Heroquest Exalted: At a loss for bangs

[Erik Ny]

So, after some discussion, me and my players agreed to set our game in the Exalted universe, using the conversion to HQ available here.

The characters:

Fatima, oldest daughter of the Tri-Khan of Chiaroscuro. She was intent on taking the throne after her father, rather unusual in the patriachal south. Her brother took offense at the idea and staged a coup, killing their father in the process, making himself the new Tri-Khan. Fatima would have been killed as well, but exalted just in time to give her sufficient power to escape on a ship set for Kanveer, a small kingdom to the east. She's a Dawn caste, intent on taken back the throne her brother took. In Kanveer, she wants to take the first steps toward building an army to recapture Chiaroscuro. Needless to say, that's not going to be entirely easy. She has a strong sense of justice, and has a bond with common people that her noble peers find rather quaint...

Lasim was a member of an assassin clan working in Nexus. When he exalted, he'd been daydreaming on a surveillance job, and a woman who he is sure is his soulmate from a past life warned him in his dream of an imminent danger, and he exalted into a Night caste as a group of thugs ambushed him. Now he's on a hopeless search for the woman from his dream, certain that his dream (and subsequent ones) are true. Lasim is tired of killing, and left the guild soon after he exalted. He's keeping on the move, both to look in new places for his love, and to stay a step ahead of the imperial wyld hunt that is after him.

The third character I don't know the name of, but he's member of the house of Peleps, sent away from the imperial city on a diplomatic mission as he'd made himself impossible after some botched political maneuver (which I don't know the details of). He's an incredible smooth-talker, to the point that when he exalted during an assassination attempt convinced his attacker to lay down his weapon. He's also power hungry, and prepared to do almost anything to climb socially.


As of right now, the characters don't know each other, and I'm no particular hurry to change that, unless it comes naturally. We quite agree that there isn't much kickers in the character concepts, but decided not to stress it too much, as they sort of have a built in kicker, as they all recently exalted, turning each of them into some sort of demi-gods.

All the characters start the game in Kanveer. I'm afraid my creativity is running low, but here's what I've made up about some relevant people:

Princess Pei-Li disappeared a couple of days ago after she exalted as a Lunar. She won't return home, feeling she has turned into a monster. I don't know the exact circumstances of her exaltation.

King Lah-Xo has withdrawn from public life. His grief at the loss of his only child is causing him to balance on the edge of madness.

Arun is a young man who courted Pei-Li, but was rejected. He was the last who saw Pei-Li before she disappeared. Might be suspected of her disappearance.

Peleps Fenea was married to Lah-Xo as an attempt to tie up the little kingdom to the imperial house, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Queen Fenea rarely if ever uses the house's name anymore, bitter at having been shunted from the imperial city to some backwater kingdom. She has learned to love Lah-Xo, but she hates Kanveer.

Cloud is a Lunar who (literally) has taken Pei-Li under his wing, trying to help her come to terms with her new existance. Cloud is a strong warrior, but woefully inept at peoples skills.


Now, I'm thinking and thinking, but bangs just aren't coming to me, so any help would be appreciated. I've assumed knowledge of the Exalted universe, but I'll be happy to explain if needed.

[Brand_Robins]

To start generating Bangs the cheep and easy way, just start looking at where things the players/characters might want get at odds with the things they believe and the nature of the world.

First off, remember that in Exalted any Exalt is a living lightning rod. They walk into town and everyone (as soon as they find out that they are exalted) wants a piece of that action. Either they want the character dead, or want them on their side in the current conflict, or want to worship them, or want to trade them off to the Wild Hunt to get the Hunt to overlook the fact that they're worshiping gods they shouldn't be, or... so on and on. Exalts are walking one-man armies and everyone in any kind of political, religious, or conflict situation is going to want the Exalt to whack the hell out whatever it is that stands in the way of that person getting what they want.

All that in mind, I'm not going to give you bangs. I'm going to pose questions that may lead you to bangs. You'll make better ones for your group than I could anyway.

So, to go to your setting:

Princess Pei-Li disappeared a couple of days ago after she exalted as a Lunar. She won't return home, feeling she has turned into a monster. I don't know the exact circumstances of her exaltation.

How is the Princess going to respond to a Solar showing up – a creature even more anathema than her walking about in the city she is supposed to protect? What if she knows the Solar is an assassin? A general looking for an army? Or what about a Dragon Blooded who could absolve her of her sin, while using her to further his own ambitions? Or what if she was the sister or friend of the First Age True Love, who may be able to help the Solar whom she is currently trying to kill if only he can convince her he (and she) are not demons?

King Lah-Xo has withdrawn from public life. His grief at the loss of his only child is causing him to balance on the edge of madness.

Did he see her Exalt? Or is his madness caused by something else? If he is so angry/depressed about his daughter how does he respond to a bunch of new Exalts waltzing in. Does he want to hire them to get her back? To kill them? To question them about the nature of Exaltation?

How does he go about this? Does he come out of his reverie to be a king again? Come to them in robes and tatters (a nice disguise for a king) and beg them for information? Send spies to watch them? Invite the Solar to the castle, poison them, and then try and give their bodies to the Wild Hunt to buy mercy for his daughter? Does he contact the member of the Dynasty and beg him for help in return for concessions from his household?

Arun is a young man who courted Pei-Li, but was rejected. He was the last who saw Pei-Li before she disappeared. Might be suspected of her disappearance.

So, lets say some people do suspect him of that. This guy is now against the wall – he thinks he may die if the princess doesn't get found or, if he saw her Exalt, that he may get killed if she does get found. Maybe he wants to find her himself, sneak off with her and live happily ever after? Maybe that's just the story he tells the PCs so that they'll help him find her so that he can kill her and set up a coup to overthrow the current royal family? And what if he does that, but then offers the Dawn the military support of his Dynasty if she'll stay and help suppress the rebellion that will come afterwards? Will she follow honor, or will she get the start of an army?

Peleps Fenea was married to Lah-Xo as an attempt to tie up the little kingdom to the imperial house, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Queen Fenea rarely if ever uses the house's name anymore, bitter at having been shunted from the imperial city to some backwater kingdom. She has learned to love Lah-Xo, but she hates Kanveer.

Maybe she's tired of her husband, and offers to help an up and coming young noble from the Dynasty off the old king and replace him by marrying her daughter? Maybe she is religious and hates the spawn of her loins that has become anathema and wants to kill it? Is she still pretty, and does she use that to seduce some young wanderer with dreams of love into doing something for her? Does she want to save her daughter, but not bring her back to this hellhole but send her on to a greater and more glorious future (at direct odds with what her husband wants)?

Cloud is a Lunar who (literally) has taken Pei-Li under his wing, trying to help her come to terms with her new existance. Cloud is a strong warrior, but woefully inept at peoples skills.

Well, this guy has this new young thing to protect, and can't talk his way out of a paper bag. So when people come a askin questions, what's he gonna do? Kill them? Eat them? Hide the bodies? Scare the crap out of them and start a mini-Wild hunt in the area as everyone bands together to off the demons that are infesting their lands? Draw the attention of the real Wild Hunt? Go to the Solar and ask for help in the name of ancient brotherhoods long abandoned and betrayed? Try to convince them that they have common enemies and can fight together. What does the Dawn Caste think about getting this powerful of an ally, at the potential expense of getting herself killed by the Wild Hunt (not to mention having an ally that's such a loose cannon).

Then let us not forget about the kicker-esque aspects of the PCs.

She's a Dawn caste, intent on taken back the throne her brother took. In Kanveer, she wants to take the first steps toward building an army to recapture Chiaroscuro. Needless to say, that's not going to be entirely easy. She has a strong sense of justice, and has a bond with common people that her noble peers find rather quaint...

So here she has obvious chances to make powerful allies and gain the start of an army – the King, Princess, and Queen all have obvious uses to her, if only she can deal with their family politics. And what about the Lunar, or the local rebel, who want her help in overthrowing the evil of the noble family (who she sees after meeting them aren't that evil at all) and needs her help to do it? Or the commoner who is in love with the Princess and helped sneak her out of the castle, that Arun is now tracking down and trying to kill, because if he stays alive Arun's life is in jeopardy.

There are a lot of potential allies here, and chances to build a force to fight with her, just make sure that whoever she sides with will also make her powerful enemies, and that she is caught between choices of honor and pragmatism (what she wants to do, and how she wants to do things) and you'll keep her tension high.

He's an incredible smooth-talker, to the point that when he exalted during an assassination attempt convinced his attacker to lay down his weapon. He's also power hungry, and prepared to do almost anything to climb socially.

Anything? Including killing his kinswoman the Queen? Or killing her husband at her request? Or bringing back their beautiful and vulnerable daughter who is so sweet and falls in love with him and begs him to save her, but he knows that if he does he gives up his foothold on power – unless of course he marries her with the aid of an unscrupulous priest who proposes that they make the princess his key to offing the king and queen? How far is he willing to push for his power, and what prices is he actually willing to pay? Does he get excited by the idea of the power of working with Lunars and Solars, or afraid of it? When the Wild Hunt rides into town and wants to question him/ask for his aid, how does he deal with them?

Now he's on a hopeless search for the woman from his dream, certain that his dream (and subsequent ones) are true. Lasim is tired of killing, and left the guild soon after he exalted. He's keeping on the move, both to look in new places for his love, and to stay a step ahead of the imperial wyld hunt that is after him.

Hints of the true love that turn out to be false, or to lead him into impossible situations, are required here. It may not lead him direct to his true love, but everywhere he goes he should find other people search to – Arun looking for the princess, the King looking for his daughter, the Lunar searching for his lost mate? – all of these people tie into his story. Then tie that in with the fact that he's tired of killing, what about when the Lunar attacks him and he has to fight for his life, or when the Wild Hunt shows up and is going to kill him just as he's about to find the clue to his lost loves location, or when the king hides the princess away from her love and the only way to get her back is to kill his way in... Wyld Hunt + True Love + Not Wanting to Kill + Desperate People In Love = BOOM.

[Erik Ny]

Wow, excellent questions. I'm going to print this and mull over on my lunch break.

One clarification: The character from house Peleps also exalted as a solar, like the rest.

[Erik Ny]

Oh, and as an added note, Kanveer is located disturbingly close to Thorns, which allows all kinds of undead or abyssal interference if things ever got boring...

[Brand_Robins]

Oh, and as an added note, Kanveer is located disturbingly close to Thorns, which allows all kinds of undead or abyssal interference if things ever got boring...

Especially if the Undead were all helpful and full of good advice. How far can you work with an Abyssal if your goals really are similar?

And what does that say about your goals?

[Erik Ny]

Oh, and as an added note, Kanveer is located disturbingly close to Thorns, which allows all kinds of undead or abyssal interference if things ever got boring...

Especially if the Undead were all helpful and full of good advice. How far can you work with an Abyssal if your goals really are similar?

And what does that say about your goals?

Oh that is so frighteningly evil. I absolutely love it... I'm so going to use that.

In other news, I'm still digesting your previous post. Never said I was a fast thinker... :)