Dice Wedding Bells - Exalted 3e OOC thread

[Sherwood]

I know that I have a few characters ready to go, and a couple that need some work. Everyone, let me know when I can look over your sheets to give you final approval and we can start to get the game going.

 

[Psychie]

I am toying with the idea of swapping out a couple of Charms to get Elemental Bolt and tossing out my Chakram. Not 100% sure I want to do that, though.

 

[Sherwood]

I am toying with the idea of swapping out a couple of Charms to get Elemental Bolt and tossing out my Chakram. Not 100% sure I want to do that, though.

That is your call to make.

I am hoping to start the initial post for the IC thread today. Since it is going to be a small gala, you shouldn't need to worry about your combat Charms; that is, unless you plan on getting into a fight somewhere.

 

[Rykon]

Well, a few of factors that may help you decide.

What would be your alternative to the Chakram for withering attacks? The elemental attack merit from the Ifrit Pact write up or another weapon?

Second, are you intending to spend Dragon XP more on spells or evocations?

Third, are there still other places you are wanting to invest merit dots or bonus points? More resources, hearthstone, etc.

 

[Sherwood]

IC Thread is up, and our first post will be made shortly. I'll make sure to tag everyone when its ready.

 

[Psychie]

Well, a few of factors that may help you decide.

What would be your alternative to the Chakram for withering attacks? The elemental attack merit from the Ifrit Pact write up or another weapon?

Second, are you intending to spend Dragon XP more on spells or evocations?

Third, are there still other places you are wanting to invest merit dots or bonus points? More resources, hearthstone, etc.

IIRC, the Elemental Bolt has the Dual keyword, so it can be used as either a Withering or Decisive, so I could do either one.

I want more spells, and I'm not too focused on getting more evocations from my current weapon.

I was thinking of possibly a familiar for two dots and another dot of resources.

 

[WlfSamurai]

IC Thread is up, and our first post will be made shortly. I'll make sure to tag everyone when its ready.

Can you tag me? I don't have my Charms or stats fully done, but I'd like to feel the character out Through RP, if that's okay... I think it might help.

Rykon , can you make some good suggestions for combinations of melee charms for a Fire aspect? I'm not sure why I'm finding it very unapproachable at the moment. My mental stat is not such that I want to wade through trees of Charms.

 

[jaydude]

I know that I have a few characters ready to go, and a couple that need some work. Everyone, let me know when I can look over your sheets to give you final approval and we can start to get the game going.

I reckon I'm okay. Just need to decide on my last few Charms.

 

[Rykon]

Can you tag me? I don't have my Charms or stats fully done, but I'd like to feel the character out Through RP, if that's okay... I think it might help.

Rykon , can you make some good suggestions for combinations of melee charms for a Fire aspect? I'm not sure why I'm finding it very unapproachable at the moment. My mental stat is not such that I want to wade through trees of Charms.

I'll send a list when I'm back home.

 

[Sherwood]

Can you tag me? I don't have my Charms or stats fully done, but I'd like to feel the character out Through RP, if that's okay... I think it might help.

Rykon , can you make some good suggestions for combinations of melee charms for a Fire aspect? I'm not sure why I'm finding it very unapproachable at the moment. My mental stat is not such that I want to wade through trees of Charms.

Are you thinking of using any of the various Martial Art styles for your swordsmanship Charms? There are several that would be good to start out with.

 

[Rykon]

Long story short, Evocations are going to get you much farther in raw power than native charms or martial arts.

Were she partial to Swords I'd say the scale is Seething Drake (dueling), Pyre of Legions (commander), Volcano Cutter (walking natural disaster).

I'll do some digging on a Dire Lance or Longfang that can speak to how a Fire Aspect fights. If all else fails I can throw out three evocations depending on what scale of power you'd like your weapon to channel.

This could also be the artifact she's after.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Long story short, Evocations are going to get you much farther in raw power than native charms or martial arts.

Were she partial to Swords I'd say the scale is Seething Drake (dueling), Pyre of Legions (commander), Volcano Cutter (walking natural disaster).

I'll do some digging on a Dire Lance or Longfang that can speak to how a Fire Aspect fights. If all else fails I can throw out three evocations depending on what scale of power you'd like your weapon to channel.

This could also be the artifact she's after.

I haven't really decided weapon yet. I was originally leaning swords just because it's my favorite, but then I started to second guess because I always play swords. But, maybe I will anyway.

 

[WlfSamurai]

And thank you, Rykon . I appreciate the help more than you will know. I don't know what my problem is...

 

[Sherwood]

If you go with another weapon besides a sword, it can still offer up a plethora of combat styles for you. Having a spear or a lance of some sort could be pretty cool.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Yeah, I was just trying to change it up with a spear or lance of some kind.

 

[Rykon]

Alright, native charm notes. I recommend giving everything in Core Competence serious consideration if being a serious threat in combat is a priority. Sounds like it is to me.

Core Competence
Stoking Bonfire Style - Excellency, so duh.
Flame-Borne Interception - Cumulative +1 for every parry. Not outright onslaught negation, but it's the next best thing for fighting many opponents or defending others.
Blinding Spark Distraction - Successful parries and clashes blind the opponent, any penalties you can leverage in your favor are helpful.
Burning Fury Wreath - Ignores points of hardness, this is a speedbump I'm not even going to sugarcoat it.
Crimson Fang Bite - Damage booster, adds dice, double some 10s on decisive. Very nice to have if you don't mind the speedbump to get it.

Optional Utility
Elemental Sheath - Banishes your weapon into your anima, good for never being caught without your weapon
Dragon-Graced Weapon - Rule of cool mostly, the actual bonuses are minor to negligible but they don't cost additional essence. Fire will get you +1 Overwhelming for a slightly less painful time fighting a soak monster
Flame Warden Stance - If body-guarding is a thing you want to do, this sustains defend other for a scene. Otherwise skip it. It is however a gateway to a counterattack charm "Blazing Interception"
Crossfire Flash - Rerolls failures and penalizes an opponent in a Clash. Later on there are a lot more things that will key off clashes and possibly force them if you want to.

E3+
Dragon Soul Burst - Aimed explosive attack with a chance to set your opponent on fire, per the bonfire hazard rules I believe
Smoldering Essence Attack - Spend anima to on a withering attack to deal additional withering damage over time, though you don't gain initiative from the bonus damage sadly
Burning Pinnacle Strike - After a withering attack, if your initiative is higher than all opponents you get to attack again
Portentous Comet Deflection - This is the charm for forcing clashes

For starting out, I'd recommend all 5 under core competence, and if you have enough space after supporting other abilities like War, Athletics, Resistance, Presence, etc. then get Elemental Sheath and Dragon-Graced Weapon.

Alternatively, get (or reserver, if you're working with Sherwood to earn a weapon) an evocation or two for your weapon over any utility charms as it's cheaper to start with evocations than learn them later. We can shop around for a weapon later if necessary.

Martial Arts to consider if you are willing to suffer the 4pt merit tax and ability dot tax.
White Reaper - Uses spears. Geared toward Dynasty Warriors style army combat.
Golden Jannissary Style - For when spirits need to be reminded that kneecaps are still a weak point, even at a little bit of a distance. Lots of mobility support here. Also supports spears.

Bonus
Merits to consider:
Hearthstone - For extra mote recovery, and maybe extra soak
Command/Backing/Influence - depending on the nature of social status you want for Enathia
Resources (3) - Stipend
Familiar - Warsteed or a more subtle, sneakier pet. Claw Striders/Tyrant Lizards are a personal favorite, but maybe I'm a "Dragons for the Dragon-Blooded" purist at heart.
Pain Tolerance - Reducing wound penalties will get you more benefit from ox body purchases
Languages - Hopefully, we all know at least one more language than High Realm. If we're in Wavecrest, Seatongue might be handy, and if I don't forget I'll try and take my own advice here.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Alright, native charm notes. I recommend giving everything in Core Competence serious consideration if being a serious threat in combat is a priority. Sounds like it is to me.

Core Competence
Stoking Bonfire Style - Excellency, so duh.
Flame-Borne Interception - Cumulative +1 for every parry. Not outright onslaught negation, but it's the next best thing for fighting many opponents or defending others.
Blinding Spark Distraction - Successful parries and clashes blind the opponent, any penalties you can leverage in your favor are helpful.
Burning Fury Wreath - Ignores points of hardness, this is a speedbump I'm not even going to sugarcoat it.
Crimson Fang Bite - Damage booster, adds dice, double some 10s on decisive. Very nice to have if you don't mind the speedbump to get it.

Optional Utility
Elemental Sheath - Banishes your weapon into your anima, good for never being caught without your weapon
Dragon-Graced Weapon - Rule of cool mostly, the actual bonuses are minor to negligible but they don't cost additional essence. Fire will get you +1 Overwhelming for a slightly less painful time fighting a soak monster
Flame Warden Stance - If body-guarding is a thing you want to do, this sustains defend other for a scene. Otherwise skip it. It is however a gateway to a counterattack charm "Blazing Interception"
Crossfire Flash - Rerolls failures and penalizes an opponent in a Clash. Later on there are a lot more things that will key off clashes and possibly force them if you want to.

E3+
Dragon Soul Burst - Aimed explosive attack with a chance to set your opponent on fire, per the bonfire hazard rules I believe
Smoldering Essence Attack - Spend anima to on a withering attack to deal additional withering damage over time, though you don't gain initiative from the bonus damage sadly
Burning Pinnacle Strike - After a withering attack, if your initiative is higher than all opponents you get to attack again
Portentous Comet Deflection - This is the charm for forcing clashes

For starting out, I'd recommend all 5 under core competence, and if you have enough space after supporting other abilities like War, Athletics, Resistance, Presence, etc. then get Elemental Sheath and Dragon-Graced Weapon.

Alternatively, get (or reserver, if you're working with Sherwood to earn a weapon) an evocation or two for your weapon over any utility charms as it's cheaper to start with evocations than learn them later. We can shop around for a weapon later if necessary.

Martial Arts to consider if you are willing to suffer the 4pt merit tax and ability dot tax.
White Reaper - Uses spears. Geared toward Dynasty Warriors style army combat.
Golden Jannissary Style - For when spirits need to be reminded that kneecaps are still a weak point, even at a little bit of a distance. Lots of mobility support here. Also supports spears.

Bonus
Merits to consider:
Hearthstone - For extra mote recovery, and maybe extra soak
Command/Backing/Influence - depending on the nature of social status you want for Enathia
Resources (3) - Stipend
Familiar - Warsteed or a more subtle, sneakier pet. Claw Striders/Tyrant Lizards are a personal favorite, but maybe I'm a "Dragons for the Dragon-Blooded" purist at heart.
Pain Tolerance - Reducing wound penalties will get you more benefit from ox body purchases
Languages - Hopefully, we all know at least one more language than High Realm. If we're in Wavecrest, Seatongue might be handy, and if I don't forget I'll try and take my own advice here.

OMG amazing. This is amazing. Thank you so much.

Would White Reaper by INSTEAD of the “core competence” section or in addition to?

Sherwood , I’m thinking she doesn’t have an artifact weapon of her own yet and is here in search of one she’s heard of. Perhaps a fabled spear or lance.

 

[Sherwood]

OMG amazing. This is amazing. Thank you so much.

Would White Reaper by INSTEAD of the “core competence” section or in addition to?

Sherwood , I’m thinking she doesn’t have an artifact weapon of her own yet and is here in search of one she’s heard of. Perhaps a fabled spear or lance.

I can work with you on the details of that. Right now, I'm typing up the intro post for everyone in the IC thread.

 

[Rykon]

OMG amazing. This is amazing. Thank you so much.

Would White Reaper by INSTEAD of the “core competence” section or in addition to?

Sherwood , I’m thinking she doesn’t have an artifact weapon of her own yet and is here in search of one she’s heard of. Perhaps a fabled spear or lance.

Looking over it all, with E2, you'll be able to cover pretty much all the same core functions with White Reaper, save for blinding your opponent. You'll be relying on the Brawl Excellency though, and while that has its perks, you'll lose the momentum discount on your excellency in duels. So maybe a bit of double-dipping will be helpful. Still, that's a hefty investment in merits and ability dots.

On the upside, I'm not seeing a lot of Terrestrial Keyword nerfs, but there are some.

Edit: On the rule of cool side, you also won't be channeling much on the Fire Aspect end of things save for maybe Athletics or a Red Jade Weapon.

 

[Random Word]

Oops, stopped receiving notifications for some reason. Melati should be done now. In order to justify a close bond with Enathia and Kasumi I've decided Melati was very late to Exalt, maybe at the end of her first year at the Spiral Academy, or even her second. Enathia protected her at primary school, and her newly adopted cousin Kasumi protected her during the awful first year of secondary school where almost everyone who would draw their second breath already had and she was beginning to lose hope. Let me know if that works for you.

 

[jaydude]

Oops, stopped receiving notifications for some reason. Melati should be done now. In order to justify a close bond with Enathia and Kasumi I've decided Melati was very late to Exalt, maybe at the end of her first year at the Spiral Academy, or even her second. Enathia protected her at primary school, and her newly adopted cousin Kasumi protected her during the awful first year of secondary school where almost everyone who would draw their second breath already had and she was beginning to lose hope. Let me know if that works for you.

Fine with me. Should probably work on my Intimacies at some point.

 

[jaydude]

Okay, I've done my Intimacies. Included them here in case anyone wants to offer their input, with those relating to other PC's bolded:

Defining Principle - Having been blessed by the dragons, it is my responsibility to use my gifts for the benefit of Creation

Major Tie - House Mnemon (Distrust)
Major Tie - House Peleps (Distrust)
Major Tie - House V'neef (Pride)
Major Tie - V'neef (Loyalty)
Major Tie - V'neef Melati (Affectionate Friendship)
Major Tie - V'neef Moretta (Respect)

Minor Tie - Cathak Enathia (Cautious Respect)
Minor Tie - Tepet Motari (Affection)
Minor Tie - V'neef Arissa (Affectionate Concern)
Minor Tie - V'neef Guro (Friendship)
Minor Tie - V'neef Laoming (Affection)

Spoiler: Intimacy Explanations

For the Intimacy regarding Moretta, I got the impression that Psychie wanted her to be something like an aunt for the group, and in any case, Kasumi probably isn't going to care much about her being a sorcerer. For Melati, I was planning to go with just "Friendship", until I saw that she had an Intimacy of Love towards Kasumi, and figured I might as well leave things a bit more open regarding their relationship status.

For Guro, I vaguely recall Rykon indicating that the character would be an introvert of sorts, so while Kasumi's going to extend a hand of friendship on account of their shared family name, she won't necessarily have as much chance to get to know him compared to Melati. As for Enathia, she's going to be cordial towards her at the very least, but she won't trust her quite as easily as she would a fellow V'neef.

Just three more Charms left to pick, and odds are I'll choose from among Rykon's earlier suggestions, assuming he thinks them suitable for a Water Aspect. I'd pick at least one Evocation, but the ones for my Daiklave have to be unlocked in battle.

 

[Psychie]

A question for the group. The spell Infallible Messenger in the core book does not have listed any cost in Sorcerous Motes to be able to cast it. Does anyone know how many SM it takes to use it?

 

[Sherwood]

A question for the group. The spell Infallible Messenger in the core book does not have listed any cost in Sorcerous Motes to be able to cast it. Does anyone know how many SM it takes to use it?

Mists of Eventide has a cost of only 7 sm, so unless anyone knows a different cost for it, we'll go with that since the Infallible Messenger is supposed to be able to be cast quickly.

 

[Psychie]

Thank you.