Uncouth/Mechanics

As a key rule of this system, unless specifically changed here, assume that existing Exalted 2E rules apply. Explicit areas that are different include:

All charms, and rules that surround them, are eliminated.
Combat greatly simplified.
Flurries are eliminated entirely.
Different types of combat (normal, social, mass, etc.) unified into one type.
The idea of "pool limits from charms" becomes simply "pool limits".
Wider use of Traits.
All entities are treated as characters, with the same collection of stats, including manses, army units, unruly mobs, etc.
Stunts are much more flexible, mechanically.
Special powers of each caste work differently.
Fair folk tend to be more powerful.

Traits

Things like Attributes, Abilities, Virtues, Essence and so on are unchanged. The Uncouth system, however, acts a bit like a "capsystem" that could be used in other games. So, if you use rules for Exalted Lite, or have other such changes, there is no reason you couldn't use Uncouth with them instead. Point costs within Uncouth are based on Exalted 2E rules though, so may need adjusting if you tinker with other parts of the main system.

In Uncouth, the standard set of Traits can describe more than just individuals. Rules for extras, for example, are eliminated. Instead a mob of mooks is represented by a single "character". Similarly, rules for Mass Combat (where exalted are "elevated" into units) is eliminated, and army units are represented by standard (though usually pretty good) character stats. Likewise, a manse might be represented with a standard block of character Traits (perhaps with Dexterity of 0, perhaps not).

Rolling Dice

Uncouth uses a simplified resolution mechanic for everything. Under this system, everything can be thought of as either a test or a defense. The system works very much like Exalted 2E, but stripped down to bare essentials and made more unified.

Tests

Any time you roll dice, you are making a test. Some tests are also referred to as attacks. Characters attack with a much wider range of Traits than in Exalted. It is possible to attack with nearly any Ability for example, to inflict some related effect. Someone writing a letter, for example, might be said to be "attacking with Linguistics". A warlord trying to rally his troops is thought of as "attacking them with Presence".

Tests use pools of dice just like Exalted, with the base pool set at Attribute + Ability + Specialty. Unlike Exalted, the traits used for a test are not set in stone. While some combinations will remain obvious, players are encouraged to stunt in order to rationalize non-standard applications of Traits. Really clever players might figure out ways to, say, block a sword with Stamina + Linguistics or attune to a manse with Appearance + Survival.

Pool Limits

The size of the dice pool is limited in a similar way to Exalted, but works a bit more simply. At the time of the roll, the pool cannot exceed:

Attribute + Ability + Specialty + Cap

The value of the cap depends on the type of character, set the same as Exalted:

Solars: Ability + Attribute (ex2e.185)
Terrestrials: Ability + Specialty (ex2e.324, exdb.127)
Lunars: Attribute (ex2e.329)
Alchemicals: Attribute
Sidereals: Essence (exsd.126)
Abyssals: Ability + Attribute (ex2e.341)
Mortals: Ability (ex2e.185)
Dragon Kings: Ability (canonically, they are limited by Path ratings, which are not used here)
Spirits: highest Virtue
Fair Folk: highest feeding Virtue (fair.19)
Ghosts: Essence

Unlike in Exalted, however, dice caps in Uncouth apply to all dice from any source. Dice from Accuracy of a weapon, artifacts, magic, virtue channelling, aiming, situational bonuses and all other sources must total a pool that fits under the cap. Since the cap is only applied at the time of the roll, however, it makes no difference how the pool actually got that way. Any dice penalties applied, for example, can be "filled in" with dice from elsewhere, so long as the final result fits under the cap:

Alabaster Crane is making a Dexterity (3) + Melee (2) test. Because she is a mortal, her cap is equal to her Ability, which in this case is 2. She is using a very accurate weapon (Accuracy 3). Normally, this would give her eight dice (3+2+3), but her cap is seven (3+2+2), so she only uses seven dice in the test. Later she gets wounded, taking a die from her pool. That makes her pool (3+2+3-1=7), still capped at seven, so she can still use seven dice.

This change to the way capping works exists mostly to speed play and eliminate a few confusing edge cases. An additional result of it, however, is that it somewhat diminishes the importance of equipment (viewed as a good thing). A weapon with high Accuracy, for example, becomes less about enhancing attacking skill and more about improving essence efficiency. That is, rather than providing dice in addition to those bought with charms, gear becomes more about providing dice instead of some of those bought with charms.

Once a test is rolled, any effects capable of modifying the number of successes may be applied without limit.

Defense

All tests are opposed by something, otherwise there is no point in making them. The most common type of opposition will be the target of an attack, who is either actively trying to interfere with the attack or has some kind of passive resistance to it. This is measured, as in Exalted, with a defense value (DV) and is calculated as follows:

DV = round((Attribute + Ability + Specialty + Extra) ÷ 2)

As with tests, the Attribute + Ability pair used are much more flexible, though there are obvious typical pairings (e.g. Dexterity + Dodge). Bear in mind, as well, that crowds, military units, manses and similar entities may be represented by a single block of traits. Round up for Exalted and down for everyone else. The "Extra" term is determined situationally, using the following guidelines:

If a defense relies on a weapon, use the Defense rating of the weapon...
...otherwise, if the defense resists a mental, social or other circumstance that would reasonably be resisted by a Virtue, use the rating of that Virtue...
...otherwise, use Essence.
Some special cases might warrant using other values, such as the rating of an Artifact or Hearthstone, but this would be rare.

Tasks made without a target are opposed by a starting DV of zero.

Situational modifiers add to the DV. These may include environmental effects, the effects of actions, effects, and so on. Modifiers may also be applied for intrinsic complexity of a task (what Exalted would call Difficulty, but is here treated as just a modifier to DV).

There is no cap on DV.

Penalties

The distinction between internal penalties (which modify the dice pool) and external penalties (which modify successes) remain; however, their use is more consistent. Internal penalties always modify tests and external penalties always modify defense value. Rules in Exalted that contradict this are ignored or modified to fit this rule.

Other Interaction

Circumstances (usually magical effects) may allow someone to alter a test or defense for which they are neither the attacker or the defender. Such "third party" interaction is generally governed by the rules of the effect that allows it.

Threshold

As in standard Exalted, results of a test are measured in successes. The DV is subtracted from the number of successes gained by the test. If there are any successes left, the test succeeds. The number of remaining successes is referred to as the threshold, and play a part in many tests, particularly attacks. How the threshold is used depends on why the test was made.

Results

Once a threshold is determined, how it is used depends on the purpose of the test. Some possibilities are:

Physical attacks

Tests made of the purpose of attacking someone generate damage if successful. Physical damage works as in Exalted, with the threshold forming the base of the attack's raw damage. This is then compared to soak, and so on, as usual.

Success/failure

Some tests attempt simply to resolve success or failure of an action. Can I climb this wall? Can I spot the ambush? Can I decipher the manuscript? Can I cure this illness? Can I pick this lock? Can I figure out what this artifact does? Can I attune to this manse? These types of tests are often un-targeted, but will almost always have DV modifiers representing intrinsic difficulty for the action. For example, climbing something typically doesn't have a "target", making the DV that opposes it zero; however, the type of terrain might create a DV bonus to "defend" against the climbing. A sand dune, for example, might provide +1 DV, while a frictionless glass cliff might give +8 DV or more.

The threshold in this type of test is generally a measure of how well the test succeeded. Higher thresholds might, for example, cut down on the time needed to perform the task, provide more detail or increase the duration (or some other aspect) of the result.

[#social]

Social interaction

Since role-playing games are a socially interactive storytelling pastime, using dice to replace actual socializing has always been a troublesome subject. In 1E, it was avoided entirely. Being a game based around supernatural awesomeness, this caused problems, either gimping masters of social-fu or making them all-powerful, depending on how you approached it. Second edition went entirely the other way, building an elaborate system for all social interaction, all the time. Uncouth can work with either of these systems, but also offers some alternatives.

Most social interaction doesn't need tests at all. Social tests are only appropriate when some sort of opposition is involved. Opposition is obviously present in negotiations, interrogations and intimidations (not to mention things like mental domination), but may also play a role in seductions, performances, requests, presentations, interviews and sales pitches. This is not to say a test is always needed in these situations, but its hard to deny that the traits of both parties would (or should, at any rate) be relevant to the outcome.

The basic approach here is to create a distinct division between standard social interaction and supernatural social interaction. Social magics (e.g. hypnosis, possession, etc.) are much more akin to attacks, and are given specific mechanics (see below). Standard social interactions, however, can work following one of the following systems:

Guidance: Prior to the role-playing of the event, the Storyteller compares the traits of the participants. Rather than resolving the outcome, however, the result provides hints to the player on how they might better succeed in the role-playing that follows. For example, in a negotiation situation where the PC's stats are more favorable, the Storyteller might provide the player with a strategy that he knows would be more likely to succeed in this particular negotiation, but it is still up to the player to role-play the use of that information successfully. Alternately, the storyteller might just give hints to the player during the role-playing. For example, if the character says something unintentionally insulting, the comparison of traits might prompt the Storyteller to interrupt with "you're pretty sure that he'll be insulted if you say that", and let the player retract the statement if they want. Using tricks like this, the storyteller can keep the focus on role-playing, but allow the character's stats to also make a difference. This is the recommended method for social interaction for this system, but not all groups can handle it.
Hinting: Some players really love to roll dice, so this variation works like guidance, but a standard test/defense is done, rather that the Storyteller just comparing stats.
Non-mechanical: All standard social interaction is done through pure role-playing. This is a more pure practice of the role-player's art, but doesn't work for everyone, and doesn't allow for characters with greater social skills than their players. It also acts as a disincentive for investing in social skills.
Stunting: Interaction is handled using one of the above, but any die rolling is treated as tangential to the descriptions in how the social interaction flows. Such descriptions are treated as stunts, adding benefit for good role-playing, convincing arguments and so on. This allows the role-playing to control the action, but makes the traits of the participants paramount in the outcome. The drawback is that after a good set of descriptions is flowing, rolling can really deflate the whole enterprise. This approach tends to work a bit better with things like interrogation, where opposition is more overt.
Crunchy: If you must, go ahead and use the social interaction mechanics from 2E, with intimacies, motivation, etc.

Supernatural mental effects

The movers and shakers in Exalted can use magic to dominate, manipulate and trick others. When they do, all the social interaction bits above go by the wayside, and dice take over. Such effects are considered attacks, and the threshold is used to determine the outcome. Mental effects come in the following flavors:

Compulsions: Compulsions make the target act a certain way: howl at the moon, go to sleep, hop on one leg, etc.
Emotions: Emotions make the target feel a certain way.
Illusions: Illusions make the target believe a certain way. This might be overt, causing them to see or smell things that aren't there, or may be more subtle, making them see something as true, even if it isn't.
Servitude: Binds someone to a cause. Unlike a compulsion, servitude doesn't compel particular behavior, but rather the following a specific goal using otherwise free will.

The defense value to resist supernatural metal effects is adjusted depending on how much the desired effect of the attack reinforces or opposes the target's natural predilection. Uncouth assumes that specific traits are not needed to figure out this predilection (but, if one is needed, bits of the motivation/intimacy system from Exalted can be used). Modifiers to the defense work roughly like this:

-3 DV: The effect reinforces the central focus of the character.
-2 DV: The effect appeals to something the character deeply cares about.
-1 DV: The character is indifferent to the effect.
+0 DV: The character wants to prevent the effect, but has no deep-seated feelings about it.
+1 DV: The effect would counter something the character is focussed on doing right then.
+2 DV: The effect threatens something the character deeply cares about.
+5 DV: The effect threatens the central focus of the character.

If the test succeeds, the threshold for any supernatural mental effect is "spent" to modify how thoroughly the effect works. Successes are converted into "points" that may be spent to enhance the result in any or all of three areas: subtlety, tenacity and intensity. (The duration of the effect is controlled by the rank of the effect that generated it.) Each area starts at value of zero, and increases in effectiveness as successes are spent on it.

NOTE: The numbers that follow need a lot of playtesting and alteration for balance and such. They are probably not viable at the moment.

The subtlety of the effect measures how much the character notices and remembers that she has been influenced. This typically applies after the effect wears off. Subtlety starts at zero, and points work as follows:

0: As soon as the effect begins, the target knows she is being manipulated, knows with certainty who is doing so and gains a "connection" to the attacker that can be exploited with stunts until next Calibration. This makes some effects (such as illusions) useless.
1: When the effect ends, the target knows she was manipulated, knows with certainty who did it and gains a "connection" to the attacker that can be exploited with stunts until next Calibration.
2: When the effect ends, the target knows she was manipulated, knows with certainty who did it and gains a "connection" to the attacker that can be exploited with stunts for a duration equal to that of the effect itself.
3: When the effect ends, the target knows she was manipulated and strongly suspects who did it.
4: When the effect ends, the target knows she was manipulated but is not sure how or by whom.
5: When the effect ends, the target has a vague notion that her actions/emotions/perceptions were not her own.
6: When the effect ends, the target considers everything that happened to be of her own volition.

The tenacity of the effect measures how hard it is to break the effect before its full duration transpires, setting an interval at which the target can make a reflexive test to "shake off" the effect. This test uses an appropriate pool (usually the same one used to defend against the attack in the first place). The DV used against this test is the threshold of the original attack, plus the Essence of the original attacker, minus the Essence of the original target. Note that, for low rank effects, it's possible for their duration to be less than the interval. In such cases, the effect ends when its duration expires. With very high ranking effects, using lots of points in tenacity, it is possible to generate nearly permanent mental effects. Tenacity starts at zero, and points work as follows:

0: A break attempt can be made every tick.
1: A break attempt can be made every three ticks.
2: A break attempt can be made every six ticks.
3: A break attempt can be made every 12 ticks.
4: A break attempt can be made every minute.
5: A break attempt can be made every 20 minutes.
6: A break attempt can be made every hour.
7: A break attempt can be made every day.
8: A break attempt can be made every week.
9: A break attempt can be made every month.
10: A break attempt can be made every year.
11+: The effect always runs its full duration.

The intensity of the effect reflects how much concentration is needed to both apply and resist the effect. Mechanically, it controls how much Willpower must be spent during the effect's duration.

0: The attacker must spend a point of Willpower, or the effect ends immediately. Further, when the effect ends, the target can make an immediate Conviction test to regain Willpower.
1: The attacker must spend a point of Willpower, or the effect ends immediately.
2: The defender may spend a point of Willpower to end the effect immediately.
3: The defender may spend a point of Willpower to end the effect immediately, but the attacker may "cancel out" this effect by spending a point of Willpower of her own.
4: The defender may spend a point of Willpower to gain an additional and immediate break attempt at any time during the effect's duration.
5: Neither the attacker nor the target spend Willpower.
6: The target must spend a point of Willpower to gain access to the break attempts allowed by the tenacity. This cost is paid only once per effect.
7: The target must spend two points of Willpower to gain access to the break attempts allowed by the tenacity. This cost is paid only once per effect.
8: The target must spend a point of Willpower each time they attempt to break the effect. If they choose to forgo an available attempt, they do not pay the Willpower either.

Draining

Draining attacks reduce the essence pool of the target, one mote for each threshold success, in the following order:

Unused motes in peripheral pools
Unused motes in personal pools
Peripheral motes used to sustain effects. If an effect was previously drained, it gets drained again. Otherwise, the target chooses which effect is hit first. If all motes are drained from an effect, the effect ends. Effects that have incremental costs reduce in effectiveness as those motes are drained.
Personal motes used to sustain effects.
Peripheral motes committed to artifacts, chosen by the target. Artifacts drain the same way effects do, with repeated attempts first draining an artifact that was previously trained. Once the drain on a artifact is gone, effects powered by the commitment are no longer usable. Once the commitment to an artifact is fully drained, the attunement to that artifact is lost.
Remaining threshold successes are applied as dice of bashing damage, soaked only with natural soak.

Targets without mote pools skip straight to the damage effect. All motes drained are lost, considered spent by the target. The attacker typically cannot gain access to these motes.

Shaping

Shaping effects physically change reality for their duration. Some types of shaping might be vetoed for certain types of characters. Their effect depends highly on their target.

For environment in Creation:

need to provide

For Creation-born targets:

A success can increase or decrease an Ability by one.
Two full successes can increase or decrease an Attribute by one.
Two full successes can increase or decrease an Virtue by one.
Add or remove mutations, one point per two successes.
Alter age, one year per success.
"Claim" artifacts, one dot per success. need to provide (shaping attack on Creation based results)

For Wyld-born targets:

need to provide (shaping combat based results)
Add or remove mutations, one point per successes.

For environment in the Wyld:

Stabilize land, one dot of Resources worth per success.
Forge a demesne, one dot per success (must stabilize the land first)
Add successes to manse or artifact crafting.
Create extras, one success per dot of Followers
Create useful servants (Essence 1), one success per servant.
Make portable wealth, five successes per dot of Resources.

Withering

A withering effect is one that temporarily drains the traits of a target. Instead of dealing damage, each damage success reduces a trait (usually a physical Attribute) by a point for Essence * 5 ticks. If the trait is drained to zero, additional successes extend the duration by another five ticks. Targets in such a state may become automatically incapacitated, depending on the trait drained. The user of a withering attack selects the trait being drained before the test that uses the effect is rolled, but Storytellers should limit the possible choices to a narrow range. Physical attacks will almost always target Dexterity or Strength, but good stunting or prior Storyteller approval could change that. Any trait is technically targetable, including Abilities, Virtues, Willpower and Essence, though attacks on these would be rare.