Solar/Lunar game, some XP, current age, need storyteller

[Kaelik]

So this is almost certainly the wrong place for this, but I was looking at some Lunar charms, and one of them was Thousand Claw Infliction in the Lunar Hero sytle.


It says that each attack uses it's last position, and that the exalt can treat all rates as infinite.


Am I missing something crazy here? Because what that means to me, is that I could flurry with that charm (costing only a single mote and Comboed with Flowing Body Evasion to counteract the DVs when facing multiple opponents) and I could move adjacent to a couple enemies maybe, and then, make an infinite number of attacks, IE kill everyone within my move range. Sure I'd have a Parry DV of -30, but that's what perfects are for when you can kill half your opposition.


So my question is, what besides Rate limits the number of attacks you can make in a single action?

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

There's one thing that limits the number of attacks:


When making a flurry, you suffer a penalty to your dice pool that increases with each successive attack.


And I implement the unspoken rule that you cannot make attacks once your dice pool reaches 0 dice.


As an aside, while the idea of a Lunar/Solar organization that assaults the Blessed Isle is very nice, we can keep that as a long term goal for your character. We'll start with about 100 XP, so you can have Essence 3 or 4, but with less Charms, and build the characters from there. You'll have the time to develop those abilities, which will be more of an accomplishment than just having me hand them down to you.

 

[Kaelik]

There's one thing that limits the number of attacks:
When making a flurry, you suffer a penalty to your dice pool that increases with each successive attack.


And I implement the unspoken rule that you cannot make attacks once your dice pool reaches 0 dice.

Oh, okay, I missed that. Which solves the problem, since attacking at 0 dice would be useless anyway, and it's probably not worth your time against most enemies long before that. So, I may need to reread, but the -1 Flurry Penalty, that DV means dice value not defense value? Does it still lower your defenses like I thought?


Kinda sucks about the minus to attack roles, but I guess onslaught penalties even that out.

As an aside' date=' while the idea of a Lunar/Solar organization that assaults the Blessed Isle is very nice, we can keep that as a long term goal for your character. We'll start with about 100 XP, so you can have Essence 3 or 4, but with less Charms, and build the characters from there. You'll have the time to develop those abilities, which will be more of an accomplishment than just having me hand them down to you.[/quote']
1) So you have a game idea? Because that's priority one as far as I'm concerned, definitely willing to make compromises on character to actually play.


2) Not sure exactly what you mean here about Solar organization as long term? Would we be traveling around trying to convince Solars to join as sort of the driving plot? Or would it be something else while that sits as my characters primary motivation?


3) 'Time to develop those abilities -> more of an accomplishment' No it's really not. There is always lots of room for improvement, and starting at higher XP values results in more diversified characters. This is PbP exalted. In about 18 months, I can expect to raise my essence to 4 if I start at 3 essence. I'm not particularly thrilled by the idea of my first 10 bonus points being eaten by essence, spending my first 5 charms getting a perfect defense, another 6 on basic necessities of not sucking, and then sitting with a whole 10XP to customize my character by picking up some themed abilities.


I've built a Lunar with 100XP using the rules that I linked too. He's essence 4 and by ignoring all attack enhancement charms at all he can reach minimal required competency in defenses and required utility functions, and that's without even getting to buy up martial arts past 3. Waiting 6 months to get enough XP to buy attack enhancement charms, that's really far too much time to develop.


I'll play in a game at 100 XP, but it's definitely not the high essence 4 game that I started this thread for.


4) Now that I've spent as much time pissing you off as possible, you said use those Lunar rules?

 

[risaphoeniix]

Hey, is there still a spot open?


My idea was to play a young, newly exalted lunar, possibly a ward under one of the other characters. I had a character like this in a game a while back but I only got to play about two sessions before the game died.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Kaelik: the game will begin with a journey, to locate someone. It will take some time to find him/her, and you'll likely have some side treks on the way.


The Solar organization might be an idea your character has, and he'll develop it later, but not at start. And you're not pissing me off. Trust me, if you were, you'd get a strong PM about it. :mrgreen:


True, starting characters are not usually rounded enough to fulfill everything they might set out to do, but it's part of the game. You can still do a whole lot more than most everyone in Creation, and you'll learn more as time goes by.


It's part of the reason I want to go with the journey before we get to more character-oriented goals, so you'll have time to develop your character in those areas so he'll be able to do the things you dream about. If you decide to focus his charms in one direction, take into account that he'll suck in other areas, but it will be YOUR choice.


For everyone else: I'm willing to accept no more than 8 characters, and while it is my hope to get 4 bonded pairs, it is not a requirement.


Anyone who wants to join in, I'll try and get a better blurb out there. If you've got a question and/or suggestion, feel free to post here. Once I have the idea consolidated, you'll be able to PM me your character concept, and I'll choose the concepts I like best. This is not a First Come, First Served.

 

[Kaelik]

And you're not pissing me off.

Will have to try harder then.


But on the subject of the campaign, actually, I sort of like to start with as rounded characters as I can, which means that they actually are pretty mediocre at the thing they are supposed to be good at, which looks silly, but at least he lives to gain the XP to be good at it. On other notes that won't come up until after I've gained about 100XP. What are the XP costs for combos? I've never been able to find out. Hopefully it's not another one of those things that costs more for Lunars then Solars.


Also, bonded mate, that might require a some changes to the character, anyone looking for a Lunar mate, I certainly don't have any problem with you suggesting the interaction pattern, since I don't have any ideas yet. Full Moon Lunar "specializing" in natural weapons combat here.

 

[Persell]

I'm hoping to play a Changing Moon Lunar focused on social combat, but... if anyone else wanted that role, I can switch to something else, or try to figure out a way for both of our characters to work together in the party.


Do you know what books you'll be allowing, and when you'll need us to submit our characters?

 

[Preus Kai]

Hello, I've never played a mixed Exalt game before, and I really like the idea of a group of bonded Solars/Lunars. I think I'd go Eclipse Caste Solar... hmm, like a Great Forks magistrate that was Exalted due his keen skill with diplomacy and his understanding of the spirit world. Maybe a spirit court came into contact/conflict with a Lunar settlement, but the character was able to reach a compromise between the feuding parties? Just throwing that out there =]

 

[Midboss]

I'm considering doing here a rather young Twilight mage. (I really should of not spent the last three days reading all the Negimas...) He's the sort of guy who embodies the marines expression: no better friend, no worse ennemy. He's usualy a cheary and flriendly guy. Enthousiastic and all that. Make him angry however... well those nice spells nead to be used somehow. Still need to work more on it.


Could partner rather well with someone more specialised in physical skills.

 

[Kaelik]

I'm considering doing here a rather young Twilight mage. (I really should of not spent the last three days reading all the Negimas...) He's the sort of guy who embodies the marines expression: no better friend, no worse ennemy. He's usualy a cheary and flriendly guy. Enthousiastic and all that. Make him angry however... well those nice spells nead to be used somehow. Still need to work more on it.
Could partner rather well with someone more specialised in physical skills.

Well, I am pretty specialized in physical. Big old Brute of a Lunar, kicking people in the face, withstanding kicks to the face and so forth. Would certainly enjoy pairing with a Mage.

 

[Midboss]

All right, shall we get started on working on our backgrounds ? If we're partners in crime, then we'll get a better result by coordinating our background writing.

 

[Kaelik]

All right, shall we get started on working on our backgrounds ? If we're partners in crime, then we'll get a better result by coordinating our background writing.

Well, as above, while I don't have the Timeline, I'd say I'm a pretty Old Lunar, much older then the Breaking of the Jade Prison (much being measured in decades, maybe a century, but not in centuries for sure). Lived most of my life sort of on my own, ranging, but mostly around the East, Hundred Kingdoms area, up to Halta. Exlated a while ago in the South, as a roaming desert tribesman, he left soon after, feeling the difference in his nature. Picked up from a bit of trouble dealing with Harborhead by a Lunar, he was lead to a Silver Pact organization in the east, where it's generally safer from the Hunt.


Since then, he's mostly ranged around, nothing terribly big or important, mostly protecting and searching for other Lunars to bring into the organization. Ideally, he comes across you being chased by a really small contingent of Dragonborn, and joins in to help. Probably felt called to that area after you were exalted. Any chance you are from somewhere in the east? Then he figures out you are different, a Solar, and tried to find a place for you in the Silver Pact, but was generally disdained for it. Since then, he's had the goal of developing a organization for Solars. Preserves his motivation, shows how he came across it, makes him a little more Solar friendly, and gives him reason to stumble across you.


What do you think?


Feel free to be from whereever your character is from, he could range pretty wide if need be, but I'd prefer east, and prefer even more than that not south, because I want him to be adverse to going back there.

 

[Kaelik]

So new question.


Claws of the Silver Moon says:


blah, Damage +(Strength)L.


Essence 4: may spend another two motes to give the


weapon Damage +(Strength + 2)L/(Essence + 1) and the


Overwhelming tag.


Now, I am hard pressed to see at what point +str is going to less than (str + 2)/5 (which is the minimum, but as you get greater essence, you get worse).


I mean, Overwhelming is a pretty good tag, but does it apply to all damage of the weapon, basically negating all soak? Why on earth of all numbers didn't they just say /4 or something, why divide by essence so that higher essence exalts do less damage?

 

[Haku1]

Okay....


What happens is this...


Claws of Silver Moon gives you an increased bonus damage of Strength (+2), and you ping (minimum damage) of (essence +1). That's what overwhelming does, you don't divide the damage.


What is seldom stated is that you can boost your strength further which enhances the claw's stats; strength excellencies, spells that boosts your strength and so on. And this is not including the strength that you can get from being in OTHER forms and using this charm; say a tyrant lizard or a siaka or giant squid? Or the demon/elemental/spirit that you devoured? Or a nasty behemoth?

 

[Axelgear]

Does anyone like the sound of either of the Twilights I offered up? Anyone playing a Lunar, that is. I'd like to get an opinion from someone and to see if I could pick a Lunar mate for my Solar.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

On other notes that won't come up until after I've gained about 100XP. What are the XP costs for combos? I've never been able to find out. Hopefully it's not another one of those things that costs more for Lunars then Solars.

Well, luckily, every Exalt pays the same for combos.


A combo costs an amount of XP equal to the total Ability (or Attribute in the case of Lunars) minimum of each Charm in the combo.


For example, you have 4 Charms you want to put in a combo. One requires Strength 3, another Dexterity 2, a third one requires Dexterity 4, and the Dexterity Excellency needs Dexterity 1. The cost of the combo comes to 3 + 2 +4 + 1 = 10 XP.


In a way Lunars actually come ahead of Solars in Combos, in my opinion, because their Charms are broader. Generally speaking, you could create a combo that will benefit you whether you use your claws, a daiklaive, or even a bow, while a Solar would need three combos to achieve the same.

 

[Kaelik]

For example' date=' you have 4 Charms you want to put in a combo. One requires Strength 3, another Dexterity 2, a third one requires Dexterity 4, and the Dexterity Excellency needs Dexterity 1. The cost of the combo comes to 3 + 2 +4 + 1 = 10 XP.[/quote']

Would you have to pay for the Dex excellency? I mean, I might anyway, only 1 XP, but I thought you could use excellencies with everything, without ever using a combo.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Excellencies are Charms, and as such are subject to all the Charm rules. So you need to put it in a combo to be able to use it in conjunction with the combo.


The only exception to that is one of the Solar Excellencies, which lets them use Excellencies for a specific Ability without them counting as Charm use, but that's an Essence 4 or 5 Charm, IIRC.

 

[Midboss]

(in answer to Kaelik, quoting the whole post would make this unecessarely long)


Sure. For my character, I thought of a slave in Nexus or some other morally challenged city. He would of been an expert slave and one day exalted. Deciding that he no longer liked taking orders, he freed himself and got drunk on freedom and power, now no longer reconising any form of authority he considers abusive (which qualifies many of them to be honest). It's easy to imagine him having gone through a lot of trouble that would cause him to be saved.


His main motivation would be the total abolition of slavery. He can work well with helping other solars (who are victims of the empire's arbitrary elimination of solars) and any other individual "fighting the good fight." May however have some tensions with some of the aspect of the silver pact (the sociopathic disregard for "weak" humans that some are subject to).

 

[Axelgear]

Wouldn't that make him very likely to be VERY annoyed at the Solar Bond? I mean, at its core, it's magically enhanced emotion control that forces you to love the other person, regardless of abuse. Case in point: Lillith.

 

[Midboss]

He's more likely to go for a mutual agreed system. If both parties agree to the bond and no abuse of it results, then he's ok with it.

 

[Kaelik]

I think definitely an escaped slave exalt would be someone he found.


Part of my character would be that he is somewhat upset by the Pact. Though still a member and all. Of course, my character is one of those sociopathic disregard for "weak" humans types. He just plays it different. The reason he feels that way is he doesn't think that helping individual humans is worth it so much, in that they will become babies, relying on the exalts all the time. He'll help humans sometimes, but probably not from other humans too much. He feels like humans should deal with human concerns, and exalts should deal with each other and with the wyld and shadowlands, stuff like that.

 

[Midboss]

That sort of mentality is alright. It's more the "kill maim burn rape" that the nastier ones have, especially towards civilisation. It's the whole, I'm stronger so I'm alowed to make you miserable, bitch, mentality he is very hostile towards.


In a way, he shares the avoid making humans over dependent on him. He's more a teach a man to fish rather than feed for one day. And if anyone asks him why he does that, he'll just give that answer: because I feel like it. Or a variation of that anyway.

 

[Axelgear]

The thing with the Solar Bond that Lunars posses is that it's, A, one-sided and, B, preset. Every Lunar Exaltation is bonded to one Solar Exaltation, the same one, from lifetime to lifetime. That's why there was a tradition in the First Age that Lunars killed themselves when their Solar died, so that they could start new lives together.


Unless our ST rules otherwise, the Solar Bond is as involuntary as Exaltation. Hence why I brought it up, and why I brought Lillith up: She was horrifically (and I do mean HORRIFICALLY) abused by Desus. How's your Lunar going to feel knowing that his very Exaltation and, by extension, Luna herself advocates slavery?

 

[Midboss]

In that case (not familiar in detail with all the aspects of the universe), he would make sure not to abuse the bond. He would treat his partner as an equal, nothing less.