- Location
- Ottawa
I don't think there are tipping points. It's probably like trying to make a human change; you don't always know when you've succeeded, but there are usually clues.
General Exalted Thread
I don't think there are tipping points. It's probably like trying to make a human change; you don't always know when you've succeeded, but there are usually clues.
- Location
- Classified
I can't get over how goddamn cool Stormcaller from the Arms preview is. At some point I'll want to adjust the couple of my artifacts that are mostly done to use Resonant/Disonant I guess, but that's not such a big work load. What is a bigger deal is the fact that appropriate evocations for Artifact 5 apparently goes at least to ~Solar Circle Sorcery so, uh, I'm gonna have to give one of my players some better shit.
It helps that, like sorcery, Evocations are firmly XP gated. With any other ability, you could Supernal it and buy to the very top of the tree out of chargen, but if an Evocation says Essence 5, it means it.
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Yes, but that wouldn't be a Dragon-Blooded Charm, because an effect which grants bonuses to armor based on wealth and customization doesn't have anything to do with elements at all; sure you could sell it as "the Dragon-Blooded are masters of all the wealth of the earth" but you would still be shoehorning an unfitting effect into the Charmset - the effect works like it does for two reasons:
- It wants to have an issue; outfitting your entire army in magical armour or jade is fucking hard and requires access to some serious allies, and probably won't let you allow to outfit more than your personal entourage. This limits the Charm and prevents Elder Dragon-Blooded Joe to outfit his entire army in valuable armour and using the Charm (because Dragon-Blooded have Charms for getting access to valuable metals yo) and thereby gaining an army-wide +5L/5B buff.
- Jade is the magical material of the Dragon-Blooded; it is, quite bluntly the best armour your Dragon-Blooded character could want; thus Dragon-Blooded Charms are going to interact with it, because they are made for doing that. Getting you to want jade and invade other kingdoms to take their jade for your army or taking it from them by holding them as captive markets is a feature, not a bug.
Then you would be wrong; granting yourself extra health levels which disappear at the end of the scene and inflict damage on you has been a Fire Aspected Charm since the very first Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded in First Edition (Aura of Invulnerability - Presence 4, Essence 2). Earth Aspect Charms grant you soak or help you resist the environment or make you REALLY SVOLE; Fire Aspect Charms help you move away, around or grant you ablative protection - this is established Charm design and fits the aesthetics of those elements, which I will not defy.
No; the ultimate focus of Abilities, is the ability to Make You Good At X, where X is a given task relevant to the Ability. Dragon-Blooded have far more themes than soldiery alone, and trying to only fit that one to their Charms is poisonous to good Dragon-Blooded Charm design; in fact, I wrote a post on this exact subject. Under the model of themes proposed by that one, the War Charmset carries the Soldiery, Righteousness, Nobility and Sanctity of Nature themes. @Revlid once made this post on the subject, which outlines the Dragon-Blooded central theme as that of Theme Heroes; whereas their aesthetic is filtering this through the lens of the elements.
Dragon-Blooded have far more than the 'supersoldier' concept, and should be treated as more than that - their entire Socializee tree wouldn't make sense if they were supersoldiers and neither would their Presence tree or their Breaucracy tree. As I mentioned above, you can and should use other themes than soldiery for Dragon-Blooded Charms, because otherwise they become boring, one-note Charms which don't really say anything about the Dragon-Blooded, and that's bad if you want interesting Charms.
No, I wouldn't because these are desgined as Dragon-Blooded Charms, balanced on a Terrestrial level and thematized around the elements and their interactions with each other; you could slap these Charms ona war-ghost or demonic captain-creature, but you'd have to do a lot of reflavouring, because they aren't' meant for those. You could slap them on them, but I'd advise against it, because they don't fit those and aren't balanced for their use.
Linguistics is about language, which is why it lets you control your speech, send messages on the wind, hear through walls, hide messages in pictures, build tactical hiveminds and talk soundlessly; likewise Awareness is about being aware of the world, which is why it lets you sense through the earth, make people fall asleep, blind and deafen your enemies and force people to spend more essence on their Charms. Lore is about knowledge, which is why it lets you learn by exposing yourself to the elements, recover essence faster, heal faster, and gain perfect memory. These things undoubtedly all have something to do with their elements, but you may start to be confused when your extraordinary skill with language lets you build sci-fi spec-ops-style tactical hiveminds or your incredible awareness of the world lets you make people fall asleep.
Elemental Bolt Attack is a War Charm because:
- There are two combat abilities in Kerisgame hacks: Melee and Ranged.
- We can see what Dragon-Blooded Ranged-Thrown allows you to do: it gives you a full combat toolset; allowing your weapon to make it's own attacks, letting it be used as basically a grappling hook, create armour out of air, hide weapons in Elsewhere storage, create weapons from nowhere and make winds to buffet ranged attacks away. Elemental Bolt Attack does not fit into these Charm themes at all, and I don't want to put it there.
- We can see what Dragon-Blooded Ranged-Archery allows you to do: it gives you a tactical-scale toolset to be a ranger-sniper, in the actual meaning of those words; this allows you to create ammunition from plantlife, cover your allies by shooting projectiles out of the air, murder enemy archers in sniper duels, bypass cover, murder undead (because fuck undead) and put damage over time effects on enemies so you can shoot their friends while the thorns kill them from within. Elemental Bolt Attack doesn't fit into this either, and I don't want to force it in there.
- A Dragon-Blooded can't buff his guys with elemental swords or create a fog bank or a giant flaming hellscape, because those are all sorcery territory and Dragon-Seared Battlefield and Dragon Vortex Attack only fit in because they're tactical-scale infantry suppression and clearing. Creating a chasm was actually a possibility in the old War Charmset with the use of Ramparts of Obedient Earth, which I couldn't find any way to properly update, so there is that! If I find time for it, I might update that one too (or fit it into Lore or Craft because of ELEMENTAL ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE).
- Elemental Bolt Attack starts out as a weapon of convenience, which allows you to inflict individual-level debuffs and do hefty damage, and escalates into an infantry-clearing weapon that lets you deal with units you don't want to waste 15m, 1wp to kill - it's War because it absolutely under no conditions should be an Archery or Thrown Charm, and I don't want to have it in Lore or Occult or whatever - it fits much better in War for it's ability to serve as an individual-scale weapon with the ability to inflict debuffs that open your target up for allied attacks, such as "knock them into your Fire Aspected friend so he can respond with some stupid Charm and hit them in the face while he dashes away with his Athletics Charms because fire has a hilarious set of Abilities".
- Dragon-Blooded can make sneak attacks with Performance, disrupt your essence with Awareness, infect you with Medicine, detect you with Stealth, sail with Occult and climb with Craft, so it's not like this is an outlier by the standards of Dragon-Blooded Charms.
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
And on another note:
Flutterwing Cloak (Artefact 2)
Cost: 1m
Aspect: Air; Capacity: 4m; Charge: 1m for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
A light cloak of grey-black silk; it's form made of a multitude of long, silken strips and tassels which flutter ever so slightly as the wearer moves. The wearer of a Flutterwing Cloak may spend one of it's motes to take a reflexive Dash action as if it was a normal Move action.
A Flutterwing Cloak recovers a single mote for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
EDIT: I do Artifact requests now btw.
Flutterwing Cloak (Artefact 2)
Cost: 1m
Aspect: Air; Capacity: 4m; Charge: 1m for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
A light cloak of grey-black silk; it's form made of a multitude of long, silken strips and tassels which flutter ever so slightly as the wearer moves. The wearer of a Flutterwing Cloak may spend one of it's motes to take a reflexive Dash action as if it was a normal Move action.
A Flutterwing Cloak recovers a single mote for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
EDIT: I do Artifact requests now btw.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
EDIT: I do Artifact requests now btw.
Stat please!Question! What level of artifact would the Mehve be?
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
Wall walking Greaves, plzAnd on another note:
Flutterwing Cloak (Artefact 2)
Cost: 1m
Aspect: Air; Capacity: 4m; Charge: 1m for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
A light cloak of grey-black silk; it's form made of a multitude of long, silken strips and tassels which flutter ever so slightly as the wearer moves. The wearer of a Flutterwing Cloak may spend one of it's motes to take a reflexive Dash action as if it was a normal Move action.
A Flutterwing Cloak recovers a single mote for every half-hour spent concealed during night or fog.
EDIT: I do Artifact requests now btw.
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Stat please!
Hmmm, it's like a hundred years since I last saw Nausicaä, so can you remind me the essentials of Mehve?
Spider-Weave Galoshes (Artifact 3)
Cost: 1m
Aspect: Sidereal; Capacity: 4m; Charge: 1m per minute spent under direct starlight.
Well-worn and rugged, these footwraps of silk are marked by the ages, yet remain silkenly smooth despite all the years. Whenever the character takes a vertical Move or Dash action, they may spend 1m from the Spider-Weave Galoshes' mote pool, in order to not fall down until the next time their DV refreshes. When this is done, the character seems as if seen through a strobe light, as they flicker along walls or blink-dash around rooms.
Spider-Weave Galoshes regain 1m per minute they spend under direct starlight.
Bursting Eagerness Soul
Threadwalking Rating Machine
- Location
- Wisconsin
I'd say to look at the Essence Glider in 3e core for your guide. Maybe bump it up a dot for the engine, or maybe not since it isn't folding and concealable. Your choice.Question! What level of artifact would the Mehve be?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Folding wings, small engine for mid-air boosts and assisted takeoff, only things weapon related are sheaths for Nausicaä's rifle and a shell-sword.
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Does it go at "measured in MPH speeds" or combat-relevant speeds? (no shut up Keris
)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The 'cruising speed' I'd put at maybe a motorcycle? It's hard to compare flying vehicles to ground-based ones by eyeballing alone. In combat... I'd say it'd be more unwieldy than anything else, the best you'd get would be holding it level while taking potshots with a bow.Does it go at "measured in MPH speeds" or combat-relevant speeds? (no shut up Keris
If that doesn't answer your question I don't understand it.
Touch of Sepia
Artisan of the Vital Tincture
- Location
- Connecticut
I understand two things:
1) People are pointing to canon and then just dropping it like a mic as their argument.
2) There is serious tribalism on the forum and it is homogenizing the thought processes of the readers. It makes one happier to have people agree with you and it is easier to echo others thoughts. That is why echo chambers happen, in forums or politics, very few people are willing to stand apart and alone and hold an new or unpopular position. THere is safety in the herd.
So I've come to expect any forum I enter to have tribalism and to see everyone, other than a few outsiders, pull the same party line.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
...and you're still not actually addressing anyone's arguments? Like, I could actually, literally quote the multiple posts that do more than say 'this is canon' as their argument. Literally on the last page alone.
Does it go at "measured in MPH speeds" or combat-relevant speeds? (no shut up Keris
Personally, I'd say 'measured in MPH' speed territory. I tried poking around on Youtube for some examples, but there's surprisingly little there from the movie except trailers. Anyway, even though early in the movie she has scenes doing stuff like outpacing ostriches, later on in the movie she's flying next to big cargo jets. In that later case though, I'd honestly be tempted to chalk that up to Miyazaki just writing what made for a good movie and not really giving a shit about literal numbers for how fast that is. In light of that, saying that it tops out at ~150 MPH seems reasonable (a little faster than Stormwind Rider, but it's probably not as maneuverable) to me.
Fucking criminal that there's not more clips of my favorite (and thus, objectively the best) Miyazaki movie on Youtube, though...
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Bursting Eagerness Soul
Threadwalking Rating Machine
- Location
- Wisconsin
Seriously. @Touch of Sepia, my dude, if you want people to engage with you in a constructive way, don't just say, "I'm wrong and you are right because reasons." Give some reasoning. Back up your statements with citations. Reference the actual source material instead of making unfounded axiomatic statements. And please, for the love of god, stop writing like the Guy In Your MFA twitter mixed with an intro philosophy class.
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- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
"Guy in your MFA"?
Bursting Eagerness Soul
Threadwalking Rating Machine
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
I mean, it's not actually bad. Just... Meh.
EDIT: I do Artifact requests now btw.
As @Ralson has noted, "Broadsword-class Dreadnought" turns up so often in fiction. So therefore, make me a Dreadnought-class broadsword instead.
Question! What level of artifact would the Mehve be?
I would say it should be about the same level as existing personal transport artifacts of that nature. A Windblade-class personal transport from Wonders of the Lost Age is Artifact 3, assuming 'canon' 2e rules, but has the dual advantages that is is collapsible for easy transport, and that it can be used with bows and the like because you
I'm almost inclined to say it should be Artifact 2 with both of those things in mind, instead of Artifact 3.
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GardenerBriareus Homebrew: Rogandem, the Artworks in Motion
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
Behold, more demons I'm not sure anyone can actually use! Kudos to @TenfoldShields for helping me hammer this thing into a usable state.
==================================================================================================
Rogandem, the Artworks in Motion
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of the Unrestful Savant
Yyrizesh is a firm believer in art as a means of discovery, and preaches the ideal that when done properly, it can convey the innermost details of both its subject and the being which creates it. This appeals greatly to his quest for understanding, but it also carries an intrinsic flaw. His ultimate goal lies in escaping his current state of gross imperfection through analysis of himself and the world around him – but if he himself is imperfect, how can he trust any conclusion he draws?
To address this flaw in his plans, the Palsied Sage turned to his own body of work. Over the course of a century he reviewed each individual piece, and finally set aside two hundred which he felt to be uniquely insightful and emotionally potent. Using the blood, sweat, tears, and other of his ichors which had made them, Yyrizesh quickened life in these chosen masterpieces, birthing a race of demon who could serve as critics, analysts, and external observers for his work – the first of the rogandem.
As befits their name, the Artworks in Motion are appealing in both form and action – they are perfect likenesses of the masterpieces from which they were born, formed of exquisite glass. The contours of their transparent skins reflect light to create dazzling patterns of iridescence, while smears and droplets of their maker's paintlike Essence twist and whirl beneath the surface, assembling to create exquisite poetry or achingly beautiful paintings before scattering again after the briefest of instants. A rogandu's pride in their appearance is often only second to their fear of injury, for the idea of their craftsmanship being damaged or marred horrifies them nearly beyond all reason.
However, even this neurotic preoccupation with themselves pales before the all-consuming mania to critique and investigate. Most rogandem are reclusive and voyeuristic, self-proclaimed scholars of behavior, emotion, and creative thought who spy on others' lives from afar; in hidden alcoves, they record their findings in vast treatises, peeling apart and dissecting every detail of their subjects gleaned from their observations. Their greatest fixation lies in divining the inner motives and essential nature of things – what makes one man become a general while another contents himself to a life of asceticism, the precise manner in which a decorative pillar's engravings convey a story, how the craftsmanship of a clay urn reveals its maker's state of mind while he formed it.
This obsession often takes a darker turn when a rogandu applies it to themselves, engendering a perverse desire to take themselves apart as a "reasonable" means of truly determining what they are and how they work. Such an act, however, would mean destroying an example of Yyrizesh's handiwork, and so it is taboo. This does not always stop the more unhinged members of the breed, and once in a great while one of the Artworks in Motion will conduct an elaborate performance piece of their own dismantling, seeking to grant a true understanding of themselves to onlookers.
Summoning and Use: (Obscurity 2/3) Neurotic, self-obsessed, and intrusive as they may be, the Glass-and-Ichor Pundits are exceptional in their ability to analyze objects, and to a lesser extent, people: a rogandu can tell a Shogunate firewand from a forgery with a few moments of examination, explain the motives and beliefs of a painter by perusing a few of his works, translate the esoteric meaning of an ancient mural into terms a child could grasp, or work out the age of an Eastern temple to within a year or so of its founding. More learned scholars of the occult may call upon them to drain off portions of their Essence-thick ichors (which serve well as ingredients for talismans, Artifacts, or sorcerous workings which involve insight, artistic ability, or observation), and a rare few even bring rogandem forth for purely aesthetic reasons, using them as walking art pieces or sources of creative inspiration.
For all their prowess in providing criticism, however, the Artworks in Motion have little ability to accept such treatment of their own work – they must roll for Limit whenever the accuracy of their conclusions is flatly denied (the occasional gatherings of rogandem who come together to share their discoveries are notoriously fragile affairs for this very reason, with each member scrupulously phrasing their reviews to avoid even the perception of offering offense). More prosaically, the Glass-and-Ichor Pundits are quite lacking in martial skill; they are certainly more durable than they look, but the average rogandem can do little that a well-fed peasant could not, and their insane fear of being disfigured means that even the Surrender Oaths cannot make one take up arms unless they literally have no other option.
When a mediocre artisan nevertheless gathers a great number of admirers and sychophants, a rogandu may tear its way out of Hell through the least execrable of the works he has on display to address the offending artist's insulting lack of talent.
==================================================================================================
So yeah, have at it.
==================================================================================================
Rogandem, the Artworks in Motion
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of the Unrestful Savant
Yyrizesh is a firm believer in art as a means of discovery, and preaches the ideal that when done properly, it can convey the innermost details of both its subject and the being which creates it. This appeals greatly to his quest for understanding, but it also carries an intrinsic flaw. His ultimate goal lies in escaping his current state of gross imperfection through analysis of himself and the world around him – but if he himself is imperfect, how can he trust any conclusion he draws?
To address this flaw in his plans, the Palsied Sage turned to his own body of work. Over the course of a century he reviewed each individual piece, and finally set aside two hundred which he felt to be uniquely insightful and emotionally potent. Using the blood, sweat, tears, and other of his ichors which had made them, Yyrizesh quickened life in these chosen masterpieces, birthing a race of demon who could serve as critics, analysts, and external observers for his work – the first of the rogandem.
As befits their name, the Artworks in Motion are appealing in both form and action – they are perfect likenesses of the masterpieces from which they were born, formed of exquisite glass. The contours of their transparent skins reflect light to create dazzling patterns of iridescence, while smears and droplets of their maker's paintlike Essence twist and whirl beneath the surface, assembling to create exquisite poetry or achingly beautiful paintings before scattering again after the briefest of instants. A rogandu's pride in their appearance is often only second to their fear of injury, for the idea of their craftsmanship being damaged or marred horrifies them nearly beyond all reason.
However, even this neurotic preoccupation with themselves pales before the all-consuming mania to critique and investigate. Most rogandem are reclusive and voyeuristic, self-proclaimed scholars of behavior, emotion, and creative thought who spy on others' lives from afar; in hidden alcoves, they record their findings in vast treatises, peeling apart and dissecting every detail of their subjects gleaned from their observations. Their greatest fixation lies in divining the inner motives and essential nature of things – what makes one man become a general while another contents himself to a life of asceticism, the precise manner in which a decorative pillar's engravings convey a story, how the craftsmanship of a clay urn reveals its maker's state of mind while he formed it.
This obsession often takes a darker turn when a rogandu applies it to themselves, engendering a perverse desire to take themselves apart as a "reasonable" means of truly determining what they are and how they work. Such an act, however, would mean destroying an example of Yyrizesh's handiwork, and so it is taboo. This does not always stop the more unhinged members of the breed, and once in a great while one of the Artworks in Motion will conduct an elaborate performance piece of their own dismantling, seeking to grant a true understanding of themselves to onlookers.
Summoning and Use: (Obscurity 2/3) Neurotic, self-obsessed, and intrusive as they may be, the Glass-and-Ichor Pundits are exceptional in their ability to analyze objects, and to a lesser extent, people: a rogandu can tell a Shogunate firewand from a forgery with a few moments of examination, explain the motives and beliefs of a painter by perusing a few of his works, translate the esoteric meaning of an ancient mural into terms a child could grasp, or work out the age of an Eastern temple to within a year or so of its founding. More learned scholars of the occult may call upon them to drain off portions of their Essence-thick ichors (which serve well as ingredients for talismans, Artifacts, or sorcerous workings which involve insight, artistic ability, or observation), and a rare few even bring rogandem forth for purely aesthetic reasons, using them as walking art pieces or sources of creative inspiration.
For all their prowess in providing criticism, however, the Artworks in Motion have little ability to accept such treatment of their own work – they must roll for Limit whenever the accuracy of their conclusions is flatly denied (the occasional gatherings of rogandem who come together to share their discoveries are notoriously fragile affairs for this very reason, with each member scrupulously phrasing their reviews to avoid even the perception of offering offense). More prosaically, the Glass-and-Ichor Pundits are quite lacking in martial skill; they are certainly more durable than they look, but the average rogandem can do little that a well-fed peasant could not, and their insane fear of being disfigured means that even the Surrender Oaths cannot make one take up arms unless they literally have no other option.
When a mediocre artisan nevertheless gathers a great number of admirers and sychophants, a rogandu may tear its way out of Hell through the least execrable of the works he has on display to address the offending artist's insulting lack of talent.
==================================================================================================
So yeah, have at it.
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
Clearly, this should be an artifact that eliminates fear in the minds of its wielder and their allies.
Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
So The Daiklaive of Conquest?
azoicennead
Overly-Affectionate Zombie Squad
- Pronouns
- He/They
Touch of Sepia
Artisan of the Vital Tincture
- Location
- Connecticut
I'm not going to kowtow and change my perceptions of the game for acceptance - I have my opinions and if I'm the only one who holds them (I am not) then that is enough for me. I am not yearning for any form of community acceptance, the most I would ask for is some honesty.
What I see is quotations from canon being the only argument you and others accept, while honest thought is rebuked in full.
In so far as how I write, that's just how I write, it's my literary voice. I've always written that way - I don't see why it should be questioned. I've seen plenty of poor writers on forums and I don't lambast them. I see SLLs and I don't berate them. I just see it as yet another attempt to make personal attacks with a then shred of deniability to the contrary. The constant responses that exists only to undermine credibility or redress my words is the only reason I'm even posting at this point. I'd really rather be allowed to slip back into the shadows at this point - but I can't do that when people continue to show posterity a false image.
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