exactly as BS as it sounds.
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And Batman doesn't have any magical powers or whatnot, but based on what he actually accomplishes, he would absolutely be a Night caste, not a heroic mortal.

I mean, being a mortal who practices swordsmanship until he's so good that he learns to surpass what is possible is, y'know, exactly the kind of thing that earns you a solar exaltation. Heck, you could even model it almost exactly as becoming your typical Essence 2 starting Dawn Caste, and picking up Peony Blossom attack (which allows you to make a magical flurry of up to Essence+1 attacks)
 
Listen to tzar, for he is wise.

Except about Peony Blossom Attack, which got errata'd ages ago to do something different.
 
I was rereading Cast in Gold recently, and I was wondering: Is there a Solar Charm that allows them to ignore the need to sleep, and if it doesn't exist, would it be in Integrity or Resistance?
 
tzar1990 said:
And Batman doesn't have any magical powers or whatnot, but based on what he actually accomplishes, he would absolutely be a Night caste, not a heroic mortal.

I mean, being a mortal who practices swordsmanship until he's so good that he learns to surpass what is possible is, y'know, exactly the kind of thing that earns you a solar exaltation. Heck, you could even model it almost exactly as becoming your typical Essence 2 starting Dawn Caste, and picking up Peony Blossom attack (which allows you to make a magical flurry of up to Essence+1 attacks)
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You can represent Batman as almost anything, actually - he's been an example of how broadly applicable splat thematics are on several occasions, at least once by @Revlid. Solar, Lunar, Sidereal, Abyssal, etc.

And you don't actually earn a Solar Exaltation by doing something impressive. You get a Solar Exaltation in your time of greatest need, and then do something impressive with it. Dace, Panther, the Bull... none of them were doing anything particularly exceptional when they Exalted. The Exaltation, drawn to their need, was what allowed them to excel - Dace shrugged off his age and weariness, cut through the mercenaries and won the battle he should have lost. Panther stepped away from his life of vice and decadence with newfound purpose. The Bull rejected the law of his people that said he was too old to contribute anymore, survived the storm and went on to lead them. Arianna became a Twilight as a driven, brilliant woman in an institution that overlooked and ignored her, accomplished something they'd never been able to do by translating an ancient tome, and then gave them the finger and went off to seek adventure. Etcetera.
 
Aleph said:
You can represent Batman as almost anything, actually - he's been an example of how broadly applicable splat thematics are on several occasions, at least once by @Revlid. Solar, Lunar, Sidereal, Abyssal, etc.

And you don't actually earn a Solar Exaltation by doing something impressive. You get a Solar Exaltation in your time of greatest need, and then do something impressive with it. Dace, Panther, the Bull... none of them were doing anything particularly exceptional when they Exalted. The Exaltation, drawn to their need, was what allowed them to excel - Dace shrugged off his age and weariness, cut through the mercenaries and won the battle he should have lost. Panther stepped away from his life of vice and decadence with newfound purpose. The Bull rejected the law of his people that said he was too old to contribute anymore, survived the storm and went on to lead them. Arianna became a Twilight as a driven, brilliant woman in an institution that overlooked and ignored her, accomplished something they'd never been able to do by translating an ancient tome, and then gave them the finger and went off to seek adventure. Etcetera.
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So a solar exalt doesn't get the exaltation for being so awesome that God came down from heaven and brofisted you, they get it for needing it enough and having the potential for being that awesome?
 
As far as the False Assassin scenario goes, I'd more see Tsubame Gaeshi as a bullshit single triple-accuracy strike. Mind you, dodge as per the dodge ability tends to be avoiding a strike without really moving your location, much as parrying is done while holding still as well.

Saber, in their first clash, throws herself sideways and tumbles down the stairs, gracelessly rolling and then getting up, after which is is sincerely praised by Kojirou as that was more or less the correct answer. The second bit of his ability is the way that it's enchanted to not be understood no matter how many times you see it. You gain no circumstance bonus to rolls trying to figure out what it does, etc., after repeated exposures to the technique.

Tsubame Gaeshi is defeated by getting out of range, full stop.

Like Aleph said, we can say he had as least a full dex 5 melee 5, 3 dots of specialty with his blade, and I would go a step further and toss in a terrain bonus from being on the higher steps. Now, toss in the accuracy rating of his blade, and triple that sum. Much scarier number there, that is technically superior to a single Solar's strike enhanced with only an excellency due to shenanigans.

It's not "undodgable and unblockable" as perfect effects, it just has an obscenely high accuracy as an attack. Getting out of range via stunt or charm is the only easy way to deal with it, and the weapon damage from a blade clash is simply a side mechanic that is drastically affecting his weapon's accuracy rating; hell- it might even take out his specialty dice since he's not used to fighting with a damaged sword.
 
Frakir's brother said:
So a solar exalt doesn't get the exaltation for being so awesome that God came down from heaven and brofisted you, they get it for needing it enough and having the potential for being that awesome?
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It's kind of a mix of both. People who Exalt are usually pretty exceptional to begin with, but you also don't really find people who were completely pathetic but with some nebulous, incredible potential that the Exaltation recognises. Usually, you get somebody who has the potential to do great things because they're already in some way exceptional. Dace didn't Exalt for being incredibly awesome, but it's worth noting he was a mercenary leader beforehand, not say, some random rice farmer.
 
Per the 2E fluff, you had to be a Heroic Mortal (as opposed to an extra) to get ANY sort of exaltation; it wouldn't even bond to you otherwise. To be heroic I think you needed at least one virtue above 2, which meant (per old chargen rules) you would also have a willpower of at LEAST 4, if you had 3 in one virtue and 1 in the others (as old willpower was the sum of your two highest virtues). This granted you a Heroic Motivation and an extra 4 health levels (extras have 3, heroics have 7). It meant your soul was 'big enough' for the exaltation to bind to.

In other words, even the Abyssals that get exalted by Deathlords at the moment before they die are limited to heroic people about to die, as opposed to any chump.
 
Huh, so what would you see Kojiro possibly getting? Lunars are about enduring right? Solars are being awesome, Sidreals are manipulators, Dragonbloods are a family thing, and Abyssals and Infernals are chosen by their masters. Abyssals at death and Infernals at failure.
 
Frakir's brother said:
Huh, so what would you see Kojiro possibly getting? Lunars are about enduring right? Solars are being awesome, Sidreals are manipulators, Dragonbloods are a family thing, and Abyssals and Infernals are chosen by their masters. Abyssals at death and Infernals at failure.
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False Assassin? In life, he'd probably qualify for a Solar Exaltation (just has to do something heroic), and if he were Creation-born he'd be a possible Dragon-blooded (though his Breeding would be shit). If he dies trying to do something heroic, he'd qualify for an Abyssal exaltation. If he fails to do something heroic but doesn't die, he'd qualify for an Infernal exaltation.
I'm not sure about Lunars.

Sidereals are fated to Exalt and IIRC chosen at birth. I don't think someone from outside Fate (which he probably would be) can be one.
 
Alright then, I'm going to have him dropped, with clothes and Monohoshizao, into Creation, but I think that I'll try to delay the Exaltation as long as possible. I see Kojiro as a rather passive person, who enjoys new experiences. I'd think that he would likely stay around where he landed and generally help out, defend the area and such. Put him through a few random encounters, which he cuts through. Can you Exalt by facing other Exalts?
 
Frakir's brother said:
Huh, so what would you see Kojiro possibly getting?
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He could be a Terrestrial Exalt who achieved absolutely no fame in life because he spent it sequestered away from the world, honing his swordsmanship.

Or he could be a Sidereal Exalt who had not yet awakened to his Exalted nature, but with his eventual Destiny shining through in his supremely serene presence and amazing martial artistry. Then something or someone outside of Fate killed him before he drew Second Breath.

Or he could be a mortal who spent so long in an uncapped demesne or a Wyld-tainted area that he became a living caricature of an ascetic swordsman; his inscrutable serenity comes from being two-dimensional in personality, and his impossible swordsman is a beautiful abomination against reality.


Lunars are about enduring right?
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Judging by the leaked corebook, Lunars are about Breaking Free. A canonical woman was captured, enslaved and shipped to the Realm to become a concubine, and she jumped into shark-infested waters to escape that fate. So Luna made her Shark Woman.

And note that Luna didn't wait until the lady had survived the sharks or the long swim to safety; she Exalted that woman IMMEDIATELY. Like, she really would have been eaten by sharks, helplessly. It was because the lady KNEW that and did it anyway that Luna Exalted her.

Other Lunars might Exalt for breaking social taboos to grasp freedom from their culture's restrictions. Some might Exalt for undertaking the impossible task of freeing themselves and their families from a web of imprisoning debt to the Guild. Others might begin to cut off their own legs rather than starve to death, trapped in the wilderness by a fallen tree.


Sidereals are manipulators
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No, Sidereals are Agents of Heaven. That often means manipulation, but Sidereal Assassins don't have to be manipulative, just fast and lethal and unseen.


Infernals at failure.
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Infernals at REGRET. They backed down from doing something risky, and then regretted choosing the safer path, and then a demon shows up saying, "You know who understands you? The Yozi. They sympathize with your situation and offer you this amazing gift, and all they ask is that you give them amazing gifts in return."
 
Sunder the Gold said:
Infernals at REGRET. They backed down from doing something risky, and then regretted choosing the safer path, and then a demon shows up saying, "You know who understands you? The Yozi. They sympathize with your situation and offer you this amazing gift, and all they ask is that you give them amazing gifts in return."
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Choosing to do it then failing also works.
 
I love the new Lunar selection criteria. It can be physical or social or spiritual, leading to a lot of very different characters.

For 2e, my houseruled Infernal selection criteria was that you are (in your own opinion) unjustly imprisoned, just like the Yozi. This was for two reasons:
- Presumed empathy, they want you to free them from an unjust imprisonment and they know you have had that same experience; and
- Antagonism to the social order which imprisoned you, since clearly you have cause to overthrow those who would keep you imprisoned.
Basically, they hope for allies, but if that fails then at least they have empowered people who will fuck shit up for the enemies of the Yozi.
 
All right, the Fey version actually sounds kinda interesting, but when I decide, this discussion has helped me a lot. Infernal actually sounds like it might be a good idea.
 
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