CorlanDashiva/FixingExalted

I have a few problems with the Exalted system - mainly with how badly Lunars get screwed atm, but there are a few other bits I'd like to look at, so here's what I'd do to fix things: (I'm leaving this in minor edits for now until I'm happy with it - feel free to comment but please keep it in minor edits for now - Thanks)

XP/Freebie costs

What is the point of XP?

• To reward a character for showing up and taking part
• To enable character progression
• To help make the game fun
• To give a rough idea of how powerful someone is

Why do some things cost more than others?

• They make you more powerful, more quickly
• to try and keep the game balanced
• to give you something to work for

With the above in mind, you can see why things cost more the better they are. The gemeral rule then, is that:

The more powerful a thing makes you, the more xp it costs

Which is fine, as long as everyone is playing the same type of Exalt. As soon as you have a mixed group the above rule does not apply. Dragon blooded charms generally do a lot less than Solar charms, but cost more. Likewise Lunar charms (except DBT). Solars, Sidereals and Abyssals all get the same sort of utility from their charms. According to the above rule, we should expect Solar, Abyssal and Sidereal charms to cost the same, and Lunar and DB charms to be a lot cheaper. The reverse is actually true.

The first change I'd make then is to say that everyone uses the same XP and Freebie costs (and suggest the Solar table as it is in the core book and most people know it best).

People will say that this makes Lunars too powerful with DBT, but I disagree. As I see it:

• Solars are the best generalists
  • True - they are better at everything that someone else is not specifically better than them - they also have perfects and scene-long defenses
• Abyssals are the best at Death and Destruction
  • True - they are very much like Dark Solars, as they should be and have perfects and Scene-long defenses
• Sidereals are the best at fate manipulation and have much knowledge from the first age (incl. 1st age MA)
  • Sidereals are in my mind overpowered. We have always been told of a Terrestrial-Celestial-Solar divide, but the Sidereals are more on the Solar side than the Celestial - they have scene-long defenses and perfects, which the Lunars don't really (Lunars have a couple of "almost perfects") and they get the Super MA, which makes them better at unarmed combat than Lunars, which is just wrong, IMO. A Sidereal should use Astrology and fate manipulation to avoid fights, not be able to beat anything in creation. If a Sidereal ends up in a fight then they are doing something wrong. They should find out where the trouble is and point big scary things (Lunars and Solars in the first age, the wyld hunt in the second) at it. I have no problem with them having the knowledge of first age MA, but they should not be the only ones able to develop it - I think that should be a Solar level Schtick. I do think that the Elder Lunars should have their own equivalent, as they are also from the first age, and I think that if Sidereals, Solars and Abyssals can learn the Super MA, then Lunars should be able to as well.
• Lunars are the best at unarmed combat and shapechanging
  • Lunars are good at shapechanging, if they spend vast numbers of charms on it... As far as combat goes, Sidereals, Abyssals and Solars can all beat them without too much trouble at the same xp using canon rules - making charms like DBT cost the same as Solar charms will fix this
• Dragon-Blooded are the best at working together and have sheer weight of numbers on their side
  • This works - and the free reflexives are very helpful...

Abilities and Charms

I only really have a couple of problems with abilities and Charms, mainly based around Martial Arts.

While I appreciate that the writers were aiming for MA to be a cool cross-Exalt-type ability where everyone can learn each others charms, i think they went too far and not far enough.

They went too far in that there are now so many MA styles that do so many different things, the ability is getting to the point where it can be used for anything.

They did not go far enough in that it is cool to be able to study your enemy and learn his tricks, or be taught the secrets of style xyz by the great master on the big mountain, but why limit it to MA? I'd like to see all Exalts able to learn the tricks of other Exalted types, within limits. I'd change the rules so that:

• A teacher is always required for learning charms from another Exalt type
• You cannot combo charms from another Exalt type (unless you are Eclipse or Moonshadow). The only exception to this is that someone with a combo can teach you that specific combo (double cost to purchase with xp and double cost to use)
• All prerequisites must be met - this means that if you want Flow Like Blood you will have to buy the four charms that come before it in the Solar Dodge tree first
• Charms learned from another Exalt type are always considered non-favoured and cost twice the normal amount of xp to purchase and twice the essence cost to use
• Martial arts charms are considered specific to one exalt type (the animal charms to the solars, the immaculate and 5 dragon to the DBS, etc)
• Solars can learn any charms useable by any other exalted except Abyssals as long as they do not specifically state otherwise (like the Lunar shapechange charms)
  • Eclipses can choose to pay a 2 mote surcharge to use the charms instead of paying double, and may have cross-Exalt-type charms favoured (if they already favour the ability). In addition, Eclipses can learn Abyssal charms but at double cost and always non-favoured.
    • For example, Simon the Dawn wants to learn Blade of the Battle Maiden, as does Bob the Eclipse. Both favour MA, but Simon must treat it as if it were unfavoured, paying 20xp to learn it, compared to Bob's 16 (as it is favoured). In addition, Simon must double the essence cost to use it, but Bob must simply pay 2 additional motes.
• Sidereals can learn Dragon-Blooded charms or Solar charms at double cost.
• Lunars can learn Dragon-Blooded charms or Solar charms at double cost.
• Abyssals can learn any charms useable by any other exalted except Solars as long as they do not specifically state otherwise (like the Lunar shapechange charms)
  • Moonshadows can choose to pay a 2 mote surcharge to use the charms instead of paying double, and may have cross-Exalt-type charms favoured (if they already favour the ability). In addition, Moonshadows can learn Solar charms but at double cost and always non-favoured.
• Dragon Blooded can learn Lunar or Sidereal charms at double cost - They cannot learn Solar charms without the use of incredibly powerful artifacts or some other Deus Ex Machina