Exalted: Shadow and Steel - Interest Thread

[DanteFalcon]

Currently my mostly made character is a Zenith caste focusing on the Snake form martial art. I will be using a charm with the piercing tag (specifically Essence Fangs and Scales p.240 of the Solar Exalted Manual) so lemme know if that's changing. Weapon of choice is the Serpent Sting Staff artifact. Basically I'll have a good deal of soak, high defense with some pretty decent damage output. Lacking in skills not combat related though.

Goals I'm still unsure of. Throwing around a bunch of backgrounds in my head currently.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Arhra

Just to make it clear for everyone, you see that guy Krylo made? Don't be that guy.

Yeah. Concept theft is mean >=[


But for serious, my real character is a sorcerer/crafter who has the same name as that guy, and was a former dynast. He studied most things he could while in school as a dynast, but failed to exalt as a terrestrial. As a result he looked into joining the immaculate order, and was sent east where the local monks were pursuing an anathema (whom is not fully visualized yet, probably leave it up to Arhra), who the people seemed to genuinely like. Being the curious sort he looked into it and found that the Solar had saved and protected the village. Unfortunately he was also with the monks when they caught up with the anathema, and he found the anathema did more to offer mercy, and attempt to avoid collateral damage, than his own dragonblooded compatriarts did. However, the anathema was young, and was to lose the day, if not for Masik having a sudden change of heart and stopping the fatal blow himself... an act that earned him his initiation into the twilight caste.

This also all acted as his five trials. Humility from not exalting as a terrestrial. Tutelage in his studies where sought any knowledge he could--including, and especially, the forbidden sort. Journey from his travels from the Blessed Isle. Fear in facing the anathema, in facing his own companions, and in his own change into an anathema... and sacrifice in making the decision to leave everything he had known behind and become an outlaw to attempt to save a single solar who he had seen to be of nobler intention than his companions.

He only knows terrestrial circle sorcery, but his motivation is to master all three circles (well technically his motivation is to master solar circle, but you know, on the way). He has an affinity for first age knowledge, and the unjustly opposed, and after seeing the opulence of the dynasts first hand and then seeing how everyone else lives, as well as the error of their religion, he has a loathing for the realm.

Edit: He is almost entirely done statistically. I just want to keep him to myself for any shifting I might want to do until it's time to actually post them. ALSO I guess if we are using merits/flaws I will have to talk to Arhra to see how many non-flaws I can get away with (lawl sterile).

[Sithdarth]

In the interests of getting a cohesive circle together, I'd like to hear the concepts people are considering at this point. Just a rough idea of the role you'll be playing and things you'd like to accomplish are fine.

I definitely think I'm going with a Dawn Caste that carries a shield around. I found an artifact two shied that isn't too bad. Do you mind if I bump it to artifact 3 (or maybe it should be 4 we can discuss that) by adding an edge to the rim of the shield. I'd use the stats for something like a lesser daiklave and of course switching between using it has a shield and using it as a weapon would require an action (what type also to be determined later). Obviously it would be bad if he could get the shield bonus while using it as a weapon. I'm not actually going to make it thrown because that's just really absurd.

Also question, and this might mean I don't have to make the shield into a weapon, would a shield count as an improvised weapon for the sake a martial arts charm?

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by Arhra

In the interests of getting a cohesive circle together, I'd like to hear the concepts people are considering at this point. Just a rough idea of the role you'll be playing and things you'd like to accomplish are fine.

I was thinking a rogue moonshadow (as in a rare abyssal exaltation not beholden to a deathlord) that upon exalting viewed his new role was to bridge relations between the living and the dead. Over time expanding this to seeking co-existence with any beings willing to do so. Still he is not a fool, well aware that if Ebon Dragon says he wants to live peacefully its just a ploy to get what he wants. But deep down his goal is to find some solution that stops the endless wars and cycles of hate so common in the underworld.

However his abyssal nature and its continual push towards death and destruction is not completely removed. Though manifests in an odd way. He cannot avoid resonance that forces him to kill and destroy, focusing on killing those that refuse peaceful solutions and spending most of his time mediating in the underworld.

Originally Posted by Arhra

Perfect defences will also have a willpower cost added for defending against 'impossible' attacks. These are things like thrown mountains and attacks that are extremely enhanced by charms (exact criteria there yet to be determined).

normally I just say it fails, but I like this idea, be fun to see how it works

[Relm Zephyrous]

I personally was considering some form of scholar as well, of course my original idea was to play a sorcerer, but I got sidetracked off that idea for other reasons before Krylo posted his character. I'm still going twilight caste though, with a medic of a secluded town.

He was well known for working miracles, and his current goal after exaltation and discovering what he can do is to master the art of healing to unparalleled levels of perfection, and whatever discoveries along the way he may come across. He's very precise, and his weapon of choice for that reason is a bow, the tiny details are still being worked out.

Also, since its incredibly relevant to me, do target arrows lose their piercing trait?

[PhoenixFlame]

Under no circumstances should target arrows ever lose piercing, since they were the only weapon with piercing TO BEGIN WITH in 1E, and it shows in the fact that bows deal noticably less damage than every other weapon system ever concieved.

Mh, Arhra, I'd consider ping being [1/2 Essence + 1/2 Strength +1 vs 1/2 Essence + 1/2 Stamina] of the target. It makes strength and stamina more useful in combat but dexterity remains the godstat. Armor also becomes more than deadweight, so that's nice.

My planned character is a young loyalist abyssal of "Oblivion Undivided" as I put the new 2E spin on the neverborn-servant alternate paths. Basically, she's intolerant of the whole deathlord posturing moustache-twirling kill-the-world schemes, as Creation's going to die when it's damn well ready to and not a moment sooner. She's not out to willy nillily murder people but she's certainly not going out of her way to save lives either. If they're dying, clearly it's because they're supposed to be.

Until then, it's the underworld's job to make sure the dead are properly respected, appeased, seen to, and granted their undeadly rights. Which means soulsteel should only be harvested from evil spirits, souls whom are dead should /stay dead/, and families should offer the appropriate sacrifices to their deceased... Or else.

So basically a pretty cool sis loyalist abyssal.

[Overcast]

Haven't had the time very recently to make someone, moving out of my current locale on the way to my old home for a vacation. By which I'll be swimming in time for this, but I'll see what crops up in my character and get back to you before the end of today. May end up being Syren again since I never got to play him to par. Eclipse Solar, good for social combat with a niche in martial arts with a gold chain he uses mostly to grapple folks so other people can beat the hell out of them. Has a wish to unite creation right now, new empire from the crumbling mass that the Empress left behind, conceivably in the future he will become obsessed with the risk of the sidereal and try to hunt them down, will be given vertigo by the Weaver and try to fight fate, will become mad with his kingdom being overcome by the horrors of the underworld and finally the Yozi, and by seeing that he cannot properly destroy what threatens his kingdom(like the Yozi and the Neverborn) will try to plunge all of creation into the Wyld so that this grand mistake can be reset and hopefully one day something worthwhile can be put in its place.

For right now though good heart, good mind.

[Sithdarth]

I've decided I want to go with the weapon shield if at all possible. That way I can use melee charms like the Iron Raptor Technique with it. That way I can "throw" the shield and have it return like Captain America but still rely solely on Melee. Definitely thinking that switching between using it as a shield and a weapon should be at least as difficult as drawing/sheathing a weapon.

[Red Mage Black]

There goes my idea for an Alchemical as I won't have a good explanation for them being in Creation. Guess I'll read more through Sidereal and throw something up while I wait. Unless you'll allow me to play an Alchemical, by allowing me to come up with good reason, over time. I'm ready to build anything really, since I'm incredibly bored and have been fasting without RP for too long.

Self Edit, without even posting: I really don't like the look of Sidereals, to be honest. Not a huge fan of the Celestial stuff. I mean, if you'll allow me to build an Alchemical for the game, I'll try to come up with something. Might take me a bit longer to come up with some good motivation for Sidereals though. Probably too long to even try and join.

Real Edit: Okay then, I apologize if the above made me sound like an asshole. So if that doesn't work out, I'll sneak a peek through Lunars to see if I get any ideas or just go with a Dawn, Zenith or Night Caste Solar.

[obscurejones]

The Glorious Eleventh Exaltation of the Divine Warrior Physician.
"I'm a Monkey now. Monkeys are cool."
True Form: Western Human and Monkey
Anima Banner: A large silver monkey surrounded by Chains
A slave while fleeing from his masters grew tired of running. Turning to fight he lifted the chains that once bound his ankles overhead. They were struck by the rays of the moon and Luna blessed both slave and chain. When the newly Exalted physician had defeated his former captors he sought out first his Lunar brethren in the Silver Pact. Then a Manse to the west where he had lived as a child. Finally he returned to civilization, in an effort to free all those he had left behind.