Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

I personally don't like the location type lock, and the fact that we'd need to pop Shintai to get around it. It's also sort of hard on our surroundings.
Getting the enemy to destroy their own base is one of life's little joys. Fairly sure that we can stunt what exactly is destroyed.
 
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And they don't in WoD? Again, honest question.
Not that I know.
In Kindred, yes, but it appears to all be the same Chinese that kueijin, shen and the Celestial Bureaucracy share.
In Werewolf, the spirits they deal with largely dont have literacy as a priority.

Mage I dont know enough about to give you an honest answer.
Mages do their own writing, as far as I know, but I dont know about the spirits that interact with them.
I havent really read the spirit books in detail.
 
[X] Plan Speak Fervently and Have Reliable Defence
-[X] Molly: 28 XP
--[X] Alertness 1: 3xp
--[X] Awareness 1: 3xp
--[X] Counter-Conceptual Interposition: 16 XP
--[X] Source Code Compliance Protocol: 4 XP
--[X] Hear Prayers: 2 XP
-[X] Lydia: 7 XP
--[X] Mo Kung/Demon Fighter (•) (Training Discount): 2xp
--[X] Willpower 6: 5 XP
 
We will not be operating a maximum wound penalties for long and currently we are effectively wasting most of our health levels most fights from paranoia even when fighting alone.
Based on what? Someone doing damage to us would reasonably leave us at high wounded penalties for a while unless they kill us outright very quickly.

And health boxes you don't fill aren't wasted, keeping them clean keeps us alive and avoids penalties that could shift the course of the fight.
Even we don't have that. Might as well ask about how we deal with the super archer that can always keeps distance and hit us from a mile away. Counter-Conceptual Interposition is helpless against that as it mote taps us to death. See I can also come up with ridiculous hypotheticals
That's what SBS does per GM ruling, and the scenario you described is how the Solar Accuracy Without Distance charm works.

CCI is the most mote tap resistant of the perfects because it can just go "no more attacks from that guy work this turn".

Not using essence is an advantage of the 1UP charm, but it doesn't make it a patch for being able to stop damage in the first place.
 
Still a little unclear, but are we able to puzzle out the existence of heretical charms? Because our crafting skills have been a major boom, and figuring out Unsurpassed Devil craft would be so useful since we're at E3, and will be at E4 soon. Emerald Angel Unfurling would also be a major boon if we can get both halves of that since we're going to be getting involved with the fae and outsiders, since both of those have a penchant for unwanted shaping
 
That's what SBS does per GM ruling, and the scenario you described is how the Solar Accuracy Without Distance charm works.
Wow and people aren't voting for that? Seems to me that the best protection is killing the enemy. Still very few of our fights last many rounds. A single one up is plenty.

A real problem with most perfects is paranoia. You have to spend on the charm before you know how dangerous the attack is and I worry that this thread is going to constantly drain us dry defending against the shadows in our own minds.
 
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If the charm had said languages spoken by spirits I would have gone for your interpretation, even though that is not as through as all languages spoken by all spirits, but the fact that it is singular implies to me that the purpose of the charm is to allow the infernal to speak to any spirit they may come across, not to know all languages. Yes, that is limited, but it is still useful to be able to for instance communicate with any spirit you bind or intimidate into service.
If the point was to communicate with just spirits they come across? We have Source Code for that as a 1-dot charm.
Thats a charm that makes everyone speak a proto-language and understand each other for free. Sure, it will make them bleed from the eyes if you dont spend Essence to prevent it, but its an option.

Hell-Walker is a 3-dot charm we're paying 12xp for, in part for the ability to travel across the Gauntlet, and in part for this.
It kinda has to be doing more than what the 1-dot charm does in this setting.
IMO.

I'd have fewer issues if it was canon WoD, where at least some spirits allegedly have distinct languages of their own in some of the gamelines. But there isnt that narrative backing for it in DF and Exalted.

EDIT
But thats just my two cents.
Any chance we can consolidate some of the 7 different voting plans?
You can always vote for me :V

More seriously, I have significant qualms about the idea of sending our PC to a city with a rift in reality and no way of independently guaranteeing her ability to enter or exit one of those things. Especially in the light of us knowing that some supernaturals can artificially make it harder to get through if you're on the other side.

Never mind the fact that people seem to be ignoring that Lydia's only current shaping defense is Wits 4 + Occult 1.
Which is...suboptimal.
At best.
 
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If the point was to communicate with just spirits they come across? We have Source Code for that as a 1-dot charm.
Thats a charm that makes everyone speak a proto-language and understand each other for free. Sure, it will make them bleed from the eyes if you dont spend Essence to prevent it, but its an option.

Hell-Walker is a 3-dot charm we're paying 12xp for, in part for the ability to travel across the Gauntlet, and in part for this.
It kinda has to be doing more than what the 1-dot charm does in this setting.
IMO.

Not making the spirit bleed or scare the daylights out of them by speaking Primordial is valuable if you do not either know the spirit very well or want to have a strictly intimidation based relationship with them. The major part of the charm is being able to cross the Gauntlet though.
 
[X]Plan Hell in Vegas

This seems like a case where we have to take a short term xp loss to deal with the immediate issues, as tempting as the many plans that buff our long term prospects are.
 
There is a ton of good stuff I want, Charms that do great things, enhanced attributes and toughness, etc., but I think y'all are overlooking the necessity of being able to move about undetected in hostile territory.

It's one thing to move around an area when we only need to avoid being noticed by muggles. It's another thing entirely when you're surrounded by hostile supernatural creatures, many of whom can sense your massive, creepy Infernal aura from the other side of the city. And its even worse when those beings are your enemies and have probably already circulated your physical description throughout their ranks.

Las Vegas is a longtime stronghold for the Reds, and there is an allied heavy hitter who basically owns the supernatural side of the city. There is no telling exactly what sort of muggle resources they can call on, but it's a solid bet the local law enforcement, organized crime, and tourist industry is thoroughly compromised, to the point where being noticed as Molly Carpenter even once means we won't be able to hide the rest of the time we're in the city, will probably be tracked, and likely attacked when we aren't ready for a fight.

Vegas, actually that entire region of the country, is also Skinwalker territory. If regular supernaturals can detect us from across a city, a legit Skinwalker can probably do it from across a state or two.

BMI will let us move around the city while receiving no more scrutiny than any other muggle tourist. We can swap identities at will as needed and hide our presence from all the gribblies that would otherwise be able to detect us without even trying.

Don't forget what happened when we used RVD to travel to Mexico. Just passing through stirred up a metric shit ton of spiritual turbulence.

[X] Plan What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas
-[X] Molly:
--[X] Alertness 2: 5 XP
--[X] Awareness 1: 3 XP
--[X] Black Mirror Incarnation: 20 XP
-[X] Lydia:
--[X] Mo Kung/Demon Fighter 1: Steelskin(Training Discount): 2 XP
--[X] Willpower 6: 5 XP
-[X] OTHER: Hand over Jade Talisman/Essence Battery to Lydia, with caveat that we might borrow it later to see if we can duplicate it
 
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If the point was to communicate with just spirits they come across? We have Source Code for that as a 1-dot charm.
Thats a charm that makes everyone speak a proto-language and understand each other for free. Sure, it will make them bleed from the eyes if you dont spend Essence to prevent it, but its an option.

Hell-Walker is a 3-dot charm we're paying 12xp for, in part for the ability to travel across the Gauntlet, and in part for this.
It kinda has to be doing more than what the 1-dot charm does in this setting.
IMO.

I'd have fewer issues if it was canon WoD, where at least some spirits allegedly have distinct languages of their own in some of the gamelines. But there isnt that narrative backing for it in DF and Exalted.
Digging through text, it seems that the charm is mostly lifted from W20 book. It has a level 1 theurge gift with the following description:
• Spirit Speech (Level One) — This Gift bestows
understanding of the language of the spirit world, permit-
ting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any
spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits'
attitudes toward the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that
they have any desire to communicate with him. Any
spirit can teach it.
System: This Gift's effects are permanent.
At several points of the books it indicates that this (or another similar gift) is the only way to talk to spirits. You can't learn spirit language via merits.
The same book has a level 2 Homid gift for comparison:
• Speech of the World (Level Two) — This Gift
allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of
speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages
and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any
human language she encounters, though she speaks with an
obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the
World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of
cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics
(difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Also, now that I think of it, language =/= writing system. The same language can have multiple writing systems. Understanding language does not imply understanding the writing system.
 
[X]Plan Hell in Vegas

This seems like a case where we have to take a short term xp loss to deal with the immediate issues, as tempting as the many plans that buff our long term prospects are.
Despite the plan name I don't see anything specialized for dealing with Vegas. Plan gaining influence and Plan Stats and Followers at least have ways of spreading influence and bribery in Vegas. Our mission is mostly diplomatic in nature.
 
[X] Plan Speak Fervently and Have Reliable Defence

[X] Plan Speak Softly and Have Reliable Defence
 
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Las Vegas is a longtime stronghold for the Reds, and there is an allied heavy hitter who basically owns the supernatural side of the city. There is no telling exactly what sort of muggle resources they can call on, but it's a solid bet the local law enforcement, organized crime, and tourist industry is thoroughly compromised, to the point where being noticed as Molly Carpenter even once means we won't be able to hide the rest of the time we're in the city, will probably be tracked, and likely attacked when we aren't ready for a fight.
Point of correction:
No it isnt. I've read the scenario from which this is drawn. The Dragon is a Red Court vampire, but he works exclusively for the Sin-Eater and the City of Las Vegas, noone else. He is not allied to the Red Court or the White Council or anyone else, nor does he act in the interests of anyone else.

He tries to run Vegas a lot like Cold War Austria or Switzerland.

What I am worried about is the fact that there's an Outsider agent there and he doesnt appear to be responding to messages.
Which suggests he may be under some sort of duress.
Or dead.

What your plan appears to be ignoring, IMO?
Is the fact that we've been explicitly told there's a rift there. Thats a Chekhov's Gun loaded and cocked on the mantelpiece.
The coming events are likely to require the ability to go through it, return, and make sure its locked properly.

And Molly currently cant do any of that.
And Lydia cant do it safely, not if the other side of that rift is as dangerous as is suggested.


Digging through text, it seems that the charm is mostly lifted from W20 book. It has a level 1 theurge gift with the following description:
See thats WoD.
Where the spirits dont appear to care overmuch about literacy, and information is orally preserved.
The same book has a level 2 Homid gift for comparison:
Literacy is a Rank 3 gift called Speech of All Things, and covers both mortal languages and spirit languages:
Rank 3 Children of Gaia Gift

The Children of Gaia must communicate if they wish to accomplish their goals of unity and understanding. This Gift is a greater version of the Homid Gift: Speech of the World. The Garou can understand, read, write and speak any language as fluently as she physically can. She can emulate the roars of the Simba, but any member of that Breed would know the difference since she does not have the vocal capacity to make the correct sounds. Within those limits, she can speak the languages of various Changing Breeds, she knows the secret rune language of dead magi, and if she were so inclined, she could even understand the dread tongues of the Wyrm. This Gift does not protect the Garou mind from what she hears. A servant of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The character can understand any language once she had learned this Gift. With an Intelligence + Academics roll (difficulty 7) she can read and write in those languages for the scene. If the language is not in common usage by more than a single, small group or culture — or does not have a written form — the difficulty increases to 9.
 
[X] Plan What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas

My problem with BMI is that it specifically works on "all five senses", which (last I counted) doesn't include whatever supernatural sense lets people feel our ominous devil aura. Does it work for the other senses as well, @DragonParadox ?
 
At least it's a plan that gives us something useful rather than just being based on paranoia.
[X] Plan What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas
-[X] Molly:
--[X] Alertness 2: 5 XP
--[X] Awareness 1: 3 XP
--[X] Black Mirror Incarnation: 20 XP
-[X] Lydia:
--[X] Mo Kung/Demon Fighter 1: Steelskin(Training Discount): 2 XP
--[X] Willpower 6: 5 XP
-[X] OTHER: Hand over Jade Talisman/Essence Battery to Lydia, with caveat that we might borrow it later to see if we can duplicate it

[X] Plan Speak Fervently and Have a security blanket that synergies with our current defenses
-[X] Molly: 28 XP
--[X] Alertness 1: 3xp
--[X] Awareness 1: 3xp
--[X] The City Still Stands 15 xp
--[X] Source Code Compliance Protocol: 4 XP
--[X] Hear Prayers: 2 XP
--[x]Save 1 xp
-[X] Lydia: 7 XP
--[X] Mo Kung/Demon Fighter (•) (Training Discount): 2xp
--[X] Willpower 6: 5 XP


[X]Plan gaining influence
-[X]Verdant Emptiness Endowment (•••••) (20 XP)
-[X]Ox Body x2 (6 XP)
-[X]Prayer Eating (•) (2 XP)
--[X] Lydia: 7 XP
-[X] Mo Kung/Demon Fighter (•) (Training Discount): 2xp
-[X] Willpower 6: 5 XP

[X]Yzarc
 
Despite the plan name I don't see anything specialized for dealing with Vegas. Plan gaining influence and Plan Stats and Followers at least have ways of spreading influence and bribery in Vegas. Our mission is mostly diplomatic in nature.
Awareness 1, Alertness 1, Hell Walker Technique.

I have enough pattern recognition to realize that once the QM referenced the scenario in question, and the fact that there's a rift to the Outside, that we are going to have to deal with it.
Hence the choice of charms.


EDIT
We're not going to Vegas to take over the city.

We're going to apprehend a fugitive, and hopefully prevent the city from blowing up in our wake.
We have no need to spread influence or bribery in Vegas, and trying to do so would actively make enemies with the Sin-Eater who runs the place.
 
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[X] Plan What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas

My problem with BMI is that it specifically works on "all five senses", which (last I counted) doesn't include whatever supernatural sense lets people feel our ominous devil aura. Does it work for the other senses as well, @DragonParadox ?
DP confirmed a while back that it hides our presence from pretty much everything short of a Wizard's Sight, and even that would require someone to specifically examine us with it. Wizards don't exactly go around with their Sight hanging out, so BMI is about as effective as we could possibly hope for.
 
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[X] Plan What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas

My problem with BMI is that it specifically works on "all five senses", which (last I counted) doesn't include whatever supernatural sense lets people feel our ominous devil aura. Does it work for the other senses as well, @DragonParadox ?
I remember a comment to that effect before, but DragonParadox really should do a small rewrite to the charm. It is well established in science that there are more than 5 senses. The charm is just kind of badly written for it's purpose as a 5 dot charm.
 
See thats WoD.
Where the spirits dont appear to care overmuch about literacy, and information is orally preserved.
This runs into a huge issue. Wraith: The Oblivion exists.

There's this text in it:
THE LANGUAGE OF THE DEAD
It has been said, not without some irony,
that death is the universal language. Except,
of course, it happens to be true. Regardless of a
wraith's native tongue, once they cross over to the
Shadowlands, she's able to understand and speak
with any wraiths she encounters. The same holds
for written language; the records of the dead are
kept in a script that is understood by all. Some
theorize this is due to death's winnowing effect,
while others chalk it up to a miracle created by
Charon or the Lady of Fate. Regardless, all of the
citizens of Stygia can in fact communicate with
each other easily and directly.
That doesn't mean that a wraith's language
skills evaporate when she crosses the Shroud.
Other wraiths may speak the language of the
dead, but interactions with mortals still require
an understanding of the tongue they're speaking
in, and written documents remain in their native
languages even when read by the Restless. As a
result, more than one Renegade group has taken
to communicating through Skinridden mortals
penning notes in obscure mortal languages, the
better to frustrate the spying eyes of the Legions.
 
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There is another option if you guys want to open the veil

Calling the Calibration Gate
The sorcerer offers her Essence to the four points of the compass, then strikes the ground. When she straightens, an ancient, crumbling archway stands before her, granting passage into the otherworlds.
System: Spend 4 Essence and make an extended Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 7). Upon accumulating five successes, the Exalt summons a gateway which allows anyone who walks through it to pass into the Spirit World, Underworld, or Near Dreaming – the sorcerer decides which upon casting the spell. The Calibration Gate remains present for a number of minutes equal to the sorcerer's Essence, at which point it vanishes as suddenly as it appeared.


It is sorcery so it costs a flat 10 XP. This does not come with the language benefits though
 
Point of correction:
No it isnt. I've read the scenario from which this is drawn. The Dragon is a Red Court vampire, but he works exclusively for the Sin-Eater and the City of Las Vegas, noone else. He is not allied to the Red Court or the White Council or anyone else, nor does he act in the interests of anyone else.

He tries to run Vegas a lot like Cold War Austria or Switzerland.
Even without overt Red influence in Vegas, the rest of my points still stand and the argument isn't really much weaker, IMO.

Being able to hide from the Sin-Eater, his Red lackey, Outsiders and their agents, other local supernaturals, etc., Skinwalkers in the Nevada region, on top of completely disguising our appearance, and being able to change identities at the drop of a hat, is well worth the expense.
 
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