MaHaSuchi's700
Seducing them all, one Celestial at a time
Hi all. In potentially my first foray in PbP storytelling, I am strongly considering a game in the First Age's Time of Cascading Years along the storytelling premise of Outworld, as described in Exalted Second Edition. Players in this game will either be Celestials or Dragon-Blooded (no Infernals or Abyssals, sorry) created largely using errata'd Dreams of the First Age character generation rules, albeit with my own personal modifications. This game will large utilize the Exalted 2.5 system as altered by the Scroll of Errata.
Caveats:
Before expressing interest, please consider the following:
- Character generation will involve additional restrictions well and beyond those described in the Core and Scroll of Errata. These limitations will be in place to ensure the creation of what I believe to be "realistic" characters.
- There will be defined limitations on the distribution of Attributes, Abilities, and Charms. Do not expect to get away with beginning with lopsided characters (ie. 15 Melee Charms and 10 Resistance Charms from a total of 30 Charms). I will accept no characters into the game like this. In game, expect similar, but lessened restrictions regarding character progression.
- Be ready to be questioned on any and every mechanical facet of your character during character creation. By nature, the mechanics are there to represent your character's - take this to heart when designing your character. If your character is a powerful swordswoman but lacks any dots in Martial Arts, Dodge or Resistance, I will not hesitate to question your reasoning on this and request you to redistribute them).
- Backgrounds, specifically Artifacts and Manses, will be severely curtailed. Character generation will either require Backgrounds representative of your character in Creation before the Time of Cascading Years, or you will begin with far less to represent only what you have on you at the beginning of the game. Artifact and Manse selection will require my approval, and Artifacts or Manses of 4-5 dots may end up being disallowed all together.
- Backgrounds may and will change at times in the game, including PCs' Artifacts and Manses. I will retain similar power when these change, and players may voice their opinions on what would they believe to be fitting given the circumstances for their character. Above all, the rule of cool will prevail in these scenarios.
- Any and all content in the Exalted literature may be subject to my review and, if need be, changed to fit my paradigm or removed entirely. Mechanical xamples include - effects improving values strictly not limited by dice caps (ie. Ordained Talon of Draconic Fury, Demon Ink Tattoos), effects that significantly reduce the duration of actions (ie. Gem of Perfect Mobility). You will receive notice of this if and when it occurs, but my decisions will be largely inviolate.
- Canon literature will be largely followed to develop the background setting - you may use Dreams: Land of Creation to guide you regarding history, places, and events before the Time of Cascading Years with relative impunity. I make no promises as to what will or will not be present in the game, and minor tweaking may occur where I deem it necessary to fulfill this story.
- Wow me. Exalted is an epic storytelling system, and the Time of Cascading Years represents an epic period within the First Age during which Creation has become fundamentally broken. Your character should be suitably epic. Do not expect an invitation if you cannot submit a character that lives and breathes strife, despair, pain, hardship, conviction, and triumph in some way or another.
- Details are glorious. The less information you provide me with, the less I have to work with to create an interesting story - ergo, the less inclined I am to offer you a spot. This does not mean that you should write me a 15-page backstory complete with individual backstories for each one of your manservants (who may or may not end up present anyways). However, if your backstory is shallow, expect a similarly-shallow and dismissive response from me.
In Conclusion:
I will not be accepting full character submissions at this time - anything more than an offering of interest and a collection of potential character types will be ignored. I have not yet determined the relative strength I want characters to be at nor a concise list of my restrictions for character generation - if you wish to avoid future difficulty for character generation, do not settle on a specific "build" or a set distribution of dots.
Please answer the poll with your most preferred character type, while listing it along with your secondary, tertiary, and so-on choices in your interest post. If you like, you may present multiple character options if and when I begin to accept applications - this may or may not increase your chances for being accepted.
EDITS:
To clarify - when I speak about "realism," I mean as to what one would reasonably expect from a character during the specific time period in question (the First Age at the culmination of the Thousand Struggles Era). In my view, there are no barbarians with Socialize 0 (who arguably would have Socialize 1 or at least a specialty for their own society), just as there are no Exalted Meleeists who have never had to fight with their fists. Stats should display a character's capabilities - not only what you plan to use.
Additionally, I should mention the tone and style of this game. Expect fantastic, chaotic setting changes, and a setting that can change on you at a whim. The Time of Cascading Years was a period of utterly shattered causality - this is why I described it as within the vein of an Outworld game described in Ex2E. Expect a near-equal balance of combat, social interaction, and puzzles. Expect to be harried be unearthly foes, confounded by social circumstances completely different from the Age your characters are used to, and problems that define rhyme or reason - but most importantly, expect to rise above it all as Exalts should.
Part 2:
There will be no restrictions on caste or Exalt type distribution, though it would be nice to get one of each type if possible.
Character progression will be BP-based. All characters will progress with the same costs, with slight alterations to fit Exalt type specialties (e.g. Sidereals purchasing TMA/CMA on the cheap side).
Caveats:
Before expressing interest, please consider the following:
- Character generation will involve additional restrictions well and beyond those described in the Core and Scroll of Errata. These limitations will be in place to ensure the creation of what I believe to be "realistic" characters.
- There will be defined limitations on the distribution of Attributes, Abilities, and Charms. Do not expect to get away with beginning with lopsided characters (ie. 15 Melee Charms and 10 Resistance Charms from a total of 30 Charms). I will accept no characters into the game like this. In game, expect similar, but lessened restrictions regarding character progression.
- Be ready to be questioned on any and every mechanical facet of your character during character creation. By nature, the mechanics are there to represent your character's - take this to heart when designing your character. If your character is a powerful swordswoman but lacks any dots in Martial Arts, Dodge or Resistance, I will not hesitate to question your reasoning on this and request you to redistribute them).
- Backgrounds, specifically Artifacts and Manses, will be severely curtailed. Character generation will either require Backgrounds representative of your character in Creation before the Time of Cascading Years, or you will begin with far less to represent only what you have on you at the beginning of the game. Artifact and Manse selection will require my approval, and Artifacts or Manses of 4-5 dots may end up being disallowed all together.
- Backgrounds may and will change at times in the game, including PCs' Artifacts and Manses. I will retain similar power when these change, and players may voice their opinions on what would they believe to be fitting given the circumstances for their character. Above all, the rule of cool will prevail in these scenarios.
- Any and all content in the Exalted literature may be subject to my review and, if need be, changed to fit my paradigm or removed entirely. Mechanical xamples include - effects improving values strictly not limited by dice caps (ie. Ordained Talon of Draconic Fury, Demon Ink Tattoos), effects that significantly reduce the duration of actions (ie. Gem of Perfect Mobility). You will receive notice of this if and when it occurs, but my decisions will be largely inviolate.
- Canon literature will be largely followed to develop the background setting - you may use Dreams: Land of Creation to guide you regarding history, places, and events before the Time of Cascading Years with relative impunity. I make no promises as to what will or will not be present in the game, and minor tweaking may occur where I deem it necessary to fulfill this story.
- Wow me. Exalted is an epic storytelling system, and the Time of Cascading Years represents an epic period within the First Age during which Creation has become fundamentally broken. Your character should be suitably epic. Do not expect an invitation if you cannot submit a character that lives and breathes strife, despair, pain, hardship, conviction, and triumph in some way or another.
- Details are glorious. The less information you provide me with, the less I have to work with to create an interesting story - ergo, the less inclined I am to offer you a spot. This does not mean that you should write me a 15-page backstory complete with individual backstories for each one of your manservants (who may or may not end up present anyways). However, if your backstory is shallow, expect a similarly-shallow and dismissive response from me.
In Conclusion:
I will not be accepting full character submissions at this time - anything more than an offering of interest and a collection of potential character types will be ignored. I have not yet determined the relative strength I want characters to be at nor a concise list of my restrictions for character generation - if you wish to avoid future difficulty for character generation, do not settle on a specific "build" or a set distribution of dots.
Please answer the poll with your most preferred character type, while listing it along with your secondary, tertiary, and so-on choices in your interest post. If you like, you may present multiple character options if and when I begin to accept applications - this may or may not increase your chances for being accepted.
EDITS:
To clarify - when I speak about "realism," I mean as to what one would reasonably expect from a character during the specific time period in question (the First Age at the culmination of the Thousand Struggles Era). In my view, there are no barbarians with Socialize 0 (who arguably would have Socialize 1 or at least a specialty for their own society), just as there are no Exalted Meleeists who have never had to fight with their fists. Stats should display a character's capabilities - not only what you plan to use.
Additionally, I should mention the tone and style of this game. Expect fantastic, chaotic setting changes, and a setting that can change on you at a whim. The Time of Cascading Years was a period of utterly shattered causality - this is why I described it as within the vein of an Outworld game described in Ex2E. Expect a near-equal balance of combat, social interaction, and puzzles. Expect to be harried be unearthly foes, confounded by social circumstances completely different from the Age your characters are used to, and problems that define rhyme or reason - but most importantly, expect to rise above it all as Exalts should.
Part 2:
There will be no restrictions on caste or Exalt type distribution, though it would be nice to get one of each type if possible.
Character progression will be BP-based. All characters will progress with the same costs, with slight alterations to fit Exalt type specialties (e.g. Sidereals purchasing TMA/CMA on the cheap side).
