General Exalted Thread

[Aleph]

Well.

We missed last week's session, but made up for it with half a session on Tuesday and the rest on Friday evening - a two-part session totalling a whopping 7800 words. JFC, that's like half a Power Games chapter.

And it's pretty packed! We have creepy SWLIHN-brainwashed villages, Metagaoiyn body-horror, a kickass 3-die stunt-discovery of a new Charm, Keris being terrified and vulnerable and moe, ECHO MOE and adorable family hijinks, and a grand finale of a tense confrontation with an Exalted po-soul! Which I will admit to being rather concerned about the outcome of on several occasions.

So without further ado, for those still reading it; Kerisgame Part Ten!

(the join between Tuesday and Friday, for those interested, is between "she should find one she can follow downstream" and "Keris can see the fires of Lotus ahead of her")

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Could I get a bit of help with designing a spell for 3E? The basic idea is that it makes everything in its range into a waist-to-chest-high labyrinth for a scene. I'm thinking that it would fit for a high-end Terrestrial Circle Spell, but I'm not sure.

Maybe it would become Difficult Terrain and give light or medium cover for anyone who bothers to use it?

Edit:
I'm currently thinking that it would create medium cover in close range of the caster, and light cover in short range. Does that sound too weak? Too strong?

 

[Roadie]

The basic idea is that it makes everything in its range into a waist-to-chest-high labyrinth for a scene.

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So...

...does it also give everyone in the area partial but rapid regeneration as long as they've ducked out of sight of an enemy?

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

So...

...does it also give everyone in the area partial but rapid regeneration as long as they've ducked out of sight of an enemy?

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Huh?

I meant that the walls would rise out of the ground. A better phrasing would probably be "all terrain" instead of "everything".

 

[Roadie]

Huh?

I meant that the walls would form out of the ground. A better phrasing would probably be "all terrain" instead of "everything".

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Go play any of the bajillion third-person shooters with convenient chest high walls anywhere that a fight scene happens.

 

[Side Item]

Could I get a bit of help with designing a spell for 3E? The basic idea is that it makes everything in its range into a waist-to-chest-high labyrinth for a scene. I'm thinking that it would fit for a high-end Terrestrial Circle Spell, but I'm not sure.

Maybe it would become Difficult Terrain and give light or medium cover for anyone who bothers to use it?

I'm currently thinking that it would create medium cover in close range of the caster, and light cover in short range. Does that sound too weak? Too strong?

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Orichalcum Hunting Hawk has the Arrow Hedge Nest line of Evocations which seems to be what you're looking for, as far as benchmarks go. A 4m Simple to create a heavy cover/difficult terrain out to short range, another charm for a 3m Reflexive to extend it further, and then other charms to use them as attacks and so on.

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Go play any of the bajillion third-person shooters with convenient chest high walls anywhere that a fight scene happens.

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That's not my intention. I'm trying to make this a scene-setting spell. Something that someone can pull out to give tons of stunting material. Also, if you're just going to be a sarcastic asshole, don't bother replying.

Orichalcum Hunting Hawk has the Arrow Hedge Nest line of Evocations which seems to be what you're looking for, as far as benchmarks go. A 4m Simple to create a heavy cover/difficult terrain out to short range, another charm for a 3m Reflexive to extend it further, and then other charms to use them as attacks and so on.

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That sounds like a nice base (and precedent) for this, but I'm going for a Spell, not a Charm, and I don't quite know how to balance those. For one, I don't know how much it should cost, which basically sets the number of turns you have to spend gathering motes.

 

[azoicennead]

That's not my intention. I'm trying to make this a scene-setting spell. Something that someone can pull out to give tons of stunting material. Also, if you're just going to be a sarcastic asshole, don't bottler replying.

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... That was a joke about how the spell creates something reminiscent of a current shooter game convention.
You need to chill.

 

[Roadie]

Also, if you're just going to be a sarcastic asshole, don't bother replying.

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I wasn't being sarcastic. A specific sort of genre emulation seemed like the most obvious reason for having a spell for the specific purpose of creating convenient chest high walls whervever.

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

... That was a joke about how the spell creates something reminiscent of a current shooter game convention.
You need to chill.

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I wasn't being sarcastic. A specific sort of genre emulation seemed like the most obvious reason for having a spell for the specific purpose of creating convenient chest high walls whervever.

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Sorry. I got a bit tetchy there. I do see that application, but it wasn't my intention.

 

[Cosar]

Isn't the purpose of stunts is that you can alter what's in the scene? Why would you need a stunt to do something like that?

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Isn't the purpose of stunts is that you can alter what's in the scene? Why would you need a stunt to do something like that?

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It would create lots of opportunities for stunting. Instead of being in the middle of a field, now you could kick off of the stone wall that's suddenly there and use the extra momentum to beat someone even harder with your fist. Or you could go running up one of said walls, fling a dagger at someone, and disappear back down the other side before they can respond.

 

[notanautomaton]

It would create lots of opportunities for stunting. Instead of being in the middle of a field, now you could kick off of the stone wall that's suddenly there and use the extra momentum to beat someone even harder with your fist. Or you could go running up one of said walls, fling a dagger at someone, and disappear back down the other side before they can respond.

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Or you could jump, do a flip, and come down on their head fist first. For the second example, you jump away, do a back-flip, and hide in the tall grass. Coming up with terrain to use in a stunt is rarely an issue in exalted.

 

[Cosar]

It would create lots of opportunities for stunting. Instead of being in the middle of a field, now you could kick off of the stone wall that's suddenly there and use the extra momentum to beat someone even harder with your fist. Or you could go running up one of said walls, fling a dagger at someone, and disappear back down the other side before they can respond.

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Except you normally can do stuff like that. The point of stunting is to add things to the scene.

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Alright. I concede on the stunting. Also, this is shifting to more of an Earthbending thing in my head now.

 

[Side Item]

That sounds like a nice base (and precedent) for this, but I'm going for a Spell, not a Charm, and I don't quite know how to balance those. For one, I don't know how much it should cost, which basically sets the number of turns you have to spend gathering motes.

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Hmm, I don't know if this is exactly what you're going for, but you could also think of it as a non-violent version of Cantata of Empty Voices: the spell creates a labyrinth around the caster out to short range, which expands each turn after that as long as she does an unrolled shape sorcery action (maybe add "can also spend [X] sorcerous motes during a round to collapse a section on enemies caught in the labyrinth" or something). Maybe 7sm, 1 wp (which is just me lazily halving Cantata's cost)?

 

[Vanigo]

Orichalcum Hunting Hawk has the Arrow Hedge Nest line of Evocations which seems to be what you're looking for, as far as benchmarks go. A 4m Simple to create a heavy cover/difficult terrain out to short range, another charm for a 3m Reflexive to extend it further, and then other charms to use them as attacks and so on.

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Actually, it's better than that. The wielder can ignore both the cover and the difficult terrain.

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Hmm, I don't know if this is exactly what you're going for, but you could also think of it as a non-violent version of Cantata of Empty Voices: the spell creates a labyrinth around the caster out to short range, which expands each turn after that as long as she does an unrolled shape sorcery action (maybe add "can also spend [X] sorcerous motes during a round to collapse a section on enemies caught in the labyrinth" or something). Maybe 7sm, 1 wp (which is just me lazily halving Cantata's cost)?

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Shit. Were you reading my mind? Because I didn't see this until I was done writing the following.

Raising the Stone Labyrinth

Cost: 5sm, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: (Essence) hours

Calling the earth around them to their defense, the sorcerer pulls into being the stone walls that give this spell it's name. This creates light cover and difficult terrain within the close range band around the sorcerer. On subsequent turns, the sorcerer may continue to use the shape sorcery action to grow the walls in two ways. For every 5sm gathered, they can either extend the walls into another range band, which then provides light cover and is difficult terrain, or they can improve walls that have already been created, increasing their cover rating from light to heavy or from heavy to full.
Once the walls give heavy or full cover, they require a successful ([Intelligence or Dexterity] + Athletics) roll against difficulty 2 (for heavy cover) or 3 (for full cover) to navigate through the range band they occupy, representing either finding a way through the maze or bypassing it in some way. Any effect that allows a character to ignore the difficult terrain also allows them to ignore this roll as well.
There exist other versions of this spell for wind and water, which use powerful gusts and currents in place of walls.

A character who knows Raising the Stone Labyrinth as their control spell may reflexively oppose the navigation roll of any character they can percieve with their own (Wits + Occult), reshaping the maze to thwart their opponents' movements. If they win the roll, they gain Initiative equal to half their threshold successes (rounded up). Also, when the sorcerer is overcome with emotion, the ground trembles slightly around them.


So, thoughts? Is it too powerful?

 

[Dynamesmouse]

Could the Sorcerer sit in a palanquin and extend the labyrinth for as long as they want (or essence hours, anyway), eventually going out to extreme range in full cover? If so, fuck archers hahaha.

"A character who knows Raising the Stone Labyrinth as their control spell may reflexively oppose the navigation roll of any character they can percieve with their own (Wits + Occult), reshaping the maze to thwart their opponents' movements."

(Wits + Occult) what? Yards?

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

Could the Sorcerer sit in a palanquin and extend the labyrinth for as long as they want (or essence hours, anyway), eventually going out to extreme range in full cover? If so, fuck archers hahaha.

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Theoretically, yes. This would make Earth Aspect Sorcerers an ironclad bitch to deal with if they have the lead time to do this. I would say that it is pretty well balanced by the fact that you have to spend keep rolling for shape sorcery every turn to improve it, not to mention that people are probably actively attacking you while you cast. Maybe I should add the Perilous keyword so that if you get crashed, you can't keep casting. Also, the labyrinth affects everyone equally. Your allies have to navigate it too.

"A character who knows Raising the Stone Labyrinth as their control spell may reflexively oppose the navigation roll of any character they can percieve with their own (Wits + Occult), reshaping the maze to thwart their opponents' movements."

(Wits + Occult) what? Yards?

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It makes the ([Dexterity or Intelligence] + Athletics) to move in the labyrinth into an opposed roll against the sorcerer's (Wits + Occult).

 

[Dynamesmouse]

Just did a quick reread though the 3E sorcery, it says that spells are cast immediately and reflexively once you have enough sorcerous motes.

She may choose to take
additional shape sorcery actions, rolling and adding successes towards the total, until she has
enough to cast the spell. Once she has reached the total, she unleashes it immediately and
reflexively.

If she uses a ritual that allows her to reflexively gather sorcerous
motes for a turn, this counts as if she had used a shape sorcery action—sorcerer-assassins often
find such techniques efficacious in their chosen trade, allowing them to fluidly switch between
fighting and shaping spells.

Keep in mind the shaping rituals. It seems to me that most sorcerers have around 5sm on them most of the time. Depending on your ritual, it could be as much as 10sm.

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

I would probably add something to let extra sm from the casting roll over into the "growth" shaping actions.

 

[Aleph]

You might want to look at Raising the Earth's Bones for balance, since that's more versatile but slower and more restricted.

 

[Side Item]

Shit. Were you reading my mind? Because I didn't see this until I was done writing the following.

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Great minds, yadda yadda.

Duration: (Essence) hours

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For some reason this duration feels a bit wonky to me. Maybe because I'm not sure what happens when it ends? Like, could you lose track of time in your palanquin spelling out "SECRET BASE NOT HERE" in full cover and then the hours ends and the walls just fade away to dust? Might give incentive for opposing armies to just wait out the duration then storm the sorcerer when the labyrinth ends.

I like that it currently functions well as a good "Shit, I need a panic room NOW" spell, but it feels to me like it's caught between a combat time trick and a Raising the Earth's Bones-esque working.

There exist other versions of this spell for wind and water, which use powerful gusts and currents in place of walls.

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Hrmmm, this feels hinky. I feel like even if these would be three separate spells (why no fire?), there should be some mechanical differences that would necessitate treating them differently.

A character who knows Raising the Stone Labyrinth as their control spell may reflexively oppose the navigation roll of any character they can percieve

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Is the intention that the sorcerer can perceive anyone inside their labyrinth?

 

[Bursting Eagerness Soul]

You might want to look at Raising the Earth's Bones for balance, since that's more versatile but slower and more restricted.

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Where is that? I haven't heard of it before.

For some reason this duration feels a bit wonky to me. Maybe because I'm not sure what happens when it ends? Like, could you lose track of time in your palanquin spelling out "SECRET BASE NOT HERE" in full cover and then the hours ends and the walls just fade away to dust? Might give incentive for opposing armies to just wait out the duration then storm the sorcerer when the labyrinth ends.

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What would you think of adding a "spend 5 motes to renew duration" thing to it, like Stormwind Rider has? That would keep mortal sorcerers in check while letting Exalts and spirits keep it gokng.

I like that it currently functions well as a good "Shit, I need a panic room NOW" spell, but it feels to me like it's caught between a combat time trick and a Raising the Earth's Bones-esque working.

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Again, I haven't heard of Raising the Earth's Bones. The panic room aspect is something that I didn't really intend, but like anyways. This was supposed to hamper people moving around more than anything else.

Hrmmm, this feels hinky. I feel like even if these would be three separate spells (why no fire?), there should be some mechanical differences that would necessitate treating them differently.

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There definitely would be mechanical differences, but theye would likely stay pretty close to the mechanical basics of this spell. And no fire, because this is supposed to be working with your environment, not creating things from whole cloth, so unless you are at the Pole of Fire, the fire version would be a bit useless. But if you want to have a fire version that pulls fire out of nowhere, then go right ahead.

Is the intention that the sorcerer can perceive anyone inside their labyrinth?

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Not at all. The sorcerer and their allies are just as hampered by the labyrinth as anyone else. I feel like that creates an incentive to stop at heavy cover and not go full hog on it.