Theo Anders and the Black Exaltation[Worm/Exalted][Hiatus]

[Larekko12]

Check the edit.


We want Lore 3 ASAP for Dream-Slaying Defense and the primary set of draining charms: EDT, WFO, FDH. Lore 5 lets us learn Essence-Engorgement Technique in the short term, extending our peripheral pool via either the bite attack or terrorizing people. (Though I'm not sure how a non-Lovecraftian character is supposed to terrorize people with knowledge outside of blackmail or something, the charm is also available in War, Performance, Larceny, and Bureaucracy.)

In the longer term, I want either HAM or a homebrewed Mirror for both self-training (PER, INT, Craft, Investigation, Performance) and our mooks (also Conviction, Temperance, Lore, Linguistics, Socialize).

Using Teaching Incomprehensible Truths on Lisa would probably be a fun bad idea.




Also, holy shit RTLM is even harsher than I thought:

Click to shrink...

This is poison. It's too good. It's scream Master or Stranger dickery. I mean using it on Lisa to corrupt coil might be worth. Or buying up disguise and being a bum to hit the merchants.

Or looking like another white guy with too much money and hitting an ABB brothel..... Hn. Could make dad mayor but obvious. Not sure I want to get the PRT with that. Most likely to detect it. Also most likely to proc their counter espionage god game. But wait the god game is disable for this cause of coil. Hummm.

 

[evildice]

Seducing Bakuda to our service would be pretty spiffy.

Not sure if it's worth 15 XP but whatevs.

 

[Anasurimbor]

That's not the issue... remember the aura effect? Blasters get screwed over if they try ranged combat. Brutes get fucked over if they fight up close.

Click to shrink...

There is that. It alone isn't enough to stop them, but it does tip the odds a fair bit, especially against squishy blasters. Or at least deplete their willpower pools.

We're talking dice pools here. Please note that the 6 dice pool I quoted you? That's the ELITE mortal guardsmen type dice pool or the ELITE military soldier dice pool. ie they're pretty damn good... but unless they're the BEST OF THE BEST... ie the guy who will exalt as a solar in the right situation if there is a solar shard available... aka a PC... their dice pool isn't going to go higher than 6 dice without some sort of crazy modifiers.

Click to shrink...

+4 Accuracy on their weapons is not exactly hard if they are using high quality mundane equipment, particularly anything mounted.

Check out the Exalted Core Book, pages 278-280.

Click to shrink...

The one that has elite soldiers with Melee 4, Dexterity 3, and no specialties, giving a dice pool of 7? I think I'm assuming they are going to substantially better trained and more specialized than you are. Adding two dice of specialty here makes a huge difference, giving troopers with 7 dice and elites with 9.

Again, they would need to get past his DV of 7 (maybe higher if excellencies get in) in terms of their dice pool if they want to roll an attack, instead of just getting added to the scenery of "bullets flying everywhere as The Dark Prince demonstrated that he truly was an Invincible Sword Prince by deflecting everything".

Click to shrink...

Active defenses are another matter entirely. No one is hitting him if he uses an excellency.

If his aura effect is up, they need to spend willpower to attack him and possibly risk getting wounded or killed trying to attack him even if their attack goes unrolled and automatically fail.

Click to shrink...

If they actually spend willpower they can ignore the entire effect, including the damage and the internal penalty. This is probably really going to weird them out when they realize it. It's only real if you believe...

Well, unless we buy Killing Words Technique. Then they have to suffer 3 HL of damage to not get damaged.

Their health levels are 3 boxes, and TPK's essence is 3, which means that if they successfully spend willpower to attack him, they will eat 3 dice of damage that can't be soaked. Potentially crippling or killing them.

Click to shrink...

If they are extras they are guaranteed not to die, because their damage isn't rolled, so they will only take 1 HL of damage.

As it stands, TDP is a scary thing and he's only got the bare basics of swording as an exalt.

Click to shrink...

That he is, if he plays it smart and cautious.

The rules for grenades exist along with stats. And erm... his artifact armor basically says no.

Click to shrink...

They do, and they are really nasty because they effectively bypass DV. His hardness would stop most but not all of the listed grenades, and it isn't going to stop a modern heavy grenade either. Not that the PRT would normally use those. What he needs to worry about is gas grenades. STA+RES of 1 is going to hurt.

What is needed to deal with TDP at this point is basically artillery, missile attacks, and tactical nuclear (or similar) weaponry (which is basically an environment type effect as per the rules). And this is just chargen TDP.

Click to shrink...

Just an grenade launcher will do it. Miss Militia is most annoying hero, would not fight again.

If he gets the time to level up in terms of melee charms or resistance charms... those tactics won't even work.

Click to shrink...

Nope. They won't. That will be a very scary day. Though we didn't favor resistance. Or Survival. Too bad we can't somehow become invulnerable...

 

[skaro]

Maybe we can help our dad to become Mayor and we control the gang for him or max our bureaucracy and help in our organization management.

Something like tax reduction that can made our organization more wealthy.

 

[Biigoh]

The question lies... on IF Heart Stopping Mien's add on is counted amongst the stuff that gets shut down with the willpower spending as the effect activates when the shut down happens by the attacker spending 1 willpower. Doing so 3 times ends the willpower spending to attack the abyssal.

It is possible, but up to our DM Skitzyfrenic, that you can freely attack the Abyssal... but Heart Stopping Mien hurts the attacker as it's text basically says it works when someone dares to attack the abyssal.

 

[kinglugia]

it's text basically says it works when someone dares to attack the abyssal.

Click to shrink...

I wonder if they can indirectly attack the Abyssal, though. Like causing rockslides or something.

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

Lots of discussion not awake enough to make choices. But good discussion. Voting closes late tonight so this discussion about xp and charms we want can continue.

Biigoh I I'll reread the text but iirc you are correct.

 

[mishie]

So basically all we need to look out for are foam grenades and the truck mounted foam launchers. Also known as the shit the PRT and Miss Milita, plus whatever Tinker shit Armsmaster and Kid Win have.

 

[skaro]

We don't need to involve ourselve in early of our carrer,We are heir to The Empire,We have mook to do the work for us.

We need to go for bureaucracy and act more of leader than soldier,We are not skitter.

 

[Biigoh]

Indeed. However power is power.

We will need to fight other parahumans eventually.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Seducing Bakuda to our service would be pretty spiffy.

Not sure if it's worth 15 XP but whatevs.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Related to Skitzy's spoiler from a few days ago

I suspect that she's our hostile Malefactor. Seducing her will be much more difficult than it sounds.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Linguistics 3 has other benefits beyond the languages themselves. We only need the one dot for Blood Calligraphy Technique and Scathing Cynic Attitude, but the third dot lets us buy this:

SCREAMING IN SILENCE
Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Abyssal no longer needs to waste her breath on words and may hold telepathic conversations without worrying about eavesdroppers. Upon activating this Charm, the deathknight chooses a target she can perceive within (Linguistics x 100) yards. That target instantly understands who proposes telepathic contact.

If the target resists this intrusion, the Abyssal's player can roll (Manipulation + Linguistics + Essence) against the target's Dodge MDV. Success forces the target to either consent or spend three Willpower points to deny the unnatural mental influence for the rest of the scene.

Once the Abyssal establishes contact, she and the target may telepathically speak to one another for the rest of the scene as long as the target remains within range. The two actually "speak" their thoughts using any languages they know and wish to use, so this Charm cannot overcome language barriers. This Charm may be activated multiple times to create links with different targets, but doing so does not create a network for the targets to communicate with each other.

Any use of this Charm on an Abyssal's Monstrance of Celestial Portion results in immediate telepathic contact with the Abyssal. The deathknight cannot resist.

Click to shrink...

This is poison. It's too good. It's scream Master or Stranger dickery. I mean using it on Lisa to corrupt coil might be worth. Or buying up disguise and being a bum to hit the merchants.

Or looking like another white guy with too much money and hitting an ABB brothel..... Hn. Could make dad mayor but obvious. Not sure I want to get the PRT with that. Most likely to detect it. Also most likely to proc their counter espionage god game. But wait the god game is disable for this cause of coil. Hummm.

Click to shrink...

The PRT's protocols are geared toward individual infiltrators, either showing up in person or subverting individuals. AFAIK they don't have anything to combat attacks directed at their organization as a whole. How can you resist, when your standard means of resistance are themselves crippled?

 

[burningclaw2]

Okay then, think tactically. The average ABB member can safely assume that any given Nazi skinhead, Merchant, Coil merc, or PRT agent only knows English. Therefore, they can give out orders in their own languages without risking interception. If we know the languages, that's no longer true. The benefits of this are equivalent to knowing Spanish inside Mexican Cartel areas and cannot be underestimated.

In the medium run, we can't take over an ethnically mixed city with just skinheads. When we start pulling E88 away from Neo-Nazism and some former ABB start working for us, being able to speak with them in their own languages will make the shift at least appear more sincere, driving up participation and recruitment.

In the long run, knowing Chinese lets us do the first major Yangban arc since Ryuugi's Zenith fic.

Click to shrink...

E88 could also speak German, French, Scandinavian, Icelandic, Spanish, and a variety of other European languages.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

E88 could also speak German, French, Scandinavian, Icelandic, Spanish, and a variety of other European languages.

Click to shrink...

That's a nitpick and you know it.

I ultimately want Linguistics 5, for Language-Absorbing Method (also Ling 3, mirror of Excellent Emissary's Tongue), Soul-Snaring Tract (Ling 4, mirror of Twisted Words Technique), and Mystique-Spoiling Guess (Ling 5, mirror of Discerning Savant's Eye). The Solar charm Flawless Brush Discipline is very good and also requires Ling 5, but it doesn't have a mirror.

 

[Anasurimbor]

The question lies... on IF Heart Stopping Mien's add on is counted amongst the stuff that gets shut down with the willpower spending as the effect activates when the shut down happens by the attacker spending 1 willpower. Doing so 3 times ends the willpower spending to attack the abyssal.

It is possible, but up to our DM Skitzyfrenic, that you can freely attack the Abyssal... but Heart Stopping Mien hurts the attacker as it's text basically says it works when someone dares to attack the abyssal.

Click to shrink...

Normally you don't spend willpower to resist it. Just make a difficulty 1 Valor roll or a difficulty 2 willpower roll. Not hard for a hero, let alone an Exalt, but enough to make bandits or poorly trained conscripts think twice about getting in the way.

It's 3WP as a block to ignore the effects of the charm entirely, which should include the damage and the penalty. This is not something that many people are likely to do naturally, however. HSM is still a social charm, and it merely enhances the previous charm, so it should be shut down if it is. The alternative interpretation renders something of an automatic win button, even against other Celestials.

If you want them to eat damage regardless, Killing Words Technique will work, at the cost of being extremely willpower intensive. I don't really like that charm, though. It's broken, and not in a good way.

 

[SerbobIV]

[X] Shoot her a quick email from yoursmartphone to open a dialogue
[X] Purchase:
-[X] Lore ●●○○○ -> ●●●●● (-15 XP)

And the correct linguistics purchase would be:

-[] Linguistics ●○○○○ -> ●●●○○ (-4 XP)
--[] Language: Sino-Tibetan
--[] Language: Japonic

Remember, Linguistics covers language families, which are far larger than single languages. We would already have the Indo-European family which means we can speak: any Slavic, Iranian, Germanic, Helenic, Celtic, Aryan, Armenian, Albanian, or Romance language. I mean, my dad spoke over 30 languages and in Exalted terms he would barely qualify for two dots in Linguistics.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Remember, Linguistics covers language families, which are far larger than single languages. We would already have the Indo-European family which means we can speak: any Slavic, Iranian, Germanic, Helenic, Celtic, Aryan, Armenian, Albanian, or Romance language. I mean, my dad spoke over 30 languages and in Exalted terms he would barely qualify for two dots in Linguistics.

Click to shrink...

Not in this quest it doesn't:

I think using IRL language family trees would be a bit ridiculous. A fifteen year old can speak 30 or 40 languages? There's a reasonable genius polyglot and then there's an obvious thinker. And until we have a multi-continent spanning empire, it would be fucking superfluous. And by the time we had a multi-continent spanning empire we'd probably have a imperial language, rending that kind of numbers of languages moot, making having irl family language trees superfluous.

English and a handful of Asian languages are all he's going to need/want for probably the duration of the quest. German is definitely a flavor language that could come in handy, but multiple Asian languages will be super handy for spying and stuff.

So, will be going with what SwiftRosenthal said about language trees.

German itself can be broken into several dialects. Bavarian baaaaaarely resembles high German.

'Ich weiss nicht' is 'I don't know' in high German (the national German used at the state house and stuff and from Hanover) 'I woas nett' is Bavarian for the same thing.

Hell even 'Bavarian' is wickedly different. Bayernische v Borisch.

Stein is pronounced with an 'i' sound, but near the dutch its pronounced with an 'e' sound. In Berlin German 'Ich' is pronounced 'Ik' instead of 'Ic-hhh.' Some places 'und' is pronounced 'unt' and those are the examples I learned when I took German in highschool. We didn't even get into the real meat of the differences in the regional dialects.

Click to shrink...

 

[burningclaw2]

Technically our power could be considered Breaker-Trump, so having Thinker abilities isn't out there.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Technically our power could be considered Breaker-Trump, so having Thinker abilities isn't out there.

Click to shrink...

Biigoh's rationale for front-loading the combat charms is so we're mistaken for a Brute/Shaker. So long as our peers continue to believe we're just that, we can train and use a plethora of social charms under their noses.

 

[SerbobIV]

Not in this quest it doesn't:

Click to shrink...

Ah, I missed that... tho that is kind of silly, i mean we would need 6500 dots in Linguistics to speak to all our destined subjects, which would cost a fuckton of XP

 

[burningclaw2]

Biigoh's rationale for front-loading the combat charms is so we're mistaken for a Brute/Shaker. So long as our peers continue to believe we're just that, we can train and use a plethora of social charms under their noses.

Click to shrink...

What's the difference between Shaker and Breaker again?

Anyway's couldn't being able to learn X number of language's in X amount of time be considered a side effect of our power, like bonus computational power?

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Ah, I missed that... tho that is kind of silly, i mean we would need 6500 dots in Linguistics to speak to all our destined subjects, which would cost a fuckton of XP

Click to shrink...

Infinite Blasphemy Glossalia / Poetic Expression Style exists, and is a prereq for Language-Absorbing Method / Excellent Emissary's Tongue. The former lets us speak in a language that all our subjects understand (though the Abyssal version prevents us from expressing positive emotions) and the former lets us steal languages from people and then give them back (after absorbing them as a Training effect).

What's the difference between Shaker and Breaker again?

Anyway's couldn't being able to learn X number of language's in X amount of time be considered a side effect of our power, like bonus computational power?

Click to shrink...

Shaker is AOE effects. In our case, Dread Lord's Demeanor effectively mimics Glory Girl's aura.
Breaker is physics-breaking transformations, like Shadow Stalker, Night, Fog, the twins, and Legend's turn-into-a-rainbow-and-go-FTL trick.

 

[dasstan]

What's the difference between Shaker and Breaker again?

Click to shrink...

Shakers "shake" the environment. Breakers "break" physics in relation to themselves.

 

[Anasurimbor]

I wonder if they can indirectly attack the Abyssal, though. Like causing rockslides or something.

Click to shrink...

That wouldn't actually be considered an attack, so they should be fine. Similarly, throwing grenades in his general direction might be fine, though somewhat more questionable.

Mind, grenades are not actually dangerous to a prepared Solaroid. See Bakuda vs. Firefly in Conquest Quest. She didn't even get her hair mussed up.

 

[Anasurimbor]

Forgot to actually vote.

[X] Call her right now and ask if she has a dress

[X] Purchase:
-[X] Lore ●●○○○ -> ●●●○○ (-3 XP)

 

[burningclaw2]

What would the survival tree get us?

 

[evildice]

the Abyssal version prevents us from expressing positive emotions

Click to shrink...

Nobody would notice the difference if we're speaking to "inspire" the E88.

Breakers "break" physics in relation to themselves.

Click to shrink...

Since these are the names given by the cops, perhaps a better mnemonic is that Breakers "break through" walls & restraints, or that they have an enhanced ability to break & enter.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

What would the survival tree get us?

Click to shrink...

Here's the entire Abyssal tree, ignoring the General charms.

Spoiler: List

Cannabilistic Empowerment Understanding (E2, Surv 2): Regain Essence by eating human corpses.

Maelstrom-Weathering Indifference (E1, Surv 3): Mirror of both Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit and Element-Resisting Prana. In the Underworld, provides immunity to environmental hazards. Elsewhere, removes all environmental penalties.
World-Denying Invincibility (E4, Surv 5, MWI): Mirror of Eternal Elemental Harmony. Makes MWI cheaper, allows activation even while Exalt is inactive. Auto-upgrade at E6 makes MWI free.
Surviving the Sunlit Lands (E3, Surv 5, MWI): Mirror of Steadfast Elemental Emperor Stance. In the Underworld, immunity to all environmental damage regardless of origin. Elsewhere, immunity to environmental hazards.
Sheltering Interment Prana (E3, Surv 5, MWI): Lets you sink into the ground indefinitely, for vampire sleep or just hiding. No need to breathe in this state.

Pomegranates Full and Fine (E2, Surv 5, Excellency): Mirror of Food-Gathering Exercise. Enhances food-gathering in the Underworld and Shadowlands, with some emotion effects. Auto-upgrade at E3 prevents mortals from eating regular food after two weeks of relying on this charm.

Superior Predator Style (E2, Surv 1, Excellency): Terrifies natural animals; no IFF. Not actually a mirror to Friendship with Animals Approach.
Fetter the Deathless Beast (E3, Surv 3, SPS): Forces ghostly familiars to materialize. Allows conversion of natural animals into ghost familiars if the Exalt doesn't already have one. Not actually a mirror to Spirit-Tied Pet.

Dark Paths Found (E2, Surv 4, Excellency): Mirror to Trackless Region Navigation. Speeds wilderness travel; doesn't effect others (unlike mirror); speed doubles in Underworld.
Wisp-Light Summons (E4, Surv 5, DPF): Mirror to Guiding Light Shines On. Disperses anima into beacons that lead designated groups of people to the Abyssal.
Infallible Barghest Mien (E2, Surv 5, DPF): Mirror to Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique. Improves tracking of individuals. Not explicitly limited to wilderness, so it should work just fine in cities.
Ghost Leaves No Trail (E3, Surv 5, IBM): Mirror to Traceless Passage. Makes subject harder to pursue; doesn't work on groups. Gives Survival bonus to Stealth rolls if Exalt doubles back to ambush pursuers.

 

[burningclaw2]

Maelstrom-Weathering Indifference (E1, Surv 3): Mirror of both Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit and Element-Resisting Prana. In the Underworld, provides immunity to environmental hazards. Elsewhere, removes all environmental penalties.
World-Denying Invincibility (E4, Surv 5, MWI): Mirror of Eternal Elemental Harmony. Makes MWI cheaper, allows activation even while Exalt is inactive. Auto-upgrade at E6 makes MWI free.

These are good right?

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Maelstrom-Weathering Indifference (E1, Surv 3): Mirror of both Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit and Element-Resisting Prana. In the Underworld, provides immunity to environmental hazards. Elsewhere, removes all environmental penalties.
World-Denying Invincibility (E4, Surv 5, MWI): Mirror of Eternal Elemental Harmony. Makes MWI cheaper, allows activation even while Exalt is inactive. Auto-upgrade at E6 makes MWI free.

These are good right?

Click to shrink...

On a global level, yes. In Brockton Bay? Not so much. Here's the text for the Solar versions:

HARDSHIP-SURVIVING MENDICANT SPIRIT
Cost: 10m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None
The wilderness cannot subdue the heroes of the dawn. This Charm negates any environmental external penalties to Survival rolls made for the Solar. This means that the coldest glacier and the hottest desert are no more deadly for the Solar than the gentlest rolling plain. She can find food and water easily, she ignores inclement weather even when lightly dressed, and she does not suffer undue blisters, bug bites or plant poison even walking barefoot through the Far East. This Charm does not protect against environmental damage, however, so if the environment is deadly enough to force regular Resistance rolls, the Solar needs Element-Resisting Prana to endure it.


ELEMENT-RESISTING PRANA
Cost: —; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit
This Charm enhances the character's Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit. When using that Charm, the character now becomes immune to environmental hazards. She can survive in a bonfire, underwater, in a volcano's caldera or in a pool of boiling acid, all with ease. She takes damage or suffers Poison, Crippling or Sickness effects only when directly inflicted upon her by some character's action.


ETERNAL ELEMENTAL HARMONY
Cost: —; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit
This Charm enhances the character's Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit. It reduces that Charm's cost to 5 motes and allows the character to activate Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit even when she's inactive (see p. 143).

If the Solar has Essence 6+, this Charm negates the cost for Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit entirely.

Click to shrink...

STEADFAST ELEMENTAL EMPEROR STANCE
Cost: —; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mirror (Surviving the Sunlit Lands)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Element-Resisting Prana
This Charm upgrades its prerequisite, removing the clause for other characters' deliberate actions. Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit now renders the Solar immune to all environmental damage, regardless of its origin.

New Abyssal Charm: Surviving the Sunlit Lands (Prerequisite: Maelstrom-Weathering Indifference). This Charm grants the same benefits as Steadfast Elemental Emperor Stance in the lands of the dead, while fully extending the benefits of Element-Resisting Prana to Creation.

Click to shrink...

MWI by itself only provides the full benefit of ERP in the Underworld, and works as HSMS everywhere else. SESS no-sells everything up to Behemoth's kill aura, but SSL is explicitly weaker than its mirror.

Note that MWI, SIP, GLNT, and WDI all have the Spectral keyword, which adds a 1 WP surcharge when they're used outside the Underworld. If we get Unconquered Hero's Faith and Faithful Killer's Reprieve, we can delay that surcharge by converting the charms into their Solar mirrors (for +1 Resonance each) and then convert all Willpower gains from a sleep interval (or any reward for a 3-die stunt) into -1 Resonance. It doesn't work for Permanent charms, though.