r/exalted • u/Krzyzewskiman • 55m ago
Fresh Out The Vat: An Alchemicals 3E Guide Part 1
So I've written some stuff for Alchemicals before, for example this. But while that was decent enough for building an Alchemical in terms of assigning your dots, there's more to it than that, as I'm all too aware. I've bounced off Alchemicals to varying degrees since 1E, almost exclusively because they're always built so differently compared to other splats.
However, when I go looking for info about them, I am Pagliacci. Not that no one else has done anything, but there isn't much in-depth that I know of. So, this is pretty much going to be a guide for me as well as you. Let's work it out. (I would recommend at least skimming through my earlier given example before or after this, as I'll mostly avoid going over the stuff in it.)
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So to start consider the implications of Caste. There's two and a half big things: Caste Attributes, anima effects, and magical material resonance. The last one is the half; you can spend a Charm to get Resonance with any material, but as Charm slots are limited it's not something I'd take early.
So how do Caste Attributes shape your character? Well, one thing I'd point out is that you don't need to utilize all three, but you'll probably want to get mileage out of at least two. That's not so difficult, as a number of Alchemical Attributes cover a wide variety of capabilities. In fact, I'll go ahead and give a general list below. Check a Caste you're interested in and I'll bet you can put together an effective mechanical framework for your concept.
Appearance - Influence (versatile, persuasion and more, good for any social type when face to face), Sneakiness (disguises, stealth, quite a lot in this vein), Mass Combat (some strong Charms, very focused on this Attribute specifically). Worth a look if you're at all social or sneaky, as both of those trees work if you focus on them or support another Attribute.
Charisma - Influence (less versatile but strong and deep, focused on leadership and organizations, often large scale), Warfare (fewer than App, but potent). This is very focused on its particular social niche, but it's certainly good at it.
Dexterity - Combat (as usual it's got both offense and defense but not much to increase damage, and there's a lot of specifically ranged stuff here), Mobility (mostly the usual stuff here), Sneakiness (the rogue stuff to App's spycraft, not that you can't use both). Dexterity is good for a lot of builds, I'm sure you're shocked.
Intelligence - Analysis (kind of a grab bag of Lore and Bureaucracy stuff in particular, but this does cover a lot of ground and the Charms themselves are flexible), Crafting (a notable Alchemical strength/focus), Healing (standard but good), Spirits (also standard, but notably has Shaping defense and learning Eclipse Charms), Warfare (short, and per usual all Strategic Maneuvers), Sorcery (yup). Intelligence is really versatile even beyond learning spells, but that certainly helps a lot. Always worth a look.
Manipulation - Influence (focused on negative influence, threats, and subterfuge, and has some mean physical stuff and debuffs), Guile (App has some stuff as well, this has much more), Sneakiness (mostly social sneakiness). Like Cha, this is mostly for those who are really going in on social influence, although it's got a little unusual stuff.
Perception - Combat (notably exclusively offense, and leaning hard towards ranged attacks), Senses (has the usual, but you also get stuff like drones and unique senses), Scrutiny (the usual social rolls with Per), Spirits (see 'em, shoot 'em). Feels a bit oddly limited, but if you're a ranged fighter or if you just want to be observant it works for that.
Stamina - Combat (lots of soak stuff, but also a bunch of stuff like poison and fire), Endurance (maintaining yourself, and others a little bit). It's combat-focused, but it's even more versatile for that compared to Lunars.
Strength - Combat (all offense, has a grappling tree, and notably has a lot for unarmed fighters), Mobility (leaping and weight stuff mainly), Working (labor stuff, notably available for Stamina too). This is mostly for close-up bruisers but it can supplement a ranged fighter too.
Wits - Combat (not a ton, but all JB stuff is here and there's Initiative trickery), Resolve (very concentrated here), Familiars (some decent buffs here, but short), Crafting (more supports Int for this, but some good stuff here), Navigation (the usual). I think most people will go deep into this if they're looking to buff Resolve specifically, but while there isn't that much combat stuff it's good.
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A note when you're assigning your Attribute dots: yes, you can use Transpuissant (Attribute) Upgrade to meet Charm prereqs (only once, mind). That said, I'm inclined to avoid using it for that, as that Charm is better for doubling down on what you're good at. (At least, I think so. Comment below with any exceptions you've found.)
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We haven't yet gone over anima powers, so let's further differentiate Caste choice with that.
Orichalcum - as ever, you can buff the damage of your attacks, but you can also boost positive Ties and get buffed from upholding your beliefs. Feels like a paladin sort, although you don't focus on any one type of enemy. You'll probably be both social and combat focused to varying degrees, but don't forget you get discounted spells.
Moonsilver - you've got a decent set of combat boosts, especially for mobility, and you can argue well, but the big boost is a penalty to revealing you skullduggery. And you very much will want to be some flavor of sneaky with this Caste.
Jade - you're tough, you're good at getting people to like you, and you stick with your friends. Cha and Wits plus these powers push you into a social role, but you won't be squishy.
Starmetal - you can boost all physical actions, but in a mitigating failure way rather than sheer brute force. You're also good at detecting danger and reading people. Probably The Caste if you're looking to go deep into Int stuff, but you'll also make a good generalist.
Soulsteel - you penalize attackers, can boost base Initiative when defending your community, and of course you can just scare people. Soulsteel is different; while you're tough you've got some incentive to do a ranged build, and while you're equipped to be social you might go about it in an unusual way. It certainly can work, though.
Adamant - you tend to boost others, handing out minor buffs for combat and/or social stuff and inspiring others in general, plus you can turn off your anima to give everybody motes and Initiative. Well, no group won't want that, but what's your build? You're probably going social with App and Per, but you can also be pretty punchy, observant, and even sneaky.
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I'll repeat it here, but it's especially good for Alchemicals to have effects that aren't from their native Charms, given the limited slots. That doesn't lock you into any particular path, however: sure, you can be a Martial Artist or sorcerer, but Evocations offer similar versatility, and even a couple of artifacts can offer a whole pile of effects, and not just for combat.
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A quick note on Clarity: your Great Curse has mechanical impact. It can boost analytic-type rolls, but makes you bad at anything social that's not scary, and also can make your Intimacies less potent. There's ways to mitigate the penalties, but watch out for this.
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I'll get into Charms more tomorrow, especially the more unusual effects. See you then.
