Remove ads

General Exalted Thread

Reader mode
idk if cachet is really the problem so much as "labor." the harder solve is not for approval (though I suspect paradox would be skeptical) but for making it economically viable for both the writers who do the work and for the press paying them

a lot of the late 2e patches were unpaid work of a kind I don't think people are going to do anymore
 
I mean I'm pretty sure Vance would do it fir free, freak that they are, but it being economically viable is a harder sell, unfortunately.
 
I wouldn't even want them to do it for free. Unpaid labour is not healthy; in retrospect, the fact that Exalted once depended on the unpaid work of Holden and Hatewheel to survive planted the seeds for some serious problems down the line.

But if designing the new Charmsets as well as possible makes the corebook even more dated...too bad for the Solars. We can homebrew if we must; I already participated in one-and-a-half full Charmset rewrites, I wouldn't mind seeing another. And I don't want to see every other splat compromised for the protection of the golden boys.
 
I've always had a bit of a fascination for the idea of the unwoven coadjutor.
Anyone here ever done anything interesting with it, or experienced someone else doing so?
 
Where did my time go?
Manipulation
Influence
Rogue Cell Isolation Protocols: Double 9s to be a Comissariat
Societal Engineering Signal: You know what they say. One man, one vote, and with this Charm you are the man.
Simulated Sincerity Drive: The autosux Charm, this time with rerolled 1s and reducing the penalty for implausible claims. Remember, we have always been at war with...
Consensus Recalibration Mode: Wow, they really made 'Mom and Dad were just wrestling in bed' as a example.
Transcendent Brutality Programming: Threaten rolls! Non-Charm Clarity! Weakens hope!
Infrasonic Dread Projector: Now do that with scary music
Unobtrusive Repartee Baffles: Oh, the mute Charm but for socials. Nice.
Covert Communion Apparatus: Phone call Charms are always nice, even if this is mecha only without submodules. The real meat is Perfected Assembly Network's follow up submodules, which turns it into combat links.
Subtle Concept Introduction Module: How do you run these 'you don't know you were influenced' Charms against PCs?
Propaganda Transmission Relay: Oh god it's a patriotism virus. Oh, just the first set of infectees can transmit.
Compliance Assurance Drone: The base effect of this is one page holy shit. It's a brain bomb, what the hell.
Panic Impulse Harmonics: What are the chances you don't know a target is or isn't scared of you? Mass Panic Broadcast seems to be the real use.
Personality Override Spike: Is it me or does this Charm do nothing without... oh, super cheap restrains, got it. Still weird the Charm doesn't actually do what it says without forking out for another whole Charm worth of xp. Speaking of which, they actually had to write 'the submodule named Psyche is the ne that isn't actually a psyche effect'. Name thing better.
Living Engram Override: The fact the flavour says it's on the tongue which makes me imagine things
Mind-Destroying Pattern Generator: It's the Porygon episode!

This is a very, uh, 1984 tree. Nice, but evil.

Guile
Empathy Simulation Engine: I am not a robot (becomes more like a robot)
Flickering Enigma Membrane-Synthetic Personality Subroutine: Basic Guile adders, but with more sci-fi themeing
Sequestered Partition Node: Memory editing yourself for fun and profit
Impenetrable Durant Visor: That's an interesting fear effect, working if people don't beat your Guile
Enigma Aversion Frequency: We get it, you're Batman
Alter Ego Dissimulation Cortex: Cover identities!

Nothing much to say here

Subterfuge
Encrypted Communication Protocol-Evidence Alteration Effectuator: I think these are standard cipher and track/evidence covering effects?
Vocal Distortion Field: AI voices!
Operational Efficiency Reduction Protocol: Evil Bureaucracy Charm

Nice trees, but also kind of... short? Feels like the Bureaucracy stuff in Intelligence could be moved here, fixing the issue of them being entwined with Lore.
 
The ecology and flavor text of Autochthonia's environment is sufficiently close to Bionicle that I can massage it the rest of the way. I am satisfied.

I also like that there are DB's and Exigents now, even if not accepted/tolerated the way that Heaven's Dragons are.
 
God-Blooded descended from Creation's spirits are just as rare as Dragon-Blooded, and treated essentially the same. The same is true for any Exigent Exaltations that pass by heredity, if any came with the Great Maker's faithful in their exodus. There's no precedent for dealing with other, unpredictable forms of Exigent Exalted. The legendary daiklave Infinite Fractal Edge, which turns its desperate mortal wielders into sword-saints of killing geometry, is one such Exaltation, though it's long been lost to the Octet.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The mention of hereditary exigent lineages being prefaced with an "if" makes it sound like it's pretty squarely in the territory of "you can make up a guy for your game if you want but they're not necessarily around", but that does sound like a fun sword Exaltation.
 
Gazetteer said:
It's not just you, Alchemicals have relatively low starting dice limits for a Celestial level Exalt, but make up for this by being able to have very high base values through the use of that charm. Once you get above ability 6, it's explicitly a charm bonus and eats into your dice limit, but it a free charm bonus you don't need to do anything to maintain.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

My understanding is that the Alchemical charmset is designed to allow you to emulate the Terminator by outlasting enemies until they fall down and die when they run out of dice to throw at you.

Amusingly this is also how real world endurance hunters - like humans - work, which makes this theme have layers.
 
A common trope with AI/sentient weaponry is that they will find a wielder to bond to and grant them special powers, not all of which are directly related to the object in question.

It seems a natural extension of both Evocations and Exigency to combine the two.
 
I love how we've got "The Populat", "The Olgotary" (whose name I will probably die unable to spell right on the first try), and "The Theomachracy," and then you've got THE FIVE MAGNIFICENT SODALITIES OF PENULTIMATE TRUTH AND INTRANSIGENT GOSPEL. It's starts with all these nice efficient laconic titles, only to hard swerve into Exalted purple prose. It's beautiful.
 
Last edited:
Octet stuff is okay but difficult to properly assess without seeing what the eight nations look like this time around.

I hope we get more on religion because a problem previous editions of Alchemicals had this problem where they focused extensively on what Autochthon got up to back in the day before he left Creation and that came at the expense of really answering who he was to the people of the Octet back when he interacted with them.
 
I like how the history section is pretty clear that the time frames are long,a lot of history is lost, and we that there's a healthy dose of nationalist mythos to the way it is presented. It helps present Autocthonia as ancient, big, and the Nations as a bit more dynamic just iwth that and the stuff on convergences and divergences being so emphasized.
 
Lioness said:
I hope we get more on religion because a problem previous editions of Alchemicals had this problem where they focused extensively on what Autochthon got up to back in the day before he left Creation and that came at the expense of really answering who he was to the people of the Octet back when he interacted with them.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Not going into too much detail in case you haven't read it yet, but your hopes have been answered!
 
Oh hey it's my favourite Attribute! I do not like the number of pages left.

Perception
Offense
Aim-Calibrating Sensors: We really can get dice bonuses to range attacks with Perception! Interesting wording to work with Unwavering Sniper Calibration
Dedicated Harmonic Targeting: I would have preferred it to maneuver around rather than phase but eh
Tactical Analysis Engrams: Interesting definition for an Offense Charm
Motion-Tracking Reticule: Reflexive aiming, which lets you use the rest of your kit
Hundredfold Strafing Sensors: Perception base damage! I think this Charm can hit a total of six targets like a very happy 15ft cone in D&D
Counter-Concealment Targeting: Faerie Fire my beloved
Recursive Fractal Targeting Calculations: GATTLING GUNS
All-Inclusive Targeting Calculations: You know, since it's a decisive, if the enemy moved and you have Automated Targeting System from MTR, that's two consecutive aim actions. Just saying.

Perception is largely about aim actions and ranged attacks (and hating on stealth). AITC has some real big dream energy.

Senses
Chemical Analysis System-Tympanic Receptor Nodes: Autosux senses charms with choose-your submodule. Did I miss taste and touch being abandoned? Admittedly infrared and ultrasound are cooler but still.
Expanded Input Processor: Now you can't double 9s on taste and touch based Investigation rolls! I'm sure there's some whack situation where it would have come in handy.
Tactical Laser Security Grid: Only a -2 penalty for shining like a cheap spy flick, lmao
Relentless Tracking Protocol: Tracking Charm... just the one, plus a second Charm worth of submodule
Magnetoreceptive Guidance System: Magnetic sense (later bioelectric) sense! Unfortunately does not qualify for EIP
Mobile Sensory Drone: DRONESSSSSS
Sensory Overcharge Injector: I'm not sure whether it's true or just my perception (heh) but it's been a while since we saw this kind of Solar-like purely dicetrick Charm

It's a bunch of unrelated stuff, but finally someone listened and made TUP the prereq for most of them instead of making you get a tracking Charm to buy a Investigation charm

Scrutiny
Interpolative Situational Analysis Processor: One of those Charms your GM has, not you. A bit useless if your GM is me, I tend to prompt my players if there's things worth interest anyway.
Persona-Modeling Simulations: Double 9s/autosux for profile/read/case rolls.
Heresy Detection Scanners: Your hatred reveals you
Ocular Threat Assessment: Kind of funny this reveals info the prereq wants and they have the same stat minimums
Behavioral Profile Library: Banking charms! No, not that kind of bank
Deception Recognition System: Lie detection!
Imperfection Analysis Module: It's a Perception training Charm, that's so cute. And it has a use when everyone is knee deep in XP debt!
Empathic Espionage Safeguards: Oppose a roll against your Guile with a profile/read, which I think still 'benefits' from your Guile? IDK a bit fuzzy
Expanded Surveillance Analytics: Read all the intentions (OK, more like pick one to read for)
Machine-Mind Hyperprocessor: Well, that sure is a lotta clues

Metaphysical
Cross-Phase Scanner: It's the dematerialized (and other magic) spotter! Cute that your regular sensory charms discount it
Multiphase Divinity Regulator: And the puncher version

It feels so short... I want more...
 
ichypa said:
Man, I'm gonna have to crack open that feedback form out of a sense of civic duty, the amount of text errors in this section is astounding.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, it's weird. It's especially noticeable near the start in the Claslat section, but there are recurring typoes and other such mistakes all over.

The actual content is pretty good though, even though I'll probably never quite get used to "Estasia" and "Gulak".
 
Sova, holy shit.

No writeup really backslid, most added something interesting to the Compass take or neatly applied the new house style, but Sova and Yugash got serious glowups and Sova's is wild.
 
So with Chapter 2 completed, Autochthonia is looking like an absolutely fantastic setting, and the human element is very richly detailed, which is fantastic! But I can't help but feel a little disappointed that we didn't get much insight into the spiritual side of things, i.e. the Divine Ministers, their subsouls, elementals, etc. Maybe they're saving it for the Quick Characters section, but still, definitely feels like there could've been a fifth section of the chapter focusing on that.
 
Yeah, the absence of even like... a table, or something, for the Divine Ministers feels like a strange omission.

Considering how important they are both practically and culturally, with constant namedrops, they feel conspicuously absent.
 
Noticed a pronoun mishap in Dreadful Adjudicator of Law's write-up "He follows the letter of the law, and expects everyone she meets to do the same: no leniency, no loopholes. Without his armor, he's a slender youth with bone-white skin, short pale hair, and empty crimson eyes." It's unintentionally funny given the history there where Holden envisioned Adjudicator as gender fluid back when he did the Scroll of Exalts write-up and intended the Janiss cover identity as female-presenting with Harad being male, but an editor switched the pronouns.
 
Amidatelion said:
Yeah, the absence of even like... a table, or something, for the Divine Ministers feels like a strange omission.

Considering how important they are both practically and culturally, with constant namedrops, they feel conspicuously absent.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
While they're due to be presented in the QC chapter, I would encourage you to leave feedback to that effect.
 
ichypa said:
I love how we've got "The Populat", "The Olgotary" (whose name I will probably die unable to spell right on the first try), and "The Theomachracy," and then you've got THE FIVE MAGNIFICENT SODALITIES OF PENULTIMATE TRUTH AND INTRANSIGENT GOSPEL. It's starts with all these nice efficient laconic titles, only to hard swerve into Exalted purple prose. It's beautiful.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean if you were a highly secretive quasi-masonic craft guild necessary to the functioning of society wouldn't you give yourself a fancy title?
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top