Dice Trial By Fire - OOC

[jaydude]

Yeah, this nonsense is why we were panicking so much about Kandara. War heavy Solars are really scary. Supernal War is a bit disappointing simply because there are so few high Essence War Charms. There's only one E4 Charm in the supplement, none in the core book, and no E5. DBs and Lunars get E4 & 5 War Charms, so Supernal War basically guarantees you're going to want to write some custom Charms. Still, even with only the one E4 and the E3s it's very powerful.

Well, that's a lesson learned there.

 

[jaydude]

Yeah, this nonsense is why we were panicking so much about Kandara.

Honestly, I still feel more than a little guilty over how that RP ended. I wanted to give you all a foe that could threaten you, but if I'd known that I was going to cause so many problems - including causing Psychie to withdraw because she didn't have anything to do - I would have toned down the number of Celestials involved.

 

[Random Word]

Don't feel bad! Exalted is probably one of the hardest TTRPGs to ST. It really has no training wheels and a lot of easy to fall into traps. If you were running D&D you'd just look up the CRs and everyone would come to the table knowing the fight was winnable. In Exalted 3e there's no way to tell if a Celestial is a Dex 2, Melee 2, Bureaucracy Supernal Eclipse or a Dex 5, Martials Arts 5, Specialty, Medium Weapon, Mounted, MA Supernal Single Point murder machine who will straight up first round end one member of the Hearth before anyone else acts if you don't come at them with a kunnin' plan.

You just needed to toss more little fights in to run concurrently with all the talking and politicking, like the one you gave D.Rex. Fights that didn't involve all of us so they didn't get too complex. Some Cult of the Illuminated thugs who got a bit too enthusiastic about 'death to Dynasts!' trying to jump Xandra from an alley, or a lead for Larissa to hunt down agents of the Anathema trying to sabotage the city. Or even a surprise fight where Xandra and Larissa stumble upon Annika or Selket up to no good and a scuffle breaks out, with the Anathema trying to run away before reinforcements arrive (How did they end up at the right place at the right time? Who cares! Sidereals, probably.). Then the hunt is on, etc, etc.

I think we demonstrated Rykon and I will just make things for our characters to do forever if we're allowed to get away with it, which is bad when we hog the spotlight the whole time. We were the problem players, and sometimes you have to go out of your way as ST to forcefully push the spotlight onto the players who aren't irredeemable divas.

 

[jaydude]

Don't feel bad! Exalted is probably one of the hardest TTRPGs to ST. It really has no training wheels and a lot of easy to fall into traps. If you were running D&D you'd just look up the CRs and everyone would come to the table knowing the fight was winnable. In Exalted 3e there's no way to tell if a Celestial is a Dex 2, Melee 2, Bureaucracy Supernal Eclipse or a Dex 5, Martials Arts 5, Specialty, Medium Weapon, Mounted, MA Supernal Single Point murder machine who will straight up first round end one member of the Hearth before anyone else acts if you don't come at them with a kunnin' plan.

You just needed to toss more little fights in to run concurrently with all the talking and politicking, like the one you gave D.Rex. Fights that didn't involve all of us so they didn't get too complex. Some Cult of the Illuminated thugs who got a bit too enthusiastic about 'death to Dynasts!' trying to jump Xandra from an alley, or a lead for Larissa to hunt down agents of the Anathema trying to sabotage the city. Or even a surprise fight where Xandra and Larissa stumble upon Annika or Selket up to no good and a scuffle breaks out, with the Anathema trying to run away before reinforcements arrive (How did they end up at the right place at the right time? Who cares! Sidereals, probably.). Then the hunt is on, etc, etc.

I think we demonstrated Rykon and I will just make things for our characters to do forever if we're allowed to get away with it, which is bad when we hog the spotlight the whole time. We were the problem players, and sometimes you have to go out of your way as ST to forcefully push the spotlight onto the players who aren't irredeemable divas.

Thanks. Don't know if I'd call the two of you "irredeemable divas" though, at least out of initial instinct.

 

[jaydude]

Melinda comes running up to the prow of the ship to stand next to Rory, and she says, "No, those aren't Dynasts. I think that they are Deathknights! Look at them. No coat of arms or House symbols. All black with Soulsteel armor and weapons. They have to be our foe. Get ready for a fight!"

As the landship comes sailing up, the two figures stop their random carnage and turn to look as Rory leaps from the front of the ship with a roar, brandishing his Daiklave. The two figures don't seem to be impressed.

Join Battle rolls, everyone!

Random Word Psychie Rykon jaydude D. Rex

Not like I mind him joining, but Rykon isn't actually a member of this game.

 

[Sherwood]

Lol I'm just so used to him being in the game with us, I just tagged him out of habit.

 

[Rykon]

Things are getting back to normal here so I'd have time if you had the open space barring a move next month. You guys seem to have things in hand with a pretty good balance thus far. I'd hate to mess that up just for my sake.

On another note, I still get notifications from the last time I was tagged here, so I'll go ahead echo Random Word 's sentiment. I tend to find or conjure options to try and move things forward when left to my own devices as a matter of habit. It is always my hope that this doesn't happen at another's expense, but I too make plenty of mistakes from time to time. Overall I enjoyed the DB game in Kandara, and I hope you all continue to do so with this campaign. Good luck!

 

[Sherwood]

Things are getting back to normal here so I'd have time if you had the open space barring a move next month. You guys seem to have things in hand with a pretty good balance thus far. I'd hate to mess that up just for my sake.

On another note, I still get notifications from the last time I was tagged here, so I'll go ahead echo Random Word 's sentiment. I tend to find or conjure options to try and move things forward when left to my own devices as a matter of habit. It is always my hope that this doesn't happen at another's expense, but I too make plenty of mistakes from time to time. Overall I enjoyed the DB game in Kandara, and I hope you all continue to do so with this campaign. Good luck!

Well, if you were to join in and make a character up, it would just make it possible for me to throw even more deadly foes at you! Mwuhahaha!

Seriously, with D. Rex being so occupied with his Real Life stuff, I could probably find a spot for you to come in. It would be interesting to see what kind of submission you come up with.

 

[Psychie]

We sure could use another Solar in the group, especially with D. Rex being busy.

 

[Rykon]

A supernal Stealth Night Caste who has actually been here the whole time, only forgotten and or unnoticed in each preceding scene, could be an amusing, if contrived, way to jump in. That said I'll take a closer look and see what works.

 

[Sherwood]

I will let you start with the same xp totals as everyone else, so you are not hamstrung compared to the rest of the party.

Xp Totals:
53 Regular Xp
32 Solar Xp

 

[jaydude]

Sherwood
What are the rules regarding training times?

 

[Sherwood]

Sherwood
What are the rules regarding training times?

I am not worried about training times too much. Just add an occasional post about your character doing something to better himself, like Spider taking the library books to begin studying her War stat up and that will be fine.

 

[Psychie]

Yes, you have time before the start of the fight to activate a few Charms.

Then I will edit my Join Battle post to include Spider shifting into her DBT form. Thank you.

 

[Rykon]

Alright, setting my silliness aside for just a moment, it does look like there's an opening for an assassin type. Same for a sorcerer, but with John in the other game playing another similar concept doesn't sound terribly appealing right this moment.

For combat options, I'm thinking Archery supported with a little Brawl and Dodge for defense and close range or alternatively a Martial Art like Snake or Ebon Shadow though MA is a steep investment I'm usually hesitant to approach as a serial generalist. Any thoughts on what you guys would like to see or what might work for the circle's background as a whole?

 

[Sherwood]

IMO, Archery would be a good way to go. Not only does the group as a whole lack a good ranged attack ability, it can give you the 'hidden sniper' role with the Stealth ability you were talking about.

That being said, I don't think anyone has taken Martial Arts, so that could also be a niche to fill.

 

[Psychie]

I don't like having to spend the 4 Merit points on getting the ability to buy the MA Charms, even if some of the styles are pretty cool.

 

[Sherwood]

I don't like having to spend the 4 Merit points on getting the ability to buy the MA Charms, even if some of the styles are pretty cool.

I don't like it that much, either. But I did not say that cost was waived before for the rest of the group, and it would not be fair to allow one player to take MA Charms and not have to buy the Merit when D. Rex already did get it for his sheet. Perhaps in another game I'll let it go.

 

[Psychie]

I get ya. I wasn't trying to say that you should give it to us for free. If it ever comes up for Spider to learn a MA style, I can spend the points for it.

 

[Sherwood]

Not a problem.

 

[Random Word]

The reason the surcharge is in there is because MA Charms can be purchased with Solar/Lunar XP, and (this is only really special for Solars and DBs, Lunars are used to this) MA Charms are cross-compatible between styles, unlike basically every other kind of combat Charm across abilities. You can make some really nasty combos if you're investing enough to learn multiple styles, and more importantly It lets you spend your Solar/Lunar XP on combat Charms, and have all of your regular XP left over for all the non-combat Charms you want. I don't love paying it, but I do understand it. In a long running game in which you don't need to buy up any new abilities it can in theory give you somewhere between 1.5x to 2x as many Charms as someone without MA.

It seems like they could have just removed the ability to buy MA Charms with special XP and dropped the surcharge, though. I'm not sure that special effect is good for the game - I suppose it's supposed to counterbalance just how many MA Charms you might want to buy to master multiple styles?

 

[Rykon]

Hmmm, it does seem a tad excessive given the costs of the other [Splat] XP magics like Evocations and Sorcery. Not lobbying for a change, just thinking out loud.

Evocations you buy the artifact with merits before unlocking what are basically just charms, though it's limited in that they can only be channeled through the one artifact, however, they assist any relevant combat ability (and sometimes completely different abilities/attributes). Martial arts are similarly limited in that form weapons/armor need to align or your limited to (lowest for armor) common denominator.

Sorcery, while not having as meaningful an impact on one's personal combat throughput, has arguably the lowest raw cost of entry despite generating a lot more total "power" in a long-running game. What little you do pay for entry is refunded with a free spell and what XP is spent for workings is refunded when the working no longer present in the ongoing plot.

As for the character, still playin with ideas and seein what sticks.

 

[D. Rex]

Its not so much as busy anymore rather life deciding to kick me in the balls and making it hard to focus and put my mind to things.

But I plan to start working to get caught up tomorrow. If I seem a bit off, it's just cause my heads a bit fuddled by everything that has happened.

 

[Rykon]

Its not so much as busy anymore rather life deciding to kick me in the balls and making it hard to focus and put my mind to things.

But I plan to start working to get caught up tomorrow. If I seem a bit off, it's just cause my heads a bit fuddled by everything that has happened.

I know the feelin man. Hang in there, we're rootin for ya.

 

[Sherwood]

I'm here for both of you guys. Just let me know what I can do for you, and I will do my best to help out.