Principle of Motion and Extra Attack Charms

Just incase there are any confusion.

Principle of Motion is considered an Extra Attack Charm, even though it stores “actions” and not attacks – it is still a Magical Flurry.

Thus it falls under the same restrictions as Extra Attack Charms

• You cannot combo it with other Extra Attack Charms
• You cannot invoke an Extra Attack Charm within the Magical Flurry it Provides (e.g. using the Actions provided by Principle of Motion to Invoke more Principle of Motion, or something like Iron Peony Blossom)
• You cannot invoke it as part of an Counter Attack

Zenith Anima Power Fix

My view that Zenith Anima lacks power is obvious.  So here is their New Anima Power

Anima Effects: The Zenith Caste is empowered by the light of the Unconquered Sun himself.  With but a touch, the Golden Bulls can burn the bodies of the fallen for one mote of Essence per body, sending the smoke (and soul) to Heaven and preventing the body from rising after death as a zombie or and the lower soul from rising as a hungry ghost. They are protected from and can strike down demons, the undead and other creatures of darkness. As his action, a Zenith Exalt can channel 10 motes of Essence through his anima. He then glows with the holy fire of the Unconquered Sun and illuminates the area around him as brightly as if it were noon. This illumination extends for (Permanent Essence x 10) yards.  For the remainder of the scene (or until he chooses to let the effect dissipate), he imposes an External Penalty equal to his Essence to non-reflexive actions of all Creatures of Darkness within this area of effect.  This effect comes into play automatically once the Solar spends 11-15 motes of Peripheral Essence.

[Exalted Past] Rule Changes

Character Specific Rulings

• Alabaster and Intimacies

Additions

• Benefits of a Circle
• Character Generation: Unwanted Dots
• Charm Activation and Patterning
• Epithets
• Getting Rid of Specialties
• Hardness and Touch Attacks
• Naval Combat Ability Ceiling
• Secret Achievements and Epithets

Changes

• Armor Soak and Hardness Changes
• Charm: Hauberk-Lightening Gesture
• Dangers of Virtues Higher than 3
• Defensive Charm Updates
• Eclipse Oath and Objective Truth
• Exp and Training Time
• Four Flaws of Invulnerability, The
• Ghost Stats Correction
• Graceful Crane Style and Feather-Foot Style
• Intimacy vs. Motivation
• Mass Combat: Issue of "Might"
• Minimum Attack Speed
• Rebalanced Charm: Arrow Storm Technique
• Stunts: Essence Regain
• Thaumaturgy/Prayer: Greeting the Sun
• Zenith Anima Power Fix
• Zero and Negative Dice Pools and Success Adders

Clarification

• Abyssals and Solar Charm Trading
• Beam-klaves
  • Simplification of Beam Weapons
• Capped by Ability
• Charm: Hauberk-Lightening Gesture
• Charm: Whirlwind Armor-Donning Prana
• Difference between Prayer, Prayer and Prayer
• Dual-Wield
• Exalted Types and General Charms
• Half-Caste and Exaltation
• Half-Lunar Shape-changers
• Mass Combat Summary
• Mass Combat: Heroes, Sorcerers and Relays
• Night Caste Anima Clarification
• Overlapping Specialties
• Principle of Motion and Extra Attack Charms
• Stunts: and Perfection
• Which ability for Artillery?

Reprints and Summaries

• Fate of Solar and Dragon-Blooded Unions

Clearification of Graceful Crane and Feather-Foot

GRACEFUL CRANE STANCE
The Solar Exalted are as graceful as sunlight on water. This Charm lets the Exalt automatically succeed on any valid Athletics action to keep his balance. Moreover, this Charm allows the Exalt to keep his footing on any surface at least as strong and wide as a human hair. He treats it as a three-footwide ledge capable of supporting a thousand pounds of weight when determining what movement and Athletics actions he can take and what penalties to them might apply.

FEATHER-FOOT STYLE
Prerequisite Charms: Graceful Crane Stance
The Lawgivers tread lightly when they choose. This Charm allows the Solar to run or walk on unstable surfaces (using the Move and Dash actions) as if she weighed no more than a feather. This makes surfaces such as rice paper, water, lava and writhing maggots effectively solid beneath her feet—though not necessarily harmless. To stop and stand on such a surface requires a successful reflexive difficulty 2 (Dexterity + Athletics) roll for each action in which the character wishes to maintain balance.

• The main difference between the 2 charm is weight.  Graceful Crane does nothing to reduce the weight of the Exalted.  It only allows her to perform Movement and Athletic Actions on that surface as if it can support 1000 pounds and is a 3 foot-wide ledge.  While she can run vertically by stepping off leaves, she cannot at any moment stop on top of a leaf without it dropping like a rock.  Graceful crane only allows movement actions from the surface. 
• Feather-Foot style actually reduce the weight of the Exalted (and everything she carries) as no more than a feather.  She can walk across pressure sensors and only register as if a feather landed on it.  Something Graceful crane cannot do.  She can also stop and stand on surfaces, which graceful crane cannot do.
• Graceful Crane actually have a surface requirement.  It has to be as strong and wide as a human hair – meaning water does not qualify, only things floating on top of water.  Feather-Food Style is under no such limitations.  As long as the surface can support a feather (which human hair can).
• Also the two charms can be combined.  If a person uses feather foot and graceful crane together he can stand and stop on surfaces without needing to make any rolls.  Since Graceful Crane automatically succeeds in any rolls to maintain balance. 
• They are both scene long charms, so you can just use 2 actions, as opposed to putting them in a combo (Both are Combo-Ok, Reflexive)

Four Flaws of Invulnerability, The

Standard perfect defenses against physical attacks are a
cheap way to entirely ignore attacks, but each has one of four
flaws.  A given Solar may learn any number of these perfect
defense Charms (including buying the same Charm twice),
but he can only choose a maximum of two different flaws
among all the standard perfect defenses.

For instance, he can choose Adamant Skin Technique with the Conviction Flaw, Heavenly Guardian Defense with the Conviction Flaw and Seven Shadow Evasion with the Temperance Flaw.

Valor Flaw

The Exalt must move toward the opponent he considers most dangerous, on every tick where this is possible without magic, until his DV refreshes twice.

Compassion Flaw

The Exalt can only use this Charm when in the presence of someone or something he cares about.

Temperance Flaw

The Exalt cannot take movement actions such as move, dash, flight, teleportation or jumping until his DV refreshes twice.

Conviction Flaw

Charms carrying this Flaw do not function when the character has taken some action during the scene that is contrary to her Motivation.  If, during the scene, she has acted against any Intimacy, or a Virtue she has rated at 3+, then Charms with this Flaw add a +3m surcharge to their activation cost. 

Old Conviction Flaw that was Errata-ed
This Charm does not function when a Solar’s actions are contrary to his Motivation. The Storyteller should assume that a Solar’s actions qualify unless an enemy deliberately arranges for terms of conflict that dispirit and shake the purpose of the Exalt. The player can interpret it more strictly if desired.

Mask of Winter’s Abyssal Sparks

 

1)   Dawn (Dusk) 03

Silver Empress of the Frozen Rose
Prince Resplendent in the Ruin of Ages, Crumbling Pillar

2)   Dawn (Dusk) 05

Maiden of the Mirthless Smile

3)   Dawn (Dusk) 11

Irreproachable and Flawless Golden Tyrant

4)   Dawn (Dusk) 52

Adamant Sadness

5)   Midnight (Zenith) 22

Sorrowful Hill Master
Lady of Darkness in Bloodstained Robes

6)   Midnight (Zenith) 44

Apostate in Tatters (The Harp Guy)

7)   Daybreak (Twilight) 42

Ebon Whisper of the Weeping Mountains
Icy Monsoon of Bloody Maiden Tears

8)   Daybreak (Twilight) 49

Sagacious Bodhissatva of Crows and Murder
Illuminant Guardian of the Final Dust

9)   Day (Night) 11

Typhon – Thorn’s Ambassador to the Scavenger Lands

10)   Moonshadow (Eclipse) 27

Mistress of Pact Sealed in Blood

 

Associated Abyssals

Dusk Princess of the Obsidian Heart - Moonshadow (Eclipse) 24

Solars by Categories

Related Entry: Solar Seniority

Obviously Abyssals are not bound by these rules.  These classifications only apply to Solars.

• Tier 1 - ~30 :  These are the ones who exalted first due to the gravity of their destinies.  These foci of fate attracts the Sparks like Flames to a Moth and thus were the first to be joined.  The Entire Group of Tier 1s exalted within 5 years of each other (Not counting those Spark not trapped by the Jade Prison).  

It would be another year or so after the last of them that Tier 2 started Exalting – Such is the greatness of their ordained destinies.

 

• Tier 2 – ~ 50 : These are the beings whose Spark had to travel aimlessly down the infinite pathway in the loom of fate.  Guide as they are by the eddies in a ocean of light.  Tier 2 and Tier 3 exalts around the same time.  But generally Tier 2 as a group is slightly earlier than Tier 3.

 

• Tier 3 – ~ 70 : These are the weakest of all the Solar Exaltations.  They owe their unguided Exaltation as much to chance as they are to their own destinies.  Granted they have greatness ordained, but their destinies are barely noticeable in the loom – overshadowed as they are by the Suns that are the Tier 1s and the Stars that are the Tier 2s.  These Exaltations happen mostly due to sheer luck – as the individual just happens to need the power of their Exaltation right when the spark is spiritually near. 

There are few exception in this Tier of Solars.  Like all Gods, Lytek did not survive the eons without owing a little favor.  Being the God of Exaltation he had to make a few … adjustments as debt of honor.  A few of the Tier 3 Sparks are “coerced” onto their hosts by Lytek.  Namely Rune the Solar of White Wall (paid for by the Syndics) and Fatimah bint Muhammad (paid for by an unknown party)

 

Unbound Solars

These are Solars who were never trapped by the Jade Prison.

• Dawn 15 - Yurgen Kaneko, “Bull of the North”
• Dawn 56 – Filial Wisdom
• Zenith 47 – Samea
• Twilight 14 – Fear Eater
• Twilight 44 – The Twilight (Mnemon Nejimaru) 
• Eclipse 20 - Scarlet Whisper

 

Solar Essence with no vision of Rathess and War Captain

These are Solar Essence that either were not in Creation during the Unconquered Sun’s broadcast of the Vision of Rathess, or they are those who perished subsequently and is returned to Lytek for Cleaning – and thus lost the vision as well.

• Dawn 56  (Was Filial Wisdom)
• Dawn 59  (Was War Captain)
• Zenith 09 (Was Dimas, the Teenager that was killed by 30 Blood Apes, Flawless Oak and Alabaster Hand of the Heaven is too far to save him)
• Eclipse 59 (Was Aata)

 

Tier 1

These are Solar Essence who were bonded with extraordinary individuals whose souls and destinies were grand that they are able to fully incorporate their Exaltation in the instant of infinity during the 2nd Breath.

These Solars all have uncanny connection to their Essence has has far more instinctual knowledge of the Supernatural World and, often, knowledge of the First Age.

They can raise in Essence with normal speed and has full charm pool upon Character Creation.

These Solars due to their more intimate knowledge of the First Age are trapped by it.  Their motivations, actions, and world view are inevitably colored by the past.

These Solars are so powerful that their Exaltation sends ripple through the fabrics of fate and without error each of them find Sidereal Agents waiting for them – most in the form of the Wyld Hunt.  Unfortunately for the Wyld Hunts, these Solars are also the best equipped to deal with any Hostilities.

• Dawn 15 - Yurgen Kaneko, “Bull of the North”
• Dawn 24 – Nalla the Blood Axe
• Dawn 26 – Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall
• Dawn 33 – Jalith (Haltan)
• Dawn 39 – Lyta
• Dawn 44 – Dace
• Dawn 55 – Moray Darktide
• Dawn 59 – Balan
• Zenith 08 – Celestial Anger
• Zenith 20 – Panther
• Zenith 30 – Gladrien Vanja
• Zenith 43 – Karal Fire Orchid
• Zenith 47 – Samea
• Zenith 49 – Ocean Pearl
• Twilight 14 – Fear Eater of the Icewalker Tribes
• Twilight 27 – Horakinis
• Twilight 30 – Arianna
• Twilight 44 – Mnemon Nejimaru, “The Twilight”
• Twilight 48 – Exaltant Sunrise Spirit
• Night 06 – Harmonious Jade
• Night 23 - Death and Metal Maiden
• Night 32 – Dagnir
• Night 40 – Rhianna
• Night 45 - Raneth of Diamond Hearth
• Eclipse 03 – Child of the Violet Star
• Eclipse 17 – Clytemnestra
• Eclipse 20 – Scarlet Whisper
• Eclipse 45 – Swan
• Eclipse 54 – Crimson Antler
• Eclipse 59 - Aata

There are no more Tier 1 Solars (unless GM forgot to add an Official one who is Tier 1).  From this point in the game, all new Solars are at the maximum Tier 2s.

 

Tier 2

Tier 2 Solars are Solar Essence whose bond with their Mortal Host is incomplete.  In time they will achieve the harmony already possessed by Tier 1 Solars.

They have little to no knowledge of the past and by extension their capabilities.  They only start with instinctual knowledge of their own powers and knows next to nothing regarding the powers of other Solar Castes or Exalts.

They also only starts with half their charms upon Exaltation, and the other half are quickly gained as they familiarize themselves with their new found power.

Amongst these ranks are often the Tyrant and Despots.  Gifted with power rival that of most gods and having next to no knowledge of their place in the Order of things, these beings are those often found abusing their powers and setting up little petty kingdoms in Creation. 

The Solars of this Tier are both Free and Powerful.  Their achievements are only limited by their mortal mind and completely unhindered by the Original Sins of the First Age but also unassisted by the Perspective taken by granted by the Solars of the First Tier.

Solars of Tier 2 are significantly delayed in their Mastery over the very energy of Creation due to their dissonance between their Exaltation and their Mortal Coil.  They cannot achieve Essence 5 until this dissonance is reconciled (usually via achieving their motivation, some great achievement, or simply by time normally taking ~50 years or so at the latest).

• Dawn 36 – Prince Maximillian
• Zenith 09 – Dimas
• Twilight 18 – Ahmed Latif
• Night 08 - Faku Kun (The Panda People Exalted)
• Night 28 – Alabaster Hand of Heaven
• Eclipse 26 – Flawless Oak

 

Tier 3

These are the Solars who is completely unable to shake their mortal existence and ascend into rank of the Exalts.  Their mortal identity and belief is so strong that they are simply unable to ascend.  Their limited purview blocks their ability to achieve the truly supernatural. 

Not only are they unable to acknowledge their new divinity they also cannot comprehend the limit power inherent in their being.  Until their Souls can come to terms of their own being, they are blocked. 

These Solars typically starts with 1-2 Essence and cannot achieve Essence higher than 3 without coming to terms with their new destinies.  However, even the most difficult cases usually resolve itself – one can only deny reality for so long (Max ~70 Years).  Those who active tries to accept their new state in life take significantly shorter.

These Solars gains no Charms during Exaltation – for they are completely ignorant of their own powers and abilities.  It is through difficult trial and error do they discover their Starting Charms.  Lucky are the Tier 3s who finds a more established Solar as mentor.

Consequently these Solars are so weak they hardly show on the Loom of Fate and thus are only hunted by the Wyld Hunt on sheer [bad] luck.

• Currently there are no Tier 3 Solars, and I hope there won’t be any anytime soon.  Because next time you guys die, next characters you guys make will start as Tier 3.

 

Solar Circles

(Perfect) Circle of Friends

• Dace, Dawn Caste Duelist-General
• Panther, the Awe Inspiring Personae of the Zenith Caste
• Arianna, The Twilight Savant with an Unquenchable Thirst for Knowledge
• Harmonious Jade, the Merciless Night Caste Seeking her Mission
• Swan, The Easy Going Eclipse Caste Comedian Diplomat

(Perfect) Circle of Everlasting and Perfect Illuminated Harmony

• Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall (Dawn Caste)
• Celestial Anger (Zenith Caste)
• Exaltant Sunrise Spirit (Twilight Caste)
• Death and Metal Maiden (Night Caste)
• Child of the Violet Star (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of the Bull, The

• Yurgen Kaneko, The Bull of the North (Dawn Caste)
• Nalla “Blood Axe” (Dawn Caste)
• Samea of the Blackwater Mammoth Tribe (Zenith Caste)
• Fear Eater of the Ice Walker Tribes (Twilight Caste)
• Raneth of Diamond Hearth (Night Caste)
• Crimson Antler, Cherek Revolutionary (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of Rathess, The

• Lyta (Dawn Caste)
• Gladrien Vanja (Zenith Caste)
• Clytemnestra (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of the War Captain

• Balan the War Captain of Rathess (Dawn Caste)
• The Twilight (Twilight Caste)
• Dagnir (Night Caste)
• Aata the Thunder God (Eclipse Caste)

Horakinis

Senior Deacon of the Exaltant Twenty Garden

• She is the Sorceress shown in the Core Rule Book on the page describing “Death of the Obsidian Butterflies”
• Secretive Sorceress and well known in the Occult Circle, though not as a Solar
• Terrestrial Circle Sorcerer who is on the cusp of Achieving Celestial Circle Sorcery
• Senior Deacon in the Exultant Twenty Garden Secret Society, a Secret Society of Sorcerers spread across Creation
• Thaumaturgy: Master of Alchemy, Astrology and Adapt of Geomancy
• The Last Tier 1 Solar, Essence 4
  

“Only through knowledge can we be saved, and only through the wisdom of the Solars who died long ago can we hope to find an answer to our present problems.”
- Horakinis

Horakinis has an air of ostentatious asceticism, with lustrous crimson hair that falls in glowing ringlets to her waist making a striking contrast with her pale skin.  She favors dark colors and is usually wearing hooded robes of expensive silk.  Tall and lithesome she moves with briskly pace and focused purpose.   Naturally confident she has a majestic aura and her presence is often enough to draw attention from everyone in the room.  This combined with her hair and accent has, on several occasions, caused major stirs in the Threshold – as overly eager officials mistaking her as the Empress incognito.  She has long since taken on the habit of muffling herself in cloaks and veils thought that causes an entirely different set of problems – especially for a Anathema who is trying not to draw overt attention.  She always wears her Salt-Gem of the Spirit’s Eye in an orichalcum choker (Hearthstone amulet), though she conceals this jewelry with a scarf if she is uncertain of her company.

Horakinis is an impatient, tactless researcher and find it hard to believe that anybody is better fitted to research or hold the great wisdom of the ancient Solars than her.  Nobody ever worked faster enough to suit her, and she has no qualms about pushing human colleagues to their limits:  It is for a greater good.  She does not mind sharing new discoveries (aside from the very powerful ones) with allies or other Solars, but she do expect some gesture of thanks in return.

Born to a very rich family in Arjuf, on the Southern Coast of the Blessed Realm, and she was raised amongst wealth and privilege.  But none of this spared her or her family when disease struck the port: She barely survived, and her father and two of her brother died.  As the eldest remaining child, she was, technically, the family heir.  She signed over her interest in warehouses and trading fleets to her only living brother and took her inheritance in money and resources that would let her travel and search for the lore that she are still sure would have saved their lives.  While she was seeking an ancient library underground, her Exaltation came upon her.

The Unconquered Sun descended upon her in a burning wave of ecstasy and power, bringing memories of her life long before and showing her what she needed to do to bring back the age of gold.  Through the knowledge of the ancient Solars, She will save the world.

Since then, she have spent much of her time concealed in her newly discovered library – a minor Manse – researching the documents there and sharing her information with other sorcerers across the land.  From time to time, she leaves the place in order to investigate new libraries or to assist other Solars in return for knowledge.  Many of the books and scrolls are merely histories or accounts, and others are in languages that she does not know:  She has had to bring translators and clerks, some by blackmail or force, to get the information she needs.  However, she has also made many useful contacts, fellow researchers who appreciate her dedication and objectives.  Together, she hopes to find the ancient truths that will help rebuild the world.

Dual-Wield

Since we were watching Tron and it follows the trend of Dual-Wield = pwnage, I am clarifying the rules of Dual Wield in Exalted.

• Using an weapon in the off-hand is a –1 internal penalty. 
• You use the accuracy rating of whatever weapon you are attacking with
• You use the defense rating of whatever weapon you are defending with (so logically you will use the higher of the 2, but keep in mind the –1 penalty for Off-hand Weapon)
• Rates are independent of the weapon.  So if you have a rate 3 weapon and a rate 2 weapon, you can have a flurry of 5 attacks, with one weapon making 3 attacks, while the other making 2, in any order/combination.

That is pretty much dual-wield in a nut shell.  Though technically legal, it is a bit odd to say I have 2 fists so I can make 2 rate 3 attacks.  Natural weapon should already have factored in the fact there are 2 of them into the calculated Rate.