What's your favorite Exalt type (and why)?

[Flagg]

This was a classic poll on the old EC. Thought I'd re-hash/update it.


-S

 

[Flagg]

I tend to favor Solars, not because they are the most powerful, but because they have a nearly blank-slate in the setting. There's a lot more wiggle-room as far as who or what they can be than other types. I also tend to favor the underdog.


-S

 

[cyl]

I would say Abyssal, not that I specifically like the gothic looks of those creepy bastards, but I came to realize that they offered the most various types of playing an Exalted game.


First of all, they already are heroes... they are not fallen and ancient heroes like the solars, or hidden conspirators like siderals, or wyld tainted barbarians like the lunars are... and they are infinitely more subtle and they have more finesse than any Dragon blooded...more interesting npc than Alchemicals, and to me more attractive than Infernals who are slaves to the yozis... because they have their free will.


So they are heroes, heralds of the dead, they command large armies, are the champion of the Deathlord, have access to vast knowledge and powers... so you can make your pc almost as powerful and influential as you like... not like solars on the run at first.


Then, as an ab you are existing in two separated worlds, so you get to explore the wonders and dangers of Creation and the Underworld, which is I think far more cool than staying in Creation, and sneaking into Shadowlands... so as a GM you have more material to work with, and as a pc your experience as an exalt is wider.


As an abyssal, you interact with beings that can be considered the god-ruling lords of Underworld... the Deathlords. But you have a choice, following their rule, or trying to profit from it, or even take the power from them.


Finally and the last reason I think; the dual nature of abyssal... neither alive nor dead... cursed to bring death to Creation even if they try to save it by opposing themselves to the command of the Malfeans... they are ambiguous, powerful, beautiful or horrible, deadly, tortured by their new alliegeances and their former existence.


To me the most complex Exalted characters of the game.

 

[Flagg]

because they have their free will.

Sort of. An Abyssal's Deathlord always has his finger on a kill-switch. They're still slaves.


-S

 

[Halfdead Frodi]

DBs.


Personally, I like the Dragonblooded quite a lot...in part because we have a moderate amount of information of their culture, whether from the Realm or elsewhere. It gives me a nice framework to build from. As well, you have to respect someone who has the guts to go toe to toe with the hideously tainted Anathema...knowing that it takes a team of their kind generally to kill even a green one of these horrors with reliability. Not that I dislike the other exalted types...well, aside from the Sidreals, who have completely fucked up creation basically all by themselves... However, with that one exception, I'm rather partial to all Exalt types...though I've made no use of Infernal Exalted...I'd rather wait for a book and do it right than throw some Akuma at people and see how they do... But...I'm not completely ruling such out either. As a player, I actually prefer Godbloods to Exalts a bit, but that's just my old WW preference for playing things like ghouls, kinain, kinfolk, sorcerors, Thinbloods and Dampyrs, etc... It makes things more of a challenge...and keeps you from forgetting that when it comes down to it, mortals are what makes the world work.

 

[psychoph]

I haven't decided yet because i haven't played yet.

 

[Flagg]

Re: DBs.

...and keeps you from forgetting that when it comes down to it' date=' mortals are what makes the world work.[/quote']
Well, in Exalted it's really spirits that make the world work.


Mortals came fairly late in the scheme of things, and the world hummed along fine before then.


-S

 

[MikeOQuinn]

I actually agree with Still. Solars, to me, seem to allow the widest array of possibilities to choose from, both for character generation/portrayal, and for the GM's storytelling flexibility, as well.

 

[Halfdead Frodi]

Re: DBs.

...and keeps you from forgetting that when it comes down to it' date=' mortals are what makes the world work.[/quote']
Well, in Exalted it's really spirits that make the world work.


Mortals came fairly late in the scheme of things, and the world hummed along fine before then.


-S

True, let me rephrase that, mortals are what make scoiety work, more than the world.

 

[Persell]

I'm with solars too. Mostly because it's seldom you meet a rpg hero type, that is so positive in it's theme. They are just so damn GOOD! And at the same time, they have plenty of opportunity for going darkside. Nice nice.

 

[Lurker in Darkness]

I'll stick with the Abyssals. I agree with Cyl, they're the most complex characters in the game, with the most interesting and profound dilemmas. What makes them so interesting is their totally screwed up mental balance.

 

[Andrew02]

I prefer Solars, because of the power. Their rules are easy and not terribly complex. The only thing governing their behaviour is the Virtue system, which is pretty easy to handle. It's fairly difficult for me to draw a line between someone with a naturally high Valor and someone under the effects of Foolhardy Contempt.


I think they've got the best variety. The only thing they really can't do is the Renegade Abyssal angst fest.

 

[Flagg]

I think they've got the best variety. The only thing they really can't do is the Renegade Abyssal angst fest.

But they can! That's one of the great things about Solars -- they can become Abyssals if they can find a willing Deathlord.


Once converted, all it takes is sighing, "Woe is me," and running away.


-S

 

[Joseph]

I vote Infernals -- despite the fact that we know so little about them -- simply because I really like the Yozi cause.  Alchemicals are a close second.

 

[Dracogryff]

I have to pick one? Butbut...I like all of em!


But if I must...I suppose I'd go with the Lunars. Mainly because I obsess over furry creatures in general, and tend to prefer the whole shapeshifting thing on the whole. Plus their book is where they first mention the Simhata. *nods* Simhata are cool. Like them. YesIdo. Still haven't been able to draw one tho.  :?


But as I said. Like 'em all. Mostly. Have some power/balance issues with the Siddies, but as I seem to keep ending up as the token Sidereal lately, I'm beginning to have a bit of fun tortur...um, HELPING the other players, and creation, via my curse.


Fear the 'Sidereal Great Ideas.' Yesh.


...don't mind me. I'm just a little insane, really...

 

[Persell]

As one might be so inclined to guess, my favorite are the Dragon-Blooded.  I very much like the fact that Terrestials are more open with their power, and to me it allows for some extremely flexible roleplay.  I love the Immaculate Order monks, but when I am not playing them, the political games are fun as well.  I like having many backgrounds to start with as well as the fluidity of the Dragon-Blood charms (refering to the unlimited use of reflexive charms).  And then, as an athlete, I always like being the underdog and the same applies to Exalted.  Team work and hard work.

 

[Haku1]

I like solars with dragonblooded and alchemicals coming a close second.

 

[Athrun the Bear]

My favorite are definitely the Lunars.  Doing stunts with a Lunar character is just so much fun.  I've always been a huge fan of shapeshifting, as well...not so much the animal thing, just general form-manipulation.  I also find them easier to relate to for some reason...Infernals are a distant, yet definite, second, with Abyssals pulling in third.  Solars aren't far behind the Abysslas...they're pretty much tied, really.  As for Dragon Blooded...I just don't enjoy playing as one.  Running DB games is fun, though.  Siderals have always been at the bottom of the list, but I have yet to form a solid opinion on Alchemicals, so who knows, that may change.

 

[Relic]

I like the Solars for more or less the reasons others have already given.


I particularly like the openness of their agenda. In a group we had one Solar who spent his time plotting (and taking) revenge on his old house, Ledaal. Another Solar went around the country-side and got little communities of worshippers who even erected momuments to his honour (these were of course found and destroyed by the Hunt). A third Solar was a prince from the south out to see the world but it was in his cards that he'd probably be leading some kind of rebellion one of these days.


All exalted types have a lot of options, I just particularly like the lack of a society behind Solars. The only expectation the world gives you is that you're a dangerous, evil, all-powerful person, and usually that's wrong. Anything else is as you build it.

 

[burningcrow]

I like Drangon-Blooded most ... they have a culture (other than the Solars), I like the elemental aspects and the associated imagery very much and finally they are - in my opinion - easier to handle for a storyteller because of their reduced power level.


Siderials and Solars of course are a little "flashier" ...

 

[Spook]

I have to say abyssals, all my best character ideas are for the Deathknights.

 

[Persell]

... Another Solar went around the country-side and got little communities of worshippers who even erected momuments to his honour (these were of course found and destroyed by the Hunt)...

You forget getting drunk and trying to fuck every pretty girl his eyes fell on

 

[Maryuoh]

Terrestrials. Because they have more background material and a richer heritage, because the Aspects are less character-defining than the Castes. But mainly because they make better protagonists. Both because they're individually less powerful, meaning that more of the world of Exalted becomes accessible (and really, what's the point of having this much background material if you can't even challenge your group with most of the creatures in Creation?), and because their powers encourage good teamwork, making the players learn how to cooperate if they want to reach their full potential.


Also, the elements are just cooler. Terrestrials are like the well-defined, thematic superheroes with logical abilities based on the power source. The Solars and other Celestials are mainly like, say, Superman. They're powered by this vague concept of the Sun that somehow coincidentally seems to include nearly every imaginably useful power to maximum efficency.


Iceman >>>> Superman

 

[The Scorp]

Solars- Hands down.


Its the domination factor mixed with underdog factor I guess.  You come into this awesome power where you can make a difference.  With the right amount of power, be it phyiscal, social, or intellectual, you can move the world and affect the lives around and hopefully strive to acheive the goal you set for.  And Solars have the power to do so.  They have the power to make things right again, to take back what was once theirs and bring creation to its knees and show the world whose its daddy.  Set shit right again.


As a Solar you are peerless, and unrivaled, but you dont start out that way.  You have to wheel and deal with spirits, defeat or befriend the best of Creations Warriors, out smart the most cunning of villians, who just so happen to own corrupted versions of yourself.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose as its one of you vs all of them.  And you know you can whoop all of their asses.

 

[Joseph]

... because the Aspects are less character-defining than the Castes.

If anything, Aspects are MORE character defining.  Castes are arranged around COMPETENCIES; Eclipses tend to be competent diplomats, Dawns tend to be competent fighters, etc.  Aspects, however, have a much stronger PERSONALITY influence.  


Thus properly roleplayed, Aspects will be MORE character defining.  You'd just have to be the type of person that considers a character more than dots on a sheet to see it.

But mainly because they make better protagonists. Both because they're individually less powerful, meaning that more of the world of Exalted becomes accessible (and really, what's the point of having this much background material if you can't even challenge your group with most of the creatures in Creation?), and because their powers encourage good teamwork, making the players learn how to cooperate if they want to reach their full potential.

1) Being individually less powerful does NOT mean more of the world of Exalted is accessible.  With low power range, there is an upper level on what you can meaningfully achieve, but with a high power level there is no lower limit.  Heck, take Yu Shan alone.  It is de facto inaccessible to Terrestrials, but Solars could make their mark there.  A Brotherhood of Terrestrials stands little meaningful chance of survival in Malfeas, while a Circle of Solars might make it okay.  A Brotherhood of Terrestrials probably can't take over Nexus, but Solars sure can.


Your statement is just wrong.  Further, ANY group must use team work and cooperation to reach their "full power;" Terrestrial CHARMS might be more oriented towards team work, but 5 Solars working in concert is still more potent than 5 Solars working more or less independently towards the same goal.  So a VERY few Charms aside (and MOST Charms of Terrestrials aren't group oriented in particular), EVERY Exalt type gains from team work just fine.

Also, the elements are just cooler.

Agreed.

Terrestrials are like the well-defined, thematic superheroes with logical abilities based on the power source. The Solars and other Celestials are mainly like, say, Superman. They're powered by this vague concept of the Sun that somehow coincidentally seems to include nearly every imaginably useful power to maximum efficency.

This is also partially valid, but I'd point out that every imaginagly useful power to maximum efficiency is NOT included in the Solar portfolio.  The Solar focus is superhuman skill, Virtue, leadership, and holding back the darkness.  Things like Fate manipulation, serious shapeshifting, serious elementalism (outside of holy fire), etc, are beyond them, even though they'd CLEARLY be useful to have on hand.  


Further, Lunars are very well defined as well.  Their Charm set might be poorly built, but they have a clear focus, and also clearly defined limitations.