Dice The Redux of the Tale of a Falling Empire - OOC

[D. Rex]

I do!

—wait.

Yeah, what the hell. I do. Sounds great.

Just because I can't leave well enough alone, I'd like to play up the drama a bit on it. I'm leaning toward we found a kind of love in this arrangement that started out of more a business-style transaction, but something happened relatively recently and it's strained right now. Thinking along the lines of something practical happened—like a difference in how a situation was handled or something. Not infidelity or anything.

Thoughts?

Love it! And I think we have just such a scenario built right into what has already been planned so far.



Cause would you say that she might be a little bit competitive with her very successful and important older sister? Who not only has the city, but now her husband. Being so intimately responsible for Kitavas safety that he doesn't leave her side would certainly be strain-worthy. It could go down a few ways. It feels like he is more kitavas husband than hers. She could not be happy that him and Kitava don't get along. His own strain at doing the job he doesn't really want to do could be causing the strain. His stubbornness probably would let be doing any favors. The skies the limit!

Or we could do something more political based. Such as maybe his family did something bad that now reflects on him, thus reflecting on you according to your family.


Half asleep at the moment. So just two ideas. But I do love me some good drama. Let's play it up!

 

[WlfSamurai]

Love it! And I think we have just such a scenario built right into what has already been planned so far.



Cause would you say that she might be a little bit competitive with her very successful and important older sister? Who not only has the city, but now her husband. Being so intimately responsible for Kitavas safety that he doesn't leave her side would certainly be strain-worthy. It could go down a few ways. It feels like he is more kitavas husband than hers. She could not be happy that him and Kitava don't get along. His own strain at doing the job he doesn't really want to do could be causing the strain. His stubbornness probably would let be doing any favors. The skies the limit!

Or we could do something more political based. Such as maybe his family did something bad that now reflects on him, thus reflecting on you according to your family.


Half asleep at the moment. So just two ideas. But I do love me some good drama. Let's play it up!

Yeah totally! Actually, any of that works. I actually think I like the family thing best.

I’m imagining Taeran to be very practical and allergic to politics. If something political happened like that, she’d find it a huge bother and just confirming that marriage is such a pain the in butt.

 

[D. Rex]

Yeah totally! Actually, any of that works. I actually think I like the family thing best.

I’m imagining Taeran to be very practical and allergic to politics. If something political happened like that, she’d find it a huge bother and just confirming that marriage is such a pain the in butt.

Would they already be married and this is a compilation that is arising? Or are they in the process of being matched a marriage being prepared?

 

[WlfSamurai]

Would they already be married and this is a compilation that is arising? Or are they in the process of being matched a marriage being prepared?

I had assumed they were already married, but it could be a ton of fun to be preparing for it.

 

[D. Rex]

I had assumed they were already married, but it could be a ton of fun to be preparing for it.

We can do either! Them being married we would be able to have an established relationship. Of which we strain.


The latter, we get to get into the fun of dynast arranged marriages. Which could be fun in and of itself. Either judging if the spouse is worthy, the political back and forth. See if we are going to kill each other or not.. Who gets what and what the roles will be. And of course both of them being rather, I suppose the dynasts like to call it "defiant".

Since I don't have a full background set up. I can adjust my guys family or lack thereof to help fuel the fun in what we want to achieve.

 

[WlfSamurai]

We can do either! Them being married we would be able to have an established relationship. Of which we strain.


The latter, we get to get into the fun of dynast arranged marriages. Which could be fun in and of itself. Either judging if the spouse is worthy, the political back and forth. See if we are going to kill each other or not.. Who gets what and what the roles will be. And of course both of them being rather, I suppose the dynasts like to call it "defiant".

Since I don't have a full background set up. I can adjust my guys family or lack thereof to help fuel the fun in what we want to achieve.

Same, pretty much.

I like the idea of both. But, I think for this game, we go with their already married. I feel like the focus is not the Satrap and this city and our marriage arrangements could take spotlight away from that.

I think for now, we‘re married and we have an established relationship. It’s just strained right now.

 

[Chowlett]

I might have found inspiration for the cursèd staff - the first two evocations in this artifact, but flavoured as the deference due to an official of her position (rather than an accomplished martial artist) - basically, reflexive reroll 1s on Awareness to detect hidden dangers; and then the ability to create a social Tie that causes opponents to lose Power when attacking Ferela and/or suffer a dice penalty when attacking Ferela.

I may need some assistance on balance, costing and Essenceification.

Right, I think these evocations should look like this. I have tweaked slightly for flavour; and also added a conditional refund on the first evocation, as the original had a cost of 2m from a full 3e pool of ~40-50 motes; 1m from an Ex:Essence pool of 7 is a much bigger outlay. Do these look ok at Artifact 4?

Magistrate's Discerning Eye
Cost: 1 mote
An officer of the law must be alert at all times; both to the hidden undercurrents in a crime scene or witness's statements, and to any who would seek to remove her from the pursuit of justice by violent means.

For 1 mote, the Exalt may reroll 1s on an Awareness roll related to detecting hidden enemies, traps, or any source of harm maliciously placed; or related to investigating an event or when questioning a witness to a crime or other event (as per Crafty Observation Method & Witness Rapport Technique). If at least one 1 is rerolled and becomes a success, the mote is refunded.

---

Noble Official's Authority
Cost: 1 mote
An officer of the law is a beacon of authority, commanding respect from even the most hardened criminal. To willingly harm such a person goes against the very inborn nature of all in society.

For 1 mote, the Exalt may attempt a Reflexive Persuade action (at the minor inconvenience level), convincing the target to honour the Exalt's station. Minor combatants may simply lay down their weapons (at the Storyteller's discretion); any that wish to continue fighting must pay 1 Power each time they attack the Exalt.

Alternatively for 1 mote, the Exalt may attempt a Reflexive Instill action to create a minor Intimacy of respect towards herself. Additional successes may explicitly be used to Strengthen this Intimacy. A combatant with such an Intimacy is at a die penalty on all actions in opposition to the Exalt (1 die for a Minor Intimacy, 2 dice for a Major).

These actions gain double-9s, and have 1 additional automatic success against targets with lower Power than the Exalt.
If made in combat, these actions may be attempted against multiple targets without penalty, so long as all targets are engaging the Exalt in combat. Only one attempt may be made per round.
Resonant: By committing a mote, a Dragon-Blooded wielder may have the combat penalties also apply to attacks against her Hearthmates.

 

[D. Rex]

Same, pretty much.

I like the idea of both. But, I think for this game, we go with their already married. I feel like the focus is not the Satrap and this city and our marriage arrangements could take spotlight away from that.

I think for now, we‘re married and we have an established relationship. It’s just strained right now.

Same, pretty much.

I like the idea of both. But, I think for this game, we go with their already married. I feel like the focus is not the Satrap and this city and our marriage arrangements could take spotlight away from that.

I think for now, we‘re married and we have an established relationship. It’s just strained right now.

Sounds like a plan.

And you wanted the strain to be related to family reasons? As well as his current job of sticking to the Satrap like glue. What something we can do for a good for that, the family?

We could do that this earth guy is adopted, now bearing the Ragara name. It could be that this is being used against you in a shameful manner. Or if he is from a patrician family, that there is conflict in the name that he is to take or that they are being belligerent to Ragara for some reason.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Sounds like a plan.

And you wanted the strain to be related to family reasons? As well as his current job of sticking to the Satrap like glue. What something we can do for a good for that, the family?

We could do that this earth guy is adopted, now bearing the Ragara name. It could be that this is being used against you in a shameful manner. Or if he is from a patrician family, that there is conflict in the name that he is to take or that they are being belligerent to Ragara for some reason.

Oh man. That’s a tough one. Not sure. Let me stew on it…

 

[jaydude]

Right, I think these evocations should look like this. I have tweaked slightly for flavour; and also added a conditional refund on the first evocation, as the original had a cost of 2m from a full 3e pool of ~40-50 motes; 1m from an Ex:Essence pool of 7 is a much bigger outlay. Do these look ok at Artifact 4?

Magistrate's Discerning Eye
Cost: 1 mote
An officer of the law must be alert at all times; both to the hidden undercurrents in a crime scene or witness's statements, and to any who would seek to remove her from the pursuit of justice by violent means.

For 1 mote, the Exalt may reroll 1s on an Awareness roll related to detecting hidden enemies, traps, or any source of harm maliciously placed; or related to investigating an event or when questioning a witness to a crime or other event (as per Crafty Observation Method & Witness Rapport Technique). If at least one 1 is rerolled and becomes a success, the mote is refunded.

---

Noble Official's Authority
Cost: 1 mote
An officer of the law is a beacon of authority, commanding respect from even the most hardened criminal. To willingly harm such a person goes against the very inborn nature of all in society.

For 1 mote, the Exalt may attempt a Reflexive Persuade action (at the minor inconvenience level), convincing the target to honour the Exalt's station. Minor combatants may simply lay down their weapons (at the Storyteller's discretion); any that wish to continue fighting must pay 1 Power each time they attack the Exalt.

Alternatively for 1 mote, the Exalt may attempt a Reflexive Instill action to create a minor Intimacy of respect towards herself. Additional successes may explicitly be used to Strengthen this Intimacy. A combatant with such an Intimacy is at a die penalty on all actions in opposition to the Exalt (1 die for a Minor Intimacy, 2 dice for a Major).

These actions gain double-9s, and have 1 additional automatic success against targets with lower Power than the Exalt.
If made in combat, these actions may be attempted against multiple targets without penalty, so long as all targets are engaging the Exalt in combat. Only one attempt may be made per round.
Resonant: By committing a mote, a Dragon-Blooded wielder may have the combat penalties also apply to attacks against her Hearthmates.

Yeah, I can't see any problem with these.

Also everyone else, thanks for sticking with me. I haven't really been following this topic for the past few days.

 

[jaydude]

So. I don't know about you lot, but I'm feeling ready to get this game underway. Assuming all of you are the same, I can get an intro post down either tonight, or this weekend.

One thing to keep in mind; as I somewhat mentioned in the interest check, I am planning to start things off with a brief prologue taking place prior to the Empress's disappearance, revolving around Kitava arriving in Kandara to begin her tenure as Satrap. Essentially it'll serve as an introduction to the location, as well as a chance for us to perhaps get a feel for Essence's mechanics.

 

[WlfSamurai]

So. I don't know about you lot, but I'm feeling ready to get this game underway. Assuming all of you are the same, I can get an intro post down either tonight, or this weekend.

One thing to keep in mind; as I somewhat mentioned in the interest check, I am planning to start things off with a brief prologue taking place prior to the Empress's disappearance, revolving around Kitava arriving in Kandara to begin her tenure as Satrap. Essentially it'll serve as an introduction to the location, as well as a chance for us to perhaps get a feel for Essence's mechanics.

Sounds good to me! Ready!

 

[Chowlett]

Yep, think I'm all set!

 

[WlfSamurai]

Jesus, Random Word . That’s an amazing post. I was going to do some dumb intro and now I’ll wait to see how your empty-my-load-of-motes-into-the-scene-in-five-seconds plays out.

Made me laugh that you did that. Amazing.

 

[Chowlett]

Uh, so I'm new here.

How do I add dice to a post? I couldn't immediately find a help post anywhere...

 

[jaydude]

Uh, so I'm new here.

How do I add dice to a post? I couldn't immediately find a help post anywhere...

Select the option to edit your post. You should find the dice roller within the editor.

 

[Chowlett]

Oh! You have to post first and add dice after! Ok, cool.

 

[Random Word]

I was going to do some dumb intro and now I’ll wait to see how your empty-my-load-of-motes-into-the-scene-in-five-seconds plays out.

I didn't mean to cut you off. I wasn't sure if I should include Taeran directly in the post. I'm not sure how strong their sisterly bond is, but if they're close Taeran would likely be in the same palanquin to share in the family prestige, and as the elder sister Kitava might introduce her. Probably depends on whether Kitava gave Taeran the time of day before she Exalted. If she did they're much more likely to be close, and there might be some hero worship. If Taeran is looking to get out of the shadow of her older sister, this posting is definitely not ideal.

I think given who Kitava is she didn't pay a lot of attention to Taeran before she Exalted, but what she did pay was calculated to be very impactful. She is after all supernaturally good at giving presents, and smart enough to know that minimal effort invested in building a positive relationship with a younger sister in a good bloodline has good odds of paying off, so if she just showed up once every year or two to give Taeran amazing gifts and take her flying or whatever before disappearing into the deep South again she would likely quickly achieve a semi-mythical status.

All that is to say, you can insinuate Taeran as much or as little into the pomp and ceremony of the arrival as you please. Maybe she prefers to stay out of the limelight, although Kitava is likely to have a difficult time understanding that, and may give unwelcome 'gifts' in the form of attention and prestige.

 

[WlfSamurai]

I didn't mean to cut you off. I wasn't sure if I should include Taeran directly in the post. I'm not sure how strong their sisterly bond is, but if they're close Taeran would likely be in the same palanquin to share in the family prestige, and as the elder sister Kitava might introduce her. Probably depends on whether Kitava gave Taeran the time of day before she Exalted. If she did they're much more likely to be close, and there might be some hero worship. If Taeran is looking to get out of the shadow of her older sister, this posting is definitely not ideal.

I think given who Kitava is she didn't pay a lot of attention to Taeran before she Exalted, but what she did pay was calculated to be very impactful. She is after all supernaturally good at giving presents, and smart enough to know that minimal effort invested in building a positive relationship with a younger sister in a good bloodline has good odds of paying off, so if she just showed up once every year or two to give Taeran amazing gifts and take her flying or whatever before disappearing into the deep South again she would likely quickly achieve a semi-mythical status.

All that is to say, you can insinuate Taeran as much or as little into the pomp and ceremony of the arrival as you please. Maybe she prefers to stay out of the limelight, although Kitava is likely to have a difficult time understanding that, and may give unwelcome 'gifts' in the form of attention and prestige.

Yeah, you didn’t block me. I was just super interested after your awesome post.

I still have to “feel” out how she operates as I play her. I have a feeling she’s going to be more leaning toward happy to be in the shadow behind her sister. I think maybe there was a time they were close. Maybe with Kitava acting more like a mother to Taeran.

Looking forward to all this.

 

[Rykon]

I was hoping Kitava would take the spotlight and that we'd have the chance to go dino hunting. This'll definitely be good.

 

[D. Rex]

So how do we roll for things now?

Between force, finesse, and resolve. Do we choose the attribute that best lines up with how our char goes about it?

For example, for an awareness roll. A careful and observant eye of finesse or the vigilant and dedicated eye of resolve?

 

[jaydude]

So how do we roll for things now?

Between force, finesse, and resolve. Do we choose the attribute that best lines up with how our char goes about it?

For example, for an awareness roll. A careful and observant eye of finesse or the vigilant and dedicated eye of resolve?

Resolve is for resisting influence actions. Are you sure you don't mean Fortitude?

As for the question, yeah, you can choose any attribute as long as it's relevant to the thing in question. For quick reference, they're as follows:

• Force: Approaching an action with physical strength, force of personality, or direct logic.
• Finesse: Approaching an action with quick thinking, clever words, or dexterous capability.
• Fortitude: Approaching an action with physical endurance, vigilance, or composure.

 

[D. Rex]

Resolve is for resisting influence actions. Are you sure you don't mean Fortitude?

As for the question, yeah, you can choose any attribute as long as it's relevant to the thing in question. For quick reference, they're as follows:

• Force: Approaching an action with physical strength, force of personality, or direct logic.
• Finesse: Approaching an action with quick thinking, clever words, or dexterous capability.
• Fortitude: Approaching an action with physical endurance, vigilance, or composure.

Yes! Fortitude! That's what I meant.

Cool beans. Just checking how the system works. Didn't know if it was more subjective or objective.

I know it probably won't matter, but may I make an awareness roll? I got a job to do as a bodyguard and need to look important.

 

[jaydude]

I know it probably won't matter, but may I make an awareness roll? I got a job to do as a bodyguard and need to look important.

Go ahead.

 

[D. Rex]

jaydude


Oh yeah! How do you want to handle stunts this game? The usually assuming a 2 point stunt?

Or do you want to do things differently and hand them put yourself.


I see that we can also bank stunt die for later. To use for later rolls for ourselves or apparently give them to another player for their roll. Which is sweet.

Apparently we can also use them to restore power or make "Dramatic Edits" or instant training.


Seeing as there isn't any cap. We could theoretically bank up stunt die as free die to add to an epic moment we really want to succeed on.