Channeling

Ker'ion

Ker'ion

Primordial of Abstract Logic
I'm trying to sort out how to create a Channeler, ala Wheel of Time, in the Exalted universe.


I was thinking a specialized Sorcery school that trained in Elementally based Spells as well as those based on manipulating the Spirit world.


Possibly making most of the spells Terrestrial level, so that Channelers would be a more common occurance in their society.


Any other ideas?
 
I'm trying to sort out how to create a Channeler, ala Wheel of Time, in the Exalted universe.
I was thinking a specialized Sorcery school that trained in Elementally based Spells as well as those based on manipulating the Spirit world.


Possibly making most of the spells Terrestrial level, so that Channelers would be a more common occurance in their society.


Any other ideas?
Click to expand...
From my understanding of this long-ass series, channeling is more like using elementally-aspected Charms without an elemental surcharge.  If you define it in Exalted cosmology, "the One Power" is just Essence (that from which the world springs, etc. etc.), and really, the sorcery mechanics are not what you want to use.  Write a new Charm set, possibly with some ability to improvise certain effects.
 
Well, yes and no. What would certainly be a spell is when they use the Gates - opening a portal that people can step through and end up hundreds of miles away. I'd say this is most definitely spell level magic.


Since there are three levels - Novice, Apprentice and Master (essentially - I can't remember the names they use specifically) - I'd start the Novices out with special charms, albeit low Essence charms, then increase the power of said charms when they get to Apprentice, and, finally, end with the Masters learning sorcery. That, too, is a tricky thing. I see the Gate magic as being way more powerful than a Terrestrial spell, as is some of the other effects that are used.


And that brings another issue - what are you going to do about the varying power levels in channelers? Cause it's definitely a issue. A channeler has a specific power level and can't rise above that. Are you going to put a cap on their Essence traits? Now, the lower power levels aren't so problematic - they can learn charms but not spells - but what about those spells? Are the channelers going to be restricted to just DBs or can Celestial Exalts become channelers? Or is this something completely new? And is this in addition to the normal Exalts or is this a brave new world? Because if this is going into the existing milieu, I'm not sure it's going to have the same impact.


But that's just my two cents.
 
Power levels?


God-Blooded, Dragon-Blooded, and Celestials.


That should work for various power levels.


Maybe I should make the whole scenario something in a Realm in the Wyld.  Something just outside of Creation, but still seperate.
 
That would seem to work, yes. Both for the power levels and the Realm in the Wyld. I suppose the next question is how much is this Realm going to interact with the regular Creation? Will someone coming in from Creation have issues in this Realm? And what if one of them got to Creation?


As for the Gate spell, check out the spells from the old EC. There's a Gate spell in there. But I think it's a Solar spell, not just a Celestial. It could be argued that some of the weavings they do in The Wheel of Time certainly achieve Solar level spells. But this kind of seems to work - most of these particular weavings have been lost since the Sundering. I just don't know how you work that into an Exalted setting. Unless the coming of the Solars marks this level of achievement. I don't know. My head's spinning. I mean, it could be that only the uber powerful - i.e. the Solars - can cast these spells - but some of the lesser powered Channelers were able to make a Gate, IIRC. So I don't know where that leaves you.
 
Team-work spells?


Ie. you've got all these DBs of matching aspects, 5 of each aspect working in tendem, casting the spell... all at once.


Treat it as a solar spell in timing, and the DB with he highest Essence score does the rolling.


They would still need to have essence 5 and occult 5. All of them, at the least... as well as knowledge of that spell.


This would mean team-work is VERY important.
 
That would work mechanically, but not really thematically. There weren't really team weavings in the Wheel of Time. If Ker'ion wants to do that, that certainly seems like an elegant solution, but it's not Wheel of Timeish. So it depends on how close he wants to hove to the books.
 
I have seen the Channeling more like Ars Magica's system.  You have individual elements and actions, and your strength in them added to determin the affect.  


To force it into Exalted terms would require you to change the elements to skills, and have two casts (male and female) with differnet caste specialties.  Or go the Lunar route and make them Attribute based.
 
Vanman said:
but it's not Wheel of Timeish.
Click to expand...
Neither is Exalted itself when it comes down to it, so anything he does is going to end up being a "best fit".  Any solution that closely approximates one source will come at the expense of the other.
 
What of the group effort used for severing?  Nynave almost pulled it off alone, but it took 13 of the weak ones to do it up right.  I think that the group effort rules would work to smooth things over with Channelling.


And I thought there was a Celestial level gate spell in the books.  I know you can go to Yu-Shan with a Celestial level spell, so popping across Creation should be the same level.
 
What of the group effort used for severing?  Nynave almost pulled it off alone' date=' but it took 13 of the weak ones to do it up right.  I think that the group effort rules would work to smooth things over with Channelling.[/quote']
You're pretty much talking about exceptions. Severing is something completely different to making a weave. Like I said, you want to do it, you go ahead. It just won't be exactly like it is in the books.

And I thought there was a Celestial level gate spell in the books.  I know you can go to Yu-Shan with a Celestial level spell' date=' so popping across Creation should be the same level.[/quote']
Not a Celestial level spell. There's a Solar Circle spell, Mystic Travel, that allows you to travel a specific path at 10 times the normal speed, by shrinking the world around the sorcerer. And there's spells that allow you to travel quicker but you need a vessel and/or summon a vehicle in order to travel faster. And Mystic Travel isn't useable with any other travel spell. That's the closest Exalted comes to a gate spell. There's nothing that allows you to open a portal and step from one place to another.


And the Yu Shan spell is Summon the Heavenly Portal - which summons the Calibration Gate. This is different from creating a gate straight to Yu Shan. Instead, you're summoning an already existing gate to use. So, again, not the same thing.


As Memesis said, this is going to be a best fit sort of proposition. To quote the venerable Memesis:

Any solution that closely approximates one source will come at the expense of the other.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I'll go with the Solar Mystic Travel Spell for the Travelling Spell then.


As for the Gate Spell, it'll just be Solar with higher Mote costs is all.


And it says in the books that some things were so powerful you had to link to do them.


I'll just make a linking setup for mopre powerful effects, like sharing Essence and Essence costs for multiple sorcerers.  As well, I'll make a specific spell that can be used to link sorcers to achieve effects of a higher Circle of Sorcerery.
 
Vanman said:
That would work mechanically, but not really thematically. There weren't really team weavings in the Wheel of Time. If Ker'ion wants to do that, that certainly seems like an elegant solution, but it's not Wheel of Timeish. So it depends on how close he wants to hove to the books.
Click to expand...
Actually, there is team channeling called Linking.  When two or more women link, one is the leader and controls the flows while the others turn over their power to her to increase the amount of the Power that can be safely channeled.  Each person added to the link adds about 50% of her power to the leader, and she has absolute authority on what is done with the Power and when she lets go of the control back to the other Sisters.  To extend the circle beyond 13 women, they have to add a male with the Power, with the same limitations.  The Crystal Sword from the Dragon Reborn can be used safely only when it is linked with one man and two women, with one of the women directing the flows.  But when hooked up like that, it made even the Forsaken stand up and take notice.
 
Vanman said:
That would work mechanically, but not really thematically. There weren't really team weavings in the Wheel of Time. If Ker'ion wants to do that, that certainly seems like an elegant solution, but it's not Wheel of Timeish. So it depends on how close he wants to hove to the books.
Click to expand...
Actually, there is team channeling called Linking.  When two or more women link, one is the leader and controls the flows while the others turn over their power to her to increase the amount of the Power that can be safely channeled.  Each person added to the link adds about 50% of her power to the leader, and she has absolute authority on what is done with the Power and when she lets go of the control back to the other Sisters.  To extend the circle beyond 13 women, they have to add a male with the Power, with the same limitations.  The Crystal Sword from the Dragon Reborn can be used safely only when it is linked with one man and two women, with one of the women directing the flows.  But when hooked up like that, it made even the Forsaken stand up and take notice.
 
I'm ATTEMPTING to covert this into d10.  I'm not letting EM anywhere near a d20 book after the last disaster.
 
You might want to try Hero...it's pretty good for creating worlds in sime ways...from what I've seen of it. And no, it doesn't require a degree in some form of math to understand...despite the claims of some.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top