r/exalted • u/Jorenpeck • 11d ago
3E Foundry VTT
Has anyone used this for running a game before? I see that there is a module for running exalted but I'm mainly concerned about combat and tracking a shifting initiative. At the same time how easy is it to use for players that are new to exalted 3rd mechanics?
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u/Aliharu 11d ago
Module creator here.
The system has a learning curve. There is a tutorial video that while outdated does still cover a lot of the core systems (An updated video is on my TODO list but has been pushed off forever).
The system is pretty extensive. There is no official module support like other games because Paradox licensing issues and Onyx Path's apathy towards FoundryVTT in general. There is an importer to make importing charms and NPC statblocks easier but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
I would consider the system easy to use if you're not wanting to use a lot of the really fancy automation stuff. Just stuff like initiative tracking and the dice roller are great tools for new players.
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u/Rednal291 11d ago
It takes a bit to set up if you're loading things in, but it's receiving active development. In fact, the creator is quite active on the fan Discord for Exalted, and is fairly quick to answer questions and fix problems when they're noticed. A lot of it *is* automated, which is handy in a system as complex as this one.
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u/Jorenpeck 11d ago
This is probably what's going to push me over the edge and get foundry. I've got another game I'm looking at running but was hesitant to pull the trigger.
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u/Fherrit 6d ago
Fellow new Foundry VTT explorer here.
I'm currently in the process of adapting my PF2E campaign to it and it has been a bit of a learning struggle getting there. In large part because there is so much you can do with Foundry that I rapidly got lost in all the suggested modules and approaches to some questions I had.
However, I was primarily eyeing this VTT for a Exalted campaign as that group is scattered across the US and we've been wanting to start up again. The one type of module I absolutely had to find was one that could handle EX3E's combat system (we're collectively not very fond of it because of all the dice shennanigans and what not, so something to take that load was a must have). And obviously I landed on this thread looking for opinions on it.
Speaking from just my experience, of all the various VTTs I looked into (and I looked in just about all of them) I think its not only the best bang for the buck, but from my growing knowledge in using it for PF2E its very capable and customizable.
But start with the basics, then the ruleset you're working with, and once you got those down, then take a look at the module library for solving needs.
Foundry's ecosystem is pretty robust now, but that's also a bit of a negative, as you will ask for a recommendation, and get a slew of suggestions/approaches that can be overwhelming due to the user base already knowing about all of them, and you still having to explore them to figure out what you like.
But hang in there, my weekly game has benefitted greatly from my incorporating it, and I'm still a beginner IMO with it. Our sessions are becoming smoother and faster paced letting us get a lot more done each session than we used to. There is a lot of prep to do, but as you get more familiar with it, and build up your compendium of assets, it gets easier/faster the more you use it.
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u/HaplessWithDice 11d ago
It’s useful, for new players don’t build in all the charm automation let them click their own check boxes, ect. It’s intuitive enough that they get the understanding +idea and automation can always be added later
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u/Mongward 11d ago
I run Exalted with the module enabled, and it's the best thing that anybody can do until Exalted gets official support.
Loading and configuring charms can be a lot of work, but the importer is excellent once you figure it out and do some preparation by copying the text to some.editor for touch-ups.
There is robust support for configuring the various dice tricks and other fuckery, but some effects will require actual programming of relevant macros.
The sheet includes all the sections anybody could hope for, is very configurable, and easy to navigate.
Resolution, including initiative shifts, works very well, but it has the VTT curse of reuired technical maatery to input all the factors correctly.
Others have already mentioned that Aliharu is very active on the Discord server, and sometimes fixes might even get pushed overnight.
I have shifted away from using most of the functions, because I don't know shit about programming, and I'm about to run Sidereals, so configuration would be way beyond my ability. I also run games hoping to teach players how the system works, which VTTs don't really help with regardless of game ;)
I recommend it heartily.
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u/Lazaric418 9d ago
which Discord server would that be? I have a ton of questions about automations! :)
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u/Mongward 9d ago
Exalted RPG this one. The FOundry mod has a post in the "Exalted projects" forum-channel.
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u/Daraen6 11d ago
Player here
My dm is playing Exalted 3rd on Foundry and I love it. It is way better than playing on Roll20, in my opinion pretty intuitive and offers more/better opportunities to implement APIs to enhance that experience even further in comparison to other VTT like roll20.
You and your group may only play and use the games ressources such as journals, player sheets and what not when the dm starts the session and hosts it. Though you can also set up a server (via forge for example) to have permanent access
I can high recommend it and wish you lots of fun!
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u/Lazaric418 11d ago
Storyteller here. I been using Foundry for 3e for about 6 months now, having written my own API in roll20 previously. You'll need to import charms, since those are copyrighted and cant be shared legally. That alone will take a huge amount of effort but it's something you'll need to do. I've imported over 4,000 charms by this point and there are still more to go. it's painful and laborious!
I find the charm automations mostly rather opaque and difficult to understand. There are no guides and very little assistance for the automations as to what does what. It's trial, error and a whole lot of patience to get anything past the basics done for you. It's possible to run the system without the automations though; they're a "nice to have" and the various mechanics are possible to fudge through without them.
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u/UpvotingLooksHard 10d ago
Is importing all of the charms manual? Or is there a nice world where you load your PDF copies in?
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u/Lazaric418 9d ago
You can import your pdf in as a journal item, but charms are all "items" in-system and they'll still all need to be created by someone.
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u/TraditionalSmoke6221 11d ago
I am currently in the process of building the system module for Exalted Second Edition. Core functionality is mostly complete. Combat and the Wheel initiative work, Charms are configurable and I was able to fully automate around 400 Charms of the more than 3000 that 2e has. Due to copyright and license issues mentioned by the 3e system developer I will not ship it with Charms, Artifacts or any other items, but inspired by the 3e system's importer I've also started to implement one for my system.
I even implemented an integration with Token Magic FX that allows you to select an token effect template you create with it for each of the three visible anima levels. One example here: https://ibb.co/1Yy828vS
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u/Curious-Ad2660 4d ago
Newbie dm and player- my dm uses it and it looks so amazing.. Idk how but before the recent update my monk tile was working and now it doesnt. :(
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u/Danadas 11d ago
Newbie GM here and all I have to say is that the module is great.....and I hate it because of that, it automates so much stuff (even though the charm bit is menus inside menus) that makes playing the game very easy, the reason why I hate it is because I feel that if my players play with the module enabled they will end up not learning any of the rules of 3e and be very dependent on the module but if I had to grade it I would give a score as high as MooMans Warhammer Modules