1

Credits
Author and PDF Layout: Jeremy “BlackWingedHeaven” Puckett
Editing: Chisa Puckett and Michael Adair
Email Contact: blackwingedheaven@gmail.com
Playtesters: Chisa Puckett, Michael Adair, Jonathan Culler, Joe Lamothe, Rachel Collier, Chris Cansler
Cover Art: TequilaSunburn
Interior Artists: Bruno Balixa, GreenDinoXD, Ryunnosuke, Shaman’s Stockart, Storn Cook, TequilaSunburn,
TyphonArt, Velnna, Jen
Via Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Sharealike: rebirthofdougler111, ammoth, kynlo, arsfeb,
TyphonArt, Jeff Preston, Storn Cook, Filip Stojak, TT Mäkinen, kirill777.

Original Marvel Heroic Roleplaying rules by Cam Banks and Rob Donoghue. Additional rules concepts drawn
from the MWP community.

Latest Release Version: November 20, 2015

V2.1

This game material references the Cortex Plus® game system, available from Margaret Weis Productions at
www.margaretweis.com. Cortex® and Cortex Plus® and all associated logos and trademarks are solely owned by
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. and are used with permission. Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. makes no
representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability of the purpose of this product.

This PDF is not an official Onyx Path or Exalted release. Exalted® and all associated logos and trademarks are
solely owned by White Wolf Publishing and Onyx Path Publishing and are used without permission. Onyx Path
makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability of the purpose of this product.

Notice: This is not a complete game!

Despite the size of this book, Exalted: Blood and Fire is almost entirely a work of rules and mechanics. There is very
little information in this book about the wild and strange world of Creation. If you want to run an Exalted
campaign, you should get one or more of the wonderful books created for the game by White Wolf or Onyx Path.
Please support the actual game line.

2
 Contents

Introduction 5
Chapter One: Rules 9
Chapter Two: Playing the Game 23
Chapter Three: Powers, SFX, and Limits 33
Chapter Four: Specialties 53
Chapter Five: Advancement 63
Chapter Six: The Exalted 69
Chapter Seven: Running the Game 91
Chapter Eight: Antagonists 99

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4
 INTRODUCTION
“If the gods are real, then why is the world so unjust?”
—Jaime Lannister, Game of Thrones, “Fire and Blood”
Originally published by White Wolf and currently
published by Onyx Path, Exalted is a world like no
other. Created as a response to the Tolkien-saturated
fantasy role-playing market, Exalted’s setting—the
world of Creation—is a place inspired more by the
classic Greek epics and Hindu scriptures, by the
Bronze Age era of history, and by the more modern
influences of Japanese anime and Chinese wuxia.
Exalted is a fantasy roleplaying game set in the
mythic prehistory of the world, a time when gods still
walked openly among men, the world was flat, and
the restless dead roamed on moonless nights. Players
take the role of the Exalted, heroic men and women
granted blessings of power by the mightiest of the
gods. The Exalted can slay gods with their blades and
arrows, leap across vast canyons, master ancient and
miraculous sorcery, endure the burning heat of the
desert or the killing cold of the tundra with only
their natural resilience, and outwit demons using
their razor wit.
The mightiest of the Exalted are the Solar Exalted.
The Solars were once rulers of the world, but were
betrayed and banished for many centuries. Now their
power has come back into the world, imbuing men
and women with divine might. They are stalked by
the Wyld Hunt and feared by gods and men for their
incomparable power, which will only grow in the
fullness of time. Will your characters attempt to
rebuild the glories of ages past, or remake the world
according to a new vision? Will your power save the
world—or destroy it?
This is your tale. What legends will they tell of
your deeds?
Cortex Plus and Exalted
Exalted: Blood and Fire uses the dynamic Cortex
Plus system as its basic engine, specifically the variant
known as Cortex Plus Heroic. In this system, when a
character wants to act he assembles a dice pool and
makes a roll, either against an opposing character or
the GM’s special dice pool, the doom pool.
Cortex Plus Heroic was originally used for the
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game from Margaret Weis
Productions, written by Cam Banks and Rob
Donoghue. This fan work uses extensive rules
elements from both MHR and the Cortex Plus
Hacker’s Guide, specifically the Fantasy Heroic rules
section.
Players familiar with Exalted in its prior
incarnations will recognize right away that this book
is not a complete game. The text of Exalted: Blood and
Fire focuses on the mechanics of the Cortex Plus
Heroic system and acting as a brief primer about the
world of Creation. This document is intended to
work in conjunction with the actual Exalted setting
books, rather than serving as a replacement for them.
All three editions of Exalted have extensive world-
building and setting material associated with them.
While differences and contradictions exist between
the editions, the major points remain the same
across all three—and where contradictions exist, it
may be assumed to be the fault of in-world
misunderstandings about distances, locations, and
customs. Creation is vast, after all.
For players and game masters interested in learning
more about the world of Creation, the author
recommends the following:
Scavenger Sons (1st Edition): This book details the
River Province (known as the Scavenger Lands) in
great detail as well as various other “scavenger
kingdoms” throughout the world. It might well be
considered the best setting book ever made for
Exalted.
Games of Divinity (1st Edition): The strange
cosmology of Exalted gets its best treatment in this
book. From the nature of the Incarnae to the
mysteries of the Yozis, no game master should ignore
this work.
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 Manacle and Coin (1st Edition): The grim ugliness
of the Guild and its methods of generating profit on
a global scale are the focus of this book. Never has
economics been so fascinating—and so horrifying.
Houses of the Bull God (1st Edition): For being a
book that primarily focuses on a single nation
(Harborhead), it remains one of the most evocative
and interesting books of the edition.
Manual of Exalted Power: The Alchemicals and
Compass of Celestial Directions: Autochthonia (2nd
Edition): These two books about the alien world of
Autochthonia and the Champions that serve it
provide one of the best looks at Exalted from an
outside point of view. The industrial world of the
6
Eight Nations and its Alchemical Exalted are very
different from Creation, but are nonetheless
fascinating.
Masters of Jade (2nd Edition): In some ways, this
book revisits the material from Manacle and Coin,
and in other ways it reinvents it. Even if you think
you know the Guild, this book can deliver surprises.
As of the writing of this document, Exalted 3rd
Edition has just been released, filling the world of
Creation with even more, even stranger inhabitants
and locations. The progression of this edition will
surely prove worthwhile to even players uninterested
in the core Storyteller system. Please support the
official releases whenever possible.
7
8
 CHAPTER ONE
RULES

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break
them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”
—Robert Heinlein

The Basics 9. The opponent then assembles a dice pool

similarly. If the action does not directly affect
another target, the opposition is the doom pool. The
The game follows the following fundamental rules.
opposition rolls a reaction, which also generates a
total and effect die.
1. Describe what you intend to do. If you are the
active player and what you want to attempt has a
10. If the action’s total equals or exceeds the
chance to fail, it is described in these rules as taking
reaction’s total, the action was a success. If the
an action.
reaction’s total is higher, the action fails.
2. When taking an action, assemble your dice pool.
11. If the reaction’s total was higher, a counterattack
may be possible (if the GM rolled an opportunity).
3. Roll the dice.
12. An opposing party can buy any opportunities
4. Set aside any dice showing 1s: they cannot be used
(anyone directly involved in the roll gets the first
in the action. These dice are called opportunities and
chance, then if they decline, others may buy them
can be triggered after the roll resolves for a variety of
instead). The GM buys player opportunities to add
effects by an opposing party.
dice to the doom pool, and players may buy GM
opportunities for stunts/resources in their next
5. Pick any two remaining dice; add their values
action/reaction.
together for your total.
Partial Defense: If your opponent has a larger
6. Pick any one other die to use as your effect die.
effect die than you, your effect die is stepped back by
Only the size of the die matters for your effect die,
one. So if you have a d8 effect and your opponent
not what number it is showing. If you have no
has a d10, your effect die becomes a d6. This is
remaining dice for your effect die, the default is a
known as a partial defense.
single d4.
Extraordinary Success: If a total beats the
opposition’s total by more than 5, the effect die is
7. Decide if you spend Motes to add additional
stepped up. The effect die is also stepped up for
remaining dice to your total, or add another effect
every 5 above after that. Once an effect die hits d12,
die (with some restrictions). SFX and Limits may also
you get to add an additional effect die from the
allow you to modify rolls.
unused dice of your pool for every additional
difference of 5 in total. If you don’t have any more
8. Choose whether your effect die (or dice) will be
dice, you can add a d4 effect if you want.
used to inflict stress (and what kind), inflict a
complication, or create an asset.

9
 Glossary of Terms
Act: A single session of play.
Action: Rolling dice to achieve a desired outcome.
Opposed by a reaction.
Action order: The order in which the characters act,
determined by the situation and then by the players.
Action Scene: A scene focused on a conflict in some
kind in which time matters. Types of Action Scenes
include Combat Scenes and Tension Scenes.
Activate an opportunity: Spending a Mote or a
doom die to gain a benefit from an opponent’s
opportunity (roll of 1 on a die.)
Arc: A story spanning several sessions of play (Acts).
Attack action: An action taken to inflict stress or a
complication on a target character or trait. Can be
close or ranged.
Attribute: A broad statement of a character’s
mental, physical, and social abilities.
Asset: A beneficial effect die that can be added to a
hero’s dice pool, whose creation represented some
kind of risk.
Categories: Sections of a character’s sheet and the
situation that contribute dice to a dice pool. Using
more than one die from the same category requires
spending Motes.
Character: The fictional people represented in the
game by the players and the GM.
Complication: A problematic effect die that is added
to an opposing dice pool.
Counterattack: On a successful reaction, if the
opposing side shows an opportunity, the reacting
player can activate the opportunity for a
counterattack. On a counterattack, the reacting
player inflicts stress or a complication with his effect
die, or creates an asset, as appropriate to the
narration.
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Dice pool: A collection of dice from various
categories that support or help to achieve a goal.
Distinction: A trait that represents defining
backgrounds, personality traits, or catchphrases that
summarize important facets of the hero’s outlook
and approach to life.
Doom dice: Dice in the doom pool.
Doom pool: The pool of dice the GM uses in place
of Motes to oppose the heroes and activate
additional threats, challenges, and situations.
Double: Roll two dice of the same type (such as
rolling 2d8 instead of d8).
Effect die: A die from a rolled dice pool not
included in your total, and used to create an asset,
complication, or stress.
Essence: The die that represents the general power
level of a character. Normal mortals have no Essence
die, while heroic mortals, gods, demons, and the
Exalted have increasingly higher Essence dice. For
NPCs, this die is replaced by Threat.
Exalted: The Chosen of the Gods, wielders of an
incredible power that makes them more than
human. Each type of Exalted is affiliated with a
particular force of reality: Solars, Lunars, Sidereals,
Terrestrials, Abyssals, Infernals, Alchemicals,
Liminals, and Exigents are known types of Exalted.
Experience Points (XP): Earned by hitting triggers
in Milestones, and used to unlock additional abilities
or benefits.
Extraordinary success: When your action total is 5
or more points higher than your opponent’s reaction
total.
GM: Game Master; the referee of the game, whose
responsibility it is to create Arcs and portray the
world of the game. Also called a Storyteller.
Grandstanding: When a GM-controlled character
takes an action to directly add dice to the doom pool
by sowing havoc or wreaking destruction in the
scene.
Large Scale Threat: A more powerful and important
version of a threat that can challenge multiple heroes
at once.
Limit: Restriction on a power set that helps the
player generate Motes.
Limit Break: A condition in which an Exalted
character’s emotions overcome his reason, causing
him to become intemperate and dangerous.
Milestone: A guide to the sorts of decisions the hero
should make or seek out during play.
Mote: The currency of play, earned by investing in
the story or taking risks; spent to enhance your
hero’s actions, activate opportunities, and more.
NPC: Non-player character; any character
represented in play by the GM.
Opportunity: A die that comes up a 1 in a roll; the
opportunity is granted to the opposing side.
PC: Player character; a character controlled by a
player rather than by the GM.
Player: One of the real people playing the game.
Power Set: A thematic collection of power traits,
SFX, and Limits on those powers.
Power trait: A trait in a Power Set that represents an
exceptional ability.
Reaction: Rolling a dice pool in response to an
action.
Recovery action: Rolling dice to attempt to recover
from stress more quickly.
Resource: A bonus die linked to a Specialty
representing contacts, knowledge, or tools that come
naturally from training.
Scene: A period of time centered on a single conflict
or situation. Scenes can be divided into Combat
Scenes and Transition Scenes.
Scene Distinction: Assets and complications that
can help or hinder those involved in the scene from
the environment.
Shutdown: When you can’t use a power trait or
Power Set until the recovery condition is met.
Specialty: A trait that represents skills, contacts,
knowledge, and training beyond the level of an
average person. Each Specialty is rated at either
Expert or Master.
Special effects (SFX): Personalized tricks that
individualize Power Sets to suit a hero or threat.
Step: The difference between consecutive sized dice,
such as the difference between a d4 and d6. The
difference between a d4 and a d8 is two steps, and so
on.
Step back: Switch out a die for the next one with
fewer sides (such as from d8 to d6).
Step up: Switch out a die for the next one with more
sides (such as from d8 to d10).
Stress: Negative traits gained as a result of a conflict;
can be physical, mental, or social.
Stress out: When a kind of stress exceeds d12; the
character can’t take any actions until the stress is
recovered.
Stunt: A bonus die that’s thematically linked to a
hero’s Power Set or Specialty and is created by
spending a Mote or giving a powerful narrative
description of an action.
Team: Anywhere from two to a dozen or more
individual threats that act and behave as a group.
Threat: An abstract measurement of the danger of a
particular NPC or monster. This trait replaces
Essence for most NPCs.
11
 Total: A measure of how much effort your hero has
put forward, usually the sum of two dice in your dice
pool.
Traits: Powers, significant backgrounds, abilities,
and so on.
Transition Scene: A scene in which the primary
focus is on the dialogue and interaction between
characters, including non-violent confrontations and
exploration. Types of Transition Scenes include
Exploration Scenes and Social Scenes.
Trauma: Persistent negative traits that result from
being stressed out.
Trigger: A specific element of a Milestone that earns
you XP for meeting the conditions it sets.
Dice Pools
Characters in Cortex Plus Heroic operate on a
categories system for dice. Think of each category as
a bucket you can pull a die out of: when you take an
action or reaction, you assemble a dice pool using
one die from each category (with some exceptions).
A character can draw a die from each of the
following basic categories for free:
 Essence
 Attribute (Physical, Mental, or Social)
 Distinction (personal or scene)
 Powers (one per set, no more than two active
sets)
 Specialty
By spending 1 Mote, he can add an extra
applicable die from the same category.
If a character does not have an applicable power or
Specialty, he can always choose to default to a d6.
However, if he does so, he may not use anything else
from that category; so no SFX, no Limit for a Mote,
no splitting dice, etc.
Additionally, a character can use one die from each
of the conditional categories:
 Stunt
 Asset
 Resource
 Opponent’s complication
 Opponent’s stress or trauma
12
Each of these dice categories is explained in greater
detail below.
Essence
This die is the most basic thing that any character
rolls when taking action. It represents their heroic
potential, mystical connection to the forces of the
universe, and overall prowess. Ordinary mortals lack
an Essence die, but they would rarely be in a
situation where they would need to take individual
action; ordinary mortals are generally only dangerous
to more powerful characters in mobs.
Heroic mortals generally have a d6 Essence die,
while true Exalted have increasingly larger dice.
Dragon-Blooded characters start with a d8, Lunars
and Solars with a d10, and elder Exalted sometimes
reach the heights of power to possess a d12 Essence.
For NPCs, the Essence die is replaced by Threat, an
abstract measurement of the NPC’s overall power
level.
Attributes
Characters have three Attributes: Physical, Mental,
and Social. These represent their basic, untrained
potential in taking various actions.
Physical is a character’s strength, speed,
endurance, agility, toughness, and overall capacity to
use his body. Combat—both close and ranged—is
usually a Physical action.
Mental is a character’s intelligence, wits, willpower,
and overall ability to think under pressure. Using
magic of various sorts, such as Sorcery, is usually a
Mental action.
Social is a character’s charisma, attractiveness,
assertiveness, and general ability to convince others
to do what he wants. Browbeating, negotiation, and
public performance are all Social actions.
When creating a character, the player assigns
Attributes based on being specialized or balanced. A
specialized character distributes d10, d8, and d6
among his three Attributes; a balanced character has
d8 in all three.
Distinctions
Every character possesses three Distinctions; a
Distinction can be rolled as d8 or d4. Rolling a
Distinction as d4 represents that Distinction offering
your character some sort of difficulty, and it gains
you 1 Mote.
 Your first Distinction is your Caste or Aspect
Distinction, which includes your Exalted Caste or
Aspect in parentheses. This should be the
Distinction that represents how you Exalted, or the
focus of your life since Exalting. This could be
something like “Undefeated of the East (Dawn),”
“High Priest of the Unconquered Sun (Zenith),” or
“Dark Avenger (Night).” The other two Distinctions
should reference your personality, approach to life,
or talents. Such Distinctions could include such
things as “Deadliest Sword in the South,” “Former
Guildsman,” “Trained by the Grass Spiders,” and so
on.
Your second Distinction should be your Trouble
Distinction, something that frequently causes you
problems but occasionally pays off. This should be a
Distinction that you use most often as a d4 to gain a
Mote, but sometimes usable as a d8. The GM can
also trigger your Trouble Distinction to increase your
limit stress.
Your final Distinction is a personal one which you
can use to highlight some piece of information about
your character, like his background, tactics, skills, or
personality traits.
There are also Scene Distinctions, which act as
both flavor for an Action Scene and as ways of
interacting with them in combat. A character can
either use a personal Distinction or a Scene
Distinction in his pool, but not both without
spending Motes.
Powers
Each character can have from zero to three power
sets, though generally only two will be “active” at a
time; on any given dice roll, a character can use one
die from each power set that would be applicable.
Powers are generally divided into Charms (innate
magical abilities), Panoply (gear and artifacts), and
Martial Arts (trained skills that are usually
incompatible with gear use). Powers are rated from
d6 to d12.
Each power level has an adjective associated with
it. So a power at d6 is “Trained,” d8 is “Enhanced,”
d10 is “Superhuman,” and d12 is “Godlike.”
Specialties
These are a character’s trained skills. They range
from d6 (Rookie) to d12 (Grandmaster). The most
common Specialty levels are d8 (Expert) and d10
(Master). The adjective descriptions are normally
used after the Specialty name, so a character can be a
Combat Expert or a Mystic Master, for example.
When a character creates Resources, they are
generally based on the level of the character’s
Specialty.
Assets
An asset is a temporary dice bonus, generally
created by taking an action to roll against the doom
pool. On a successful roll, an asset is generated with
a value equal to the creator’s effect die. This asset
lasts for the next roll it is used in (or next two rolls,
at the GM’s discretion) before going away. The
player can spend a Mote to make an asset last until
the end of the Scene. Additionally, a player can
spend 1 Mote per additional character who can use
the asset.
Resources
A resource is a long-term benefit, generally created
during a Transition Scene by spending a Mote. A
Resource lasts until the end of the following scene
after it is created; a character may spend an
additional Mote to keep a Resource until the end of
the current Act. Resources are keyed off Specialties,
being one step lower than the associated Specialty.
(So a character with War Master d10 could create a
war-related Resource at d8, while a character with
Covert Expert d8 could create a covert-related
Resource at d6.) A player can also create a Resource
during an Action Scene by spending a Mote to
activate a GM opportunity.
Opponent’s Stress or Trauma
When making a roll against an opponent, you can
include their stress or trauma die as a bonus to your
dice pool. This represents you exploiting their
weakness in battle. If an opponent has more than
one of these categories of penalty, you only get the
highest one for free. A character can also spend 1
Mote to include his own stress or trauma in the roll,
at the cost of stepping it up by one after the roll.
13
 Opponent’s Complication
A complication is an adverse situation imposed on
an opponent. A character can use one complication
suffered by his foe in his own dice pool.
Stunts
A stunt represents a sudden burst of power from a
character, pushing himself beyond his limits. Stunts
range from d6 to d10 and exist only for the duration
of a single roll.
Dice Pools and Rolling
All of this means that a character operating at full
power with all possible benefits to his advantage can
roll as many as ten dice for his pool! A more likely
dice pool is four to five dice (Essence, Distinction,
one or two Powers, and a Specialty.) Even without
any Powers or Specialties that apply to a situation, a
character can never roll less than two dice—his
Essence and either a personal Distinction or a Scene
Distinction.
After assembling a dice pool and rolling, set aside
any dice that show as 1s. These are opportunities,
which the GM can choose to purchase from the
player at the cost of 1 Mote each to grow his dice
pool. If a character shows multiple 1s in the same
pool, the GM can buy them individually for d6
doom dice at 1 Mote each, or he can spend 1 Mote
to buy all of them as a single die stepped up. (So he
could buy two 1s as a d8 doom die, or three 1s as a
d10 doom die, and so on.)
Once all 1s are removed, any two remaining dice
are added together for your total, determining
whether you succeed or fail. The highest remaining
die type after this determines your effect. So, a
character could have a total of 11, with an effect of
d8, for example.
If you succeed on your roll but your opponent’s
effect die is higher than yours, that opponent
generates a partial defense and steps back your effect
die by one (turning a d8 into a d6, for example). The
active character wins ties (so attacker wins ties in
combat). If your effect die is stepped back below d4,
your action does nothing.
If you succeed by five or more, you achieve an
extraordinary success. Every five points by which you
14
beat your opponent’s total steps up your effect die by
one step. This means that your opponent could have
a partial defense, stepping back your effect die,
followed by your effect die stepping up again from
extraordinary success.
If you have at least three dice available after setting
aside opportunities, you must keep one of them for
your effect die and two for your total. If you have less
than three dice remaining, you use the dice you have
for your total, and take a single d4 as your effect die
by default.
By spending 1 Mote after rolling, you can choose
to keep an additional die for your total. You may
continue to spend Motes to add dice to your total as
long as you have dice to add and Motes to spend. If
your opponent adds a die (either by spending a Mote
or a doom die), you immediately have the option to
do so as well.
Before rolling, you can declare that you want to
keep additional effect dice. Generally, this represents
attacking multiple foes with one attack, inflicting a
complication on an enemy as well as doing damage,
or creating an asset for yourself at the same time as
inflicting damage on a foe. You declare your intent
before rolling, but you do not spend Motes until
after you finish the roll; at that time, you can keep an
additional effect die for each Mote you spend.
Multiple effect die cannot be kept for the same
purpose, so you can’t keep two dice to inflict stress
but you could inflict stress and create a complication
from the same roll.
Essence Die
A character gains power from his Exalted soul.
This heroic shard of destiny makes his mind quicker,
his body stronger, his spirit firmer. In game, this is
represented by the Essence die.
Every player character has an Essence die, ranging
from d6 (Heroic Mortal) to d12 (Elder Exalted).
Most player characters will have a d8 or d10 Essence
at character creation. Barring extremely unusual
situations, a character can always use his Essence die
as part of a dice pool—this die represents his basic
physical and mental abilities.
For NPCs, Essence (and Attributes) is often
replaced with Threat dice, an abstract measurement
of the level of danger the NPC represents to player
characters. Major NPCs will sometimes have an
Essence die and Attributes rather than Threat dice.
Player characters start with Essence dice based on
their character type as follows:
 Essence d6: Heroic mortals, god-blooded,
demon-blooded, and ghost-blooded.
 Essence d8: Terrestrial Exalted (Dragon-Bloods)
and Alchemical Exalted.
 Essence d10: Celestial Exalted.
 Essence d12: The most powerful of gods and
elder Exalted can reach these lofty heights of
power.
While characters can advance their Essence die
through experience and meditation, there are hard
limits on the level of power it is possible to possess
for any given character type.
Heroic mortals may not advance their Essence die
above d6; advancing beyond that level is only
possible by becoming partly divine (a god-blood or
demon-blood, for example) or by becoming a true
Exalted. Other characters can advance up to one die
type above their starting die, but generally only after
becoming “elders” (whatever that means for the
individual character type).
Distinctions
A character has three Distinctions. These three
short phrases act as guideposts to the character’s
behavior and abilities. The first is his High Concept
or Caste Distinction, demonstrating the core
concept of the character and the reason he was
chosen for Exaltation. The second is his Trouble
Distinction, showing a personal failing that
sometimes pays off for him. The third is a Personal
Distinction, used to highlight some aspect of his
personality, tactics, or background.
A Distinction can be included in a dice pool if
applicable. Most Distinctions should be applicable in
a wide variety of circumstances. The player uses the
Distinction at d8 if it is a benefit for him, or d4 if it
acts as a hindrance; using a Distinction at d4 gains
the player 1 Mote.
Most Scenes also have Scene Distinctions, which
the player can choose to use if none of his personal
Distinctions are applicable. As normal, a player can
only use one Distinction in his roll without spending
Motes; if a personal Distinction and a Scene
Distinction would both be applicable, he chooses
one of them to use or spends 1 Mote to include
both.
Power Sets
In the descriptions of each Exalted type (see
Chapter Six), it gives guidelines for the appropriate
number of powers, SFX, and Specialties for a starting
character, but these are only guidelines. If a player
wishes to create a character with more or less than
the suggested number of traits, this is a matter to
work out between the GM and player.
Generally speaking, every player character has two
power sets: Charms and Panoply. A character’s
15
 Charms are his innate magical and superhuman
powers—the things that come from the refinement of
his personal essence into supernal ability.
Conversely, a character’s Panoply represents his gear,
servants, allies, martial arts styles, and so on—
anything that grants him power but is exterior to his
own innate magical potential.
Player characters normally start with both a
Charms power set and a Panoply power set, and they
may use a die from each set in a dice pool if
appropriate. Even if a character somehow gains more
than two power sets, only two can ever be “active” at
one time.
Non-player characters may have one or two power
sets, but again only two may contribute dice to a dice
pool without outside influence. NPCs can have
Charms power sets, Panoply power sets, or stranger
things still.
Charms power sets and Panoply power sets are
discussed in more detail in Chapter 3: Powers, SFX,
and Limits. Sample power sets for NPCs and
adversaries can be found in Chapter 8: Antagonists.
Specialties
After choosing Exaltation, Power Sets,
Distinctions, and so on, a character should choose
his Specialties. An important consideration is that
Specialties generally represent areas of intense focus
for the character, rather than just being “known
skills,” as some other games have. A player should
only choose a Specialty if he considers it a core
element of his character’s personality or skills, rather
than just trying to be good at everything. A good
starting amount of Specialties is four Specialties at
Expert (d8), or two at Expert (d8) and one at Master
(d10).
Motes
Motes are the power that fuels an Exalt’s charms,
as well as the power of his spirit given form.
Everything in Creation is made of Motes, but only
certain beings can utilize the raw Motes present in
nature for their own ends. In the context of Cortex
Plus, Motes are also the resource that allows a player
to activate his character’s most powerful abilities,
16
manipulate the dice pool, and otherwise interact
with the system.
Every player character begins each Act with 1 Mote
in his pool. Only player characters have Motes. The
GM uses the doom pool for similar situations.
A character can gain Motes in the following ways:
 At the beginning of an Act, every character gains
1 Mote. At the end of an Arc, a character’s Mote
pool resets to 0.
 Using a Distinction as a d4.
 Rolling opportunities, if the GM buys them to
add to the doom pool; if a player rolls multiple
opportunities, the GM may buy them at 1 Mote
each for d6 each, or may give the player 1 Mote
for a smaller number of stepped up dice (so
rolling three opportunities could be 3 Motes for
3d6, 2 Motes for d8 and d6 or 1 Mote for d10).
 Invoking a Limit from a Power Set that grants
Motes.
 Purchasing Motes with XP (see below).
Motes can normally be used in the following ways
before you roll:
 Add an extra die from a category you’re already
using (like using a second Specialty).
 Create a stunt based on one of your Power Sets
or Specialties.
 Activate an SFX that requires Motes.
 Add your own stress to an applicable roll, then
step that stress up after the roll is resolved. (Your
opponent cannot use that stress in his roll if you
use this option.)
Motes can normally be used in the following ways
after you roll:
 Add another die to your total.
 Add another effect die. Extra effect dice cannot
be used to inflict stress multiple times on the
same target in the same roll.
 Activate an SFX that requires Motes.
 Activate an opponent’s opportunity to create a
d10 stunt for your next roll that follows
narratively from the attack (or a d8 if you can’t
tie it into a Power Set or Specialty).
 Activate an opponent’s opportunity to create a
resource based on one of your Specialties, which
is stepped up and lasts until the end of the
current Scene.
 If you make a successful reaction, you may
activate an opponent’s opportunity by spending a
PP to counterattack. A counterattack inflicts
stress or a complication on your attacker or
creates an asset equal to your effect die.
Purchasing Motes with XP
A player can spend his gained XP on Motes to
enhance himself. This benefit temporarily boosts his
Mote pool at the cost of spending his accumulated
XP. A player can spend XP on a one-for-one basis to
acquire Motes at any time. These Motes are just like
those gained from other sources.
Stress and Complications
Inflicting physical, mental or emotional stress on
an opponent is the most common use of an effect
die. The stress becomes attached to the opponent if
the action is successful. If a target would take stress
and already has some, it becomes the size of the
effect die, if the effect die is higher; otherwise, it is
stepped up. The stress die is added to the dice pool
of anyone opposing the stressed character if the
action or reaction described would benefit from it.
Exalted: Blood and Fire uses four kinds of stress:
 Physical Stress. The most common type
represents wounds and other injuries (strains,
exhaustion, etc.) inflicted as part of combat.
 Mental Stress. Mental attacks, concentration-
disrupting effects, and attacks against sense of
self all inflict mental stress.
 Emotional Stress. When trying to convince
someone of your cause, attacking their sense of
well-being, intimidating them, or applying social
pressure, inflict emotional stress.
 Limit Stress. This special form of stress cannot
be inflicted by attacks, does not recover on its
own, does not stress out characters, and does not
act as a penalty to a character’s rolls except in
very specific circumstances. See the Limit Break
section for more information.
If stress on a target is increased past d12, the target
is considered stressed out. The target can no longer
act in the scene, and gains d6 trauma of that type, or
steps up existing trauma if it exists. Physical trauma
represents long-term injuries that have difficulty
healing, mental trauma represents major
psychological damage, and social trauma represents
being disgraced and humiliated in a major way
among your peers.
If a character’s trauma is ever increased past d12,
the character is out of the game. Having physical
trauma past d12 means the character is killed.
Mental trauma past that point represents someone
that has lost all higher mental faculties and can no
longer think or act. Such intense social trauma
means such a complete loss of confidence,
reputation and self-esteemed that the character no
longer has the ability to interact with others.
Complications operate similarly to stress, but bear
a specific name linked to the situation at hand. For
example, a sorcerer casting a spell to cover an area
with sticky webbings inflicts a complication called
Webbed, on his targets while a brawler might inflict
a Grappled complication on the wrestler she’s
dueling against. Just like stress, if a target ever has a
complication that exceeds d12, that target is knocked
out of the scene, but suffers no trauma.
Actions can target complications in order to
decrease or remove them from play. The active player
rolls against an appropriate pool for the opposition
(or the doom pool if there is no active opposition)
plus the complication die. If the effect die equals or
exceeds the size of the complication, it is eliminated.
If the effect die is smaller, the complication is
stepped back. Complications are also removed if they
no longer make narrative sense.
Recovery
During the first Transition Scene after an Action
Scene, non-limit stress automatically steps back.
Heroes may also make recovery rolls to reduce them
further. Heroes may use their action during a
Transition Scene to recover their own or another
hero’s stress. Heroes may not recover their stress
during an Action Scene unless they have an SFX that
specifically allows it.
To recover stress, the hero assembles an
appropriate dice pool to recover. Heroes recovering
their own physical stress almost always use their
Stamina. Heroes helping to recover another’s
physical stress use the Medicine Specialty, along with
other applicable powers. Recovering your own or
17
 another’s mental stress may require the use of magic,
or specific kind of counseling with healing or
diplomacy. Recovering your own or another’s
emotional stress usually involves the use of
diplomacy or performance in order to rally.
To roll to try and recover stress, assemble a dice
pool as normal, opposed by the doom pool plus the
stress die to be recovered. If your effect die is equal
or greater than the stress, it is eliminated. If it is less,
the stress is stepped back one step (or removed if it is
d4). If the roll fails, the GM may spend a doom die
to step up the stress, or inflict a related complication
for the next Scene (i.e. Ankle Sprain d8).
Some SFX help recover stress during an Action
Scene by specifying that they require a Mote and an
effect die. This only works on a successful action (not
a reaction), and the effect die you use is compared to
your existing stress as described above. Some SFX
only require a Mote to heal stress, without using an
action.
Trauma steps back by one at the beginning of each
Act, and you may roll to reduce it during a
Transition Scene with appropriate care. Assemble a
recovery pool as above. If the recovery action
succeeds and the effect die is equal to or larger than
the trauma die, step it back by one. If the recovery
action succeeds but the effect die is smaller than the
trauma die, the situation remains stable. If the
recovery action fails, the trauma die is stepped up by
one.
action in a cool narrative way, tied to one of his
Powers or one of his Specialties.
While all characters in Cortex Plus have to
describe how they justify their dice pool, a stunt goes
a step beyond this. Instead of just saying “I’m using
my Enhanced Strength to punch him,” a player
might describe bull-rushing his enemy, body
checking him, then grabbing him by the belt and
flinging him into a nearby wall.
A character can get a push by either spending 1
Mote or giving a good description of his actions that
links to his Powers or Specialties. If he does both,
then he gains a d8 instead.
A character can spend 1 Mote to activate a GM
opportunity to enhance a stunt on his next turn.
Since he already spent a Mote, the stunt begins at
d8; if he gives a good narration of the action, it
increases to d10.

Stunts, Assets and Resources

Stunts, assets, and resources are all means by which

a player character can gain bonus dice for his actions.
Each of them has a different trigger condition for
gaining the bonus die, and a player character can
include one of each in his dice pool if he has them
available and if they apply to the current roll

Stunts
A Stunt is an effort beyond the normal bounds of
a character’s strength, pushing himself beyond his
limits. At the lowest level, a character can always
spend 1 Mote to add d6 to his pool. This minimum-
effort stunt is called a push. A character can gain the
same benefit as a push by simply describing his

18
Assets
An asset is created by using an effect die as part of
your action, and represents a temporary bonus that
carries a risk in making it. Examples include crafting
an experimental potion, summoning a demon while
being assaulted by archers, or tossing your ally right
at a behemoth’s face. Once created, assets usually last
for one or two actions. You can, however, spend a
Mote to extend their duration to the end of the
Scene.
When you create an asset, you decide who receives
the benefit of it. If it would be appropriate, you can
spend a Mote to apply the asset to an additional
character.
In certain cases, the GM may rule that assets may
be stepped up in much the same way complications
can be. In rare situations, the assets may even be
stepped up past d12 in a way that ends the Scene,
such as the evil cultists making a Dark Sacrifice Ritual
or the heroes Getting the Heck Out of There. All such
cases should be integral parts of Scenes or
established as feasible before setting up the first
action roll.
Resources
Resources are those aspects that heroes can call
upon to help them when they have the time, drawing
on their training from Specialties. They represent
situations where the hero wants to generate a
beneficial effect, but where failure or risk doesn’t
come into play.
During a Transition Scene, a hero may spend 1
Mote to generate a resource from one of their
Specialties. An Expert Specialty makes a d6 resource,
while a Master Specialty makes a d8 resource. The
resource lasts through the current Scene and until
the end of the next one, and can be extended an
additional scene by spending a Mote when the
resource would run out. Resources can also be made
during an Action Scene by activating an opponent’s
opportunity, in which case it only lasts until the end
of the current Scene.
Resources also provide information, allies, or other
ways to move the adventure along. Resources
shouldn’t take the place of encounters or other
situations where the play is interesting, but instead
are an easy way for a hero to be creative with their
abilities in a tangible way. It gives players greater
control over the story of the game, as they are able to
define certain aspects about the situation.
For example, instead of a thief asking if he knows
somebody in town, he spends 1 Mote and declares
he has an underworld contact in town based on his
Larceny Expert Specialty, which both grants him an
opportunity to talk in character with the contact and
gives a d6 resource on any related rolls.
Of course, that doesn’t apply for risky gambits. If
the same thief were wanted for trumped-up crimes by
a corrupt magistrate in town, he’d have to roll to
create an asset in the Scene to get the same contact,
since there’s an element of risk involved (unless of
course, the magistrate rolls opportunities, allowing
the thief to create that resource).
Example resources are discussed in the individual
Specialty descriptions (see Chapter Four: Specialties).
Example of Play:
The Battle for Mishaka
Sunset is coming in the East. The walled city of
Mishaka has seen many terrors since being the site of
the last—and bloodiest—conflict in the war with the
Realm almost two decades ago. The fragile peace and
slow rebuilding is now endangered by a new force of
evil: the undead armies of the Mask of Winters!
Red Lion, the Undefeated of the East, is one of the
Solar Exalted, a Dawn Caste warstrider pilot and
burgeoning martial artist. He travels with his Lunar
mate, Venomous Spur of the No-Moon Caste, a
genesis-crafter and social engineer. The two of them
wander from place to place in Red Lion’s royal
warstrider, The Lion’s Roar, fighting injustice and
taking the side of the weak and innocent. Seeing
Mishaka’s current plight, they have agreed to protect
the city from a legion of the damned for little more
than a bowl of rice and a grudging thank you.
Unfortunately for the side of the heroes, The Lion’s
Roar was taken out in a recent battle with a
behemoth and Venomous Spur hasn’t managed to
repair the thing yet. Red Lion is just going to have to
rely on his raw strength and courage to carry the day
against the limitless hordes of the damned—all in a
day’s work for one of the Solar Exalted!
The scene opens up with Red Lion and Venomous
Spur sallying forth at the vanguard of the armies of
19
 Mishaka, trying to push back an attack by the
undead armies occupying the plains around the city.
The Clash of Armies is a Scene Distinction, as is the
fact that they are facing Endless Undead Hordes. As
long as the latter Distinction remains in play, the
GM can add a die to a zombie horde by spending a
doom die or create a new horde; spending d6 adds
d6 to a horde or creates a new “horde” of d6, while
d8 adds 2d6, d10 adds 4d6, and d12 adds 6d6. The
GM can split this up however he likes. Clearly,
stopping the source of these dead men is a crucial
step!
The doom pool is starting at 2d6, since this is a
fairly normal scene, and each of the heroes currently
has 1 Mote because of having spent most of their
energy in recent battles.
There are currently three Zombie Hordes bearing
down on the two heroes, each a Team 3d6 threat.
Because they’re on the defensive, the GM decides
that the Zombie Hordes go first. One of them rushes
each hero while the third simply ravages the
battlefield (attempting to increase the doom pool).
The Zombie Hordes are basically identical; they roll
their Threat 3d6, plus d8 for being Flesh-Eating
Monsters, d8 from Enhanced Strength, and d6 for
Combat Rookie—a total dice pool of 4d6+2d8.
The one attacking Red Lion rolls 8, 6, 4, 3, 1, 1.
The two 1s can’t be added for anything and they
would be opportunities, except that neither hero can
activate them. The Zombie Horde has a total of 14,
with an effect die of d8—a pretty good result for
shambling corpses! Red Lion now rolls to defend
himself. He is not about to be pushed around by
mere zombies because he is The Undefeated of the
East. He has a d10 Exaltation die, Physical d10, his
Distinction for d8, his Superhuman Durability d10,
and his Close Combat Master d10 (4d10+1d8); he
rolls 10, 7, 7, 6, and 3, for a total of 17 and d10
effect die. (He wants to save his Mote for later, or
otherwise he could counterattack.) Red Lion easily
fends off the monsters.
The group attacking Venomous Spur rolls 6, 6, 5,
4, 2, 2 (total 12, effect die d6). She is a Lunar Exalted
(d10 Exaltation) and Physical d8, but none of her
personal Distinctions help her fight zombies. Instead
she says that the Clash of Armies Scene Distinction
allows her to lure zombies into the swords and spears
of her mortal allies, tricking them to their
destruction. She has Enhanced Durability d8, as well
20
as a guardian beast that protects her from harm
(Minions d10); she chooses to split Minions d10 to
2d8 because one of her SFX allows it. She has no
Specialties that aid her in combat; fighting really isn’t
her forte! Her total pool is 4d8+1d10; she rolls 5, 4,
3, 3, and 1 (total 9, effect die d8). The GM activates
her opportunity, giving her 1 Mote to add d6 to the
doom pool (total 3d6). The zombies manage to tag
her, but her partial defense steps back their d6 effect
die to d4 physical stress. Ven hisses at the painful
but shallow cut.
The final Zombie Horde ravages among the
mortals, ripping and tearing. They don’t roll
anything because they’re just trying to build the
doom pool and no one is in a position to stop them;
they just add their best die (d8) to the doom pool
(total 3d6+1d8). The GM decides to immediately
spend 1d8 to add 1d6 to each of the hordes
attacking the heroes; they are now each Threat 4d6.
The mortals slain by zombies rise to fight their
former friends!
The GM passes the turn order to Venomous Spur,
who is anxious to get out of the fray and start finding
another solution to their problems. She slips away
from the mob fighting her, trying to figure out why
every human that falls rises again on the side of their
enemies; since she has Occult Master d10, the GM
just tells her that it looks like necromancy—
specifically, a ritual that hangs over the battlefield
like a shroud (i.e., a Scene Distinction). She decides
to try and use her basic grasp of magic to undo the
cascade of restless dead.
Venomous Spur always has her d10 Exaltation die
and Mental d10, and in this case being a Former
Student of the Queen of Fangs helps her with a d8;
she is a Sorcery Adept d8 and has Occult Master
d10, but none of her genesis-crafted beasts can help
her with this. Her dice pool is 3d10+2d8, rolling
against the doom pool; she rolls 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 (total
12, effect die d10) versus the doom pool’s 6, 6, 5
(total 12, effect die d6). The roll is a tie, but the
acting party wins ties; her effect die is larger than the
size of the Scene Distinction, so she succeeds! Using
her knowledge of geomancy and the Lunar spirit
arts, Venomous Spur manages to rearrange the local
essence flows to stop the wellspring of necromantic
energy. No more zombie hordes can be added to the
scene now that Endless Undead Hordes has been
removed. She passes the turn to Red Lion, who has
had enough of this.
Tired of watching mortals suffer needlessly, Red
Lion’s player asks the GM if it would be a good time
to step up his limit stress since he suffers from a
Compassion flaw; the GM agrees and gives Red Lion
1 Mote to step up his limit stress to d6 (leaving him
with 2 Motes). He immediately spends 1 Mote to
activate his Dawn Caste SFX; this steps up the effect
die on any reaction roll against physical attacks and
on any roll including the Combat, Menace or War
Specialties. Red Lion declares his intent to strike the
ground with such force that the shockwave will rip
through the zombies all around him (Area Attack
SFX, which costs another Mote). He includes his d10
Exaltation, Physical d10, his Solar Martial Artist
Distinction for d8, Superhuman Strength d10, and
Weapon d8 from his Solar Hero Style Martial Arts
power group, as well as his Close Combat Master
d10; he is targeting both Zombie Hordes in his
immediate vicinity, so Area Attack gives him an extra
7d6 and lets him keep a total of eight effect dice.
That’s a lot of dice (4d10+2d8+7d6), so let’s cut to
the chase and say that he gets a total of 14 with effect
dice of d10, d8, and six d6; Red Lion rolled a single
1, so the GM gives him 1 Mote to add d6 to the
doom pool (total 4d6).
One horde gets a total of 7 with d8 effect die; the
other gets a total of 9 with d6 effect die. Red Lion’s
total gives him an extraordinary success over both
groups, so he can step up one of his effect dice
against each; his caste SFX allows him to step up
another (not all of them—just one of them per roll).
He chooses to step up three of the d6 effect dice (one
for each Team, plus one for the SFX), for final effect
dice of d10, four d8, three d6. One group of zombies
is totally wiped out (4d8 takes out its 4d6 completely,
and since all of the dice are at least equal to their d8
effect die, there is no partial defense); the other loses
a d6 from the d10 effect die, then d6 becomes stress,
another d6 steps it up and removes a die (d8 stress
removes a Threat die from a d6 Team), leaving
behind another d6 stress. That leaves a Zombie
Horde 2d6 with d6 physical stress. The zombies
aren’t doing so well against a child of the
Unconquered Sun.
That was the end of the turn, so Red Lion gets to
pick who goes first in the next round. He picks
himself, intending to mop up the remaining zombies
and win the day. But the GM has other plans and
spends d6 from the doom pool to interrupt Red
Lion’s turn. (Since Red Lion has no Reflexes powers,
any die from the doom pool can be spent to
interrupt him. The doom pool now stands at 3d6
and a new player enters the field.
With the mournful sound of a horn in the
distance, a black-armored deathknight takes the field,
rending among the mortals and laying waste to their
hopes of an easy victory. He is adding to the doom
pool with his first action; he adds d10 (doom pool
now stands at 1d10+3d6, so the GM effectively
traded a d6 and the new NPC’s first action for a
d10).
“I am the Mirror of Time Without Reflection!” he
declares. “Deathknight in service to the Mask of
Winters! I am the reaper of the harvest and you will
fall like wheat!”
“Who’s this idiot?” Red Lion asks his mate.
“Be careful, Red Lion,” the enigmatic Lunar warns.
“I’ve heard of these Abyssals before, and they’re
tougher than most of your opponents.”
“I look forward to the challenge!” the Dawn Caste
announces, ready to take his next attack.
Unfortunately, the Abyssal passes off the next action
to the remaining zombie hordes.
The battle continues!
21
22
 CHAPTER TWO
PLAYING THE GAME
“The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.”
—G.K. Chesterton
Character Creation
Character creation in Exalted: Blood and Fire is
simple. Just follow these steps:
 Come up with a character concept—think about
who your hero was before Exaltation, and what
kind of Exalted he has become.
 Note your Essence die—this is generally d8 or
d10 for starting characters.
 Assign your Attributes: d10, d8, d6; or d8, d8,
d8.
 Write three Distinctions: Caste, Trouble, and
another one of your choice.
 Create a Charms power set following the
guidelines for your Exalt type.
 Create a Panoply power set following the
guidelines for your Exalt type, if you have one at
character creation.
 Choose Specialties: this will normally be three at
Expert, or one at Master and one at Expert, but
can be different depending on your Exalt type
and character idea.
Character Creation in Depth
The general method of character creation in
Exalted: Blood and Fire might be summed up as “pick
what you think is right to play the character you
want, including a discussion with the GM.”
Some players and GMs find this freeform method
of assigning traits and abilities to be unsatisfying or
even confusing. This section exists to give more
specific guidelines about the numbers involved in
“balanced” character creation.
Essence
A character’s Essence die always depends on his
character type.
Heroic mortals, god-blooded, ghost-blooded, and
other non-Exalted heroes have Essence d6 and
cannot go above Essence d8.
Dragon-Blooded, Alchemical Exalted, Liminal
Exalted, and other kinds of Terrestrial Exalted start
with Essence d8 and cannot go above Essence d10.
Solar Exalted, Lunar Exalted, Sidereal Exalted,
Abyssal Exalted, Infernal Exalted, and other kinds of
Celestial Exalted start with Essence d10 and can go
up to Essence d12.
Increasing Essence should always be a major
decision for a character, since it usually represents an
overall and significant jump in personal power.
Attributes
Attribute dice are always assigned the same way: a
character can have d10, d8, and d6, or d8 in all three
Attributes.
Specialties
A given character’s skill level is related to his
character type.
Heroic mortals and other non-Exalted heroes have
3d8 to spend on Specialties. They may split 1d8 into
2d6—and indeed are encouraged to so, since non-
Exalted characters cannot default to d6 for a
Specialty die.
Terrestrial Exalted have 4d8 to spend on
Specialties. They may exchange 2d8 for 1d10, but
they cannot start with more than one Specialty at
Master level.
Celestial Exalted have 5d8 to spend on Specialties.
They may exchange 2d8 for 1d10, and they are not
23
 limited on the number of Master Specialties they can
start with.
Power Sets
Heroic mortals and non-Exalted characters have
only one power set—either Charms (for having
magical ancestry) or Panoply (for having exceptional
gear or special allies). They have 3d8 to spend on
their power set, which must include one Limit. An
SFX costs 1d8 to acquire, and they may split 1d8
into 2d6 for powers.
Terrestrial Exalted begin play with both a Charms
power set and a Panoply power set. They have 5d8 to
spend on Charms, which always includes the
Exhausted Limit. They may take one additional Limit
to add 1d8 to their power allotment. An SFX costs
1d8 to acquire; they may split 1d8 into 2d6 for
powers or exchange 2d8 for 1d10, but they cannot
start with more than one d10 level power.
Terrestrials also have 3d8 for their Panoply group;
this power set has one Limit for each power group
the player assigns.
Celestial Exalted have 8d8 to spend on their
Charms power set and 3d8 to spend on their
Panoply power set. They may split 1d8 into 2d6 or
exchange 2d8 for 1d10, and they have no restriction
on the number of powers they may possess at d10. A
Celestial may also spend 1d8 from his Charms power
set to add 1d8 to his Panoply power set. Like other
Exalted, they start with the Exhausted Limit as part of
their Charms power set, and they may take one
additional Limit to gain 1d8 for their powers; they
have one Limit per power group in Panoply.
Character Questions
When making a character, answering the following
questions can be very useful for you.
1. What do you look like?
This is pretty self-explanatory. Also note how you
dress, distinguishing features, etc. As a game based
heavily around anime and wuxia, being cool-looking
is nearly as important as actually being cool.
2. What was your life like before Exaltation?
Nobody is born Exalted. Even Dragon-Bloods, whose
powers are hereditary, live the first decade or two of
24
their lives as normal humans. Most Exalted aren’t
prepared for the Second Breath, and even those that
somehow are don’t necessarily deal with it that well.
So: who were you, before you were someone
important? Also, where do you come from?
3. What were the circumstances of your Exaltation?
Exalting is the most important moment in a mortal’s
life up to that point. It can be nearly maddening, or
sublimely comforting; violent as a storm or peaceful
as enlightenment. Every Exalt type has different ways
of Exalting, and every individual has a slightly
different way that it happened.
4. How long have you been Exalted? And how old
are you?
Solars generally haven’t been Exalted more than five
years at most, and it’s more likely that they’ve only
had their Exaltation for a few months or a year. After
you Exalt, though, you basically stop aging, so it’s
possible that you’re older than you look.
5. How has your life been since Exalting?
The simple answer might be awesome, but it might
not be the most honest one. Most Exalted are
considered Anathema in the modern world, demons
pretending to be human, and even a person’s friends
and family might turn on them once they start
glowing and speaking in tongues.
6. What motivates you?
This question is about your reasons for getting up in
the morning, putting on your armor, and walking
out into a world that largely hates you. Do you want
to make the world a better place for others? Or just
for yourself and your loved ones? Do you want to
rule? Or just avoid being ruled? And what grand
plans have you laid?
7. What are your goals?
What are you willing to do to get what you want?
What would you sacrifice? What wouldn’t you?
8. How has power changed you?
Your character, born mortal, now commands vast
power. How have you reacted? Do you believe your
power gives you the right to rule those around you?
9. In what do you put your faith?
As the Chosen, you know that the gods are there,
and at least one of them has a personal interest in
you. But do you worship that god? Other gods? Or
do you only have faith in your sword and strong
right arm?
10. Who do you love, and who do you hate?
Do you still love a family that despises you as a
demon? Do you hate someone you’ve never even
met? More generally, what sort of things do you like
and dislike?
Scenes and Time
Cortex Plus Heroic divides up time in-game into
scenes. A scene may be designated as an Action
Scene or a Transition Scene. Action Scenes can
further be divided into Combat Scenes and Tension
Scenes, while Transition Scenes can be Exploration
Scenes or Social Scenes.
Generally, the difference between Action and
Transition Scenes is that Action Scenes use turn-by-
turn dice rolls to highlight over-the-top action
sequences, while Transition Scenes normally only
allow each character one action involving dice rolls
during the whole scene.
One of the GM’s main powers with the doom pool
is the ability to separate or reunite characters by
spending doom dice. The GM can spend any doom
die to separate a character from the group, effectively
removing him from the scene, or to bring him back
into the current scene. The GM can do this with any
number of characters at once by spending one doom
die for each character, but the GM cannot use this
ability to simply end a scene (that requires spending
2d12 from the doom pool). Moving characters
between scenes must also be narratively justified
(such as a trapdoor that drops one character into an
underground tunnel, or a labyrinth of mirrors that
gradually splits the group up).
25
 Action Scenes
Action Scenes feature action-heavy moments,
usually against opponents trying to physically hurt
your heroes. Action Scenes can also be used in times
when timing matters, since these scenes operate in
action order. These can be Combat Scenes or
Tension Scenes, if you care to distinguish between
them.
At the start of an Action Scene, the GM
determines who acts first depending on how the
action has begun in the Scene or other situational
elements. After a character has taken an action, the
player (or GM) controlling it chooses who goes next,
until every character has acted in a round. Whoever
goes last in a round may determine who goes first in
the next round (including themselves).
Anyone can interrupt the action order by spending
1 Mote (if a player) or a doom die (if the GM). When
the GM spends a doom die to interrupt, it must be
at least as high as any Reflexes possessed by the
interrupted character. Only one interruption can
occur, and the interrupting character determines
who goes next in the action order as normal.
Combat Scenes
The GM’s job is to frame the Combat Scene. This
includes setting the Scene’s location, situation, and
everything that the heroes can see: threats like
opponents, traps or tricks, and any Scene
Distinctions.
Once that all is laid out, the action begins. As the
GM, you choose who acts first based on how you
framed the scene. If the heroes got the drop on the
enemies, you probably select one of them to go first,
especially if one hero had been scouting ahead. If the
enemies have the upper hand, choosing one of them
to go first is probably best.
From there, the action order continues. The GM
can spend doom dice to interrupt the action order
with one of his threats in order to keep the heroes
on their toes. Spending doom dice to introduce new
threats in the middle of the action order can also
prevent a Combat Scene from going stale.
Remember that not all combats need to end with
one side dead. Other objectives in the Scene, such as
trying to obtain, destroy, or protect something make
sure that there are multiple tasks to worry about
beyond just trying to unload your best attacks on the
26
bad guy. The more heroes have to deal with at the
same time, the more exciting and intense a Scene
becomes. Battling Abyssals while the heroes must
dismantle a Doomsday Clock that sends earth-
shattering shockwaves when it acts makes for an epic
confrontation beyond just facing armed foes.
Tension Scenes
Tension Scenes are like Combat Scenes in that
there is an action order in which the heroes and
opposition are expected to take turns performing
those actions, but those actions rarely involve any
physical violence. A Tension Scene instead is useful
when time is crucial to the completion of a task, or
when opponents are squaring off and deciding
whether or not a physical battle is worth their time.
Generally, the start of a Tension Scene involves the
introduction of a timer die. This die starts off as
large as the smallest die in the doom pool (so usually
d6), but the GM can spend a higher die from the
doom pool to make the tension build faster. The
timer die acts as the opposition to the players,
growing or shrinking as they act. The timer die has
an action order, and it cannot act first in the first
round of the Scene (though the GM can spend
doom dice to interrupt players after the first action,
as normal).
When the timer die “acts,” it increases a step.
When it goes past d12 it turns into 2d12, then those
dice are added to the doom pool and the GM
immediately spends them to end the Scene. Any
hero can take an action to step back the timer die by
rolling against the doom pool plus the timer die. On
a success, if the hero’s effect die is at least as large as
the timer die, it steps back twice (minimum d4); if
the hero’s effect die is lower, it steps back by one. On
a failure, the die is unaffected, but the GM can take
the chance to introduce trouble to the Scene.
Usually, a Tension Scene includes a goal of some
sort. If the goal is simply to escape from a threat or
end a static challenge, the timer die can be reduced
to 0, removing it from play. However, a Tension
Scene usually involves a more complicated challenge,
such as removing a Scene Distinction before the
timer “runs out,” or removing discrete groups of
NPCs from the Scene before something terrible
happens to them.
Transition Scenes
Transition Scenes involve the characters moving
from place to place, engaging in social interaction, or
dealing with quiet moments between high drama.
Transition Scenes can be designated as Exploration
Scenes or Social Scenes if you wish to do so.
Generally, each character can take one action during
a Transition Scene.
Heroes may take the following actions during a
Transition scene:
 Roll to recover your own or another’s stress or
trauma.
 Roll to recover a long-term complication.
 Make a resource by spending 1 Mote.
 Roll to create an asset for another character.
Exploration Scenes
Heroes often move through uncharted territory.
They have to cut through dangerous wilderness,
navigate dark ruins or try to find the hideout of a
cult in a large city. Such events are usually run
through Exploration Scenes. Whenever the heroes
must perform some sort of journey where the
outcome has an element of uncertainty to it, you
should set an Exploration Scene to handle it. What
the actual journey is can be as simple as getting
around a ruined castle or as complex as catching an
urchin thief in a crowded metropolis.
Exploration Scenes provide a simple and
straightforward way to represent characters
exploring, mapping, and possibly finding trouble on
the way to the next significant scene in an adventure.
They act as segues between other types of Scenes,
although they present active and dynamic challenges
by themselves.
In essence, an Exploration Scene requires one of
the party’s heroes to perform an Exploration roll. If
that roll is successful, the party gets to proceed to the
expected destination or to the discovery of the next
“interesting” element of the adventure. Additionally,
the successful hero gets to create an asset that will
serve in the following Scene. If that roll leads to a
failure, the GM has the opportunity to create trouble
for the party, including sending them somewhere
they weren’t expecting or planning to go to.
Environmental Distinctions
Exploration Scenes do not usually feature
monsters, NPCs, or other similar traits and
complications. They can have Environmental
Distinctions. Such Distinctions represent elements
specific to the Scene that remain valid as long as
Exploration Scenes are carried out in the same
general area. For example, an Exploration Scene set
in a dark forest could have Light Absorbing
Shadows. Similarly, a Scene set in a large city could
be Very Noisy.
Environmental Distinctions can only be used by
the GM when making rolls against the actions of
heroes. Thus, it mostly means rolling an extra d8 or
d4 with the doom pool. As usual, if the GM uses a
Distinction as a d4, the doom pool grows by a d6 or
its lowest die is stepped up. Heroes can’t use them in
their dice pool; they need to rely on their own
Distinctions. Like all Distinctions, the GM can only
use one per roll.
For example, the heroes are navigating through a
desert to find the lost tomb of a long forgotten desert
king. The Scene has an Environmental Distinction
called Sandstorm. The GM could decide to either
add a d8 to his doom pool roll as a reaction to the
explorer’s Exploration roll. Conversely, if the party
builds a Sand Sailing Ship asset to ride the
Sandstorm, the GM could choose to use the
Sandstorm as a d4 Distinction and add a d6 to the
doom pool.
Running Exploration Scenes
When you run an Exploration Scene, you first
describe the initial situation to players and then
identify, when possible, the expected destination or
objective of the Scene. If the Scene covers unspecific
exploration to the next point of interest, like
exploring lost ruins, just tell the players that a
successful roll will bring them to a Scene that will
push the story forward in a significant way.
Once this is done, each hero may take one action
during the entire Scene:
 A hero may roll to recover from stress or do so
for another member of the party.
 Make an Exploration-based asset to help another
character resolve the Exploration Scene; the roll
27
 is made against the doom pool plus any
Environmental Distinction (see below) the GM
decides to use.
 Make an Exploration-based resource by spending
a Resource.
 Roll to resolve the Scene, see below.

The Exploration Roll

As stated above, resolving an Exploration Scene
requires a character to take lead to resolve it. That
player builds his exploration dice pool and rolls
against the doom pool plus any Environmental
Distinctions, complications, etc. you may decide to
use.
On a success, the characters find where they must
go and (most likely) make their way there. You then
provide an initial description of the next Scene so
the lead player can use the roll’s effect die to create a
useful asset. That means the party can exploit the
situation to their advantage by gaining a particular
edge over whatever challenge awaits them in the next
Scene. As usual, that asset can be maintained from
Scene to Scene by spending 1 Mote if it makes sense
to do so, but the entire party gains the benefit of an
exploration asset if applicable (rather than just one
person).
Examples of such assets are:
 Get the drop on any monsters awaiting at the
destination (Ambush)
 Finding Perfect Cover
 “Hey, there’s a Secret Door Here”
 Finding a Convenient Piece of Gear on the way

Of course, even the best of trackers can lead their

mates through patches of trouble on the best of days.
On a successful exploration roll, a GM is allowed to
add elements of trouble to the scene. He must,
however, spend an additional dice from the doom
pool that is at least the same size as the lead player’s
effect dice before doing so.
On a failed exploration roll, something definitively
goes wrong for the heroes. You have several options
to cause trouble. First, you get to send the heroes to
any Scene of your choice: an ambush, into the lair of
a ravenous predator, or straight into a cursed temple.
Additionally, you get to use the effect dice of your
roll do any of the following:

28
Inflict Stress
Heroes get hurt all the time when they explore.
You can use your effect die to inflict any kind of
stress on a hero. This stress should usually be
physical or mental in nature, although a really bad
failure could lead to hero suffering emotional stress
from abject humiliation once in a while.
You should apply that stress to the hero most likely
to be affected depending on the Scene’s context,
quite often the one who took the lead to resolve the
Scene. It could, however, hit a straggler or a
distracted hero.
The stress you inflict on a hero should come from
a typical type of “fire and forget” threat. Static traps
are a good example; heroes of classic adventures fall
in pit traps, get sliced by scything blades, and are hit
by runes of eldritch powers that befuddle the mind
all the time. It can also represent getting mauled by a
jungle cat, becoming confused because of
dehydration, or suffering from massive sunstroke. Be
sure to describe how heroes get hurt to properly
convey the dangers of the environment they are
trekking through.
Note that heroes can’t attempt to recover from that
stress until they start the following Scene.
Create Complications
Injuries can be the least of worries for adventurers
trying to reach their destination. Trouble can take
nearly endless forms and you should relish the
occasion to make the lives of the heroes harder. You
can use your effect die from a failed exploration roll
to inflict a complication based on the context of the
exploration Scene. Complications are a great
channel to bring the dangers of your adventuring
environment to life.
This type of complication comes into play at the
start of the next Scene.
You can choose to inflict the complication to a
single hero, much like detailed above when inflicting
stress. You should pick a complication that
represents the threats of the environment. Be as
evocative as you can. Here are but a few examples:
 Poisonous Bites that wrack a hero with
excruciating pain
 Slowed or Partially Blinded by a magical trap
 Sprained Ankle (or Fractured Arm) from falling
in a pit
 The hostile environment might make a hero
Dehydrated, Sunstroked, or even Delirious
You can also choose to inflict a complication that
affects the whole party. In such cases, phrase the
complication so that it clearly can affect more than
one hero. Here are examples for such complications:
 Any kind of repeating traps, like Dart Throwers
and Essence Bolt Launchers
 Beastmen snare the whole party in a net trap,
making them Entangled
 The party’s lateness has caused a Major Scandal
in the god-king’s court.
Add Trouble to a Scene
Finally, you can also decide to assign the effect die
to the next Scene directly by stepping up any Scene
traits or those of monsters or NPCs that populate it.
Don’t forget that a failed Exploration is also a great
occasion to spend a die from the doom pool to
separate the party. Thus, you could send the heroes
into two different Scenes.
Social Scenes
A hero’s life isn’t confined to the exploration of
lost ruins, uncovering strange rituals, and battling
countless creatures. Events and schemes are afoot in
and outside of the dungeons that may sweep the
heroes up and send them into the kind of trouble
that swords and spears can’t solve in a satisfactory
way.
From negotiations with rival factions of a decadent
city to trying to convince the king that his daughter
did not elope with the party’s scoundrel, Social
Scenes present challenges that require an approach
that require leaving one’s daiklave at the door. On
the other hand, the mere presence of a fearsome
weapon can be a very convincing argument in some
forms of arguments.
Like Exploration Scenes, Social Scenes can also
allow heroes to recuperate from the trials and
tribulations of their adventures. Whenever heroes
need to recover from stress and trauma, you can
stage a Social Scene where they rest and recuperate.
The archetypal night encampment Scene is one
such example. Similarly, such Scenes are used
whenever heroes want to tap into their Specialties in
29
 order to create resource assets to help them face the
next challenge. Of course, much like Exploration, a
Social Scene can be staged where both recuperation
and resource/asset creation occurs.
When you frame a Social Scene based on recovery
and resource creation, each hero usually gets to do
one action or create one resource before moving on
to the next Scene. You may allow more if it fits the
adventure and no story elements create pressure to
prevent that from happening.
Social Scenes regroup all types of challenges that
require heroes to deal with NPCs through
negotiations, arguments, duel of wits, and other
confrontations that require tapping into social skills.
Social Scenes can be used for many types of
challenges, for example:
 Negotiating the surrender of a grand villain after
her forces have been defeated
 Confront a politician or noble with proof of his
schemes to obtain a confession
 Perform a riveting, yet patriotic ballad to move a
battle hardened army officer to tears
 Outwit an otherworldly creature to force it to
reveal forbidden knowledge
 Defend a fellow hero from false accusations from
a scheming merchant
Social Scenes that feature confrontations and
Combat Scenes are similar in many aspects. Both
type usually feature heroes trying to beat a challenge
by stressing out opponents or inflicting sufficient
complications to take them out. In the case of Social
Scenes, the heroes usually do so by inflicting
emotional stress and applying complications that
implicate the opposition’s status, reputation, and
beliefs to name a few.
While a Social Scene is usually a Transition Scene
(when resting or creating resources), it can instead be
an Action Scene, one in which the ebb and flow of
“combat” has been replaced by social jousting and
verbal sparring. The GM will determine which is
more appropriate when the Scene begins.
30
Scene Distinctions
A Scene Distinction acts like a normal character
Distinction, except that it describes the nature or
character of the scene. In the absence of a suitable
character Distinction, the player can choose to use
one of the environmental factors as a help or
hindrance.
For example, a martial arts duel in a Narrow
Hallway might be useful as a d8 for a close-quarters
grappler because his foe has nowhere to run, but a
warrior relying on broad, sweeping sword strokes
might instead choose to use it at d4 to represent his
combat style being hampered by the environment.
Scene Distinctions can also represent factors the
GM can exploit to wreak havoc, thus increasing the
doom pool. If a Scene includes a suitable Distinction
(like Helpless Prisoners or Burning Building), a
villain can choose to use his action to wreak havoc,
thus adding his effect die directly to the doom pool.
The GM can create a new Scene Distinction by
spending at least d10 from the doom pool, or he can
change a Scene Distinction's phrasing by spending a
d8. This can alter the Oblivious Crowd of Onlookers
to a Panicked Crowd of Onlookers, or add a Hapless
Bunch of Mortals Who Stumbled In.
Heroes can remove Scene Distinctions (when
appropriate) by making a roll against the doom pool.
On a success, the Scene Distinction is removed. On
an extraordinary success, the Scene Distinction can
be renamed by the heroes into something more
beneficial. On a failure, however, the GM can add or
step up a d6 to the doom pool.
A Scene Trait is essentially just an Asset that has
already been created by the GM to spice up a scene.
Any character can use a Scene Trait, but it goes away
after a single use. Examples of Scene Traits might
include Teetering Bookshelf d6 (which can be knocked
onto foes), Hole in the Ground d8 (which someone can
be pushed into), and so on.
31
32
 CHAPTER THREE
POWERS, SFX, AND LIMITS
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
—Abraham Lincoln
Powers
Power traits describe the martial, magical, and
other abilities used by heroes and GM characters.
They are added to a dice pool when they benefit or
support the action being taken. Whether they’re
appropriate to the situation or not is up to the
narration of the situation. If the players and GM
agree on its usage, one can be added to an action or
a reaction’s dice pool.
The strength of power traits is represented by its
die value, from d6 to d12. A d6 power is the weakest
power available, the Trained rank, representing the
human average range of power, or an unusual ability
at a weak level. A d8 power trait is Enhanced rank,
distinctly above the norm for humans. A d10 power
is Superhuman, and few heroes and creatures possess
abilities more powerful than that. A d12 power is
Godlike, the topmost level of performance possible,
able to rival the powers of the Incarnae themselves.
While any Exalted type can gain access to any
number of powers, SFX, and power sets, most
Exalted can be broken up into “tiers.” These tiers
define their maximum power levels, barring rare
exceptions. Most Dragon-Blooded characters start
with powers in the d6 to d8 range and rarely exceed
d10. Solars, on the other hand, often start with d8 or
d10 powers, and frequently gain powers at d12, with
SFX that allow them to step up or double their
power dice. Even Solars have difficulty attaining the
power of Primordials and Incarnae—power generally
represented by “Large Scale Threats”—but they
frequently have the power to challenge and even
defeat such beings when working together.
Powers can take many forms, even when they have
the same power trait; remember to work with your
GM to determine how your powers work as well as
what they are rated at.
Power Sets and Power Groups
Power sets are groups of powers, SFX, and Limits
that combine to form a picture of a character’s
overall abilities and potential. Generally, no
character can have more than two power sets “active”
at one time, and most characters will never have
more than two available to pick from. Most player
characters have the same two kinds of power sets:
Charms and Panoply.
Charms represent a character’s innate magical and
spiritual potential, manifested through their training,
while a character’s Panoply is the sum of his exterior
sources of power, such as gear and equipment, allies
and minions, and exterior kinds of training like
martial arts.
A filled out power set should look something like
this:
Power Set Name
 Power trait dX (two to six powers)
 SFX (one to five SFX)
 Limits (one to three Limits, usually including
Exhausted)
A Panoply power set has an additional
complication: power groups. A power group is like a
“mini power set” within the power set, where all the
powers listed in the group come from the same
source and can be shutdown or removed by a single
action.
As an example, look at the following power set:
33
 Panoply
 Sword of Destiny: Enhanced Durability d8,
Weapon d8
 Tiger Mount: Enhanced Speed d8, Weapon d8
 SFX: Deadly Blade. When making an attack with
Sword of Destiny, add a d6 and step back the
highest die in your pool to step up physical stress
inflicted.
 SFX: Pounce! Step up or double Weapon in an
attack using Tiger Mount against a single foe.
Remove the highest rolling die and keep three
dice for your total.
 Limit: Gear. Shutdown Sword of Destiny to gain
1 PP. Recover by taking an action against the
doom pool.
 Limit: Ally. Shutdown Tiger Mount to gain 1 PP.
Recover during the next Transition Scene.
In this example, you can see that Sword of Destiny
and Tiger Mount are both things that a character
could use to aid him in his dice pools. However, as
they are both part of the same power set (Panoply),
only one of them can be used at a time—the player
could not use both the sword’s Weapon trait and the
tiger’s Weapon trait in the same roll (unless he spent
a Mote to add an extra die from the same category).
Narratively, the character might well be riding the
tiger while wielding the sword at the same time, but
mechanically only one can be used in the dice pool.
However, because they belong to different power
groups, they must be shutdown separately. The
character might be disarmed of his sword but still be
able to call his tiger to fight for him, for example.
Because the SFX in the set refer to specific groups in
their description, losing access to the group also loses
access to a specific SFX; if the Sword of Destiny is
lost, the character cannot use Deadly Blade.
Minor non-player characters rarely include power
groups in their writeup. Their traits will more often
just be named descriptively, since their power traits
are usually very minor, like “Sword d6” or “Plate
Armor d8.” Exalted NPCs will almost always have
power groups in their Panoply to represent their
personal gear, though their minions are generally
represented by enemy mobs—sorry, heroes.
34
Power Traits
A “power trait” is any special ability represented as
a die value. Power traits can be added to dice pools
for actions when appropriate. They can be modified
by SFX or shutdown by Limits as determined in the
power set.
Attack (Blast or Weapon)
Generically speaking, an “Attack” power is any
power whose primary function is to inflict stress
rather than some other effect. Such powers can still
be used to inflict complications or create assets, of
course, but such use might require creative thinking
on the part of a player. The major difference
between the two is that Blast is meant to be used at
range, while Weapon is a close-quarters attack;
mechanically, Blast is usually used in conjunction
with Ranged Combat Specialty and Weapon is
normally paired with Close Combat Specialty.
Blast frequently includes a descriptor of some sort,
such as Fire Blast d8, This power can also be more
specific in its description, such as naming the
weapon being used (i.e., Chopping Sword d6).
Note: Some SFX refer to “physical attacks.” This
generally means any purely physical form of attack,
such as punches, swords, and arrows; it does not
include any attack comprised of mystical energy,
elemental power, or other unusual forms of attack.
 Attack d6: About as strong as a normal
mundane weapon wielded by a competent
mortal. Examples: Chopping Sword d6 or
Hunting Bow d6.
 Attack d8: An exceptional weapon, finely crafted
or mildly enchanted. Examples: Short Daiklave
d8 or Fire Blast d8.
 Attack d10: A truly powerful weapon, capable of
slaying a man in one shot or causing extreme
damage to structures. Examples: A named
daiklave could be Weapon d10, while a First Age
essence emitter could be Lightning Blast d10.
 Attack d12: A devastating force that virtually
none could survive without supernatural aid.
Examples: The Sword of the Yozis might be
Weapon d12; an angry gesture from the spear of
Sol Invictus might inflict Light Blast d12.
Durability most powerful supernatural beings—those with
Durability represents being resistant to injury and magical armor, charms, and sheer luck working
harmful effects, often from armor or toughened skin in conjunction—can hope to be this tough. A
and scales, but it can also represent being able to creature this powerful might well only be able to
avoid harm through supernatural luck. This power is suffer harm from a certain type of weapon—or
used almost exclusively in reaction dice pools made even from a specific weapon.
to avoid physical stress. Avoiding mental and
emotional stress is more properly handled by a Elemental Control
Resistance power—indeed, Durability might actually Elemental Control powers represent ability to
be thought of as “Physical Resistance.” manifest or otherwise alter a specific kind of element
Supernaturally high Durability ratings—d8 and into a variety of forms. Elements may also include
above—might allow the character to simply ignore other types of forces, like nature (including plants
harm from weak attacks without the expenditure of and animals), force, necromantic energy, etc.
Motes or doom dice, at the GM’s discretion. After Common elements in Exalted include Air, Earth,
all, a farmer throwing a rock at a Lunar Exalted with Fire, Water, Wood, Light, Darkness, Weather, and
scales as thick as steel plate isn’t likely to be able to similar forces. This power can be used in action or
harm him at all; there’s simply no point rolling dice. reaction dice pools, and it is normally used to create
 Trained Durability d6: This can represent assets or inflict complications (as opposed to Blast,
mundane armor or the kind of toughness which can have the same elemental leanings but is
conferred by a lifetime of training in the mortal used to inflict stress).
martial arts.
 Enhanced Durability d8: This level of power
confers toughened skin and muscle, the ability to
withstand blunt trauma or pain, or even
resistance to the extremes of heat and cold. It can
be granted by exceptional armor, magically
reinforced flesh, or actual scales of some sort.
The GM might allow characters with this level of
toughness to ignore damage from unrated
weapons (such as a farmer throwing a rock).
 Superhuman Durability d10: Someone with this
level of Durability is essentially impervious to
normal weapons; knives and clubs swung by
merely human opponents bounce off of his skin.
Even being hurt is more an inconvenience than
anything else. This might represent fortified
magical armor, the reinforced plating on a
warstrider, supernaturally toughened scales or
shells, or magic that makes flesh as strong as
steel. The GM might make someone this tough
just immune to the effects of non-magical
weapons.
 Godlike Durability d12: Only the most powerful
magical weapons even have a chance of hurting
such a juggernaut. Almost anyone with this level
of Durability probably also has the Invulnerability
SFX, though this is hardly universal. Someone
this tough can laugh off being shot at point
blank range by an essence cannon. Only the

35
 Traditional telekinesis is uncommon in Exalted,
but when it does come up it is best represented as a
form of Element Control—specifically, Kinetic
Control or just Telekinesis at the player’s preference.
 Element Influence d6: This level of ability allows
a character to perform small tricks with his
powers, such as putting out all the candles in a
room with Air Influence or starting a campfire
by concentration with Fire Influence. The
amount of element controlled is small in scope
(maybe the area of a room) and usually exerts
about as much force as a normal person could,
albeit without tools or physical effort. Young
Dragon-Bloods and weak spirits often have this
level of control.
 Element Control d8: Someone with this power
can exert significant local control over the
environment—extinguishing a burning house
with Fire Control or making it sunny on a
specific street when it’s raining with Weather
Control, for example. Many small gods have this
level of control over elements related to their
position, and Dragon-Bloods can control the five
natural elements at this level with ease.
 Element Mastery d10: Supernatural control of
an element to this degree lets the user act on an
area the size of a large town or small city. The
character could stop a village from being swept
away in a flood with Water Control or set every
ship in a harbor alight with Fire Control.
Particularly powerful Dragon-Bloods develop this
level of ability, as do strong Terrestrial gods.
 Element Supremacy d12: This dramatic level of
power grants control over the chosen element
across a large city or a region. The character
could make every tree in a forest rise up and fight
with Wood Control or freeze a lake solid with
Water Control. Only the most powerful and
elementally attuned Terrestrial gods could hope
for this level of power; generally, only Celestial
gods demonstrate this kind of control.
Intangibility
A character with this power can make himself less
solid, able to pass through other matter. This can
range from being slightly fluid (like a water
elemental) to being genuinely incorporeal (like a
ghost or non-manifested god). This power is
36
normally used in reaction rolls to avoid physical
attacks.
 Intangibility d6: The character can disperse his
physical form very slightly, reducing the impact
of physical attacks and allowing him to move
slowly through highly permeable obstacles, like
fences or barred gates. This might also represent
the ability to disassemble one’s own body and
put it back together, allowing limbs and torso to
act independently until rejoining.
 Intangibility d8: A character with this level of
power can make himself essentially fluid at will—
or maybe his natural form is fluid. The character
can seep through small holes in obstacles and
reduce the impact of most physical attacks… even
if they seem to splatter him across the scenery.
Water and air elementals are generally this
intangible.
 Intangibility d10: Characters with this rating are
like ghosts, capable of walking right through
solid matter, even that without seams or gaps.
Only the most magical substances (or the
character’s personal banes) can keep him out of a
location. Most ghosts possess this level of
Intangibility when out of the Underworld,
though they can be blocked by a simple line of
salt or iron.
 Intangibility d12: Someone at this level of
Intangibility can become completely out of phase
with reality, essentially becoming non-existent for
purposes of everything in Creation. Not even
energy or magic can impede someone this
ephemeral—though they might not be able to do
anything either, until they become solid again.
Intellect
Intellect is the characteristic of being particularly
intelligent, wise, cunning, or clever. Characters with
the Intellect power think faster than other people, as
well as having a greater grasp of “the big picture.”
This power is normally used in action rolls to create
assets, though it could also be used to inflict or resist
mental or emotional stress in certain circumstances.
 Trained Intellect d6: You are a highly intelligent
individual, someone with extensive education or
a mind that is just naturally prone to thinking
deeply about the universe. You are about as
intelligent or insightful as a sage who is an expert
in his field.
 Enhanced Intellect d8: You are extraordinarily
clever, cunning, or smart, able to grasp new ideas
quickly and understand them about as well as an
expert in far less time. You are roughly as smart
as a world-class thinker, someone who would be
highly sought-after by academics; whatever your
area of intellectual expertise, you are an expert
among experts.
 Superhuman Intellect d10: You are among the
great thinkers of the modern world—or perhaps
all of history. You can intuitively grasp almost
any intellectual pursuit and master it in virtually
no time at all. You are the equivalent of any of
the great minds of history, likely in multiple
fields of endeavor and with far less effort than
any merely human mind.
 Godlike Intellect d12: You are literally so
intelligent and insightful that no human
comparison can matter. You can calculate faster
than the quickest machine intelligence, solve
scientific problems that centuries of research
have determined to be impossible to understand,
and intuitively grasp advanced theories that no
one else has even considered.
Invisibility
Invisibility is the power to avoid being seen,
whether it’s an invisibility spell or an advanced form
of stealth. This power is normally used in reaction
rolls or to create assets. A character with this power
might be able to blend in with his background, fade
from the vision or minds of others, or even to
become transparent.
 Invisibility d6: The power blurs or obscures the
character’s image. This is sometimes limited to
being obscured in mirrors or in situations where
vision is already impaired, such as nighttime or
in shadows. This could also represent a mental
power that makes you someone else’s problem;
you’re still visible, but people don’t pay attention
to you unless you do something to draw their
notice.
 Invisibility d8: A person with this power is
concealed to a greater degree, such as with
chameleon-like blending or ghost-like
transparency. This can also represent psychic
misdirection, like the mental tricks used by some
mystical assassins. While the character is still
visible to others if they focus, he has the
equivalent of a stealth field.
 Invisibility d10: Someone with this level of
Invisibility is completely concealed from standard
visual observation, and even difficult to notice
with magic. The character can move around
without being noticed, leaving no trace of his
presence. Some magical abilities, such as the
power to see essence flows or detect heat, might
be able to spot the character, depending on
where his power comes from.
 Invisibility d12: This character is virtually
impossible to detect with any visual sense,
doesn’t show up to magic, and almost certainly
leaves no physical trace of his passage—unless he
wants to.
Mimic
This uncommon power allows a character to copy
or even steal powers from other characters. It can
also represent beings who can spontaneously develop
new powers as the need arises, such as some kinds of
Fae or the dreaded chimera.
This power is used in action and reaction dice
pools, and it normally requires the character to
create an asset with an action to manifest a specific
power. Depending on the exact nature of the
mimicry, the character might need to touch his
victim or stress them out; in other cases, the
character can just develop a power through imitation
or observation. Some characters with Mimic can only
copy powers, while others can copy skills, memories,
or even identities.
Mimic’s die rating directly corresponds to the
ability of the character to effectively copy or steal
another power. Regardless of the power the character
attempts to mimic or the effect die chosen, the scope
and extent of the copied power is limited by Mimic’s
die rating. If the character wants to copy or steal
Flight as a power and only has Mimic d8, he won’t
be capable of supersonic flight; his asset to represent
Flight and roll actions or reactions could be d12, but
the actual speed won’t be Godlike.
This power normally comes along with several SFX
and Limits to refine it. Some characters with this
power might also have other powers to support it,
such as Shapeshifting.
 Mimic d6: Can copy others’ powers weakly,
gaining pale reflections of their abilities.
37
  Mimic d8: Can copy others’ powers competently, soldiers or five to ten minor supernatural beings,
gaining their abilities or slightly dampened such as elementals or demons.
versions.  Minions 5d8: A huge group of moderately strong
 Mimic d10: Can copy others’ powers very well, followers or a medium-sized group of strong
gaining their exact abilities or even improving on creatures. The fifty or so soldiers wandering
them. around with you could be considered a company
 Mimic d12: Can copy others’ powers and use (or small army) at this point, and dragging
them far better than their original owner. around twenty or more elementals, demons, or
Seriously, it’s kind of embarrassing when god-blooded servants makes you a force to be
someone steals your power and is this much reckoned with.
better at it than you are.  Minions 3d10: A good-sized group of powerful
beings. Your minions could be up to a dozen
Minions powerful demons, bound greater elementals, or
This power represents a group of weaker creatures soulless brass automatons.
that fight for the character, like a team threat. The  Minions 4d10: The number and power of your
value of the power is the strength and number of the minions is staggering.
Minions. Some Minions are their own separate
power set, while others are included as part of a
Panoply or Charms. Generally, a specific Minions
power set will include how the character recovers his
minions if they are taken out, but most minions can
be recovered during a transition scene or between
Acts.
Because Minions are Teams, they have a different
power scale than most other powers. Lower power
levels of minions (in the d4 range) are not
recommended because they are more of a liability
than an aid, while more powerful minions (in the
d12 range) can scarcely be considered minions at all
due to their sheer power.
 Minions 3d6: A small group of weak followers,
such as a squad of five to ten ordinary mortals.
 Minions 4d6: A medium-sized group of weak
followers or a small group of moderately strong
followers. This could be ten to twenty ordinary
mortals or five to ten hardened mortal soldiers.
 Minions 5d6: A vast mob of weak followers or a
medium-sized group of moderately strong
followers. This could be up to fifty ordinary
mortals (though that might cause problems in
deploying them) or up to twenty good soldiers.
 Minions 3d8: A small group of moderately
strong followers, around five to ten elite mortal
soldiers. This can also represent a crowd of weak
supernatural beings, such as zombies or hastily-
crafted automatons.
 Minions 4d8: A medium-sized group of
moderately strong followers, or a small group of
strong minions. This might be ten to twenty elite

38
Movement
Movement powers confer the ability to move
greater than normal speed or in fashions other than
the usual for humans. Speed is ground or surface
travel, Flight is air travel, and other movement
modes (like Swimming) indicate how fast the
creature can move in that mode. All Movement
powers also grant the ability to survive long term in
their appropriate environment.
Some Movement powers, like Leaping, can
represent extraordinary ability with “mundane”
methods of transport. A Swingline power could
represent a grappling hook and cable, a spider
shooting thin strands of web to dangle from, or just
being really good at brachiation on vines. Burrowing
is something that subterranean creatures can do well,
and some people might well be able to Levitate or
Airwalk rather than actually fly. Teleport actually
gets its own entry, since it doesn’t represent traveling
so much as crossing distances without actually
moving.
Movement powers can be used in action or
reaction dice pools.
 Trained Movement d6: Someone with Speed at
this level can run as fast as the world’s fastest
human, but can keep it up basically indefinitely.
Flight d6 enables someone to slowly hover
around, about as fast as a human jogging.
 Enhanced Movement d8: A character with
Enhanced Speed d6 can run as fast as a horse at
full gallop, and a flying character can move about
as quickly as a soaring hawk with Enhanced
Flight d8.
 Superhuman Movement d10: This incredible
rate allows someone with Superhuman Speed
d10 to become nearly a blur, capable of running
at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour. A
character with Superhuman Flight d10 breaks
the sound barrier when he takes to the sky.
 Godlike Movement d12: The unimaginable
speeds of a character with Godlike Speed d12
allow him to cross vast distances in very little
time, such as running from one side of the
Scavenger Lands to the other in less than a day.
Someone with Godlike Flight d12 is just as fast,
especially considering their ability to avoid
obstacles.
Mind Control
This can be direct mind control, possession, or
mental puppetry, or it can represent charisma so
powerful that people wind up agreeing with the
character whether they like it or not. This could also
be used as Emotion Control, which allows the user
to manipulate feelings but not the target’s conscious
mind. This could also be refined into Plant Control
or Animal Control, the ability to compel lesser flora
and fauna to act against their normal nature.
Mind control is usually used in action dice pools to
create mental or emotional stress or mind control
complications. Mind control complications can be
either resisted (with the complication opposing) or
obeyed (so the complication doesn’t apply for the
roll). If the complication is stepped up above d12,
the target can no longer resist for the remainder of
the scene and effectively becomes a minion under
the control of the character.
 Mind Control d6: You can push your target into
doing things he would already be inclined to do,
such as starting a fight when angry or making
advanced on someone he’s already attracted to.
 Mind Control d8: You can override a target’s
impulse control, remove inhibitions, or provoke
irrational behavior. You might be able to make a
brave man break and run, but not a truly fearless
one. Your powers allow you to amplify the
target’s feelings to an overwhelming degree, or to
plant new feelings where none existed before.
 Mind Control d10: You can cause the target to
act against his core beliefs for a short time,
though not without him being aware that he was
manipulated after the fact. More subtly, you
could convince someone that less-destructive
behavior is entirely their own idea. More grossly,
you could simply seize control of the target’s
motor functions and use him as a meat puppet,
screaming inside but unable to defy you.
 Mind Control d12: You can completely possess
someone’s will, eliminating all trace of resistance
and permanently altering beliefs and perceptions.
You can make someone turn against the people
they love most, or even turn them into perfect
sleeper agents, perfectly willing to murder—or
commit suicide—at a word.
39
 Presence
Presence is a character’s social influence in small
groups or in direct one-on-one conversation. It
represents charisma, attractiveness, leadership—all
the things that make someone stand out in a crowd.
Presence is typically used in action pools, generally
for actions that inflict emotional stress or
complications, or to create social assets.
In some ways, Presence is like a less invasive Mind
Control, but it still represents an unnatural level of
charisma. Mind Control can compel people to act
against their own nature to serve or please the
character, while Presence must be combined with
argument or reason in order to convince the target to
act in their own interest—or to convince them that
aiding the character is in their own interest.
 Trained Presence d6: You have advanced
training in rhetoric or speech, making you
roughly as charismatic as a local politician or
experienced used-car salesman.
 Enhanced Presence d8: You are supernaturally
alluring or compelling, able to sway people to
your cause easily. You have roughly the same
charisma and speaking ability as a national
politician or a top-notch con artist.
 Superhuman Presence d10: You have appeal
that transcends culture, time, and place, making
you one of the most notable people anyone
would ever have the luck to meet. You have the
timeless beauty of a movie star, the speaking
power of a demagogue, or the raw charisma of a
world leader—or perhaps all three.
 Godlike Presence d12: No one who meets you
can fail to be moved by your appearance or
words.
Reflexes
Reflexes represent a greater response time, physical
agility, and aim than the average human. The origin
of this ability can be sheer physical speed, incredible
training, inhuman luck, or even precognition—after
all, dodging looks easy when you know where the
attack is going to be before the opponent makes it.
This power can be used in action and reaction dice
pools.
Many—but not all—characters with Reflexes also
have a Movement power, such as Speed.
A side benefit of this power is that if the GM wants
to use the doom pool to interrupt your action during
40
combat, he must spend a die at least as large as your
Reflexes power trait.
 Trained Reflexes d6: You are slightly quicker
than a normal person, but not really enough to
be notable.
 Enhanced Reflexes d8: You have two or three
times the normal human response time and
hand-eye coordination. Practically speaking, you
can hit a bulls-eye on a target at the edge of your
throwing distance virtually every time. Closer
than that, you can do it with distractions or
without looking.
 Superhuman Reflexes d10: Your reaction time is
so fast that it seems to others that you start
moving before anything is happening. You can
hit a bulls-eye on a target at maximum range with
your eyes closed and in a raging storm. You never
lose your balance unless something knocks you
down.
 Godlike Reflexes d12: The world around you
appears to slow to a crawl when you move. You
have lightning-fast coordination—actually,
lightning seems slow compared to you. When
you move, you blur or even vanish to those
without the perceptive abilities to keep up with
something as quick as you.
Resistance
Resistance power traits are almost always used in
reaction dice pools. Resistance powers grant the
innate ability to withstand harm or other attack from
a specific type. Mystic Resistance, for example, is the
innate ability to reject magic of all kinds, while
Mental Resistance aids against mind control or
emotional influence.
The ability to resist physical harm is covered by the
Durability power, rather than Resistance. Outright
immunity to an effect is an SFX, and many
characters with Resistance power traits also have
such SFX.
 Resistance d6: You have a bare minimum
resistance to a certain effect, but it’s more than
the average person.
 Resistance d8: Your powers can turn away most
standard attacks of this type. With Poison
Resistance d8 you never get drunk unless you
want to, and Disease Resistance d8 makes you
virtually immune to mundane sickness.
 Resistance d10: You have substantial defenses
against most attacks of this type. A character with
Poison Resistance d10 can drink arsenic and
only feel a little dizzy.
 Resistance d12: You are nearly invulnerable to
attacks of this type. Disease Resistance d12
allows you to walk unscathed through the worst
plague-ridden slaughterhouses in Creation
without fear.
Senses
Senses may be used in action or reaction pools,
though they rarely are used to inflict stress without
working with another power trait. Senses are more
acute, keen, or developed than the average
humanoid.
Sometimes senses are just more powerful version
of the five senses, and sometimes they are specifically
described. Mystic Senses allow a character to detect
magical energies and see essence flows, while Life
Sense could let a ghost feel the warmth of the living
even without being able to see a person.
 Trained Senses d6: You likely have keen
mundane senses or a low-grade additional sense,
like Mystic Senses d6 or Life Senses d6. You are
slightly more perceptive than most people.
 Enhanced Senses d8: You have an extraordinary
level of awareness, more like a predatory animal
than a human. You might be able to see in the
dark, locate enemies by sound, or taste poison
before getting a full dose of it.
 Superhuman Senses d10: Your sensory abilities
are truly unnatural, offering incredible levels of
awareness. You might be able to see through
walls, hear whispering on the other side of a
neighborhood, or determine a man’s identity
from footprints and a bit of dirt scuffed from his
shoe.
 Godlike Senses d12: You have nearly cosmic
levels of perception, able to glean detailed
information from the most minute of cues. You
might be able to unravel a person’s history from
their choice of clothing, see a ship at sea from a
thousand miles away, or hear your name spoken
anywhere in Creation.
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting may be used in either action or
reaction dice pools, usually to create assets.
Shapeshifting is the ability to alter the way you look
or take on the form of something else you have
experienced, like when a Lunar Exalted shifts into a
bear. This might be minor feature alteration or
actual metamorphosis; it can also be physical or
illusory.
Without another power like Size-Changing, you
cannot alter your basic size that much; you might
rearrange your features or physique, but you always
remain more or less the size of a normal human.
 Shapeshifting d6: You can make minor changed
to your facial features or physical appearance,
though not enough to closely mimic anyone in
particular. You might be able to change your
gender at will, grow some minor animal features,
or just rearrange your appearance as a disguise.
 Shapeshifting d8: You can take on another
person’s external appearance, fooling most
onlookers and passing as the person you’re
imitating. You might instead be able to change
into animals, taking on their basic characteristics
and outside form.
 Shapeshifting d10: You can fully shift into
another physical form, even fooling people with
heightened senses; magical or supernatural senses
might be able to tell you from the real thing, but
only with difficulty. This level of ability might
also allow you to turn yourself into an object,
plant, or small terrain feature. You can probably
change only part of yourself, but you probably
can’t combine contradictory features.
 Shapeshifting d12: You can become virtually
anyone or anything you like, fooling even
magical senses. For all intents and purposes, you
are the thing you’ve become. You can likely even
become combinations or bizarre amalgamations
of other things.
Size-Changing
Size-changing powers may be used in either action
or reaction dice pools. These powers allow growing
or shrinking in size, usually through magic or
monstrous ability. They do not grant further abilities
from changing in size, which may be represented
with other power traits like Strength, Durability,
and so on.
The basic Size-Changing powers are Growth,
allowing a character to become bigger, and
Shrinking, allowing a character to become smaller.
41
 For some beings, these powers might actually
represent their permanent sizes, if being that size is
an advantage for them; otherwise, it’s probably just
part of their description or one of their Distinctions.
Some power sets include limits related to the ways
in which being bigger or smaller can be harmful
(such as Huge), while some have other powers that
shutdown while one or the other is active.
 Size-Changing d6: At Growth d6, you can bulk
yourself up slightly; at Shrinking d6, you can
compress your mass tightly. This doesn’t change
your overall height and weight so much as it
represents being able to adjust it to slip out of
bonds, fit into cramped spaces, or puff up to
look more menacing.
 Size-Changing d8: With Growth d8, you can
become double the height of a normal person,
growing to nearly fifteen feet tall. Shrinking d8
allows you to become the size of a doll or a
housecat.
 Size-Changing d10: A character with Growth
d10 can grow to the size of a building, upwards
of fifty to one hundred feet tall. With Shrinking
d10, you could become the size of a mouse or
large insect.
 Size-Changing d12: With Growth d12, you can
become truly massive, almost a geographic
formation of your own. With Shrinking d12,
you can become so small that you are virtually
undetectable, able to swim through other
creatures’ veins like a virus.
While Sorcery is primarily used to inflict
complications and create assets, this can still aid in
dealing “direct damage” with magic. A spellcaster can
spend an action creating an asset (which is called
“shaping sorcery” in-game), and then use it as part of
his next dice pool for a stress-dealing attack.
 Sorcery Novice d6: A character with this level of
Sorcery is known as a thaumaturge and is not
considered a true sorcerer. You can achieve the
equivalent of parlor tricks without preparation,
nothing more than conjuring floating lights,
making coins vanish, or the like.
 Sorcery Adept d8: You are an initiate of true
magic, the Terrestrial Circle of Sorcery
(sometimes called the Emerald Circle). You can
summon and control mystic forces to create
constructs, commune with beings in other
realms, and bend the laws of reality on a local
scale.

Sorcery
Sorcery is the trained ability to shape magical
forces into tangible magical creations, usually as an
asset or complication. The ability to channel magic
into a direct strike is covered under Magical Blast, or
some similar attack power.
Sorcery may be used in action or reaction pools,
and may not be used to inflict stress (which is often
shown in an accompanied Limit in a Power Set
including it). Almost all characters with Sorcery have
the Limit Utility Magic.
In-game, Sorcery is a powerful and complicated
magical practice that only the dedicated and
obsessive can perfect. Taking this power trait, more
than almost any other, makes certain presumptions
about a character’s personality and abilities.

42
 Sorcery Mastery d10: You have great mystical
powers, being an initiate of the Celestial Circle
of Sorcery (or the Sapphire Circle). You can
channel your power into longer lasting constructs
or objects, dispel the magical works of lesser
casters with ease, and change the laws of nature.
 Sorcery Supremacy d12: You are one of the rare
masters of the Solar Circle of Sorcery (or the
Adamant Circle). You can draw on your world-
shattering mystic powers to affect far-reaching
changes, summon powerful servitors, and
empower mystical objects of frightening strength.
With rare exception, any power set including
Sorcery should include the following Limit:
 Limit: Utility Magic. A dice pool containing
Sorcery cannot be used to inflict stress.
Stamina
Stamina represents increased endurance and
staying power, as well as recuperative ability and
resistance to fatigue or toxins. It is not the ability to
resist physical damage, which is covered under
Durability or Resistance.
Stamina is almost always used in recovery dice
pools or in reaction pools against poison or disease-
type effects. It can also be used in reaction dice pools
that target a hero’s endurance or staying power, such
as resisting paralysis, sleep, or fatigue.
 Trained Stamina d6: You are slightly more
resistant to fatigue than usual and able to recover
from injuries a little quicker than the average
person. Missing a night of sleep still makes you
cranky.
 Enhanced Stamina d8: You have faster than
normal healing and recuperative abilities, strong
resistance to minor diseases, and the ability to
keep up your best level of effort for an hour or
more. Missing a night of sleep leaves you
basically fine.
 Superhuman Stamina d10: You rapidly recover
from injury, resist most common forms of
disease and toxins with ease, and can operate at
your peak efficiency for hours if needed. You can
go a couple of days without sleeping if you have
to.
 Godlike Stamina d12: You can recover from
even near-fatal wounds and trauma with extreme
speed, shrug off even mystical sickness and
poison, and have almost limitless ability to
operate at your best effort. If need be, you can go
days—maybe weeks, without sleeping.
Strength
Strength is muscular power beyond that of the
average human. This is a common power among
warriors and can represent everything from superior
physical training to artifact-enhanced musculature to
the lifting servos of a warstrider.
As with many power traits, it’s often assumed to
just work if nothing is challenging the character or if
using Strength if just part of an action’s description
(like lifting a huge boulder to throw it at a foe).
Having great strength in only one limb (such as
having a magical golden arm) or under specific
circumstances (like being in direct sunlight) is
covered by a character’s Limits.
Strength is almost always used in action dice pools.
 Trained Strength d6: You can burst rope bonds
and kick down wooden doors without breaking a
sweat.
 Enhanced Strength d8: You can shatter
reinforced doors, burst through a wooden wall,
bend iron bars, or flip a wagon with ease.
 Superhuman Strength d10: You can lift and
throw a fully laden wagon, smash through metal
and stone, and rip through most barrier like they
aren’t even there.
 Godlike Strength d12: You can throw a stone
and hit the sky, knock over a building with a stiff
kick, or shatter a mountain with a punch.
Stretching
Stretching is the ability to elongate or increase the
length of limbs or other body parts, often to great
distances. In some cases, this is through natural
elasticity, while in others it can be through
possessing extra-long limbs like a squid’s tentacles.
This could also represent just being able to use one’s
limbs at great distance without physically covering
the intervening distance, such as reaching through a
portal to punch someone across a room.
Stretching is usually used in action dice pools.
 Stretching d6: You can reach across a normal
room or access high places. This is roughly the
equivalent of having double a human’s usual
reach.
43
  Stretching d8: You can reach across a street, up
to the second or third story of a building, or
down a hallway and around a corner.
 Stretching d10: You can stretch to considerable
distance, even up to several city blocks away. You
can clear buildings, ravines, and rivers with your
elongated limbs.
 Stretching d12: You can reach ridiculous
distances, perhaps without limit—across lakes and
into the clouds.
Telepathy
This can represent either the ability to read minds
or just a sense of others’ motivations so keen that it
seems like mind-reading. Telepathy might also be
used to pass messages through silent means.
This power trait is normally used for creating assets
or helping to remove complications.
 Telepathy d6: You can determine another
person’s mood or vague intentions, albeit with
some difficulty, or pass on simple one-word
messages to one other person at a time.
 Telepathy d8: You can read another person’s
surface thoughts or emotional motivations with
ease. Depending on the way your power works,
you might also be able to share someone’s senses,
pass on secret messages to others in your area, or
link a small number of minds together for
communication.
 Telepathy d10: You can uncover another
person’s memories and deep motivations, probe
their minds for the answers to questions, and
create persistent communicative links among
large groups of people across great distances. You
might also be able to block off or recover—or
alter—a target’s memories.
 Telepathy d12: You can remain in constant
communication with vast numbers of people,
skim the surface thoughts of hundreds of people
at a time, and implant entirely new life histories
within a person’s mind.
Teleport
Teleporting is the ability to travel from one point
to another instantaneously, often by crossing
through another plane of existence through magical
means.
At the d10 and d12 rating, you can choose to have
the power only allow travel to other dimensions or
44
other worlds, such as the ability to cross into the
Underworld from anywhere or the power to tear
open a whole into Hell; travel between locations on
Creation in such instances would be a stunt.
Some heroes with this power may use it to grab
people and teleport them, either going along with
you as a passenger or by making portals to send them
away. This is represented best with SFX or by using
the power with a stunt as part of an attack.
Teleport may be used in action or reaction dice
pools.
 Teleport d6: You can blink in and out of place
in a single location, crossing a room or a gap
between buildings. You can essentially teleport as
far as you could jump with a good running start.
Line of sight is usually required, though you
might be able to teleport to the other side of a
door.
 Teleport d8: You can teleport across hundreds
of feet at once, perhaps even a mile or so. By
using multiple such “jumps,” you can cover
distance very quickly.
 Teleport d10: You can cross leagues of distance
in a single use of your power, covering hundreds
of miles in mere hours if you keep it up. You
might also be able to cross between Creation and
one of the other realms of existence, such as Yu-
Shan or Malfeas, without needing to use an
existing doorway.
 Teleport d12: You can cross an entire nation in
a single jump, allowing you to travel across a
whole Direction in mere hours or even minutes.
You can tear open a doorway to another realm,
allowing two-way passage for as long as you
maintain the connection.
Transmutation
Transmutation is the ability to transmute one
substance to another, sometimes through alchemical
means and sometimes through monstrous abilities.
Transmutation is very powerful and, as such,
typically doesn’t confer long-lasting effects. Most
Transmutation actions create assets or complications
that represent the change in quality. The power can
be used to inflict stress, too—such as a sorcerer
changing a castle’s stone walls into sand or turning
an enemy’s blood into acid—but unless the target is
stressed out, the effect isn’t complete or permanent.
Usually, the die rating of the power also informs how
well it can alter a target with Durability or
Resistance.
Transmutation is usually used in action dice pools.
 Transmutation d6: You can affect the integrity
or cohesion of a target, causing it to harden or
soften, perhaps degrade, or take on other
qualities, but not to actually change it into
another substance. You can perform the
equivalent of complicated chemistry with a few
tools or simple chemistry with none.
 Transmutation d8: You can alter the properties
of a non-living target to make it solid, liquid, or
gas, or to change it from one kind of solid,
liquid, or gas into another. You could change
lead into gold, but it wouldn’t last very long.
 Transmutation d10: You can change a substance
on the elemental level, altering it from one
substance into another. You can affect living or
non-living matter, allowing you to turn a man
into a stone statue, turn water into wine, and so
on. You could even change one kind of jade into
another, though you couldn’t turn silver into
moonsilver.
 Transmutation d12: You can change virtually
any object or item into another, regardless of its
original substance, shape, or qualities, though
you might need special circumstances for
particularly powerful, valuable, or strange
alterations. You can refine gold into orichalcum
with proper conditions, or create life from first
principles.
Power Sets
A “power set” is a group of related power traits,
SFX, and Limits that stem from the same source or
from related sources. In the case of most player
characters, they have a Charms power set which
represents their innate supernatural abilities and
overall excellence, as well as a Panoply power set that
represents their external sources of power, such as
equipment, martial arts training, and allies or
minions.
Every character has between zero and three power
sets, but can have no more than two “active” power
sets at one time.
Power sets take the following format:
Power Set Name
 Power trait dX. (These are the dice you can
include in your pool when utilizing your powers.)
 SFX: Name. (This is a special effect you can call
upon when appropriate.)
 Limit: Name. (This is a limitation on the use of
your powers, or a situation in which they can
fail—often with a Mote as a reward for your
hardship.)
SFX
In Cortex Plus Heroic, SFX (short for “special
effects”) are a specialized use of a power set to create
unusual effects not represented by dice, or which
improve a character’s power dice in specific
circumstances. Some SFX require a Mote to activate,
but most do not.
Most Exalted characters have a Caste SFX, a special
ability they receive by virtue of their Exalted caste or
aspect. This power is generally far more powerful
than an ordinary SFX, representing the supernal
power of the Exalted host.
General SFX
Players should be encouraged to create new SFX
for their characters with the GM’s oversight, but
many abilities can be represented by a general set of
SFX. The following SFX are very common in Exalted
power sets.
 Absorption. On a successful reaction against a
[attack type] action, convert your opponent’s
effect die into a [Power Set] stunt or step up a
[Power Set] power for your next action. Spend 1
Mote to use this SFX if your opponent’s action
succeeds.
 Afflict. Add a d6 and step up your effect die
when inflicting [type] complications on a target.
 Area Attack. Spend 1 Mote. When using [power
trait] against multiple targets, for each additional
target add a d6 and keep an additional effect die.
 Berserk. Remove a die from the doom pool and
add it to an attack action. Step that die up and
return it to the doom pool when your action is
resolved.
 Boost. Shutdown your highest rated [Power Set]
power to step up another [Power Set] power.
45
 Recover power by activating an opportunity or
during a Transition Scene.
 Burnout. Step up or double [power trait] for one
action, or spend 1 Mote to do both. If that
action fails, shutdown [power trait]. Recover
power by activating an opportunity or during a
Transition Scene.
 Burst. Step up or double [power trait] against a
single target. Remove the highest rolling die and
add three dice for your total.
 Collateral Damage. Instead of spending 1 Mote,
add d6 to the doom pool to create a [Power Set]
stunt.
 Confidence. When a d6 would be added to the
doom pool from the GM buying an opportunity,
spend 1 PP to make it enter the doom pool as a
d4 instead. Spend 1 PP as an action during a
Social or Exploration Scene to change a d6 in the
doom pool to a d4.
 Constructs. Add a d6 and step up your effect die
when using [power trait] to create [type] assets.
 Conversion. When using [power trait] in your
reaction pool, you may change [stress type one] to
[stress type two] at no cost.
 Counterattack. On a successful reaction against
a [type] attack, spend 1 Mote to inflict [stress
type] with your effect die without an opportunity
showing, or step it up with an opportunity.
 Danger Sense. Spend 1 Mote to reroll a reaction
against [attack type], adding or stepping up
[power trait].
 Dangerous. When making an attack including
[power trait], step back the highest die in your
dice pool to add a d6 and step up physical stress
inflicted.
 Defender. Spend 1 Mote to take [stress type]
intended for a nearby ally.
 Extra Effective. When including [power trait] as
part of an attack against [target type] targets, add
a d6 and step up effect die.
 Extra Effort. Step up or double [power trait] for
one action, then shutdown [power trait]. Recover
power by activating an opportunity or during a
Transition Scene.
 Focus. If a pool includes a [Power Set] power you
may replace two dice of equal size with one die at
one step higher.
46
 Frenzy. At no cost, add existing [stress type] to
any dice pool including a [Power Set] power,
then step up [stress type].
 Healing. Spend 1 Mote to use an effect die to
recover your own or another’s [stress type] or step
back your own or another’s [trauma type].
 Immunity. Spend 1 Mote to ignore stress or
complications from [specific attack type].
 Insight. Spend 1 Mote to allow an ally using an
asset you created to reroll all dice, stepping up
the asset for this roll.
 Invulnerable. Spend 1 Mote to ignore [stress
type] unless caused by [specific attack type].
 Multipower. Add more than one [Power Set]
power to a dice pool. Step back all [Power Set]
powers in the pool for each power included after
the first.
 Nova. Step up or double [power trait] for the rest
of the Scene, or spend 1 Mote to do both. Take
the second-highest rolling die of each subsequent
action including [power trait] as [stress type].
 Reactive Power. Spend 1 Mote to add [power
trait] to another character’s dice pool before they
roll a reaction. If that character takes [stress type],
step up your [same or other stress type].
 Redirect. When you take [stress type], you may
spend 1 Mote to suffer [other stress type] instead.
 Regeneration. Spend 1 Mote to use an effect die
to recover your [stress type] stress and step back
your [trauma type] trauma.
 Risky. Step up or double [power trait] when
[action type], or spend 1 Mote to do both. Add
the second highest rolling die from that action to
the doom pool.
 Second Chance. Spend 1 Mote to reroll an
action including [power trait].
 Second Wind. Before you make an action
including [power trait], spend 1 Mote to move
your [stress type] die to the doom pool and step
up [power trait] for this action.
 Tactician. Spend 1 Mote to remove a die from
the doom pool and add it to a roll including a
[Power Set] power. After the roll, step back the
doom die and return it to the doom pool.
 Unleashed. Step up or double [power trait] for
one action, or spend 1 Mote to do both. If the
action fails, add a die to the doom pool equal to
the normal rating of your power die.

 Versatile. Before rolling, you may split [power
trait] dX into [two dice at –1 step] or [three dice
at –2 steps].
Sample Unique SFX
The following SFX are modeled on those above
but use different descriptions in order to
demonstrate the ways in which SFX can be
personalized.
 SFX: Devastating Blow. Your attacks ring with the
force of a titan. Spend 1 Mote when making an
attack action. For this attack action, you count as
a Large Scale Threat.
 SFX: Early Warning. Your connection to the
Loom of Fate gives you limited precognition.
Spend 1 Mote to reroll a reaction against a
physical attack, adding or stepping up Senses.
 SFX: Take the Hit. Your martial arts training
focuses on the defense of those weaker than
yourself. Spend 1 Mote to take physical stress
intended for a nearby ally.
 SFX: Witty Riposte. When an opponent in a
verbal sparring match gives you the slightest
opening, you seize upon it with gusto. On a
successful reaction against an action that would
inflict emotional stress, spend 1 Mote to inflict
emotional stress with your effect die without an
opportunity showing, or step it up with an
opportunity.
Limits
A Limit is a limitation on a Power Set that can
cause individual powers to shutdown, the whole set
to shutdown, or create other restrictions on personal
ability.
Every power set has at least one Limit, and many
have more than one. A Limit represents a weakness
in the character’s powers, but it also frequently
represents an opportunity to generate Motes. The
player can choose to activate his character’s Limit in
exchange for the listed reward (usually 1 Mote). If
the GM can narratively justify it, he can activate the
character’s Limit instead, typically by paying the
listed reward or spending a die out of the doom
pool.
For example, most gear-based power groups have
the Limit “Shutdown this power group and gain 1
Mote.” If an NPC takes an action to disarm the
character of his daiklave and succeeds on the attack,
the GM can give the player 1 Mote in order to
activate that Limit.
Some common Limits are listed below.
 Conscious Activation. While stressed out,
asleep, or unconscious, shutdown [power set].
Recover [power set] when you recover that stress
or wake up. If you take [trauma type] trauma,
shutdown [power set] until you recover that
trauma.
 Difficult Recovery. Add [power trait] die to the
opposing roll when you or others try to recover
your [stress type].
 Exhausted. Shutdown any [Power Set] power and
gain 1 Mote. Recover power by activating an
opportunity or during a Transition Scene.
 Extinguished. Shutdown [power trait] when
subjected to [attack type] to gain 1 Mote. Recover
[power trait] by activating an opportunity or
during a Transition Scene.
47
  Gear. Shutdown [Power Group] to gain 1 Mote.
Take an action versus the doom pool to recover.
 Growing Dread. Count 1s and 2s on dice as
opportunities when using a [power set] power.
 Huge. Change [power] into a complication when
your size becomes an issue to gain 1 Mote.
Activate an opportunity or remove the
complication to recover that power.
 Mutually Exclusive. Shutdown [power set one]
to activate [power set two]. Shutdown [power set
two] to recover [power set one].
 Uncontrollable. Change [power trait] into a
complication to gain 1 Mote. Recover [power
trait] by removing the complication or activating
an opportunity.
 Vulnerability. Step up [stress type] from [attack
type] to gain 1 Mote.
Caste SFX and NPCs
While player characters inevitably have a caste
power as one of their SFX (attached to their Exalted
type and Essence die), most NPCs lack such benefits.
It is assumed that a non-player character can gain the
flavor benefits of a caste power by GM fiat (such as a
Zenith Caste NPC turning a corpse to ash with a
touch), and the dice benefits (such as stepping up an
effect die) by spending dice from the doom pool.
Essentially, NPCs do not get the player character
ability to step up their effect die in their caste
specialty, since the doom pool gives them a lot more
ability to just add dice to rolls. Where caste powers
can be used to gain new powers for a Mote (such as
the New Moon caste power that gives them
Invisibility temporarily), those powers are simply part
of the NPC writeup.
Perfect Defenses
In the world of Exalted, the concept exists of the
“perfect defense”—a mystical defense that essentially
negates all harm of a specific type, but which can be
defeated through specific means. This same concept
exists in Cortex Plus Heroic, represented through
the Invulnerability SFX.
48
The general wording of this SFX is, “Spend 1 Mote
to ignore all [type] stress, unless caused by [flaw].”
For this purpose “type” is physical, mental or
emotional, and the flaw is a specific condition under
which the SFX does not work. Not every Invulnerable
SFX has a flaw, but almost all of them should.
Good flaws for Invulnerability include:
 …unless caused by allies.
 …unless caused by an enemy whose Threat die is
equal to or larger than the character’s Essence
die.
 …unless caused by magic.
 …unless caused by weapons made of iron.
 …unless caused by area attacks.
 …unless caused by a Large scale threat.
And so on.
The Immunity SFX also gives characters what
effectively amounts to a “perfect defense” against a
very small set of effects, such as lightning, fire,
poison, disease, cold, and so on. These do not need
to have a flaw; their innate limitations make them
flawed enough.
Power Groups
As mentioned above, some power sets (typically
called “Panoply sets”) have sub-sets known as power
groups. These groups are intended to represent “mini
power sets” that have multiple powers coming from
the same source, such as a magic sword, rune-
enhanced armor, a mystical familiar, a bound god,
martial arts training, and so on.
Technically, each power group is a small power set
in and of itself, with its own power traits and SFX,
but they are all part of the Panoply power set in that
only one trait from any of them can be used in an
action pool without spending Motes.
Power groups are discussed in more detail
elsewhere, but here are a few examples of power
groups that can be used for characters. The listed
power traits and SFX are suggestions; a given player
character might have them at higher or lower levels,
depending on how far along a martial arts path he is
or the powers he has unlocked from an artifact.
Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style
Martial artists who learn the Dreaming Pearl
Courtesan Style become consummate performers
with charisma and grace to spare, and they can be as
elusive as dreams. The style emphasizes finesse and
subtle manipulation over brute power.
 Dreaming Pearl Form: Enhanced Reflexes d8,
Superhuman Presence d10, Weapon d8
 SFX: Demure Carp Feint. Spend 1 Mote to reroll a
reaction against a physical attack, adding or
stepping up Presence.
 SFX: Resplendent Sash. When using Weapon to
inflict grappling or entangling complications, add
a d6 and step up the effect die.
 Limit: Conscious Activation. Shutdown Dreaming
Pearl Form while unconscious or while suffering
from social trauma. Recover Dreaming Pearl
Form when awakened or when social trauma is
recovered.
Moonsilver Bracers
These moonsilver coverings change shape with
their wearer. While they offer some amount of
protection and improved accuracy, they are more
useful for their ability to hold a hearthstone and
grant its power to the wearer.
 Moonsilver Bracers: Enhanced Durability d8,
Enhanced Reflexes d8
 SFX: Snake Skin Stone. Spend 1 Mote as an action
during a Transition Scene to recover your
physical stress and step back your physical
trauma.
 Limit: Hearthstone. Moonsilver Bracers can only
have one SFX active at any time. As an action
during a Transition Scene, shutdown Moonsilver
Bracers hearthstone SFX to activate another
hearthstone SFX for a hearthstone in your
possession.
Mouse of the Sun
Legend says that mice once saved the
Unconquered Sun from his enemies. Ever since, the
sun has favored the humble mouse as his emissary. A
Sun Mouse is especially blessed—a white mouse with
a golden sunburst on its back.
 Sun Mouse: Bite d6, Light Control d6
 SFX: Faithful Helper. You may create resources as
though you possessed Covert Expert d8, even in
situations where you are isolated or helpless, so
long as a mouse-sized creature is capable of
reaching you.
 SFX: Sunlit Fur Warmth. Once per Arc, as a
recovery action, spend 1 Mote to step back limit
trauma. This does not count against the normal
once per Arc limitation on recovering limit
trauma.
 Limit: Tiny Mouse. Shutdown Sun Mouse at the
beginning of an Action Scene to gain 1 Mote.
Recover Sun Mouse during the next Transition
Scene.
Rat King’s Cloak
This black cloak is woven with soulsteel threads
that glitter only to the eyes of the dead. The wearer
can transform himself into a swarm of rats and back
again, or sink into shadows unseen.
 Rat King’s Cloak: Enhanced Durability d8,
Intangibility d8, Invisibility d8
 SFX: Swarm Dodge. Step up or double
Intangibility in a reaction roll against a physical
attack. Remove the highest rolling die and keep
three dice for the total.
 Limit: Tatters of the King. Turn Invisibility into a
complication to gain 1 Mote. Recover Invisibility
by removing the complication or activating an
opportunity.
Snake Style Martial Arts
Snake Style is swift and agile, moving with the
speed of a striking serpent to fell stronger or better
armed foes before they even have a chance to act.
 Snake Form: Enhanced Reflexes d8, Weapon d8
 SFX: Serpentine Evasion. Spend 1 Mote to reroll a
reaction against a physical attack, adding or
stepping up Reflexes.
 SFX: Striking Cobra Technique. Spend 1 Mote to
interrupt the action order of a foe with an armor-
based power trait. Take your action, then return
the action order to the foe you interrupted if that
foe is still in the scene.
 Limit: Physical Conditioning. Shutdown Snake
Form and all related SFX while unconscious or
suffering from physical trauma. Recover group
when awakened or when physical trauma is
recovered.
49
 Volcano Cutter
This red jade daiklave was imbued with the heat of
a mighty magma kraken’s heart during its creation,
giving it power over fire and earth.
 Red Jade Daiklave: Enhanced Durability d8, Fire
Blast d8, Weapon d10
 SFX: Flaming Slash. Spend 1 Mote when
attacking multiple targets with Fire Blast. For
each additional target, add a d6 and keep an
effect die.
 Limit: Artifact. Shutdown Volcano Cutter to gain
1 Mote. Recover by taking an action against the
doom pool.
Warstriders
Warstriders are massive mechanical suits of armor,
constructed with extreme care as weapons of
incredible power. The greatest of these were formed
in the First Age, with lesser models constructed
during the Shogunate. Currently, warstriders are
hard to come by and extremely difficult to build. The
Realm and Lookshy are the only places where
warstriders are used with any regularity, but their
rarity certainly doesn't detract from their combat
value.
Warstrider pilots control the device from a central
chassis, using strips of the magical materials to move
the device in a manner that vaguely resembles
puppeteering. Such controls are quite fatiguing to
the rider, although more advanced models are
comfortable enough to ease the fatigue.
In game terms, a warstrider allows the character
piloting it to act as a Large Scale Threat while in the
chassis. This protects the pilot from most harm and
allows him to dish out massive attacks, but at the
cost of any subtlety or finesse.
Warstriders are most commonly used to allow
Exalted to fight Large Scale Threats at their own level
with greater ease (though powerful Exalts can fight
such creatures with their bare hands with a fair
chance of success).
Warstrider Mechanics
While inside a warstrider, the pilot uses its Threat
dice in place of his own Essence die. Any physical
stress targeting the character instead targets the
warstrider, which has a Threat die removed
50
whenever it suffers physical stress equal to a die
larger than its Threat (as per a minor NPC or an
adversary).
Piloting a warstrider is typically a Physical action,
though some Mental or Social actions might be
undertaken while inside a warstrider. Generally,
fighting with a warstrider’s various attack modes uses
the Close Combat or Ranged Combat Specialties as
normal, though fighting with the warstrider’s innate
speed and power over built-in weapons systems
might use the Vehicles Specialty at the GM’s
discretion.
The use of a warstrider is incompatible with
Charm and Panoply power sets, though many
warstriders have integrated weapons and armor of
their own. Such power sets are shutdown while the
warstrider is active. A character might learn an SFX
allowing him to use specific powers with his
warstrider, effectively channeling his magic through
his armor, but this is not the default state. All
warstriders should allow their pilot to act as a Large
Scale Threat in addition to any other SFX or Limits
they possess.
Generally, each time a Threat die is removed from
a warstrider due to taking physical stress, its pilot
steps up his own physical stress due to the battering
and damage taken by his war machine. If all of a
warstrider’s Threat dice are removed, it is shutdown
and cannot be activated again until it is affected by
enough recovery actions to restore its Threat dice;
warstriders do not heal naturally, unlike characters.
If a warstrider is taken out through a complication,
the pilot might be able to shutdown the warstrider
and exit it in order to keep fighting, at the GM’s
discretion. Generally, anything that would remove
the warstrider from the scene also removes the pilot,
though exceptions might exist.
Most warstriders have two to five powers, rated
between d8 and d12, and two to four SFX, plus an
SFX that makes them immune to physical stress
except from other Large Scale Threats. All
warstriders share the Big/Huge Warstrider Limit, the
Damaged Systems Limit, and the Large Scale Threat
Limit.
Warstrider Types
Warstriders come in several models: Scout,
Common, Noble, Colossus, and Royal. Common
designs are fairly simple and are effectively strong
power armor. Scouts lack the striking power of the
other classes, but are faster and can be used for
longer periods without need for repair. Noble
warstriders are more comfortable to use and have
more all-around power than Common and Scout
classes. Colossus types are no taller than Noble
classes, but they are much wider and the most potent
of the Warstriders in terms of raw physical power.
The Royal Warstriders were usually the most
powerful type. Royals frequently contained awakened
little gods to give the device its own active
intelligence, some of which were quite powerful in
and of themselves. These immensely powerful war
machines were vanishingly rare even in the First Age,
and it is believed that no more than a score of them
exist in the modern world.
Scout Warstrider
A Scout Warstrider is actually little more than a
personal suit of power armor. Even such small
vehicles are mighty weapons, though.
Threat: Double pilot’s Essence die.
Common Warstrider
A character in a Common Warstrider is a
powerhouse, easily the equal of a platoon of well-
armed soldiers.
Threat: Triple the pilot’s Essence die.
Noble Warstrider
A Noble Warstrider can change the course of a
battle—or a war in the hands of the right pilot.
Threat: Step up and double the pilot’s Essence die.
Colossus Warstrider
Massive beyond belief, a Colossus Warstrider is
little more than a mobile platform for weapons. Such
vehicles are slow but devastatingly powerful.
Threat: Step up and triple the pilot’s Essence die.
Royal Warstrider
Smaller than a Colossus, but more powerful by far,
a Royal Warstrider can change the destiny of nations
with its might.
Threat: Step up and quadruple the pilot’s Essence
die.
Some specific examples of warstriders can be found
in Chapter 8: Antagonists. These powerful vehicles are
useful to player characters as a means of engaging
with huge, powerful foes without having their own
magical powers focused on fighting Large Scale
Threats. Plus, everyone likes giant fighting robots.
Seriously.
51
52
 CHAPTER FOUR
SPECIALTIES
“Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill.”
—Shinichi Suzuki
Specialties are skills possessed by a character, as
well as the manifestation of peripheral functions of
those skills.
Not all potential skills are represented as
Specialties—only those which drive the drama and
adventure of an Exalted: Blood and Fire campaign.
Additionally, not all characters need to take a lot of
Specialties to be considered “skilled.” A character’s
Distinctions and Powers can also represent training
and skill. Generally, Specialties should only be taken
if being very skilled in something is a core part of the
character’s concept.
A Specialty can be taken by a player character at
Expert (d8), Master (d10), or Paragon (d12) level.
Specialties exist at the Rookie (d6) level as well, but
these are only taken by minor NPCs to demonstrate
their limited grasp of a given skill.
When a character spends 1 Mote during a
Transition Scene (or after activating a GM
opportunity), he creates a Resource by linking it to
one of his Specialties; that Resource is created at one
die step lower than the linked Specialty. Such a
Resource lasts until the end of the next Scene; at
that time, the character may choose to spend 1 Mote
to extend it until the end of the following Scene as
well.
A character can create a Resource during an
Action Scene by activating an opponent’s
opportunity. Such Resources start at the level of
their linked Specialty but only last until the end of
the Scene.
When rolling a Specialty as part of a dice pool, a
character can always choose to split his Specialty into
two dice of lower size. So, a character with Covert
Master d10 could choose to roll it as d10, or 2d8, or
3d6.
Remember, even without a Specialty, a player
character or named NPC can default to a d6 for the
category to represent general, broad knowledge of a
subject.
Paragon Specialties
While Paragon (d12) Specialties exist, it should be
noted that their acquisition is uncommon even for
the mighty Exalted. A Paragon Specialty represents a
level of skill and ability that is not just superhuman
but actually godlike in its manifestation.
Generally, only elders of the Exalted possess such
divine levels of skill, as well as a few gods whose
focus is in that field of endeavor. The actual god of
war might have Close Combat d12, supplemented by
powers and SFX that make him unparalleled in
hand-to-hand.
Of course, the Exalted have greater potential than
any god, especially the vaunted Solar Exalted. If it
makes sense for your campaign and group, feel free
to allow a young upstart Exalt to achieve such
heights of power long before his staid elders believe
he should be able to. Achieving the impossible and
breaking through barriers is part of what Exalted:
Blood and Fire is all about, after all!
53
 Specialties
 Acrobatics  Menace
 Athletics  Occult
 Bureaucracy  Performance
 Close Combat  Ranged Combat
 Covert  Socialize
 Craft  Survival
 Larceny  Trading
 Lore  Vehicles
 Medicine  War
Acrobatics
You’ve had training in leaping, jumping,
contorting, and dodging out of the way. You’ve got a
great sense of balance and you’re not afraid of
heights.
 An Acrobatics Expert is the equivalent of a
competitive gymnast, circus performer, or
dancer.
 An Acrobatics Master is world-class, at the level
of the world’s greatest gymnasts and performers.
 An Acrobatics Paragon is able to make the most
difficult, seemingly impossible feats of dexterity
and grace look positively easy.
 Acrobatics stunts include amazing handsprings,
back flips, running along tightropes or beams, or
squeezing into tight spaces.
 Acrobatics resources include contacts in the
circus, gymnastics, or dancing communities,
knowledge of fitness and dance routines,
tightrope and harness equipment, and great spots
to practice or compete.
Athletics
You are a skilled athlete, someone who has had
extensive physical conditioning for strength and
endurance. You have a powerful build and are quite
tough. You might have been a professional athlete,
or just someone who undertook athletic activities
like hiking, climbing, or swimming.
 An Athletics Expert is the equivalent of a low-
level professional athlete, a sprinter, or a
mountain climber.
 An Athletics Master is world-class, at the level of
a top-notch professional athlete, a long-distance
marathon runner, or a free climber.
 An Athletics Paragon is an athlete who could
compete in virtually any sport in history and win,
54
someone who climbs mountains without gear for
fun and runs marathons as though they were
sprints.
 Athletics stunts include feats of raw strength or
endurance, quickly climbing objects, lifting great
weights, or outrunning a foe.
 Athletics resources include contacts in the sports
industry, professional athletes, or extreme
athletes, knowledge of fitness and healthy living,
climbing or swimming gear, and great spots to
practice or compete.
Bureaucracy
You have extensive experience dealing with
organizational structures, whether businesses or
governments. You understand politics and
interpersonal relations, viewing group dynamics with
the same skill that someone trained in Socialize
understands individual people.
 A Bureaucracy Expert is roughly equal to a mid-
level government functionary, someone of
significant responsibility but little real power.
 A Bureaucracy Master is the equivalent of a top-
level advisor or vizier, a true Machiavellian
manipulator of governments and resources.
 A Bureaucracy Paragon knows the ins and outs
of almost every governmental and economic
system throughout history and is able to make
any of them work efficiently—or grind them to a
halt—virtually by himself.
 Bureaucracy stunts include the ability to quickly
negotiate red tape, to choke one’s enemies on
the same, to immediately discern someone’s
position in society, or to blend in to society other
than one’s own.
 Bureaucracy resources include friends in high
places, allies in the ministries, the ability to
requisition supplies at a moment’s notice, spy
networks, and access to restricted areas.
Close Combat
You’re good in an up-close fight and have the
training and talent required to act with your fists, a
sword, or anything else you use in close quarters.
 A Close Combat Expert is experienced in at least
one martial art or style of combat, and probably
others, including the use of weapons.
 A Close Combat Master knows many, if not all,
fighting styles and weapons, and is on par with
the world’s greatest fighters.
 A Close Combat Paragon is a veritable god of
war, able to mow down entire armies of lesser
foes and fight any of the world’s greatest warriors
to a standstill.
 Close Combat stunts include tricks, martial arts
moves, clever parries, tactical maneuvers, and
using weapons in unusual ways.
 Close Combat resources include contacts in the
martial arts or military communities, secrets of
the martial arts, historical warfare, specialized
weapons, and some insight into the fighting
styles of famous warriors.
Covert
Whether you’re a spy or a courtier, you’ve got the
training and the skills to sneak into, infiltrate,
investigate, and even overthrow other organizations
or locations.
 A Covert Expert is the equivalent of a trained
covert operative, secret agent, or detective,
familiar with espionage techniques, stealth,
disguise, and infiltration.
 A Covert Master is a highly trained professional
with years of experience in black ops, deep cover,
and rendition, even if no agency would admit to
using her services.
 A Covert Paragon is so skilled in deception,
stealth, and counter-operations that it would be
virtually impossible to determine that such a
person even exists unless he wanted someone to
know.
 Covert stunts include stealthy techniques, single-
use spy gear, fake identities, a temporary disguise,
or a great hiding place.
 Covert resources range from espionage contacts,
unnamed sources, and classified government
records to specialized magic, safe houses, and
friends in high places.
Craft
You can use, repair, build, and invent mechanical
and even magical devices. You understand how a
crossbow works, and which gods to pray to if you
want a sword to never lose its edge. You might have a
particular field in which your expertise is focused—
such as blacksmithing, alchemy, and so on—but you
are versatile enough to understand the applications
of your field on related ones.
 A Craft Expert is able to use, build, and repair
just about any mechanical device using readily
available parts and tools, as well as working with
low-level magical craftsmanship and magitech.
He is a sorcerer-engineer, a mystic smith, or just a
world-class alchemist.
 A Craft Master is able to understand the
underlying principles of First Age engineering,
and even repair such objects. He is a world-class
builder and inventor.
 A Craft Paragon is a true savant, capable of
understanding artifacts from their first principles
and reverse engineering them. He could be
55
 capable of creating new wonders that rival those
of the fabled First Age!
 Craft stunts include jury-rigging, retrofitting,
quick repairs, sudden sabotage, or seizing control
of a magitech device from its owner.
 Craft resources include objects of almost any
sort, theoretical knowledge, stories about famous
weapons, knowing prominent engineers, or
having connections with obscure but expert
craftsmen.
Larceny
You have a professional understanding of the
criminal underworld—either because you are a
criminal yourself or because you hunt them down.
You know how crooks think, you know the law (or at
least its limits), and you know all the tricks of the
trade.
 A Larceny Expert has a working knowledge of
the laws of various lands and how to get around
those laws. He can plan or foil a criminal
operation, defend or prosecute a criminal, and
pick a thief out of a crowd by the way he holds
himself.
 A Larceny Master is a genius at criminal
organization—whether as a thief or a thief-
catcher. He can plan out or foil an international
criminal syndicate, steal a king’s ransom from a
throne room full of guards, or create a security
system that could foil anyone but himself.
 A Larceny Paragon could steal the jewels from a
king’s scepter while he holds it, or determine a
criminal’s identity from a scrap of cloth caught
on a nail. His potential for criminality is
limitless.
 Larceny stunts cover classic cons, magistrate’s
techniques, sleight of hand, lockpicking, and
thieves’ lingo.
 Larceny resources include snitches, contacts
among law enforcement or the criminal
underworld, lock-picking gear, access to criminal
case files, and easy ways to dispose of pilfered
loot.
Lore
Creation is a world of magic and wonder, with a
history spanning many thousands of years. You
understand the mystical underpinnings of the
world’s natural laws, as well as the rough outline of
56
the world’s shape and its mythic past. You have an
understanding of the other realms of existence as
well, such as Malfeas, Yu-Shan, and Elsewhere.
 A Lore Expert is a lifelong scholar, a student of
history, geography, languages, and more. He
likely has a concentration in a particular field,
but has a broad range of learning and scholarly
information.
 A Lore Master is a world-class expert in his
chosen field—and probably a master of several
scholastic disciplines. In a world fallen to chaos
and illiteracy, he is a beacon of learning and
truth.
 A Lore Paragon has uncovered secrets once
thought lost to time and learned truths that
would blast the minds of lesser scholars. His
understanding of reality itself is unparalleled.
 Lore stunts include intuitive leaps, careful
planning, improvised equipment, experiments
on the fly, and remembering relevant pieces of
ancient wisdom.
 Lore resources include other scholars, specialized
research equipment, ancient tomes, access to
major libraries, knowing foreign languages, and
acquisition of laboratory space.
Medicine
You’ve had medical training. You might be a
doctor, a chiurgeon, or a shamanic healer of some
sort. You know when prayer will help, and when
surgery is needed. You know which herbs will heal—
and which will kill.
 A Medicine Expert is the equivalent of a trained
healer with enough knowledge of medicine to
diagnose, treat, and perform many surgical
procedures on a patient. An Expert is
comfortable working in one or two fields in
which he’s devoted his efforts.
 A Medicine Master is a world-class surgeon,
specialist, or medical researcher, someone with
knowledge of the lost techniques of First Age
medicine or cutting-edge theories developed
independently.
 A Medicine Paragon knows the underlying
causes of almost every disease and sickness
known to man, as well as their cures. Such a
miracle worker can turn back any ailment but
death itself—and he can stave that off for far
longer than anyone else could.
 Medicine stunts include specific surgical
techniques, life-saving procedures, shortcuts for
first aid, and beneficial drug interactions.
 Medicine resources include other medical
scholars, medical equipment, contacts within the
medical community, or mysterious herbal
remedies.
Menace
You know what scares people. You’re familiar with
how to get others to do what you want through
force, threats, intimidation, and fear. You’re also
better able to resist these things yourself. Contrast it
with Socialize, which is more about motivating
people with honey than with vinegar.
 A Menace Expert is the equivalent of a drill
sergeant at basic training or an experienced
interrogator.
 A Menace Master has either a lifetime of threats
behind him and the muscle to back it up, or the
kind of fearful presence that makes world leaders
recoil in terror.
 A Menace Paragon can strike fear into the hearts
of the fearless and break strong men’s wills with
a scowl. He may not have many friends, but he
certainly won’t be forgotten.
 Menace stunts include insightful threats, tried-
and-tested scare tactics, or improvised
intimidation.
 Menace resources include fear-inducing
equipment, associates with the ability to induce
nightmares, questionable allies, or a band of
dangerous thugs.
Occult
You are a student of thaumaturgy—the mystic arts.
You have gained a basic understanding of the
underpinnings of magical knowledge, and of the
gods, demons, and spirits that exist in the world of
the immaterial. Whether you are a sorcerer, a priest,
or simply a refined sort of scholar, you understand
the principles of mysticism.
 An Occult Expert has an understanding of the
workings of magic, as well as the many gods and
spirits that influence human lives on a daily
basis. He knows a few basic blessings or rituals,
and has the good sense to not try anything truly
dangerous.
 An Occult Master has a much greater knowledge
of the mystic arts, gained from years of study and
direct interaction with gods, demons, or
elementals. He has committed dozens of wards
against darkness to memory, along with rituals to
do everything from bless crops to damn souls.
 An Occult Paragon can perform feats bordering
on true sorcery with merely mortal means—or can
make his knowledge of sorcery rend the very
walls of reality through his understanding.
 Occult stunts include focusing mantras, healing
charms, warding gestures, and quotes from
arcane tomes.
 Occult resources include rare volumes of mystic
knowledge, magical tools, experts in other mystic
disciplines, and helpful acolytes.
Performance
You excel at singing, dance, poetry, and other
forms of entertainment. You understand how to
make people laugh and cry with your performances,
and have a broad understanding of the arts.
 A Performance Expert is experienced with most
forms of entertainment and likely a true expert
in one of them.
 A Performance Master is widely hailed as a
maestro and paragon of the performing arts.
 A Performance Paragon can make the stones
weep, change the minds of gods, or shape the
fate of nations, all through the beauty and power
of his art.
 Performance stunts can include improve
performances, sudden dance numbers, power
chords, or quoting famous poets at particularly
poignant moments.
 Performance resources include books of poetry,
histories of musical performers, contacts in the
entertainment world, finely crafted musical
instruments, or “performers” who are actually
something else entirely.
Ranged Combat
You’re good with fighting at a distance. You know
how to use bows, slings, thrown knives, and maybe
even more exotic weapons like flamepieces and
firewands.
 A Ranged Combat Expert is experienced in at
least style of combat, and probably others,
including the use of many weapons.
57
  A Ranged Combat Master knows many, if not
all, ranged fighting styles and weapons, and is on
par with the world’s greatest archers.
 A Ranged Combat Paragon could kill an
armored man with a thrown straw, shoot the
wings off a fly without killing it from a hundred
meters, or loose an arrow at target in a storm
without hitting a single raindrop in between.
 Ranged Combat stunts include trick shots,
clever dodging, fallbacks, and using ranged
weapons in unusual ways.
 Ranged Combat resources include contacts in
the military communities, secrets of the martial
arts, stories of famous archers, specialized
weapons, trick arrows, and the like.
58
Socialize
You are good with people. Whether a counselor,
confessor, confidante, actor, or consummate party
animal, you have seen the best and worst of
mankind. More importantly, you know how to elicit
the responses you want with positive reinforcement
and persuasion. This Specialty is the opposite of
Menace, which draws on fear and negative
persuasion.
 A Socialize Expert is a skilled negotiator,
interviewer, or orator. Such a person can be a
courtier, a courtesan, or a philosopher of some
sort—or maybe just really good at listening.
 A Socialize Master understands the human mind
and emotions better than most people. He can
reliably assess and correct many psychological or
behavioral problems—or make them worse.
 A Socialize Paragon can mingle with members of
any culture and make friends anywhere he goes.
He can break a dynasty with a word (or six) or
fast-talk his way from pauper to prince in the
course of mere days.
 Socialize stunts include reflective listening,
calming words, inspirational quotes, or a
cheerful demeanor at the right moment.
 Socialize resources include professional
counselors, psychological profiles, dream stones,
access to party locations, or easy availability of
drugs and liquor.
Survival
You are a wilderness survivalist, able to get by
outside of the realm of men with minimal supplies
or gear. You might be a simple woods guide, an army
scout, a tribal hunter, or maybe you were just raised
by wolves. You know which roots are good to eat and
which are poison, where to find shelter from the
weather, and how to build a concealed place to rest
from pursuers.
 A Survival Expert is the equivalent of an army
ranger or a lifelong woodsman, full of animal
lore and herbal wisdom, able to track across
rough terrain with ease.
 A Survival Master is a wildlander without equal,
capable of tracking a fast-moving party across
bare rock days after their passage, finding food in
a barren wasteland, or making healing herbs out
of poison weeds.
 A Survival Paragon could be dropped naked and
blindfolded in any part of the world and not just
find a way to survive but to hunt down his
assailants and make them pay. This character is a
virtual god of the wilds.
 Survival stunts include setting up ambushes,
following tracks, using the terrain to your
advantage, luring enemies into contact with
dangerous flora or fauna, or laying traps like tiger
pits or punji stakes.
 Survival resources include being able to find
guides for specific regions, finding food in the
wilderness, discovering useful plants or animals,
and turning those plants and animals into useful
goods.
Trading
You’ve got business acumen and know your way
around economics, finances, small business, and
sales. You can talk statistics and salaries, forecasts
and futures, caravans and corporations.
 A Trading Expert is someone who has spent
considerable years buying, selling, and trading
goods, perhaps a professional merchant or a
Guildsman.
 A Trading Master has the keen experience and
understanding of the world of finance that
comes out being one of the wealthiest and most
successful businessmen of his region.
 A Trading Paragon understands the underlying
principles of economics to the point that he
could go from penniless beggar to master of a
vast fortune with just his wits and a few days’
time.
 Trading stunts include intuitive analysis of
business deals, running off lists of important
figures, sizing up a salesperson, predicting market
trends, and obscuring the truth with statistics
and jargon.
 Trading resources include mercantile contacts,
industry analysts, archives of trade records,
insiders in major trade organizations, and friends
in independent businesses.
Vehicles
You know how to ride a horse, captain a ship, or
pilota First Age warstrider. If it moves under its own
power, you can make it work the way you want.
 A Vehicles Expert is a professionally trained
operator of more than one type of vehicle or
mount, able to maneuver and handle them in
dangerous conditions or under stress.
 A Vehicles Master is among the best in the
world, able to sit down at the controls of even
the most advanced transportation and pull off
amazing feats with it.
 A Vehicles Paragon can perform feats of
vehicular mastery that would seem fanciful or
even impossible to a lesser pilot. He can coax the
utmost efficiency from his vehicle, pushing it far
beyond the bounds of its ability.
 Vehicles stunts include fancy maneuvers of all
kinds, from controlled slides to barrel rolls to
steeplechases.
59
  Vehicles resources include knowing how to
acquire any sort of vehicle, someone who can
build one, or the ancestry and breeding of the
world’s finest mounts.
War
You know how to field an army, keep it supplied,
build a chain of command, and wield military might
with both precision and ruthlessness. Whether you
are a tactical genius, a charismatic leader of men, or
just a bloody-minded warlord, you have a way of
drawing people to your cause and convincing them
to fight—and die—for you.
 A War Expert is roughly equal to the
commander of a small but frequently embattled
army, or the general of a large but rarely fielded
one.
60
 A War Master is a king on the battlefield, able to
break a force many times the size of his own
through careful planning, tactical brilliance, and
the unshakeable loyalty of his troops.
 A War Paragon can use his tactical brilliance to
utterly change the face of war when he takes the
field. His grasp of tactics and strategy make him
unbeatable in an equal fight, and nearly so in
even the most unequal circumstances.
 War stunts include clever small-unit tactics, use
of the terrain for tactical advantage, careful
planning before a battle, insight into an enemy’s
tactics, or the careful marshaling of existing
resources.
 War resources include reinforcements, contacts
with other military leaders, finding caches of
supplies, building fortifications, or training
existing troops.
61
62
 CHAPTER FIVE
ADVANCEMENT
“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.”
—Aldous Huxley
Characters grow with their experiences. They learn,
change, adapt—and sometimes die. In Exalted: Blood
and Fire, these character changes are tracked through
the application of XP (Experience Points), which are
primarily gained through Milestones.
Unlike some other game systems, XP in Blood and
Fire is primarily used for temporary benefits—such as
gaining extra Motes, unlocking benefits during an
Arc, and so on. Permanent character advancement
can be “unlocked” through XP spending, but it is
better when negotiated between the player and GM.
With the GM’s permission, a player can change his
character any way he wishes between Arcs; XP can be
spent during an Arc for a quick addition to a
character, which can then either be made permanent
later, or allowed to disappear after the current story.
Whether through XP or fiat, any change to a
character should involve a conversation between the
player and GM.
Experience Points (XP)
A character’s XP (Experience Points) represent his
growth through personal experience as well as his
achievements and deeds. XP is gained through
completing Milestones, or through the GM inflicting
heavy punishment on the group (represented by the
GM spending d12 from the doom pool).
Whenever the GM spends d12 from the doom
pool, the character directly affected gains 1 XP. This
means that the GM spending 2d12 from the doom
pool to end a Scene also grants 2 XP to all characters
in the Scene.
Milestones
A Milestone is a measurement of personal
achievement, either through a character arc or by
completing a challenge. Every Exalted character can
hold up to two Milestone tracks at once. A Milestone
has a 1 XP entry, a 3 XP entry, and a 10 XP entry; a
character can hit their 1 XP Milestone pretty much
as often as they like (or as it comes up), their 3 XP
Milestone once per Scene, and their 10 XP
Milestone once per Act. Hitting the 10 XP Milestone
closes off the track until the player replaces it at the
beginning of the next Act.
When building a character, the player creates two
Milestones: one that represents a personal goal or
character arc (such as building a kingdom, reuniting
with a lost love, and so on), and another that
represents a singular personal failing (such as
intemperance, cruelty, anger, or reckless behavior)
called a Limit Milestone. The player is also
encouraged to replace or revise these Milestones with
time, though one should always remain a goal or
motivation and the other should always remain a
flaw or character failing.
Each Arc also has one to three Milestones
associated with it. A character can use one of these
Milestones in place of one of their own Milestones,
or simply keep both of their personal Milestones for
the Arc if they wish to focus on character
development.
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 Sample Milestones
Addiction
You are addicted to a specific substance—or
perhaps just to substances in general.
1 XP when you are in a situation where you are
expected to partake in your substance of choice.
3 XP when your addiction gets you into a conflict
you could have avoided sober.
10 XP when you overindulge in your addiction to
the point where you fail in a crucial task, or you
forsake worldly pleasures to purify yourself.
Ambition
The road to hell is paved with good intentions,
and you’re laying your road one brick at a time.
1 XP when you research a dangerous new piece of
lore or potential source of power.
3 XP when you use a dangerous source of power
against the warnings of your allies.
10 XP when you reject the temptations of power
because of the dangers it presents, or when you
embrace that power at significant personal cost.
64
Dangerous Liaisons
You are seeking someone to love—but the life of a
hero can be dangerous for their loved ones.
1 XP when you profess romantic interest in a non-
heroic NPC.
3 XP when your heroic activities put your love
interest in danger.
10 XP when your involvement with your love
interest changes them irrevocably, or when you break
off your relationship in order to protect your love
interest from harm.
Enemies Accumulate
You’ve left a string of old foes behind you. It’s only
a matter of time before one of them catches up to
you.
1 XP when you declare a named enemy as an old foe
of yours.
3 XP when you inflict trauma on or take trauma
from your chosen foe.
10 XP when you forgive your chosen foe and let
them go, or they beg your forgiveness and you kill
them anyway.
Honorable
You believe that your word is your bond.
1 XP when you formally give your word to another
character.
3 XP when you suffer stress while upholding your
given word.
10 XP when you fulfill your oath and demonstrate
your honorable nature at personal cost, or when you
break your oath in order to fulfill another obligation.
Loner
You’re used to working on your own.
1 XP when you complain that you would be better
off without others holding you back.
3 XP when you are stressed out while working with
others.
10 XP when you realize that working together is
better than being alone and actively work to increase
the size of your team, or when you become disgusted
with the people holding you back and quit the team.
Mentor
You have a lot to teach the younger generation—if
they’ll let you.
1 XP when you identify another character as being
in need of your wisdom and guidance.
3 XP when you spend a Transition Scene training or
educating your chosen ward.
10 XP when you accept your ward as a full equal, or
when you abandon your ward at a time of need to
force them to stand on their own.
Pacifist
You think that resorting to violence is accepting
failure.
1 XP when you posit the merits of peaceful discourse
over violence.
3 XP when you create an asset or resource while
trying to resolve a confrontation peacefully.
10 XP when you end a physical conflict with none of
the participants having suffered physical stress, or
when you break down and inflict physical trauma on
a foe.
Protector
It’s in your nature to care for others, putting their
well-being ahead of your own.
1 XP when you declare that another character or a
group of people are under your protection.
3 XP when you suffer stress while defending your
chosen people.
10 XP when you are stressed out while protecting
another character, or when you declare that your
chosen people no longer need you and refuse to
protect them any longer.
Trader
Others look for honor or glory, but you want
nothing more than a full purse.
1 XP when you use your Trading Specialty in a
conflict.
3 XP when you exploit another character’s resources
for your own advantage.
10 XP when you seize a significant source of wealth
from another character for yourself, or when you
surrender your own wealth for the sake of others.
Violent Temper
You are brutal and deadly in battle, and even your
allies think that you might be too dangerous to keep
around.
1 XP when you first choose to inflict physical stress
in a scene.
3 XP when another hero rebukes you for your
violence or you threaten an ally with violence.
10 XP when you kill an enemy in front of innocents,
or when you choose to spare a foe’s life in front of
innocents.
Spending XP
In general, the advancements from experience
points are considered to be temporary benefits,
gained during a story arc and disappearing at the end
of that arc. Between story arcs, players can choose to
make those advancements into permanent changes
to their character, or they can “reset” their character
to represent little lasting change occurring from the
events of the arc. During a break between story arcs,
a player can make any changes he sees fit to his
character, as per discussion with the GM.
Spending XP on advancing a character trait can be
taken as either as intent to permanently alter a
character’s traits, or as an act of necessity, which is
why such advancements “reset” between story arcs
without GM and player coordination.
65
 5 XP
 Replace an existing Distinction with a new one.
 Add a new power trait at d6 to a power set.
 Unlock a minor Arc resource.
10 XP
 Train a new Specialty at Expert.
 Upgrade an existing power trait from d6 to d8
 Add a new SFX to one of your power sets.
 Unlock a moderate Arc resource.
15 XP
 Upgrade an existing power trait from d8 to d10,
or create a new power trait at d8
 Upgrade an Attribute from d6 to d8.
 Upgrade an existing Expert Specialty to Master.
 Unlock a significant Arc resource.
20 XP
 Upgrade an existing power trait from d10 to d12
 Upgrade an existing Master Specialty to Paragon.
 Unlock a major Arc resource.
 Upgrade an Essence die from d6 to d8.
30 XP
 Upgrade an Essence die from d8 to d10.
 Upgrade an Attribute from d8 to d10.
 Create a new power trait at d10.
50 XP
 Upgrade an Essence die from d10 to d12.
 Upgrade an Attribute from d10 to d12.
Unlockables
Much of the use of XP in the Cortex Plus Heroic
paradigm is for temporary benefit. The changes that
occur during an Arc from experience point
expenditure are considered temporary. Of course,
between Arcs a player can change his character as
much as he and his GM agree upon, so this is hardly
a penalty.
Every Arc includes “Unlockables,” temporary
benefits gained by spending XP that represent allies,
accolades, use of loaned items, and so on. Some
Unlockables might be present through an entire
campaign, while others come and go with the passing
66
of time. Some examples of Unlockables are included
below.
Fight Then Friends [5 XP/10 XP]: After
successfully defeating an enemy but showing them
mercy, a hero can demonstrate his sincerity and the
righteousness of his cause.
For 5 XP, the hero converts a defeated enemy into
an ally. That NPC is now available for play as a PC
(after tweaking his writeup). The player who unlocks
this redemption gets first choice of playing the newly
revealed hero.
For 10 XP, the former enemy is available for future
play as a hero, plus the hero who spent the XP can
bring the character along as a supporting NPC for
the next Act. He will aid the heroes in one major
Action Scene before departing on good terms.
Memories of a Lost Age [5 XP]: The Exalted often
recall memories of prior lifetimes, or ancestral
memories from their forebears.
For 5 XP, the character can narrate a past-life
memory that ties into the current Scene in some way,
or can ask the GM to do the same. This creates a
resource at d8, which lasts for the rest of the current
Act.
Old Debts [5 XP/10 XP]: Celestial Exalted gain
their power from the Exaltations, shards of essence
that find a new host if the current one is killed. The
bearers of Exaltations often have memories from
their past lives—and immortal beings sometimes
recall debts between one life and the next.
For 5 XP, you can declare that a non-mortal being
you are dealing with owes you a debt from a past life.
This being will repay your debt by sparing your life,
giving you valuable information, or misdirecting your
enemies.
For 10 XP, the being will actively aid you in one
Action Scene or grant you the use of a part of his
personal panoply for the remainder of the Arc. You
may only buy this Unlockable once per Arc; at the
GM’s decision, you may not be able to use this
Unlockable on the same being more than once.
Status Quo [10 XP/15 XP]: It is one thing to be on
friendly terms with an organization—but it’s quite
another to join their ranks as a full member.
 For 10 XP, the character is brought into the fold of
a minor or regional organization as a member,
gaining all the benefits of his new rank. Joining the
aristocracy of Great Forks could allow a character
access to high-ranking spirits or open up new types of
resources, while gaining the trust of the Hawkriders
of Metagalapa might make long-distance travel easier.
For 15 XP, the character joins the ranks of a major
or wide-ranging organization. As a Guild factor, the
character would enjoy increased access to trade
goods and money, while a member of the Grass
Spiders could call in a veritable army of assassins for
aid.
Generally, for 10 XP, the character is permanently
a member of an organization, and can gain a free
Resource or small squad of allies for one Scene
during the Arc. For 15 XP, it’s the same benefit, plus
the character can call on a significant amount of aid
once during the Arc. This is the equivalent of the
GM’s 2d12 End the Scene option, but the player
describes how it goes.
During any future Arc, the character can buy this
benefit again for a different group, or can “reset” his
options with his original one for 5 XP.
Tiger Warriors [5 XP/10 XP]: You have trained an
elite cadre of mortal warriors to serve under you.
From time to time, you can call upon these loyal,
deadly servants to fight alongside you. They have
their own lives as well, however, and they are not
without needs.
A character with the Tiger Warrior Training SFX
can spend 5 XP to gain the services of a Tiger
Warrior band (see Chapter 8: Antagonists) for one
Scene. For 10 XP, the Tiger Warriors instead stick
around for the duration of the Act to help out.
At the GM’s discretion, a character may purchase
this Unlockable more than once in an Act, gaining
the services of more than one band of Tiger Warriors
for a major battle.
A character interested in having mortal followers
capable of following him into battle regularly might
also consider the special Tiger Warrior Training SFX:
 SFX: Tiger Warrior Training. Spend 1 Mote as a
Transition Scene action to step up the dice of a
mob of allied extra characters (so a group with
Team 4d6 would become Team 4d8). This
upgrade is permanent, but may only be
performed on a given group once. You always
have the Tiger Warriors Unlockable available so
long as friendly NPCs are present in a scene.
To Sit Upon a Throne [15 XP/20 XP]: The hero
has achieved mighty deeds and claimed the throne of
a kingdom for himself. For 15 XP, the character is
acknowledged as the ruler of a nation, but only until
he leaves its boundaries. If he is absent from the
nation for an entire Arc, a rival to the throne will
appear or the people will grow restless, forcing him
to return and regain the throne.
A character can safeguard his nation by spending 5
XP at the beginning of an Arc; this allows him to
safely leave his nation for the Arc without suffering
the ire of his people. A character that is absent too
often might still face repercussions, at the GM’s
discretion, but he will not lose his hard-fought
throne just for wandering.
Unexpected Help [5 XP]: The heroes gain help
from an unexpected quarter during a time of need.
For 5 XP, a squad of NPC allies shows up to help the
heroes during an Action Scene. They expect
something in return, though. If the heroes refuse to
help them, this Unlockable cannot be purchased
again until the next Arc.
67
68
 CHAPTER SIX
THE EXALTED

“I will set up my name in the place where the names of famous men are written, and where no man’s name is written yet I will
raise a monument to the gods.”
—The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Exalted are mortals chosen by a higher power Rumor and legend have spoken of other breeds of
to serve as that being’s representative and champion Exalted since the time of the Primordial War,
in Creation. The best-known Exalted are the though such rumors have never been conclusively
Celestial Exalted, chosen of the gods of the sun, proven.
moon, and stars, who were their soldiers and leaders
during the war against the Primordials. The
Celestials ruled Creation for thousands of years Essence
before being overthrown in a great betrayal called the
Usurpation.
A character’s Essence die is considered to be a
Beneath the power of the Celestial Exalted are the
function of his Exaltation—essentially, it is an
Terrestrial Exalted, also called the Dragon-Blooded.
abstract measure of his overall power and spiritual
Chosen by the Elemental Dragons, Terrestrials
enlightenment. Attached to the Essence die are a
possess less power than Celestials but are able to pass
special SFX and Limit. This Caste or Aspect SFX
on their power to their offspring, allowing them to
shows the powers that are unique to that type of
create great Exalted lineages and legacies. The
Exalt, while the Anima Limit acts as a means of
Dragon-Blooded were convinced to overthrow the
gaining additional power by “flaring” one’s battle
Solar and Lunar Exalted during the Usurpation by
aura, making the character more visible and the
the Sidereals. After the great betrayal, the Dragon-
situation more chaotic.
Blooded took over the rule of Creation, while the
An Essence entry on a character sheet should look
Sidereals retreated to Heaven to manipulate the
something like this:
world from the shadows.
More recently, the outcast Primordials—now called
Essence dX
the Yozis—have chosen their own mortal champions.
 SFX: Caste/Aspect Name. This is a special SFX
These so-called Primordial Exalted are the shadowy
available only to members of the character’s caste
Abyssals, the hell-bound Infernals, and the synthetic
or aspect. The SFX explains when and how it can
Alchemicals. Abyssals are the death-tainted
be used, and in what circumstances.
reflections of Solars, twisted into dark mirrors by the
 Limit: Anima Flare. Add a d6 to the doom pool
Neverborn, the ghosts of slain Primordials. Those
to gain 1 Mote. You may only activate this Limit
Yozis trapped in Malfeas captured a few Solar
during an Action Scene, and only once per
essences and warped them into hellish creations,
Scene. Your anima banner forms and cannot be
bound with demons, and called them Infernal
hidden until the end of the Scene.
Exalted. When Autochthon, the Great Maker,
departed Creation thousands of years ago, he took
NPCs do not gain doom dice from this Limit (as
many mortals with him and created the Alchemicals
NPCs do not gain Motes), but the GM should still
to safeguard them in the long exile from Creation.
have their anima banners flare when appropriate.

69

Anima Banner
A common theme among the Exalted, whether
Celestial or Terrestrial, is the battle aura known as
an anima banner. This manifestation of an Exalt’s
inner power is a visible demonstration of his might—
and one of the primary ways that his enemies can
identify him.
A Solar that uses his powers begins to glow with
the light of the sun, eventually manifesting his caste
mark on his forehead, and finally filling the air
around him with an iconic representation of his very
soul. Lunars begin to shed their illusions, becoming
more animal-like to those that view them, until their
totem animal appears as a glowing aura of ferocity
and power. Dragon-Bloods are surrounded by an
aura of raw elemental power, and Sidereals seem to
be filled with a nimbus of stars.
Solars and Lunars have particularly powerful
anima banners. At full power their anima banners
become iconic, showing a unique image that can help
others identify them even if their identity is
otherwise obscured. A Solar or Lunar Exalt’s iconic
anima is irrefutable proof of their identity, incapable
of being mistaken for anything else by anyone who
has ever seen it before. Each Solar’s banner is unique
and personal, while a Lunar’s banner is usually a
phantom image of his totem animal. Infernals and
Abyssals have anima banners like those of Solars, but
twisted and mutated into horrific forms.
Sidereals do not possess iconic banners, instead
glowing with the color of their caste and manifesting
more powerful stellar imagery around them as their
power grows. Dragon-Blooded and Alchemicals
likewise demonstrate more powerful manifestations
of their element, but do not have iconic banners.
Regardless of the exact manifestation, all Exalted
have an aura of power that appears when they use
their magical abilities.
Caste and Aspect
Depending on their divine patron, an Exalted
character has either a caste or an aspect. Generally,
Celestial Exalted are divided into castes that
demonstrate the purpose for which they were
70
Exalted, while Terrestrial Exalted have aspects that
represent the element or force which gives them
their primary power. A way of thinking about this is
that a Dawn Caste Solar was chosen to fight, while a
Fire Aspect Dragon-Blooded channels the power of
flame.
Every Exalt has a caste or an aspect, which is
granted to them at the moment of their Exaltation
and which is considered an unalterable part of their
existence. Their nature generally allows them to
learn powers outside of their general focus, but their
primary nature will always be geared toward their
caste or aspect. A Dawn Caste Solar could learn to
be a scholar or a Fire Aspect Dragon-Blooded can
learn to wield water-controlling powers, but neither
of them will ever be as mighty in such endeavors as
they would be in their own focus.
The Solar Exalted
Solar Exalted are the highest of the Exalted,
Chosen of the Unconquered Sun. Sometimes
known as the Lawgivers, Solars were created to act as
generals and commanders of the Exalted army in the
war against the Primordials.
Their Charm power traits ordinarily include
enhanced or superhuman abilities (such as strength,
reflexes, and so on), improved movement modes
(speed, leaping and swimming), resistances, and
superhuman charisma (presence or mind control).
Starting Solars will normally have d8 to d10 power
traits, but their SFX typically include means of
temporarily doubling or stepping up their power
traits. It is common for Solar powers to climb to d12
levels even before becoming elders.
A good starting range for Solar power sets is a
single power set for Solar Charms; this should
include two or three powers at d8 and one or two
powers at d10, as well as two to four SFX and the
standard Exhausted Limit.
A starting Solar may also possess an artifact or
basic training in a supernatural martial art, which is
defined by a Panoply power set. This set will include
one group with one or two powers at d8, and no
more than one power at d10 (if any), as well as one
or two SFX.
A Solar’s anima banner is often a vibrant reflection
of his identity, deeds, past lives, or talents. Animals,
plants, runes, abstract shapes, and more can all be wise. Their caste mark is a golden circle, full in the
part of a Solar’s anima banner. The only common top half and empty in the bottom half.
factor is a blazing aura in the colors of the sun at The Night Caste walk in the dark places where
their caste’s position—bright golds and oranges for others might fear to tread, bringing the justice of the
Dawn Caste, powerful yellow-white for Zenith, Unconquered Sun to the wicked in their own lairs.
melancholy reds and blues for Twilight, burnished They are spies, thieves, and even assassins, waging
purples and muted whites for Night, and searing guerilla war against the enemies of the righteous.
white auras for the Eclipse Caste. They are chosen for their subtle methods—for the
Essence Die: d10 ability to act unseen. Their caste mark is an empty
golden circle.
Solar Castes The Eclipse Caste are the goodwill ambassadors of
The Solar Exalted are chosen for their heroism—a the Unconquered Sun, traveling far to forge alliances
dedication to greatness. The Unconquered Sun and pacts with others to create a grand civilization.
chooses those who look upon impossible odds or They broker bargains between men and gods, and
impossible deeds and then commits to them anyway. negotiate with stranger beings still. They are good
Sometimes, their Exaltations comes after succeeding with people and with organizations. Members of the
despite all the odds, while in other cases it comes Eclipse Caste are chosen for being keen students of
during such an attempt, giving them the power to the human condition—for putting negotiation and
overcome their obstacles. Some Solars are chosen diplomacy ahead of warfare. Their caste mark is a
because the Unconquered Sun sees in them some disk within a circle, both of brilliant gold.
element of himself—his compassion, his courage, or
his disappointment at the current state of the world.
The Dawn Caste were warriors, champions, and
generals in the First Age. They led the armies of
Creation against its enemies, teaching them why they
should fear the coming of dawn’s first light.
Members of the Dawn Caste are chosen for their
surpassing excellence in the arts of battle—whether
personal combat or the fields of war. Their caste
mark is a golden circle surrounded by an eight-rayed
sunburst.
The Zenith Caste represents the glory of the
noonday sun, a light that permits no shadows. They
lead their people in prayer and righteousness, acting
as priests of the Unconquered Sun. They must be
able to walk equally among all peoples, surviving in
the harsh places between civilization to bring the
word of the gods to them. They are chosen for their
uplifting and just natures—for their desire to change
the world into a better place. The Zenith Caste mark
is a golden circle shining like the noonday sun.
The Twilight Caste are builders, sorcerers,
philosophers, great thinkers of all kinds. In the First
Age, they created the infrastructure that made that
age possible. Twilights often do the intellectual
“heavy lifting” for their circles, whether that is old
lore or new insights. Twilights are chosen for their
desire to learn—to become both knowledgeable and

71
 Solar Caste SFX
 SFX: Dawn Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
the effect die in any reaction roll you make
against physical attacks, or any roll you make
including the Athletics, Menace, or War
Specialties. While this SFX is active, if you
attempt to inflict fear-based emotional stress
using the Menace Specialty, your target cannot
spend doom dice or Motes to negate that stress.
 SFX: Zenith Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
your effect die on any action targeting a creature
of darkness, or any roll including the
Performance, Socialize or Survival Specialties.
While this SFX is active, you can burn corpses
with a touch to prevent them from rising as
ghosts or zombies, and enemies cannot spend
doom dice or Motes to add additional team dice
of undead foes to the scene.
 SFX: Twilight Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
your effect die on any roll you make including
the Craft, Lore, or Occult Specialties. You also
gain the power Mystic Senses d8 for the rest of
the scene; if you already possess the Mystic
Senses power, you may step up or double it for
the rest of the scene instead. While this SFX is
active, you may spend 1 Mote and step up
mental stress to leave the current scene. You
cease to exist until the end of the next scene, at
which point you reappear within 10 miles of
your previous location.
 SFX: Night Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up your effect
die on any action including the Acrobatics,
Covert, or Larceny Specialties. You also gain the
power Invisibility d8 for the rest of the scene; if
you already possess the Invisibility power, you
may step up or double it for the rest of the scene
instead. While this SFX is active, the GM may
not activate your Anima Flare Limit and no one
can discern your identity by any means unless
you wish them to do so.
 SFX: Eclipse Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
your effect die on any roll you make including
the Bureaucracy, Socialize, Trading, or Vehicles
Specialties. Additionally, for the rest of the scene,
72
you can sanctify any oath sworn by a character
you can touch. If the oath is broken, that
character suffers the complication Cursed d10
until the end of the current Arc; this
complication cannot be removed prematurely,
and it cannot be increased by actions. The GM
determines the exact nature of the curse, but it
usually manifests as extremes of bad luck or as
ironic karmic retribution. This complication
should apply on most rolls the victim makes.
The Lunar Exalted
Sometimes called the Stewards, Lunar Exalted are
the helpmates and comrades of the Solar Exalted,
Chosen of Luna. Used in the Primordial War as
spies, infiltrators and saboteurs, Lunars are masters
of shapechanging, illusion and disguise. Most Lunars
belong to a broad society of their kind known as the
Silver Pact.
All Lunars are superlative shapechangers, and
should possess the Shapeshifting power in their
Charms power set with a value of at least d8. Lunar
abilities often key off of the natural world or the
improvement of their own bodies through tapping
into their animal side. Enhanced and superhuman
attributes are common (especially strength, senses
and stamina), as are improved movement modes and
movement modes possessed by animals (such as
swimming, swinging, and flying). Lunars have the
same power range as Solars, but have fewer dice-
boosting SFX.
A good starting range for Lunars includes a power
set for Lunar Charms; this should include two or
three powers at d8 and one or two powers at d10, as
well as two to four SFX and the standard Exhausted
Limit.
A starting Lunar may also possess an artifact,
which is defined by a Panoply power group; this set
will include one group with one or two powers at d8,
and no more than one power at d10 (if any), as well
as one or two SFX and the Artifact Limit. Starting
Lunars rarely possess martial arts but may well have
servitor beasts or bound spirits.
A Lunar’s anima banner is normally a huge
glowing version of his totem, the animal spirit that he
most associates with. Beyond their totems, a Lunar’s
anima banner glows with the ever-shifting light of the
moon, typically in hues of silver, blue, white, and
grey.
Essence Die: d10
Lunar Castes
Lunars are chosen by Luna, who attends each
Exaltation personally to give a few words of wisdom
or prophecy to her Exalted. They are generally
chosen for their ability to survive impossible odds—to
face certain death or defeat, only to be the last one
standing at the end of their trial.
While the Lunar Exalted were created to be the
mates and partners of the Solar Exalted, the
disappearance of the Solars at the end of the First
Age changed the Lunars. They’re still changing, in
many ways. They have a deep and abiding rage in
their souls now, a fury that compels them to shatter
the chains binding them to the past. Lunars can tap
into their animal side for power, essentially letting
out a monster that lives in their own soul to change
their flesh.
While Lunars once had five castes like Solars, they
shed these narrow definitions long ago. Now, a
Lunar is Exalted casteless, having a highly
metamorphic nature that can be corrosive to their
psyche without containment. Many Lunars—but not
all—take on moonsilver tattoos to fix their caste
permanently, gaining limits on their power but also
channeling their abilities more finely.
The Full Moon Caste rely on raw physical prowess
to answer the challenges offered to them by the
world. They are warriors, athletes, and rugged
survivors, capable of getting along in the worst
conditions in Creation. Their caste mark is a
gleaming silver disk.
The Changing Moon Caste rely on guile, cunning,
charisma, and animal magnetism to overcome their
foes and take what they want from life. What they
cannot overawe with sheet majesty, they can trick
and blind with lies and misdirection. Their caste
mark is a glittering silver cresent.
The No Moon Caste rely on cleverness and
wisdom to outwit their opponents. They treat the
world as a riddle to be solved, tasing power out of
the meanings of things. Their caste mark is a hollow
silver circle.
Lunar Caste SFX
 SFX: Full Moon Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up the effect die for any action including the
Athletics, Acrobatics, or Survival Specialties.
Gain the power Enhanced Speed d8 for the
duration of the scene; if you already possess the
Speed power (or any other physical Movement
power), you may step up or double it for the rest
of the scene instead.
 SFX: Changing Moon Caste. Spend 1 Mote to
activate this SFX. For the rest of the current
scene, step up the effect die for any action
including the Larceny, Performance, or Socialize
Specialties. Gain the power Presence d8 for the
duration of the scene; if you already possess the
Presence power, you may step up or double it for
the rest of the scene instead.
 SFX: No Moon Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up the effect die for any action including the
Covert, Craft, or Lore Specialties. Gain the
power Invisibility d8 for the duration of the
73
 scene; if you already possess the Invisibility
power, you may step up or double it for the rest
of the scene instead.
 SFX: Casteless. Spend 1 Mote and step up your
mental stress to activate this SFX. Choose one
Specialty other than Close or Ranged Combat;
for the rest of the current scene, step up the
effect die for any action using that Specialty. Step
up or double your Shapeshifting power for the
rest of the scene.
It is very common for Lunar Exalted to have the
ability to transform into a monstrous animal hybrid
shape:
 SFX: Deadly Beastman Transformation. Borrow the
highest die from the doom pool for an attack
action. When the action resolves, step it up and
return it to the doom pool.
A good range for Sidereal power sets includes a
power set for Sidereal Charms; this should include
three or four powers at d8 and no more than one
power at d10, as well as two to four SFX and the
standard Exhausted Limit.
Almost all Sidereals have martial arts as part of
their Panoply. Sidereal martial arts tend to have two
to four powers at d8 and one or two at d10, two or
three SFX, and the Conscious Activation Limit.
Sidereal anima banners are colorful sheets of light,
with the color depending on the Maiden the Sidereal
serves: red for Battles, purple for Endings, yellow for
Journeys, green for Secrets, and blue for Serenity.
Unlike the totemic or iconic banners of other
Celestial Exalted, the Sidereal anima banner is only
shifting colors and the occasional appearance of
starbursts or motes of starlight.

Additionally, any Lunar with a fixed caste should

take the following SFX:
 SFX: Moonsilver Tattoos. Spend 1 Mote to ignore
stress or complications from a dice pool
including Transmutation or Wyld-based scene
hazards.

The Sidereal Exalted

The Sidereal Exalted are the Chosen of the Five
Maidens. Numbering only one hundred strong, the
Five-Fold Fellowship is the bureaucracy that keeps
heaven functioning and Creation intact—though they
are spread thin at the best of times. Sidereal Exalted
must act in secrecy and from the shadows due to the
arcane fate they possess, a sort of mystic blindness
that wipes them from the minds of those they aid.
They can combat this in the short term with the use
of Resplendent Destinies, special resources that give
them a mortal cover identity.
Invisibility (arcane fate), teleportation (flash-
stepping), and telepathy (silently passing messages or
reading people at a glance) are common power traits
for Sidereals, as are resistances and improved
reflexes. Sidereals are especially skilled in the martial
arts, often possessing d10 or d12 power traits linked
to their martial arts power set. However, their other
powers rarely exceed the d8 level, with only the most
powerful Sidereals having powers at the d10 level.

74
 All Sidereals have caste marks relating to their
patron. When their essence flares, the symbol of
their Maiden blazes bright on their foreheads,
shedding light in their anima’s colors.
Essence Die: d10
Resplendent Destinies
Due to an ancient mystical curse, Sidereals are
partially removed from fate even as they are its
servants. Because of this, any mortal who interacts
with a Sidereal in his true guise suffers from the
Exalt’s arcane fate. The simple explanation is that a
Sidereal’s image is gradually scrubbed from the
memories of mortals who know him, eventually
leaving behind nothing. The mortal attributes the
Sidereal’s actions to others, or forgets them entirely.
A resplendent destiny is a special resource that allows
a Sidereal to interact with mortals without the risk of
arcane fate interfering. Without a resplendent
destiny, any emotional or mental stress inflicted by a
Sidereal on a mortal is stepped back twice during the
next Transition Scene, and any such trauma is
stepped back as well, as the painful memories fade.
Any resources created for mortals by a destiny-free
Sidereal are abandoned, as they are quickly
forgotten.
When a Sidereal creates a Resplendent Destiny, he
spends 1 Mote and selects one of his Specialties, as
usual for creating a resource. The created Destiny
remains in effect for the remainder of the Act, unlike
a normal resource. Every time the Sidereal uses a
power trait in a roll, the destiny is degraded. If the
power trait is lower than or equal to the destiny, it is
stepped back; if it is higher than the destiny, the
Destiny is removed and the character’s anima banner
flares.
While under the guise of a resplendent destiny, the
character adds his destiny resource to any roll that
would be supported by his disguise. For example, if
the character uses his Lore Master d10 Specialty to
create the destiny of Wandering Priest d8, then he
adds the d8 resource to any dice pool where his
disguise would be relevant.
A resplendent destiny can be removed during a
Transition Scene and “set aside,” so that the
character can use his powers without degrading the
destiny. When he reassumes the destiny, however, he
must attempt a roll against the doom pool (including
his destiny resource in his pool); a failure steps back
the destiny as it becomes “worn.” At any time, the
character may spend 1 Mote to restore his destiny to
its original value (if it has not been destroyed).
The major benefit of a resplendent destiny is that it
creates a real mortal identity for the Sidereal agent in
Creation, one that comes with support for its claims.
If the character takes on the Destiny Imperial Guard
d8, then no one will question his presence inside the
imperial palace; a Street Performer d6 can enter any bar
and just be accepted by the locals. Generally, people
will only interfere with the Sidereal’s business if he
begins to act “out of character” or their own goals
are at cross-purposes.
A secondary benefit is that a resplendent destiny
allows the Sidereal’s actions to stick in a mortal’s
memory normally. Mental and emotional stress
inflicted while wearing such a disguise linger as
normal, and the character is capable of maintaining
long-term relationships with mortals—though not as
long-term as they might like, since resplendent
destinies are inherently fragile.
Sidereal Castes
Sidereal Exalted are unusual among the Exalted in
that their Exaltations seem to be preordained. A
child destined to be Exalted among the Sidereals is
often found at a young age and taken in by a mentor
to be trained in his duty. Others are missed by fate’s
servants until the moment of their Exaltation, at
which point their fellows can find them easily.
Unlike many Exalted, the Sidereals have great
expectations for their fellows and consider
themselves to all be members of a single society, the
Five-Fold Fellowship. A Sidereal who goes
“renegade” causes great distress among his kind, and
many hunt down such traitors—either in an effort to
correct their behavior and bring them home, or to
end their lives to allow their Exaltation to pass onto
a more worthy host.
The Chosen of Journeys were set upon the path of
Mercury, concerning themselves with travelers,
roads, paths, and the movement of people and forces
throughout the world. Their role is to ensure that all
things arrive in their proper places at the proper
times.
The Chosen of Serenity are celebrants of the ways
of Venus, ensuring that love, joy, and peace bind
together those things which must be bound
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 together—or cleave apart those things that must be
set apart.
The Chosen of Battles are militants under the
banner of Mars. They oversee the march of armies,
the swirl of conflict, and the outcome of wars,
ensuring that such bloodshed furthers the needs of
the world as a whole.
The Chosen of Secrets are sworn to the silence of
Jupiter. They keep destiny’s secrets from men and
gods alike, allowing that which is hidden to come to
light only in the moment when fate demands that it
must be so.
The Chosen of Endings are harbingers of Saturn’s
quiet footsteps. These mournful Sidereals ensure
that all things end when their fated hour arrives—be
they lives, nations, or even the vast sweep of an age.
Sidereal Caste SFX
 SFX: Chosen of Battles. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die on reactions against physical
attacks or military actions. Any ally in the current
Scene with you may spend 1 Mote to gain this
benefit for their current roll.
 SFX: Chosen of Endings. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die in all actions taken to inflict
physical stress or to remove a complication. Any
ally in the current Scene with you may spend 1
Mote to gain this benefit for their current roll.
 SFX: Chosen of Journeys. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up the effect die on any roll including a
Movement power. Any ally in the current Scene
with you may spend 1 Mote to gain this benefit
for their current roll.
 SFX: Chosen of Secrets. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up the effect die in all actions taken to inflict
mental stress and all reactions made to resist
such actions. Any ally in the current Scene with
you may spend 1 Mote to gain this benefit for
their current roll.
 SFX: Chosen of Serenity. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up the effect die when rolling to recover stress or
trauma and on reactions made to resist
emotional stress. Any ally in the current Scene
76
with you may spend 1 Mote to gain this benefit
for their current roll.
The Dragon-Blooded
More commonly known as the Dragon-Blooded,
the Terrestrial Exalted are the only members of the
Exalted host that can pass on their power to their
offspring. Most Terrestrials Exalt sometime shortly
after puberty, though late bloomers can happen as
late as their mid-twenties. Dragon-Blooded lineages
therefore work hard to ensure good breeding among
their lines, hoping to ensure the power of their
legacy.
The most formidable Dragon-Blooded force in
Creation is the Scarlet Empire, ruled by various
Dragon-Blooded noble houses. Other such dynasties
exist, however, including the Gentes of Lookshy, the
noble houses of Port Calin, and the Forest Witches
of the Sea of Mind.
Dragon-Bloods are the weakest of the Exalted, with
their power traits rarely exceeding d8. Many have
supernatural abilities in the d6 range, with only the
most powerful of their elders reaching the d10 level
with anything except Control powers. Player
characters generally represent the cream of the crop—
elite Dragon-Bloods from strong bloodlines. Thus,
their power traits tend toward d8 more than d6.
Unlike Celestial Exalted, Dragon-Bloods primarily
have power traits reflecting their affinity with the five
elements. An Air Aspect might possess powers like
air control, flight, and improved reflexes, while a Fire
Aspect might possess a fire blast, fire control, and
improved speed. Their SFX often play to these
strengths as well.
Keep in mind that a Dragon-Blood is not restricted
to elemental powers within his own element, but
they should not have any elemental powers at a
higher die rating than a power from their elemental
focus. Thus, a Fire Aspect could have both fire
control and air control, but his die rating in the
latter should not be higher than his die rating in the
former.
A good starting range for Dragon-Blooded power
sets is a power set for Terrestrial Charms; this should
include three to four powers at d8 and perhaps
another power at d6, as well as two to four SFX and
the standard Exhausted Limit. At the GM’s
discretion, a Dragon-Blood might start with d10 in
his primary elemental control power.
Almost all Dragon-Blooded also possess multiple
artifacts in their Panoply power set; this set will
include one or two power groups with one or two
powers at d8 each, as well as one or two SFX and the
Artifact Limit. Dragon-Blooded sometimes learn
Terrestrial martial arts and occasionally have spirit
familiars or elite mortal servants.
A Dragon-Blood’s anima banner is a visible—and
often dangerous—manifestation of his aspect
element. Swirling flames, flickering lightning, chill
fog, and other physical phenomena are the realm of
a Terrestrial anima banner.
Essence Die: d8
Dragon-Blooded Aspects
The five elements pulse in the very souls of the
Dragon-Blooded. While any Dragon-Blooded can
harness the power of any of the elements, they bear
an affinity for a single element above all of the
others. Their personalities and talents are strongly
influenced by their elemental aspect.
Aspects of Air are heroes of quick thought and
learned contemplation. They are as subtle as the
breeze and as dynamic as a thunderstorm. Their
aspect makes them clever, quick, and intelligent.
Aspects of Earth are bastions of patience and
stability. Their resilient nature is the solid pillar that
holds up their circle, and their natures run toward
the stolid, the staid, and the stoic.
Aspects of Fire are passion and energy incarnate,
whether on the battlefield or in the court. They are
hot-headed and sometimes intemperate, but their
convictions are deeply held.
Aspects of Water are masters of adaptability and
unusual strategies. Their spirits are as deep as the
ocean and relentless as the flood. While they are
sometimes accused of being cold, their nature is also
one of compassion.
Aspects of Wood are as beautiful as orchids and as
deadly as nightshade, possessing a powerful affinity
for the living world. Their bodies are flush with life
and health, and their personalities tend toward both
sensuality and sensitivity.
Dragon-Blooded Aspect SFX
 SFX: Air Aspect. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die when you roll to avoid ranged attacks or area
attacks. You cannot suffer physical stress from
falls while this SFX is active. While this SFX is
active, you may spend 1 Mote to ignore stress or
complications caused by air or lightning based
attacks.
 SFX: Earth Aspect. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die on any roll to avoid being grappled, pinned,
restrained, or moved without your permission.
While this SFX is active, you may spend 1 Mote
to ignore stress caused by non-magical physical
attacks.
 SFX: Fire Aspect. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, you gain the
Counterattack SFX but only against close combat
77
 foes that are vulnerable to fire. While this SFX is
active, you may spend 1 Mote to ignore stress or
complications inflicted by fire or heat based
attacks.
 SFX: Water Aspect. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die for any reaction pool when you roll to avoid
close combat attacks or environmental harm.
While this SFX is active, you gain Swimming d8
or step up any water-based Movement power you
already possess.
 SFX: Wood Aspect. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die for any reaction pool when you are attacked
by wooden weapons or any poison based attack.
While this SFX is active, you may spend 1 Mote
to ignore stress or complications from poison
based attacks. While this SFX is active, you also
gain Plant Control d8 or step up Plant Control if
you already possess it.
artifacts. Most Abyssals have artifacts in their
Panoply power set with one or two power groups;
each group will include one or two powers at d8, and
no more than one power at d10 (if any), as well as
one or two SFX and the Artifact Limit.
Abyssal anima banners are like the inverse of those
of the Solar Exalted. Clouds of blackness and dark
miasma are the normal manifestations, with the
appearance of skulls, bones, corpses, and other
images of the Underworld being the result of the
iconic manifestation.
Essence Die: d10

The Abyssal Exalted

The Abyssal Exalted are dark mirror reflections of
the Solars. Where Solar Exalted are shining
champions of Heaven, the Abyssals are the shadowy
messiahs of the Underworld. They possess a certain
kind of code or chivalry, in which it is better to
instill despair than inflict wholesale slaughter. After
all, mass murder tends to bind people together in
necessity, building bonds of hope, while leaving
bleak survivors erodes such bonds and decays the
morale of the living.
Abyssal Charms are typically the same as those of
the Solars, but themed for darkness and death rather
than life and hope. Where a Solar learns sorcery,
Abyssals learn necromancy; where a Solar can call
the light of Sol Invictus to burn his enemies, an
Abyssal chokes his foes with the black fog of death.
Generally, Abyssals are as powerful with their
Charms as Solars—but their powers are a black
mirror of the glory of the sun.
Abyssal power sets include a power set for Abyssal
Charms; this should include two or three powers at
d8 and one or two powers at d10, as well as two to
four SFX and the standard Exhausted Limit.
Unlike Solars, Abyssals have the backing of
powerful masters who often grant them access to

78
Abyssal Castes
Abyssal Exalted bear caste marks identical to those
of the Solar Exalted, save that their marks appear as
black brands rather than icons of radiant glory. An
Abyssal’s caste mark sometimes seems like it is
burned into their flesh, cracking and searing until
dark blood wells forth. Likewise, their castes are
bleak mockeries of the stations of the Chosen of the
Unconquered Sun.
An Abyssal’s Exaltation is like that of a Solar,
seeking out heroic souls who are committed to great
deeds. The leash put on the Exaltation by the forces
of the Underworld holds it back until the potential
Chosen stands on the brink of life and death.
Accepting the black power of the Abyssal Exaltation
means survival—at the cost of becoming an agent of
death and decay.
The Dusk Caste are vicious warriors, elegant
duelists, or battlefield reapers fighting amidst storms
of blood and severed limbs. Their Exaltation
typically comes on such a battlefield, in the moments
before their last breath would bubble out around an
enemy’s blade.
The Midnight Caste are evangelists of the grave,
often speaking for the ancestor cults or the lords of
the dead. They exhort the glories of death among the
living, offering them a taste of darkness in exchange
for blood and prayer. They often found their
Exaltation coming when they faced death in the
service of the dead in one way or another.
The Daybreak Caste are funerists and forgers of
souls, masters of necromancy and the forbidden lore
of the Underworld. Their wisdom is tarnished by the
touch of oblivion, but it is no less potent. A
Daybreak’s Exaltation often comes when they seek
lore and secrets that would come at the price of their
lives—a price they grimly and gladly pay.
The Day Caste are spies and assassins whose task is
to walk unseen among the living, stealing the secrets
of Creation for the sake of the dead. They bring swift
and sudden death, quiet ends in dark places. Their
own Exaltation likely came in such a circumstance,
as they nearly breathed their last in the shadows.
The Moonshadow Caste are masters of the old
laws which bind the Underworld together. They act
as emissaries to the living, formalizing accords
between the living and the dead. Their Exaltations
often come when their life would be the price of a
bargain—a sacrifice to seal a pact.
Abyssal Caste SFX
 SFX: Dusk Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
the effect die in any reaction roll you make
against physical attacks, or any roll you make
including the Athletics, Menace or War
Specialties. While this SFX is active, if you
attempt to inflict fear-based emotional stress
using the Menace Specialty, your target cannot
spend doom dice or Motes to negate that stress.
 SFX: Midnight Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die or any roll you make including
the Performance, Socialize or Survival Specialties,
or on any roll targeting a god or elemental. You
also gain the power Minions d8 for the rest of
the scene; if you already possess the Minions
power, you may step it up or double is for the
rest of the scene instead.
 SFX: Daybreak Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die on any roll you make including
the Craft, Lore, or Occult Specialties. You also
gain the power Mystic Senses d8 for the rest of
the scene; if you already possess the Mystic
Senses power, you may step up or double it for
the rest of the scene instead. While this SFX is
active, you may spend 1 Mote and step up
mental stress to travel between Creation and the
Underworld, immediately leaving one and
entering the other; you leave the scene and may
not return until the end of the next scene.
 SFX: Day Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up your effect
die on any action including the Acrobatics,
Covert, or Larceny Specialties. You also gain the
power Invisibility d8 for the rest of the scene; if
you already possess the Invisibility power, you
may step up or double it for the rest of the scene
instead. While this SFX is active, the GM may
not activate your Anima Flare Limit and no one
can discern your identity by any means unless
you wish them to do so.
 SFX: Moonshadow Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die on any roll you make including
the Bureaucracy, Socialize, Trading, or Vehicles
Specialties. Additionally, for the rest of the scene,
79
 you can sanctify any oath sworn by a character
you can touch. If the oath is broken, that
character suffers the complication Cursed d10
until the end of the current Arc; this
complication cannot be removed prematurely,
and it cannot be increased by actions. The GM
determines the exact nature of the curse, but it
usually manifests as extremes of bad luck or as
ironic karmic retribution. This complication
should apply on most rolls the victim makes.
The Infernal Exalted
Created from stolen Solar Exaltations during the
breaking of the Jade Prison, the Green Sun Princes
are servants of the Primordials—the greatest enemies
of the Exalted. These tainted Exaltations fill their
hosts with the unwholesome power of Hell, twisting
them into demonic mutations and megalomaniacal
villains. Many Infernals begin to question the
correctness of their masters, however, and a second
rebellion against the Primordials may be brewing.
Infernals have a similar range of power trait dice as
Solars, though their powers tend to be more bizarre.
Strange mutations are common among Infernals,
making them more like the demons from which they
gained their power. Improved attributes are as
common as among Solars, with unusual movement
modes like flight and swimming more so. Mind
control is often more brutally direct than the subtle
but powerful persuasions of the Solar Exalted.
Infernals have a similar range of SFX as Solars, but
their Specialties tend to be more scattered. While
Solars rarely have a great number of Specialties but
are superlative in one or two of them, Infernals are
more commonly dilettantes, having more Specialties
but a lesser degree of expertise in them.
Infernal power sets include a power set for Infernal
Charms; this should include two or three powers at
d8 and one or two powers at d10, as well as two to
four SFX and the standard Exhausted Limit.
Unlike Solars, Infernals have the backing of
powerful masters who often grant them access to
artifacts. Most Infernals have artifacts in their
Panoply power set—one or two power groups
including one or two powers at d8, and no more
than one power at d10 (if any), as well as one or two
SFX and the Artifact Limit.
80
Infernal anima banners are bright green flames,
burnished bronze mirrors, flickering orbs of crystal,
or other strange manifestations of demonic power,
depending on their patron. Many Infernals also form
phantom images of a particular sort of demon during
their iconic manifestations.
Essence Die: d10
Infernal Castes
An Infernal Exalted is the result of one of the
Demon Princes tainting the Exaltation of a Solar
with demonic essence and their own primordial
nature before instilling it into a human host. The
Exaltation yearns for a heroic soul to be its guide,
but the Yozis themselves are stained with their fallen
existence and seek to Exalt only those that can be
bound with promises of power and venal gifts.
Because of this, their Exalted are often people who
faced a heroic destiny—only to cast it aside because of
fear, wrath, intemperance, or other moral failings.
An Infernal is given a chance to serve the true
masters of Creation in order to abate the sting of his
own failure, and to gain all the glories that he
believes should have been his all along.
Each Yozi has their own methods of altering an
Exaltation to suit their nature. The five greatest of
the Yozis have the lion’s share of Infernals serving
them, but virtually every Demon Prince has at least
one such Exalted agent. Only the most common
Infernals are described herein.
The Slayer Caste are the chosen of Malfeas, the
Demon King who is both ruler of his siblings and
their prison. After the surrender of the Primordials,
the Solars realized the only thing powerful enough to
imprison Malfeas was himself—so they turned him
inside-out and cast all of his kind into him before
sealing him. Slayers bear his unstoppable power and
imperious rage. They are warriors, ruling through
their strength and the terror they inspire in others.
Their caste mark is a pair of crossed swords, burning
in the green fires of hell.
The Malefactor Caste are servants of Cecelyne, the
Endless Desert that surrounds the Demon City of
Malfeas. They share their patron’s harsh and
unforgiving nature, and they are the speakers of the
laws of demon-kind. Their charisma and leadership
skills are turned to the cause of oppression in the
name of order; to a Malefactor, the only justice
someone deserves is that which they can achieve for
themselves. Their caste mark is a burnished
hourglass full of shimmering silver sand.
The Defiler Caste are chosen by She Who Lives in
Her Name, picked for their willingness to put
intellectual pursuits and thought experiments ahead
of morality, compassion, or the bounds of reason.
They are craftsmen and sorcerers who regard nothing
as sacred in their pursuit of knowledge—not even
their own flesh in many cases. Their caste mark is a
third eye that opens to unleash baleful green fire.
The Scourge Caste are the subtle knives of
Adorjan, the Silent Wind. Like their patron, many
of them are passionate, focused, and utterly mad,
incapable of placing their actions in a context of
morality. They have no fear of death, either bringing
it or suffering it, but they are less often focused on
slaughter than on fulfilling their visceral urges in
precise, awful ways. Their caste mark is a hollow
circle of swirling blood-red light.
The Fiend Caste are false diplomats, agents of the
disunity and chaos preferred by their patron, the
Ebon Dragon. A Fiend’s only true loyalty is to
himself, though they obey their master out of
necessity or fear, and they seek to break bonds and
twist good things until they are nothing but
bitterness. A Fiend recognizes no law other than “do
what you wish.” Their caste mark is a disk so black
that its edges seem to bleed away light, darkness so
deep it actually sears the eye to look upon.
Infernal Caste SFX
 SFX: Slayer Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
the effect die in any reaction roll you make
against physical attacks, or any roll you make
including the Athletics, Menace, or War
Specialties. While this SFX is active, if you
attempt to inflict fear-based emotional stress
using the Menace Specialty, your target cannot
spend doom dice or Motes to negate that stress.
 SFX: Malefactor Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step
up your effect die on any action targeting a god
or elemental, or any roll including the Lore,
Occult, or Survival Specialties. You also gain the
power Minions d8 for the rest of the scene; if you
already possess the Minions power, you may step
it up or double is for the rest of the scene
instead.
 SFX: Defiler Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
your effect die on any roll you make including
the Craft, Medical, or Occult Specialties. You
also gain the power Mystic Senses d8 for the rest
of the scene; if you already possess the Mystic
Senses power, you may step up or double it for
the rest of the scene instead. While this SFX is
active, you may spend 1 Mote and step up
mental stress to travel between Creation and
Malfeas, immediately leaving one and entering
the other; you leave the scene and may not
return until the end of the next scene.
 SFX: Scourge Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up your effect
die on any action including the Acrobatics,
Covert, or Larceny Specialties. You also gain the
power Invisibility d8 for the rest of the scene; if
you already possess the Invisibility power, you
81
 may step up or double it for the rest of the scene
instead. While this SFX is active, the GM may
not activate your Anima Flare Limit and no one
can discern your identity by any means unless
you wish them to do so.
 SFX: Fiend Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the current scene, step up
your effect die on any roll you make including
the Bureaucracy, Socialize, Trading, or Vehicles
Specialties. Additionally, for the rest of the scene,
you can sanctify any oath sworn by a character
you can touch—or remove such an oath placed by
another character. If an oath sworn to you is
broken, that character suffers the complication
Cursed d10 until the end of the current Arc; this
complication cannot be removed prematurely,
and it cannot be increased by actions. The GM
determines the exact nature of the curse, but it
usually manifests as extremes of bad luck or as
ironic karmic retribution. This complication
should apply on most rolls the victim makes. Any
creature from whom you remove a sanctified
oath becomes a creature of darkness until the
end of the current Arc (or longer at the GM's
discretion).
more than one power at d10, as well as two to four
SFX and the standard Exhausted Limit.
Virtually all Alchemicals have artifacts in their
Panoply power set due to the vast manufacturing
abilities of their nations. Very few Alchemicals learn
martial arts or have servants as part of their Panoply.
Such things are simply uncommon in their world of
their origin due to different cultural pressures.
Alchemical anima banners are physical
manifestations like those of the Dragon-Blooded,
though they manifest through the six elements of
Autochthonia rather than the five elements of
Creation. Coruscating arcs of lightning, burning
gouts of steam, and choking clouds of smoke are the
common manifestations of an Alchemical anima
banner.
Essence Die: d8

The Alchemical Exalted

The Champions of Autochthonia are not like the
Exalted of Creation. Where the Celestial Exalted are
imbued with their power by the autonomous action
of the Exaltations, and where the Dragon-Blooded
are born into a heritage of power, the Alchemical
Exalted are created from whole cloth. A synthesis of
a heroic human soul and the magical materials are
combined by expert thaumaturges into an artificial
body rife with power and made from mystic clay.
In terms of power, Alchemicals tend to be about as
powerful as Dragon-Blooded but more versatile.
Their power traits tend to be d8 or d10, without as
many trait-boosting SFX as Solars or Abyssals. An
Alchemical’s “charms” are actually magitech
implants, giving them more freedom when it comes
to switching between powers than other Exalted
types.
A good starting range for Alchemical power sets is
a single power set for Alchemical Charms; this
should include three to four powers at d8 and no

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Alchemical Castes
The Orichalcum Caste exist to protect and serve
the people of Autochthonia from a position of first
among equals. By their own excellence, they goad
their societies to be excellent. Through success and
greatness, they teach the people that anything is
possible. They possess lightning-quick minds,
devastating martial prowess, and instinctive political
acumen. Their anima turns them into living
dynamos, crackling with electrical power.
The Moonsilver Caste exists to protect
Autochthonian society from the forces that would
seek to destabilize or destroy it. They utilize their
special aptitude for stealth and disguise to locate and
neutralize such threats from within, acting as a
powerful tool of state intelligence and security. Their
anima gives them the flowing grace of quicksilver,
allowing them to perceive the world as if moving in
slow motion around them.
The Jade Caste embody strength through unity
and the humble joy of service to the state. They are
emblems of Autochthonia’s egalitarian ideals,
limitless fonts of morale and industriousness who
remain unafraid to dirty their hands through labor.
Their anima turns their flesh into unassailable stone,
fortifying them against injury.
The Starmetal Caste are wise advisers to their
fellows, chosen to enhance the efforts of others
through their efficiency-improving methods. They
prefer to act subtly, fixing things behind the scenes
and making sure that the machinery of society—both
literal and figurative—hums along without incident.
Their anima aligns them with the design of the Great
Maker, creating a prismatic halo that trails slightly
ahead of the Alchemical like a reverse after-image.
The Soulsteel Caste are the dark shadow on the
factory wall, the iron boot rattling on the catwalk.
They stand as Autochthonia’s secret police and
interrogators, the final guardians of orthodoxy. They
find those things that present a threat to the stability
of society and eliminate them without mercy,
ruthlessness and discretion going hand in hand.
Their anima surrounds them with a dread display of
terror, filling the air with the whispers of the
damned.
There is no Adamant Caste, whatever rumors may
exist to the contrary.
The Adamant Caste
Officially, the Adamant Caste does not exist.
While a few Alchemicals and a small number of
mortal authorities suspect the existence of a “sixth
caste,” the vast majority of people in Autochthonia
believe only in the existence of five castes of
Alchemical Exalted.
This is because the purpose of the Adamant Caste
is to act as a check on the power of the mortal
authorities of Autochthonia, enforcing the will of
the Great Maker himself (as dictated by the spirits
that make up his soul hierarchy). Adamants walk a
lonely road, unable to reveal their true nature even
to their allies. In many ways, they suffer the same
burden as Sidereals with their arcane fate.
An Adamant who reveals his true nature to a
mortal does them no favors. Their arcane nature
gradually eats away the mortal’s memory of them in
the same manner as a Sidereal’s arcane fate. Any
mental or emotional stress or trauma caused by the
Adamant remains, however, though the mortal
attributes it to other causes if possible.
An Adamant Caste with a Shapeshifting asset in
play to assume a mundane identity can avoid this
issue. Supernaturally awakened beings, including
other Exalted, are immune to this effect, so an
Adamant who wishes to maintain his cover must be
very careful around such beings.
When an Adamant Caste permits his anima to
flare, it sears the eyes and minds of onlookers with
crystalline blue light. This light distorts the image of
the Adamant, making it nearly impossible to see
him—and almost as impossible to even remember
him once the light has passed.
Alchemical Caste SFX
 SFX: Orichalcum Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the
effect die on any roll including the Bureaucracy
or Craft Specialties. Additionally, you gain the
power Lightning Control d8 for the rest of the
scene; if you already possess the Lightning
Control power, you may step up or double that
power for the rest of the scene instead. For the
duration of this SFX, you may spend 1 Mote to
ignore stress or complications from electricity
based attacks.
 SFX: Moonsilver Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the
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 effect die on any roll including the Acrobatics or
Covert Specialties. Additionally, you gain the
power Enhanced Reflexes d8 for the rest of the
scene; if you already possess the Reflexes power,
you may step up or double that power for the
rest of the scene instead. For the duration of this
SFX, you may spend 1 Mote to reroll any
reaction against a physical attack, adding or
stepping up Reflexes.
 SFX: Jade Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die on any roll including the Athletics or
Socialize Specialties. Additionally, you gain the
power Enhanced Durability d8 for the rest of the
scene; if you already possess the Durability
power, you may step up or double it for the rest
of the scene instead. For the duration of this
SFX, you may spend 1 Mote to ignore stress from
non-magical physical attacks.
 SFX: Starmetal Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the
effect die on any roll including the Bureaucracy
or Lore Specialties. Additionally, you gain the
power Enhanced Senses d8 for the rest of the
scene; if you already possess the Senses power,
you may step up or double that power for the
rest of the scene instead. For the duration of this
SFX, you may spend 1 Mote to reroll any dice
pool including Senses.
 SFX: Soulsteel Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate this
SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the effect
die on any roll including the Menace or Larceny
Specialties. Additionally, for the rest of the scene,
you are always considered to have partial defense
against any attack targeting you. For the duration
of this SFX, you may spend 1 Mote to ignore
stress or complications from fear based attacks.
 SFX: Adamant Caste. Spend 1 Mote to activate
this SFX. For the rest of the scene, step up the
effect die on any roll including the Covert or
Occult Specialties. Additionally, you gain the
power Shapeshifting d8 for the rest of the scene;
if you already possess the Shapeshifting power,
you may step up or double it for the rest of the
scene instead. While using this caste power, the
GM may not activate your Anima Flare Limit.
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Other Exalted Types
Several other minor types of Exalted are known to
exist in Creation, such as the Underworld-aspected
Liminals and the divinely empowered Exigents, but
little is known about these Exalts at present.
As more information about them surfaces, rules
for these Exalted will be implemented.
Limit Break and the Great Curse
In ancient times, the Exalted formed the armies of
the gods against the vastly powerful Primordials. The
Solars were the heroes and generals of those armies,
and when they slew Creation’s previous rulers, their
fallen foes used their dying breaths to curse the
Exalted who had slain them. By this curse, they
would forever be driven to wrath and immoderacy
and hounded by treachery not unlike that which the
gods had perpetrated upon the Primordials.
The enemies of the gods were greater than those
gods, and their curse twisted even the divine souls of
the Solar Exalted. This curse eventually drove the
Dragon-Blooded to usurp the rulership of the Realm,
ending the First Age. Today, it lives within the heart
of every Exalted.
In game terms, every Exalted character has a Limit
Break, a situation which can cause him to lose
control of himself and act out his worst impulses.
While the Solars bear the brunt of the Great Curse,
Lunars, Sidereals, and Terrestrials suffer from it as
well. Abyssals, Infernals, and Alchemicals suffer from
their own personal demons, but mechanically they
are virtually identical to Limit Break.
When a character is exposed to his Limit Break
condition, the GM can give him 1 Mote to step up
his limit stress. Some Limit Break conditions might
also coincide with suffering physical, emotional, or
mental stress.
Additionally, being stressed out in any other stress
track steps up the character’s limit stress, as does
hitting the 10 XP mark on his Limit Milestone. At
the GM’s discretion, successfully resisting mind
control or other major psyche-altering effects can
increase limit stress in exchange for granting the
player 1 Mote.
 When a character’s limit stress goes past d12, he is
not stressed out. Instead, he gains d6 limit trauma
and enters Limit Break. The GM adds d12 to the
doom pool, which can potentially be used to end the
scene with the GM narrating the character’s actions
in Limit Break. A Limit Break normally lasts for a
scene, but it can potentially last longer if the GM
spends dice from his doom pool or gives the player
Motes to extend it.
If the player spends 1 Mote upon entering Limit
Break, he has partial control; a character in partial
control has some amount of moderation—he will not
attack his allies or innocents, and he still clings to his
core principles. However, he suffers his current limit
trauma as a penalty on actions as usual.
A character who gives in to his Limit Break
completely has little control over himself. He pursues
his limit impulse to the exclusion of all else, even
self-destructively. However, an Exalted in Limit
Break is nearly unstoppable—he adds his current
limit trauma to all die rolls for the rest of the scene,
rather than having it used as a penalty against him.
After the character’s Limit Break ends, his limit
trauma remains and acts against him as normal.
As with a failed exploration roll, a Limit Break is a
good excuse for the GM to introduce trouble into a
subsequent scene. The GM can spend his doom dice
to afflict the Limit Breaking character with stress,
trauma, long-term complications, or other
difficulties.
Characters cannot make recovery rolls to recover
from limit stress; it simply accumulates until it causes
Limit Break, then resets. Limit trauma does not
automatically step back at the beginning of an Act
either. Once per Act, a character suffering from limit
trauma may attempt to recover from that trauma; a
success steps back the trauma, while a failure steps
up the character’s limit stress.
This means that unlike the other three forms of
stress and trauma, limit stress is a persistent problem
for a character and limit trauma is permanent unless
the character takes specific steps to reduce it.
The Great Curse
After their defeat, the Primordials cursed the gods
who had started the rebellion and the Exalted who
were their tools during it. This curse condemned
those who rose up against Creation’s makers to
suffer from hubris, venality, and cruelty, such that
they would never truly be able to enjoy the fruits of
their betrayals.
This curse was made in secret and few know of its
existence. Indeed, those that learn of the “Great
Curse” often deny that it is even possible—which
could be seen as one more manifestation of the
curse.
In truth, the Great Curse is not the origins of the
moral failings of the Exalted. Instead, it is the reason
they cannot learn from their repeated mistakes. An
Exalt’s passions and drives are the result of immense
power placed in the hands of once-mortal beings and
given free reign. The Great Curse simply allows them
to justify their behavior after the fact, and for others
who suffer it to overlook their allies’ failings rather
than attempting to moderate them.
In essence, the Great Curse is not a mind-altering
effect, but rather one that skews perception. Even
without the Curse, the Exalted would be prone to
violent outbursts, bouts of melancholy, intense
selfishness, and other personal issues, but they might
be more willing to learn from their mistakes.
The Great Curse is a justification for pushing
certain kinds of drama into an Exalted game, but it’s
hardly necessary. It helps remind players that their
characters are not always rational actors, and are
instead beholden to the same drives and passions
that they themselves are—but writ large and epic.
Abyssal Exalted, Infernal Exalted, and Alchemical
Exalted do not suffer from the Great Curse. Instead,
each have their own personal demons.
Abyssals suffer limit stress from disobedience to
the will of the Neverborn in a manner known as
Resonance. This causes their limit stress to increase
when they directly disobey their deathlord, when
they put the interests of the living ahead of those of
the dead, or when they acknowledge their former
mortal lives.
Infernals suffer from the bane called Torment. Like
Abyssals, they gain limit stress when they directly
disobey their patron Yozi. They also gain limit stress
when they act in a manner that supports the interests
of the gods over demons, when they put mortals
before the chosen of the Yozis, or when they are in
situations that are too similar to the one that led
them into the personal failure that brought them to
their current state.
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 Alchemicals struggle with the problem of having a
human soul without being truly human, a war they
refer to as Clarity. Alchemicals gain limit stress when
they put their personal wants above the needs of the
people, when they are denied a chance for happiness
because of their artificial nature, or when they are
forced to choose between logic and emotion in
dramatic fashion.
All of these alternate Limit Breaks are still oriented
through the Four Virtues (see below), but they
manifest in somewhat different ways than in other
Exalted. If playing one of these unusual types of
Exalted appeals to you, discuss the matter in more
detail with your GM, but the general mechanics of
Limit Break remain the same for all Exalted.
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Limit Break and Limit Trauma
All sorts of nasty things happen to Exalted who
give into their darkest selves. Limit Breaking is never
good, and it can become downright unpleasant.
Some players find that exploring the concepts of
classical hubris and tragic heroism detracts from
their fun. If that’s the case with your group, consider
scaling back limit stress so that it can be ameliorated
with recovery actions, or that it only comes from a
character’s limit condition and hitting the 10 XP
mark on his Limit Milestone.
Also, what happens to a character that goes past
d12 limit trauma? As with any other trauma, it
should make the character unplayable, though not
necessarily in a permanent fashion. Going mad,
being trapped in the Underworld, and self-exile are
all common fates in classical stories for those that
defy fate.
The Four Virtues
The Limit Break conditions and situations are
based around the concept of the Four Virtues, a
philosophical belief held by many of the peoples of
Creation. In this philosophy, there are four cardinal
virtues—compassion, conviction, temperance, and
valor—and the breaking of these virtues leads to evil
or immoral behavior.
In the context of Limit Breaks, a player should pick
what he considers his character’s primary moral
compass; when others act against his primary virtue,
or when he is forced into situations where his virtue
is tested, this causes the buildup of frustration and
self-loathing that eventually causes Limit Break.
 Compassion: Compassion is a measure of a
person’s ability to care for others—and how much
his heart is moved by injustice and suffering.
Compassion inspires heroes to fight oppression,
to overthrow tyrants, and to help those in need.
 Conviction: The balancing virtue to
Compassion, Conviction is a measure of how
easily a person endures hardship or inflicts
suffering on others. Conviction lets heroes
persevere against adversity and take difficult
measures to achieve important goals.
 Temperance: Temperance is the virtue of self-
control, allowing a person to avoid temptation or
 resist striking back when insulted or threatened.
Temperance allows a hero to keep a clear head in
trying times, and to resist giving in to his desires
when duty calls.
 Valor: Valor is a measure of a person’s courage
and resolve when facing danger. Valor helps
heroes suppress their fear in battle, and to keep
their calm in the worst circumstances.
After picking a virtue, the player then picks a
condition and a situation. When the character
encounters his condition, his limit stress increases
and he gains 1 Mote. When the character enters
Limit Break, he participates in his situation;
generally, this lasts for a Scene, but it might persist
for the remainder of the Act in some cases.
Sample Limit Break Conditions
Compassion
 Witnessing innocents suffer through no fault of
their own.
 Witnessing innocents suffering, with no ability to
ease their pain.
 Being forced into a position where the character
must cause suffering to avoid a worse outcome.
 Being tortured or abused by an enemy.
Conviction
 The character is placed in a desperate situation
with seemingly no way out.
 The character is frustrated by the childish or
selfish nature of the people around him.
 The character makes a decision that goes terribly
wrong, or is argued out of a decision because it
might.
 The character puts off a tough decision and
others suffer because of it.
Temperance
 The character is confronted by his own
inadequacies or human weaknesses.
 The character is hindered by the self-indulgent
nature of others.
 The character must forego a favorite pleasure or
vice in order to act in a moral fashion.
 The character’s wants or desires are thwarted.
Valor
 The character is belittled, demeaned, or
deliberately frustrated.
 The character is fighting against losing odds.
 The character is challenged to single combat or
otherwise has an opportunity to prove his
courage.
 The character’s courage is questioned or
insulted.
Sample Limit Break Situations
Compassion
 Compassionate Martyrdom: Overcome with the
need to alleviate the suffering he witnesses, the
character throws himself into helping the victims
in the most direct and dramatic fashion possible.
If an overseer is beating slaves, the character
stands before the whip and takes the blows
meant for others. The character will not resort to
violence—indeed, if attacked, he simply allows his
foes to beat him. Partial control gives the
character the capacity to choose more effective
ways to help others—such as killing an overseer to
keep him from beating his slaves.
 Heart of Tears: Overwhelmed with grief at the
sorrows of he sees, the character can only weep at
the wretched state of the world. The character
flees into solitude, attempting to avoid human
contact and perhaps numb himself to the pain of
existence with intoxicants. Partial control keeps
the character from fleeing his current
circumstances, but he can only react to his
immediate surroundings.
 Red Rage of Compassion: All the suffering the
character has seen fills him with an unspeakable
fury. He immediately attacks the most obvious
cause of the current suffering, without
consideration for himself or the situation.
Characters without an obvious target move
erratically from place to place, smashing objects
and lashing out at anyone foolish enough to
interfere. With partial control, the character still
attacks immediately, but can effectively use
tactics and make decisions; without apparent
enemies, the character seeks out “worthy” targets.
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 Conviction
 Analysis Paralysis: The character is overwhelmed
by his various commitments and responsibilities
to the point where he becomes incapable of
making decisions. He can’t even decide what to
eat, and will reject any attempts to make
decisions on his behalf. He might resort to games
of chance to make decisions for him, but keeps
rejecting the outcomes. With partial control, the
character can make decisions but only after
lengthy deliberation; he might even just defer to
the will of anyone else, even strangers, to
overcome his paralysis.
 Deliberate Cruelty: Rather than just being
restrained and efficient in behavior, the character
wholly embraces cruelty. His conscience vanishes,
and he uses terror and viciousness to accomplish
his goals. He has nothing but contempt for
perceived weakness, and lashes out verbally at
those he cares for in contempt of his own
“weakness.” Partial control allows the character
to moderate his cruelty when necessary, but still
leaves him incapable of even the most basic
kindness.
 Heart of Flint: The character’s heart hardens to
all emotion. He feels and expresses nothing,
lacking all empathy or compassion. The character
considers only efficiency when choosing his
course of action. Partial control allows the
character to avoid doing things to which he
would normally have a strong emotional
aversion, but he still uses efficiency as his primary
motivation for choosing his actions.
Temperance
 Ascetic Drive: The character must seek out
tranquility and purification through withdrawal
and meditation. He turns his back on worldly
affairs, however pressing, and retreats to privacy.
The character is uncommunicative if disturbed
and may even become violent if the disturbance
continues. Partial control results in the character
not retreating from the world, but he cannot
accept luxuries—such as sleeping indoors or
wearing anything but the most uncomfortable
and utilitarian clothing.
 Contempt of the Virtuous: The character loses
respect for the faults of those around him. He
disdains anyone he has previously witnesses
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overindulging or behaving dishonorably. If he
sees anything remotely dishonorable or
indulgent, he attempts to intervene—even
physically. The character loudly urges those
around him toward a more upright way of life,
even using his powers to further his personal
crusade. Partial control indicates that he
attempts to correct the ways of those he already
knows, but need not do so with strangers.
 Overindulgence: The character’s self-control
completely fails, and he surrenders to all forms of
excess. The character will not listen to reason or
postpone his debauch. He indulges in any and all
vices at hand, regardless of expense or
consequences. With partial control, the character
can be talked into performing essential duties—
but in every spare moment, he’s indulging in
whatever excesses are at hand.
Valor
 Berserk Anger: Out of control, the character
attacks anything that moves. If it runs, he hunts
it down and kills it. The character starts with the
nearest hostile target and continues to kill until
there is no one left to kill. If there are no people
to kill, he will smash and ravage everything
within reach. With partial control, he can avoid
attack allies and loved ones, but everyone else
remains fair game.
 Foolhardy Courage: The character knows no
fear. He places himself in the forefront of battle,
thoughtlessly challenges superior enemies to
single combat, volunteers for dangerous
missions, and won’t retreat under any
circumstance. Partial control leaves the character
without fear—but not without common sense. He
can retreat if tactically advisable but insists on
being the last off the field of battle.
 Pacifism: The character tires of violence and
death, seeking a way of peace. He refuses
aggressive actions and will attempt to flee from
violence. He preaches to others about giving up
their violent ways—which might actually provoke
some sorts of people to violence. With partial
control, the character can defend himself in
combat, but cannot inflict physical harm to
aggressors.
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 CHAPTER SEVEN
RUNNING THE GAME
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
—Dean Karnaze
The Doom Pool
The doom pool is the GM’s primary tool in Blood
and Fire, a pool of dice that acts as both standard
opposition and the fuel for NPC abilities. The GM
can manipulate the doom pool to some degree, and
it grows and shrinks across the course of an Arc.
The doom pool represents the ebbing and flowing
degrees of chaos and danger that cascades from the
heroes’ actions in the adventure. A low number of
doom dice in the doom pool means that the
situation is relatively calm and the heroes can
accomplish most unopposed tasks without difficulty.
A large number of doom dice (and/or large dice) in
the doom pool means that the situation is chaotic,
possibly because of collateral damage, alerted foes,
mistakes, and dark forces at work.
If there is no active character to oppose a hero’s
action, the doom pool is rolled as the reaction pool.
Certain effects may also use the doom pool as an
attack action.
The general rule in Cortex Plus is that the GM
never rolls against himself. If an NPC is attempting
an action, he simply accomplishes it if no one
opposes him. If the GM needs further justification
for such success, he can spend a doom die. NPCs
and the doom pool never need to roll against one
another in any circumstances.
Adding or Upgrading Doom Dice
For most adventures, the doom pool begins most
Arcs at 2d6. The doom pool might start at a higher
die value, a higher number of dice, or both
depending on the level of threat represented by the
central plot of the Arc. Consider the following a rule
of thumb for starting doom pool values in an
adventure:
 2d6: Minor local threat.
 3d6: Minor but extensive threat.
 4d6: Minor but widespread threat.
 2d8: Powerful but local threat.
 3d8: Powerful and extensive threat.
 4d8: Powerful and widespread threat.
 2d10: Disastrous but local threat.
 3d10: Disastrous and extensive threat.
 4d10: One of Creation’s great dooms is loosed.
The doom pool gains dice in the following ways:
 Hero-rolled opportunities. When a hero rolls at
least one 1 on a die, the GM may add to the
doom pool by paying that player one or more
Motes. The more 1s rolled, the more and higher
dice may be added at once. A single 1 rolled
means a d6 may be added to the doom pool, or
the GM may step up the lowest existing die in
the doom pool. Two 1s rolled means a d8 may be
added to the doom pool or the GM may step up
the lowest existing die in the doom pool by two
steps, and three 1s for a d10 or three steps, and
four 1s for a d12 or four steps. With multiple 1s,
the GM may split between adding multiple dice
or stepping up multiple dice, but for each unique
die affected, the GM must pay an additional
Mote instead of just one.
 When a GM character of any kind uses a
Distinction negatively to add a d4 to a dice pool,
the GM may add a d6 doom die to the doom
pool.
 A GM character, actively attempting to foment
chaos and destruction, may use his action to add
his effect die directly to the doom pool. A hero
may oppose this action if logical, and this can be
mitigated by the absence of Scene Distinctions
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 that would allow him to do so. This is sometimes
known as grandstanding.
 Many Limits on GM character Power Sets also
have the ability to add a doom die or alter a
doom die already in the doom pool.
Whenever the GM adds a d6 to the doom pool, he
may choose to forfeit that die and instead step up the
lowest die in the doom pool. This allows the GM to
gradually increase the power represented by the
doom pool, escalating the chaos and overall danger
of the situation as the adventure progresses.
At the end of any Arc, the doom pool is completely
emptied and any unused doom dice are lost. The
GM cannot carry over doom dice from one Arc to
the next, though he might decide that a particularly
high ending doom pool in one Arc might translate
to a higher starting doom pool in the next.
Using Doom Dice
Doom dice act like Motes for GMs. They can be
spent to achieve a number of effects similarly to how
Motes are spent, though with some slight differences
and some additional options.
Before rolling, doom dice can be used to:
 Add one or more dice to a dice pool before
rolling. (May not be used when rolling the doom
pool as a reaction.)
 Activate a GM threat SFX that requires a doom
die.
After rolling, doom dice can be used to:
 Add an extra die to total (must spend doom die
of equal size or larger as die to be added).
 Add an extra effect die (must spend doom die of
equal size or larger as die to be added).
 Counterattack: on successful reaction, spend a
doom die to use reaction effect die as stress,
complication, or asset. The doom die must be at
least as big as the effect die.
 Activate a GM threat SFX that requires a doom
die.
Doom dice can be spent at other times to do the
following:
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 Split the party: force the group into separate
Scenes by spending a doom die per hero to be
split off into another group.
 Interrupt the action order: spend any size doom
die to have anyone in the action order who has
not yet acted this turn act next. If you’re
interrupting a hero with a Reflexes power, you
must spend a doom die of size equal to the
Reflexes power instead of any size die. After the
interrupter acts, the action order returns to the
interrupted character.
 Activate a hero’s Limit, unless that player
chooses to take a PP to shut it down instead.
 Spend 2d12 to end the Scene, narrating it as you
choose. (This grants every affected character 2 XP
as well.)
 Introduce a new threat to the Scene.
 Add trouble to a Scene.
 Add a Scene complication to the Scene.
 Recover stress on a GM character during a
Transition Scene.
Minor and Major Characters
When building NPCs, the GM should decide if
they are minor characters or major characters.
A minor character can be taken out by stress or
complications greater than his Threat die (so a
Threat d6 character can be removed by taking d8
stress of any type or a d8 complication). A major
character has a normal stress track, requiring his
stress to be stepped past d12 in order to take him
out.
Generally, minor characters have only one or two
Distinctions, while major characters have the normal
three. Additionally, minor characters usually have
only Threat dice, while major characters might have
Threat dice or full statistics including Essence and
Attributes.
Storytelling Basics
As the Storyteller, you take up the role of
everything and everyone that isn’t directly under the
control of players. You populate and describe the
game world, picking exciting stories and epic
plotlines. You get to create dynamic scenes and run
them with gusto so players get excited.
As such, you have the responsibility of directing
the story through vivid description, setting a pace
that keeps players at the edge of their seats, and
cheerleading so everyone around the table feels
motivated and empowered to have characters
perform the most daring, dangerous acts we have
come to expect from the genre.
In parallel, you must act as an arbiter of the rules,
making sure everyone works within the spirit of the
game while still granting everyone the fairest possible
chance to do wild heroic feats.
While daunting at first, being a Storyteller
remains, for many, one of the most satisfying aspects
of roleplaying.
Exalted: Blood and Fire handles different styles of
play, each requiring you to run things slightly
differently. Whatever style you settle on, some basics
of GMing remain common.
The game plays out in distinct and more or less
structured Scenes. Think of a Scene as a box that
contains all the elements players get to interact with
using their characters.
Fully-fleshed Scenes contain the setup that explains
the initial situation. It has descriptions that set the
table for the players, letting them know what they see
and hear. It contains all the bits and pieces that
characters can interact or clash with, including
NPCs, monsters, and traps. Finally, a Scene details
how these elements interact with heroes and how the
Scene gets resolved, including likely outcomes.
The game’s two types of Scenes (Action and
Transition) cover all the situations where heroes are
faced with challenges and downtime. Action Scenes
cover any situation where the timing of actions is
important, including battles, social debates, tense
moments, and chases. Transition Scenes are
“downtime,” quiet moments in which the heroes can
recover, marshal their forces, and otherwise build up
their strength to face a new set of challenges.

Basics of Opposition

At the core of GMing Exalted is the following

question: is there a need to roll dice whenever a
character performs a particular action? This decision
is usually easy to make. A Dawn Caste charging a

93
 behemoth, or a Twilight Caste creating an illusion
asset to cloak a gathering from discovery are clear-cut
examples of such rolls.
In other cases, especially when characters want to
perform minor actions just to make their character
look cool without gaining any undue advantages,
rolls should not be necessary. For example, in a
social Action Scene where an outraged merchant
wants to confront a roguish Night Caste for not
keeping his promises, the player should not have to
roll to sneak up on the merchant just so he can
whisper “Why are you shouting? I’m right here.”
That is, unless the player wants to establish an asset
based on surprising the angry merchant.
As a general guideline, whenever a character wants
to perform an action whose outcome is uncertain,
establish if any NPC, monster, or other threat would
oppose that action and why. If none come up, have
the character roll against the doom pool. This
represents the character attempting an action whose
outcome depends on luck, fate, and the sheer chaos
of the character’s surroundings.
Whatever the case, always guide yourself with the
two following principles. First, make sure players tell
you the intent behind the actions of their characters.
Literally ask players, “What is your intent here?” By
declaring intent, players focus on what they want
their characters to do instead of how they would do
it through the rules. That’s your job, not theirs.
Example: Chisa is playing Venomous Spur, a No Moon
Caste Lunar Exalted. She’s fighting an onslaught of
hobgoblins that seem to be pouring out of everywhere. She
tells the GM that she wants to summon a massive cloud of
webs using her Sorcery, targeting all the hobgoblins.
Before letting her build her dice pool, the GM asks her
what she hopes to accomplish if her action succeeds.
Thinking about it, she announces that she wants to
entangle the hobgoblin mob and block the multiple holes in
the cave they are pouring out from.
The GM then asks her if she wants to go for two effects:
inflict a Webbed complication on the hobgoblin and
target the Hobgoblin Warren d8 trick. He explains that
by beating it with an effect die of d10 or more, he won’t be
able to add new hobgoblins to the Scene. After some more
thought, Chisa decides that she wants Venmous Spur to
focus solely on the Hobgoblin Warren, leaving the others to
deal with the hobgoblins.
Secondly, once you’ve described the major
elements of a Scene and established who goes first,
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encourage players to bring colorful descriptive
elements to a Scene through the actions they wish to
perform. Encourage them to describe what happens
up to the moment of uncertainty.
Give players ample leeway to add minor objects
and other elements to the area where the action
occurs. Notice those elements: does a character jump
on a table you described, does another one run
across a slippery mosaic floor, do they all grab onto
something as they do so? Such elements become part
of the Scene, usable by both PCs and NPCs when
they react to actions or perform their own.
Once a player has described the attempted action,
it’s time to build the active player’s dice pool, make
the roll, and establish the result and effect die (or
dice). If an NPC or other GM-controlled character
opposes the roll, you describe the reaction to the
active character’s action.
If the action is opposed by another player’s
character, have the reactive player describe things. In
such cases, take special care to ensure that both
players play fair with the rules and established scene
traits to make the confrontation exciting and fun for
all.
In the case where the roll is opposed by the doom
pool, feel free to borrow elements from the overall
Scene to describe things that could make the action
go awry.
If the action was successful, describe the results.
Feel free to prompt the player to provide the
description of such success. If the action is a failure,
then you get free rein in describing how things do
not go as the character intended. Additionally, you
generally get the option to turn the table on the
active player, usually by spending a die from the
doom pool to apply the opposition’s effect dice from
the successful reaction roll.
When determining a counter-reaction to a failed
action, be as creative with the Scene’s environment
as you want to inflict stress or complications. Feel
free to exploit all scene traits, including assets added
by players! Have tables break under heroes to injure
them, slippery floors cause sprained ankles, and any
object heroes reached for turn into something they
didn’t expect!
While rolling dice is the core mechanic of this
game, it only exists to power the stories that the
characters enact. Vivid descriptions of actions,
successes, and failures are what make the game shine
at its best.
Adventure Creation
Exalted: Blood and Fire has inherited a structured
approach to adventure design from its super heroic
predecessor. The current section describes various
approaches to help you design exciting adventures
that will challenge the most of stalwart of heroic
parties.
Regardless of the approaches taken to create your
Adventure, this game does not use a precise formula
to determine an appropriate challenge for a group of
heroes. The process lies closer to an art form than a
science. You should aim to provide enough
opposition to occupy each hero that gets involved in
a given Scene. It is more important to give everyone
something to do rather than balance a Scene to the
power level of the party. Through guesswork and
experience, you will create Scenes that will run the
gamut from easily dealt with to too hard.
Remember that the outcome of a Scene is where
you have the most power as a GM to recalibrate
where an Adventure goes. If a combat encounter is a
cakewalk, maybe it’s because the adventure’s villain
wanted to test the heroes’ strength. If an encounter
easily defeats the heroes, maybe the villain will be too
lax to keep the heroes imprisoned with sufficient
security in the next Scene.
Structured Adventures
This is the default approach to designing and
running adventures for the game. You create a story,
you define the places where the action will play out,
and you pick or create various threats and NPCs that
will interact with heroes. You arrange the events and
Scenes of the adventure in the way it is most likely to
play out, in a series of connected events and
locations in a flow chart-like structure called the Arc.
You build the core Scenes of your adventures and
categorize them into Action or Transition Scenes.
You may want to prepare some alternate or red
herring Scenes in case the heroes get lost or go off on
a tangent.
You may also create lists of likely trouble you may
want to add to Scenes when you play them out.
Troubles are additional elements you add to a Scene
or an increase in power to existing threats and NPCs
through the expenditure of doom pool dice when
you start a Scene.
Be sure to leave some breathing spaces in your
adventures so heroes can recover and create
resources when they need to. Also, be ready to
reorganize your adventure plan if the heroes manage
to shake things up so much that the next logical
Scene can’t be the one your Arc dictates. Such are
the joys of having players mess around with your
best-laid plans.
The following breaks down each element of an
Adventure and outlines strategies to help you create
your own Scenes.
Arcs and Acts
The Arc is the master document of your adventure.
It can be as simple or as detailed as you like and can
take many forms depending on your favorite tools to
manage a RPG adventure, be they paper or
electronic.
Its function is to combine your overall notes about
the adventure (plot, adventure-specific setting
elements, the villain’s scheme, and so on) with a flow
chart that shows how each Scene you planned is
connected to the others.
At its simplest, picture a sheaf of graph paper. The
first page could contain:
 An adventure summary: a paragraph-long
“elevator pitch” of what the adventure is about.
 A list of the named NPCs and short, one-
sentence descriptions or outlook of each.
 A list of the main locations where the action will
unfold, with short descriptions.
 Anything else that you could reference during
play (page references, hyperlinks, etc.).
The next page(s) shows your flow chart(s), which
connects each Scene from start to finish. Label each
Scene with the name you gave them in your notes.
Feel free to use specific shapes for different kinds of
Scenes if that helps you. Connect each Scene with
those that would logically follow, creating forked
paths if some Scenes can have different outcomes.
For example, if you want to pre-plan what happens
should the heroes fail an exploration roll while they
tramp about in the Invisible Fortress, you can create
a dotted line connection from the Transition Scene
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 to an Action Scene. That would mean that the
heroes stumbling around in the Fortress might
attract the attention of its mechanized guardians.
Once your flow chart is completed, you may decide
to document each Scene in the plan. Alternatively,
you may decide to document those Scenes elsewhere,
either on a standard piece of paper or on index
cards. You can do the same for NPCs, monsters, and
threats the adventure use. It all depends on your
preference for preparation.
If you like to use digital tools, adding hyperlinks to
your Arc lets you navigate rapidly through your plan
and other associated adventure documents so you
can find what you need at the click of a mouse or the
swipe of a finger.
96
At its most basic then, an Arc is just your plan for
an adventure, carried out over as many sessions as it
requires to complete.
An Act is a single session of play during that Arc.
Some short Arcs will have only one Act, while some
will require many to complete. The GM can also
break up a session into multiple Acts if he feels that
a narrative break has occurred (generally, any period
of rest long enough that the heroes should have
recovered most or all of their resources).
Arc Milestones
Arc Milestones provide the heroes with a
connection to the storyline presented in the Arc.
This section lists the specific Arc Milestones and
their triggers, as well as additional information you
might need to keep in mind when presenting them.
An Arc’s Milestones should be designed to link
into the main plot or perhaps suggest interesting
subplots that crop up alongside the main plot.
Players don’t need to choose an Arc Milestone to
pursue when they play through an Arc, but it’s
strongly encouraged. A good Arc works with these
Milestones, giving players more opportunity to hit
their Milestone triggers and become a part of the
story.
Some sample Arc Milestones might look like this:
Milestone: The Tomb of Five Corners
The legendary Tomb of Five Corners is a resting
place of the Solar Anathema. Indeed, it is where one
of your past life selves was laid to rest—along with the
riches that are your inheritance.
 1 XP when you defeat one of the Tomb’s
guardians or traps.
 3XP when you discover one of the resting places
of the Solar Anathema who were buried in the
Tomb.
 10 XP when you claim your rightful inheritance
from the Tomb of Five Corners, or when you
retreat from the Tomb and seal it forever so that
no one else might have what is rightfully yours.
Milestone: Liberate Thorns
The day of revolution has come at last! You have
laid the groundwork, and now you will save Thorns—
at any cost.
 1 XP when you take out an enemy or mob
serving the Mask of Winters.
 3 XP when you take out a major foe serving the
Mask of Winters.
 10 XP when you liberate Thorns from the Mask
of Winters, or when you fail to do so and are
taken prisoner.
Milestone: Wedding Day
Queen Arkasi of Rubylak must choose a spouse for
political reasons. Having her choose your candidate
will be a major boon to your ambitions.
 1 XP when you inflict emotional stress on a rival
claimant.
 3 XP when you formally announce your claim to
Queen Arkasi’s hand or formally announce your
support for another character’s claim.
 10 XP when your chosen character is pledged to
Queen Arkasi as her fiancée, or when you kill or
politically discredit Queen Arkasi’s chosen
fiancée to keep them from her side.
Keep in mind that every character has two
Milestones during each Arc, and that finishing out
an Arc Milestone advances limit stress just like
finishing out a Limit Milestone.
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98
 CHAPTER EIGHT
ANTAGONISTS

“What joins men together is not the sharing of bread but the sharing of enemies.”
—Cormac McCathy, Blood Meridian

Non-Player Characters
As the name implies, Non-Player Characters
(NPCs) represent the whole cast of characters that
the GM controls and uses to interact with the
heroes. The difference between NPCs and
adversaries is mostly a question of semantics, since
many NPCs can become enemies or allies of the
heroes as the game moves forward. In the context of
this game, NPCs are considered to be those that can
play active roles in both Action and Transition
Scenes.
NPCs are often divided into Minor NPCs and
Major NPCs. A Minor NPC generally just has a
name and description (if that) and no statistics to
speak of. Such characters exist as flavor and role-
playing potential, and generally only participate in
dice-based actions if absolutely necessary. Such
characters can also be narrative justification for
spending doom dice or act as manifestations of
another character or adversary’s powers. If a minor
NPC needs dice for some reason, just assign three
dice of the same size as his entire pool to abstractly
represent his overall power and ability.
Major NPCs are an entirely different story. Such
characters should have names, personalities, and at
least some amount of history attached to them.
Major NPCs will generally have full statistics,
including Essence dice, Attributes, Specialties,
powers, and so on. They can be adapted from
Threats, expanding the statistic block for minor
adversaries and turning them into fully-fleshed
characters, or they can be written up as major NPCs
from the start.
The significant differences between a major NPC
and a Threat are simply how much work the GM
wishes to do, and whether or not the character will
be prominent in both Action Scenes and Transition
Scenes. Since the players will likely never see a given
NPC’s complete writeup, feel free to do as much or
little work on fleshing out the mechanical portions
of an NPC as you wish.
In mechanical terms, a minor NPC can generally
be taken out of a scene by a stress effect die
exceeding his largest die, while a major NPC has a
full stress track that must exceed d12 in order to be
taken out. At the GM’s discretion, a complication
die exceeding a minor NPC’s highest die might also
take him out of the scene, or he might need a
stepped-up d12 complication just like any other
threat.
Just be sure to be fair about building and altering
NPCs as you go. Adding a slew of new powers to an
NPC in order to “punish” your players for making a
choice you disagree with is at best a violation of the
trust they have placed in you.
Threats
The various antagonists and hazards that a group
of characters might encounter over the course of a
campaign are collectively known as threats. Threats
can be divided into three broad categories:
adversaries, traps and tricks.
Adversaries include all kinds of hostile characters,
creatures, constructs, and monsters. When an enemy
is sentient and in charge of its own agenda, it also is
a non-player character.
Traps represent non-intelligent, complex
contraptions and enchantments created to inflict
stress or complications on heroes in a
straightforward way. A trap can act like a creature, in
that it can take actions and might require dice rolls

99
 to “defeat” in order to make them stop harming the
characters.
Tricks are objects, enchantment, or any type of
scene element that possess SFX with effects that can
be triggered through the expenditure doom dice.
Tricks can provide beneficial effects (in the form of
stress recovery or creating assets for the heroes) or
negative ones (inflict stress and complications or
bring in new threats to the Scene). Generally, tricks
have a built-in way to end their effect, but they
cannot take actions on their own.
Threat Building Blocks
All Threats and NPCs share a common template
for their game stats. Like heroes, they are made of
traits separated in distinct categories. And like
heroes, threats’ dice pools are made by picking one
die from each.
All threats are based on the following template:
Threat Name
Threat dX
Distinctions: Distinctions
Specialties: Specialty dX
Power Name: Power dX
 SFX: Name. Mechanics.
 Limit: Name. Mechanics.
Level is the first category and represents the overall
power of a threat. Its rating ranges from d4 to d12
and is explained in more details below.
Distinctions work exactly like they do for heroes;
they act as background, significant features and
quirks that can work for or against the threat.
Power traits should be taken or derived from the
list in the Power Traits section. SFX need to be
formulated from the GM’s perspective with the
expenditure of doom dice instead of Motes. A list of
some examples to use and derive from is provided
below. Limits, which shutdown specific Power Sets
or traits, also need to be formulated so they add or
step up dice in the doom pool.
Specialties are those that the threat or NPC
possesses and can use in action. These are drawn
from the list found in the Specialties section and are
rated from Novice (d6) to Paragon (d12). They work
just like player character Specialties, except that
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Threats cannot default to d6 when lacking a
Specialty and they cannot create Resources.
Generally speaking, when writing up a Threat, the
GM doesn’t need to bother including the adjective
descriptors for powers or Specialties. Saying “Close
Combat d6” instead of “Close Combat Rookie d6”
or “Durability d8” rather than “Enhanced Durability
d8” is good enough for the shorthand method of
describing an adversary.
The Sample Adversaries section shows many
examples that can be used directly in your games or
adapted into new types of threats and characters.
These examples also provide many SFX and Limits
you can use or adapt.
The Threat Die
Each entry has a Threat die that measures the
relative prowess of each threat. These range from d4
(Minion) to d12 (Epic). Unless noted otherwise,
these entries represent a solitary monster or trap. See
below for rules on modifying any of these entries
into a Team or a Large Scale Threat.
In addition to the guidelines below, a threat’s Level
die determines what level of stress is required to
stress it out: any stress greater than a monster’s Level
die removes it from the scene. A Complication
always requires a stepped up d12 to remove a threat
from the scene.
A Level die of d4 is called a Minion Threat. They
usually have one or two Distinctions, typically don’t
have powers that exceed d6, and have one or two
Specialties rated at Novice or Expert. Minion Threats
almost always appear in Teams, and their general
purpose is to harry and distract a group of player
characters, rather than to present them a serious
challenge.
A d6 threat is deemed to be a Standard Threat.
They usually have two Distinctions and often have
powers at d8. They also have two to three Expert
Specialties. Standard Threats are also frequently
encountered in Teams, since they tend to crumple
like paper in front of an Exalted character; they
might be appropriate individual challenges for a
group of heroic mortals, however.
A d8 threat is called an Elite Threat. They usually
have two to three Distinctions and feature a wider
variety of powers including some powers at d10.
They usually have two to three Specialties, most at
the Expert level, although some may have a Specialty
at the Master level. They often have specific SFX that
combine well with their powers to present a more
significant threat to heroes. Standard Threats begin
to challenge heroes, albeit in a minor way, and are
frequently named NPCs.
A threat with a d10 Level die is called a Boss. It has
three Distinctions, a diverse Power Set including d12
traits with powerful SFXs to complement them. Boss
threats have enough Specialties at the Expert and
Master level to deal in all the types of Scenes they
may be encountered in. The rare Boss might have a
single Specialty at the Paragon level.
Bosses are more than a match for a single hero and
can be a challenge for a whole group if they have
supporting minions or servants. When planning
adventures, Bosses are big enough threats to be the
main villain of a session, or a series of sessions.
Bosses are meant to make an impression, and the
doom pool should be used liberally to allow Boss
Threats to survive major attacks from player
characters and dish out great punishment in return.
At the d12 Level, a threat is deemed Epic. Epic
threats have three Distinctions, a multitude of
powers at d10 or d12, and Specialties including
many of them at Master or Paragon. An Epic’s SFX
should be numerous and powerful. Against the
Exalted, even an Epic Threat is far from devastating,
and a given group may encounter multiple Epic
Threats in a campaign—or even in the same
adventure!
Epics typically have a host of resources to insulate
themselves from the nuisance heroes and often hide
their nature from the world at large. The doom pool
exists to power the unbelievable abilities of epic
attacks and give Epics the ability to endure some of
the heroes’ best shots.
Threat SFX and Limits
The following is a list of the most common SFX
associated with enemy characters and foes. Feel free
to adapt them when you create your own. You can
rename them to something evocatively tied to your
threat and tweak the effects to suit its needs.
 Absorption: On a successful reaction against
[attack type], convert your opponent’s effect die
into a [Power Set] stunt or step up a [Power Set]
power until used in an action. If your opponent’s
action succeeds, spend a doom die to use this
SFX.
 Afflict: When using [power trait] to inflict [type]
complications, add a d6 and step up your effect
die.
 Area Attack: When using [power trait] against
multiple targets, for each additional target add a
d6 and keep an additional effect die.
 Berserk: Add a doom die to your next attack
action. After your action, step back the doom die
and return it to the doom pool.
 Boost: Shutdown your highest-rated [Power Set]
power to step up another [Power Set] power.
Spend a doom die to recover the power.
 Burst: Step up or double [power trait] against a
single target. Remove the highest rolling die and
use three dice for the total.
 Counterattack: On a successful reaction against
[attack type], inflict [stress type] with your effect
die at no cost. Spend a doom die to step it up.
 Dangerous: Step back the highest die in your
attack action pool to add a d6 and step up [stress
type] inflicted.
 Focus: If your pool includes a [Power Set] power,
you may replace two dice of equal size with one
stepped up die.
 Healing: Spend a doom die as an action to
recover your own or another’s [stress type] or step
back your own or another’s [trauma type].
 Immunity: Spend a doom die to ignore stress or
complications from [specific attack type].
 Invulnerable: Spend a doom die to ignore [stress
type] unless caused by [specific attack type].
 Multipower: Add more than one [Power Set]
power to a dice pool. Step back all powers in the
pool for each power included after the first.
 Second Chance: If your pool includes a [Power
Set] power, spend a doom die to reroll.
 Second Wind: Before you make an action
including a [Power Set] power, you may spend a
doom die the same size or larger than your [stress
type] die to recover it and step up the [Power Set]
power for this action.
 Unleashed: Step up or double any [Power Set]
power for one action. If the action fails,
shutdown [Power Set]. Spend a doom die to
recover.
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  Versatile: Step down and double a power for one
action.
The following is a list of common Limits associated
with threat and NPC Power Sets. Feel free to adapt
them to fit your own requirements.
 Exhausted: Shutdown any [Power Set] power to
step up the lowest die in the doom pool or add
d6 to the doom pool. Activate an opportunity to
recover the power.
 Gear: Shutdown [Power Set] to gain step up the
lowest die in the doom pool or add d6 to the
doom pool. Spend a doom die to recover [Power
Set].
 Growing Dread: If your pool includes a [Power
Set] power, both 1s and 2s on your dice count as
opportunities, but only 1s are excluded from
being used for totals or effect dice.
 (Origin): When affected by (origin)-specific
complication or magic item, step up the lowest
die in the doom pool or add d6 to the doom
pool.
 Mutually Exclusive: (This one is perfect
monsters with two forms) Shutdown [Power Set
A] to activate [Power Set B]. Shutdown [Power
Set B] to recover [Power Set A].
 Uncontrollable: Change any [Power Set] power
into a complication to step up the lowest die in
the doom pool or add d6 to the doom pool.
Activate an opportunity or remove the
complication to recover.
 Vulnerability: Step up stress or complications
from [source] to add d6 to the doom pool or step
up the lowest doom die.
Teams and Large Scale Threats
Threats in this section are presented by default as
singular, “average” representations of their kind. You
can, however, multiply the level of danger and
mayhem by making a threat into a Team or a Large
Scale Threat.
Teams and Large Scale Threats have some
common mechanics, mainly having multiple Level
dice to represent their number or power. For
example, a large group of vicious animals could have
3d4 Threat dice while a single, ancient Fire Dragon
could have 5d10. When you perform an action with
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such a type of threat, you would pick up all the
Threat dice at the same time in your roll, on top of
dice coming from the other threat categories like
Distinctions, Powers Sets, and Specialties. Teams
and Large Scale Threats also have specific Limits that
spell out the mechanics to defeat them.
Teams
A Team is a group of threats (usually monsters or
NPCs) that act as one. They’re built with the Threat
Template with the following changes:
The Level die gets a multiplier placed in front of it.
That multiplier usually varies between 3 and 6
depending on the threat’s Level dice and the relative
power that the Team represents in a Conflict.
Teams also gain the following Limit (which you
can rename as you see fit):
 Limit: Squad Cohesion. Stress of dX or greater
removes a Team Threat die. Team dice may be
targeted individually or by area attacks.
The dX Stress represents an effect die that’s one
step over the Level dice of the Team. For example, a
4d6 Mob of Angry Peasants requires a d8 effect die
to defeat each of its d6 Level dice. Once the fourth
die is removed, the Team is stressed out.
Teams should also gain one or two additional SFX
to represent their approach to fighting heroes. Teams
that concentrate their attacks on single targets could
have the Focus SFX. Those that swarm all over the
party should have the Area Attack SFX. Teams that
grapple or slow down heroes should have the Afflict
SFX.
Here’s an example Team:
Shambling Skeleton Horde
Team 6d4
Distinctions: Boney; Mindless
Specialties: Close Combat Expert d8
Bonehead: Grasping Hands d6, Enhanced Stamina
d8
 SFX: Afflict: When inflicting a grappling
complication on a target, add a d6 and step up
your effect die.
 SFX: Undead Immunities. Spend a doom die to
ignore stress, trauma, or complications from
negative energy and poison.
 Limit: Squad Cohesion. Stress of d6 or higher
removes a Team Threat die from Shambling
Skeleton Horde. Team dice may be targeted
individually or by area attacks.
 Limit: Undead Vulnerabilities. Step up stress from
positive energy attacks to step up the lowest die
in the doom pool or add a d6 doom die.
Note that in spite of its numerous Level dice, a
Team can still be taken out of a Scene through a
complication that gets pushed past d12, because it
still acts like a single character.
Large Scale Threats
A Large Scale Threat is a single threat (any kind)
that is so massive, complex or powerful, it requires
multiple effect dice to stress out. Like Teams, they
possess multiple Level dice that must be removed.
A Large Scale Threat also gains the following
Limit:
 Limit: Large Scale Threat. Stress of dX or greater
removes a Large Scale Threat die.
Once again, the dX is an effect die that is at least
one step higher than the Large Scale Threat’s Level
dice. If the heroes are unfortunate enough to be
facing an Epic (d12) Large Scale Threat, they need to
obtain both d12 effect dice and obtain extraordinary
successes (win a total by 5 or more) to knock the
Large Scale Threat’s Level dice. This is called a d12+
effect die.
Large Scale Threats should also have powerful
SFXs that make them a challenge for a whole party
of heroes, including Area Attack, Absorption,
Berserk, Immunities, and Invulnerabilities. Just be
careful not to make them absolutely undefeatable.
Thus, you may decide to make some of their SFX
conditional to having one of their powers not being
shutdown (see example below).
Like Teams, Large Scale Threat can be taken out of
a Scene through both stressing out and being
subjected to a complication stepped up past d12. If
you want to make such an occurrence more
challenging for heroes, you should consider adding
the following SFX (or a similar one) to the threat:
 SFX: Shake It Off. Remove one Threat die from
(Threat Name) to remove a complication rated
d12 or less affecting it.
Here’s an example of a Large Scale Threat:
Ice Elemental Titan
Large Scale Threat 4d10
Distinctions: Living Iceberg; Oblivious to Smaller
Beings; Restless Wanderer
Specialties: Close Combat Master d10, Ranged
Combat Expert d8, Occult Master d10
Dread Lord of Ice: Exceptional Strength d10,
Godlike Durability d12, Ice Blast d12, Water
Mastery d12
 SFX: Feed Me, Do You? On a successful reaction
against a water-based action, convert your
opponent’s effect die into a Dread Lord of Ice
stunt or step up a Dread Lord of Ice power until
used in an action. If your opponent’s action
succeeds, spend a doom die to use this SFX.
 SFX: You Annoy Me—Dodge This! Against multiple
targets, for each additional target add a d6 and
keep an additional effect die.
 SFX: I Freeze You! When inflicting ice-based
complication on a target, add a d6 and step up
your effect die.
 SFX: That Tickles! Until Godlike Durability has
been shutdown, spend a doom die to cancel an
attack effect die of the same size targeting Ice
Elemental Titan unless that attack is magic- or
fire-based.
 Limit: Elemental Origins. Step up fire-based stress
or complications to add d6 to the doom pool.
 Limit: Large Scale Threat. Stress of d12 or greater
removes a Team Threat die from Ice Elemental
Titan.
Stress and Trauma Recovery for
Monsters and NPCs
Monsters and other threats that have recovery and
Healing powers can recover their own stress and that
of their allies during Scenes according to the same
recovery rules heroes follow. In between Scenes,
threats may be allowed to recover from stress and
trauma if the story calls for it and it makes sense to
do so. Significant NPCs will likely recover, but
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 chances are a damaged trap won’t fix itself if no one
is left to tend it.
Between two Scenes, threat and NPC stress may be
removed by spending a doom die equal or larger
than the stress. It can also be stepped back by
spending a smaller one. Once all of a threat’s stress is
recovered, trauma may be stepped down by spending
a dice of any size from the doom pool; it cannot be
recovered instantly by spending a dice of equal size
or more.
In the same vein, Teams and Large Scale Threats
may recover Level dice by spending dice of the same
size or more from the doom pool. One Level die is
recovered for each die spent that way. Remember,
unless a threat has a specific SFX to allow this, you
can’t spend doom dice to recover Level dice during a
Scene.
For example, after a climactic confrontation, an
Ancient Dragon has lost four of its original 5d10
Level dice. The GM takes two d10 from the doom
pool and makes a note that the Dragon is now at
3d10, licking its wounds somewhere deeper in its
lair.
 Elite: 4-5 Powers, spread between d8 and d10, 2-
4 SFX, 1-2 Limits, 2-3 Specialties (consider non-
combat ones).
 Boss: 5-7 Powers, a few at d12, 3-4 SFX, 3-5
Specialties (including non-combat ones).
 Epic: 6-9 Powers, Many at d12 and d10, as many
SFX as required (including Multipower), as many
Specialties as required, possibly all of them.
As you add more Powers to a monster, you should
consider dividing them in two or three Power Sets.
On top of granting larger dice pools to a monster,
you can create thematic groups of powers that more
developed monsters can use in various types of
situations. A threat’s power level should depend on
the relative power of the party and the number you
plan to unleash at the same time in a Scene.

Creating and Adapting Threats

Creating threats (and NPCs) is a simple

mechanical process that consists of filling the
template (see “The Building Blocks of Threats”) with
traits that fit thematically together. It can, however,
be a challenging creative exercise that requires
balancing a concept with useful Distinctions, existing
power traits, and enough SFXs (basic or custom
made) to make the threat exciting without making it
unwieldy. The same also holds when you wish to
adapt threats from other games and settings.
The first concept you should consider when
making or adapting a new threat is “What category
best describes my concept?” You should then
determine what power level it should sit at. As a
reminder and a rough rule of thumb, you should
consider the following as a starting point:
 Minion: 2-3 Powers, Most at d6, 1-2 SFX, 1
Limit, 1-2 Specialties.
 Standard: 3-4 Powers, spread between d6 and d8,
1-3 SFX, 1-2 Limits, 1-2 Specialties.

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Adversaries
Adversaries are your rank and file threats for your
Combat Scenes. Most of the time they play a simple
role: fight the heroes. Thus their abilities should be
focused on combat abilities. If you think a given
adversary stands a good chance of interacting with
heroes in a more diverse manner, you should
consider making it a NPC; see “NPC Creation Tips”
for more details.
Adversary Distinctions should be simple and
straightforward. They should represent their
background, their general outlook, and possibly a
catchphrase or a war cry that both can be role-played
to rally them and that makes a clever reference to
what the adversary is all about.
Examples: Cultist of the Blind God, Bloodlust,
“You Were Born My Enemy!”
Adversaries can have any type of power traits, but
you want to keep them as simple to play as possible.
Are they significantly stronger, faster, or more agile
than average? If so, consider traits like Strength,
Reflexes, and so on. They should either have some
form of melee weapon (Sword, Spear, Bow, Sling) or
natural attacks (Claws, Fangs, Pincers, etc.). Some
can also have ranged attacks (Bow, Daggers, Flying
Spikes, or Blasts of Arbitrary Elemental Energy). You
should then consider what kind of protection they
have. Do they evade attacks or have ways to resist
attacks like natural defenses and armor? In such
cases, consider reactive powers like Speed,
Resistance, and Durability.
You should then decide if your adversary has any
SFX. The rule of thumb is that the more powerful an
adversary is, the more numerous and complex its
SFX should be. If your adversaries are mostly cannon
fodder, you should limit yourself to few or no SFX.
This is especially true if you plan to have multiple
adversaries of the same type in a Scene. If you do,
you should band them together as a Team and add
one or more SFX that represents how they fight
heroes.
The SFX provided in the list found above allows
for a large range of effects. When you begin
designing adversaries, use them as a base. As you
gain experience, start experimenting with them. The
general guideline is that a SFX usually grants a free,
basic ability that would otherwise cost a die from the
doom pool (for example, grant an extra effect die,
step up a die, or add additional dice to a total).
When an ability goes beyond that range, a cost is
added to the ability, usually in the form of a doom
die of varying size (the larger the effect, the bigger the
die), or through the shutdown of one of the
adversary’s powers.
Very simple adversaries should not need Limits.
This is one case where realism can take a break and
let verisimilitude do the same job. You don’t have to
give each Weapon power a Gear Limit. Chances are,
heroes won’t focus on that, and if they do, just call
up the Limit anyway, as though it were already
written down.
As adversaries grow in power, you should add
Limits that act as counterbalances to some of that
power. On top of adding great flavor to adversaries,
Limits like Vulnerabilities provide ways for heroes to
gather and use lore against the creature to turn the
tide when things get tough.
Finally, you should select Specialties that you know
your adversaries are likely to use. Usually these will
be combat skills (Close and Ranged Combat), and
possibly stealth related ones (Stealth and Larceny).
Unlike PCs and NPCs, basic adversaries cannot
default to a free d6 in a Specialty they lack, but you
can feel free to add Novice Specialties to adversaries
to represent basic training and experience.
Traps
Traps are unintelligent threats whose function is to
hurt and hinder opponents in the most direct way
possible. Traps created with the threat templates are
those capable of action during a Scene, performing
repeated attacks, or inflicting complications more
than once. These range from repeating darts,
scything blades, and fireball launchers to paralysis
runes and more somber curses. If you want to have
more static traps like Pit Traps, Trip Lines, and one
shot ensnaring lines, consider creating them with
Scene complications at the onset of a Scene.
Traps are built exactly like adversaries but they
should be even more focused in function. Limit the
number of Distinctions, powers, and Specialties to
an absolute minimum. Distinctions should cover
how the trap functions and its potential features and
issues. Things like Hidden, Noisy, Slow to Reset,
Immobile, Enruned, and Steam-Powered are all
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 examples you can use. As usual, try to find
Distinctions that can use both for and against the
trap.
You should give traps one power set with one, or
possibly two, power traits. The main one should be
an active power, like a Blast, Weapon, or Control
power that can cause stress or create complications
against heroes. The second one should be a reactive
one that represents any type of defensive systems the
trap might possess. Magical Resistance, Invisibility,
and Durability are good examples of such powers.
The choice of SFX is where you make a trap stand
out as an exciting threat. Once again, you should
focus on picking as few as you need that marry
themselves to the singular function of the trap. You
should consider Area Attack, Berserk, Boost,
Berserk, and Unleashed for traps that deal stress. In
a similar way, if a trap creates complications, you
should give it the Afflict SFX.
In terms of defense against being disarmed,
destroyed, or dispelled, you may consider granting
traps some forms of Counterattack (it triggers when
being tampered with), or Invulnerability or
Immunity if they can’t be targeted by certain types of
actions (like some forms of enchantments).
Depending on the form and power of the trap, you
might forgo the necessity of having to spend doom
dice to prevent stress and complications. In such
cases, make sure that the trap can be acted upon by
at least one form of attack or action.
Traps can have Specialties, but they’ll likely be
limited to either melee or ranged combat ones. The
rating of such Specialties should range from Novice
(d6) to Paragon (d12) depending on craftsmanship
and power.
Like adversaries, you can make traps into Teams
(imagine several mechanisms or magical traps
triggering at the same time). You could even create
some forms of doomsday devices in the form of
Large Scale Threats.
Dealing with traps depends on the type. Physical
traps can be destroyed or disabled by stressing them
out or shutting down its main attack power trait.
Magical traps might be disrupted through targeting
its trait with Sorcery or other magic-based powers.
Think of a few ways the traps you designed may be
defeated, but leave room for the creativity of your
players.
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Tricks
Tricks are the staples of the fantasy roleplaying
game experience. Certain objects, contraptions, and
locations have abilities that can help or (more often)
hurt heroes, usually in unexpected ways. From
strange altars made of pulsating purple marble that
sprout tentacles to arches that teleport those that
cross them, tricks can liven up a scene by adding
elements of mystery and wonder to the usual fare of
exploration and conflict. In fact, powerful tricks can
become the centerpieces of some scenes, with the
heroes having to deal with it above and beyond
having to fight monsters and power-mad NPCs.
Tricks exist in the game to cover the wide range of
threats and helpful features that possess SFX capable
of using triggers to produce unique effects. These
include portals that bring new monsters to a Combat
Scene, essence-powered turbines that electrify their
immediate surroundings and periodically send
energy pulses to stun everyone, and even pools that
can heal the stress of heroes if they are courageous
enough to bathe in them.
Tricks are designed exactly like traps, but they can
have a more diverse set of functions (and therefore
powers and SFXs). Distinctions should play into a
trick’s mysterious or hidden nature. For example, it
could be Non-Descript, Mundane, Alien,
Otherworldly, Misty, or Intangible.
Powers are chosen like they were for monsters and
traps. You should, however, focus on the nature of
the trick. You need to identify the devious (or
beneficial) purpose it serves. Tricks that take active
roles in Scenes should be more focused on creating
complications and assets than inflicting stress.
Elemental Control powers are perfect for tricks, as
are Mimic, Size Changing, Sorcery, Teleport, and
Transmutation.
In most cases, the effects of such powers should be
focused on either granting adversaries useful assets (if
the trick helps them) and/or inflict complications on
heroes. In the case of beneficial tricks, or tricks that
the heroes figure out a way to exploit, they may be
used to generate useful assets for them.
For example, an Altar of Hope trick could be
found, all dusty and cracked in the once-mighty
ruins of a forgotten god. As the heroes explore it, a
horde of beastmen pour into the room, attacking.
The heroes fan out to fight, and the group’s Zenith
Caste decides to tap into it, spending a Mote. At that
point, the Altar activates as an ally and generates
blessed assets for individual heroes. Since a GM-
controlled “character” can’t roll against the doom
pool, these actions would be resisted by the
beastmen.
While tricks should have some of the basic SFX
that help create assets (Construct) and/or
complications (Afflict) depending on their functions,
they should all have tailor-made SFXs that require
either doom dice or Mote expenditure to trigger
particular effects. These effects can be quite varied
and a given trick might have more than one such
trigger.
For example, a trick could bring new monsters to
the scene, either by summoning them from a portal,
facilitating the arrival of reinforcements, or
something more exotic like giving flesh to beings of
shadows. Such additions should cost doom dice
equivalent to the Threat Level die of the monsters
brought.
Alternatively, a device could inflict complications
out of turn order (like at the beginning of every turn)
by spending doom dice to roll the doom pool against
all other heroes (for example, an Area Attack).
Finally, a beneficial trick could have SFX that require
the expenditure of Motes to allow heroes to recover
from stress or certain complications.
All these examples are but a few possibilities of
what you can do with tricks. Tricks should have the
same types of limits as traps do. They can be defeated
and targeted, once heroes figure out what they are.
Limits can provide some story fuel to provide lore
about them when heroes make inquiries, try to recall
details about the origins of a given trick, or when
they create an asset to help deal with it.
Generally speaking, tricks never take actions of
their own. Instead, the GM or the players take
actions to activate their abilities, or they produce
reactive effects based on the circumstances of the
scene.
Persistent Complications
Most of the time, complications disappear at the
end of a scene. If you want to have threats that can
deal lasting effects on heroes that don’t involve stress
or trauma, you can use the following option.
A complication can be made persistent by
spending a doom die equivalent to the complication
to make it last until the heroes deal with it through
some action. The persistent complication remains in
play at the same rating as the doom die you spent.
This can represent a particular curse, poison, disease,
or any other form of encroaching corruption that
heroes will need to recover from.
The persistent complication can be targeted like
any other trait and may require special knowledge,
rituals, or ingredients to treat as decided by the GM.
Such complications can also be targeted by threats to
be made stronger when appropriate. If ever such
complications get pushed past d12, you may decide
that the character is taken out of play until a cure is
found.
107
 Sample Adversaries

This section contains a large sampling of potential
opponents for an Exalted: Blood and Fire campaign.
Unless otherwise noted, any Threat is a minor
character, and thus can be taken out of a scene by
stress greater than its Threat die. So a Threat d8
adversary is taken out by d10 or higher stress of any
sort, and so on.
By adding the Squad Cohesion Limit or the Large
Scale Threat Limit, a single opponent can be changed
into a Team or Large Scale Threat, respectively. So a
Beastman with Threat d6 could be turned quickly
into a Beastman Pack with Team Threat 4d6 just by
increasing the dice appearing and adding the Squad
Cohesion Limit.
Virtually any opponent could also be encountered
in a slightly tougher or more dangerous form, such
as encountering a Beastman Leader d8 who needs
d10 stress to take him out, but is otherwise identical
to his Threat d6 allies, or who possesses Weapon d8
as one of his powers due to owning a fine steel
chopping sword instead of relying on his claws and
fangs.
Play with the statistics until you get the result you
want, with an eye to avoid ridiculous or silly results,
like having a Peasant d12. Anyone who can get to
Threat d12 is probably no longer a peasant in any
sense!
Specialties: Close Combat d6, Survival d6
Beast Hybrid: Senses d6, Speed d6, Weapon d6
 SFX: Savage Assault. Step up or double Weapon
in an attack against a single target. Remove the
highest rolling die and keep three dice for the
total.
 Limit: Easily Cowed. Step up emotional stress
from intimidation or fear to add d6 to the doom
pool.
Wyld zones sometimes have the consequence of
making men more like animals—or animals more like
men—resulting in animal-human hybrids. These
“beastmen” are human in spirit, but very much like
animals in body and mind. They strongly resemble
humanoid beasts of various sorts; wolves, goats,
hawks, and snakes are most common, but even
stranger things are known to exist.

Mortal Opponents

The following adversaries are individuals of mortal

extraction—that is, people who might have a minor
supernatural power under their control but whose
essential nature remains human. These characters
have not enlightened their essence, nor do they have
innate magical abilities. Any mystical powers they
possess are through study or scavenged relics, but
even people without supernatural abilities can be
dangerous to the unwary.

Beastman
Threat d6
Distinctions: Feral Features; Semi-Civilized

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Common Soldier
Threat d6
Distinctions: Green Recruit; Hungry for Action
Specialties: Close Combat d6, Menace d6
Arms and Armor: Chopping Sword d6, Shabby
Armor d6
 SFX: Phalanx Tactics. Step up or double an Arms
and Armor power die in a dice pool with a single
opposing character. Remove the highest rolling
die and keep three dice for the total.
 Limit: Squad Cohesion. Team dice may be targeted
individually or by area attacks. Stress of d8 or
higher removes a Team die.
Mortal soldiers are rarely capable of challenging
the Exalted individually—or in groups, honestly, but
that doesn’t stop them from trying.
Military Commander
Threat d8
Distinctions: Elite Officer; Veteran of Many
Battlefields
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Menace d8, War d8
Mercenary Armaments: Breastplate d8, Fine Horse
d8, Long Bow d8, Officer’s Sword d8
 SFX: Rally the Troops. Spend a doom die as an
action to restore a Team die to an allied Team
that has lost one or more dice. The spent doom
die must be at least as large as the Team die to be
restored.
 Limit: Gear. Shutdown any Mercenary
Armaments power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Soldiers for hire that live long enough to be
considered veterans are often very deadly indeed.
Whether they like it or not, they tend to drift into
command positions through sheer competence.
Mortal Thaumaturge
Threat d8
Distinctions: Conjurer of Cheap Tricks; Just
Enough Power to be Dangerous
Specialties: Lore d8, Occult d8
Thaumaturgy: Alchemical Blast d6, Mystic Senses
d6, Sorcery Novice d6
 SFX: Unstable Power. Step up or double any
Thaumaturgy power for one action, or spend a
doom die to do both. If the action fails,
shutdown all Thaumaturgy powers. Recover a
shutdown power by spending a doom die.
 Limit: Rank Amateur. A Mortal Thaumaturge’s
dice pool that includes Sorcery cannot use used
to inflict stress. Rolls of 1 or 2 in a dice pool
including Sorcery count as opportunities, though
only 1s are excluded from total and effect dice.
Thaumaturges are sorcerers and alchemists trained
in just enough magical lore to get a taste for more. If
they’re lucky, they just wind up blowing themselves
up. If not, they wind up blowing up all of their
neighbors.
Tiger Warrior Band
Team Threat 4d6
Distinctions: Loyal Unto Death; Elite Warrior
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Menace d8
Tiger Warrior Training: Durability d6, Stamina d6,
Strength d6, Weapon d6
 SFX: Many Spears. Against multiple targets, for
each additional target add a d6 and keep an
additional effect die.
 SFX: Pack Tactics. Step up or double a Tiger
Warrior Training power against a single target.
Remove the highest rolling die and keep three
dice for the total.
 Limit: Servitors. Tiger Warriors are the servants of
a heroic character and cannot gain Motes on
their own, nor do their opportunities generate
doom dice. Their master may spend Motes on
their behalf.
 Limit: Squad Cohesion. Tiger Warrior Band may
be targeted individually or by area attacks.
Physical stress of d8 or greater removes a die
from Team.
Mortals trained by Exalted are sometimes known
as Tiger Warriors, and they are known for achieving
heights of martial prowess that few other soldiers can
hope to possess.
The Tiger Warrior Band presented here are
specifically meant to be under the control of a player
character who gained their service through the Tiger
Warriors Unlockable (p.XX). For NPC-controlled
Tiger Warriors, remove the Servitors Limit.
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 Beasts and Animals
These adversaries are natural creatures native to
the world of Creation. Though they can seem like
unnatural monsters to those that fight them, they
possess few or no supernatural abilities. Those that
have such powers pass them on to their offspring
normally and require no special circumstances in
which to survive other than a compatible
environment.
Creatures that can only survive in Wyld zones or
other regions of intense magic are known as
“mutants” and are discussed in their own section.
Clawstrider
Threat d8
Distinctions: Clever Beast; Voracious Hunter
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Covert d8
Raptor: Claws d6, Reflexes d8, Speed d8
 SFX: Rip and Tear. When using Claws in an
attack action, add a d6 and step back the highest
die in the pool. Step up physical stress inflicted.
 Limit: High Metabolism. Step up cold based stress
or complications to add d6 to the doom pool.
Ranging from half the height of a man to the size
of a small horse, clawstriders are a common form of
predator in the jungles of the East. They are scaled
and feathered bipeds that look like a cross between a
lizard and a bird. Large clawstriders sometimes serve
as mounts to brave jungle warriors, while small ones
roam in dangerous packs.
Ink Monkey
Threat d4
Distinctions: Easily Agitated; Nimble Thief
Specialties: Covert d6, Larceny d6
Tiny Monkey: Mystic Senses d6, Reflexes d6
 SFX: Shiny! When taking an action to shutdown
a gear-based power set or power group, add a d6
and step up the effect die.
 Limit: Fragile. A complication effect die of d6 or
higher takes out Ink Monkey.
Ink monkeys are tiny primates that live in
gibbering hordes in the jungles of the East. They
stand barely a foot tall, covered in silky red hair but
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having no nails. Their vast swarms often descend on
villages and towns to steal anything that isn’t nailed
down, carrying back anything they regard as pretty to
line their nests.
Their major threat is that their favorite food is the
bones of sorcerers. While they mostly haunt old
ruins to scavenge such bones, they have been known
to attack a traveling sorcerer en masse to rip the flesh
from him and gnaw what remains.
Ink monkeys are almost always encountered in
Teams.
Komodo Rat
Threat d6
Distinctions: Rodent of Unusual Size; Mangy
Scavenger
Specialties: Covert d8, Survival d8
Big Rodent: Bite d6, Burrowing d6, Durability d6,
Reflexes d6
 SFX: Filthy. If Komodo Rat inflicts physical stress
on a character, the GM can spend a doom die to
create a disease complication on that character
that takes effect after the end of the current
scene. The complication starts at the size of the
doom die spent, and it is automatically
persistent.
 Limit: Recently Fed. Turn Reflexes into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool. Spend
a doom die to recover Reflexes.
Massive scavengers and meat-eaters of the Eastern
forests, komodo rats normally live far from
civilization, out in the edges of the wilderness.
Almost ten feet in length, massively built, and squat
to the ground like a lizard, komodo rats are actually
large, mangy mammals. Their filthy mouths are
breeding grounds for all manner of disease and
infection, at least partly because of their extensive
diet of rotting meat.
Tyrant Lizard
Threat d10
Distinctions: Always Hungry; Vicious and Stupid;
Thundering Hunter
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Menace d8, Survival
d6
Huge Theropod: Bite d8, Durability d10, Strength
d10
 SFX: Charging Smash. Step up or double Strength
in an attack against two or more targets, then
shutdown Strength. Recover Strength by
spending a doom die.
 SFX: Crushing Chomp. Step up or double Bite
against a single target, then shutdown Bite.
Recover Bite by spending a doom die.
 SFX: Trample. Against multiple targets, for each
additional target add a d6 and keep an additional
effect die.
 Limit: Huge. Turn Strength into a complication
to add d6 to the doom pool. Recover Strength by
removing the complication or spending a doom
die.
The tyrant lizard is one of the mightiest predators
of the jungles and swamps of Creation. While it
often survives as a scavenger, its innate bloodlust
often compels it to seek out fresh prey. This
enormous beast—not actually a reptile, but rather a
scaled and feathered saurian—is notable for its huge
jaws and tiny forelimbs. It is almost always a Large
Scale Threat when encountered.
Demons
In the context of Creation, a “demon” is any being
native to Malfeas, the realm of the Yozis. Such
creatures are innately spiritual beings, though they
generally take physical form while in Creation. Due
to the surrender oaths sworn by their kind when the
Exalted triumphed over the Primordials, demons are
bound to respond to any sorcerer’s call and serve
them while so summoned.
Unfortunately, while mortal sorcerers are capable
of casting the spells that call demons to Creation,
they are not protected by the oaths of obedience,
which are specifically to the Exalted. This means that
ambitious sorcerers sometimes call demons they
cannot control, which usually results in the sorcerer
being devoured by his “servant” and the demon
going amok in Creation.
Blood Ape
Threat d10
Distinctions: Monstrous Demon Primate; Red Haze
of Violence
Specialties: Close Combat d10, Menace d10
Erymanthus: Claws and Fangs d8, Durability d10,
Senses d8, Stamina d8, Strength d10
 SFX: Berserk Rampage. Add a doom die to a close
combat attack. On a successful attack, step the
die back and return it to the doom pool.
 SFX: Rip and Tear. On an attack action including
Claws and Fangs, add a d6 and step back the
highest die in the pool. Step up physical stress
inflicted.
 Limit: Easily Distracted. Step up mental stress or
distraction based complications to add d6 to the
doom pool.
More properly known as erymanthoi, blood apes
are the favored demons of summoners all over
Creation. An erymathus is a hulking carnivorous ape
with red fur and bone protrusions sticking through
its skin. They are powerful, violent demons useful as
shock troops and bodyguards who revel in sheer
violence and bloodshed. They typically put up only a
token resistance to being bound into service, since
they know that being called to Creation usually
means all the violence they can handle.
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Neomah
Threat d8
Distinctions: Object of Desire; Flesh Forger
Specialties: Medicine Expert d8, Socialize Expert d8
Demon Courtesan: Senses d8, Shapeshifting d8,
Telepathy d6
 SFX: Infernal Medic. Neomah adds Senses to the
dice pool when helping others recover physical
stress. Spend a doom die as an action to recover
another creature’s physical stress or step back
another creature’s physical trauma.
 SFX: Tempt. When using Shapeshifting to inflict
temptation or desire based emotional stress, add
a d6 and step up the effect die.
 Limit: Weak Willed. Step up mental stress or
complications from a dice pool including Sorcery
to step up the lowest die in the doom pool or
add a d6 doom die.
The demon courtesans called neomah are among
the most popular inhabitants of Malfeas for
summoners to call upon. Part of this can be traced to
their amazing genitive abilities; a neomah can take
flesh from any two creatures and merge it together to
produce a viable offspring. A good bit more of it is
because the neomah can sense a mortal’s desires and
change their shape to become whatever or whoever
that mortal desires most.
In exchange for their services—medical or carnal—
they always ask the same price: a pound of their
summoner’s flesh. When not being tasked by a
summoner, a neomah unfurls the spiral brass tower
she keeps stored in her stomach, spits it out, and
climbs to the top to forge her bartered flesh into
creations of her own design.
Unlockable:
Gift of the Neomah [10 XP]
Having a child can be a difficult experience in the
world of Creation—especially for parents who are the
same gender, different species, or have supernatural
problems with childbirth. A neomah can make those
problems vanish—for a price.
For 10 XP and a pound of flesh from each
participant, a neomah can spend a day and a night in
her spiral tower to craft a perfectly healthy infant
from the flesh of two (or possibly more) donors. This
child bears the best traits of both parents as well as
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whatever minor physical tweaks the summoner
requests. The neomah might include a flair of her
own if not specifically ordered otherwise, but
nothing harmful to the child.
Wyld Creatures
Beyond the borders of Creation lies the Wyld, a
region of formless chaos and limitless potential. This
realm is anathema to the shaped reality of Creation,
constantly eating away at the edges of the world in an
effort to reduce all that is back to formlessness.
Where the Wyld washes up on the edges of
Creation, strange creatures are birthed.
Creatures born of Creation but tainted by the
Wyld into new forms are known as mutants, while
creatures native to the Wyld that have adopted a
fixed shape to interact with Creation are known as
faeries (or as they call themselves, “the raksha”). Both
kinds of creatures are extraordinarily dangerous to
ordinary mortals, since their very existence is a
perversion of the laws of nature. Thankfully, most
mutants sicken and die if they spend too long away
from the raw magic of the Wyld—unfortunately, the
Fair Folk have no such limitations, since they can eat
the dreams and souls of mortals to sustain
themselves.
Technically, beastmen are a type of Wyld mutant,
though their mutations are so mild that they can not
only survive outside the Wyld but breed true among
themselves.
Buck Ogre
Threat d8
Distinctions: Two-Headed Mutant; Primitive but
Cunning
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Survival d8
Wyld Mutant: Senses d8, Stamina d8, Strength d10
 SFX: Double Attack. On a close combat attack,
keep two effect dice at no cost.
 Limit: Iron Vulnerability. Step up physical stress
from iron weapons to add d6 to the doom pool.
These Northern mutants are minotaur-like
humanoids, though they possess two elk heads, each
of which is crowned with a massive rack of horns.
Their eerie eyes with square pupils disguise
surprising amounts of intelligence—albeit a primitive
one. Buck ogres often raid villages for human mates,
metal tools, and any items they are too clumsy to
make.
Faerie Noble
Threat d10
Distinctions: All the World’s a Stage; Cold and
Alien Beauty
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Lore d8, Menace d8,
Socialize d10
Elite Raksha: Mind Control d8, Presence d8,
Reflexes d8, Senses d8, Transmutation d10
 SFX: Alien Thoughts. Spend a doom die to ignore
mind control complications or emotional stress.
 SFX: Conjured Wealth. When using a doom die to
create a wealth or gear based asset, step back the
doom die and return it to the doom pool after
the asset ends.
 SFX: Seductive. When inflicting seduction based
complications or emotional stress, add a d6 and
step up the effect fie.
 Limit: Iron Vulnerability. Step up physical stress
from iron weapons to add d6 to the doom pool.
Faerie Panoply: Fire Resistance d10, Glass Armor
d8, Glass Sword d8
 SFX: Sharp! When using Glass Sword in an attack
action, add a d6 and step back the highest die in
the dice pool to step up physical stress inflicted.
 Limit: Ephemera. Shutdown any Faerie Panoply
power to add d6 to the doom pool. Spend a
doom die to recover.
Noble raksha are chimerical creatures, taking on
the elemental aspect of the part of Creation they first
entered. They are universally beautiful, though this
beauty can be quite alien at times. Their elaborate
courtly games are as much to stave off boredom as
they are to generate the passions that provide
sustenance to the soul-eating faeries.
Hobgoblin
Threat d6
Distinctions: Petty Cruelty; Too Dumb to Be Afraid
Specialties: Close Combat d6, Covert d6
Lesser Raksha: Durability d6, Senses d6, Strength d6
 SFX: Ball of Fangs and Claws. Step up or double
Strength against a single target. Remove the
highest rolling die and keep three dice for the
total.
 Limit: Iron Vulnerability. Step up physical stress
from iron weapons to add d6 to the doom pool.
Hobgoblins are the least of the Fair Folk, ever-
present foot soldiers for the raksha. They take
hundreds of forms, though they are usually small,
feral, and twisted in some fashion. They take on the
elemental aspects of wherever they happen to dwell,
ranging from the shaggy-furred goblins of the North
to the dark, red-eyed creatures haunting Southern
swamps.
Mutant Tribesman
Threat d6
Distinctions: Twisted Body, Twisted Mind;
Unhealthy Lifestyle
Specialties: Close Combat d6, Survival d6
Wyld Mutant: Stamina d8, Strength d6
 SFX: Burst of Strength. Step up or double any
Wyld Mutant power for one action, then
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 shutdown that power. Recover the power by
spending a doom die.
 Limit: Deformed. Turn any Wyld Mutant power
into a complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover the power by spending a doom die.
Mutations are a sad fact of life in many parts of
Creation. The Wyld has leaked in around the edges,
tainting and twisting the bodies and minds of people
unfortunate enough to get caught in such zones.
Many mutant tribes just want to be left alone, while
others are barely-sane cannibals. It can be difficult
for strangers to tell one from the other before
winding up in the stew pot.
Wyld Rager
Threat d8
Distinctions: Crazed Cannibal; Savage in More
Ways Than One
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Menace d8, Survival
d8
Wyld Mutant: Durability d8, Senses d8, Strength d8
 SFX: Berserker. Add a doom die to a close combat
attack. On a successful attack, step the die back
and return it to the doom pool.
 Limit: Deformed. Turn any Wyld Mutant power
into a complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover the power by spending a doom die.
Ragers are mutants whose taint has become so
great that they no longer care about the difference
between human and animal. They act like beasts,
and they are quite happy to devour the people they
catch. Like all mutants, ragers suffer from severe
deformities. Their powers can be quite useful, but
they can also cause terrible health problems.
The Dead
It’s just a fact of life in Creation that the dead are
restless. The souls of people who died without
satisfaction for a lifetime of suffering linger on in the
gloom of the Underworld. A small number are
powerful enough to break through the walls between
Creation and the land of the dead, returning to
haunt the living or to guide their descendants.
Powerful necromancers can also animate the corpses
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of the dead as servants, raising hordes of zombies or
hungry dead to ravage the living.
The intelligent dead—ghosts and their ilk—often
seek out Shadowlands to dwell in. These regions,
where the boundaries between Creation and the
Underworld are at their thinnest, allow them to
interact with the living directly and even to assume
semi-corporeal forms. Such beings hope to gain the
devotion and worship of the living, using their
prayers to sustain themselves and retain their
memories of life rather than passing into the cycle of
reincarnation.
Hungry Ghost
Threat d8
Distinctions: Driven by Hate; Hungry for Flesh
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Menace d8
Embodied Ghost: Claws d6, Durability d8, Senses
d8, Strength d8
 SFX: Dead Man Walking. Spend a doom die to
ignore stress or complications from poison,
disease, or fatigue.
 SFX: Unhallowed Flesh. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by silver
weapons or magic.
 Limit: Bane. Step up stress or complications from
attacks including silver, salt, or holy energy to
add d6 to the doom pool.
 Limit: Sunlight Vulnerability. Step up physical
stress at the end of any action spent exposed to
sunlight.
The dead don’t rest easy in Creation. Hungry
ghosts are created when souls are unable to rest due
to some great outrage. Vengeance and hate drive
them. A hungry ghost rises the first night after a
murder, taking a physical form similar to the victim’s
living one but gruesomely marked by his violent
death and subsequent decay. Hungry ghosts roam
the living world at night, hunting their killers or
tearing apart anyone they encounter. They return to
their corpses at dawn, their spirits sinking to the
Underworld, since the touch of daylight is corrosive
to their ectoplasmic bodies.
Nemissary
Threat d10
Distinctions: Servant of Oblivion; Possessing Entity;
Utterly Mad
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Covert d10, Menace
d8
Embodied Ghost: Flight d8, Intangibility d10, Life
Senses d8, Mental Resistance d10, Necrotic Touch
d10, Mind Control d8, Strength d8
 SFX: Apparition. When using Menace to inflict
emotional stress, add a d6 and step up the effect
die.
 SFX: Dead Man Walking. Spend a doom die to
ignore stress or complications from poison,
disease, or fatigue.
 SFX: Soul-Thieving Method. When using Necrotic
Touch in a close combat attack, keep an
additional effect die and add it to the doom pool
on a successful attack. The target may spend 1
Mote to negate this effect.
 SFX: Unhallowed Flesh. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by silver
weapons or magic.
 Limit: Bane. Step up stress or complications from
attacks including silver, salt, or holy energy to
add d6 to the doom pool.
Rare and unusual spirits, nemissaries are courted
by Abyssal Exalted as valuable spies, assassins and
saboteurs. Nemissaries are ghosts with the ability to
possess the bodies of the recently dead. Most of them
are old, powerful spirits and have long lost any
memory of their original form and face.
When not in a body, a nemissary is nothing more
than a chill, hissing whisper. Though the bodies they
inhabit may be decaying, nemissaries are easily
distinguishable from zombies by the greenish glow of
intelligence in their eyes and by their palpable sense
of purpose.
Zombie
Threat d6
Distinctions: Mindless; Shambling Corpse
Specialties: Close Combat d6
Corpse Body: Durability d8, Strength d6
 SFX: Dead Man Walking. Spend a doom die to
ignore stress or complications from poison,
disease, or fatigue.
 Limit: Bane. Step up stress or complications from
attacks including silver, salt, or holy energy to
add d6 to the doom pool.
 Limit: Slow. Zombie cannot spend doom dice to
interrupt the action order.
Zombies are mere shambling corpses, animated by
necromancy or the subtle corruption of a
Shadowland. They possess no intelligence or volition
of their own, only a vague notion that feasting on
the flesh of the living will bring them some
semblance of peace.
Gods and Elementals
Beings of pure spirit native to Creation are known
as either gods or elementals. Though comprised of
essentially the same kind of essence, gods are spirits
empowered by the Celestial and Terrestrial
Bureaucracies while elementals are simpler entities
composed of their core elemental substance and
given awareness by awakening their essence.
Gods can be ancient or new, though older gods
tend to be more powerful. In many cases, an
elemental is created out of the raw elements through
magic on the spot, but some elementals persist for
long periods of time, becoming mighty beings in
their own right. Small gods sometimes abandon their
positions to seek personal power in Creation,
something that the heavenly order considers a
horrible dereliction of duty but which has become
ever more common in the modern fallen age.
Cloud Person
Threat d6
Distinctions: Hedonistic and Aloof; Made of Clouds
Specialties: Lore d6, Occult d6, Performance d8
Air Elemental: Air Control d6, Flight d8,
Intangibility d8, Presence d8
 SFX: Mist Form. Step up or double Intangibility
in a reaction roll against a physical attack.
Remove the highest rolling die and keep three
dice for the total
 Limit: Semisolid. Step up stress or complications
from wind or electricity based attacks to add d6
to the doom pool.
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 The cloud people spend their ageless lives in aerial
cities—masses of filmy structures built upon the
largest clouds. There they indulge in all manner of
airy luxuries, while away the hours amid philosophy
and revelry, and study the movements of the upper
air and the stars. Concerning oneself with the lands
beneath—or with the affairs of the spirit courts of
air—is deemed gauche, despite the fact that they feel
a strong pull toward the evanescent beauty of
Creation.
Cloud people resemble slender mortals made of
white cloudstuff, such that they are often mistaken
for patches of mist. Their eyes are large and bright,
their nebulous hair dozens of feet long, their voices
faint and bemused. Their foodstuffs are equally
insubstantial, consisting of scents, breezes, and
flickers of color.
Dog of the Unbroken Earth
Threat d8
Distinctions: Defender of the Wilderness; Elemental
Beast
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Survival d8
Small God: Bite d8, Burrowing d8, Durability d8,
Senses d10, Speed d8, Stamina d10, Strength d8
 SFX: Fangs of the Hunt. When making an attack
including Bite, add a d6 and step back the
highest die in the pool to step up physical stress
inflicted.
 SFX: Swift Stalking Hunter. Spend a doom die to
ignore movement impeding complications other
than being physically restrained.
 Limit: Beast Mind. Step up confusion or trickery
based mental stress to add d6 to the doom pool.
These night-black hounds stand as large as tigers,
with feral eyes blazing like emeralds or rubies. They
are small gods of the wilderness; only those places
uninhabited by mortals for a century or more lie
within their purview, and they guard their territory
jealously. Those who would carve away the wilds to
build homes, farms, or roads may seek to propitiate
the dogs with regular sacrifices. Travelers, too, must
fear the dogs of the unbroken earth. They
particularly despise roads, and all who travel man-
made routes had best obtain the protection of a road
or caravan god.
116
Still, the dogs are not fundamentally antagonistic
to mortals. Folk that do not raise structures in the
wild—such as hunter-gatherer tribes and hermits—are
safe from their wrath, and might even forge alliances
with them.
Field Guardian
Threat d6
Distinctions: Protector of the Harvest; Bountiful
Spirit
Specialties: Close Combat d6, Lore d6, Survival d8
Small God: Durability d6, Plant Control d6, Scythe
d6
 SFX: Good Earth. When acting in a scene
containing a Scene Distinction related to farms,
fields, or harvests, step up all Small God powers.
 SFX: Towering Wheat. When using Plant Control
to inflict complications, add a d6 and step up the
effect die.
 Limit: Rooted. Step up slowing or warding based
complications to add d6 to the doom pool.
Arising in patches of cultivated land, field
guardians devote themselves to that land’s care. They
send dreams to farmers instructing them in how best
to improve crop yields, and to ward off pests and
blight. In exchange, they ask that a small part of the
field—which serves as a sanctum—remain untouched,
and that no structures be raised in the field without
a suitable offering of animal blood and strong drink.
To violate these simple rules is to risk death, for
these spirits can slay mortals as easily as a farmer
reaps grain.
Field guardians appear as hale and strong mortals,
though touched by the nature of the fields they
guard. They may have hair of leaf green or wheaten
gold, and skin peach-pink or eggplant-dark. Some are
beanpole-thin, others round as cabbages or sturdy as
apple trees. Spirits of grain fields may be skittish,
orchard spirits merry, or vegetable-patch spirits
phlegmatic. All wear farmer’s garb and bear
accouterments to match—a rake, spade, wood-axe, or
scythe.
Garda Bird
Threat d10
Distinctions: Ancient Fire Elemental; Great Bird of
Wisdom
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Lore d10, Menace d8,
Occult d10, Ranged Combat d10, Socialize d8
Elder Firebird: Claws d8, Fire Blast d10, Fire
Control d10, Fire Resistance d10, Flight d10,
Intellect d10, Presence d10, Reflexes d10, Senses
d10, Stamina d10, Strength d8
 SFX: Aura of Absolute Terror. When inflicting fear
based emotional stress on multiple targets, for
each additional target add a d6 and keep an
additional effect die.
 SFX: Fire Immunity. Spend a doom die to ignore
fire based stress or complications.
 SFX: Flames of the Phoenix. Step up or double an
Elder Firebird power for one action. If that
action fails, shutdown the power. Recover the
power by spending a doom die.
 SFX: Hurricane Inferno. When using Fire Blast
against multiple targets, for each additional target
add a d6 and keep an additional effect die.
 SFX: Multipower. Add more than one Elder
Firebird power to a dice pool. Step back all
powers in the pool for each power included after
the first.
 SFX: Rise from the Flames. Before taking an action
including an Elder Firebird power, spend a
doom die recover physical stress and step up that
power for this action.
 SFX: Sirocco Rush. Step up or double an Elder
Firebird power in an attack against a single
target. Remove the highest rolling die and keep
three dice for the total.
 SFX: Vast Destruction. When Garda Bird takes an
action to add dice to the doom pool, add two
dice instead of one.
 Limit: Bird of Vast Size. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by spending a doom die or
removing the complication.
The garda birds are wise beyond reckoning. This is
because they are immortal beyond the agelessness
common to elementals; when one dies, it is reborn
nine days later in a flowering of flame. They only
truly perish when two garda birds unite in fire,
becoming a single new individual—a sacrifice born
out of love, and thus rare indeed.
Brilliant plumage drapes their six-foot bodies and
twenty-foot wingspans, with feathers that shed a cool
indigo glow. They can take male or female shape, but
most often appear in the so-called “Emperor” form,
as a gold and purple peacock with a pheasant’s head.
When threatened, they take on the “Empress” form—
a silver pheasant with lethal claws. Rage calls forth
the “Phoenix” form: a many-armed human body with
an eagle’s head, wings, claws and tail.
Storm Mother
Threat d10
Distinctions: Jealous Sea God; Aquatic Spirit
Specialties: Close Combat d8, Lore d8, Menace d10,
Ranged Combat d8, Vehicles d8
Power Set: Durability d10, Lightning Blast d8,
Senses d8, Strength d10, Swimming d10, Weather
Control d10
 SFX: Mother of Storms. When inflicting stress or
complications against seafaring vehicles, add a d6
and step up the effect die.
 SFX: Skyfire’s Mistress. Spend a doom die to
ignore air or electricity based stress or
complications.
 SFX: Wrath from the Sky. When using Lightning
Blast to attack multiple targets, for each
additional target add a d6 and keep an additional
effect die.
 Limit: Flattery Will Get You Everywhere. Step up
flattery or compliment based emotional stress to
add d6 to the doom pool.
Storm mothers are unlovely creatures, with their
scaly greenish skin, balding pates, and eyes like a
storm-shot cloudy night. Even so, some are more
inhuman and grotesque than others, exhibiting
hunched backs, bulging eyes, or broad mouth full of
jagged teeth.
These aquatic gods love the storms for which
they’re named, surfacing on wet, foggy evenings to
call down wind, rain and lightning for their own
pleasure. At other times they will do so on a mortal’s
behalf. When passing through a storm mother’s
territory—which is wide enough to take days for a
ship to cross—islanders, merchants, and pirates pray
117
 to the storm mothers for safe passage, or (with
greater success) for an enemy’s vessel to founder.
Wood Spider
Threat d8
Distinctions: Feral Wood Elemental; Pursuit
Predator
Specialties: Acrobatics d8, Covert d8, Survival d8
Arachnid Elemental: Bite d6, Climbing d8,
Durability d8, Senses d8, Transmutation d6,
Webbing d6
 SFX: Cocoon. When inflicting a binding or
entrapping complication with Webbing, add a d6
and step up the effect die.
 SFX: Wooden Statue. When inflicting a
petrification complication with Transmutation,
add a d6 and step up the effect die. If a character
is taken out with a petrification complication
that uses this ability, spend d12 from the doom
pool to make it persistent until removed with
magic.
 Limit: Fire Vulnerability. Step up physical stress
from fire based attack to add d6 to the doom
pool.
Wood spiders are malicious elementals that lurk in
the branches of trees overhanging roads and trails.
They love nothing more than to wait for lone
travelers or small groups to come near and then to
move through the foliage and underbrush, shifting
and changing landmarks to lead its victims astray.
Wood spiders will torment travelers by leading them
deep into the woods, until those travelers lay down
to sleep or succumb to exhaustion and starvation.
The spiders then lower themselves on drag lines of
woven wood, bind their victims in cocoons of wood
and leaves and inject their poison into them, slowly
turning their victims into living wooden statues.
Warstriders
Warstriders are enormous vehicles made of
magically reinforced materials, augmented by the
essence of their pilots. A warstrider typically needs
the insertion of one or more hearthstones—magical
gems created at a locus of elemental power—in order
to function at full strength. An underpowered
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warstrider might well have many or all of its systems
rendered nonfunctional, while a fully powered
warstrider is a force to be reckoned with.
No nation in the modern world has very many
warstriders, and those that they do possess are
considered great treasures of their land—and often
the difference between success and failure on the
battlefield. A warstrider pilot is among the most
valued members of any military organization, and a
mercenary pilot could name his price in virtually any
land in the world.
A warstrider can only be piloted by an Exalt due to
the essence needed to power the vehicle. A mortal
could no more pilot a warstrider than he could pilot
a mountain, though there are stories of minor
magical suits of armor that are similar to warstriders
and can be used by mortals. The warstriders listed as
examples below are based off a “typical” wearer,
though the statistics here do not account for the
abilities of the pilot.
Glorious Peregrine
Large Scale Threat 2d8
Distinctions: Pilot’s Distinctions; Agile Armor
Specialties: Pilot’s Specialties (typically Vehicles d8)
Scout Warstrider: Durability d8, Senses d8, Speed
d8, Strength d8, Weapon d8
 SFX: Early Warning Systems. Spend a doom die to
reroll a reaction against an attack, adding or
stepping up Senses.
 SFX: Large Scale Threat. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by a Large
Scale Threat. The doom die must be at least as
large as the stress effect die to be ignored.
 Limit: Big Warstrider. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by removing the complication
or spending a doom die.
 Limit: Damaged Systems. Shutdown any Scout
Warstrider power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover power by spending a doom die.
The Glorious Peregrine is an example of a scout
warstrider, a mystical suit of armor roughly twice the
size of a man. The pilot rides in the chest of the
machine, using a special harness to control the
armor’s limbs. This type of warstrider is fast and
mobile, though still somewhat clumsy compared to
smaller foes.
White Talon
Large Scale Threat 3d8
Distinctions: Pilot’s Distinctions; Powerful War
Machine
Specialties: Pilot’s Specialties (typically Ranged
Combat d8 and Vehicles d8)
Common Warstrider: Durability d10, Essence Blast
d8, Senses d8, Speed d8, Strength d10
 SFX: Crushing Blow. Step up or double a
Common Warstrider power against a single
target. Remove the highest rolling die and keep
three dice for the total.
 SFX: Large Scale Threat. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by a Large
Scale Threat.
 Limit: Big Warstrider. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by removing the complication
or spending a doom die.
 Limit: Damaged Systems. Shutdown any Common
Warstrider power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover power by spending a doom die.
The White Talon is an example of a common
warstrider, a mystically hardened and powered suit of
armor almost three times the height of a man. The
pilot rides in a special harness in the chest cavity,
using the warstrider’s magic to see and hear what
happens outside his protective shell. These war
machines are designed to serve as heavy artillery with
a supporting crew of infantry to protect it from
small, agile threats.
Sacred Temple of Honest Reflection
Large Scale Threat 2d10
Distinctions: Pilot’s Distinctions; Mighty War
Machine
Specialties: Pilot’s Specialties (typically Close
Combat d8 and Vehicles d8)
Noble Warstrider: Durability d10, Essence Blast d8,
Senses d8, Speed d8, Strength d10, Weapon d10
 SFX: Large Scale Threat. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by a Large
Scale Threat.
 SFX: Sun Shield. Step up or double Durability in
a reaction against a physical attack. Remove the
highest rolling die and keep three dice for the
total.
 Limit: Damaged Systems. Shutdown any Noble
Warstrider power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover power by spending a doom die.
 Limit: Huge Warstrider. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by removing the complication
or spending a doom die.
The Sacred Temple of Honest Reflection is an example
of a noble warstrider, an enormous suit of magically
powered armor standing easily almost thirty feet tall.
This huge war machine is armed with an equally
huge sword and shield, as well as a light essence
cannon for long-range combat. Such a powerful
artillery vehicle is capable of turning the tide of a
battle even without support personnel.
Wrathful Hand of God
Large Scale Threat 3d10
Distinctions: Pilot’s Distinctions; Huge Weapons
Platform
Specialties: Pilot’s Specialties (typically Ranged
Combat d10 and Vehicles d10)
Colossus Warstrider: Durability d12, Essence Blast
d10, Senses d10, Speed d10, Strength d12
 SFX: Barrage of Power. When using Essence Blast
against multiple targets, for each additional target
add a d6 and keep an additional effect die.
 SFX: Large Scale Threat. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by a Large
Scale Threat.
 SFX: Maximum Burn. Spend a doom die to step
up or double any Colossus Warstrider power for
the remainder of the Scene. Until the end of the
Scene, any time that power is included in a dice
pool, take the second-highest rolling die as
physical stress.
 Limit: Damaged Systems. Shutdown any Colossus
Warstrider power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover power by spending a doom die.
 Limit: Huge Warstrider. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by removing the complication
or spending a doom die.
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The Wrathful Hand of God is an example of a
colossus warstrider, an impossible huge single-pilot
war machine standing nearly fifty feet tall and almost
as wide. Literally bristling with weapons, a colossus
warstrider is less capable of engaging in close-range
combat than other warstriders but makes up for that
with raw firepower and near-invulnerability.
The Lion’s Roar
Large Scale Threat 4d12
Distinctions: Pilot’s Distinctions; Unparalleled
Weapon of Mass Destruction
Specialties: Pilot’s Specialties (typically Close
Combat d10 and Vehicles d10)
Royal Warstrider: Durability d12, Essence Blast
d10, Senses d10, Speed d10, Strength d12, Weapon
d10
 SFX: Force Overpowering. Step up or double any
Royal Warstrider power in an attack against a
single target, or spend a doom die to do both.
Remove the highest rolling die and keep three
dice for the total.
 SFX: Large Scale Threat. Spend a doom die to
ignore physical stress unless inflicted by a Large
Scale Threat.
 SFX: Powerful Stroke. On an attack including
Weapon, add a d6 and step back the highest die
120
in the dice pool to step up physical stress
inflicted.
 Limit: Damaged Systems. Shutdown any Royal
Warstrider power to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover power by spending a doom die.
 Limit: Huge Warstrider. Turn Strength into a
complication to add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover Strength by removing the complication
or spending a doom die.
The Lion’s Roar is an example of a royal warstrider,
one of the most perfect machines of war ever built by
the enlightened sciences of the First Age. Though
smaller than a colossus, the royal warstrider is more
powerful in virtually every way—faster, stronger, and
more durable.
Other Vehicles
Warstriders are not the only magically created
vehicles in the world of Creation, but they are
among the most famous and powerful. More
vehicles, from skyblades to airships, will be details in
The Hundred Devils Manual.
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