Terrestrials using dragon king paths

[wordman]

Has anyone played with the idea of allowing Dragon Blooded to learn Dragon King paths of their own aspect? I'm not sure there would be much point (i.e. maybe they already have charms that do the same thing) but I think it might make an interesting campaign variation.


In particular, I'm thinking of social aspects of it. For example, suppose that doing so was viewed by the Immaculate Order as heresy, but a bunch of DBs did it in secret. Yet more internal strife in the empire.

 

[Hanat-Osul]

Personally, that doesn't appeal to me at all.  And while I could be some kind of dick and say, "Well DUH wordman, they're called the 10 Paths of PRE-HUMAN Mastery," then we'd just get into how Exalted aren't exactly human even though they start off that way and blah blah blah.  The point is: there are a dozen ways to get the social aspect you're looking for without using the DK Paths.  You don't even have to have heretical powers to be a heretic.


I suggest you check out the section on the Forest Witches in Outcaste.  They're really interesting: have a great history, great setting, populated with comlex characters.  That's heresy, in my book.

 

[Persell]

I agree with Hanat on this one and in additional I want to say that this would sound very very constructed. The points of contact between db and dragon kings in the last 1.5 millenia have been very few and I can see quite some hatred between them. and then why would db want to learn those styles? more power is prolly not the reason as there are quite some dragon blooded styles around which are equally or more powerful than what the dragon kings bring to bear.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

The power level of the Paths aren't really worth it for a DB; now, if one's to go about breaking canon, having the Dragon-Touched being able to access a Path that matches her Aspect...

 

[Obsidian Soul]

Oh, you could cobble together something, but the problem is play-balance.  The Path of Solid Earth and Growing Wood allows the practitioner to create artifacts very easily, much more than a DB or Celestial normally can.

 

[Samiel]

You guys are stuck in canon. This is a concept for a house variation.


I don't see much of a problem with the idea, and perhaps the idea of the Dragon-touched being able to do so as well would be cool.


If chlidren who didn't exalt in DB families could still attain a degree of power (Limited by essence, of course), the politics of breeding and position would change a great deal, making for an interesting variation on the Realm.


Review them, remove the overly powerful stuff, and fire ahead, I say. As long as the Players are OK with it, that is.

 

[Obsidian Soul]

You could do something like I'm doing with the Siti Paths.  Each different Dragon King Path is a different Mortal Path.  The first level lets you learn the Dragon King Path and each additional level reduces any non-zero Essence cost by one, to a minimum of one mote.  No one may learn a higher level in a Path than they have in the related Mortal Path and no Mortal Path may exceed level five.  The DB will still have to met the minimum Essence required and all that.  That gives the DB access to all but the highest level of the Dragon King Paths while still maintaining some game balance and giving them a little extra bonus.