The Rim and the Hammer (Exalted/Warhammer Quest)

The People of the Air are more human than you are anything else, just with a bunch of carefully curated mutations bolted on. The closest comparison in warhammer would be the Dawi Zhar with their tusks compared to the regular dwarfs.
Fair, but the point about not really needing to fill every faction grudge still stands. Spreading high magic just to spite the elves for being snobs is silly.
 
It's just that I see absolutly no connection between the two setting's magic systems.
Why should having a Sorcerer help us wield Qhaysh?

And why would we want that when we have a safer and more flexible option with Exalted Sorcery?
I explicitly reference the benefits of having a magic system that is not inherently corrupted by Chaos. "No connection" is a FEATURE.

It should be blatantly obvious why having a Dragon-Blooded Sorcerer - aka, a literal superhuman on every level from physical to spiritual - would help said sorcerer use Qhaysh.

WHF humans may or may not be able to wield Qhaysh. They don't not use it because they are absolutely incapable of doing so; they don't use it because Chaos is a whiny backstabbing bitch who flips the table when they try.

And once-a-gain, I want Qhaysh because Chaos is a whiny backstabbing bitch. SO OF COURSE I want the form of magic that is anathema to it.
 
I explicitly reference the benefits of having a magic system that is not inherently corrupted by Chaos. "No connection" is a FEATURE.

It should be blatantly obvious why having a Dragon-Blooded Sorcerer - aka, a literal superhuman on every level from physical to spiritual - would help said sorcerer use Qhaysh.

WHF humans may or may not be able to wield Qhaysh. They don't not use it because they are absolutely incapable of doing so; they don't use it because Chaos is a whiny backstabbing bitch who flips the table when they try.

And once-a-gain, I want Qhaysh because Chaos is a whiny backstabbing bitch. SO OF COURSE I want the form of magic that is anathema to it.
But Hysh was the specifically anti-daemon magic?
High Magic is certainly more versatile than any single Wind, but not so much so that it would be worth learning for any human with their limited lifespan.
The only people who use Qhaysh are Elves and Slann who can spend a long time mastering the individual Winds and then learning to combine them. For a mortal it's much more sensible to just get really good at a single Wind.
 
Guess we'll have the Azure Dragon Gus then.

Not bad, I'm actually looking forward to it.
It's just that this will propably be our only MC for the whole quest, when CKII has the potential to give you a succession of interesting characters at best.
 
OK, looks like you will be Gus, next up trait votes.

BTW, just a small reminder not for right now but in general. Dragonbloods may be less overwhelmingly powerful than their Celestial kin, but they can take the Cult Background and benefit from it. You know, just a thought for when you meet the locals.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Nov 6, 2022 at 6:02 AM, finished with 83 posts and 16 votes.

  • [X] Plan Always be a Dragon
    -[X] A man: Sharp Gust of Insight, Gust for short (and to his younger siblings and closest friends, Gus. An artifact of childhood pronunciation issues)
    -[X] From the blood of the dragons who kept their vows, you are one of the Azure Dragons(Costs 2 Bonus points Roll 4d6 for stats)
    -[X] Appearance: Whipcord thin and uncommonly short, Gust doesn't fit what most might expect of exalted glory. A combination of his brightly metallic silver hair and plumage and a gregarious, and almost infectious, energy taken into in all he does make it feel like he takes up the space of a much larger man.
    [X] Maximum Traits
    [x] Puff the Magic Dragon
    [X] Maximum Traits
    -[X] A woman: Enduring Carrier of Indandescend Truths from the Silver Mountain (Short: Carrie)
    -[X] Through long trials and thaumaturgic skill, you are a an Enlightened Mortal (Gain 2 Bonus points; Roll 3d6 for stats; Essence capped at 3)
    -[X] Appearance: In your youth you were said to be beautiful, tall and elegant, with hair and feathers of the deepest blue, as the sky on the opposite pole to the setting sun. Now long work, meditation and travel upon the unforgiving mountains and simple time have turned your skin leathery, your muscles wired and your hair halfway to grey, though your wings still retain the luster of the evening sky
    [X] From the blood of the dragons who kept their vows, you are one of the Azure Dragons (Costs 2 Bonus points Roll 4d6 for stats)
    [x] Puff the Magic Dragon
    -[x] A woman: Breath of Fresh Air, known as puff for short.
    -[X] From the blood of the dragons who kept their vows, you are one of the Azure Dragons(Costs 2 Bonus points Roll 4d6 for stats)
    -[x] Appearance: Breath of Fresh Air was a bright and exuberant child, always on the small and delicate side of her peer group. A fact that got her the teasing nickname of Puff "since she was too small to be a proper breath". As an exceedingly late bloomer, this annoyed her right up until puberty and exaltation hit her like a few tons of bricks.
    —[x] Her brass like feathers deepened into a rich gold, contrasting strongly against her dark black hair, even as she filled out into an towering and positively Amazonian build. Her features went from delicate to sharp, giving her blue eyes a piercing gaze even when she isn't particularly trying for one. In the decades since, she's come to privately delight in the responses people have to the first time she asks them to call her Puff.
    [X] Indiana Jones and the Crystal Scrub
    -[X] A man: Questing Breeze of Old Oddities, Oddy for short
    -[X] From the gifts and the trysts of the small gods, you are God-Blooded (Roll 3d6 for stats re-roll lowest)
    -[X] Appearance: Indiana Jones with wings the color of golden desert sand.
    [X] Indiana Jones and the Crystal Scrub
 
If we really want to piss of Chaos, our best shot would propably to get our hands on the Golden Janissary Style.
It's a Terrestrial Art, so all our Enlightened Mortals, Exalted and Godblooded qualify for it, as would any WH-human, if they can awaken to use Essence.
It's not only very powerful in combat against all Creatures of Darkness (which daemons propably are), but it also allows the user to detect CoDs efficiently, so any possessed or sufficiently altered Cultist can be exposed (regular cultists can still sneak by).
And the entire style only requires Essence 3 at its highest, so it is fully available to mortals. even the capstone which allows you to set all demons in a decent radius around your strikes on magical fire.

I really doubt we can get any Immaculate Arts, so good terrestrial styles like Janissary or Five-Dragon are our best shot.
-Tithes to the Unconsidered Sun 50/turn
:rofl2:
Sorry, just noticed this.
Poor sun, not one thought spend on it.
 
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But Hysh was the specifically anti-daemon magic?
High Magic is certainly more versatile than any single Wind, but not so much so that it would be worth learning for any human with their limited lifespan.
The only people who use Qhaysh are Elves and Slann who can spend a long time mastering the individual Winds and then learning to combine them. For a mortal it's much more sensible to just get really good at a single Wind.


Hysh is not the anti-Chaos wind. It is the half-assed discount-corner-store-rip-off that Teclis taught humans because, for whatever reason, "they can't use Qhaysh properly". And that Eleven apprentices learn before they get their shit together enough for Qhaysh.

Has it not occurred to you that the colleges of magic are a "good enough" compromise created in the middle of a Chaos incursion (yes this is real in-setting "history", check the Magnus the Pious entry in the wiki)? Are you seriously fucking taking at face value the "greatest Elf Archmage's" word without even a hint of consideration for politics, logistical problems (including but not limited to elf-human disconnect), and/or his own ego dumping on his lessers?

And what part of "literal fucking (as in, fucks and produces more) superhuman with a twist" (aka, Dragon-Blood) is somehow being handawaved away as irrelevant to you?
 
If we really want to piss of Chaos

That's a given. It's too bad this is an apocalypse crossover, it'd be incredibly satisfying if we were a full on exalted warhost that just got lost somehow, so that our late game could include Yozi-ing the chaos gods. See if they'd still be laughing when they end up like an unholy turducken.

Alas, we'll have to settle for being the most annoying possible creatures in existence instead.

Sorry, just noticed this.
Poor sun, not one thought spend on it.
If the great glowing bastard can't get off the Xbox in the sky long enough to help us out then maybe we should start calling him that.

Edit:

Is any secular magic really anti-chaos? It can be turned against them, but the existence of Tzneetch's curse implies a certain fundamental authority.

If essence sorcery is truly different we should stick to that, and avoid the chaos cooties of the winds.
 
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Hysh is not the anti-Chaos wind. It is the half-assed discount-corner-store-rip-off that Teclis taught humans because, for whatever reason, "they can't use Qhaysh properly". And that Eleven apprentices learn before they get their shit together enough for Qhaysh.

Has it not occurred to you that the colleges of magic are a "good enough" compromise created in the middle of a Chaos incursion (yes this is real in-setting "history", check the Magnus the Pious entry in the wiki)? Are you seriously fucking taking at face value the "greatest Elf Archmage's" word without even a hint of consideration for politics, logistical problems (including but not limited to elf-human disconnect), and/or his own ego dumping on his lessers?

And what part of "literal fucking (as in, fucks and produces more) superhuman with a twist" (aka, Dragon-Blood) is somehow being handawaved away as irrelevant to you?
I know how and why the Colleges were founded.
I know High Magic is in some ways better than any single Wind and certainly more versatile.

But in mechanical terms a powerful Hysh user is roughly as good or better in his narrow field of banishing/killing daemons and undead as a proper Elven Archmage.

And what makes Qhaysh less interesting for me is that regular humans just don't have the time to learn it and our own Exalted have better things to focus on, like their own skills and Charms, Martial Arts and Exalted Sorcery.
 
.
The sun is still quite active and does things. He is also the most worshiped god in all of creation.
Yeah, but we're not in creation right now and he wasn't paying attention to us when we got sucked into the wyld. Tithing to him when he can't collect or reciprocate with assistance is silly. Not that I expect anyone to follow that line of thought initially, but still.
 
A Prayer to Distant Light (Character Creation Part II)
A Prayer to Distant Light

Date Unknown, Elsewhere

Sharp Gust of Insight would never get used to how soft the chair was, by most accounts the enormous dragonfooted chair just shy of being a throne had been the seat of Righteous Raging Storm, the Loyal Soldier who had lead Sezakan through the chaos of the Usurpation, taken in those few who had come in peace seeking refuge from the traitors and put to the sword any war parties of the traitors searching through the Northwestern mountains. As it happened Gust knew that was all nonsense, the whole chamber had burned to the ground during the chaos following the Great Contagion as the last of the Crimson Dragons immolated himself inside, together with the mob that had come for his head. The histories of the city were quiet on the matter, a silence that only shame could really bring. The survivors had come back though, they had rebuilt, they had kept the Essence mechanisms going and they had dragged this particular charm out of the penthouse apparent of the former Minister of Public Works, Golden Feather of Sunrise who would never have need of it... or of any material comfort.

May He Who is Unconquered by all the trials of the Heaven grant that when my mandate is done they do not have to look for another chair, Gust thought, feathers sighing softly as the brushed against the back of the chair. In the silence that followed his proclamation the sound seemed uncomfortably loud, as though all of them could hear, as though all of them knew that he was just...

Assign Stats: 19, 17, 17, 16, 13, 12, 12

[] Write in (Martial, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Intrigue, Learning Piety, Combat)

Though the gift of the air signs through you, the blood of Mela shining through Sezakan is not the decadent Realm of the Scarlet Empress of which you had heard only rumor born by the wind spirits. One may not by that greatness alone be celebrated, but by the skills you bring forth, as polishing a gemstone calls forth its inner luster

You have Three (3) Bonus Points remaining

[] Write in traits

Inherent
Buffeting Wings - You have learned how to use your wings in battle, another pair of limbs is a distinct advantage, but wings are fragile things (+5 Combat; greater chance of wings being injured in combat) -1 Bonus Point
Cloudy Gaze - Your eyes are an unnerving white as though frozen over. Though your sight is unaffected others find it distinctly disquieting (-3 Diplomacy) +1 Bonus Point
Fragile - You were always delicate as a child, without good fortune and the skills of the healers you might not have seen your third year, but that effort was proven all the more fruitful when you took the Second Breath and became Exalted (-3 to combat; become more easily exhausted in combat) Gain +1 Bonus Point
Sharp Gaze - Your gaze is a sharp as a falcon's from on high (+3 Intrigue May re-roll a failed perception roll such as against an ambush as long as it depends at least partially on physical cues) -1 Bonus Point
Genius - Whatever you put your mind to as a child came easily to you, too easy your father used to say, though he smiles as he did so (+3 to all stats) -2 Bonus points
Strong - Even for one of the Exalted you are strong of limb and have made much use of it (+2 to Combat+1 to Diplomacy) -1 Bonus Point
Strong Wings - All members of the Council are swift and skillful fliers, but you put them all to shame. There has not been such a display as yours for generations (+2 Diplomacy with People of the Air; +10 to all rolls that depend on the speed of one's flight)-1 Bonus Point

Social Traits
Aura of Authority - Your peers have always looked to you for leadership (+2 Diplomacy; Re-roll one failed morale roll per combat as long as you can make yourself seen and heard) -1 Bonus Point
Brave - Ever first into the fray, from childhood squabbles to skirmishes with the horrors unleashed by the Fey (+1 Martial +3 Combat; must roll a DC 50 Martial roll to retreat from combat) -1 Bonus Point
Dour - You are keenly aware of how much your people have lost and fear that you will never again rise to those wondrous heights (-3 Diplomacy +1 Learning; cannot be taken with Gregarious) +1 Bonus point
Gregarious - You enjoy the company of others and they yours (+2 Diplomacy -1 Intrigue) -1 Bonus Point
Multi-Lingual You learned all the other Direction Languages from tomes alone (+1 Diplomacy +20 to rolls to learn new languages) -1 Bonus Point
Proud - To give ground before a foe is to disgrace yourself, your kin and the blood of Mela that flows through your veins (-1 Diplomacy -2 Intrigue) +1 Bonus point

Profession
Beast-Tamer - To most the creatures of the Bordermarches are nothing but horrors to be destroyed, but among them you found a friend (+3 Martial +1 Learning; a Wyld-touched flying war-beast to be your steed; allows for taming other such creatures if you can find them) -2 Bonus points
Thaumaturgic Engineer - You worked with some of the most advanced and most dangerous relics in Sezakan (+5 Learning -1 Martial; Stewardship and Intrigue; +15 in understanding Wyld Effects) -2 Bonus points
Thaumaturgic Healer - You were one of those who helped preserve the life of young and old alike in the face of a harsh world (+2 Learning +1 Piety; can roll to patch up battle wounds reducing the penalty they give in combat by half; In case of crippling injury can prevent it from taking hold with a DC 60 Learning roll) -2 Bonus points
Spirit Speaker - All your people are drawn to the sky, but you were drawn in equal measure to those spirits who are of the sky, among them you found friends and enemies, but from both you found respect (+2 Learning; +2 Piety +10 when conversing with spirits of air frost and similar concepts) -1 Bonus Point
Wyldguard - Guardian, herder, hunter, you have been all three and more on the fringes of the Borderlands (+1 Martial +1 Intrigue; Re-roll a failed roll against enchantment once per battle or engagement) -1 Bonus Point

Special
Relic Finder Lore - A former Relic Finder, you have delved into lore chance-found that others may count lost, perhaps well lost (+6 Learning Allows access to the fundamentals of a forbidden lore thanks to your experience delving into First Age Ruins) -3 Bonus Points
Elemental Kinship - Those born of the Elemental Dragons, of blood or of spirit share a bond imperishable (+2 Learning +2 Diplomacy; begin with the friendship of a Thunderbird one of the rainbow hued warlike air elementals; the spirit will aid you if you have need of, particularly in battle; and its favor leaves some indelible mark on you) -3 Bonus Points

OOC: You guys might want to keep some of those bonus points for the last character creation round if you want more than seven charms to start with.
 
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Sorry, just noticed this.
Poor sun, not one thought spend on it.

The tithe used to be spent on The Last Shrine of Sunset, but after the Great Contagion when the temple was cooped into the Solar Council it just quietly got added to the discretionary wealth of the Council as w whole, with the understanding that the Council would see to the maintaining of the temple and its high holy days.
 
The tithe used to be spent on The Last Shrine of Sunset, but after the Great Contagion when the temple was cooped into the Solar Council it just quietly got added to the discretionary wealth of the Council as w whole, with the understanding that the Council would see to the maintaining of the temple and its high holy days.
It's about the autocorrupt,not the content.
 
[X] Plan Thaumaturgic SCIENCE
-[X] Martial 13, Diplomacy 16, Stewardship 17, Intrigue 12, Learning 19, Piety 12, Combat 17
-[X] Genius
- Whatever you put your mind to as a child came easily to you, too easy your father used to say, though he smiles as he did so (+3 to all stats) -2 Bonus points
-[X] Thaumatuirgic Engineer - You worked with some of the most advanced and most dangerous relics in Sezakan (+5 Learning -1 Martial; Stewardship and Intrigue; +15 in understanding Wyld Effects) -2 Bonus points
-[X] Relic Finder Lore - A former Relic Finder, you have delved into lore chance-found that others may count lost, perhaps well lost (+6 Learning Allows access to the fundamentals of a forbidden lore thanks to your experience delving into First Age Ruins) -3 Bonus Points
-[X] Dour - You are keenly aware of how much your people have lost and fear that you will never again rise to those wonderous heights (-3 Diplomacy +1 Learning; cannot be taken with Gregarious) +1 Bonus point
-[X] Proud - To give ground before a foe is to disgrace yourself, your kin and the blood of Mela that flows through your veins (-1 Diplomacy -2 Intrigue) +1 Bonus point
-[X] Cloudy Gaze - Your eyes are an unnerving white as though frozen over. Though your sight is unaffected others find it distinctly disquieting (-3 Diplomacy) +1 Bonus Point
-[X] Odd Scent - Character permanently smells like an incoming blizzard (-2 Diplomacy, -1 Intrigue) Gain +1 Bonus Point

By the way DP, there are a bunch of typoes in the options here. "wonderous", "Thaumatuirgic", etc. Run a spellcheck before posting!

EXPLANATION: This build aims to avoid the usual "combat monster who makes allies easily" CKII builds that I am sort of sick of seeing. Instead, this build aims to solve problems with 34 Learning. We have a reality engine and the power of Creation, let's do some massive magic/engineering bullshit! And we're playing a bunch of proud winged people, let's lean into those stereotypes instead of immediately trying to "reform" them or whatever.
But I don't want to be utterly incapable of even negotiating a basic peace, so I put a high initial Diplomacy stat (with +3 from Genius) to compensate from the traits that lower it a bit.
 
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Assign Stats: 19, 17, 17, 16, 13, 12, 12

[X] Plan Start The Fire
-[X] Write in (Martial 13, Diplomacy 16, Stewardship 12, Intrigue 17, Learning 19, Piety 12, Combat 17)
-[X] Relic Finder Lore - Sorcery
-[X] Thaumatuirgic Engineer
-[X] Cloudy Gaze
-[X] Proud

[X] Plan Thaumaturgic SCIENCE

Minor EDIT to better suits my stated plan from previously.

Also, DragonParadox, if you're not going to be using the vote mechanic then please include the winning vote(s) in a recap in your next post. Makes it a hell of a lot easier for the rest of us to remember what's going on.
 
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X] Thaumatuirgic Engineer - You worked with some of the most advanced and most dangerous relics in Sezakan (+5 Learning -1 Martial; Stewardship and Intrigue; +15 in understanding Wyld Effects) -2 Bonus points
-[X] Relic Finder Lore - A former Relic Finder, you have delved into lore chance-found that others may count lost, perhaps well lost (+6 Learning Allows access to the fundamentals of a forbidden lore thanks to your experience delving into First Age Ruins) -3 Bonus Points
-[X] Dour - You are keenly aware of how much your people have lost and fear that you will never again rise to those wonderous heights (-3 Diplomacy +1 Learning; cannot be taken with Gregarious) +1 Bonus point
-[X] Proud - To give ground before a foe is to disgrace yourself, your kin and the blood of Mela that flows through your veins (-1 Diplomacy -2 Intrigue) +1 Bonus point
Seeing these together, are we Perturabo?
 
[X] Plan Thaumaturgic SCIENCE
-[X] Martial 13, Diplomacy 16, Stewardship 17, Intrigue 12, Learning 19, Piety 12, Combat 17
-[X] Genius
- Whatever you put your mind to as a child came easily to you, too easy your father used to say, though he smiles as he did so (+3 to all stats) -2 Bonus points
-[X] Thaumatuirgic Engineer - You worked with some of the most advanced and most dangerous relics in Sezakan (+5 Learning -1 Martial; Stewardship and Intrigue; +15 in understanding Wyld Effects) -2 Bonus points
-[X] Relic Finder Lore - A former Relic Finder, you have delved into lore chance-found that others may count lost, perhaps well lost (+6 Learning Allows access to the fundamentals of a forbidden lore thanks to your experience delving into First Age Ruins) -3 Bonus Points
-[X] Dour - You are keenly aware of how much your people have lost and fear that you will never again rise to those wonderous heights (-3 Diplomacy +1 Learning; cannot be taken with Gregarious) +1 Bonus point
-[X] Proud - To give ground before a foe is to disgrace yourself, your kin and the blood of Mela that flows through your veins (-1 Diplomacy -2 Intrigue) +1 Bonus point
-[X] Cloudy Gaze - Your eyes are an unnerving white as though frozen over. Though your sight is unaffected others find it distinctly disquieting (-3 Diplomacy) +1 Bonus Point
-[X] Fragile - You were always delicate as a child, without good fortune and the skills of the healers you might not have seen your third year, but that effort was proven all the more fruitful when you took the Second Breath and became Exalted (-3 to combat; become more easily exhausted in combat) Gain +1 Bonus Point

By the way DP, there are a bunch of typoes in the options here. "wonderous", "Thaumatuirgic", etc. Run a spellcheck before posting!

EXPLANATION: This build aims to avoid the usual "combat monster who makes allies easily" CKII builds that I am sort of sick of seeing. Instead, this build aims to solve problems with 34 Learning. We have a reality engine and the power of Creation, let's do some massive magic/engineering bullshit! And we're playing a bunch of proud winged people, let's lean into those stereotypes instead of immediately trying to "reform" them or whatever.
But I don't want to be utterly incapable of even negotiating a basic peace, so I put a high initial Diplomacy stat (with +3 from Genius) to compensate from the traits that lower it a bit.
Kind of immediately inverts the character idea, would probably need to update his description.

It also seems unreasonable to me to complain about people building social spec characters for leadership games.

I prefer playing wizards and mad scientists too, but that's not the primary role of an executive.
 
EXPLANATION: This build aims to avoid the usual "combat monster who makes allies easily" CKII builds that I am sort of sick of seeing

I would be tempted to vote for your plan if you didn't add Fragile, because that is a FOOLISH thing to do in WHF. There are other traits that can raise learning - you don't need Genius. Mostly resolved at this point.

If you're willing to dump Fragile and Genius, I'll go haul out my stock of 2e Exalted books and go find an alternate 2 points worth of traits for more learning for the Write-In Traits option.
 
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Kind of immediately inverts the character idea, would probably need to update his description.

It also seems unreasonable to me to complain about people building social spec characters for leadership games.

I prefer playing wizards and mad scientists too, but that's not the primary role of an executive.

On the other hand you are post-apocalyptic bird people who select your executive in large part by who can pull the coolest fly-overs. People of all kinds have slipped through over the years.
 
I would be tempted to vote for your plan if you didn't add Fragile, because that is a FOOLISH thing to do in WHF. There are other traits that can raise learning - you don't need Genius.

If you're willing to dump it, I'll go haul out my stock of 2e Exalted books and go find an alternate 2 points worth of traits for more learning for the Write-In Traits option.

Ah.. those are not write in more traits, it is a vote indicating that you should choose traits from the list. Allowing you guys to make your own while it sounds fine in theory would lead to a very long and confusing back and forth to balance it.
 
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