[21-Jun-21 07:30 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Hey all! I’m Monica Speca, a designer and developer for Onyx Path. I’m here today to talk about Exalted: Essence – a long-awaited beginner-friendly, condensed version of Exalted 3e.
[21-Jun-21 07:31 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Would you like me to talk more about what Exalted is?
[21-Jun-21 07:32 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Please!
[21-Jun-21 07:35 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Sure thing! It can be a challenge to try to summarize a game with a 20 year history and an impressive amount of deep lore, but let me do my best.
Exalted is an epic fantasy RPG about the struggles of superpowered demigod heroes (the titular Exalted) which takes place in a unique setting inspired by world mythology and late antiquity. It encourages high flying action, drawing further inspiration from martial arts films, shounen anime, and action cinema.
If you like BIG STORIES about EPIC HEROES doing BIG THINGS and KICKING BUTT then this is absolutely a game for you.
[21-Jun-21 07:36 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Nicely done. 🙂
[21-Jun-21 07:36 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Ready for questions?)
[21-Jun-21 07:36 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
(You bet)
[21-Jun-21 07:37 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks, @SisterDeathMachine! The floor is open to questions!
[21-Jun-21 07:37 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine Do you have a link to your current project?
[21-Jun-21 07:37 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
First of all: 20 years?? Sheesh. Time do fly…
[21-Jun-21 07:38 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I do! It’s right here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/exalted-essence-tabletop-roleplaying-game?ref=bn8oo7&token=7c0059b9
[21-Jun-21 07:38 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
for five crisp american dollars you too can access the manuscript
[21-Jun-21 07:38 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
There’s only three days left, so don’t wait
[21-Jun-21 07:38 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I KNOW
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[21-Jun-21 07:38 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
You gave us a nice summary of Exalted. What is Exalted Essence about?
[21-Jun-21 07:39 PM] belphanor#5364
what is the essence of Essence?
[21-Jun-21 07:39 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Well, we aren’t defining anything new. As one of my co developers likes to say this is an addition not an edition. It’s a new take on the rules, filing down rough edges, simplifying and condensing a famously complicated system.
It follows the same beats as current Third Edition lore – but hey, if you were a huge fan of previous editions, you can still use all those old books you’ve got
[21-Jun-21 07:40 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It’s a ruleset; so the only lore we’re including is a 101 to get people started
[21-Jun-21 07:40 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Is the focus on any one type of Exalted?
[21-Jun-21 07:40 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Actually no! For the first time ever we’re putting all the playable Exalted in one book
[21-Jun-21 07:41 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
a feat performed by the darkest of writing magic
[21-Jun-21 07:41 PM] Henry#3418
So I see that ‘Richard Thomas’ is labelled as the creator and Paradox Interactive is the first thing that comes up on the video, so this is a big project can you tell us about your role and who the driving forces are behind the project? @SisterDeathMachine
[21-Jun-21 07:41 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
That is, indeed, impressive magic. Can you tell us more about how you managed it?
[21-Jun-21 07:42 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Rich owns OPP and licenses the IP from Paradox – I’m one of three developers (and the one who had time to pop in and chat tonight). I was largely behind its mechanical implementation and direction. I also contributed some content to the book itself, and assisted in the general cat-herding that goes along with managing writers.
[21-Jun-21 07:43 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
https://tenor.com/view/herding-cats-silly-run-chase-gif-8336449
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[21-Jun-21 07:44 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Great question! The big secret is that we redid the Charm format. Charms, for those unaware, are the special powers the Exalted wield. And previously they had quite a hefty template, which we reduced to a couple lines.
So, instead of the template itself being about 30 words, it’s now… five.
[21-Jun-21 07:44 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine
Time is the currency of life. Why should people spend their time on Exalted: Essence? In a flooded market of RPG’s what does your game provide more than any other, what makes your game unique and why should people play it more than any other?
[21-Jun-21 07:46 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
If you happen to have the rules handy, can you give us an example of a 5-word Charm?
[21-Jun-21 07:49 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Exalted is a game like no other. This is a hard question to answer because the experience of playing it is so different than any other fantasy game I’ve ever played (and I’ve played a lot). I’ll do my best, though:
If you’re accustomed to a more Tolkein-esque fantasy, its setting is a total breath of fresh air. We’re talking weird magic, ancient weapons and technology from a time before, strange gods and monsters wandering the world. Places designed after Rome, China, India, Persia, Vietnam, the pre-colonial Phillipines and so on. A much broader palette than other games in its ouvre use. Other epic fantasies tend to focus more specifically on one kind of myth, too – Agon is very Greek, for instance, and Mythender leans heavily Norse. Karanduun is Filipino as hell. Exalted is all of the above.
There’s also the dice pool. It uses a large pool of d10s where you could successes, and each 10 that appears counts as two successes. A natural 20 feels amazing, but absolutely nothing like rolling 20 successes.
I guess TL;DR it’s cool as hell and feels good to play and I highly recommend you try it out if fantasy is your thing.
[21-Jun-21 07:50 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(“Filipino as Hell” should be on a T-shirt. For Filipinos, presumably.)
[21-Jun-21 07:50 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine Is your System unique to this setting? (I may know the answers to some of the questions I am asking, I may or may not have played the game before but, this for the audience at home so to speak)
[21-Jun-21 07:51 PM] Henry#3418
(Its a crazy world there I have some friends there and they have Stories with a capital S)
[21-Jun-21 07:52 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Oh, oh I mean a five-word template for the Charm. Like, prerequisites, etc. The Charms themselves are closer to 50-100 words. I’m happy to provide an example though.Dragon Coil Technique Prerequisite: Close Combat 3 The Exalt’s mighty limbs hold her opponent fast. Spend 1 mote on Step 1. Double 9s on a withering attack to initiate a grapple, gain dominance in a grapple or take the attack action while grappling an opponent. In a successful grapple initiated by Dragon Coil Technique, a grappled opponent loses two dice on attempts to escape. A second purchase of this Charm allows the character to initiate grapples with a weapon, so long as it has the Flexible, Improvised, and/or Pulling tags. Crashing Wave Throw (Solar): When using the throw action (p. XX), the Solar may spend Power to boost the damage dice. Foe-Hammer Technique (Lunar): The Lunar may use the throw action to hurl a grappled target at another enemy within close range. When rolling damage dice, apply it against the Soak of both the thrown character and the target. Both characters take any damage rolled.
We use modes (the things marked Lunar and Solar) to modify this Charm, which is a new thing called a Universal charm. Charms all Exalted can take. You save so much word count when you don’t have to repeat the same effect ten times!
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[21-Jun-21 07:52 PM] belphanor#5364
how difficult in ExEss is it for players (and storytellers) to create new charms? previous editions have not been what you would call friendly in that reguard
[21-Jun-21 07:53 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
The short answer is no. Exalted Third Edition uses a version of Storyteller – which will seem familiar if you know Vampire, Werewolf, etc. Essence is simply a cleaned up and condensed take on that.
[21-Jun-21 07:53 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Very! We even tell you how.
[21-Jun-21 07:53 PM] belphanor#5364
well, that IS new!
[21-Jun-21 07:54 PM] Henry#3418
How has the ‘Storyteller’ system been uniquely modified for this setting? Can you give us an example of what would be one of your unique modifications?
[21-Jun-21 07:54 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Are all of the Charms in Exalted Essence universal with type-specific mods?
[21-Jun-21 07:55 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
No. Each Exalt type still has their own suite of Charms special to them.
[21-Jun-21 07:57 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
In Exalted Third Edition you build up a resource called initiative with feints and misdirection through withering attacks and then use that to make decisive attacks which inflict real damage. You gain and lose initiative as your withering attacks land, which also changes the order in which characters act.
Essence collapses all that down (while keeping the same terms: withering and decisive) – instead of damaging an opponent’s initiative, characters in Essence are building Power. They’re charging their super bar until they can unleash their powerful attacks. It’s the same feeling and style of play, just with less steps.
[21-Jun-21 07:58 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
A lot of the rules updates are things like that: if it had five steps in 3e, it has two in Essence
[21-Jun-21 07:58 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What is the page count of Essence?
[21-Jun-21 07:59 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I think the manuscript is currently 400 pages?
[21-Jun-21 07:59 PM] Henry#3418
Do we see ‘initiative‘ in other systems that uses storyteller? or is it unique to Exalted?
[21-Jun-21 07:59 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
The way it’s used in Exalted is unique to it, as far as I’m aware. I don’t profess to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every optional rule though 😉
[21-Jun-21 08:00 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
For those unfamiliar, can you give us a high-level overview of the types of Exalted available to play?
[21-Jun-21 08:00 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Re: 400 pages – that’s the manuscript without editing and layout and fancy art, etc. So, I’m not sure what the book will look like when it’s done
[21-Jun-21 08:02 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine What makes your setting unique? There are many Epic Fantasy games, indeed that’s what many argue Dungeons and Dragons is today Superheroes in Fantasy, what is the thing that makes yours different?
[21-Jun-21 08:02 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Absolutely. I’ll do you one better and share the overview from the book itself, which breaks down the Exalted into two categories: The Exalted of Creation and the Exalted of Other Realms.Exalts of Creation These Exalts have their origins in places from or allied with the main body of Creation. If this is your first time picking up Exalted, start here. Dragon-Blooded are elemental warriors who currently rule the world. If playing an elementally-themed hero or a noble Prince of the Earth seems like your thing, turn to p. XX. Exigents are unique Exalted of lesser gods. Our example Exigent is Strawmaiden Janest. If playing a hearty, two-fisted woman of the earth sounds like a good time, turn to p. XX. This section also demonstrates how to craft your own Exalt type. Lunar Exalted are witches, tricksters, and monsters. They have the power to shapeshift into any animal or into humans they’ve hunted, and their inherent magic is equally transformative. If playing a tricky shifter sounds fun, go to p. XX. Sidereal Exalts maintain the Loom of Fate in Yu Shan. They’re in charge of making sure fated things come to pass, but also masters of martial arts. If playing a fighting bureaucrat seems cool, turn to p. XX. Solar Exalted are masters of human skill, peerless sorcerers, and wondrous craftspeople. They are people without peer whose works and deeds have no equal. If being an exemplar of humanity sounds fun, go to p. XX.
(1/)
[21-Jun-21 08:03 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715Exalts of Other Realms These Exalts draw their power from forces outside Creation, or hold dominion there. It’s helpful to know a bit about the setting before playing one, but not required. Abyssal Exalts are powerful necromancers and emissaries to the dead. They rule over the Underworld as its undisputed masters. If playing a chivalric deathly knight appeals to you, turn to p. XX. Alchemical Exalted are created beings, some from the faraway world of Autochthonia or some lost to the depths of history. If playing a heroic construct or an alien from a bizarre world sounds fun, turn to p. XX. Getimian Exalts never existed, but the power of their magic creates them and lets them remember a Creation that could have been. If playing an outsider who remembers a world that doesn’t exist excites you, go to p. XX. Infernal Exalted have demonic power, drawn from the hell-Realm of Malfeas. They want to violently overthrow tyrants and oppressors. If playing a rock star from hell sounds too cool to pass up, go to p. XX. Liminal Exalts are undead — the product of someone’s attempt at resurrection. They are constructs of flesh and bone, who protect the boundary between the living and the dead. If being an undead monster is your thing, go to p. XX.
(done)
[21-Jun-21 08:05 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Wow, that’s pretty cool.
[21-Jun-21 08:06 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
As an aside, how are you posting that text in boxes like that?
[21-Jun-21 08:06 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Well, like I said before there’s the explosiveness of the system. I don’t want to drag D&D – because I like it a lot – and I love games like Godbound, which also do epic fantasy superheroes, but a dice pool “hits different” as the kids say 😆
It’s a game feel thing. Scooping up 15 d10 in your hands and letting them crash on the table then counting successes and realizing you’ve just blown the difficulty out of the water? That makes you feel powerful in a way that other things just don’t.
Exalted is also a permissive game. Characters are incredibly powerful. The game wants the GM to “yes, and” unbelievable actions and over the top stunts. It’s not a game about whether or not you’ll fail, it’s a game about what will happen when you succeed.
I should probably talk about stunting – so this is 1/2
[21-Jun-21 08:08 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Stunting is a rule in Exalted which has existed from its inception in 2001. When you stunt an action, you describe it in a cool way. Your eyes flash dangerously as you slowly draw your blade, challenging your rival to make the first step so you can cut her down.
When you do that, the GM gives you more dice to do it with. In other games, this often makes it harder.
I cannot recommend adding stunts to every game you play enough. It really immerses everyone in the action.
2/2
[21-Jun-21 08:08 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
you put three ` around the post
[21-Jun-21 08:08 PM] Henry#3418
(this questions is a little ludicrous because I already know the answer and I think people with some knowledge of the company behind it understand but still its in the standard line up and it is there for a reason.)
@SisterDeathMachine
The question must come, why not 5e? why not make a 5e version of this game?
[21-Jun-21 08:09 PM] Dan Davenport#6715I'll be darned.
[21-Jun-21 08:09 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
not ‘ it’s ` the one above the tilde
[21-Jun-21 08:10 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It’s never been a D&D game, and in editions past has often been in constrast to D&D
[21-Jun-21 08:10 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Cool. 🙂
[21-Jun-21 08:10 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Also, in my humble opinion, a 5e version would really be lacking something important
[21-Jun-21 08:10 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine
What is your least favourite aspect of Exalted: Essence?
[21-Jun-21 08:11 PM] Henry#3418
I agree, but a lot of people will look and sadly they will want to know is this 5e? And their interest becomes binary on the yes or no related to that answer.
[21-Jun-21 08:11 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
🤔 I guess it would have to be that we had to fit 20lbs of Exalted into a 5lb bag, so we had to cut a lot of favorites. There just wasn’t enough room for all of it.
That being said, we also made it super easy to add new content, so if your fave is missing…. just add it back!
[21-Jun-21 08:11 PM] belphanor#5364
tell them it is more of a 3.1
[21-Jun-21 08:12 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Oh I am wildly aware. But we’re hoping this will appeal to the sort of people who like 5e but also want to try new things.
[21-Jun-21 08:12 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Does Essence include a bestiary?
[21-Jun-21 08:12 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It does have a whole antagonists section yes, which DOES include monsters and animals
[21-Jun-21 08:12 PM] Henry#3418
What is your biggest favourite that you fought for but lost?
[21-Jun-21 08:13 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Awesome. Got any favorites? Any highlights you’d like to share?
[21-Jun-21 08:13 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Charcoal March of the Spiders is not the one Sidereal Martial Art (extremely powerful and esoteric martial art techniques) that made it in.
[21-Jun-21 08:13 PM] belphanor#5364
I have a question that is more or less a 2 parter, first off I know the companion is going to have all sorts of new goodies that didn’t fit in the core, if ExEss is wildly popular is there the possibility of additional books for this flavor of the game?
[21-Jun-21 08:14 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
(It’s Prismatic Arrangement of Creation, in case you were curious)
[21-Jun-21 08:14 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine Imagine…
Imagine Exalted: Essence has gone triple platinum, people no longer say I am going to play D&D they say Exalted instead. People cosplay as characters from your game and people wear merch about Exalted: Essence like Nirvana T-Shirts, which they immediately follow up yeah man I love Jackie Chan. Imaging that.
- How does it make you feel?
- What is the thing that gets you in trouble?
- What is the one thing you loved from your game that now makes you cringe?
[21-Jun-21 08:15 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
There is an open-ended template for creating your own behemoth (which are exactly what they sound like)! I can’t show you yet, but it’s tomorrow’s preview so if you haven’t already tossed us a couple bucks, you’re not too late!
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[21-Jun-21 08:16 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I’m afraid I genuinely do not know the answer to this question. Probably not, but Paradox decides that, not me.
[21-Jun-21 08:16 PM] belphanor#5364
second, I know the plan at OP is 1 big book for each of the Exalts (and maybe one for the Fair Folk, like the previous editions?) but what if ExEss becomes HUGELY more popular than the base, do you have a contingency plan for that?
[21-Jun-21 08:16 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Same here: I imagine someone at Paradox has had this conversation, but I wasn’t in on it 😆
[21-Jun-21 08:16 PM] belphanor#5364
ok
[21-Jun-21 08:17 PM] belphanor#5364
thank you
[21-Jun-21 08:19 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
- Like a dream come true. I’m a cosplayer sometimes myself and I’d love to walk down the halls of cons and see people decked in ridiculous gold armor and carrying giant swords.
- I have a few too many on the con floor and complain about something that happened behind the scenes that I probably shouldn’t have talked about to a total stranger. 🤭
- Ohhhhh boy. Old Exalted was very Edgy in an early 2000s way, and I have to admit I adored the aspects of it that I realize now are pretty Orientalist and racist. Yikes. (We’re working hard to undo those things as 3e goes along)
[21-Jun-21 08:19 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
no problem sorry I don’t have a better answer
[21-Jun-21 08:20 PM] belphanor#5364
oh, playable fairfolk? are there rules for that?
[21-Jun-21 08:20 PM] Henry#3418
Monica I am Henry, Henry Monica we an’t strangers no more
[21-Jun-21 08:20 PM] Henry#3418
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[21-Jun-21 08:20 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Hello Henry nice to meet you
[21-Jun-21 08:20 PM] Henry#3418
Ha ha nice to meet you too
[21-Jun-21 08:21 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Presently no, but it’s a potential stretch goal
[21-Jun-21 08:21 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
That being said it will be very easy to add them in yourself if you’d like
[21-Jun-21 08:21 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
You may have already answered this question, but for players of “standard” Exalted, what will be most familiar and what will be least familiar about Essence?
[21-Jun-21 08:22 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Most familiar I think is that the systems themselves are not all that different. Just simplified. There’s less hoops to jump through but at the end of the day, it’s the same engine
[21-Jun-21 08:22 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I hit enter too soon, here comes part 2
[21-Jun-21 08:23 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Least familiar – in order to make it an “on ramp” for 3e, we put a lot of restrictions in place, and changed the way Charms work. Also starting characters only have 5 motes (the resource used to fuel your powers) so that’s a bit of a culture shock.
Don’t worry, once you get into the rhythm of playing you won’t miss having 50.
[21-Jun-21 08:23 PM] Henry#3418
I want to do a follow up on your third answer. Not something I usually bring up but I am a part of a mixed race couple and my gorgeous, artistic, sexy lady is from Singapore and there often what is seen as ‘racist’ is seen as celebration, same with Philippines and many Asian countries but is see as the opposite in the west. How do you balance those two views?
[21-Jun-21 08:25 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
We’re doing our best to try to hire people from diverse backgrounds and run stuff past them. Obviously a couple people aren’t representation of a whole group so it’s an imperfect solution, but it’s better than just plowing on ahead without double-checking.
[21-Jun-21 08:26 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
The line developers, Eric Minton and R. Vance, are both great about listening to feedback and being conscientious about stuff people might take issues with.
[21-Jun-21 08:26 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine What is the one thing you wished people asked about Exalted: Essence but haven’t yet?
[21-Jun-21 08:27 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Ohh that’s a good question. I’m kind of surprised nobody here has asked me if it still “feels like Exalted”!
[21-Jun-21 08:28 PM] belphanor#5364
my guess would be yes it does
[21-Jun-21 08:29 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Yes, yes it does
[21-Jun-21 08:29 PM] Henry#3418
Does it still feel like the original Exhaled? And is anyone giving you any ‘praise for it’ 😉 I hope you followed the word play… ha ha
[21-Jun-21 08:29 PM] Henry#3418
Alright I guess its time…
[21-Jun-21 08:30 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Yes it does! We turned our playtest game into a regular campaign, my home group liked it that much. And yes, there’s been a lot of very positive feedback from the Kickstarter so far. (And yeah I got the joke 😉 )
[21-Jun-21 08:30 PM] Henry#3418
@SisterDeathMachine
Final Question. What are people not talking about in the Roleplaying community that should be and why?
[21-Jun-21 08:32 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Note that it’s Henry’s final question, not the final question of the Q&A. 🙂 )
[21-Jun-21 08:32 PM] Henry#3418
yes sorry I should edit that so its more clear ha ha
[21-Jun-21 08:32 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Oh wow that’s quite the question haha.
I’m going to answer it with a shameless plug actually – I host a general game design podcast where you can hear me and one of my best friends talk about what we think people in the RP community really should be talking about every other week.
It’s called Bonus Experience and you can hear all my thoughts on exactly that topic right here: https://misdirectedmark.com/category/podcasts/bxpcast/
[21-Jun-21 08:33 PM] Henry#3418
What is the main topic, is there a general thrust you have? Regarding the community?
[21-Jun-21 08:33 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
We talk about design and running and writing games and it’s usually fueled by whatever hot topic we read on Twitter that week
[21-Jun-21 08:34 PM] Henry#3418
Ahhh Twitter never have I seen a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. I pretty much gave up on the place.
[21-Jun-21 08:35 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It’s awful, but it’s great for podcast topics!
[21-Jun-21 08:35 PM] Henry#3418
Alright I will leave you @SisterDeathMachine , to the very capable hands of @Dan Davenport and the rest of the community. Good Luck with your Kickstarter!
[21-Jun-21 08:36 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Thanks Henry!
[21-Jun-21 08:36 PM] Henry#3418
Hope I helped! Toodles 🙂
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[21-Jun-21 08:36 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Take care, @Henry!
[21-Jun-21 08:36 PM] Henry#3418
Thanks Dan
[21-Jun-21 08:37 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So having played both forms of Exalted, what’s your favorite? 3e or Essence?
[21-Jun-21 08:37 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
And why?
[21-Jun-21 08:39 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Well I work on both, and I’ve been working extremely hard on making Essence great… so I’m not exactly impartial here hehehe. My home group loves Essence, and that really means a lot to me.
Perhaps I can instead break down why you’d want to play one or the other?
[21-Jun-21 08:40 PM] belphanor#5364
olease
[21-Jun-21 08:40 PM] belphanor#5364
*please
[21-Jun-21 08:40 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Certainly!
[21-Jun-21 08:42 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Essence is tailor made for beginners. It’s an on ramp to Exalted, like I said. We carefully and intentionally designed to appeal to the modern TTRPG consuming audience. It’s made to be just a little bit familiar to the 5e crowd, and a lot of thought was put into making it enjoyable for streaming.
It also has everything you need to play in one book – so if you’re a die-hard fan of certain types of Exalted that usually get late releases, you no longer have to wait five more years for their book to be out.
That being said, it’s an overview and a starter kit. It does those two things extremely well. 1/
[21-Jun-21 08:43 PM] belphanor#5364
5 years?
[21-Jun-21 08:43 PM] belphanor#5364
looks at @SisterDeathMachine incredulously
[21-Jun-21 08:43 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Listen,
[21-Jun-21 08:43 PM] belphanor#5364
😛
[21-Jun-21 08:44 PM] belphanor#5364
I’m joking
[21-Jun-21 08:45 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Third Edition has significantly more room to expand on all those things. It’s big books chock full of lore and plot hooks. It’s got tons of options and things because it has the room to do that in.
If you like depth both lorewise and mechanically, then 3e default has that in spades.
That being said they’re compatible with each other, so nothing’s stopping you from using a little of each or borrowing one rule from Essence to 3e or vice versa. And of course, all that lore.
(End)
[21-Jun-21 08:45 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I lied not the end
[21-Jun-21 08:46 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Essence is also focused on cross-splat play. We made it easy for the party to be mixed types. 3e does “single type play” a bit better, because each book is focused on that.
[21-Jun-21 08:46 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
now the end.
[21-Jun-21 08:47 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[21-Jun-21 08:49 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
there’s a pretty solid fanmade one floating around (official content will come post KS) I’ll upload it one sec
[21-Jun-21 08:49 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/856712564612661248/Essence_Sheet_New.pdf
[21-Jun-21 08:49 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
ta-daa
[21-Jun-21 08:50 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It’s form fillable
[21-Jun-21 08:51 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Very pretty!
[21-Jun-21 08:51 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Yeah they did a lovely job
[21-Jun-21 08:51 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So I see that there are only 3 attributes. Is that new to Essence? (Sorry, I haven’t played Exalted since 1e back in the day.)
[21-Jun-21 08:52 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Yes it is, it’s part of the streamlined rules
[21-Jun-21 08:52 PM] belphanor#5364
is there anything in Essence you wish you could retroactively add to 3rd ed?
[21-Jun-21 08:52 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What covers intelligence?
[21-Jun-21 08:52 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Attributes were transformed into a guide for roleplay. They’re how you take an action.
[21-Jun-21 08:52 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
The Sagacity skill does 😉
[21-Jun-21 08:53 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
You can still be smart, strong, etc – that’s all about your Abilities. Your Attributes determine the way you go about it and then what happens if you fail
[21-Jun-21 08:53 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
I see… So presumably, the Physique skill is strength?
[21-Jun-21 08:53 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
so if you are using Force to be smart – that’s pure Vulcan logic, for example – and you fail, you may be so focused on a small detail that you miss the big picture.
[21-Jun-21 08:54 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
You got it!
[21-Jun-21 08:54 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Does Physique govern melee damage?
[21-Jun-21 08:54 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
hmmmmm I like the way Power works rather than initiative
[21-Jun-21 08:55 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It does not. that’s based on how well you hit, and your weapon. when you’re making decisive strikes, you can also boost it by spending Power. So having a charged super bar matters for damage
[21-Jun-21 08:58 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Hmm… So there’s not much point to making a Conan-type warrior?
[21-Jun-21 09:01 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I wouldn’t go that far. If you want mighty thews, you can still hit very hard and leap over buildings with ease and cleave your enemies in half and win wrestling matches with giant beasts
It’s just that those are all Charm choices
[21-Jun-21 09:01 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
and pretty much covered by investing in Athletics, Close Combat, and Physique. And all doable at starting level.
[21-Jun-21 09:02 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
So having a high Physique helps unlock these high-damage Charms?
[21-Jun-21 09:03 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
If you want to be able to pull down walls, hurl enormous objects or kick in doors (as well as be tough as nails and shrug off blows that would kill a lesser man) – that’s all Physique.
Swordplay, wrestling, close-combat damage – that’s all under Close Combat
[21-Jun-21 09:04 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
And of course, a cool sword
[21-Jun-21 09:06 PM] belphanor#5364
alwasy need a cool sword
[21-Jun-21 09:06 PM] belphanor#5364
*always
[21-Jun-21 09:06 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
What can magic accomplish at the high end of the power scale?
[21-Jun-21 09:06 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
nodnod very important
[21-Jun-21 09:07 PM] belphanor#5364
ok, so you said charms are easy to build, what about weapons, evocations, sorceries and harthstones?
[21-Jun-21 09:08 PM] belphanor#5364
do we get rules on those as well?
[21-Jun-21 09:09 PM] belphanor#5364
(sorry, I’m that kind of player)
[21-Jun-21 09:10 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Solars can wrestle behemoths and giant creatures as easily as wrestling a normal human foe. They can shape primordial chaos into useful things and places.
A Lunar can bedevil their enemies as a cloud of insects and steal the forms of their enemies by invading their dreams.
Sidereals can inflict a terrible curse upon a target’s fate, dooming them for the rest of their life.
Getimians can turn the battlefield into a personal reality marble, forcing an enemy to fight them one on one.
Just a few cool examples.
[21-Jun-21 09:11 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
Evocations are just Charms, so that’s already covered. But yes! You’ll find Hearthstones have never been easier. Sorcery is very direct too.
[21-Jun-21 09:12 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Well, let me be more specific: When I said “magic”, I was thinking in terms of “magic spells”. Sorcery.
[21-Jun-21 09:12 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
ooooh
[21-Jun-21 09:12 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
well that’s pretty darn cool too
[21-Jun-21 09:12 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715Rain of Doom You summon a supernatural storm of vast proportions to blight the land. This spell requires a magical working to prime the area, which involves tracing a circuit (magically-aided or mundane) around an affected area over the course of a full day. If the sorcerer manages to complete their circuit by dusk of the following day, spend 9 Will. A rain of corrosive venom falls from the jet-black clouds in the sky, while sickly green lightning lashes the ground. The venom falls in sheets from dusk until dawn, creating an environmental hazard within the area equivalent to a severe thunderstorm (p. XX) and inflicting contact poison damage (p. XX) to anyone caught outside. Any material not made of a Magical Material is corroded and permanently destroyed by exposure to the rain; nothing but stunted scrub and strange, poisonous giant mushrooms will grow on the land washed by the rain. Blood Monsoon (Necromancy): The rain is sanguine, and the lightning is similarly crimson; while the environmental hazard is the same, the sun is blotted out, ghosts become material in the rainfall, and exposed animals become permanently maddened. The land is diseased after the rain stops, while the pools of blood mystically animate and attract undead for miles around.
[21-Jun-21 09:13 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
How about an example directly from the text 😉
[21-Jun-21 09:14 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Very nice!
[21-Jun-21 09:14 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Blood Monsoon sounds like a 1980s wrestler.)
[21-Jun-21 09:14 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
LOL yes it does
[21-Jun-21 09:15 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[21-Jun-21 09:16 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
@belphanor has been asking all kinds of questions about homebrew which is great – I just want to toss out there that I’m so excited for all the fanmade content that’s going to come from it, because making things for Exalted has never been easier.
[21-Jun-21 09:17 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I saw someone has already made a whole new Martial Art style already and they’ve had the preview for two days
[21-Jun-21 09:17 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I hope people pick it up, love it, and show it to all their friends
[21-Jun-21 09:19 PM] belphanor#5364
I’m willing to do my part
[21-Jun-21 09:19 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
I salute you o7
[21-Jun-21 09:25 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks so much for joining us, @SisterDeathMachine!
[21-Jun-21 09:25 PM] SisterDeathMachine#7715
It was my pleasure! I’m happy to be here.
[21-Jun-21 09:25 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! 🙂
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[21-Jun-21 09:26 PM] Dan Davenport#6715
Now, if you’ll give me a minute here, I’ll post the log and link you!
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 
