Friday, October 2, 2009

The Implacables

Creation over flows with heroic beings ready to take on challenges of colossal scale, forging the world in their own image, fighting against impossible odds, eradicating threats to their intrests and generally guiding the course of world events. But who supports these beings in their endeavors? Certainly not eachother. All of the Exalted a fractious lot who only come together when their goals coincide. There are a few squabling beings with absolute power and absolute authority reigning over the masses of dissregarded mortals. The few couldn't possibly have enforced their rule across creation without assistance. Something is missing from creations history books. The work horses. The subtle heroes who fought in the phalanx, side by side with the greatest of generals. The builders who assembled the machines of war and peace. The comforting and stable guides, healing body and mind alike. The middle men who moved the cogs of creation. The researchers who made the brilliant moments of insight posssible. The quiet outcastes that saw it all. Creation is built on the backs of unsung heroes. The support structure that made the First Age and all its glory possible, is more vast than history shall ever know. This is the story of the forgoten Exalted. The ones who faded away and took the stability of the first age with them. The unglorius. The Implacables.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

New Artifact. Please Comment

So I had an Idea for an entirely new class of weapon for Exalted yesterday and I wanted to jot it down before it escaped me and perhaps get some feedback on it.

Heavenly Arm of Sonic Manipulation (Working Title)
Artifact 5 (open to suggestion)

Speed:5 Accuracy:+2 Damage:+16L/2 Defense:+0 Rate:1 Range: 50 Attune:8
Minimums: Performance 4

Mechanics: For attack rolls, substitute (Dexterity+Relevant Combat Stat [Mele, Martial Arts, Archery ect.]) with Dexterity+Performance. For damage substitute Strength for Charisma.

Basically the intention of this artifact is to provide socially based character a combat option right out of the gate. Mechanically anyway. From a story aesthetic its just plain awesome. The Artifact itself is basically a set of Magitech speakers worn on a character's off arm and shoulder, keeping a characters hands free to play some sort of valid instrument or hold a microphone. These things provide a means to for the character to more finely manipulate the essence flows inherent in sound waves. In this way a character can use sound waves as a powerful damaging force. Screaming death. Im a huge rivithead if you couldn't tell from the "Industrial" plastered on my page. So my view of this artifact was considerably darker then the standard "metal god slaughters through the power of guitar riffs". I have to admit most of the inspiration for this weapon and the associated martial arts came from Trigun. Bluesy Killer Horn. Master of sound and sonic destroyer of the gung ho guns. Apply that concept to steam-punk tech and eastern asthetics and you get my mental image for this artifact. As for the use of this artifact...Terrifiying. I imagine enemies falling to their knees as the wailing sound of mechanized fury destroys the softer parts of the human anatomy, causing blood and liquified tissue to stream from their eyes, mouth and ears. Waves of sonic force furrowing the earth as they pass, snaping enemies like twigs as they are thrown away, broken and twitching. A figure swathed in black, throws off his coverings. His left arm is plated in bulky gold mechanicals. His massive fist hangs past his knee, hissing steam through knoby ports in his knuckles as he opens his palm face out to reveal a speaker port that encompasses his entire, dinner plate sized palm.There is a whiring sound of gyros reving up as gold lion motifs open their maws to reveal a total of six more speaker mounts. Four medium tweeters up his fore arm for fine control. Two sub-woofers mounted to his bicep for power. He plugs plugs a Mic into a shoulder port and dials up a knob on a golden torc he wears around his throat. Essence begins to coalece over the speakers like a heat mirage. The figure opens his mouth and every bit of matter around him is obliterated. Lyrics that speak of rage and loss batter the area with palpable force akin to a hurricane. Nothing can stand before him. *shiver* Good stuf.

More on this later. Also, im working on a Martial Arts style specifically for this weapon. Ill post the Charms ive completed soon.

Hamster Wants to Die...

So today one of my players came to me begging me to kill his character. This was a bit of a shock to me because this was the player's first and beloved character. He spent a respectable amount of time writing a back story with plot hooks that not only tied him to a few of his fellow Circle mates from the beginning but also created an entire organization and alternate plot line in the South. All of this story effort will be lost if I decide to cooperate with my player. Ive started to plan a spectacular death sequence in which, the Solar, dies valiantly defending the circle and reconciling with the target of his undying hate. However, I still don't want to kill him. The player wants a restart and I understand but im worried that if I give it to him every player will just want to move on when they get bored of a character concept instead of giving the characters and storyline their due diligence. I don't want my plot to be disrupted merely because of player boredom. I do however want my players to have a degree of flexibility since most of them are new to Exalted and don't yet know all the possibilities of story and mechanics. Im a bit vexed at the moment.
So here goes my first Idea. I play a Tabletop Role Playing Game by the name of Exalted. Excuse me if my language is a bit terse but I need to get this down. Anyway, one of the major plotlines of the setting is the rise of a group of ultra powerful Lich like beings called the Deathlords. They intend to destroy Creation in the name of their Neverborn masters who dream restlessly above the mouth of the void. They hope that when creation is torn asunder all will slide into the Void to be consumed, that reality may enter the bliss of non-exsistence. One Deathlord in particular has met with more succses then most of his bretheren; Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Waters. He has created a small but potent nation that clings to barren, rocky, islands in the west. Using a horde of zombie laborers he has slowly built up his nation's infastructure and created a death based, religous, meritocracy that functions more effectively then more developed empires a across creation. Most of this is a front however, perpetuated merely for the benefit of veiling the Silver Prince's (the name of his "messiah" persona and the name by which creation knows him) intentions. He really seeks to embroil the West in bloody conflict so that he may extend the boundarys of the western Shadowlands. The Exalted campagin I Story Tell centers on this character and his nation as the driving force behind western politics. I feel the need to iron out the details of the Silver Prince's machinations before my story arc progresses to far. My Player Characters are a mixed circle. 3 Abyssal, 1 Lunar, 2 Solar and 1 Sidereal Exalted. I know. Bad Idea. However, I came up with a decent stopgap measure to insure that the party could work together despite vast differences in motivation and background. The Silver Price has begun a program to capture and "tag" all non-Abyssal Exalted opperating in the western area. The non-Abyssal PC's were the test group in this policy. The PC's were outfited with artifact collars that precent them from taking any direct action against the intrests of the Silver Prince. A bit of a heavy handed and arbitrary I know but I need to do something to maintain the continuity of the story. So now the Silver Prince has a shiny new batch of Exalts that work for him, providing a greater degree of utility than he had before. He intends to use these Exalts as diplomatic envoys to the other Western nations and powers in the hopes that the will present a reasonable and amicable face to the region. Barring this they will merely insinuate themselves into the government of several influential nations. Such as Wavecrest Archipelago or Coral Archipelago. Ultimately, the overall goal will be the same. Destabilization of peace. Coral and Wavecrest are already at odds. The Neck, being millitarilly inrrelevant and geographically between the two nations will be trampled underfoot. The only millitary action the Silver Prince need take after that will be the eradication of whatever forces remain. This massive slaughter will be enough to expand the shadowland at least ten-fold. The Silver Prince won't stop there. With the assistance of the players he will round up every last man, woman and child and ritually murder them on the eastern boundary of the Shadowland thereby expanding it even farther. This drastic increase in Necrotic Essence leeching into creation will of course alert the Sidereals and the Realm to the actions of the Silver Prince. They of course will respond with overwhelming force but they wont see the trap through their blind fear. Bodhisattva has been planning for this all along. He has quietly amassed his millitary might over the last few decades. He commands a greater number of First Age Warships and and associated aquatic Necrotech/Magitech devices then any other entity at this point in history. Include the newly risen zombies, Hungry Ghosts, War Ghosts and other assorted undead soldiers, and no fleet mobilized against the Bodhisattva will stand a chance. The ensuing slaughter will push the boundaries of the Shadowland even futher. Perhaps far enough to threaten the west coast of the Blessed Isle. The beauty of this plan is that the Silver Prince will come away from this intact and more powerfull then ever. The size of the Shadowland will be stagering. The Foundary of Souls will have more fuel to stoke the fires of industry then ever before. A plethora of new resources will be availible to the citizens of Skullstone. Not to mention new land mass to expand and setle. From there? Only time will tell. Many more options will be open to the Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Waters once his plan comes to fruition. This might seem a bit uncreative but once the Silver Prince gains this much power so many story options are oppened. However ill have to explore those possibilities some other time. My eyes burn. If you have any comments or suggestions please dont hesitate to contact me. I alway apreciate input from other gamers. Anything to make my job as ST easier.

Introduction

This is a bit surreal for me. Im not quite sure if Im writing this for myself or the faceless masses. Ive never been one to share my thoughts with anyone but my close companions but here I am. I think this needs to be done. My ideas are to numerous to keep straight without some sort of coallating tool. Ive always loved writing creatively and without constraint but ive never DONE IT. If that makes sense. I suppose that this will be the place where my Ideas congregate and be recorded for my latter use and perhaps, occasionally yours. I dont intend to spill more affected, emotional nonsense upon the annals of the ever expanding of knowledge that is the internet. No. I merely require another outlet for my creativity and a place to record. Perhaps I may recieve validation for my thoughts. Perhaps not. My only hope is that my ideas become focused and honed, either through outside influence or mere progressive documentation. This is my intent. My first anchoring point. Hopefully it will be enough to begin.