[Emperors of the Fading Suns] [Emperors of the Fading Suns] OOC Thread

IC arrogance can be just being a solar, but ooc arrogance is asking for the st to eat your face. There are plenty of things in creation and the Wyld to threaten a solar's life and we'll being.
 
Note that I specifically said "Celestial Exalt", not "Solar Exalt". In Creation proper, yeah there's all kinds of things that can threaten a Celestial Exalt. But in the Wyld, a Solar or a Lunar with the right charms (and tattoos, in the case of the Lunar) are basically unstoppable.
 
Folks, in about a day I'll be heading out of the country for a 2 week vacation; I'm here for ~24hrs before I depart. I don't expect to have the time to post, even if I do manage to grab some internet access, while I'm on vacation.


As Rhapsody managed to patch up Fangs to the point where she's coherent, talking, and making plans, I expect Fangs to be able to talk down Mirror without incident once Siham and Mirror arrive - which means that if this happens "off screen" that's fine. After that, waiting join the scene in Ankss, which looks like it might take a while to get to.
 
@JayTee :I really appreciate the offer but we are already capable of taking a few shortcuts, and it would not really fit the characters to be less invested and use wyld mutations instead of their own powers for this project.


But malek has no problem with siham creating objects from the wyld :)


@Feantari : this charm is full of raw bare ass.


The concept is nice, but the mechanics... good lord !


No mote cost, and no limit on the number of uses per day or per character.


Here man, let us take an hour, and you will master 5different styles...
 
That's perfectly fair. I like to think that I sit firmly in the middle of the powergamer/roleplayer spectrum. I'll gladly optimize and minmax the shit out my own character concepts, and eagerly help others do so for theirs, but if it's an important part of your character to invest the time and resources that way then more power too you. :)
 
It is indeed important, that particular style is something Malek's past incarnation designed for his allies, so it's like picking up where he left off the last time.


To tell you the truth, it's going to cost me at the very least 40xp to master that TMA style, practically it's going to be completely useless :D , but from a role playing point of view, I can't really see him not mastering the style he once invented and help Flicker train adepts.


It's part of his legacy.
 
You are causing me physical pain, Cyl. 40xp. FOURTY xp! :cry:


Oh god, I think I'm having a heart attack or something.
 
Nah, if you want to have a real heart attack, take a look at my sheet and all the charms I bought :P


Most of them were bought and used to Cross out of a bad situation.


At this point 40 xp represent less than 10% of my total xp, and the benefits will be felt throughout the Scavenger Lands. So it is not like I am throwing it away either.
 
What pains me more is the amount of xp you let sit around in the bank. :-P


But yeah, that charm is awesome, but because it specifically isn't a training charm I don't feel its broken. Its more or less completely up to the ST the rate at which someone can learn, but it means that when you want to take the time to learn it the training time itself it drastically reduced.
 
What pains me more is the amount of xp you let sit around in the bank. :-P
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I have so much potential for awesomeness it is hard to decide.


I basically have 2 options:


- I make it all about Malek and empower him to the maximum


- I focus on a collection of essence 2 charms and empowering 2-3 more allies to extend his influence and reach


Considering we're in a realm building game I still ask myself which is more interesting for what's next: being the best there is in only one single place, or being really good in four places simultaneously.
 
cyl said:
I still ask myself which is more interesting for what's next: being the best there is in only one single place, or being really good in four places simultaneously.
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You're a Solar -- shouldn't you already know the answer to that? :P
 
Well I do have the impression that having more people under me would help me achieving my goals faster.


Melia for instance brings me an additional PP per chapter.


You might say it is not worth the 50+xp I spent on raising her... but you might change your mind in a few more chapters.


Plus as an eclipse I cannot specialize.


I need to cover my ass with dodge, I need investigation to know who I am talking too & get traction on my targets, I need linguistics to protect myself and attack others, I also need bureaucracy or socialize, depending on how I want to help saving the scavenger lands... and then there's also Martial Arts... and Essence... and social traits... and backgrounds
 
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If you're intent is to play him as a typical deal making eclipse dude then go for it. I think you'll need to specialize fairly hard into it to protect yourself socially and be able to set up the sorts of situations you can best use. Also linguistics is awesome the end. ^_^
 
Cyl, if it helps you focus, you might want to consider what I did when built Siham. I picked one area where I could best contribute to the Empire (crafting) and maxed it out.


Now that I've done that, I'm putting everything I have into personal power. A dead Super Scientist is a useless Super Scientist. ;)
 
Hmm. From a strictly mechanical aspect, I should probably do that...but I feel that, lacking proper tutors for anything except MA, most of Flicker's Knacks and Charms would unfold organically, based on circumstances.


Becoming an active leader strengthened her natural Charisma, and she found she could train elite soldiers unnaturally fast. Enemies constantly eluding us led her to refine her Perception, causing her to develop supernatural tracking. Her growing attachment to the Cross and its people became a source of Essence and was reinforced by her own innate magic. Learning her partner had been captured by a Deathlord triggered the evolution of her war form, and so forth.


Besides, flexibility, rather than perfection in a single area, is the whole point of Luna and her Exalted.
 
cyl said:
Well I do have the impression that having more people under me would help me achieving my goals faster.
Melia for instance brings me an additional PP per chapter.


You might say it is not worth the 50+xp I spent on raising her... but you might change your mind in a few more chapters.


Plus as an eclipse I cannot specialize.


I need to cover my ass with dodge, I need investigation to know who I am talking too & get traction on my targets, I need linguistics to protect myself and attack others, I also need bureaucracy or socialize, depending on how I want to help saving the scavenger lands... and then there's also Martial Arts... and Essence... and social traits... and backgrounds
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No, you can specialize as an Eclipse - there is no need to do everything your Eclipse-ness could theoretically be capable of doing.


You probably shouldn't ignore Dodge, because Perfect Defenses are clutch.


But it's entirely possible to choose not to care about bureaucracy is actually running organizations isn't your thing. Or Linguistics if you take the "Stabbing you in the face is a form of diplomacy..." school of thought. Or socialize if you'd rather be the power behind the throne, and let some pretty puppet do all the talking and wear the crown.


Just like a Dawn doesn't need to be a general who is equally good with a sword, bow, a thrown weapon and whateverthehellelse Dawns do. Or that JayTee has taken a pass on the XP sink that is Sorcery.


Also keep in mind that, as you're still Essence 3, while Fangs is rounding toward Essence 6, and some of our opponents are definitely at Essence High, you're invariably handicapping yourself. They can just keep you going until you run out of juice.


You cannot be all things to all situations. That is not the way of Exalted. And this is coming from someone who's made some laughably poor XP spending decisions.
 
The problem I have is the same problem I've had from the beginning... I didn't build this guy to handle this type of things...


It's a bit like being a blind man and someone just put a gun in your hand and told you to shoot the target... all you can do is improvise and adapt.


That's what I've been doing with Malek and that's why Cross is still a town instead of a pile of corpses due to malnutrition... I put everything I had into helping people survive.


I had and still have two make investment I never planned on making in the first place.


Diplomacy is just another thing I have to pick up due to the necessity of finding allies if we want to survive the next 5 years.


Now, I can do without Socialize or Bureaucracy indeed... it sucks, but I can spare that and use what I already have to go behind backs, bypass security and plant the seeds of a good plan that I will soon love, especially when it comes together.


But I need Investigation & Linguistics at the very least (about 8 charms... 64 xp nothing more.)


And I still have to pick up dodge charms and essence as you say (that's another 70xp... oh suddenly I just have 10 xp left... gulp).


But the real problem you forgot to mention is that the non ruler type of social miracle worker relies on people.


The things you craft with diplomacy / social combat are the least durable stuff you can build in Exalted unless you have enough allies with enough power to help you maintain it.


It's not a solo act, you depend on and need to rely on people.


And sadly most people bend and break as easily as twigs.


There are a lot of ways to destroy something social power took quite a long time to create.


So it's either "I gotta get me those PAP mortals with access to essence 2 charms to help me cover more ground and consolidate my power and influence" or "damn... I gotta raise my social traits from the ground, rule myself and be everywhere at once".


To sum it up:


Tank_Matrix.gif



- Okay so what do you need... besides a miracle ?


598765-neo_phone.jpg



- Dragon Blooded... lots of Dragon Blooded !


agent_smith.jpg



- LMAO, you're so fucked !
 
I'm not saying you have to go without all of them, just that its possible to pick and choose, and you don't *have* to be all things. And that wasted XP is a sunk cost - move on from it, instead of trying to chase it and make it somehow work.


I guess my problem is with this sentence:


"The things you craft with diplomacy / social combat are the least durable stuff you can build in Exalted unless you have enough allies with enough power to help you maintain it."


You have access to a non-trivial number of the world's Celestial exalts.





Seriously, Siham is close to "This is a fully armed and operational battle station" levels of crafting, Fangs can now casually summon 2nd Circle demons and is not all that far off from Playdates with Liger. Mirror is an out and out killing machine. Argis is all Kung-fu Ancient Sifu Master, and a damned dangerous Dragonblood (do I get XP for alliteration stunting?)


(Forgive me Rhapsody and Flicker, but I haven't played enough with your characters to have a really good handle on your charm sets)


All the Terrestrial-level MA and enlightened mortals in the world aren't going to save you. They're set dressing. The foot soldiers in Dynasty Warriors you use to rack up combos. If this was a movie, the FX people would just model eight of them and then cut and paste into the thousands.


The Exalted are nuclear weapons. Diplomacy with Exalted is an exercise in mutually assured destruction. The threat is not the 50, or 500, or 5000 well-trained mortals you can send. It's that if you hurt your people, the retaliation will reduce everything to a remarkably level pool of glass. Defying your will means going to bed every night checking the shadows, because Mother Fucking Sondok might be hiding in them. It means asking your engineers if the gates of your palace will hold up to a Abyssal, and getting an expression that's halfway between being dumbfounded and pants-wetting terror. Hell, to use your example, all the neat little power-loaders converted to gun platforms and ambitious riflemen in Zion couldn't save humanity. You needed Neo. And Trinity.


More is not better in Exalted. Better is better in Exalted.
 
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