Building a Twilight Exalted

[Just Alex]

So, one of my buddies had an opening come up in his Exalted game and he asked me to fill in. I know the WW system reasonably well, but I'm not well versed in Exalted. I want to build something halfway competent, but don't really have a clue how to do that. It looks like I'll be playing a Twilight Solar (so we can have a full circle)
I'm mostly looking for help building my charms and combos. I'll probably take the Terrestrial Circle, plus a mental and physical defense charm, but after that, I have no ideas.

[Reel On, Love]

So, one of my buddies had an opening come up in his Exalted game and he asked me to fill in. I know the WW system reasonably well, but I'm not well versed in Exalted. I want to build something halfway competent, but don't really have a clue how to do that. It looks like I'll be playing a Twilight Solar (so we can have a full circle)
I'm mostly looking for help building my charms and combos. I'll probably take the Terrestrial Circle, plus a mental and physical defense charm, but after that, I have no ideas.

Twilight anima power + Essence-Gathering Temper + high Soak (Invulnerable Skin of Bronze spell is a GREAT start; sprinkle on Essense Fangs and Scales from Mantis Style martial arts) = you get hit, you take no damage, you might even *gain* Essence.

[Poison_Fish]

So, what do you want? A sorcerer? A crafter?

I know the only twilight I ever played was much more a private detective then anything else. Investigate + a few sorcery's makes for very good use, in 1E or 2E. I essentially built her as a scout/info finder. A slight social and sneak focus, and a lot of information gathering.

Edit: Though who says you ever need a perfect circle? Would you want to play something else?

[Just Alex]

I was thinking of making the character under the warrior-sage archetype. The GM wants to keep a full circle for something he has planned in the story, so I'm pretty much stuck with Twilight. That said, the Essence Gathering Temper trick is really good. Extra essence means more nifty spells and charms. I may pick up an artifact weapon to push the warrior side, then grab some thaumaturgy to give me some extra sorcerous stuff. A couple extra knowledges should round out the archetype.

[Poison_Fish]

Eh, as an exalt, thaumaturgy is very meh. But as a warrior sage type, going heavy lore is never bad. To refine that, you may want to consider linguistics as a secondary skill. Do you have any clue on the type of weapons you'd see yourself using? Perhaps the clothes? It's always good to get a regional idea in your head.

[Ravyn]

Even with the edition modifications, thaumaturgy's far too expensive for its effect to be worth it to you as anything but character fluff (particularly geomancy, as you can duplicate most of the early degrees by instinct or Occult Charms anyway). On the other hand, it's very hard to go wrong with Spirit-Detecting Glance and All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight. I'm not as familiar with Second, so I'm not sure if they increased the Occult offerings, but I know the spirit stuff has a knack for coming in handy.

[Indon]

Hmm. What do you see your character doing?

If you see yourself interfacing with the Wyld a lot, you'll want to look into Lore. Spirits, I believe you'll want some Occult charms. If you think you'll be facing other Exalts, you will need at least one perfect attack and perfect defense charm (You might not be able to get both as a newbie character - but if you can, at least grab a perfect defense).

I only have experience in 1'st edition Exalted, so I can't really think of any more advice to give that would probably apply to either version.

[Just Alex]

The GM is being suspiciously tight-lipped about what all will happen during the campaign. Judging from previous games, I expect a lot of combat. I know that the party will meet me due to a wild hunt. With that info, I plan to take Seven Flowing Shadows (perfect dodge), Terrestrial Circle, Obsidian Butterflies, Emerald Counterspell, First Demon Summoning Circle, One Strike Two Blows, First Melee Excellency, Spirit Sight, Essence Gathering Temper, and Monkey Leap.

Unfortunately, all my bonus points are pretty much stuck, since I have to spend 7 to boost my Essence to 3. That only leaves 8 to spend on backgrounds, and I'd like to spend that on Resources and maybe an artifact.
Anyways, will that mix of Charms keep me alive, or is

[Poison_Fish]

Ah, demon summoning, the other way to keep yourself alive early game.

Unless, of course, your ST has you fighting a yozi.

[Ravyn]

At least, once someone gets around to establishing how demons work; had I been them, I really would've published demons before gods. If you're going to summon, by the way, I recommend tomescu for self-defense, and a sesselja to keep you alive. Erymanthoi look intimidating, but they're pretty wimpy; don't bother with them. Agatae make decent transportation, and they're amazing to look at, but you have to watch out for those mood swings of theirs--I don't recommend using them unless you've got a high Ride score or reliable Charms.

[Cubey]

I'm playing 1st edition Exalted, but I'll chime in anyway - a counterattacking charm does wonders against other Exalted types. Is Solar Counterattack still in the game? It is very useful because the enemy cannot defend so easily against it, unless they didn't use a defensive (or any) charm in the round yet.

And don't feel discouraged about melee fighting only because you're a Twilight - you can excel in it. My game's biggest powerhouse is a Twilight. Of course, he didn't take Sorcery so he didn't spend all these starting points to boost Essence... that'd be the group's Zenith.

[Terraoblivion]

Elemental summoning might be a good alternative. Not only can it, if you argue your case well enough in the initial summon, net you much stronger elementals than the demons you get with Summon Demon of the First Circle it can also be used as a means of contacting powerful elementals with information, propositions and the like. And it carries less moral nastiness and is less disturbing for people around you. Just a comment.

[Ravyn]

Depends on whose morality you're going for. On the one hand, having a demon following you around doesn't get you any points when dealing with normal people and the Wyld Hunt, but let's face it, the Wyld Hunt's after you anyway, and if the demon stays dematerialized when you're not going to use it, who's going to know? On the other hand, unless you're prone to Cselenite pacts, Summon Elemental means you're enslaving elementals, and Heaven does not look well upon that if you do it too regularly or drag the wrong individuals from their jobs. (With demons, they really don't care--it's what they get for losing the War.)