Dice Exalted 2.5 - Sidereals OCC

[Random Word]

Hmm, interesting. Plague of Hat's Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style rewrite is much more coherent and sane than the original (I realize that's a low bar, but it's genuinely good), but also vastly less powerful. Are we supposed to be aiming for the game-breaking what-does-this-charm-even-do insanity of Scroll of the Monk, or constraining ourselves to the realm of rules that can actually be resolved without constantly consulting the Maidens on what exactly they intended this thing to mean?

 

[D. Rex]

We wouldn't be Sidereals if we weren't so enigmatic that even we didn't know what we are doing. And we wouldnt be sidereal if we weren't majorly inconvenient to our friends because of it.

 

[D. Rex]

Sherwood
Also, next time you get a chance, I need the Errata book, if it's not too much trouble.

 

[Sherwood]

Is it allowed to have duplicate artifacts, such as the perfected Kata bracers, or would you like that to be only in one charms hands?


If I wanted a boat(flying or otherwise) and crew, would that cost artifact or resources? And would I be limited in selection if I choose an artifact version?

Come to think of it. Would sail apply to flying ships?

Yes, more than one of you can have the same artifacts like the Perfected Kata Bracers. Those things are just too awesome not to get.

If I may suggest a boat/ship for you, in Oadeol's Codex there is a pair of artifacts, one is the Folding Ship, and the second is the Land Ship. By themselves, they are 4 dots each, but if you combine them into a Folding Land Ship, it can sail on either land or sea with equal ease. It would only need a helmsman.

But if you still want a airship, we can talk about the options for you.

 

[Sherwood]

Sherwood
Also, next time you get a chance, I need the Errata book, if it's not too much trouble.

I'll add that to the Dropbox list.

 

[Sherwood]

D. Rex

FOLDING SHIP
This double-masted ocean-going merchant’s vessel has a hull of strong, gold-tinged wood and steelsilk
sails (see p. 158). It requires no crew: the ship handles its own sail, bilge and the like. It needs only a
helmsman. From the helm, a pilot can verbally command the rest of the ship.
At its owner’s command, the folding ship folds itself up in a visual spectacle, completing the oneminute
process as a 1’ x 6” x 6” box that weighs 20 pounds. It takes just as long for the boat to unfold. Twelve
straight hours as a box repairs the ship of any damage it may take. If the owner wants, the folding ship can
reassemble as a vessel with self-moving oars and a shallower draft for river travel. The attunement cost is
10 motes, and using Sail Charms with an attuned folding ship provides a 2m (minimum 1m) discount.
The folding ship offers complete mastery of water travel. Though it could certainly be more impressive (one
of the First Age, hearthstone-powered ships, perhaps), it needs no crew but the character and is ideal for getting
just about anywhere on the water. Plus, it’s incredibly cool. This is a greater wonder.

LAND SHIP
The keel of a land ship consists of white jade sandwiched between black jade; the rest of the ship is
ordinary wood, forming whatever vessel the artifi cer desires (but no land ship has ever exceeded 60 feet in
length). It must be attuned for 10 motes before it can sail on land. Then, the jade of the keel liquefi es the
earth and stone around the ship so that the ship can sail through them. Even large trees fl ow around the ship
as it sails, though massive forests are very rough sailing. Once past the ship, the earth fl ows back together
and resolidifi es, leaving almost no trace. This can harm man-made foundations, but it’s dangerous for the
ship to do intentionally: sailing into a stone wall is like sailing into a waterfall, and a capsized land ship can
sink into the ground, never to be seen again.
Even when the ship is destroyed, the keel can usually be recovered and used for a new ship. Using
Sail Charms with an attuned land ship provides a 2m (minimum 1m) discount.
This ship provides rapid and relatively safe transport across huge swathes of Creation, land and sea, but the sand
ships of the Southern deserts sail on land without magic; a land ship merely handles more diverse terrain. A land ship
offers great advantages over people who must rely on horseback, though. The mote discount for Sail Charms pushes
it from Artifact 2 to Artifact 3. Combining this with the folding ship (see p. 41) might make a decent Artifact 5.

 

[D. Rex]

Sherwood

A folding landship would be pretty awesome, most certainly. A 5 dot artifact could also make it pretty epic of thing to stunt with. I'm more than greatly tempted.

I would like some options for an appropriate airship though. And since I'll be using it with the group, I'll see which they'd prefer.




And definitely gonna get pair of them lovely bracers then.



In codex pg36 is an artifact weapon called gauntlets of distant claws. It didnt specify a magical material. But would I still choose what it is made of? Or would I need to pay more for that?

Also! Given the similarity of razor claws and khatars to punch daggers in terms of how they are used. Would it be viable for a form that allows paired weapons (Obsidian Shards of Infinity style, scroll of monks pg129) to also be able to use Claws as a style weapon?

 

[Sherwood]

Sherwood

A folding landship would be pretty awesome, most certainly. A 5 dot artifact could also make it pretty epic of thing to stunt with. I'm more than greatly tempted.

I would like some options for an appropriate airship though. And since I'll be using it with the group, I'll see which they'd prefer.

And definitely gonna get pair of them lovely bracers then.

In codex pg36 is an artifact weapon called gauntlets of distant claws. It didnt specify a magical material. But would I still choose what it is made of? Or would I need to pay more for that?

Also! Given the similarity of razor claws and khatars to punch daggers in terms of how they are used. Would it be viable for a form that allows paired weapons (Obsidian Shards of Infinity style, scroll of monks pg129) to also be able to use Claws as a style weapon?

One option for the Airship idea is to use a Celestial Level spell called Swift Spirit of Winged Transportation. Here it is:

Spoiler

SWIFT SPIRIT OF WINGED TRANSPORTATION
Cost: 25m
Target: Vessel
The sorcerer stands on the target vessel or within
a number of yards of it equal to his Essence. This vessel
may be a ship, a wagon or even a small building. The
Sign of Ten Thousand Feathers shapes his Essence into
an automaton that appears as a mass of huge, feathered
wings. It has no head, eyes or other features, save for a
pair of gigantic, fi ve-taloned claws. The Swift Spirit is
500 feet long and 200 feet wide, and it can carry up to
1,000 tons. Old texts call it a demon or spirit, but the
thing is an automaton: It has no existence outside of
its creation by this spell.
The automaton lifts the vessel and presses it along its
underside, creating a strange canopy of wings that protects
the vessel from wind and weather. The automaton flies
up to a mile high and 200 miles per hour. If the sorcerer
is not aboard the vessel, he must give the swift spirit
a destination when he creates the automaton. It flies
off for that destination without pause. If the sorcerer is
aboard the vessel, he may order the automaton to change
direction and destination as he pleases. He can order it
to set the vessel on land or sea or even to drop it from a
great height. Only fl at-bottomed vessels can land intact
on dry ground; other vessels are likely to break up or fall
over when set down.
The largest fl at-bottomed vessels appropriate
for the use of this spell in Creation today are widebeamed
merchant freighters. Such ships are 300 feet
long, 120 feet wide and can carry up to 400 people
and hundreds of tons of cargo. The automaton exists
either until it reaches its destination and lands the
vessel, until it is destroyed or countered, or until the
sorcerer releases it.

It will let you carry said ship with ease, but the downside is that it is huge, and not very subtle.

There is a great ship that has been statted out in the Autochthonian book that is basically the ship pictured in The Matrix.

Spoiler: Aerial Skiff

AERIAL SKIFF (ARTIFACT ••••)
Repair: 5
The largest free-moving transport vehicles in all of Autochthonia, an aerial skiff resembles a large shaft speeder, being twice as long and having arrays of yard-long horizontal tubes lined with Essence panels that run along the underside of the craft. It also sports eight shield-like guidance panels
held by two-foot struts that stick out from the sides of the craft. The panels are equipped with force projectors that keep the transport from slamming into the walls of the tunnels as it travels throughout the body of the Machine God. These lift and propulsion systems glow with a soft blue light and project enough of a distortion field that all objects that are not made of the magical materials or anchored down are blown away from the vehicle up to a distance of 20 yards. Beings within this range suffer automatic knockback (see Exalted, p. 153), which can be resisted normally.
These vehicles also have an oversized forward-mounted elemental lens (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 77) that is used
primarily for defense against the dangers of the Reaches and can triple the distance of the Charms it enhances. An exotic variant of the aerial skiff is the oil diver, which is fully enclosed, airtight and pressurized to withstand the crushing depths of the Elemental Pole of Oil but lacks the external guidance panels. These vehicles naturally float in the oil and contain enough air in the cabin for a full complement of passengers to breathe for up to four hours. They are equipped with dorsally mounted airlock hatches and echolocation devices that emit pulses that can read the oily environment up
to a distance of half a mile in every direction. Running silent decreases the “visibility” down to 50 yards. Since sight would be completely useless within the Elemental Pole of Oil, these vehicles have a crystal display panel mounted in front of the pilot that projects an insubstantial map in the air before it, shaped from solid-looking light. The map provides for visual interpretation of the information gathered by the echolocation devices and the craft’s natural sensory equipment.
Reconnaissance units of either transport are equipped with stealth systems that duplicate the effects of the Optical Shroud Charm (see pp. 156-157) when active. The vessels may move no faster than one fifth of their top speed to remain unseen. These stealth systems require a separate power source of their own, either an Essence capacitor or an elemental core, to function normally. Artifact ••••• battle-ready versions come equipped with two medium Essence cannons (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. 1—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 131) and an additional +10L/10B armor soak.
AERIAL SKIFF
Speed: 40/80mph
Maneuverability: -1S (Lore 2, Sail 3)
Endurance: Requires the pilot to either attune the vessel’s
Essence engine for a commitment of 15 motes or use six Essence
capacitors or an Artifact ••••+ elemental core
Crew: 1/1
Cargo: 20 passengers or up to 5,000 pounds of cargo
Armor: 10L/15B
Health Levels: Ux3/Mx15/Cx5/Ix3/D
Weapons: One oversized elemental lens
Other Notes: None

Spoiler: What it Looks Like

 

[D. Rex]

One option for the Airship idea is to use a Celestial Level spell called Swift Spirit of Winged Transportation. Here it is:

Spoiler

SWIFT SPIRIT OF WINGED TRANSPORTATION
Cost: 25m
Target: Vessel
The sorcerer stands on the target vessel or within
a number of yards of it equal to his Essence. This vessel
may be a ship, a wagon or even a small building. The
Sign of Ten Thousand Feathers shapes his Essence into
an automaton that appears as a mass of huge, feathered
wings. It has no head, eyes or other features, save for a
pair of gigantic, fi ve-taloned claws. The Swift Spirit is
500 feet long and 200 feet wide, and it can carry up to
1,000 tons. Old texts call it a demon or spirit, but the
thing is an automaton: It has no existence outside of
its creation by this spell.
The automaton lifts the vessel and presses it along its
underside, creating a strange canopy of wings that protects
the vessel from wind and weather. The automaton flies
up to a mile high and 200 miles per hour. If the sorcerer
is not aboard the vessel, he must give the swift spirit
a destination when he creates the automaton. It flies
off for that destination without pause. If the sorcerer is
aboard the vessel, he may order the automaton to change
direction and destination as he pleases. He can order it
to set the vessel on land or sea or even to drop it from a
great height. Only fl at-bottomed vessels can land intact
on dry ground; other vessels are likely to break up or fall
over when set down.
The largest fl at-bottomed vessels appropriate
for the use of this spell in Creation today are widebeamed
merchant freighters. Such ships are 300 feet
long, 120 feet wide and can carry up to 400 people
and hundreds of tons of cargo. The automaton exists
either until it reaches its destination and lands the
vessel, until it is destroyed or countered, or until the
sorcerer releases it.

It will let you carry said ship with ease, but the downside is that it is huge, and not very subtle.

There is a great ship that has been statted out in the Autochthonian book that is basically the ship pictured in The Matrix.

Spoiler: Aerial Skiff

AERIAL SKIFF (ARTIFACT ••••)
Repair: 5
The largest free-moving transport vehicles in all of Autochthonia, an aerial skiff resembles a large shaft speeder, being twice as long and having arrays of yard-long horizontal tubes lined with Essence panels that run along the underside of the craft. It also sports eight shield-like guidance panels
held by two-foot struts that stick out from the sides of the craft. The panels are equipped with force projectors that keep the transport from slamming into the walls of the tunnels as it travels throughout the body of the Machine God. These lift and propulsion systems glow with a soft blue light and project enough of a distortion field that all objects that are not made of the magical materials or anchored down are blown away from the vehicle up to a distance of 20 yards. Beings within this range suffer automatic knockback (see Exalted, p. 153), which can be resisted normally.
These vehicles also have an oversized forward-mounted elemental lens (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 77) that is used
primarily for defense against the dangers of the Reaches and can triple the distance of the Charms it enhances. An exotic variant of the aerial skiff is the oil diver, which is fully enclosed, airtight and pressurized to withstand the crushing depths of the Elemental Pole of Oil but lacks the external guidance panels. These vehicles naturally float in the oil and contain enough air in the cabin for a full complement of passengers to breathe for up to four hours. They are equipped with dorsally mounted airlock hatches and echolocation devices that emit pulses that can read the oily environment up
to a distance of half a mile in every direction. Running silent decreases the “visibility” down to 50 yards. Since sight would be completely useless within the Elemental Pole of Oil, these vehicles have a crystal display panel mounted in front of the pilot that projects an insubstantial map in the air before it, shaped from solid-looking light. The map provides for visual interpretation of the information gathered by the echolocation devices and the craft’s natural sensory equipment.
Reconnaissance units of either transport are equipped with stealth systems that duplicate the effects of the Optical Shroud Charm (see pp. 156-157) when active. The vessels may move no faster than one fifth of their top speed to remain unseen. These stealth systems require a separate power source of their own, either an Essence capacitor or an elemental core, to function normally. Artifact ••••• battle-ready versions come equipped with two medium Essence cannons (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. 1—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 131) and an additional +10L/10B armor soak.
AERIAL SKIFF
Speed: 40/80mph
Maneuverability: -1S (Lore 2, Sail 3)
Endurance: Requires the pilot to either attune the vessel’s
Essence engine for a commitment of 15 motes or use six Essence
capacitors or an Artifact ••••+ elemental core
Crew: 1/1
Cargo: 20 passengers or up to 5,000 pounds of cargo
Armor: 10L/15B
Health Levels: Ux3/Mx15/Cx5/Ix3/D
Weapons: One oversized elemental lens
Other Notes: None

Spoiler: What it Looks Like

View attachment 749769

Well you know me, I cast subtlety to the wind.


But gosh darn. Now I'm really in an undecisive pickle. Get essentially a giant trackless first age train. Or fly the nebuchadnezzar.

I'm gonna have to ask the others which they think would be cooler.

 

[Sherwood]

Well you know me, I cast subtlety to the wind.

Sidereals are supposed to be subtle. That's how they have kept their secrets for so long.

 

[D. Rex]

Sidereals are supposed to be subtle. That's how they have kept their secrets for so long.

Okay. For the sake of subtly I'll pass on the giant creature ship.




And if I do go Skiff. I'm guessing the beuaracry would much rather me take the stealthy Reconnaissance transport rather than the battle ready one, huh?

 

[Sherwood]

That would be better. Also, I will let you be able to take the ship through the Gateways to and from Yu-Shan for easier travel.

 

[D. Rex]

That would be better. Also, I will let you be able to take the ship through the Gateways to and from Yu-Shan for easier travel.

The spoilsports. They better pay for the stealth power thing.

Ooh that's handy! Might need to get me a cool port as a Celestial manse.



And the other questions?

 

[Sherwood]

In codex pg36 is an artifact weapon called gauntlets of distant claws. It didnt specify a magical material. But would I still choose what it is made of? Or would I need to pay more for that?

Also! Given the similarity of razor claws and khatars to punch daggers in terms of how they are used. Would it be viable for a form that allows paired weapons (Obsidian Shards of Infinity style, scroll of monks pg129) to also be able to use Claws as a style weapon?

If you pick the Gauntlets of Distant Claws, I'll let you add the Magical Materials bonus to them for Melee combat (I believe it is +1 Accuracy and +3 Damage) for them without any extra charge.

I'll also let you use them in place of khatars or tiger claws as a Form weapon in a martial art.

 

[Sherwood]

Forgot to add that yes, Sail is the needed Ability for airships.

 

[Psychie]

I have to say, I like the idea of an airship. I came really close to getting a folding land ship, but decided against it. It just sucked up too many of my Background points.

 

[D. Rex]

I have to say, I like the idea of an airship. I came really close to getting a folding land ship, but decided against it. It just sucked up too many of my Background points.

I don't mind spending the points on it.

Lol I'm the chosen of journey. Travel is my job. If your sailing all you get to do is drop the anchor.


Now! From what I read. The skiff isnt a high flying ship. I think it only goes up 20 yards.

 

[Sherwood]

Now! From what I read. The skiff isnt a high flying ship. I think it only goes up 20 yards.

That is only the distance that the repulsors will knock someone around if they are too close. I will let you fly it higher than that.

 

[D. Rex]

Sherwood
I just had a thought.

If I am already wearing the gauntlet claws... I wouldn't be able to wear the Kata bracers, could I? Assuming they take up the space. Or would hands and forearms be considered different parts I'm terms of equipment?

 

[Sherwood]

Sherwood
I just had a thought.

If I am already wearing the gauntlet claws... I wouldn't be able to wear the Kata bracers, could I? Assuming they take up the space. Or would hands and forearms be considered different parts I'm terms of equipment?

The kata bracers can be put farther up your arms than the gauntlets.

 

[D. Rex]

The kata bracers can be put farther up your arms than the gauntlets.

I don't think they have a socket for hearthstone either.


Does a hearthstone have to be pocketed or only if it is mentioned?

 

[Random Word]

Alright, I went with the not-broken Plague of Hats rewrite of PAoC. The Perfected Kata Bracers just make the one in Scroll of the Monk go from silly to wrong.

 

[Sherwood]

I don't think they have a socket for hearthstone either.


Does a hearthstone have to be pocketed or only if it is mentioned?

There is a 1 dot artifact called a Hearthstone Amulet that you can use, or you can try a Skin Mount Hearthstone Amulet from Wonders of the Lost Age:

Spoiler

SKIN MOUNT AMULET (ARTIFACT ••)
Repair: 1
Appearing as a large rivet-style body piercing made of one of the magical materials with an indented
disk-shaped socket, skin mount amulets are nothing more than implanted hearthstone amulets (see Exalted,
p. 380) that require no attunement. The design of these amulets also confers an additional number of motes
of Peripheral Essence to the wearer’s maximum Essence pool equal to twice the rating of any hearthstone
placed in the socket. Mountain Folk, God-Blooded and other non-Exalted Essence channelers instead add
these motes to their singular Essence pools. Mortals normally incapable of channeling Essence may attune
to manses if they have one of these devices installed, gaining the usual benefi ts of any hearthstone from
an attuned manse installed in the stone. Mortals also gain the aforementioned bonus motes as a meager
Essence pool that they can recharge only through the inset stone but may otherwise use as if they were
Exalted. Any commitments using Essence from the amulet (such as to other artifacts) immediately end if
the hearthstone leaves its socket. At the height of the First Age, skin mount amulets were a popular form
of jewelry among the Chosen. Hearthstones can be removed or replaced in a skin mount amulet as readily
as any other type of hearthstone amulet. Only the socket itself is actually riveted to the body.

The added benefit to the Skin Mount Amulet is that it can't be taken from you without actually cutting it from your body, and it increases you Peripheral mote pool by twice the rating of the Hearthstone you have in it.

 

[D. Rex]

There is a 1 dot artifact called a Hearthstone Amulet that you can use, or you can try a Skin Mount Hearthstone Amulet from Wonders of the Lost Age:

Spoiler

SKIN MOUNT AMULET (ARTIFACT ••)
Repair: 1
Appearing as a large rivet-style body piercing made of one of the magical materials with an indented
disk-shaped socket, skin mount amulets are nothing more than implanted hearthstone amulets (see Exalted,
p. 380) that require no attunement. The design of these amulets also confers an additional number of motes
of Peripheral Essence to the wearer’s maximum Essence pool equal to twice the rating of any hearthstone
placed in the socket. Mountain Folk, God-Blooded and other non-Exalted Essence channelers instead add
these motes to their singular Essence pools. Mortals normally incapable of channeling Essence may attune
to manses if they have one of these devices installed, gaining the usual benefi ts of any hearthstone from
an attuned manse installed in the stone. Mortals also gain the aforementioned bonus motes as a meager
Essence pool that they can recharge only through the inset stone but may otherwise use as if they were
Exalted. Any commitments using Essence from the amulet (such as to other artifacts) immediately end if
the hearthstone leaves its socket. At the height of the First Age, skin mount amulets were a popular form
of jewelry among the Chosen. Hearthstones can be removed or replaced in a skin mount amulet as readily
as any other type of hearthstone amulet. Only the socket itself is actually riveted to the body.

The added benefit to the Skin Mount Amulet is that it can't be taken from you without actually cutting it from your body, and it increases you Peripheral mote pool by twice the rating of the Hearthstone you have in it.

I kinda like the skin mount. That would give me essentially an extra 8 motes. Would help cover the cost of artifact attunement.

Was going to get the Seven Leaping Dragon Stone. It grants +4 dice to any Martial arts attack roll. Does that count to the dice limit one can have on a roll?

Between that and the PKB, that adds 9 die to the attack just between them.

 

[Sherwood]

I kinda like the skin mount. That would give me essentially an extra 8 motes. Would help cover the cost of artifact attunement.

Was going to get the Seven Leaping Dragon Stone. It grants +4 dice to any Martial arts attack roll. Does that count to the dice limit one can have on a roll?

Between that and the PKB, that adds 9 die to the attack just between them.

I believe that those are counted as non-Charm bonuses, so you can still raise up your dice pool by using your Excellencies.

Don't forget that the Sidereal martial art styles are inherently oogy, and you will be able to do some truly nasty effects with them.