- Location
- my house
It's disappointing. Basically just an incomplete reskinIf anyone has used the Theion set in Shards, how balanced is it?
It's disappointing. Basically just an incomplete reskinIf anyone has used the Theion set in Shards, how balanced is it?
I'm curious about what happens if you persuade a Raksha (shaped and unshaped) to join this, or if you persuade a Dragonblooded.You'd take a mortal, or a demon, or god, or whatever and draw them into you. You'd take one of your Intimacies and mingle it with8 their Motivation and elevate them to the level of a Third Circle. Ryuugi in particular proposed using the idea as a way for Infernals to interact with and want to get involved with the setting, especially Yu-Shan. The place is a viper pit of powerful gods who all want something. Something you can offer them. And they can offer you quite a bit
I don't like the idea of Titans- it seems to come completely out of nowhere.As for the Titans and what they are, that could also change depending on the needs of your game. They could be a metaphysical curiosity. Something weird Infernals do to get new powers. They might be nascent Primordials, being gradually created as an unintentional consequence of the actions of Yozi and Exalt alike. Or whatever else you could come up with.
In regards to Infernal Souls, there's always been some interest. Initially, it was hampered by the fact that to get there, you had to be Essence 8. Not that that'll stop dedicated players and/or homebrewers as @Aleph has demonstrated. Also as demonstrated, they can be a really cool way to demonstrate various things about your character, what they care about, etc. The idea that was talked about wasn't quite as good for that as the Kerisgame version, as instead of an Infernal's Souls being solely of them, they instead be external beings that were made into a part of them.
I guess that begs the question what the Realm's legions should look and fight like; because those big ass roman equse shields are really made for extended skirmishing rather then extended melee engagements and given how huge your average daiklaive isn't exactly practical for formation fighting.All in all, there seems to be significant artistic variance in what Realm legionaries look like, but where they draw on Roman influence, it's clearly only one source among many. Contrary to what @Grounders10 has asserted, 'Nearly every 2e picture' does not have a distinctly Roman styling.
I guess that begs the question what the Realm's legions should look and fight like; because those big ass roman equse shields are really made for extended skirmishing rather then extended melee engagements and given how huge your average daiklaive isn't exactly practical for formation fighting.
I love the idea of using a position in your soul-heirarchy as a bargaining point for other beings. Especially if you're a renegade Infernal who's courting support elsewhere, trying to buy enough time to complete your development and become a much riskier target to attack (presuming your goal is Primordial-hood, and not just being an exalt with some fancy bling).
Weaker demons might jump at the chance, but then you're not optimizing your growth while still drawing a lot of heat on you. The major benefit for a demon here is to get out of hell, but until their Infernal patron has completed their development, they're at extreme risk of true death. So it might be more thematic to draw from demons, but it would be much smarter to draw from other sources.
I'm curious about what happens if you persuade a Raksha (shaped and unshaped) to join this, or if you persuade a Dragonblooded.
I hope it doesn't grant charmshare- a better idea would be to grant more purviews to your excellency.
Honestly, this is a good idea, but to me this doesn't feel like an Infernal power. It should be Solar, (or maybe Lunar) and represent how the returning God Kings demonstrate their absolute mastery of Creation by anchoring their leal allies to their souls, or how Lunars bind Famiiars and can shapeshift into them or something.
Binding spirits to your soul doesn t have as much to do with the devil rockstar game as it would with those two, at least to me.
Yes, but there's no thematic ground to permit that. That's the thing. The only thematic path Infernals have for adopting other beings as their souls is "staple bits of the Yozis onto me", because that's literally exactly what their entire path of development is about. Making Ahlat into a demon has no support in the Infernal themespace - corrupting him, yes, but not making him part of you.
Infernals are not a "do anything" splat, and that likewise is the problem with most Devil Tiger implementations. People use them as an excuse to do non-Infernal things, but that's the only real use for them because if you can write Infernal Charms you can basically work any effect you like into one of the six canonical Yozi Charmsets.
I don't like the idea of Titans- it seems to come completely out of nowhere.
Not to crush anyone's eager hopes and dreams, but this isn't quite correct. Only the art has been sent to WW for approval. (Though the manuscript has been complete for quite a while and may also have been sent.) The book itself has just started layout. Still, it shouldn't be too much longer now.Oh, by the way, Arms of the Chosen has been sent to WW for approval. So release isn't that far away for those who care about Exalted 3E.
As for making dudes into demons not being Infernal themespace, well.......There is Inner Devils Unchained sitting around as a precedent. Not to mention various geomancy Charms corrupting landscapes, and various Desecration effects that can make people into Creatures of Darkness. So it's not like it comes out of nowhere.
Well, given that their main infantry seem to be made up of spearmen with large shields, I imagine something closer to a Diadokhoi phalanx would be a fairly natural fit. Shower the enemy in massed crossbow volleys as the distance closes, then fix them in place with an impregnable wall of shields and spears so Dragonblooded officers (or, optionally, heavy assets like Warstriders) can move independently, pick their moment and deal a decisive blow.I guess that begs the question what the Realm's legions should look and fight like; because those big ass roman equse shields are really made for extended skirmishing rather then extended melee engagements and given how huge your average daiklaive isn't exactly practical for formation fighting.
Except crossbows are a haslanti thing, not a realm thing. Slingers or archers are more likely.Shower the enemy in massed crossbow volleys as the distance closes
Except crossbows are a haslanti thing, not a realm thing. Slingers or archers are more likely.
Except crossbows are a haslanti thing, not a realm thing. Slingers or archers are more likely.
I am aware of this, and I am ignoring it. Crossbows being a Haslanti only thing is a piece of 2e-only canon that is phenomenally dumb. Crossbows are very simple technology that real-world nations have independently invented several times; the ancient Greeks had them from at least 400 B.C.E. onwards, the Vietnamese had them around the same time, Sun Tzu's The Art of War has a section on them.
There is however, precedence for the Yozis accepting a soul from an outside source. Specifically, your interpretation of Lilun (sp?) in Kerisgame. IIRC she's an artificial construct built by other Third-Circles and bolted on to the Yozis who join the Reclamation.
Infernals are not a "do anything" splat, and that likewise is the problem with most Devil Tiger implementations. People use them as an excuse to do non-Infernal things, but that's the only real use for them because if you can write Infernal Charms you can basically work any effect you like into one of the six canonical Yozi Charmsets.
"The ancient Chinese's crossbow with a trigger mechanism was developed in the later Spring Autumn Perios (770-476 BC) and popular in the early Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The earliest one was found in the Tombs at Qufu, Shangdong Province and dated to the 6th century BC." - Teun Koetsier; Marco Ceccarelli (2012), Explorations in the History of Machines and MechanismsExcept crossbows are a haslanti thing, not a realm thing. Slingers or archers are more likely.
This started out as a small bit on how your ideas mirrored some of my own and has since transformed into "How Rogthnor Devil Tigers."Alright, so Devil Tigers.
By this point, we're all well aware of their flaws and what's wrong with them,
A while back on SB, @Ryuugi started a discussion on Devil Tigers that spiral out into ways to improve them. There were two real ideas that came out of it, one relating to the souls of the Infernal and one relating to Heretical Charms.
In regards to Infernal Souls, there's always been some interest. Initially, it was hampered by the fact that to get there, you had to be Essence 8. Not that that'll stop dedicated players and/or homebrewers as @Aleph has demonstrated. Also as demonstrated, they can be a really cool way to demonstrate various things about your character, what they care about, etc. The idea that was talked about wasn't quite as good for that as the Kerisgame version, as instead of an Infernal's Souls being solely of them, they instead be external beings that were made into a part of them.
You'd take a mortal, or a demon, or god, or whatever and draw them into you. You'd take one of your Intimacies and mingle it with their Motivation and elevate them to the level of a Third Circle. Ryuugi in particular proposed using the idea as a way for Infernals to interact with and want to get involved with the setting, especially Yu-Shan. The place is a viper pit of powerful gods who all want something. Something you can offer them. And they can offer you quite a bit.
The god is not the river, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have influence over the river. Whether in terms of supernatural influence or mundane(ish) information. Not to mention contacts. Think of what you could do with someone like Nara-O in your back pocket. Or Scarazan, God of Divine Reallocation. Or Lytek. Or Ryzala. What could you offer them to make them into one of your Souls? How would you even get to them to make the offer?
I mean, hell. It's not like the baseline offer isn't amazing. Becoming a Third Circle Demon with all the attendant power(if not necessarily the resources) that it implies, plus a powerful Exalted ally who now has a vested interest in your continued well being. But even with that offer, you'd probably need something to sweeten the pot for gods of that standing.
It's much more of an outwards focus rather than the inwards focus of Kerisgame.
Now, in terms of Heretical Charms and Devil Tiger Charms, we're all aware of their flaws. The former had all of three canonical charms, one of which was worthless, another which was effectively worthless, and the last was merely subpar. The latter required spending close to a hundred xp for the privilege of homebrewing a charmset with equivalent power to the charms you've already got access to, that you have to start learning from step 1. Meanwhile, your buddy is spending the same xp on high Essence Yozi Charms and has come out pretty far ahead in terms of effectiveness.
The problems of Devil Tiger Charmsets are compounded by the fact that you've gotta homebrew them(not easy), they've gotta be balanced(also not easy), and they're pretty much only good for one game.
So I proposed that Heretical Charms instead invoke syncretised Titans. The Emerald Angel, for example, was an idea that was played with back in the day and could be an example of such a syncretised Titan. Others could be created from mixes of different Yozi and could form one(ish) set that could be easily transferred between games since instead of relying on one particular character, they rely instead on mixes and interactions of the Yozi, who are relatively consistent between games.
As for the Titans and what they are, that could also change depending on the needs of your game. They could be a metaphysical curiosity. Something weird Infernals do to get new powers. They might be nascent Primordials, being gradually created as an unintentional consequence of the actions of Yozi and Exalt alike. Or whatever else you could come up with.
As an added advantage, since these Charms would be rooted in pre-existing Yozi Charms, you can buy them at higher Essence levels than personalized Devil Tiger Charms.
Thoughts? Opinions?