Newest Dragon King Paths

The Path of Roaring Winds

Jukashi — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:03:07 -0400

Long ago, the Usurpation drove the Tricerok deep beneath the surface of Creation. There they met the dark things forgotten by the world above, and stood with the Mountain Folk to do battle against them. In mockery of their elemental Paths, the foul forbidden gods of the Underbrood turned the substance of that place against them, but the Tricerok stole the secrets of that mastery and with their ancient powers brought the five elements of the world below to their side. Thus were born the five Paths in Darkness. The Path of Roaring Winds is the Dark Path of Air. Deep below Creation, one would imagine air moved little, if at all; but the heat of slumbering magma vents drives the air to rise through cracks and tunnels, where it can driven to high speeds by the pressure of its confines or whipped to a frenzy as it encounters the cooler air that flows from where underground streams run. In places, one encounters wind tunnels that can lift a grown man from his feet and dash him against a stone ceiling hundreds of feet above. Still, such places are rare, and the dark gods of the Underbrood did not develop this Path so far as they did others, thinking it weak. When the Tricerok stole it, they refined its powers to reflect the true nature of the breath of Creation. This Path's Powers all rely on using air around the character, and thus cannot normally be employed underwater or in other airless environments; imaginative stunts, however, such as expelling the air in one's lungs and manipulating the air in the bubble, can circumnavigate this restriction. The Path of Roaring Winds counts as a Breed Path for Pterok.

The Path of Rumbling Stone

Jukashi — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:55:15 -0500

Long ago, the Usurpation drove the Tricerok deep beneath the surface of Creation. There they met the dark things forgotten by the world above, and stood with the Mountain Folk to do battle against them. In mockery of their elemental Paths, the foul forbidden gods of the Underbrood turned the substance of that place against them, but the Tricerok stole the secrets of that mastery and with their ancient powers brought the five elements of the world below to their side. Thus were born the five Paths in Darkness. The Path of Rumbling Stone is the Dark Path of Earth. It deals with motion of rock and the deadly nature of avalanches, cave-ins and jagged stone. It becomes useless if the wielder has no earth with which to work, for its powers do not function with metal or with any magical material save for unattuned White Jade; and even that is only possible for those with Essence 3 or higher. Tricerok gain the discount for Breed Paths when learning this Path. This Path's Powers often have differing effects based on whether they make use of stone, soil or Jade. If there is a selection, the character can always choose what source they use.

Path of the Truth's Fearsome Hunter

Jukashi — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:44:22 -0500

In the Age of Sorrows, it could be said that the Celestial City of Yu-Shan is the last real home of the Dragon Kings. It is indeed the only remaining place where fully enlightened Raptok, Pterok, Mosok and Anklok can be found in significant numbers. Sadly, despite the fact that Elder Dragon Kings can be more enlightened and powerful than the lesser gods of Heaven, their race is relegated to an extremely low position in the city's heirarchy. The Dragon Kings are considered little more than charity cases, living off the favour of their betters, and it is exceedingly easy for any god with a grudge or malicious whim to abuse their legal power and make a Dragon King's life miserable. One of the reasons for this, apart from their low standing, is that Dragon King society has ever resolved disputes through duels and other, physical means; they are unsuited, therefore, for the intricate bureaucracy of Yu-Shan, the complex interplays of favours, alliances, paperwork and socialisation, or at least less suited than the other residents, who can manifest supernatural skill in such matters. One Elder Dragon King, and Elder Raptok known as Olissan, was angered by this state of affairs, and sought out one of the Unconquered Sun's servant gods, the Righteous Firebird of Inquisition; he who oversaw the relentless quest for truth in all its forms both beautiful and terrible. In return for Olissan's unwavering service unto the third reincarnation, the Righteous Firebird promised to work with the Raptok to formulate a new Dragon King Path, designed to allow the ancient reptilian race the ability to defend themselves in the courts and society of Yu-Shan, and to hunt down those who would conceal or distort the appearance of reality to their own unjust ends. --------- With the advent of 2nd. Edition and the introduction of Social combat, it became more clear that the Dragon Kings lacked any sort of social magic; the closest they got was the illusion powers of the Path of Shimmering Water. After creating an Excellency Path, I felt the next step was to create a Path that had applications in Social Combat. The theme of the Path is part inquisitive lawyer, part carnivorous predator. It was partly inspired by the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

The Path of Ancient Excellence

Jukashi — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:18:02 -0500

A Dragon King Excellency Path created for Exalted: Second Edition. Some of these Powers can generate similar or even identical effects to existing Path Powers; they differ, however, in being dice-buying Powers, unlike the existing dice-adding Powers which mostly add a flat number of dice or successes for a flat cost. The magics of the Dragon Kings, like their physiology, are inherently different from those of humans, and thus, their Excellencies are different from those of the Exalted. Their Excellencies stem not from being channelled through abilities or attributes, virtues or fate manipulation, but from direct magical skill. Thus, Dragon King Excellencies typically use either Path level or Essence to determine dice maximums. To make up for this more limited capacity, Dragon King Excellencies are typically broader in effect than those of the Exalted, and can often add dice where none already exist. In addition to the traditional Essence Overwhelming, Dragon Kings possess unique Excellencies which the Exalted do not possess. As with Dark Paths, humans with awakened Essence may learn the first Power in this Path. Dragon Kings may select this Path as a Favoured Path. Storytellers who use this Path may also decree it a Breed Path for all Dragon Kings and allot extra starting dots of Paths to reflect the likelihood of all Dragon Kings possessing it, but such a decision will make Dragon Kings more powerful than normal.