20 Questions

Who do you want to be? What do you believe in? What is your legend?

The Realm is a society which is often different from our own. The goal of these twenty questions is to guide you through a method of character creation that will help you produce a character that is intersting, conflicted, and fits well into the fictional world of Exalted and the Realm.

Section I: Broad Strokes

These two questions define your character in the broadest possible terms.

1. Which Great House raised you?

Each House has a unique background and brings a unique perspective to the table. You should choose a House which interests you or which has themes that you want to engage with.

• House Cathak. A military house famed for brilliant tacticians and powerful Legions.
• House Cynis. A luxurious and decadent House with a reputation for debauchery and intrigue.
• House Ledaal. A zealous and traditional House devoted to upholding the social order.
• House Mnemon. A proud, devout House with a deeply-involved guiding hand.
• House Nellens. A scrappy House of mongrels and thin-bloods.
• House Peleps. A beloved House of folk heroes charged with maintaining the Imperial Navy.
• House Ragara. An obscenely wealthy House of bankers and merchants with a finger in every pie.
• House Sesus. A thuggish and secretive House with a bad reputation and a whole lot of spies.
• House Tepet. An ancient military House with a warrior tradition older than the Realm itself.
• House V’neef. An upstart House, less than 30 years old, trying to bust its way onto the stage.

Define at least one Intimacy related to your House. How do you feel about your House? How do you feel about its reputation? Are you proud of your House, or embarassed? Does your House embrace you, or alienate you as a failure?

2. What is your Aspect?

Every Prince of the Earth has an element that they resonate most strongly with. What is yours?

Choose one of the five elements to be your Aspect:

• Air. Air is subtle and clear. It is distant and cold. It manifests in the passive as wind and breath. It manifests in the active as frost and lightning. It is associated with the color blue.
• Earth. Earth is enduring and stubborn. It is tough and unmoving. It manifests in the passive as mountains and soil. It manifests in the active as earthquakes and metal. It is associated with the color white.
• Fire. Fire is dynamic and eager. It provides energy and encourages spontaneous action. It manifests in the passive as light and smoke. It manifests in the active as bonfires and burning ash. It is associated with the color red.
• Water. Water is flexible and mysterious. Water is persistent and flows from Heaven to Earth and back again. It manifests in the passive as rivers and rain. It manifests in the active as typhoons and floods. It is associated with the color black.
• Wood. Wood is vital and sensual. Wood presides over the cycle of life and death. It nurtures and also destroys. It manifests in the passive as blossoms and fruits. It manifests in the active as thorns, vines, and poisons. It is associated with the color green.

After you choose your Aspect, Lot-Casting Atemi will automatically fill in your Aspect Abilities. You receive 1 free dot in each.

Consider how your Aspect influences and reflects your personality. In the notes section of your character sheet, write one way in which you reflect your element, and one physical Aspect marking that you have.

Section II: Skills and Education

In this section, we will walk through your natural aptitudes and your learned skills.

3. In what ways did you stand out among your peers?

Which of the following statements do you agree with the most? Which do you agree with the least?

I was physically superior; I was stronger, faster, or more durable.

I was socially superior; I was more charismatic, more wily, or more sensual.

I was mentally superior; I was more perceptive, more intelligent, or wittier.

The statement you agree with most defines your primary Attributes. The statement you agree with second-most unsurprisingly defines your secondary Attributes. The statement you agree with the least defins your tertiary Attributes.

Every Attribute begins with 1 dot for free, congratulations. Now distribute 8 more dots among your primary Attributes, 6 more dots among your secondary Attributes, and 4 more dots among your tertiary attributes.

Define at least one self-reflective Intimacy that relates to your Attributes. If you have high Strength but low Intelligence, perhaps you consider yourself a stupid brute; etc.

4. What secondary school did you attend and how did you stand out?

As the heir to one of the most powerful political forces in the world, you were sent away to school at about seven or eight. After you reached 14-15ish, you were sent to one of the most prestigious schools available.

Choose one of the following options:

• The Cloister of Wisdom. You were sent to the Cloister of Wisdom, a combination monastery and school. While you were there, you studied under the monks to learn the virtues of clarity, tranquility, and wisdom. About half of your fellow graduates went on to join the Order; the rest went out to do whatever it is they please, with serenity in their hearts and minds.
• The Heptagram. You were sent to the distant and freezing Isle of Wrack to set down the lonely path of the sorcerer. The Heptagram is the best school of sorcery and arcane knowledge in the world. You were apprenticed to a staff of acclaimed mystics and learned the virtues of wisdom, fortitude, and drive.
• The House of Bells. There is no finder academy of military arts in the world than the House of Bells, where you were sent. Under a rigorous schedule of study and practice, you mastered all forms of warfare and combat, and were taught the virtues of courage, strength, and discipline. You served in the Legions or Navy as a comissioned officer.
• The Spiral Academy. The Academy teaches one rule, and teaches it well: you cannot rule without understanding that which you rule. At the Academy, you were taught the virtues of knowledge, subtlety, and precision by a staff of the most acclaimed ministers and teachers in the world. It’s like if Oxford and Harvard had a baby, but with more politics and an occasional “accident.” Most of your schoolmates went into the ministries, and many of them probably also became spies.

Consider how you stood out at school. Were you especially studious or did you frequently pick fights? What did you do in your scant spare time not devoted to studying, networking, and fighting?

Choose Abilities you excel at; they cannot be the same as the 5 Abilities you marked from your Aspect. In Lot-Casting Atemi, select them under the “Favored Abilities” list. You receive 1 free dot in each.

5. What skills have you acquired across your life?

You have never been idle. You have always acquired skills.

Distribute 20 additional dots among all the Abilities on your character sheet, however you choose. Lot-Casting Atemi will keep track of how many you have distributed; at the end, you should have distributed 30. Perhaps you learned field medicine during your time in the Legions, or you studied spycraft during your time at the Academy to learn Stealth and Larceny.

While answering this question, you cannot raise any Ability above 3 dots.

6. What areas have you specialized in?

A specialty is a specific area of focus for an Ability, like Melee (Swashbuckling) or Athletics (Acrobatics).

Based on your secondary school, choose two of the three listed Abilities in which you gain a free Specialty. You must have at least 1 dot in an Ability in order to have a Specialty.

• If you attended the Cloister of Wisdom, choose two Specialties among: Integrity, Lore, Martial Arts.
• If you attended the Heptagram, choose two Specialties among: Craft, Lore, Occult.
• If you attended the House of Bells, choose two Specialties among: Archery, Melee, War.
• If you attended the Spiral Academy, choose two Specialties among: Bureaucracy, Presence, Socialize.

Then, choose three additional Abilities to receive a free Specialty.

Section III: Duty and Ambition

You are neither idle nor satisfied; you have duties to fulfill and ambitions to pursue. This section will help you determine them.

7. What is your Duty, and to whom do you owe it?

You have not made it into adulthood without developing attachments. Among these, you have a Duty that you have taken on. This has not been imposed upon you; you chose this life, as much as anyone chooses their talents.

Choose your Duty and who holds it. Here are some examples:

• You are a minister. You have joined the Realm’s bureaucracy and you are part of the execution of government. You owe a Duty to “the Realm.”
• You are a Legionnaire. You are a career soldier and have served overseas or here on the Isle. You owe a Duty to your Legion, your Superior, or the Military in the abstract.
• You are a monk. You have eschewed your personal wealth and even your own name in pursuit of the spiritual. You owe a Duty to “the Immaculate Order.”
• You are a spy for your House. You have been given a cover identity and you feed important information back to your House – and sometimes also to a high bidder. You owe a Duty to “your House”.

Whatever your Duty is, it should be active and flexible.

Define an Intimacy that reflects your Duty. Define an Intimacy that reflects your relationship to the person who holds your Duty. One of those two should be at least Major.

8. What do you deeply desire, and how does it conflict with your duty?

You are never satisfied. You always want something. This is your personal goal, something that you will fight for.

Your Goal should be something that conflicts with your Duty. The simple conflict between what you must do and what you want to do is fertile ground for character growth. They don’t have to always be in conflict, but they should pull you in opposing directions at least occasionally.

Like your Duty, your Goal should be active and flexible.

Define an Intimacy that expresses your Goal. It should be at least Major.

9. Who and what are you connected to in this world?

You already have a connection to your House. Take a moment now to reflect on the other entities that matter to you – positive or negative.

Your family is always a good start. Do you love your parents, or resent them for your cold and difficult childhood? Both? Are you married? If not, why not? Do you have children? How do you feel about them?

Who have you loved that broke your heart? Who do you love now, but cannot be with?

Is there an institution or group that you care deeply about? Maybe you have a strong emotional tie to your Legion or to your department in the bureaucracy.

Define at least one Intimacy related to someone or something you care for. Define at least one Intimacy related to someone or something you oppose.

Section IV: History

This section will guide you through defining your history and legend up to this point.

10. What advantages have you accumulated in life?

Every character has a suite of Merits that represent your advantages. Check out that page for a full list.

Distribute 13 dots of Merits however you like. Then, distribute 5 more among the Backing, Command, Contacts, Followers, Influence, Language, Resources, and Retainers Merits to reflect your privileged position in society. Your Merits should total 18.

Consider if you have Intimacies related to any of your Merits. Each of the Merits has a suggestion for some Intimacies you might hold.

11. What is your greatest accomplishment so far?

Consider how you have succeeded. What have you done that you are most proud of? Is it the same as what most people would say is your greatest achievement?

This might tie in to your Merits – maybe it was a glorious victory with your Command, or your Backing helped you achieve it.

Write down your accomplishment in the Notes section of your character sheet.

12. What is your worst failure so far?

Consider how you have failed – no one stays up forever. What have you done that you most regret? Is it the same as what other people would say is your greatest failure?

Section V: Personality and Behavior

This section will help define who you are as a person.

13. What is your greatest virtue?

What virtue does your character embody? You might want to consider virtues from a Realm perspective, not necessarily an American one. For example, “filial piety” is a much more significant virtue for the Realm than it is for Americans. Likewise, “individualism and self-sufficiency” don’t matter for the Realm so much.

Define an Intimacy that relates to your virture. Instead, you might just consider how your character reflects this virtue in their behavior.

14. What is your heroic flaw?

Everyone has a moral weakness. All good legends need a flaw. For Greek heroes, hubris was often a flaw; Herakles was filled with rage. Sherlock Holmes had an opium addiction. Greg House hates humans even though he’s a doctor. Scooby and Shaggy are gluttons.

Define an Intimacy that is related to your flaw. Your flaw is ideally something broad enough like “hubris”, “misanthropy”, or “gambling addiction” so that it can come up in many different circumstances.

Choose some trinket or possession that reflects your flaw. A gambler might carry dice and cards, hubris might be reflected through your collection of trophies, etc.

15. What do people notice first when they meet you?

What stands out about you on first impressions? Maybe you are huge and bearded, like a barbarian. Maybe you have eyes that pierce the soul. Maybe you wear an outdated fashion or affect a foreign look. Perhaps you never take off your armor, even while you should be safe.

Your reputation might be the first thing people notice about you.

Consider what stands out about you, and write it down in the Notes section of your character sheet. It’s a good detail to throw in when you are meeting new characters – it’s worth a stunt on your first impression.

Define a distinct item that people associate with you. Maybe you have a big tattoo on your face or you have a turquoise comb that people can’t help but notice.

16. How do you react to stressful situations?

Dynasts of the Realm are expected to maintain steely composure of their emotions at all times. Displays of passion are meant to be restricted to the most important occasions.

What is your tick? No one maintains a perfect facade at all times. Do you chew your lip? Drum your fingers? Play with your hair? Do you snap under stress and fly into a rage at the first tip of the scales?

Consider what noteworthy tick you have. Consider how it relates to your established strengths and flaws. Maybe your Air Aspect closes up under stress and retreats to the “big picture” as an escape mechanism, etc.

17. What biases have you inherited from your upbringing?

You are the privileged scion of an imperial machine. Whether you like it or not, you are a product of your society and have inherited biases and preexisting beliefs that inform your daily life.

Some examples include:

Men are too emotional to be trusted with power.

Women deserve to be in charge.

Men are better artists than women.

Women are always scheming and plotting their next move.

It is the divine right of all Dragon-Blooded to rule society.

Cowards must be exiled from society and cannot redeem themselves.

Maybe you belive this strongly enough for it to be an Intimacy. Regardless, you should make a note of at least one way in which you have been biased by your society.

Section VI: Name and Appearance

We are nearly finished. In this section, we will determine what you look like and what you are called.

18. What do you look like?

What do you look like? What color is your skin? Your eyes? Your hair? Do you have any scars or markings?

The dominant ethnic group on the Blessed Isle is the Wàn. They strongly resemble Han Chinese people. The Wàn often have red hair, like the Empress. Dozens of other significant ethnicities exist, scattered across the Isle.

Creation is like anime in that you can have almost any hair or eye color and have it be natural. Go wild!

In the section on clothes, you can read more about clothes.

Choose what you look like, and what you tend to wear.

19. What is your personal name?

Most names in the Realm are words drawn from nature: Shining Jade, River, Rain, Red Crane, Sunlight, etc.

The other scheme is a phonetic name. These names rarely mean anything, but are usually chosen because they sound nice. Most of these names are CVCVC or CVCVCV.

House names always come first, then family name, then given name. Most Dynasts drop their family name. It is rude to address a person by their personal name unless you are well acquainted. Usually, you address someone by their House name.

Section VII: The End

Nothing lasts forever…

20. How will you die?

Dragon-Blooded can live for centuries – but most do not. Most Dragon-Blooded die gloriously before they reach the end of a century.

How will you die? Will you die gloriously on the battlefield? Will you die of old age surrounded by wealth and power? Drowned at sea in a daring escapade?

This answer is not binding, but both you and I should keep it in mind.

Final Touches

You have a pool of 18 bonus points to spend however you like according to the following table. Spending bonus points is the only way to raise your Abilities to 5.