wushu-exalted rules 1.5

7/29/2019 Wushu-Exalted Rules 1.5

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WUSHU FOR EXALTED

WUSHU is the property of Daniel Bayn.

EXALTED is the property of White Wolfpublishing.

This document is intended to allow a

reader to run a game set in White WolfsEXALTED setting but powered by DanielBayns exceptional independent action rpgWUSHU. To get any kind of real use out ofthis document, you should have a copy of atleast the EXALTED main rule book (and anyof the expansion fatsplat books you wish touse) and the WUSHU rpg which is available onDans website:

http://www.bayn.org/games/wushu.html

This document is in no way intended as a

challenge of the copyrights held by theowners of either of the IPs. Both WUSHU andEXALTED stand quite strongly by themselves,but as they say, the two great tastes...etc.

INTRODUCTION

For those already familiar with the EXALTEDsetting, dont worry. Nothing of any majorimport changes in this conversion. EXALTEDsstyle and themes remain the same. For thosealready familiar with WUSHU, none of the

systems core mechanics change in thisconversion. There are some adaptations andtweaks, but essentially it powers along drivenby the same astoundingly evocative gameengine Dan has put together.The core of WUSHU is a system by whichplayers are directly rewarded for describingdramatic and interesting actions for theircharacters by the most valuable coin in anyrpg- character effectiveness. The more

exciting details a player can add (and inEXALTED, the more over-the-top details)the more dice he has to throw when resolvinga characters success or failure. It was thiswhich struck me as perfect for a game set inthe EXALTED milieu.

The normal constraints on this detailingremain- the players and GM must agree on the

tone of the game, and any player who statesdetails outside this tone- or unfortunatelyboring- will have them vetoed by the GMand the other players. Anyone at the tablecan veto anyones details on these grounds.Beyond this, its a free for all.

Most actions are revolved as described inWUSHU- combat, stunts, and simple tasks.For combat procedure and information onhow to run it, see WUSHU. If this conversionalters these rules at all, it will be indicated

below.

This conversion covers Solar, Dragon-Blooded, and Lunar exalted.

TERMINOLOGYFor the most part, the terms used hereinare derived from the EXALTED game, butone particular naming convention needsmentioning here. WUSHU uses Yang and Yindice to indicate active and forceful actions andtheir opposing defensive and flexible actions.In this conversion these dice are renamed toScarlet dice which are used for action (suchas attack) and Ebon dice which are used forcounter-action (such as defense).

BASICS

Characters are described in a sort of EXALTEDshorthand. They have Attributes, Abilities,Backgrounds, a Virtue, and a Flaw. They dont

have Charms. In this conversion, the magicalpowers provided by Charms are representedby a single generic advantage unique to eachtype of Exalted, and by the ability playershave to add details. The use of a charm mapsdirectly to the statement of a detail, and thebenefit it provides is represented simply bythe extra die it provides. However, unlikecharacter in a most WUSHU implementations,

the number of details a character can describeis limited by his Essence score. See below formore details.

ATTRIBUTESCharacters base capabilities are describedby three attributes. These are the base Traitscore used when resolving actions. Rolled diceequal to or less than the relevant Attribute areconsidered successes. The three Attributesare as follows:

Physical. This covers all raw physical actions,from martial arts to athletics to feats ofstrength.

Social. The second attribute deals with thesocial sphere- attractiveness, persuasion,and charm.

Mental. The last attribute is keyed to allmental activities, awareness, speed of thought,memory, and intelligence.

ABILITIESA characters abilities represent areas ofspecial expertise. These map to the listedAbilities right off an EXALTED character sheet,and cover the same range of tasks. Takenonce, an Ability add 1 to the base Attribute fora given task. However, it is possible to Masteran ability. This grants a level of understandingbeyond any normal proficiency. Mastering anAbility requires singular focus. See Creating a

Character below for details on this.

BACKGROUNDSBackgrounds are side-advantages a charactercan draw on during play. These map to normalEXALTED backgrounds. Their effectiveness isbased on a related Attribute.

NATUREChoose one of the Natures described inEXALTED. This indicates an Exalts corepersonality or soul and is one of the two wayshe has of regaining Essence. Once per day,when a character acts in accordance withtheir Nature (ie. Whatever would restore apoint of Willpower in EXALTED) they mayregain a single point of Essence.

VIRTUESelect one from among the 4 virtues asdescribed in EXALTED. This indicates a special

strength of character, and can grant specialadvantage when invoked. See Virtues in Playbelow.

FLAWDescribe your flaw. This is related to yourVirtue, and indicates the effect of the GreatCurse on your character. When your sufferLimit Break, your Flaw activates and anyrelated check you make is done against anautomatic trait value of 1 regardless of yournormal Attributes and Abilities. See LimitBreak below.

ESSENCEThis maps directly to Chi in WUSHU, and toEssence, Willpower, and to a certain extent,Health Levels in EXALTED. It is an indicationof your vitality, strength of spirit, inherentmagical nature, and ability to bend realityto your will. Characters with higher Essenceare more primal, powerful, and vigorous.


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The most potent special abilities a characterpossesses must be activated with a point ofEssence. Each type of Exalted has a differentEssence score, and beyond measuring powerand longevity, Essence also indicates themaximum number of extra dice you cangenerate through descriptions.

So, for example, a Solar exalt can describe upto 6 extra details, thus gaining 6 dice to addto the 1 base die you always get for just doinganything. Some or all of these details can betotally magical or over the top, and the coolerthe better.

CHARMThis is a general special ability unique toeach type of EXALTED which generalizestheir signature charm mechanics. Of course,charms are also generalized into the stuntsyou can describe for a character during anaction scene. This special ability is intended toprovide some distinction between the types ofExalt, and some extra mojo in an emergency.

BONUS POINTSThese points are spent at the end of charactercreation to customize a character. Bonus Pointsbuy different numbers of dots depending on

the trait they are improving. CREATING A SOLAR EXALTEDCHARACTER

Solars are the most fundamentally powerfulof the Exalted, and benefit from their superiorEssence in addition to their diverse skills.Create a Solar character as follows.

1) Come up with the usual stuff- concept,name, background and so on. Describe yourcharacters personality, style of dress, andtypical gear.

2) Assign Attributes. Each Attribute begins at1, and you may add a total of 4 points wheredesired, taking no single Attribute over 3.

3) Pick Caste. Your characters Castewill determine several things about yourcharacter. You automatically get all of yourCastes Abilities, and each caste has its ownspecial power derived from the unique aspectsof its Anima.

DAWNAbilities: Archery, Brawl, Martial Arts, Melee,ThrownAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence, andfor the remainder of the scene you seemterrifying and unstoppably powerful. Mortalswill quake before you, and even other Exaltedwill catch their breath in awe. Half of anygroup of mooks in the vicinity automatically

flee or surrender, effectively halving theirthreat rating, while nemeses who wishes tostand against you must dedicate their firstsuccess (either scarlet or ebon) to overcomingtheir fear of you before they can act. Thiseffect only works on foes whos Essence is lessthan or equal to your current Essence score.

ZENITHAbilities: Endurance, Performance, Presence,

Resistance, SurvivalAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence,and fill yourself with the majesty of theUnconquered Sun. For the remainder of thescene, you can incinerate the fallen so theirbodies remain unpossessed, and their soulsgo on to their reward. Further, you inflictdouble harm against Undead, Demons, andDeathlords (and their minions). For example,

if you roll 3 uncountered Scarlet successesin combat against a Deathnight, your foewould instead loose 6 Essence instead of only3. Further, while so invested with the Sunspower you have an effect identical to that ofthe Dawn caste but only against creatures ofdarkness.

TWILIGHTAbilities: Craft, Investigation, Lore, Medicine,OccultAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence,

and for the remainder of the Scene yourEbon successes counter twice as manyScarlet successes if they represent physicallydamaging attacks.

NIGHTAbilities: Athletics, Awareness, Dodge,Larceny, StealthAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence, andfor the remainder of the scene any attempt tolocate you with magical or mundane meanssuffers a -1 penalty to the relevant score.Further, your anima doesnt flare up likethat of other Exalted. This power completelysuppresses minor Anima flares, and reducesmajor ones to minor scope.

ECLIPSEAbilities: Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail,SocializeAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence, andfor the remainder of the Scene no Spirit or Fae

TRAIT COST

Attributes 6

Abilities 1 (2 for Mastery)

Backgrounds 1EXALTED TYPE ESSENCE

Mortal 1

God Blood 2

Dragon Blood 3

Sidereal 5

Lunar 5

Abyssal 6

Solar 6


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creature will attack you so long as you obeythe tenets of the ancient pacts which bind youboth. This protection extends to any othersyou give your countenance to, and can includeyour entire circle. Further, any oath sworn inyour presence may be sanctified to become anunbreakable pact. This second ability causesanyone so foresworn to gain a weakness (seeWushu) that comes into pay any time they are

in violation of that oath . This ability costsno Essence. Finally, Eclipse caste Solars canspend 3 Essence and make use of any of thespecial charms possessed by other orders ofExalt, such as the Dragon-Blooded reflexivecharm or the Lunar attribute-adding charm.

4) Pick Abilities. Choose 5 additional Abilitiesfrom any caste list. You may choose to masteran ability by dedicating 3 ability picks to it.To master a Caste ability requires 2 Abilitypicks.

5) Pick Backgrounds. Choose 5 backgrounds.You may take the same background more thanonce for additional advantage. Taken once, aBackground is useful and dependable. Takentwice it is exceptional and extensive.

ALLIESYou know 1 significant person willing to aidyou directly for each point of Social you have.Taken twice, this is increased to 3 per pointof Social.

ARTIFACTYou have an artifact which grants 1 additionalfree die in any action it is used for, in additionto any other interesting special abilities youand the GM can agree on. These extra dicedont count towards the normal Essence limiton extra dice. Taken twice, the Artifact issingular, granting two dice and some majorspecial effects.

BACKINGYou have a position of power in a regionalorganization. Taken twice, it indicates yourplace is in a global organization.

CONTACTSHow many people you know. Taken once, youknow people in a certain quarter of a regionssociety. Taken twice, you either know people

in a global sector or have contacts in threeregional sectors.

FAMILIARYou are spiritually bound to a special creature.It is created like a character, and has 3 extrapoints to assign to Attributes, 5 Abilities(which you may make up to reflect thecreatures natural abilities), and an Essenceof 2. Taken twice, the creature has 4 extraAttribute points, 8 Abilities, and an Essenceof 3.

FOLLOWERSYou have a band of loyal servants, either lotsof fairly minor characters, or a few fairlypotent characters. Regardless of their actualnumber, they are treated as Mooks. You havemooks with a total threat level equal to threetimes your best Attribute score. You candivide these points into groups and give themsimple assignments, or send them in force.Taken twice, you have either nine times yourbest Attribute score in threat levels of mooks

who do a single hit per turn or five times yourbest attribute score in ellte Mooks who do twohits per turn. If killed or wiped out, it takes atleast a session for you to recruit new mooks.

INFLUENCEYou have pull in a regional social circle. Withthis background taken twice, you influencein in a global group or extends over an entireregion.

MANSEYou are attuned to a manse. You recover anadditional point of Essence each day. Takentwice, and the manse is exceptionally potent,allowing you to recover 2 points.

MENTORYou have a relationship with a more powerfulcharacter who can teach and advise your.

Your mentor reduces the Experience cost toimprove by 1 point per expenditure if you cantrain with him. Further, a mentor can provideadvice and aid in some situations. For twopicks, your mentor is a power in the world,and can provide some serious aid when calledupon. Such a mentor reduces the Experiencecosts by 2 per expenditure.

RESOURCESYou have a comfortable income and fairlylarge pool of liquid assets. You own some

property and live well. For two picks, youhave a vast pool of wealth, and can buy nearlyanything, and have a large staff and holdings.

SORCERYYou have received magical training. This isthe only Background you can take a thirdtime, and the third dot is bought at doublecost (in either Background or Bonus points).Each rank allows mastery over a circle ofsorcery. With Sorcery taken 3 times, you canuse mighty Solar Circle sorcery. See Sorcery

below for more details.

6) Choose your Nature. This is how yourcharacter perceives Creation and is one of thetwo ways you can regain Essence (see #9).

7) Pick a Virtue. Select the one which suits yourcharacter. Whenever you are in a situation towhich your Virtue applies, you receive a bonusdie to your rolls. You must state a detail which

draws upon your Virtue, but it allows you toexceed your normal Essence imposed limitson extra dice.

8) Pick a Flaw. Describe a flaw for yourcharacter which relates to your Virtue.Whenever you roll a Virtue die and it comesup 6 you get a point of Limit. When you have5 points of Limit, you suffer a Limit Break and

you act upon your Flaw for the remainder ofthe scene. Any action counter to your Flaw isrolled against a trait score of only 1.

9) Your Essence is 6. As a Solar you have themost powerful Essence in the game. You canstate up to 6 details on any action, rolling asmany as 7 dice. Only the Abyssal exalted-your dark mirror- can throw this much mojoaround. Solars recover 1 point of essenceper day if they can rest and recover theirenergies. They also receive a bonus point

at their Castes time of day- the boon of theUnconquered Sun.

10) Charm. All solar exalted can spend 1 pointof essence to double their dice pool for asingle round. This doubling is done before thedice are rolled. When pressed, a single solarcan potentially lay waste to half a dozen lesserexalted in a single round.

11) Spend Bonus Points. You receive 7 points tospend on increasing attributes, abilities andbackgrounds.


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LUNAR EXALTED

1) Come up with the usual stuff- concept,name, background and so on. Describe yourcharacters personality, style of dress, andtypical gear.

2) Pick your Caste. This will impact your laterchoices, so it comes first.

FULL MOONCast Attribute: Physical.Anima Power: Spend a point of Essence tomagnify your physical actions dramaticallyfor an entire scene. Double your rolledsuccesses on any action dealing with running,jumping, climbing, or feats of raw strength.This doesnt magnify your ability in combat.

CHANGING MOONCast Attribute: Social

Anima Power: Spend a point of Essence toshape your anima into a perfect illusion forthe entire scene. This glamour is a visuallyperfect image of something or someone youhave seen, but it doesnt alter your voice orscent.

NO MOONCast Attribute: MentalAnima Power: When you spend Essence toreduce the difficulty of a spell (see Sorcerybelow), you subtract 3 from the difficulty for

every point you spend rather than 2.

3) Assign Attributes. Your Cast attributebegins at 2, the other two begin at 1. Assign 3additional points where desired, rating nonehigher than 3 or lower than 1.

4) Select Abilities. You have Survival as wellas 9 other Ability picks. For 2 picks you canselect an Ability a second time, mastering it.

You can pick abilities from the entire EXALTEDlist.

5) Select 5 backgrounds. You can selectfrom those listed for Solar exalted, althoughyou are limited to two ranks in Sorcery.Additionally you have access to the followingspecial Backgrounds.

CULTYou are worshiped as a divine figure by a cult.The size of the cult will depend on your bestAttribute score, assuming the cults doctrinesare based on the things you yourself embody.Treat it as a group of Mooks with a Threat levelequal to twice that Attribute. For two picks,your cult is large and growing (it has a Threatlevel equal to four times your best attributescore) and if you preside over a gathering ofyour cult, you regain a point of Essence.

HEARTS BLOODYou have already tasted the hearts blood ofmany shapes. You know 3 times your Mentalattribute score in forms- human or animal.With this background taken twice, you know 6times your Mental Attribute score in forms.

RENOWNYour standing within Lunar society is coveredby this Background. With this taken once, youknown and your deeds spoken of, and you arewell respected. With this taken twice, you arefamous, and your legend is sung to newbornlunar Exalts as a model for them to emulate.

6) Choose your characters Nature. Thisarchetype represents your self-perceptionand is essential for regaining Essence.

7) Pick a Virtue. See Creating a Solar Characterabove.

8) Pick your Virtue Flaw. Instead of gainingLimit when taking an action fueled by a Virtue,a Lunar gains Limit when acting directlycounter to his virtue.

9) Essence is 5. As the chosen of the Moon,your power is second only to that of theExalted of the Sun. Lunars can state up to5 extra details for a total of 6 dice. Lunars

recover a point of Essence every night withthe chance to rest and recover. They alsorecover a bonus point of Essence when theircaste is highlighted by the moons path. FullMoon receive their point when the moon f irstrises, Changing Moon when Luna is halfwayacross the sky, and No Moon when the moonhas just set. The time of moonrise and setvary seasonally.

10) Charm. Lunars can call upon their powerto dramatically boost their natural abilities.

For the cost of 1 essence, a lunar can add 2 toan Attribute for 1 round. If this increases theirAttribute + Ability total to 6 or beyond, everydie in the relevant pool becomes an automaticsuccess.

11) Bonus Points. All Lunar characters receive7 bonus points with which to personalize theircharacter.

12) Shapeshifting. All lunars can change theirshape. Lunars have 3 natural forms. Theirhuman form, their spirit totem animal form,and their terrible beastman form. Changingbetween your natural form can be done witha detail, and this grants the normal die bonusin combat. Changing into a heart blood formrequires a full round action.

Describe these forms, and then stat out theBeastman form as follows:

All Lunars receive a +1 bonus to their PhysicalAttribute when they adopt this form, as wellas three of the following types of Gifts. Anyone type of Gift may be taken multiple times.

OFFENSIVESuch gifts grant 1 free Scarlet die in combatabove and beyond any from details. Theyinclude things such as fangs, talons, rasping

tentacles and so on.

DEFENSIVEThis type of gift grants 1 free Ebon die incombat above and beyond any from details.They include tough hide, scales, talons, orsuper-fast regeneration.

MOVEMENTYou have a new form of movement- f light,wall-crawling, tunneling, swimming etc. Youalso have any special adaptations needed to

overcome any environmental hazards whenusing that movement (you can breath waterwhen swimming, for example).

UTILITYThese gifts grant bonus dice when performingrelated tasks. Skin which changes color wouldaid in Stealth tasks for example.

13) Pick your Tell. This is a feature whichdoesnt change regardless of your shape.


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DRAGON-BLOODED

Create a Dragon-Blooded character asfollows:

1) Come up with the basics- name,background, appearance, typical gear, andfor Dragon-Blooded dynastic characters,pick your Family from those described in theDragon-Blooded book, keeping in mind howthis will affect your Aspect for the third step.

2) Assign Attributes. Physical, Social, andMental all begin at 1, and you have 3 points todistribute where you wish. You can raise nosingle attribute higher than 3.

3) Determine Aspect. You choice of Family instep 1 will determine your elemental aspect.Note your Aspects favored abilities, and thespecial Anima Power you may invoke due to

your aspects elemental affinity.

AIRAspect Abilities: Linguistics, Lore, Occult,Stealth, ThrownDynastic House: Ledaal & TepetAnima Power: Spend a point of Essence, andfor the rest of the scene become light andairy. Jump triple the normal distance and runthree times as fast. Immune to damage fromfalls- will float gently to the ground.

EARTHAspect Abilities: Awareness, Craft, Endurance,Martial Arts, and ResistanceDynastic House: Mnemon & RagaraAnima Power: Spend a point of essence tobecome as resilient and hard as Earth. Gain 1free Ebon success each round for defense forthe remainder of the scene.

FIREAspect Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Melee,

Presence, and Socialize.Dynastic House: Cathak & SesusAnima Power: Spend a point of essence towreath yourself in deadly flames. You areimmune to fire and heat yourself, and gain1 free Scarlet success each round for theremainder of the scene.

WATER

Aspect Abilities: Brawl, Bureaucracy,Investigation, Larceny, and Sail.Dynastic House: Peleps & IselsiAnima Power: Spend a point of essence,and for the remainder of the day you canmove as easily through water as through air.Triple your movement speed in water. Youcan breathe water as easily as air, and areimmune to its pressure and can see throughits darkness.

WOOD

Aspect Abilities: Archery, Medicine,Performance, Ride, and SurvivalDynastic House: Cynis & VNeefAnima Power: Spend a point of essence tobecome supple and flexible like a fresh sapling.Add either 1 free ebon die or 1 free scarlet dieto any physical action for the remainder of thescene. Note that these are dice, not successesas with Earth and Fire aspect characters.

4) Select Abilities. You automatically receiveyour Aspect abilities for free, and may select3 additional abilities from the complete list. Ifyou wish, you may dedicate 3 ability picks (or

2 if the ability is derived from your Aspect) tomaster an ability. You receive a +2 bonus fromsuch an ability rather than the normal +1. Inthis conversion there is no difference betweenDynast and outcast Dragon-Blooded- this ishandled through character back story androle playing.

5) Select Backgrounds. You may select 5backgrounds from the normal list, but should

note that Dragon-Blooded backgroundsautomatically begin at the 2 pick level forother Exalted types. For example, if youselect once Allies you have 5 per point ofSocial rather than 1 as other types of Exaltand mortals would. There is no benefitfrom taking a Background twice. Dragon-Blooded have great side resources to callupon. Dragon-Blooded have some uniquebackground unavailable to other Exalts, andlike all Dragon-Blooded backgrounds thiscan only be taken once.

BREEDINGHow well bred (or inbred) you are can boostyour inherent power. This background adds 1to your Essence.

CONNECTIONSThis works just like Contacts and Influencebut only within Dynastic society.

COMMANDYou command a military force composed ofdangerous and well trained mortals. Theactual number of troops is up to you, buttheir combined Threat Level is equal to sixtimes your best attribute and they do 2 hitsper round. This can be divided up as yousee fit into smaller groups with lower threatlevels. If killed, you must recruit new soldierswhich will require at least a full session.While Command provides more Mooks thanFollowers, the character must answer to ahigher authority within the chain of command

for their use.

HENCHMANYou have one or more Nemesis rank NPCswho serve you. You have a total of (10 +Social) Attribute points and (15 + Mental)Abilities to describe your Henchmen, but allwill be normal mortals with an Essence of1, a maximum Attribute score of 2 and mayonly possess 1 mastered Ability. All must have

at least 4 dots of Attributes and 6 dots ofAbilities.

REPUTATIONYou are known in Dragon-Blooded societywith a provenance based on your highestattribute, and you are known for associatedthings. For example, a character with aPhysical of 3 would be know for his awesome

battle prowess and might, while one withSocial of 3 would be known for being wellconnected and socially adept.

6) Select your Nature.

7) Pick a Virtue

8) Describe your Flaw

9) Set Essence to 3. You are much morepowerful than any Mortal, but the least ofthe Exalted. You can state up to 3 details onyour actions, and roll up to 4 dice. Dragon-Blooded recover 1 essence per day if they canrest and recover. They can recover a bonuspoint if they spend at least an hour immersedin their Aspected element to the exclusionof the others- dry saunas, gardens, soakingpools, caverns, and windy towers figure intoDragon-Blooded architecture for just thisreason.

10) Charm. Dragon-Blooded arent the mostpowerful Exalted, but their magics are fastand efficient. Spend a point of essence, and

for the rest of the scene you dont distinguishScarlet dice from Ebon dice, rather you rollthem all then use the successes as you need to,relying on your reflexive magics to help youdeal with more broadly powerful foes.

11) Bonus Points. Dragon-Blooded charactersreceive 5 bonus points with which to customizetheir character.


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SPECIAL RULES

ANIMA BANNER

When the Exalted exert their magical nature,they can create intense displays of mysticalFX. These are classes in this conversion intoeither Minor or Major displays. They differas follows:

Minor: Displays of this magnitude last fora round only but a clearly visible to all whowitness it, and recognizable as a supernaturalmanifestation. Minor displays dont leave anylasting results, but can easily serve to reveala character who needs stealth or to remainunidentified as one of the Chosen.

Major: Major displays are huge and unmis-takable, and last for the entire scene. They al-ways leave some residual trace of their mani-

festation a knowledgeable observer can pickout later- a circle of split pacing stone, a pathof unnaturally lush vegetation, claw marks onthe walls, or a patch of scorched earth.

Exalts can cause their animas to flare bygenerating too many extradice when attemptingactions. The number of dice

it takes to cause a Majorand Minor display for eachexalted type is shown in thetable on this page.

LUNARSHAPESHIFTING

A lunar can shapechange all or part of its bodyat will- and plays are encouraged to makeuse of this power in combat to gain extra dicewith creative shapeshifting.

Further, lunars can assumethe form of any creaturewhos heart blood they havetasted with the followinglimits: Minimum Size isbased on the Mental score.Maximum Size is based onthe Physical score.

Major Anima Flare will lock aLunar into one of their baseforms for the duration of the scene, and theycant wholly alter their form while so locked-see Anima Flare above. They can still use theirshapeshifting talent to give them advantagein combat however (via the creative use ofdetails).

SORCERY

Rather than present a lost of spells, thisconversion breaks Sorcery down into acollection of generic Elements which, whencombined with the details needed to generate

dice to cast them, allow youto create and use colorful andweird Exalted-style magic.

The procedure for creatingand casting spells is thesame regardless of the circleof magic being used. Theonly difference is the scopeand power possible with themagic. This freeform systemisnt meant to represent a

sorcerers ability to work magic at his whim,but rather to indicate the broad body ofoccult lore at his disposal. The rules laid out

in EXALTED regarding what

a given circle of Sorcery canand cant do apply here aswell. Here are the steps forcreating and casting a spell.

1) Come up with a coolconcept for the spell andgive it a cool name.

2) Describe the spell withthe following Elements

POWERPower represents the raw potency of the spell.Each level of power equates to a die whenthe spells effect need be rolled. If addingdice to an existing pool, this is the numberof dice to be added. Likewise, if removingdice from a pool, this is how many dice areremoved. This is also how difficult the spell isto break. If the spell summons Mook servants,then Power x 2 acts as their Threat Level. For

summoned Nemeses, the Power determinestheir Essence.

FINESSEFinesse represents how efficiently andelegantly the spell accomplishes its effects.This serves as the trait score the spells Poweris rolled against. In the case of supplementingor reducing existing pools, this must equal

the Attribute + Ability pool so affected. Ifthe Finesse is insufficient to match the poolaffected, reduce the power by one dive foreach dot of difference as the effect of the spellwill be weaker against higher pools. If Mooksare being created, this acts as the number ofhits they get in each round. When creatinga Nemesis servant, it will have one to threeof the Attributes, each bought with Effectand with a level determined by Finesse. Thelevel of all these Attributes must be paid forseparately.

EFFECTSAn Effect is essentially something the spelldoes. A Spell which transforms you into abladed statue would add to both your Scarletdice and Ebon dice for an Effect level of 2.Spells which summon Nemesis servants useEffect to determine the number of Attributesand Abilities the thing has.

RANGEThe distance away from the caster than thespells effect will manifest is determined bythis element. The accuracy with which a spellseeks and effects its target will be determinedby its Power and Finesse.0 Touch only1 Near2 Within Sight3 Beyond Sight, local4 Beyond Sight, regional5 Anywhere

TOTALDICE

ANIMA BANNERDISPLAY

1 None

2 None

3 Dragon-Bloodedminor

4 Dragon-Bloodedmajor

5 Lunar and Siderealminor

6 Lunar and Side-real major, Solar andAbyssal minor

7 Solar and Abyssalmajor.

PHYSICALSCORE

MAXSIZE

1 Bear Sized

2 Elephantsized

3 Tyrant Lizardsized

MENTAL

SCORE

MIN

SIZE1 Dog sized

2 Cat sized

3 Mouse sized


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SCOPEThe area encompassed by the spell is coveredby this Element. The higher this Element, thegreater the Scope. Scope limits the numberof creatures that can be affected or created.When summoning Mooks, the Threat Levelcannot exceed the number of targets boughtthrough Scope.0 Personal only

1 Room/5 Targets2 House/10 Targets3 Block/100 targets4 Town/1,000 targets5 City/10,000 targets

DURATIONThe length of time the spell will last isdetermined by this Element.0 Instant1 Rounds2 Scene

3 Session4 Story5 Forever

3) Determine the Circle of the spell. Each Circleof spells is on an entirely different order thanthe previous one, both in terms of power anddifficulty in casting. With Terrestrial CircleSorcery you can have a maximum of 2 in anyElement. With Celestial this limit is increasedto 3. Finally with Solar Circle sorcery, the limitis 5. Only those Exalted who possess both the

natural ability to access higher sorceries andthe requisite level of the Occult ability maycast spells of a given Circle. It requires a fewminutes to cast Terrestrial spells, at least halfand hour for Terrestrial spells, and upwardson an Hour for most Solar spells.

4) Total the levels on all the Elements anddivide by 2, rounding up. This is the spellsdifficulty.

5) Casting. Describe the magical ritual usedto cast the spell. As always, the more colorfulthe details, the more dice you will have toroll. Roll the dice generated during the ritualagainst your Mental + Occult. Each point ofDifficulty for the spell represents a successyou need to cast it. If you estimate you willbe unable to roll enough successes to castthe spell, you may expend Essence to lower

the difficulty before rolling to cast the spell.Each point of Essence you spend will lower thedifficulty by 2 (to a minimum of 1).

Example: Sirius Kingmaker has preparedhimself to cast a singularly powerful SolarCircle spell which will conjure a terribledemonic horde to ravage the lands of a rulerfoolish enough to break his pact with theExalted political manipulator. The spell workslike so:

VENGEANCE OF A THOUSANDLOCUST-DEMONSDescription: summons a horde of lesserdemons to lay waste to a region. It attackscrops with a dice pool of 4 and rolls against atrait value of 3. The horde of demons act asThreat 4 mooks, attacking anyone in the areaof effect.Power: 4Finesse: 3Effects: 2 (Summons mook demons, attacksand blights crops)Range: 2 (sight)Scope: 5 (city)Duration: 2 (scene)

Total of Elements: 18Difficulty: 9

Sirius elects to expend a great deal of essence-3 points- to reduce the difficulty to 3. Withhis ritual, he generates 7 dice. He needs to

roll at least 3 dice under his Mental + Occultof 5 to cast this terrible spell.

SORCERY IN COMBATWhen used in combat, Sorcery is treated likeany other action; describe it with colorfuldetails, then roll the dice this generatesagainst your Mental + Occult score instead ofone of your combat abilities. These brief and

simple spells dont work as described above,rather they simply give sorcerers a means ofcolorfully doing battle.

Example: Sirius Kingmaker is fleeing theregion he ravaged with his previous spell.His energies are severely depleted, and heneeds to find a place to rest and recover.However, his actions attracted the attentionof a party of young Dragon-Blooded nobleson a hunting expedition. The Dynasts decidea fleeing anathema would make better prey

than forest cats or blood wolves, so they setto the chase. Sirius realizes they are faster,so lies in ambush, chanting battle spells (+1).He conjures a swarm of tiny demonic crystalshards to sting and distract his enemies (+1),then incants the Seven Names of UndyingTyphon (+1) raising his hands in the positionsof Force and Summoning (+1), and callingforth a cloud of carnivorous albino butterflieswhich latch onto his foes and gorge on fleshand blood (+1) finally flushing crimson redand transforming to cherry blossoms tofall off, eventually leaving polished-cleanflower-strewn skeletons (+1). He rolls 7 diceagainst his enemies this round.

TASK RESOLUTION

COMBAT SITUATIONS

Combat actions are resolved exactly asdescribed in WUSHU except that the targetnumber is decided by whichever Attribute +Ability total is most relevant to the descriptiongiven. Sometimes, different abilities areinvolved (for example a character may bedodging and attacking in the same round), inwhich case scarlet and ebon dice may be rolledagainst different Attribute + Ability Totals.

For example, Invincible Hammer King isfighting Wistful Shadows of Neglect, thedeathknight shadow of his First Age Lover.

IHK: With a mighty roar (+1), Hammer Kingwhirls his weapon overhead (+1), creatinga maelstrom of golden light that flashestowards his enemy (+1).

WSN: Expression unchanged+1), Shadowsof Neglect continues to sprint forward (+1),snakes of crackling golden light trailing hisfootsteps as his opponents attack dissipatesineffectually (+1). As he reaches HammerKing, his daiklave whips from his sheath in adeadly arc of ebon shadow (+1).IHK: which King blocks with a deafeningclang of metal (+1), as radiant orichalcumclashes against soulsteel (+1).

Invincible Hammer Kings details net him 5 diceand chooses to roll 4 scarlet dice and 1 ebondice. He chooses to roll both pools against his

Physical + Melee total of 5 (although he couldconceivably have used Thrown or maybeOccult for the energy bolt). In total he gets 4scarlet successes and 1 ebon success.

Wistful Shadows of Neglect gets 4 dice. Herolls 2 scarlet and 2 ebon dice. He rolls theebon dice against his Physical + Resistancetotal of 4 and his scarlet dice against aPhysical + Melee of 5. His dice come up 2scarlet successes and 1 ebon success.


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At the end of this round, Invincible HammerKing has lost 1 essence while Wistful Shadowsof Neglect has lost 3.

Why did WSN not roll against Physical + Meleefor both as it gave a higher total? Just likestunting, you cant use the same descriptionto earn dice twice in the same scene. WSNsplayer has left himself more options for

describing his melee attacks by defendinghimself in a different way at the beginning ofthe combat.

NON-COMBAT

Stunting out of combat is very much a featureof EXALTED and so WUSHUs scab rolls are notencouraged. Instead, players should describetheir actions just as they would in combat, androll against the best total that the descriptionincludes. There are two types of non-combatsituation which are likely to occur: situationaland opposed. These relate directly to combatactions against mooks and nemesis in terms

of mechanics.

SITUATIONALA situation will always have a danger and adifficulty. Danger represents how many ebonsuccesses the character needs to roll eachround to avoid losing essence (equivalent toMooks hits). The difficulty is the number ofscarlet successes which must be accrued todefeat the situation (again, just like reducinga Mook groups threat level to zero).

A situation may also have a time limit. Thisrepresents the need to perform an actionquickly. Failure to achieve enough successesto beat the difficulty within however manyrounds the time limit allows will triggersome extra condition, making the situationworse. Typical conditions include the dangerincreasing, automatically losing 1 essenceeach round, Mooks or Nemeses arriving,

the difficulty resetting or the situationautomatically ending.

Example. In order to reach an enemy camp,the characters must cross an open areacovered by archers. The GM determines thatthis situation has a difficulty of 3 and a dangerof 2. Using whatever Attribute + Abilities bestfit their descriptions the player must roll atleast 2 ebon successes each round to avoid

losing essence (equal to the difference) andwill have reached the far side of the area whenthey have totalled 3 successes on their scarletdice.

SOME MORE EXAMPLESPersuade a merchant to let you travel aboardhis vessel. Difficulty 3, danger 1.Spot an ambush. Difficulty 3 (or whateverambusher rolled on their scarlet dice to setit), danger 1, time limit 1. The condition is -2dice on first round of combat.Deciphering a first age book. Difficulty 20,

danger 1Sneaking over a wall while the guards patrolroute causes their back to be turned. Difficulty4, danger 2, time limit 2. Condition: characteris spotted & guard attacks.

Remember Essence represents willpower andessence as well as health so losing Essence canjust as easily represent having used severalcharms and depleted your pools, or usedseveral points of temporary willpower toaid success, as receiving injuries. In this way,dividing dice between scarlet and ebon poolsis representative of how much risk a character

is taking while performing an action.

OPPOSEDAlternately, some non-combat actions areopposed situations, where a Nemesis must bedefeated in a non-lethal way such as beingpersuaded to a plan of action or beaten in arace. In this case the situation is run exactlylike in combat, however either participantmay withdraw at the beginning of a round to

avoid losing any more essence. CREDITS

The vast majority of this conversion waswritten by Benjamin Baugh with copioushelpful input and encouragement from theregulars at rpg.net.

Additional content, rules tweaks and layoutby voidstate

wushu-exalted rules 1.5

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