Secret Fourth Thing TM
#Exalted
coral wraith
bleak hazel
That's less relevant in terms of "I lock off options at start of fight, declare that to everyone and get a themed buff"
coral wraith
btw the secret fourth thing is "Can't harm beyond what is necessary for surrender"
no torture
tulip folio
Must Allow Retreat?
bleak hazel
That's already in Compassion, which gives you glorious non-lethal fists, and Temperance is can't chase
prisma sun
What are the convictions again
prisma sun
That's already in Compassion, which gives you glorious non-lethal fists, and Tem...
My 1 dot familiar: Monkey With a Knife
wise ocean
no torture? in a white wolf game? is that allowed
coral wraith
bleak hazel
The four virtues are Valor (can't retreat, big buff to taking crippling injuries), Compassion (can't kill people, withering go brrr), Temperance (can't chase, can withdraw easily?) and Conviction (I really don't know)
coral wraith
Your anima automatically flares to burning and reveals the strongest intimacy you have for fighting
bleak hazel
oh that's a good one
prisma sun
Conviction: You cannot act against any defining or major tie
wise ocean
temperance sounds like a disengage booster
automatic burning flare triggering soulfire shaper is very funny given that this is gleam's silken armor
coral wraith
you're a sid, giving up part of your game and getting 5 motes away from dropping an RD is definitively a downside
wise ocean
I DECLARE I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS [instant PAOC]
coral wraith
but its definitely flavourful
bleak hazel
The idea is that they're all simultaneously commitments to get buffs and declaring binding restrictions to your opponent in a way that can't lie, so you can officially go "I'll let you walk away, no stakes, you can end this when you like" in a credible way
spiral cosmos
this is just recreating heavenly restrictions now
wise ocean
iirc misc's inspo is jjk binding oaths
spiral cosmos
excellent
bleak hazel
it has two inspirations, one is my textbook on corporate personhood (the right to be sued is more important than the right to sue, because it lets you make credible commitments to others) and one is binding vows baby time to improvise some absolute nonsense
bleak hazel
Which I suppose is a very me combination of things
prisma sun
Its also just textually how Conky used to work
marsh garden
I got misc to read JJK and its been paying off
thank you for your service
spiral cosmos
infernal gojo up in the sky like 'i alone am the racist one'
bleak hazel
also it's all virtue themed so I'm making some "wandering Righteous Man" jokes and making it a big duster looking thing because cowboys are just youxia if you think about it
coral wraith
yes
prisma sun
Like the whole way Unconquered Sun used to work is that he had a buff so long as he maintained his 5 virtues
wise ocean
I have never read nor watched jjk so the number of people in my DMs telling me things about jogo and gojo, who are somehow both different people, and are also apparently one or some number of my OCs, is expanding at rapid and concerning rates
prisma sun
Temperance made him undefeatable so thats why he could lose the Games of Divinity
spiral cosmos
don't forget geto
bleak hazel
It's been very good inspiration, Rival and Gleam definitely skewed about 25% more Nanami after watching it
spiral cosmos
he's the really racist one and also really fucking stupid
marsh garden
infernal gojo up in the sky like 'i alone am the ``racist`` one'
that's just regular gojo
bleak hazel
The intro montage shot of Kenjaku pouring sauce on one of his curse pokeballs was really funny to me for some reason
spiral cosmos
ludall kind of has Geto in him too tbh with his extreme disdain for mortals and creation. swirled those boys together in an act of demurgic fushoshing
marsh garden
bro is genuinely like that and it's so funny
prisma sun
ludall kind of has Geto in him too tbh with his extreme disdain for mortals and ...
Geto, did you lay this egg?
spiral cosmos
prisma sun
Also yeah I forgot Gojo does straight up get called racist
marsh garden
i need to read modulo, i've heard it's pretty good
prisma sun
I also need to do that
spiral cosmos
good is. relative
prisma sun
I watched the Sendai colony episode and oh my gooooooood
spiral cosmos
it has sauce
but oh my lord
if you thought 'only japanese people have cursed energy explicitly' was wacky
lmfao
spiral cosmos
I watched the Sendai colony episode and oh my gooooooood
i havent seen it yet
marsh garden
oh yeah there are aliens aren't there
spiral cosmos
i'm so mad they're going to upsell sukunabowl
prisma sun
Japanese people and SPECIFICALLY this one section of Kenya
spiral cosmos
it's going to be completely incomprehensible still and i'm going to fucking eat it all up and love it like a good little piggy
marsh garden
lmao
spiral cosmos
and then it's going to hit the ending and everyone is gonna feel their necks snap
marsh garden
hakari kaisen is peak fiction at least
prisma sun
The direction is actually really good on the episode
Theres no Naoya or Sukuna levels of "I genuinely cant tell you what the fuck is happening"
fierce star
The more I know about jjk the less I understand. It is like baki in this way
spiral cosmos
i knew mappa were still cooking when i watched Maki's Magical Runback turn into a kill bill episode. that was my test for if i was going to watch culling game
just jumped right in to that episode to see how my girl did it
straight greasy
marsh garden
lmao
bleak hazel
The kill bill was extremely good
spiral cosmos
the strongest misogynist of today (naoya) versus the strongest misogynist in history (inexplicably naoya in a heian era outfit)
winner: maki
bleak hazel
I go back and forth on whether I like the Sukuna vs Mahoraga fight and I usually settle on "yes but mostly because Sukuna is having so much fun with it"
marsh garden
if sukuna wasn't such a rat bitch asshole 24/7 i think i would've found most of his fights intolerable
but he's just a huge chud
he sucks so bad
and he's funny about it
bleak hazel
There's one momentary shot of him carefully camping out on a traffic light in just the right position that all the screens around him display giant Sukuna faces which is the right kind of silly
prisma sun
I need to write more Creature
marsh garden
he's like 50% seethe 50% scenery-eating egotism
prisma sun
Who wants to play Octavian in the server
marsh garden
and i love it so much
marsh garden
spiral cosmos
dear liberals. if jujutsu sorcerers didn't want me to kill them why won't women talk to me.
- turning point ryomen
marsh garden
sukuna should've just kissed gojo instead of crashing out
spiral cosmos
if he weren't such a ridiculous petty asshole he would be like 10x less interesting as a character
of course then that kinda happens anyway 😭
prisma sun
I saw a surprisingly media literate read on domain expansion recently
tulip folio
Petty Asshole is an essential part of any exalt I feel. There's all those big picture guys out there but sometimes you just need this small thing that a god-king hates.
prisma sun
And why Sukuna is so good at binding vows
bleak hazel
Hey, Sukuna's only friend in the world is nb
Does creature also have a dedicated assistant who holds up big signs glazing them all the time or did you not transfer that part of the Sukuna DNA
prisma sun
I took the idea of that and made it a marching band that plays his theme music
Diagetically
spiral cosmos
i think being a petty asshole is a really humanizing character trait to give characters
even if it's only just on one or two topics
sometimes you want somebody to be a huge piece of shit in a delightful way, sometimes you want it to be sort of funny quiet note
sometimes you want it to be like a feet of clay flaw thing
marsh garden
wise ocean
one of my abyssal's defining traits is that there is no such thing as a Real, Actual Person that can't beat him in a fight
if you can't pose a credible threat to him (mind you, full combat monkey charopped dusk) then you are automatically a non-person, a shade, a figurative entity, a stage extra
horrible creature
tulip folio
I like using it to undercut my main Infernal Character's dignity. Yes, she is a powerful demon-witch who can warp bodies and minds into shapes of her choosing, chosen by the primordial creators of reality...but she's also a petty asshole who will get in a screaming argument with a mortal sorcerer over pedantic sorcery facts and not even use her magic to win the argument because she wants them to know she was right and they were wrong
prisma sun
coral wraith
one of my abyssal's defining traits is that there is no such thing as a Real, Ac...
god graves is going to be world shatteringly pissed when he puzzles out he got beaten by word trickery huh
prisma sun
Creature sucks but hes also en route to be one of the first infernal elders
Because all the Yozis find reasons to throw apples at him constantly
wise ocean
(it's also me poking at the exalted concept of "what does it mean that there are actually people legitimately that much larger than life" - well, some of those people are going to be like "I am alive, everyone else is, well, not")
tulip folio
god graves is going to be world shatteringly pissed when he puzzles out he got b...
Going to be like a bird that realized it's reflection isn't actually another creature.
'I though this was a person but I was tricked!'
spiral cosmos
i can dislike it when ppl are afraid to make their blorbos a little rough around the edges or kind of bad people, sometimes. everyone rps for different reasons but i'm more interested in compelling than likeable or good
prisma sun
Ya def
I also think if someone was a fully good person they wouldnt learn blood exploding techniques
tulip folio
I'll admit I tend more towards 'Asshole(Amusingly)' than 'Asshole(Depressingly)' but that's entirely personal preference and I respect some people do wanna get into that more grimy sort of asshole.
coral wraith
it's part of why I like Sids so much, because there are distinctly dirty, grimy parts of the job
wise ocean
god graves is going to be world shatteringly pissed when he puzzles out he got b...
his reaction is genuinely going to be "double it and pay it forwards to the next person"
except in this case the next person is anyone attempting to social influence him into restraint
coral wraith
and you gotta figure out how they deal with that
prisma sun
Also Borb how do you feel that we made the Conventicle a bunch of floating islands in a stadium where every Infernal has a house and a throne they sit on so they can hit that Organization 13 type shit
spiral cosmos
every single element about what Sidereals do is morally dubious at best. you are the adjustment bureau's james bond
coral wraith
his reaction is genuinely going to be "double it and pay it forwards to the next...
yippee!
fierce star
I just like to torture my characters so giving them stuff they care about helps that
tulip folio
Loviatar fully acts like 2e Acts of Villainy still existed because she can't just win she has to have the other guy knows she won. Because that means she's smart and they're dumb and she's actually in control of her life, dammit!
She might have Issues
bleak hazel
Four Seasons Rival is the closest I've got to a straight up heroic hero boy and he a) likes violence honestly way too much and b) has an ego very dependent on considering himself as a heroic hero boy while doing his job as a matrix agent provocateur
spiral cosmos
the most morally light Sidereals get is when they do stuff like fighting catastrophic reality infections, horrors from outside the world, preventing massacres and the like, but on the whole, under the comedy and wizard shit, they are just deeply deeply deeply sus and this is really the point
wise ocean
yippee!
mask: heh. I'm a genius. [gains 1 limit]
mask, later: what do you mean you presented him with perfectly valid reasons to not knife you thanks to our mutual enemy and then he just knifed you anyway. what the fuck
bleak hazel
My bluesid on the other hand is 100% convinced that he should run everything
spiral cosmos
i honestly find sidereals really horrifying and distressing
like i love them to pieces
fierce star
the most morally light Sidereals get is when they do stuff like fighting catastr...
I have a sidereal who has a specialty in shit-stirring and thinks the raksha have a point about an interesting story being better than a long one
spiral cosmos
but from an ethical perspective, if you really sit with it and dive in and try to imagine what it's like to be one of these people, to think like them and make their choices, it's quite distressing
coral wraith
mask: `heh. I'm a genius.` [gains 1 limit]
mask, later: `what do you mean you p...
mask, internally: oh he's really fucked huh.
bleak hazel
"screw this Cincinnatus stuff, I should be in charge, I'm so good at running things" - man who has used Cash and Murder Games three times this week
coral wraith
but from an ethical perspective, if you **really** sit with it and dive in and t...
oh yeah like it's full on CIA greater good black ops shit
its bad! thank you Maidens!
wise ocean
the most morally light Sidereals get is when they do stuff like fighting catastr...
pictured: my sid's concept sentence
tulip folio
mask: `heh. I'm a genius.` [gains 1 limit]
mask, later: `what do you mean you p...
Sids exist in a quantum superposition of 'fucking around' and 'finding out' and any given scene will collapse it one way or another.
coral wraith
GM has been punished for everyone else's sins
the gathering of sids at nexus are collectively a) drama stirring dipshits b) terminally burnt out or c) just do not want to be here
tulip folio
Glacier Jade is very James Bond but like...early movie 'You just walked in, asked for your signature drink and are shocked they worked out who you are so now it's Gunfights and Car chases' bond. She's not a good spy but she's a very good improviser when the spy plan inevitably fails.
spiral cosmos
the part of agents of heaven i spent the longest working on, by far, is the QC chapter which for the Sidereal part is a constellation of character studies tackling what it means to be one of these guys and tease out all their perspectives to their condition and work. all their philosophies and damages, etc. it was very rewarding to do in a way but also rather difficult, bc so much of it was tied up into anxieties about the morality of power, for me
limpid badge
and the other GM has to deal with bloody hand not understanding chess but understanding murdering her fellow gamblers at a table
marsh garden
but from an ethical perspective, if you **really** sit with it and dive in and t...
something something no such thing as an ethical system sidereal, after all
coral wraith
and the other GM has to deal with bloody hand not understanding chess but unders...
BH!GM is perpetually walking a fine fucking line and they know it
tulip folio
I do like that unlike 2e, sids don't have half their ability points pre-spent on 'basic sid competency'
marsh garden
i was recently hard sold on attribute minimums
spiral cosmos
the depressing thing about our world is most people with a lot of power don't spend much time questioning themselves at all
tulip folio
It lets you make much more entertainingly not competent in a given area you'd assume sids would be great at sids
marsh garden
i am now a proponent of attribute minimums
wise ocean
the gathering of sids at nexus are collectively a) drama stirring dipshits b) te...
to be fair to them
their opposition is either (a) here on their sunny creation vacation and also racking up points on the Destruction Of All Things chart, or (b) on a cultivation school field trip with the overworked head teacher having a sole competency of hurting people
tulip folio
"Jade, why are you a Stealth 0 Sidereal?"
"Arcane Fate will fix it."
"Jade, why are you a Manipulation 1 Sidereal?"
"Arcane Fate will fix it."
"God Dammit Jade."
bleak hazel
the part of agents of heaven i spent the longest working on, by far, is the QC c...
Oh I'm glad that bit exists because honestly the one thing I thought was missing from Sidbook was "what specifically is the positive case for Destiny". It's there, it's just quite short on wordcount considering how many splats we've got that have "fuck Heaven" on the core motivation list.
coral wraith
to be fair to them
their opposition is either (a) here on their sunny creation ...
this is true 
bleak hazel
"Jade, why are you a Stealth 0 Sidereal?"
"Arcane Fate will fix it."
"Jade, why ...
It's amazing what Arcane Fate + RD + Underling Invisibility can fix, though
coral wraith
Jade has Tulat's Tread, right?
bleak hazel
My Redsid doesn't have UIP so instead he just has a resplendent destiny he only uses in crow form
tulip folio
It's amazing what Arcane Fate + RD + Underling Invisibility can fix, though
Yep! Jade's primary strategem has been 'Put on the RD of a bandit and go stab/rob someone'.
As everyone Knows bandits stab and rob people.
spiral cosmos
the positive argument from power for anything is that power that is lost can't stop negatives or affect positives
limpid badge
"Jade, why are you a Stealth 0 Sidereal?"
"Arcane Fate will fix it."
"Jade, why ...
check this shit out
feral cipher
somebody told The Grave 'thank you' and he is going to socially force and seal them into a vow of silence
for an update on how normal he is
tulip folio
Jade has Tulat's Tread, right?
Different Sid. Jade is the one who's basicly 'We made the Classic Wuxia Mongolian Barbarian James Bond'
She's from a northern clan the Lover's deathknights wiped out
bleak hazel
check this shit out
Sids who are honestly a bit thick solidarity
coral wraith
Different Sid. Jade is the one who's basicly 'We made the Classic Wuxia Mongolia...
ah neat
bleak hazel
(Rival is working on that Int 2 but it's going to be a minute)
tulip folio
check this shit out
Hahahah. That is a fantastic statline.
As an aside: Man I love that 3e Sid charmset is weird but more...functional in 3e.
spiral cosmos
if you work for heaven you see that without destiny, in some form, being planned and happening, you see that bad shit happens. that is just unambiguous. it is basically bad I think that Creation was built this way but that's kind of something all Sidereals agree to at a basic level because of something intrinsic to their nature
tulip folio
Like you get a lot of 'This does weird thing but the thing is weird within the context of the ability' more than 'this is weird and unrelated to the ability'
2e had a lot of the latter
spiral cosmos
its the specifics that make and break stuff
limpid badge
Sids who are honestly a bit thick solidarity
her previous incarnation tricked her into taking the job
and she will never ever forgive that dead asshole
coral wraith
gm @ rival: ya stupid. one month course of not stupid. come.
i love professorial mein
limpid badge
Hahahah. That is a fantastic statline.
i am riding that defense of shining joy to the horizon baby
bleak hazel
gm @ rival: `ya stupid. one month course of not stupid. come.`
He'll get there, although I have firmly accepted he's never going to be actually good at sorcery
spiral cosmos
if youre getting factional a Bronze Sidereal might say something like the Immaculate Order is Creation's greatest provider of literacy, disaster relief and social safety nets (in different terms), and that with them existing Sids can use it to direct all this good. and this is actually a true statement. does this mean the Realm is good actually and imperialism is the thing to do? i wouldn't really say so! but that's a position characters can have and I don't think it's that far from how a lot of first world people be moving
bleak hazel
On the upside Mask had to call Rival in from orbit to deal with two (2) mortals without casting giant obvious deafeningly loud sorcery
have you considered Unweaving Method
prisma sun
Its been really interesting writing a Protagonist Bronze
bleak hazel
I really do love the Bronze Faction, they're by far the most interesting Establishment going
spiral cosmos
you can see what is almost a fantasy trolley problem come to life today along these lines with USAID. USAID was absolutely an instrumental of colonialism and colonial economics used to shove around especially lots of Africa but also woopsie the worst people in the world broke it because they were racist and paranoid about birthrates and now we're headed to the Holocaust x2 in bodycounts
shits complicated
prisma sun
Drifts in Gossamer is a staunch Bronze because he has vivid memories of the tyranny of the Solars, but also he thinks that the Gold faction idea will just destroy the way of life of countless civilizations and landscapes that, to him, deserve to exist.
He thinks the status quo needs to be saved and that radical change will, inherently, bring about the destruction of all the things he loves about the world
tulip folio
An RPG writer I know wrote a big thing about how once you're on a big enough scale it's basicly impossible to not do some level of imperialism if you intend to follow your own moral compass about helping others.
-If you provide aid in a famine? You're undermining local farmers who are already hard done by as they're now competing with food that isn't being paid for. It's possible their farms might collapse, making the nation more dependent on future aid.
-You don't provide aid in a famine? You're Just Letting Them Die.
-You provide aid but you make it cost money to not screw over the farmer? Well, not everyone can afford that and now you're extracting their wealth...
And it's that tension that makes big scale stuff interesting.
As there is no Golden Path that doesn't push at least one person down
spiral cosmos
i take the point about the disruptive nature of acting at scale but I don't think i would agree with a definition of imperialism that broad
prisma sun
Its sorta the thing with Union in Lancer that I talk about
Is that i feel like Union's hegemony while benevolent is still imperialism and thus would have reasonable detractors and those that wouldn't want to be part of it
And those people shouldn't be portrayed as antagonists
mighty rover
An RPG writer I know wrote a big thing about how once you're on a big enough sca...
Bluesky
tulip folio
That's it!
prisma sun
I have a meme I want to post but I will wait to do so
spiral cosmos
i have known sketch personally for a long time and I don't think that definition is quite right either
but this is a historical philosophy question almost
tulip folio
Yeah, that's fair. I'm rambling a bit off-topic.
prisma sun
I dont think theres any right answer to anything when it comes to societal relationships
bleak hazel
This discussion has at least allowed me to clarify my Bluesid's character concept a bit, we are now at "I should be in charge. Look how good I am at being in charge."
prisma sun
Also meme drop now
bleak hazel
Clovinan noble who has his personal crest on all his robes and 500 social charms
prisma sun
https://youtu.be/TQOizpRSY2g?si=K76PsEloNoT6ZVWR
This is what it feels like to be a Dynast vs a Lunar
spiral cosmos
i don't think you have to conceive of imperialism as fundamentally and essentially economic at the definition level to be making a materialist analysis
the cultural exists
an accounting of the different ways power inequality can play out across a periphery and core that is materialist but not exclusively economic is dialectical materialism 101
superstructure is not the base etc
mighty rover
This discussion has at least allowed me to clarify my Bluesid's character concep...
TRUE
spiral cosmos
i also really don't like the union in lancer im gonna be real
fierce star
finally back at my laptop, no longer trappedin th ehell of phoneposting
spiral cosmos
its my least favorite part of the setting
fierce star
the most sidereal possible statline
tulip folio
Lux: "You know what doesn't have arguments like this? Defaulting to invading people! Then you have no arguments about if what you're doing is imperialism or not!"
marsh garden
i think the most sid possible statline has app dots too
but otherwise yeah that looks like the typecast
bleak hazel
The most Sidereal statline is that, the most Solar statline is App 5 social tertiary Invincible Sword Princess
What's the most Lunar statline
nine 5s
feral cipher
somebody told The Grave 'thank you' and he is going to socially force and seal t...
she fucking flashbanged me, what the hell
tulip folio
The most Sidereal statline is that, the most Solar statline is App 5 social tert...
I am still still so amused that's Benny's actual statline. She's just So Dusk.
spiral cosmos
Union annoys me on several levels
i don't particularly want to belabor the point on a lancer server because that seems like it would be rude. but I am glad it's not just me
bleak hazel
Benignant Annihilator is great
tulip folio
Social Skills: No.
Appearance: 5
Sword: All
bleak hazel
i don't particularly want to belabor the point on a lancer server because that s...
I've made it before, I am pretty open about my opinion that it's a big beige blob that sucks all the plot hooks out of the setting
prisma sun
i don't particularly want to belabor the point on a lancer server because that s...
The main thing that gets you side eyed is less criticism of Union and more HA or Seccom glazing ime
bleak hazel
(political structure aside)
spiral cosmos
Benignant Annihilator is great
I'm gonna be real she was just an update of the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile until they made me tweak enough details that eventually they said yeah just make her someone new and so most of the fandom correctly just said "we have the Maiden at home".
prisma sun
Like I made Union an antagonist faction in my homebrew field guide
marsh garden
oh, you made benny?
i think you did a great job lmao, she's my favorite dipshit stereotype dawnoid
bleak hazel
I feel more warmth and affection for Benny than I do for the Maiden just because of the sheer amount of Dusk gymbro energy
spiral cosmos
I have never seen people care about my BPD girlypop anywhere because she's so clearly just the Maiden tweaked so it's honestly nice to hear
marsh garden
i love that she's a huge meathead that's poking fun at the Walker's 2e portrayal
fierce star
see the problem is that Maiden is flavorless, but if you lick Benny you can taste the dawnoid in her sweat
marsh garden
and that he's just.
tulip folio
Yeah. She's exactly what 2e Walker would have thought a dusk is.
marsh garden
so tired
fierce star
Maiden is Just Another Dawn, bennie is like. out of character self aware about that.
spiral cosmos
She was meant to be the Maiden's update, just like, the Seven Seasons Widow ate her spot and role in the Mask's roster
marsh garden
"a dot of charisma please"
spiral cosmos
I'm kind of mad about it still
marsh garden
:(
tulip folio
And yeah, don't worry about 'not being a huge fan of Union'. We're not about to jump down people's throats. I personally don't mind Union but I do like to interrogate it in-universe as it's nature calls for interrogation of the lines it places and the underlying assumptions it makes.
"Union intervenes with violence against non-state actors, pirates and slaver groups alike. Union would not claim that this is immoral. However, when it comes to those who claim the sanctuary of Statehood, Union plays more carefully. They say that generational work must occur to transition the state into a better one, acting as if the lines on the map that encompass a state are a real difference between them and the groups they do bring arms against. If Union were to talk to those oppressed by the state, would they be impressed by this distinction?" -Siani 137, Fianna.
When I wrote her, conceptualizing that backstory i wanted it to be a love letter to crazy and difficult women
Or at least a middle finger to her sexist prior depictions
fierce star
hell yeah
tulip folio
That's very fun.
spiral cosmos
She is, like, the worst, but i was not at all down with the way some books treated her
prisma sun
Oh actually, did you touch the Shoat at all?
spiral cosmos
No
prisma sun
Only reason I ask is because we have someone playing A Shoat
spiral cosmos
I wanted to and parts of the Dowager write-up were my ideas originally, a lot of core stuff, but that went to somebody else
Shoat was basically just turned into Catra
I support it
tulip folio
And now I have 'Heeyyy Adora' in my head
marsh garden
the Shoat's little blurb is unironically my favorite character in the abyssal book i think
i hope someone in riders asked for a write-up of her
i'm not holding my breath
but
bleak hazel
Currently in two games that are about to go do Skullstone things so it's appreciated
marsh garden
i love the dowager's smug chudling daughter-priest
tulip folio
This has, of course, made dowager in my mind Shadow Weaver.
bleak hazel
I've got Sid perfect circle playing Silver Prince Must Die as well as Prince Abyssal + three soggy dawnoids do negotiations
just generally spending a lot of time on Onyx
tulip folio
If you don't mind me asking: Was it intended that Benny is '2e Monofocus-Walker's idea of a Dusk stuck with 3e More-Well-Rounded Walker'? That's always been my Pet Theory but I've no clue if was intended or just a very funny coincidence that she's exactly what 2e Walker would have wanted in a Dusk and it's driving 3e Walker insane.
spiral cosmos
not even a little bit intended
tulip folio
Hah, I guess I was just jumping at shadows. Thanks!
wise ocean
benny is very fun
since my dusk is also a walker DK I headcanon that she finds his elevated philosophy insufferable but grudgingly accepts Good Sword, while he is grateful that there are other speaking roles in the universe with which he can converse on a regular basis - and is also fully capable of realizing that she wants him to shut up about The End Of All Desire but does not care enough to take that into account
bleak hazel
oh hey, yeah, I'm about to do a skullstone adventure
Let me get my app in for that actually since I never actually reupped Crimson
coral wraith
skullstone loves this tiny little azurite protectorate and they totally just want to Renew Trade Deals with the half a dozen black fleet ships coming over
coral wraith
Let me get my app in for that actually since I never actually reupped Crimson
appreciated big man
spiral cosmos
im glad ppl appreciate skullstone, please be sure to refer to all enemy skullfolk with the racial slur "bonehead" from here on
authorial approval
coral wraith
oh dear
spiral cosmos
Theyre spiritually white so its fine
tulip folio
Skullstone has always struck me as very...Age of Sail England. So I've always kinda seen them as like not literally british but they have the vibes.
East Underworld Company
spiral cosmos
that was in the mix
coral wraith
i can 100% see it
bleak hazel
skullstone loves this tiny little azurite protectorate and they totally just wan...
Crimson: "So this is my protectorate now, yes? Glad nobody objects, give me all your artifacts so I can sell them for a reasonable price."
tulip folio
Person Obsessed with Irish History sees Evil Maritime Mercantile Empire as british
I'm a parody of myself.
prisma sun
I have always held that when you die in Exalted you are cursed to become white
bleak hazel
Crimson as Skullstone Abyssal is very British Museum compared to Crimson as Mask Abyssal, who is just doing cultivation auctions
prisma sun
Skullstone being England confirms this
spiral cosmos
I like. Kind of hate this thing fans do sometimes where theyre incapable of discussing fictional polities or cultures except explicitly in relation to other things, like its a + b = c
So I wrote Skullstone to be somewhat impossible to do this to
coral wraith
Crimson: "So this is my protectorate now, yes? Glad nobody objects, give me all ...
who is crimson's deathlord, anyway
wise ocean
Is dematerialization -> transparency -> white? More on this later from our top philosophers
tulip folio
Makes sense!
bleak hazel
who *is* crimson's deathlord, anyway
in your game? Silver Prince, presumably
tulip folio
...that was to borb, not to Ash. XD
bleak hazel
he bounces around between overlords depending on what's most convenient for the game I'm shoving him into
wise ocean
I am taking the completely unearned praise regardless, I'm afraid
bleak hazel
but that's usually either Prince or Mask
coral wraith
okay that's. going to be interesting
considering Skullstone is the antagonist and all
not untenable
but interesting
tulip folio
Also: God, I love 3e 'Can't a girl just have hobbies' Heron.
bleak hazel
I can pick another one if it's highly important but Crimson is also totally down to absolutely butcher his competitors so he can have the cool things instead
whenever I put him under Prince I just start going through the list of Skullstone notables and territories going "I want that and that and that and his job and his job..."
coral wraith
no i think its really fucking funny actually
bleak hazel
he's a merchant prince but he got there by playing CK2
coral wraith
we'll have to work a few things out, you may have additional questions
but i like it
coral wraith
tulip folio
But yeah, sorry for all our questions borb.
prisma sun
Likewise if its bothering
coral wraith
likewise
bleak hazel
I also cannot sleep since I woke up at 3am for no reason so I've just been getting all my chores done while rotating silken armours in my mind
the kitchen is now very shiny
wise ocean
is a silken armor easier or harder to rotate than an apple
bleak hazel
easier usually
bleak hazel
formatting the damn thing is going to be a pain though since it has the four virtue vows as the entry evos
fierce star
oh shit it's the whoel skit in the gif nice
wise ocean
https://tenor.com/view/bananas-rotate-spinning-rotate-faster-banana-speed-gif-17...
are you okay?
WHO ARE YOU TO ACCUSE ME
beautiful
bleak hazel
that or I just make it one charm with repurchases and accept that this thing is going to have an evo tree that is about 75% one entry
marsh garden
that's a fun gimmick imo
prisma sun
Meanwhile in the server Crimson is a surprise tool thag will come in handy later
bleak hazel
everyone should do deals with Crimson
reasonably priced artifacts
also I figured out what Drifts will be fighting when we do the soulbreaker orb raid via the medium of kludging a bunch of necromancy statblocks together
prisma sun
Good good
fierce star
okay so: E1 evocations are 'mhm is indefinite until you get crashed' and soemthing malfean themed, probably involving intimacies. E2 is 'reflexive counter an ambush with a clash' and 'add tags to MHM attacks'. E3 is something SWLIHN themed that plays on MHM and something malfean themed. E4 is single evocation 'oh no hope exists'.
prisma sun
Also I need to get out of bed because something about my bed is giving me horrible respitory problems at current
wise ocean
e3 "literally beat an intimacy of hierarchy into someone" could be fun
hit them with rocks until they understand Ordering
bleak hazel
what do I make the later evos on Armour of Binding Vows
Higuruma domain but for diplomacy is too on the nose but tempting
at least one of them is "everyone in the squad can join in on your vow" and another is "your enemy is very impressed by your vow (virtual minor tie)"
fierce star
oh wait right
wise ocean
everyone should do deals with Crimson
"10/10, reasonable price for enhancing this scythe I swiped off a guy last year, doesn't even mind when you don't make eye contact with him" - Graves 2026
fierce star
I was thinking 'drop damage from an MHM decisive to put intimacies inside someone'
tulip folio
note to self: Fae charm that applies the dice from a stunt against a damage roll you suffer (Subtracting dice or successes) as you just Toon Physics bounce back from the hit
coral wraith
what do I make the later evos on Armour of Binding Vows
Since this is a sid artifact, later evo to break a vow on purpose for some serious benefit (because sid pragmatism)
bleak hazel
the punishment for breaking the vow is eclipse oath, so that would have to be one hell of a buff
wait
coral wraith
could ameliorate the debuff as part of the charm
call it Destiny's Sacrifice or something
bleak hazel
"put on the whole display of making the vow, you don't make it, you don't get the buff but you get a buff to an opposite thing that triggers 1/fight rather than ongoing"
coral wraith
yeah!!!
bleak hazel
"Oh you sneaky motherf---" Speared Boar Struggle from someone you thought made the nonlethal vow
fierce star
fucking sidereals
bleak hazel
Armour of Todo
prisma sun
you reminded me
coral wraith
prisma sun
pull from 200 hours ago
This guy is one of like 10 people to understand the thematics of JJK
Bodhisaatva
bleak hazel
I will pencil in "simply lie" as a maybe evo because I do like the idea that the vows are inherently credible and as such you can use them as instruments of negotiation
so Lying would have to be "you get an astronomical buff and then very obviously get Eclipse Oathed in the face" or it somewhat defeats the thematics
coral wraith
Yup!
marsh garden
steal this one maybe
tulip folio
I feel like you could have it count as an intimacy of a particular level for supporting your promise as they 'know' it's something you have to hold to.
bleak hazel
yeah, take only the honest mode
marsh garden
also i just realized that flying guillotine can be enhanced by strength charms, when i thought i was just gonna have to cope defense
fierce star
I feel like I want some self-harm stuff in the two remaining malfean charms. inflict GSW on yourself for something, maybe. Or just health level costs.
... err
green sun wasting
not the other GSW
prisma sun
inflict gunshot wound on yourself
fierce star
fire a staff out of a ballista at yourself
wise ocean
giving yourself a GSW as an infernal so the bullet, which continues on into the enemy, inflicts GSW^2
fierce star
ricochet it off yourself into the enemy because the bullet is afraid of not doing what it is told
prisma sun
Shooting myself in the head (that's where my bad thoughts are) and the bullet travels into my opponents head (they now have my abandonment issues and complicated relationship with their mother)
tulip folio
I mean, Sids literally have a charm for 'use a sword to get the un-useful intimacy out'
Integrity is 'The Sword'
bleak hazel
they also have "I have shot you, you now have my alcoholism"
so yes, you could straight up do that with a firewand
fierce star
hmm, since the malfean charms are more defensive
burn away a negative intimacy and inflict it upon your opponent to [do something defensive]?
spiral cosmos
i love sidereal archery
i wanted to put a 'shoot intrusive thoughts into someone' charm in there so bad
prisma sun
Isn't that what that is?
spiral cosmos
nuh uh this is shooting the mental illness
not 'you should put your hand on the stove'
wise ocean
a psyche effect compelling him to seduce himself should actually just work exactly as written. go fuck yourself enemy of fate boy
wise ocean
don't we all
I only remember they exist because one of my characters has one for her shaping ritual
spiral cosmos
i wanted to put a 'shoot intrusive thoughts into someone' charm in there so bad
i turned it into an evocation in Agents but if you tweak literally like 2 things it's basically just a sidereal charm and i am realizing i posted this as homebrew somewhere once already
so you know what hold on
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Generalized Ammunition Technique
The Sidereal whispers truly terrible advice, which she then looses upon the gullible as an arrow of sound.
The Sidereal makes a (Manipulation + Archery) persuade roll against a single target to take a combat action or pursue a course of military action contrary to his goals. She’s never perceived as the source of this influence. In combat, the character might withdraw into defense rather than finishing off a crashed character; a general seeking to swiftly end war might settle in for a long siege rather than take decisive action. Resisting this influence requires paying one Willpower and two Initiative. Trivial characters can’t resist.
With an Essence 2 repurchase, success also lets the Sidereal reflexively curse her target with a Descending (Caste) Horoscope, waiving the Willpower cost.
Reset: Once per scene.```
straight up splat charm versionOne of my favorite Ex2 characters was a sidereal archer with many missiles bow technique who would combine arrows of Heroism, Willpower, Excellent Equipment, Drive To Succeed, and Desire For Attention to make distraction heroic mortals at will. So, you know.
I understand completely lmao
spiral cosmos
this is the stupidest thing i've ever written
or at least second place
behind the spoon
i love it to pieces
wise ocean
the spoon...
spiral cosmos
the stupid bullshit components of sidereals is absolutely loadbearing
sometimes their charms are just completely ridiculous
tulip folio
I'm reminded of my favourite key I put in wanderer stuff.
Heart Overruling Mind Mantra (Essence 2): Her targets can't Challenge a Fact against this influence or use Intimacies based on common sense, enlightenment or logic to bolster their Resolve against her influence or resist it in a Decision Point.
dense verge
i love the convoluted charm interactions you can pull off with sids
spiral cosmos
dear loser liege lord. what if instead of killing your fated enemy you shit yourself in front of your troops. what then
[ BAD IDEAS EXPLAINED WELL ]
prisma sun
first day as an agent of heaven
bleak hazel
sometimes you heal someone by pouring molten silver all over them, sometimes the greatest warrior for five thousand miles is staying on his magically procured mate's couch for the duration of the grand siege
or possibly multiple couches
fierce star
a couch for each bodypart
...
temptation on building out green sunderdome liangxiao
to give her motely of the cruel smile
because casting that on ligier is just asking to get beat
coral wraith
sometimes their charms are just completely ridiculous
Shoutout to whoever made Research Assistant Invocation it literally got me into Exalted
velvet raft
IIRC Archery has exactly one as well
Unless I'm mixed up
Which is not out of the question
coral wraith
Grinning Mask's PbP incarnations have the full 5 plant research team and it's quite beautiful
velvet raft
The Cactus Of Wisdom
coral wraith
Gentle breeze - succulent with a little pink flower on top and tiny arms and legs
Plant 2 - sunflower that runs around using its roots
Plant 3 - bonsai that meticulously maintains itself
Plant 4 - black lotus
Plant 5 - nightshade
velvet raft
I like the image of the bonsai constantly doing the equivalent of hair care
bleak hazel
Making fancy engraved plant pots and accessories for the research assistants is a nontrivial source of craft XP for Rival
velvet raft
I shoud pick up some Investigation for Lanying and get the web crawler
If she becomes a sid
Which I should not take as a given
bleak hazel
When we're next in Yu-Shan I should have Rival make some silver wiring kits for the bonsai so it can be extra blinged out while shaping various branches
Note: no gifts for Mask, only all the plants
velvet raft
They're much more personable
coral wraith
Note: no gifts for Mask, only all the plants
that's the way they prefer it anyway
GM adores their plants
velvet raft
Do any of them wear sunglasses
coral wraith
no 
spiral cosmos
behemoth
prisma sun
U rite
velvet raft
Unless you have a specific idea for what yozi it'd be a 3cd for and how it would fit in
Behemoth lets you do it as stand-alone
limpid badge
statting an izzy 3cd as a behemoth is totally fair
prisma sun
I actually do want to keep the vibe that a regular ass dude can just summon this guy whenever
And it never ends well
tulip folio
The fun thing about fae is they can do Basicly Any Nonsense You Want 😛
prisma sun
Well yeah but really any Exalted faction can be any nonsense you want as long its like
Thematic nonsense
Nothing saying I cant have isidros gore his own eye out and from it sprouts a 3rd circle thats a baddie and then one day they throw up and a 50 foot tall iron beetle is formed from the bile
I can in fact do dat
tulip folio
More seriously: 2e had a thing for demons where they all had a 'you can summon them if...' that I always liked. Situations where they should squeeze from their chains and appear even without a sorcerer calling them up.
You coul do that for Mahoraga.
He's got a remarkably easy to pull off 'he can get out IF' clause
Like Ligier iirc was something like 'A beautiful king or queen standing alone before an enemy army at the edge of dawn and day'
prisma sun
3e still kinda has that
Ligier and Snakes both have situations where they can just
Turn up
tulip folio
'If the GM is sick of your shit, Ligier can appear'
prisma sun
If you are an invincible sword princess i reserve the right to Ligier
bleak hazel
Pribosyl also fun there, not because they're unstabbable but because doing so is only a minor inconvenience
bleak hazel
The one that is ten different giant roots surrounded by jungle, each of which tends to grow its own temple town of devoted servants because it's addictive
It's not particularly fighty but even if you spirit kill a root the demon itself is fine so long as one of the other nine is alive
prisma sun
Thats fun
It reminds me how until the behemoth and the Deathlords the only enemy with a health gate was like
A carnivorous plant
tulip folio
brb, making an enemy with only 1 health level of each type but each one is health gated. XD
prisma sun
You WILL take 3 turns
velvet raft
Making sids is funny
tulip folio
Cupbearer
For every grand performer who takes centre stage and twists the tale of creation around themselves, there are those who play lesser but essential roles. These Raksha are known to creation as 'commoners', though it is not uncommon for Raksha to refer to them as other titles such as 'understudies' or 'background talent'. They lack the sheer versatility and je ne sais quoi of their noble kin, keeping to more grounded and focused rolls.
Cupbearers are those Raksha Commoners who's talents lie in embodying the grace of the Cup, the sweet intoxicating taste of compassion and love. They do not bring the force of the Sword to bear against others but they are no less a danger for it; for they understand that to be loved is to be powerful. Love can launch a thousand ships and cause wars that will slay legions. It can shatter the power of kings and the plans of viziers.
As lesser Raksha who carry the grace of the Cup, Cupbearers play the role of entertainers and decorations. They speak words that others wish to hear and bring joy at the direction of those with a greater self. They adore creation for the love they see sparked, how true can be. They despite creation for how it destroys love with hate, iron and death. Many cupbearers seek out creation to better understand the hearts of others, so that they may one day grow in self and take the leading role, basking in the love of those watching.
Does this read okay? Doing up Raksha Commoners as quick characters and doing basicly 'one for each of the four caste graces'
tulip folio
Trying to write them as...well, they're not Inherently Malevolent Monsters or Mindlessly Hateful. They're Still People, just Odd People. A background character is still a character, not an automaton.
fierce star
I think it's compelling!
tulip folio
I am also stealing a disgustingly powerful sid charm but combining it with absolutely garbage dice pools to make the charm 'needed for function' rather than 'turing good into unbeatable'
So they're Pretty Bad Grapplers by default
but if the Cup is in play...
tulip folio
Tangled Red String (5m, Supplemental Instant; Psyche; Essence 2): The Cupbearer rolls Social Influence against the Resolve of a character in medium range. The Cupbearer is never perceived as the source of this influence. If successful, it redefines the emotional context of a tie the target has, which cannot be voluntarily changed for the rest of the story. Positive ties become an intimacy of love, infatuation or fascination. Negative ties instead become an intimacy of possessive desire, domination or obsession. Non-Trivial Characters can spend 2 willpower to resist this effect.
This Charm can only be used on a specific character once per story.
The Cup Bearer is shaping up to be a Chaotic Mess but hopefully in a fun way.
I made sure to have a few options for what intimacies can become to avoid 'Hey, can we red rule out of this charm effect?' being something that needs to happen often. It's more than fine to go 'yeah, love feels wrong for my character but I could totally do fascination'.
tulip folio
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r6H0gbWBQ9smQ_rCzPBY4B5nC5ZAMiUEv7_ONdUswQA/edit?usp=sharing Okay, did the Cupbearer! They're a bit of a shitstirrer but I made them not just shitstirring.
Miscellaneous Charms
Inner Beauty Shining (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2) One willing character in medium range loses Hideous until the end of the scene. This does not reshape his features, merely allows his best aspects to be seen by all.
Torn Spirit Mending Technique (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 2) The Cupbearer unleashes the healing power of empathy upon another character in medium range, converting a single level of lethal damage to bashing. If it spends at least fifteen minutes in gentle comfort, it makes a Performance roll, converting an additional level of lethal damage to bashing for each success. If the target has no lethal damage remaining, each success heals a level of bashing damage instead. Once a character heals bashing damage that way, he can’t do so again until he has a full night’s rest.
They actually have some wholesome charms!
fierce star
awh
tulip folio
it's designed to play a little into the idea that Cup isn't just 'evil siren' but also like...Fairy Godmother, in less antagonistic cases.
light olive
Peak
limpid badge
made a cute? artifact for my girliepop sid
its an ironwood gourd with seeds from the peaches of immortality so unending liquor YAY
marsh garden
the oni gourd...
limpid badge
exactlyyy
bleak hazel
ligier fighting update: man this flying sword is really annoying
he can just keep putting it up and it makes it really hard to hit the bastard without spamming enough plausibly dangerous attacks to run him out of resources first, since he can happily go "parry 17, also I strip sux on 1s and 2s if you only just hit me"
I suppose that explains the various myths about "yeah he'll send his sword to fight you by itself"
marsh garden
ligier fighting update: man this flying sword is really annoying
I KNEW THAT ONE WAS GONNA BE THE BASTARD
that's why i lost focus and stopped trying to make a lunar to kill him
because i had no options for unblockables to not get swordmogged
bleak hazel
I admit first time I read it I thought "Oh, that's 1/round, won't be too bad" but no, it lasts until next turn or until smacked
bleak hazel
admittedly most of the characters people have lined up don't have unblockables either and I think it'll be hard to get an efficient enough one to use it for this
bleak hazel
Rival might be in with a shot on attrition but I will need to conserve init very aggressively
marsh garden
and Tragic Absence is just about to finish training to become a flying guillotine stylist
so even though he's a lunar, one of my actual characters might have a decent shot
bleak hazel
on the upside, even Big Green doesn't have the motes to spam that one
(he has a lot of fucking motes though, holy shit)
bleak hazel
6 motes, so it by itself outpaces his mote regen
marsh garden
ahh
bleak hazel
but yeah he'll run out of init before he runs out of motes
but I'm going for attrition here anyway so anything that increases the burn rate is welcome
marsh garden
i assume rival just has his offense solved
bleak hazel
eh not really it's kind of lacking, I can hurt him but not hugely
marsh garden
oh no i meant has ligier's offense solved
bleak hazel
mostly I just have really good parry and enough soak that we're on overwhelming, as well as 2-3 oh shit buttons in case he does hit me with a couple of mean decisives
marsh garden
and so you win on attrition
bleak hazel
I do need to have him mostly tapped by the time he begins spamming unblockables in phase 2 because of Fatal Flash Dawn
I can block unblockable but it means I can't crane counter and it's expensive
this is definitely going long either way, although honestly a duel with Ligier probably should
if he didn't have the sword on every attack it would be much easier because I could far more easily wall off his multiattack by smacking him with the fusion combo a few times
wise ocean
he can just keep putting it up and it makes it really hard to hit the bastard wi...
this is one of the reasons I submitted Graves and didn't bother with Crystal
solaroid dice pool 👍
also because the crystal ligier fight is just "I throw better than you" x30
spiral cosmos
I admit first time I read it I thought "Oh, that's 1/round, won't be too bad" bu...
btw
in production the writer of that qc wanted to give him an uncountable damage attack for phase 2 until i hit him with a stick
marsh garden
bleak hazel
glorious malfean one-tap
oddly I think that's actually way easier to deal with for this particular build because of The Centre Must Hold
marsh garden
i would respect the audacity
spiral cosmos
i thought it was hysterical i wish that was in the QC, i just also knew that book's dev was gonna cut it
Die, puny humans
marsh garden
oh god, what if it was like the lunar stamina version. "deals uncountable damage. if negated, deals a minimum of 40 lethal instead"
bleak hazel
definitely earns points for style
spiral cosmos
most QCs are kind of fake-balanced for combat because of how widely different characters can be built but there are some characters in the setting who should basically just bugsplat you if you step to them unprepared
or at least be tuned to kick the shit out of you
if you pick a fight with Ligier like [GARAMA] i think you know what you want as a player
marsh garden
wise ocean
that is indeed the concept of Sunderdome
one e5 character vs. Ligier, one on one, in an infinite plain
spiral cosmos
u have been poshanka'd
marsh garden
i'm fucking going feral waiting for sea of sorrow
spiral cosmos
i spent 75 hours of the release week of skong skonging it
bleak hazel
yeah, I was very bored on an all day train ride once and challenged everyone to make an E5 build to fight Ligier, so next time I'm very bored on a train ride I will open up Cecelyne's finest whiteroom with the 4-5 submissions I got and see if anyone can take him
marsh garden
i have skonged a little bit
bleak hazel
I have yet to skong, I should
marsh garden
you should
spiral cosmos
enter "the pit"
marsh garden
it takes everything i loved about HK and makes it better
dense verge
i gotta finish hollow knight before i can skong
bleak hazel
haven't played the first one either, although it absolutely looks like my kind of game
marsh garden
the schmovement feels so good
you should def play HK first
because going back to it after silksong makes the mobility feel a lot more awkward
the gameplay is still stellar, but like
the gap between the Ghost and Hornet's movement once you've gotten used to it is pretty striking
bleak hazel
lately I've been playing a ton of Opus Magnum and apparently that means I just sit there staring at a grid of marbles and muttering stuff that sounds like some kind of PAOC-based mystic incantation, I need a game with more schmove
wise ocean
I have spent overmuch time skonging and have never touched it since
marsh garden
i had to do another run last month
had surgery, was completely useless, and in the middle of a fugue went "it's time"
bleak hazel
all my best soulslike performances have been when I was out of it in some way
it's like Apocalypse Now, which is best viewed while exhausted/sick/intoxicated despite the fact this makes it quite difficult to actually remember
marsh garden
lmao
wise ocean
can confirm, I skonged whilst having COVID
dense verge
oh? do we have a 3e name snuck in already?
bleak hazel
I should really put something other than 1kblades in the third form slot of PAOC here because it's not doing tons but fighting Ligier and his flying sword with my Siddie and his two flying swords + fisticuffs is unfortunately sick as hell
marsh garden
yeah, one that i'm pretty sure is a neverborn name
in a void circle spell
He Who the Fire Forsook, in the one that you can probably guess by the name
(Thus Ends All Flame)
it might be a behemoth, but considering void magic is "you can only do this if you're full of neverpilk"
i would imagine it's a skelly
bleak hazel
I admit I grandfather in a lot of the old names because I am fond of Abhorrence of Life, Perfected Principle of Consumption and the looming potentiality of The Engine of Extinction
the second of which implies something interesting about Charcoal March of Spiders
marsh garden
i brought this up specifically because i was thinking of Perfected Principle of Consumption lmao
limpid badge
hello everyone im realizing that i might not/probably shouldn't put my infernal in armor if i go four deep on scar-saga
marsh garden
lol
limpid badge
because i think that number will become silly.
marsh garden
that's a lot of soak, it's true
bleak hazel
eh, what are you currently at?
bleak hazel
8/6 in armour or out of armour?
limpid badge
out
marsh garden
oh that's only like 15 with medium
bleak hazel
you can throw armour on top of that, that's fine
marsh garden
big but not soakbeast, right
limpid badge
i worry with too much soak. i played a lunar in 2e
bleak hazel
when you get north of 20 the ST is allowed to throw splatbooks of increasing size at you
limpid badge
big but not soakbeast, right
she's meant to be a dense unkillable baby
bleak hazel
but sub-15 is fine, if high, and last I checked Arby had the parry/evade rating of "why bother"
limpid badge
that refuses to die and slowly strangles you to death in her jaws
marsh garden
based
bleak hazel
so absolutely slam some armour on there
maybe not artifact armour, if you're going to get all five SWSS
but regular medium or even heavy sure
limpid badge
i was thinking unfortunately about an artifact medium and just letting her be a soakbeast
marsh garden
i think that makes sense because it just lets you not take three more charms for 2 soak each
limpid badge
but sub-15 is fine, if high, and last I checked Arby had the parry/evade rating ...
she has an ogre to use defend other on her she does not need defenses she needs soak for when someone shoots her like the glowing weakpoint on a boss monster she is.
bleak hazel
that's what, parry 4 soak 19 with 5x SWSS?
limpid badge
caps out at five right so its... 2/4 for the first one, 3/6 for the second, then 4/8, 5/10, 6/12
so 11/12 without her armor, currently parry 4
marsh garden
med sta swss is 17 -> 25 from 1-5, which is reasonable
i gotta get Hope some bulk bad
bleak hazel
so 11/12 without her armor, currently parry 4
artifact medium on top is getting into annoyingly soaky territory but there's an ogre to punch instead this time
so probably much less annoying in practice
marsh garden
parry 5 soak 7 is rough as hell for the circle's only frontline
or wait parry 6
nonetheless, dog ass
limpid badge
if you take out the ogre she does a smough and goes into devil-body at least
that's sort of the ideal devil-body scenario for me with arby is "okay you killed the ogre its time for Shit To Pop"
lets see if you can handle arby and the ogre using two initiative pools to grappleslam you into the ground
marsh garden
the ogre?
limpid badge
Familiar 3, a chimerical 1CD/baby behemoth Metagaos made for her
marsh garden
limpid badge
Dinner-For-Two (her bad old realm translation of his name)
marsh garden
naruhodo ne
limpid badge
because infernal ride is funny
and 1i is worth paying to make you parry the ogre instead of her
go my fuckass ogre
he's a blood ape statline with some changes and a couple extra cute tricks
prisma sun
What's a general cost for flurry penalty negation charms
marsh garden
uhhh
what are you flurrying?
it depends on whether you're trying to neg costs on things that can already be flurried, negging costs and allowing you to flurry at all (celestial Shape Sorc + nonattack charms), or allowing you to flurry two things that both can't be flurried
prisma sun
Anything with martial arts charms
prisma sun
Oh, no
you don't get two charms
but like, if you are flurrying with a martial arts charms
marsh garden
"flurry simple charms with something else" is a "basically never"
prisma sun
wait huh
marsh garden
as far as i know "flurry a simple charm" is still gigabanned
except for charms that explicitly say they can be flurried
(Lost to the Night - Moonreaver - MFS)
or for an e4 (sorry, not e5) SMA charm
limpid badge
oh right @bleak hazel https://pastebin.com/YjEQFWn1 do you think this passes the snifftest on a Familiar 3
marsh garden
because SMAs are a cosmic do-whatever-the-fuck permission
limpid badge
he is an ape with some gimmicks
spiral cosmos
we call that form charm "the funny button"
prisma sun
Hrmmmmmgh
bleak hazel
the form that checks how good you are at handling the power of friendship
fear the EGOA stylist with two tomescu for backup
spiral cosmos
except for charms that *explicitly* say they can be flurried
yea pretty much
bleak hazel
oh right <@267391246509670400> https://pastebin.com/YjEQFWn1 do you think this p...
exceptional equipment adds 1 die, and 3 noncharm dice seems a little much as a permanent buff so you might want to take it down to the usual 1, but otherwise seems reasonable enough
prisma sun
Cost: Permanent/xm yi
Mins: Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Harmonious, Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Mercury, Maiden of Journeys, places a hand upon the shoulder of the wielder, gifting them the courage to go ever-forward.
Whenever the user enters a Martial Arts form, she may move reflexively one range band in any direction, ignoring all difficult terrain and non-magical barriers, flowing past walls, barricades, and fires as if they were not there.
Harmonious: The wielder may also spend a one-time surcharge of xm/yi to gain +z Evasion so long as they are in a form for the scene.
Special Activation: This charm awakens for free the first time the wielder fulfills the conditions for reflexively entering a martial arts form. ```very fair i was throwing numbers up
was just like "okay lets use him as a tool to scare people"
prisma sun
Doing the numbers is my least favorite bit
wise ocean
doing charm costs makes me melt into the earth and wither away
marsh garden
alas, the plight of incompetence
wise ocean
three, technically four, possible resources. agony
spiral cosmos
being proficient in basic probability and statistics elevates you over like. i wanna say half of all game designers
prisma sun
Technically 5 right?
spiral cosmos
if the words "linear regression" don't scare you then ur good
prisma sun
Motes, initiative, willpower, anima, and I thought there was another one
wise ocean
health levels
marsh garden
motes, initiative, willpower, (are we counting persona/peripheral as two separate resources?), anima
prisma sun
That'll do it
bleak hazel
I would like to thank Anydice for saving me approximately infinite effort doing distributions any time I need to write a thing in a TTRPG
prisma sun
Misc how do you feel about this for the punch gloves
bleak hazel
about a third of Battlegroup Block 2 was me sitting around with an excel spreadsheet and anydice
prisma sun
btw
wise ocean
I omit HLs and only barely count anima because they come up so little
marsh garden
if the words "linear regression" don't scare you then ur good
i barely even know what linear regression is
bad with numbers!
i just uh
reference things a lot
a lot a lot
dense verge
ive been trying to make an exigent of doorways for a game and charm costs are also my bane there
marsh garden
's how i did my battle group evocation and how i've tried to balance
unforchies, i tried to balance against essence core ignition and was told i am a smelly idiot baboon and ECI should never be balanced against except as itself
dense verge
had a few charms that ended up being placed in higher essence so i have 2 or 3 more i need to write before theyre playable
technically, i can just take 3 ox bodies and call it a day
marsh garden
so i got blender exploded
spiral cosmos
eci is balanced around being an artifact and mote commitment already
marsh garden
oh yeah it was for an artifact
bleak hazel
I admit my usual tactics of "ruthlessly steal any existing rules widget remotely close to the one you need" are more easily deployable when homebrewing than when I'm doing proper original development for whatever
but I will still wholly endorse theft
marsh garden
it was just an ECI replacement because i thought i was being cute
and now it's just ECI
velvet raft
Pondering making a sid that's Holok's student
dense verge
theft is legit
marsh garden
i would say i'm bad at numbers and worse at fluff, because i have vibes and then it comes down to skinning the thoughts from my head and turning them into words
and that's so fucking hard
dense verge
i just took sidereal ox body for doorway exigent
velvet raft
Since Red Evening Sky is Syn's student
limpid badge
i just took sidereal ox body for doorway exigent
validddd
marsh garden
i think that pakpao's ox-body is the funniest shit
"two -2s, final offer"
i love how bad it sucks
she does not want to get punched
dense verge
i did however make my own mote pool scaling for the exigent since part of the concept is that they're weird and scale very hard. go from quasi terrestrial to celestial as they go up essence
marsh garden
please let her hide in the back and play tuoys
wise ocean
the form that checks how good you are at handling the power of friendship
EGOA form is extremely cracked but I can't quite figure out where to fit it into any of my builds unless it's like
Graves
but even he doesn't have any really killer double Simple combos that obey weapon compatibility
marsh garden
i think that's just celestial
wise ocean
and also he doesn't count because he's an abyssal and as such any way for him to get SMAs relies on him punching out like 50 sids offscreen on his way to E5
bleak hazel
I honestly like it more for that onslaught clause, especially if you have stuff to let it stick around
marsh garden
"add onslaught as decisive dice" is pretty fucking diabolical, yeah
bleak hazel
it doesn't show up the most in duels but if you have a whole squad you just have everyone else lay into someone and then punch them once for form then more for big damage
wise ocean
"add onslaught as decisive dice" is pretty fucking diabolical, yeah
only if it exceeds your dice limit
great on sids! solaroids get like two of those attacks per duel
marsh garden
well yeah
bleak hazel
the upside is that Solaroids have more motes full stop, which is really nice when you're throwing charms that expensive around and staring at "can flurry two expensive Simples in an expensive Form"
a bunch of free excellency is also neat
marsh garden
i mean
limpid badge
i did however make my own mote pool scaling for the exigent since part of the co...
hard scaling is fun
bleak hazel
I can never really get EGOA working but I think that's mostly just a vibes thing for me, everyone has stuff they gel with better
wise ocean
indeed, thus why I gravitate to the simple bit as the draw (and then go "hm, what would I be using this for")
marsh garden
solaroids have 7 more motes
that's one charm
it's one big charm
but it's one charm
and sids are like 3x more efficient
wise ocean
VBOS form discount (+upgrade for Buffs) is just so good for efficiency over a prolonged fight that it's hard for him to ever give it up, and even though I wanted EGOA for vibes when I built Crystal out to E5 he just naturally hit PAOC for various reasons
marsh garden
sids basically have twice the mote count if you're running around throwing excellencies at things, which they can do 20x more
bleak hazel
```Student Begins the Journey
Cost: Permanent/xm yi
Mins: Essence 1
Type: Refl...
Harmonious buff is going to be quite pricy because scenelong defence is very efficient. "Move straight through walls" is a pretty expensive effect on its own, as is "extra move on your turn", so I think you're definitely well over curve for a permanent.
I like the idea of flowing over the terrain as you change form, so you might be more on curve if you make the "ignore difficult terrain and envirohazards for the turn when you change form" the actual main effect.
bleak hazel
VBOS form discount (+upgrade for Buffs) is just so good for efficiency over a pr...
PAOC: It Just Works
marsh garden
i suppose there's a reason it's the one every* sid takes in fluff
-# *terms and conditions may apply
coral wraith
I can never really get EGOA working but I think that's mostly just a vibes thing...
EGOA might be a fun thing for GM to slide into for all the utility stuff
bleak hazel
i suppose there's a reason it's the one every* sid takes in fluff
-# *terms and ...
admittedly when you're Dave Elder you kind of want it just because otherwise it becomes hard to use more than a small part of your 500 secret mystical arts at once
regular people who can be in but one Form at their current essence level are rather less incentivised to learn it first
prisma sun
Harmonious buff is going to be quite pricy because scenelong defence is very eff...
Big fair
bleak hazel
CMOS is also dip city, those opening charms are terrifying
it's very hard to pass up on Hungry Spider
spiral cosmos
paoc is basically made to be modular
wise ocean
simply enlighten yourself into being able to use paoc with throwing spears 
coral wraith
For charms like Research Assistant Invocation that have purchasable subcharms, do you have to buy those with regular XP or can you use splat?
marsh garden
you can spend splat xp on rebuys
i think
no wait
no on rebuys
but on anything other than rebuys
coral wraith
its not a rebuy technically
marsh garden
like the 4xp cost in a ride charm
or "spend 3xp to learn an extra technique"
shit like that can be splatted
coral wraith
or "spend 3xp to learn an extra technique"
yeah like that
bleak hazel
I have actually not played a CMOS Sid yet, my bluesid is probably going to be picking based on how much Sapphire Veil captures my heart
coral wraith
ohh yay
bleak hazel
(assuming World-Spanning Weaver Strike doesn't kick it out of my chest first)
spiral cosmos
i hope you like them
coral wraith
is there any training time on the techniques?
marsh garden
i wish it was actually just called Creation-Slaying Oblivion Kick ngl
but i understand why it's not
bleak hazel
Sapphire Veil was probably my favourite 2e SMA in terms of what the moves actually did so I am hungry for Eternal Infatuation Dance MK2
"heard you were talking shit" -> 20 mile gap closer
marsh garden
Creation-Slaying Oblivion Kick does sound like it could be an abyssal brawl or infernal athletics charm ngl
prisma sun
Student Begins the Journey
Cost: xm
Mins: Essence Yeah
Type:
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Student Begins the Journey
The wielder condenses their Essence into a fine point, placed upon the tip of their index finger. With a shimmering green glow, the secrets of the enemy are laid bare for all to see.
The user may strike a foe in Close Range with a special gambit using Dex + Martial Arts (of an applicable style), on a success, the user may pick one of three options.
- Glimmering green Essence highlights the weakest point of their defenses, making the next attack against them unblockable. This wears off at the end of the scene.
- Gambit counts as a Read Intentions roll and on a success reveals two additional Intimacies, but can only reveal Intimacies that the victim considers secret.
- The user strikes at the base of the skull, and draws forth a green pearl that contains the memories of the past scene. If consumed by anyone except the wielder, the memories will become vividly real to them, convincing them that they are their own. A wielder is immune to their effects, but likewise cannot consume the marble themselves to gain any effect from it. The marble decays to disintegration over the course of a day.
This charm causes no pain to the target on it's own, and if done from stealth or with sleight of hand is not considered an attack. ```hmmm
i think these are kind of disparate EL effects
"steal a scene of memory" is alch E....3?
one sec
e3
and it can be unfucked
marsh garden
part of a useful charm to grab
bleak hazel
"next attack is unblockable" is surprisingly bad value because... you just hit them with a decisive to do the gambit, you could have just punched them
marsh garden
yeah i love the effect
wise ocean
I have actually not played a CMOS Sid yet, my bluesid is probably going to be pi...
one day I'm going to play osoi+ebon shadow+cmos+thrown sid with throwing knives and be even more cancer than the throwing spear build
bleak hazel
it kind of works as a mega-distract at least
marsh garden
yeah i assumed that was the intent
pump it so your buddy can magdump something huge
prisma sun
Yeah
marsh garden
what's the gambit difficulty?
wise ocean
probably target's essence or essence+2
prisma sun
I'm just getting ideas out first
marsh garden
fair
prisma sun
also first I need to get a shower because it's weirdly fucking blistering in my room rn
bleak hazel
I do like that this is White Veil's favourite toy
limpid badge
man. devil bodies are funny to build
Mutations (11)- Giant (2), Unusual Hide (3), Frightening Voice (2), Inhuman Visage (2), Natural Shield (2)```"ooh, espionage, I just need to wear the world's glitziest gloves"
marsh garden
ooh, did your game buff Giant?
limpid badge
yeaaah
marsh garden
sick
marsh garden
beeeg mouth
the earth becomes a giant maw?
or a massive pile of grinding teeth and jaws like the Look Outside goobers?
limpid badge
she's implanting a parasitic umbilical cord into someone and mutating them into an avatar of her hunger
marsh garden
OH
limpid badge
that's why she has Divided Focus
marsh garden
limpid badge
two bodies
she's stealing the natural vitality out of her victim and replacing it with Metagaos Juice
marsh garden
that rules
coral wraith
is there any training time on the techniques?
just quick, anyone got an answer to this one?
marsh garden
no idea!
coral wraith
hm!
limpid badge
yeah no idea...
wise ocean
day/xp pip, maybe? Two days?
I've no idea what the actual answer is, bur there should be some way to get it comparable to charm training times by XP
prisma sun
I forgot the first sid investigation charm is you vomit up a spider you can use to google things
bleak hazel
google spider is a treasure
marsh garden
i am given to understand that spider google is a classic
spiral cosmos
spoogle
bleak hazel
at 5 motes per question it is a bit dial-up but that's still pretty great for a pre-modern society
it should make dial-up noises
wise ocean
all pattern spiders make very loud fax machine noises 24/7
coral wraith
spider google is quite beautiful
i'm sure there's a sid out there that has invested like
8 charms into making the encyclopedia spidetannica
bleak hazel
spider flips upside down like it's dead and projects a perfect hologram of whatever you're discussing between all its legs
spider spysat
prisma sun
I think I am gonna take away the marble
Actually hrmghhhhhhh
Nah scrapping the whole charm
Gotta figure out a different way to tie Secrets to Martial Arts
prisma sun
Cost: 1wp
Mins: Essence Yeah
Type:
Keywords:
Duration: Scene Long
Prerequisites:
The wielder beats their chest, stomps the ground, and glows the crimson of the Maiden of Battles. They roar a declaration to the world: The foeman dies today.
The wielder designates one foe on the battlefield and gains a Defining Intimacy of “I will kill this foe no matter what it takes” in relation to them. The wielder may reflexively enter a martial arts form that they know, but may reduce its mote cost by (3 or Essence, whichever is higher).
If the wielder incapacitates their chosen foeman, they regain (Foe’s Essence)x2 motes.
Limit: Once per scene, reset upon killing the chosen foe and using their head (or similar grisly trophy) to threaten the next foe.```hmm, i don't think reducing the form's mote cost is super cash money
i think the rest is fine
but two mote efficiency tools on top of the really good reflexive-unconditional-form kicks it over, and i think that's the problem child of the two
i'm looking at this Shadow Moth Raiment evo again
reflexive resourceless enter form as long as you were in another, which is pretty trivial to do on JB if you're building around an easy-to-enter form and the one you actually want
but then 1wp to reflexive enter with no gates is e4 and resonant
and has no other benefits
vs this as reflexive enter and heavy mote reduction and a huge mote replenish
tulip folio
Swordbearer
For every grand performer who takes centre stage and twists the tale of creation around themselves, there are those who play lesser but essential roles. These Raksha are known to creation as 'commoners', though it is not uncommon for Raksha to refer to them as other titles such as 'understudies' or 'background talent'. They lack the sheer versatility and je ne sais quoi of their noble kin, keeping to more grounded and focused rolls.
Swordbearers are those commoners who embody the grace of the Sword, the undeniable influence of might and force. Those who do nothing are nothing and those with grand hopes or dreams but without the capacity for violence and domination to back it up will never achieve them. The honeyed words of a courtier are shattered alongside her jaw, or the sorcerer his hands. However, the sword is a tool and many swordbearers wield the power of violence to overrule the violence of others.
As lesser Raksha who carry the grace of the Sword close to their heart, Swordbearers act as soldiers and knights. The violence they bring is planned by another and shaped by the goals of others. They love creation for its grand heroism. They hate creation for its treachery that exploits the force of others without giving them their due. Many Swordbearers bring blades upon creation, to find a cause worthy of their force or to grow in self so that they may one day step from the ranks into the role of hero themselves.
Another Raksha Commoner! How's this read?
prisma sun
but *two* mote efficiency tools on top of the really good reflexive-unconditiona...
Makes sense, I'll probably knock down the refund
fierce star
nice
spiral cosmos
i'm looking at this Shadow Moth Raiment evo again
i think this is a balanced evocation but also sort of a nightmare for benchmarking
because it's nested behind a lot of stuff
tulip folio
'Essence 1 but requires like 8 charms, a 4 dot merit and an artifact'
spiral cosmos
6-10 charms
plus attunement being active plus the mote cost of any form you're in
also the one effect being resonant and e4
cautious gating
it should be, that is a meta-warping effect if i've ever seen one, but it makes it hard to derive a ton from i think. do agree with the basic takeaway that reflexive form swaps are a tremendous Be Careful tho
tulip folio
The e4 repurchase is also the big deal as that's 1 willpower for a Free Action that you'll always want to do in a fight.
Delicious Action Economy
bleak hazel
yeah, that one powers my Battles' build and man do I get some use out of it even running Dissonant
spiral cosmos
yeah no if this thing was easier to leverage it'd just be an autotake for everyone practically
marsh garden
because it's nested behind a lot of stuff
that's super fair
prisma sun
I'm really struggling with a good vibe for Martial Arts Secrets
marsh garden
i def feel secure in saying that it shouldn't be significantly more accessible than this Evo tho lmao
spiral cosmos
your assessment was correct
3e Charm writing is, significantly, game design case law
i'm not really kidding
bleak hazel
I'm really struggling with a good vibe for Martial Arts Secrets
I feel that's a good excuse to go "I trade a few hits with you and make some kind of analyse-fighting-style Read Intentions roll"
prisma sun
Hrmmm
bleak hazel
especially if you want it to lead in to Drifts' giant pile of different styles he can use on you at any given time
I will say I feel like I'm getting away with murder whenever I use Stance-Concealing Camouflage but man is it cool
spiral cosmos
laughing monster on an oracle is pretty fun
tulip folio
Laughing Monster is great. You get to feel like the biggest asshole in a room.
bleak hazel
(specifically on my own Ligier-fighting build it's Indomitable Shieldbearer, flurry full defence and attack to get into Sid Melee form, SCC to PAOC form containing Crane Form, go wild, which is as far as I can tell basically the most possible benefit you could get from reflexive swapsies)
tulip folio
One of these days I want to combo Laughing Monster and Monkey
spiral cosmos
very fun combo
the character i've been playing for a while uses iron boots for her martial arts and it's a lot of kicking
bleak hazel
I've never really gotten Laughing Monster to click in my mind but it is a collection of really fun things that I should really try someday
tulip folio
It helps that Iron Boots have imo the single best artifact version name of any weapon.
God-Kicking Boots is just a great name
I keep being tempted to make some hell-material god-kicking boots that double down on the name by being very 'I will smash heaven' themed.
bleak hazel
do they have an opposed pair that is instead a god, wearing kicking boots
tulip folio
God Kicking Boots vs God, Kicking Boots.
bleak hazel
not entirely sure what that would do for an Exalt but I suppose there's some juice in a fake-godly-panoply type deal
boots with a job attached
marsh garden
where are the head-kicking boots
spiral cosmos
i believe the spoon establishes artifact batons are called devil-breaking rods
equal and opposite
tulip folio
Entertainingly going by the Lover's reveal I think Artifact Rapiers right now are just Rapiers still. Though I could see something like 'Needleklaive' or such.
marsh garden
fierce star
boots with a job attached
soundsl ike an exigency to me
tulip folio
Infernal: "Sidereals are just jackboots with a job attached."
bleak hazel
soundsl ike an exigency to me
God of Work Experience: "OK Mr. Exigent, now walk a mile in my shoes"
bleak hazel
Infernal: "Sidereals are just jackboots with a job attached."
they do have the best god kicking boots in the form of Tulat's Tread
tulip folio
Tulat's Tread are so good. Like they're do good I keep being tempted by them on characters who have another weapon.
Just for 'oh yeah and I guess I have cool teleport boots I can literally kick someone into next week with'
spiral cosmos
I think it's just the one
marsh garden
huh
bleak hazel
Tulat's Tread are *so* good. Like they're do good I keep being tempted by them o...
even with that generic charm that gives you reduced attune costs on surplus artifact weapons I can still never bring myself to attune two
I get get protective of my mote pool considering I walk around with like, N scenelongs up on almost every character
tulip folio
That's fair.
marsh garden
I get get protective of my mote pool considering I walk around with like, N scen...
looking at my lunar with two indefinites for half his mote pool 
spiral cosmos
huh
it's not a particularly in-demand artifact type i think despite it kind of being, like, delightful
marsh garden
boots to the head are a pretty great artifact
spiral cosmos
I think the golden hounds are in arms of the chosen but they're not strictly god-kicking boots
You could probably tweak them to be artifact weapons, though
marsh garden
and you can do some super fun things with magic shoes
tulip folio
I imagine part of it is that 'boots and gauntlets are not technically unarmed'
marsh garden
as we've seen in tons of media throughout history
yeah but there are still a dozen smashfists
tulip folio
So boots and gauntlets are of interest to brawl guys but not often martial artists
That's fair
marsh garden
. . . okay like. four smashfists
tulip folio
Though I think part of that is 'smashfists are in core'
Any weapon type that didn't arrive in core is much leaner
marsh garden
there's also "big gloves is a reasonably popular archetype"
you've got a ton of characters in FGs especially
bleak hazel
I keep forgetting smashfists even work for any martial arts at all because they're just the iconic Brawl weapon to me
marsh garden
defined by huge gloves
bleak hazel
I've seen so many characters that are "Brawl Dawn! 10 Brawl charms, 5 Resistance charms, big pair of smashfists, done"
tulip folio
The Supremacy of Force (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 2) The Swordbearer demonstrates that those who cannot impose force are powerless to resist it against a non-trivial character in Short Range. The Swordbearer makes an opposed Brutality roll against the target's (Strength + [Archery, Brawl, Thrown, Melee or Martial Arts]). If the Swordbearer wins, the target loses one initiative, plus initiative equal to the Swordbearer's threshold successes. The Swordbearer gains all initiative lost this way. This Charm can only be used on a specific character once per story.
Meanwhile I am working more on those Fae and giving the Sword guys some real Sword Logic nonsense. They directly test their capacity for violence against yours. Those who can do nothing, are nothing.
Against most characters this is going to be a pretty normal 'opposed pool' and actual combat characters won't get tagged by this very often but if you're like a Dodge 5, Dex 5, Strength 1 Courtier? It's gunna hurt.
marsh garden
I keep forgetting smashfists even work for any martial arts at all because they'...
don't worry it's literally just falcon
bleak hazel
oh yeah, but I keep forgetting they're in falcon
marsh garden
(and thousand blades, which doesn't count)
bleak hazel
thousand hands is quite a fun idea admittedly
marsh garden
it's cool!
bleak hazel
being orbited by my twelve artifact robohands
marsh garden
you can be asura's wrath!
or one of the other characters in the slim (in the west) but present category of "eight-armed hindu-inspired character"
tulip folio
...dammit, I'm very tempted to give them a silly social defence charm.
'bonus to resolve, gets a lot higher if the influencing person has no combat skills'
wise ocean
(specifically on my own Ligier-fighting build it's Indomitable Shieldbearer, flu...
I'm very partial to that one trick Graves does with forms where he switches forms inside of the damage calculation (technically) to squeeze out like 2 extra dice tricks. it's so petty
spiral cosmos
runescape tick manipulation ass move
bleak hazel
new test, would your combat exalt earn a fire cape?
honestly, perfectly acceptable wyld waypoint
tulip folio
I'd work out a duplication glitch with Sid Larceny.