DocTentacles Games

Hello! This is where I (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/doctortentacles) keep my RPG homebrew, and personal writing. Please use the tags to sort!

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Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide

Help us create both a Deluxe Edition and a traditionally printed version for sale in stores!

Time to self-promo on what is undoubtedly the worst website for self-promo (but hoping this finds the right people). Presenting Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide, on which I had the pleasure of working about six months ago with a really cool team of writers and a fantastic editor. My contributions included some alt-rules, some gm advice, and some of the antagonists. It was one of the best creative projects I’ve worked on, and only partly because I’ve been obsessed with Exalted for over a decade.

With that comes the obvious caveat

If you’ve never heard of Exalted before, don’t start with this book. Get Exalted Essence. This is a supplement, for GMs, to lighten the load and help you tweak, customize, and add cool scenarios and antagonists for your game.

I just found this, what is Exalted?

Glad you asked. Exalted is a post-apocalyptic (but not Earth post-apocalyptic) fantasy, wuxia, and pulp adventure game, originally made by White Wolf, the creators of Vampire the Masquerade, and now published by Onyx Path. You play the titular Exalted, accursed Chosen of the Gods, which possess superhuman powers. The game is geared toward dramatic combat, social intrigue, and epic scale adventure. It’s a moderately crunchy game, with heavy emphasis on giving characters impactful and cool powers, and alright for one-shots, but really shines in longer-running campaigns. It's also got probably my favorite social mechanics in a TTRPG, period.

Essence is the "newest" version, (published alongside the still-ongoing 3e, a "rules heavy" version.) It's “rules light” which to say it’s only moderately instead of very crunchy, and can be played from a single book. I've had a blast running it so far.

Also here's a tea party

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is now this tiny, tiny blog's most popular post, but it's still a very cool experience seeing all the positive reactions for GM-facing content.

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Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide

Help us create both a Deluxe Edition and a traditionally printed version for sale in stores!

Time to self-promo on what is undoubtedly the worst website for self-promo (but hoping this finds the right people). Presenting Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide, on which I had the pleasure of working about six months ago with a really cool team of writers and a fantastic editor. My contributions included some alt-rules, some gm advice, and some of the antagonists. It was one of the best creative projects I’ve worked on, and only partly because I’ve been obsessed with Exalted for over a decade.

With that comes the obvious caveat

If you’ve never heard of Exalted before, don’t start with this book. Get Exalted Essence. This is a supplement, for GMs, to lighten the load and help you tweak, customize, and add cool scenarios and antagonists for your game.

I just found this, what is Exalted?

Glad you asked. Exalted is a post-apocalyptic (but not Earth post-apocalyptic) fantasy, wuxia, and pulp adventure game, originally made by White Wolf, the creators of Vampire the Masquerade, and now published by Onyx Path. You play the titular Exalted, accursed Chosen of the Gods, which possess superhuman powers. The game is geared toward dramatic combat, social intrigue, and epic scale adventure. It’s a moderately crunchy game, with heavy emphasis on giving characters impactful and cool powers, and alright for one-shots, but really shines in longer-running campaigns. It's also got probably my favorite social mechanics in a TTRPG, period.

Essence is the "newest" version, (published alongside the still-ongoing 3e, a "rules heavy" version.) It's “rules light” which to say it’s only moderately instead of very crunchy, and can be played from a single book. I've had a blast running it so far.

Also here's a tea party

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This pair of secondary artifacts was a pleasure to work on. The concept and general design came from Benign, one of my long-time Exalted players, who has “graduated” to run an Essence game. They were designed for his group’s Dawn Caste, who wanted weapons befitting an honorable warrior. Additional specific requests were that they grow stronger in stormy weather and eventually allow him to fly.

My work on these was what I’d mostly call “developmental editing” and layout—Benign’s initial assessment overshot on the power of flight (Eagle Wing Style is a fairly uncomplicated Essence 2). I also assisted in cleaner language on some of the effects, but he definitely deserves primary credit. (And of course, I'm posting them here with his full blessing.)

A special note to the flavor—the concept behind them was weapons of a First Age Solar, reclaimed and reforged by the Dragon-Bloods who overthrew them, with some pretty striking kintsugi-esque imagery.

They’d do well as a weapon for either an Air-Aspected Dragon-Blood, or a Solar, representing two sides of a complicated history.

As always, thanks to @brian-the-elementalist for work on proofing and editing.

[Kofi]

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Kofi Link with PDF Download: Ruin Delve

Fantasy RPGs can’t ever fully shake the lure of a good dungeon. Exalted isn’t DnD or Pathfinder. you’re not shuffling through corridors by torchlight, arguing about long rests while suspiciously tactical kobolds bleed you dry one trap at a time. But it is pulp, and pulp loves ruins.

So even if it was originally launched as White Wolf’s anti-DnD, Exalted still owes Robert E. Howard some rent. Ruins are part of the game; cracked remnants of lost glory, full of ancient corpses and worse, you know the drill.

Like 60% (source: none) of published adventures are about some ancient tomb.

This is in direct opposition to the sort of bullshit your average Exalted charmset includes. A DnD dungeon is (allegedly) a tactical puzzle. (Or at least an attrition test.) An Exalted dungeon, mechanically, is…something. The game hasn’t been sure what between editions.

I think Ventures; introduced in Exalted Essence have finally figured out how to make dungeons work in Exalted.

Make a highlight real, essentially.

Skip the filler. Spotlight the good stuff.

Montage cut from sneaking past the ancient soul-flaying traps, to solving the puzzle that’s also a metaphor for your past life’s greatest failure. Outrun the crumbling tomb or let it bury you and just walk out of the rubble. If you’ve got a big moment planned, a dramatic ghost showdown, a centuries-old ethical dilemma involving demons, play it out. 

Otherwise? Venture.

So I put together a custom tomb-delving venture. It pulls from research and infiltration ventures, since those already lean in the right direction, but should make session prep a mite easier.

Now go rob your own grave. (Editing Credit: @brian-the-elementalist)

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Exalted Essence: Bear Style

DocTentacles RPG published a post on Ko-fi

Check one more off the list of "Martial Arts without a fan conversion to Essence"

Made this as something short and simple to work past some creative block.

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On The Realm and National Identity [Exalted 3e]

I think 3e’s version of the Blessed Isle is much more playable than in past editions, but one thing that’s bugged me since I read it is "The Realm" is lack of strong regional identities and ethnic groups.   The Blessed Isle is enormous, and its united cultural identity has existed for less than 700 years, as the Scarlet Empress’s conquest wasn't instant. With the Realm Civil War being a central focus in 3e—one of the few truly world-spanning events—it’s frustrating that the focus is largely on the Great Houses themselves, rather than also focusing on the regional cultures they rule.   It seems unrealistic that the Realm would have such a strong national identity or be so culturally homogenous. I can see many people identifying as Imperial subjects first, but it’s strange that the book doesn’t delve into the existence of regional breakaway movements or distinct local identities.   There’s a saying that the first empire the Third Reich conquered was itself. While I’m not making a moral comparison between regimes, I think this serves as a practical analogy. Empires are not monoliths and often fracture along the lines of cultural identity, not just because of noble infighting. Even in relatively small regions of imperial control, like Great Britain, there's very distinct regional identities(e.g., Scottish or Welsh cultures). Similarly, we see this in Catalonia or the divide between Southern and Northern Italy.

The Blessed Isle’s depiction feels at odds with history. Despite the Empress enduring multiple civil wars (e.g., the Islesi coup, the Seven Tigers Revolt, and others), the Realm is portrayed as basically culturally hegemonic. This doesn’t feel grounded, particularly given the size of the Isle, and the speed that cultures "travel."   I wonder if this bothers anyone else or if anyone has explored this at their own table? The idea of regions remaining loyal to fallen houses, retaining insular traditions, having conflict between regional cultures, and patronizing local gods in secret or maintaining proto-Immaculate beliefs that diverge from official doctrine is something I'd love see more words spent on, and I think would make the Civil War infinitely deeper. I’m also curious about "stressors” in different prefectures and how the peasantry perceives their identity.

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Mylitas, the Eyes of Orabilis

Demon of the First Circle

[PDF Version]

These curious demons drift through the twisted streets of Malfeas, their kaleidoscopic innards refracting Ligier’s harsh light into an array of scintillating patterns. Each motion sends them bobbing and sloshing gently, their gelatinous bodies quivering with each shift. When a Mylitas beholds a sight of profound beauty, it halts, trembling, and weeps thick, gelatinous tears, utterly overcome by the sublime vision before it.

Mylitas have a poor reputation in Hell, widely considered little more than prettily-decorated spies. However, few demons dare move against them directly for fear of provoking Orabilis’s wrath. Instead, demons decorate places they wish to keep secret with exquisite art or build their homes by great vistas to try to distract the Mylitas' gaze.

Summoners and Princes call upon Mylitas to observe rivals from afar, provide surveillance and warning against assassinations, or critique works of art. Mylitas possess refined tastes, though their standards are unusual, and their kaleidoscopic flashes communicate with scathing wit.

Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice

Personal Motes: 70

Health Levels: −0x5/−1x2/−2x1/−4/Incap.

Intimacies: Defining (“I must gaze upon and critique beauty.”), Major (Aesthetics are morality.)

Actions: Senses: 10 Dice; Linguistic Expression: 8 Dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 6 Dice

Resolve 3, Guile 3

Combat

Attack: (Squirt Vitreous) 10 Dice at Short Range: (Damage 6); Tags; Piercing

Combat Movement: 10 dice

Evasion: 4, Parry: 2

Soak/Hardness: 4/0

Merits 

Natural Flight: Mylitas bob above the ground, suspended by their vitreous fluid–they ignore difficult terrain.

Ever-Vigilant: Mylitas can see around them even when asleep or incapacitated in every direction, and double 9s on all visual perception rolls.

Prismspeak: Mylitas can communicate with other Mylitas within Long Range with a unique language of complicated prismatic pictograms, as long as there is a source of light. This language relies on colors beyond the perception of most other beings, so even if learned, full understanding is difficult.

Offensive Charms

Blinding Florescence (14m, 6i, Simple, Instant, Decisive-Only, Essence 2): The Mylitas makes a special Decisive Gambit against all targets within Short Range, flashing with sickening colors. They roll a single pool of 10 Dice against a (Stamina + Resistance) pool of all targets–any who fail are blinded, suffering a -3 penalty to all rolls that rely on sight, for a number of rounds equal to the Mylitas’s overflow successes.

Corrosive Aquous  (8m, 4i, 1lhl, Simple, Instant, Decisive-Only, Essence 2): The Mylitas sprays corrosive eye-brine from its innards at a target within Short Range, making a special Gambit with a 10-dice pool. If it succeeds, the target’s soak is reduced by (lower of Overflow successes or 2) for the scene.

Miscellaneous Charm

Keen Eye for Beauty (6m, Supplemental, Instant, Essence 2): The Mylitas adds (Target’s Appearance) in dice to a roll based on visual perception.

Scathing Critic (6m, Supplemental, Instant, Essence 2) The Mylitas doubles 9s on a profile roll if it has viewed a target’s art or writing, or on a social attempt that incorporates criticism of the target’s art or appearance.

Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): A Mylitas appears with a kaleidoscope flash and gurgle of vitreous.

Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): A Mylitas fades away and vanishes on its next turn, drawn instantly to its summoner’s side. (Unavailable unless bound.)

Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): A Mylitas can discern the nature of anyone who’s art they have previously studied.

Editing credit @brian-the-elementalist

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Of Adversaries Less Written: The Sea Boar and the Porpoise - White Wolf | Storytellers Vault

Of Adversaries Less Written: The Sea Boar and the Porpoise - Of Adversaries Less Written: The Sea Boar and the Porpoise Enhance your Exa

Excited to finally share a little Exalted side project I've been working on in between a much larger project that I'll also be hopefully posting soon!

Check it out, it was a lot of fun to write something light-hearted, but I also fell in love with Fajad the moment I ran across it in The Realm, and started going "What can I do with this" immediately!

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The Burrough of Fermi is one of Kagami’s extrusions, birthed from a Demonblood of unknown providence named Fermi, who sought enlightenment about what path in life to take some four years past. Kagami, in an act of uncharacteristically straightforward generosity, obliged.

Now, Fermi dwells within a neighborhood of Malfeas, a fractal labyrinth composed entirely of versions of himself — young, old, male, female, and other-gendered, injured, whole, wicked, kind, mighty, and wretched. Some age backwards, others forwards. For the past four years, they have existed in this kaleidoscopic chaos, still grappling as they attempt to find consensus on where to go from here. 

Whatever their ultimate decision, it is certain that their choice will be very carefully considered. 

(Tiny except from the Exalted 3e Infernal fansplat I'm working on.)

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Man or Beast Dilemma

Cost: 10m 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 1

Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: World-Witness Concentration

The Sidereal engages in impassioned discourse with the spirits of the land on relative dangers, at the end of which a conclusion is reached, and a foe is revealed.

This charm represents a dramatic action that involves a full-day meditation, koans, and self-debate conducted in a place of wilderness. At the end of the interval, the Sidereal is presented with a simple choice – the man or the beast?

Beast: The Sidereal makes a [Wits + Survival] roll at difficulty 3. If successful, they draw forth a native predator, equal to a two-dot familiar. It is not friendly by default and must be confronted or tamed. If they accrue at least four bonus successes, they may draw forth an animal equal to a three-dot familiar, which must be a large predator or omnivore.

Man: The Sidereal makes a [Wits + Survival] roll at a difficulty equal to the Resolve of the character with the highest negative Intimacy toward them within (Essence x 10) miles. If successful, that character feels an irresistible call to their current location and seeks them out unless they pay a point of Willpower, arriving on the scene at this charm’s conclusion. If the Sidereal fails to beat the Resolve, their successes are applied against their next hidden foe, and the next, until a target is concluded.

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Fragments of Plague - White Wolf | Storytellers Vault

Fragments of Plague - Creation is a world forever marked by the shadow of disease. Though the Great Contagion is a distant memory, Exalted p

I made a thing! It started as a project tinkering with medicine charms, but I'm currently running a campaign with no less than three high-medicine PCs, and really started thinking about how to do a medicine campaign in Exalted, and what medicine in Creation might look like! (And an excuse to learn publishing software) Check it out, it's pay what you want! I had a lot of fun making it, and hope you enjoy it as well. It's got charms, diseases, lore, storytelling advice, plot hooks.

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Homebrew Hearthstone for Exalted Essence! Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but for those seeking lost loved ones, or a way home, the Gem of Fond Reunions will speed your steps. Comes included with a romantic--or potentially tragic--Manse in Yu-Shan with a few more neighbors than usual. Expect to be kept awake at all hours by serenaders in the canal below!

PDF LINK

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Exalted Pre-Campaign Player Survey

Something a little different. Dusted off a recent project for my personal group that other Exalted STs (or even players looking to help their group) may find helpful.

It's a survey designed to gauge player interest in different plot structures, and antagonist types, and provides basic summaries of possible antagonists. It's designed for a player that's read at least a basic lore summary, but doesn't require advanced setting knowledge.

The plot structures are pulled (and modified) from the Storyteller Advice section of Exalted Essence, with a few additions of my own. Antagonists are my writeups. This is what the form looks like to a responder. https://forms.gle/ZXXy22qKcugVcHPe6 This is the folder containing the form. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YRBlhKvmvqYN5G22fmMArAXpcP1BVtlf?usp=drive_link To use it yourself, make a copy to your own drive, and in settings, consider setting up an attached spreadsheet for easy viewing, then share with your players. You may want to consider also making questions non-optional to avoid skipping. They are currently all optional, because I'd rather not have people answering the sample survey.

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Public use version of Grace of the Syndics, a homebrew artifact breastplate made for @keirangoldenwatch 's Getimian, Ushara, using art by @keirangoldenwatch. It draws heavily from the 2e Compass: North depiction of the Syndics, as they're represented as much darker figures in 3e. PDF Version

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A map of Lookshy, Nexus, and Thorns I made to chart a war between the Mask of Winters and Lookshy.

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Home sick from work, so decided to work on a Homebrew Artifact for an Essence Game I'm going to ST for. Player wanted an adaptation of Sorcery Capturing Cord from 2e.

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I thought I was done, then decided to add art. Link to PDF version

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Home sick from work, so decided to work on a Homebrew Artifact for an Essence Game I'm going to ST for. Player wanted an adaptation of Sorcery Capturing Cord from 2e.