World Building is the GM job not the players, and still Infernal with kingdom charm being anything more the a fluff background bit means that Infernal >>>>>>>>> every other exalted is the problem.
World Building is the GM job not the players, and still Infernal with kingdom charm being anything more the a fluff background bit means that Infernal >>>>>>>>> every other exalted is the problem.
No, that was clearly combat.
He attacked, she stopped him, then he tried to use offensive magic on her.
Killing him under the circumstances was clearly a combat response, and the one with lowest risk to everyone else.
It essentially imposes the same fate on immortals that humans already suffer ie when killed, you dont get to return.
And it doesnt work on mortals.
So no, I dont agree.
Yeah; Crafting has always been one potential avenue for dealing with the power-scaling problem. For everyone, even Lydia.
Basically considering building a supersoldier package a while ago.
Literally an entire organization full of hitters out there in the Fellowship of St Giles who would be interested in dropping one set of enhancements for another. Crafting, or possibly Inner Devils Unleashed, might be useful there.
I am going to point out the obvious problem with artifacts for NPCs: they get no plot protection, and can be taken away, and the more powerful they are, the more people are motivated to try their luck. A lot like Gollum with the One Ring: he wasnt powerful enough to keep it, and the Ring was valuable enough to attract very powerful claimants.
If top tier artifacts like Balor's Eye, Gungnir and the Blackstaff, can be taken from their original wielders, you have to bear this in mind. This is especially true for things like swords and rings, as opposed to bioware.
I fully intend to advocate that we ignore anything in Holden's crafting writeup that says a requirement for sacrifice; this is supposed to be crafting, not black magic.
Rare reagents are one fine.
Sacrificing people to make shit, even evil people, is not. Not narratively in this setting. If we took that fluff at its face value, the Catholic girl with a Knight as Mentor 5 would straight up refuse to do any high end crafting.
Molly's gotten secondhand communication from an archangel, and has literally felt the presence inside of Amoracchius.
I suspect she's motivated to be a lot more scrupulous than most about the spirit of those kind of rules.
COMMENTARY
Apparently Monoc is in bed with the US military industrial complex. Thats a lot more overt involvement than I expected in this universe. If they're doing it, we have to consider that other factions may be as well. And its probably a good warning about our deploying cyberdevils willynilly, if elements of the MIC have access to supernatural consultants.
Blood ward?
If you have prep-time and multiple willing donors to drop a pint at a time, it should be feasible to do it without killing anyone.
It does speak to some of the old magics in play here.
Hmm.
Giving the cyberdevils network access translates to a lot of existing design specs, and a good estimation of where the mundane cutting edge is benched at in 2006. Thats useful on a narrative level for Molly, and turns us a profit on this entire affair.
IP rights? We dont need it.
The juice isnt worth the squeeze IMO
I have trouble seeing Molly C, daughter of Michael C in anything that involves sacrificing a sapient/mining a sapient for crafting materials.
While most of our recent encounters have been with entities that are either gray or towards the destro end of the scale?
Its worth remembering that Molly has met an angel; felt an angel when she crossed blades with Amoracchius
That leaves an impression.
But, yeah I'd be really disappointed if the white god here was someone who murdered their way to the top of the ontology. Since the reality is explicitly not one of retroactive hierarchy in dresden files as woj and the white god was the creator. Though there's at least good chances God isn't just the christian idea of it. Could even take white wolf stuff and make them the jade emperor too.
There's a distinct level of difference between whats permissible in combat and whats permissible outside it.
See the difference between murder and combat.
MiM against Will of Kakuri was pretty damn premeditated and was done in order to send a message.
Doilistically I flat out refuse to lock ourselves out of higher tier craft and wonder making on the basis of "killing bad guys is ok, but actually using them for something good is not". Watsonially, Molly is ok with MiM.
This is a setting where we have seen the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Grail and the Spear of Destiny all get stolen.
Where the Blackstaff was apparently stolen from Mother Winter.
Where Balor's Eye was ripped out of Ethniu's head in canon.
I...have doubts, shall we say, about the idea that you can anchor something to a mortal(or immortal, for that matter) and it cant get taken by a supernatural who really wants it. It goes against every thematic or narrative convention of any of the settings here.
I mean, if Demonreach was told to contain it, do you think any binding would hold? Its not an Exaltation.
Not to mention that if you make it impossible to steal shit without killing you, guess what happens?
Killing the user would actually be worse, because it would destroy the splendor. Because, again, the user is a part of the splendor, the basic foundation of it even.
Further, unless your argument is literally "don't involve anyone in anything, murder hobo off to kill monsters for the rest of our life", empowering those around us is still the correct choice to do. Are there risks? yes. Risks are involved with everything.
No, that was clearly combat.
He attacked, she stopped him, then he tried to use offensive magic on her.
Killing him under the circumstances was clearly a combat response, and the one with lowest risk to everyone else.
Not when we went into the event fully prepared, ready, and expecting to execute him. We were there to murder him and his co-conspirators, there's no ifs about it.
It essentially imposes the same fate on immortals that humans already suffer ie when killed, you dont get to return.
And it doesnt work on mortals.
So no, I dont agree.
The mortal soul still exists after death, you can be revived, reincarnation, or pass into the White God afterlife, it explicitly does not end with the body death even in both parts of the crossover. And Molly's spirit killer works just fine on mortals, by the way.
MiM against Will of Kakuri was pretty damn premeditated and was done in order to send a message.
Doilistically I flat out refuse to lock ourselves out of higher tier craft and wonder making on the basis of "killing bad guys is ok, but actually using them for something good is not". Watsonially, Molly is ok with MiM.
MiM against Will of Kakuri was not premeditated IC.
Furthermore, combat situation against someone who was trying to kill us, had killed one of our retainers, and would reform to return otherwise. The aim was to deny the enemy an asset.
===
We arent playing a random murderhobo in an original setting where people dont care. Our PC has an established characterization and Backgrounds. Sacrificing sapients for power to make stuff is precisely the sort of thing that would rightfully blow up all our social relationships to date with everyone besides maybe Lydia and Mab.
Which is why I advocate ignoring every fluff or mechanical thing that asserts we have to sacrifice people to make shit.
Because it makes Exalted Crafting unusable.
The Infernal's nature is that of the killing wind. Murder nourishes her, as it does the Hell from which she draws her power.
System: Whenever the Infernal murders a sentient being, the act nourishes her as though she had justeaten a four-course meal. If she slays a ghost or spirit, then she can reflexively roll Dexterity + Occult against a difficulty of its Willpower.Success conjures a vortex of crimson flaying winds which slice its dissipating substance into stray motes of Essence. The Infernal regains 2 Essence, and the ghost or spirit is destroyed. Condemning a jaggling-level or greater spirit that is not a creature of darkness in this fashion "rolls back" the number of times the Infernal is considered to have attempted to don her Shintai form during the current story by one, reducing its cost or difficulty accordingly (to a minimum of Essence 2, Willpower 2, and no roll requirement).
MiM destroys the ghost/spirit's substance after we kill it, and prevents it from reforming. We regain essence from the remnants.
Nowhere in that charm does it say anything about souleating.
Killing the user would actually be worse, because it would destroy the splendor. Because, again, the user is a part of the splendor, the basic foundation of it even.
Further, unless your argument is literally "don't involve anyone in anything, murder hobo off to kill monsters for the rest of our life", empowering those around us is still the correct choice to do. Are there risks? yes. Risks are involved with everything.
Again, its an artifact.
Every setting involved in this AU, from Exalted to World of Darkness to Dresden Files, has long established the misappropriation of such things as an ongoing fact of life.
Not to mention that its probably unwise to assume that noone else can modify the working of a Wonder in stealing it.
Not when we went into the event fully prepared, ready, and expecting to execute him. We were there to murder him and his co-conspirators, there's no ifs about it.
Thats like saying that soldiers going into war armed and ready to shoot people they dont expect to surrender are committing murder. If he'd allowed himself to be taken into custody, we wouldnt have had to kill him.
Thats a quote that has to be read in context. The full thing is:
The Infernal's nature is that of the killing wind. Murder nourishes her, as it does the Hell from which she draws her power.
System: Whenever the Infernal murders a sentient being, the act nourishes her as though she had just eaten a four-course meal. If she slays a ghost or spirit, then she can reflexively roll Dexterity + Occult against a difficulty of its Willpower. Success conjures a vortex of crimson flaying winds which slice its dissipating substance into stray motes of Essence. The Infernal regains 2 Essence, and the ghost or spirit is destroyed. Condemning a jaggling-level or greater spirit that is not a creature of darkness in this fashion "rolls back" the number of times the Infernal is considered to have attempted to don her Shintai form during the current story by one, reducing its cost or difficulty accordingly (to a minimum of Essence 2, Willpower 2, and no roll requirement).
The mortal soul still exists after death, you can be revived, reincarnation, or pass into the White God afterlife, it explicitly does not end with the body death even in both parts of the crossover. And Molly's spirit killer works just fine on mortals, by the way.
We know nothing about what happens to any soul in this setting that doesnt linger in reality.
No vanilla mortal or supernatural that has actually died and passed on has returned to our knowledge.
Murder is Meat does not canonically work on mortals.
Ive provided citations.
Unless the QM houserules it otherwise, thats not what it does.
The more you think of all the bombs, all the hand-grenades you have to keep in the air the less sense it makes to be fussed about 'intellectual property' over your improvements to stolen schematics. "Just don't tell your contacts about the alchemy. I don't want to be responsible for the US invading Peru over rock-salt," you say half seriously. You do not watch the news that often, but you know what acronym the Pentagon wanted to avoid when they didn't call the start of the Iraq War back in 2003 Operation Iraqi Liberation.
"Our word is our bond, thus you have both," Alina replies for the two of them.
Rolling up your sleeves you get to work. For the Heavy you make use of the Boxer AFV as a base, made modular so that it could serve all purposes from VIP extraction to heavy supports to medevac. The world fades away in a haze of metal and gears, trapped lighting and dancing programs. Axles' turn wheels fly, interiors are welded into place in a haze of arcane light that does not even scorch the leather, though it does sterilize them with radiation. Lets call that a bonus.
Hardened onboard computer and communications, INS navigation and onboard high-resolution satellite map cache. Integrated longrange acoustic device.
Today isn't one of the days you have to sleep and neither is tomorrow.
Flexfuel, hybrid powertrain with high-density battery/capacitors and silent, electric only mode for acoustic and IR stealth. Full-time all wheel drive. Central tire inflation system with runflat inserts. Color-changing paint. CBRN environmental systems.
The midnight oil burns and it tastes like coffee and like fire, like will and like desire. You are going to get this done, not just to one vehicle, not just to a handful, but enough to carry a platoon and a half, five of one and five of the other.
***
18th of November 2006 A.D.
Nightvision, IR and radar systems....
Acoustic shot, laser,radar and missile warning detectors. ...
IED jammers, laser dazzlers, roof-mounted smoke grenade launchers and hardkill anti-RPG lasers running off the vehicle powerplant...
Unmanned primary weapon turret with options from nonlethal microwave "pain ray" to heavy machinegun, grenade launcher, missile launcher and 35x228mm/50x228mm Bushmaster III autocannon
"Do you guys need a non-lethal weapon?" you shout as the barrel of a gun spins together midair from, steel made pliable as putty, shaped by perfect telekinetic focus.
"On the AFV?" Piotr, who must have arrived some time on the first day, but whom you had not seen until the third. "No, what use?"
"Well you are getting one anyway!" you shout back, it would break your groove to cut it out now, if they don't want it they can just not use it.
By the time you get to the more subtle vehicle you are hardly thinking in words anymore just metallurgical processes, alchemical formulas, whirring connections, mirror tempering and how they all fit together. Really all wheel drive and roll flat tires does not seem like enough anymore, if you could just make it fly a little, not even fly just float...
"ARGH! Stupid glyphs not conducting properly!" You look down at your hands at what seem to be composite Mayan-Egyptian runes written out in molten gold under the fake floor of the van. It is not the glyphs that are not working properly, it's the universe, the universe is off kilter and it needs to be put right.
Belatedly you realize all your assistants had gone silent, and all the pieces you are moving around with your mind are orbiting around their axis faster and faster. "All good guys, one moment..." You take a deep breath and realize that you cannot make a van that flies on polarized tetrahedral Essence Cloud, on account of Essence not flowing like that that.
I can use this. I can... You take the concept of non-conductivity from the broken flight array, you make it simpler, you make it self-contained and it becomes a magically isolating circle made of gold or as you like to call it 'future-lead'. The giggle that escapes you as you grab a meet and vegetable skewer off one of your assistants might sound too much like a mad scientist, but they do not seem to mind. If anything they start to smile more., caught up in the unseen fervor of Creation.
Dunk... back in the jar of bleach to get your Essence restored from all the poison of the world
"I need someone to throw a fireball at one of these to see if it works!" You quickly forget about the request as you are imersed in the innards of Slick 3."Some other stuff too, but fireball to start with, that's almost always the first recourse."
Layered fullerene and alchemical mirror-metal armor, rated for STANAG 4569 Level 3/3B+ protection(7.62x51mm armor-piercing at 30m, 8kg antitank mine, 155mm artillery explosion at 60m). Armored, electrochromic glass windows. CBRN environmental systems. Passive magical dampening.
Hardened onboard computer and communications. INS navigation with onboard high-resolution satellite imagery.
Laser and acoustic shot detector, IED jammers, cellphone/radio jammer. Concealed, roof-mounted smoke dispensers and EMP gun for disabling modern cars. Radar/lidar/nightvision sensors with 360 degree coverage and headsup display.
Constructive Convergence of Principles Discounted by a further 3 XP
"Where do you need the fire and how much of it?" A familiar voice asks from near the entrance, though not too familiar seeing as you can't quite place it
"Vans one through three have the wards installed, there's numbering on the floor, any of them. You can start at about 400 Degrees Celsius as a baseline and keep going up. Just lob it on to start like an amateur would. You can work your way up to..." The words trail off as you turn to see the man you had been speaking to. He looks about fifty, curling hair somewhere between steel and snow framing a sharp-featured face, a smile of a kind not at all detracted from by the stubble that surrounds it. The words 'silver fox' float though the parts of your mind that really should have something more productive to do.
The only mark upon handsome for its age and distinction and not in spite of them is a long vertical line that bisects his right eye covered with a grey stone patch. His other buns blue like the winter sky untouched by clouds.
How do you greet the being before you, in whose service you have wrought works so fine?
[] As Odin Lord of the Aesir, Father of Hosts and Victory-Bringer
[] As the Winter King, among the Winter Court one of the Mightiest
Yeah... this is next-generation at the very least. Even without the alchemy and the circles (and thus the mirror armor), just the schematics alone would be worth it as they help integrate all that juicy cutting edge tech into one singular, modular package.
The man wears many hats, but we are employed by Monoc Security and he's here in his role as their head. Every part of this interaction revolves around one aspect. There is no need to bring in any other element.
[X] As Donar Vadderung, Head of Monoc Security
Also I demand a second attempt to make at least ONE of the armored cars fly. We must accomplish this. We must also paint it red. Santa needs a flying red sleigh.
On one hand, as a teenager, Daniel probably needs someone with common sense whispering in his ear. On the other, as a teenager he isn't actually likely to listen unless you equip the advisor with something that makes Daniel intrinsically trust them. Either superhuman social stats, or some supernatural social merits. Remember, it's not Daniel who gets common sense, it's the spirit of the sword.
True, but the emanation would still have it for its own actions. Since it's primary role would be to stay in the sword and watch the world with magic to gumshoe it's way into helping Daniel do stuff it knowing what's a good idea to recommend or not would be very valuable even if it can't always get him to follow exact advice.
I'm not actually seeing any sacrifice requirements for any Arcane creation, so 5 dot should be the aim. Also I miscalculated the will values, and used the willpower numbers for 5 dot Arcana.
I meant as a general rule. Most of the others requiring consuming a body or destroying an item. Emanations/phantasms are unique in that the keystone has to be a magic item at the top end and you get to keep the functions of both after you're done.
That's the other hidden benefit of Certiorari; I don't know what that sword does baseline, but it should still be in action for the user.
I think it's the other way around. Giving Daniel the sword locks him into being "his father's son" and "his sister's brother". On thenother hand, Olivia explicitely wants to fight. Give her the sword, and him the ring. We get a ninja assassin and a green lantern out of it.
That's what he wants though, and what he was building for. By this point in canon he's actually got sword training and body conditioning up to the point where he's actually good enough to have a go at minor fey. He loses, but he still managed to slow them down as a mortal teenager.
Olivia on the other hand is a minor talent leaning on mental things that has no combat training and the physical abilities of a typical sedentary teenager.
A dream projecting energy ring doesn't lean on her weaknesses and might even be something her native magic can work with. At the very least she can use it to help her keep range as she throws around flashy illusions and minimizes her own presence.
She has a lot of training to do either way, but it should require less before both of them are actually able to get the most from their powers.
If top tier artifacts like Balor's Eye, Gungnir and the Blackstaff, can be taken from their original wielders, you have to bear this in mind. This is especially true for things like swords and rings, as opposed to bioware
There's a few solutions for this related to the emanation end of things.
My build right now uses some other flaws, but my point about the symbiotic purpose of the spirits making some flaws a strength still stands even under the current ruling.
If we take 7 points of Geas as bindings placed on their nature at the time of creation binding them against betraying us, or perhaps requiring them to work against any wielder who we don't give our blessing to, then the one ring comparison becomes a lot more uncomfortable for thieves.
Certiorari for example would be a real bitch to rely on if the god inside only played along until it could feed you poison advice and get you killed.
Rare reagents are one fine.
Sacrificing people to make shit, even evil people, is not. Not narratively in this setting. If we took that fluff at its face value, the Catholic girl with a Knight as Mentor 5 would straight up refuse to do any high end crafting.
Looted tokens of power or whatever seem like a fine stand in. Not literally bodies unless we make a zombie, but something our exaltation claims in victory in terms of authority to push the world around.
Kill a modestly powerful vamp == power equivalent to that guy's place in the web of fate as influence. Which would also be nice because it's easy to extend that to our past loot and make it actually useful instead of glorified trophies.
Keeps the balancing element without the unfortunate body part stuff.
Stuff like splendors don't even actually use the bodies you sacrifice as physical components of the items, so it's not like you're changing anything from the end product with a ruling like that.
[JK] As Kris Kringle, The Gift-Giver, The Toy-Maker, The Old Elf of The North Pole and Master of The Workshop.
What, it's not wrong.
(Srsly tho, of his aspects, Saint Nick is maybe the kindest, but it's an unlikely pull anyhow. Don't think we're anywhere near Christmas. We're not exactly working on the sleigh either.)
