Flow of Essence Merit Dilemma

[Cloud Cobra]

Creating a heroic mortal Thaumaturge, I found myself wanting to take Essence Awareness and The Flow of Essence merits. But then I got to thinking. What happens to these merits when such a character Exalts? Once an Exalt, the Essence Awareness merit becomes useless and you need that merit for the other. So, do you lose both of them? Do you keep the second even though you lost your prerequisite merit? Is it possible that if you have them and Exalt, you retain the knowledge of the second merit and continue to improve your attributes in the group you purchased with the merit? I mean when it comes to the Exalts, this ability is spread around. There's Increasing Strength Exercise, Enhanced Dexterity Discipline, and of course the Alchemicals have Transitory Augmentation of  each Attribute. So unless your Storyteller allows you to create an attribute enhancing charm for yourself, I think you're out of luck, and can only hope to gain double the merits' values in experience points back. What do you guys think?

 

[memesis]

So unless your Storyteller allows you to create an attribute enhancing charm for yourself' date=' I think you're out of luck, and can only hope to gain double the merits' values in experience points back. What do you guys think?[/quote']
Considering all the benefits you gain from the Exaltation itself, and that your mortal probably started with more bonus points than a Solar anyway, why do you think giving anything back is warranted?

 

[Ker'ion]

That, I believe, is an oWoD ruling for if something happens out of the control of the player that removes a Merit.


According to the Player's Guide, Pp. 86, middle of the left column, all Merits overwritten by Exaltation during gameplay are lost without recompense.  So, no XP for losing it.


The Flow of Essence, I would let them keep, paying the lowered cost (2 motes and only 1 Willpower Roll if they become a Terrestrial Exalt, or 2 motes with no Willpower Roll, if they Exalt Celestially) due to naturally gaining the Essence Mastery Merit.

 

[Cloud Cobra]

Hmmm, that makes sense, and thank you for that page reference, I knew I read something like that somewhere. Always hard to find those little tidbits in that book.

Considering all the benefits you gain from the Exaltation itself, and that your mortal probably started with more bonus points than a Solar anyway, why do you think giving anything back is warranted?

Probably, because I was thinking oWOD, but now that I have your guys' input I can make sure to keep my merit expenditures to a limit, and am also armed with a good point of argument.


Thanks for your help.

 

[Ker'ion]

Yer welky.

 

[Samiel]

In exalted it also suggests that merits be refunded if they are lost due to circumstances beyond a player's control. That's only if they are allowed purchase them with xp in the first place though, I believe.


As to whether or not they keep flow of essence, sure why not? It's far less efficient than an exalt's charms would be, so it's a nice fallback if he's stuck but it hardly invalidates strength-increasing excercise, which is scene-long and cheaper, or similar charms.


I've even considered buying the merit for an exalt once or twice. It's not really worth it, mote-wise, when most charms that do better are at the base of a tree. Doesn't mean you can't take it, just that it's not always a good idea.