Dice Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e OOC

[Rykon]

The Direlance Zelator socketed with a Gem of Incomparable Wellness (which compliments his White Reaper Style).

Ah, so here are the implications. Deadly Beastman Transformation (DBT) effects which materials you are either resonant or dissonant with at a given moment. Being Resonant means that if a specific evocation has a Resonance bonus, you can use that bonus for that evocation, otherwise everything is as normal. However, if you are dissonant and the evocation has a dissonance limitation, you will have to work with or around that.

For Zelator, there are three evocations I see that mention resonance. Lunars aren't resonant to Orichalcum so even if you drop DBT, you can't gain a resonance bonus regardless, that knocks out two out of three.

However...
There is one evocation where you would be limited for being Dissonant (which is when DBT is active). This is for an Essence 3 evocation that you would need to be a sorcerer to learn. Essence 3 is quite a ways out. But let's say we've been playing awhile, you unlock Essence 3, then buy this evocation... Your limitation is that you can't use it while in initiative crash (oh no!) well... Initiative crash can not only be avoided with strategic play but... if you take Towering Beast Form and Mountainous Spirit Expression, you're not only in Warform, you are now in Kaiju warform. You gain the Legendary Size merit! Which means smaller people can't crash you to begin with. Like most things, unless specific magic says otherwise, but I've yet to see it if it exists.

"Wow that was a lot of fuss over a simple effect, what does it even do?" You may ask... Well, this specific one lets you flurry (think multi-action, but there are penalties to each action) an attack, with a shape sorcery roll to cast a spell.

Under most circumstances, I'd only recommend Zelator for sorcerers. However, we were asked to use the published artifacts/evocations and not homebrew ones. There aren't any alternative artifact weapons that are also compatible with White Reaper Style.

That said, I'd also recommend laying a good foundation with native charms first. Lunars do two things in combat better than any other exalt type out right now. The first being that any native combat charm they take is usable with any weapon or ability (there aren't many exceptions to this, but I think there's at least one). The other being that no other type of exalt or creature comes close to how good Lunars are at taking a hit. They have great soaks (thanks mostly to DBT), they get the most health levels out of Ox-Body Technique, and they have the best ability to recover from damage (they can regenerate while still in combat).

Edit: I missed two! One is a resonant charm, so again, doesn't matter. The other is a dissonant limitation, but only relates to mounted combat. You don't have a steed do you? Aren't you the steed? Another one that doesn't hurt you. Even if it did, it just means you don't learn the evocation for free, you'd have to pay XP for it. So doesn't reduce your actual capability.

 

[Purr]

Correct. My PC is the vehicle/steed/"getaway car."

Wow. So maybe I should drop the Martial Arts and the direlance and focus solely on Lunar Native Charms.

 

[Rykon]

Wow. So maybe I should drop the Martial Arts and the direlance and focus solely on Lunar Native Charms.

Much as I wanted to include a martial art for one of my PCs, that was the conclusion I came to for him. I still had a ton of fun.

Martial Arts are best suited to Solars and Sidereals, but that doesn't mean a Lunar can't get good use out of them! (they are at least a lot better at it than Dragon-Blooded)

In like manner, Evocations are one of the things Lunars are supposed to be somewhat weak to average at, where being good at them is supposed to be a notable Strength of Solars and to a lesser extent, Dragon-Blooded.

Both can certainly supplement your capability, however, both require you to spend points investing in them.

In Martial Arts case, you have to buy a four dot merit and invest in a style-specific ability before you can access the charms. This hurts cause Lunars pay a little more to increase their abilities. For Evocations, you not only need to spend a charm slot at character creation or a hefty chunk of XP (more than a native or martial arts charm!) for each one, but you'll need the merit for the artifact itself. Some evocations can be unlocked for free, but there's usually a catch and those are rare.

Things get even trickier when you try and do both. It is my opinion this shouldn't be the case and is a consequence of the writers lacking a bit of forethought in this department choosing instead to rely on homebrewers to close the gap. A very Bethesda move if you think about it.

Even if you do want to focus completely on native charms, I'd consider taking an artifact weapon and/or armor anyway. The reason being is better raw stats. Even if you do pay for attunement out of your mote pool.

 

[Purr]

Things get even trickier when you try and do both. It is my opinion this shouldn't be the case and is a consequence of the writers lacking a bit of forethought in this department choosing instead to rely on homebrewers to close the gap. A very Bethesda move if you think about it.

Re: Bethesda. "Yes! They're hoping the modders will fix it!" - my lady, Kaerri, followed by our coupled laughter. =)

Even if you do want to focus completely on native charms, I'd consider taking an artifact weapon and/or armor anyway. The reason being is better raw stats. Even if you do pay for attunement out of your mote pool.

Rykon I'm not sure what all of that yet means, but I will in time. In the meantime, I think I'm going to tweak my PC again and post him here for further "tune-ups" and recommendations. =)

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to explain these things! The questions continue (for anyone to here to chime in, really!):

1. If a splatbook is a release pointed at one of the types of Exalted (like the Lunar book or what have you), is a "splat" therefore slang for any one of the types of Exalts?

That said, I'd also recommend laying a good foundation with native charms first.

2. What do you mean by "native" Charms? I can guess (specifically Lunar Charms?), but I'd rather know. for certain. =)

You gain the Legendary Size merit!

3. I don't know what that means. I'm familiar with D&D/Pathfinder size descriptions. Is there an equivalent? Is Legendary elephant-sized? Blue whale-sized? One of the Godzilla sizes (as Godzilla's size seems to change from movie to movie)?

 

[Purr]

4. Psychie is allowing my PC to use Mutations in his Animal form. Is it possible to get more than 12 Mutations for a form? I'm making my PC as close to his Spirit Shape as I can, but there are things his mundane brethren get that I'm guessing he'll be lacking for quite some time.

5. Is the Limit Trigger "The immorality or transgressions of others hinder the Lunar" a wise choice for a moral character? It sounds like it could be activated more often than other similar triggers. If so, I can't imagine this would be good for the Circle much less him?

6. I am thinking of ridding him of the Endless Change Purse in favor of a Moonsilver saddle/satchel that doubles as armor or something equally cool? It's part of an idea Psychie and I have been bouncing back and forth. =)

7. I never quite figured this out. Supernatural Merits are Mutations, aren't they?

 

[Purr]

All righty, folks and friends! Psychie Sherwood Rykon

Meet O Mighty Fat Cat (a.k.a Da Chonk)!

This is a rough draft of my very first Exalted PC. He's a big (cat) guy with a big heart! Once an ordinary member of a tribe far away, he now uses his Exalted powers to follow his heart and do good where he can. He is a Transporter by trade (often working as the opposite of a human trafficker or slaver - he returns people to their homes. He also does all manner of transporting for the Guild he's in). Psychie has allowed him to use his Mutations in his Animal form (as it's part of his core concept, she has reasoned that O Mighty Fat Cat was chased by hunters into the Wyld and emerged with... Wyldness?

I would like Aredin (Rykon's character) and he to at least have worked together in transporting and larceny, if not be good buddies!

This is O Mighty Fat Cat v1.6 or so (minus the White Reaper Martial Arts and the Zelator Direlance, but closer to the core of what I want him to be). I don't have several aspects of his Character Sheet figured out yet (I've only some strong ideas about his Background).

O Mighty Fat Cat is a loyal friend, a lover of humor and living life to its fullest, and as dependable as he can be. He never takes himself too seriously. Plus, he's a cat so he's going to live life his own way! As a Transporter (smuggler), O Mighty Fat Cat uses his Wyld-augmented Spirit Shape (Giant Housecat) to do most of the transporting. Otherwise, he uses his Emerald Grasshopper or Towering Beast Forms when necessary. He is really big about seeing every job through to the end and sticking to the letter of any deal he makes (or barring that, the spirit of the deal). O Mighty Fat Cat has done the occasional job for free when it comes to helping out people in need (especially those who worship or assist Luna or friends in need).

At one time, he was worshipped by the very people that saved him. Now, he saves those who cannot save themselves. =)

• Attributes & Abilities
• Merits & Flaws
• Intimacies & Anima
• Mutations
• Charms
• Combat Stats
• Equipment
• Background
• Experience
• Cheat Sheet

• 
  (This guy but big and FAT in a muscular sense. Image credit: Dee Jay Soundcloud) (This but all cat and no bus. Image credit: Ghibli Studios) (And let's add a little cool instrumental music for him, shall we? "Hunting" by Deep Forest)
  
  Name: O Mighty Fat Cat (Nickname: "Da Chonk")
  Age: 32
  Caste: Full Moon (Survivor)
  
  Attributes
  Str: 4 (Caste)
  Dex: 4 (Caste)
  Sta: 5 (Favored)
  
  Cha: 4
  Man: 2
  App: 2
  
  Per: 3
  Int: 2
  Wits: 5 (Favored)
  
  Abilities
  Archery
  Athletics: 3
  Awareness: 3
  Brawl: 3
  Bureaucracy
  Craft
  Dodge: 3
  Integrity: 3
  Investigation
  Larceny: 2
  Linguistics: 1
  Lore
  Martial Arts
  Medicine
  Melee
  Occult
  Performance
  Presence: 3
  Resistance: 2
  Ride
  Sail
  Socialize: 1
  Stealth: 3
  Survival: 1
  Thrown
  War
  
  Specialties
  1. Athletics - Running.
  2. Stealth - Becoming unseen.
  3. Presence - Helping others have a happier spirit.
  4. Resistance - Resisting Poisons.
  
• 
  Bonus Points (11/15. Extra Merits = 1. Stamina from 4 to 5 = 3.)
  
  MERITS (15)
  0. (Free) Linguistics (Native language): Forest-tongue.
  1-3. Artifact - Endless Change Purse: 3 --Resources 3/Salary: 1 (from Endless Change Purse)
  4-7. Charmed Existence: 3 (see description).
  8-11. Hearthstone - Gem of Incomparable Wellness: 4 (see description)
  12-13. Heart's Blood: 2 (p. 118, Lunar)
  14-15. Linguistics: 2 (p. 162, Core. Per Psychie, Guild Cant, River-speak)
  16. Direction Sense (p. 160, Core)
  
  MERIT DESCRIPTIONS
  1-3. Endless Change Purse (unknown book and page? From Sherwood's Character Sheet with permission.)
  
  Spoiler: Endless Change Purse

  User: Irena Blueglass
  Crafter: Bling
  Era: The Time Before
  An interesting item originally owned by a god of wealth, named Bling, who died well before the start of the First Age. Over the centuries it found its way into the hands of the Sidereal Exalted passed from a mentor to their student. The last exalted to use it was Irena Blueglass, a Chosen of Serenity. Endless Change Purse was lost when Irena died during the Usurpation.
  Should anyone find it in the age of Sorrow they will find that their fiscal needs are no more.
  
  Once attuned, and only while attuned, the userʼs destiny has a new thread attached to it. Heaven recognizes them as member of the Celestial Bureaucracy that needs to be paid. They gain one point of the Salary Merit (Resources Merit 3).
  
  Resonant: A character resonant with Starmetal may also make one Salary 3 (Resources 5) purchase once per Season. After being used this way the user must wait a month before they may pull any wealth from Endless Change Purse.
  
  Attuning Endless Change Purse costs 3 motes.
  
  4-7. Charmed Existence
  
  Spoiler: Charmed Existence

  Your life is somehow protected, and you do not face the perils that others must. It could be that you are simply lucky. Because of this Merit, you may ignore a single one on every roll you make, as though you had an extra success. This Merit makes it far more unlikely that you will ever botch and grants you more successes than others might obtain. (Strikethrough mine)
  
  Note. Cost: 3 (normally 5, but per Psychie, reduced to 3 as 1s no longer cancel Successes as they did in previous White Wolf games).
  
  8-11. Hearthstone - Gem of Incomparable Wellness.
  
  Spoiler: Gem of Incomparable Wellness

  Per Psychie: Arms of the Chosen book, p. 135.
  Keywords: Dependent, Linked
  
  This cluster of emerald crystals continually changes shape, with new crystals budding and subsuming the old. Endless vitality suffuses its bearer, mending her wounds with unnatural swiftness. If she commits three motes to the stone, she regains one bashing health level per ten minutes, one lethal health level per hour, and one aggravated health level per day.
  
  Fatal diseases or lethal deprivation, such as starvation, dehydration, or drowning, only render her unconscious. Even dismemberment or cremation merely fills her health track with lethal or aggravated damage, respectively, from which she will eventually regenerate. This
  power only terminates if the Exalt loses attunement to the stone, or if it becomes inert or is destroyed.
  
  It is a powerful one that makes you very hard to kill, but not quite impossible.
  
  12-13. Heart's Blood: 2 (p. 118, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Heart's Blood

  Heart’s Blood (• to •••; +•) — Story Prerequisite: Lunar Exalt
  
  This Merit depicts a Lunar with several animal forms at character creation. One dot provides the shapes of around six relatively weak animals, comparable to one-dot Familiars (Exalted, p. 161), and two or three stronger animals, comparable to two-dot Familiars, from a single region.
  
  Two dots provide the shapes of one to two dozen weaker animals, six stronger animals, and one or two extremely powerful animals, comparable to three-dot Familiars, from a single region.
  
  Three dots provide the same benefits as two dots, plus the shapes of two to three additional stronger or extremely powerful animals.
  
  For an additional dot, the Lunar can select animal forms from any number of regions.
  
  14-15. Linguistics: 2 (Per Psychie, choose Guild Cant, River-speak)
  
  Spoiler: Linguistics

  Language (•)—Purchased This Merit may be re-purchased as many times as desired. Each purchase grants the character fluency in one language in addition to his native tongue. If the character possesses Linguistics 1+, then they are also literate in any written forms of the language. The ‘civilized’ inhabitants of each of the outer Directions speak a different language (actually a number of closely-related regional dialects), while the Scavenger Lands has its own particular language and the mighty Realm has two official languages. There are also countless local languages that are only spoken by tribal or ethnic groups spread around Creation’s rim. The major languages of Creation are:
  
  • High Realm: The formal language of Dynasts and patricians of the Blessed Isle, as well as their servants. All official business of the Realm is conducted in High Realm. Its written form is a phonetic alphabet of complex brush work characters.
  
  • Low Realm: The tongue of the Realm’s commoners, generally constituting local bastardizations of High TRAITS EX3 163 Realm drifted into near-incomprehensibility to outsiders. It shares the written stylings of High Realm, but often uses simplified character depictions which can be rendered without brushes or careful calligraphy.
  
  • Old Realm: The native language of the spirits and those that created them, as well as of the Fair Folk. It was widely spoken in the First Age, especially by savants and sorcerer-engineers, and used for many official documents. Characters must have Lore 1+ or Occult 1+ to learn this language. There exist several styles for writing Old Realm, the most extravagant of which is a complex glyphic system where symbol arrangement is as important as symbol choice, and the same phrase might be read in several ways, often as a deliberate choice by the writer intended to impart subtle and layered meaning.
  
  • Dragontongue: Derived from recovered elements of a priestly language that was lost during the shogunate, luminaries of House Mnemon birthed and spread this language over the course of two centuries. It is a mix of Old Realm and High Realm, with elements of a lost shogunate tongue, and excludes the mind from the wider, more dangerous concepts inherent to Old Realm, keeping a person in mind of the Dragons, the Poles, the natural world and the Perfected Hierarchy. It is a beautiful language more than a scholarly one, and even in satrapies which have been thoroughly suppressed by the Realm, there is a rush by savants and poets to learn this language of poets and princes. Its written form utilizes very challenging yet beautiful brushstrokes.
  
  • Riverspeak: The language of the Scavenger Lands. The Guild has promoted this loanword-filled tongue as the unofficial “trade language” of the Threshold; it is probably the most widely-understood language in Creation. Its written form employs a simple glyphic alphabet whose characters can easily be shaped with a quill, stylus, or even a stick of charcoal.
  
  • Skytongue: A language family spoken in the North. Its written form employs a simple runic alphabet.
  
  • Flametongue: A language family spoken in the South. Its written form employs a sophisticated alphabet of flowing lines and curves; meaning can be greatly influenced by the manner in which characters connect to one another.
  
  • Forest-tongue: A language family spoken in the East, beyond the bounds of the Scavenger Lands. Its written form consists of a wide array of branching ideograms, connected vertically and diagonally.
  
  • Seatongue: A language family spoken in the West. Its written form consists of a simple alphabet of lines and dots whose connection to one another can be exceedingly complex. • Guild Cant: A secret language spoken only by members of the Guild. Its written form is composed of simple horizontal and vertical lines, designed to be able to be written quickly and unobtrusively when necessary.
  
  • Local Tongues: Creation contains countless languages spoken by specific “barbarian” tribes, insular ethnic enclaves, isolated island-dwellers, and various other small groups. Four such languages may be learned with a single Merit purchase.
  
  16. Direction Sense (•)—Innate (p. 160, Core)
  
  Spoiler: Direction Sense

  The character is never completely lost, and is able to naturally determine her orientation relative to the five Poles. In addition to always knowing her facing and acting as a living compass, she lowers the difficulty on attempts to navigate toward a fixed, known location or to retrace her steps by 2.
  
  FLAWS
  Flaw:
  Flaw:
  Flaw:
  
  
• 
  Intimacies
  Defining Principle: I want to use my gifts and abilities to put more goodness into Creation.
  Defining Principle: Life must be lived so I love to learn and share with others.
  Defining Principle: I hate no one.
  
  Major Principle: I am a cat and I will do as I damn well please. =)
  Major Principle: When I agree to help, I can be relied on to see it through.
  Major Principle: I appreciate Luna's gifts and I will help Luna whenever I reasonably can.
  Major Principle: People should be free to decide their own lives.
  Major Tie: The Old Village (this is the forest village who nursed him back to health after his foray into the Wyld that mutated him).
  
  Minor Tie: Aredin (Rykon's character if he likes the idea).
  Minor Principle: I love stories and storytelling.
  Minor Principle: I do not kill without strong reason.
  Minor Principle: Silver Pact (camaraderie).
  Minor Principle: I never take myself TOO seriously. =)
  
  
  * * *​
  
  Anima Effects
  
  Spoiler: Anima with Full Moon Effects

  Anima Banner A Lunar’s anima banner blazes forth into visibility as she expends Essence. For every five motes of Peripheral Essence she spends in an instant, her anima banner rises one level.
  
  ANIMA LEVEL EFFECTS
  Dim - The Lunar’s anima is invisible. This is its default level when she’s not spending Essence.
  
  Glowing - The Lunar’s anima outlines her body in glowing light. Her Caste Mark appears, shining through anything placed over it. Her Tell and moonsilver tattoos become obvious to all who see her. Stealth and disguise rolls suffer a −3 penalty.
  
  Burning - The Lunar’s anima shines in an argent aura around her. Objects touched by it may be left damp and warped, as if exposed to the night air and elements for many days. Her Caste Mark is subsumed into her anima, reappearing at dramatic moments. Stealth is impossible.
  
  Bonfire/Iconic - The Lunar’s anima ignites into a brilliant bonfire stretching high into the sky, visible for miles around. Upon reaching bonfire, and at suitably dramatic moments, her anima manifests a personalized iconic display: a stylized depiction of her spirit shape, a quicksilver mirror depicting warped reflections, whirling blades inlaid with an intaglio of luminous runes, phantasmal limbs holding symbols of power, etc. Her anima completely illuminates her surroundings within short range. Stealth is impossible.
  
  It takes 15 minutes for the anima banner to recede from bonfire to burning or from burning to glowing, and half an hour to recede from glowing to dim.
  
  Anima Effects For one mote, a Lunar can:
  
  • Make her Caste Mark appear for as long as she desires.
  
  • Make her Tell obvious for as long as she desires.
  
  • Discern the moon’s phase and the precise time of day.
  
  Full Moon • For five motes, the Full Moon adds (Essence, maximum 5) non-Charm dice on movement rolls and feats of strength and gains (higher of Essence or 3) natural soak until her next turn. This is free at bonfire anima.
  
  • She adds (highest physical Attribute/2, rounded up) non-Charm Resolve against threaten rolls and other fear-based influence.
  
  • Once per day, when she lands a decisive attack that resets her Initiative, she may pay 10 motes, one Willpower to roll Join Battle, adding (highest physical Attribute) non-Charm dice.
  
  Limit Trigger: The immorality or transgressions of others hinder the Lunar.
  
  Monstrous Urges: Sinner-Devouring Judgment
  
  Spoiler: Sinner-Devouring Judgment

  The Lunar embodies divine retribution, a monster out of cautionary tales. If she witnesses someone engaging in any activity that she deems immoral based on her Principles or violating the customs of a culture to which she belongs or toward which she has a positive Tie, she must punish them. The punishment’s severity must be at least commensurate to the violation, and must come rapidly, before the Limit Break ends.
  
  Duration: Session. This ends if someone the Lunar seeks to punish convinces her that her own actions have violated one of her Major or Defining Intimacies.
• 
  MUTATIONS (11 out of 12) - Useable with Spirit Shape/Totem Form per Psychie.
  Claws & Fangs (•) (p. 165, Core]
  
  Spoiler: Claws & Fangs

  Claws/Fangs/Hooves/Horns (• or ••••)
  Innate The character gains some form of natural weaponry, generally in the form of horns, or short but sharp claws and fangs. The one dot version of this Merit allows the character to inflict lethal rather than bashing damage with either unarmed decisive strikes or decisive savaging attacks during a grapple (the latter represents fangs). The four-dot version of this Merit grants larger, more dangerous natural weapons, allowing the character’s strikes or bites to both inflict lethal damage when savaging, and to be treated as a medium weapon for withering attacks.
  
  Drawback: Natural weaponry granted by the four-dot version of this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on disguise attempts.
  
  Deadly Weaponry (•) (p. 119, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Claws & Fangs. Rawr!

  — Innate
  Prerequisite: Claws/Fangs/Hooves/Horns or other natural weapons.
  This mutation depicts especially dangerous natural weapons: long claws, piercing tusks, a stinging tail, etc. One of the mutant’s natural attacks gains one of the Balanced, Chopping, Disarming, Flexible, Piercing, or Smashing tags. With four-dot natural weaponry, she applies two tags. This mutation can be purchased multiple times to enhance different natural weapons, but can’t enhance the same natural weapon multiple times.
  
  Fleet of Foot (p. 161, Core)
  
  Spoiler: Fleet of Foot

  Fleet of Foot (••••)
  Purchased Prerequisite: Dexterity •••
  The character is particularly swift and nimble, moving through the world like a shadow racing the light. She adds one additional die to all rolls depending on sheer foot speed, most notably rush, disengage, and withdraw actions (see p. 197-199).
  
  Night Vision (••) (p. 120, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Night Vision

  Innate
  The mutant’s eyes are adapted to darkness, halving penalties or increased difficulty, rounded down, from darkness or low-light environments.
  
  Tail (•) (p. 166, Core)
  
  Spoiler: Tail

  Tail (• to ••)—Innate The character has a tail, which might be scaly, furred, tufted, or fleshy like a rat. For one dot, the tail adds two dice to attempts to maintain balance. For two dots, the tail is also prehensile, and may act as a fully functional limb, although it suffers a -1 off-hand penalty. The tail may be hidden under clothes, although this negates its benefits
  
  Unusual Hide (••) (p. 166, Core)
  
  Spoiler: Thick Kitty Fur!

  Unusual Hide (• to •••••)
  Innate
  One of the most common mutations bestowed by the Wyld, this Merit grants an unusually resilient hide of some sort. The character gains additional points of natural soak equal to the Merit’s value. One or two dots generally represents fur, feathers, leaves, or light scales. Three dots indicate flesh far beyond the human norm—the leathery hide of a rhino or crocodile, or the exoskeletal carapace of an insect, perhaps. Four or five dots grant an armored hide which may be made of bony armor, an obsidian carapace, or perhaps even a body of living stone.
  
  Drawback: The character obviously looks like a Wyld mutant, with all the stigma that accompanies such status, and suffers a penalty equal to her rating in this Merit on all disguise rolls to pass for normal.
  
  Future Mutations (if you can earn future Mutations?]
  
  Spoiler: Future Mutations

  Bounding Legs (•••) (p. 119, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Bounding Legs

  Innate
  The mutant’s powerful legs add two dice on jumping-based rolls. This only applies to combat movement if she leaps to a position at least one range band higher or lower.

  
  Carapace/Shell (••) (p. 119, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Thick Kitty Hide!

  Innate
  Prerequisite: Unusual Hide ••
  The mutant has bulky armor of bone or chitin, a turtle’s shell, or pangolin-like armored plates. Soak from Unusual Hide is doubled but counts as armored soak. It explicitly stacks with soak from worn armor. She gains (Unusual Hide) Hardness.
  
  Drawback: The mutant counts as wearing medium armor, and suffers a −1 mobility penalty in addition to any from other armor.

  
  Enhanced Sense (p. 165, Core)
  

  Spoiler: Enhanced Sense

  Enhanced Sense (•••)
  Innate
  
  One of the character’s senses becomes preternaturally acute, like that of a wild animal. The character adds two dice to all Perception rolls related to that sense.
  
  Drawback: This Merit is physically obvious in unusual eye color or shape, large ears, an elongated nose, or some other similar mutation.

  
  Hypermobility (••) (p. 120, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Hypermobility

  Innate
  Flexible joints let the mutant contort and compress her body. She adds one die on rolls to squeeze through tight spaces or establish or resist control of a grapple, and on Dexterity rolls where her flexibility benefits her, like taking cover or hiding in tight spaces.

  
  Silent Movement (p. 121, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Silent Movement

  Silent Movement (•••)
  Innate Soft paws, velvety feathers, or similar adaptations muffle the mutant’s movement. Rolls to detect her purely through hearing suffer a −2 penalty.

  
  Spinnerets (•••) (p. 121, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: From his mouth.

  — Innate
  Like a spider, the mutant can spin lines of adhesive silk. These are exceptional equipment (Exalted, p. 580) for weaving, climbing, laying snares, swinging between handholds, etc. They’re also exceptional equipment for lifting or suspending heavy objects — a feat of strength rolled with (Stamina + applicable Craft), using (higher of Stamina or Craft) instead of Strength to determine if the feat can be attempted. The mutant can make ranged attacks with webbing. They’re light weapons with the Bashing, Thrown (Short), Disarming, Flexible, Grappling, and Subtle tags. If she’s grappling an enemy from beyond close range, she can only take restrain or drag actions, and a character can sever the thread — ending the grapple — with a difficulty 3 gambit.

  
  Subtlety (want retractable claws? Need this to do it.) (p. 166, Core)
  

  Spoiler: Subtlety

  Subtlety (••)
  Innate
  Prerequisite: Another physically obvious Supernatural Merit, such as claws, quills, or extra limbs.
  
  This Merit may be purchased as many times as desired. Subtlety must be attached to another already-purchased Supernatural Merit; it makes that Merit non-obvious to observers when not in use. Examples might include fully retractable claws, extra limbs which fold up into easily-concealed pouches or cavities on the character’s body, or gills that close up tight enough to be invisible when not in use. The Wyld is rarely kind enough to bestow this Merit on those who feel its touch; it is most commonly granted as a blessing of the Fair Folk to their human servants, though some sorcerers have also studied the art of infusing subtlety into the works of the Wyld.

  
  Wall Walking (••••) (p. 167, Core)
  

  Spoiler: Adhesive feets!

  The character gains the ability to cling to, as well as walk or crawl across, walls and even ceilings. Ceilings and inherently slick surfaces with little purchase (such as Chiaroscuro glass) count as difficult terrain.
  Drawback: The character’s hands and feet become visibly nonhuman, possibly sporting sticky suction pads, tiny climbing claws, or spurs like a lizard.
  
  
• 
  Charm List
  1. Hybrid Body Transformation (p. 143, Lunar)
  2. Beast Form Empowerment (p. 143, Lunar)
  3. Deadly Beastman Transformation (p. 269, Lunar)
  4. Emerald Grasshopper Form (p. 179, Lunar)
  5. Towering Beast Form (p. 264, Lunar, required for Fat Cat form per Psychie)
  6. Ox-body Technique (p. 375, Core)
  7. Ox-body Technique (p. 375, Core)
  8. Ever-Wary Fox Technique (p. 235, Lunar)
  9. Skulking Rat Spirit (p. 191, Lunar)
  10. Squirrel's Cunning Technique (p. 290, Lunar)
  11. Finding the Needle’s Eye (p. 180, Lunar)
  12. Impenetrable Beast-Armor (p. 251, Lunar)
  13. Graceful Crane Stance (p. 188, Lunar)
  14. Instinct-Driven Beast Movement (p. 189, Lunar)
  15. Sense-Sharpening Change (p. 236, Lunar)
  
  Charm Descriptions
  1. Hybrid Body Transformation (p. 143, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Hybrid Body Transformation

  Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar shifts into hybrid form, combining her human self and her spirit shape. Upon purchasing this Charm, her player chooses six dots of mutations reflecting her spirit shape. While in her true human form, she may use this Charm to gain all the chosen mutations. This doesn’t count as being in an animal form for Protean Charms. Players can freely describe the visual appearance of their Lunars’ hybrid forms — their features might be purely animalistic, like a tiger’s head or dragonfly wings, or indirect reflections of a spirit shape, like multiple arms for a spider or an articulated neck for a giraffe. Players can include purely cosmetic traits, like changed skin color or animal ears, that aren’t represented by mutations.
  
  2. Beast Form Empowerment (p. 143, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Beast-Form Empowerment

  Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: Hybrid Body Transformation
  
  The Lunar’s hybrid form grows increasingly bestial, reflecting more of her spirit shape’s nature. She chooses an additional six dots of mutations reflecting her spirit shape to those she gains when using Hybrid Body Transformation. This Charm’s mutations are incompatible with those conferred by Chimera-Soul Expression. If the Lunar knows both, she must choose which one applies its mutations when she uses Hybrid Body Transformation.
  
  3. Deadly Beastman Transformation (p. 269, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Deadly Beastman Transformation

  Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Strength 3, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Withering-only
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: Hybrid Body Transformation
  
  Flesh and Essence swelling with the unleashed power of her almighty rage, the Lunar assumes a dread warform. To use this Charm, Hybrid Body Transformation (p. 143) must be active. The Lunar gains the following benefits: • She adds (Strength) to the raw damage of her withering attacks. • She adds (Strength) dice on feats of strength and movement actions. • She adds (Strength) natural soak. • She treats her Strength as (Essence) higher for determining what feats of strength she may attempt.
  
  However, the Lunar suffers the following drawbacks in this state: • She suffers a −1 Defense penalty that can’t be negated. • She loses the benefits of resonance with artifacts, and becomes dissonant with any artifact she’s not normally resonant with.
  
  Special activation rules: When the Lunar uses Hybrid Body Transformation, she may reflexively activate this Charm.
  
  4. Emerald Grasshopper Form (p. 179, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Emerald Grasshopper Form

  Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Dexterity 4, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Archetype (Wits)
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar compresses the fullness of her divinity into the humblest of forms. She changes into an animal shape she possesses with the Minuscule Size Merit. Special activation rules: If the Lunar uses this Charm to shift from one Minuscule Size form to another, she waives its cost.
  
  Archetype: A Lunar whose spirit shape has Minuscule Size may learn this as a Wits Charm.
  
  5. Towering Beast Form (p. 264, Lunar, required for Fat Cat form per Psychie)
  
  Spoiler: Towering Beast Form

  Cost: 15m, 1wp (5m per turn/hour); Mins: Strength 4, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Archetype (Stamina)
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Her body swelling with supernatural might, the Lunar expands into the form of one of Creation’s greatest beasts. She shapeshifts into an animal form with Legendary Size. At the end of each subsequent turn, if she didn’t make a decisive attack or spend 8+ motes on offensive magic, she must pay five motes, or this Charm ends. Outside of combat, she must pay five motes every hour. If the Lunar uses this Charm to shift from one Legendary Size form to another, she waives its activation cost, maintaining the original 15-mote commitment.
  
  Archetype: A Lunar whose spirit shape has Legendary Size may learn this as a Stamina Charm.
  
  6 and 7. Ox-Body Technique (p. 375, Core)
  
  Spoiler: Ox-body Technique

  Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1
  Type: Permanent
  Keywords: Stackable
  Duration: Permanent
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The bodies of the Exalted are much more durable than those of mere mortals. To help simulate this, an Exalt may buy extra health levels with this Charm. The purchasing choices are based on the character’s Stamina rating:
  
  At Stamina 1 and 2: One -1 and one -2 health level.
  
  3 and 4: One -1 and two -2 health levels.
  
  5: One -0, one -1, and one -2 health level.
  
  The Solar may purchase Ox-Body Technique (Resistance) times. If she increases her Stamina after purchasing Ox-Body Technique, her health levels automatically change to reflect the new rating.
  
  8. Ever-Wary Fox Technique (p. 235, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Ever-Wary Fox Technique

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Perception 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar faces many foes and perils, cultivating a keen instinct for danger. She adds a non-Charm success on a roll opposing Stealth or to detect a hidden peril such as a trap, poisoned drink, or approaching storm. She may use this Charm to make such Perception rolls while asleep or incapacitated, removing any penalty she might suffer from such states, including that of Bear Sleep Technique. She may awaken instantly upon successfully detecting a threat, or even revive herself from unconsciousness if incapacitated, though she still suffers the effects of incapacitation.
  
  9. Skulking Rat Spirit (p. 191, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Skulking Rat Spirit

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 1 Type: Supplemental Keywords: Mute, Protean Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
  The Lunar moves without trace, leaving no sign of her presence. She rerolls 1s until they cease to appear on a Stealth roll, conceal evidence roll, or cover tracks roll.
  Protean: In shapes with Tiny Creature or Minuscule Size, the Lunar also rerolls 2s until they cease to appear.
  
  10. Squirrel’s Cunning Technique (p. 290, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Squirrel’s Cunning Technique

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Wits 2, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Infinitely devious, the Lunar conceals contraband, weaponry, or ill-gotten gains in all manner of hiding places. She makes a conceal evidence roll with ([Intelligence or Wits] + Larceny). If the concealed object is light enough to hold, she adds (Essence) successes, and her concealment can only be opposed by characters with superhuman or magically enhanced senses for this Charm’s duration. She may exempt characters from this effect.
  
  11. Finding the Needle’s Eye (p. 180, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Finding the Needle’s E

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite
  Charms: None
  
  The Lunar’s limbs flex and warp along unexpected angles to avoid obstacles between her and her prey. She rerolls (higher of Essence or 3) 1s on an attack roll and imposes a −1 penalty on her target’s Defense.
  
  With Dexterity 4, the Lunar may attack a lower-Initiative enemy through full cover with an appropriate stunt, but he receives +3 Defense.
  
  Protean: In shapes with a tail, tentacles, or similar flexible appendages, attacks with them reroll an additional 1.
  
  12. Impenetrable Beast-Armor (p. 251, Lunar)
  
  Spoiler: Impenetrable Beast-Armor

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Stamina 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Dual
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar thickens her skin, forming a thick hide, bony plates, or tough scales. She adds (higher of Essence or 3) natural soak against a withering attack or gains Hardness (Stamina) against a decisive attack.
  
  13. Graceful Crane Stance
  
  Spoiler: Graceful Crane Stance

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 1, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: None
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar shapeshifts to lighten her bones and strengthen her footing. She gains perfect balance, and can stand or run on surfaces too narrow or weak to support her normally without needing to roll.
  
  14. Instinct-Driven Beast Movement
  
  Spoiler: Instinct-Driven Beast Movement

  Instinct-Driven Beast Movement
  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dexterity 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Protean
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar moves in a blur of superhuman speed. She adds a success to a movement action or an interval of a speed-based extended action. Succeeding on an opposed roll in combat grants one Initiative.
  
  Protean: In animal shapes with Speed Bonuses, the Initiative awarded to the Lunar for a successful opposed roll is stripped from one of the characters opposing her (her choice).
  
  15. Sense-Sharpening Change
  
  Spoiler: Sense-Sharpening Change

  Cost: 4m (or 1m); Mins: Perception 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Stackable
  Duration: One scene
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  The Lunar shifts her body to hone one of her senses. She chooses a single sense, rerolling 1s until they cease to appear on Perception rolls using it, and ignoring (Essence) points of penalty from overstimulation or understimulation of that sense even on non-Perception rolls. She could ignore penalties to vision caused by darkness or blinding light, but not by fog or distance. The Lunar may stack this Charm to enhance different senses. The cost of activations beyond the first is reduced to one mote.
  
  
  Spoiler: Future Charm Purchases?

  Agile Beast Defense (p. 185, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Agile Beast Defense

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Dexterity 2, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Protean, Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Reflexes honed by Essence, the Lunar defends faster than her foes can imagine. Successfully defending against an attack grants one Initiative, and she can parry lethal damage barehanded. If her attacker’s Initiative is lower than hers or he rolls any 1s, she gains +1 Defense.
  
  Protean: In shapes with Tiny Creature or Minuscule Size, this Charm may be declared after the attack roll.

  
  Bending Before the Storm (p. 185, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Bending Before the Storm

  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Uniform
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Agile Beast Defense
  The Lunar moves with impossible grace that only a shapechanger could achieve, shifting her form and stance to close gaps in her defense. She halves all penalties, rounded down, to her Defense. Against lower-Initiative attackers, she ignores all Defense penalties. This doesn’t affect penalties from surprise attacks.
  
  Bounding Bharal Technique (p. 275, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Bounding Bharal Technique

  Cost: 1m; Mins: Strength 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Protean
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Bracing against the world, the Lunar channels her might into a powerful leap. She adds a success on a jumping-related roll, potentially including rushes and disengages. With Initiative 12+, this is non-Charm. Protean: In animal shapes with jumping-related abilities, the success is non-Charm with Initiative 8+.

  
  Coiled Serpent Strikes (p. 186, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Coiled Serpent Strikes

  Cost: 3m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only
  Duration: Instant Prerequisite
  Charms: Agile Beast Defense
  
  The Lunar answers her foe’s provocation with unthinking speed. If an attack misses her, she makes a decisive counterattack. She may reflexively ready a weapon for the counterattack.
  
  With an Essence 2 repurchase, when the Lunar is attacked multiple times on the same tick, counterattacking with this Charm doesn’t reset her Initiative until the tick ends.

  
  Lodestone Reckoning Manner (p. 287, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Lodestone Reckoning Manner

  Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Wits 2, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: Archetype (Perception)
  Duration: Indefinite
  Prerequisite Charms: None
  
  Uncharted lands and perilous seas yield their secrets to the wayfaring Lunar. She spends a scene plotting a course and rolls (Wits + [Sail or Survival]) with (higher of Essence or 3) bonus dice and double 9s, banking all successes. She may add up to (Essence) banked successes as non-Charm successes on Survival rolls to forage or find shelter along the journey, or Sail rolls to navigate hazards at sea. This Charm can only be used once per journey. It ends once all banked successes are spent.
  
  A Wits 5 repurchase doubles 8s on this Charm’s roll, and lets the Lunar use it instantly, without needing to plot a course; the banked successes, and any Charms enhancing Lodestone Reckoning Manner, are available to her whenever she travels. She can only do so once per day.
  
  Archetype: A Lunar whose spirit shape is migratory can learn this as a Perception Charm.

  
  Magpie’s Nest Resourcefulness (p. 289, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Magpie’s Nest Resourcefulness

  Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Wits 2, Essence 1
  Type: Simple
  Keywords: None
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Squirrel’s Cunning Technique
  
  The Lunar has a knack for anticipating exactly what’s needed in any conceivable situation. Revealing that she’s had a mundane item that could be concealed upon her person all along, she makes a (Wits + Ability) roll at difficulty (its Resources rating), using an Ability reflecting how she procured the item: Bureaucracy if bought while passing through a market, Craft if built over downtime, Larceny if stolen, etc. If successful, she produces the item, which counts as exceptional equipment (Exalted, p. 580). On failure, she still produces the item, but it’s deficient in some Storyteller-determined way: imposing a −1 penalty, falling apart at end of scene, etc. If the Lunar has a relevant Craft, she gains crafting points for succeeding as though she’d completed a basic project (Exalted, p. 240).
  
  This Charm can only be used once per scene.

  
  Spider-Climbing Attitude (p. 189, Lunar)
  [Spider-Climbing Attitude]
  Cost: 2m; Mins: Dexterity 3, Essence 1
  Type: Reflexive
  Keywords: Archetype (Wits)
  Duration: Until next turn
  Prerequisite Charms: Graceful Crane Stance, Instinct-Driven Beast Movement
  
  The Lunar finds purchase on smooth stone and craggy overhangs, reshaping her body to maintain her grip. She can move up or down sheer vertical surfaces like walls or move upside down on horizontal surfaces like ceilings. If she ends her movement somewhere she couldn’t normally stand and doesn’t use this Charm on her next turn, she falls as usual.
  
  Archetype: A Lunar whose spirit shape can adhere to and climb sheer surfaces may learn this as a Wits Charm, with Moon-Cloaked Wanderer (p. 287) as its prerequisite.

  
  Weapon-Snatching Coils (p. 180, Lunar)
  

  Spoiler: Weapon-Snatching Coils

  Cost: 5m; Mins: Dexterity 2, Essence 1
  Type: Supplemental
  Keywords: Decisive-only, Protean
  Duration: Instant
  Prerequisite Charms: Finding the Needle’s Eye
  
  Twisting her joints in directions they shouldn’t twist or budding off prehensile tendrils, the Lunar wrests away her enemy’s weapon. She imposes a −1 penalty on an enemy’s Defense against a disarm gambit, and adds attack roll extra successes as bonus dice on the gambit’s Initiative roll.
  
  Protean: If the Lunar attacks with an animal form’s tail, tentacles, or similar flexible appendages, she may fling a disarmed weapon out to medium range from its wielder with 3+ extra successes on the Initiative roll.
• 
  Note: I have also not figured out these statistics, knowing precious little about them.
  
  Health Levels
  -0 [ ]
  -1 [ ][ ][ ]
  -2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
  -4 [ ]
  I [ ]
  
  Willpower: 5
  Essence: 1
  Personal: ?
  Peripheral: ? / ?
  Committed: ?
  
  Join Battle: ?
  Form Charm Join Battle: ?
  
  Parry: ?
  Evasion: ?
  Resolve: ?
  Guile: ?
  
  Natural Soak: ?
  Armored Soak: ? Hardness ?
  Hearthstone Soak: ?
  Total Soak: ?
  
  
  Spoiler: Spending Willpower

  You can spend Willpower points to do the following things:
  • Add one automatic success to a single roll. You can only spend one Willpower point per roll this way, and you must spend it before you make the roll.
  • Increase a single static value (such as Defense or Resolve) by 1. You can only spend one Willpower point per opposing roll, and you must do so before your opponent’s player rolls.
  • Reject certain kinds of social influence (see Chapter Five).
  • Use a Charm that costs Willpower.
  Spoiler: Stunts

  • One-Point Stunts: The benefits of stunting are simple: any rolled action enhanced by a stunt gains two extra dice. If the stunted action is the application of a static value (such as using Defense to block an opponent’s leaping sword slash), then that static value rises by 1. Players should be able to use a one-point stunt on almost every action.
  • Two-Point Stunts: A two-point stunt stands above and beyond other stunts. These are intended to be less common than one-point stunts; to be a two-point stunt, the action needs to stand out memorably as a highlight of the scene.
  Exceptional stunts on rolled actions are rewarded with two extra dice and one automatic success. Exceptional stunts on static value applications raise the static value by 2. A player might get two or three of these in an evening of play. Whenever a player describes a two-point stunt, her character gains a point of Willpower, up to a maximum of her permanent Willpower rating.
  
  
• 
  (Add Endless Purse here?)
  
• 
  Background: WIP (I have ideas but I want time to flesh them out).
  
  
• 
  Character Advancement Lunars earn five experience points at each session’s end.
  
  TRAIT EXPERIENCE COST
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Attribute increase current rating x4 (−1 if Casteless)
  Caste/Favored Attribute increase current rating x3
  Ability increase current rating x2
  New Ability 3
  Specialty 3
  Purchased Merit new rating x3
  Willpower 8
  Non-Caste, Non-Favored Lunar Charm 10 (9 if Casteless)
  Caste/Favored Lunar Charm 8
  Martial Arts Charm 10
  Spell 10 (8 if Intelligence is a Caste/Favored Attribute)
  Evocation 10
  Animal Latent Ability 6
  
• 
  
  

 

[Rykon]

Just now getting some time to catch back up.

1. If a splatbook is a release pointed at one of the types of Exalted (like the Lunar book or what have you), is a "splat" therefore slang for any one of the types of Exalts?

Yep. That's my understanding. Not sure where it started, but it's what we call it as a label like class is somewhat misleading.

2. What do you mean by "native" Charms? I can guess (specifically Lunar Charms?), but I'd rather know. for certain. =)

Yes, specifically for Lunars as opposed to something meant to be somewhat universal like evocations, martial arts, and sorcery.

3. I don't know what that means. I'm familiar with D&D/Pathfinder size descriptions. Is there an equivalent? Is Legendary elephant-sized? Blue whale-sized? One of the Godzilla sizes (as Godzilla's size seems to change from movie to movie)?

It's unfortunately somewhat vague as to what dimension classify for that size. Mechanically though, you can find it in some animal write ups like the Tyrant Lizard.

4. Psychie is allowing my PC to use Mutations in his Animal form. Is it possible to get more than 12 Mutations for a form? I'm making my PC as close to his Spirit Shape as I can, but there are things his mundane brethren get that I'm guessing he'll be lacking for quite some time.

Mutations are a subset of Supernatural merits. So not every supernatural merit is necessarily a mutation, but most are. Thaumaturgy and its rituals are technically supernatural merits. Same with sorcery and shaping ritual merits. Those are clearly separated by the context of the book though. Perhaps the hybrid body charm will provide a reference for more clarity. When time permits I'll see if I can find a more solid definition.

5. Is the Limit Trigger "The immorality or transgressions of others hinder the Lunar" a wise choice for a moral character? It sounds like it could be activated more often than other similar triggers. If so, I can't imagine this would be good for the Circle much less him?

Anytime an extra (a term for non-threatening npc) so much as slows us down with a broken promise you would have to roll to accrue limit.

6. I am thinking of ridding him of the Endless Change Purse in favor of a Moonsilver saddle/satchel that doubles as armor or something equally cool? It's part of an idea Psychie and I have been bouncing back and forth. =)

Armor would let you play into a Lunar's strength as well, so not a bad call.

I'll address more comments as I'm able, but I'm still in conference mode today and tomorrow. So some responses might take awhile.

 

[Psychie]

Chonk is looking good so far. A few things I see that need to be changed. In your Combat Tab, your health levels need to be tweaked. Sherwood has one Solar Ox Body at a lower Stamina than you have and you have two Lunar Ox Bodies, making your health track look like:

[ ] 0
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ] -1
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ] -2
[ ] -4
[ ] Incapacitated

Personal Essence is 16 motes
Peripheral Essence is 38, with 35 available to use
Committed Motes: 3 due to the Gemstone of Wellness

Join Battle is an 8, and you don't have the MA style that Sherwood does that gives Amara's sword its own initiative track, so you can delete the Form Join Battle line.

Parry and Dodge DV are both 4.
Guile and Resolve I'll have to look up; I don't remember off the top of my head what Abilities affect each one.

Before any Charms, your Natural Soak is 5 due to your Stamina.
In your Deadly Beastman Form, your Soak goes up to 11.
I don't see that you have any Armor, so you don't have any Soak or Hardness from there.
Your Impenetrable Beast Armor adds another 3 to your Withering Soak for an instant when you activate it, raising your total to 14 and 5 Hardness.

For a set of Moonsilver armor, I'll let you take a tweaked 3 dot set of Lamallar armor that will shift into a saddle type thing. It would grant you +8 Soak, +7 Hardness, -1 Mobility penalty, and will add another 5m to your Committed bank of Peripheral Essence, locking up a total of 8 motes for you.

You'll need to come up with a generic list of the animals you can shift into from your Heartsblood Merit. I would suggest a few aquatic forms, some flying ones, at least a couple of insects of different kinds, and a few other random ones that you can pick from.

 

[Psychie]

BTW, Rykon Thank you for jumping in with your Exalted knowledge here. You clearly know the details of the game better than I do, and I really appreciate the help!

 

[Psychie]

And Purr , I will keep in mind that Chonk uses Brawl as his main combat technique, so I'll keep an eye out for some Smashfists, Slayer Khatars or Razor Claws for you to pick up later on.

 

[Purr]

Oooh! Look at all this information! Hooray!

Anytime an extra (a term for non-threatening npc) so much as slows us down with a broken promise you would have to roll to accrue limit.

Whoops! I thought that might be the case. I'll be changing that then. =)

For a set of Moonsilver armor, I'll let you take a tweaked 3 dot set of Lamallar armor

What is "Lamallar?" A kind of armor (like Banded mail)?

If it shifts into a saddle in Fat Cat Spirit Shape form, what does it turn into when he is in human or Deadly Beastman form? If it is a saddle, might it also have saddlebags? Then in a humanoid form it might turn into armor with a satchel with pockets?

 

[Sherwood]

What is "Lamallar?" A kind of armor (like Banded mail)?

The artifact armor description is on pg 600 of the pdf.

 

[Psychie]

If it shifts into a saddle in Fat Cat Spirit Shape form, what does it turn into when he is in human or Deadly Beastman form? If it is a saddle, might it also have saddlebags? Then in a humanoid form it might turn into armor with a satchel with pockets?

In your human form or your DBT form, it would be simply a suit of armor, albeit a larger and more formidable looking suit in your DBT form. Any saddlebags would have to be added on later as they are not a part of the armor itself.

 

[Purr]

Okay, so it's armor in either form and a saddle for people he's carrying (the Circle) when he is in... what did you call it... Totem Form? (Spirit Shape?)

 

[Psychie]

Yes, sir.

 

[Sherwood]

The extra defense of the armor is well worth losing the benefit of the change purse. You can always get money.

 

[Purr]

Cool, ma'am! =)

According to the power, Legendary size can be accomplished via the Towering Beast Form. Psychie, how big is Legendary form in your game?

For a set of Moonsilver armor, I'll let you take a tweaked 3 dot set of Lamallar armor that will shift into a saddle type thing. It would grant you +8 Soak, +7 Hardness, -1 Mobility penalty, and will add another 5m to your Committed bank of Peripheral Essence, locking up a total of 8 motes for you.

You'll need to come up with a generic list of the animals you can shift into from your Heartsblood Merit. I would suggest a few aquatic forms, some flying ones, at least a couple of insects of different kinds, and a few other random ones that you can pick from.

Thank you for making up this Moonsilver armor! It looks great!

The Hearts Blood Merit is specific in the number of creatures one can transform into along with their sizes. There is also the matter of region (if you put an additional Merit point, your forms can come from any region). I know nothing of Creation or its regions. I could make a list of "all creatures great and small" that Da Chonk could transform into, but should I treat regions like Earth (African, Australian, Canadian, etc.)?

Also, there are a number of animals I've never heard of until Exalted (like claw raptors and sky whales). Is there a list I should be pulling from (like the one in Lunars book)? What's best for your game here?

The extra defense of the armor is well worth losing the benefit of the change purse. You can always get money.

Well, I have 11 Merit slots open without changing out the purse. I don't mind the possibility of Fat Cat being broke; I mind the idea of us needing to eat or whatever and we don't have the means. Then it's less a matter of convenience and one of survival (Exalts DO eat and sleep, don't they)? I see Fat Cat as being a creature of the wild and perfectly at home in forests and jungles. But the whole Circle?

 

[Purr]

Also, this is great fun! =)

 

[Purr]

So at this time, his Combat Stats should look like this?

Spoiler: Combat Stats

Health Levels
[ ] 0
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ] -1
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ] -2
[ ] -4
[ ] Incapacitated

Willpower: 5
Essence: 1
Personal: 16
Peripheral: 30/38
Committed: 8 (Gem of Incomparable Wellness)

Join Battle: 8

Parry: 4
Dodge: 4
Evasion: ?
Resolve: ?
Guile: ?

Natural Soak: 5 (11 in Deadly Beastman Transformation)
Armored Soak: +8
Hardness +7
Mobility Penalty: -1
Hearthstone Soak: ?
Total Soak: 13 (19 in Deadly Beastman Transformation)

Psychie Sherwood I'm loving the art work of the Artifact armor and weapons! I should probably invest in some kind of (preferably silent) ranged weapon. I'm keeping an eye out for all manner of Moonsilver weapons. The idea of slayer khatars (bracer-based weapons) is pretty cool! Leave your hands free? Yes, please! =)

Psychie, is there some way I can get the Moonsilver Lamellar armor to be silent? Maybe pay more in Merits or something?

EDIT: I think I found an item that fits O Mighty Fat Cat wonderfully! =)

Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light (p. 600, Core) - Because... he's a cat. =)

Spoiler: Collar of Dawn’s Cleansing Light

This artifact comes in a variety of forms including studded bands, chokers, torcs, collars or delicate necklaces. Although no artifacts are common, these collars are sufficiently simple that the Realm’s Dragon-Blooded artisans can create them without vast amounts of difficulty. Wealthy Dynasts own and wear them when possible, not just for their useful properties, but also as displays of fortune and opulence.

The purpose of this collar is to keep its wearer clean in every respect. She could spend weeks living beneath a rubbish heap and emerge at the end as though she had just spent hours preparing for a grand ball. The artifact negates all penalties to Social rolls that would be applied due to the character being dirty or unkempt. Attuning to the collar extends its powers beyond the Exalt’s clothing to her physical body. The artifact’s cleansing light adds two dice to (Stamina + Resistance) rolls made against disease or poison. The wearer must commit one mote to use this artifact.

 

[Psychie]

All that above looks good so far.

If you want silent armor, I will let you get that for an extra dot, making it cost you a total of 4 Merit points to get it.

The Hearts Blood Merit is specific in the number of creatures one can transform into along with their sizes. There is also the matter of region (if you put an additional Merit point, your forms can come from any region). I know nothing of Creation or its regions. I could make a list of "all creatures great and small" that Da Chonk could transform into, but should I treat regions like Earth (African, Australian, Canadian, etc.)?

For most animals, you can simply use natural animals that exist here on Earth. Foxes, dolphins, gorillas, elephants, ravens, mosquitoes, ants, stuff like that. It can be from any climate, but since you are from the central and eastern parts of Creation, you can more easily justify savana and jungle monsters/creatures, along with river and Inland Sea creatures.

Well, I have 11 Merit slots open without changing out the purse. I don't mind the possibility of Fat Cat being broke; I mind the idea of us needing to eat or whatever and we don't have the means. Then it's less a matter of convenience and one of survival (Exalts DO eat and sleep, don't they)? I see Fat Cat as being a creature of the wild and perfectly at home in forests and jungles. But the whole Circle?

Yes, having some cash on hand will be a good thing. But when you are out in the field for a while, you'll not have a lot of places to buy stuff unless you stock up ahead of time.

 

[Purr]

If you want silent armor, I will let you get that for an extra dot, making it cost you a total of 4 Merit points to get it.

WOOOO!

Er, I mean... woo.... shhh! It's silent after all!

All that above looks good so far.

Cool!

It can be from any climate, but since you are from the central and eastern parts of Creation, you can more easily justify savana and jungle monsters/creatures, along with river and Inland Sea creatures.

Re: List. Okay!

Ah! What's the name of the land where he's from, please?

Yes, having some cash on hand will be a good thing. But when you are out in the field for a while, you'll not have a lot of places to buy stuff unless you stock up ahead of time.

Okay!

Psychie (Sorry, my ADHD is acting up and I'm not thinking clearly at the moment but it'll clear up). I ask you to request artifacts, right? Like this one?

Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light (p. 600, Core) - Because... he's a cat. =)

Should I consider purchasing the Arms of the Chosen book? Think it's worth it for a new player? I don't want to be seen as that guy whose just out to buy books to get stuff. That's Sherwood job and he's good at it! (Ha ha! Tease tease!)

 

[Sherwood]

Arms of the Chosen has a lot of weapons, armor, hearthstones, and a few utility items to it, along with some insight on how to craft and make up your own artifacts as both player and storyteller. I think it is a good investment.

 

[Purr]

Cool!

Sherwood What do you think of this new more-Lunar-focused Transporter build for my character?

 

[Sherwood]

I like him. You have some different Charm choices than I would make, but that is probably just personal preference more than anything. It is a valiant first character. Good work.

 

[Purr]

I like him. You have some different Charm choices than I would make, but that is probably just personal preference more than anything. It is a valiant first character. Good work.

Thank you! I can't wait until I have his Background and inspirational stories set up. I even know what he sounds like! =)

I have the Arms of the Chosen (I almost typed "Charms of the Rosen"! Hah!) PDF now - woo! Of course, everything is Psychie's to say yea or nay to. =)

What Charm choices would you make? Your first recommended build was very battle-heavy and it gave me the feeling that I'd better play a PC that can take part in combat without sacrificing what he is in his core.