[2E] - Action? what is it?

[Flagg]

I think the main thing which limits firewands, either as a flamethrower or a gun, is firedust. It's rare and expensive.


It's not something that the DBs would really have to supress. They're just too expensive to arm every upstart mortal with.


-S

 

[MikeOQuinn]

Indeed.


As mentioned before, I also wonder if the qualities of firedust make it incompatible with projectile weapons. There are certain combustibles that will not - well, combust - in a chamber, with enough force to budge an obstruction that is wedged that tightly in the barrel.

 

[Flagg]

As mentioned before, I also wonder if the qualities of firedust make it incompatible with projectile weapons. There are certain combustibles that will not - well, combust - in a chamber, with enough force to budge an obstruction that is wedged that tightly in the barrel.

True. However, I'll again mention that they've invented every part of the gun except the bullet. Finding some alchemical formula to make the right kind of explosive powder shouldn't be too difficult. We are talking about a world with immortal magical supergeniuses here.


-S

 

[MikeOQuinn]

You've an outstanding point. I think it'd make a great surprise weapon for a Abyssal to use in a grand combat scene.


*Solars have fought through the undead horde of Legion of Words Cobbled Together to Form a Cinematic Name to reach Legion's base of operations*


Solars: Come out and face us


Legion: Is that really what you want?


Solars: It's what we asked for, isn't it?


Legion: Okay, then. You asked for it.


*Legion of Unpronouncable Syllables steps out onto a balcony and shoots the Dawn in the leg with a Soulsteel bullet, which starts a Frodo-like spread of taint through his body.*


Legion: Come back when you can dodge faster. You're not worth my time.

 

[Persell]

True. However, I'll again mention that they've invented every part of the gun except the bullet.

The way I've always figured it was that firedust burns too hot for the metal to be able to be propelled by it.  If they were to put a piece of shrapnel inside it, when they fired it the heat of the flame would turn the bullet to slag inside the barrel.  I also figure that the First Age didn't have much use for firewands since they relied on Essence cannons and alchemical firearms - firewands would be too simple for them.


Personally, I like how firewands and flame pieces are flamethrowers rather than projectile firearms.  In the real world, the reason why we quit using armor was because firearms made them useless.  Bullets would just pierce right through them.  So if the setting did use bullets then nobody would be walking around with kick-ass breastplates, which would take away from the visuals of the game.

 

[Flagg]

I believe I've addressed and refuted just about every point you just made earlier in the thread.


-S

 

[uteck]

It is also a matter of efficency.  The process of manufacturing an Essence Cannon has been refined to an art.  Cannons are dependable and easily controlled.  Firewands are more comlex and expensive, and it seems that the DBs have become entrenched in tradition, so any attempt to innovate is stopped, not just by the realm, but the Siddies as well.  Also, firewands require you to carry around a quantity of explosive on your person so you can reload.


I also feel that they make the game more like Deadlands, which is a nice game, but this is supposed to be epic fantasy, not a western.

 

[Flagg]

Firewands, as projectile weapons or flamethrowers, ar FAR behind the Western level of weapons technology. As I said before, it brings Exalted more into the Renaissance level.


-S

 

[Zin]

So lets say that firedust cant propell a bullet.


Just mix sulfur coal and (dont know the english name for the third ingredient)


And you have black powder. Considering all the other stuff the alchemists can do, that dont seem like that hard.


And Stillborn I have a friend that has his mind set on creating projectile launching firewands. But me and the ST for that char have some problems comming up with stats. He will be fiering small statuets in the form of chess pices if I remember right.


I think that his char exalted when he found the formulae for "gunpowder grade firedust" and the anima flare made the whole thing go boom. :-/

 

[Flagg]

The thing about that kind of rifle is that they're not particularly deadly -- at least not in Exalted terms. Unless you're shot in the head, you're very unlikely to die outright, even if you're a mortal. Armor also does a TON to lessen the impact of the bullet.


Also, while they can theoretically be used for defense in close quarters, they'd be a shitty tool for the job (unless bayonetted).


They would have a fixed base damage, adding no Strength. A round ball with no rifling isn't particularly accurate either.


I'd say (tentatively):


Speed 5, Accuracy -1, Damage 5L, Rate 1, Range 75


-S

 

[Sherwood]

In the posts earlier, I see no mention of one obvious extension of muskets-the cannon.  Cannon balls loaded with explosives mounted as fixed artillery, or smaller ones pulled by horses (or not that small if pulled by yeddim).  Then you have the advancement of rifling in the barrel, which takes a musket from a weapon accurate to 50 feet to being accurate to 500 feet.


Putting the cannons on ships would lend a bit of a 'Pirates of the Carribean' feel to it, which could be quite fun if the players wanted to go that way.


Moble cannons traveling with guild caravans would make a Wyld-twisted barbarian think twice before charging head long into the muzzle.


All of these ideas can be made even better if you make them out of the magical materials and have the damage increased by channeling Essence or attaching a Hearthstone.  Fighting a army of zombies?  I can enhance this cannonball to extra damage against the undead!

 

[Zaramis]

Try to think Exalted.


Maybe the God of Explosives has recently suffered a harsh setback, or maybe he's bitter over something, so he intentionally sabotages the attempts at making rifles or such things shoot other stuff than fire, since that's governed by another god.


Maybe the gods over the materials involved in making gunpowder are in a bitter feud, refusing to cooperate and thus imposing harsh threats on anyone who wants to use them

 

[Flagg]

Or maybe there's no need to come up with a ridiculous rationalization. Maybe guns in Exalted aren't such a big deal when there are HUGE LASER CANNONS.


-S

 

[Solfi]

Because this is supposed to be a game of swords and archers, not guns.
<snip>


Or, if you like it, take it and run with it.

works for me...

 

[wordman]

Back to the original question of "what is an action", I'm starting to realize that WW screwed the pooch on their use of this word. In first edition, there was a difference between "turn" and "action". In second edition, there is still a mechanical difference between "the time between when a character acts and then acts again" and "the time needed to resolve a single die roll", but they are both called "action".


As an example, pg 115 declares that you can only spend one point of willpower "per action" for channelling a virtue or buying successes. Thus, since a flurry is a single action, you can only channel once in a flurry. On the other hand, Fivefold Bulwark Stance also says the penalty of "each action" is reduced, but designers have indicated that this applies to each "action" within the flurry.


Matters would be helped by the introduction of terms meaning "until your DV refeshes" and "until the next tick in which you declare an action".