Sources: Exalted Essence livestreams from OPP, Discord, OPP forums.

Also includes some of

the stuff talked about that will be in Crucible of Legends. Only public knowledge is included, so
more to be found out when the Kickstarter launches, and any of it is subject to change.

Last Updated April 5 2021

April 5 2021: More information on Ventures from crafting episode of Systematic Understnading
of Everything. Also did some re-arranging, and added headers.

March 19 2021: Sidereals can spend stunts for some Charms, stunt cap

March 6 2021: Extra Getimian stuff from official OPP DIscord.

March 5 2021: Added note about dice tricks and One Roll Resolution

February 17 2021: Added bit about Liminal motes and Anima.

February 16 2021: Restated based on Systematic Understnading of Everything podcast

summary.

January 14 2021, added a bit on sorcery spell Modes from Neal via Discord

Jan 1 2021 with new information from the end-of-year Discord Q&A. Full list of answers can be
found here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AoHXZbetPvuqgeZm-NvhNVcaof4O9A?e=kCfSAa

Nov 16 2020, added note on NPC templating

General
● Alternative corebook for 3e. Not a 4e.
● Exalted 3e books will continue to be published using 3e rules.
● Meant to be stand-alone. If it does its job right, won’t need more supplements.
● Assumes 3e setting. Book points to 3e splats and sourcebooks for more setting lore.
○ Information will be pretty abridged in some areas. “Other Realms” for example
will likely not have even as much as corebook on Yu-Shan or the Udnerworld.
○ Autocthhonia is among places talked about in brief.
● Crunch complexity goal of about CofD
● Still meant to be recognizably Exalted’s version of Storyteller system (d10s, difficulty 7,
10s double successes)
● Will have all 10 canon 3e Exalts: Solars, Dragon-Blooded, Lunars, Sidereals, Abyssals,
Alchemicals, Infernals, Exigents, Liminals, Getimians
● Exalted-as-PCs assumed default
 ● Works to serve mixed play.

Character Creation and Advancement

● Character creation will use arrays for Attributes and Abilities. Non-array setups might get
a textbox
● Four Charms, plus an Excellency or Ox-Body for starting characters
● Rules for Essence 2-5 character creation will be included.
● Conversion rules will include advice for experienced characters in either system.
○ About three pages or so worth currently
● No linear chargen/scaling advancement. Flat costs.
● About a Charm every couple sessions is assumed pace.
● Advancement is based on narrative beats, which should cover training times

Traits

Attributes
● Attributes in general represent a kind of Approach/how you do an action.
○ Finesse
○ Force
○ Fortitude
● They impact any consequences of success or failure.

Abilities
Full list from Discord
● Athletics
● Awareness
● Close Combat
● Craft
● Embassy
● Integrity
● Navigate
● Performance
● Physique
● Presence
● Ranged Combat
● Sagacity
● Stealth
● War
Earlier drafts had Physique cover both Athletics and Physique, found to be too strong so split.

Virtues and Great Curse

● Come in Major and Minor flavors.
● Example List:
○ Ambition
○ Compassion
○ Courage
○ Discipline
○ JUSTICE
○ Loyalty
○ Wonder
● Ambition and Loyalty must be qualified to particular specifics.
● Other Virtues can be added as needed.
● Limit for going against Major Virtue. Solar Limit against Minor Virtue.
○ Limit Break is “More Dragon-Blodoed-shaped than Solar-shaped” as far as
tracking anything.
● Virtues somewhat replace Defining Intimacies from regular 3e. Can be used as a
broader defense against some mental influences or support Intimacies.
● No Willpower trait

Essence
● Motes are still there. Essence 1=5m. Essence 3 = 10m.
● Anima builds 1 level per mote spent, 10 steps: 2 is active, 10 is iconic
● No distinction between personal and peripheral motes. Spend motes, gaine anima.
● Breath of War: Refresh 1m end of turn

Actions
● Dice
○ Goal is about 8-13 dice for many rolls.
○ Max 20 dice (about two tubes worth).
○ There is a hard Dice Limit.
● Dfficulty
○ Default to call for roll is 3.
○ Difficulties of up to 10+ detailed.
● Crafting, sorcerous workings, and Charms like Wyld-Shaping Technique all utilize a
universal project venture system. (See below.)
● Some measure of mixed actions. Extra successes can be used for things like social.
Social

Intimacies
Still there. (Via Youtube chat). Still have levels (only major and minor) and categories (ties and
principles. Leveraging them will affect social rolls.

Influence
● Extra successes on persuasion above difficulty allow additional effects like imposing
additional Intimacies.
● Social actions target Intimacies, Virtues, both, or neither. Depending affects ease of
action.
● Goals included giving more for extra successes, and trying ot influence folks when there
isn’t anything they care about relevant to what you are trying to do.
● Red Rule absolutely still there.

Ventures
Project system whcih merges crafting, projects, and workings from Exalted 3e.

Anatomy of a Venture:
● Prerequisites: Figure out what you need to do and the needed pools
● Obstacles: Things that could go wrong and need to be overcome, or things needed to
start the project.
○ Artifact examples: Materials, equipment, etc.
● Interval: How often you can roll.
○ Works on narrative time (scene, session, downtime, etc.)
● Difficulty: How hard is the roll as per usual.
● Advantages: Additoinal successes can be used to make things easier later on.
Represent discoveries or good fortune helping the project.
● Other things: Merits, Charms, and stuff can help with this.
● Failure: There's some stuff on the consequences of failing obstacles or rolls.
○ Not passing tends to “fail forward” in some fashion
○ Cutting Corners: Make things easier at a cost. Similar to sorceress workings
here. If you succeed good times, if you fail, things go worse.

Kinds of Ventures
● Acting Under Diress: Time's of the essence. Stuff like in a fight.
● Crafting
○ Craft projects don’t require an extra resource generation.
 ○ Still have similar goals of showing stuff on-screen
● Embassy Ventures: Leadership, diplomacy, investigations, spying missions
● Sorcerous Workings
● Travel: What it sounds like.

Stunts
● +2 dice, no levels
● Up to one stunt can be banked for later
● Can be shared.
● One stunt per action.

Combat

Basics
● Combats run about 4-6 turns versus full Exalted 3e’s 3-ish, but still faster as a whole.
● Generally about five things at a time to track in a fight, including penalties/bonuses
● Withering/decisive split remains
● Terms of note:
○ Initiative: Just turn order. Doesn’t impact Power.
○ Power: What is built-up using withering attacks and cashed-in for decisive
attacks and gambits. Starts at 0 at fight start, caps at 10.
○ Hardness: Minimum Power needed to make a decisive attack against an
opponent.
○ Soak: Difficulty of decisive damage rolls.

Initiative and Turn Order

● Join Battle: (Attribute + Combat Ability), ST v. PC charas.
● Hot potato Initiative. Actions alternate between ST and PC, whoever rolls first goes first
but characters pass attention to whom they choose.
● Important NPCs can interrupt, minions cannot. Initiative doesn’t normally move.

Attacks
● Attacks has numbered Steps
○ Similar to 2e save no 3rd Excellency step.
● Build Power action allows accumulating Power besides withering attacks, always
difficulty 3
● Aiming gives +2 dice to hit
 ● Withering attack sequence:
○ Roll (Attribute + Combat Ability) diff. target’s Defense
○ Threshold successes + weapon damage = Power gained. Min Overwhelming.
● Decisive attack sequence:
○ Must spend Power at least equal to the target's Hardness.
○ Roll (Attribute + Combat Ability) diff. target’s Defense
○ Roll (threshold successes + Power spent) dice + other added successes diff.
target’s Soak. Successes = damage dealt.
● Gambits
○ Gambits are kind of attack which costs Power. Make attack, spend Power equal
based on the strength of the gambit, gambit happens.
● Grappling
○ No longer a gambit, own thing.
○ After a withering attack is successful, can declare a grapple instead of gain
Power. Both targets roll contested (Force + Close Combat) to establish
dominance of the grapple, extra successes on attack add to control. Gives
options to pin, throw, etc.

Defense and Damage

● Defenses not rolled ala 2e and 3e.
● Being targetted by attacks reduces Defense and affects Hardness.
○ Some NPCs have things like Harrying Arrows which reduce Defense additionally
● Ambush reduces enemy Defense by 1
● Incapacitated = Knocked out of fight, not necessarily dying.
● Dramatic Injuries are an option in fights. Include damage equipment and things besides
maiming or scarring.

Other Factors
● Combat distance still measured in range bands.
● Option for One Roll Resolution, similar to Chronicles of Darkness’ Down and Dirty
Combat will be available.

NPC Stuff
● Base difficulty to smash extras: 3, extra successes add flavor
● NPCs have a template system similar to Storypath
○ Use similar “Three pools + Qualities” system
○ Example. Fighty guy base bloc
○ Fighty guy + Exalt = Dragon-Blooded NPC
○ Fighty guy + extras = various mooks
○ Fighty guy + Exalt + battle gorup = Wyld Hunt
 ● Animals usually have one quality, might have more
● Will have a bit on creating Lunar shapes
● Familiars and NPCs purchases with merits are managed via the NPC template rules.
● There will be guidelines for appropriate NPC difficulty.

Gear

General
● Weapons add successes
● Overwhelming = Minimum withering damage done on an attack

Artifacts and Hearthstones

● No Dissonant keyword, all Exalts at least neutral with magical materials.
● Specific Items
○ Gem of Omens (hearthstone) lets the player bank successes for later.
● Artifacts all come with inherent powers. I.e. summoning ghosts, eating souls. Have 1-3
Evocations depending on power. Everyday wonders are items that have singular passive
things.
● Evocations can have Modes for specific Exalt sorts independent of things like
Resonance.
○ Example: Heirloom artifact Evocations might have Dragon-Blooded Modes that
Solars might not be able to use, but the Solar would still be Resonant.
● Hearthstones assumed to have innate power when held or slotted, greater hearthstones
have 1-2 evocations
○ Hearthstones come with jewelry to socket
○ All come with a description of the manse or demesne they come from

The Exalted and Charms

General
● All 10 Exalted canon will be in corebook
● Detailed lore will point to respective splatbooks.
● Each Exalt has two Exalted Advantages.
● Each Caste/Aspect has three anima powers accessible at Dim, Active, and Iconic.
○ These are supposed to cover a lot of things like favored traits and role emphasis
more complex takes on Exalted use. Fairly focused on splat’s niche, so Dawn
helps with fighting, Zenith with social, etc.
● All Exalts have the Great Curse in Essence, even if they might not have it exactly in main
game (TBD there)
● Notable Exalt Categories
 ○ Solar-Derived: Solars, Abyssals, Infernals
○ Attribute Exalts: Lunars, Alchemicals, Getimians, Liminals, some Exigents
○ Terrestrial Exalts: Dragon-Blooded, Liminals, Alchemicals, some Exigents

General Charm Rules

● Charms usually cost Motes, can also cost Power, Anima, Health, or even stunts.
● One Charm per Step.
● Universal Charms shared by all Exalted and represent baseline power.
● Universal Charms have Modes to represent different Exalted capabilities.
○ I.e. everyone can learn an Essence Bolt Charm, but DBs would have Elemental
Bolt Attack Mode while Alchemicals Essence Pulse Cannon Mode.
○ Modes are optional.
○ Modes never downgrade Charms.
● Universal Charms never are prerequisites to Exalt-specific Charms.
● Terrestrial and Celestial keywords in Martial Arts give different modes but don’t denote
power.
● Most Charms in the book will be Universal, but each Exalt can lean pretty heavily into
their splat-specific ones.
● There are Charms which grant dice that aren’t Excellencies, but they tend to do
something else also.
● Dice-tricks comprise mostly double-N stuff.

Universal Charms Examples

● Excellency: 1m, doubles Skill dice to roll.
○ Attribute Excellencies are Modes to Ability Charms purchased by some Exalts.
When Charm purchased character picks an Attribute and can double that for
uses of the Ability instead.
○ Can be purchased. Also one free as an option at chargen and another per
Essence dot after.
● Motive-Discerning Technique: Ask ST up to some number of questions about a
character.
● Perfect Shadow Stillness: commit a mote, double-9s on Stealth
● Phantom Arrow Technique: Permanent? Never need ammo
● Graceful Crane Stance
● Bulwark Stance: 1m, ignore Defense Penalties or reset Hardness.
○ Golden Tiger Block: +1 Defense for Lunars
● Excellent Strike: 1m, doubles extra successes on an attack
● Iron Kettle Body: 1m, increases soak by +4
○ +Physique for Solars
● Swift Counterattack: 1m, 1 Power per use
○ Solar can commit 1m for scene, still 1 Power per use
● Flawlessly Impenetrable Disguise: 1m, non-significant characters can't resist
 ● Glorious Radiant Presence: Double-9s to instill respect, awe or obedience
● Crafty Observation Method: 1m, ask up to (Essence) questions of the ST

Sorcery and Necromancy

● WIll is a resource built for using sorcery and necromancy.
○ Focus Will: Action that creates Will, which appear to be points for
sorcery/necromancy purposes. Expires at end of scene
○ Initiations and rituals are alternative ways to gain Will.
● Workings are kinds of ventures.
● There will be universal sorcery and necromancy spells with Modes, plus spells unqiue to
each side.
○ Death of Obsidian Butterflies, Flesh-Sloughing Wave, and Flight of the Brilliant
Raptor are different Modes of some universal First Circle Nuking Spell.
● Other Example Spells:
○ Lightning Spider an example
○ Bone Lion accessible at chargen, necromancy spell
○ Bone Puppet Dance spell summons zombie minions
● Shaping rituals still be a thing
○ Wanasan initiation allows perception of ghosts

Martial Arts
● Merit not required to learn Martial Arts.
● Universal Charms that add options to other Abilities, mainly Close and Ranged Combat.
● Celestial and Terrestrial Modes don’t denote power level but differences in power
manifestation.
● There is no Mastery keyword.
● Five Glorious Dragon Styles have Dragon-Blooded Modes
○ Wood Dragon Style used to use bow as staff and stuff
● Sidereal Martial Arts styles will have Sidereal and Getimian Modes
○ One Sidereal style will bei in the book.
● Other styles can have modes for other kinds of Exalts like Solars or Infernals.

Solar Stuff
● Themes: Virtue, Light, Excellence
● Same general advantages in 3e.
○ Can learn Solar Cirlce Sorcery
○ Second Circle Necromancy
○ Can learn but not create Sidereal Martial Arts styles
○ Resonant with all materials
Exalted Advantages
● First Among Equals: Always win ties. Solar PCs beat Solar NPCs.
● Supernal Ability: Excellencies do not cost motes.

Caste and Animas

Castes: Dawn, Zenith, Twilight, Night, Eclipse
Dawn Caste Animas
● Passive: Lets Solar defeat an extra/minion a turn

Dragon-Blooded Stuff

Exalted Advantages
● Something to do with teamwork
● Other Unknown

Aspect and Anima

Aspects: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Wood
Wood Aspect Animas
● Passive: Immune to poison

Lunar Stuff

Exalted Advantages
● Shapeshifting: Animals have set qualities and potential bonuses. Shapeshifting into an
animal grants these while the Lunar is in that form.
● Other unknown

Caste and Animas

Castes: Full Moon, Changing Moon, No Moon, Casteless
Full Moon Caste Animas
● Active: Crushing Might, +1 success on any non-combat Force roll
● Iconic: Heals when enemies are incapacitated
No Moon Caste Animas
● Passive: Unseen Moon: Extras cannot see or hear the chracter unless wanted
● Active: Automatic success on Sagacity rolls (knoweldge in general?)
Charms
● Deadly Beastman Form costs 2m
● Bulwark Stance Mode: Golden Tiger Block
● Have Charm to use Physique instead of Close Combat for grapples

Sidereal Stuff
● The new Ability setup is taken into account in how it affects the usual association of
Sidereals and the colleges.
● Great Curse is “...broadly about losing sight of fate/guidance, so paranoia or
overbearingness, etc.”

Exalted Advantages
● Arcane Fate: Non-Sidereals don’t remember them unless they succeed (Attribute +
Integrity) roll or has Intimacy towards Sidereal.
● Fate Weaving: 1m to create destinies which can provide bonuses or penalties when
characters work with or against htem. Also generates Resplendant Destiny identities that
suspend Arcane Fate.

Caste and Animas

Castes: Chosen of Journeys, Chosen of Serenity, Chosen of Battles, Chosen of Secrets,
Chosen of Endings

Charms
● Some Charms can spend banked stunts for the Cost.
● Holistic Bullet Methodology: Can shoot anything as ammunition, can add effects

Abyssal Stuff
● Themes: Corruption, Death, Darkness

ExaltedAdvantages
● Banquet of Cruelty: Abyssal motes for bullying mortals or pulling rank on undead.
● Command Undead: (Force + Presence roll) 1-3m to boss around undead based on
difficulty of enemy. Imposing on leader affects its minions.

Caste and Animas

Castes: Dusk, Midnight, Daybreak, Day, Moonshadow
Dusk Caste Animas
● Passive: Similar to the Dawn anima save always kills
Moonshadow Caste Animas
● Passive: Diplomatic immunity with sapient undead (at least?)
● Speaker for the Dead: Undescribed Moonshadow anima effect

Alchemical Stuff
● Maintenance equipment in Creation
● Can be found as PCs in Creation without Project Razor. Book emphasizes Creation-side
Alchemicals.
● Considered Terrestrial Exalted.

Castes and Animas

Castes: Oricalchum, Moonsilver, Jade, Starmetal, Soulsteel, Adamant
● Adamant Caste no longer hidden. Are a standard Alchemical Caste. Role shifted to be
more exemplars, muses, paragons.
Moonsilver Caste Animas
● Passive: Can walk pass trivial characters without roll

Infernal Stuff
● Themes: Vengeance, Alien Power, Hell
● Resonant with oricalchum, neutral with others

Exalted Advantages
● Devil-Body: Formerly shintai. Once per-session demon power mode.
● Unwoven Coadjutor: Goetic demon lord-translation entity living in your psyche. Can
ask ST relevant questions once per scene.

Castes and Animas

Castes: Azimuth, Ascendant, Horizon, Nadir, Penumbra
Azimuth Caste Animas
● Passive: similar to Dawn and Dusk
Penumbra Caste Animas
● Passive: Has diplomatic immunity similar to Eclipse and Moonshadow
Liminal Stuff

Exalted Advantages
● Between Worlds: Can always interact with dematrial undead.
● Total Regeneration: Preferably if bits are buried together.

Aspect and Animas

Aspects: Blood, Breath, Flesh, Marrow, Soil
Blood Aspect Animas
● Active: Call for Blood - Extra successes on rolls to incite greed, lust, or ambition
● Iconic: is extra damage successes for other characters attacks

Charms
● Health levels spent to fuel Charms count towards Liminal animas.
● Honored Meat Memory to help harvest corpse
● Tomb-Antiquities Inspection to investigate relics
● Towering Corporeal Pillar, spend health or anima levels, become biggo
monster-corpse-thing, and beat the hell out of battle groups
● Tomb-Breath Antiquity Inspeciton to investigate an item, emotional connections, and use.

Getimian Stuff
● Come from aborted destinies that never were. They never existed before their moment
of Exaltation. They remember a world with differences that led to their lost destinies.
● Origin can include characters who don't remember the Exalt.
● Reosnant with starmetal.
● Can practice and create Sidereal Martial Arts.
● Trigram Castemarks (Neall said Hexagram, corrected in chat) This is no longer the case.
An alchemical (in the real world sense) set was used at one point, but what they are now
is TBA.
● Also they are SUPER GOOD at messing with people
● Patrons will not be identified in Essence

Exalted Advantages
● “...get Flowing/Still motes” Have split Essence of Still and Flowing. Ratio determined by
Caste.
○ Eric's Winter character had 2 Flowing, 7 Still. Missing a mote for commitment at
the time (artifacts no longer require attunement.)
 ○ There's an Attribute boost to being either Flowing/Still with a complimentary
"balanced" state when your pools are within a mote of each other
○ Getimians have an almost D&D wizard like playstyle where you want to prepare
your motes ahead of time because your chosen state changes how your Modes
work
○ “And yes you can change them but not exactly on the fly”
● “... ability to bind others into their alternate Fate (like a backwards Sidereal Astrology)”

Caste and Animas

Castes: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Winter Caste Animas
● Winter anima are white and blues, colors of winter night. Snowglobe effect in the case of
Eric's character

Charms
● Have Still and Flowing Modes.
● Better World Proposition: Effect unknown, but Charm name is cool
● Sleeper-Guiding Whisper: Make a character forget the conversation. Instill and Persuade
action needed to be done to someone, 2m, Step 1.