The Best Laid Plans of Gods and Men [Sidereals - Exalted 3e]

[Random Word]

Me, personally? I love summoning demons. Do it every Tuesday. They're great for taking out the trash and minor odds and ends around the house, disposing of bodies, that sort of thing. Also highly recommended in the game. Demons are the solution to basically every problem.

1. Have a problem? Summon a demon to solve it.
2. Still have a problem? You probably haven't summoned enough demons. Summon more and try again.
3. Demons are your problem? See step 1.

 

[Sherwood]

Well, my Lunar sorcerer is coming along nicely. I have to go to work soon, but I'll probably be able to finish up in the next day or two.

 

[Epiphany]

Don't worry. Demon summoning leading to the inevitable doom of the summoner is something only NPCs have to worry about.

 

[jaydude]

Hi all. In regards to Sorcery, no plans for it yet. I would however like to have Charcoal March of Spiders Style though, just because Shi-Vash has a spider motif.

 

[Epiphany]

Is there a preferred character sheet format, out of curiosity?

 

[Random Word]

Nope. Whatever's clear and easily referenced by you. You'll be the one looking things up on it most often.

I'll go look up how to create threads for a game again .

 

[jaydude]

Just catching up on posts here. I'm cool with an E1 start; also thinking of going with Investigation and Larceny/Stealth as my niche.

 

[Epiphany]

Excellent. Still reading Charms but at this point I'm interested in trying (and eventually being great at) Craft. Survival for tracking as well as surviving.

Transportation's probably something we should think about as a group. Do we want a ship? Artifact airship? Flying Yeddim? I'm trying to decide between Sail and Ride (it would be the height of foolishness to try to be good at both). What do you guys think is the best way to go? How do we want to cross the miles?

 

[Sherwood]

Hey Epiphany , I'm working on my Lunar, and would like to get some info from you about how you see our characters' relationship. Tell me about your character. Stuff like age, gender, where you are from, what your likes and dislikes are, stuff like that.

 

[Epiphany]

Hey Epiphany , I'm working on my Lunar, and would like to get some info from you about how you see our characters' relationship. Tell me about your character. Stuff like age, gender, where you are from, what your likes and dislikes are, stuff like that.

Completely appreciate why that would be important information to have.

Honestly, the concept hasn't gelled up yet. What I've got so far are:

• Dune Person (or something Dune Person adjacent if they don't exist in 3e).
• Probably was a shaman who helped trace out songlines for their tribe to follow (but not sure if I'm really going to dip too much into Occult or Performance yet).
• Venerated Luna as a mortal and still feels religiously drawn to her personally, despite Mercury's obvious prominence in their life.
• Has a long-range plan to (re)create a Dragon Line Rail system that connects into the dragon lines above Creation and driving a train to the Moon itself. Possibly to eventually migrate their entire tribe/peoples to the one surface area that sunlight will never touch.
• Super interested in Sidereal Craft Charms and likely to be a craft monkey in general (with possible inspiration from Doctor Who in terms of "Oh, look at that, First Age door which means it uses a Nemeniahian Cojoined Essence Assembly to operate its motonic components so if I introduce a Second Tier Error here, I should be able to short it out!" magitechnobabble).
• I plan to either get a giant flying familiar I can sink Ride Charms into to serve as party transportation or get/chip into an artifact ship or airship or something I can sink Sail Charms into for the sake of being the party's tour bus. Really interested in what others think would be fun or cool to do (or if anyone has any opinion at all on how the Fellowship travels).
• Alternatively, if your Lunar wants to take a giant flying shape and ferry the Fellowship around, that would be nine kinds of cool and hilarious but that's entirely up to you.
• Haven't settled on a specific age or gender as yet. Have a preference? I usually RP women better than men but I'm flexible. Preferably no younger than 20s, though.
• Our Serenity Caste is likely to be the real social combat machine of the group, possibly a couple of the others too. My Harbinger is likely to take a few different Charms that makes them friendly, recognizable, a good networker in general.
• Despite a barbarian background, my Harbinger found Yu-Shan thrilling, finds the remnants of the First Age in general fascinating and likes people a great deal.

I'll almost certainly be getting this Charm:

Wife-Procuring Tailfeathers
Cost: 4m, 1wp;
Mins: Craft 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple Keywords: Mute, Shaping (Fate)
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Atelier-and-Embassy Auspice
The Sidereal’s elegant bearing, unmatched fashion sense, and artistic talent make her an obvious catch.
After a few hours or days spent courting potential partners who belong to a culture, organization, or social stratum, the Sidereal’s assured to find at least one group member, chosen by the Storyteller, who’s willing to marry her within the week, though it may be a loveless marriage. (Players may volunteer their characters for this.) Alternatively, she can empower an existing marriage and choose a group her spouse belongs to. As long as she remains married and spends significant time managing their household during downtimes, she gains the following benefits:
• Characters with Ties toward her spouse count as having the same Ties to her at Minor intensity. A significant number of group members are assured to have positive Ties toward him.
• She gains a position of influence equivalent to two-dot Backing or Influence the group her spouse belongs to.
• She waives Excellencies’ mote costs to reduce the target numbers of Bureaucracy, Lore, or Socialize rolls involving the group her spouse belongs to.
• She waives the mote cost to use Suitor-Measuring Eye on members of her spouse’s group and to reduce its roll’s target number with Excellencies.
In cultures without marriage, this Charm instead applies to whatever local custom comes closest to a lifelong partnership in which finances are intermingled.
Reset: Once per story unless reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal with the help of a spouse or through financial dealings.

Perhaps unlikely to come up in the course of play (given this is a Sidereal game and not intentionally a Lunar game) but I like the idea of the helping-one's-spouse going both ways.

Thoughts?

 

[Sherwood]

I had two trains of thought about my sheet. The first is a savant No Moon owl totem that dives into sorcery. The second is an elephant Full Moon that is a real combat monster. I'm working on both to try and make up my mind. Depending on if this game is going to be more involved with non-combat stuff or a more martial bend would make a big difference, too.

Either way, I'll make a male so you can be the damsel in distress for me to stive to save from the nasties out there in the world.

 

[jaydude]

What's the context behind us all banding together again?

 

[Esbilon]

What's the context behind us all banding together again?

I expect it's a mission from the Bureau of Destiny. Unless a significant fraction of us are unaffiliated with Heaven.

 

[jaydude]

I expect it's a mission from the Bureau of Destiny.

That's what I was assuming. In which case my next question would be how Sherwood 's non-Sidereal is associated with us.

 

[Sherwood]

My character and Epiphany's are a couple.

 

[jaydude]

My character and Epiphany's are a couple.

Cool. So essentially you're being bought in as outside help on our assignment?

 

[Sherwood]

Cool. So essentially you're being bought in as outside help on our assignment?

I believe so.

 

[Sherwood]

Random Word

Would you allow this artifact?

Spoiler

Endless Change Purse (Starmetal
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.

 

[Random Word]

Salary no longer exists! I'm hesitant to let you shoot yourself in the foot. You aren't resonant with Starmetal, so you'd be paying 3 merits and committing three motes to buy Resources 3... which costs 3 merits.

 

[Random Word]

That's what I was assuming. In which case my next question would be how Sherwood 's non-Sidereal is associated with us.

I believe so.

Don't believe so, tell us! Work with Epiphany to figure out what your place in society is. Do you live in Yu-Shan and work for a Bureau of the Celestial Bureaucracy? Are you Epiphany's unemployed house husband in Yu-Shan tagging along for moral support? Do you live in Creation and they descend from Heaven to grace you with their presence when they can, and have you listed as a local asset in their reports?

You need a compelling story - was Venus so overjoyed to see a wedding between Stars and Moon in this Age of Sorrows that she personally pulled strings to get you a job in the Bureau so the star cross'd lovers could be together?

Did someone powerful in the Bureau of Seasons owe you so many favours you cashed them in for official immigration papers for Heaven itself to be with your beloved? If so, what's your job in Yu-Shan?

There are bound to be many in the Bureau of Destiny who are suspicious of you, and outside it too. How have you dealt with their harassment and snubbing? You're probably being watched almost always while you're in Yu-Shan to determine if you're a spy or saboteur.

 

[Sherwood]

Salary no longer exists! I'm hesitant to let you shoot yourself in the foot. You aren't resonant with Starmetal, so you'd be paying 3 merits and committing three motes to buy Resources 3... which costs 3 merits.

Hadn't considered that. Good to know.

Don't believe so, tell us! Work with Epiphany to figure out what your place in society is. Do you live in Yu-Shan and work for a Bureau of the Celestial Bureaucracy? Are you Epiphany's unemployed house husband in Yu-Shan tagging along for moral support? Do you live in Creation and they descend from Heaven to grace you with their presence when they can, and have you listed as a local asset in their reports?

You need a compelling story - was Venus so overjoyed to see a wedding between Stars and Moon in this Age of Sorrows that she personally pulled strings to get you a job in the Bureau so the star cross'd lovers could be together?

Did someone powerful in the Bureau of Seasons owe you so many favours you cashed them in for official immigration papers for Heaven itself to be with your beloved? If so, what's your job in Yu-Shan?

There are bound to be many in the Bureau of Destiny who are suspicious of you, and outside it too. How have you dealt with their harassment and snubbing? You're probably being watched almost always while you're in Yu-Shan to determine if you're a spy or saboteur.

I'll come up with something good along those lines.

Just wondering, how combat focused is this game going to be? I have two concepts in the works, one that is more a support character of a sorcerer and savant, and the other is a tanky Full Moon, a real brute. I am trying to decide which one to present to you for approval.

 

[Random Word]

Just wondering, how combat focused is this game going to be? I have two concepts in the works, one that is more a support character of a sorcerer and savant, and the other is a tanky Full Moon, a real brute. I am trying to decide which one to present to you for approval.

It will be precisely as combat focused as you collectively want it to be! If all of you have significant investment in combat, and have Flags about epic fight scenes, then we'll turn the Western Ocean red, and Kireeki will weep with joy.

If you collectively couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag, but have more favours stashed away and spies in place then Kejak himself, then it will be nothing but backstabbing and intrigue.

The Bureau didn't send the wrong agents for this mission! Whatever you're good it is what needs to be done, even if it's underwater basket weaving.

Oh! More important questions for consideration when writing your Lunar: Did you have a Shahan-Ya? If not, why? If so, what do they think of your getting into bed with Heaven, and are they still your Shahan-ya? Most importantly, if you did have a Shahan-ya, on a scale from 1-Yes how likely is it some of your fellow disciples are out to murder you for your betrayal, destroy your relationship, or persuade you to return to the fold?

 

[Epiphany]

I have a Defining Principle that any Sidereal PC of mine must be (A) good at Martial Arts, (B) good at Astrology/Prophecy, (C) effective social engineers and (D) good at what's auspicious/what's in their wheelhouse for the group.

The net result of that, especially in 3e it seems, is that I'm not going to be particularly good at any of it. Not even remotely enough ability or merit points to go around for that.

I'm theoretically game for some kung-fu but there's no way for me to not suck at it. If Sherwood wants to Full Moon it for me, I'm delighted to let him be my shield. If Sherwood would rather No Moon/Sorcery it up for us, I don't think anyone's opted for a Sorcery build (yet another point sink) so that would be valuable too.

How's everyone else feel? Anyone else planning to go heavy on combat?

 

[Random Word]

For anyone not familiar with the intricacies of 3e mechanics, the system has a bit of a... Rough edge? Flaw? Maybe trap for the unwary ST. When you say, "I don't have enough dots and Charms to be good at combat" you are really saying, "I don't have enough dots and Charms to fight a combat optimized PC."

It isn't so much that the example antagonists for combat encounters in 3e are woefully underpowered as it is trivially easy to make a starting character who will crush almost any single opponent in Creation. If none of you have combat pools higher than 6, a combat excellency, and maybe an artifact weapon, you'll be well balanced with the threats the default system expects you to face . If you're all rocking 10 pools with specialty, artifact, and 5+ combat Charms, then you will each outclass every threat the default system can represent, and I will have to make custom horrors just to make you break a sweat.

Likewise, a pool of 6 plus an excellency can overcome most challenges the system poses by default. Most systems, like social influence, don't even reward extra successes. All the fancy dice tricks and power ups will only come into play when you're severely outnumbered, in a hideously disadvantaged position, or facing off against a fellow celestial tier opponent built to a similar level of mechanical optimization.

By all means, take 10 wherever you want to make the greatest of legends weep to look upon your works because they will never be anything but guttering candles before the glorious star that is your brilliance, but don't make the mistake of thinking you need to have a 10 and five Charms just to be 'good' at something in this system. Paradoxically, despite writing everything as if people will rarely take 10s, please take 10 in anything that matters to you, because the mechanics demand it if you wish to buy most of the Charms.

So do take 10 and five Charms on Sail if you want to out-sail an optimized Abyssal pirate queen, but rules as written 6 and an excellency will probably outdo a nephwrack who's been sailing the horror filled seas of the labyrinth for millennia nine times out of ten.

It can make this system a bit challenging to run, to say the least

 

[Random Word]

I come bearing threads!

OOC
Main
Characters