Dice Exalted 3E Solars of the Sky - OOC

[Rykon]

The crew shall convene here.

 

[Rykon]

Sherwood , given that I've had sufficient designs of my own for a helper amongst the crew, I will waive the cost of the Ally. Feel free to invest those points elsewhere.

Also, it looks like you may be missing 2 -2 health levels. Stamina 3 gets 1 -1 and 2 -2s for each ox body.

 

[Sherwood]

Thanks. I'll make the changes and figure out some other goodies for those points.

 

[Rykon]

The hearthstone that allows you to set the wind direction, contacts (for fencing/selling loot), a sobriquet for a pirate's notoriety, or more basic traits/charms could all be good options.

 

[Sherwood]

I'm thinking the Hearthstone you mentioned. It would be good to speed the ship along with a good tailwind.

 

[Rykon]

There's some other good utility ones, though not nearly as on the nose for this game. Seems like you guys would have a place or two to act as a safe house so I imagine a lot of the group will have their own spoils, pillaged manses, and shady connections to bring to the table.

 

[Sherwood]

I have a background and intimacies done up. Let me know what you think.

 

[Rykon]

Works for me. I'll have a write up for the NPC here soon.

 

[Esbilon]

I'm pretty tempted by the sword Stormcaller (Arms of the Chosen pp88), but it has quite the potential for collateral damage, particularly on an airship.

Rykon 0) Can I take it? 1) Would it be feasible to use this sword, or is it more bother than it's worth? and 2) if I wield it sheathed, will the storm's intensity increase or can I use it safely?

 

[Esbilon]

Rykon Is the cap on 3 Ability dots before BP still in place?

 

[Rykon]

You can take it and wielding it sheathed will do bashing damage without escalating the storm. However, at a certain point flight becomes impossible and there will be a lot of downtime doing rituals to placate the sword. So I would be very cautious about taking it and using it. It's also advised to not use it with Iaijutsu which single point shining in the void is.

Also, I'm not going to enforce pre BP dot caps.

 

[Esbilon]

Mmmm, Stormcaller is just so cool. But you're right it doesn't synergize very well with SPSitV or travelling by airship with a vital crew.

 

[Esbilon]

Despite its awesomeness, I've finally given up on Stormcaller. Rykon what do you think of this?

Shori (Orichalcum Reaper Daiklave, Artifact ●●●)
With this blade, the Solar warrior-queen Calan inflicted the wound that would claim the life of Gorol Thrice-Damned, the most heinous traitor to walk Creation. Following the battle, Calan gave up the blade to honour her fallen Lunar Mate who had given her life in the hope of saving hers.

Shori is a wickedly sharp orichalcum blade with a hilt of red jade and starmetal. Its guard bears an intricate carving of a great city that bears a striking resemblance to Meru at the hight of its glory, despite being forged centuries before that great city's glory days.

Attunement: 5m
Type: Medium (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 5)
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Hearthstone slot(s): 3
Era: War of the Gods
Special: Stormcaller can be wielded while sheathed, gaining the Bashing tag instead of Lethal

Spoiler: Evocations and powers

Slipping Through the Smallest Gap
Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

Shori is among the sharpest blades ever forged and easily slips through the tiniest gap in an opponent's armour. When supplementing a Withering attack, this Charm lets its wielder ignore 4 points of Soak from armour. When supplementing a Decisive attack, it lets them ignore 2 points of Hardness.

For a Fallen Brother
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Slipping Through the Smallest Gap

When used in just retaliation, Shori jumps more eagerly into the fight. This Charm supplements any attack against an enemy who attacked the wielder or someone towards whom the wielder has a positive Intimacy during the current or previous round. On such a strike, it adds two automatic successes to the attack roll.

Dread Premonition
Cost: 1m per success; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive, Resonant
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: For a Fallen Brother

Somehow, the intricate lines of Moonsilver in the hilt and guard help move Shori to where it needs to be to block the attack of the wielder's foes. The wielder may pay 1 mote per success to remove up to (Essence/2, round up) successes from an opponent's attack.

Resonant: If the wielder is resonant with Shori, they may activate this ability after the attack roll has been made.

Strikes Like Lightning
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Dread Premonition

Moving with the swiftness of a lightning strike, Shori falls upon its wielder's unsuspecting foes. Following a successful attack, this Charm allows the wielder to make a second attack.

Special Activation Rules: This Charm may only be activated once per round.

 

[Rykon]

Seems fine to me, were these based off of something printed or completely homebrewed?

 

[Esbilon]

Seems fine to me, were these based off of something printed or completely homebrewed?

The sword name and theme are based on the Lion Clan Ancestral Sword from Legend of the Five Rings, the first power is basically Piercing, but with a mote cost instead of a DV one, the second is basically Empowering Justice Redirection (Ex p443), 3rd is Hail-Shattering Practice (p349), and 4th is Peony Blossom Technique (p346).

So, sorta in-between

 

[Esbilon]

I have a very preliminary sheet up. Comments are welcome

 

[Rykon]

The sword name and theme are based on the Lion Clan Ancestral Sword from Legend of the Five Rings, the first power is basically Piercing, but with a mote cost instead of a DV one, the second is basically Empowering Justice Redirection (Ex p443), 3rd is Hail-Shattering Practice (p349), and 4th is Peony Blossom Technique (p346).

So, sorta in-between

Just seemed a little low power there on that last one (misinterpreted the limit as once per encounter out of haste), though I've still got the 2E power biases over 3E's. The cooler artifacts but flatter effects has made me very conflicted with open adoption of 3E.

 

[Esbilon]

Rykon Single Point Shining Into the Void (and Righteous Devil) Style specifies that it cannot be used unarmed. Does this only refer to the Charms, or to the MA Ability as well? In particular, if I'm on the receiving end of a Grapple gambit, can I defend myself with Martial Arts (SPSItV) on the control roll?

 

[Esbilon]

Rykon Am I correct in assuming we start with 4 Specialties as usual, and that Specialties cost 3 xp/bp to buy?

 

[Rykon]

Thanks, I had a feeling I was missing something. Yes four specialties, but the point cost for buying extras will be 2 instead of 3. The characters section has been updated to reflect this.
Sherwood Psychie just wanted to make sure you two were aware of this update.

 

[Esbilon]

Cool! What about my question about grappling? Furthermore, here's a Silken Armour for your review:

The Shifting Cloth (Moonsilver and Orichalcum Silken Armor, Artifact ●●●●)

Attunement: 4m
Attunement: 4m
Type: Light (+5 Soak, Hardness 4, Mobility Penalty −0)
Tags: Buoyant, Concealable, Silent
Hearthstone slot(s): 1
Era:
Special: Does not interfere with Martial Arts that cannot normally be used while wearing armor.

Spoiler: Evocations and powers

Unless the Exalt is dissonant with moonsilver, she unlocks Shimmering Guise for no experience cost when she first attunes to the Shifting Cloth.

Shimmering Guise
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None

Over the course of a few seconds, the Shifting Cloth takes a new form. This can be anything the wearer desires, but the cloth itself always leaves its own mark on the final outfit, meaning that those who know the artifact well are able to identify it. Any part of the outfit that is not contiguous with the largest piece is made from mundane materials, and will deteriorate over the course of a day after Shimmering Guise is activated next.

Shifting Grip
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Shimmering Guise

Should it ever be struck in anger, the Shifting Cloth is more than capable of showing its displeasure at such harsh treatment. In response to any attack with a weapon that strikes home, the wearer may activate this Charm to make a Disarm gambit against the attacker with an attack pool of (Dexterity + 10). Should the gambit succeed, the weapon remains tangled in the Shifting Cloth and its former owner must hit the wearer with an unarmed attack and succeed in a Difficulty 3 (Strength + Athletics) roll to retrieve it.

Silver Shell
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple, Dissonant
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Shimmering Guise

The Shifting Cloth was made for battlefields as well as for ballrooms, and it is not always in the wearer's best interest to dress for the latter. After activating this Charm, the the Shifting Cloth takes on the traits of a Medium Artifact armour (+8 Soak, Hardness 7, Mobility Penalty −1) and loses its ability to not interfere with Martial Arts. It can still be used with Martial Arts that normally allow the use of Medium armor.

Dissonant: If the wearer is dissonant with Moonsilver, the Mobility Penalty increases to -2 and the armour can only be used with Martial Arts that allow the use of Heavy Armour.

Veil of the Hidden
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Shimmering Guise

The Cloth shifts to cover the wearer's entire body, including their face and hands, though the fabric is delicate enough that it is still possible for the wearer to use their senses without penalty. Their voice and other sounds are muffled and the armour hides them from view giving them a +4 bonus on all Stealth rolls and imposing a -2 penalty on attempts to identify them by voice or other such characteristics.

Vestment of the Righteous
Cost: 10m; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive, Resonant
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Shifting Grip, Silver Shell, Veil of the Hidden

The wearer channels their Anima into the Shifting Cloth and it takes on a glorious and radiant appearance reflecting their Exalted nature and personal Anima Banner. The Cloth shines as a Burning Anima Banner and the wearer is filled with an implacable sense of righteousness. While this Charm is active, they gain a +1 bonus to their Resolve, mortal opponents are unable to strike them, andall others suffer a -2 penalty to attack them.

Resonant: If they are resonant with Orichalcum, the wearer gains 2i whenever they successfully strike an opponent.

 

[Esbilon]

I updated Lioness's sheet and made her a Zenith. Everything is paid for now, but I still need to do some thinking regarding how she came to be an airship pirate with this crew, and just what her priorities are at this stage of her life.

 

[Rykon]

On grappling: No you'd need an unarmed/grappling art or brawl for that. Easiest bet would be to grab dots in something like snake or mantis as they're 1/dot for you now. Solar Brawl is really good at dealing with grapples though

On the Silken Armor, here's my thoughts:
Shimmering Guise
This should grant +2 non-charm successes to disguise and resisting extreme temperature. Duration: Indefinite.
Resonant (Orichalcum):
+1 non-charm dot to appearance for a 2m commitment.

Shifting Grip
Keep in mind Gambits are variations of decisive attacks and their pools should reflect that. So the Dex + 10 pool feels like it should be "roll an unarmed decisive attack pool + artifact dots", given that it is reasonable to have a charm bonus, but decisive attacks don't have accuracy bonuses from weapons as a normal action. Seems like the text for retrieving the weapon could also be simplified to "succeed at a disarm gambit", again though given the artifact rating, let's make it a difficulty 4 (instead of the standard 3) disarm gambit. Type could be Reflexive here with a Counterattack keyword, but that's a minor nitpick.

Silver Shell
Having to spend xp to unlock an evocation that grants 3 soak and 3 hardness for the added cost of -1 mobility penalty and incompatibility with most martial arts seems rather undesirable, especially for a 4 dot artifact. Swapping that to instead add Essence to soaks and hardness and nullifying the benefit of the piercing tag for mundane weapons as a scene long seems like it'd make this evocation feel less like self-punishment. I'd also be fine with this as a reflexive type, given the 4 dot status of the artifact.

 

[Esbilon]

This should grant +2 non-charm successes to disguise and resisting extreme temperature. Duration: Indefinite.

Mm, it was a conscious decision to make this Instant duration so there'd be no commitment. Disguise is anyway an action that's taken once, so that could still work with the Instant duration. Resisting temperatures sounds more like an always-on power. Maybe add a line "If this Charm is used as part of a Disguise action, gain +2 automatic successes."

Resonant (Orichalcum):
+1 non-charm dot to appearance for a 2m commitment

That's not generally how Resonant bonuses to Charms work, the extra commitment could work as a general power which is available only if resonant with Orichalcum.

Keep in mind Gambits are variations of decisive attacks and their pools should reflect that. So the Dex + 10 pool feels like it should be "roll an unarmed decisive attack pool + artifact dots", given that it is reasonable to have a charm bonus, but decisive attacks don't have accuracy bonuses from weapons as a normal action.

Right, I'd forgotten that. I picked Dex + number since I figured this wasn't really like any Ability, but since there's no equipment bonux, maybe Dex + 5 (or Dex + 4) is better.

Seems like the text for retrieving the weapon could also be simplified to "succeed at a disarm gambit", again though given the artifact rating, let's make it a difficulty 4 (instead of the standard 3) disarm gambit.

That makes sense.

Type could be Reflexive here with a Counterattack keyword, but that's a minor nitpick.

Point taken.

Having to spend xp to unlock an evocation that grants 3 soak and 3 hardness for the added cost of -1 mobility penalty and incompatibility with most martial arts seems rather undesirable, especially for a 4 dot artifact. Swapping that to instead add Essence to soaks and hardness and nullifying the benefit of the piercing tag for mundane weapons as a scene long seems like it'd make this evocation feel less like self-punishment. I'd also be fine with this as a reflexive type, given the 4 dot status of the artifact.

That seems pretty powerful, but I'm happy to take the power-boost

 

[Rykon]

Mm, it was a conscious decision to make this Instant duration so there'd be no commitment. Disguise is anyway an action that's taken once, so that could still work with the Instant duration. Resisting temperatures sounds more like an always-on power. Maybe add a line "If this Charm is used as part of a Disguise action, gain +2 automatic successes."

That's not generally how Resonant bonuses to Charms work, the extra commitment could work as a general power which is available only if resonant with Orichalcum.

Hm... perhaps reduce them each to 1, keep the appearance dot, make it a permanent type with 2m to instantly change attire and dissonance to orichalcum dropping the appearance boost.

Right, I'd forgotten that. I picked Dex + number since I figured this wasn't really like any Ability, but since there's no equipment bonux, maybe Dex + 5 (or Dex + 4) is better.
...
That makes sense.
...
Point taken.

Well, without an ability there is no excellency support... I wonder, depending on how you frame it, perhaps telekinetic type effects and all, Wits + Presence or Wits + Integrity could work as a defense by mental reflex with some excellency hook.

Alternatively, with no excellency support I could see Wits+Will with wound levels received as non-charm successes. and the roll ignores the wound penalty.

EDIT: Derp, just realized, final success on gambits relies on rolling initiative. By definition, this one is a Perilous Keyword charm too, as a crashed person couldn't roll anything to make the disarm.

That seems pretty powerful, but I'm happy to take the power-boost

4 dot artifacts are supposed to be sufficiently powerful to change how you fight, and I think it will help the power scale well at its' cost and essence minimum. Also appeals to a sense of how potent cloth armor could be in old times.