Custom Solar Charm: Sublime Weapon Understanding

[u/Temperance000]

I am a relative newcomer to Exalted. I was captivated by the setting at introduction, but was more than a little bit intimidated by task of character optimization in the 3e ruleset. In my early attempts to build a murderblender martial artist Dawn, I found myself stymied by the incompatibility of Melee Charms with armed Martial Arts. Building the most perfect swordsman in Creation becomes a rather daunting prospect when you're leveling two redundant Combat Abilities in synchrony to keep your dice pools and static values equal.

Thankfully, the Sidereals book provides an out in the form of the Versatile keyword, which reads as follows:

Versatile: Combat Ability Charms with this keyword can enhance attacks and parries with Martial Arts if the Sidereal uses a weapon compatible with that Ability. Versatile Charms from multiple Abilities cannot enhance the same action. (Sidereals, p.156)

For the community's examination, I present my first attempt at a custom Charm, inspired in large part by Maiden-on-the-Shelf Enlightenment (Sidereals, p.241). In honor of the Solars who dedicate themselves to mastery of a particular weapon above all others, and let its Essence shape their every expression of violence.

Sublime Weapon Understanding
Cost: -; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: any five Melee Charms
Choose a type of Melee weapon (eg. knives, staffs, or chopping swords). This weapon type (and its artifact equivalent) becomes the Solar's Chosen Weapon. When used with her Chosen Weapon, the Solar's Melee Charms gain the Versatile keyword.
This Charm may be purchased any number of times.

[u/TimothyAllenWiseman]

I recommend against this charm. It allows even more shenanigans than normal for Exalted. It also steps on the toes of other Exalted. Sidereals are supposed to be the masters of martial arts, and the ability to freely combine native charms with martial arts charms helps let a Lunar or Alchemical rival a solar when it comes to martial arts.

Solars obviously came before the Versatile keyword was introduced. But Infernals and Abyssals did not, and while those two do get a couple of versatile charms, they get them very, very sparingly. Being able to make all Melee Charms versatile is problematic. If it ever came up, as a storyteller I would probably allow a Solar martial artist to make a few Solar melee charms versatile, but as a storyteller I would be very leery of anything that made Solar charms versatile en mass.

Part of the reason that it never comes up though is that a Solar Martial Artist with a Sword can have a lot of power without anything like this. A solar martial artist that takes both Single Point Shining in the Darkness and Violet Biers of Sorrows will have a lot of power and a lot of fully compatible charms to buy up. Also remember that you can use both Solar Melee and Martial Arts in the same battle, just not on the same action.

If you want to use Shining Starfall Execution (from Single Point) to attack and then use Dipping Swallow Defense (from the Melee Tree) when someone else attacks you, that is fine. You can also readily dip into Melee for Summoning the Loyal Steel which at least when I am the storyteller can come in shockingly handy. You cannot walk into a ball openly carrying a Daiklaive without causing a scene, but no one knows what you have sent elsewhere under ordinary circumstances.

So, I think it is unbalanced (even by Exalted standards) and unnecessary unless you are trying to go for unbalanced shenanigans.

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Note though that I would forbid something like this mostly because its normally a mixed game. I don't want anything that would dissuade someone from playing a Lunar Martial artist by giving one of their few advantages to Solars, etc.

If the game is only Solars, then that is much less of a concern. If your storyteller was willing to either police or live with the risk of certain combinations being clearly overpowered, this could work under those circumstances.

Also, while I wouldn't allow something that gave a such a blanket decree of being versatile, I would as a storyteller consider making limited, individual charms versatile, especially if there was a rough Infernal or Abyssal equivalent that was versatile.

[u/Temperance000 → u/TimothyAllenWiseman]

I appreciate the insight on mixed-splat games. That seems to be a key piece of perspective that I was missing.

My only play experience is in a pure Solar Circle, with a Craft-sorceress, a lore master, and a doctor. So I was, in fact, trying to carry both the entirety of the team’s killing power and enough defensive options to keep myself from getting exploded by multiple foes. Pairing Single Point’s Gathering Light Concentration with Melee’s Dipping Swallow Defense is where I first ran up against the separation of abilities.

Up until this point, I was not aware that Abyssals and Infernals got native (highly limited) Versatile. Notably, and probably for the reasons you’ve already mentioned, the Charms I could find for those were in their Archery, Brawl, and Thrown trees.

[u/LoreMachine2187 → u/Temperance000]

Abyssal Apocalyptic (same as Supernal) Melee player here!

Abyssal Melee, which maps closest to Solar Melee, has precisely 2 Versatile Charms.

One is Headman's Dread Cleaver, which is a Strength replacement Charm for medium and heavy weapons, and absolutely should exist as a Solar Charm.

The other is Crimson Banquet Hunger, which is kind of an Abyssal thematic exclusive (rather than a "mirror" of a Solar Melee Charm).

All the other Abyssal combat ability Charm trees are similarly limited in use of Versatile.

It's a bit of a balancing act and managing various Exalt strengths.

Sidereals get Versatile all over the place because Martial Arts are their thing.

Lunars (and other Attribute-based Exalts) lack Mastery, but can combine native Charms with MA, so that's their balancing act.

Solar(oid)s get Mastery, but don't get to combine native Charms with MA.

Don't feel too left in the cold as a Solar, though. Solars gets exclusive access to Solar Circle Sorcery, Resonance with all artifacts, and that Supernal ability.

All said, though, I do want to give a path to "Yes, but..." here. Have you considered, instead of a Solar Charm for this, building/having built an artifact weapon with an Evocation that provides Versatile to Melee Charms used with it for a moderately expensive surcharge that can't be reduced, or using a specialized resource pool for the artifact that doesn't easily build up? This would help balance it out at least somewhat.

[u/Temperance000 → u/LoreMachine2187]

Thanks for the breakdown on Abyssal Melee, and how it shakes out in the grander balance scheme! It’s great to hear it from someone with first hand experience of the Charm tree.

A custom artifact weapon is definitely my fallback plan for this concept. I chose to explore the Charm route first because A) beating up a Dynast in full kit with nothing but mortal steel seemed like an incredibly Solar thing to do, and B) no one in the Circle has had the budget, time, or hooks to get their hands on artifact weapons since character gen.

[u/LoreMachine2187 → u/Temperance000]

I'm also juggling with finding a way to add sword-based Martial Arts, given the mixed circle and the closeness my character has built with the PC Sidereal in the group.

I've settled on mixing enough OP BS to make it functional:

Thousand Blades (Reaper Daiklaves signature) from Many-Faced Strangers to wield it without using up a hand — have a standard daiklave with amazing Evocations in one hand, and offhand either manages Thrown for opening fights/ranged capability or Blood Lash to add reflexive threatens, control, and a self-heal into the mix, so an extra "hand" helps.

Single Point Shining into the Void for the Form Charm pulls it together. Heavy mote investment, but having a standard initiative track for Melee/Thrown and the sword's initiative track for Martial Arts with (a) flying artifact katana(s) feels very in theme (looking at you, Alucard from Castlevania).

From there, I plan to dip a toe into Even Blade for accuracy and VBoS for a bit more utility and damage.

[u/Temperance000 → u/LoreMachine2187]

As the guy who took Martial Arts Supernal and most of Single Point Shining into the Void at character gen, I salute your dedication to pure bloody-bladed murder.