TonyC/BurningMandala

Name: Burning Mandala
Caste: Twilight
Concept: Sorcerer
Nature: Architect
Anima: an ever-shifting golden mandala
Quote: "By the ancient terms of your forfeit, I demand your service. Octavian, The Living Tower, kill him."

Burning Mandala as a starting character

Prior to his exaltation, Burning Mandala was a minor thaumaturge in the South. He has skill, but not very good social grace, thus allowing a jealous rival to accuse him of demon worship. He exalted in the ensuing fracas, thus proving to everyone in his homeland that he is a demon worshipper. Unwelcome in his homeland, he made his way to Varang. There, he makes a living making talismans and casting divinations while trying to learn true sorcery.

Attributes

Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 5

Abilities

Dawn: Archery 0, Brawl 0, Martial Arts 0, *Melee 1, *Thrown 3 (+2 Slings)
Zenith: Endurance 3, Performance 0, Presence 0, *Resistance 3, Survival 0
Twilight: Craft 1, Investigation 1, Lore 1, Medicine 1, Occult 5
Night: Athletics 0, Awareness 3, *Dodge 4, Larceny 0, Stealth 0
Eclipse: Bureaucracy 0, *Linguistics 1, Ride 0, Sail 0, Socialize 0
Note: * = Favored skill.

Languages spoken: Firetongue & Low Realm.

Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 5, Temperance 5, Valor 2
Backgrounds: Familiar 3, Contacts 2, Resources 2
Willpower: 10, Essence: 2, Essence Pool: 16 personal + 37 peripheral
Virtue Flaw: Deliberate Cruelty (Conviction)

Charms

• Ox-Body Technique (-1, -2, -2)
• Sensory Acuity Prana
• Surprise Anticipation Method
• Golden Essence Block
• Dipping Swallow Defense
• Triple Distance Attack Technique
• Cascade of Cutting Terror
• Essence Gathering Temper
• Willpower-Enhancing Spirit
• Sagacious Reading of Intent

HL: -0, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -2, -4, Incapacitated.

Burning Mandala at 500 XP

Total XP: 397. This looks low, but keep in mind that a solar sorcerer can easily have 10-15 spells and yet for this fight you only have time to cast one spell. It was really tempting to go the Crucible of Tarim route (brew potions!), but we'll stick with something less cheesy. Just pretend all those extra XPs was spent on other Caste abilities and charms and another half-dozen spells or so.

Attributes

Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 5

Abilities

Dawn: Archery 0, Brawl 0, Martial Arts 0, *Melee 4, *Thrown 5 (+3 Slings)
Zenith: Endurance 3, Performance 0, Presence 0, *Resistance 5, Survival 0
Twilight: Craft 1, Investigation 1, Lore 3, Medicine 1, Occult 5
Night: Athletics 0, Awareness 3, *Dodge 5, Larceny 0, Stealth 0
Eclipse: Bureaucracy 0, *Linguistics 1, Ride 0, Sail 0, Socialize 0
Note: * = Favored skill.

Languages spoken: Firetongue & Low Realm.

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 5, Temperance 5, Valor 2
Backgrounds: Not applicable. But for this fight Mandala has a Sling of Deadly Prowess (1), an Orichalcum Smashfist (1), an Adamant Sorcery Capturing Cord containing 3 Gaia's Rebukes (5), and an Essence Containing Gem with 15 motes (3).
Willpower: 10, Essence: 5, Essence Pool: 25 personal + 59 peripheral (8 of which is committed to artifacts, leaving 51)
Virtue Flaw: Deliberate Cruelty (Conviction)

Charms

• Melee: Golden Essence Block, Dipping Swallow Defense, Bulwark Stance, Heavenly Guardian Defense, Solar Counterattack.
• Thrown: Precision of Striking Raptor, Joint Wounding Attack, Triple-Distance Attack Technique, Cascade of Cutting Terror.
• Endurance: Ox-Body Technique (-1, -2, -2) x 3, Essence-Gathering Temper, Willpower-Enhancing Spirit.
• Resistance: Durability of Oak Meditation, Spirit Strengthens The Skin, Iron Skin Concentration, Adamant Skin Technique.
• Lore: Essence-Lending Method, Will-Bolstering Method.
• Occult: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, Celestial Circle Sorcery, Solar Circle Sorcery. Terrestrial Circle: Emerald Countermagic, Summon Elemental. Celestial Circle: Demon of The Second Circle, Threefold Binding of The Heart. Solar Circle: Adamant Countermagic, Summon Animal Avatar, Gaia's Rebuke.
• Awareness: Sensory Acuity Prana, Surprise Anticipation Method.
• Dodge: Reed in The Wind, Shadow Over Water, Seven Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method.
• Linguistics: Sagacious Reading of Intent.

Base Initiative: 10
Attacks:
Orichalcum Smashfist: Speed 7, Accuracy 11, Damage 7L, Defense 13, Rate 8
Sling of Deadly Prowess: Accuracy 12 (15), Damage 6L, Rate 2, Range 150
Dodge Pool: 15
Soak: 2B/1L/0A (unarmored)
Health Levels: -0 | -1 (x5) | -2 (x8) | -4 | Incapacitated.

Combos:
The Golden Bee's Sting: Surprise Anticipation Method, Heavenly Guardian Defense, Seven Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method, Adamant Skin Technique, Iron Skin Concentration, Essence-Gathering Temper, Willpower-Enhancing Spirit, Solar Counterattack, Precision of Striking Raptor, Joint-Wounding Technique, Cascade of Cutting Terror. (cost: 38 XP) Defence-Minding Morale Transfer: Will-Bolstering Method, Surprise Anticipation Method, Heavenly Guardian Defense, Seven Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method. (cost: 17 XP)

Notes: The idea behind The Golden Bee's Sting is basic, actually. It's an undodgeable attack that give a straight penalty to Lion's dice pools. This is faster than going through Lion's entire HLs (plus a bit due to Death and Dying rules on p. 233).

Comments

Small but exceptionally important note: You can't activate Charms on ANY turn of spellcasting, not just on the turn the Charm itself is used. So you'd better have an ironclad way for someone else to defend the sorcerer. - FrivYeti

Or you have defensive charms all lied up in a roll.... like oooh... PoCB, which the twilight can learn if he pumps up to essencve 6 and melee 6. And have people distract the lion while casting the spells. ~ Haku

You can abort the spell-shaping and activate Charms or Combos, though. As TonyC said, "after that initial turn, you can act and use Charms normally at the cost of aborting your spell". - David.

Nevermind. What David said. - TonyC

You know, you could spend some more xp on your essence, raising it up to 6+, it gives a nicer essence pool as well as access to 'higher' end charms such as Protection of Celestial Bliss and more ox-body. ~ haku who thinks there was no agreement that the solars would stuck at be essence 5.

Heh, I know there's no explicit agreement on the Essence level, but by keeping things at Essence 5, win or lose the battle will be a very good example of high-level Exalted combat. A long running or a high-level campaign could conceivably see player characters getting this good (also another reason I shorted myself on XP), but excepting maybe Kasumi's game, I don't know anyone who actually get to play Essence 6 PCs. -TonyC, who some time ago did the math and figured that a starting character needs 417 XP to raise Essence and one Favored or Caste Ability to 10. That's without using Flaws. If we then allow custom charms, it's then trivial to create an "I W1N!11!" charm tree.

True... but it would be nice to actually see a non-NPC character with essence 6 and higher. ~ haku who did play a 1000 xp solar once.

You're not going with Infinite Jade Chakram? They DO work as melee weapons as I pointed out here - [/SolarsVsLion], they just don't have stats for melee combat (assume 0 across the board), but they are applicable with the use of charms (like HGD and Fivefold Balwark Stance). ~ haku

Why? The accuracy's worse, damage the same, range worse,

attunement cost a lot higher (IIRC errata said that non-DBs must pay the doubled cost, and since Mandala isn't a DB Air Immaculate, you don't get the multiple chakrams thing going. It has a higher rate, but given Lion has persistent defenses, I'm not even sure I want to take multiple actions. With a smashfist, I actually have the option of going hand-to-hand if Lion manages to pull an Impenetrable Frost Barrier or something similar. - TonyC