My First Exalted character [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

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Arti3

2010-02-26, 05:46 PM

TheCountAlucard

2010-02-26, 05:49 PM

So far? Not shabby. :smallsmile: Your Attributes look like you did 'em right (in fact, my Dawn Caste has the exact same layout, Attribute-wise), and the Abilities look appropriate.

Tengu_temp

2010-02-26, 06:00 PM

No Resources mean that you don't have anything, maybe beyond some filthy rags. You should put some points here.

Looks socially crippled. Could use at least Presence for intimidating criminals. Integrity is good for resisting attempts at manipulation or breaking, too.

No Lore means you can't read. Unless that's your intent, put at least 1 dot here. Similarily, lack of Linguistics will hurt you if the campaign will take you anywhere but the place where you live.

You don't need both Archery and Thrown, you will most likely use only one of these anyway. Put these points somewhere else.

Lochar

2010-02-26, 06:28 PM

With only one three dot Artifact, you're lacking something for two of your fighting capibilities. Alternately, it means you have either no armor or a weapon.

I second getting a couple of dots into Resources, so you can at least afford a mortal weapon or two.

No Lore or Linguistics means you only speak the language where you come from, and you can't read it.

You'll need to list out what group you have Influence with. It's not just Influence all over Creation. Contacts the same.

I'd suggest picking which of Thrown/Archery you like better, and reallocating the other points. 1 to Lore, 2 to either Integrity or Presence. You might want to consider using a BP or two to shore up the other.

My suggestion is, sadly enough, drop Thrown. For a standard game with no homebrew, there's just not really any good Thrown artifacts, and especially none made of Orichalcum. And since you have no Occult, you're not likely to manage attuning to another magical material very easily.

Otherwise, let's see what the rest of it looks like.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 12:51 PM

Updated... I'm working on a backstory where he was just a normal merchant, wife and daughter, going through the motions of life, not really liking the Empire for several reasons, when some guards kill his wife and daughter after doing some unspeakable things. When he finds out, all he remembers is a shining golden light. After that, the guards where dead. He was covered in blood. He buried his wife and child, leaving the guards, and running. He ran for a long time. When he finally stopped running, he felt calm. A breeze played through the air. He found a blue tower, and it was calling his name. The door was locked, but when he put his hand on the door, he heard ancient First Age mechanisms grinding and groaning. The door opened and he stepped inside. Inside, he found many artifacts of ages past, and he felt their familiarity. He found a little money, and used it to buy a house in a nearby town. After disguising himself, he started "living" in the town while secretly staying at his windy tower. When he cannot sleep, he roams the town on the roofs, silent as a shadow. Whenever he finds injustice, he fixes it. It is his call to aid those that need him most.
[Edit] He also found a brown stone inset to his bow, but cannot find where the manse is. Another quest for him.

Lochar

2010-02-27, 01:17 PM

1: All your virtues start out at 1 dot. You get 5 dots to spread around, if I remember correctly. I know you get more than 3, however.

2: You get 10 Charms, so you can pick up 4 more. I'd go with a Presence Excellency(First, most likely), Ox-Body Technique, and a couple others of your choice.

3: Committed Essence is your own Essence, personal or peripheral, you commit to make your artifacts work as intended. Without committing essence, you don't get any real bonuses out of them. Orichalcum chainmail will weigh about 20-30 pounds and has the stopping power of normal chainmail. Diaklaves will nearly snap your wrists, etc. You commit essence to them to draw their latent abilities out and make them work better. You also get specific bonuses based on what magical material it is, if it resonates with you.

Sanguine

2010-02-27, 01:21 PM

Kylarra

2010-02-27, 01:24 PM

The distinct lack of Ox-body Technique makes me sad, you'll want at least one of those. Maybe Body Mending Meditation, depending on your ST. I'd pick up some stuff to do that isn't related to combat, definitely. Right now your character is pretty limited on that front. Also grab a perfect defense. You'll thank me later.

I'd actually not worry too much about resources. One dot is fine, and you're a Solar, so you can always awesome your way into more.

Yuki Akuma

2010-02-27, 01:26 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't fighting for Justice connected to Compassion? If I'm remembering correctly with your motivation you should have a higher Compassion then 1 since 1 Compassion means your a Heartless Bastard(or close to it anyway).

You do not have to be compassionate to believe in Justice.

Justice without compassion is scary, but it exists.

Sophismata

2010-02-27, 01:30 PM

Justice without compassion is scary, but it exists.
Indeed. (Warning: Very slightly NSFW. I hadn't ever noticed until posting it here.)

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2640/ulric.jpg

Arti3

2010-02-27, 01:30 PM

I thought it was 5 total, my bad. Made Compassion his main virtue, thought it fit. I will have to change the flaw.
^^^ That made me laugh

Sanguine

2010-02-27, 01:31 PM

You do not have to be compassionate to believe in Justice.

Justice without compassion is scary, but it exists.

My point was that Exalted connects fighting for justice to Compassion, not to mention his Motivation specifically mentions the "Unfortunate", to me that doesn't seem like the motivation of a one Compassion character, I could see a two Compassion or if he removed the bit about those "Unfortunate" but as his motivation stands I don't see his Virtues lining up with it. IMHO

Edit: It seems the OP agrees with me.

Edit2: You no longer qualify for a Conviction Flaw since it's only two points now you want to change either your virtues or the flaw.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 01:40 PM

I'm looking at the Reaper Daiklave entry, is Committed Essene the Attune, Cost, or something else?

Sophismata

2010-02-27, 01:41 PM

Attune is the essence you need to commit. Cost is the artifact or resource cost. Note that these are accidentally reversed on a couple of the artifacts.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 01:46 PM

OK, I think I got the committed essence right. But it's more than my personal, so... what does that mean?

Sanguine

2010-02-27, 01:47 PM

OK, I think I got the committed essence right. But it's more than my personal, so... what does that mean?

You don't have to use your Personal Essence for commitment in fact most people don't.

Sophismata

2010-02-27, 01:47 PM

Commit your peripheral. The glow will go away.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 01:53 PM

Awesome. So, am I missing anything?

Sanguine

2010-02-27, 01:57 PM

Awesome. So, am I missing anything?

Your missing your DVs and your MDVs.

Kyeudo

2010-02-27, 02:23 PM

I don't see any defensive Charms in your character's arsenal. Get yourself Shadow Over Water and Seven Shadows Evasion. That will improve your character's life expectancy from "until I first face a Immaculate Master and/or Celestial Exalt" to "Until I'm caught out of motes in combat."

As for what to get rid of to make room for those, ditch Invisible Statue Spirit and Phantom Arrow Technique. Easily Overlooked Presence Method can get you almost anywhere on its own, while arrows are really cheap.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 02:34 PM

Makes sense.

Fortuna

2010-02-27, 04:29 PM

Arti3

2010-02-27, 04:42 PM

I think you have an aggravated soak equal to your lethal minus natural, but I'm not sure. Otherwise, cool concept, now you just need a backstory.
Although I am not an expert in these matters.

randomhero00

2010-02-27, 04:55 PM

Your name clearly needs to be longer :smallsmile: How about, "Feather Falling in a Midnight Shadow" ?

Heh, I always loved coming up with the longest names for my Exalted characters.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 04:56 PM

Your name clearly needs to be longer :smallsmile: How about, "Feather Falling in a Midnight Shadow" ?

Heh, I always loved coming up with the longest names for my Exalted characters.

I thought those were reserved for Abyssals :D

kamikasei

2010-02-27, 04:58 PM

Your name clearly needs to be longer

Actually...

It does look perhaps too much like a D&D spell name.

Jerthanis

2010-02-27, 05:03 PM

Attributes: -Strength | ● ● ●
-Dexterity | ● ● ● ●
-Stamina | ● ●
-Charisma | ● ● ● ● ●
-Manipulation | ● ●
-Appearance | ● ● ●
-Perception | ● ●
-Intelligence | ● ● ●
-Wits | ● ● ● ●

You don't seem to have enough points here. Remember, you get 8/6/4 and the first dot is free. So you appear to have 6 in physical, 7 in social and 6 in mental. You bought 2 points with BP, so that accounts for your 6 mental, but you should still have 8 in your social, so get Appearance 4 (appearance is the godstat of Social stats)

Charms: -First War Excellency
-Second War Excellency
-First Martial Arts Excellency
-First Prescence Excellency
-Rout-Stemming Gesture
-Mob-Dispersing Rebuke
-Ox-Body Technique (x2)
-Fists of Iron Technique
-Hypnotic Tongue Technique

Abilities are fine, but you probably don't want more than one War Excellency. War is somewhat seldom rolled, and when it is you won't need more than one way to boost it.

Mob Dispersing Rebuke is, by the way, my #1 or #2 favorite charm.

Backgrounds look fine, just remember you get to choose what kind of arrows you fire from your bow. Arrow types are listed on page 372. I suggest Target arrows.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 09:10 PM

Maybe we should start a beginners game :D

Sjet

2010-02-27, 09:49 PM

I'd be interested in a beginners game. It wasn't until seeing something on these forums that I actually learned about the game at all. Ah how these interwebs expand the mind. :smallbiggrin:

Arti3

2010-02-27, 09:52 PM

We would need an experienced Storyteller.

Arcanoi

2010-02-27, 10:01 PM

I think you should seriously consider focusing on only one form of combat. Having two main weapon abilities is feasible early game, but later, when you start wanting to get higher Min-ability charms, trying to keep both lines useful becomes EXTREMELY expensive XP-wise, and you're going to wish you focused on only one avenue. And since you can get charms that essentially make weapons (And ammo) for you, you shouldn't have to worry about not having the weapon you want on hand.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 10:03 PM

So Daiklave or Shortbow.....hmmmm.
Hard choice. I shall ponder this.

Lochar

2010-02-27, 10:04 PM

You can keep them both, but only focus on one afterwards.

The Rose Dragon

2010-02-27, 10:07 PM

We would need an experienced Storyteller.

...don't tempt me.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 10:12 PM

...don't tempt me.
Consider yourself...
tempted.
[i hope]

Lochar

2010-02-27, 10:17 PM

...don't tempt me.

Tempt, tempt, tempt.

I'll even join and help the newbies through their characters, to keep you from being overwhelmed.

The Rose Dragon

2010-02-27, 10:18 PM

By the way, while I am an experienced Storyteller, it is almost exclusively in World of Darkness. I never really got a chance to run an Exalted game that went on for a substantial amount of time because I am utterly incapable of keeping my life in track long enough to commit myself to a PbP game.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 10:28 PM

So who normally ST's around here?

Lochar

2010-02-27, 10:32 PM

Rose, The Demented One, GryffonDurime, I've done a few. That's about it for Exalted, unless you can manage to talk Krimm into it.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 10:50 PM

Okay, set up the bones of a game! Check it out in my signature.
((I will not be storytelling :smalltongue: ))

Sophismata

2010-02-27, 10:55 PM

As a general rule, pick one type of offence and one type of defence. That should cover you for combat. Examples:

Offence:

Melee - Strictly speaking, the most powerful offence. The Solar melee tree is excellent. Can double as defence.

Archery - Good charms, and while not as powerful as the melee tree it is far more versatile. Remember that opponents cannot leaping dodge out of archery flurries. Has a perfect out of the box.

Thrown - My personal favourite, but has a large focus on stealth. Great for a night caste or someone constantly attacking from surprise. Similar to archery in that its flurries are hard to avoid. Has an undogeable out of the box.

Martial Arts - Less powerful than the other (solar) charmsets. That said, it is by far the most versatile. Some charms are worth taking just because. Solar Hero Style is an exception here, being very strong - particularly once you get out of the traditional martial arts tree and start getting actual solar charms (instead of celestial martial arts charms).

Defence:

Melee - An excellent offensive tree, also an excellent defensive tree. Heavenly Guardian - block the unblockable.

Dodge - The cheapest and fastest defense, highly recommended unless specialising in one of the other two. Seven Shadow Evasion - dodge the undodgeable. Also has a charm to help avoid surprise.

Resistance - The king of generic defence, resistance charms have the unique advantage of being adjudicated after all other affects. This means that resistance can be used against surprise attacks and non-attack damage, such as falling and environmental.

Arti3

2010-02-27, 10:58 PM

You can keep them both, but only focus on one afterwards.

I think I will focus on Archery; it fits the flavour I want.