Exalted: The Not-So-Great Curse

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By the time the Usurpation came, the Solar Exalted were supposed to have
been turning into moral monsters due to the Great Curse.

But the mechanics given for the Curse in the Exalted rule book merely
show that they have a tendency to blow their tops under strain and then
become entirely better again. They don't go permanently bonkers.

Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
cracks permanently?

Other suggestions?
--
Michael Cule

 

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Michael Cule wrote:

> By the time the Usurpation came, the Solar Exalted were supposed to have
> been turning into moral monsters due to the Great Curse.

> But the mechanics given for the Curse in the Exalted rule book merely
> show that they have a tendency to blow their tops under strain and then
> become entirely better again. They don't go permanently bonkers.

> Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
> EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
> break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
> instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
> cracks permanently?

> Other suggestions?

The usual implication is that the great curse is a bit more complex than
regular limit breaks, but we don't have the mechanics for it because
nobody ever bothered to write them, that being 'cause it's a bit
pointless to write mechanics for what happens to 3,000+ year Solars when
they aren't going to show up much in play.

I always kinda liked the idea that every point of Essence past 2 gives
an Exalt a point of permanent Limit, so an Essence, say, 7 Solar only
has 5 boxes.
--
Stephenls
Geek
"I'm as impure as the driven yellow snow." -Spike

 

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>Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
>EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
>break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
>instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
>cracks permanently?

No. It wouldn't be better.

 

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Stephenls wrote:
>
> The usual implication is that the great curse is a bit more complex than
> regular limit breaks, but we don't have the mechanics for it because
> nobody ever bothered to write them, that being 'cause it's a bit
> pointless to write mechanics for what happens to 3,000+ year Solars when
> they aren't going to show up much in play.
>
> I always kinda liked the idea that every point of Essence past 2 gives
> an Exalt a point of permanent Limit, so an Essence, say, 7 Solar only
> has 5 boxes.

Sort of like increaasing Quantum past 5 in Aberrant gives you permanent
Taint? That does sound fairly cool. I wonder if there's a similar
mechanic for the other Great Curse variants to increaase in
power/frequency as the permanent Essence increases.

Cheers,
Grant

 

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In message <20040809193845.16931.00002372@mb-m20.aol.com>, Myrnag2555
<myrnag2555@aol.com> writes
>>Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
>>EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
>>break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
>>instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
>>cracks permanently?
>
>No. It wouldn't be better.

Because?

--
Michael Cule

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Michael Cule wrote:

> Because?

For one thing, people are expected to limit break reasonably often, and
it's not supposed to be a game-breaker. It is, in fact, supposed to be
fun -- all those impulses you don't normally follow, because you don't
want to mess up the group? You can follow them during Limit Break!
"But I have to roleplay this way! It's in the rules! Tee hee!"

Your system means that any Solar who limit breaks ten times becomes an
unplayable ball of dysfunction. Most Solars can expect to limit break
ten times within their first century.

It's a broken mechanic.
--
Stephenls
Geek
"I'm as impure as the driven yellow snow." -Spike

 

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Stephenls <stephenls@shaw.ca> wrote:
: Michael Cule wrote:
:> Other suggestions?
: The usual implication is that the great curse is a bit more complex than
: regular limit breaks, but we don't have the mechanics for it because
: nobody ever bothered to write them, that being 'cause it's a bit
: pointless to write mechanics for what happens to 3,000+ year Solars when
: they aren't going to show up much in play.

Quite so.

Unless you want to handle the limit breaks as something funny and
hilarious, "hey, my comic-o-meter just went red, I can go boinkers!",
just go easy on it.

If the Solars were raving, rampaging and weeping uncontrollably all the
time, it just wouldn't cut it. Also, allow some impact to the game
environment, the way NPCs see the character and the character should
change in time without any extra effort. Same happens when they grow in
power.

Add to that some dreams of days of past glory and dreams of old hatred
towards those who betrayed the older incarnations of the character.
Dreams of past glory, and especially those of past power and might,
should help you to nurture the character egos into excessive
proportions. Support any illusions of grandeur, and show every now and
then (spirits are good for this, for instance) that the characters
aren't mere mortals, but something greater, yea, more like gods, and
they will go boinkers. Just not in the funny-ha-ha way.

: I always kinda liked the idea that every point of Essence past 2 gives
: an Exalt a point of permanent Limit, so an Essence, say, 7 Solar only
: has 5 boxes.

I started reducing the limit boxes when the characters reached Essence
6, but that's just a matter of scaling it to fit your game. The more
power, the more detached from the mortality.

Limit breaks never really, as mechanics go, played any major role in my
Solar campaign. I used limit mainly as an occasional reminder, and like
with Mage Paradox backlashes, I think it's always better to use them as
a dramatic element instead of hard mechanics.

//T

 

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In message <2nscigF48eojU1@uni-berlin.de>, Stephenls <stephenls@shaw.ca>
writes
>Your system means that any Solar who limit breaks ten times becomes an
>unplayable ball of dysfunction. Most Solars can expect to limit break
>ten times within their first century.
>
>It's a broken mechanic.

Well, I'm not committed to reducing it every time but I feel there
should be some chance. The idea of high-Essence Solars gradually loosing
it might be a good one.

I just feel there should be some mechanic to explain how the temporary
problem of Limit Breaks became enough to corrupt the Solars of the First
Age, that's all.

--
Michael Cule

 

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Michael Cule <mikec@room3b.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:<UbP87SAgOQGBFwNT@room3b.demon.co.uk>...
> In message <2nscigF48eojU1@uni-berlin.de>, Stephenls <stephenls@shaw.ca>
> writes
> >Your system means that any Solar who limit breaks ten times becomes an
> >unplayable ball of dysfunction. Most Solars can expect to limit break
> >ten times within their first century.
> >
> >It's a broken mechanic.
>
> Well, I'm not committed to reducing it every time but I feel there
> should be some chance. The idea of high-Essence Solars gradually loosing
> it might be a good one.
>
> I just feel there should be some mechanic to explain how the temporary
> problem of Limit Breaks became enough to corrupt the Solars of the First
> Age, that's all.

After seeing the Storytelling chapter of The Sidereals, I'm pretty
sure we'll get that when they either do an Exalted "First Age" book,
or the Storyteller's Handbook, since, as it was pointed out, it was
something that took hundreds, if not thousands, of years to manifest,
and the Solars in Creation now are all of five years old.

 

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>>>Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
>>>EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
>>>break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
>>>instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
>>>cracks permanently?
>>
>>No. It wouldn't be better.
>
>Because?
>

Because compared to that, a WoD vampire would be well off. At least she would
have
ways to regain some humanity if she tried really hard.

 

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> Because compared to that, a WoD vampire would be well off. At least she
would
> have
> ways to regain some humanity if she tried really hard.

About Solars and Limit -

I feel that Limit, for the Solars, was an ongoing problem that they would
have developed a number of strategies to deal with. This was probably why
the tradition of Circles was maintained - The only thing that will stop a
demigod-like Solar when he or she cracks from Limit will be 4 other Demigods
who are just as powerful.

No doubt, in the early and mid 1st age, the Solars kept careful watch of
each other, supported each other, and had the Great Curse reasonably in
check. The Old Realm was a good place to live for a very long time. I feel
that the Great Curse wasn't the kicker which caused the Usurpation - it
merely pushed the Solars over the edge. I feel that the boredom and Ennui
of millenia long life was what pushed the Solars into hubris and insanity.
Really, what use does a peaceful world have for invincible god-warriors, who
have seen and done it all?

Further, completely blaming the Great Curse is an easy out. I like to think
that the Solars were overthrown due to moral failure and human foibles.
It's better for me, dramatically, if the Solars were responsible for their
own destruction via all to human hubris and pride.

Just my thoughts,

CB

 

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Michael Cule wrote:

> By the time the Usurpation came, the Solar Exalted were supposed to have
> been turning into moral monsters due to the Great Curse.
>
> But the mechanics given for the Curse in the Exalted rule book merely
> show that they have a tendency to blow their tops under strain and then
> become entirely better again. They don't go permanently bonkers.
>
> Now I don't want to be the one who reintroduces WoD doom and gloom to
> EXALTED but wouldn't it be better if each time a Solar reaches his limit
> break the limit drops one: after one encounter it only takes nine
> instances of strain to cause the next break and so on until the poor sod
> cracks permanently?
>
> Other suggestions?

The "greater curse" flaw in the WoD book handles this for me quite
regularly. Especially when you consider that First Age Solars probably
had tons of Virtues at 3+, and the magical power and access to totally
powerful artifacts that even "loosing it" now and again was
devestatingly bad. I mean, even a starting SOLAR who blows his top now
and again can cause serious problem. Now imagining a Solar with
Grandmother Spider Mastery who does the same thing.



Brandon,

 

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Stephenls wrote:

> The usual implication is that the great curse is a bit more complex than
> regular limit breaks, but we don't have the mechanics for it because
> nobody ever bothered to write them, that being 'cause it's a bit
> pointless to write mechanics for what happens to 3,000+ year Solars when
> they aren't going to show up much in play.
>
> I always kinda liked the idea that every point of Essence past 2 gives
> an Exalt a point of permanent Limit, so an Essence, say, 7 Solar only
> has 5 boxes.

That's the usual implication, yes, but is it necessary per se? I mean,
it's not really like the Solars NEED to be blowing up /constantly/ in
order to justify the not-supposed-to-be-entirely-justifiable Solar Purge.


BrandonQ,