Learning charms instantly...

[Lord Kamina]

I began recently pondering about this and it sounds like an attractive prospect in order to add to the Awesome© factor of Exalted, and it is also something quite common in anime and other media: It's sometimes cool for heroes to learn new techniques in the heat of combat or generally when they most need them.


My first thoughts would glide towards this only being possible for Favored/Caste abilities, possibly exclusively Caste abilities. And it should probably cost something so don't people abuse it too much, maybe one Willpower, or some extra XP? Or maybe have a downside, maybe the charm could have a surcharge 'til the learning period is over?

 

[Ryvaken Tadrya]

Make it require a 3 die stunt.

 

[Quchu]

3 die stunt sounds fitting. Limiting this to Caste Abilities would also be appropriate, I'd say.

 

[skafte]

In the right situation, the player have probably trained the charn beforehand, and at least knows about the charm, and with ST approval, my players can learn a charm on the spot.


We have also started using the house rule, that you only have to pay half a charms xp cost at buy, and then one xp the first time you use that charm per session.


This have led to players having more charms, and are more willing to try new things.

 

[Lord Kamina]

In the right situation, the player have probably trained the charn beforehand, and at least knows about the charm, and with ST approval, my players can learn a charm on the spot.
We have also started using the house rule, that you only have to pay half a charms xp cost at buy, and then one xp the first time you use that charm per session.


This have led to players having more charms, and are more willing to try new things.

That house rule is nice but it's a shitload of book-keeping and my custom setting already has a lot of book-keeping as is.

 

[skafte]

It's not as bad, the players have to keep track of their charms themself, most of the time they don't have more than 1-3 charms like this. And just have small mark besides the charm untill it's fully paid.

 

[strawberryleaves]

That house rule is nice but it's a shitload of book-keeping and my custom setting already has a lot of book-keeping as is.

Try it without the houserule, then. Once a session, a character can try to instantaneously learn a charm. No extra costs, and if she doesn't have the xp, all future experience earned must go to retire the experience debt first--she can't learn anything else.


If your players try to munchkin this, then you can add in some extra costs.

 

[Ledaal Kajiri]

That house rule is nice but it's a shitload of book-keeping and my custom setting already has a lot of book-keeping as is.

Try it without the houserule, then. Once a session, a character can try to instantaneously learn a charm. No extra costs, and if she doesn't have the xp, all future experience earned must go to retire the experience debt first--she can't learn anything else.


If your players try to munchkin this, then you can add in some extra costs.

I would add the caveat of 1 time persession, if not already in XP debt from learning another Charm in this manner. Possibly even if not already in XP debt period.

 

[Lord Kamina]

Hmm, I don't know, I don't think that's a very good idea. In my experience, one doesn't usually learn more than one charm per session at most. So basically it'd almost be like "Anytime you could learn a charm, you might learn it instantly."

 

[Jukashi]

I'd let my players do this if in an appropriate situation, but require them to pay extra experience. Short-term vs. long-term power, an' all.


And if they did it too much, I'd hit them with the sort of enemies they would have been able to face. :twisted:

 

[Lord Kamina]

Well, yeah the whole idea is adding to the potential awesome factor of the game. So that characters could learn tricks while in a pinch or something.


How much do you think would be a reasonable surcharge?

 

[Ledaal Kajiri]

If you're going to up cost things, I would raise the cost the same way buying a Martial Arts charm up a level is increased.

 

[Halykan]

I had a house rule I invented way back in the day, largely for use in playing through Exaltations, as I believe technically you start with nothing but the better stats and probably a Wyld Hunt over the ridge looking for the Glorious Golden Bullseye.


Mechanically, if a player wanted to use a charm they hadn't quite developed yet, I had them roll Willpower + Essence at a difficulty equal to the minimum Ability requirement or the minimum Essence requirement, whichever is higher. The roll is reflexive, and failure just means they don't get to use it. I had no particular rule for botches beyond that something fiendishly appropriate would happen.


If they succeed, they pay 1 experience point and activate the charm as normal. They have to roll each time they desire to use it in a scene this way, paying the experience each time. Once they've paid the full amount the charm would normally cost they've learned it as normal, no further experience cost required - however, they still must make the roll each time until they've completed the training time.


Naturally, they had to have all the charm's prerequisites to attempt this at all. I also limited this method to main book charms only - the rationale for this was that the Exalt was merely recalling knowledge they'd already known and used earlier. I would occasionally permit this for custom charms that we'd already collaborated on and the player's character had been working toward, though a little short of the experience.


I didn't limit the players to Caste/Favored charms only, but non-favored charms incurred a +2 difficulty on the roll. I only permitted Solar Exalted to do this, as further evidence of their mastery of essence.

 

[Virjigorm]

I've used a gradual style for playing through Exaltation before where they just didn't get to take any charms until a dramatically appropriate time, and then would get to manifest a charm on the spot to handle the situation(sometimes with 1 or 2 prerequisites also). This would go on until the character had all their starting charms. Bonus points were handled this way as well and the characters always came out better balanced and well-rounded for it(the players liked it too).


More to the point, for developing charms on the spot my usual rule is to let players buy caste/favored charms on the spot anytime if they can pay for it(which I believe is canon). Occasional exceptions are made on the basis of "awesome dramatic impact" and "selfless heroism" in which case I sometimes allow a few exp debt to accrue and be paid back as soon as the points are awarded. This probably sounds harsh, but the way it works out, my players just hold on to about a charm's worth of exp most of the time, especially if they know something major is going to happen. I find that encouraging prudence and being consistently sorta strict limit's the more annoying brands of twinking and makes certain no one feels cheated.

 

[Brickwall]

I had an interesting idea regarding this. It came to me as I was reading the 1st Edition Corebook. The first chapter had a description of Essence, and was talking about how, while Exalted could harness it, if they let it get uncontrolled, it would basically make them revert to behaving like the primal force that gave them power. Solars would unleash vanity, megalomania, and violence. Lunars, well, lunacy in its many forms. Sidereals would go crazy in ways relating to prophecy or their Maiden. DBs would be very elemental. No rules were added for this.


Opportunity.


Basically, I figure that using an application of Essence not structured as a Charm or innate power is going to be uncontrolled to an extent. This should do damage to the mind, body, and soul of the Exalt, though not too severe at low usage. Basically, let them use any Charm for their Exalt type, even a custom Charm, but make it work a little wonky, and make it damage them. Hell, I think they should need to succeed at an Essence roll just to perform this at all (Difficulty 1, so they can just do a WP if they want). I think this allows such outbursts of heroism (and you can even do Charms you can't access at all), but has an appropriate cost (HL, derangements, and who knows what other fun things) for such power. Higher Essence Charms should be more damaging. Oh, and it goes without saying that such Charms would always be Obvious.


Summary:


-Roll Essence at base difficulty


-Access any one Charm of your Exalt type you want (still counts as a Charm use?)


-Take unsoakable damage (Essence of Charm levels) and possibly derangements or worse

 

[RedSypher]

I have been using this house rule for a few months, and my players seem to love it. You may ignore any training time, but only with a stunt, and the channeling of an appropriate Virtue. It's simple, and it really works quite well.

 

[Kkat]

I allow my players to ignore training times except for gaining Esssence.


--Kkat