Spending Exp.

Foregoing Craft 2 for now, buying 4 dots of Lunar Bond with Obsidian, as per Dean Shomshak's fix: http://forums.white-wolf.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=50911

interesting. doesn't it effect our back story though?

Fluff is the only thing that's different about the fix, really, so I don't see where it would need to change. Personally, I think we should call the fix a new way of modeling the same phenomenon. MY problem with the background isn't the concept, it's that it's a slave chain paid for with the slave's XP (as someone in the thread put it eloquently). This takes off the penalty that made it unreasonable and actually gives something useful.

got it

Cf this as a possible fluff reworking: (copy pasta'd from the Shomshak thread)

Given that this was made as an attempt to get rid of the (abusive) Solar Bond, or at least I'm seeing it that way, I'm not sure using this in addition to the Solar Bond is kosher. The Lunar is still chained to a particular Solar.

On the other hand, I like the dynamics that a Solar Bond can impose upon characters, and not just Lunars. To use sig examples, Sulumor abandoning the Reclamation plan after seeing her Lunar Mate, or Lilith prodding Swan towards challenges to test him.

So, perhaps we could do it like this - There's nothing in Luna write-up that indicates a metaphysical commitment to the Sun. She's her own being. What drove her to be UCS' mate was her creators urging. So it is with Lunars. They can make Bonds. It's a core part of their Essence. However, there's no such thing as a "Solar Bond". In the beginning of the Primordial War, Sol and Luna encouraged their Chosen to work in pairs, like themselves did, and so, the first Lunars each bonded to a particular Solar. Those were strong Bonds, forged upon the fires of the Mother of All Wars, and so they left an impression upon their souls. As the Exalted reincarnated, their Past Lives memories urged them towards a particular Mate, even though they had no particular obligation to do so.

By the High First Age, this had became almost mandatory, however. A newly Exalted Solar had all his contacts, friends and allies from past incarnations, so, for the Lunar to actually deny him her loyalty was seen as a grievous offense. Throw in the Solar ego and madness by that time and you have your old leash-Bond, forced upon them, and not of their own choosing.

Things changed, however. A millennium and a half have passed since the Solars last had any sort of contact with their Solar mates. To the newly-Exalted Lunar, there's nothing more than misty memories when they meet one of these shiny novelties that begun to show up. Others, maybe, linked by a stronger emotion (Be it love or hate) can remember more, and have a stronger compulsion to reach out for their old mates.

And then, there are the Elder Lunars, The mark left upon their souls by their last Solar Mates had were not diluted by Lethe, so, of all the Lunars, they have the strongest reactions when meeting their old Companions.

The Exalted, however, aren't under any sort of obligation to follow these old callings. They may deal with it as they deal with every other issue from their past lives - They can treat it with the utmost respect, or they can shrug it off like the dead things they are.

lol i was just going to comment on that post

That works for me.

I don't like those mechanics... It seems to essentially create an specialty for when you are acting towards the bond. For Pall that might be interesting, as his love will only come up in extraneous situations. For Flipper that seems to say add (rating) dice to all actions, since he can, arguably, always be acting for that intimacy. Doubly once you add that "Fight at the side of your boon companion" counts.
I like the forum comment of treating it like a virtue, but I would power it up a bit more. I think +(rating) dice to (rating) actions each scene would work.

I do like the idea of Lunar choosing to bond to someone, but I think that by nature it has to be solars. Make a knack that allows him to break it. That seems very lunar by the Revild fix.

That's just my thought though. This does make me want to post my Taboo Fix though. Look for it...

It does functionally create a super broad specialty. Hmm. I talked with James a little bit about which fix worked, and Revlid's "treat Bond as a Virtue that can be channeled" felt a little underpowered compared to the current canon (although I sort of like his take on Bonds and Limit).

However, Shomshak's fix does need some sort of limiter, either in scope or number of times used. Maybe either strictly fitting within the context of the intimacy or limited to (associated Virtue) uses per scene if we wanted to tie it to Virtues.

Shomshak promised revisions this weekend, so we'll use the limited number of uses fix for a stopgap measure until then (although Flipper probably won't hit that limit).

Somewhere on the boards someone proposed a Charm that let Lunars make bonds. I think I'll implement that (once I find a suitable writeup); Lunars can still bond with any Solar without this Charm though, and they'll always have a hardwired intimacy to their original Solar mate, which Lytek is under strict orders (as per a subsection of the Mandala Accord) to never tamper with.

Most recent semi-official bond update
http://forums.white-wolf.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=50911&p=5

I think it's a bit too far in the other direction now, but oh well.

Ditto my thoughts. We'll stick with what we had.

I think this might just be a case where a good dose of common sense is necessary.

If I buy a first degree in alchemy, can I later spend some XP to buy off the "foul smell" flaw? I was thinking there's probably some sort of body powder filed under "Life's little pleasures" that could either mask the smell or deodorize it temporarily. Then if we assume diligent re-application, I could shake that -2 social penalty so long as I can afford the ingredients.

If you spend XP to get rid of the smell, we can say you discover something that, once ingested, permanently neutralizes the bad smell by changing your body chemistry.

If you learn alchemy, you don't have to spend XP on specifically getting rid of the mutation as long as you can make deodorant (if you go this route, you'll still "have" the mutation, you just won't take penalties).

I think I know how I should write that in-character, too, and I can do it without much deviation. You never know exactly what's in your food at a greasy spoon...

Conversion rate is 3:1, yes?

For currency? About 5:1 for silver to jade. If you're talking about XP to bonus points, that's about 2:1.

Well then, bye-bye mutation.

If nobody objects, I'm going to move on without people. (Granted, I won't get far, because I need Andrew to interact with, but still...)

go for it

I still get e-mails notifications, so I'll try to be prompt with responses. Responding shouldn't take me more than a week at the most, and I'll try to post at least 1 non response post per week to keep things moving.