Exalted 2nd Ed/40k TTRPG Mix

[janusmaxwell]

Mostly for fun, I’m thinking of a way to translate/alter Exalted Mechanics into 40k mechanics, using the Only War/Dark Heresy 2nd Edition rules. I want to throw out some of my ideas, as well as ask for advice from anyone familiar with both systems. (on my phone atm, so I’ll clean up in a bit)

For the most part, I’d throw in some Exalted stuff as is, like Virtues, Essence, Limit, and replace Fate Points with Willpower. Other stuff, I’m more fluid on.

First Part: Favored Skills
My first thought was that Exalts get 1 or two more Aptitudes besides the standard amount that baseline DH2 characters get. (excluding the extras from certain expanded classes, like Psyker/Inquisitor/Etc)

Second Part: Solar Excellencies.
Because Exalted runs on a dice pool rather than a percentile system, I’m having a bit of trouble working on translating the charms that either add more dice to the pool, or just let you buy successes before you even roll.

My first thought: The First Solar Excellency adds +5 to your stat for the same pricetag as Exalted (1m = +5) and the max is Essence + the related stats Bonus. (Ess2 WSB 3 = can buy up to +25). The Second Solar Excellency, would be a +10 for 2 motes a pop, same rules for the first for how many you can buy...or maybe 1/2 that.

However, a friend suggested that the First Excellency should lower the penalty/raise the target number for the check being made , while the Second Excellency should buy “Degrees of Success”, but you still have to make the initial success yourself.

Which sounds closer to the initial mechanics, or is there a third option?

Third Part: Charm Minimums
This one was tricky for me, because Exalted runs off of 0-5 dots in a skill, while in 40k its a -1/2 or -20 penalty for trying do do something untrained, (effectively 0) and there’s 4 ranks in a given skill, not 5. But I think I hammered something out.

For the purposes of buying charms, having a stat that is under 30 in an Untrained skill is the equivalent of 0 dots. Training is an automatic 1 dot, but if you’re Untrained and the associated stat is above 30, you “qualify” as having 1 dot. Having 2 dots means Trained and the Stat is 30< and from there the rank purchases will equal the required Dot number. (if the stat stays at <30, you’re going to be 1 dot lower than where it should be.)

For Weapons and Ballistic Skills, 1 dot means you need Weapon Proficiency with [blank] to use charms with that weapon, and the Stat itself makes up the rest of the Dot requirements. WS 20-29 = 2 dots, etc. HOWEVER, this means you can’t use any weapon charms for one that you are not proficient in. If you have weapon training (Primitive) but +50 in your weapon skill, you can’t pick up a Chainsword/Chainaxe and use a charm that lets you slice a Bloodthirster in half.

Though I COULD see applying for certain charms with untrained weapons, but only if you meet the stat requirement with the untrained penalty factored in...for the above example, a guy COULD use a charm with a WS or BS requirement of 5 dots/50 up, if their actual WS or BS was 70 or higher.

[lightningcat]

I am only somewhat familiar with the newer versions of the 40k games, having read them, but only played the original DH. But I have adapted Exalted for other purposes, so I will claim some familiarity there.☺

My first question is: Why? Why are you doing this? What do you expect to get out of it? Is this just a ridiculous homebrew exerise?

Now on to actually helping you. DH2e is very much based on the character's stats as compared to Exalted being equal with stats and skills. So this creates something of a problem, although hopefully not unsurmountable.
First Excellency adding +5 to your roll, this works. I would actually say to the Characteristic for the roll, (as you originally thought) but then that creates a different problem if you want to go full Exalted cosmology.
Second Excellency is harder. My default idea would add a level of Unnatural Characteristic to the roll, but stats are the domain of lunars, while skills are the domain of solars. Maybe if worded properly?

Charm minimums. This is where the 40k game's weird split between combat "skills" and all the other skills eally shows up. You method looks like it would work, but is rather inelegent for the combat side.
There are very few Charms with a minimum of 1. So you could just use Known as 1 & 2, Trained as 3, Experienced as 4, and Veteran as 5. Alternatively, you could just allow anyone to by the 1s without penalty, or if they have an appropriate Aptitude.
For the combat side, I would simplify it and just make each Weapon Training into a skill, and treat them in the same way. They already have the same penalty for not having the training, so the basis is there.

Although by the standard rules, you can start with a max of 40 in a Characteristic and can only add +20 to it with xp. With another +5 or rarely +10 from specialty, and another +3 from each homeworld and regiment type. So 76 is max in any Characteristic, without other means that I am unaware of. This create a understandable limit for 40k, but seems wrong for Exalted.

Hope this helps, or at least gives you something to work off of.

[janusmaxwell]

Thank you for the advice. This is something of a pet project, honestly. To give a bit more of a ‘narrative’ feel to 40k, I guess.

Anyway, about your question regarding stat maximums, in DH2, a character can get a +5 in a stat 5 times. for a maximum of +25. Which is still impressive, but yes, it’d be too limited for an Exalted. My plan was to bring over the rule where Essence 6+ means a character can buy one more upgrade for their stat, and one more level for a given skill.

Also, working on Aptitudes at the moment, and I’m leaning towards the idea of an Exalted being a “prestige class” like a Sororitas/Psyker/Inquisitor, which grant one bonus aptitude along with several other bonuses. So far, to keep with the scale of things from Exalted, I’m thinking that a Solar would get 2 aptitudes related to their caste, and they would need to be the Aptitudes that don’t have the same name as a Stat. (Leadership, Fieldcraft, etc). Also, Celestial Exalted have Unnatural Toughness (X), where X is 1/2 their TB, rounded down. Because Exalted already has the rule that only Exalts can “soak” lethal damage up to half their Stamina, that’s pretty easy to carry over.

Also, using wounds, I have the Weird idea of Exalts getting their TB in extra wounds, on top of any others. But one important bit is that Exalted Healing would mean the normal “lost an arm, call a techpriest” rules for Negative wounds wouldn’t apply, because they’ll grow back...eventually.

Anyway, still fluffing things out. Thank you!