Chosen by the gods, their power tempered only by human hearts, the Exalted are all that stand between Creation and the forces that would ruin the world. Set in a rich and intriguing setting that draws from real-world histories and fantasy archetypes, Exalted: Essence features streamlined rules for a new way of playing a classic game, incorporating story-focused action and a presentation designed to appeal to new players and longtime fans alike.
The Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide is a resource for storytellers and play groups to expand, refine, and customize their games of Exalted: Essence. This book is a reexamination and expansion of Storyteller-facing rules, system, and advice, offering guidance and options for Storytellers and groups of all levels of experience.
With powerful player characters, a wide world to explore, and incredible danger to defy, Exalted is a rewarding game to run, but it can also seem overwhelming. Exalted: Essence offers mechanical tools and storytelling advice to bring Creation to life, which the Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide builds on to make running an epic campaign even easier.
In the Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide, we present practical advice for managing powerful characters, helping players direct their characters’ own stories, and tailoring the campaign for the group. For those with ideas for their campaign firmly in mind, sections on how to more deeply engage and support Exalted’s themes may be helpful. For those who aren’t sure how they want to engage with Creation, campaign frames and adventure seeds can offer accessible places to start.
Whether you’re a brand-new Storyteller embarking on their first campaign, or just looking for new options to transform your game, we hope the Storyteller’s Guide will bring your adventures in the world of Creation to new heights.
While many Exalted books offer material for player characters, the tools in the Exalted: Essence Storyteller’s Guide go beyond new Charms or character options. Instead, it provides ideas and tools that affect entire campaigns.
Some of the material offers small, incremental changes and modules that can be added or substituted to a game freely, while other parts offer entire alternate subsystems to change up major aspects of play.
Chapter 1: Thousandfold Tales of the Chosen focuses on storytelling advice and how best to run various styles of game. Resplendent Storytelling Arts covers everything from how to set, track, and support player agendas to broader game themes and playstyles, while Adventure Hooks and Campaign Frameworks offers campaign frameworks and adventures ready to be set down at the table and run.
Chapter 2: Machinery of Greatness: Systems and Subsystems presents explication and expansion of the rules in Exalted: Essence. From the basics of success and failure to ventures revisited and expanded, the chapter covers how to smoothly integrate Exalted: Essence’s rules for their greatest effect. For those interested in modifying the rules, Cut a Bloody Swath: Optional and AlternateCombat Rules offers a myriad of options to customize the combat experience, while Essence Combat Reforged offers an entire alternate combat systems centered around teamwork, opportunity, and tactical choices. Golden Tongues and Fiery Wit: Optional and Alternate Social Rules presents similar options for social influence, including an alternate social influence system presenting more granular resolution. Finally, the Shining Miscellany covers alternative systems for the strange magic of Creation, more options for stunts, and further mechanics for narrative control.
Chapter 3: Antagonists begins with the Machinations of Doom, including best practices for designing and using enemies, before introducing the Ferocious Teeming Legions, a great accounting of new foes of every sort. From demon-worshipping assassins to ancient automata, inhuman undead to disasters from the sky, a veritable new army of enemies is placed at the Storyteller’s command. This includes some of the most dangerous and driven enemies that a circle of Exalted must face: other Exalts.
The Exalted: Essence core rulebook presents streamlined rules for a new way of playing a classic game, incorporating story-focused action and a presentation designed to appeal to new players and longtime fans alike.
Exalted: Essence is not a revision to - or replacement for - the Exalted Third Edition system. Instead, Exalted: Essence provides an alternate framework to interact with the characters, setting, and story of Exalted. Where the Exalted Third Edition game features a robust system of mechanics and rewards system mastery, Exalted: Essence shifts focus to the characters and story. Exalted: Essence paints in bold, bright colors, showcasing epic tales of action, intrigue, and heroism, whereas Exalted Third Edition delves deep into the details, allowing you to examine individual brush strokes and each thread of the tapestry.
Both games are tales of the Exalted, set in the same world of Creation. Both share the same characters, have the same histories and geographies, and chronicle the same epic legends. Exalted: Essence and Exalted Third Edition simply provide different interfaces to connect with the world of Exalted. The systems are not designed to mix-and-match — they're different engines powering the same vehicle — but all of the lore for the setting, all of the information about Creation presented in the books is consistent and equally valid.
The primary purpose behind this Crowdfunding campaign is to enable Onyx Path to create a fully-developed PDF and hardcover versions of the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide. Your support will allow Onyx Path to produce a deluxe hardcover edition for Crowdfunding backers, as well as a "standard version" hardcover and PDF released for purchase.
Exceptional funding may allow the Exalted: Essence team to expand and further explore various aspects of the game, from the expanded subsystems and alternate approaches to new antagonists and allies. Additional support will provide Onyx Path with inspiration and resources to unlock even more reward options!
Beyond those campaign-specific goals, the hope is to do what these games have always done — build a community invested in each other's stories and shared imagination. Every person who participates is joining with the goal of expanding this game and bringing this book into the world, and that common goal is a powerful spark that can fuel many great things! When you back this project, you join us on this epic journey and become part of the extended Exalted family.
All participants who would like to make this project happen can pledge their support and add to the overall campaign total. If the campaign meets the funding target ($20,000), then we will have funded the project and it will become a reality. Your pledge will only be collected if we achieve our funding target.
In thanks for your support, we offer rewards based on your level of funding pledged. The Reward Tiers listed under the "Pledge Levels" tab at the top outline the various rewards reflecting various levels of support pledged. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager.
DecideYour Destiny: do you save some shelf space and go digital-only with the PDF version, bring the game to your table with the standard rulebook, or go all in with the deluxe hardcover version? Are you just interested in the new book created by this campaign, or looking to add extras with the Add-On options available as well? Please note that physical rewards may automatically add additional charges to cover shipping expenses.
While the world of Exalted is full of epic characters and larger-than-life adventures, we've kept supporting this project as simple and straightforward as possible. To pledge support to this project and receive the book in one (or more) of the formats offered, pick one of these reward tiers:
Resplendent Storytelling Arts: This is the PDF-only reward tier. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - this is the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost and be able to download at your leisure.
Machinery of Greatness: This reward tier includes the standard hardcover version of this book. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
If you're a big fan of Exalted: Essence and want to really impress your gaming group, we're also offering a special edition Deluxe Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide hardcover book.
Golden Tongues and Fiery Wit: This reward tier includes the deluxe hardcover version of this book. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
In addition to these primary reward pledge paths, we also offer the following options:
Tales of the Chosen: Not ready to commit, or just looking to offer general support? This pledge path is for you. This does not include our primary reward, but allows you to select some digital optional Add Ons, as well as participating in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as a backer. You'll also be able to read the draft manuscript of the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide that we post throughout this campaign.
Machinations of Doom: This limied tier offers a special premium reward in addition to the basics, including the option to suggest a ??? to be included in subsequent Exalted: Essence release. Check out the Pledge Tier description for more details.
Finally, we love retailers, but modern publishing methods don’t always make it easy for them to get books into their stores. With this Exalted:Essence Storyteller's Guide campaign, we have created a special Reward Tier just for you. Any retailer who pledges at the Teeming Legions Pledge Tier will get 5 copies of the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide standard hardcover (as well as the PDF versions of each) at a retail-specific discount so that they can sell in-store.
ACCESS TO DRAFTMANUSCRIPT UPDATES – During the course of the campaign, we will be posting the ENTIRE manuscript for Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide. These previews will be shared via Backer-Only updates. You must be a backer of this project to receive these updates.
EXALTED: ESSENCE STORYTELLER'S GUIDE BACKER PDF - Crowdfunding backers will receive a redemption link for an early version of this book before it goes on sale to the public. This initial "Backer Version" will be used to get feedback from the fans to make the final version the best that it can be. When it has been updated to the final version, it will automatically be added to your DriveThruRPG library and available for download at your convenience.
EXALTED: ESSENCE STORYTELLER'S GUIDEHARDCOVER BOOKS - The main goal of this campaign is to fund the creation, production, and print run of a standard and limited edition deluxe hardcover editions of this book. Note that all Reward Tiers that include a physical hardcover version also include the digital PDF version as a bonus.
OPTIONAL DISCOUNTED PoD VERSION – For this Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide campaign, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG.com’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a printed copy of the PDF directly from their PoD partners at discounted cost (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which maybe some time after the books have gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the books from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.
In addition to the rewards listed in each Pledge Level, backers can add extra options via the Add On menu associated with your reward format. Digital Rewards can be added to any pledge, while physical rewards can only be added to rewards lists that include a version of the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide hardcover book, and will therefore have a shippable order when information is downloaded in the fulfillment system.
As we increase the overall funding and support for the project, we’re able to add additional resources to the project, building a companion book of Essence examples of adversaries and story scenarios. Each Stretch Goal will have a target that, once reached, will add a project to the reward list for backers of the relevant Pledge Levels. Whenever we achieve a stretch goal, the listing will be updated to reflect the achievement.
ACHIEVED! - At $35,000 in Funding - Antagonists from the Blessed Isle
Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Supplement - Antagonists from the Blessed Isle - An Exalted: Essence Storyteller's supplement will be created, featuring antagonists that could be found in the Blessed Isle. Backers receiving the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide PDF will automatically have this Storyteller's Supplement PDF added to their list of digital rewards. Backers pledged to receive either of the Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Guide hardcover editions will also receive a code to order the Print-on-Demand version at a discounted price.
ACHIEVED! -At $50,000 in Funding - Adventures on the Blessed Isle
Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Supplement - Adventures on the Blessed Isle - A set of plot hooks, scenario ideas, and perhaps story outlines set in and around the Blessed Isle will be added to the Exalted Essence Storyteller's supplement being built by Stretch Goal achievements.
ACHIEVED! - At $60,000 in Funding - Antagonists from the Threshold
Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Supplement - Antagonists from the Threshold - The Stretch Goal built storyteller's supplement will be expanded to include antagonists that could be found in or related to the Threshold.
At $70,000 in Funding - Adventures in the Threshold
Exalted: Essence Storyteller's Supplement - Adventures in the Threshold - A set of plot hooks, scenario ideas, and perhaps story outlines set in and around the Threshold will be added to the Exalted Essence Storyteller's supplement being built by Stretch Goal achievements.
Shipping has become increasingly expensive and is often prohibitive to non-US backers. Several contemporary publishers have decided to discontinue international shipping completely. For this project, Onyx Path wants to keep all options open to our customers, though shipping costs will reflect the expense.
PLEASE NOTE: Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping—and have an opportunity to adjust your pledge—after the campaign through the pledge manager.
The following are estimates for shipping a copy of the hardcover book with full package tracking, projected on current trends. Please note that these are estimates only and are subject to change by the time of fulfillment (currently projected by December 2028)
DOMESTIC (USA): $15 USD
CANADA: $40 USD
UNITED KINGDOM: $18 USD
EUROPEAN UNION: $40 USD
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND: $60 USD
BRAZIL*: $70.00 USD
THE REST OF THE WORLD: $65-$80 USD
Again, we will be charging the actual costs via our BackerKit pledge manager once the books are preparing to ship. These are estimated costs only, and the final costs charged will reflect the actual rates at the time of shipping. At this time, there's a lot of speculation about what that may mean, and while we acknowledge the volatility of the market, we'll do our best to find the most reasonable delivery solutions.
*Orders to Brazil will be shipped with tracking numbers once only. Should the order become lost in customs processing or during last-mile delivery within Brazil, we'll need full payment of a second order before any re-ships can take place. At this time, we can only ship books to Brazil.
Orders to the EU include projected Low Value Parcel handing fees. Any additional duties and taxes are the responsibility of the recipient.
ALTERNATE OPTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL BACKERS:
If you live outside of the US, here are your options for obtaining a physical copy:
Pledge to the campaign at the $25 Resplendent Storytelling Arts pledge level to get the PDF version plus a redemption code to purchase the print-on-demand version of the book at a discounted cost (plus shipping) from DriveThruRPG.com once it's available (see Reward Descriptions, above, for more details).
Pledge to the campaign at the $5 Tales of the Chosen reward tier to get access to the preview manuscript. Later, you can buy the PDF and/or Print-on-Demand when eventually released.
Contact your local game store and make sure you're put on a preorder list so they know there's demand for the game that they're being asked to fill, and then encourage them to back at the Retailer Tier for this campaign!
Look into a freight forwarding service that can give you a US-based shipping address and get packages delivered to it and forwarded to you.
After the campaign is over we'll launch our Pledge Manager and invite the backers to set up their rewards via survey. This allows you to confirm your pledge and add on anything that you might have missed, as well as possibly increasing your pledged reward tier, should you choose to expand your reward selection. Funding collected by BackerKit after the crowdfunding campaign does not count toward any campaign Stretch Goals, however.
After the Crowdfunding campaign, in the Pledge Manager, you 'll be able to:
Review and update your Pledge Level selection - for example, you can pledge to the Resplendent Storytelling Arts level during the Crowdfunding campaign and then switch to the Golden Tongues and Fiery Wit level once we know shipping costs and are preapring to fulfill the hardcover rewards
Confirm and Update your Shipping information - you'll be able to update your final delivery address up until we're shipping out the hardcover rewards
Pay for Shipping and additional Add On Options - we'll process payments for shipping costs and additional add-ons selected in your Pledge Manager survey when we get closer to hardcover reward fulfillment
Download Digital Reward Redemption Links - the Pledge Manager will have links to access all of your digital rewards as they are fulfilled.
Onyx Path Publishing has managed more than 70 crowdfunded projects, and that experience allows us to maintain manageable projects and achievable goals. To read more about the knowledge that has been applied to this project, you can read the FAQ linked here: http://theonyxpath.com/about/faq/crowdfunding/
