Garden/System

System FAQ:

Q: So, is it the same as the WoD dice system?

A: Basically, it is a lot like the WoD system, with a few key differences. You have attributes and abilities that go up to 5, as in WoD and to do something you roll attribute + ability, but the target number is always 7. So if I want to hit someone I roll Dex + Melee or Dex + Brawl, but my target number is always 7, thus 1, 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 8, 9 is 3 successes (1s do not get subtracted).

If you roll a 1 and have no successes it is a botch so 1, 5, 6, 6 is a botch but 1, 5, 6, 7 is 1 success and 2, 5, 6, 6 is a failure. Also 10s count as 2 successes (except on damage rolls).

More complex things may require more successes and this is referred to as the difficulty of the roll. Walking a tightrope might require a Dex + Athletics roll at difficulty 3 or 4, meaning you’d need 3 or 4 successes.

\\ Q: What do the stars mean next to some abilities on my character sheet?

A: They mean that those are favoured or Caste abilities. The Solars are divided into castes that dictate what they are good at and each caste has 5 caste abilities (so the dawn caste gets 5 combat abilities) and then you can pick 5 favoured abilities. Favoured and caste abilities do not need a teacher and are slightly cheaper to increase with xp.

\\ Q: What does it mean when it says Melee 3 (long swords +1)?

A: It means that your melee score is 3, but you get +1 dice when using long swords. This is called a specialty, and can apply to any ability. They are fairly cheap (3xp per dot) and can be anything your storyteller will let you use, although they tend to be fairly narrow in focus. Melee 5 (when armed +3) would be a bit silly. You can have more than one specialty for each ability, but you cannot have more than 3 dots total for each ability.

\\ Q: I've heard of that dice system somewhere before.

A: It is the very similar to the one used by Adventure!, Trinity/Aeon and Aberrant.

\\ Q: How does combat work?

A: This will be simpler if broken down into steps:

1. Initiative – As with WoD, initiative is Dex + Wits + D10. In Exalted initiative is very important, as there are only certain actions that you can take before your initiative, namely aborting to parry and going full dodge, which will be explained below. Splitting of dice pools cannot be split before initiative, so if you are forced to abort to parry you get only one parry.
2. Attack Roll – Roll Dex + Ability + any relevant specialties. This includes the activation of a charm or combo that the character wishes to use to bolster his attack. The player must roll at least one success for his character to stand any chance of hitting the target.
3. Defense Roll (Dodge or Parry) – The defender rolls their dodge or parry attempt, any successes on this are subtracted from the attackers successes. If the attacker still has successes left, move on to step 4.
4. Determine Damage – Take the base damage of the weapon the attacker is using (usually the character’s Strength + some fixed value) and add the attacker’s remaining successes to it. This is the raw damage of the attack. Be sure to determine if the damage is bashing, lethal or aggravated. (Note: Whereas WoD uses remaining successes –1 to determine damage, Exalted uses all remaining successes.)
5. Apply Soak – Subtract the target’s soak from the raw damage (Note: in Exalted soak is not rolled, all of the soak is subtracted from the raw damage). Exalted characters can soak Lethal damage with half their stamina rounded down (plus their armour’s lethal soak), mortals cannot soak Lethal damage with their stamina. (House Rule: Heroic mortals can also use half their stamina to soak Lethal). Aggravated damage can only be soaked on armour, using the armour’s Lethal soak (or some charms). Soak can never reduce a successful attack’s damage below 1.
6. Roll damage – For every point of damage remaining after soak, roll one die. Every success on this roll inflicts a health level of damage on the target.

\\ Q: What’s this Full Dodge thing?

A: Aborting to a full dodge allows you to make a number of dodge attempts equal to your Dex + Dodge + specialties. The first dodge is at the full pool; the second is at –1, the third at –2, and so on.

\\ Q: You mentioned extras. Are they like onion rings and a side order of garlic bread?

A: Extras are the general inhabitants of the Exalted world. The spods, the mooks, the normal humans/critters that make up the majority of people out there. Heroic types are a cut above the norm, and so the norm must be that bit less than what can be achieved by the heroes. Extras typically only have three health levels, and very few points of skills. Exalted eat extras for breakfast.

\\ Q: Can I make called shots?

A: You can, but there is no actual system benefit for doing so. It can make for good stunting though (see below)

\\ Q: What are these Virtue things?

A: Virtues represent your characters tendency towards certain acts. If you have a high compassion and want to slaughter people for no reason you have to fail a Compassion roll or spend a willpower point to override your virtue. Higher scores in the virtues give you more motes of essence, and you can channel virtues to assist your rolls.

\\ Q: How do I channel Virtues?

A: As in WoD, you can spend a willpower point on most rolls to get one automatic success. You could instead choose to channel a virtue though. If you are acting according to a virtue, you can channel it to assist you by spending a willpower point. To do this, you simply mark off one willpower and tick one of the boxes under the virtue (you can channel a virtue only as many times as you have dots in it in one story) and you add as many dice to your roll as you have dots in the Virtue. So someone with compassion 4 who is trying to jump a gorge carrying an old lady (being compassionate) could spend a willpower and put a tick under compassion to get +4 dice on the Dex + athletics roll.

\\ Q: What are these charm things?

A: Each type of Exalted gets their own charms, which are magical powers they can call upon. For Solars, all charms are based on abilities. They generally make you a lot better at what you can do, and cost essence to use. Occasionally they will need a willpower point or a health level as well. Normally you can only use one charm per turn unless using a combo (see below).

\\ Q: I understand duration, and prerequisites and cost, but what does Type: Simple mean?

A: There are four types of charm. Simple, Reflexive, Supplemental and Extra action. They work as follows:

• Simple: Simple charms take up your entire action for the turn and can only be used once per turn. You cannot split your dice pool if using a simple charm.
• Reflexive: Reflexive charms do not require a dice action and can be used as many times per turn as you wish, even before your initiative. They must be paid for each time they are activated, however. Reflexive charms can often be used as supplemental charms, for example a charm that lets you buy additional dodge dice that is reflexive can be used to buy a dodge or to increase an existing dodge.
• Supplemental: Supplemental charms are used to supplement a normal dice action. They can be used more than once per turn, but only if the character splits his or her pool, they cannot use the supplemental charm without an action, and unless it states otherwise a supplemental charm can only enhance an action based on the same ability as the charm.
• Extra Action: These charms are similar to simple charms in that you cannot use them more than once per turn and you cannot split your dice pool while using one. Extra action charms grant a character additional actions for the turn in which they are used, but those actions must be used with the ability on which the charm is based (unless the charm says otherwise).

\\ Q: So what are these combo things?

A: A combo is a technique learned by a character that lets them use more than one charm in a turn. Each combo contains a set of charms which must all be used in the round it is activated. How to put together combos is complex and we can explain that as and when you want to make some, but basically you have to pay for each charm at least once and if you use a charm more than once you must pay for every use. In addition it costs a Willpower to activate a combo. They can be very powerful, but tend to be expensive.

\\ Q: I’ve heard of stunts. What are they?

A: Stunts are descriptions of actions that help people to feel as if they are in the game, and they can earn you extra dice on your actions. For more info see the Cunning Stunt guide.

\\ Q: Do I have to have a Virtue Flaw?

A: Yes, although it matters little to Dragon bloods, Solars and Lunars can be badly affected by it.

\\ Q: What kinds of flaws are they?

A: Solars are supposed to be the ideal of humanity, and the embodiment of the four Virtues. As such their flaws are tied to their highest Virtue, and typically acts as a twisting or perversion of the Virtue which drives the Exalted to rash and ill-considered deeds.

Lunars have it less bad, they go nuts a lot less often, but it tends to be more animalistic. It is almost unnoticeable in the Dragon Bloods, being nothing more than an extension of their elemental side, and in the Sidereals it seems to manifest as them being vastly overconfident. Abyssals are the tools of the Malfeans so don't get screwed over as long as they do what they are told.