RedMegaman/SterichExaltedIdeas

Back to RedMegaman
RedMegaman/ExaltedSterich - Design notes for the game.
RedMegaman/SterichExaltedTemplates - Character templates for the game.

The Secret and Sacred Order of Hierophants

These guys gain access to Sidereal Charms and Astrology. Requirements for entrance into the Secret and Sacred Order are strict and include foreswearing mortal society from the moment of entry, adopting an ascetic and monastic way of life devoted to the service of the Greater Gods.

The greater goal of any Hierophant must always be the continuance of life on Oerth, and the evolution of human consciousness through ordained destiny.

The Hierophants are basically the Sidereals of the Greyhawk setting.

The Leaders of the Secret and Sacred Order are called Hierophants of the Cabal and represent Istus directly.

The Greater Deities acknowledged by the Order of Hierophants

|[Istus|[Directing Force|| |[Rao|[Creative Force|| |[Nerull|[Destructive Force|| |[Lendor|[Contemplating Force||

The Hierophants usually recruit from the Druidic orders and the Bardic colleges, but have been known to also teach particularly promising individuals from other walks of life. These individuals have without exception performed great deeds on behalf of and in protection of the Oerth and all life upon it.

When a druid accepts an invitation into the Order, she must renounce and cast away her former power. Henceforth she must work solely with the power given her by the Greatest Gods, power which can be stripped from her in an instant if she fails to uphold her duties. In return she is granted increased control over reality through the arcane knowledge of the Loom of Istus.

In mechanical terms, the character is stripped of all her current charms, except sorcery and martial arts charms and spells, these charms are irrevocably lost. For every three charms she loses, she gains two Sidereal Charms or two dots in Astrological Colleges. She can not buy more than three dots in any college at the time of conversion, but may buy further dots with XP as she earns them. Any saved XP are lost upon conversion.

Other characters may be granted access to the Loom of Istus without converting their charms. In this case, the character does not gain access to Sidereal Charms, but may use XP to buy dots in Astrological Colleges. Such a character must petition the Gods through the Order for guidance and training, and he must spend twice as much time to increase his rating in the college.

Miscellaneous

Basically ideas for converting Exalted elements to fit in the World of Greyhawk.

Chakyik Lunars and Lycanthropes

Chakyik and Wegwiur, the Tiger and Wolf barbarians can easily be modelled as lunar beastmen. Give them a few subtle mutations and have them worship Tiger and Wolf totems (which they probably do already). And they worship the moon, that's cool.

The tribal leaders and heroes can buy Lunar charms and DBT gifts, which makes them lycanthropes.

Other lycanthropes, the cursed variety, also have a number of DBT gifts and maybe other relevant lunar charms, but they do not have control over the transformation cycle. In addition they lose their minds when transformed and go feral. Very old lycanthropes may be able to gain control of their transformations and also retain their faculties in DBT shape.

Iuz and Other Demons

Iuz' homeplane is Oerth, thus his natural state is materialised. He needs to spend 70% of his motes to dematerialise. Porting to the abyss requires dematerialisation.

Due to his innate materiality (or something), Iuz is unable to construct an immaterial Sanctum. His Palace in Dorakaa is however a lvl 5 Manse. The Hearthstone is Iuz' soulgem.

His Palace is a huge second circle demon. Since Iuz' hearthstone and soulgem is produced by his living palace, he must reconstitute and recreate the nature of his palace as a different entity to create another gem (and destroy the current one). Iuz' does not wish to do this unless he is absolutely forced to, it's too much of a hassle.

Iuz is the demonblooded (primordial-blooded) son of the Demon Prince, Graz'zt, and the once mortal witch, Iggwilv, but tore free from his father after his birth a little more than a century ago. Graz'zt's consort, Iggwilv, often act as his proxy on the Prime Material Plane.

Eclavdra Eilserv worships Graz'zt, but gets her Powers from the Primordial Elder Elemental God. Why he assists Graz'zt is unknown. Probably because Graz'zt got screwed by his component souls...

The Primordial Cosmic Powers

I have this idea of categorising the various cosmic powers of Greyhawk according to the Exalted convention of Primordials (living, dead and captured) and Incarnae. Basically all the gods in the 1983 boxed set are Incarnae, except the ones who are Primordials. I don't know how useful this is.

Living Primordial Gods

Beory, Ulaa, Istus, Rao, Nerull, Lendor.

Dead Primordials

Tharizdun, The Elder Elemental God.

Captive Primordials

Graz'zt, Orcus, Demogorgon, Pazuzu and probably a bunch of other ones.
These are the Demon Princes, greatly reduced in power by their defeat.

Third Circle Demons

• Lolth, soul of Graz'zt (defeated, Graz'zt is constructing a new soul)
• Zuggtmoy, soul of ???
• Juiblex, soul of ???
• Iuz, expressive soul of Graz'zt (not anymore)
• Yeenoghu, soul of Demogorgon
• Fraz'Urb'Luu, soul of Graz'zt
• Kostchchie, soul of Graz'zt
• Nocticula, soul of ???
• Socoth Benoth, soul of ???
• ...

Second Circle Demons

• Type VI, V, IV.
• Graz'zt's six-fingered, ebon demon race which lives in Mezzafgradum.

First Circle Demons

• Type III, II, I and lesser.

Gods and Divinities

Kelanen is the god-blooded offspring of Hextor. His only passion is his swordplay and his swords. He has no particular fondness for battle, though he does not shy away from them. He prefers performing his sword exercises on the mountain top where he lives.

Charms: Most Spirit charms, Violet Bier of Sorrows style, Steel Devil Style, all Melee charms.

Dragons

There are Celestial Dragons (metallic) and Elemental Dragons (chromatic).

Base metallic dragons on the Dragonkings from the PG. They grow larger with age, so just increase the growth factor and give them dragonking magic. They are the ancient champions of the Gods!

This might not be such a good idea... I should read about the DKs first, then again, these dragons will rarely, if ever, show up in the game.

Base chromatic dragons on elemental dragons and give them spirit charms. They are more worldly, self-absorbed and egoistic than their celestial namesakes.

Should work well.

Elementals

The Great Elementals

• Air Yan-C-Bin
• Fire Imix
• Water Olhydra
• Earth Ogremoch

These will probably not show up either.

Former Grandmasters of the Royal Order of Slerotin

• Slerotin of house Neheli, Mage of Power
• ...
• ...
• ...
• Keoghtom of house Kestrin, Extra-planar explorer, rumoured apotheosis
• ...
• ...
• ...
• Griffin of House Kestrin, Demon-slayer, recoverer of secrets

Comments

Why is Ulaa listed as a living Primordial? Doesn't quite make any sense to me, he doesn't have any particular domain that is large enough to warrant a Primordial status, IMHO. Unless you decide to make him and Beory twin consorts, with the Underworld essentially being His domain and the top of Flanaess to be Her domain, that is... Then you would at least have some ratinonale for all those insane dungeons that seem to populate all of 'Creation' Wytchking

Yeah, I don't know... Seemed like a good idea at the time probably. This page is basically a bunch of very unfinished notes which I just copied and pasted here for reference. I think it is something about Ulaa being "ancient as the mountains". That, and he is a greater god. Originally I think I was going to classify all greater gods from the 1983 box as Primordials. It's not really important though, I can't really see the primordial/non-primordial distinction as coming up in the game very often. It's only important with regard to dead ones and demons.

-- RedMegaman