Exalted Essence Preview is out!

[Gonzo]

About the Essence preview, and manuscript: I haven't read it all, but I gotta say that I found extremely pretentious many of the comparison between some cities in the setting and real world historical places. I'm sorry writers, i know you were trying to help, but I have no freaking idea how Baghdad was or wasn't in any given moment in history, I may try to study that and make an essay for my players, or just make some shit up and play a fantasy game.

[Leliel]

About the Essence preview, and manuscript: I haven't read it all, but I gotta say that I found extremely pretentious many of the comparison between some cities in the setting and real world historical places. I'm sorry writers, i know you were trying to help, but I have no freaking idea how Baghdad was or wasn't in any given moment in history, I may try to study that and make an essay for my players, or just make some shit up and play a fantasy game.

I do not understand you. It's just a Wikipedia search away, and with it, pictures that probably could not have fit in the book.

Like, I didn't even know several of these places existed, and reading about them, had sudden flashes to exactly what the locations can be described like. Like, I know what Gethamane looks like now. That's not nothing.

[Lioness]

Gonzo seems to be specifically alluding to the description given to Thorns, which imo is the weakest one.

Though I admit my own feelings towards it are coloured by the fact I think Thorns is potentially the only location I potentially prefer the 2e version of. I'm not passing judgement until Eight Directions and/or Abyssals but broadly I feel I've got more to work with by treating Mask of Winter's invasion like an occupation rather than a sacking.

[Erinys]

I have nobody to play with and no idea whether or not my favorite splat will be recognizeable to me, so I would rather know the basics rather than spend my very limited money on an unillustrated draft and then spend more again on the finished version. I don't want to buy a new version of my favorite splat with NO info on the risk I may hate it and also have nobody to play it with? Plus pay for a bunch of other splats I can't use either.

I am reading older threads about Essence at the moment and they don't have any concrete information about Infernals either. I have seen references to podcasts and videos on Discord, which are useless to me because I'm hard of hearing.

These are the things that used to be discussed on the forum in threads like "I have the 3e pdf ask me anything" and the Wiki which used to have things like brief summary descriptions of each splat and caste and aspect. I get that nobody wants another leak incident but that is NOT at all what I'm asking for.



For example, is anyone willing to please share a basic description of the neo-Infernal castes, more than just their names? (themes and favored Abilities, sobriquets, who they are Chosen from, differences from corresponding Solar and 2e castes) The sort of things that used to be posted for free on the wiki?

Or just, what are the bullet points version of how Infernals differ from the 2e version? (since I can barely remember the old 3e preview other than disliking it)

Does Mind-Hand Manipulation exist? Is it availabe at character creation?

Or, do the 3 new types of Exalted (Exigents, Liminals, Getimians) have any sobriquets or favored Abilities or Attributes as a whole, or for individual castes and aspects?

[Lioness]

For example, is anyone willing to please share a basic description of the neo-Infernal castes, more than just their names? (themes and favored Abilities, sobriquets, who they are Chosen from, differences from corresponding Solar and 2e castes) The sort of things that used to be posted for free on the wiki?
Or just, what are the bullet points version of how Infernals differ from the 2e version? (since I can barely remember the old 3e preview other than disliking it)

There's not a lot of info on each individual caste/aspect due to having to cover all Exalt types in a relatively small space.

Azimuths- victims of victims of war or violence.
Ascendents- those condemned as wicked or lowly and despised
Horizons- people denied an education or those persecuted for how they use their intellect.
Nadir- people who were imprisoned, either literally or metaphorically.
Penumbra- people who had a social status but either rejected it or were betrayed.

Does Mind-Hand Manipulation exist? Is it availabe at character creation?

Or, do the 3 new types of Exalted (Exigents, Liminals, Getimians) have any sobriquets or favored Abilities or Attributes as a whole, or for individual castes and aspects?

Essence doesn't do favoured Abilities/Attributes.

[Blaque]

I have nobody to play with and no idea whether or not my favorite splat will be recognizeable to me, so I would rather know the basics rather than spend my very limited money on an unillustrated draft and then spend more again on the finished version. I don't want to buy a new version of my favorite splat with NO info on the risk I may hate it and also have nobody to play it with? Plus pay for a bunch of other splats I can't use either.

If you back the Backerkit draft, you get the PDF of the now-layed-out and illustrated PDF, and a discount for a POD at elast. During hte KSes though, youc an also back $5, and if you don't like the preview, you can pull out. This is something OPP even encoruages, as they do the previews specifically to see if it is for you.

...
These are the things that used to be discussed on the forum in threads like "I have the 3e pdf ask me anything" and the Wiki which used to have things like brief summary descriptions of each splat and caste and aspect. I get that nobody wants another leak incident but that is NOT at all what I'm asking for.

I guess the main thing is just ask questions. General "What's in there?" are going to be too broad for us to do much with.

[QUOTE=Erinys;n1504778]... Or just, what are the bullet points version of how Infernals differ from the 2e version? (since I can barely remember the old 3e preview other than disliking it)[/quote\

Well, for one, the 3e KS preview is in more or less defunct at this point. The current devs are not using it as any reference for their future work to my understanding.

The main things different are as noted the Castes and their origins. THere is also some mechanical differences we know are coming. Their Charms are their own, not the ones Yozis are built from. And while they are Ability based, will still make references to the Yozis in aesthetic and effect. They just also include stuff that's more generally Infernal (think some of the Infenral Monster Style expansions), titanic (inner wrolds, demon pantheons), and generally a sense of anger and rebellion. This isn't really in Essence much save thier Charms being Abiltiy-baed though since as noted, it's very abridged what can fit in there.

Does Mind-Hand Manipulation exist? Is it availabe at character creation?

Yes to both here.

Or, do the 3 new types of Exalted (Exigents, Liminals, Getimians) have any sobriquets or favored Abilities or Attributes as a whole, or for individual castes and aspects?

As noted, Essence doesn't have Caste/Aspect traits as there isn't like, mechanical room. A lot of that is taken-up by their Anima powers in Essence. We laso don't get any sobriquets, so at this time they are not known besides the "Child of [Aspect]" that Liminals have going.

[adambeyoncelowe]

I have nobody to play with and no idea whether or not my favorite splat will be recognizeable to me, so I would rather know the basics rather than spend my very limited money on an unillustrated draft and then spend more again on the finished version.

As noted by Blaque, this is the fully illustrated, properly laid out, ready-to-go PDF. There will be one more set of edits based on the community proofing, but it's basically done. (And if you buy it now, you'll get the updated version when it lands at DriveThru anyway.)

I don't want to buy a new version of my favorite splat with NO info on the risk I may hate it and also have nobody to play it with? Plus pay for a bunch of other splats I can't use either.

I am reading older threads about Essence at the moment and they don't have any concrete information about Infernals either. I have seen references to podcasts and videos on Discord, which are useless to me because I'm hard of hearing.

I am a huge Infernals fan and I'm very happy with ExEss. The castes feel very flavourful, even in short write ups, and the Charmset lets me take all the cool stuff I wanted in 2e but couldn't have because of Patrons.

For example, is anyone willing to please share a basic description of the neo-Infernal castes, more than just their names? (themes and favored Abilities, sobriquets, who they are Chosen from, differences from corresponding Solar and 2e castes) The sort of things that used to be posted for free on the wiki?

Azimuth: War, destruction and punishing the corrupt are key themes for the Azimuth. These guys are like the Slayers or Malfean Urge Infernals of old. Powers include adding your Essence in successes to intimidation, killing your Essence in extras, and assuming the Devil-Body Incarnation (2e Shintai, of course) for free. Very cool.

Ascendant: These "charming priest-kings" and "blasphemous missionaries" proselytise about the hypocrisy of society and undermine its values in the hearts of others. They are the anti-Christs and serpents of Hell, chosen from among those who were cast out and despised. These are your Malefactors reborn, who easily seduce others to give in to their darker urges, and to rise up in anarchy or rebellion. They also desecrate the ground by literally going all scorched earth.

Horizon: These Infernals are brilliant, powerful and sorcerous. All of them denied their potential in life due to inequality or enslavement. These are your Defilers 2.0. They find it easier to engage in ventures (projects/fancy extended tests) with their cunning and strategy, may add Essence successes to Craft and Sagacity (lore) rolls, and can do some cool stuff involving others' Essence and Willpower (increasing others' Charm costs or stealing their WP).

Nadir: These are your "rogue class" Infernals, chosen from those who were imprisoned or oppressed and who now seek to liberate others. They are the Scourges of old, and can be more discreet (dampening their anima), moving silently in plain sight (bonus successes to Athletics and Stealth), and can do the Assamite/Quietus 1 thing of creating a zone of silence in which they can murder their targets.

Penumbra: These are the spies and ambassadors of the Infernals. They rejected wealth after discovering how corrupting it was, and spread paranoia and distrust among the powerful. They are the Fiends of Essence, and get to perform the usual Eclipse shenanigans, gain respect from spirits and demons, and can instil certain insidious Intimacies or break oaths.

Or just, what are the bullet points version of how Infernals differ from the 2e version? (since I can barely remember the old 3e preview other than disliking it)

They're still Hell's rockstars and royalty. They're more like the second half of 2e Infernals than the first half. So none of the weird squick about demon wombs that could've been ripped from Urotsukidoji, and a much stronger focus on "you've been wronged; now it's time to take revenge".

Essentially, the Yozis pick people who've been oppressed, downtrodden or abused, and they whisper in their ear, "Hey, do you want to make it all right again? Do you want to show those d*cks what you're made of, and let them know how it feels to be helpless? Do you want to punish injustice and wreak vengeance on all the people who've exploited others and got away with it? Yes? Then here are the keys to Hell, kid... *and even quieter* Oh, and if you can blow the cosmos up while you're at it, that'd be great. Ta!"

Key themes: righteous indignation, glorious rebellion, delicious vengeance, and all the power fantasies you ever dreamed of as an outsider kid in the 1990s.

Does Mind-Hand Manipulation exist? Is it availabe at character creation?

Yes and yes. And there are some other fan favourites in there, to boot.

Or, do the 3 new types of Exalted (Exigents, Liminals, Getimians) have any sobriquets or favored Abilities or Attributes as a whole, or for individual castes and aspects?

They all get their own write ups with castes, anima powers and exalt advantages, exactly like the other exalts. But the above took me quite a while to summarise, so I won't do it for three more exalt types just now. They are quite interesting, though, and add a lot.

Exigents are your "Build Your Own Exalts" splat, representing all those exalts created by minor deities and other forgotten/less well known beings. Liminals are creepy, undead, Promethean-esque exalts, who are more body horror than the Abyssals. Getimians are like Arnold in Terminator: Dark Fate. They come from a future/present that never happened, and so are like debris cast out of the space-time continuum.

Basically, these three splats are designed to mop up some of the "kitchen sink" qualities that were added to Infernals and Abyssals, and to add a foil to the Sidereals (respectively), so that those splats each become clearer and more focused as a result. They're neat, although I probably won't play one, as I'm Infernal all the way.

[Erinys]

This is great, thank you! I get the impression that the KS "previews" were actually just entire chapters? I had thought they were in the same format as the Ex3 KS previews.

And I realized another reason I'm reluctant to buy this book, after wanting to buy it months ago: after I got a job I started buying several Exalted books, but I haven't found time to read them all. And I feel silly and greedy continuing to buy books without knowing when I'll get around to reading them.

But I can ask Qs about the basics.

1. Are Infernals still created from the 50 stolen Solar exaltations?
2. Still called Green Sun Princes?
3. Is the purpose of Infernals now to get the Yozis' revenge on Creation and the gods? Or what?
4. How are the Unwoven Coadjutors depicted now? I think Blaque posted earlier that they still exist but there's no deal with a demon and they can't be an existing 1st circle demon species; is that still true?
5. Is there still a deal with a demon?
6. I've seen mockups of the new caste marks, but what do the animas look like (in general)?
7. I saw that Dragon Kings and Olchiliké will be in the companion. Any word yet on what will change with them? Will the Olchiliké misspelling be fixed?
8. Likewise with some of the apocryphal Exalted possibly being in the companion, has there been any new info about them?

[Asmodai]

We got the whole draft. Not just snippets like E3. I'll take a look when I get back to the book for your questions, but the vibe was that they didn't really delve too much into details. For instance the Infernals are now more about the Yozi empowering rebels and rabblerousers to cause mayhem in Creation rather than freeing them or propagating their plans.

[Blaque]

This is great, thank you! I get the impression that the KS "previews" were actually just entire chapters? I had thought they were in the same format as the Ex3 KS previews.

One of the things OPP has done since the initial Ex3 Kickstarter is that they give-out the "At that point in development" manuscript text to backers. Usually over the course of the crowdfunding period weekly, with the compiled version for backers after it is finished. This has been the case for Dragon-Blooded, Lunars, Exigents, Sidereals, and Essence.

And what we got a couple weeks ago is the illustrated and layed-out PDF. it is complete save indexing, Page XX refereces, and things that need tweaked due to errata but is text-complete. You can run things out of the PDF when it's done, even if things are subject ot change. It's what folks have done wiht Essence for a good year now. For main Exalted, folks can Sidereals and Exigents just fine now.

...
1. Are Infernals still created from the 50 stolen Solar exaltations?

They're still corrupted Solars but we don't know how the Yozis have htem yet. It is possibly the same but nothing is said.

2. Still called Green Sun Princes?

The term is used as a sobriquet in their write-up.

3. Is the purpose of Infernals now to get the Yozis' revenge on Creation and the gods? Or what?

The term the devs have used is "shaken soda can" Exalts. The Yozis know getting out is impossible, so they have corrupted the Sun's Chosen and sent htem into the world to Break Shit basically. Infernal power tends to manifest as pretty upheavally, and in ways alien to Creation. The Yozi select people who they think are willing to use that power to enact revenge on the world,b asically. Whether the Infernal follows that is up to them.

4. How are the Unwoven Coadjutors depicted now? I think Blaque posted earlier that they still exist but there's no deal with a demon and they can't be an existing 1st circle demon species; is that still true?

This is as last chatted in the Discord sill the case. They can be basically a 1CD if you want, but at the last it came up they remain the reuslts of psychological constructs in myr mind, not a demon. Until you probably spit it out later as a demon using your Charms.

5. Is there still a deal with a demon?

Not to my gathering. The "Faustian deal Exaltation" is more an Abyssal thing.

6. I've seen mockups of the new caste marks, but what do the animas look like (in general)?

Green and alien cosmological light stuff. There are references to the 2e Castes in some of the colors, with blues in Ascendant, reds in Nadirs, or blacks in the Penumbra, for example.

7. I saw that Dragon Kings and Olchiliké will be in the companion. Any word yet on what will change with them? Will the Olchiliké misspelling be fixed?

I'm not sure it's mispelled? It's a made-up word last I checked. All we know fo rnow is they're in there.

8. Likewise with some of the apocryphal Exalted possibly being in the companion, has there been any new info about them?

We more or less have everything that'll be in Essence in the Exigents manuscript. We know a decent chunk on all three at this point.

[PneumaPilot]

What is that caste mark in the illustration on page 14 of the pdf that is supposedly intended to be the Solar?

[Blaque]

I'm not seeing what you mean on that. Top-left is from behind, middle is an alchemical, dn the top-right I don't see any Castemark.

The character in top-left of page 13 doesn't have a recognizable one, so I woudl chalk them up to just being some sort of Exigent.

[Erinys]

I like most of what they did with Infernals, but eliminating all of the deal with the demon and the demon itself is very very sad.

I'm not sure it's mispelled? It's a made-up word last I checked. All we know fo rnow is they're in there.

The list of Essence stretch goals calls them "Ochilike" twice.

[PneumaPilot]

I'm not seeing what you mean on that. Top-left is from behind, middle is an alchemical, dn the top-right I don't see any Castemark.

The character in top-left of page 13 doesn't have a recognizable one, so I woudl chalk them up to just being some sort of Exigent.

The top left has a woman with a weird bird-like caste mark. It matches the symbol on the ice wall in the picture. And in the fiction that matches that illustration, it seems like a Solar is speaking (reference to an orichalcum weapon, plus there is no other Solar story snippet if it's not her) and describes the caste mark matching the symbol on an ice wall. So what is that symbol?

[Blaque]

The top left has a woman with a weird bird-like caste mark. It matches the symbol on the ice wall in the picture. And in the fiction that matches that illustration, it seems like a Solar is speaking (reference to an orichalcum weapon, plus there is no other Solar story snippet if it's not her) and describes the caste mark matching the symbol on an ice wall. So what is that symbol?

My guess is an illustrator fucked-up and didn't investigate what the symbols were which they were supposed to use. It's the kind of thing sometimes that happens a few times I have found, sadly.