gareth
2011-12-27, 04:51 AM
This is a project to write a fan edition of Exalted, starting with the high-level setting details. Several elements of the setting have been removed, both to save effort and to make the remaining character options more distinct. Please critique what I've written, or add your own contributions.
Changes from Second Edition:
The Five Elemental Dragons are gods, and made Terrestrial Exaltations without the involvement of Gaia.
The Five Maidens remained neutral in the Primordial War, and received no Exaltations.
The Maidens and the Terrestrials cooperated in the Usurpation. All Lunars and Solars were killed, and all the Exaltations were trapped in the Jade Prison.
The ghosts of some high-essence Solars and Lunars bargained with the Neverborn for vast power, becoming the Deathlords. They do not have Solar or Lunar charms and cannot use Sorcery. Only Deathlords who were Lunars can shapeshift.
The Jade Prison could not properly contain Lunar Exaltations. One hundred leaked out over the centuries, empowering heroic mortals. The new Lunars either infiltrated the Shogunate, fled to the Wyld, or were quickly killed.
In the Wyld, the Lunars used their powers to create their own territories and defend them from the Fair Folk.
Lunars eventually infiltrated two-fifths of the Shogunate leadership. They were discovered, and the war to eradicate them replaces the Great Contagion, empowering the Deathlords and threatening Creation itself.
The Lunars with Wyld territories invaded Creation to save it from the Deathlords, but allowed the Wyld and the Fair Folk to consume part of Creation so they could use their Wyld-manipulating powers.
The Sword of Creation was used to save Creation from the Lunars, who would have turned it into a patchwork of territories in pure chaos.
When the Jade Prison was broken, all Solar and Lunar Exaltations escaped. Abyssal and Infernal Exalts do not exist.
Solar Exalted (Lawgivers):
The Solar Exalted can excel in every field of human endeavour, becoming undefeatable in almost any activity they choose to specialise in. An exception is the impersonation of specific people, where their abilities are exceeded by the Lunars. Lawgivers have the most powerful attacks and most efficient defences of all Exalts. Using their native charms, Solars may defeat entire armies in combat, radically change a society through conversation, and wring a sword from a heap of ore with their bare hands.
Lawgiver’s abilities extend beyond extraordinary talent into the supernatural, but always have some connection to skills of mortals. A mortal swordsman may draw his weapon so fast it seems to appear from nowhere – a Solar can simply retrieve a sword from Elsewhere. A mortal may dodge a blow, but a Solar can dodge all blows, and become invulnerable to attack. But no mortal can fly, so no Solar charms allow flight. Likewise, sharing motes with others, transforming into animals, controlling the weather, and changing the aspect of a demesne cannot be accomplished with Solar charms. Lawgivers can extend their powers beyond these limits by using Sorcery, the Adamant Circle of which is exclusive to them.
The Solar Exalted can also become immune to the dangers of the Wyld, and extend their immunity to others. They can prevent the Wyld spreading into Creation, and make land and resources conjured from the Wyld by Lunars permanent. They are unable to extend Creation into the Wyld without the cooperation of a Lunar.
Lunar Exalted (Transcendents):The Lunar Exalted transcend the limits of humanity to adapt to any situation, by stealing the shapes and abilities of nonhumans. Most Lunars start with animals - every mortal appreciates the flight of birds as an ability that is beyond him. But Lunars can take the form of spirits and fae, and even other Exalts, and mimic their abilities. They can even learn the charms of other beings, a feat impossible for other Exalts. Lunars are also unique in their ability to mimic humans, perfectly duplicating their appearance, voice and mannerisms. Eventually Lunars go beyond mimicry of surface features to the duplication of the target's mind and soul. The opposite sex is also a source of new abilities, and Lunars can easily change between male, female, androgynous, and genderless forms.
In direct conflict with a Solar in an area both have specialised in, the Lunar will lose, since their raw power is weaker. But they have the ability to transform themselves to adapt to changing circumstances, sacrificing useless charms for the resources to develop new ones. Given time to adapt, every Lunar can become a deadly beastman in combat, an iridescent social butterfly, a transhuman intellect, or whatever else the situation demands.
The Lunars can also adapt to and manipulate the Wyld, contrasting with the Solars who can merely become immune to its dangers. They are the only Exalt able to conjure up land and resources from the Wyld, but their creations remain ephemeral unless a Solar can stabilise them.
Terrestrial Exalted (Dragon-Blooded):The Terrestrial Exalted are the weakest of the Exalts and a single Dragon-Blooded is easily defeated in any field of endeavour by most Lunars or Solars. However, Terrestrial Exaltation is inherited rather than limited to a fixed number of Exaltations. There are tens of thousands of Dragon-Blooded to the 300 Lunars and 300 Solars, and their numbers are constantly increasing. Terrestrial charms increase the effectiveness of groups of Dragon-Blooded working together. They are the only Exalts able to magically share resources such as motes, willpower, and health levels between each other and with mortals. A sufficiently large group of Terrestrials, with the appropriate charms, can defeat any single Lunar or Solar in any field of human endeavour. The size of the group increases with the power of the opponents, but if all Dragon-Blooded in Creation cooperated against all Lunars and Solars, they would easily win.
Using their native charms, Dragon-Blooded can defeat large groups of mortals in combat, quickly dominate any social group of mortals, and create artifacts beyond the reach of any mortal craftsman. They can also control the five elements of Creation, creating typhoons, earthquakes, and firestorms to attack their enemies or stimulating the growth of crops. Dragon-Blooded are also the only Exalts able to manipulate the geomancy of Creation with their native charms, creating, enhancing, or suppressing elemental demesnes.
Terrestrials were created to serve Lunars and Solars. Their charms work more efficiently in the presence of those Exalts, whether following their orders or assassinating them.
Ghosts (NPCs only):Ghosts are the souls of humans who have chosen to avoid reincarnation and exist in the Underworld. Ghosts use their arcanoi to manipulate the Underworld and other ghosts, with their powers depending on the strength of personality they had in life. Other arcanoi allow ghosts to gain the attributes of the living. With sufficient power a ghost can live in Creation undetected, even able to have children, but with none of the weaknesses of a living being.
The most powerful ghosts are the Deathlords. These are elder Solar and Lunar Exalts killed in the Usurpation. Their Exaltations fled their bodies after death to empower others, so they are unable to use Solar or Lunar charms. However, their ghosts possess shadows of the old Exaltations, as the ghost of a soldier wields the shadow of a sword. By bargaining with the Neverborn, the Deathlords have learned to use their grave-good Exaltations to wield charms. These charms are solely concerned with destruction – of living beings, relationships, talents, organisations, societies, and Creation itself. No charm improves the aim of a Deathlord’s bow, but several make the aim of his enemies worse, or make wounds from his arrows more likely to kill. A Deathlord will always be able to kill a Exalt of equal power, although he will usually not survive the battle.
No ghost can use Sorcery, but ghosts with sufficient power can use Shadowlands and Labyrinth Circle Necromancy. Deathlords bargained with the Neverborn for the exclusive ability to use Void Circle Necromancy.
Changes from Second Edition:
The Five Elemental Dragons are gods, and made Terrestrial Exaltations without the involvement of Gaia.
The Five Maidens remained neutral in the Primordial War, and received no Exaltations.
The Maidens and the Terrestrials cooperated in the Usurpation. All Lunars and Solars were killed, and all the Exaltations were trapped in the Jade Prison.
The ghosts of some high-essence Solars and Lunars bargained with the Neverborn for vast power, becoming the Deathlords. They do not have Solar or Lunar charms and cannot use Sorcery. Only Deathlords who were Lunars can shapeshift.
The Jade Prison could not properly contain Lunar Exaltations. One hundred leaked out over the centuries, empowering heroic mortals. The new Lunars either infiltrated the Shogunate, fled to the Wyld, or were quickly killed.
In the Wyld, the Lunars used their powers to create their own territories and defend them from the Fair Folk.
Lunars eventually infiltrated two-fifths of the Shogunate leadership. They were discovered, and the war to eradicate them replaces the Great Contagion, empowering the Deathlords and threatening Creation itself.
The Lunars with Wyld territories invaded Creation to save it from the Deathlords, but allowed the Wyld and the Fair Folk to consume part of Creation so they could use their Wyld-manipulating powers.
The Sword of Creation was used to save Creation from the Lunars, who would have turned it into a patchwork of territories in pure chaos.
When the Jade Prison was broken, all Solar and Lunar Exaltations escaped. Abyssal and Infernal Exalts do not exist.
Solar Exalted (Lawgivers):
The Solar Exalted can excel in every field of human endeavour, becoming undefeatable in almost any activity they choose to specialise in. An exception is the impersonation of specific people, where their abilities are exceeded by the Lunars. Lawgivers have the most powerful attacks and most efficient defences of all Exalts. Using their native charms, Solars may defeat entire armies in combat, radically change a society through conversation, and wring a sword from a heap of ore with their bare hands.
Lawgiver’s abilities extend beyond extraordinary talent into the supernatural, but always have some connection to skills of mortals. A mortal swordsman may draw his weapon so fast it seems to appear from nowhere – a Solar can simply retrieve a sword from Elsewhere. A mortal may dodge a blow, but a Solar can dodge all blows, and become invulnerable to attack. But no mortal can fly, so no Solar charms allow flight. Likewise, sharing motes with others, transforming into animals, controlling the weather, and changing the aspect of a demesne cannot be accomplished with Solar charms. Lawgivers can extend their powers beyond these limits by using Sorcery, the Adamant Circle of which is exclusive to them.
The Solar Exalted can also become immune to the dangers of the Wyld, and extend their immunity to others. They can prevent the Wyld spreading into Creation, and make land and resources conjured from the Wyld by Lunars permanent. They are unable to extend Creation into the Wyld without the cooperation of a Lunar.
Lunar Exalted (Transcendents):The Lunar Exalted transcend the limits of humanity to adapt to any situation, by stealing the shapes and abilities of nonhumans. Most Lunars start with animals - every mortal appreciates the flight of birds as an ability that is beyond him. But Lunars can take the form of spirits and fae, and even other Exalts, and mimic their abilities. They can even learn the charms of other beings, a feat impossible for other Exalts. Lunars are also unique in their ability to mimic humans, perfectly duplicating their appearance, voice and mannerisms. Eventually Lunars go beyond mimicry of surface features to the duplication of the target's mind and soul. The opposite sex is also a source of new abilities, and Lunars can easily change between male, female, androgynous, and genderless forms.
In direct conflict with a Solar in an area both have specialised in, the Lunar will lose, since their raw power is weaker. But they have the ability to transform themselves to adapt to changing circumstances, sacrificing useless charms for the resources to develop new ones. Given time to adapt, every Lunar can become a deadly beastman in combat, an iridescent social butterfly, a transhuman intellect, or whatever else the situation demands.
The Lunars can also adapt to and manipulate the Wyld, contrasting with the Solars who can merely become immune to its dangers. They are the only Exalt able to conjure up land and resources from the Wyld, but their creations remain ephemeral unless a Solar can stabilise them.
Terrestrial Exalted (Dragon-Blooded):The Terrestrial Exalted are the weakest of the Exalts and a single Dragon-Blooded is easily defeated in any field of endeavour by most Lunars or Solars. However, Terrestrial Exaltation is inherited rather than limited to a fixed number of Exaltations. There are tens of thousands of Dragon-Blooded to the 300 Lunars and 300 Solars, and their numbers are constantly increasing. Terrestrial charms increase the effectiveness of groups of Dragon-Blooded working together. They are the only Exalts able to magically share resources such as motes, willpower, and health levels between each other and with mortals. A sufficiently large group of Terrestrials, with the appropriate charms, can defeat any single Lunar or Solar in any field of human endeavour. The size of the group increases with the power of the opponents, but if all Dragon-Blooded in Creation cooperated against all Lunars and Solars, they would easily win.
Using their native charms, Dragon-Blooded can defeat large groups of mortals in combat, quickly dominate any social group of mortals, and create artifacts beyond the reach of any mortal craftsman. They can also control the five elements of Creation, creating typhoons, earthquakes, and firestorms to attack their enemies or stimulating the growth of crops. Dragon-Blooded are also the only Exalts able to manipulate the geomancy of Creation with their native charms, creating, enhancing, or suppressing elemental demesnes.
Terrestrials were created to serve Lunars and Solars. Their charms work more efficiently in the presence of those Exalts, whether following their orders or assassinating them.
Ghosts (NPCs only):Ghosts are the souls of humans who have chosen to avoid reincarnation and exist in the Underworld. Ghosts use their arcanoi to manipulate the Underworld and other ghosts, with their powers depending on the strength of personality they had in life. Other arcanoi allow ghosts to gain the attributes of the living. With sufficient power a ghost can live in Creation undetected, even able to have children, but with none of the weaknesses of a living being.
The most powerful ghosts are the Deathlords. These are elder Solar and Lunar Exalts killed in the Usurpation. Their Exaltations fled their bodies after death to empower others, so they are unable to use Solar or Lunar charms. However, their ghosts possess shadows of the old Exaltations, as the ghost of a soldier wields the shadow of a sword. By bargaining with the Neverborn, the Deathlords have learned to use their grave-good Exaltations to wield charms. These charms are solely concerned with destruction – of living beings, relationships, talents, organisations, societies, and Creation itself. No charm improves the aim of a Deathlord’s bow, but several make the aim of his enemies worse, or make wounds from his arrows more likely to kill. A Deathlord will always be able to kill a Exalt of equal power, although he will usually not survive the battle.
No ghost can use Sorcery, but ghosts with sufficient power can use Shadowlands and Labyrinth Circle Necromancy. Deathlords bargained with the Neverborn for the exclusive ability to use Void Circle Necromancy.