Rules

[Blackrat]

Is this a good place to put suggested rules? Like we had in Exalted Modern. The ones here might be less campaign-specific, though. Any thoughts?

Anyway, my point is...

[Blackrat]

Charm Permanency

Ever been in a crucial life-or-death situation, relying on your scene-long Reflexive charm, when suddenly the little bugger ticks out on you and you have to re-spend the motes and fire it up again? Then this house rule is for you.

Mechanics

When activating a scene-long Reflexive charm, you can opt to commit (rather than spend) double the motes in order to have the charm be permanent. You cannot commit willpower, so this is not applicable to any charm with willpower in its cost.

Examples

This mechanic is particularly designed for use with perception-type charms, such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight or Keen (Sense) Technique.

Rationale

It's just annoying that charms like these can't be permanent. We're Exalts; surely we can just do stuff like this without having to spend Essence all the time?

[Learned Hand]

I think you'd end up with more motes if you just buy the charm as and when you need it.

I can't think of many times where you *need* to use AESS etc more than twice a day, and in consecutive hours (since otherwise you'd get the essence back anyway) And by need I mean a situation where you couldn't have the following monologue:

IC: 'I've used lots of essence, guys, this problem will still be here tomorrow.
OOC: We sleep
IC: 'so here we are again'

But there will be lots of times when you only want to use the charm once a day, and have essence to use on something else.

[Blackrat]

admin said:

I can't think of many times where you *need* to use AESS etc more than twice a day, and in consecutive hours (since otherwise you'd get the essence back anyway)

Really? I'll bet you BSR can in fact, most of his characters flare it up every time we meet someone new or see someone we don't trust, or come across an interesting object, or venture into an unknown building, or... etc. And I can certainly think of plenty of reasons to use a Keen Sense Technique more than twice per day - and there may be other charms that would be useful, too.

As for the regen costs... As standard a scene is taken as 20 minutes (I believe) - so you could potentially use it 3 times before you get 4 motes back. And it could well cost a few motes to use in the first place.

Anyway, it doesn't appear that you're actively objecting to the mechanic, just that you don't think it's necessary - right? In which case we'll assume it's ok to use if people want to, and we can see how it pans out. Unless anyone else has any objections, of course.

[Learned Hand]

Well if you want to use it all the time then I think you have to accept that it will cost you.

The fact that there is already a perm version of the charm, for AESS at least, with a minimum essence of 5, suggests that what you want to do is, admittedly, something solars can do, bu only big-boy solars.

[bravesirrobin]

i actually it's an enhancement of AESS, that means you can activate it at any time for 1 mote (nto a charm activation) and that it comes into effect automatically at the 7 mote level.

i like this rule. and will be trialling it for the time being.

[johandenerad]

Sounds like an ok rule. How does it pan out when you're playing an Awareness monster, BR? With Solar Charms, I get 4 automatic successes to any roll to do with a single sense, before doubling successes on your (excellency valid) roll, for a committment of 10 motes. Not bad.

[johandenerad]

Ooh, or 12m for perm. Graceful Crane Stance and Monkey Leap Technique. Whee!

I know you said it was primarily for Awareness type charms, but 6m for perm. Judge's Ear Technique also sounds pretty good. Also, 6m. Friendship with Animals approach. Ultimate assassin with 4m. for Spirit Weapons.

Meh. I dunno. Doing super-powered things in two different dramatic scenes feels like it should take twice the essence. Not sure how perception is special, except perhaps that its always turned on, whereas you're not always jumping off buildings or taming simhata. Still, I kinda feel that's not compelling enough.

[scarletharlot]

Well I can deal with it if it is an effect that comes in with essence 5 (or4?), since solars are meant to progress a bit like that, but otherwise it does seem to make the charms a bit powerful. I get irritated when I have to redo charms i've only just put up, but there was some care in designing their time limit. Maybe it's an effect that only works during the day time at higher essence...or something?

[bravesirrobin]

Well you have to commit the motes, so that is a handicap, and obviously if you do it to too many charms you'll run very low on essence. And it is restricted to a very specific type of charm.

[johandenerad]

Basically it turns scene long reflexives into expensive attunement artifacts, except you don't have to lug them around. Not saying its bad, just I don't like the feel of it, which I admit is subjective. From a rules perspective I'm interested to see how it works.

[johandenerad]

I found an interesting variation on the combo rules, which I'll put here:

Combos are no longer required to be purchased. Instead, on their action, a Solar can decide whether they would like to use a combo, and spend 1 willpower point to indicate that decision. There is the usual distinctive flare of essence when a combo is used. After that, the Solar decides what combination of charms to use that action, and may select up to (Permanent Essence) in charms to make the combo. This decision must be made immediately after the willpower is spent. You cannot add to the combo in response to the actions of other people.

I like these rules because:

1. Its really annoying once you've purchased your new supplemental MA charm that you have combo it with an excellency and a defence to make it useful in combat (this doesn't go for all charms, granted, but for a hell of a lot them it does). The same goes for social charms.

2. We can save the XP to advance and get cooler charms anyhow.

3. I think it makes the system more fluid and interesting, especially combat-wise.

4. We start with more charms than usual, so it makes us even more flexible.

5. It gets over the 'Solar gets whacked before he gets up his simple charms' problem, as you can always combo with them.

6. It shouldn't screw with game balance too much, apart from making heroic mortals and extras into even more into walking meat.

[bravesirrobin]

That is an interesting rule, but i think it would play with game balance a bit too much. i think the charm limit does prevent solars getting too powerful too quickly, and also negates one of the few advantages DBs have, that makes them challenging.

[johandenerad]

It doesn't really negate the being able to use reflexives without a combo, and all the normal combo rules still apply. It makes DB's more powerful too. Also, combat would be more *fun* with this rule. Exalted combat is pretty much 'who will run out of motes first'; this way you can come up with new and interesting combinations of charms that will mix combat up a bit.

[Blackrat]

I'd be up for trying this rule out, and don't see the harm in doing so. I think it does negate the DB advantage a little bit, but not completely.