[Exalted] Help! Convert My WoW Character!

[Weimann]

So, you know that Kickstarter tier "Exalted Whose Name Is Carved in Leaves of Jade", which lets you get your character's name in the fiction anthology that will accompany the release of the 3e Core book? I happened to stumble on one of those, by pure chance, and subsequently grabbed it, more by instinct than anything else. It was like, "miiiine!", and then I remembered that I haven't actually ever played a real Exalted character. The times I've played Exalted, I've almost[1] exclusively been an ST.

It just so happens, however, that I already had plans on converting the character of mine that I've probably played the longest out of any character in any game. Her name is Resalem Deveelen[2], she's a Draenei Shaman from my time in World of Warcraft and if possible, I'd like to make her name appear in the fiction anthology.

Of course, I don't know how much info they'd need about her to put her in. They may just literally want the name, but I figure they'd put at least some traces of the original character in there as well. Given my relative ignorance about cultures and places in Creation, I could need some help to create a coherent shell around her. I'm not shooting for anything super-detailed, but some bare bones would be nice.

The Draenei Shaman Resalem Deveelen

Resalem's core defining trait is this: she is a doctor. She is dedicated to healing, curing and comforting those who are ill, injured or in pain. She does this through a mix of medical science (such as it is in Azeroth) and healing magic based on evoking spirits and harnessing the restorative properties of the elements. In WoW, this is primarily water and earth.

She is also capable of wielding the other, more offensive elements of fire and air, but are much less talented or interested in that. She has no preferred weapon and is honestly rather useless at melee combat. Shamans can not wield bows in WoW, but if they could, she might have been slightly more at home with a bow.

Personality-wise, she's a relaxed, pleasant and down to earth person. She cares deeply about others' well-being, but also about her own, and she's not above indulging in certain vices or running the hell away from situations she can't handle (unless, of course, there are wounded she could treat there).

The Exalt Resalem Deveelen

I already know I want Resalem to be an Exalt and nothing else. The Exalted version of her is certainly human. I have some ideas about her stats and similar, in particular her Virtues: she's certainly have Compassion as her highest, and neither Valour nor Temperance above 2. If I have the time, I might try to stat her out in a 2e fashion at some point.

What I need some help with is coming up with what type of Exalt would fit her best, as well as stuff that relates to her place in the setting. My top candidates for her Caste is Twilight or Eclipse, as well as Wood Aspect, particularly on the basis of the Terrestrial preview from the Kickstarter.

I'm not expecting you to come up with stuff for me, but if you have any comments, questions, loose associations triggered by the text, it would be helpful if you shared them. :smallsmile:




[1] The exception is an online Infernals/Sidereals game where I played Donna Fuerra, She Who Enslaves the Willing, a Malfean Malefactor. She was pretty cool in theory but, in the end, never got to do very much before the game ended. I don't hold her too close to my heart, and since we don't even know what Infernals will be in 3e, I'm not too keen on picking her.

[2] I know Draenei don't have last names, okay? I didn't when I picked it, however, and when I found out I wasn't going to remove it. IC, she's taken the name of her village on Draenor as a last name to accommodate to the customs of her new home in Stormwind.

[Draken]

I believe a Zennith with occult, medicine and perhaps archery (plus another two of choice) would be better, given that a shaman has to contact spirits and Zenniths at least already get the priest benefits built in.

Other than that, the prime issue you will face is the simple fact that combat healing isn't a thing in Exalted, other than a few choice forms of regeneration that aren't really avaiable to Solars without marching into weird town and picking some Raksha/Infernal toys.

Lightning attacks... Could be an artifact and a few choice charms. A wow style shaman (or non-warrior/paladin) is actually pretty hard to translate, I think, unless you dabble into mutations.

[Weimann]

I believe a Zennith with occult, medicine and perhaps archery (plus another two of choice) would be better, given that a shaman has to contact spirits and Zenniths at least already get the priest benefits built in.That's certainly a compelling idea. Solar occult can do much to emulate the shamanistic tropes, and adding on Sorcery to that certainly doesn't hurt. Summoning elementals was something I'd have had to look into anyway.

Out of curiosity, why do you see her as a Zenith and not a Twilight?


Other than that, the prime issue you will face is the simple fact that combat healing isn't a thing in Exalted, other than a few choice forms of regeneration that aren't really avaiable to Solars without marching into weird town and picking some Raksha/Infernal toys.Yeah, I don't intend to be able to find some way to emulate casting Healing Wave. She will have Medicine magic as it looks in Exalted.


Lightning attacks... Could be an artifact and a few choice charms. A wow style shaman (or non-warrior/paladin) is actually pretty hard to translate, I think, unless you dabble into mutations.Performing direct elemental attack is the least of my concerns and something I'll happily leave by the wayside. It's not core to her concept in any way.

[Longes]

Out of curiosity, why do you see her as a Zenith and not a Twilight?

Probably because Twilights are scientists and scholars, and Zeniths are priests and shamans.

[Tavar]

Probably because Twilights are scientists and scholars, and Zeniths are priests and shamans.

Eh, it kinda depends on what your focusing on: labels from one universe rarely correspond exactly to labels in another.

If you're focusing on Spirits and medicine, a twilight could work well: that would provide Occult(and possibly lore) as well as medicine. Craft and Investigation could also be important to such a character.

[Draken]

Eh, it kinda depends on what your focusing on: labels from one universe rarely correspond exactly to labels in another.

If you're focusing on Spirits and medicine, a twilight could work well: that would provide Occult(and possibly lore) as well as medicine. Craft and Investigation could also be important to such a character.

That's the thing. Dealing with spirits in Exalted isn't Occult. Occult is more like, laws of physics stuff. Dealing with spirits is Performance/Presence (actually talking to them) and Lore (knowing about the types of spirits).

Two of the listed abilities are Zenith powers, one is Twilight.

But strictly speaking, either would work. What he wants is probably Presence, Performance, Occult, Lore and Medicine. Archery, Melee, Resistance, Integrity and Craft are good extras.

[Tavar]

That's the thing. Dealing with spirits in Exalted isn't Occult. Occult is more like, laws of physics stuff. Dealing with spirits is Performance/Presence (actually talking to them) and Lore (knowing about the types of spirits).

Two of the listed abilities are Zenith powers, one is Twilight.

But strictly speaking, either would work. What he wants is probably Presence, Performance, Occult, Lore and Medicine. Archery, Melee, Resistance, Integrity and Craft are good extras.

Core book, page 108, on Occult:
"In addition, it also covers familiarity with all manner of supernatural creatures, including ghosts, gods, elemental, and the fair folk. Characters who are skilled in occult know both the capabilities of such creatures and how tot petition or appease them. "

[Draken]

Core book, page 108, on Occult:
"In addition, it also covers familiarity with all manner of supernatural creatures, including ghosts, gods, elemental, and the fair folk. Characters who are skilled in occult know both the capabilities of such creatures and how tot petition or appease them. "

Well. Ditch lore then!

[Longes]

Eh, it kinda depends on what your focusing on: labels from one universe rarely correspond exactly to labels in another.

Well, yeah. I meant spherical exalt in vacuum.


That's the thing. Dealing with spirits in Exalted isn't Occult. Occult is more like, laws of physics stuff. Dealing with spirits is Performance/Presence (actually talking to them) and Lore (knowing about the types of spirits).
You have it wrong, my friend! Lore is applied physics (look, Wyld-Shaping! And using First-Age stuff! And knowing moronic physics) and Occult is knowing about spirits and communicating with them.

[Tavar]

Well. Ditch lore then!

Lore can also be very important to someone who's going for medicine and the like. Especially if they're a shaman: lore is history, and teaching, stuff very closely associated with being a shaman.

[Weimann]

I realise I lead the discussion on to this track with my question, but I still think it's interesting that no one has suggested anything but Solar.

Right now I'm picturing her as the newly-appointed and shaman of an Eastern barbarian tribe, who inherited the position after her mother passed away. She's talented (and, of course, an Exalt), but in the end she's still new and have things yet to learn.

To weigh in on the Lore discussion, it's a bit of a dilemma. I want Resalem to have the proper knowledge of things relevant to her, such as the tribe's history and mythology and the herbs and plants of the forest and such. What I don't want her to be is particularly "wise" in a more general sense. The thing is that Lore kind of gives you all that other stuff anyway, at least in 2e.

Not that I need to know her specific stats, so it doesn't really matter.

[Tavar]

Ah. In that case, you'd likely want a specialty for Lore regarding your tribes history.


As for going with Solars....well, that's partially because the idea seems to not fit most other types, except maybe Dragonblooded and Lunars. The issue then becomes that the latter don't do the shaman thing well in 2nd edition, and have a couple story restriction regarding staying in one places.

The former....they could work, and in 2nd would probably give a more shaman feel, rather than the more god-king feel of other splats. Not much to comment in that regard.

[Draken]

Well, I suppose a no-moon lunar would work even better for a WoW shaman on at least one front.

Ghost Wolf.

But I honestly don't know the lunar charmset that well.

[horngeek]

Core book, page 108, on Occult:
"In addition, it also covers familiarity with all manner of supernatural creatures, including ghosts, gods, elemental, and the fair folk. Characters who are skilled in occult know both the capabilities of such creatures and how tot petition or appease them. "

I may know, on a technical level, how to deal with people, and still get it drastically wrong because I'm rubbish at converting that into real terms.

Occult, IMO, when dealing with spirits, would be the 'set-up' skill. Knowing what this spirit might be interested in, what form the prayers should take.

Presence/Performance is used for the actual prayer roll.

Overall, with a case as borderline as this, I'd say you look at the actual character rather than their skills. Remember: Salina, perhaps one of the two most well-known sorcerers, was a Zenith Caste.

[Tavar]

And? That post was saying that occult is for knowledge about spirits, not lore. You know, like the book says.

[meschlum]

I realise I lead the discussion on to this track with my question, but I still think it's interesting that no one has suggested anything but Solar.

Right now I'm picturing her as the newly-appointed and shaman of an Eastern barbarian tribe, who inherited the position after her mother passed away. She's talented (and, of course, an Exalt), but in the end she's still new and have things yet to learn.

To weigh in on the Lore discussion, it's a bit of a dilemma. I want Resalem to have the proper knowledge of things relevant to her, such as the tribe's history and mythology and the herbs and plants of the forest and such. What I don't want her to be is particularly "wise" in a more general sense. The thing is that Lore kind of gives you all that other stuff anyway, at least in 2e.

Not that I need to know her specific stats, so it doesn't really matter.

Now that you mention it...

Crown of the Wisewoman

When the Fair Folk seek to make a place for themselves in Creation, they find its rules and workings odd and confusing. To allay their troubles, the Crown was forged from the aspirations and wisdom of the deepest Eastern wilds, and has been put to good use since.

Channeling the powers of nature and history, the Crown is of particular value to mystics and healers, containing impressive amounts of lore. When its mosses and fronds are tugged loose, they can serve for medical purposes, splints and bandages for immediate wounds and restorative cordials for longer term treatment.

Mechanics
1-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of Wood Form - the Crown is a tangle of flowers and oddly shaped branches.
Imposition of Law - the owner of Crown has absolute knowledge of herbs, plants, and other vegetation of the woodlands.
Imposition of Law - the owner of the Crown cannot fail to recall the legends of the folk who welcome her.
Ordinary Object Conjuration - the stuff of the Crown can be sued as a basic healer's kit.
Ordinary Object Conjuration - nectar from the Crown's flowers can be sued as a reliable antivenom.
Mad God Mien - Exalts are cruel and seek to disrupt the workings of the Crown, so it is warded against their influence.


Restorative Staff

At times, treating a single person at a time is not sufficient. Plagues, battlefields, wars... there are always more wounded, and never the time to help them all. For this, the Staff was created. The kindness of the Raksha is boundless when awakened, and their cups dedicated to the cause of alleviating pain, restoring the hurt, and aiding peace.

When the Staff is slammed into the ground and the proper rites performed, a wave of potent healing force radiates from it, closing wounds and keeping away the threat of death. Those who fall under its effects, if they are not fully restored, will find their bodies changing into inhuman forms - shapes that are far more resilient than their old ones, and capable of remaining alive no matter how poorly treated. As the sick and bleeding recover, their bodies revert to normal as well - still, users of the Staff are treated with suspicion in Creation, where anything new is viewed as a terrible threat.

Mechanics
1-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of the Land's Heart - when planted in the ground, the Staff radiates healing effects out to a fair range.
Ordinary Object Conjuration - the Staff manifests doses of Celestial Wine near the most wounded, restoring some damage.
Bestial Transformation - those who need more help are transformed into human - beast crosses, gaining Undying Flesh and possibly immunity to pain. These effects wear off after some days, so actual treatment is still advised.
Behemoth Forging Meditation - mortals are granted the mutations permanently, without physical alteration.


Mix in Transient Work of Flesh and Bone to manifest custom 'elemental' minions, Element Weaving Style to manipulate the elements of your choice, and Teeth of the World for the attack bits, and you're fairly well set as a starting tier Raksha.

[Longes]

@meschlum, do you solve ALL your problems with Fair Folk artifacts? :smallsmile:

[Weimann]

meshlum, as always your posts bring me pleasure and mirth.

[meschlum]

@meschlum, do you solve ALL your problems with Fair Folk artifacts? :smallsmile:

Cookies of the Wyld

Sometimes, hapless Creation-born or wanderers from alien orthogonal realities discover the glories of the Wyld. Since primeval Chaos is a truly welcoming environment for those with properly warped minds, and the Raksha are nothing if not excellent hosts, they sought to facilitate adaptation to their native realm.

Hence a series of potent invocations which can be made whenever a newcomer visits, encouraging them to stay, listen, and partake. One of the more powerful ones brings forth the Cookies.

Chocolate beyond midnight,
Delicious beyond purple prose,
Buried in the tasty core
Is where your hunger grows
I pledge myself to feed all those who stand
Before the mighty feast bestowed to my unworthy hand
Let the starving who stand before us be blessed
By the power you possess
Wyld Cookies!

For those who prefer a less over the top presentation, the phrase "Welcome to the Wyld side, we have Cookies" is just as effective.

Mechanics
1-dot Oneiromancy
Assumption of Dreams and Passion - the Cookies are Delicious.
Ordinary Object Conjuration - there is an unlimited supply, working like Celestial Wine.
Shiftless Untamed Beauty - they are rather addictive, though.
Mad God Mien - and like an annoying meme, they're hard to get out of your head.


Ahem. Sometimes I use Fair Folk, rather than their artifacts. And (shock! horror!) I have been known to play games other than Exalted. Which doesn't really mean anything, since prepared Fair Folk can declare "This section of Creation now works like D&D / Dresden Files / BESM", and have it stick.

[Weimann]

It turns out, whenever mechlum attempts to speak in any respect, the only things that emerge are Fair Folk Artifacts.

[Longes]

A wild cookie appeared!

since prepared Fair Folk can declare "This section of Creation now works like D&D / Dresden Files / BESM", and have it stick.

Like hell they can! There is a reason Chaos-Repelling Pattern exists:smalltongue: