General Exalted Thread
I'llNameThisL8r
Bad at names
- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Honestly, anything that's 'you spend one essence and roll twenty dice at TN 3-4 to attack' is kind of an instant meme. Hell, there's an old corr one rote in the It X 2e book that lets you do it with literally any gun if you can con your ST into letting you have it as a talisman (or as hedge magic if you're using MJ12's linear magick rework).
- Location
- my house
Having looked at Infernals some more, I have to say that The King and the Kingdom is definitely my favorite charm, but it also feels pretty weak for 5 dot charm?
If I am reading it correctly you aren't really meant to take things out of it, or at least nothing that you didn't already bring in(otherwise it is way OP), and so the primary benefits are:
I would also like to see more options for customizing it. Primarily so that I can use it in conjunction with Barren Wastes Infliction to mimic the old Manse rules. Not because the current stuff is too little, but mostly because I want more crunch I can sink my teeth into.
I also wouldn't mind some way to alter your Kingdom once you have it. That's more for me though, since I want to play a character who's trying to create a "perfect world" and so is constantly altering her own inner world to test out different ideas.\
EDIT: Another thing I'm noticing is that a lot of effects have a way to activate them without spending Ess which I think is cool. There's a lot of "If the Exalt does X, they get Y" which is a cool way of having charms effect the actions of the player.
A good example of this is Slashing Ghost Talon which adds a benefit if you spend your entire turn attacking one person. It means that Abyssals with that charm will tend toward slasher-esque hunting of one target at a time, even when its not necessarily the most "optimal" strategy.
If I am reading it correctly you aren't really meant to take things out of it, or at least nothing that you didn't already bring in(otherwise it is way OP), and so the primary benefits are:
- A place you can retreat to for five days of safety
- Faster shintai recharge
- Stunt Fodder (if she has the Signature version)
I would also like to see more options for customizing it. Primarily so that I can use it in conjunction with Barren Wastes Infliction to mimic the old Manse rules. Not because the current stuff is too little, but mostly because I want more crunch I can sink my teeth into.
I also wouldn't mind some way to alter your Kingdom once you have it. That's more for me though, since I want to play a character who's trying to create a "perfect world" and so is constantly altering her own inner world to test out different ideas.\
EDIT: Another thing I'm noticing is that a lot of effects have a way to activate them without spending Ess which I think is cool. There's a lot of "If the Exalt does X, they get Y" which is a cool way of having charms effect the actions of the player.
A good example of this is Slashing Ghost Talon which adds a benefit if you spend your entire turn attacking one person. It means that Abyssals with that charm will tend toward slasher-esque hunting of one target at a time, even when its not necessarily the most "optimal" strategy.
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Not Hungarian, but it definitely was a trip when I realized my favorite demon was just named "Theodore."
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
"Gift from God" is certainly an... interesting name for a demon.
I'm kind of losing it now that I've learned WoD has a magic weapon that's just Normal Klaive.
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Have more statted up 1CDs under Exalted Essence:
Sorteknos, the Beer-Foam Turtles
Rapacious Consumption 10
Garrulous Gossip 5
Rapid Movement 2
Resolve: 3
Health: 10
Hardness: 4
Essence: 2
Defence: 2
Soak: 8
Grinding Jaws: The demon's jaws have the following traits as a heavy melee weapon; Natural, Melee, Piercing
Slow and Sluggish: As a giant turtle, speed is not its forte. The demon's Move actions are simple rather than Reflexive, and it may not take the Sprint action.
Legendary Size: This character is gigantic. Extras cannot hurt this character, and they cannot suffer more than one damage per turn from any attack unless supplemented by magic or from another creature of Legendary size. Mundane weapons lose all tags when used against it. Withering attacks by smaller individuals suffer a three-success penalty against it. Knockback, knockdown, Knockout, and Pull Gambits increase their cost by three. This character always has dominance when in a grapple.
Perrahadi, the Skeleton Shrubs
Weather Forecasting 9
Geomancy 6
Basic Self Defence 3
Resolve: 3
Health: 5
Hardness; 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 4
Soak: 3
Hellish Omens: Spend one mote to grant another character present in the scene +4 dice to a roll which benefits from accurate knowledge of the weather. However, the next roll they make suffers a -2 penalty, and is accompanied by omen weather.
Cenzurazka, the Iconophobic Swarm
Destroying Images 9
Hunting Thieves 5
Art Critique 4
Resolve: 3
Health: 5-10 (depends on size of swarm)
Hardness: 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 5
Soak: 3
Demonic Swarm: The creature is a swarm of lesser beings. It imposes a –1 success penalty to enemies targeting it with attack actions or gambits. This penalty does not apply if the attack has the Flame keyword.
Stinging Biting Insects: Enemies must treat the range band this character is in as difficult terrain for purposes of movement, while allies may treat it as light cover.
Acelkuklac, the Armour Worms
Martial Talent 10
Honourable Conduct 7
Moral Ambiguity 1
Resolve: 3
Health: 9
Hardness: 5
Essence: 3
Defence: 5
Soak: 6
Pulverising Fists: The armoured gauntlets of this demon count as a heavy melee weapon with the following tags: Natural, Paired, Smashing
Murderous Blow: Gain 2 additional damage when they spend 5 or more Power on a decisive attack.
Honour Like Steel: This character adds 1 to the difficulty of Instilling them with a Principle which opposes their sense of honour and duty.
Hallomasetel, the Rumour Eaters
Gathering Secrets 9
Paranoid Whispering 6
Blasphemy Against Jupiter 4
Resolve: 2
Health: 5
Hardness: 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 6
Soak: 0
Cannot Materialise: The demon lacks the ability to materialise.
Devourers of Secrets: On perceiving a secret, the demon can spend 1 mote to devour it and erase it from the world. This erases it from objects, and inflicts a 2 success penalty on characters attempts to recall it. Exalts can roll Integrity at Difficulty 3 to resist this whenever this roll penalises them.
Kusziklang, the Ochre Crawlers
Inhuman Agility 10
Thrown Flame 7
Prosthelytising for Asarin 4
Resolve: 5
Health: 8
Hardness: 4
Essence: 3
Defence: 5
Soak: 4
Asarin's Ochre Fire: The demon can throw supernatural globules of sticky flame at enemies, as a Medium Thrown (Close) weapon with the following tags: Flame, Flexible, Concealable.
Graceful Crane Stance: The demon possesses this Universal Charm.
Contortionist: Double 9s on rolls that make use of the character's flexibility, like crawling through small spaces or escaping cuffs.
Sorteknos, the Beer-Foam Turtles
Rapacious Consumption 10
Garrulous Gossip 5
Rapid Movement 2
Resolve: 3
Health: 10
Hardness: 4
Essence: 2
Defence: 2
Soak: 8
Grinding Jaws: The demon's jaws have the following traits as a heavy melee weapon; Natural, Melee, Piercing
Slow and Sluggish: As a giant turtle, speed is not its forte. The demon's Move actions are simple rather than Reflexive, and it may not take the Sprint action.
Legendary Size: This character is gigantic. Extras cannot hurt this character, and they cannot suffer more than one damage per turn from any attack unless supplemented by magic or from another creature of Legendary size. Mundane weapons lose all tags when used against it. Withering attacks by smaller individuals suffer a three-success penalty against it. Knockback, knockdown, Knockout, and Pull Gambits increase their cost by three. This character always has dominance when in a grapple.
Perrahadi, the Skeleton Shrubs
Weather Forecasting 9
Geomancy 6
Basic Self Defence 3
Resolve: 3
Health: 5
Hardness; 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 4
Soak: 3
Hellish Omens: Spend one mote to grant another character present in the scene +4 dice to a roll which benefits from accurate knowledge of the weather. However, the next roll they make suffers a -2 penalty, and is accompanied by omen weather.
Cenzurazka, the Iconophobic Swarm
Destroying Images 9
Hunting Thieves 5
Art Critique 4
Resolve: 3
Health: 5-10 (depends on size of swarm)
Hardness: 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 5
Soak: 3
Demonic Swarm: The creature is a swarm of lesser beings. It imposes a –1 success penalty to enemies targeting it with attack actions or gambits. This penalty does not apply if the attack has the Flame keyword.
Stinging Biting Insects: Enemies must treat the range band this character is in as difficult terrain for purposes of movement, while allies may treat it as light cover.
Acelkuklac, the Armour Worms
Martial Talent 10
Honourable Conduct 7
Moral Ambiguity 1
Resolve: 3
Health: 9
Hardness: 5
Essence: 3
Defence: 5
Soak: 6
Pulverising Fists: The armoured gauntlets of this demon count as a heavy melee weapon with the following tags: Natural, Paired, Smashing
Murderous Blow: Gain 2 additional damage when they spend 5 or more Power on a decisive attack.
Honour Like Steel: This character adds 1 to the difficulty of Instilling them with a Principle which opposes their sense of honour and duty.
Hallomasetel, the Rumour Eaters
Gathering Secrets 9
Paranoid Whispering 6
Blasphemy Against Jupiter 4
Resolve: 2
Health: 5
Hardness: 3
Essence: 1
Defence: 6
Soak: 0
Cannot Materialise: The demon lacks the ability to materialise.
Devourers of Secrets: On perceiving a secret, the demon can spend 1 mote to devour it and erase it from the world. This erases it from objects, and inflicts a 2 success penalty on characters attempts to recall it. Exalts can roll Integrity at Difficulty 3 to resist this whenever this roll penalises them.
Kusziklang, the Ochre Crawlers
Inhuman Agility 10
Thrown Flame 7
Prosthelytising for Asarin 4
Resolve: 5
Health: 8
Hardness: 4
Essence: 3
Defence: 5
Soak: 4
Asarin's Ochre Fire: The demon can throw supernatural globules of sticky flame at enemies, as a Medium Thrown (Close) weapon with the following tags: Flame, Flexible, Concealable.
Graceful Crane Stance: The demon possesses this Universal Charm.
Contortionist: Double 9s on rolls that make use of the character's flexibility, like crawling through small spaces or escaping cuffs.
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- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- She/Her
You're missing the fact that you can bring people in with you, and they explicitly aren't bound by the same 5 day time limit you are. There's no limit to the number of people that can be in your realm save how fast you can bring them in, and to leave all they have to do is walk to the border.
If you like the "Exalts as nation states" metaphor, you should love this. It literally lets you be a walking nation state.
- Location
- my house
I thought about that, but that seemed way to broken to be the correct read. As things are written you can design your kingdom to be loyal and highly advanced, and having a nation in your back pocket that nobody can touch is OP for obvious reasons
- Pronouns
- He
Nah, that completely flies in the long and honorable tradition of giving foreign names to things. See my scholar-priest character, Haka Bentai.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
GMed a 3e session last night.
They will never know I threw most of it together at the last second ._.
Also went about two hours into a 3 hour session before I realized one of the PCs was naked the whole time.
They will never know I threw most of it together at the last second ._.
Also went about two hours into a 3 hour session before I realized one of the PCs was naked the whole time.
Even on a social focused Lunar, it's monstrously absurd. It's perfectly valid for 'in case of Gehenna, break glass' but this is an item clearly meant for pasty-faced Mages for whom melee combat is a weapon of last resort.
Telephassa, the Western Fey Lands
On the far side of the Dusk Sea lies the land of Telephassa, a strange and shining place caught irrevocably in the orbit of Creation. These principalities are far away enough from the world that their size is barely constrained by the geography of men, but it is certain they make up a sprawling continent ruled by a vast and fractious ever-feuding brood of Raksha princes who claim a complicated web of kinship with one another.
Telephassa cares not for the diktats of the gods, and so its weather is clement and temperate compared to the Anarchy to its east - save of course when the princelings have their own preferences. In the north of Tentis, sullen storms hold that land in their eternal grasp, while the stark beauty of the rocky isles of Djeldwel are gripped in eternal snowfall for all that they are within sight of the great and unexplored jungles of Du Dum where maned wolf-lions stalk the sunless glades on two legs. The graceful marble statues of the orca-heiress of Geili opens up into the cloudy uplands of Nuda, where flame-pits and volcanic spires rise up out of the white vapour. Sometimes the marchers of Nuda open the dams and let magma rain down on the other lands of Telephassa.
To speak of concrete geography of a wyldreef is foolishness. In broad terms, Telephassa is a peninsula-riddled continent split by multiple mountain ranges which drift and change as the lords war with one another. The widdershins side of the continent is dominated by the light-eating Du Dum, while on the deosil side is Gali, where the light of the Sunsworn Tyrant touches. Rain-choked Tentis is a smaller island off the coast of Gali, cleaved from the mainland by its legendary founder, while Spyaja extends from the main continent kept from the Tyrant's light by high-rising mountains. The Dusk Sea washes against the orderwards side of Telephassa, while the mad oceans of the Deep Wyld crash against its chaoswards side.
History
Once upon a time, as their stories go, the lands which are now Telephassa were shapeless and formless, an ancient dwelling place of the lords of chaos. But the silver moon of Creation came to this place and tricked them into signing away their birthright and so the golden sun's light rose and brought order and time. And it became a land for the men of Creation and the former lords were no longer welcome. In time the sun's hold on these lands weakened, and when the great prince Balor turned his terrible gaze on Creation, the great grandchildren of those who had once dwelt in this place returned to it, riding fish lizards and singing fey war-songs as the changetide swept in. Those who had taken up arms under Balor had made terrible sacrifices, though, and had supped too deep from time's well, which had poisoned both their lands and their very nature with order. Thus this nest of exiles make up a wyldreef, shielded from the worst inclemency of the chaos sea yet afeared to leave their niche.
Princes of this land would claim that only those raksha who dwelt here before time and who valiantly reclaimed it in the Crusade rule here. They lie. In truth, the inhabitants of this region are a disparate collection of chaos-touched and wyldlife. Until a hundred years ago, the Holy Spyaja State was ruled by the cunning moon-witch Yusuf al-Dib, and though he was defeated in the battle of the Jahan Sea and slain, many fae sworn to him have fled to the Dusk Sea or sought out the foes of Spyaja to serve. There are cities of once-men lost to the Balorian Crusade, foremost the merchant-republics of Nuda. There are the wise beasts of Slaa who gained knowledge from the touch of chaos and there is the persecuted cult of Maque, the tentacled god-beast of the Deep Wyld who once ravaged this region. Even the ruling princes' claims are often thinner and more dubious than they would acknowledge, for the grandfather of the Faerie Empress of Tentis was a usurper who devoured the former prince and both her siblings died before their time.
Politics & Religion
Telephassa is a fey land, and - obviously quite unlike the order-locked Realm of Creation - this means its politics are an extension of the neuroses and the pathological need for drama of the chaos princes who rule it. To be the nemesis of another is the greatest form of love, and from the least pig-headed landlord in orderwards Tentis to the Archimandrite of Balor herself, petty feuds and great romances are the dominant pastime of the inhabitants.
The three greatest lands are Spyaja, Tentis, and Geili. Geli is the lion resplendent, mighty and potent, locked in the orbit of the Sunsworn Tyrant. Tentis was founded by one of the Tyrant's byblows, though that princeling was a mistress of the blade and smote the lands, carving a vast channel that flooded. Deprived of the light of the Tyrant, Tentis is cold and rain-wreathed, though when the Faerie Empress stole her sister's fire she has birthed new signal-flames within the towns and cities of her island. Spyaja grew to rival Geli under its former Lunar ruler, but the wyldlife overthrow and slew him and now the hungry sun-maned lion of Geli turns his eyes to them.
The Balorian Temple of the Eye-in-Being dominates Djeldwel and exists in an uneasy relationship with Geli, and so Spyaja serves as their loyal champions - especially against the new heresies of Tentis and Nuda. The Archimandrite of the Temple bears a sacred icon; a shield which once reflected the image of the terrible Balor himself, and his retreating presence can still be seen as a distant image in it. To that end, the holy warriors of Djeldwel train to be able to withstand the sight of that relic shield, for their champions bear the image of that image on their own burnished shield. In the light-eating jungles of Du Dum, however, a heresy has arisen among the Balorians which holds that this image-veneration saps the strength-in-being of Balor and prevents his return.
A few of the major nations of Telephassa include:
The Geilian Empire - Greatest of the nations of Telephassa, Geli swelters under the eternal reign of its eternal ruler the Sunsworn Tyrant. Long ago - so he claims - the tyrant was a sword-brother of an ancient sun-chosen, sworn to eternal friendship with his valiant mistress. She is gone, but something of her nature lingered in him; so beautiful as to burn the eye, with words that can ignite a man's heart and a force of will that hammered his domain into his perpetual orbit. His palace at Perti is woven from mist and cloud so his light wraps it in eternal rainbows, and the lesser chaos princes must attend to him and placate his ego. To be vacant from court is social death. It is those who have fallen from his grace who seek new fortunes and new repute in the Dusk Sea, hoping to win his favour once more with wealth and tales they can bring back to their prince so he might once more favour them with his attention.
The Holy Spyaja State - Young and vibrant yet wracked with dissent, Spyaja was ruled by a Lunar before his death at the hands of his servants. The Two-Headed Monarchy of the Holy State searches everywhere for dissidents and troublemakers still bound by loyalty to the former ruler. But this is not their only interest, for the Left Head focuses on the aim to reconquer Nuda, while the Right Head considers the need to back princes of Du Dum against the hunger of the Sunsworn Tyrant - and both glare hatefully at Tentis. If they had fewer foes in Spyaja they would reach out to subsume the chaosward Dusk Sea, but instead they can only offer ambitious young princelings and landless nobles the promise of plunder rights to reach out into order for the fuel they need for their wars.
The Tentis Hydracracy - Hail to the Faerie Empress, flame-haired and leaden-faced, who rules over Tentis! It was by her hand that Tentis split itself from Spyaja as she devoured the legend of her ever-burning sister, and ever since then Tentis has set itself against its former ally. Tentis's priest-knights reject the authority of the Archimandrite who claims to speak for Balor-Awaiting-Return; they abhor the iconoclastic worship of the Eye-in-Being and exult instead the Circling Maw who devours every representation of itself. Yet the Faerie Empress moves to crush dissent from those radicals who might become a centre of power in Tentis independent of her. Many of them are pushed into the Dusk Sea, to spend their fury against order rather than the granite foundations of her throne.
The Du Dum Jungles - Shadowed are the boughs of the jungles of Du Dum, whose light-hating branches drink up all illumination. Something mighty wandered out of the Deep Wyld and spread its wings here, and the lesser princes of Du Dum must exist in the fringes of that beast of shadows and night. They seek to destroy it, and to that end they seek to destroy each other for an alliance of peers is not desirable to any of them.
Djeldwel - Once mightier than it was, the Church of Balor-Eye-in-Being has declined over the centuries as their saviour does not return and the princelings of Telephassa buck the influence of the Church. Djeldwel, eternally cold, is the only part where the Archimandrite still rules unquestioned though two centuries ago even this land was conquered by Gali and held until the Sunsworn Tyrant's hold grew too weak and distracted.
Nuda - The men of Nuda were once ruled by Spyaja, but like leeches they drained the stories of the governors that the Spyajans imposed on them and forged crowns of power. Nudans no longer remember they were once creatures of Shape washed away by the Balorian Crusade, but perhaps something of their nature makes them better at slipping into Creation to buy souls and dreams. They are the foremost merchants of Telephassa, and their fleet is a great foe to the dreamvessels of the Faerie Empress. Most infamous of their hands within Creation is the Orderwards Combine, where Nudan merchant-princes offer the support of the forces of chaos to those lords of the Dusk Sea and the border regions of Creation in return for trading ports and soul-sales.
Telephassa and Creation
If one were to ask the princelings of Chaos, they would say without a trace of guilt that Creation is their great foe, but Creation's threat is abstract while their rivals would eat their heart tomorrow given their druthers and so they are forced to turn on one another like starving beasts. Telephassa is too deep in the Wyld for mortals - or even unprepared Exalts - to last too long in and so few now living have ever seen it save as a lurking shape on the far chaoswards edge of the Dusk Sea. This state of affairs has continued for an awfully long time, so long that few of the mighty have marched against Creation in centuries, while there are always hungry underlings to crush.
The borderwaters of the Dusk Sea are therefore a useful release valve of the internal pressure of this wyldreef, and most of the inhabitants of Telephassa met by Creationdwellers are either exiles, or seeking resources for their lords who will use them in their wars. The soul traders of Nuda bring Chaos's wonders into the realm of time for payment in dreams and souls. Younger scions of the mighty seek to claim colonial holdings in the Dusk Sea where they will not become order-sick but they can escape the viper's nest of Telephassan politics. The giant lords of the Patuali Empire in Creation left Telephassa en masse when the Sunsworn Tyrant devoured their mountain-homeland, but generation by generation order holds them more tightly and their children are born shorter and shorter.
Could Telephassa invade Creation? They have the capacity, but not the inclination, as it stands, for the rivalries between their lords are a fine-cherished wine they would never surrender. They have their intentions on the Dusk Sea, and perhaps if that was taken the fabric of Creation would fray further, but this is a question of decades, not days. Moreover, the monsters of the Deep Wyld are a perpetual threat, for none would have their lands become like the Du Dum jungles, and none would spend their oathsworn against order in futility when chaos's storms wait to erode this little niche they can survive in. For that is their nature now; they swear their intent to return all to the Wyld, but they have taken too much shape into their nature. They are a man who stares into the fire and fears that it will burn him, but who holds his hands out lest his freeze to death and waves it at the hungry wolves outside the circle of light.
On the far side of the Dusk Sea lies the land of Telephassa, a strange and shining place caught irrevocably in the orbit of Creation. These principalities are far away enough from the world that their size is barely constrained by the geography of men, but it is certain they make up a sprawling continent ruled by a vast and fractious ever-feuding brood of Raksha princes who claim a complicated web of kinship with one another.
Telephassa cares not for the diktats of the gods, and so its weather is clement and temperate compared to the Anarchy to its east - save of course when the princelings have their own preferences. In the north of Tentis, sullen storms hold that land in their eternal grasp, while the stark beauty of the rocky isles of Djeldwel are gripped in eternal snowfall for all that they are within sight of the great and unexplored jungles of Du Dum where maned wolf-lions stalk the sunless glades on two legs. The graceful marble statues of the orca-heiress of Geili opens up into the cloudy uplands of Nuda, where flame-pits and volcanic spires rise up out of the white vapour. Sometimes the marchers of Nuda open the dams and let magma rain down on the other lands of Telephassa.
To speak of concrete geography of a wyldreef is foolishness. In broad terms, Telephassa is a peninsula-riddled continent split by multiple mountain ranges which drift and change as the lords war with one another. The widdershins side of the continent is dominated by the light-eating Du Dum, while on the deosil side is Gali, where the light of the Sunsworn Tyrant touches. Rain-choked Tentis is a smaller island off the coast of Gali, cleaved from the mainland by its legendary founder, while Spyaja extends from the main continent kept from the Tyrant's light by high-rising mountains. The Dusk Sea washes against the orderwards side of Telephassa, while the mad oceans of the Deep Wyld crash against its chaoswards side.
History
Once upon a time, as their stories go, the lands which are now Telephassa were shapeless and formless, an ancient dwelling place of the lords of chaos. But the silver moon of Creation came to this place and tricked them into signing away their birthright and so the golden sun's light rose and brought order and time. And it became a land for the men of Creation and the former lords were no longer welcome. In time the sun's hold on these lands weakened, and when the great prince Balor turned his terrible gaze on Creation, the great grandchildren of those who had once dwelt in this place returned to it, riding fish lizards and singing fey war-songs as the changetide swept in. Those who had taken up arms under Balor had made terrible sacrifices, though, and had supped too deep from time's well, which had poisoned both their lands and their very nature with order. Thus this nest of exiles make up a wyldreef, shielded from the worst inclemency of the chaos sea yet afeared to leave their niche.
Princes of this land would claim that only those raksha who dwelt here before time and who valiantly reclaimed it in the Crusade rule here. They lie. In truth, the inhabitants of this region are a disparate collection of chaos-touched and wyldlife. Until a hundred years ago, the Holy Spyaja State was ruled by the cunning moon-witch Yusuf al-Dib, and though he was defeated in the battle of the Jahan Sea and slain, many fae sworn to him have fled to the Dusk Sea or sought out the foes of Spyaja to serve. There are cities of once-men lost to the Balorian Crusade, foremost the merchant-republics of Nuda. There are the wise beasts of Slaa who gained knowledge from the touch of chaos and there is the persecuted cult of Maque, the tentacled god-beast of the Deep Wyld who once ravaged this region. Even the ruling princes' claims are often thinner and more dubious than they would acknowledge, for the grandfather of the Faerie Empress of Tentis was a usurper who devoured the former prince and both her siblings died before their time.
Politics & Religion
Telephassa is a fey land, and - obviously quite unlike the order-locked Realm of Creation - this means its politics are an extension of the neuroses and the pathological need for drama of the chaos princes who rule it. To be the nemesis of another is the greatest form of love, and from the least pig-headed landlord in orderwards Tentis to the Archimandrite of Balor herself, petty feuds and great romances are the dominant pastime of the inhabitants.
The three greatest lands are Spyaja, Tentis, and Geili. Geli is the lion resplendent, mighty and potent, locked in the orbit of the Sunsworn Tyrant. Tentis was founded by one of the Tyrant's byblows, though that princeling was a mistress of the blade and smote the lands, carving a vast channel that flooded. Deprived of the light of the Tyrant, Tentis is cold and rain-wreathed, though when the Faerie Empress stole her sister's fire she has birthed new signal-flames within the towns and cities of her island. Spyaja grew to rival Geli under its former Lunar ruler, but the wyldlife overthrow and slew him and now the hungry sun-maned lion of Geli turns his eyes to them.
The Balorian Temple of the Eye-in-Being dominates Djeldwel and exists in an uneasy relationship with Geli, and so Spyaja serves as their loyal champions - especially against the new heresies of Tentis and Nuda. The Archimandrite of the Temple bears a sacred icon; a shield which once reflected the image of the terrible Balor himself, and his retreating presence can still be seen as a distant image in it. To that end, the holy warriors of Djeldwel train to be able to withstand the sight of that relic shield, for their champions bear the image of that image on their own burnished shield. In the light-eating jungles of Du Dum, however, a heresy has arisen among the Balorians which holds that this image-veneration saps the strength-in-being of Balor and prevents his return.
A few of the major nations of Telephassa include:
The Geilian Empire - Greatest of the nations of Telephassa, Geli swelters under the eternal reign of its eternal ruler the Sunsworn Tyrant. Long ago - so he claims - the tyrant was a sword-brother of an ancient sun-chosen, sworn to eternal friendship with his valiant mistress. She is gone, but something of her nature lingered in him; so beautiful as to burn the eye, with words that can ignite a man's heart and a force of will that hammered his domain into his perpetual orbit. His palace at Perti is woven from mist and cloud so his light wraps it in eternal rainbows, and the lesser chaos princes must attend to him and placate his ego. To be vacant from court is social death. It is those who have fallen from his grace who seek new fortunes and new repute in the Dusk Sea, hoping to win his favour once more with wealth and tales they can bring back to their prince so he might once more favour them with his attention.
The Holy Spyaja State - Young and vibrant yet wracked with dissent, Spyaja was ruled by a Lunar before his death at the hands of his servants. The Two-Headed Monarchy of the Holy State searches everywhere for dissidents and troublemakers still bound by loyalty to the former ruler. But this is not their only interest, for the Left Head focuses on the aim to reconquer Nuda, while the Right Head considers the need to back princes of Du Dum against the hunger of the Sunsworn Tyrant - and both glare hatefully at Tentis. If they had fewer foes in Spyaja they would reach out to subsume the chaosward Dusk Sea, but instead they can only offer ambitious young princelings and landless nobles the promise of plunder rights to reach out into order for the fuel they need for their wars.
The Tentis Hydracracy - Hail to the Faerie Empress, flame-haired and leaden-faced, who rules over Tentis! It was by her hand that Tentis split itself from Spyaja as she devoured the legend of her ever-burning sister, and ever since then Tentis has set itself against its former ally. Tentis's priest-knights reject the authority of the Archimandrite who claims to speak for Balor-Awaiting-Return; they abhor the iconoclastic worship of the Eye-in-Being and exult instead the Circling Maw who devours every representation of itself. Yet the Faerie Empress moves to crush dissent from those radicals who might become a centre of power in Tentis independent of her. Many of them are pushed into the Dusk Sea, to spend their fury against order rather than the granite foundations of her throne.
The Du Dum Jungles - Shadowed are the boughs of the jungles of Du Dum, whose light-hating branches drink up all illumination. Something mighty wandered out of the Deep Wyld and spread its wings here, and the lesser princes of Du Dum must exist in the fringes of that beast of shadows and night. They seek to destroy it, and to that end they seek to destroy each other for an alliance of peers is not desirable to any of them.
Djeldwel - Once mightier than it was, the Church of Balor-Eye-in-Being has declined over the centuries as their saviour does not return and the princelings of Telephassa buck the influence of the Church. Djeldwel, eternally cold, is the only part where the Archimandrite still rules unquestioned though two centuries ago even this land was conquered by Gali and held until the Sunsworn Tyrant's hold grew too weak and distracted.
Nuda - The men of Nuda were once ruled by Spyaja, but like leeches they drained the stories of the governors that the Spyajans imposed on them and forged crowns of power. Nudans no longer remember they were once creatures of Shape washed away by the Balorian Crusade, but perhaps something of their nature makes them better at slipping into Creation to buy souls and dreams. They are the foremost merchants of Telephassa, and their fleet is a great foe to the dreamvessels of the Faerie Empress. Most infamous of their hands within Creation is the Orderwards Combine, where Nudan merchant-princes offer the support of the forces of chaos to those lords of the Dusk Sea and the border regions of Creation in return for trading ports and soul-sales.
Telephassa and Creation
If one were to ask the princelings of Chaos, they would say without a trace of guilt that Creation is their great foe, but Creation's threat is abstract while their rivals would eat their heart tomorrow given their druthers and so they are forced to turn on one another like starving beasts. Telephassa is too deep in the Wyld for mortals - or even unprepared Exalts - to last too long in and so few now living have ever seen it save as a lurking shape on the far chaoswards edge of the Dusk Sea. This state of affairs has continued for an awfully long time, so long that few of the mighty have marched against Creation in centuries, while there are always hungry underlings to crush.
The borderwaters of the Dusk Sea are therefore a useful release valve of the internal pressure of this wyldreef, and most of the inhabitants of Telephassa met by Creationdwellers are either exiles, or seeking resources for their lords who will use them in their wars. The soul traders of Nuda bring Chaos's wonders into the realm of time for payment in dreams and souls. Younger scions of the mighty seek to claim colonial holdings in the Dusk Sea where they will not become order-sick but they can escape the viper's nest of Telephassan politics. The giant lords of the Patuali Empire in Creation left Telephassa en masse when the Sunsworn Tyrant devoured their mountain-homeland, but generation by generation order holds them more tightly and their children are born shorter and shorter.
Could Telephassa invade Creation? They have the capacity, but not the inclination, as it stands, for the rivalries between their lords are a fine-cherished wine they would never surrender. They have their intentions on the Dusk Sea, and perhaps if that was taken the fabric of Creation would fray further, but this is a question of decades, not days. Moreover, the monsters of the Deep Wyld are a perpetual threat, for none would have their lands become like the Du Dum jungles, and none would spend their oathsworn against order in futility when chaos's storms wait to erode this little niche they can survive in. For that is their nature now; they swear their intent to return all to the Wyld, but they have taken too much shape into their nature. They are a man who stares into the fire and fears that it will burn him, but who holds his hands out lest his freeze to death and waves it at the hungry wolves outside the circle of light.
- Location
- my house
Further thoughts on Ex Vs WoD now that I've finished it:
The low Ess and cost of charms means this will probably be pretty easy to port over to ExEss and vice versa.
The Exigent of Cities is super cool.
Sidereals are fun.
Abyssals are... fine. They're not bad but they are probably the least interesting Exalts behind Solars. That said, existing in a world of powerful vampire clans makes them considerably more interesting than otherwise.
Also, here are some new Ex Vs WoD Charms:
System: The Infernal spends 2 Ess and rolls Manipulation + Expression against a difficulty of the Target's Willpower. The Target may attempt to rebut the Infernal's words by spending 1 WP and rolling (Charisma or Manipulation) + Expression roll of his own at a difficulty of the Infernal's WP. If he fails to do so, or fails to get more successes than the Infernal on this roll, then the target is condemned. All who meet him know instinctively that he has committed some abhorrent (but non-specific) crime. For the next (Infernal's Ess) weeks, the difficulty of all the target's social rolls increases by two and people distrust them on general principle. The infernal can extend this effect by 1 week (or day for the Signature effect) per Ess spent.
Signature Effect: When this charm is activated by an Infernal in the full glory of their Godbody, their target is branded not merely as a criminal, but an outlaw. Compare the Infernal's successes on the initial roll to all Backgrounds the target possesses. If any Background has a dot rating of less than (Initial Successes - 3), then the target loses access to that Background for the next (Infernal's Ess) days. This only applies to external Backgrounds such as (Resources and Fame) these fairweather friends abandoning the target in response to his heinous acts.
System: Spend 2 Essence and roll Manipulation + Expression against difficulty 6. Everyone present whose Willpower rating is equal to or less compelled to ignore the actions of the Infernal as simply the way of things for the rest of the scene. They will take no actions to stop the Infernal for the rest of the scene, and any attempts to compel their action have their difficulty increased by 2.
Even once this scene ends, targets affected by this charm consider their actions (or rather, lack thereof) as justified. What happened was none of their business after all.
System: Spend 2 Essence and roll Intimidation + Expression against difficulty 6. Everyone present whose Willpower rating is equal to or less than the number of successes rolled obeys a single order bellowed by the Infernal. This effect lasts until the end of the scene.
This Charm does nothing to organize the mob's efforts. Indeed it can't, for the abject terror of the mob prevents any sort of rational planning. For this reason only the most rudimentary orders (such as "Kill that man!" and "Stop Her!") can be given by this charm.
The low Ess and cost of charms means this will probably be pretty easy to port over to ExEss and vice versa.
The Exigent of Cities is super cool.
Sidereals are fun.
Abyssals are... fine. They're not bad but they are probably the least interesting Exalts behind Solars. That said, existing in a world of powerful vampire clans makes them considerably more interesting than otherwise.
Also, here are some new Ex Vs WoD Charms:
Mark of Caine (Hell of Burrowing Maggots) (***)
It is the nature of Hell to punish Sinners, but it is not picky over what one considers a Sin. It would make every action a Sin, so that the world was full of Sinners.System: The Infernal spends 2 Ess and rolls Manipulation + Expression against a difficulty of the Target's Willpower. The Target may attempt to rebut the Infernal's words by spending 1 WP and rolling (Charisma or Manipulation) + Expression roll of his own at a difficulty of the Infernal's WP. If he fails to do so, or fails to get more successes than the Infernal on this roll, then the target is condemned. All who meet him know instinctively that he has committed some abhorrent (but non-specific) crime. For the next (Infernal's Ess) weeks, the difficulty of all the target's social rolls increases by two and people distrust them on general principle. The infernal can extend this effect by 1 week (or day for the Signature effect) per Ess spent.
Signature Effect: When this charm is activated by an Infernal in the full glory of their Godbody, their target is branded not merely as a criminal, but an outlaw. Compare the Infernal's successes on the initial roll to all Backgrounds the target possesses. If any Background has a dot rating of less than (Initial Successes - 3), then the target loses access to that Background for the next (Infernal's Ess) days. This only applies to external Backgrounds such as (Resources and Fame) these fairweather friends abandoning the target in response to his heinous acts.
Not My Problem (Hell of Burrowing Maggots) (***)
The denizens of Hell have learned to ignore the suffering of others, less they themselves are targeted for that suffering.System: Spend 2 Essence and roll Manipulation + Expression against difficulty 6. Everyone present whose Willpower rating is equal to or less compelled to ignore the actions of the Infernal as simply the way of things for the rest of the scene. They will take no actions to stop the Infernal for the rest of the scene, and any attempts to compel their action have their difficulty increased by 2.
Even once this scene ends, targets affected by this charm consider their actions (or rather, lack thereof) as justified. What happened was none of their business after all.
Devil Lord's Bloody Decree (****) (Lanka)
The Infernal makes a threatening gesture (it is tradition to rip the head off of a nearby subordinate) and bellows a single command. All nearby leap to obey, less they suffer the Infernal's wrath.System: Spend 2 Essence and roll Intimidation + Expression against difficulty 6. Everyone present whose Willpower rating is equal to or less than the number of successes rolled obeys a single order bellowed by the Infernal. This effect lasts until the end of the scene.
This Charm does nothing to organize the mob's efforts. Indeed it can't, for the abject terror of the mob prevents any sort of rational planning. For this reason only the most rudimentary orders (such as "Kill that man!" and "Stop Her!") can be given by this charm.
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HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Got to play a 3e session tonight for the first time since August. Got to play a noir detective with a penchant for whiskey and prostitutes.
Also he constantly monologues aloud like he's in a noir film, and it's even more fun than it sounds.
Also he constantly monologues aloud like he's in a noir film, and it's even more fun than it sounds.
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
On the subject of Essence homebrew, here is an artifact that I wrote during the playtests as an Essence-updated version of Heavenly Judgement, for all your Exalted spear-judge needs:
Heavenly Judgement
Orichalcum Longfang
An elegant spear inscribed with proscriptions against the sinful and judgements upon the guilty; wielded by Heavenly Censor Butterfly Procedural before she left heaven in disgust. Wielders of this weapon have often spoken that they can feel a presence watching them and judging their actions.
Type: Medium Melee Weapon
Tags: Artifact, Melee, One-Handed, Reaching, Thrown (Short),
Hearthstone Slots: 1
You may reflexively recall Heavenly Judgement to your hand. Upon successfully landing an attack with Heavenly Judgement upon a target you have observed to act contrary to one of your Virtues, you may accuse them of that. Whenever you recall Heavenly Judgement after a successful attack upon an accused character, a replica of the spear remains in the wound, preventing it from healing and allowing you to flawlessly track the accused until they make suitable amends for the accusation fitting to the Virtue as determined by the Storyteller.
Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner
Prerequisite: None
Commit 2 Motes to supplement an Ensnare Gambit. The accused suffers a point of damage for every roll made to break free. However, as long as the target does not attempt to break free or make any attacks of their own, they are not a valid target for withering attacks. Any character witnessing an accused so immobilized becomes instantly aware of the sin for which they have been punished.
Sentence: No Mercy for the Wicked
Prerequisite: Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner, executing one accused under the effects of Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner
Spend 2 Motes during Step 1 while attacking the accused. The Power required for you to make an armed, decisive attack on your target is reduced by 2 if they are accused of breaking a minor Virtue or 4 if accused of a major Virtue. Against a target under the effects of Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner, this attack may be made from any point on the battlefield as long as you can see the target and deals aggravated damage.
Heavenly Judgement
Orichalcum Longfang
An elegant spear inscribed with proscriptions against the sinful and judgements upon the guilty; wielded by Heavenly Censor Butterfly Procedural before she left heaven in disgust. Wielders of this weapon have often spoken that they can feel a presence watching them and judging their actions.
Type: Medium Melee Weapon
Tags: Artifact, Melee, One-Handed, Reaching, Thrown (Short),
Hearthstone Slots: 1
You may reflexively recall Heavenly Judgement to your hand. Upon successfully landing an attack with Heavenly Judgement upon a target you have observed to act contrary to one of your Virtues, you may accuse them of that. Whenever you recall Heavenly Judgement after a successful attack upon an accused character, a replica of the spear remains in the wound, preventing it from healing and allowing you to flawlessly track the accused until they make suitable amends for the accusation fitting to the Virtue as determined by the Storyteller.
Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner
Prerequisite: None
Commit 2 Motes to supplement an Ensnare Gambit. The accused suffers a point of damage for every roll made to break free. However, as long as the target does not attempt to break free or make any attacks of their own, they are not a valid target for withering attacks. Any character witnessing an accused so immobilized becomes instantly aware of the sin for which they have been punished.
Sentence: No Mercy for the Wicked
Prerequisite: Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner, executing one accused under the effects of Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner
Spend 2 Motes during Step 1 while attacking the accused. The Power required for you to make an armed, decisive attack on your target is reduced by 2 if they are accused of breaking a minor Virtue or 4 if accused of a major Virtue. Against a target under the effects of Trial: Sun Spears the Sinner, this attack may be made from any point on the battlefield as long as you can see the target and deals aggravated damage.
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
Which is why I just fish 2-3 words out of Google Translate and then stitch select portions of each one together to create the demon name.
- Location
- my house
I like that a lot! I've actually been meaning to do something similar for a Ceceylne Infernal so I'm glad you posted that. Great inspiration!
- Location
- Denmark
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It might perhaps be fair to say that mistakes have been made.
Sucal
The Devil’s Cut
- Location
- Bottom of the barrel
For Lunars at least, this is wrong.
Its mentioned that they can gain forms by doing trials and making bargains with spirits, so there are a few ways to gain new forms without having to kill people. It's just easier that way.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Also seduction, gambling and breaking into people's houses and tilting all of their paintings
Ah, that show's me for just skimming through.
- Location
- my house
Its also wrong for Infernals. The fluff is definitely a lot darker, but there is no reason they can't use their bad powers to good ends. They've just moved closer to the Spawn end of the anti-hero spectrum.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Every time someone brings up good-aligned infernals, I'm reminded of this quote:
"-and once I've crushed your pathetic smuggling operation, I'm going to take all your filthy drug money, and use it to fund AN ORPHANAGE!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"