Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

So Hollow Mind would require even more investment to be as good as imagined.

I like it less and less.
Did you miss the part where the QM said that we essentially have free lookups on public information?
Do you realize how much public information there is online as of 2006?
From medical textbooks to aircraft flight schedules to people posting personal information on Facebook and Instagram?

That entire scene where we spent an evening looking for supernatural information on the Internet? Outsourced.
Google Maps and Street Search imagery of Marcone's estate? Done.

Information on how to manage someone suffering from poison? At your fingertips.
Rumors about stuff going on in parts of Chicago? You hear about it as soon as anyone else.
If some ambitious fella scanned and put some magic books on Megaupload or Bittorrent? We have them

Seriously man, its an OSINT tool with beaucoup utility.
Like having a mini-Bob, only this one cant kill you because you gave it the wrong commands.
The QM gating hacking behind a 3XP expenditure on Allies 1 is barely worth complaining about.
 
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Did you miss the part where the QM said that we essentially have free lookups on public information?
Do you realize how much public information there is online as of 2006?
From medical textbooks to aircraft flight schedules to people posting personal information on Facebook and Instagram?

That entire scene where we spent an evening looking for supernatural information on the Internet? Outsourced.
Google Maps and Street Search imagery of Marcone's estate? Done.

Information on how to manage someone suffering from poison? At your fingertips.
Rumors about stuff going on in parts of Chicago? You hear about it as soon as anyone else.
If some ambitious fella scanned and put some magic books on Megaupload or Bittorrent? We have them

Seriously man, its an OSINT tool with beaucoup utility.
Like having a mini-Bob, only this one cant kill you because you gave it the wrong commands.
The QM gating hacking behind a 3XP expenditure on Allies 1 is barely worth complaining about.

Mind the higher the dots of allies the better the hacking. You guys are not going to be able to hack into the Pentagon and whatever spooks might know about the supernatural with Allies 1. Otherwise yeah there is a lot of utility in there especially since a demon is not limited to mortal processing speed or mortal memory.
 
Mind the higher the dots of allies the better the hacking. You guys are not going to be able to hack into the Pentagon and whatever spooks might know about the supernatural with Allies 1. Otherwise yeah there is a lot of utility in there especially since a demon is not limited to mortal processing speed or mortal memory.
Thats fair.
Though I assume something dramatic like hacking the Pentagon or NSA is unlikely to be relegated to an offscreen action.
And we might as well buy an Excellency for 3-4XP and pitch in.

At least they'll be able to write their own code.
Alphas are not much older than Molly, are computer geeks and are perfect as initial minions. Equip them with good enough tools, and they should be good.
College students with their own busy lives.
Useful allies after we meet yes, but we cant expect them to be there at our disposal.

Once we buy our inner Kingdom charm though, we will have people at our disposal who wont mind.
Though they might be Henchmen or Followers instead of Allies.
 
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We will also have to craft some kind of wonder that connects our hell to the internet.
If we pick Advanced Society, they should already have that.
Whether its technology, magic or technomagic.
EDIT Or we could bring them into Chicago and rent them a flat.

An evil synergy that occurred to me is
-Sorcery Path Divination 1: 4XP
-Allies 1: Demon AI: 3XP

Do Divination on somebody with an Int+Occult Excellency, steal a bunch of their passwords and information, and pass them on to your AIs for exploitation. Then sit back and watch the fireworks.
 
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OK, looks pretty settled. Vote closed. Let's see what the morning brings and then it's on to a small vote for what to do on Sunday. I do not want to cram the shintai vote right after this one.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Aug 12, 2022 at 5:17 AM, finished with 198 posts and 31 votes.

  • [X]Plan Information Supremacy
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] Wicked City Charm: Hollow Mind Possession (••): Invest a dark spirit in a into a smart device within line of sight, awakening it into an AI subject of your power within the limits of the device. Can be permanent with enough successes 4 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Recovery
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Verdant Emptiness Endowment (•••••): Grant the prayers of any who would cast their wishes in the wind and in exchange if you should wish demand obediance
    [x]Plan Let's Get Better
    -[x] Appearance +1 4xp
    -[x] Awareness 1 3xp
    -[x] Essence +1 8xp
    -[x] Investigation 1 3xp
    [X] Plan Survivability and Appearance
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x]Plan Generalism
    -[x]Essence 2(8 XP)
    -[x]Naked Wicked Souls(3 XP)
    -[x]Appearance 2(4 XP)
    -[x]Brawl 2(5 XP)
    [X] Plan Mobility
    -[X] The Hell of Being Skinned Alive: Wind Born Stride (••) The Infernal moves with the ferocious speed of the killing winds of Hell. As a permanent passive effect movement speed is tripled and Initiative is doubled. 8xp
    -[X] Lanka Charm: By Rage Recast (••): Gives you access to another Shintai Aspect in your human form. Flight. 6 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Demonic social
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Demonic Primacy of Essence (•): Lesser Creatures of Darkness recognize your dread majesty making it easier to sway them. All social rolls with such beings reduced by 2. 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
 
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OK, looks pretty settled. Vote closed. Let's see what the morning brings and then it's on to a small vote for what to do on Sunday. I do not want to cram the shintai vote right after this one.
With regards to the shintai, it may be best to have the mechanical choices separate from the fluff as there are a number of options and may result in multiple votes that are variants of the same thing and avoid being forced to choose between the fluff and the stats they want.
 
With regards to the shintai, it may be best to have the mechanical choices separate from the fluff as there are a number of options and may result in multiple votes that are variants of the same thing and avoid being forced to choose between the fluff and the stats they want.
You can't fully seperate that though.

The Differences between Demon Emperor and Devil Tyrant lock in both aesthetical and mechanical differences.
 
It is possible. Vote Mechanics first and then make up the fluff for it.

I suggested that because people may end up being forced to choose between the mechanics they like and the fluff they like. Like choosing a Shintai with +4 Dex but aweful fluff or choosing good fluff but bad bonuses and so on.

By choosing the mechanic first, we can then vote for fluff based on the winning mechanic.
 
At the end of the day, I want to have Demonic Magical Girl Devil Knight as our aesthetic here, long as I get that, I'm a happy camper
 
In all honesty, I want the +4 dex. That is the problem as some people care more about the fluff and others care more about the mechanic.

By separating both, people will no longer be forced to give up one for another.
 
At the end of the day, I want to have Demonic Magical Girl Devil Knight as our aesthetic here, long as I get that, I'm a happy camper
Given what her canon description is like, her canon fashion sense, the officially sanctioned art, and her experience here?
You're looking at someone who looks a lot more like Trish/Lady than Dante for her first shintai warform.
Thats my opinion at least.

I'll try to make a more coherent argument later.
 
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In all honesty, I want the +4 dex. That is the problem as some people care more about the fluff and others care more about the mechanic.

By separating both, people will no longer be forced to give up one for another.
Only across one set. For people who value fluff over crunch that might be willing to vote demon emperor instead of devil tyrant over it splitting them biases the vote.

The division is also less clean than you're presenting it to be outside of that. The aspects we pick would play into what reasonable fluff we can choose, so it could still split the vote along those lines.

Better to vote on complete specific plans so that we know what we're getting into from the start.
 
At the end of the day, I want to have Demonic Magical Girl Devil Knight as our aesthetic here, long as I get that, I'm a happy camper
I want to avoid fluff that leans into having to hurt or be mean to people but I'm pretty happy with most possible aesthetics.

I like the seperation of fluff and mechanics suggestion.
----
I would like to pick between "[+3 speed] and [+3 stregnth]", not "[+3 speed] and [+4 stregnth but you now want to kick puppies]"
 
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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Aug 12, 2022 at 5:17 AM, finished with 198 posts and 31 votes.

  • [X]Plan Information Supremacy
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] Wicked City Charm: Hollow Mind Possession (••): Invest a dark spirit in a into a smart device within line of sight, awakening it into an AI subject of your power within the limits of the device. Can be permanent with enough successes 4 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Recovery
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Verdant Emptiness Endowment (•••••): Grant the prayers of any who would cast their wishes in the wind and in exchange if you should wish demand obediance
    [x]Plan Let's Get Better
    -[x] Appearance +1 4xp
    -[x] Awareness 1 3xp
    -[x] Essence +1 8xp
    -[x] Investigation 1 3xp
    [X] Plan Survivability and Appearance
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x]Plan Generalism
    -[x]Essence 2(8 XP)
    -[x]Naked Wicked Souls(3 XP)
    -[x]Appearance 2(4 XP)
    -[x]Brawl 2(5 XP)
    [X] Plan Mobility
    -[X] The Hell of Being Skinned Alive: Wind Born Stride (••) The Infernal moves with the ferocious speed of the killing winds of Hell. As a permanent passive effect movement speed is tripled and Initiative is doubled. 8xp
    -[X] Lanka Charm: By Rage Recast (••): Gives you access to another Shintai Aspect in your human form. Flight. 6 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Demonic social
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Demonic Primacy of Essence (•): Lesser Creatures of Darkness recognize your dread majesty making it easier to sway them. All social rolls with such beings reduced by 2. 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
Nothing says my preferred vote would have won if plans were consolidated, but it's frustrating to see so many one off plans that didn't have a hope in Hell of winning left hanging out there when they could have been put toward one of the actually viable options.
 
Winning Vote
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Aug 12, 2022 at 5:17 AM, finished with 198 posts and 31 votes.

  • [X]Plan Information Supremacy
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] Wicked City Charm: Hollow Mind Possession (••): Invest a dark spirit in a into a smart device within line of sight, awakening it into an AI subject of your power within the limits of the device. Can be permanent with enough successes 4 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Recovery
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Verdant Emptiness Endowment (•••••): Grant the prayers of any who would cast their wishes in the wind and in exchange if you should wish demand obediance
    [x]Plan Let's Get Better
    -[x] Appearance +1 4xp
    -[x] Awareness 1 3xp
    -[x] Essence +1 8xp
    -[x] Investigation 1 3xp
    [X] Plan Survivability and Appearance
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] +1 Appearance, with practice and with will you take on a guise less strange, less eerie 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
    [x]Plan Generalism
    -[x]Essence 2(8 XP)
    -[x]Naked Wicked Souls(3 XP)
    -[x]Appearance 2(4 XP)
    -[x]Brawl 2(5 XP)
    [X] Plan Mobility
    -[X] The Hell of Being Skinned Alive: Wind Born Stride (••) The Infernal moves with the ferocious speed of the killing winds of Hell. As a permanent passive effect movement speed is tripled and Initiative is doubled. 8xp
    -[X] Lanka Charm: By Rage Recast (••): Gives you access to another Shintai Aspect in your human form. Flight. 6 XP
    - [X] The Hell of Boiling Oil Charms Charm: Charred Sinner Renewal (•) : Regain Essence and Heal much faster when immersed in toxic liquids; Immunity to the harmful effects of such liquids when immersed 4 XP
    [X] Plan Survivability and Demonic social
    -[X] +1 Essence Gives two more motes to cap; May spent 2 Essence in one round; unlocks Shintai form 8 XP
    -[X] The Hell of Burrowing Maggots Charm: Demonic Primacy of Essence (•): Lesser Creatures of Darkness recognize your dread majesty making it easier to sway them. All social rolls with such beings reduced by 2. 4 XP
    -[X] Lanka Charm: Viridian Legend Exoskeleton: Gives highest of Strength, Stamina and Charisma in Soak for one scene for 1 Essence. 6xp
 
Arc 2 Post 1: A Deeper Dreaming
A Deeper Dreaming

16th of July 2006 A.D.

It is always cold in your dreams, sometimes it is dark as well, but the darkness is different this time, heavier and more aware. You move as a swimmer in deep water who morns the sun far, far away... but then you sense the water in your tongue. Bitter, foul and impure if seems at first, hateful and cruel.

The light of your anima flares around you, a ghostly green, not like fire, but like the luring light of an angler fish and all around you see white sand that billows into clouds at the merest step. Picking a direction at random you start walking. A hundred steps, two... a thousand, then at the thousandth and first you reveal something under the veil of dust an arc of bone so large it takes you the moment to realize you are looking at the orbit of a single titanic eye, but it is not the grandeur of death that most ensnares you, it's the tiny pale things that crawls along it, like worms and crabs, and millipedes, though twisted into shapes that not even the most intrepid submersible had yet seen, for you know that there are not the seas of Earth you know, but something older, stranger. Even from these bitter waters life might spring, even here you might find succor. Poison and remedy, like love and hate two sides of the same thing...

You wake up suddenly still in the grey predawn hours, reaching out instinctively for your phone. A subtle buzz of static hits your still grogy mind as you touch it, not from it... from beyond it.

There are more than mechanisms of gross matter in the Wicked City, there are hosts and legions of electronic devils, the fears and nightmares of those who browse the internet, the shadows to its web of light. Now some of them, the least of them, but numberless hosts are yours to summon and they are eager to come forth from the hell in which they dwell. They promise leal service, without end without condition for the change at freedom at the distinction of a Name from among he from among the jagged alpha-numerical storm.

"Huh, I can heal in toxic sludge and summon cyber-devils " you say aloud laying in bed, the sound of your voice makes it more real. "Cool."

"Not just toxic sludge Glorious Lady of the Dark to Come," Usum interjects. "All that flows and in impure, all that promises death or ruin to mortal life by its voraciousness. By it your Essence, like your flesh might be restored."

"Wait how does that work? Where does it come from?"
You remember all too well the feeling of magic being ripped from your 'hands' and falling into the ever churning whirlpool of your soul.

"Magicians and priests, seers and shamans, by whatever name you call them all who reached for the powers beyond sought purity of form, of mind, of purpose, they washed away that which they counted distraction, illusion, sin." The demon pauses on the last word as if tasting it. "But there is power also in that which they have cast off through the long years. From that power you may now drink freely and even if you were glut yourself for a thousand times a thousand years you would not drain it dry."

So tapping the platonic ideal of corruption for power, probably not going to reveal that anytime soon, y
ou think. A laugh bubbles to your lips, a shadow od Usum's own joy at your growing power. Just as long as it;s not a cackle you should be good.

As the sun comes over the horizon to refill your reserves you also realize they are deeper then they had been yesterday as though your power had prepared itself for the glut of Essence.

You regain 5 Essence Now at 12/12

***​

The face that greets you in the mirror looks unchanged by inner transformation and the glass still freezes over at your breath. You throw on a pair of fades shorts and a rumbled Metallica shirt and head down to breakfast, distracted by thinking of what would be the least bad lethal contaminant to use as a focus Hank runs right into you.

As you grab him by his Mickey Mouse PJ collar to steady him the little fellow looks up at you. "You're difwent," he says lisping a little.

"How?" you ask confused as you set him gingerly down.

"Not as cweepy. Oops not s'posed to say that," he adds quickly. "Don't tell mommy, OK?"

"You are not supposed to say I'm less creepy?" Normally you are fluent in toddler logic by dint of sheer experience, but you were out late last night and you haven't had your coffee yet.

"Not s'posed to say you're cweepy. Mommy said it'd make you sad," your baby brother explains.

"That is OK Hank, less creepy is good," you say ruffling his hair.

That is such a mom thing to think about. You resolve to do something nice for her. Would she like a phone AI? you wonder. I'd have to be vague about where it comes from, but it's not like I go around explaining the details of my powers to mom.

Coming down for breakfast you find that most of the family is already there, including your dad looking over some papers as he balances Leech one one knee. She's getting a little big for that, you note, but know from experience that she probably won't give it up for another year or two. Mom's making hash-browns, Daniel is busying himself helping Hope cut up her food she he doesn't have to talk and accidentally blurt out something about last night and Matthew is looking surreptitiously at something on his phone.

What do you do?

[] Bring up your new powers and supplies you need for them
-[] Write in suggestion for healing poison

[] Offer to make everyone really smart phones

[] Just head to church


OOC: I hope you guys like the fluff for CSR. It would have worked with just 'you tap hell for power', but this felt more in theme for 'I have a dragon nest in a jar of bleach'
 
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I'm kind of in two minds on this since it could impact the vote, but have you guys considered how Hollow Mind Possession synergies with Charred Sinner Renewal. Specifically your limit from just attempting the former charm until you get a permanent is Essene but the latter means you get one charm every 15 minutes... which means you can spent the 1 Essence you need to bind those devils every 15 minutes assuming the tub of tainted liquid is in the same room.
We cannot actually unless we spend days on it. Even in exalted proper you can't stunt an action your taking often. If it's a routine action it's like walking around saying thou a demon your a demon, is a boring task. Stunt have to be big epic important stuff. Not banal mundane stuff even if it only banal to the exalted

[x] Just head to church
 
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[x] Just head to church

For now, lets just leave this matter of ' lvling up' aside. its not a secret from the family, but also not something to declare at breakfest table. Besides, discussing it just might spoil the morning with mom disliking it.

and i think we better experiment with the power before giving away really smart phones...
 
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