The Fangs Are At The Gate - Funded & 23 Stretch Goals Unleashed!
about 5 years ago – Sun, Mar 17, 2019 at 02:29:09 PM

Greetings Gatecrashers,

WE DID IT!

We funded a new deluxe expansion for Exalted 3rd Edition, Lunars: Fangs at the Gate!

And not just that! We unleashed TWENTY-THREE STRETCH GOALS!

MANY-FACED STRANGERS, the Lunar Companion PDF, had a whopping 14 sections added during this campaign, as well as upgrading the art to full color! We also added to the art budget for Lunars: Fangs at the Gate, unleashed a Lunars-themed map of Creation, and so much more!

I know the Exalted fan base is awesome, but it's amazing to see it demonstrated so decisively! AND - not that it's a competition - but we ended up with more backers than we had for last year's Dragon-Blooded kickstarter campaign for What Fire Has Wrought! We're growing, baby!!

I know we were all hoping to get to $300,000 and throw a reward to the awesome developers and writers who brought us our manuscript draft with that cool Stretch Goal, but we were just a little short. We did the next best thing, though - for freelance writers and developers, adding projects to their schedule and guaranteeing more work in the future is a welcome outcome, believe me! 

So - here's to more awesome work ahead from Eric Minton & Robert Vance, and Dixie Cochran, and all the writers that have made this project so engaging and inspiring!

THANK YOU!  

So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And a personal thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the comments section of the kickstarter or on social media around the web. 

I've been doing what I can to support a friend and his family during a recent tragedy, and talking with them about how this project has come along these past weeks, and describing the community spirit and support you've shown, has been a welcome distraction for them, and brought a little light into some dark times. So, not to get too maudlin, but beyond even this campaign and the book, your enthusiasm and excitement and positive energy has had an effect on those completely unrelated to the project. Thank you for that.

COMMUNICATION  

So, as noted in the previous update, I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the kickstarter, you can leave it in the comment section - I will be notified with every addition. Or, you can find the Contact Creator button and Rich will forward your message to me.

For setting stuff and questions about the game itself, it's probably best to post to the Onyx Path Discussion Group here: http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted. If you haven't checked out the massive "Ask the Devs" thread, it's a good way to find out why Eric and Vance are so beloved by the community.

So, thanks to everyone for helping build this community and this game and celebrating the epic creations still to come our way!

Now to attend to other business and eventually collapse for a few hours and recover from the awesomeness of the last couple days! High fives in the comment section, and you'll hear from me again soon...

#MoreShapeshiftingPuns

#FangsAtTheGate

#LunarsForever

#Exalted3rdEdition

FINAL HOURS: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT
about 5 years ago – Thu, Mar 14, 2019 at 12:45:52 PM

Hello Gatecrashers,

And here we are! The final day of the campaign, the final hours of the campaign. What an amazing journey!

As I prepare to post this, we are FIVE hours from the end of this campaign, and have unleashed an amazing 23 Stretch Goals! That's right - we hit the target to add another section to the Caul write up in Many-Faced Strangers last night/this morning.

Amazing job, everyone!

We've had a massive wave of new backers join in over the past few days (hi, new backers!), and many backers adding on to their rewards or changing their reward levels. I wanted to  review the overall method to ensure you've set up your rewards, and then talk about what comes next.

1. REWARD TIER, ADD-ONs, PLEDGE TOTAL  

Please ensure you've selected the Reward Tier that best represents your desired rewards for this project. An update breaking down all of the Reward Tier decisions is HERE <link>, summarized by this chart:

Once you're sure you've selected the correct Reward Tier, double-check to see if there are any rewards that you want to include via ADD-ON, as described in the update HERE <link>.  

Your REWARD TIER determines what your base rewards are - you must select a Reward Tier to receive those rewards. Again, your reward list is based on your Reward Tier, not your total pledge amount.  

Your PLEDGE TOTAL is the sum of your REWARD TIER + SHIPPING + ADD-ONs.

Shipping is calculated automatically by Kickstarter, based on your location. Add On rewards will be selected in the post-campaign pledge manager sent out once payment processing is complete. 

SO: Ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier you want, and included funding for any Add Ons you wish to include. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge Total amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and its' affordability.

And remember - any physical reward Add On (additional books, screens, or cloth map) can only be added to reward tiers that include the deluxe hardcover book (Silver Pact Mentor and higher).

2. PAYMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION  

Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that the payment and contact information in your kickstarter account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly and your credit card isn't expired will speed up the next step process. (I have learned from experience!)

WHAT COMES NEXT?

3. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS  

First, we celebrate. Kickstarter will send out a "Hooray!" email confirming the campaign ended with final totals. We'll give high fives/high wings/high claws/high hooves/etc. in the comments section (depending on your chosen form, of course!)

Then, the Kickstarter payment process begins. Over the next week, kickstarter will begin charging your payment methods for the total amount you've pledged.

If there is an issue with your payment method (expired credit card or incorrect number or pre-paid Visa awaiting funds, for example), Kickstarter will keep trying to process payment during this time.

Once this step is done, which will likely be near the end of March, Kickstarter will confirm everything with Onyx Path and transfer the funds over to them (less the Kickstarter fees, of course!).

Once the payment is confirmed, I can begin to set up the project with BackerKit and link it to the Kickstarter data.

BackerKit is a robust fulfillment integration and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me a few weeks to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage. 

4. BACKERKIT SURVEYS  

Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important! The survey will list the reward tier you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.

I expect Surveys to go out mid-April. If you opted to include any Add-On rewards to your pledge, this is the point where you will select them. BackerKit will deduct the cost of your reward tier (+shipping) from your total pledge and show you how much you have to allocate for add-on purchases. You simply select the ones you want and proceed. From that point forward, those add-ons will be included in your list of rewards.

During the Survey period, you can also also choose to increase your reward tier. If you've managed to get a tax refund (what?! How?) and decide it's time to trade up to get two copies of the book or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.

If there was an issue with payment to Kickstarter, you should also be able to address that at this point in the process.

The survey will ask you to confirm your shipping address, even though it'll be some time before we ship out the final product. Do not worry about moving before shipping begins - you will be able to update BackerKit right up until the point that we begin fulfilling the final book. We will send out a notice prior to lock down so you can update any information.

I'll also use the Survey to confirm how you'd like your name listed in the Kickstarter Supporter section of the deluxe book, as well as confirming some details for the limited and premium reward tiers.

 5. REWARD DISTRIBUTION
 

This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on our progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.

Eventually, we will have a completed PDF of Lunars: Fangs at the Gate. We'll take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When we've made any necessary changes, we'll send out updated copy of the PDFs and then begin creating print-ready files for the Print-on-Demand and deluxe hardcover version.  

It's a long road ahead, but one that we wouldn't be on if not for your support.

Now, with only hours left, let's see if we can land one more Stretch Goal.. or even maybe two?

#LunarsFinalHours

#UnleashTheBeast

#FangsAtTheGate

#EX3Lunars

FINAL DAY: STRETCH GOALS
about 5 years ago – Thu, Mar 14, 2019 at 03:23:19 AM

Hello Gatecrashers,

We're just about tho hit the Final 24 Hours of this Kickstarter campaign, and completing our lunar cycle. (I probably should have tried for a shapeshifting metaphor there, but my brain is getting dry after 29 days... either way, we're close to the end!)

Refresher Course

We've had, and will have, a lot of new backers join in during this last day. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).

COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - Read the entire manuscript for the game now, including all Chapters and all Charms, plus a special preview from The Realm! Remember, though, there are still some minor edits, development and proofing that need to be done. But, you can consider this about 95% finished.

March 9 update - REWARD TIERS - your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.

March 10 update - ADD ON REWARDS - the important companion piece to the Reward Tiers topic, including information on how to increase your pledge amount to add the Storyteller Screen, Songline Legend Rules PDF Bundle, and the Cloth map of Creation (Lunars version).

Choosing the correct Reward Tier for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.  

Remember, your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your REWARD TIER + SHIPPING + ADD ONS. And we will confirm your Add On selection with our post-campaign pledge manager, Backerkit, a few weeks after the campaign ends.

On Thursday, I'll be posting one further "Final Day" update, covering What Happens Next and outlining what to expect once the campaign ends.

But until then, we're going to hopefully be racing through our final Stretch Goal(s) of the campaign!

STRETCH GOALS

Over the course of the campaign, we've unleashed an amazing 22 Stretch Goals! We unleashed Sublime Danger just after midnight last night (this morning?), so we're absolutely picking up speed as we rush toward the finish line! And there's a solid chance to make that 23, 24 or maybe even 25 before we end...

MANY-FACED STRANGERS

One of the main focuses of the Stretch Goals for this campaign has been to expand the world of the Lunar Exalts through a companion PDF called Many-Faced Strangers. As interest in this project grew and additional backers joined in, we added sections to this book to get something awesome! As of our 22nd Stretch Goal, this book contains the following sections:  

•  Lunar Charms Expansion - 5,000 additional words of Lunar Charms.
•  Animal Bestiary Expansion: 5,000 words of animal quick character stat blocks (roughly seven animals), something very useful for Lunar shapeshifters, but also for Storytellers and anyone looking to take an animal familiar.
•  Heroes of the Silver Pact: Stat blocks for four prominent Pact Lunars described in Fangs at the Gate: the retired orca warlord Leviathan; the spider king Aum-Ashatra; the markhor sorcerer Aqadar; and the devil of the Burning Sands, Smiling Zamisha.
•  Martial Arts Expansion: Four distinctly Lunar martial arts styles: the incredibly resilient and venomous Toad style; the brutal, grappling-focused Bear style; the Sun Wukong-inspired Monkey style; and the stealthy, disease-spreading Rat style. 
•  Chapter Fiction: Chapter fiction included in this Lunars Companion. 
•  War for the Caul: An adventure path and Storyteller resource for playing out the conflict between the Lunar Exalted and the Realm on the mysterious continent of the Caul.  
•  The Shadow Fang Vanguard: A discussion of this autocratic splinter group of the Silver Pact, including its traditions, political culture, and ambitions. Also provides stat blocks for its leaders: the majestic, brutal caribou prince Tayan Silver-Crowned; and her black-crowned night heron advisor Feather Drenched in the Blood of the Fallen. 
•  Signature Lunar QCs: Stat blocks for the four signature Lunars: the charming but cold-hearted mantis swordsman Tegama; the fennec fox trickster Sazay Shadow-Dancer; the nautilus shaman Silent Pearl; and the emerald dove warleader Tula the Reaver.
•  Lunar Charms Expansion 2 - 5,000 additional words of Lunar Charms.
•  War for the Caul 2: Expanding the War for the Caul section, including a stat block for the death-defying black lion warlord Sha’a Oka.
•  Magic of the Moon: New sorcerous initiations and spells associated with the Silver Pact, and information on Luna’s spirit courts and divine servitors.
•  Color Art Upgrade - All interior artwork will be commissioned in full color
•  Additional Dominion: Mount Namas and its shahan-yas, Tanisa Ring-Eater and Seven Obsidian Leopard  
•  Sublime Danger: Quick character traits and setting detail for this popular Lunar elder, who first appeared in the “Tale of the Visiting Flare” comic, and has subsequently been mentioned in Adversaries of the Righteous. Would also include Thousand Blades style, the esoteric martial art she uses to achieve her distinctive look of having wings made out floating swords.  

DELUXE-ING THE DELUXE HARDCOVER

Another goal of the Stretch Goal targets was to make the deluxe hardcover even more deluxe. Thanks to your support and enthusiasm, Onyx Path was able to increase the overall art budget for Fangs at the Gate (which also benefits the PDF release!), as well as adding two additional silk bookmarks to the final production plan. 

AND MORE REWARDS!

Adding backers also meant adding rewards to the thank you gifts sent out for each pledge tier. These aren't always as exciting as getting stats for Sublime Danger, but lots of fun and funky celebrations along the way.

KICKSTARTER BACKER T-SHIRT – hosted on the redbubble store for a limited time, a Lunars-themed shirt at a steep discount. All backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available. 

DIGITAL WALLPAPER – An awesome digital wallpaper for your computer desktop featuring the Lunar Exalted. All backers will have this automatically added to their rewards list.  

LUNAR NOVELLA - A short story written to better define the Lunar Exalted play experience. All backers receiving the Lunars: Fangs at the Gate PDF will have this automatically added to their rewards list. 

AND ADDITIONAL REWARDS!

Unleashing so many Stretch Goals allowed Onyx Path to expand the reward offering, opening up some new Add On possibilities, including:

To see more information about these awesome Add On options, check out our March 10 update on Add On Rewards.  I think we had started kicking around ideas about that cloth map in the first 10 comments on this campaign!

AND ONE MORE THING...

Talk about paying it forward - the Stretch Goal to upgrade the interior artwork for  Many-Faced Strangers  ALSO included an upgrade to a future Exalted supplement. So, not only did we help make our Lunars Companion book more exciting, we've helped make a future project even better!

22 STRETCH GOALS!

Those are some pretty cool accomplishments, and those are in addition to FUNDING THIS PROJECT in the first place! Your rewards list has likely grown since the start of this campaign. But we're not done, are we? With just over 24 hours to go, we've got another target or two we can look at hitting, and maybe another amazing celebration can be added if we really really STRETCH... 

More Stretch Goals, Not Much More Time  

I know these numbers may seem daunting, but they wouldn't be STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach them!

So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got fewer than 27 hours to jump in and share the 22 (can we make it 23? 24? 25!! ) Stretch Goals we've achieved!

And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by expanding everyone's stretch goal rewards!

Remember, only the funds generated during the Kickstarter campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can make great things happen!

#EX3Lunars

#FangsAtTheGate

#SoGladWeGotSublimeDanger!

#LetsGet2322BackersAtLeast

#LetsGetTo$300K

Backers Only - Manuscript Preview - Heroes & Monsters
about 5 years ago – Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 09:51:11 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Heroes & Monsters Preview
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 12, 2019 at 01:03:46 PM

Hello Gatecrashers,

We're in the final days, and unleashing Stretch Goals left and right!

Thanks to your support, Many-Faced Strangers, the Lunars Companion PDF, will contain awesome full color Exalted artwork! In addition, one future supplement will also be upgraded to full color artwork, so we're paying it forward as we go!

One final glimpse at the manuscript today, showcasing bits from the final chapter to be posted - Heroes & Monsters. Enjoy!

Lilith

After all these centuries, Lilith’s youth seems like a dream. Her recollections are sharp but fleeting, a dwindling flock of brilliant images against the dark — the verdant fields of Erya-Duat, that fertile enclave carved out of the Southern desert; the hunt against the great vulture-strix wherein she Exalted, strangling the arrow-riddled beast as it raked her with terrible claws; racing with her Lunar mentor across the night skies, chasing the moon into the west.

But more than anything, she recalls her first glimpse of Andamani of the Scarlet Field. O! so resplendent in gold and crimson, so proud of bearing! O! and how his icy countenance melted into a warm smile when he saw her, how that warmth that suffused her in turn. In that moment, memories not her own flooded her, a rush of past lives weighted with passions she could not name.

Their love caught fire in an instant, and for a time it was all-consuming. They dallied in Ilyamun’s hidden gardens, danced in the ballrooms of Malachite’s Dawn, addressed the Deliberative from a shared plinth, and rode to war against the House of Shards in the same chariot.

Over time their love cooled, and troubles grew more frequent, marring their life together with occasional quarrels, lies, and betrayals. But their bond remained firm until the end.

When Andamani perished in the Usurpation, Lilith was shattered. Escaping the first Wyld Hunts, she joined her fellow Lunars to shape the nascent Silver Pact.

She stayed with the Pact for a time, advising her peers in matters of society and war. But too many things reminded her of Andamani, of the relationship she’d woven through every aspect of her life for a thousand years. She tried to lose herself in war against the Shogunate — inspiring rebels, battling soldiers, murdering ministers and generals — but her ravaged heart remained raw, and every dealing with humanity was salt in the wound.

It was easier to be an owl, with an owl’s innocent hungers and needs, than to be human, with human memories and pain. As the centuries passed, her dealings with Creation — battles with the Shogunate, dalliances with heroes and spirits, tutelage of young Lunars — grew fewer and farther between. Meanwhile, she spent more and more time as a beast, hunting and soaring through the wilderness.

Eventually, she stopped changing back.

Five years ago, Andamani was reborn, along with the other imprisoned Solars. Through the bond they’d once shared, through dreams, through the wind’s scent, she sensed his return. Slowly, she awakened from being an owl. Slowly, she became Lilith once more.

Stirred from her avian dream, Lilith seeks new purpose in an unfamiliar world. She pursues rumors of the Solars among mortals and spirits, hoping to find Andamani reborn. But she also pursues meaning among her own kind. A few surviving First Age and early Shogunate-era Lunars are known to her, and though she’s not yet ready to commit herself to the Silver Pact and its responsibilities, she would renew those friendships — and her vendetta against the usurpers.

Other Lunars, hearing rumors of the questing owl, now seek out Lilith in turn. The eldest Pact members know her as a peer, while younger Lunars desire her strength and her counsel.

Lilith’s human form is a lean, dark-skinned woman of middle height. Moonsilver mail of ancient design covers her body; an owl’s-head helm conceals her silver-white hair. But she rarely assumes human form, favoring a variety of animal shapes, her owl shape most of all. 

Lilith is typically silent, not out of shyness, but because she only speaks when she has something to say. This trait becomes less exaggerated as she spends more time in human company.

Elder Prowess

Waking Dreamer Fugue

Cost: —; Mins: Manipulation 5, Essence 6

Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Silver Mask Submersion

When Lilith uses Silver Mask Submersion in an animal shape, she remains capable of shifting into other forms, although she retains the Intimacies of the shape she used that Charm in. If she enters a human shape, she can simulate human behavior, although her demeanor is noticeably strange; she’ll likely be treated as though she were mad or possessed.

Silver Mask Submersion’s mote cost is waived in Lilith’s spirit shape. 

Beetle/Cockroach

Creation is home to innumerable species of beetles, found in any habitat imaginable save the seas and the far North. Some are despised as vermin; others are prized, like the rhinoceros beetles that Dynasts train to participate in wrestling competitions. Many, but not all, species can fly, though some prefer ground-based movement.

Essence: 1; Willpower: 1; Join Battle: 3 dice 

Health Levels: −1/−2/−4/Incap.

Actions: Flight: 4 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Stealth: 5 dice (see Camouflage); Wriggle Through Tight Spaces: 10 dice

Resolve 1, Guile 1

Combat

Attack (Mandibles): 3 dice (Damage 12B against Minuscule Size enemies. Can’t deal decisive damage to larger enemies.)

Attack (Grapple): 7 dice (3 dice to control. Can’t grapple larger enemies)

Combat Movement: 4 dice

Evasion: 2 (see Minuscule Size); Parry 1 

Soak/Hardness: 1/0

Merits

Camouflage: Many beetle species’ coloration lets them blend into their native environments, such as leafy vegetation or desert sand, doubling 9s on Stealth rolls there.

Minuscule Size: +3 Evasion against larger foes’ attacks. Larger characters subtract three successes from Awareness-based rolls against them. Against foes with the Tiny Creature Merit, this drops to +2 Evasion and −2 successes. 

Octopus

Found throughout the oceans, these eight-armed invertebrates have bulbous heads and beak-tipped maws. Suction cups along their arms grip surfaces and objects, letting them taste whatever they hold. Many species live their lives completely submerged; others inhabit intertidal zones, coming to the surface to bask in the sun or seek food.

Octopuses can change color to blend into their surroundings and avoid predators. Their soft bodies can squeeze through any gap that their beak can fit through; a 500-pound octopus can slip through a hole the size of an obol. All octopuses are venomous, though to humans their bites are an irritant, only deadly in extreme cases. 

Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice 

Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap.

Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 8 dice (see Sharp Sight); Solve Puzzles: 6 dice; Squeeze Through Tight Spaces: 12 dice (see Amorphous Body); Stealth: 7 dice (see Camouflage); Tracking: 5 dice

Resolve 2, Guile 1

Combat

Attack (Beak): 6 dice (Damage 6L, see Venom)

Attack (Arms): 7 dice (Damage 7B)

Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (10 dice to control)

Combat Movement: 6 dice (see Ink)

Evasion: 3; Parry 3 

Soak/Hardness: 2/0 

Special Abilities

Ink: The octopus releases a jet of ink, clouding the water around it. It doubles 9s on disengages.

Many-Armed: When flurrying an arm attack, reduce the flurry penalty on both rolls to −1.

Venom: A decisive beak attack inflicts a poison with damage 4i/round, duration 3 rounds, and a −1 penalty.

Merits

Amorphous Body: Double 7s on rolls to squeeze through tight spaces.

Camouflage: The octopus changes color to match its surroundings, doubling 9s on Stealth rolls.

Sharp Sight: Double 9s on all sight-based Perception rolls.

Variable Size

These traits depict larger octopus species. For smaller species, adjust their traits as follows:

Miniscule Size: The smallest octopus species, like the deadly blue-ringed octopus, have this Merit. They add +3 Evasion against larger characters’ attacks (+2 if the attacker has the Tiny Creature Merit), and subtract 3 successes from rolls to notice them (2 successes from characters with the Tiny Creature Merit). Their decisive attacks don’t damage larger characters, although they still convey poison.

Tiny Creature: Smaller octopus species have this Merit. They add +2 Evasion against larger character’s attacks, and subtract 2 successes from rolls to notice them. Their withering attacks have damage 3 against larger characters.

Legendary Size: Creation’s seas are home to monstrous octopus species of Legendary Size. In addition to this Merit’s benefits (p. XX), their attacks gains +1 die on attack rolls, +3 Damage, and Overwhelming 3, and they have soak 6 and Hardness 4. They gain three additional −1 and −2 health levels.

Thunder Lizard

These giant long-necked reptiles are Creation’s largest land-dwelling animals, reaching heights of sixty feet and weights of over a hundred tons. With necks up to fifty feet in length, they can easily graze on treetops, though the sheer amount of food they require means they’ll also feed on lower-lying foliage, grasses, and aquatic plants. Most thunder lizard species inhabit wet or coastal habitats, traveling in herds segregated by age. 

Few predators can threaten a thunder lizard herd, and a stampeding herd can reshape the land. Few human societies possess the means to even attempt to hunt thunder lizards, but opportunistically scavenging the remains of those felled by age, disease, or superpredators like tyrant lizards can provide a bounty of meat, bone, and other useful materials.

Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 6 dice 

Health Levels: −0x5/−1x5/−2x10/−4x10/Incap.

Actions: Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats; see Beast of Burden); Resist Poison/Illness: 10 dice; Senses: 7 dice (see Keen Hearing); Threaten: 5 dice

Resolve 3, Guile 1

Combat

Attack (Stomp): 8 dice (Damage 17B/4)

Attack (Tail Slam): 6 dice (Damage 19B/5)

Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (7 dice to control. Thunder lizards make unopposed control rolls against smaller enemies, unless they use magic like Dragon Coil Technique.)

Combat Movement: 7 dice

Evasion: 2; Parry 4 

Soak/Hardness: 16/10 

Special Abilities

Thunder Tail: A thunder lizard can swing its tail with speed enough to create a sound like a cracked bullwhip, scaring off would-be predators. It can flurry a tail slam attack with a threaten roll without penalties, adding attack roll extra successes to the threaten roll as dice.

Trample: If a thunder lizard makes a stomp attack against an enemy that provoked its reflexive movement from a rush on his last turn, a hit knocks the enemy prone. Apply the prone defense penalty (Exalted, p. 202) retroactively when calculating the attack’s threshold successes.

Merits

Beast of Burden: Double 8s on feats of strength to haul or carry heavy burdens.

Keen Hearing: Double 9s on hearing-based Perception rolls.

Legendary Size: A thunder lizard suffers no onslaught penalties from smaller foes’ attacks , unless inflicted by magic. It can’t be crashed by smaller enemies’ withering attacks unless they have 10+ post-soak damage, although attackers gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Smaller enemies’ decisive attacks can’t deal more than (attacker’s Strength + 3) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by magic.

Stampede: When a battle group of stampeding thunder lizards moves into close range of an enemy, it reflexively makes an engage gambit (Exalted, p. 209). Engaged enemies suffer a level of automatic bashing damage, ignoring Hardness, at the end of each of their turns.

We've got three days left, and a whole lunar cycle of Stretch Goals that I think we can unleash, so keep up the good work sharing your excitement for this project and inviting others to join in!

#EX3Lunars

#FangsAtTheGate

#UnleashSublimeDanger