Exalted Essence Questions

[Gaara]

In the Venture chapter - Crafting Artifact it is written "See p. XX for a description of how to design an artifact"
I looked for this page but never found it. Also there's a reference in the Common Advantage of the way to had an additionnal Evocation. Does it mean there's a maximum of Evocation an artifact can have ? Is it on the same page that the description of how to design an artifact that I can't find ?

[Aleks]

Has anyone found a way to heal aggravated damage? In one place it says that aggravated damage can only be healed through magic, but Master Physician's Technique specificies it can't heal aggravated damage.

[Gaara]

OK Thank you JohnDoe244

Another question which is not about the rules. Does anyone know why Silver Voiced Nightingale Style is not present in Exalted Essence ? (I think it's even not announced in the Companion book)

[JohnDoe244]

The attack is part of the action. You don't have to flurry. Indeed, you can't flurry aim with an attack, because you can't take the same action twice.

Aim includes Attack.

[Gaara]

Hello

I'm not sure of the Aim action mechanism... Is the ranged attack part of the movement action ?
- If not, do you have to flurry aim + ranged attack ? Which means that the 3 dice bonus are canceled by the 3 dice penatly of the flurry ?
- If it does, do you still be able to make another attack action ? (because the range attack is not your attack action but your movement action)

[The Wizard of Oz]

...yes, that's the problem for me. Solars chugging along with automatic buckets'o'dice without flaring.

Ah, so you think Solars are too powerful?

If it makes you feel better, unlike the normal Exalted rules, Solars don't have tons of excellencies all over the place. You might start with 0. At most you'll have 5. I suspect most people will have 2 or 3. Although Solars probably will buy more than other PCs, since theirs are better. That doesn't bother me; it's dull, but it does represent just being really good at abilities, and so if that's what people want to do, they can.

[The Wizard of Oz]

I realise Essence is a new system, but how many times have you ran out of health levels playing Exalted?

Last session me and my Eclipse buddy were ambushed coming out of the Imperial Mountain by Immaculate Monks, and I took 26 health levels of damage.

Saying this, I actually agree with you, I think losing all your health levels has too many ways to deal with it for ox-bodies to be all that good. Yeah, buy 1 or 2, but I see your point about the value of buying a ton.

[squidheadjax]

Yeah it's overall an advantage because it lets Solars use excellencies all over the place without flaring.

It does mean if you want to build anima to get your Active and Iconic powers, you can't do it with excellencies, but as Chausse says, many of the Solar unique charms generate extra anima.

I don't like the Anima rules (as I already said, I think they are over-complicated and require too much bookkeeping) but that part I am okay with.

...yes, that's the problem for me. Solars chugging along with automatic buckets'o'dice without flaring.

[JohnDoe244]

Because the health levels work more than once.

I realise Essence is a new system, but how many times have you ran out of health levels playing Exalted?

[Sith_Happens]

But why would I spend a Personal Milestone to get two extra health levels that I might not use, when I can spend a Personal Milestone to negate a 5L attack if it happens?

Because the health levels work more than once.

[Whiskey Jack]

Wow, when you lay it out like that, players have a lot of options for negating being taken out of a fight. I'm going to have to look back at those systems and consider whether those should be limited in any way . . . I mean, I want players to have cool options for staying in a fight and surviving epic encounters, but that really sounds like a bit much.

[JohnDoe244]

I more meant that Ox Bodies are pointless.

If I run out of health levels, I can take a -1 to my tertiary attribute. Which I never roll, because it's my weakest area, to ignore an attack. My opponent then has to build Power again. Then I can take -1 to my secondary attribute. Then I can knockdown my Primary Merit. Then I can take -1 on all my dice rolls. And then I am Incapacitated... which means I can still make Teamwork rolls or Build Power for my allies, and if I somehow get to 10 Power then I'm back in the fight.

And I can heal these injuries by spending Personal Milestones... which otherwise can only be used to buy Ox Bodies.

If you have a buff character who has Physique to do Feats of Strength and make Resistance rolls, then, sure, why not buy Ox Bodies?

Buying Ox Bodies with Personal Milestones is a good deal. Buying Physique with Minor Milestones (so you can buy Ox Bodies instead of just buying off Dramatic Injuries with Personal Milestones) sucks.

Why would I spend a Minor and Personal Milestone to get two extra health levels that I might not use, when I can just spend a Personal Milestone to negate a 5L attack if it happens? Are you worried you are going to run out of Personal Milestones? Is your character being Incapacitated every other session?

By preference, I might have characters with Lesser Recovery heal one health level per Recovery Scene, and characters with Greater Recovery heal two health levels and all their extra health levels (from Ox Body Technique etc.) each recovery scene. Then all Exalts are twice as tough as mortals (instead of six times as tough), and Ox Body makes you meaningfully tougher. Or I might scrap Lesser and Greater Recovery, and just have characters heal (Essence) health levels plus Bonus Health.

[adambeyoncelowe]

with Ox-Bodies, the concern to me is more that it makes every Exalt look the same; you always take Ox-Body at Chargen and you use your first personal milestones buying every single Ox-Body, and whenever you can buy a new one you instantly do, and there's not really any penalty to it (since there aren't really many Modes or Repurchases in the book outside of DBs and Liminals)

Getting to buy actual Excellencies on every personal milestone means every Exalt is gonna have every Excellency they want within a dozen or so sessions.

I suppose, if it doesn't work for your table and that is the outcome anyway, you can just give everyone Ox Body equal to their Essence for free and call it a day. That way, at least, no one feels they have to buy it. That has always been a common house rule anyway.

[JohnDoe244]

I am pretty sure [ x ] denotes shorthand. "Close Combat Excellency" and "Ranged Combat Excellency" are two different Charms.

You could buy Close Combat Excellency, then repurchase Close Combat Excellency with a personal Milestone. But there's no benefit to that.

Ranged Combat Excellency is a different Charm, not a repurchase.

Ox-Body Technique is a clear repurchase. And given how... lackluster Ox Body Technique remains, I have no issue with spending personal to buy it.

[Flare]

with Ox-Bodies, the concern to me is more that it makes every Exalt look the same; you always take Ox-Body at Chargen and you use your first personal milestones buying every single Ox-Body, and whenever you can buy a new one you instantly do, and there's not really any penalty to it (since there aren't really many Modes or Repurchases in the book outside of DBs and Liminals)

Getting to buy actual Excellencies on every personal milestone means every Exalt is gonna have every Excellency they want within a dozen or so sessions.