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

[Halfdead Frodi]

Incredibly narrow? Like, I don't know the textbook definition? OR perhaps you're figuring in the scientific definition of say primates or whatever? I fail to see how it is retarded to view a family as related individuals. But sorry for capitalizing dynasty... If you are too moronic to actually read a sentence and thus get context, that's your own damn fault.

 

[Andrew02]

Incredibly narrow? Like' date=' I don't know the textbook definition? OR perhaps you're figuring in the scientific definition of say primates or whatever? I fail to see how it is retarded to view a family as related individuals. [/quote']
Related SOLELY by blood, you fucktard. That's how you are choosing to interpret it and refuse to permit anything else, dimwit.

But sorry for capitalizing dynasty... If you are too moronic to actually read a sentence and thus get context, that's your own damn fault.

Shut up. If you're too lazy to bother to take even a minute amount of effort to communicate, why should I bother to take even the slightest pains to interpret your foolish ramblings?

 

[Halfdead Frodi]

From an individual who has no idea what a dynasty or family generally is... a bickering backstabbing family isn't really something that occurs when you choose your 'like family' friends. If you are 'like family' generally you actually get along, don't and don't have excessive politicing and so forth... or maybe what you seem to be describing is a Solar Circle...not a dynasty. Or a Lunar pack? Not really dynastic groups. Yes they might rule an area, but the politics and story likely within such groups are going to be very different. And if you're too blind to see it...well, not my problem. As for making effort to communicate with you, well, I think bothering to respond to your various idiocies is more than enough effort. I'm sorry my finger slipped.

 

[Persell]

I'd have a hard time choosing, honestly, though my group has altered canon greatly in our games so that mixed groups are a bit easier.


Personally, I prefer the Terrestrials because of the information we're given about their culture as well as the elemental associations, but I'm beginning to see Lunars as a very close second.  Their shapechanging abilities are incredibly useful, and injecting a "primal" sort of character into an otherwise generally cultured and urbane group adds some interesting conflicts.  


I disliked the Solars intensely when I first started playing, mostly because of the ridiculously high pedestal they're put on from the outset. In canon, every group admittedly thinks they're the good guys, but the Solars seem to be set up through history, power, etc. to be nothing short of benevolent and righteous "avatars" to everyone else's fop, toady, and bootlick. Granted, they have the opportunity to fall, but even then they become Abyssals, which have a deliciously twisted sort of theme going for them.  :twisted:

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

All in all, my absolute favorite group to play as...I'd say it would be the Abyssals in a truly dark game. None of that "I wanna repent and be Solar again" bullshit. Of course, if you've read my posts know that I'm a huge fan of horror and the like. So me liking Abyssals is a kind of "duh" conclusion. Honestly, though, I enjoy all the stories behind the Deathlords and the mysteries of the Malfean plots. The Scions of the Void are an excellent villian or PC if you get the right people to play them.

 

[Persell]

I just love Solars, for all the reasons already mentioned. The highs, the lows. They're archetypal RPG heroes, with massive weird spin and cool special effects. Abyssals are my close second, partly because they share a lot of the Solars' majesty. The excellent theming of their charms and Curse do a lot to make me love them.


Strangely, I feel that Solars have the most chance of mingling casually with the rest of Creation's peoples. Despite their awesome power (and tendency to go berserkly insane), most of the time they're far closer to normal than the arcane Sidereals, creepy Abyssals, primal Lunars, or strutting Dragon-Blooded. This, plus their fearsome power (and outcast status) makes them easily fit into my favourite role of underdog heroes.


The other thing they have over other Exalts is that I will never again experience the feeling I got when I wandered into the comic shop, saw Harmonious Jade getting ready to bust some ass, and was completely sucked into the world of Exalted. Other Exalts have some cool settings, but to me Solars are always going to be the Exalts. The setting, and everything that attracted me to it, is very tied up with Solars in my mind. Ruins of a lost golden age, the rightful order of things overthrown and curses of the old gods walking the land...  :twisted: I just love it!

 

[Tedryn Nist]

My two favorites are Solars and Abyssals.  I tend to divide the Exalted types like this:


Ones I like


Solars:  Pretty much for the reasons other people have stated.  They're easily accessible and encompass a wide range of concepts.  You also have frightening power that can be put to use to make significant changes to the world.  Solars are set up to be THE "Rags to riches" characters of the setting though it is possible for almost all of the Exalted types to play on this.  It's also fun to play a guy who has to be responsible about using his incredible power lest the people in charge smack him down.


Abyssals:  Whether loyal or rogue Abyssals can encompass many things dark, tragic, and mundane.  An Abyssal can be anything from a complete psycho who sold himself to the Malfeans to cause more misery in the world to an unfortunate smuck who didn't know what he was getting into.  They have their own neat setting that STs can easily center entire stories around if they choose.  They also have a better support structure in place than the Solars (if they're loyal) and they have some truly cool powers.  Plus sometimes you just have to play the bad guy once in a while.


Dragon-Blooded:  DBs can also run the gamut and because of political climate of the Dynasty I love them for games of intrigue.  They lend themselves to teenage characters well what with the Dynastic school systems and I've wanted to run a "DB High" game many times before.  The really cool thing though is that although the Realm exists being a DB doesn't mean you have to play in it.  You can easily be from Lookshy or just a wandering DB and each one has their own unique situations to deal with.


Ones I'm ambivalent about


Lunars:  I like some of the concepts the Lunars espouse but unfortunately their book doesn't go enough in depth into their society particularly where No Moons are concerned.  They also suffer from a gimped power list that has forced many players into certain builds that are considered "playable".  That being said their shapeshifting powers are cool and it's fun designing a character around a totem animal and figuring out what their Tell will be.  I've also found you can run them fast and loose if you want to with less problems than other Exalted types (Sidereals, Infernals, Alchemicals).


Alchemicals:  They have some really neat ideas for these guys and one of the best internal settings to play around in.  They're also perfect for people who want to play in a more high tech setting and deal with more futuristic issues.  They have more rules to deal with than the other types but the rules make sense in so far as being applied to artificial Exalted.  It can take a while to get the hang of playing them but once you do they have a huge amount of interesting powers to choose from.  One of the really cool aspects is that you can choose powers not just to customize what the character can do but how they look as well.  I have had issues trying to use them in mixed campaigns though.


Hate, hate, HATE


Sidereals:  Pretty much anything Borgstrom leaves me wanting to beat someone with a blunt object.  They have a role that depending on how you play it can make them hell on mixed groups relegating them to the roles of ST antagonists and allies.  CotI may have helped this a bit but I haven't had a chance to read it yet (stupid Book World).  The major problem is their powers.  Borgstrom seems to have this idea that if it looks cool it doesn't matter if the rules are confusing or make no sense at all.  Sidereals have really weird powers (not counting their Astrology) with rules that regularly have people shaking their heads and wondering what the hell was being smoked at the time the book was created.  On top of that they have powers that are ridiculously unbalancing in play especially when you start probing what Sidereal martial arts can do.  They also seem to be pervaded with this idea that everything in Creation happens at their whim and that they're so powerful and secretive no one will be able to take them out despite canonical evidence to the contrary.

 

[wordman]

I picked the sidereals because it is they, not abyssals, that have the most complicated problems. They are also difficult to play well and have the added advantage that people who have never played one have very strong (and completely groundless) opinions of why they suck.

 

[shifty]

Solars, cause they remind me of classic Greek heroes.


Lunars, cause I like the theme.  Just hate how they were sacrificed at the altar of the Fae.


Terrestrials.  Neato twist on the common man.  Except they are the common man ruling in clothes that dont fit.


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Sidereals.  Teh sux.  Sidereals are better GM characters than player characters.  I have a problem with their basic charms dictating story lines.


Alchmicals.  Dont really fit to me.  I ilke em, they just seem weird.


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Abyssals.  I used to mildly dislike because of the gother than thou aura.   Now I think they are decently interesting.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Now why doesn't anyone like the Alchemicals? I believe the Orichalcum Caste, Set Them Up the Bomb says it all I for one think they are great characters to play!

 

[Persell]

What better way to make Rockman (Megaman) or any of his companions than through the Alchemicals


Although I like the Abyssals best, Alchies come in second.


Death-fu rocks! :twisted:

 

[Sherwood]

Personally, I'm an Alcamedial fan.  I like the grim tech heavy seting where the operate.  Also, you get to play a character that is a leader in society without the horrors of being hunted by the Empire or family backstabbing from the various Dynast families.

 

[Arthemis Rex]

I have to choose?!?


OK I chose Lunars but I have to say that thats a nearly impossible choice. Sure the dregon bloods are cool but choosing betweet the three celestials is really hard. Solars are amazing and I adore pounding guys across the battlefield with the Goku combo (which i call Gloriously Divine Tempest) and, well everything else they do incredibly well Solars are great when you want to play Odysseus or Alexander the Great but the other Celestials have such great flavors of their own and I think this is especially seductive to veterans who want to play the Merlins and Minotars of fantasy. Siderials in the game even in a amixed campaign add another level of play (especially the politics of Yu-Shan) and the behind the scens glimpse offered by a sidereal at the table in a mixed game has a cinematic effect offering players some info their character does not have like a movie audience.( a nice challenge for the veterans) not to mention their martial and magical prowess (Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style?) and acess to scores of spell and other knowledge unavailible to others. they are essential to any campaign involving the celestial exalted retaking their place in the celestial hierarchy and lets not forget a bevy of sweet and flavorful charms ( dont you love Breaking the Wild Mortal) but I have to say Lunars might be the sweetest. Fore all you werewolf fans out there getting to design your own hybrid form is sweet. For all of you interested in Archeology- feel free to take some inspiration from your favorite myths


( I think my best Exalted character was probably Gan Esh al Tor who was the exalted reflection of the Hindu God Ganesh (an aspect of their faith I find beautiful and fascinating) and yes he could crush things in his huge war form with 4 arms and frequent use of the spell spirit of might but just as his namesake he was a gentle giant and I played up his beauty and grace, fortune and magical prowess)


When it comes to Lunar abilities watch out. Keep in mind Lunars favor attributes not skills and having a dex of 7 or 8 is not uncommon althouth they can still stack skills and specialties on top- the result is pools often higher than solars before essense is spent favoring attributes is also more versitile (high dex is better than high dodge)and the same goes for their charms which i find more open to personal interpretaions while the charm variety is lacking from solars on both Lunars and Siderials this is largely because there arent castebooks for them yet (and it seems there wont be for a while) So if I have to choose- Lunars I guess solars 2nd and then sidereals

 

[Zaramis]

A few words describe the Exalted type I casted my vote on:


Great empire ( I've always been fond of these, just like the Technocratic Union were always my favorites )


Decadence ( Slaves and drugs, baby! And martial arts )


Underdogs ( With all the junk all over the world, cults, super-exalted, corruption, fair folk, alchemicals.. they are the TRUE underdogs! )


Politics and intrigues ( There's no where else you can have this in the same amount )


True heroes.. The dragon-blooded are true heroes. How?


Because the Dragon Blooded have the entire Realm upon their shoulders, and have to do something about it, and quick, before it all comes crashing down. The solars have nothing, so they can do anything. The abyssals are cool, but they arent weak and underdoggy. The other exalted types dont interest me at all.


The dragon blooded are individually weak, and have to band together with people they dont trust one bit, to perform heroic deeds. They have to cast away their corruption and their lifestyle to make a difference, and they are always up against impossible odds.


That's what makes a hero to me

 

[Zaramis]

Also.. sorry for reviving this old thread that was located at the bottom of the page

 

[random5000uk]

I voted for the DB's, cause i like the idea of team-work, and the dragon-bloods are the only exalts that really show this concept...

 

[Persell]

I can't really say. The Abyssals are great, evil as they are, but Sidereals have awesome Martial Arts (and they stick paperstrips to people). Solares, well, they are the main heroes. And I really like Dragon-Blooded, because there's something primally attractive about elemental things.


Infernals are evil, which is good enough, and Alchemicals have a damn cool corebook ('cause Firts and Forsaken Lion is in it).


Did I forget something? Well, if I did, it is so pathetic and useless I didn't need to mention them.


Damn shapeshifters.

 

[Obsidian Soul]

Remember that DB's can also increase their numbers, unlike the Celestial Exalted.  Lookshy has instituted a breeding program that has made one percent of their population DB.  If you did that Creation wide, that would be three to four million DBs (It would take a while, like four or five hundred years, but it is possible).

 

[Jakk Bey]

Then again, you can get to the Time of the Thin Blood all the quicker that way, leaving the DB lines exhausted and weak...


At least, that's one way to play a sudden increase in their numbers.

 

[Hanat-Osul]

I had to say Sidereals, because of the surrealistic complexity of their society, their many bizarre talents, and (ultimately) because of their terrible burden.  Also, their Charms fuck my head up.


Alchemicals are a close second for novelty value and due to my inordiante fondness of all things reeking of Soviet agitprop.


Solars and Abyssals and DBs and Lunars are all equally complex & rewarding, in my book.  I use 'em all in my games... although I must say that having Solar players is a terrible lot of fun, as one is constantly in the position to remind them of the Great Curse.

 

[Lotus1]

I have to say i love Sidereals, why? Because i am really into secret societies, and they are part of an elite club they they are only privy to. They are great warriors (martial arts), strategists thanx to astrology, and can cast powerful spells ( and i am into the occult). There power my not be absolute or as versatile as a Lunars, or Solars, but what they lack in brute strength they make up in guile and cunning. I absolutely love thinkers.


Second i know they arent Exalted but i love God-Blooded characters, its intriguing. To be above Mortals, yet, to never be as powerful as other beings out their. You get just a taste of the sugar not the whole bowl.  Also you have some alient emotions becauseof your unique heritage.

 

[Elcief]

The Solars, definitely. IMO, they're the most useful Exalted type when it comes to flexibility.


Power levels aside, the Solars make great heroes, great villains and great plot devices. After all, the rest of the Exalted were changed since the end of the First Age; their society, philosophy and goals are somewhat established in the Second Age, but the Solars are still as fresh as if the end of the F.A. was yesterday. They're the most adaptable characters of the setting, I think.

 

[Bodhisattva]

It's very tough to make a decision.  There's a special flavor and usefulness to each type of Exalt that you can play.  There are a lot of plusses and minuses to each type.  I, personally, enjoy playing Abyssals the most, but I often play a Solar to help guide my Circle.

 

[Hanat-Osul]

It's very tough to make a decision.  There's a special flavor and usefulness to each type of Exalt that you can play.  There are a lot of plusses and minuses to each type.  I, personally, enjoy playing Abyssals the most, but I often play a Solar to help guide my Circle.

I've been wanting - nay, LUSTING - to play an Abyssal since I got the damn book.  I still favor the Sidereals, but playing a deathknight would be wicked cathartic.


You get MADD RESPECT for the Jin avatar.  One of these days, I'm going to stat him and Mugen as outcastes and make my players run into them.

 

[Flagg]

You get MADD RESPECT for the Jin avatar.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving?


-S