While I Read: Glories of the Most High

Prisoner of the Void:

So now we can officially say how much we like your work, instead of judging you purely off your unofficial content.  My only question is on Immortal Blade Triumphant.  I fail to see how it would really hold up against Protection of Celestial Bliss.  Sure you get more charmless defenses, but the charge up time is painful.  The stealth errata on the Deathlords is appreciated, though.  Now maybe I can actually get my players to stand up and face E&7D without whining about how badly they're going to looooose (they're all Essence 6-7, they are totally overreacting).

Nah, don't do that. Instead be evil and tell them that at E7  they can buy the same charm ! Yes, that's right, charmless perfects for you, just like the death lord !!! Isn't that swell. Leave them to discover the real usefulness of this power (or not).

Sojko:

Holden:

Demetrius7997:

Holden:

This post has made my day (for about the seventh time, it's been a hell of a day). Thank you, sir.

Wait...this is your first published work isn't it? Well sir, congratulations. From the little browsing I've been able to do I'd say you deserve a cookie...a day...for the rest of your life.

Yes, it is. Thank you.

Wait, Infernal isn't ? How ?

I didn't write anything in Infernals, just playtested it and batted ideas around with Neph while it was being written. And edited the Charms chapter, helping Neph cut stuff out to hit the wordcount target.

Holden:

Mostly it's something you want to put up pre-fight, and use as an emergency overflow.

Woah.  Oh man... this one is almost scary.

Okay, back in the saddle again.

Racing the Sun is neat, I now have the image of a Solar and an Infernal in a deadly footrace stuck in my head. So thats a plus. The see-through walls Charm seems like a useful one, but I'm not sure how often I'd end up using it. Cobra and Mongoose Method seem like an acceptable extended Perfect dodge. The Stealth Charms... are appreciated, Stealth always seemed a bit anemic to me, and the ability to shut off your Anima is especially cool. Heavenly Mandate Marking seems like a good way to "deputize" mortal servants. And now I realise that its there so that Solars who rule kingdoms can still go adventuring. Nifty.

Eternal Gilded Words? Oh Freelancers, you know how much I love Linguistics (considering this book is, as far as I'm concerned, made of candy, you must know me pretty well), no need to make it even more ungodly powerful. Hmm, wonder what that 1st Age Script in the picture says... I can't make heads or tails of it to be honest.

Heh, a little diddy to make the Solar riding a Lunar combo official huh? Nice. And we are back into Martial Arts. I've been looking forward to reading Arms of Unconquered Sun style since I saw it mentioned earlier. The thought occured to me that maybe it was a throw away-line. Then I remembered that the Hamster is good, and just. Oh, its an armored style too, nice, but I do kinda wish it worked with Celestial Power Armor. Huh, Day and Night Kata is nifty as all get out... would synergize well with the Resistance Charms. Spirit Over Clouds Approach seemed really strong, until I read that last sentence... still, what I'm getting from this style is that Arms stylists really need a bad ass Resistance set-up.

Rising Sun Form is kinda cool, I was hoping for something... flashy, but becoming the Juggernaut is cool. Uhh... wait a minute. Heheh, well played Freelancers, five Form Charms, four to symbolize his arms, and a fifth to cap it off (calling back to earlier in the e-book) and named after the Solar Castes. Okay, I'm intrigued. Shining Sun Form: become a sumo bad-ass, works well with Solar Hero charms. Fading Sun Form: Solid, its kind of a... DBZ form charm isn't it? Sleeping Sun Form: Not sure what to say about this one... good for taking on armies I guess.

And now we have Panoply MA Charms, nice. Meditation Upon the Spear, wow. A good Charm to kill a soak-build. Meditation Upon the Horn, OH SHIT, that's a good one, especially with some of the other Charms in the style. I'm starting to see how they fit together, and its awesome. Meditation Upon the Shield is an EXTREMELY good Charm, its like a flurry-breaker^10. Meditation Upon the Laurel, I have to chuckle at the fact that the Charm based on the Sun's Compassion has the Crippling Keyword. Its a good Charm too, working on pre-established concepts of Charm design, but doing it correctly. Consider me pleased.

Oh wow, Heaven-and-Earth Stairway, I was kind of expecting something like this, but its a bit better than what I thought it would be. And now, the cap Charm. Crowned Sun Form supports flurry builds and... HOLY CRAPSPACKLE! Its the Sharingan... Guys, its the Sharingan. Sidereals must HATE this style.
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And now we have the Secrets of the Unconquered Sun... not sure I get the theme behind this section yet, maybe its just a handful of bad-ass Charms? Lets find out, together. Okay, first one boosts the shit out of your Anima powers. Have I already said how much I love the Mirror Keyword? If not, just to clarify, I want to make sweaty love to it until the room stinks. Oh, and a bit more Errata. Wow, this is a fantastic book.

Oh my Sun... a Prayer Gun... This thing sounds like something from WH40k, in a good way. Oh, and Exalted Errata Prime Stealth Division Alpha strikes again, take that Creatures of Darkness! No Orihalcum Perfected Kata Bracers for you! Lets see, what else do we have... A Solar Spell, Wings of the Archon lets you hop dimensions with relative ease. The directions to get to Malfeas reminds me of Peter Pan, and now I realise that Pan is, indeed, a horrible demon child that abducts the innocent, dresses them as animals and sets them to war against pirates. Sounds like a 2nd Circle Demon to me. Lets see... the final Solar Spell... lets you shut off the Sword of Creation (among other things), with a special note that GSPs are most likely to know it.

Uhmmm... wow.

Okay, moving on, we have Thaumaturgy relating to Sol, which 1st Age Solars apparently limited, because they were jealous. D'aww, what cute horrible monsters. What else... oh, a prayer for the Mice of the Sun! I kinda wish I hadn't called the Solars cute, because that little guy on the shield is adorable. The Plague of the Sun is powerful, but it seems a bit too strong. Nifty though.
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Alright, so it took me two days, but I've finished Glories of the Most High: Unconquered Sun. Expect similar commentaries on Luna, and then the Maidens.

Until next time.

You are my hero sir. I await your Lunar thoughts with bated breath.

Beowulf90:

still, what I'm getting from this style is that Arms stylists really need a bad ass Resistance set-up.

I love all of the books, but I'm still looking for a way that a circle of essence six solars could kill Sol.  I just don't see it.  That shield of his leaves no weaknesses.

Hekatonkhire:

I love all of the books, but I'm still looking for a way that a circle of essence six solars could kill Sol.  I just don't see it.  That shield of his leaves no weaknesses.

The secret is Virtue suppression and ethical dilemmas.

Hekatonkhire:

I love all of the books, but I'm still looking for a way that a circle of essence six solars could kill Sol.  I just don't see it.  That shield of his leaves no weaknesses.

I like that Sol seems to be designed in a way that "Let's bust in and kill Sol!" won't work. You need research, intrigue, plotting, ect, ect, ect, just to get him stuck in a place where he needs to suppress a virtue, and then a damned good battle plan once he does. You need, you know, questing, role-play, more than one session... more than one story perhaps... I mean, you could make a "Kill Sol" campaign. Which is awesome.

Beowulf90:

Oh my Sun, where do I start on his stats? Well, the specifics of his intimacies are pretty nice, I especially liked the Solar Exalted, Gaia, Autochthon, Weaker Deities, Dragon King and Humanity entries. I think that they alone say a lot about what Sol is all about.

Why do you like those specifically and what did they tell you that you find enlightening?

Beowulf90:

The fact that his Attributes and his Abilities go (well) past 11? Made me chuckle. His Virtues say A LOT about how to deal with Sol in a game (and maybe how to kill him, need to double check).

 
Yes, that's how you kill him.

Beowulf90:

His specialties though? WOW. Ruling the Universe, Against Exalted, Matters of Cosmic Importance, Greater Elemental Dragons, Jouten, and Luna? I laughed at least twice going through those.

For ride alone, I can picture the sun shrugging with two arms while stroking his chin with another hand as he decides whether he wants to take his ur-behemoth, apocalypse dragon or maybe his creator for a spin. It's like having to choose between the Porsche and the Ferrari.

Beowulf90:

His backgrounds are impressive as well. My eyebrow raised as I read them, but I can't bring myself to raise argument.

The Sorcery section is especially enlightening, but mostly confirms my own suspicions in regard to what it brings up. (Trying not to piss anyone off with these posts)

What suspicions were confirmed for you?

Beowulf90:

His Charm section is a small measure of brilliance in and of itself. So, I'll move on to his Panoply. Looks like he has some Charms he can bestow on others as physical objects, I kinda like the idea, its like Perseus with his Shield/Sword/Helmet. I seem to remember someone posting UCS Charms based on his four items a few years ago, on RPG.net.

Never saw those. But yes, Perseus was one of my inspirations. Being half-Greek and raised on Greek mythology early had that effect on me.

Beowulf90:

The Charms are... cool. I can't think of any other way to describe them than just cool. His flight Charm is especially awesome, reminds me of Silver Surfer/Thor.

 
Check and check, respectively, for primary imagery.

Beowulf90:

The idea that he has a special Charm to deal with his Linguistics Score is kinda awesome the idea that he gets around Linguistic problems like an American (I SAID, WHERE IS THE BATHROOM) is even better.

 
Hah. I was actually thinking about the American tourists I saw while visiting my grandparents when I wrote that. I realized that if he's the superpower incarnate, then it would make sense that he would expect others to accomodate him. It's a way for him to be a jerk without being actually mean.

Beowulf90:

The idea that you can pray to Sol for miracles is pretty nice too. His Training Charm is cool too (Oh my god, he winked at me, I'M FULL OF COSMIC POWER!!!).

Or pregnant.

Beowulf90:

His success adder is... wow. Oh, and they sneak a little stealth Errata on the Kukla too? Nice. The Godspear? HOLY SHIT. I mean... zoinks! I don't... I mean, really? Infinite Damage Kill-Sat?

Sorry, just need to start a new Paragraph, lest Sol strikes me with his Godspear. But, OH SHIT, GODSPEAR KEEPS GETTING COOLER.

Bwahaha. I win.

Mostlyawake:

I like that Sol seems to be designed in a way that "Let's bust in and kill Sol!" won't work.

Actually, that might be the perfect way to do it: catch him in a scene where playing the games forced him to suppress Temperance.

I read a play in high school named "The Goblins' Plot to Murder God" which was absurdist and I don't even recall the author. In any case, the name alone struck me. A series about a far-reaching plot to murder god has all kinds of juicy possibilities.

Nephilpal:

Actually, that might be the perfect way to do it: catch him in a scene where playing the games forced him to suppress Temperance.

thinker:

Seems like the moment you bust in, it would be a new scene for Sol though.  Unless he's like "Hold up a sec, let me just finish my move then we can fight..."

The question is "Which option is cooler for that scene?"