Released: 50 Epic Schemes

 Because in Exalted, the enemies always have huge plans.
Check it out today: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/382359/50-Epic-Schemes

50 Handy Hearthstones - Exalted (any edition)

50 Handy Hearthstones

These Rocks Are Atypical
This mini-resource allows Storytellers to easily come up with ideas on other kinds of hearthstones the Circle may come across. These fifty jumping points are sure to offer cool plot ideas for your Exalted games, regardless of the edition.

Written by Tobie Abad.

Grab it here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/309089/50-Handy-Hearthstones

50 Strange Spirits - Exalted (any edition)

50 Strange Spirits is a two-page mini-resource for Storytellers.

The Strange World of Spirits
This mini-resource allows Storytellers to easily come up with ideas on what kind of spirits the Circle encounters during their heroic adventures. These fifty jumping points are sure to offer cool plot ideas for your Exalted games, regardless of the edition.
Written by Tobie Abad.

Grab a copy here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/308846/50-Strange-Spirits

ONGOING : Exalted 81:18

Inspired by the Mahabharata, I've decided to run an Exalted campaign for Rocky and Urim which draws parallels to its amazing story. Even more awesome was the tremendously inspiring artwork by Mukesh Singh, whose artwork can be found here: https://mukeshsingh.myportfolio.com/18-days.

With it being a two-player game, this allows us to tell a story with a different pacing compared to other campaigns. Even better, it gives us more breathing room in trying to grasp the new 3rd edition of the Exalted game.

Currently closed. No new player seats.

Inspiration: The Cathedral

This wonderful piece by Tomasz Baginski might remind some of the Suaven of Houses of the Blooded, or might be a great inspirational piece for an Exalted or Numenera game.  The Cathedral itself might remind some of Vampire: The Masquerade's Tzimisce Clan and the infamous Cathedral of Flesh.

Enjoy!

Inspiration: Evening in Space [NSFW]

Warning: Probably not safe for work.

But man, this video.  Trippy awesome. It makes me think of the height of Ven fashion.
Or perhaps standard clothing in the wealthy portions of the Blessed Isle in Exalted.
Maybe even a fashion idea for how things can be represented in a Numenera game?

Overall, visually stunning!

Exalted or a wilder Houses of the Blooded

I can so see this inspiring either.

http://nerdy-trans-girl.tumblr.com/post/80256904605/eggodiego-slunchy-greyannis-after-many

Check it out!

Demon The Descent brings back my Sidereal love

Had a one-shot game with some friends last night and we played Demon the Descent using the Quick Start characters and the Do Over room from the God Machine Chronicles book as the jumping point of the story.  Some reflections I felt I wanted to share from running the game.

The Classic Is Now Part of the New
When Exalted first teased its coming, there was a lot of talk about it being "Before the World of Darkness."

Before the Impergium before the Mythic Ages before the Sundering before there was a World of Darkness there was something else. And now it is revealed, at last. Come adventure in the Second Age of the World, the fantastic world of the Exalted.

The forums were afire with all these opposing views on whether or not it was a good thing to have a game supposedly set before the world became the World of Darkness.    Later books seemed to support things further when players saw parallels between Solars and Hunters, Lunars and the Garou, Abyssals and the vampires and so on and so forth.  Characters like the archer Yi from Demon Hunter X resonated greatly with the concept of the epic archers of the Exalted game.  A huge key to the concept of its connecting was the Sidereals book which spoke of them seeing the fate of the world falling into one of Darkness if the Solars were allowed to maintain their rule.

Now, the game seems to come full circle, as Demon the Descent seems to resonate a lot of how the Sidereals were written to work as.

Sidereals were the super spies of fate in the Exalted game, using Resplendent Destinies to conceal their identities and being forced to remain consistent with these identities at the risk of garnering paradox for breaking out of the roles they were playing.  They had abilities to Duck Fate and rewrite events to show the were "never really there" and the like.  They were agents of change and destiny that served the Maidens and the Loom of Fate which governed the destinies of every thing on Creation.

Fast forward to today, the Unchained as they are called are fallen angels of the Machine God.  They embrace Cover, human identities which become more "real" as they are more developed, but are compromised when they fail to live up to who the cover personalities should be.  They have embeds and exploits to ensure they were "Never Here" in scenarios that head south of their plans, and while they no longer serve the Machine God, there's no denying they relate to a massive entity or force that can be argued to have grand designs and "programming" set upon every thing in the world.

The old is new again.

If Exalted lead to the World of Darkness, and the World of Darkness ended for a new World of Darkness to be born, this new World of Darkness is now coming to a nice book-end point where the Unchained of Demon the Descent resonate the Sidereals of the old.

I know, I know, it isn't anything concrete.  It probably wasn't even intentional.
But the World of Darkness Storyteller in me is enjoying a lot the parallels and relishing the idea that everything in the game line is one connected complex timeline.

And it is bringing back a lot of the love I have for all those games.

Now if it is intentional...
Man, I'm even more excited!

Exalted 3rd edition and Rape.

MAJOR EDIT (May 28,2013):   Faith in Holden restored.

Here's a screen cap with the statement, as well as my comments.

I apologize for the bad formatting, but my response starts at the "Thank you.  That clears things up for me more" line.  I also included below other comments from him.

And the response to John really makes me see things clarified better.
Thank you Holden.  

(Previous post not deleted below for archival purposes)

This really bothers me.

I have no problems with exploring mature themes and dark issues in a game.

In fact, I've done that many times.  Very many times.

But this comment really bothers me.

So when rape happens, it was the victim's fault?  The victim gets seduced by a supernatural predator who can use sex to enslave him/her, and it is their fault for "allowing" themselves to think it was a good idea to sleep with that person?

Something is very wrong here.

Very wrong.

I really hope Holden clarifies this.  Because to be honest, I respect him and his ideas for the game.  But if this is the true personal view he has towards rape, then I am truly reconsidering if I want to financially help support someone who believes the victim is at fault in a rape scenario.

Trust In You Material

Trust In You Material
by Tobie Abad

This article was born out of two events.  The first was my having recently viewed and read up on the very public meltdown of a certain Bakery and Restaurant after its appearance on a certain Reality Show, and the second was after reading the response of a fellow gamer online on why for that  person it is acceptable that there is a huge holding back on releasing any game system information for the upcoming Exalted 3rd edition game which I have supported on Kickstarter.  In both situations, there was concern about how people out there may have negative feedback and comments to say about one's product, and how the urge to control if not limit is has become the goal for some people.

I admit, there are a lot of crazies and bastards out there who seem to find satisfaction in simply finding more things to complain about or make fun of from other's hard work.  I will agree that not everyone who has posted such things have a truly helpful intention in mind.  But I do question the idea that some have that the best way to control the volatile flame wars that erupt on the forums is to limit access to the said system to the readers.  This, sadly, is the mindset I cannot wrap myself around to agree with.

Feedback, plain and simple, will happen whether or not.  And flame wars, sadly, do erupt whether or not the said system is good (or whether or not the said dish is delicious).  Plain and simple, there will always be people who will be overly emotional over things, and there will always be people who will not know how to properly give feedback in a more respectful or orderly fashion.

Hiding one's product from the public as a whole might seemingly reduce the number of flames that erupt due to your work.  But in my opinion, what that really does is limit your work from reaching your desired audience, and even worse, shows that there is a huge lack of confidence towards one's own product.  The fellow gamer wrote, "You don't see how introducing that kinda firestorm into the kickstarter period would be an negative thing? It would be potentially disastrous. better to wait until the kickstarter is done, at very least."  While the feedback might not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the people behind the product, that line of thinking quite frankly pushes once more the huge lack of confidence in one's product.   If that was the reason the people handling the product are not releasing more info about it, that doesn't quite bode well on what level of quality the product actually has.   I'd even add that such a fear is greatly unnecessary given the supposed Kickstarter goal has already far exceeded its target amount.

Trust in your Material.
That ultimately is what I feel more have to embrace.   Trust in your material, and let it out for the world to enjoy.  Embrace the fact that you can't please everyone, and try to be aware of sensing when something you've created is good, or really is crap.  Learn to embrace the fact that flames will always erupt, and the most you really can do is be thankful for those who appreciate your work, celebrate those who celebrate it, and always push yourself to make something better than your last output.

I've supported a lot of other Kickstarter projects before, and even helped out in checking for errors and sharing feedback with those who asked.  Living in the Philippines, more often than not these projects are still quite expensive to pay for, but given my desire to see these projects come out I do what I can to shell out what I can afford and support them.

Exalted 3rd Edition admittedly was one of the more costly Kickstarter projects that I've chosen to support.  I love Exalted, and I truly enjoyed the 1st edition version of the game far more than the second.    When I heard that a third edition was coming out, I was pretty psyched for it and excited to support it.  The idea that I had to shell out US$30 for the PDF, and over US$100 for the actual book was a painful fact that I had to accept.  I've purchased many other books before that ranged from $50 to $80 and those were already quite a punch to one's pocket than usual.    Having to pay so much more was a challenge I had to reconsider a few times.  In the end, I've decided to go for it and have it shipped instead to my brother in Los Angeles.  Maybe sometime in the middle of next year, I can afford to have someone bring it here to Manila.

But now, with 19 days to go before the Kickstarter ends, with it having struck $400,000+ which is far more than the $60,000 goal they set, I feel very disappointed that no actual clear system previews have been shared.  Given the huge promise of how the game will be approached in so many different ways, it would have been nice if the people behind the project were releasing far more than just fiction samples at this point in time.

And no, I still don't agree that keeping the crunch hidden is necessary because it keeps any flame wars from erupting, which may damage the Kickstarter campaign.    We've all chosen to contribute to the project because we believe in the team and want the product to succeed.    Block yourself from any possible negative feedback, and you just end up like that couple with the restaurant who blocks out all criticism immediately as words from haters, and become blind to when you might actually are doing some crappy work.

I am still hoping they soon release more information as well, to at least show us how confident they are with the product so many of us have already pledged money to pay for.


This, for example, was a nice thing to get.  It is a tangible example of how some changes in direction are happening.  Fourteen Updates so far, and we've had some fiction, some artwork, a table of contents, and two merits.   I really just hope to see more in the days to come.

I trust in you, guys.
But I need you to trust in your material, and send us some trust in you system notes.

System Shopped: Musou Gauge - Exalted

The Musou Meter from Dynasty Warriors
System Shopped: Exalted
by Tobie Abad

Fans of the smashfest Dynasty Warriors (and similar games such as Sengoku Basara and Samurai Warriors) will recall the presence of what is known as the Musou system. The term Musou is a Japanese word that means "The Only One" or "Prominent" or "Without Equal" and is a direct translation of the Chinese term Wushuang.  In the games, it is a bar known as the Musou Guage underneath the player's hit points that accumulates as you attack and are attacked in battle.  When full, the bar can be expended to unleash special moves that devastate opponents.  There are even variations, such as the True Musou, which can only be unleashed when health is extremely low (or with a signature weapon equipped) and Team or Double Musou, which happens when you activate your Musou attack at the same time a team mate does and is within your vicinity.

Each character has a "unique" musou attack, which can make for wild and varied looks during the game itself.   In the Exalted game, be it first or second edition, the closest thing to a Musou attack is the Combo System, given each Exalted has a set of charms to use, but can only access them within a single turn at the same time when they are placed in a Combo.  Given Exalted's crunchiness, there are already loads of existing systems that are present to represent awesome attacks.

At the most basic, the Musou effects are NEVER subtle.  Anima banners SHOULD flare when they are used, just like any other combo.

Here are some ideas on how to incorporate the Musou idea into your Exalted games:

Version 1:  The Musou Combo
The player can designate a Musou Combo, which follows the same rules as normal combo building.  This combo, however, will not be purchased with Experience points.  Instead, it can only freely be unleashed whenever the player has gathered enough in his Musou Meter.

The Musou Meter fills up one bar for each level of base damage the player character receives.   (Note that base damage is what is tracked, not the actual damage received after soak and armor.) The Musou Meter is twenty bars long, typically (so Exalts with lots of additional health levels through charms as well as defensive charms will be able to better fill up the Musou bar without the risk of getting Incapacitated before it can be used. )   Once the Meter is filled up, the player can declare that his character is using the Musou combo as his action for that turn (again, following normal combo rules).  Activating a Musou combo costs neither essence nor WP, just the Musou Meter's accumulated amount for its most basic use, with additional essence and Will power only being spent if one uses the combo's full extent.    So a combo with a variable multiple-action charm, a single base attack, and two reflexive defenses, when activated allow the single base attack to be used for free.  If during that combo, the player wished to use the additional attacks, and reflexive defenses, he can pay the essence costs for those as normal.

A Musou Combo is a singular kind of combo, which can be "modified" by adding or removing charms at the cost of 1xp per charm modified in such a manner.  A Musou Combo cannot be part of a combo.

Version 2: The Musou Meter
The player can have a Musou Meter, which accumulates bars equal to the amount of actual damage the player receives in combat.  The Meter can have a total of bars equal to double the player's health levels.  Each time the Meter is completely filled the player can consume the meter completely for a single turn where he can activate any charms or combos with "free essence" equal to his actual Peripheral Essence Pool.  This basically means that's one turn where all Essence costs are "ignored" since they do not touch his actual pool. The amount of "free essence" he can spend, however, is still limited by his actual Peripheral Essence Pool maximum, so this avoids having some player claim he can do "infinite" attacks with his infinite pool.    The Musou Meter, however, does not replace the need for Will Power to be spent for Will power costs.

Version 3: Team Musou
The Musou Meter is a meter that gains one bar as it tracks every damage you inflict, as well as every amount of base damage you receive during combat.  The Musou Meter has fifty bars to fill up.  Once filled up, the Musou Meter can be spent in two ways:

First, the Meter can be spent to supercharge one's existing charms or combos.  This simply means during that turn, the essence costs for a charm or combo used in that turn are waived, with the maximum amount waived being equal to the player character's maximum Peripheral Essence Pool.

Secondly, the Meter can be spent at the same time another player character (to a maximum of three player characters) within 4 yards does so.  This activates the Team Musou attack.  All players can then unleash a charm or a combo as above, with the essence costs being waived following the rules above.   In addition, if they are attacking the SAME target that moment, both attacking Exalted have their dice cap maximums doubled for that turn.  Solars can gain (Attribute + Ability) x  2 dice from charms for their attack, for instance.    This is the True Triple Team Musou Attack.    It is said that when someone with Essence Sight watches these Exalts, lighting chains of Essence can be seen between them, as if heralding the coming team assault.


All in all, the idea was to bring the crazy and wild Musou system from video games into the table top game.  Granted, some will feel this isn't appropriate for Exalted.  Others will even question if its additional was necessary, given Exalted is already flashy and fun.  But hey, it was a fun idea to toy with and I feel given how Exalted pushes the meter over 11, why not add something even more crazy dangerous?

The Epic : Exalted e02

08/11/2012
The Epic
Exalted

The second session of the game opens with Maseta Amarilis (played by Mahar) finding a tomb in the desert that contains an artifact that once belonged to her.  The 60 yard long corridor was flanked by numerous stone guardians.  At the corridor's terminus is a glass case containing a gleaming pair of Orichalcum hatchets known as : Lightning Torment Hatchets. Throwing a dagger, with hopes of making a line to cross without touching the ground, the guardians move and slice the blade into shattered pieces.  Realizing she would have to try something more dangerous, the former assassin runs the gauntlet, leaping into the shadow of each guardian and utilizing her Perfect Defense Dodge charm to evade each time her leaps launched her headlong into trouble.  At the end of the corridor, she found herself facing an Essence construct of her former self who reveals to her the name her Solar essence once held in the First Age, M'randa, as well as one additional fact:  She had killed her First Age husband.

Enos Ragara (played by Urim) on the other hand finds himself lost in a dream where he witnesses a falling star crash just meters from where he stands.  A starmetal box gleams in the crater and a strange spider-like thing addresses him using fragments of his memories to forge words to ask for his identity.  The name comes to him without thinking: Dominus.  The box unfurls into a cloth which the spider drags with it as it launches itself back to the heavens.  Enos finds on the floor a majestic Orichalcum crown.  Wearing it, he feels the immense power behind the artifact as well as the three hearthstones still attached to it.  He muses on the words of the spider:  Delivery successful.  Promise delivered.  End transaction.  And wakes up to find himself back in camp with the crown still on his head.

It has been a few days since their frightening self-discovery (the last game) and Maseta, her husband Dargo, her stylist Hugo Voss, and Enos Ragara have opted to camp out in the desert to collect their thoughts on the fact they were now these so-called Anathema.   In the years that followed the return of the Scarlet Empress, the Wyld Hunt had been injected with a fresh new surge of inspiration and resources in their work.  At the cost of many of the Realm's known heroes, it was believed that all the Anathema in Creation had been wiped out.  The frightening shape changing mutants of the Wyld were destroyed.  The dark bloody infernal things of the Underworld and the other world were purified and buried.  The mechanical monstrosities from the floating city were disassembled.  And the golden deceivers of the demonic horde were hunted down, chased to the ground, and slain.  Creation, for the longest time, had become a peaceful and relatively safe haven for mortals and Dynasts alike.

But now, the four struggled with awakening memories of their First Age lives, of the truths whispered by the Unconquered Sun, and of the fact that even now as these diabolical Anathema, they all still felt like themselves.  Only more powerful.  Only more skilled and dangerous.

Enos wakes to see Maseta staring at him, pondering on where the naked old sheriff had found the gaudy crown on his head.  Dargo woke to see the two, feeling pangs of jealousy to see his wife standing beside a naked man.  But all three quickly realized Hugo was missing, and with Enos' keen sight, the group realized the young Stylist was far away in the desert and in danger.  Leaping onto horses (Maseta rode with her husband, having no skill with riding any steed), the three bounded to see what their friend had gotten himself into.

The young man was at the entrance of another tomb in the desert, and his hands were seemingly focused on some kind of motions that suggested the use of Sorcery.  Closing in on him were two massive armored forms:  Warstriders.  And both bore the crest of the Wyld hunt.  The first was of red jade, and flame danced around its fortified frame.  The second, still airborne, was blue, and held a massive jade spear.   And above both floated a massive airship of House Mnemon.

Quickly, Enos fired his flame piece with his Righteous Devil Style empowering the assault.  Maseta, on the other hand, was thrown by Dargo towards the airship in a bid to delay further reinforcements.  The red Warstrider closed in to attack, taking minimal damage from Enos' initial attack.  Unfortunately, Enos took the Daiklave to the chest and fell down after his failed attempt to dodge the swing.  Bleeding profusely, the Solar of the Dawn caste reconsidered his approach.  Maseta pulled herself closer, but allowed her hatchets to remain extended, spinning like a ball of blades towards the airship.  Tearing through the tarpaulin balloon that kept the ship aloft, she maneuvered her fall to land onto the deck of the ship.  Dargo caught the red Warstrider's attack, and with a strength he never knew he had, ripped the arm and weapon away from the Dragonblooded warrior whose name, it was revealed was Cynis Avaku.  The blue Warstrider closed in on Maseta and unleashed an incredible sonic attack which Maseta thankfully escaped from.  It became clear that in the blue Warstrider was the last remaining Immaculate Monk, Pheleps Deled.

And on the airship, stepping out to face Maseta, was Menmon herself.  In her hands, a chain swung which suspended a crucible that released a green mist.

Enos rose, ignoring his injury, and called out to all present.  Unveiling his Anima Banner, that of a massive golden horse rearing at the gathered, Enos demanded that all leave or face their deaths at his hands.  With the Crown of Thunders empowering his words and his Caste Power further increasing its potency, the Dragonblooded all began to feel the fear that would overtake their sensibilities.  Even Cynis Avaku failed against the fear and began to retreat.  Pheleps Deled, however, resisted and prepared another assault upon the still casting Hugo.

Mnemon smirked upon seeing Maseta and allowed the Crucible to drop onto the deck of the ship.  Maseta, knowing Sorcery is always trouble, kicked a body off the ship to use as a landing platform and escape.  Hugo's protective shield shatters upon Deled's assault, and the combined efforts of Enos and Dargo thankfully distract the Dynast long enough for Hugo's Sorcery to succeed.  From the ground, a golden barge erupts and begins to rise.   At the same time, from the green clouds on the Mnemon airship, a massive tower also erupts and upon it, a titanic Demon from Malfeas itself.

As Dargo continues to rip Deled's armor to pieces, Enos decides it would be best to take a strategic retreat. Maseta wisely uses her Hatchets to pull Dargo back to the vessel, but not before Deled strikes Dargo and paralyzes him into a useless state.  While the odds seemed stacked still on Mnemon's favor, to the incomplete Circle's surprise, she instead calls Deled to pull back, holds her Demon from attacking and throws Enos a scroll case with information on various weapon caches of House Mnemon.  The group flies off further into the desert thankful their lives remain intact.

Days pass and the group considered where to hide.  Hugo suggests at first hiding in the last place the enemy would look (the Blessed Isle) but his suggestion is quickly shot down.  The group decides Nexus would help, and Maseta's connection to the Guild can be used to further their plans.  But when the group discusses how Dargo and Maseta's Daughter remains in Chairoscuro and might be taken hostage to lure them back, the group opts to head there immediately to try to steal her away.

Their plan is sound.  Dargo and Maseta enter the city, with Maseta in disguise.  The two planned to get to their daughter and escape with her back to the ship.  But none of them anticipated that a huge party was being held in their home, and their daughter was auctioning all their belongings away.  With Dargo opting to stay hidden in the alleyways, fearing being recognized, Maseta attends the event after filching another guest's invitation.  Inside, she finds her daughter proudly speaking of her father, and all their belongings being sold for charity.  To Maseta's horror, her daughter Raya turns out to be under the guardianship of "Uncle" Orus, the Guildmaster leader Maseta used to work for.  Eventually convincing both under the guise of being another far-forgotten relative, to meet with her in private, Maseta was on the verge of  revealing her true nature when Orus grabs hold of the Solar and pulls them both out of the scene.  Raya blinks and convinces herself she must have dozed off, having no recollection of the meeting having taken place.

Enos remains bothered of the vision his Scrying Stone shows him, and goes to a nearby pub to try to forget about things.  But soon, he hears sirens of alarm (or declaration?) and runs outside to see the night sky illuminated by what seems to be a fleet of airships.  He realizes the others may be in danger and decides to rush there to see how he can help.

The fleet turns out to be the Scarlet Empress.  And she has come to collect her newly adopted daughter: Raya.

In the garden, Maseta and Orus exchange harsh words.  Orus admits he set things in motion, bringing the four to a fated moment when they would meet.  But when Maseta demands explanations, Orus refuses to answer, admitting he can only help them so much.  And that their destiny lies in finding the fifth Solar. There are only five Solar Essences left in Creation.  And only when all five are united can things become better.

Maseta demands a name, but Orus explains either they find that out on their own and still have his help when he can, or he tells her the answer and can no longer assist in any way.  Orus insists Raya will be safest with the Empress.  She demands and answer and he gives it:  The Final Solar is the Scarlet Empress.  And upon uttering those words, Orus is assailed by spider spirits that emerge out of nowhere, and devour him away.  So utterly destroyed is he that Maseta soon finds herself wondering why she is crying for someone she cannot remember.

She escapes the house, even with the Dragon-blooded all present.  Enos ignites a massive fire to distract the Dragon-blooded, and Maseta launches her Hatchet away to divert all Essence-seeking Dynasts to a wrong path.  And as they all regroup in the ship, the couple wonders if Raya is truly safer where they left her, and what to do now given their paths will require them to face with the greatest Dragon-blooded of them all.

*

Yep, told you this will be epic.
And yes, I know canonically, there are many contradictions in this tale with the system, but hey, fun goes before system as far as I am concerned.  With this session, the players now have a greater understanding of the immensity of the story and access to any Artifacts they may need.  The players received additional experience points and free dots of permanent Essence to reflect their concentrated Solar Essences.

Orus clearly was Sidereal. And while the Scarlet Empress may be the final threat they have to face, the players are now considering what role Mnemon may play to help or hinder them as the game progresses.  They do raid the weapon caches, and find no ambush party or traps waiting for them, much to their surprise. The group easily muses that Mnemon might be making another gambit for the throne, and is hoping to use them as the weapon to defeat the Scarlet Empress.

Oh, Dargo and Maseta had some nice fun moments talking about their past lives, and Maseta admitted she supposedly killed her First Age husband - a fact they misunderstood to mean she killed Dargo in the past.  It was later revealed in game that Dargo's First Age name was Daisen, which confused Maseta.  Because Maseta's First Age husband was named Swan.

Enos and Hugo were discussing how Hugo was effeminate because he had grown used to acting that way.  He is obsessed with women and as it turns out, used to just act gay to be able to fondle them and not get smacked in the face.  During their discussion, he admits his First Age name to be Swan and immediately angrily chides, "What kind of man would ever embrace something so girly and frilly as a... oh wait..."  The irony wasn't lost to them.

Lastly, Enos' vision showed many things, but admittedly, I can't quite recall what parts of my plot I revealed and what I haven't.  So rather than risk posting stuff that I didn't actually give the players yet, I'll have to remain mum on that for now.

So, till the next Epic episode!

The Epic : Exalted e01

08/06/2012
The Epic
Exalted

Gaming remains one of my deepest and strongest passions.

Thankfully, tonight, I was able to run another game.  While the weather conditions were less than ideal, and it did require me to trek all the way to Katipunan, it was great being able to co-write another story with friends and add a bit of interactive drama and action without the worries of someone getting hurt. :-)

Urim and Mahar were my players and we had a session of Exalted: An Epic.  In this story, Urim plays Enos Ragara, a frontier sheriff who struggles to find a solution to their town suffering from an intense drought.  His family, an offshot of the Ragara Dragonblood line, moved to the frontier in a bid to escape the bigotry and cruelty they felt the Dynasty maintained.  But when the town shaman is found dead with one of his son's holding the murder weapon, the investigation leads to Urim learning that his son and wife have long been keeping a dark secret from him.  And that he himself may be one of the so-called Anathema as well.

Mahar, in this story, plays Maseta Amarilis, a former assassin of the Guild who had retired in hopes of finding a more fulfilling life.  But being married and with a child did not seem enough, so when the Guild Master asked her for one more mission, she felt more than ready to dive back in.  Infiltrating the tomb beneath the house of an old friend, Mahar learned of her Anathema nature and successfully steals an old brass timepiece which gives her a glimpse of the future.  A future where an old frontier sheriff dies from the maw of a massive tyrant lizard.

Mahar and her husband and stylist travel to the frontier and successfully stop the Tyrant Lizard from killing Urim.  But in the act, two more Anathema inadvertently reveal their natures.  Mahar's husband, and her stylist, also happen to be Solar Exalted just like them.  And while the four muse on where the fifth one could be, (as the stylist exclaimed, "There were always five weren't there?") none are aware that the Scarlet Empress, who had come back and retaken her throne, had detected their presence through the Realm's Defense Grid, and had called for her Valkyries to bring the Solars down.

The game is set in a time when the Scarlet Dynasty had recovered, the Empress had returned, and the Wyld Hunt had successfully destroyed practically all of the Anathema in the World.  And using the Eye of Authocton, any new resurrections were detected and immediately destroyed.

Welcome to Exalted: The Epic.

*

This game was really a stress-release game for me.  In as much as an epic tale is in the works, I didn't bother to push for heavy drama like I normally do in my games.  Instead, this game flowed more like an episode of Naruto or Berserk with lots of innuendos, crazy antics and modern touches to give the medieval a twist.    Inspirations for the game ranged from shows like Alias to references from Cowboys and Aliens.

The Husband of Maseta was pretty much your perfect guy.  Handsome, big bodies and shy towards women.  Always good natured and very helpful, to the point of looking lost and bewildered when insulted.  An epitome of the Dawn Caste, Dargo Mag is a man of incredible strength and unbelievable power.  At one point, he hoists up a boulder clearly five times his height over his shoulder to clobber a tyrant lizard that was trying to climb out of a fissure in the earth.

The Sylist of Maseta was this squeaky little effeminate man named Hugo Voss, who claims his parents named him out of a joke.  He is a visionary, having invented Stiletto heels and a corset for Maseta to show of and at one point even suggests to Maseta (prior to realizing she was also, like him, an Exalted) to show of a new fashion look inspired by the Anathema given that they were all wiped out by the Scarlet Dynasty.

I anticipate the game will have five episodes at the most.  Unlike most of my games, here, episodes will not directly connect to the last one.  Instead there will always be an amount of downtime between game sessions to help further the explanation for experience adjustments.  This first game session had the players Exalting for the first time, so they barely had a clear understanding of what charms or caste they have.  Game session two will definitely move things forward with them having better understanding of their power levels.

One this is for certain, a showdown with the Scarlet Empress is most likely the way this game will end... unless there's someone else really behind the scenes moving things around.

Trails : Exalted

02/17/2012
TRAILS
Exalted

A young archer named Diegolas wakes up hanging for his life on a cliff's edge.  Caught in his Orichalcum Powerbow, which he holds with his other hand, is an unconscious red-haired woman.  A quick scan of the surroundings reveals several dead bodies of soldiers, a scattered handful of still living ones that fight on, and four massive demonic bears.  Just beyond his line of sight is a shadowy figure that sticks to the concealed vantage point, waiting for the right moment to strike at the supernatural creatures.    This was the opening sequence to a one-shot Exalted demo game that I ran for my new office mates in the company I just landed a gig in.   Quickly, the game progressed with Diegolas slowly regaining memories of how events lead to this current battle.  Images return of how his services were acquired by the women of this tiny town in hopes of helping them assassinate a woman whom they all deemed to be an evil witch.

The woman arrived at the town some time back, and practically overnight all of the men in the town began to fawn over her and devote their services to her.  When the women convened in secret to discuss what they could do to stop the witch, a hooded man named Kendrow stepped out of the shadows and offered his services.  Only Samantha, the red-haired pseudo-leader of the women recognized Kendrow as the golden-flamed demon that they had just chased out of the town some months back.  She found herself trusting in him, however, and the two eventually sought for an archer to help balance out the group in the assassination attempt.

Alas, destiny would not be on their side that night.  As they made their approach to the mountain where the witch was residing at, the young archer peered with his essence-fueled sight towards the mountain and found the Witch already aware of their approach.  His fatal mistake of not warning the rest of the group that the Witch was already expecting them lead to over 70% of their small army being devastated in the initial assault.  A demon bear would then later hurl both Samantha and the young Diegolas over the end, and it was only his luck that would save him.

It would later be much more apparent how evil this Witch was.  Utilizing a simulacrum, she lures the heroes to a specific peak, then unleashed pre-planned sorcery to bring the mountain down upon them in an avalanche!  It takes both Diego's fiery arrows and Kendrow's Cascade of Cutting Terror to mow down clear areas for them to survive the assault.  This avalanche, alas, would then be revealed to be just an opening salvo as the Witch then invokes "Death by Obsidian Butterflies" upon the three.    With both Exalts preoccupied, death was coming to take their lives.

It was that moment Samantha Exalts, and in her panic, calls upon the Heavenly Guardian's Defense to block the incoming salvo with the chopping knife in her hands.  Through teamwork and magnificent stunts, the Exalts eventually slay the Witch, cutting her into a hundred pieces that scatter across the battlefield.

*

Six months later, a lone monk fleeing from the Elemental Dragons chances upon a silent town.  Inside, all the men seemingly are forlorn and depressed.  All the women seem anxious upon seeing him, but flee whenever three figures wearing dark cloaks, bandages around their extremities and bird like masks are visibly watching them.  The bird people eventually confront the monk and demand him to leave his weapons.  Guided by the Unconquered Sun, the monk learns that the three are tainted in some manner and that only by killing one of them will the curse upon the town be lifted.

Not willing to act rashly, the monk learns more of the town's plight and soon learns the three bird people were the heroes who tried to free the town from the Witch in the past.  With the Curse afflicted on them, they are forced to wear these costumes to protect them from the Sun's unforgiving gaze, which now burns their very flesh.  When the Sun once more reminds him killing one will free them all, he opts to challenge the bird people to a duel to free the town of its curse.  Samantha agrees.

The two fight, with massive shows of power and skill.  And at one last instance, the monk finds an opening and moves in to strike Samantha.  He blinds her with his own blood and hears the Unconquered Sun demand she be killed now for the rest of the people to be free.   He reminds the monk, who always ignored the Unconquered Sun's urgings, that nothing has happened without a reason.  And that he should see now the importance in being more charismatic and social than the battle tank he currently is now.

The monk stays the killing blow, and drags Samantha to the shade.  The Sun beams down and uses the monk as a channel, unleashing a Solar sorcery cleansing spell to bring the town back to its feet.

*

Months pass.  The town is prosperous and Samantha now rules as its mayor.  Her Dawn caste skills easily guide her in making her people strong.  The monk has become an influential high priest, and now worship towards the Unconquered Sun grows stronger each day.  Kendrow watches the town in secret, fading all hint of his existence to myth.  He still suspects the Witch somehow had a spy who tipped her off of their approach during that assault one year back.  He watches silently.  Carefully.  

And the young archer Diegolas peers at the surrounding area of the town every day.  He peers during the day searching for any signs of the Scarlet Empire sending men to the town.  But at night, he finds his sleep troubled with nightmares and dreams.  He awakens and fearfully fights the urge to gaze at the mountain once more.  He fears he will look and see the Witch once again staring back at him.  What if she had another Simulacrum, after all?  What if she still lives?

He peers one last time and sees an owl staring back.  With his charms guiding the arrow, he strikes at it with an arrow that knows no distance.  The owl falls dead.

*

And in the shadows of the wood, a woman emerges, picks up the dead bird, and feasts on its heart.  The woman whispers a prayer for the dead owl and promises, "You will be avenged."

And then the woman becomes the owl.

And flies towards the town.

* 

Special thanks to James Lo and his kid Diego, as well as Alex (I think his name is) who were part of this game.  This was one of many demo game sessions I plan to hold at the new office I am part of, Indigo Entertainment.

Demo games always have the challenge of having to teach the game and run it within a very limited amount of time.  In this case, I only had two to three hours to run the whole game.  Adding to that complication was a third player joining in on the third act (the monk joined the game after the two players killed the Witch, which originally was the planned ending of the game).  So quickly my brain added a finale to the story, wherein we see the Curse, the monk and hints of the Lunars to come in the future.

All in all, I'd like to think people really enjoyed the game.

Five Inspirations: Exalted

Here are a few sources of inspiration that I found for Exalted, which aren't the usual Wuxia movie types.

Clive Barker's Abarat

Ridley Scott's Legend

David Mack's Kabuki

The Adjustment Bureau

Immortal (Ad Vitam) by Enki Bilal

System Shopped: The Cathedral of Flesh - Exalted

Cathedrals of Flesh Everywhere...
System Shopped: Exalted
by Tobie Abad
January 2012

This article is the second variant of the classic World of Darkness' Cathedral of Flesh; a place so infamously disturbing it is mentioned in the Dark Ages setting, the Modern setting and even in the Time of Judgment books as well as the Bloodlines Redemption videogame.

Wouldn't you, as a storyteller, want to have something similar for your games?

For this entry, allow me to present:

The Cathedral of Flesh
for Exalted
In a hidden valley deep within the desert in the South, lies a town that defies explanation.  No, water does not burn in this town.   No, people do not live forever in this town.  No, the Unconquered Sun is not the worshiped deity in this town.  No, Exalted inhabitants are not the norm in this place.  What makes the town of Castellar different is how they protect themselves from any threats that come to their assault their walls.  


When the Fair Folk raiders pound upon the town's walls...
When the Wyld beasts stalk upon the town's people...
When the Dynasts flash their banners and demand service...


The town of Castellar realizes the threat has come and as one, call upon their faith to aid and protect them.   United in their valor and empowered by their compassion the townsfolk feel their love for their town embrace them and gift them with the ability to defend themselves.  They move, scaling upon each others arms, gathering into towers, into spires, into walls, and become a living Cathedral of Flesh and with a united front face the threat as one massive champion.
A living Warstrider made of the people themselves:

The Cathedral of Flesh.


Isn't that too fantastic?
In a world where a swordsman can slice apart a storm, or a thief can sneak past a guard by timing his movements to his eye blinks, I don't think so.  The town of Castellar benefits from an ancient pact that exists upon the very ground their town stands.  Amusingly, no one in the town is still aware of this long forgotten lore.  They only know that when a threat comes, and they choose to defend it, the town itself somehow empowers them to do so.   In many ways, the town embodies all four Virtues in an incredible balance and for some Silver Falcons, this very balance may be key to what allows them to do this incredible feat.

The truth, however, is far more fantastic.
The very ground the town is built upon is an ancient Fair Folk that had fallen in love with an Exalted of the Twilight Caste.  And the very foundations of the town were shaped with the late Exalted's ashes.  During a time when the South still mostly engulfed by the Wyld, the Exalt and the Raksha faced off in a competition of Lore and Legend.  The two traded stories, each one attempting to out-do the other in sharing tales of the triumph of Virtue over Vice.  But at one point, the Exalted found himself so engrossed in sharing his invented tale of a town whose very people were able to call upon the ancient spell Unity of the Closed Fist, he failed to realize months had passed since his last meal.  Dying from starvation, but lost in how enthralled the beautiful Raksha was to his tale, the Exalt continued to tell it without concern for his own dwindling life.  When he ended his story, the Raksha then realized she had fallen in love with the tale and rather than find a way to compete against it, expanded on it instead in her own way.  She shared how the envious she felt of such a populace and spoke of how a Fair Lady found the town and gifted them with all her Graces.  She shared tales of how the town grew to become so united in love and passion that they literally became the town itself.  It was only after the Raksa finally declared "The End" that she realized the Exalt, whose name was Cas, had died.  And it was in remembrance of a tale so moving that she, whose name now was to be Tellar, converted his ashes to the foundations of the town, then surrendered all her Graces to fill the town with all the laughter, dedication and loving patience that their story spoke of.

Visitors of Castellar would find the town to be rich in Essence.  While there are no Exalted residents in the city, everyone seems to have been gifted with the merit: Awakened Essence.  Strangely, however, the towns folk are neither Blooded nor Exalted and seem to be incapable of using or tapping into their essence reserves in any manner.  The townsfolk age as normal, and require food, rest, and air just like any other being.

Given the fact the town exits in no maps and somehow remains unconnected to any other towns or cities in Creation, outsiders who chance upon the town tend to by accident or only after being rescued from death in the desert by members of the townsfolk itself.  The town welcomes all travelers who come to its door with no clear intentions of violence.  Dynasts have, in the past, visited the town and found the place to the very least disturbing.  Most who have left peacefully, however, find that they are unable to locate the town ever again.  It is almost as if the town's existence sits inside a pocket of the Deep Wyld itself.

There are manses in the town.  And while all townsfolk seem to have a religion of their own (They venerate the town itself, Castellar, and speak of it as if it in terms as if it were literally alive) they seem to have no issue in seeing all existing manses, regardless of their Elemental or Exalted affinities, as blessings from Castellar.  They trade openly with magical materials and welcome the use of Realm bits and obols, seeing their value based on the fact they are made of Jade.  When confronted with mentions of other religions, most Castellar townfolk respectfully smile and share, "It is good you too have someone to believe in."  They rarely engage in debate.

Castellar City Attributes
Population: 20,000 at most
Exalted Population: None
A Magnitude 3 Dominion
Military: 1 Culture: 3 Government: 1
Abilities:  Bureaucracy (Diplomacy +1) 3, Craft 3, Integrity 3 (Self Sustaining +1), Performance 2, Stealth 4
Virtues:  Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 3, Valor 3
Virtue Flaw:  Valor  Current Limit: 2
Willpower: 5

The Cathedral of Flesh:
When the populace gather to protect their town, their collective desire to protect Castellar becomes an unconscious invocation of the Solar Spell, "Unity of the Closed Fist", with the whole population of awakened  Essence individuals being part of the spell.  Every single person gathers and begins to form a massive towering figure that stands 30 feet tall and almost 45 feet wide, much like an armored knight with massive tower-like arms and legs composed of flesh and empowered with Essence.  Their bodies are enveloped by a prismatic glow that shimmers with essence and the Cathedral moves as directed by the collective with the intent to defend their town.  The Cathedral has no other weapons (unlike most Warstriders, that carry weapons with them) save for the main bell tower where its "head" stands.

If the town is attacked and Exalted player characters are present in the town, the player character of a Solar Exalted of the Twilight caste is automatically chosen to be its pilot.  If there are more than one, then the Twilight with the strongest Essence.  If no Twilight is present, then which ever Exalt has the strongest Essence rating is given first dibs to pilot the Warstrider, down to the weakest.  If no one pilots it, then the Cathedral acts independently as per the Storyteller's decisions.

Speed: 10 (dash 30)/20 mph
Maneuverability: -6R (Lore 1, Ride 2)
Endurance: If driven, the Exalted must commit 12 motes of Essence to control the Warstrider.    Otherwise, the Warstrider remains active for one full scene and is controlled independently by the townsfolk.
Crew: 1
Cargo: None. But other Exalted can "ride" on its shoulders.
Armor: 30L/30B (Hardness: 18L/16B)
Health Levels: Ux10/Mx5/Cx5/Ix5/D
Weapons:
The Heart of the Cathedral Bell 
Usable only once per scene, the Heart of the Cathedral Bell is the ultimate defense of the town against Fair Folk threats.  When activated, the whole vicinity of the town becomes enveloped in a long extended toll that physically manifests as a golden sphere encasing the town.  While contained, everyone inside the sphere is completely protected from the effects of the Wyld.  In addition, both the Warstrider and its pilot gain give dice to resist any Charms used by one of the Fair Folk.  In all intents and purposes, the Bell is identical in function to a Wonderous Globe of Precious Stability (The Book of Sorcery, Vol 1: Wonders of the Lost Age), save for the fact it exists only during the Cathedral of Flesh's manifestation, and it does not require a hearthstone nor commitment to use.
Charms Tapped:
While the Cathedral of Flesh is active, the Exalted pilot can use the following Warstrider AI charms.
Essence Bite (p.146) and Spirit-Cutting (p.147)

The Warstrider is considered to have a Strength of 20.
Hand to Hand statistics are as follows:
Cathedral of Flesh Punch   Speed 6  Accuracy 0 Damage +12L* Defense +4 Rate 2
Cathedral of Flesh Kick     Speed 8 Accuracy 0 Damage +20L* Defense 0 Rate 1

*Treat as piercing against all inanimate objects

With every health level of damage lost by the Warstider, however, an estimated twenty to fifty people are brutally killed, taking mortal wounds that the magic of the spell cannot deflect.  This loss of life is, however, respectably celebrated in Castellar.  Such people are remembers are great heroes and their families are honored for their contribution to the protection of the town.

The idea was clearly inspired by two things:  The first was the story by Clive Barker called "In the Hills, the Cities" where a couple bear witness to a mind-warping event as two cities literally rise up to war with each other.  The other was the human towers in Spain that seem to be a fun cultural thing they do.  Wikipedia has a nice entry on the Castell.

In later entries, I shall share other variants of this monstrosity for other game lines.
Enjoy the horror!

The End Of All Sorrows : Exalted

Before 2009
The End Of All Sorrows
Exalted

The Time of Tumult had long passed.

Creation was now in the struggle to survive. With the Dynastic Houses now in civil war to take the empty throne of the long missing Empress, the Deathlords have revealed themselves in an coup to conquer Creation. But neither Deathlord nor Dynast foresaw the coming of the Locust Crusade and their attempts to consume resources for the survival of their Hungry God.

The world's fate now rests in a gathering of nobility, vagrants and criminals all Chosen by long forgotten Gods. Will the gathered find a way past their personal and petty bickering to work together and save the world?

Shall they be lead us through The End Of All Sorrows?

This was one of the few Exalted campaigns that I ran which actually did reach an ending.  Most games either die out due to real life responsibilities or end up getting discontinued after the story gets overly complicated with too many layers of parallel plots.    This one thankfully reached a massive climactic ending.  So I thank Aldwin, Awie, Marco, Sam and Seth for being in this game.

Commanded by his master, Voice in the Mist journeys Creation to gather 5 strangers and offer them a choice: Work with the Deathknight in destroying the other deathlords and in return, the Chosen will be given the legendary weaknesses of all the deathlords.

Though most suspect a trap, the possibility of removing 12 of the 13 Deathlords is a chance that cannot be ignored. Why deal with 13 when you can reduce them to 1 single Deathlord who may be easier to rein in?

Gathering the various characters from Nexus, the wildnerness and Sijan, the Abyssal leads them all to a patch of shadowland close to the Spires of Pyrron and communes with his master for guidance.

Though it is clear that the Abyssal serves a Deathlord, it is quite unsure if he serves the one he claims to serve.

Tremendously comprehensive chronicle page here.