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General Exalted Thread

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Nightdream said:
He has gone from gross and deplorable to just another boring, do nothing elder. I feel like they probably should have just ignored his existence completely for 3e. He is never going to be able to fully escape his first and second edition roots and I have never seen anyone who cared about him beyond wanting to kick his ass.
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mothematics said:
Anecdotally, MHS is pretty popular in my play groups and in Lunar gaves I've played in! Big sad wolfgoat daddy has a lot of charm to him.
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Same, yeah, I don't think I've heard of anyone who disliked him in Ex3 until now, actually.
 
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I think the only 3e Lunar I'm not happy with is Raksi, mostly just because they still didn't move away from the baby-eating thing, which overshadows everything else about her + makes me think of that goofy Austin Powers character.
 
HamSandLich said:
Ma-Ha-Suchi is a Sad Uncle, trapped in a Present that has no place for him of and dreaming of a Past that can no longer be returned to
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The general Depression vibe he has going honestly endears him a lot to me. His relationship with his students and his general full-out cynicism is les "Do nothing elder" in the sense of just sitting there an dmore like....being a person to me. He's actually to me up there with Raksi in his recharacterization.
 
mothematics said:
Anecdotally, MHS is pretty popular in my play groups and in Lunar gaves I've played in! Big sad wolfgoat daddy has a lot of charm to him.
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Blaque said:
The general Depression vibe he has going honestly endears him a lot to me. His relationship with his students and his general full-out cynicism is les "Do nothing elder" in the sense of just sitting there an dmore like....being a person to me. He's actually to me up there with Raksi in his recharacterization.
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While they are not exactly the same, it feels like a retread of Leviathan to me. To be fair, 3e Leviathan is better than 2e Leviathan.
 
I preferred the angry depression he had going on in 2e. It was more compelling, and it didn't tie him to the goofy anima-colour-based-bigotry thing.

Also, I suspect this isn't a popular opinion, but I think the "seduce every Celestial Exalt" Motivation he had in the First Age was a legitimately good idea. Your first reaction is to chuckle, but after a few seconds you realize what it says about the state of the world and the nature of epic heroism in a decadent utopia. Then, maybe right away or maybe a little later, you think about the actual implications of his goal and you realize that there must be something deeply wrong with the man. It's funny, then it's interesting, then it's kind of scary...that's good stuff.
 
Sanctaphrax said:
I preferred the angry depression he had going on in 2e. It was more compelling, and it didn't tie him to the goofy anima-colour-based-bigotry thing.

Also, I suspect this isn't a popular opinion, but I think the "seduce every Celestial Exalt" Motivation he had in the First Age was a legitimately good idea. Your first reaction is to chuckle, but after a few seconds you realize what it says about the state of the world and the nature of epic heroism in a decadent utopia. Then, maybe right away or maybe a little later, you think about the actual implications of his goal and you realize that there must be something deeply wrong with the man. It's funny, then it's interesting, then it's kind of scary...that's good stuff.
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"You are _all_ trophies to me" is a really interesting motivation, but it needs a more mature team than Ex2 had. Ex3's could probably do it, but they're clearly not inclined to risk it.

Which is to say I agree with you, and wish the take had been done right initially.
 
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Sanctaphrax said:
I preferred the angry depression he had going on in 2e. It was more compelling, and it didn't tie him to the goofy anima-colour-based-bigotry thing.

Also, I suspect this isn't a popular opinion, but I think the "seduce every Celestial Exalt" Motivation he had in the First Age was a legitimately good idea. Your first reaction is to chuckle, but after a few seconds you realize what it says about the state of the world and the nature of epic heroism in a decadent utopia. Then, maybe right away or maybe a little later, you think about the actual implications of his goal and you realize that there must be something deeply wrong with the man. It's funny, then it's interesting, then it's kind of scary...that's good stuff.
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I actually agree with both your points. If I were to rewrite MHS, I would have leaned into his Caste to build his army through social skill to sway people to his side rather than more unsavory means. He would end up the leader of an army of fanatical, neo-primitive, survival of the fittest beastmen.
 
SunnySprings said:
I think the only 3e Lunar I'm not happy with is Raksi, mostly just because they still didn't move away from the baby-eating thing, which overshadows everything else about her + makes me think of that goofy Austin Powers character.
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The problem with the baby-eating is that it exists mostly as something for readers and player characters to react to. You'd expect it to say something pretty significant about Mahalanka and what it's like to live under Raksi but that never really comes up.
 
Sanctaphrax said:
Also, I suspect this isn't a popular opinion, but I think the "seduce every Celestial Exalt" Motivation he had in the First Age was a legitimately good idea. Your first reaction is to chuckle, but after a few seconds you realize what it says about the state of the world and the nature of epic heroism in a decadent utopia. Then, maybe right away or maybe a little later, you think about the actual implications of his goal and you realize that there must be something deeply wrong with the man. It's funny, then it's interesting, then it's kind of scary...that's good stuff.
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I think it's interesting but I think the majority of the times I've seen DotFA's take on Ma-Ha-Suchi come up in the last decade it's been because someone found it funny. Like we got here this time in-part due to people sharing wacky character concepts that they've never gotten to play.
 
The final draft of Raksi makes no mention of baby eating IIRC. Plenty of regular cannibalism(which is to be frank fairly basic for Lunars), but no baby eating
 
That's because Luna knows what's good for her baby's souls, and that's eating people's hearts for power, or their face, or to impress people, or because you really just had a hankering for hearts, you know.

Luna: Definitely the Most Moral Incarne. She's like the Sun, but you eat the heart afterwards. (The Sun may also let you eat the heart afterwards).
 
The scaling back of the baby-eating is something about which I'm very happy, yes. Making it a singular thing she did to a hated rival, and ultimately didn't go through with, is considerably more tolerable than having it be something she just Does.
 
Every time I think of Luna and/or Lunars I imagine them as supremely irreverent and tricksy beings.

I like to think Raksi encourages the baby-eating rumor while at the same time denying it vehemently wherever she can. Terrify enemies who would believe it of you but also let allies/neutrals think it's malignant propaganda.
 
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HamSandLich said:
The final draft of Raksi makes no mention of baby eating IIRC. Plenty of regular cannibalism(which is to be frank fairly basic for Lunars), but no baby eating
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She still tried to serve up a living child to Ma-Ha-Suchi's emissary in the final draft. Makes me feel more sympathy towards Ma-Ha-Suchi, honestly; if this is the kind of shit Raksi thinks is a good idea, then perhaps the idea of 400 Lunar dominions is similarly idiotic.
 
MiracleGrow said:
With the way he looks like in 3e art. I can certainly say I care a lot about him in a different way.


Also I entirely disagree with your opinion.
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Absolutely patrician taste.

Honestly, genuinely, Lunars aren't actually my favorite splat but I really like MHS's 3e thing of basically like-

He's a jaded burned out activist who's either cancelled or been cancelled by all his friends, ostensibly over philosophical differences but it's honestly 90% opaque in group drama. Also he's been off his meds since the Shogunate exploded. The man has this whole Byronic brooding thing going on that's just lapsed into actual depression at some point and spends a lot of time sitting in his cool mythic hideout with the lights off- but I bet I could fix him, call Lifetime we're on this.

Sanctaphrax said:
I preferred the angry depression he had going on in 2e. It was more compelling, and it didn't tie him to the goofy anima-colour-based-bigotry thing.

Also, I suspect this isn't a popular opinion, but I think the "seduce every Celestial Exalt" Motivation he had in the First Age was a legitimately good idea. Your first reaction is to chuckle, but after a few seconds you realize what it says about the state of the world and the nature of epic heroism in a decadent utopia. Then, maybe right away or maybe a little later, you think about the actual implications of his goal and you realize that there must be something deeply wrong with the man. It's funny, then it's interesting, then it's kind of scary...that's good stuff.
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Yeah the uh- the terrifying specter of the promiscuous pansexual. Your polyamorous commune and open marriage will never recover.

Chilling stuff.
 
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Over time I've come around to the idea of Raksi as genuinely exceptionally clever and dangerous, but too fucking enamoured of her own cleverness and obsessed with performative cynicism to actually build the kind of support base she's theoretically capable of. Not uncharismatic, but still a diplomatic disaster, mostly getting by on how being the premier sorceror of the Silver Pact means people still want to talk to her. If for as little time as possible.
 
HamSandLich said:
Dynastic Matchmakers

As a warrior aristocracy of hereditary demigods, the Scarlet Dynasty naturally places heavy emphasis on the particulars of arranged marriage between its various households. However, keeping track of the minutiae of genealogies, familial histories, social reputations, and economic ties among the myriad scions of the Dynasty is a mind-boggling task. Matriarchs and household heads naturally wish to be kept abreast of these affairs, but allocating time for studying such matters can be quite difficult when one also has the responsibilities of running a family of Dragonblooded. It is for this reason that a particular niche has emerged among the Great Houses, that of the Family Matchmaker.

Unlike the freelance matchmakers available to peasant families in the Realm, Dynastic matchmakers are typically dynasts themselves, and kept on retainer by a household to keep a living record of its genealogy and the deeds of its various members. These women typically advise the household head or matriarch on various marriage prospects for her descendants. They collect information on the pedigree of would-be fiancees, track the finances of neighboring households, and act as go-betweens for negotiating the specific legal agreements that go into arranging a dynastic marriage. They often help plan weddings and assist dynastic mothers during labor as well.

There are typically vocational schools that provide an education in matchmaking, and graduates of these programs tend to net a higher stipend than dynasts who do not. These often cover a variety of topics, from hereditary traits to auspicious dates for conception. Typically inordinately versed in both marital and contract law, Dynastic Matchmakers sometimes fulfill the role of family lawyer in an advisory capacity, though the Dynasty would never openly admit to something so gauche and foreign as practicing law.

Indeed, while matchmakers wield considerable power and are granted significant latitude in fulfilling their tasks, they often work behind the scenes. Many keep out of the way chambers full of documents detailing blood relations and economic forecasts, seen only rarely by their relatives as they spend hours poring over their records. Others hoard gossip and high society rumors like jade, but rarely participate directly in scandals themselves. Often they form close networks with other matchmakers, such as the prestigious social club and questionably legal mystery cult known as the Friends of Venus-Genetrix.

It has become somewhat common for the matchmakers themselves to remain unmarried, so as to seem impartial in their recommendations on potential matches, one of the few positions in which a dynast can reliably avoid marriage while retaining a secular life. This is not ubiquitous however, and some matchmakers gleefully build webs of marriages that personally benefit themselves, their spouses, and their offspring, a practice that is met with varying reactions. The Empress is known to have had her personal matchmaker quietly executed in RY 309 for unsubtly attempting to marry three generations of her own family to close kin of the Empress.
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Just want to say I love this. DBs are my s cond fav splat and I love seeing them get fleshed out like this.
 
SunnySprings said:
She still tried to serve up a living child to Ma-Ha-Suchi's emissary in the final draft. Makes me feel more sympathy towards Ma-Ha-Suchi, honestly; if this is the kind of shit Raksi thinks is a good idea, then perhaps the idea of 400 Lunar dominions is similarly idiotic.
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I read this as a dig on Ma-Ha-Suchi. It's not that Raksi thinks eating babies is good, she's simply being an accommodating host to whichever ignorant amoral barbarian that would be enough of a fool to follow that wannabe deliberative dilettante. "Go ahead and eat the baby, since you're clearly an unthinking beast anyways."

(To be clear, this does not make this any less monstrously fucked up. A little fear and/or hatred of Raksi is healthy.)
 
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Lioness said:
I think it's interesting but I think the majority of the times I've seen DotFA's take on Ma-Ha-Suchi come up in the last decade it's been because someone found it funny. Like we got here this time in-part due to people sharing wacky character concepts that they've never gotten to play.
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Yeah, fanon was not kind to him. Maybe the concept asked too much of the playerbase.

TenfoldShields said:
Yeah the uh- the terrifying specter of the promiscuous pansexual. Your polyamorous commune and open marriage will never recover.

Chilling stuff.
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if you're a lesbian, it's his mission in life to change that.

If you're happily monogamous, it's his mission in life to change that.

If you just happen to dislike him for whatever reason, it's his mission in life to get you to have sex with him anyway.

If he happens to dislike you and find you terribly unattractive for whatever reason, it's his mission in life to have sex with you anyway.

If you genuinely care for the guy, you're just an entry on a 700-person checklist to him.

Consider the alternative of Straight Ma-Ha-Suchi, who just wants to seduce every female Celestial Exalt. It's not any less creepy.
 
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