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D&D 4E 4E and Exalted: Use the setting
- Thread starter Engilbrand
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inkmonkeys
First Post
hong said:
Gethemane has entrances to vast networks of underground tunnels, filled with untoward beasts; and the Mountain Folk in the Imperial Mountain guard their underground habitat against creatures, intelligent and not, that would otherwise ravage the surface. Furthermore, those depths are where the Primordials banished all their living inventions they didn't like, so there are lots of crazy and inventive monsters down there. They sound like two entrances to Exalted's Underdark to me!
Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
Well, hmmm, bearing in mind that I think the setting is much better done then the Exalted are here is how I would do it.
DnD + Creation
Cosmology (much of this is going to be pretty similar to Hong's Idea):
Elemental Chaos=Beyond the Poles of Creation
Shadowfell=Underworld
Feywild=Rakshastan - but I'm going to make it a skin over the whole of creation, to keep the echo effect of the original creation of the world story from DnD.
Astral Planes = Elsewhere/Yu Shan
Divine Domains =Yu Shan+Divine Sanctuaries+Autocthon+The Loom of Fate
Far Realms = Malfeas+The Labyrinth.
Abyss = That aspect of the Elemental Chaos that sits below Creation.
Underdark = As it turns out Creation already has one.
DnD Races in Creation
Right, I'm going to say that humanity got as boned as everyone else by the war against the primordials so creation has always been less homogeneous than it was in the original game.
Dragonborn - Descendants of the servitors of the Dragon Kings. Now they are famed warrior pilgrims looking for the remaining Dragon Kings as well as absolution for falling from the proper worship of the Unconquered Sun. They are common in the South.
Dwarves - Freed slaves of the Giants (who I'm going to say were a breed of Rhakshasa that were allied with the Primordials). They were made as poor approximations of the True Dwarves who live beneath the Holy Mountain. In the South and North they make up most of the urban population.
Eladrin - These were Rhakshasa who allied with the gods in the war against the primordials. They thus possess a special relationship with Creation. They are uncommon everywhere but the coastal cities and the imperial mount.
Elves - These are Rhakshasa who snuk into creation or were trapped here. As such they have only a tenuous relationship to the Feywyld. They are very common in the North and East.
Halflings - Their origin is uncertain. They could be a creation of the first age or they could be simply a distinct creation of the primordials. They are extremely common in the West and Scavenger Lands. When found elsewhere it is likely in relationship to the Guild.
Half-Elves - In no way related to Elves. They're simply people who've lived so long close to one of the poles that they've taken on otherworldly characteristics. They are occur with regularity at the edges of the world, and at this point they make up most of the population of the Realm. They are colored according to the pole their family comes from.
Humans - The 'original' vassals of the Dragon-Kings and gods. Their fortunes have risen and fallen with horrible frequency. Now they live primarily on the boundaries of the inner sea. Most are nomads or semi-civilized at best, but in the Scavenger Lands they have they are as civilized and urbane as any other people on earth and the most successful scavenger lords.
Tieflings - One result of humanity's terrible reversals of fortune. Most are now a client caste of the realm's hegemony. There are free communities in the scavenger lands who remember the Shogunate and are strong allies of Lookshy.
DnD + Creation
Cosmology (much of this is going to be pretty similar to Hong's Idea):
Elemental Chaos=Beyond the Poles of Creation
Shadowfell=Underworld
Feywild=Rakshastan - but I'm going to make it a skin over the whole of creation, to keep the echo effect of the original creation of the world story from DnD.
Astral Planes = Elsewhere/Yu Shan
Divine Domains =Yu Shan+Divine Sanctuaries+Autocthon+The Loom of Fate
Far Realms = Malfeas+The Labyrinth.
Abyss = That aspect of the Elemental Chaos that sits below Creation.
Underdark = As it turns out Creation already has one.
DnD Races in Creation
Right, I'm going to say that humanity got as boned as everyone else by the war against the primordials so creation has always been less homogeneous than it was in the original game.
Dragonborn - Descendants of the servitors of the Dragon Kings. Now they are famed warrior pilgrims looking for the remaining Dragon Kings as well as absolution for falling from the proper worship of the Unconquered Sun. They are common in the South.
Dwarves - Freed slaves of the Giants (who I'm going to say were a breed of Rhakshasa that were allied with the Primordials). They were made as poor approximations of the True Dwarves who live beneath the Holy Mountain. In the South and North they make up most of the urban population.
Eladrin - These were Rhakshasa who allied with the gods in the war against the primordials. They thus possess a special relationship with Creation. They are uncommon everywhere but the coastal cities and the imperial mount.
Elves - These are Rhakshasa who snuk into creation or were trapped here. As such they have only a tenuous relationship to the Feywyld. They are very common in the North and East.
Halflings - Their origin is uncertain. They could be a creation of the first age or they could be simply a distinct creation of the primordials. They are extremely common in the West and Scavenger Lands. When found elsewhere it is likely in relationship to the Guild.
Half-Elves - In no way related to Elves. They're simply people who've lived so long close to one of the poles that they've taken on otherworldly characteristics. They are occur with regularity at the edges of the world, and at this point they make up most of the population of the Realm. They are colored according to the pole their family comes from.
Humans - The 'original' vassals of the Dragon-Kings and gods. Their fortunes have risen and fallen with horrible frequency. Now they live primarily on the boundaries of the inner sea. Most are nomads or semi-civilized at best, but in the Scavenger Lands they have they are as civilized and urbane as any other people on earth and the most successful scavenger lords.
Tieflings - One result of humanity's terrible reversals of fortune. Most are now a client caste of the realm's hegemony. There are free communities in the scavenger lands who remember the Shogunate and are strong allies of Lookshy.
Last edited:
Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
Reynard said:
I don't know that it is.
The primary problem with Exalted social charms is that they pretty much function as instant wins. Which isn't very DnD.
Or at least I thought that was the problem being referred to.
High-level D&D is traditionally as far-out as Exalted, so to emulate an exalt you could just use the level system (as previously suggested). I also think you could add easier multiclassing, or just free multiclassing in some class.
It's a shame that there are just four roles, otherwise you could use the roles as castes; Dawn = defender, Zenith = leader, Twilight = controller and Night = striker. Maybe Eclipse could be of any role? Another option is to drop the Eclipse caste as a PC-caste. This necessitates that your players aren't in to the Eclipse-caste or doesn't suffer from RPG- related OCD.
The excellency-charms can be dropped. You can assume that they are used or you could say that exalted are just inately superior without having to use excellencies. Anima flares can be based on expenditure of per encounter abilities and daily abilities. When you are out of those, you have the full flare.
Those are the mechanical changes I would make as exaltations are concerned.
Races can switched for different races in Exalted. A PC that is one of those small panda- people can use the mechanical bonuses of halflings, for example. There are many strange peoples in Exalted, pick the one you think will emulate the D&D-race of your choice.
I would put other exalted in NPC-territory, at least for a start.
It's a shame that there are just four roles, otherwise you could use the roles as castes; Dawn = defender, Zenith = leader, Twilight = controller and Night = striker. Maybe Eclipse could be of any role? Another option is to drop the Eclipse caste as a PC-caste. This necessitates that your players aren't in to the Eclipse-caste or doesn't suffer from RPG- related OCD.
The excellency-charms can be dropped. You can assume that they are used or you could say that exalted are just inately superior without having to use excellencies. Anima flares can be based on expenditure of per encounter abilities and daily abilities. When you are out of those, you have the full flare.
Those are the mechanical changes I would make as exaltations are concerned.
Races can switched for different races in Exalted. A PC that is one of those small panda- people can use the mechanical bonuses of halflings, for example. There are many strange peoples in Exalted, pick the one you think will emulate the D&D-race of your choice.
I would put other exalted in NPC-territory, at least for a start.
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