well, it helps me. and by celestial, i tend to mean "not material". essentally, i count the parts of creation that are openly supernatural as celestial directions. The blessed isle may be the home of the dragon blooded, but its not spiritual enough to count in my mind. but thats just me.
General Exalted Thread
- Location
- some computer lab
I read through heirs of the Shogunate, I really like both Prasad and the Forest Witches. I really want to play a dead guy with a walking effigy now, seems like a great excuse for major craft projects, and the idea of a guy who leaves his afterlife in the hopes of improving it for everyone is a very compelling concept.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
My favourite outcaste faction writeup from Heirs is definitely the Grass Spiders. They were present in previous editions, but this is the first time I really feel like there's enough information to properly hang a character concept on right out of the box, rather than just as fodder for some colourful NPCs. I am playing one now, in fact.
- Location
- some computer lab
ah yeah, all the outcaste groups really hit it out of the park too. the dragon blooded knightly order that quests into the Wyld to earn mutationsand the shadowrunners except in Heaven are my favorites among those. Grass Spiders do make for convenient exalted opponents for a wide variety of games though.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
They definitely do! It's pretty easy to justify their working with just about any individual or faction who can afford to pay them -- Heirs even has a chapter fiction where one completely shrugs off being condemned for working for an Anathema. "Coin is coin," said Cutting Frost. "The source doesn't matter, only the job." (Which is a fun line, because it doesn't even bother to dispute whether Solars are bad or not, the morality of the association is irrelevant next to whether they can afford the rates).
At the same time, this also makes them extremely easy to justify using in various types of games as PCs, including mixed games, because their default motivations are so mercenary and unconcerned with either the politics of the major Dragon-Blooded factions or the various inter-splat conflicts.
Heirs really sold me on the Cult of the Violet Fang as well -- I didn't much care about them when I first read the blurb in WFHW, by the writeup definitely makes the concept feel compelling.
asdx
Superior Sword Fairy
- Location
- Texas.
This week in Exalted, a Sugar Glider Shinobi attempted to assassinate our Solar player. And was promptly snatched out of the air by our Infernal, petted a bit my me, before being cruelly smooshed by said Infernal. And in it's dying moments. It Pulled a SPACE RIPPER STINGY EYES, which unfortunately for them, our Solar Dodged.
- Location
- some computer lab
Was it a beastfolk or did some survival focused exalt train a regular sugar glider to do that?
asdx
Superior Sword Fairy
- Location
- Texas.
There seems to be some Metogosian fuckery afoot in these overgrown ruins chock full of Essence. We'll discover more things later next session. So far we've foudn Essence using Combat Squirrels of some training. And a Giant Thousand Year Old Carnivorus Tulip draining Essence from the place.
- Location
- Classified
So, there's a plot hook about the Caul, that no one knows what would happen if all five cities were claimed by Lunars and one was able to enter Feng-Yi. What ideas do you have for what could happen?
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Has anyone played with a Getimian in Essence? They look like a lot of fun. How well did they play?
- Location
- Wingmaiden's Reach, the Near Roofs, Town
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I have been attempting to play one, but scheduling for that game has been something of a nightmare. Life and the world keep interfering.
It is suspicious.
I suspect Sidereal meddling.
That said, of the three Getimian things I've actually gotten to do, one was kind of boring but I have ideas about how it can be used next time there is a suitable victim; one could have been really cool if the dice didn't hate Imrix; and the third is hands-down, no contest, my favorite effect in Exalted as a whole. And then there's three charms Šiyāna has but hasn't had occasion to use, all of which I have high hopes for.
Getimians are great. This is a good splat. I hope, whenever 3e grinds its way around to Siddies and Gets, that the big version of their charmset lives up to the promise of the Essence version.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Good to hear. I'm excited to play Getimians. Partly because I realized that this sort of character is the exact sort of thing I keep making for my other TTRPG groups, but also their powers just sound really REALLY cool.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Next time, use it on me!
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I am very excited to see Getimians taken out for a spin with all the room and maximalism of a 3e splat book, albeit a slightly smaller one than the others. I think Essence is a very promising start on its own, and it'll be all uphill from here.
- Location
- Classified
I wonder if Attribute charms + SMA will be the terror that it seems like it would be on its face.
- Pronouns
- They/them
you can't just leave us hanging like that
- Location
- Wingmaiden's Reach, the Near Roofs, Town
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Spring Caste anima passive, Smiling Stranger Allure, is ... pretty bonkers.
Passively and at no cost, anyone a Spring Caste meets immediately develops a positive impression of her, and will offer her any reasonable hospitality she asks for.
PCs and major NPCs are entitled to a Diff 5 Fort+Integrity roll to avoid the effect. Trivial characters are not allowed any resistance at all.
Obviously the power of this ability depends a lot on storyteller adjudication of what 'positive impressions' or 'reasonable hospitality' mean; and of course, it's a one-off, instantaneous effect - the Getimian can sour that impression through further action, and the ability doesn't mystically protect the good impression or re-apply it during later interactions. But still -
Anywhere a Spring Caste goes, anyone she meets, no matter the circumstances or the context...
People like her. She's charming. Disarming. Easy to trust. People will do nice things for her, as long as that doesn't overly inconvenience them. She makes friends easily. Slips into the rhythm of a place or a group without a ripple.
Unless she does something to make people not like her, a Spring Caste enjoys the benefit of the doubt, and the best treatment she can reasonably expect from a stranger, all the time, from everyone she meets.
Combine this with the extremely strong Getimian social suite, and you have a frankly terrifying sort of soft power that is almost completely asituational. Drop a Spring Caste, penniless and alone, in a random teahouse anywhere in Creation, and by the end of the day, there's a good chance she'll have secured lodgings, some funds, and a free meal; not to mention made fast friends with the local gossips, forming the start of an impromptu spy network. Without spending a mote.
Give her a week of setup, in a strange new place, to make the right friends and find the right weaknesses and apply the right leverage, and well...
I built a Spring Caste Getimian heavily invested in this sort of social sabotage, and I cannot wait for the chance to employ her abilities to the fullest.
Also, it's honestly just a ton of fun to write?
Age of Heroes Session 1 said:
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- Location
- my house
Yeah Getimians look like they'll be a lot of fun. Not sure what I'll build yet, I'm almost tempted to do a Griffith expy
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
One of the Essence charms lets you summon Merits based on your discarded fate. I would *love* to use that in a game.
"You and what army?"
"Me and my army!"
>Army appears from the void
"You and what army?"
"Me and my army!"
>Army appears from the void
- Location
- my house
Its one of my favorite charms. Very excited to play a character who's constantly pulling out new artifacts from discarded timelines to battle my foes.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
I'm looking forward to bringing my nonexistent Deeb daughter into existence, only for her to fade away at the end of the charm's duration, and to scream and cry and curse the heavens for tearing her away from me...
Allies and retainers are merits, too. Eheheheheheh...
- Location
- Wingmaiden's Reach, the Near Roofs, Town
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Personally, I think Summoned From Time should only pull social merits like Allies or Command, because as it is it steps on the toes of a couple other cool charms which summon Artifacts or Hearthstones from the Getimian's Origin. It should probably be a mote commitment, too, to be honest - in its current state, I feel like it's overtuned.
I definitely do not think Summoned From Time is intended to let you summon manses: both because that seems absurd; and because that very much is stepping on the toes of Demesne-and-Manse Emulation, which explicitly conjures a Hearthstone and makes everything out to extreme range a part of the Getimian's domain - which in turn implicitly suggests that Summoned From Time is not intended to do that, and should only be summoning the Hearthstone proper, not any of the infrastructure.
If I had any input into the editing of Essence, Summoned From Time would commit its motes, and only summon Allies, Familiar, or Command - it pulls people to help you, with the attendant angst of them fading back into the Beyond at the end of the scene. Go ahead and keep the option to purchase them, though - wordcount permitting - I would probably like something like "1 Exalt Milestone for a Tertiary Merit; 2 for a Secondary; maybe 3 for a Primary?" And while there's no way they have the wordcount for this, I think it'd be cool to be able to pay in installments - to be able to only pull someone partway into Creation, or only part of your army or whatever; and have them function at a lower Merit rating until you spend the additional Milestones. Not sure I like that a Getimian can just create 5-dot merits arbitrarily, as currently written.
Unforged Masterworks summons Artifacts - in its current state, it already does what @Red Orion wants, i.e. allows a Getimian to conjure a new artifact weapon every fight (personally that would annoy me? But I guess if your ST is fine with it, who cares what I think?); while also (via the repurchase) supporting players who want their own cool, unique Artifact that, you know, functions as if they had actually bought the Merit and can gain Evocations and all. I think it works fine. No major changes I'd make.
... and, um, I'm not entirely sure what is meant with Demesne-and-Manse Emulation (the Getimian mode of Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Form)? Like, "everything out to extreme range is the Getimian's domain." Sure. But -
The absolute strictest reading of that is just that the Getimian can automatically detect Essence expenditure within extreme range, which is, you know, fine. It's useful.
The cooler and more thematic reading is that Demesne-and-Manse Emulation actually summons the Demesne or Manse for the duration - a bubble of the Getimian's Origin, displacing, for a brief time, the dross of this Heaven-marred Creation.
I like this because a) it means that this is an "instant boss arena" charm, which is frankly just cool and awesome spectacle; because b) it's thematic - the pinnacle of the Getimian form of the SMA based around understanding and emulating the bones of Creation is saying 'fuck off Creation, we're fighting in my better universe now''; and c) because it gives an excuse to make the innate power and possibly the Evocation of the Hearthstone granted by the charm into Lair Actions.
...So obviously if I were in charge of editing Essence, or running for a Getimian martial artist, I'd go with the second reading.
I think saying it only gets social merits, or that hearthstones don't come with manses, are both reasonable.
I'm not sure committing instead of spending would make it weaker - in Essence committed motes are returned when they're done, so it would become better at briefly summoning merits, and worse at long-term summoning them.
Having an instant manse as part of Demesne and Manse Emulation does seem pretty cool.
I'm not sure committing instead of spending would make it weaker - in Essence committed motes are returned when they're done, so it would become better at briefly summoning merits, and worse at long-term summoning them.
Having an instant manse as part of Demesne and Manse Emulation does seem pretty cool.