Nekomimi-Maiden/AppearanceHotfix
Pretty much as it said on the opening page; Appearance is slightly too powerful as it stands. It should be a complement to social combat, a weapon offering an accuracy/defense bonus, not an artifact offering free Second Excellency. With this as the basic precept, I figured I'd make a hotfix to be reviewed, tested, and used or discarded as you like.
Fundamental system changes: Appearance is renamed as “Composure”, and indicates body language, nonverbal gravitas, dignity, and poise. As with Appearance in normal Exalted, this gives both a defensive and ‘offensive’ benefit ; when attempting social combat against someone, compare the Composure ratings of the attacker and the defender. The attacker receives bonus dice equal to the difference if positive, or an internal penalty if negative, to a maximum of +/-3 dice. When addressing crowds of extras, use the average of the crowd; if exceptional characters are in the crowd, then the lowest pool is rolled and additional dice are added to match such characters’ differing Composure ratings.
Glorious Sunlit Apex, a Zenith Solar with Composure 4, is speaking to a crowd of average extras and railing against the Immaculate Order. However, he was not expecting to find Tranquil Lily, an Immaculate Monk with Composure 5, to be amongst the crowd. The ST informs him that he’ll lose one die from his roll, but roll a pool of three dice separately. He rolls his pool with the -1 penalty against Tranquil Lily, getting 6 successes, and then the extra three dice against the crowd, adding two for a total of eight.
Abyssals no longer have the option of ‘cheating’ their way out of paying for Appearance, but also no longer have a minimum Appearance based on Essence; however, there are still Abyssal Exalted who appear as horrific monsters. Their player has the choice of eliminating the ability to gain any degree of Composure for most social attacks, in exchange for converting any bonus dice on intimidation and fear-based social attacks directly into successes.
The Bleak Harbinger of Decay’s half-skull visage unnerves and unsettles people almost as much as his unwavering stare; as he chose to be horrific rather than merely dignified with his Composure of 4, it grants him no bonus when politely bargaining with a Composure 2 merchant, but gives him 2 bonus successes when he threatens to tear out the merchant’s throat for noncompliance.
Artifacts and Hearthstones that formerly granted Appearance have a reduced effect; they reduce the dice penalty a character can suffer by 1 [normally, to 2 dice], and increase the bonus they can receive by 1 [normally, to 4 dice]. Only one such artifact can have its’ effect work; a necklace of solar charisma may make you communicate more persuasively if you have the natural dignity to back it up, but adding on a Stone of Perfect Beauty, Orichalcum Infinite Resplendence Amulet, and Orichalcum Wings of the Raptor just communicate that you have too much wealth.
As Appearance is no longer so overpowering, the response no longer needs to be so overpowering.
The Abyssal and Solar charm Dark Visionary Defense / Staring at the Sun, which normally renders a character immune to the effects of Appearance on MDV, has its' type changed to Permanent. It reduces the maximum Composure-derived bonus others can gain against them, and maximum penalty they can suffer, by 3. This renders them utterly immune to mortal Composure and mitigates the effects of supernatural Composure.
If taken a second time at Essence 6, said charm limits the maximum number of bonus dice that a social attacker can gain against you to be equal to their Essence.
Artifacts like Salina's Girdle and Raiton's Mask function similarly, but do not stack with charms; only the most potent effect applies.
