[NCES] Exalted: Yu-Shan High

[kongming]

Welcome to the greatest school you'll ever attend:

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A brand new initiative!

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It took countless meetings between countless factions to organise this. Indeed, alliances between forces that normally would have nothing to do with one another - or indeed would work to destroy one another. Gods, Sidereals, Terrestrials, Solars and Lunars? That was the easy part. Contacting those few Alchemicals who had arrived through the newly-opened gates and getting them on-board, and then the Jadeborn from the mountains, that was a little trickier. But that was nothing compared to Infernals and Abyssals. Indeed, most are still against it, but enough agreed.

The goal? To start again. The idea was this: nothing could exist without having a purpose. The forces aren't supposed to exist "in a vacuum", all separate from each other and working against one another. No, there is a purpose to it all, and everyone has a job. Some exist specifically to create, others to protect, some to maintain, yet others to lead and instruct, and yes, there would be those with the task of destruction.

But this was something that would need to happen over a long time, starting from the ground up: new Exalts would need to be taught these ways, not corrupted by the current views of Us versus Them, and learn to work together for the common goal of connecting the various worlds and having everything run smoothly.

So welcome to Yu-Shan High. Created in heaven, it is larger than some towns. One main building, with multiple floors of classrooms, gym halls, dungeons, medical bays, forges, armouries, offices and the cafeteria. Then the pagodas: Tower of the Beacon - for Solars, Tower of the Reflection - for Lunars, Tower of Artifice - for Alchemicals, Tower of Fortune - for Sidereals, Tower of Elements - for Dragonblooded, Tower of Tranquility - for Abyssals, and Tower of Titans - for Infernals. A place for everyone to learn their place in the world, and to work together and take part in changing Creation for the better!

That said, why exactly did they select females to males with a 4:1 ratio?

So here's the deal: if we just get, say, a handful of people interested, all wanting to play the same type, then it can just be a game set in that dorm in that tower. A small group game. If they're all scattered? Then they can get their own personal stuff happening at dorms, constant visits, and the main focus would be on what happens in classes, all interacting then.

If more people want to play? More groups. In that instance, I'd be totally fine with others actually playing the roles of various staff as well - who would be given various GM rights for creating plot hooks for groups of players and so on. But it could end up as a big game like Sigil Prep.

Sexy stuff included: regular sex between people who want that. Non-consensual, which for most is a serious punishable offence (if they are caught/reported), but for others is seen as good and proper. Lots of spanking stuff. Skimpy-clothing fights, exploding clothes and such. Various occasions of forced nudity, of punishment-sex and other weird things.

Character Creation varies based on "Faction" and Year Level. You can flat-out play characters of higher year levels, gaining more points of stuff, and basically, get more rights and responsibilities - essentially, if someone wants to very much be a top, then they should be a member of staff, or a third/fourth year and become a head prefect, dorm captain, member of the disciplinary committee/student council or similar. If you particularly want to be underneath, then I would recommend being a first year, or a second year perhaps, particularly if they wish to be a Half-Caste, Casteless Lunar, Sidereal Ronin, Outcaste Terrestrial etc. Because seniority and rank give so much power over others~

(Likewise, if you wish to be a bit of both, then consider just being a bit in the middle there - even a first year can still be a Dorm Monitor, anyone can bullysupervise and discipline those of lower years or the reduced rank of Half-Castes etc., and even a student teacher, teacher's assistant or whatever is in the position of "I have power, but there are others above me".)

Here is the basic info for character creation - but please just post here to express interest and ask any questions at first, I don't need people to submit complete sheets. Also keep in mind that I like girls, thus would much prefer female characters (player gender doesn't matter in the slightest).

Creating a First Year

First Year: starting character

Solar

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 5 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste)

Lunar

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 3 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste), War Form
Rename Solar Bond as Lunar Bond: you can form the bond with non-Solars. Also, you're allowed to share their dorm rather than your own.
3 free dots between Heart's Blood and Lunar Bond

Sidereal

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 5 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste)
gain 5 free Ability dots

Dragonblooded

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 5 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste)
Up to 3 free dots of Breeding for free

Alchemicals

1 free Strain-Resistant Chassis Modification, 3 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste), Free Slots for the above, Vat Access is provided

Abyssals

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 5 free Excellencies (Favoured/Caste)

Infernals

1 free Ox-Body Technique, 1 free "Mastered" Excellency (Patron)
Akuma: up to free 3 dots of the Akuma background

You "outrank" only Spirits, Worker/Warrior Caste Jadeborn, Outcaste Terrestrials, Ronin Sidereals, Casteless Lunar, Akuma and Half-Castes
Basically everyone else outranks you
-may be a Dorm Monitor by taking Influence * and Manse *
Dorm Monitor: the "boss" of their dorm of five students. On the one hand, this gives them rank over the other students in the dorm (typically the same year level), on the other hand, they have to log any punishments, and if their dorm gets into too much trouble in general, all of them are called before the dorm captain and the monitor gets to share their punishment.

Yes, the Manse is the dorm itself, and the Dorm Monitor "owns" it.

Any first-year can join a club. There could be hundreds of them. Cosplay, drama, band, art, science, martial arts/fighting, any given sport, hiking, hunting, occult, reading... go ahead and make one up. I'll give people a small bonus based on their club.

Creating a Second Year

First Year, plus:
+2 Attribute Dots
+6 Ability Dots
+3 Background Dots
+2 Charms (Alchemicals: + Slots)
+10 Bonus Points
Must have Essence 3+
Sidereals: +2 Colleges

Second-year students outrank first-year students.

May be a Prefect by taking Influence *, thus outranking other students of any year in a general sense, and being able to apply on-the-spot punishments or give simple orders like "make my bed for me", "warm this shirt for me" or "give me your underwear".

May be a Hall Monitor by taking Influence *, which is similar except basically you get the right to sometimes wander about in class time, looking for people to punish.

May be part of the Disciplinary Committee by taking Influence ** and Investigation *, which is like being a Hall Monitor, but moreso. In fact, there's a certain about of police work involved, and people might actually report things to you. If enough complaints are filed against you (such as for unwarranted punishment, or not looking into a report), you can be brought before the Discipline Captain.

Creating a Third Year

First Year, plus:
+5 Attribute Dots
+10 Ability Dots
+5 Background Dots
+5 Charms (Alchemicals: + Slots)
+20 Bonus Points
Must have Essence 4+
Sidereals: +5 Colleges

May be a Voting Member of the Student Council (General Affairs/Secretary/Treasurer) by taking Influence *** or Liege ***. Doing this grants 1 free dot in Backing or Cult, unless they're already both at 3 or more. This gives a lot of power, outranking the teachers themselves.

May be Captain of the Disciplinary Committee by taking Influence *** and Investigation ***. Doing this grants them 1 free dot in Backing, unless it's already 3 or more. This doesn't make them a voting member of the Student Council, but they're often asked to attend their things. Holds the same rank as actual teachers and staff. Superintendent of the police, more or less, and with authority over the entire committee.

May be a Club Leader by taking Influence ** and Manse *. Yes, the Clubroom is a Manse.

Creating a Fourth Year

As a first year, plus:
+8 Attribute Dots
+25 Ability Dots
+10 Background Dots
+10 Charms (Alchemicals: + Slots)
+45 Bonus Points
Must have Essence 5+
Sidereals: +10 Colleges

Although you outrank students from the first three years, unless you actually take rank of some position or other, you're still practically on the bottom of the chain of command.

May be the Student Council President by taking Influence *****, Spies ***** and Backing or Cult ***. It then gets raised from 3 to 5 for free.
This is the top-ranked position, equal to the headmistress herself.

May be Student Council Vice President by taking Infuence **** or Liege ****. This grants 2 free dots in Backing or Cult, up to a maximum of 4. This position is second to the President, and equals the Sub-Leaders (each tower has one "Sub-Leader", a member of staff who is in charge of that tower in theory).

May be a Dorm Captain by taking Influence *** and Manse *** - each tower has a single Dorm Captain, who is sort of in charge of the Tower. They're beneath the actual staff member, the Sub-Leader, but Dorm Monitors report to them. They own the manse that makes up the most powerful room in the tower, and they rank about the same as voting members of the Student Council.

May be a Head Prefect by taking Influence **. This just gives a big bump in rank, and not so much responsibility. Not as much as staff.

May be a Student Teacher by taking Influence *** and (Relevant Ability) *****, gaining a free dot in Salary (unless it's already 2 or more). This also places them just below "real staff" in rank, but lets them assign tasks to classes and lead them in battle, requisition funds and equipment, and also lets them punish other students who don't hold special rank.

May be a Teacher's Aide by taking Influence *** and (Relevant Ability) or Bureaucracy *****. If they don't have any dots in Salary, they gain one for free. The rank is equal to that of a Student Teacher, except the specific teacher they're supposed to assist gets to treat them as lower and thus be more rough with them.

Creating Teachers and Staff

+8 Attribute Dots
+25 Ability Dots
+10 Background Dots
+10 Charms (Alchemicals: + Slots)
+45 Bonus Points
Must have Essence 6+
Must have 6+ dots in field of teaching
Must have 6+ Charms in field of teaching (or all of them, if there are fewer than seven)
Must have one Virtue at 5+
Must have Influence, Backing or Liege at 3+ and Salary at 3
Sidereals: +10 Colleges

May be a Sub-Leader by improving Influence/Backing/Liege to 4 and Salary to 4, thus gaining rank equal to the Vice President of the Student Council

The Ranks

To show it more easily:
S: Headmistress / Student Council President
A: Subschool Leader/Student Council Vice President
B: Dorm Captain/Student Council Member
C: Teacher/Staff/Disciplinary Committee Captain
D: Teacher Assistant/Student Teacher/Head Prefect
E: Dorm Monitor/Disciplinary Committee Member
F: Hall Monitor/Prefect
G: Students
X: Second-Class Students (Half-Caste, Worker/Warrior Mountainfolk, Spirits, Akuma)

So, what interest do we have? If there's enough to form player groups and all, I can then go into information on what the establishment currently considers the roles to be, put up the chart showing how far anyone is allowed to go with people of lower rank, etc.

I welcome use of Scroll of Errata and similar, as well as the introduction of custom Charms, Artefacts and things. Hell, if you want to invent some Charms that make sex a truly magical thing or whatever, go for it.

[persephone325]

Sounds interesting.

[Yano2mch]

Sounds fun to me, Although for the life of me I am not sure how well I would do, or what I would do. But with lots of girls comes plenty of opportunity for ecchi... I mean 'teaching' activities...

[Muse]

First of all... 

*pounce!*  This is an awesome idea, Kong-chan! 

Second of all... 

essence seven plus for third years?  WOW! 

[kongming]

Muse: I should probably lower it, but the idea was they're taking new Exalts and putting them through harsh trials to get the most out of them and turn them into an army - the ideal being that graduates would be Essence 8-9, but in retrospect, that's a bit crazy. There we go. Edited it. Older students still get a substantial upgrade though.

[Muse]

*smiles*  Yeah, that is a bit much. 

Hm...  Would you like Yume?  Or shall I bring in someone new? 

[kongming]

Yume? Who's that?

[Muse]

*Smiles*  Only my favorite exalt of all time: 

Yume

Name:         (Tepet) Yume
Type:         Solar
Caste:         Zenith

Age:         17
Age, Apparent      16
Birthday:      21st of Resplendent Water
Gender         Female
Height:         6’6”
Weight         248
Measures      38” 28” 42” ddd
Skin:         Light Almond
Hair:         Autumn leaf red in a ponytail or top knot thick as most girl’s arms.  As a top knot in a green sash, it still falls to the small of her back. Let down, it falls to her thighs. 
Eyes:         Pine green.  Wide and expressive. 
Style:         Her leathers are stained the color of rosewood with a few golden studs.  They consist of thigh high boots, a miniskirt, and—sometimes—gloves.  She wears an orichalcum corset with a low, matching knee guards and greaves built into her boots.  Over the corset is a white peasant blouse.  The blouse is also scoop necked, but with long sleeves to cover her hearthstone bracers.  She wears a green cotton scarf that matches her eyes.  Usually this holds her hair in it’s top knot—especially now that she doesn’t’ pass regularly through Nighthammer District. 

Motivation:   Heal all the ills of Creation by succor or scalpel. 
Intimacies:   
--Babies (Affecting and Protectiveness) 
--Cuddly animals.  (Affection and Protective Instinct) 
--The Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance (Pride and Loyalty)
--Eastern Way of Life (Dedication and pride.) 
--Her family.  (Love and Loyalty) 
--Finding her own way in the world.  (Determination.) 
--Sakura (Devotion, Love, and Lust)
--Sufferers from Delusional Madness. 

“Atashi wa yabajin no kenko, wa ne?”  I’m a barbarian sword girl, right? 

Rooted in the earth, I found peace. 
Climbing the mountain, I
Looking down from the clouds, I found perspective. 
In the stillness before the thundstrike, I learned the truth. 
I’m a barbarian sword girl. 

EXP   5/5

Strength      6   Charisma      2   Perception   2
Dexterity      1   Manipulation      1   Intelligence   4
Stamina      6   Appearance      4   Wits      3

Archery      1   Blue Thunder
*Martial Arts      5   Property Damage
Melee         0
Thrown      0
*War         1

*Integrity      1
*Performance      0
*Presence      1
*Resistance      3
*Survival      1

Craft: Water      1   Medicine
Investigation      1   
Lore         1
*Medicine      4   
*Occult      1   Medical Magic

*Athletics      4   Feats of Strength X2
Awareness      1
Dodge         0
Larceny      0
Stealth         1

Bureaucracy      1
Linguistics      3   Nexus Dialect
Ride         0
Sail         0
Socialize      1

Compassion      6
Conviction      2
Temperance      2
Valor         4

Virtue Flaw:  Red Rage of Compassion
Limit   8/0

Willpower      8

Essence      2
Personal Motes:   14/14   -7
Peripheral Motes   36/30
Committed      6

Charms: 
Martial Arts: 
--Swallowing the Lotus Roots

Golden Janisary Style: 
--Cleansing Flame Strike
--Rotten Leaf Arrested
--Where is Doom Inquisition
--Golden Janissary Form

Solar Hero Style: 
--Fists of Iron Technique
--Sledgehammer First Punch

Medicine
2nd Medicine Excellency: Essence Triumphant
Wound Mending Care Technique

Resistance: 
Body Mending Meditation
Durability of Oak Meditation
Essence Gathering Temper
Ox Body Technique


Thaumaturgy: 
Art of Alchemy:  Initiate +1


Backgrounds: 
Artifact   1   Orichalcum Breastplate
Artifact   2   Hearthstone Bracers
Backing   3   Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance
Manse      1   Lodge of Blue Thunder
Resource   3   Medicine Dealer

Flaws: 
1   Bad Luck
2   Greater curse ?
1   Oath Bound:  Earth and Sky students do not indulge in intoxicants.  (-1 Conviction) 
3   Phobia: Spiders
3   Vice:  Yield to Forced Pleasure

Merits: 
2  Enchanting Features II
1  Improved Resistance
1  Mutation: Large
3  Paragon of Compassion


Languages: 
Forest Tongue
High Realm
Old Realm
River Tongue: Nexus Dialect

Attacks: 
Clinch

Punch      
Speed      5
ACC (+1)   7
Damage   8B
Parry DV   4

Blue Thunder
Speed      6
ACC (+1)   4
Damage   8 Bashing or Lethal, Piercing
Range      (As Composite Long Bow)/2
Rate      2

Exceptional Ironwood Short Sword
--Speed      4   
--ACC      +2=   8   
--Damage   +2=   10L
--Defense   +2=   4
--Rate      3

Exceptional Earth and Sky Spear: 
--Speed      5
--ACC      +2   9
--Damage   +4L   12L
--Defense   +2   5
--Rate      2


Defenses: 
Dodge DV      3
Dodge MDV      5
Bashing Soak      12/3
Lethal Soak      12/3
Aggravated Soak   10/3

Health: 
OK   ( )( )
-1   ( )( )( )( )
-2   ( )( )
-4   ( )
I   ( )




Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance. 

Rooted in the earth:  Jade Mountain Form
Climbing the Mountain:  Five Dragon Form
Walking out over the clouds:  Night Breeze Style
In the stillness before the thunderstruck:  Golden Janissary Style
--Paragon Style:  Crimson Pentacle Blade
--Special Training:  Air dragon Style. 

   In the city of Nexus there is an industrial district called Nighthammer.  At all hours of the night and day, forge smoke and saw dust choke the air while grinding saws and hammerfalls ring the ears.  A ways up the hill, there is a gated community called Mountain Breeze Borough surrounded by a 15 foot high ever-graying wall.  Guards stand idily at the gate, not really hassling any one but making their presence known.  Common lore says that they are students of the Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts—a mercenary company consisting of mad men trained in supernatural martial arts. 
   Just the other side of the gate, a stiff breeze bathes you in clean air scented more with mineral water than soot.  The noise is as bad here as anyone else, but the inside of the wall is pristine white.  The craftsmen and their apprentices are clean, health, and often happy.  The ash and sawdust are all caught by the breeze down the mountain and sweapt high into the sky to be scattered over Nexus’s outlying farms. 
   A dozen blocks higher up the hill is another 15 foot high wall with pristine white wash.  It runs to the right ‘til the hill falls steeply off on either side.  Signs hang over the three gates.  The west most, “Healing Springs Bath House, honor the goddess Iniki for her blessing.”  The middle, “Earth and Sky House of Healing: Treating the sick and ministering to the mad since RY 733.”  The east most reads, “Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance.” 
   The third door leads out onto a grassy lawn surrounded by gardens of flowering herbs tended by acolytes.  Beyond this, is a huge Zen garden.  Classes are held often on the thick, soft sand.  Beyond the garden, is a spacious dojo of first age materials.  Though one story tall with a pagoda on the roof, it descends into the mountain some seven floors.  Crystals and mirrors capture light from the roof to help illuminate the way down, though luminous crystals in paper lanterns help as well.  It is here that Khadavla--grand master of the school—and his acolytes can most often be found instructing students in martial arts and mediation.  Khadavla is a giant.  Nearly nine feet tall, with a back as broad as two blacksmiths.  He usually wears a humble silk Gi, much of his mighty chest bare, giving a view of his spiraling blue tattoos.  A lunar exalt or other member of the silver pact could read those tattoos, see that they spoke of a youth of great deeds and daring adventures among the Silver Shadow barbarians. 
   It is not just fighting that they teach, but discipline, meditation, right action, and serenity.  Sufferers of Delusional Madness have come from all around the river country and beyond to seek Khadavla’s wisdom and his legendary medicine—the night blooming orchid from Silver Shadow lands that can be brewed into Whisper Tea. 
   The acolytes learn all kinds of medicines.  When they reach a certain proficiency, they travel the river country in pentacles of five—or even as loan wanderers—bearing heavy A-frame backpacks filled with medicine for sale, knowlege of medicine to seek out and spread.  This network is also the backbone of the Herbalist’s Alliance for a Healtheir Creation—a loose network of doctors, village midwife’s and tribal shamans who keep tabs on such blights as Shadowlands and the Wyld.     
   The leader of this network is not Khadvla, but Kodachi, owner of the school.  A canny businesswoman with silky black hair that falls to her calves, a lover of roses, and a master of Air Dragon Martial Arts.  She joins her most favored consort Khadavla in instructing students and tending the sick at times, but is also known for business acumen and social clout.  Kodachi—often accompanied by a few favored acolytes and her maid Sakura—keeps her company’s money working for them and maneuvers the ire of the Guild away from her little independent merchant network.  Youthful in body and mind, Kodachi will soon reach the 100th anniversary of her 21st birthday—the 104th aniversery of her exaltation.  She prepared her affairs to handle themselves for a year while she secluded herself for a period of meditation, meaning to raise her Essence to the level where she transcends the normal limits of Exalted power. 
   Sakura is a powerful and playful elemental whose service is sworn to Tepet’s line.  In the form of a little white kitten, she has watched over Kodachi’s daughter Yume since she was a babe.  When the redhead turned sixteen, she struck up a friendship with her in her normal, elfin form, befriending her and introducing her to the pleasures of feminine passion.  Sakura prepares for the day when Kodachi will release her from service so that she may go to another of Tepet’s line.  She has chosen Yume, chosen of the Unconquered Sun, master of Earth and Sky Thunder style, and heir to the school. 
   Yume grew up in the Big House, the second major building of the Healing Springs Manse.  A sprawling veranda of first age materials, with many rooms, two basements, and a hard to find chamber where the manse’s hearthstone coalesces.  The walls of the home are draped in intertwining vines of red and black roses.  These, alone, no acolyte tends—only Kodachi herself. 

[Muse]

When you say an essence we must have, does that mean we're supposed to buy up to that essence with our new bonus points? 

Hm... not a lot of charms... 

[kongming]

Well, I do indeed like Yume, but that's correct, to play higher-up characters with their various bigger pools of starting stuff, you do indeed need to spend a great deal of their bonus points on stuff.

[Muse]

Name:         (Tepet) Yume
Type:         Solar
Caste:         Zenith

Age:         19
Age, Apparent      16
Birthday:      21st of Resplendent Water
Gender         Female
Height:         6’6”
Weight         248
Measures      38” 28” 42” ddd
Skin:         Light Almond
Hair:         Autumn leaf red in a ponytail or top knot thick as most girl’s arms.  As a top knot in a green sash, it still falls to the small of her back. Let down, it falls to her thighs. 
Eyes:         Pine green.  Wide and expressive. 
Style:         Her leathers are stained the color of rosewood with a few golden studs.  They consist of thigh high boots, a miniskirt, and—sometimes—gloves.  She wears an orichalcum corset with a low, matching knee guards and greaves built into her boots.  Over the corset is a white peasant blouse.  The blouse is also scoop necked, but with long sleeves to cover her hearthstone bracers.  She wears a green cotton scarf that matches her eyes.  Usually this holds her hair in it’s top knot—especially now that she doesn’t’ pass regularly through Nighthammer District. 

Motivation:   Heal all the ills of Creation by succor or scalpel. 
Intimacies:   
--Babies (Affection and Protectiveness) 
--Cuddly animals.  (Affection and Protective Instinct) 
--The Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance (Pride and Loyalty)
--Eastern Way of Life (Dedication and pride.) 
--Her family.  (Love and Loyalty) 
--Finding her own way in the world.  (Determination.) 
--Sakura (Devotion, Love, and Lust)
--Sufferers from Delusional Madness (Compassion and protectiveness.) 

“Atashi wa yabajin no kenko, wa ne?”  I’m a barbarian sword girl, right? 

Rooted in the earth, I found peace. 
Climbing the mountain, I gained calm. 
Looking down from the clouds, I found perspective. 
In the stillness before the thundstrike, I learned the truth. 
I’m a barbarian sword girl. 

EXP   0/0

Strength      6   Charisma      3   Perception   3
Dexterity      3   Manipulation      1   Intelligence   4
Stamina      6   Appearance      4   Wits      4

Archery      1   Blue Thunder
*Martial Arts      5   Property Damage
Melee         0
Thrown      0
*War         1

*Integrity      3
*Performance      0
*Presence      1
*Resistance      3
*Survival      3

Craft: Water      2   Medicine
Investigation      1   
Lore         1
*Medicine      5   
*Occult      4   Medical Magic

*Athletics      5   Feats of Strength X2
Awareness      1
Dodge         0
Larceny      0
Stealth         1

Bureaucracy      1
Linguistics      3   Nexus Dialect
Ride         0
Sail         0
Socialize      1

Compassion      6
Conviction      2
Temperance      2
Valor         4

Virtue Flaw:  Red Rage of Compassion
Limit   8/0

Willpower      8

Essence      4
Personal Motes:   14/14
Peripheral Motes   36/30
Committed      6

Charms: 
Integrity: 
--First integrity Excellency: Essence Overwhelming

Martial Arts: 
--Second Martial Arts Excellency: Essence Triumphant
--4th Excellency: Infinite Martial Arts Mastery
--Swallowing the Lotus Roots

Golden Janissary Style: 
--Cleansing Flame Strike
--Rotten Leaf Arrested
--Where is Doom Inquisition
--Golden Janissary Form
--Light on Dark Shield
--Paralyzing Combustion Imbuement

Solar Hero Style: 
--Fists of Iron Technique
--Sledgehammer First Punch
--Dragon Coil Technique
--Solar Hero Form
--Heaven Thunder Hammer

Medicine
--2nd Medicine Excellency: Essence Triumphant
--Wound Mending Care Technique
--Flawless Diagnosis Technique
--Instant Treatment  Methodology

Occult: 
--Second Occult Excellency: Essence Triumphant

Resistance: 
--Body Mending Meditation
--Durability of Oak Meditation
--Essence Gathering Temper
--Ox Body Technique x2

Survival: 
--Hardship Surviving Mendicant Spirit

Thaumaturgy: 
Art of Alchemy:  Initiate +1


Backgrounds: 
Ally      2   Sakrua
Artifact   1   Orichalcum Breastplate
Artifact   2   Hearthstone Bracers
Backing   1   
Cult      3
Influence   2   Martial Arts Club
Influence   3   Student Council
Manse      1   Lodge of Blue Thunder
Manse      1   Martial Arts Club
Resource   4   

Flaws: 
1   Bad Luck
2   Greater curse ?
1   Oath Bound:  Earth and Sky students do not indulge in intoxicants.  (-1 Conviction) 
3   Phobia: Spiders
3   Vice:  Yield to Forced Pleasure

Merits: 
2  Enchanting Features II
1  Improved Resistance
1  Mutation: Large
3  Paragon of Compassion


Languages: 
Forest Tongue
High Realm
Old Realm
River Tongue: Nexus Dialect

Attacks: 
Clinch

Punch      
Speed      5
ACC (+1)   7
Damage   8B
Parry DV   4

Blue Thunder
Speed      6
ACC (+1)   4
Damage   8 Bashing or Lethal, Piercing
Range      (As Composite Long Bow)/2
Rate      2

Exceptional Ironwood Short Sword
--Speed      4   
--ACC      +2=   8   
--Damage   +2=   10L
--Defense   +2=   4
--Rate      3

Exceptional Earth and Sky Spear: 
--Speed      5
--ACC      +2   9
--Damage   +4L   12L
--Defense   +2   5
--Rate      2


Defenses: 
Dodge DV      3
Dodge MDV      5
Bashing Soak      12/3
Lethal Soak      12/3
Aggravated Soak   10/3

Health: 
OK   ( )( )
-1   ( )( )( )( )
-2   ( )( )
-4   ( )
I   ( )




Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance. 

Rooted in the earth:  Jade Mountain Form
Climbing the Mountain:  Five Dragon Form
Walking out over the clouds:  Night Breeze Style
In the stillness before the thunderstruck:  Golden Janissary Style
--Paragon Style:  Crimson Pentacle Blade
--Special Training:  Air dragon Style. 

   In the city of Nexus there is an industrial district called Nighthammer.  At all hours of the night and day, forge smoke and saw dust choke the air while grinding saws and hammerfalls ring the ears.  A ways up the hill, there is a gated community called Mountain Breeze Borough surrounded by a 15 foot high ever-graying wall.  Guards stand idily at the gate, not really hassling any one but making their presence known.  Common lore says that they are students of the Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts—a mercenary company consisting of mad men trained in supernatural martial arts. 
   Just the other side of the gate, a stiff breeze bathes you in clean air scented more with mineral water than soot.  The noise is as bad here as anyone else, but the inside of the wall is pristine white.  The craftsmen and their apprentices are clean, health, and often happy.  The ash and sawdust are all caught by the breeze down the mountain and sweapt high into the sky to be scattered over Nexus’s outlying farms. 
   A dozen blocks higher up the hill is another 15 foot high wall with pristine white wash.  It runs to the right ‘til the hill falls steeply off on either side.  Signs hang over the three gates.  The west most, “Healing Springs Bath House, honor the goddess Iniki for her blessing.”  The middle, “Earth and Sky House of Healing: Treating the sick and ministering to the mad since RY 733.”  The east most reads, “Earth and Sky School of Martial Arts, Medicine, and Inner Balance.” 
   The third door leads out onto a grassy lawn surrounded by gardens of flowering herbs tended by acolytes.  Beyond this, is a huge Zen garden.  Classes are held often on the thick, soft sand.  Beyond the garden, is a spacious dojo of first age materials.  Though one story tall with a pagoda on the roof, it descends into the mountain some seven floors.  Crystals and mirrors capture light from the roof to help illuminate the way down, though luminous crystals in paper lanterns help as well.  It is here that Khadavla--grand master of the school—and his acolytes can most often be found instructing students in martial arts and mediation.  Khadavla is a giant.  Nearly nine feet tall, with a back as broad as two blacksmiths.  He usually wears a humble silk Gi, much of his mighty chest bare, giving a view of his spiraling blue tattoos.  A lunar exalt or other member of the silver pact could read those tattoos, see that they spoke of a youth of great deeds and daring adventures among the Silver Shadow barbarians. 
   It is not just fighting that they teach, but discipline, meditation, right action, and serenity.  Sufferers of Delusional Madness have come from all around the river country and beyond to seek Khadavla’s wisdom and his legendary medicine—the night blooming orchid from Silver Shadow lands that can be brewed into Whisper Tea. 
   The acolytes learn all kinds of medicines.  When they reach a certain proficiency, they travel the river country in pentacles of five—or even as loan wanderers—bearing heavy A-frame backpacks filled with medicine for sale, knowlege of medicine to seek out and spread.  This network is also the backbone of the Herbalist’s Alliance for a Healtheir Creation—a loose network of doctors, village midwife’s and tribal shamans who keep tabs on such blights as Shadowlands and the Wyld.     
   The leader of this network is not Khadvla, but Kodachi, owner of the school.  A canny businesswoman with silky black hair that falls to her calves, a lover of roses, and a master of Air Dragon Martial Arts.  She joins her most favored consort Khadavla in instructing students and tending the sick at times, but is also known for business acumen and social clout.  Kodachi—often accompanied by a few favored acolytes and her maid Sakura—keeps her company’s money working for them and maneuvers the ire of the Guild away from her little independent merchant network.  Youthful in body and mind, Kodachi will soon reach the 100th anniversary of her 21st birthday—the 104th aniversery of her exaltation.  She prepared her affairs to handle themselves for a year while she secluded herself for a period of meditation, meaning to raise her Essence to the level where she transcends the normal limits of Exalted power. 
   Sakura is a powerful and playful elemental whose service is sworn to Tepet’s line.  In the form of a little white kitten, she has watched over Kodachi’s daughter Yume since she was a babe.  When the redhead turned sixteen, she struck up a friendship with her in her normal, elfin form, befriending her and introducing her to the pleasures of feminine passion.  Sakura prepares for the day when Kodachi will release her from service so that she may go to another of Tepet’s line.  She has chosen Yume, chosen of the Unconquered Sun, master of Earth and Sky Thunder style, and heir to the school. 
   Yume grew up in the Big House, the second major building of the Healing Springs Manse.  A sprawling veranda of first age materials, with many rooms, two basements, and a hard to find chamber where the manse’s hearthstone coalesces.  The walls of the home are draped in intertwining vines of red and black roses.  These, alone, no acolyte tends—only Kodachi herself. 

[Jefepato]

This sounds completely insane in all the best ways.  I'm vaguely considering a Dawn Caste student teacher or teacher's aide.

Especially if my character ends up stuck doing a lot of the actual teacher's paperwork instead of being the omnitactical battle hydra she was meant to be.  Although it might be even better, school-wise, if I played an Infernal and convinced you to allow a certain Isidoros charmset...

EDIT: By the way, Muse, where'd the Strength/Stamina 6 come from?  It's hardly unbalancing (compared to most printed Exalted material anyway), but I thought somewhere in 2nd edition they nixed mutations adding to attributes during character creation.  (Or if I'm wrong, I need to spend some quality time with the Wyld book immediately.)

[meikle]

*whistles*

related: the exalted 3e kickstarter goes up in two hours!

[Muse]

EDIT: By the way, Muse, where'd the Strength/Stamina 6 come from?  It's hardly unbalancing (compared to most printed Exalted material anyway), but I thought somewhere in 2nd edition they nixed mutations adding to attributes during character creation.  (Or if I'm wrong, I need to spend some quality time with the Wyld book immediately.)

Hi Jefe. 

*shrugs*  That's exactly where it came from.  Haven't seen it nixed anywhere, but I'm not the most knowledgeable.

[AndyZ]

Work in Progress

Name: Sapphire Glory
Caste: Night
Concept: Head Cheerleader
Motivation: Get the Unconquered Sun to notice her long enough to smile at her

Strength 2	Charisma 5	Perception 5
Dexterity 5	Manipulation 3	Intelligence 3
Stamina 2	Appearance 5	Wits 5

Athletics* 5
Awareness* 5 (Initiative +3)
Bureaucracy 1
Dodge* 5 (Zero Mobility Penalty +3)
Integrity* 5
Investigation 3
Larceny* 1
Linguistics 1 (Skytongue and Old Realm)
Lore 3
Martial Arts* 5 (Cheerleading +3)

Cheerleading

Cheerleading in Martial Arts is limited to not using any weapons other than boots or pom poms.  Pom poms count as unarmed punches and clinches are permitted.

Occult* 3
Performance* 5 (Cheerleading +3)
Presence 3
Resistance* 3
Sail 1
Socialize 3
Stealth* 1
Survival 1

Compassion 5 Conviction 5 Temperance 2 Valor 5 Essence 5 Willpower 10

BACKGROUNDS

Cult ••• (Fans)

You are venerated in a large region. Several thou-sand people daily seek your favor or forbearance.  (Characters who are god-kings of a single city have this level of worship.) You may regain one point of temporary Willpower once every 24 hours as a refl exive action. You gain three additional motes of Essence per hour from the power of the cult.  The Realm has heard rumors of your worship.

Influence ••• (Head Cheerleader)

Your character’s fame and power have spread even to neighboring states. The Dragon-Blooded know of her.

Manse ••• (Cheerleader Changing Room)

The changing area for the cheerleaders is a beautiful manse with both fire and water aspects, and is rumored to contain a vast hot spring within the center.  Whether this is true, only the cheerleaders know, and how much of the rumors are true about what goes on there is a secret that won't be easily discovered.

The singular hearthstone within is a combination of Night Vision and the Mind-Cleansing Gem.  It appears as a partially translucent seaa-blue ovoid that appears to bubble just beneath the surface.

Sapphire Grace lives in a large suite on top of the building, with a door blocking stairs down to the rest from guests as well as a stairway entrance.

Gem of Night Vision (Manse •)

As fire gives light in darkness, so the bearer of this clear, crystal cabochon can see in any non-magical darkness as if he had a bonfire… without the need for a light source that might give him away to an enemy.  Even in complete absence of light, the bearer sees clearly out to 10 yards and murkily out to 20 yards.  (See Exalted, p. 135, for rules about poor visibility.)

Mind-Cleansing Gem

This sea-blue topaz dodecahedron helps its bearer to resist all attempts to dominate or influence his mind.
Bearers gain +1 to both their Dodge and Parry MDVs. In addition, if touched to someone who is under any form of unnatural mental influence, the stone gives the target a chance to break free. If the target’s player wins or ties an opposed Willpower roll against the controller, the stone instantly frees her from this mental influence.

Perfected Kata Hearthstone Bracers •••••

A combination of Perfected Kata Bracers and Hearthstone Bracers

PERFECTED KATA BRACERS ••••

Perfected kata bracers are prayer strips crafted of a single magical material and curled into bracers.  The strips’ sutras are starmetal engravings, except in starmetal bracers—they use orichalcum.  Attunement costs eight motes. When the character activates a Form-type Charm, the sutras inscribed on the bracers glow and lift from the artifact to engulf the character in light for a brief moment. For the rest of the scene, she gains several benefits.
She adds her Essence to the accuracy, damage and defense of her unarmed attacks and of attacks made with the active Form-type Charm’s particular weapons. She may choose to inflict bashing or lethal damage at will and she may parry lethal attacks unarmed. In addition:
Orichalcum bracers let Solars inflict aggravated damage on creatures of darkness.

HEARTHSTONE BRACERS(ARTIFACT••)

Another common survivor of the First Age (and still manufactured occasionally the Dragon-Blooded), hearthstone bracers provide powerful defensive bonuses to the Exalt who wear them. These bracers come as a pair, one of which has a setting for a single hearthstone and the other of which is imbued with magical power. These powers work only for an Exalt of the appropriate type.
Hearthstone bracers require the commitment of four motes of Essence to activate them—two motes for each bracer. A bracer mustbe worn with its mate and will not activate unless worn as a pair.  Regardless of construction, hearthstone bracers provide a three-die bonus to dodge attempts made by an attuned user.
Orichalcum: Ornately wrought in homage to the Unconquered Sun, these bracers cause the Solar Exalt who wears them to strike with the surety and power of the Unconquered Sun. All of the character’s attacks have their damage increased by two dice while he is wearing the bracers.

Salary ••

Solid salary. You have a small townhouse or a large apartment in an unfashionable neighborhood.  You always have a smorgasbord for your pleasure.  The Quintessence in your pay still outweighs the Ambrosia. You have Resources ••• in Heaven and •••• in Creation, though exercising the latter in full could earn you trouble. This is standard pay for Sidereals.

Spies • (Yu-Shan Cheerleaders in the High School)

Your character knows how to contact and use a few agents in a town or small kingdom (Creation or Underworld).

Transformative Silken Armor •••

This artifact is a combination of Transformative Clothing and Silken Armor.  Sapphire Glory most often uses the designs of a skintight leotard, a cheerleading outfit or her school uniform.

TRANSFORMATIVE CLOTHING (ARTIFACT •)

Some of the more vain Artisans wished to make certain that they were always properly dressed for any occasion. To meet this need, skilled crafters wove the first suits of transformative clothing. This clothing is made from an Essence-sensitive fabric including threads of spun jade and moonsilver. In its basic form, it resembles a finely made tunic of synthetic silk. When the wearer spends one mote, however, she can cause the fabric to shape itself to her will, expanding and contracting the weave, altering its color, texture and shape to fit her precise specifications. It can become everything from a single glove or hat to an elaborate and multi-layered suit of elaborate courtly garb.  The wearer can also spend one mote to cause the garment to almost instantly clean itself and repair any damage.
This transformation is exceptionally rapid, requiring only a miscellaneous action (5, -1 DV). To either duplicate a garment she has seen before or design one of her own, the wearer must make a (Wits + Craft [Wood]) roll, with a failure indicating that the garment looks significantly different from the desired result.  This artifact can duplicate any appearance it has ever held without requiring a roll, however. An ordinary suit of this clothing is a one-dot Artifact that can protect the wearer from heat and cold but has no value as armor.

SILKEN ARMOR (ARTIFACT••)

This unusual cloth is woven from the silk of Essence spiders (see p. 151) Although the fabric has the weight and texture of silk and can be made into any garment that silk can, it is as strong as steel when struck. Even a light tunic, robe or cloak of the stuff makes effective armor. It is the clothing of choice for those who need its protection but cannot be seen wearing obvious armor.
Unlike other forms of armor, silken armor stacks with other forms of armor. It cannot be detected as magical without the use of some magic-sensing Charm such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight. Silken armor also can be worn while performing Martial Arts styles that normally prohibit the use of armor. Anyone can wear silken armor, but it remains somewhat stiff unless attuned to the wearer’s Essence.

Unsurpassed Pom Poms ••

The pom poms are made of a mixture of silk and orichalcum pressed so fine as to be soft and flexible as ordinary pom poms.  Despite the fragile appearance, they are as indestructible as other artifacts and aid in cheerleading performances.  Combining the two for three motes, using these pom poms adds two successes to Performance rolls.  These add to whatever bonus an Exalted player can add through Charms.
When held during a Martial Arts attack, the Exalt counts as unarmed, but the pom poms have no mechanical effect upon martial arts attacks.

Based upon The Unsurpassed Sanxian, listed below.

The Unsurpassed Sanxian

This sanxian is made of polished kauri wood and strung with silver and gold. The snakeskin covering
its soundbox came from a serpent-god. The soul of an old master performer is bound into the strings, which
never break or need tuning, and aids performances. When attuned for three motes, playing this sanxian
adds two successes to Performance rolls. These add to whatever bonus an Exalted player can add through
Charms. Any duffer can sound good playing this sanxian; a Solar musician could make Deathlords weep
or call stars from the skies.

DANGER SENSE 5

Cost: 5 pts.
Availability:Anyone
Your character has a knack for sensing treachery and other impending dangers. For three points, a two-die bonus is gained on all Perception-based rolls for the character to detect ambushes, traps and other hidden dangers and also on Join Battle rolls. For five points, the character in addition never loses his Dodge DV as a result of surprise, though he can lose his Parry DV if he does not have a weapon drawn. Furthermore, his player adds three dice to all rolls for the character to evade hidden dangers (such as a [Dexterity + Athletics] roll for the character to catch onto the edge of a pit trap and avoid falling in).

Equipment and Intimacies still needed

CHARMS

Martial Arts

Martial Arts Triumphant

Cost:2m per success; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwav-ering perfection. The Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm
when making a roll based on the relevant Ability.The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder.Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two.  This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one.The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.

Supreme Perfection of Martial Arts

Cost: —; Mins: (Ability) 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mirror (Supreme Perfection of [Ability])
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Any (Ability) Excellency
This Charm permanently alters the cost of the Solar Excellencies associated with the Ability this Charm is purchased for.
The First Excellency’s cost becomes “one mote per two dice added,” while the Second Excellency’s cost becomes “one mote per success added” and the Third Excellency’s cost drops to a flat three motes. Fractional values are lost; for example, a Solar with Dexterity 4, Melee 5 who spent five motes on the First or Second Excellency would add nine dice or four successes, respectively. The cost discount of this Charm applies to all ac-tivations of the Solar’s Excellencies for the appropriate Ability.
Supreme Perfection of (Ability) is incompatible with any other Charm which provides cost discounts to the Excellencies, such as Infinite (Ability) Mastery.

Striking Cobra Technique

Cost:3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Supple-mental
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
For its first bite, the snake is most feared. This Charm supplements a Join Battle action, adding a number of automatic successes to the character’s Join Battle roll equal to his Martial Arts score.

Fists of Iron Technique

Cost:1m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords:Combo-OK, Enhanced
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:None
The Solar infuses her hands with the strength of her Essence and strikes like the Unconquered Sun. This Charm enhances an unarmed Martial Arts attack, improving its Accuracy by one and its Damage by two and making its damage lethal. The Solar can parry lethal hand-to-hand attacks without a stunt until his next action.
Enhancement:This Charm adds the magical material benefits of orichalcum to the Solar’s natural attacks while Solar Hero Form is active.

Thunderclap Rush Attack

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Martial-Ready
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fists of Iron Technique
This Charm drops a supplemented attack’s Speed to 3.
Martial-ready:Archery, Melee, Thrown.

Pain Is Pleasure Method

Cost:1m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type:Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:None
This charm momentarily alters the martial artist's perception of pain and pleasure, invigorating her when injuries should be debilitating.  It may be activated whenever the character takes damage. For every health level she suffers, she regains a number of motes equal to her Essence (or half that number, if the damage is bashing).

Sensuous Torment

Cost:1m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type:Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:None
The martial artist thrills to the torment that her pitiful enemies fear. This Charm may be activated whenever the character takes damage. For every health level she suffers so gladly, she regains a number of motes equal to her Essence (or half that number, if the damage is bashing).

Lingering Bliss

Cost:2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:Pain Is Pleasure Method
Extending its prerequisite outward, the martial artist gives her target a measure of pleasurable sensation which builds with repeated touches.
On a successful attack, the character may give the target a -1 pleasure penalty for the rest of the scene.  This counts as a wound penalty for all mechanics, but stacks with wound penalties accrued in other ways.  Lingering Bliss can be used more than once per target, but the cumulative addition to wound penalty can never rise above an amount equal to the martial artist’s Martial Arts score.
Add wound and pleasure penalties together before comparing abilities which negate wound penalties.  For example, a character with 2 points of wound penalties and 3 points of pleasure penalties would have a total of -5, and being able to ignore 4 points of wound penalty would still leave a -1.
Because she is accustomed to her own methods, the character cannot use this Charm on herself.

Kiss of the Whip

Cost:2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:Sensuous Torment
With a predatory smile, the martial artist lashes her foe with vicious exactitude, making him cry out in shocked agony.
On a successful attack, the character may add an extra -1 to her target’s wound penalty for the rest of the scene. Kiss of the Whip can be used more than once per target, but the cumulative addition to wound penalty can never rise above an amount equal to the martial artist’s Martial Arts score.
Therefore, an Abyssal with Martial Arts 5 whose target was at a -2 wound penalty already could not inflict a greater total wound penalty than -7.
Because she is accustomed to her own methods, the character cannot use this Charm on herself.

Quivering Rapture Form

Cost:5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type:Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration:One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Lingering Bliss
Every touch and every object becomes the caress and stroke of a talented lover.  When she is injured, her wound penalty is reversed. Instead of subtracting, it adds a number of dice equal to the penalty to every combat-related roll her player attempts, to a maximum bonus equal to her Essence score.
Even Virtue bonuses are affected, so the player adds those same bonus dice to the number of dice she receives when she channels Willpower through her Compassion, Conviction and Valor. (She must subtract them from any Temperance bonuses, though.) The Quivering Rapture Style martial artist also adds her Martial Arts to her raw bashing damage.

Laughing Wounds Form

Cost:5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type:Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration:One scene
Prerequisite Charms:Kiss of the Whip
Even as blood runs down his skin, the Abyssal laughs savagely, whirling undaunted through the battle like a scar-let-streaked demon. When he is injured, his wound penalty is reversed. Instead of subtracting, it adds a number of dice equal to the penalty to every combat-related roll his player attempts, to a maximum bonus equal to his Essence score.
Even Virtue bonuses are affected, so the player adds those same bonus dice to the number of dice he receives when he channels Willpower through his Conviction, Temperance and Valor. (He must subtract them from any Compassion bonuses, though.) The Laughing Wounds Style martial artist also adds his Martial Arts to his raw bashing damage.

Forever In Your Arms

Cost:4m; Mins:Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
Duration:Varies
Prerequisite Charms: Quivering Rapture Form
People restrained by the martial artist find themselves unwilling to break free.  To those attracted to the martial artist, this is a loving caress, a beautiful moment to be shared.  To others, the feeling is that of submission, demanding stillness and obedience.
The character may apply this Charm to any clinch attack. If the character succeeds, then—as long as she maintains the mote commitment—her target no longer truly wants to free himself from her grip. The target must spend one Willpower just for his player to attempt the roll to gain control of the clinch, and the roll takes the Solar’s Appearance as an internal penalty. If the target intends to use control of the clinch to do anything other than break free—such as crush the Solar or hold her helpless—then he need not spend Willpower or take the penalty.

Rapture in Chains

Cost:4m; Mins:Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
Duration:Varies
Prerequisite Charms:Laughing Wounds Form
People restrained by the martial artist find themselves unwilling to break free. The character may apply this Charm to any clinch attack. If the character succeeds, then—as long as she maintains the mote commitment—her target no longer truly wants to free himself from her grip. The target must spend one Willpower just for his player to attempt the roll to gain control of the clinch, and the roll takes the Abyssal’s Appearance as an internal penalty. If the target intends to use control of the clinch to do anything other than break free—such as crush the Abyssal or hold her helpless—then he need not spend Willpower or take the penalty.

Eternal Orgasm Prana

Cost:4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling
Duration:One scene
Prerequisite Charms:Rapture in Chains
At this level of power, the bliss builds into an incapacitating cascade. On a successful attack, the martial artist may spend four motes to force her enemy into an orgasm that can last for minutes. The target’s player rolls (Stamina + Integrity) with an external penalty of the Solar’s Martial Arts. If the roll fails, the target falls prone and cannot make his legs work properly unless the martial artist releases him. She can stalk around him, chiding, mocking and beating him as she wishes. Since her victim can’t stand or shift his legs due to the overwhelming pleasure, he cannot use his Dodge DV at all. Any physical action he manages to take suffers a -2 external penalty, and his Parry DV decreases by two. The target may spend a Willpower point for a (Stamina + Integrity) reroll, but if he fails again, he remains at the martial artist’s mercy.

Groveling Penitence Prana

Cost:4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type:Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling
Duration:One scene
Prerequisite Charms:Rapture in Chains
Daring to oppose a master of the Laughing Wounds Style is like begging for humiliation. On a successful attack, the Abyssal may spend four motes to force her enemy’s immediate submission. The target’s player rolls (Stamina + Integrity) with an external penalty of the Abyssal’s Martial Arts. If the roll fails, the target falls to his knees and cannot move from that spot unless the martial artist releases him. She can stalk around him, chiding, mocking and beating him as she wishes. Since her victim can’t stand or shift his legs, he cannot use his Dodge DV at all. Any physical action he manages to take suffers a -2 external penalty, and his Parry DV decreases by two. The target may spend a Willpower point for a (Stamina + Integrity) reroll, but if he fails again, he remains at the martial artist’s mercy.

Integrity

Integrity Triumphant

Cost:2m per success; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwav-ering perfection. The Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm
when making a roll based on the relevant Ability.The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder.Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two.  This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one.The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.

Phoenix Renewal Tactic

Cost:—; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords:None
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any Integrity Excellency
From every Solar’s heart flows an infinite stream of arete—excellence, Virtue and raw commitment to life. The player picks one Virtue when purchasing this Charm and can purchase this Charm multiple times to cover additional Virtues. Whenever the Solar would otherwise recover one or more Willpower points from stunts or natural recovery, this Charm gives the character the option to recover one point (one channel) of the chosen Virtue instead. The Storyteller may veto Virtue recovery from stunts opposed to that Virtue, such as the restoration of a Compassion point garnered from ripping an enemy’s heart out of his chest.

Investigation

Investigation Triumphant

Cost:2m per success; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwav-ering perfection. The Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm
when making a roll based on the relevant Ability.The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder.Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two.  This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one.The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.

Judge's Ear Technique

Cost: 3m; Mins:  Investigation 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords:  Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Any Investigation Excellency
The Lawgivers are the guardians of truth.  This Charm allows the character to recognize as lies all deliberate lies presented to her. The character can also recognize the deliberate use of half-truths, though doing so does not tell her which part of the statement is true. If another Charm contests these effects (see p. 179), add the character’s Essence in automatic successes to the (Perception + Investigation) roll to oppose the other Charm.

Performance

Performance Triumphant

Cost:2m per success; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwav-ering perfection. The Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm
when making a roll based on the relevant Ability.The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder.Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two.  This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one.The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.

Supreme Perfection of Performance

Cost: —; Mins: (Ability) 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mirror (Supreme Perfection of [Ability])
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Any (Ability) Excellency
This Charm permanently alters the cost of the Solar Excellencies associated with the Ability this Charm is purchased for.
The First Excellency’s cost becomes “one mote per two dice added,” while the Second Excellency’s cost becomes “one mote per success added” and the Third Excellency’s cost drops to a flat three motes. Fractional values are lost; for example, a Solar with Dexterity 4, Melee 5 who spent five motes on the First or Second Excellency would add nine dice or four successes, respectively. The cost discount of this Charm applies to all ac-tivations of the Solar’s Excellencies for the appropriate Ability.
Supreme Perfection of (Ability) is incompatible with any other Charm which provides cost discounts to the Excellencies, such as Infinite (Ability) Mastery.

Phantom-Conjuring Performance

Cost:—; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Duration:Variable
Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency
Essence enhances the Solar’s arts. This Charm allows the Solar to create ghostly images, Essence flares, ethereal music and strange sensory effects when using a Performance Excellency or Presence Excellency. These effects do not seem entirely real, they remain within (Essence x 10) yards of the Solar, and they cannot be used to confuse or deceive others without a stunt. This Charm has no cost, but the Solar need not use its effects.
At Performance and Essence 4+ a Solar with this Charm may personalize the expressions of his iconic anima displays, changing its appearance each time it flares up.

Heart-Compelling Method

Cost:6m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords:Combo-OK, Emotion, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency
The Solar Exalted rise above the common through their understanding of others’ desires. This Charm supplements a Performance-based roll to rouse emotion in others. It exerts unnatural mental influence on every valid target of this roll. If their MDV is less than the extra successes on the roll, this Charm inspires the desired emotion intensely for a scene. Resisting the influence costs two Willpower.

Memory-Reweaving Discipline

Cost:10m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2; Type: Simple
(Speed 5 in long ticks)
Keywords:Combo-OK, Illusion, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Phantom-Conjuring Performance, Heart-Compelling Method
The Lawgivers define others’ reality. This Charm is a Performance-based social attack that encourages a specific belief—for example, overwriting the audience’s memories and convincing them that the Solar has always lived in their town. This Charm exerts unnatural mental influence on every valid target of this roll. If their MDV is less than the extra successes on the roll, this Charm inspires them to believe. It also creates an instant commitment (see p. 201) to that belief. Shaking off the illusion requires one Willpower per scene, and the effect lasts until the targets break their commitment to the false belief.

Demon-Wracking Glory - All three methods

Cost:variable +1wp; Mins:Performance 5, Essence 3;
Type:Simple (Speed 6, DV -2)
Keywords:Combo-Basic, Holy, Illusion, Mirror (Demon-Wracking Glory), Obvious
Duration:Instant (see below)
Prerequisite Charms: Phantom-Conjuring Performance
This Charm expands Phantom-Conjuring Performance. The maximum radius for evoking unnatural effects extends to (Essence x 100) yards, or (Essence – 5) miles if the Solar has Essence 6+. More importantly, the Exalt may use these effects to cause physical injury to creatures of darkness within (Essence x 10) yards, but leaves all other creatures unharmed. The Charm causes harm through blatantly supernatural and suitably Solar effects. Attacks take the form of bright fires, scorching beams of sunlight, phantom executioners and the like.
Demon-Wracking Glory inflicts harm in three ways.  The Solar chooses between them each time she uses the Charm. Two methods last as long as the Solar continues to sing, play, orate or the like, and spends Essence each action to maintain the Charm. The third is an instant attack. For each form, however, the Solar’s player must roll (Charisma + Performance) to initiate the attack. A character gains one attack form when she learns the Charm. Additional applications cost an additional experience point each, or all three attack forms for one bonus point. A character can use only one attack form at a time. Activating the Charm costs Willpower. Continuing it merely costs Essence (for the two continuing effects).
Area, Continuing:The Solar inflicts one level of lethal damage per two motes spent each action, to a maximum of (Essence) damage. Targets can soak this damage only with Stamina or soak-enhancing Charms. The Solar’s lethal performance affects everyone whose Dodge MDV is less than the number of successes from the attack roll.  Continuing the attack counts as the character’s Charm use for each action.
Single Target, Continuing:The Solar’s chosen victim suffers one level of unsoakable lethal damage per action that the Solar continues the Charm. This effect costs three motes per action. The initial attack roll must exceed the victim’s Dodge MDV. Continuing the attack counts as the character’s Charm use for each action.
Single Target, Instant: The Solar spends up to her (Stamina + Essence) in motes and inflicts that many dice of lethal damage, plus extra successes from the attack roll.  The target can resist this damage only with Stamina or soak-enhancing Charms. The attack cannot be parried without a Charm or stunt, but it can be dodged like a normal ranged attack.

Husband-Seducing Demon Dance

Cost:10m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 6 in long ticks)
Keywords:Combo-OK, Emotion, Obvious, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Heart-Compelling Method
In answer to the call of the Solar Exalted, in ancient times, people gave up their homes and families and marched to war. Some Lawgivers gave speeches and shone with the sun’s radiance, but others called their servants with beauty—piping, dancing or playing at the harp, wordlessly and terribly calling their soldiers to their deaths.
The Solar gives a performance, her player rolling ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Performance) and adding her Appearance in bonus dice. This Charm exerts unnatural mental influence on all who witness it. Characters with Mental DV less than the Solar’s successes must spend two Willpower or fall instantly in love either with the Solar or something the Solar represents. This effect does not depend on gender or sexual preference. Targets incapable of sexual attraction to the Solar suffer starry-eyed infatuation or dedication to the Solar’s cause rather than romantic desire. This love is a form of commitment (see p. 201). Targets can break the commitment naturally but they must spend one Willpower in each scene where they deliberately attempt to shake it off.

Immanent Solar Glory

Cost:—; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar draws strength from the harmonious governance of Creation. The greater the social structure he commands, the more Essence he may wield. This Charm allows the Solar to recover motes by tending to the affairs of a kingdom, organization or social or military unit he leads. Each hour spent inspiring the people or performing administrative tasks allows the Solar to recover motes equal to the unit’s Magnitude.
In addition, each purchase of this Charm increases the character’s Peripheral Essence pool by 10 motes. This Essence cannot be committed to an artifact. The character cannot recover this Essence normally—he can refill this pool only through the technique above and with Essence-recovery Charms. The player may purchase this Charm a total number of times equal to the Exalt’s Essence.

Resistance

Ox-Body Technique

Cost:—; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Exalted are like the mountains: not easily worn down by such mortal things as men. This Charm gives the Lawgiver additional health levels.
A player may purchase this Charm up to once per dot of the Resistance Ability her character possesses. Each purchase provides one of the following, at the player’s option, determined at the time of purchase:
• One -1 health level and two -2 health levels

Invincible Essence Reinforcement

Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Undertaking a grueling regimen of endurance training, the Solar folds Essence into his body until his skin becomes hard enough to turn aside blades. The Lawgiver’s natural lethal and bashing soak calculations become (Stamina + 3). This Charm may be purchased up to a total of (Resistance) times; each purchase after the first adds 3 to the character’s natural lethal and bashing soak.
With Essence 4+, the Solar also gains natural lethal and bashing hardness equal to the number of times he has purchased this Charm.

Athletics

Athletics Resurgent

THIRD (ABILITY) EXCELLENCY—
ESSENCE RESURGENT
Cost:4m; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step
4 for attacker, Step 6 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Exalted with this Charm recover smoothly from failure. An Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm after making a roll based on the relevant Ability. This Charm allows her player to make the roll again, using the new result if the Exalt prefers it.  The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance static values derived from the relevant Ability. Doing so increases the character’s effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by the Ability rating. This means that the Essence Resurgent Excellency increases an applicable DV by half the relevant Ability.

Graceful Crane Stance

Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 1, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar Exalted are as graceful as sunlight on water.
This Charm lets the Exalt automatically succeed on any valid Athletics action to keep his balance. Moreover, this Charm allows the Exalt to keep his footing on any surface at least as strong and wide as a human hair. He treats it as a three-foot-wide ledge capable of supporting a thousand pounds of weight when determining what movement and Athletics actions he can take and what penalties to them might apply.

Monkey Leap Technique

Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 1, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
The heroes of the dawn leap with the grace of a flying crane and the speed of a striking hawk. For the rest of the scene, the character can jump with a movement action instead of a miscellaneous action, and she doubles the length of all jumps.

Awareness

Awareness Resurgent

THIRD (ABILITY) EXCELLENCY—
ESSENCE RESURGENT
Cost:4m; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step
4 for attacker, Step 6 for defender)
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Exalted with this Charm recover smoothly from failure. An Exalt’s player can invoke this Charm after making a roll based on the relevant Ability. This Charm allows her player to make the roll again, using the new result if the Exalt prefers it.  The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance static values derived from the relevant Ability. Doing so increases the character’s effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by the Ability rating. This means that the Essence Resurgent Excellency increases an applicable DV by half the relevant Ability.

Panoptic Fusion Discipline

Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Any Awareness Excellency

The Solar's supernal senses expand and his mind speeds up to process a thousand myriad details in a split second. Opponents attempting to strike a Lawgiver using this Charm appear to be moving in slow motion. All of the character's attacks are enhanced as though he had just spent three ticks accumulating dice with an Aim action (as a result, the character may not normally benefit from a true Aim action while this Charm is active), and his DVs are raised by 1 against all physical attacks of which he is aware. None of these bonuses count as dice added by a Charm.
With Essence 3+, each tick the lawgiver spends Aiming while Panoptic Fusion Discipline is active converts one die provided by this Charm into an automatic success; his opponents seem to slow even more, until their anticipated actions are outlined in golden contrails before the eyes of the Lawgiver.

Dodge

Reed in the Wind

Cost: —; Mins: Dodge 2, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Solar Exalted understand the humble wisdom of the reed and the willow. The greater the force directed against them, the more nimble they become to avoid harm. Whenever the Lawgiver uses his Dodge DV to avoid a physical attack, he adds a bonus equal to half the attacker’s Essence, rounded up. This bonus counts as dice added by a Charm

Linguistics

Whirling Brush Method

Cost: 4m; Mins: Linguistics 1, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords:Combo-OK
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The diplomats of the Unconquered Sun write with a swift and elegant hand. This Charm supplements a dramatic action to write something down—be it a copy of an existing book, the transcript of a live conversation or an original work. This Charm allows the character to write at (her Essence x 10) times her normal speed. Instead of dedicating 30 hours to copying a manuscript, an Essence 2 character might finish it in an hour and a half. Instead of six hours writing and polishing a treaty, an Essence 3 Eclipse might prepare it in 12 minutes.

STATS

P: Speed 5 - Accuracy 18 - Damage +9 -	PDV 10	- Rate 3 - N
K: Speed 5 - Accuracy 17 - Damage +12 -	PDV 8	- Rate 2 - N
C: Speed 6 - Accuracy 17 - Damage +9B -		- Rate 1 - C, N, P

Dodge DV 11+Reed in the Wind - Mental DV 11
Bashing 8 Lethal 10 Aggravated 3 Hardness 1

-0:	[ ]
-1:	[ ] [ ] [ ]
-2:	[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
-4:	[ ]
Inc:	[ ]

Personal Essence:	25 / 25
Peripheral Essence:	45 / 45  62 total
Immanent Solar Glory:	10/10
Anima:	0

Willpower: O O O O O O O O O O

Compassion:	[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Conviction:	[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Valor:	[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Limit: Heart of Flint - The character is frustrated by the intemperate or childish nature of the world around him.
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

XP Spent: 0

[Jefepato]

Sadly, it appears that the Wyld book (page 158) does say that mutations bought in character creation don't increase your attributes (it's assumed they're already factored in).  You'd think they could've figured that out in time to put it in the corebook (it was a kinda obvious issue even in the 1e Player's Guide) instead of hiding it in a paperback most of us don't really use much.

...Hm.  The Scroll of Heroes is pretty vague on the topic of (non-Half-Caste) God-Blooded Exalted.  Maybe there are ideas worth considering here.  (If you'd rather I not mess with such ideas, kongming, let me know and I'll find something saner to do.)

[AndyZ]

Would a shy Night gymnast cheerleader work okay?

Edit: reading through, may or may not actually stick to the shy part

[Jefepato]

Hm, so, basic character concept.  I should go over this again, I would've liked to afford a few more Athletics charms.  (Also, I keep finding myself thinking that maybe a Sidereal or GSP would be more fun after all.  My brain is full of terrible notions.)

How long are the odds on a high-ranking student council member not having many qualifications beyond the specific requirements you set, kongming?  Because there's something potentially hilarious about making a student council president who might be kind of a whimsical jerk (I am honestly tempted to scrap this character and go that way instead).

EDIT: For those skimming the thread and seeing what characters are already in the works, I ended up going with a different (and much less violent, at least physically) character, posted further down.  I'm leaving this here because I don't really want to delete something I spent time working on.

Character Sheet

Name: Bitter Shrike
Caste: Dawn
Anima: A screaming bird spreads its wings, clutching a thistle stem in both talons
Motivation: Be acknowledged as the foremost warleader of the Exalted host
Intimacies: The Unconquered Sun (Quiet Awe and Gratitude), the Maidens (Wary Respect), younger students (Tough Love), Shining Barrator (Admiration), Fair Folk (Contempt)

Attributes:
Strength 5
Dexterity 6
Stamina 5
Charisma 5
Manipulation 1
Appearance 4
Perception 2
Intelligence 2
Wits 5

Abilities:
*Archery 5 (Powerbows +3)
*Martial Arts 5 (Unarmed +3)
*Melee 5 (Swords +3)
*Thrown 5
*War 5

Integrity 5
Performance 1
*Presence 3
*Resistance 5
Survival 1

Craft
Investigation
Lore 1
Medicine
Occult 2

*Athletics 5 (Acrobatics +1)
*Awareness 4 (Join Battle +3)
*Dodge 5 (Unarmored +3)
Larceny
Stealth

Bureaucracy 1
Linguistics 2 (Native: Forest-tongue; Riverspeak, Old Realm)
Ride
Sail
Socialize 1

Backgrounds:
Artifact 3 (orichalcum grand daiklave)
Artifact 3 (orichalcum long powerbow)
Artifact 2 (orichalcum hearthstone bracers)
Artifact 1 (orichalcum sling of deadly prowess)
Backing 4 (student council -- includes two free dots from vice presidency)
Influence 4 (student council vice president)
Influence 3 (student teacher)
Manse 2 (very nice dorm room in the Tower of the Beacon -- yields a Jewel of the Lawgiver's Authority)
Salary 1 (from student teaching)

Merits:
Double-Jointed (3 pts.)
Legendary Dexterity (3 pts.)
Omnidexterity (2 pts.)

Flaws:
Code of Honor (2 pts.)

Virtues:
Compassion 3
Conviction 5
Temperance 3
Valor 5

Virtue Flaw: Self-Aggrandizing Sulk
Limit: 0/10

Willpower: 10/10

Essence: 5
Personal Motes: 25/25
Peripheral Motes: 47/47 (not including commited motes)
Committed Motes: 14

Charms:
Martial Arts:
Fists of Iron Technique
Dragon Coil Technique

Melee:
First Melee Excellency
Infinite Melee Mastery
Perfected Battle Array
Hungry Tiger Technique
Dipping Swallow Defense
Bulwark Stance
Fivefold Bulwark Stance
Heavenly Guardian Defense

Thrown:
Flashing Draw Mastery
Swarm-Culling Instinct
Shrike Saving Discretion

War:
Elegant Dance of Bow and Blade
Dawn King's Strife

Integrity:
Integrity-Protecting Prana

Presence:
Second Presence Excellency

Resistance:
Ox-Body Technique
Durability of Oak Meditation
Iron Skin Concentration
Iron Kettle Body

Occult:
Spirit-Detecting Glance
Spirit-Cutting Attack

Athletics:
Second Athletics Excellency

Awareness:
Second Awareness Excellency
Panoptic Fusion Discipline

Dodge:
Third Dodge Excellency
Reflex Sidestep Technique

Backstory and Flavor Text

Appearance:
Shrike is a pretty, dark-skinned young lady, with matching bright green hair and eyes.  She moves like a predator, all lean muscle and fluid, impossible grace, and her gaze tends to leave people with the unsettling impression that she's sizing up how best to kill or at least disable them with whatever tools are handy, regardless of the occasion.  She prefers to wear her hair short, around chin-length, and her ever-present arsenal (orichalcum and otherwise) tends to obscure the fact that she doesn't really care much about fashion and usually dresses in earth tones under all the magical gold.  Like most Haltans, she goes barefoot whenever socially acceptable.

Background:
Born near the southern border of Halta, Shrike was the child of two senior monitors.  She grew up happy enough, although she had to learn to defend herself at a young age just in case (and her parents occasionally spoke of seeking reassignment somewhere safer) -- not to mention how to keep a sharp lookout and always, always watch her step.

Everything went completely to hell when Shrike was 13.  A Linowan raiding party had apparently gotten word of just where their attempts at infiltration were being cut off, and they soon tore into the village; in the havoc, Shrike's parents were sent crashing helplessly to the forest floor along with a sizable chunk of their residence.  By the time Shrike stopped crying and screaming long enough to wonder why she was glowing, she was beating the last of the invaders to death with a redwood branch.

After spending the better part of a year making a thorough mess of things in Creation's Northeast, Shrike's dreams led her further south, to the lands where her past self had been buried.  A harried Sidereal, eager to get the new school's proof of concept in motion, met her at the tomb's entrance and offered to help Shrike secure her birthright...if she'd agree to accept a scholarship to Yu-Shan High.

Shrike joined one of the school's first classes, and fortunately, the years have mellowed her out a bit even as her rage-driven instincts propelled her to a well-regarded position in martial education.  She sits on the student council partly because of seniority, but mostly because she feels the need to keep her politics-happy peers "honest" and within the effective range of her inability to tolerate bullshit.  Still, she spends most of her time training or coaching her peers and juniors in the ins and outs of Exalted violence.  It is, as she likes to point out, the only thing that's ever really changed the world.

[Yano2mch]

Alas I have not yet read through the core rulebook, however I will try and do that quickly; If you get the game going without me then I'll just have to be happy finding a PathFinder game instead :P

Course I'd love to play in this one form what I've read so far...

[AndyZ]

So what kind of influence would I get as the head cheerleader for fourth year?

[kongming]

AndyZ: that one just requires having Influence 2+ (you can have more) and Manse 1 (the changing room becomes your personal manse). Those are the only requirements, though having good Performance, Athletics, Dex and App would be recommended. The benefits gained from such would be:

• One free dot in either Spies, Contacts or Allies (other cheerleaders - the ones that aren't looking for an opportunity for battlefield promotion)
  
• One free Charm that enhances Performance or Athletics.

Just so people know I'm going to be fairly lenient with handing out free stuff. And at first, you might find that some are loyal to you, others... less so, and you'll be required to assert your dominance from time to time to keep them in line. Eventually this may result in gaining them as a small militia.

Night works pretty well for a Gymnast, yeah.

Yano: there's plenty of time, not to worry.

Jefe: yes, you can be a Student Council President who happens to have zero interest in furthering the agenda of the school and absolute interest in throwing parties and such.

[Yano2mch]

Alright, give me a few days to go over the rulebook, once I get a feel for the system I'll make a character.

[Jefepato]

Okay, although I do like Shrike I think I'm going to start drafting an Isidorite Fiend student council president and see how hard I'm laughing when I'm done.

I anticipate excellent results.

BTW, can a non-Sidereal only get access to Salary by means of a job (e.g. student teacher) with the school?  It's so much better than Resources...

[AndyZ]

AndyZ: that one just requires having Influence 2+ (you can have more) and Manse 1 (the changing room becomes your personal manse). Those are the only requirements, though having good Performance, Athletics, Dex and App would be recommended. The benefits gained from such would be:

• One free dot in either Spies, Contacts or Allies (other cheerleaders - the ones that aren't looking for an opportunity for battlefield promotion)
  
• One free Charm that enhances Performance or Athletics.

Just so people know I'm going to be fairly lenient with handing out free stuff. And at first, you might find that some are loyal to you, others... less so, and you'll be required to assert your dominance from time to time to keep them in line. Eventually this may result in gaining them as a small militia.

Night works pretty well for a Gymnast, yeah.

Righteous.

You mentioned being good with custom Charms.  With your okay, I'd like to change Laughing Wounds from a study of pain to a study of pleasure.  No mechanics would change except for the Form (penalizing Temperance instead of Compassion) and people with resistance to wound penalties would still be able to ignore lingering pleasure, but the theme would change.  Like, Groveling Penitence Prana sets it up so that people fall into submission unless they can resist a roll, and would instead start having an orgasm that keeps going for as long as she maintains the power.  Likewise, Rapture in Chains would be her making out with them while keeping them pinned.  I'm really only looking at those two, the Form and the prereqs to the form if that sounds okay by you.

I'll probably have a few other interesting twists (I need to figure out what the pom poms will do) but wanted to clear that with you first.

Edit: Also, does it have to only be a 1 dot manse?

[Wheresmycow]

Sidereal student council president... so tempting... urk.  Though a Lunar or Infernal in that position would be quite amusing to see.

[Jefepato]

Subject to previous inquiries (Salary sure would be nice just to make this even more unreasonable), here's a draft of a much better character than that crappy Dawn Caste I posted upthread, and most certainly the best possible choice for the student council presidency!

(She's lucky the Unconquered Sun didn't nuke her with the Godspear the moment she walked into Yu-Shan, really.)

Character Sheet

Name: Jewelled Whisper
Caste: Fiend
Favored Yozi: Isidoros
Anima: A twisted nimbus of deep, shimmering green and purple, marred by the pitch-black silhouette of a mask with a lopsided grin
Unwoven Coadjutator: Firmin
Motivation: Experience the greatest pleasures in all the worlds.
Urge: Destabilize Yu-Shan High into a mess of ineffective activities and enjoyably pointless carousing (Isidorite).
Intimacies: Food (Politely Refined Gluttony), alcohol (Consuming Addiction), recreational drugs (Eagerness), sex (Joyous Indulgence), sleep (Relaxed Happiness), the student body of Yu-Shan High (Amused Affection), the Ebon Dragon (It's Complicated)

Attributes:
Strength 2(5)
Dexterity 5(9)
Stamina 5(8)
Charisma 5
Manipulation 6(7)
Appearance 6(7)
Perception 2
Intelligence 3
Wits 3

Abilities:
Archery
Martial Arts 1
Melee
Thrown 1
War

Integrity 1 (Ignoring Reasonable Points +3)
*Performance 5 (My Fellow Students... +3)
*Presence 5 (Against Best Interests +3)
*Resistance 5 (Recreational Substances +3)
Survival 1

Craft (Water) 1
Investigation 1
*Lore 5 (Passing Exams Without Studying +2)
Medicine 1 (Childbirth +1 - from tattoo)
*Occult 5 (Yozi Charms +3)

Athletics 1
Awareness 1
Dodge 1
Larceny 1
Stealth 1

*Bureaucracy 5 (Student Council +3)
*Linguistics 5 (Native: Low Realm; Riverspeak, High Realm, Old Realm, Forest-tongue, Skytongue)
*Ride 1
*Sail 1
*Socialize 5 (Lying +2) (Seduction +2 - from tattoo)

Backgrounds:
Artifact 5 (vitriol-tainted Crown of Thunders)
Artifact 3 (demon-ink tattoo - neomah)
Artifact 2 (skin mount amulet)
Backing 1 (Ebon Dragon)
Cult 5 (student council presidency; 2 dots free)
Influence 1 (progeny of the Ebon Dragon)
Influence 5 (student council president)
Manse 3 (fancy dorm room in the Tower of Titans - grants a crystal of legendary leadership)
Manse 3 (townhouse near Kimbery's shores - grants a stone of gender transformation)
Salary 3 (inexplicable scholarship con games)
Spies 5 (student council presidency)

Merits:
Carouser (2 pts)
Legendary Manipulation (3 pts)
Legendary Appearance (3 pts)

Flaws:
Vice (alcohol) (3 pts)

Virtues:
Compassion 1
Conviction 1 (3 for purposes of Limit gain)
Temperance 1
Valor 1

Limit: 0/10

Willpower: 10/10
HHT Willpower: 5/5

Essence: 5
Personal Motes: 25/25
Peripheral Motes: 32/42 (including 10 motes committed to Mind-Hand Manipulation and 6 gained from skin mount amulet, but not motes committed to artifacts)
Committed Motes: 23 (10 to Charms, 13 to artifacts)

Charms:
Malfeas:
Hardened Devil Body
By Pain Reforged
Scar-Writ Saga Shield x2

She Who Lives in Her Name:
Factual Determination Analysis
Essence-Dissecting Stare
Mind-Hand Manipulation

Ebon Dragon:
First Ebon Dragon Excellency
Effortless Ebon Dragon Dominance
Witness to Darkness
Hollow Heart Transcendance
Nemesis Self Imagined Anew
Soul Crack Exploitation
Wretched Vile Lies
Cracked Cell Circumvention
Brooding Resentment Defense
Bloodless Murk Evasion
Mocking Murmurs Retort

Isidoros:
Indomitable Hedonism Drive
Arousing Indelicate Passions
Cavorting Pig-Idol Influence
Quaffing the Green Ocean
Glorious Appetite Influence

Hegra:
Ecstatic Passion Kaleidoscope

Backstory and Flavor Text

Appearance:
Whisper is a devastatingly beautiful young woman, pale, slender, and dark-eyed.  She wears her black hair long or in a variety of styles, framing a delicate face and a pleasant smile.  Her clothing is usually expensive or at least fancy-looking, although it does tend to become disheveled by the end of the night.  Whisper's nails are always jet black, thanks to her coadjutor.  She tends to move with an easy, stylish grace and attempt to at least feign elegance, although her mannerisms can vary quite a bit as circumstances warrant.  She often (especially at official functions) sports a curious-looking and disturbingly familiar crown marked with a pair of upswept wings in green-flecked brass...

Background:
Jewelled Whisper (it's not her birth name, and she barely remembers what was) was born near the shores of the Blessed Isle.  She was a clever enough young lady, and her family thought to apprentice her to a local scribe, but as she grew she started to attract the wrong sort of attention.

When a brash young Terrestrial from House Cathak finally lost his patience and demanded her "service," Whisper saw her parents exchange a nervous glance...and her courage failed her entirely as she fled out the back door.  She surmised (correctly) that her family would bear the consequences if they couldn't bring her back for her would-be captor, but she couldn't stand the thought of going back.  Not even to spare them.

The girl's despair caught the attention of a certain firmin and its Infernal payload as she collapsed, sobbing, in a nearby forest.  Whisper's visit to Hell probably damaged her somehow, but the way she sees it, she's happier now anyway.

Even Whisper isn't really sure if the Ebon Dragon actually wanted her to attend Yu-Shan High, but she thought it would be a lot of fun (even if it reminded her a bit too much of the early education she'd failed to obtain).  In the years since, she became quite popular even though everyone should really know better than to trust her by now, and her ascent to the pinnacle of the Student Council was marked with a very special gift from the Ebon Dragon.

Whisper, predictably, spends a lot more time planning parties, helping to organize unproductive activities, and generally being a layabout than doing anything useful with her position.  In truth, she really could be worse; she's not much of a sadist at heart, and if someone can actually motivate her to defy her Torment she can be quite unexpectedly competent at her job.  Unfortunately, recovering from a bout of decency tends to lead her into even more ridiculous feats of overindulgence, because enough downtime to actually sober up and think about her life is not something she's prepared to face.

[kongming]

AndyZ: I'm fine with changing it to be about pleasure, yeah. Feel free to give the charms new names, and note what they're mirrors of.

Wheresmycow: sorry, that position has been filled (see: Jewelled Whisper)

Jefepato: I'll let non-Sidereals take Salary, but at double the cost. It's Heaven, so it's easier to get access to that kind of wealth than in Creation, but still, it's mostly reserved for Heaven's favourites and for those that are working here.

[Jefepato]

I'm not sure I'm following the Salary chart of how much Salary is worth in Heaven vs. Creation, compared to the sidebar saying that everything costs +2 Resources in Heaven if you only have Resources and not Salary.  Unless the point is less that "a sandwich costs more in Heaven" and more that "Heaven only has glorious divine sandwiches, which are clearly worth two orders of magnitude more cash than your puny mortal hoagie."

But by my math, it looks like on sheer mechanical numbers I can get Salary 3 very slightly cheaper than Resources 5.  Maybe Whisper Wretched Vile Lies'd someone in the financial aid office to convince them she was worth a hefty Ambrosia scholarship?  (It's certainly false enough!)

You'd think the Cult would help, but it's a little unclear; it seems prayers only turn into Ambrosia when they're targeted at a god, not an Exalt (even if the Exalt is in Yu-Shan at the time), I guess.

[kongming]

It's partly that mortal money is considered so unimportant compared to the useful, inherent value of Ambrosia, and partly that everything you find in Heaven is so incredibly amazing.

Yes, I imagine you can sucker the bureaucracy into giving you an Ambrosia salary, and by the time they realise they've been had it's too late.

For the record, this is what the establishment feels the new roles should be:

• Solars: to Lead, Teach and Guide the mortals
  
• Lunars: to Protect the mortals, commanding nature and hunting the Wyld
  
• Alchemicals: to build, repair, maintain and protect the world around them
  
• Dragonblooded: special: no one overall task, they are the problem-solvers, each to handle one niche field and excel at it
  
• Sidereals: to guide the fates and maintain the Loom and destinies, to provoke emotions and keep the wheels turning
  
• Infernal: to provide opposition, to bring new ideas, to test and to change
  
• Abyssal: to kill and destroy where necessary - ending lives, killing foes, destroying matter

I was going to go and do sublists for the individual Castes, but I decided it'd be better to just have the overarching roles, with individuals free to pursue them however their abilities allow... assuming they even decide to go with these plans.

And because I love writing up charts and involving bureaucracy in things (and had originally just put plans out for this to be a story-writing thing, not a game), I had written up the limits on physical punishment. I think I'll still keep it in there, just... many people forget them and don't bother looking at a list to see what they're technically allowed to do - they just do what they think is best and then maybe find out later that they overstepped the line or could have gone further. In other words, for those who have authority, don't feel compelled to stick to the list, nor to specifically count things out.

Punishment Chart!

S: Headmistress / Student Council President
A: Subschool Leader/Student Council Vice President
B: Dorm Captain/Student Council Member
C: Teacher/Staff/Disciplinary Committee Captain
D: Teacher Assistant/Student Teacher/Head Prefect
E: Dorm Monitor/Disciplinary Committee Member
F: Hall Monitor/Prefect
G: Students
X: Second-Class Students (Half-Caste, Worker/Warrior Mountainfolk, Spirits, Akuma)

You can use any or all of the options available, no need to choose just one.

Format is (number of strokes)/(maximum implement)/(level of clothing/body location)
If you are able to punish someone nude, you may double the strokes to make it simply the bare bottom.
If you can punish someone on the bare bottom, you may double the strokes to make it on the underwear.
Yes, that means nude -> underwear is x4. Yes, if they're only wearing a thong, that's unfortunate for them. Likewise if they're not wearing underwear to begin with.

Implement Equivalencies

Hand: can't use anything else
Ruler/Slipper/Gym Shoe can be downgraded to hand, limit of strokes tripled
Hairbrush/Wooden Spoon can be downgraded to ruler/slipper, limit of strokes doubled
Belt/strap can be downgraded to hairbrush/wooden spoon, limit of strokes multiplied by one and a half (round up)
Riding Crop/Tawse/Switch can be downgraded to belt/strap, limit of strokes multiplied by one and a half (round up)
Cane/Whip can be downgraded to riding crop/tawse/switch, limit of strokes doubled
Birch/Scourge can be downgraded to cane, limit of strokes multiplied by one and a half (round up)
If using an Artefact version of an implement, halve the strokes delivered

Example: if you're allowed to deal six with the birch, you could actually give 6*1.5=9 with the cane, or 9*2=18 with the crop, or 18*1.5=27 with the belt, or 27*1.5=41 with the hairbrush, or 41*2=82 with the ruler, or 82*3=246 by hand. If you're only allowed to give six with the hand, you can't upgrade that to two with the ruler.

Fucking I: may use penis, up to three fingers, regular sized toy, tongue or brush handle, in the vagina, or one finger in the anus, or receive oral sex from them
Fucking II: may use of the above in the anus, or an extra large, heated or spiked toy or entire fist in the vagina, or receive anal tonguing from them

G: can punish X:
10/hand/underwear
F can punish G:
10/ruler/underwear
F can punish X:
10/ruler/bare
E can punish F-G:
15/hairbrush/underwear
E can punish X:
15/hairbrush/bare
-Dorm Monitor may punish their own assigned dorm-mates of rank G on the bare (no reduction in strokes)
-Dorm Monitor may use fucking I on their own assigned dorm-mates of rank G
-Dorm Monitor: 3+ incidents in one week calls for the whole dorm room to be referred to Dorm Captain
-Disciplinary Committee Member: 3+ incidents in one week with the same person calls for both to be referred to the Disciplinary Committee Captain
D can punish E-G:
10/belt/bare
D can punish X:
12/belt/nude
-Teacher Assistant: 3+ incidents in one week with the same person calls for both to be referred to the assisted Teacher
-Student Teacher: 3+ incidents in one week with the same person (or 10+ for one class) calls for all to be referred to the Disciplinary Committee Captain
-Head Prefect: 3+ incidents in one month with the same person calls for all to be referred to the Subschool Leader
C can punish D:
10/crop/underwear (note: in the case of a teacher punishing their own teacher's aide, they can treat that aide as rank E)
C can punish E-G:
6/cane/bare
2/belt/anus
C can punish X:
8/cane/nude
4/crop/anus
10/hand/crotch
-Teacher/Staff: 3+ incidents in one week with the same person (or 10+ for one class) calls for all to be referred to Subschool Leader
B can punish C-G:
6/cane/nude
4/belt/anus
6/belt/crotch
fucking I
B can punish X:
10/cane/nude
2/cane/anus
8/crop/crotch
fucking II
-Dorm Monitor: 3+ incidents in one term with the same person calls for all to be referred to Subschool Leader
A can punish B:
12/cane/bare
6/crop/anus
10/crop/crotch
fucking I
A can punish C-G:
15/cane/nude
6/cane/anus
15/crop/crotch
fucking II
A can punish X:
18/cane/nude
8/cane/anus
18/crop/crotch
fucking II
-Subschool Leader: 3+ incidents in one year with the same person calls for all to be referred to Headmistress
S can punish anyone:
50/birch/nude
10/birch/anus
10/birch/crotch
fucking II

Special: by Student Council Vote (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, General Affairs, Discipline Committee Captain), limits can be put aside for a Level S Public Punishment

Yes, the school has rules in place for how you can fuck someone as a punishment. As I said, I don't want players to feel constrained by it, it was originally to set guidelines/limits when it was to be a story, and I felt it'd be a shame not to share the thought I put into this.

[AndyZ]

Jefepato, think of the reason more as that Ambrosia and Quintessence can be converted into whatever else people want.  To use a Star Trek analogy, gold is pretty useless to the Ferengi because they have replicators and can just make whatever.  They value latinum because it can't be replicated.  (Ambrosia is limited so it's not a perfect comparison, but I think this helps it make sense.)

Thus, something extremely beautiful in Creation and unimaginably expensive at Resources 5, if you try to pawn it off in Yu Shan, they'll look it over, and somebody will consider it worth their Resources 3.  As they put it, Resources of Creation are unimpressive gewgaws to the gods.

You can also think of it how, in many third world countries on Earth, about a quarter can buy you lots and lots of stuff.  Then reverse that and imagine how much of their money you'd need in order to get even a quarter of American money.

I hope that helps.

(Kongming beat me to a post, but I figured I'd put this up anyway.)

Kongming, according to the Core, the DBs were made specifically to be foot soldiers in the Primordial War.  They tend to excel at niche tasks, and that's exactly where I'd put them: handling issues which take too much time and narrow focus for the Celestial Exalts to focus upon.

[kongming]

That sounds good to me, edited it to have that.

[Jefepato]

I wish student government had this kind of authority back when I was IRL class president.  (Not really.  No one would have been dumb enough to elect me to a position with any actual power over other students.)

I'll see about a few choice edits to Whisper once I've finished some errands.

[AndyZ]

Does the cheerleader changing room have to be only a one dot manse?

[kongming]

No, that's just the minimum. You can in fact make it as powerful a manse as you like (and needless to say, you get the hearthstone).

[Jefepato]

I was going to ask what kind of "implement" Mind-Hand Manipulation counts as for punishment, but I guess the telekinetic force can take many shapes.  (Feel free to read that sentence in the most ominous tone of voice you can imagine.)

By the way, kongming, do you have any opinions on the topic of acquiring backgrounds with XP in play?  It occurs to me that a second manse might be of use someday and I'm not sure I can scare up the points for it just yet.

EDIT: Some minor changes made to Whisper.  I'd like to get Loom-Snarling Deception just for sheer comedy value, but that can wait.

[Anon315]

I'm thinking I'll be a third year Sidereal Serenity Caste, both the Treasurer of the Student Council, and more secretly the supplier of... well... whatever a student might find a need for. Somewhat modeled after that guy from Ouran. In fact in the spirit of Sidereals, he makes a perfect candidate. He brings pleasure to the student body, and he'd probably also be involved in a number of extracurriculars.

No burn-out is this, after all he can spend motes to improve the performances of those around him. Perhaps he might attempt something like being a cheerleading team manager, though of course his motives there are nothing short of perverse. Spying? As if. Essence looking glasses? Oh well maybe. The girls think they're looking at themselves in a mirror, little do they know I'm also looking at them in that mirror. I do hope I'm not overreaching with this concept.

[Re Z L]

This looks pretty interesting...

I'll have to see what I can put together  ;D  might take a little time to narrow it down

My idea(s) revolve primarily around martial arts, either as a high-year student or a teacher (gym/martial arts) taking as much as I can out of Sapphire Veil of Passion Style and a handful of some other styles  ;D

The teacher would probably be a Sidereal Chosen of Serenity, whereas the student I'm thinking would be a Solar of undecided caste (perhaps subjected to the Joy in Ownership charm of the actual Martial Arts instructor, to whom she serves as a teacher's aide).

[Trilogy]

I'm interested! Always wanted to play Exalted, I know way too much about the setting for someone who's never gotten to play.

Probably going to make a Changing Moon Lunar... maybe president of the Drama Club? I'll try and whip something up this weekend, if thats okay.

[AndyZ]

Are 4th and 5th points of a background still double?

Also: would you be okay with combining artifacts?  The usual trick is that you can combine a 2-dot and a 1-dot into a 3-dot, or a 3-dot and a 2-dot into a 4-dot, or a 4-dot and a 2-dot into a 5-dot.  I can explain how I got to those numbers if you want.

Anon, since I'll be playing head cheerleader, I'll warn you that my char won't much appreciate peeking at the girls without their consent.  Not that she'll necessarily catch you, but Nights often do...

...of course, if they know you're peeking and are okay with it, that's quite different...

[kongming]

Jefe: yep, pretty much depends on the form it takes. As for grabbing Backgrounds during play, I'm fine with that - both by the "spend XP" method and as specific rewards for doing stuff in-game.

Anon: sounds good to me, but note what Andy said.

Re Z L: either one of those could work just fine!

Trilogy: sure thing

Andy: yes, those dots are still double, and I'm fine with combining effects like that.

[Anon315]

...of course, if they know you're peeking and are okay with it, that's quite different...

Anon: sounds good to me, but note what Andy said.

Oh entirely. I would never do something like that without consulting the head cheerleader first. That would be an immense invasion of their privacy. *practices the ever so subtle art of mind manipulation*

[avorae]

Assuming real life doesn't decide to rear it's ugly head again I would love to join this game. My question is what rules if any apply to a half caste?

[AndyZ]

I'm not sure who Ouran is, but I can guess that he's like the guy in prison who can get you anything.  High Schools can absolutely use one of those also, and most likely an extra shower room will have to be set up with a two-way mirror on the wall.

Of course, extras are extras, and if you can beat them down with social combat so they want to, she's not going to have much issue.

[ReijiTabibito]

After reading this, I'm getting a strong sense of the Persona games...highschool hijinks combined with fighting really ugly monsters.

Kongming?  Are there still spots open?  Anything I should try and avoid?

[kongming]

Ouran Host Club is an anime, and one of the guys there has ALL THE MONEY (they're all rich, but this guy is the treasurer of the club, and ends up able to buy a multinational corporation just from the income of the club). If you need it... he can get it.

Half-Caste: given I specifically said they're playable, you'd think I'd remember to include the info on them. Derp.
Okay, Attributes are 6/5/4 as normal (special: Lunar Half-Castes can pick a Favoured Ability and put a free dot into that)
You get 25 dots of Abilities rather than 22, but if you're a Solar, Abyssal, Sidereal or Infernal Half-Caste, you get the full five Favoured Abilities, and one free dot in each. 4 dots in Specialties.
Backgrounds are sort of as normal - 6 (plus those from Patron), and depending on ancestry you can get various Caste-specific ones.
However, you start with 5 dots to place between Inheritance and Patron for free, and can still purchase them up.
You are able to shape and utilise Charms (as per Awakened Essence), and begin with one Excellency and Ox Body Technique for free, and one other. The rest have to be purchased as normal.
Virtues are as normal.
Essence flat-out starts at 2, Willpower at 5. These can be raised as normal.
21 Bonus Points are provided, plus those from Inheritance

This way, such a character can easily begin as a first year with a lot of dots in basic attributes and abilities, but still not wield colossal power... and can still be "handled" by just about anyone.

Reiji: I've only played a little of the Persona games (but enjoyed what little I did play). That said, yes, there are spots open. For things to avoid, I would just suggest "not taking a position that's already taken" (SC Treasurer, SC President, Cheerleading Captain). Likewise, go for year level/rank based on how much you wish to dominate others/be dominated by others.

[avorae]

alright then I will come up with a concept and character ASAP.

[Jefepato]

By the way, kongming, are there any guidelines about what kind of infractions people can actually be punished for?

And on a presumably related note...are the various 3+ incident referrals there to ensure that low-ranking students who repeatedly misbehave end up facing higher-level judgment for their crimes, or are they actually meant to protect them from being repeatedly singled out for abuse?

[kongming]

By the way, kongming, are there any guidelines about what kind of infractions people can actually be punished for?

I should do such a thing. After all, so many more charts!

And on a presumably related note...are the various 3+ incident referrals there to ensure that low-ranking students who repeatedly misbehave end up facing higher-level judgment for their crimes, or are they actually meant to protect them from being repeatedly singled out for abuse?

Both, actually. If a student keeps giving a teacher trouble, then eventually it does escalate (and also the higher-ups can look at the situation and see if the teacher is also not doing their job well/if something else is necessary), but by the same token if a teacher keeps picking on the same student too much, it will come to light.

[kongming]

Right, here we have the lists of offences:

Dorm Room Offences

Oversleeping	E+ is exempt; minor
Keeping an untidy area	B+ is exempt; minor
Interfering with someone else's area/bed/belongings	E+ is exempt; minor
Sneaking out after dark	C+ is exempt; moderate
Accepting guests after dark	B+ is exempt; moderate
Maintaining a noisy environment after dark	B+ is exempt; minor
Damaging the room	A+ is exempt; serious
Taking too long in the baths	D+ is exempt; minor
Altering the flow of time to get around the above	Dire
Relocating the room to another plane	Dire

Hallway Offences

Running in the corridor	E+ is exempt; minor
Loitering	E+ is exempt; minor
Obstructing movement	E+ is exempt; minor
Remapping the corridor to another destination	Dire

Classroom Offences

Disobeying instructions	C+ is exempt; moderate
Disrupting class or disturbing others	C+ is exempt; moderate
Failing to keep the room tidy	C+ is exempt; minor
Damaging the room	A+ is exempt; serious
Relocating the room to another plane	Dire

Scholastic Offences

Cheating	Serious
Sabotaging the work of another	A+ is exempt; major
Not doing homework	B+ is exempt; minor
Failing a minor test	D+ is exempt; minor
Failing a major test	B+ is exempt; moderate
Failing with a large assignment	B+ is exempt; moderate
Not doing a large assignment	A+ is exempt; serious
Not paying attention	C+ is exempt; minor
Helping others cheat	A+ is exempt; serious
Tardiness	C+ is exempt; minor
Truancy	B+ is exempt; minor
Reworking your fate to not have to attend/do work	Dire

General Offences

Littering	D+ is exempt; minor
Vandalism	B+ is exempt; moderate
Unsolicited fighting (serious)	C+ is exempt; major
Causing too much noise or disruption for the situation	D+ is exempt; minor
Bullying	A+ is exempt; major
Undermining authority	Moderate
Abuse of authority	Serious
Failing those under your duty of care	Serious
Disrespecting your superiors	Minor
Smuggling illicit things into campus	C+ is exempt; moderate
Consuming, possessing or distributing illicit drugs	C+ is exempt; minor
Encouraging serious fights	C+ is exempt; moderate
Leaving school without a permit	D+ is exempt; moderate
Stealing	D+ is exempt; moderate
Inconveniencing the Essence 5+ Gods of Yu-Shan	A+ is exempt; serious
Treason/Inciting Rebellion	Dire

Where "_+ is exempt", that means anyone of rank _ or better can ignore that - they're allowed to do that (though in some cases, they need a reason).
As for what Minor, Moderate, Serious, Major and Dire punishments entail, that is left to the discretion of the one doing the punishing, but of course they could be reported for bullying should their discretion be rather poor. A Dire offence always requires the attention of the headmistress or student council, and can involve the Level S Public punishments. A Major punishment should always be bare or nude, and it is strongly recommended that extras (such as fucking or spankings to other locations) be utilised (when available to the one performing the punishment). By contrast, a Minor punishment should never involve such, nor involve a particularly painful implement - either limit it to something like the slipper or hairbrush on the underwear, or the hand on the bare bottom. Moderate allows for more leeway, and Serious is that grey area where you could treat it as the upper end of Moderate or the lighter end of Major, depending on your mood.

On Dorms: each level of the tower has multiple dorms, as well as one or more bathrooms (as in, rooms for bathing - lavatories are separate). The bathrooms are communal affairs, but they have hot water by binding fire/steam elementals. Each dorm room has space for five people - each gets a bed, desk, chair, and small set of drawers. The bed has more storage space below it. There's also a small storage cupboard, typically for cleaning equipment or locking captives.

[ReijiTabibito]

Reiji: I've only played a little of the Persona games (but enjoyed what little I did play). That said, yes, there are spots open. For things to avoid, I would just suggest "not taking a position that's already taken" (SC Treasurer, SC President, Cheerleading Captain). Likewise, go for year level/rank based on how much you wish to dominate others/be dominated by others.

So noted.  Is there anything you happen to be looking for right now?

[Jefepato]

So, uh, if you happen to be naturally outside of fate, hopefully that doesn't count as changing your fate to fix your problems?

There are a few ED/Isidoros Charms that I should maybe stay away from, all the same.  I don't think knocking someone into next week would go over well with the Bureau of Destiny.

[kongming]

ReijiTabibito: Not really, it's entirely up to you. We have a variety of different characters at the moment, so you'd probably have a way of fitting in, no matter what.

Jefepato: yeah, being innately outside of fate means you don't have a fate to change. But there are still occasionally sneaky Sidereals that try to weave themselves a destiny to not need to do their homework, and given the catastrophic results that can happen when you fuck with reality too much...

[ReijiTabibito]

Okay.  So noted.  Limit 1 character for right now?

[AndyZ]

Possibly a silly question: do I buy Followers for the other cheerleaders or is that what the Influence is for?

I'm starting to wonder if this concept should be a Zenith more than a Night.  I can probably make it work with either though.

[kongming]

Reiji: yes, one character each for now, at least

Andy: Influence is enough, yeah. If you put dots in Followers/Allies/Spies/Retainers/Army/whatever else, then you can benefit from them being of more use to you (more loyal/friendly, more powerful etc.) but ultimately, if all you want is "they answer/report to me, and when it comes to cheerleading matters, they have to do as I say" then the Influence you have is enough for that. If, through the course of the game, you happen to get closer to some, or go out of your way to earn their trust/respect/love, then you might get rewarded with dots of Followers/whatever anyway.

[AndyZ]

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=173550.msg8195758#msg8195758

Working out the finer points.  All the dots are in place, but I'll put a finalized version when it's done.  I still need intimacies, specialized equipment and a good history writeup.

[Jefepato]

Is there a formal definition of "abuse of authority" or "failing those under your duty of care" in play, or are those just catch-alls in case someone goes way too damn far with abusing their subordinates?

...For that matter, is there anything we should know about the Headmistress?  Especially since her personal definition of "abuse of authority" is probably the only one Whisper has to worry about.

[kongming]

Abuse of Authority does not, for instance, cover "I'm the boss, I'm spending all of our funds on cocaine! Hahaha!" or "Hey, I'm going to the brothel, you do the paperwork for me."
It basically just covers "abusing your subordinates too much" (where "too much" depends on who you ask, but a good guideline would be "interferes with their regular duties and studies").

"Failing those under your duty of care" is pretty similar, though it more-or-less means "letting bullying and such happen underneath you". In other words, if you have authority over someone, you should not let them get away with serious offences.

As for the headmistress:
Silver Wing Tyrant (Solar: Zenith) is fairly old, and reasonably well-known across the realms as a philosopher and scholar. She is not known to be an accomplished fighter (though probably has some skill just by dint of surviving this long, and she *does* tend to carry a goremaul that can change to a cane as she wills it). Most of her time of late has been spent in Yu-Shan, pursuing scholarly matters.

She wants this to succeed, and indeed wants to turn the school into an army of those ready to change the world and bring about the new era. That said, while she doesn't concern herself with every single deed, she is swift to deliver punishment for anything she personally witnesses, and odds are good that she enjoys it. Basically, Whisper might find an appointment with the headmistress only if her actions are soul-crushingly cruel.

[Jefepato]

Well, naturally cocaine isn't an abuse.  Celestial cocaine is one of Yu-Shan's finest traditional agriculture products, and also an excellent party favor.

Whisper isn't likely to be more than casually cruel, since she lacks any real motivation for it, but I sort of imagine Tyrant is somewhat less than pleased with her.  ...Unless the Infernal students are meant as devil's advocates (no pun intended) for the school's entire mission statement -- getting things done in spite of a distracted, obnoxious, hopelessly unreliable twit who is rarely in her right mind and yet far too good at swaying people against their own best interests may just be the perfect training exercise for managing, y'know, humanity.

Although that might be too depressing to dwell on explicitly.

[kongming]

Okay, here we have the Character Sheet Thread: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=173835.0

Well, Tyrant probably isn't very happy with Whisper, but the thing is, by her own admission the Infernals are supposed to be the devil's advocate, the opposition leader, someone who questions the way and puts their own ideas forward. So she likely finds herself wondering why she ever allowed Whisper to reach such a position, only to remind herself that the frustration caused is the reason.

[Thorn14]

I think I might be interested!  :D

[kongming]

Feel free to pitch a character idea.

[Thorn14]

Thanks.

Probably a first year.

[AndyZ]

I had an idea for a drug, though it's up to Kongmind's approval.

Rapacity of Venus
This fine blue powder is a powerful aphrodisiac.  When added to a liquid and drank, the imbiber may make a Perception+Alertness roll at difficulty 5 in order to notice the taste quickly enough to spit it out.  Otherwise, she must make a Stamina+[Integrity or Resistance] roll at difficulty 3 or become madly lustful for the next hour.  A botch on this roll instead makes the need last for a full day.
This drug works remarkably well with alcohol, and the Stamina+[Integrity or Resistance] raises to difficulty 5 when combined with alcohol.
This is an illicit drug (though not illegal) and possessing or distributing (or voluntarily consuming) counts as a minor offense.  Giving it to someone without their knowledge in order to have sex with them is a serious offense.
Each dose costs Resources 3.

[Jefepato]

Well, I'm no kongming, but as far as I'm concerned we can add that to the punchbowl.

[Re Z L]

Jefe: yep, pretty much depends on the form it takes. As for grabbing Backgrounds during play, I'm fine with that - both by the "spend XP" method and as specific rewards for doing stuff in-game.

Anon: sounds good to me, but note what Andy said.

Re Z L: either one of those could work just fine!

Trilogy: sure thing

Andy: yes, those dots are still double, and I'm fine with combining effects like that.

Decided to work on the Student Idea--a Chosen of Serenity Martial Artist  ;D  The detail about the teacher is up to you, but she'll definitely be a teacher's aid and Dorm Captain, also a 4th year student.

Still working out the details of the character sheet, I might have something up today, I hope.

Very WIP sheet is up!  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=173835.msg8215748#msg8215748

[Thorn14]

Would a 1st year or 2nd year (perky!) goth nerd Abyssal work?

[Anon315]

Certainly. We love torturing.... I mean welcoming such individuals with fellowship. :)

[Thorn14]

I want her to get involved in conflict with Sapphire Glory in some way, but the problem is I want to make a first year, and she'd be absolutely destroyed, and I don't think I'm good enough at exalted to make something more powerful.

[AndyZ]

Yeah, that's kinda my worry.  If someone gives Sapphire Glory or one of her girls a hard time and it's like a first year, Sapphire might just hit them with a 20-minute orgasm, then steal their clothes off their body and leave them that way as punishment.

[Anon315]

Yeah, that's kinda my worry.  If someone gives Sapphire Glory or one of her girls a hard time and it's like a first year, Sapphire might just hit them with a 20-minute orgasm, then steal their clothes off their body and leave them that way as punishment.

And for this I would punish her. With similar punishments. That I can grant with a touch.

[Thorn14]

Yeah, that's kinda my worry.  If someone gives Sapphire Glory or one of her girls a hard time and it's like a first year, Sapphire might just hit them with a 20-minute orgasm, then steal their clothes off their body and leave them that way as punishment.

Well when you put it that way!  ;D

Can you hold back in Exalted?

[AndyZ]

There's the showing off thing of -1 to -4.  I'd figure I can get away with a -1 pom pom smack that would do no actual damage but could trigger the Charm.

[Anon315]

Well when you put it that way!  ;D

Can you hold back in Exalted?

I have to imagine you can hold back. I don't know the particular rules for it, but I should think you could soften / lessen a blow. Maybe just do subdual / bashing damage without letting it roll over into lethal.

[AndyZ]

Really starting to ponder switching the concept to a Zenith.  Not sure, though.

[Jefepato]

I'm starting to think that I can manufacture my own fun indefinitely by just using Nemesis Self Imagined Anew on the other PCs and following all the various anti-Motivations for a while.

...Speaking of which, voluntarily using dramatic actions to adopt new Intimacies for oneself doesn't count as "mental influence," right?

[Thorn14]

Well don't worry about me. My character might just be a little nuisance maybe.  :-)

[Anon315]

Well, there's always the other types of exalt too. Lunars are a personal favorite, and they have marvelous training charms that would make for a great head cheerleader! Changing Moons are social beasts. (Pun intended)

Also, I plan to harass you regarding the cheerleaders. Do you think I could use You and Yours Stance to talk most of them into a group shower? Just curious.

"Using this Charm, a Vizier can make other people want to please him; actually harming him seems unthinkable. For the scene, anyone whose character wants to attack the Sidereal must succeed at a Conviction roll with a difficulty equal to the Sidereal’s Essence. Knowingly acting in a way that will not please the Sidereal requires a successful Temperance roll at the same difficulty."

So DC 5 Temperance or 4 WP (2 WP, Twice) to ignore the request. Also, would that be considered "Bullying", or is there some rule sub-set on subtle mental manipulation of your classmates? Because if so, I'm gonna have to... hide some things from the loom of fate.

[Thorn14]

Quick couple of questions.

Can you be a renegade Abyssal? How would that work here?

Also, I want to start with necromancy, is it okay to have a first year be essence 3?

[AndyZ]

Well, there's always the other types of exalt too. Lunars are a personal favorite, and they have marvelous training charms that would make for a great head cheerleader! Changing Moons are social beasts. (Pun intended)

Also, I plan to harass you regarding the cheerleaders. Do you think I could use You and Yours Stance to talk most of them into a group shower? Just curious.

"Using this Charm, a Vizier can make other people want to please him; actually harming him seems unthinkable. For the scene, anyone whose character wants to attack the Sidereal must succeed at a Conviction roll with a difficulty equal to the Sidereal’s Essence. Knowingly acting in a way that will not please the Sidereal requires a successful Temperance roll at the same difficulty."

So DC 5 Temperance or 4 WP (2 WP, Twice) to ignore the request. Also, would that be considered "Bullying", or is there some rule sub-set on subtle mental manipulation of your classmates? Because if so, I'm gonna have to... hide some things from the loom of fate.

Don't forget to check the 2.5 errata.  Sidereals got some significant nerfs.

This Charm lays bare the lust that all must feel for Exalted
heroes. Those that are friendly try to please the Sidereal, while
those that are hostile turn to bitter rage that they cannot find it
within themselves to please her. Characters that wish to attack
the Sidereal must overcome their own desire for her, requiring a Conviction roll much like a Morale check (see Exalted,
pp. 156-157), with a rating based on the apparent ability for
the Exalt to fulfill the attacker’s desires. The more willing or
capable she may seem, or the more singular the means at her
disposal, the higher the difficulty, to a maximum of difficulty 3.
Likewise, outside of combat, characters must roll Temperance
in a similar manner to perform actions that they believe would
displease the Sidereal while they can see her or believe that she
can see them.
These rolls need be made no more than once per action, but
failure prevents one from carrying out any contrary actions unless the transgressor spends 2wp to ignore this Charm’s unnatural Emotion. After spending Willpower to resist twice, a character is immunized against this Charm for the rest of the scene.

[Jefepato]

Nerfs in some cases, but the Sidereal charmset as a whole was borderline nonfunctional prior to the errata.  About half the hardcover books were written by folks who didn't much care to fit the material into the systems the corebook used.  (And let's face it, requiring a difficulty 5 Virtue roll to resist something is absurd.)

I suggest checking out the astrology section.  Especially resplendent destiny effects under The Lovers, like Celestial Bliss Trick.

...And I should really go see if there's any solid information about what happens when contradictory Emotion effects collide.

[Thorn14]

What would be some good necromancy or regular spells? I don't think I need a ton of combat heavy charms for this.

[AndyZ]

Definitely not going to say that it didn't need some nerfing, Jefepato, especially in cases like Diffy 5 Virtue rolls.  The Mask of Winters' innate mask power only takes 3 if memory serves.

Thorn14, Ritual of Elemental Empowerment is awesome, and Flying Guillotine is one of my favorites.  For Necromancy, Bone Puppet Dance is seriously cray cray, Raise the Skeletal Horde gives you zombie luvins, Shattering Void Mirror is impressive, and Walking War Machine can let you make up to I think Coil 4 from Abyssal Necrotech.

Okay, going back to my attempt to sleep while I can still get 4 hours.

[Thorn14]

Thanks. I might need a few utility ones too since this is more roleplay orientated.

[Anon315]

Don't forget to check the 2.5 errata.  Sidereals got some significant nerfs.

Yeah. That's why I included the 2 wp twice thing. Still, so long as they don't hate me, and that's easy enough through other charms, they -want- to obey.

[kongming]

All: when posting your character sheets, I'd be a huge help if you included a basic description (including their sex), if you're not using a picture. For the sake of my memory. Also, what year they are.

Thorn: 2nd or 3rd year perky goth nerd Abyssal? Sure thing! And yeah, people can hold back, so if someone just wants to hold her down and then to wonderful and/or terrible things to her, you needn't worried about getting knocked out or killed. So if you want to go first-year, that's also possible. You are allowed to buy your Essence up to 3 or more as a first year, yes. That just means you'll have an easy time graduating to the next year level in due time. Also, if you buy the Charm that gives you access to a circle of Sorcery or Necromancy, you gain a free spell (of that circle), rather than having to buy it separately. Otherwise it's buying a charm that does nothing on its own, which is a bit sad. Also, while some Deathlords signed onto this thing, many did not - a Loyal Abyssal will have more cases of having to report to the Deathlord, more conflicts of interest. A Renegade will have an easier time going along with the new system, but doesn't get access to Abyssal Command, Liege etc.

AndyZ: the "blue powder" seems like it'd fit in just fine, sure

Re Z L: looking forward to it. Needless to say, the teacher she assists will be only too happy to rough-house with her, teaching her some special wrestling moves and such.

Jefe: I'm not sure what you mean. Getting people to develop Intimacies for you? That's mental influence, though it's natural mental influence.

[Jefepato]

Jefe: I'm not sure what you mean. Getting people to develop Intimacies for you? That's mental influence, though it's natural mental influence.

No, I mean getting myself to develop Intimacies, per corebook page 173.

To rephrase more clearly: if I take Ego Shell Ascendancy, can I still intentionally take on positive Intimacies towards something besides myself, even though anyone else trying to induce such an Intimacy would be giving an unacceptable order?

[kongming]

Oh right. Yes, you can do that.

[Re Z L]

All: when posting your character sheets, I'd be a huge help if you included a basic description (including their sex), if you're not using a picture. For the sake of my memory. Also, what year they are.

Thorn: 2nd or 3rd year perky goth nerd Abyssal? Sure thing! And yeah, people can hold back, so if someone just wants to hold her down and then to wonderful and/or terrible things to her, you needn't worried about getting knocked out or killed. So if you want to go first-year, that's also possible. You are allowed to buy your Essence up to 3 or more as a first year, yes. That just means you'll have an easy time graduating to the next year level in due time. Also, if you buy the Charm that gives you access to a circle of Sorcery or Necromancy, you gain a free spell (of that circle), rather than having to buy it separately. Otherwise it's buying a charm that does nothing on its own, which is a bit sad. Also, while some Deathlords signed onto this thing, many did not - a Loyal Abyssal will have more cases of having to report to the Deathlord, more conflicts of interest. A Renegade will have an easier time going along with the new system, but doesn't get access to Abyssal Command, Liege etc.

AndyZ: the "blue powder" seems like it'd fit in just fine, sure

Re Z L: looking forward to it. Needless to say, the teacher she assists will be only too happy to rough-house with her, teaching her some special wrestling moves and such.

Jefe: I'm not sure what you mean. Getting people to develop Intimacies for you? That's mental influence, though it's natural mental influence.

Looking forward to them both working up a sweat  ;D

[Thorn14]

Is this image okay for my abyssal? I realize its modern but I thought it was too good to pass up.?

http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1194888 Would this be a bit too "pretty" and elf like?

[AndyZ]

Here's a possible for you, Thorn.



I think I'll stick with Night for Sapphire Glory unless someone else wants Night, in which case I'll switch to Zenith.

[Thorn14]

Cute but I admit I'm not a fan of that kind of look.  O:)

[kongming]

Thorn: either one works, yeah. That first one is cute.

[Re Z L]

Goth?

In other news, the sheet continues to be updated!

Mostly I wanted to see if anyone wanted to tie in their character histories.  My character is basically designed to be one of the school's premiere martial artists, and is also the martial arts instructor's aid, while also being a Dorm Captain.  Also she's a member of a martial arts club in the school, where she helps out others learn a few moves.  She also volunteers to help out with some minor sports-related injuries, or assists the school nurse if needed.

[AndyZ]

*yoinks the Artgerm one for his collection*

My char is also 4th year, and knows martial arts but is the head cheerleader.  I could see them being friends if you like, though I'm not sure if Sapphire Glory would be willing to teach much of Quivering Rapture Style or not...

[Re Z L]

*yoinks the Artgerm one for his collection*

My char is also 4th year, and knows martial arts but is the head cheerleader.  I could see them being friends if you like, though I'm not sure if Sapphire Glory would be willing to teach much of Quivering Rapture Style or not...

Oh, Silk's got plenty of other styles to learn first, besides Sapphire Veil of Passion Style makes up for not having Sapphire's special style  ;D

[AndyZ]

Sapphire wants to learn a Sidereal Martial Art someday, but she really wants to learn one that'll work well with cheerleading or otherwise fit her personality.  She also rarely lets her anima show and doesn't really make it clear to people that she's a Night.  Her cheerleaders can absolutely show up to spur on for MA events, though.

[Re Z L]

Sapphire wants to learn a Sidereal Martial Art someday, but she really wants to learn one that'll work well with cheerleading or otherwise fit her personality.  She also rarely lets her anima show and doesn't really make it clear to people that she's a Night.  Her cheerleaders can absolutely show up to spur on for MA events, though.

They seem like they might have gotten pretty similar training early on, whereas Sapphire went more towards athletics via Cheerleading, Silk went towards Martial Arts.  Also, Silk is more interested in helping "rule from the shadows" with her rumor mongering through socialize.  She's not one for direct leadership roles, except in the case of looking after the Dorm as the Dorm Captain.

Seems like the two of them could fit together pretty well  :-)

[AndyZ]

Oh heck yes.  I wanted some great rumor mongering stuff but didn't like anything that Solar Socialize had to offer in that regard.  Being able to keep things managed via that (like if the school bully suddenly gets a nickname all over school) would work very well.  I think they'll make a very good team. ^_^

[Thorn14]

What would be some good backgrounds or artifacts?

[Re Z L]

What would be some good backgrounds or artifacts?

Really depends on what you're trying to go for.  There's plenty of all-around good artifacts (Perfected Boots, Silk Armor, Transformative Armor, Hearthstone Bracers...) but even some of those might not really be that great depending on what you're going for with your Abyssal.  Same thing is true with backgrounds.

It'd be easier to make some suggestions if we knew what your concept was beyond perky goth girl necromancer.  Will she be dealing with ghosts (social type character), will she be using Necromancy to make undead servants, what's your caste, will she be a crafter, etc.

[AndyZ]

Can't be on long since I need to go to work soon but I'll list off what I can.

If you're loyal, Liege absolutely rocks.  In this game, however, Underworld Manse won't do much for you.  You absolutely need a Manse, though, and you want a soulsteel artifact that can hold the hearthstone if it's not an Abyssal hearthstone.

I love Whispers.

Omniscient Literary Advisor (64 WotLA) might be good for you also.

[Jefepato]

If you want something suitably creepy and Abyssal-y, those black widow bracer things might be a good weapon.  But then, I don't know how good at physical combat you really need or want to be.

[AndyZ]

Personally I'm hoping there's at least some combat but I realize how difficult that would be for people who aren't fourth year or teachers. There would have to be mooks in that instance

[Jefepato]

I imagine that the Exalted version of PE class needs a steady supply of mooks in order to keep exercises going.  (Being able to survive a ninja ambush in style is just part of being a competent adult Exalt, after all.)

Hopefully we can find an external source so we don't end up having to use the unExalted students as punching bags.

[Thorn14]

Rival School: Fair Folk High

[Jefepato]

Well, it'd be nice to have a source to use Wyld-Shaping Technique on, but unless we leave Yu-Shan on a lot of field trips I don't see too many Fair Folk showing up.

(Let's everyone get our Shaping defenses in order before we do that, okay?)

[Thorn14]

Haha.

I cna't find an abyssal Hearthstones I like, though I like this Lunar one that allows you to shape shadows.

How do they work against something that isn't yours again?

[Jefepato]

Artifacts of the wrong magical material are one thing (they cost more to attune generally), but the aspect of a hearthstone isn't a big deal.  You can use any hearthstone you own just fine, even if it's not Abyssal-aspected, if that's what you're asking?

[AndyZ]

It works but Abyssals have to have them mounted in soulsteel to work correctly and not take a penalty.

[Thorn14]

Okay. I might just get an amulet or bracers and maybe the lunar 1 point shadow hearthstone. It gives a bonus defense to range and I thought using shadows would be fitting.

[AndyZ]

Kinda surprised more people didn't stick around to make stuff.

[avorae]

I am still around just trying to figure out  a concept.

[AndyZ]

Well, if you wanted a Night, I can switch my concept over to Zenith easily enough in order to open up the spot.

[avorae]

I might just do that cause I am not coming up with anything as far as thr god-blood is concerned or more precisly the cost to buy the extra Essence will kill me.

Nevermind I think i can do it with the points I was given.

Oh and if I take manse does it have to be a dorm? could i make it something like a private quarters assuming my lineage is high enough?

[kongming]

It doesn't have to be a dorm room, no - it's just that every dorm room is a manse, and the hearthstones are given to the dorm leaders accordingly. Anyone can have their own separate manse, however.

And yeah, with high enough lineage they'd let you stay there rather than forcing you to stay in a dorm with others.

[Yano2mch]

I still have a lot of reading to go through before I even consider an idea for a character... God the first 80 pages were long...

[avorae]

It doesn't have to be a dorm room, no - it's just that every dorm room is a manse, and the hearthstones are given to the dorm leaders accordingly. Anyone can have their own separate manse, however.

And yeah, with high enough lineage they'd let you stay there rather than forcing you to stay in a dorm with others.

Awesome.. and I actually have my concept worked out now thanks to some help from Andyz. Iam going to play a 3rd or 4th year Twilight that runs the occult club.

I should be able to work on the actual sheet after i get home from work assuming the wife is not using the PC.

[avorae]

Hey Kongming I was wondering what your ruling on craft the craft skill is.

Do we have to purchase each craft separately?

Or does each dot of craft gives us one mundane craft skill until at level 5 we have them all and then we have to purchase the estoric skills as specialties?

Just wondering as I am going for crafting instead of a sorcery. After reading the rules on magic I decided to change it up.

[kongming]

Oh right, they changed their minds a few times about Crafting. I say we do it the simple way: the second way you described.

Also, in the next few days (possibly the weekend) I'll get some threads started up for people, to get the fun happening.

[ShadowFox89]

 I think I might make an Alchemical...

Not entirely sure, but I think third year, head of the Automatona Club.

Are we using standardized bonus points? IE, everyone has costs as Solaroids (because getting charged 10bp for essence is really annoying, and actually means a teacher wouldn't be able to actually have essence 6....)

[Jefepato]

Teachers get +45 BP.  At 10 a pop, that's more than enough to get Essence 6.  Not enough to get very much else BP-wise, but still.

...Hey, I only just noticed that teachers need a Virtue at 5+.  This is anti-Fiend discrimination!

[kongming]

The Fiends have Virtues, just... twisted through their own perceptions!

And although it is perhaps a little unfair that Solars get such good rates on their Essence gain, I don't think changing everyone else to match them is the best idea.

[Jefepato]

The Fiends have Virtues, just... twisted through their own perceptions!

Oh, lots of folks twist the Virtues through their own perceptions (even, arguably, the Unconquered Sun who embodies Virtue).  But there's a big difference between an Abyssal who thinks high Compassion means killing everyone gently, and an Infernal who literally can't raise her Virtues above 1 ever again.

Hollow Heart Transcendence is so worth it, though.  It just means poor Whisper's going to have to find alternate employment once she graduates.  (That, or get the rules changed during this next year.)

[Keelan]

So... I saw Student Council Pres, Treasurer, Head Cheerleader, 2nd-3rd-4th years...

So, I had 2 ideas... first is to make the Headmistress, head o' the school (bwahahaha!), definitely a Sidereal, likely Endings (after all, Bureaucracy is one of their caste skills). 

Second... well, it technically breaks the rules and is pre-existing, but... a Terrestrial DB who - through a LOT of effort - is the first Terrestrial to be initiated into the Sidereal Martial-Art circle, could be a student and if so would be the 'unofficial representative of the Terrestrials'  or something of the sort, or could possibly be a teacher instead.  Obviously to do this I will need permissions... and it'd be helpful if I can get permission to give her a charm the equivalent to what the Celestials get to reduce the Essence and MA requirements by 1-dot each for charm prereqs... can't remember the name of it for the life of me.

So yeah, just tossing the ideas out there... any preferences?

[kongming]

Well, I had originally written the headmistress to be an NPC, albeit one who appears very infrequently:

As for the headmistress:
Silver Wing Tyrant (Solar: Zenith) is fairly old, and reasonably well-known across the realms as a philosopher and scholar. She is not known to be an accomplished fighter (though probably has some skill just by dint of surviving this long, and she *does* tend to carry a goremaul that can change to a cane as she wills it). Most of her time of late has been spent in Yu-Shan, pursuing scholarly matters.

She wants this to succeed, and indeed wants to turn the school into an army of those ready to change the world and bring about the new era. That said, while she doesn't concern herself with every single deed, she is swift to deliver punishment for anything she personally witnesses, and odds are good that she enjoys it. Basically, Whisper might find an appointment with the headmistress only if her actions are soul-crushingly cruel.

That said, the Prez is of equal rank, so it wouldn't be destructive to put the headmistress in player control - you can change the name and caste there, likewise appearance and so on, though I'd prefer her basic desire and motivations to be the same.

Alternatively, if you wanted to go for the Terrestrial option, then you could... well, you'd be best-off going for a high year level, I imagine, given the requirements. I'm okay with her gaining initiation to a Sidereal Martial Art Circle, likewise the Charm that makes it easier.

[Keelan]

I think I'll go the Terrestrial then; it's the more interesting concept after all ^_^

...and the biggest charm-Funnel... 2 CMA Initiation Charms, 1 full CMA, 1 MA-assist charm, and then as much SMA as I can cram into her form (she will likely be limited to one SMA; it will probably DEFINE her essence after all...).  I think it's appropriate she be a Student Teacher too, given that this would be a prodigious feat for a Terrestrial meaning there is much she can teach others ^_^  That, and she might also double as something on the Student Council, though I'm not sure what... any suggestions from anyone are fine with me on that part, btw ^_^

Anything special I should have in mind for making her sheet up and working on her history etc.?  Her name will be V'neef Seiya, my longest-living character next to Yifa Kaneko, (daughter of Yurgen Kaneko, aka the Bull of the North!), who is the 7th Daughter of V'neef and - shockingly! - a Water DB!  (I will explain in detail with the sheet ^_^)

[ShadowFox89]

The Fiends have Virtues, just... twisted through their own perceptions!

And although it is perhaps a little unfair that Solars get such good rates on their Essence gain, I don't think changing everyone else to match them is the best idea.

Why not? I do it in all my games, and most of my ST's do it. There's no reason for the discrepancy to exist between Solar Essence BP costs and Dragon-blooded. DB already pay more for charms and get less for them.

[Keelan]

Why not? I do it in all my games, and most of my ST's do it. There's no reason for the discrepancy to exist between Solar Essence BP costs and Dragon-blooded. DB already pay more for charms and get less for them.

Yeah, all the games i have been in have said to use the best value for anything so that xp and bp spending was as fair as possible.  I especially say this as a db looking at essence 5 needing 30 bp, and then loads of expensive charms to boot...

[ShadowFox89]

 To put it another way, a Solar Teacher would have 31bp to a Dragon-blooded teacher's 23bp. A difference of 8bp is hardly fair, that's barely worth a dragon-blood's charm.

[kongming]

Well I was thinking that the cheap power-gain of Solars is actually their thing, just like Lunars can get big stat gains by turning into things, Sidereals get awesome martial arts (and fate weaving), Terrestrials get better backgrounds (to some extent), better usage of Reflexive Charms and the Cooperative Charms, and so on and so forth.

But I guess the fact is, people will still put "Solars" at the top if they list them in order of power, and the Cooperative thing isn't actually as amazing as it could have been (it would have been nice if it made the powers stronger when used together or let them Voltron together), and every book seems to add something new for Solars (using Anathema, I've seen the size of their Charm trees).

So, I'll let everyone buy their Essence at the Solar rate. Charms are a tricky one, given how they tend to have different costs. Suggestions?
I am aware this may mean some people suddenly have more bonus points on their already-completed non-Solar characters. I feel this is okay because everyone likes being told "you have some free stuff!"

[AndyZ]

Hmmm...maybe I should make something else besides Sapphire.

Edit: I just realized I completely forgot Arcane Fate.  How will that be handled?

[Keelan]

Charms I'd say just use the Solar ratings myself; more points for everyone that way! ^_^

Seriously, in my experience in a rather long-term (1year+ game), having everyone with the same BP and XP costs keeps things relatively fair and simple, with relatively regulated progression.  Means all player characters grow at about the same rate, everyone remains relatively more equal than the alternative cost version.  Power Scaling in Exalted is fucked as hell anyway, this does help it a little and that is saying something.

And a suggestion for Arcane Fate?  Say it is suspended in Yu Shan, though in Creation Proper it still exists (but by then we'd be practically immune to it I think, with how long we'd know each other so we wouldn't have to worry about it).

Also... any chance I can convince you to do something about Martial Arts Charm Costs?  The Charm Trees are going to KILL me >.<

[Re Z L]

Well I was thinking that the cheap power-gain of Solars is actually their thing, just like Lunars can get big stat gains by turning into things, Sidereals get awesome martial arts (and fate weaving), Terrestrials get better backgrounds (to some extent), better usage of Reflexive Charms and the Cooperative Charms, and so on and so forth.

But I guess the fact is, people will still put "Solars" at the top if they list them in order of power, and the Cooperative thing isn't actually as amazing as it could have been (it would have been nice if it made the powers stronger when used together or let them Voltron together), and every book seems to add something new for Solars (using Anathema, I've seen the size of their Charm trees).

So, I'll let everyone buy their Essence at the Solar rate. Charms are a tricky one, given how they tend to have different costs. Suggestions?
I am aware this may mean some people suddenly have more bonus points on their already-completed non-Solar characters. I feel this is okay because everyone likes being told "you have some free stuff!"

With the errata including free combos for everyone, Terrestrials having free use of Reflexive Charms is kind of moot.

Everyone buying the extra essence at the Solar Rate would be very nice (and since a number of us have to buy it up anyway it helps even things out).

I don't see any problem with letting everyone buy charms at the same BP costs as Solars as well.  Solar (Abyssal/Infernal) charms are simply the most powerful of the lot of them, so why do their charms cost less than the weaker alternatives?  That's not to say that Terrestrial charms should be cheaper, but making them all the same keeps things a little more level considering the number of different kinds of Exalts we have going on so far.

Hmmm...maybe I should make something else besides Sapphire.

Edit: I just realized I completely forgot Arcane Fate.  How will that be handled?

I just assumed that since everyone is in Yu-Shan either the Arcane Fate is probably inactive for the members of the school during their stay, or the students are given some kind of item that suppresses its effects (both positive and negative).

[ShadowFox89]

Well I was thinking that the cheap power-gain of Solars is actually their thing, just like Lunars can get big stat gains by turning into things, Sidereals get awesome martial arts (and fate weaving), Terrestrials get better backgrounds (to some extent), better usage of Reflexive Charms and the Cooperative Charms, and so on and so forth.

But I guess the fact is, people will still put "Solars" at the top if they list them in order of power, and the Cooperative thing isn't actually as amazing as it could have been (it would have been nice if it made the powers stronger when used together or let them Voltron together), and every book seems to add something new for Solars (using Anathema, I've seen the size of their Charm trees).

So, I'll let everyone buy their Essence at the Solar rate. Charms are a tricky one, given how they tend to have different costs. Suggestions?
I am aware this may mean some people suddenly have more bonus points on their already-completed non-Solar characters. I feel this is okay because everyone likes being told "you have some free stuff!"

Non-Solaroids (that is, anyone but Abyssals, Infernals, and Solars) generally have to pay more for a charm that does something similar, such as perfect defenses.

Charms I'd say just use the Solar ratings myself; more points for everyone that way! ^_^

Seriously, in my experience in a rather long-term (1year+ game), having everyone with the same BP and XP costs keeps things relatively fair and simple, with relatively regulated progression.  Means all player characters grow at about the same rate, everyone remains relatively more equal than the alternative cost version.  Power Scaling in Exalted is fucked as hell anyway, this does help it a little and that is saying something.

I'm in that same game, and pushed for the ST to use that rule ^^'

*steals Saiya's clothes and runs off*

[AndyZ]

How many teachers do we have right now?

[ShadowFox89]

 Oh, I did have a question. Can you "stack up" responsibilities? For instance, if I want to have my Alchie be a third year automata club president, captain of the disciplinary committee, and voting member of the student council?

[Jefepato]

As long as you're handing out the goodies, can Green Sun Princes have access to Sidereal-level MA too?  :P

Although, I might as well just start brainstorming ideas for weird Heretical Charms instead, since unlike MA I might actually have a use for those.

[ShadowFox89]

 Sidereal MA really isn't worth the cost, unless you are looking to cherrypick :P

[AndyZ]

Well, if everyone's getting the bonus of Solars, does that mean that Solars can purchase the powers of others as well?  Or the extra stats at creation?

[ShadowFox89]

Well, if everyone's getting the bonus of Solars, does that mean that Solars can purchase the powers of others as well?  Or the extra stats at creation?

Solars have Solar Circle Sorcery, the best crafting charms, the best combat charms, the most cost efficient perfect defenses.....

[AndyZ]

Guess I'll have to drop my cheerleader in order to make a character who utilizes all that, then.

[ShadowFox89]

 Why would you do that? Don't you like your concept and execution?

I'm not interested in Sorcery or Martial Arts. And I don't plan on investing too much into crafting, Alchies don't require that much for crafting. Martial arts and Sorcery are just experience sinks that I don't see any use for, personally. All I'm interested in is not having to spend more for less.

[AndyZ]

I kinda made her to be able to keep up decently with the rest of the group.  There's a lot you can do with a Solar but I mostly just took some Performance stuff and a CMA for some fun times with what would fit a cheerleader.  She's not going to be able to keep up with people who get to shapeshift, or have Destinies, or the crazy stuff that alchemicals get if the Solar-specific advantages are things that I didn't take, and none of them would really fit her concept.  She doesn't even really fit a Night; she just fit more of a fun concept that I'd have enough to get by on because of the prohibitive cost of getting Essence 6 and higher Charms.

I've played in Exalted games before where I'm second fiddle, and don't really want to do it again.

Edit: I checked.  At Essence 6, Alchemicals become a Colossus, where you apparently pretty much become a Warstrider.  Crikey.

[ShadowFox89]

 And there is literally no official material printed on elder essence Alchemicals. I have no plans on bringing my character to Essence 6, because that's just too much of a headache. My intention with this character is someone I can have fun playing, not someone who is going to faceroll in combat.

[AndyZ]

I don't really want to have an argument every time I type an opinion.  I'll just drop.  Everyone else have fun.

[ShadowFox89]

 I'm not trying to make you drop or argue... just explain my view :\

[Re Z L]

Not my cheerleader buddy  :(

[Anon315]

Not my cheerleader buddy  :(

Not my cheerleader victim! :(

I kid, the rest of her squad would be my victims, I was hoping for a worthy opponent.

[ShadowFox89]

 You could try accosting the Automata Club >.>

[kongming]

Oh for fucks' sake.

[kongming]

Okay, a few people have asked, so I shall clarify:

This game was doomed on first principles. I mean, Exalted isn't even balanced with itself. Even if you limit it to one power level ("all starting characters") and all within the one book (as boring as that gets), they're all over the place and no two characters can really play the same game. Also known as "Hey look, White Wolf made another game!"

That's before you get some people arguing that Solars get the best of everything and everyone else should have cheaper stuff, then others arguing that if you do that, Solars don't have anything special any more because their entire shtick is "generically being the best at everything and being the main characters of all the books*".

Were it just that, I'd take two weeks and write my own Exalted during the less busy hours at work, and it'd be pretty good**. But the fact of the matter is, this game was never going to work: everyone immediately went for high rank characters, the ones who make things happen. This would leave me with the following duties:
1. Playing lesser NPCs for them to abuse
2. Making monster of the week appear

1 is no good, because I'm not submissive. 2 is not interesting.

So "a successful Exalted game" can't happen because WW were useless at making games, and going bankrupt was the high point of the company. This particular game couldn't happen the moment it turned out everyone wants to be on top.

*Seriously, check out the special Lunar background, where you spend points to be extra dedicated to sucking a Solar's dick.
**Spite-driven projects tend to be my best.

[Yano2mch]

 I'd probably have played a lowest rung character, but considering that exalted are 'epic' to start with means there's a big power gap. I didn't make anything since I think I have too many things I'm getting involved in and learning a new system which may not make use of the main (battle) half of the system anyways seems iffy.

Perhaps just a different system, HeroSystem might be a better choice. In HeroSystem you could separate your points towards skills, powers, and attributes; But when there's fewer points you end up going more and more towards skills rather than powers/abilities. (Paying 3-5 points is cheaper for a skill compared to 10-50 for a special ability); But if it's all RP'd (Not needing the framework) then using a system at all might just be ignored entirely and just use good writing style to fill the details in. Maybe I'm too hopeful on this...

[ShadowFox89]

 I think you're making a big assumption jump with #1.... I prefer playing sub characters, myself, and could npc my own club members. If we don't try and bring mechanics into play too much, I think it'd work.

But if you're dead set on dropping this.. then I'm sorry for my part in the disaster :/

[Thorn14]

I wasn't planning on a high rank character.