Appearances

[Persell]

Couldn't that be applied to Appearance as well.  I.E. Appearance is not only physical beauty but your ability to appear a certain way.  I appear sad, I appear mad, I appear calm, even when you are not?

In the BWB Appearance is described as "a combination of physical attractiveness and innate appeal." So you are right. It could be used the way you say. But I still don't like the physical aspect of it. Appearance is listed under social attributes not physical. It should, in my oppinion, be kept purely physical. And I can't see the logic in raising your appearance from 1 to, possibly, five with xp - could a horribly ugly person become that attractive by learning to (and I again quote from the book) "make a good first impression or simply (...) generate an instinctive response in others."?

this is the definition i got from www.dictionary.com
ap·pear·ance   Audio pronunciation of "appearance" ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (-pîrns)


n.


  1. The act or an instance of coming into sight.


  2. The act or an instance of coming into public view: The author made a rare personal appearance.


  3. Outward aspect: an untidy appearance.


  4. Something that appears; a phenomenon.


  5. A superficial aspect; a semblance: keeping up an appearance of wealth.


  6. appearances Outward indications; circumstances: a cheerful person, to all appearances.

But we still agree that the attribute is about looks, right? This definition hasn't much to do with beauty or attractiveness. So skip the dictionary definition and look at the way the word is applied in the book.

 

[Halfdead Frodi]

Mechanically useless?


Perception and Appearance, mechanically worthless? I don't think so. In my games at least, Perception is VERY useful indeed...noticing that Immaculate monk sneaking up to kill you, getting a feel for the area's essence flows, realizing that yes indeed that person has some essence effect in use, or that there are dematerialized spirits around... nope, not useful at all. Appearance, admittedly has less need for dice rolling, but there are times when it is certainly useful. Flashing that winning smile to catch the pretty girl's attention, looking impressive as you stand on the battlements before you give your might rousing speach, using the mighty cleavage approach to getting your sneaky ninja friend past as you distract the guards without actually walking up and making them suspicious by actually talking to them... And, although the Lunars did get screwed in Appearance based charms... something I'm thinking about modifying in my game, the Alchemical most certainly did not...they have a fair number...almost all of which I'm quite a fan of...and many of which could not just be directly transfered to 'Composure'... Of course an excessively high or low Appearance can bring up plenty of interesting rp...ranging from one group's Changing Moon with Legendary appearance who can't go anywhere without getting herself and quite possibly the whole group in deep...6 appearance not too heavily clad going down the street with a Tell... Ooops. The hideous leper looking Abyssal trying to get in a city? Appearance has any number of uses, both for creating rp, and for being used actively. Do you pay more attention when a moderately overweight lady with severe acne and passing aquaintance with hygiene tries to get your attention, or when a supermodel does the same? One may try not to judge on appearances, but it's still there, whether consciously or not.

 

[Persell]

Re: Mechanically useless?


I guess I was a little rash with my wording there

Perception and Appearance' date=' mechanically worthless? I don't think so. In my games at least, Perception is VERY useful indeed...noticing that Immaculate monk sneaking up to kill you, getting a feel for the area's essence flows, realizing that yes indeed that person has some essence effect in use, or that there are dematerialized spirits around... nope, not useful at all.[/quote']
I'm not saying that it is useless to be aware of your surroundings. I'm saying that Perception has no place among the mental attributes, as it is mostly a physical thing - eyesight, hearing, smelling and so on. I again go with nWoD, that handles perception as a Wits + Composure (or relevant skill) roll. This is explained as Wits being the ability to process input and stimuli efficiently and composure being the ability to keep your calm and stay concentrated in stressful situations.

Appearance' date=' admittedly has less need for dice rolling, but there are times when it is certainly useful. Flashing that winning smile to catch the pretty girl's attention, looking impressive as you stand on the battlements before you give your might rousing speach, using the mighty cleavage approach to getting your sneaky ninja friend past as you distract the guards without actually walking up and making them suspicious by actually talking to them... [/quote']
This is best handled respectively by Charisma + Socialize, Charisma + Performance or Pressence and Manipulation + Socialize with a bonus for good looks. The player would decide for himself if her character was good looking - it needn't be handled by the system at all.

And' date=' although the Lunars did get screwed in Appearance based charms... something I'm thinking about modifying in my game, the Alchemical most certainly did not...they have a fair number...almost all of which I'm quite a fan of...and many of which could not just be directly transfered to 'Composure'... [/quote']
As I have brought to your attention above Composure doesn't replace Appearance directly. Appearance is just no longer an attribute. Lunar and Alchemical Charms do pose a problem, but I am sure that the three social attributes could easily be applied to the former Appearance-based Charms.

Of course an excessively high or low Appearance can bring up plenty of interesting rp...ranging from one group's Changing Moon with Legendary appearance who can't go anywhere without getting herself and quite possibly the whole group in deep...6 appearance not too heavily clad going down the street with a Tell... Ooops. The hideous leper looking Abyssal trying to get in a city? Appearance has any number of uses' date=' both for creating rp, and for being used actively. Do you pay more attention when a moderately overweight lady with severe acne and passing aquaintance with hygiene tries to get your attention, or when a supermodel does the same? One may try not to judge on appearances, but it's still there, whether consciously or not.[/quote']
Of course looks very much apply in social situations. But as with Perception above, I don't think a statistic should be used to reflect it. I let my players determine how good looking their characters are themselves. It is a matter of roleplaying, well-written backgrounds and credible characters. If a player would want a super human appearance it would be handled by a merit.

 

[Lurker in Darkness]

Appearance could be interpretated as the Bearing atribute for the LotR CODA system. I think it´s more like a presence sort of thing. Probably more conected to sblter things, like gestures and pose. Probably a composition of things that make you seem more impressive, more seductive, etc. Which allows you to use appearance without any talking (which is impossible with charisma). Besides, if you see things this way, it becomes possible to increase appearance, becuase it turns into a matter of controling and "improving" your gestures, mannerisms, intonation, movement, etc.


Though it also does involve looks and this kind of stuff, of course.


That´s how I see things, at least.

 

[Persell]

Appearance could be interpretated as the Bearing atribute for the LotR CODA system. I think it´s more like a presence sort of thing. Probably more conected to sblter things' date=' like gestures and pose. Probably a composition of things that make you seem more impressive, more seductive, etc. [/quote']
Again I quote the book: "a combination of physical attractiveness and innate appeal." As Appearance is presented in the exalted system it is not a pressence sort of thing. It is looks and how you manage them.


Charisma is: "your character's 'force of personality.'" It mentions charming others, gaining trust and natural appeal. A high Charisma is used to inspire respect and makes it possible to "build an empire." So things that make you seem more impressive, seductive etc is covered by Charisma.

Which allows you to use appearance without any talking (which is impossible with charisma).

Is this a houserule of yours? Because the book doesn't state it in any way. I think we should make it clear if we are using the rules as basis for argumentation or not. Basically I reject the Appearance and Perception attributes, but stick to the Charisma attribute as it is presented in the book.

Besides, if you see things this way, it becomes possible to increase appearance, becuase it turns into a matter of controling and "improving" your gestures, mannerisms, intonation, movement, etc.
Though it also does involve looks and this kind of stuff, of course.

I see your point, but Appearance is too flawed, in my oppinion, to make it worth the while. You gain much more by skipping it and using the way more useful attribute of Composure.

 

[Lurker in Darkness]

Appearance could be interpretated as the Bearing atribute for the LotR CODA system. I think it´s more like a presence sort of thing. Probably more conected to sblter things' date=' like gestures and pose. Probably a composition of things that make you seem more impressive, more seductive, etc. [/quote']
Again I quote the book: "a combination of physical attractiveness and innate appeal." As Appearance is presented in the exalted system it is not a pressence sort of thing. It is looks and how you manage them.

That´s it: appearance also involves "innate appeal". That´s more or less what I was talking about. It doesn´t involve real bauty, just the way you behave in general. Small, subtle things about you, like the way you talk, the way you move, etc. It´s more lika a passive thing, some kind of innate personal charm that permeates all that you do.


Obviously, looks also play an important part on the appearance rating anyway.

Charisma is: "your character's 'force of personality.'" It mentions charming others, gaining trust and natural appeal. A high Charisma is used to inspire respect and makes it possible to "build an empire." So things that make you seem more impressive, seductive etc is covered by Charisma.

I partially agree with this. Charisma is a more active atribute compared to appearance (but more passive than manipulation, of course). Charisma only enters into play when you start talking and actively try to interact with somebody else (even if it´s wothout using words).


Consider two situatuations: being at a Dragon Blooded's 300th anniversary celebration; and shopping at Nexus' Little Market. During the party you use mainly charisma, since you´re actively interacting with people: talking, dancing, flerting, etc. Which means that if your appearance is between 2-4,  people won´t care much about how you look, and will only be swayed (or made uncomfortable) by your raw charisma.


However, at the little Market, you´re not trying to impress anyone and are not trying to be nice either, but if you have a high appearance people will look at you anyway, simply because you are attractive, or impressive, etc.  

Which allows you to use appearance without any talking (which is impossible with charisma).

Is this a houserule of yours? Because the book doesn't state it in any way. I think we should make it clear if we are using the rules as basis for argumentation or not. Basically I reject the Appearance and Perception attributes, but stick to the Charisma attribute as it is presented in the book.

No, it´s no houserule of mine. It is simply common sense. Yes, saying that you simply CANNOT use charisma without talking is a bit over the top, I agree. But, as I said, I think charisma only applies when you actively try to convey something on a social situation, whereas appearance is active the whole time.

Besides, if you see things this way, it becomes possible to increase appearance, becuase it turns into a matter of controling and "improving" your gestures, mannerisms, intonation, movement, etc.
Though it also does involve looks and this kind of stuff, of course.

I see your point, but Appearance is too flawed, in my oppinion, to make it worth the while. You gain much more by skipping it and using the way more useful attribute of Composure.

I think it´s simply too big a trouble messing around with atributes, they´re too fundamental to the system. Not that I´m afraid of customizing, I just think it´s too great a change.


In fact, appearace does come into play quite usually in my games, so, as far as my group is concerned, it works quite well. But I would not remove it anyway, even if it did not work so well.


Note: I would recommend Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (most of you have probably read it already). Jordan´s descriptions of people's atitude (bearing, poise, etc.) fits the concept of appearance quite well.

 

[Persell]

How would you go about describing someone whose appearance is over 5?
After all, appearance 5 tends to get you mistaken for a god incarnate. And you typically get Feys as well as spirits, elementals and demons in the range of 5+.

Nothing you can possibly say about someone over appearance 5 will avoid being trite, stupid, or cliche while STILL doing them justice.


Appearance doesn't make sense as a statistic anyway, particularly not one you can raise with experience.  I've heard people attempt to justify it by saying things like "Oh, you learn to take better care of yourself and dress yourself up nicer," and to that I say bullshit.  Things you "learn to do" are Abilities, not Attributes.  Wearing makeup wouldn't raise your Appearance Attribute, it would just give you a bonus die or two to Appearance related pools, just as glasses give you a bonus to Perception related pools of certain varieties, NOT additional actual Perception.


In conclusion: don't worry about it, it's stupid, nonsensical, and lame.

I don't think this applies to going over 5, but haven't you ever known someone who as they got older they better looking? Acne clears ups, hair becomes controllable, etc. There is always stories of "O poor Mandy was so ugly back in high school, but have you seen her lately?! She's gorgeous!" As far as this applies to experience, I would think that as people age/ gain experience they become more attractive. It's not perfect, but it works.

 

[Joseph]

I don't think this applies to going over 5' date=' but haven't you ever known someone who as they got older they better looking? [/quote']
Not as a result of anything that could be chalked up to spending experience.  On top of that, it more often goes the other way, classically speaking.

 

[Lurker in Darkness]

I don't think this applies to going over 5' date=' but haven't you ever known someone who as they got older they better looking? [/quote']
Not as a result of anything that could be chalked up to spending experience.  On top of that, it more often goes the other way, classically speaking.

Yeah.


The thing is: if you define appearance beauty, there´s pretty much NO way you can increase it with XP, as has been exhaustingly said by Joseph. And that´s exactly why I think it shouldn´t be reduced to mere physical looks.

 

[Persell]

I don't think this applies to going over 5' date=' but haven't you ever known someone who as they got older they better looking? Acne clears ups, hair becomes controllable, etc. There is always stories of "O poor Mandy was so ugly back in high school, but have you seen her lately?! She's gorgeous!" As far as this applies to experience, I would think that as people age/ gain experience they become more attractive. It's not perfect, but it works.[/quote']
Then Mandy turn 35 and things start sagging a little, she turn 40 her skin isn't that smooth anymore. At fifty she might have aged gracefully, but she wouldn't be physically attractive to (most) people under thirty. Defining Appearance as beauty is just too loose. You seldom have complete control over the way you look, although you can influence it in certain ways. But having a stat, that changes as you age - it might increase, but it certainly will decrease at some point - is just a big hole in the system, and gods know, that there are plenty of holes already.


Now, as others have stated there are two options to fixing the Appearance Attribute: Either you can skip it altogether, which is what I have chosen to do. You can replace it with Composure and get a set of social Attributes that are more balanced. Or you can redefine it as a passive drawing-attention-and-knowing-how-to-look-your-best skill. That way you can have assymetrical features and still have a high Appearance rating. Both options are valid, in my oppinion.

 

[Persell]

I agree that appearance is weak, but here's how I tweak it in my games:


Its main uses are:


- Physical beauty (as perceived by most human mortals, which means a gtood number of people might disagree until you reach Appearance 5 or more).


- Etiquette and good behavior: Keeping a straight face, and generally being pleasant to be around for superficial people, or at least superficial reasons.


- Beauty of voice, and quality of performance arts like music and dancing. I leave any Inspiration bout of speech to Charisma, so swaying people to your opinions through Appearance is only feasible to the most superficial people who will only care about what you wear and how good you look to decide if you're right or wrong, but the actual quality of an artistic performance depends on Appearance.


- Seduction. While most people are seduced by intelligence, power, money, the ability to lead, or a mix of different characteristics, a character with high Appearance is the best when it comes to bar cruising.


This is all house-ruling, of course, but it makes Appearance worth something.


I allow merits to give 1 or 2 additional dots in one of those areas, to compensate for the fact that someone can be ugly as a butt and still be a great musical performer, or the opposite.

 

[Flagg]

- Etiquette and good behavior: Keeping a straight face, and generally being pleasant to be around for superficial people, or at least superficial reasons.

Already covered by Socialize.

- Beauty of voice, and quality of performance arts like music and dancing.

Already covered by Performance.


-S

 

[Halfdead Frodi]

But having a stat, that changes as you age - it might increase, but it certainly will decrease at some point - is just a big hole in the system, and gods know, that there are plenty of holes already.

One name, Sean Connery. I know a rather large number of people who still consider him 'dead sexy' or whatever, many of them having said he's even more so now than he used to be... He may not be the norm, but... at least one person I know a fair number of people think got better looking as he aged...

 

[Andrew02]

Presumably, all of the Physical attributes would decrease with age as well, not simply Appearance. That is, if you were to implement something where Appearance decreased over time.

 

[Joseph]

- Etiquette and good behavior: Keeping a straight face, and generally being pleasant to be around for superficial people, or at least superficial reasons.

Already covered by Socialize.

- Beauty of voice, and quality of performance arts like music and dancing.

Already covered by Performance.


-S

Given he's talking about things the ATTRIBUTE Appearance is useful for in his games, why would it matter if ABILITIES like Socialize and Performance were relevent to the tasks?  If Appearance and Performance are both related to beauty of voice, then the obvious roll is Appearance + Performance.

 

[Persell]

One name' date=' Sean Connery. I know a rather large number of people who still consider him 'dead sexy' or whatever, many of them having said he's even more so now than he used to be... He may not be the norm, but... at least one person I know a fair number of people think got better looking as he aged...[/quote']
I would ascribe Sean Connery's good looks to his Charisma. He simply has a great force of personality - that's what makes him a good actor too.


And that is generally my point. Most of the things you guys ascribe to Appearance is covered by Charisma. Charisma is generally raw social and emotional communication. Being a person that turn heads when he enters a room. Being a person others are drawn to. I think it comes down to that.

Presumably, all of the Physical attributes would decrease with age as well, not simply Appearance. That is, if you were to implement something where Appearance decreased over time.

Damn! Good point. Didn't think of that, but you are right. Some Attributes would just decrease with age, while some might not.


My beef with Appearance is just that looks are such a subjective and passive thing and it annoys me, that it should be covered by an Attribute instead of just being a way to describe your character.

 

[Andrew02]

My beef with Appearance is just that looks are such a subjective and passive thing and it annoys me, that it should be covered by an Attribute instead of just being a way to describe your character.

I know. It doesn't bother me much, because I don't like the idea of everyone being jaw-droppingly gorgeous because no stat covers it. A multi-tiered merit would serve, as other said (if you just reversed Disfigured, perhaps), would deal with my beef just fine. Appearance should do things it doesn't, but the subjectivity thing is the perfect loop hole to duck it.


I mean, imagine your character is being seduced. I can imagine players just spouting, "the person doing the seducing isn't attractive at all! My character would never be seduced by that!" even if it were, saying some Appearance 5 character attempting the seducing. Fuck, I've even seen people try to dick out of being affected (at all) by high Charisma and/or Manipulation NPCs by saying, "that just doesn't do it for me."

 

[Joseph]

I know. It doesn't bother me much, because I don't like the idea of everyone being jaw-droppingly gorgeous because no stat covers it.

Everyone wouldn't be jaw-droppingly gorgeous if no statistic covered it.  First, the Storyteller has direct control over the VAST majority of looks in the game, because he says how the NPCs look.  The PCs would only get to engineer appearances for their own character.


More players will want attractive characters than average or ugly characters, but so what?  Why not let them look how they want?  All forcing them to buy up Appearance to make themselves pretty is going to do is encourage them to try to substitute Apperance for Charisma or Manipulation as much as possible anyway.  

A multi-tiered merit would serve, as other said (if you just reversed Disfigured, perhaps), would deal with my beef just fine. Appearance should do things it doesn't, but the subjectivity thing is the perfect loop hole to duck it.  

One could theoretically handle it with a Merit.  Or you could just say "You can look however you want, and people will react accordingly."  Then, include their made up appearances in your Story.  Note that the pretty ones need not have an ADVANTAGE in this regard; some people DISLIKE classically pretty individuals.  Others are certain that anyone good looking must be fairly dense.  Others have a measure of pity for people who look like, say, lepers that might give an ugly character an advantage dealing with them.


Appearance shouldn't be a merit because ANY type of appearance has advantages and disadvantages.  Being the most beautiful guy Nexus has ever seen in your appearance description might help you in some situations in roleplay... but it'll also hinder you in others.  When mr. beautiful walks into an inn and tries to get a room, he's more likely to be noticed by the other patrons -- and thus by potential spies for the character's enemies -- than the Night Caste with a TOTALLY average appearance.

I mean, imagine your character is being seduced. I can imagine players just spouting, "the person doing the seducing isn't attractive at all! My character would never be seduced by that!" even if it were, saying some Appearance 5 character attempting the seducing. Fuck, I've even seen people try to dick out of being affected (at all) by high Charisma and/or Manipulation NPCs by saying, "that just doesn't do it for me."

Seduction isn't always Appearance based, though, be it in Exalted or in the real world.  A person you find totally average probably CAN seduce you if they know you well enough and are good enough at it.  


I just don't see any reason to make Appearance statistics or merit based at all.  Let the characters look however they want; there are roleplay-based rewards and consequences to every possibility.

 

[Persell]

I know. It doesn't bother me much, because I don't like the idea of everyone being jaw-droppingly gorgeous because no stat covers it. A multi-tiered merit would serve, as other said (if you just reversed Disfigured, perhaps), would deal with my beef just fine. Appearance should do things it doesn't, but the subjectivity thing is the perfect loop hole to duck it.

You are right. It could be abused by immature roleplayers, but that is a risk I don't mind taking. The people I play with are all roughly my age and hold the good story in high regard when designing their characters.


But if you should have a player (or players) that consequently makes characters gorgously beautiful just because he can, throw the 'dirty old man' tm at him. Preferably a 'dirty old man' tm with power. If you really (really really) roleplay him it will be a nasty experience And remember that the 'dirty old man' doesn't care for fancy clothes or good intentions or gender. He just cares for a good piece of ass

I mean, imagine your character is being seduced. I can imagine players just spouting, "the person doing the seducing isn't attractive at all! My character would never be seduced by that!" even if it were, saying some Appearance 5 character attempting the seducing. Fuck, I've even seen people try to dick out of being affected (at all) by high Charisma and/or Manipulation NPCs by saying, "that just doesn't do it for me."

Well people should let their characters be affected by high Manipulation or Charisma NPC's. But think of the hordes and armies of really beautiful people out there with absolutely no personality. A person with Appearance 5 and Charisma 1 or 2 is in no way sure to have an effect on people. Most probably wouldn't notice the person as anything else than a pretty face. And probably forget it again after some time.[/b]

 

[Coyotekin]

Beauty is all fine and good, but one must remember that it truly does lie within the eye of the beholder. We each have our own standards and desires when it comes to the appropriate gender of choice, not to mention the physical qualities. And there are even some of us where the physical appearance comes 2nd on our lists with the mind or perhaps even the soul to influence. I stop to think about it, and after consideration of the thread, and agree with many others that it really doesn't have a place in the game anymore.

 

[Andrew02]

The PCs would only get to engineer appearances for their own character.

In all instances where I have played in a game where players could engineer the appearances of their own character, there was only a single case where the character's appearance was merely average. And, even then, it was merely average relative to exceptionally good looking people.


I play with idiots, I guess.

Or you could just say "You can look however you want, and people will react accordingly."  

In all the games I have played, it has turned out pretty much that way just with the statistic.

 Note that the pretty ones need not have an ADVANTAGE in this regard; some people DISLIKE classically pretty individuals.  Others are certain that anyone good looking must be fairly dense.  Others have a measure of pity for people who look like, say, lepers that might give an ugly character an advantage dealing with them.

Indeed. In the games I've played in, the pretty antagonists always die first in the most cruel fashions. We don't meet pretty people anymore.

 

[Coyotekin]

The appearance can be reflected as appealing to only those that the character would be intrested to in the fist place, while possibly attracting those she dislikes unfortunately for them, in secret.

 

[Jakk Bey]

Appearance


Appearance, to me, isn't just about how sexy or handsome a body is. It's also about the attitude that is projected. A person who starts out only so so gets better looking as they gain confidence, as they stop slouching, looking people in the eye, talking to a person instead of at a person. It's what you project.


Charisma starts when you start talking to people, but what about a person can rivet your attention when they just walk into a room? Know a gal that is only so so looking in pictures, but is devastating when you meet her in person, because she projects well. She's an actress, but she can captivate a room without a single word, because of how she carries herself.


Appearance over 5 can be handled in the same way that they dealt with Mega Attributes in Aberrant if you'd like. It's one approach.


At Apperance over 5, you are looking at ideals. Something that is universally appealing. Be that clear eyed beauty, ruggedly handsome, or even matronly appeal.  A woman appearing in her fifties with an Appearance of 6 or 7 would be a power, perhaps not legendary in her youth, but with age comes an appeal that undeniable as she comes into her own.

 

[Joseph]

Re: Appearance

A person who starts out only so so gets better looking as they gain confidence' date=' as they stop slouching, looking people in the eye, talking to a person instead of [i']at[/i] a person. It's what you project.

Seems more like Charisma to me.  Someone who opts to smile is favoring Charisma, not Appearance.  Good posture is Charisma rather than Appearance as well I'd say, because it says something about their attitude.

Charisma starts when you start talking to people' date=' but what about a person can rivet your attention when they just walk into a room? [/quote']
Non-verbal Charisma exists.  In fact, I'd say non-verbal is a MUCH stronger component of Charisma than verbal; once what you're saying and how you are saying it is the heavy focus, you're probably in Manipulation territory.


Charisma makes you just plain likeable, it need not be with words.

Know a gal that is only so so looking in pictures, but is devastating when you meet her in person, because she projects well.

Sounds like she has Appearance 2, Charisma 4 then.

 

[Jakk Bey]

Depends on how you interpret the game mechanics.


Appearance rolls in on the first impression that folks get. How pretty is someone? How attractive?  Part of that rolls in carriage and poise.  Yes, it's non-verbal, but it's that critical first impression.


How many folks have pined over a beautiful woman, only to find out that she's about as poisonous as a coral snake after a few minutes? Rude, pushy, inconsiderate? But, she has great poise and wonderful carriage.  In game terms, you can poll that one up to high Apperance, low Charisma.  


You can justify a boost in Appearance in game terms without someone getting radical surgery by them just exuding that special something that comes from confidence, or you can use the tried and true method used by film and television, and have them let their hair down from the bun, take off their glasses, and put them in a tiny black dress and suddenly wow folks.  


With Exalts, you don't even have to use this method. They're infused with little slices of Heavenly Glory.  It just keeps coming out, transmogrifying them as they grow in power.  Blemishes disappear, they become ideals, growing more and more lovely each and every day.  


I think that you can easily justify an increase in Appearance, especially in game terms.  You can do so in number of ways.