/exg/ - Exalted General

>What is Exalted?
An epic high-flying role-playing game about reborn god-heroes in a world where pants are optional.
Start here: theonyxpath.com/category/worlds/exalted/

>That sounds cool, how can I get into it?
Read the 3e core book (link below). For mechanics of the old edition, play this tutorial: mengtzu.github.io/exalted/sakuya.html
. It’ll get you familiar with most of the mechanics.

>Gosh that was fun. How do I find a group?
Roll20 and the Game Finder General here on Veeky Forums.

Resources for Third Edition
>3E Core and Splats
mediafire.com/folder/b54o6teut3fx6/Exalted_3e

>Arms of the Chosen Previews
dropbox.com/s/15xddoahzedtkwu/Arms of the Chosen Preview.docx?dl=0
drive.google.com/file/d/0B7FqViticwNuam9lbVJBWFhJM2s/view


>Other Ex3 Resources
pastebin.com/fG1mLMdu

>Resources for Older Editions
pastebin.com/GihMPwV8

What do anons of Onyx Path's new delivery model with "antagonist of the week" ?

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=K6LmZ0A1s9U
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InternetBackdraft
twitter.com/SFWRedditVideos

Previous thread.

Well, judging by the picture and nothing else, I'd say they should stop shopping on tumblr for villains, because that haircut screams tumblr to me.

They're Onyx Path. They don't just shop at Tumblr, they LIVE there.

When was the last time there was an Exalted Quest or Play By Post on Veeky Forums?

Looks too much like pre-op brain surgery for me.

But that's just personal taste - there's no reason NOT to have it in exalted either, unless you have a Samson like hair armour charm or something.

It creates a steady drip of content that we can dissect and discus. Which is better than the previous model of releasing something maybe once a year with no communication with the community in the mean time.

Why do rules lite homos talk like born again Christians?

Because even I have to admit that the upticks of rules lite systems, when discovered, can feel like you've found Jesus if you've been struggling with crunch.

>Desus commissioned a neverending staircase and put it on Lilith's side of the bed
ahahaha

I want a plant that produces a pacifying pollen, it keeps everybody in the area who can't resist it from taking any aggressive action unless they or their allies have aggressive actions taken against them. It should still keep people from taking aggressive actions when confronted with things like having their stuff stolen(not directly from them, but getting your things taken from a vault, for example) and should instill a general calmness in everyone affected beyond just preventing aggressive actions.

What do you guys think the best way of doing this is? I'm not sure whether to just tell people they can't do certain things if they fail a resistance roll unless they spend willpower, or if maybe I should use the social system and give them a temporary principle, with the intensity depending on how well they resist the physical effect, and particularly vulnerable people also getting an automatic instill action thrown against them to keep them calm.

>every morning he awoke, he did it with a shove of her off the side
>when he returned home he'd rescue her from it, and then beat her for not having dinner ready
>thus was the cycle of Desus

Friendly reminder that the Perfect of Paragon did nothing wrong.

Where do people go to find Exalted games online? 3e or 2.5e, I don't mind.

He... well...

Okay, compared to most rulers, he's not that bad. The inferiority complex is probably gonna make him into more of a monster though - especially if he ever learns that his Solar follower can wring massively more power out of the Staff than he can.

Although, if he finds the Eye, that power-sharing could wind up better for him in the long run. Accepting a proper measure of humility, and later doing something heroic, he might finally get that Exaltation he always wanted.

Are you making this as a ST or as a Player?

Is it a sorcerous working?

Thanks to the video in the last thread, I'm now imagining Desus having the voice of Mr Punch.

He'd chide Lillith again and again in his squeaky little rages.

youtube.com/watch?v=K6LmZ0A1s9U

He. Did. Nothing. Wrong.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InternetBackdraft

I wish I knew user.
Maybe we should get a form going of people's gaming preferences and match people into groups?

There's the eternal "who's going to ST", though. Unless it'd be possible to run some kind of a wacky council of STs thing that run events to a group of player characters or somesuch.

Theres a bunch of chats online, but they will literally give you full blown AIDS because they're absolutely terrible in every possible fucking way.

Sometimes people try to start up games here, but they also seem to be games for wankers-Literally. Why people would come to Veeky Forums for ERP shit is beyond me.

Maybe split the roles to lighten the load?
So one person plays all the NPCs the setting, and another is rules judge, and also backup ST?

I hate the north.
Worst direction, the addition of ice muslims and undead Mongolians did nothing.

I'm the ST, I'm not 100% sure on whether it should be a sorcerous working, the effects of a potent artifact or some sort of combination of both. I'm thinking at least Celestial in the case of a working.

You are seriously asking why people come to Veeky Forums to ERP? Really?

The same Exalted Quest is still running on the quest board.

Yeah, but mostly because I don't "understand" ERP. Why not just watch some porn? Also, it's Veeky Forums. Do you really want to jerk it to the people who visit Veeky Forums?

Ah, much easier, if you are the ST, you only need to care about its effect on the players and their retinue.

You can abstract away the rest of the effects on the populace until/ unless you think the PCs will use its power.

First most obvious question - ignore the rules - do you have any problem players who will react badly to it in any situation?

Can you avoid making the warriors think its going to a fighting situation, and the pulling the rug under them? Can they be coming up with interesting ways to do things non-violently? E.g. lifting someone up and letting the ground hurt them.

Do any of your players have Integrity charms? Are you going to steal their spotlight?

This plant would be extremely useful for replicating the Eclipse ambassador ability - will they be able to gather it up later?

If not, can you come up with a good reason why not?


Mechanics are easy unless you are a fan or developer trying to balance it for all tables - we need to know your table first.

Realistically you don't, and when you do the quality of the games tends to be catastrophically low.

If I'm going to run a game online then I'm going to go around first and ask each of my previous GMs and players, people I know and trust to not be bad at roleplaying, obnoxious, and not flaky. Then, assuming I have some extra room I'll ask them to canvas their circles for people they vouch for.

Honestly look at the quality of people posting in the Game Finder on Veeky Forums. Or if you want to lose all hope in humanity put up an ad on Roll20 for any game system and watch the awful, awful applications roll in.

Could I have a link please?

No, I only wandered over there last month out of curiosity. I don't want to go back into that cesspit. Use the catalog and search function to find it yourself.

What about putting a note up at your FLG?
Is there an app/website out there that allows you to put your rough physical location for RL games?

Alternatively, how do you introduce your existing friends into RPGs?

>Why not just watch some porn?
Because it's not as fun/stimulating
you're not jerking it to the 4channer, you're jerking it to what they write.

Doesn't seem to be in /qst/ arvice or catalog?

Kind of. He's in the extended process of doing something incredibly horrible, which is made up of a bunch of wrong shit.

I'm still getting to know my players, but they all seem very reasonable, I'd have to go out of my way to make them react badly to this.

I actually don't have anybody so dedicated to combat that I'd say they're just a warrior, the two most combat-focused characters have Athletics and Stealth as their supernal and a good amount of non-combat investment besides, so they should have a few options on what they'll do to get around things. Also, they'll have some idea of what they're up against beforehand, so they shouldn't be fully caught by surprise anyway.

Not much investment in integrity that I know of, some resistance, though, which I'm thinking would be the first line of defense. Either way, I won't mind somebody managing to resist it, it won't be an ideal situation to do take violent action anyway if it's just one or two of them who can do so

It's basically one big plant, can't grow more of it and I'm pretty sure they have no way of moving the entire thing around.

> What about putting a note up at your FLG?
Not a bad idea. I'd vet them before playing, take them out for coffee and find out if their style meshes with yours. It's also a good way to find out if they have any social graces or if they'll start ranting about Veeky Forums, anime, politics, edition wars, or other stupid shit at the drop of a hat.

> Is there an app/website out there that allows you to put your rough physical location for RL games?
Your town might have a Meetup. You could also attend some sort of organized play event (D&D Adventurer's League, WoD's Minds Eye Theatre) or RPG night at a FLGS and let people know you put up a flyer looking for players for other sorts of games. You'll find most people aren't married to one system. Besides in my experience people don't really mind you stealing a few minutes of theirs if you're polite and smile. And if they do, they've easily filtered themselves out!

> Alternatively, how do you introduce your existing friends into RPGs?
Just ask? Most people have heard about D&D, it's been around for 30 years now and it was even in pop culture TV shows a couple years back. I always talked about RPGs with my buddies and got hype about it the same we talk about video games, drinking, karaoke, and all the other fun little hobbies we have. Communicate your enthusiasm and passion to your friends and then ask them to join in. Most people will give you a chance if you ask nicely. Just make sure to do your best and use your one chance to make an impression well.
t. Dude that's been playing for 15 years, since middle school, and gotten ~20 people and all his poor girlfriends into RPGs.

What would you say would be good vetting guidelines when picking Exalted players that aren't total garbage?

Might be a good place to build a base around, but that's not a bad thing.

>Either way, I won't mind somebody managing to resist it, it won't be an ideal situation to do take violent action anyway if it's just one or two of them who can do so

Ah good, in that case, I'd say a temporary principle of non-violence, probably increasing from minor up to major once you touch the trunk.

Also unless your story really requires it. I'd make it extremely clear through Lore, Occult, Survival rolls / NPCs what this thing is and does before they get into its range.

Where are you from? Is this a cultural thing?

Thanks for the advice?

Do you think jumping straight into Exalted would be too much, or would a few short tasters of DnD be better first? I mean I could run people through the new Exalted quickstart?

>Thanks for the advice?
*!

It's actually in use by a certain wood aspect and her people, so they'll have some idea of the fucky things it does before they even get to see it, and if they've got the right rolls then they'll definitely be awarded with a better understanding of it.

Sounds great user!

Will they have reason to attack this wooden aspect? Because if so, they'll probably burn the forest down a safe distance from the plant.

No forest to burn, this whole thing's actually in a bit of an odd position. They definitely want to fight the wood aspect, though, destruction of the plant is secondary at best.

Thanks for the help with this!

>traditional warrior-type haircut used by lots of cultures
>obviously fashion in Exalted has never been 'exotic'
>must be tumblr REEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
You faggots just be glad that they've moved away from using anime from as heavy a source of inspiration.

Huh, what avenues are you letting them attack her then? You said earlier

>it won't be an ideal situation to do take violent action anyway if it's just one or two of them who can do so

If it's explicitly a combat situation then you need to head off them thinking the plant won't affect them because they're Exalted or Solar.

Maybe introduce them to a sprig in a sealed jar that gives them a strong twinge, but lasts least than a turn, so the don't get the idea for peace grenades. Or if one has the right skills, just the sample and they can work out if effects exalted.

Or make it so mortals are so heavily affected by this thing, that it screws them up for the rest of their lives, so the PCs are so much better by comparison.

Basically don't make them expect a fight without foreshadowing a different way to fight. Twists work in books, but requires a very strong level of trust between the STs and Players.

The party has a few options, some directly related to the odd position this thing's in, and most of them are cleverer than I am so I wouldn't be surprised by them blindsiding me with something unexpected.

Most everybody survives encounters with this lady, including other dragon blooded which have been affected, they'd know it's not enough just to be Chosen.

Cool one tip I can give for an off the rail party is writing up your existing locations and NPCs in a way that makes them easy to reuse in other situations and easy to retweak.

If you program, it's like refactoring your code to make it a reusable toolkit.

E.g. if you have a really interesting city planned up north, make sure at least half its features can be pulled out and reused in an cluster of caravanserai if the players go south.

I'm currently keeping the PCs mostly manageable by giving them a stable job and overarching goal which they'll hopefully want to focus on for a while. It won't hold them forever, and that's fine, but for now I can at least predict their most general movements and plan accordingly.

It really depends.

Like after a lot of trail and error, I managed to find several good online groups I play with.

I've been at this for about 10 years, so it was after much trail and error I got several.

My advice is go ahead and try applying. YOLO it, learn from the bad keep the good.

Grab whoever, let them play a bit, if they turn out to be massive shitters, toss them, then find another.

>You faggots just be glad that they've moved away from using anime from as heavy a source of inspiration.

Why would I be glad about that? The whole setting was steeped in it since 1E. Removing it was a fucking mistake.

You kidding?

I had a guy in my group who refused to touch 2e because of the anime art.

He's hyped as hell for 3e.

surprise surprise, people have different tastes in aesthetics.

Personally I'm glad they toned it back a little bit but equally glad they didn't remove it entirely.

>refusing to touch something solely based on the art style
Sounds like he's a faggot.

>I had a guy in my group who refused to touch 2e because of the anime art.

Wow, sounds like a shitter to me. Exalted has always had a pretty wide spread of art, but it usually had at least a good amount of anime influenced art. But playing a game because you don't like the art is a bit fuckin' retarded.

Not playing a game because you don't like the art, I mean.

My worry is that they're moving away from mythology (especially non-western mythology) as an inspiration too, more generally.

Like, in 1e, it was supposed to be the prehistory of the World of Darkness, which in turn was supposed to be based on reality (with a bunch of hidden shit), so there was a lot of stuff in Exalted that was directly based on mythology in that sort of "yeah Gilgamesh was a Solar and Enkidu was his Lunar buddybro" way, you were supposed to be able to see the connections. They used recurrent themes and archetypes in mythology to base aspects of the setting on (like the different types of Exalted), and it lent the whole thing a sort of... primal authenticity? A sense of weight? It's hard to describe, but I was able to sense it the very first time I saw the 1e core book in a shop and picked it up and flicked through.

Then in 2e they dropped that and the setting stands on its own now, and as things have developed further I feel like the setting is developing in a way that it's gradually losing that mythic quality and becoming... just another fantasy setting, really.

I'm not sure, it's just a feeling.

"Secret prehistory of the WoD" was scrapped before the 1e launch. The STC discusses this. Presently, we still have a tradition of cross-easter eggs between the settings, but they don't go very deep. They're more just name drops.

>I'm not sure, it's just a feeling.

You're not the only one having that feeling. The more they try to compress the power levels of the game the less heroic and less epic and less whatever other term for "glowing demigods having kung fu fights" you want to apply, the game feels. It used to be a game of "You can do big things right now!" and is slowly turning into "You're a level 1 Exalt, better level up so you can fight those ogres!" with each new edition.

Supernal is a way to do big things right now. Unless you mean things like fighting Deathlords as soon as the game starts, which I'll maintain in any edition is a terrible idea. Even with sane stats they've been portrayed as one of the only big active threats in setting outside the realm

Acknowledged, but that's not really too relevant to the issue being raised. The idea was there as a basis, at least, and all it is is an example of how/why things are moving from where it started to where it's looking to end up.

You don't want to play with that person.

Also Essence 1 Charms are actually pretty good. In Melee, for instance, Dipping Swallow Defense, One Wapon, Two Blows and an Excellency go a long way.

To be fair Holden and Morke literally reached for the Sun by turning it into a giant Robot in 2E, as well as the broken Sidereal martial arts.

If you increase the top of the scale, the little things become more mundane, but you need those mundane things to make you feel epic.

Has anyone here only got into Exalted after 2012? Wondering if everyone here got into it from 2E.

I first learned of it reading Keychain Of Creation.

>Has anyone here only got into Exalted after 2012? Wondering if everyone here got into it from 2E.

Been here since day 1 of 1E. Feels bad after seeing what the games gone through, man. The mechanics are finally good, but the fluff took a nosedive starting with 1E Players Guide and hasn't really pulled up out of it.

I got into it less than a year ago when I got frustrated over not knowing what the hell people were talking about in a completely unrelated fanfic.

Was Scroll of the Monk Holdens doing?

>Keychain Of Creation

My Anathema. Got into it in the same way.

I get what you mean and this is one of the reasons why Exalted had such a long-lasting appeal for me despite barely getting to play it and hating the system. Exalted has lost more and more of that mythic feel and style over the editions, moving toward more magitek and posthuman rubber-band scifi plus cosmic concept in 2e. Now 3e seems increasingly moving toward generic fantasy which is hilarious when you recall people once tried to sell Exalted on how it "wasn't D&D".

I try to look back at the 1st Ed books, back when it was more mythology+sword&sorcery with a dash of anime but it's hard to do so because whenever I see something not explained by the 1e corebook my mind automatically jumps to the 2e interpretation as opposed to seeing ideas for what I could do with it if I was to run a game. 2nd Ed cast a shadow over 1st, sadly.

How many of you would agree with me when I say that Occult is probably the most powerful ability overall? And how many of you would disagree?

Need to heal someone? I can summon a demon to do that, or maybe a water elemental. Need to fight a war? Summon an army. Most any skillset the party is lacking can be made up for by summoning a spirit with that skillset. And sorcerous workings can accomplish so much bullshit.

To me, it's not moving towards generic fantasy, but more towards PULP fantasy. And in so doing, honestly feels like it's gained BACK a lot of that mythic feel.

3e isn't moving towards generic fantasy at all.

One of the most hilarious things about the 3E book was seeing that they listed 'Game of Thrones' as one of their influences.
These guys used to be White Wolf. They used to pride themselves on coming at things from a different perspective, from not being so 'mainstream' (whether or not they ever really achieved that is majorly up for debate, but it was clearly part of their image), and here they are, desperately me-too-ing the modern standard image of what fantasy is.
Top. Fucking. Kek.
Seeing Generic Viking Girl #64354 up there as one of their villains makes the generification even more blatant.

>One of the most hilarious things about the 3E book was seeing that they listed 'Game of Thrones' as one of their influences.

Game of Thrones is a meme at this point, but it's not generic fantasy.

>Seeing Generic Viking Girl #64354 up there as one of their villains makes the generification even more blatant.

Motherfucker northerners have always looked like that.

>GoT
>not generic fantasy.
Is your measure of 'generic fantasy' stuck in 1977?

>Is your measure of 'generic fantasy' stuck in 1977?
>implying generic D&D style fantasy has really changed much, if at all, from that point

I'm not a fan of GoT, but it's not generic.

>it's not generic.
It absolutely is.

>3e isn't moving towards generic fantasy at all.

Flattening the power curve is definitely a move towards it. Part of what distinguished Exalted was you were wildly powerful compared to most everything else, even fresh out of the gate. Yeah, you weren't gonna skullfuck a Deathlord or anything, but you could chew through most anything but the tippest top echelon of bullshit.

It's kind of the same here. Depending on your Supernal you can basically tackle some of the biggest things in the setting off the bat. Supernal Twilight Crafters can make Art 5's pretty much immediately out of the gate

>I'm not a fan of GoT, but it's not generic.

I don't know if it's generic or not, but I do know it's poorly written murderporn that thrives on making characters as reprehensible as possible and random shock value deaths every 2 pages to the point it makes Crossed look like a well written masterpiece.

ok lol

Oh yeah, I totally agree there. Like I said, I ain't a fan of it overall. I kind of get what bits from it would actually be useful for Exalted (the squabbling and warring noble houses), but the story and tone are just bleeeeeeegh.

This isn't really true because all the other entities on the same tier have also been moved down in power. There is nothing you cannot do between essence 1-5, high essence is no longer a separate tier of play, the solar charmset is designed to let you beat the highest gods in a competition (outracing the maiden of journeys, etc), and you start with a Supernal ability right out of the gate and more charms than you'd have in previous editions.

Ergo, the Solar Exalted are even more powerful than they were in 1e - there was really no way to compete with elders except being an elder yourself - the only difference is Dragon-Blooded are actually a threat to you, and elder power is expressed in breadth and resources rather than just throwing insurmountable pools of dice at you.

Everything a Solar could do in 1e they can still do in 3e, so I don't buy this 'flattening the curve' bullcrap, unless you mean they can't laugh off dozens of DBs anymore because they happened to use the 1e one true build. Which is good, because it actually matches the lore now - like Dragon-Blooded were always depicted as a threat not to be taken lightly, but the mechanics didn't match that. Unless, of course, you decided to build to concept rather than melee + dodge, then you were fucked.

A 1e Solar with brawl or resistance was just garbage compared to the God Build.

At least it's not Sword of Truth '200 pages of BDSM in the first book' or Wheel of Time 'Mind-control, pet play, forniphilia, and magical rape everywhere'.

This gets me thinking: how common is it for a mortal to run into an exalted? How has she not picked a fight with Dragon-Blood only to get pushed in neck-deep into a snowbank or comically shoved aside like a rag doll?

I didn't realize those two series were so interesting.

There's ~20,000 DBs in Creation, and Creation is huge.

Unless you're living in the Realm, where your lord is or knows some Exalt, or in Lookshy, or in a very big city, or in some forgotten villages where a lost egg decided to lord over you, a mortal will probably never see an exalted in his entire life.

Gods, spirits, elementals, or ghosts are far more common. Most peasants will know at least one local godling/elemental/ghost, though not always personally. The common sense is that if it looks like a human but has power, it's a god.

The distinction between the different kinds of spirit and exalt is purely intellectual. Most mortals in creation only see something with awesome power, to be venerated, praised, or avoided.

>How has she not picked a fight with Dragon-Blood only to get pushed in neck-deep into a snowbank or comically shoved aside like a rag doll?

Because... she had no reason to attack a DB? She was some street rat from nowhere. When you're a thief you don't steal from the divine people who can make you burn with a glance, it's poor life style. Even if there were one in the vicinity, which is probably false.

>When you're a thief you don't steal from the divine people who can make you burn with a glance,
>"To see a Keeper is not an easy thing. Especially one who does not wish to be seen."

WoT is Jordan's magical realm.

It has a society build around the idea of enslaving female magic users with magical collars to use them in war/society, and a rather long part where one of the fiery main female is enslaved like a pet.

It has one of the main villain who use mind control to dominate princes and princesses to be her foot slave. A mind-control spell backfire and she is last seen 'worshiping' another MC.

The queen of the local kingdom? She was mind-controlled by another villain and forced to wear skimpy dresses in court (not making this up).

The main association of female magic users contracts men through a magically binding contract. They effectively act like pets/harem.

There is an incredibly amount of BDSM through magic. A ridiculous number of characters (often villains, often female) end enslaved, bound to a magical contract, mind-controlled, or just thoroughly humiliated.

Aren't almost all the female magic users incredibly feisty personality-wise too?

Less feisty and more 'unreasonably bitchy and retarded'

this applies to the men too

fuck WoT

>Why would I be glad about that?
Because then the roll of characters would be filled with spiky haired bastards and scary little girls.

To contrast, I've had an Exalted player practically shout at me that I HAD to know anime, if I wanted to understand the game. After I asked what "shinigami eyes" were.

While they may not seem to be drawing from real life mythology as much, I feel like they're treating it as more of a grab bag that they can draw from to make the world more unique in its own right.

Has anyone here only got into Exalted after 2012?
I can't remember exactly when I got into the game, but it was before 1e Sidereals was released. 2012 would be closer to the time I drifted away from the game and community, but I've been through it all... Discussions about whether the Sidereals were evil bastards. Whether Solars are inherently good. Whether the shit with Lillun was really that over the top... the one I mentioned in the previous thread, about whether houses fall apart when you pick them up (you'll ALL be happy to know it was just as contentious an issue 10 years ago as it is now)

Shit! I argued with Holden himself about the issue of Craft Bloat back when he was just another fan like you and me. And the real irony is, he ended up on my side in the end. Though to be fair I don't like 1 skill per craft either, but have always been against 1 skill for ALL crafts more.

I love 3e myself. I read the fluff and feel the same 'magic' of the setting as I did when I was first introduced to it in 1e. But I suppose we all have different opinions on where 2e went wrong. Mine are that, while it was great at first, having EVERYTHING explained in detail took a lot of the awe and mystery from things. While making the rules asshole-proof by over writing them to the hilt, and re-writing the entire rule system to prevent stupid things like "The Creation Slaying Oblivion Kick".

>Was Scroll of the Monk Holdens doing?
kek, no

That was way before the Ink Monkeys were even a thing, let alone he became an official writer.

Almost, except charm-trees are so long now, it's
almost impossible to start with a capstone in your supernal, and if you do, your character's not going to have much else.

>whether the Sidereals were evil bastards. Whether Solars are inherently good

I prefer to think every faction in exalted is in the right.

Wyld Folk want to destroy Creation because it is abomination to ever-changing chaos.
Primordials wanted to scrap the Creation and start over because certain parameters left their initial purpose. (They wanted permanency. Change and chaos is Wyld)
Gods sided with Creation because they were more attached to it than to primordials.
Sidereals killed of Solars because Great Curse was getting worse and worse (you even have ingame mechanic for great curse)
DragonBlooded want to unite the Creation because they know what threatens it. Solars should be killed on spot because do you really want to have a lose canon that can reduce cities to ashes because he woke on the wrong side of bed.
Lunars don't want civilization because it worked so well the first time.

The amount of sheer wrong in there is sort of impressive all on it's own.

There was one society who trapped female magic users in collars - but it was from a faraway land, was generally antagonistic, and most of the rest of the setting was ruled-by-proxy by the same female magic users.

Villains are bad. Wow, gee, shocking.

And of the female magic users bonding men, only 1/7th of them were implied to have any sexual relationship with them. For all the others, they were just bodyguards.

The Faile bit was just boring though. Sanderson should have taken over three books earlier.

>Though to be fair I don't like 1 skill per craft either, but have always been against 1 skill for ALL crafts more.

I don't understand why they don't have a single craft skill, and then specialties. Isn't that like, the whole concept of specialties?

You wanna know what's really depressing? The sheer weight of human beings on Veeky Forums who have so thoroughly bought into the contrarian mentality that they actually, genuinely BELIEVE the parroting, reflexive bullshit they vomit everywhere.

What?