[Exalted+] Outcastes of the East

[Kiero]

NB: This is an idea based in Creation, but without the Storyteller mechanics, so anything rules-based is mostly irrelevant here. The purpose of this thread is not to talk about those alternatives*, but the setting/premise of the game.

It seems to always be about this time of year that I start thinking about Exalted, and we had a recent discussion on the topic that clarified things. My group like the setting of Exalted, but after bitter experience will not touch the Storyteller system ever again. Furthermore, they feel like the high-end stuff with Solars and other Celestials is pretty much done for us. Additionally, for them stuff below the Exalted tier (much to my own disappointment since I love the God-Blooded and Enlightened Mortals) kind of invalidates the point of playing in Creation for them.

Which brings us to Terrestrials, and in the words of one person, there's something really cool about a colour-coded elemental team with "our powers combine". They're most definitely in the Exalted tier (even if the bottom of it) and so make playing Exalted at all worthwhile. As an additional factoid, we have five players, and will often co-ordinate characters to ensure we cover all the bases. So expect a perfect team with all five Aspects represented.

We don't want to play the villains, and I think everyone is too independent-minded to play Realm flunkies. So we're likely talking Outcastes or exiles/escapees from the Realm without all those dynastic considerations. Note in any likely system of choice, the difference between Outcaste and Dynast is likely to be very small, in terms of raw character power (if not infrastructure, equipment, etc).

The East is a perfect location for the sort of game where a band of Dragonblooded without ties can go about righting wrongs, slaying monsters, putting spirits in their place and so on. Lookshy blocks any serious expansion of the Realm into the region. The Hundred Kingdoms specifically could be an apt place to basically make up our own patch of Creation. No central power, various warlords and kings/queens ruling their own little nations (who could be a mixture of things we can deal with, depending on where the game takes us).

There's a desire to take Solaroids out of the equation altogether, possibly by setting the game a few or even many years before the canonical start.

Bearing all of those things in mind, what sort of things could this band of miscreants get up to? Would they be raising armies and toppling kingdoms, or doing things at a more local level?

How would they get around, bearing in mind DBs can't ride horses as a general rule?

What are the main sorts of threats we'd be dealing with - including three categories of things more powerful than us, things on our level, and things we'd treat as mooks?

The DB literature is really heavy with talking about what total bastards they are; is it possible to actually be a bunch of Dragonblooded heroes?

Any other thoughts?

*If you really can't resist talking about systems, we're thinking Qwixalted (which I'm going to trial in my break game), but perhaps as an outside option, Strands of Fate/Exalted.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Dragon-Blooded can't ride horses? Then why do they have riding lessons? Do they all ride simhata?

Also, what's this "Qwixalted" thing? If you already made it, that'd be a lot easier for me than taking one of the incomplete Strands of Fate conversions or making my own.

[Xefas]

There's a desire to take Solaroids out of the equation altogether, possibly by setting the game a few or even many years before the canonical start.
There are only 300 Infernaloids. Creation is big. Really, really big.

Bearing all of those things in mind, what sort of things could this band of miscreants get up to? Would they be raising armies and toppling kingdoms, or doing things at a more local level?
Either.

How would they get around, bearing in mind DBs can't ride horses as a general rule?
Depending on the system, it wouldn't be hard to have them innovate Charms which prevent them from destroying boats/horses/innocent bystanders with their anima. Alternatively, Sorcery.

What are the main sorts of threats we'd be dealing with - including three categories of things more powerful than us, things on our level, and things we'd treat as mooks?
In the Scavenger Lands? You've got mortals and the lesser undead, who are weaker than you. Gods, Mid-tier Undead, Demons, and established Godblooded that can be on the same level or higher. Powerful groups of mortals, with mortal sorcerers/martial artists/akuma/power-armor-dudes backing them up can be a good threat. As for more powerful, if you don't want to go the Exalted route, Celestial Gods, powerful Second and Third Circle Demons, Deathlords and upper-tier Undead. And... lots and lots of mortals, if they have a mind to.

The DB literature is really heavy with talking about what total bastards they are; is it possible to actually be a bunch of Dragonblooded heroes?
Yes.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Oh right, their annoying anima flux. Making them the exalted that are most likely to cause collateral damage. And they vastly outnumber the rest.

[Xefas]

They can also just avoid flaring their animas while on horseback. Restraint is...

Restraint is...

Urrrgh *channels Conviction to endure hardship*

...Restraint is always a valid option.

[Kiero]

Also, what's this "Qwixalted" thing? If you already made it, that'd be a lot easier for me than taking one of the incomplete Strands of Fate conversions or making my own.

Qwixalted (http://aakin.net/qwixalted/doku.php), which comes in two subtly different flavours (starting from the same set of assumptions). Originally began with taking the 1st edition Quickstart as the rules, and went from there.

Ah yes, we never did finish the Strands conversion, specifically rounding out Solaroids with the final details. Everything else works, mind.


There are only 300 Infernaloids. Creation is big. Really, really big.

Even so, it does simplify things (and take very little effort) to just play in a time when they're all still imprisoned. It was specifically mentioned that the prospective GM liked the idea of the Lunars and Sidereals being the most powerful (non-deity) individuals in Creation.


Depending on the system, it wouldn't be hard to have them innovate Charms which prevent them from destroying boats/horses/innocent bystanders with their anima. Alternatively, Sorcery.

I thought it was primarily living things that were in danger? I mean the Imperial Navy manages in the West without having their Dynast officers holing the ships on a regular basis.

Or is that Sorcery, duh?

We could always reason that we've all got a Charm preventing our anima hurting random bystanders and mounts by default, I guess.


In the Scavenger Lands? You've got mortals and the lesser undead, who are weaker than you. Gods, Mid-tier Undead, Demons, and established Godblooded that can be on the same level or higher. Powerful groups of mortals, with mortal sorcerers/martial artists/akuma/power-armor-dudes backing them up can be a good threat. As for more powerful, if you don't want to go the Exalted route, Celestial Gods, powerful Second and Third Circle Demons, Deathlords and upper-tier Undead. And... lots and lots of mortals, if they have a mind to.


Good list.

Well, certain Exalted (ie non-Solaroid) enemies are fine for both equal and more powerful. Some Outcaste warlord or monarch could make for an interesting one.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I didn't notice that SoF/Exalted conversion in your sig. Looks pretty complete. Although you do need some rules for elder exalted, since I consider "experienced" as Essence 4-5. Maybe make Essence 6-7 Terrestrials Metro Class superheroes, Essence 8-10 Terrestrials World Class, Essence 6-7 Celestials Galaxy Class, Essence 8-9 Celestials Cosmic Class, and Essence 10 Celestials Infinity Class (nothing else does justice to Essence 10 Infernals!).

This is Essence in Exalted's terms, not as the Affinity Ability.

[meschlum]

Fair Folk fit in anywhere, what with having narrative obligations to give their foes a chance. There is the further benefit that they are, by all Creation-based accounts, wholly villianous and meriting destruction. Unless you want something from them, of course - in which ase you get and then destroy them.

On the weaker front, you have arbitrary sized packs of lesser Warriors, manikins, and the like. Vicious Extras out to capture slaves and meals for their masters, mess up the local dragon lines, or serve as an obvious distractions. Throw in mysterious happenings in the village of your choice, as a Heroic Commoner creates unique kinds of havoc in order to feed on them - creating opportunities for investigation and such.

At comparable levels, a 'diplomatic' embassy can provide comparable opponents in a head on fight, with opportunities to weaken them noticeably by working out the flaws to their Wyld magics - or it can give chances to bargain, charm, and trick foes with potent social skills and rewards. A race into the Borderlands to reclaim a lost artifact or family member can provide spice, as catching the fleeing fae before they can call on significant resources form the Wyld makes haste and risk-taking important.

If you bring in enough Raksha, go deep into the Wyld, or allow them to dig in and start rewriting local reality, you're in for an uphill fight. The Fair Folk can probably be talked into giving you a chance, but the difficulty level can be fairly high - you're probably more powerful, but they have numbers and mind warping tricks if you let your guard down.

[Kiero]

I didn't notice that SoF/Exalted conversion in your sig. Looks pretty complete. Although you do need some rules for elder exalted, since I consider "experienced" as Essence 4-5. Maybe make Essence 6-7 Terrestrials Metro Class superheroes, Essence 8-10 Terrestrials World Class, Essence 6-7 Celestials Galaxy Class, Essence 8-9 Celestials Cosmic Class, and Essence 10 Celestials Infinity Class (nothing else does justice to Essence 10 Infernals!).

This is Essence in Exalted's terms, not as the Affinity Ability.

The idea was to provide all the power levels you'd normally start a game at.

If you want higher tiers, I wouldn't use the existing CamPL table from the book, it's built with a different set of assumptions (besides which, the level you can take Super Powers at is capped by splat, not the CamPL table itself). Rather extend the table we put together for the conversion, which shouldn't be too hard.


Fair Folk fit in anywhere, what with having narrative obligations to give their foes a chance. There is the further benefit that they are, by all Creation-based accounts, wholly villianous and meriting destruction. Unless you want something from them, of course - in which ase you get and then destroy them.

On the weaker front, you have arbitrary sized packs of lesser Warriors, manikins, and the like. Vicious Extras out to capture slaves and meals for their masters, mess up the local dragon lines, or serve as an obvious distractions. Throw in mysterious happenings in the village of your choice, as a Heroic Commoner creates unique kinds of havoc in order to feed on them - creating opportunities for investigation and such.

At comparable levels, a 'diplomatic' embassy can provide comparable opponents in a head on fight, with opportunities to weaken them noticeably by working out the flaws to their Wyld magics - or it can give chances to bargain, charm, and trick foes with potent social skills and rewards. A race into the Borderlands to reclaim a lost artifact or family member can provide spice, as catching the fleeing fae before they can call on significant resources form the Wyld makes haste and risk-taking important.

If you bring in enough Raksha, go deep into the Wyld, or allow them to dig in and start rewriting local reality, you're in for an uphill fight. The Fair Folk can probably be talked into giving you a chance, but the difficulty level can be fairly high - you're probably more powerful, but they have numbers and mind warping tricks if you let your guard down.

Hmmm, tasty. Definitely worth including in there.