Seduction

Seduction

(From Exalted, 3rd Edition)

The Exalted are often driven by their desires, inflamed by passions that span the centuries. Many Chosen while away the years in pursuit of torrid love affairs and whirlwind romances. With some of the Chosen, seduction is an art form, and with others it's an instinct. In the social influence system, seduction can be accomplished a number of ways. The seducer might rely on the instill action—through suggestion, innuendo or poesy, she plants a seed of interest in the mind of her love interest. She may then use the persuade action, insinuating herself into the comforts of her target. Others may find it easier to simply attract interest at social gatherings, through seductive gestures or facial expressions, perhaps accentuating their most provocative clothing or their favorite features in other to draw attention. In these and many other cases, the character need not use the instill action, and if a persuade action is required, it can often be perfunctory— characters who respond to such signals are usually eager to explore their significance. Generally, when the seducer's target is already interested in sex, no roll is needed. Seduction can also be accomplished through the bargain action, in a roundabout way. The Empress herself once wrote of her frustrating attraction to the “boorish” Brem Marst, whose wealth drew her as surely as his handsome brow.

(From Scrolls of Esoteric Wisdom, Vol. 6—Scroll of Swallowed Darkness)

So you don't want to be just a god-king come to bring justice and glory back to Creation—you want to be a god-king of sex. A character with the Motivation to be known as Creation's greatest lover might take every social Charm in the book and get by just fine. Fortunately, you don't have to neglect every other aspect of a character to be an effective lover. For the most part, you don't even have to penetrate deeply into Charm trees to get a decent array of Charms for all the situations of seduction. After all, it's not enough to have five different ways to get a particularly luscious treat into bed—what about pleasing your lover once there? Or guarding against certain unfortunate side effects? For the dabbler, an Excellency or two in the appropriate categories will suffice—typically Presence, Performance or Athletics (or Dexterity and the Social Attributes for Lunars). It's also important to have decent mental defenses to avoid being unwillingly seduced, which is where Integrity, Appearance and Willpower come in handy. If the Storyteller chooses to make the chance of pregnancy an issue for female characters, maiden tea is a simple and effective contraceptive, available at Resources 2 and requiring only one dose a month. For those who wish to delve deeper, suitable Charms vary according to Exalt, as follows. For seduction, Solars benefit most directly from Heart-Compelling Method and Wild Revelry Approach. Husband-Seducing Demon Dance is the ultimate of such Charms and belongs in the arsenal of any dedicated lover, but it takes quite a few steps to reach. Graceful Crane Stance or Feather-Foot Style allow for unique positions, while Immunity to Everything Technique is a handy ward against playing in dirty pools.

As the dark side of Solars, Abyssals have Charms that mirror the Solar versions, and generally work just as well—or better for the sole purpose of seduction, in the case of Irresistible Succubus Style.

The Dragon-Blooded have Warm-Faced Seduction Style as their primary tool, but the usefulness of Passion Transmuting Nuance and Sweeten-the-Tap Method should not be overlooked—the former allows one to seduce a bitter enemy, while the latter paves the way for orgiastic excess. On the other hand, Soul-Stirring Performance Method is a much more direct way to induce lust in a large group: just give the audience the goal "have sex with the performer." Jade Defense, in turn, helps resist such tactics. Finally, when planning a week-long orgy, the usefulness of Unsleeping Earth Meditation should not be underestimated.

Lunars are, bar none, the most adaptable lovers among the Exalted, and in addition, they possess a number of Charms that appeal directly to baser emotions. Between Terrifying Lust Infliction, Irresistible Silver Spirit and Perfect Symmetry, Stewards can have their choice of individuals. For that matter, they can have their choice of entire groups via Feeding the Bear Progression. Scorpion and Toad Absolution wards off the nastier side effects of sleeping around, while Hard-Nosed Denial Style serves as a potent defense against being seduced. This is without even getting into all the possibilities of shapeshifting— especially with the Knacks Prey's Skin Disguise (for the amoral seducer) and Twin-Faced Hero—or the vast kingdom of beasts

The Sidereals are ideally suited to seducing spirits and gods, as many of their Charms are aimed at dealing with them—for instance, Song of Spirit Persuasion and Mark of Exaltation. For more general lovers, though, a Bureaucracy, Performance, Presence or Socialize Excellency plus Heart-Brightening Presentation Style can go a long way. World Shaping Artistic Vision with a condition of "While Bedding" can turn a crafty Vizier into the best of lovers. However, the most powerful Charms are Cash and Murder Games and You and Yours Stance, allowing a Sidereal to wield great emotional power. Surprisingly, Viziers have no easy way to resist seduction attempts in any situation, save a generally applicable Integrity Excellency.

Of course, you could choose to develop your character further in different directions—one character might become renowned for her indefatigable stamina and endless charm, while another has such great beauty, he has only to walk by a couple to cause arguments and lust-induced breakups. Or one might choose instead to develop a special rapport with the beasts of the field. The guidelines above are a good base to build from, however. Beyond that, the imagination is the limit.

The Red Rule

(From Exalted, 3rd Edition)

In almost all aspects, Exalted doesn't mechanically distinguish between Storyteller characters and those the players control. Here's the exception:

A player-controlled character can only be seduced or otherwise put in a sexual situation if the player is okay with it. Otherwise, any such attempt fails automatically.

This is completely up to the player's discretion, and they can waive this rule's protection if they want their character to be seduced, if they think it would improve the story, or for whatever other reason. This is entirely up to the player, and on an attempt-by-attempt basis—waiving the rule once doesn't void your ability to call on it later against the same character, or even in the same scene. If no one in your group ever invokes this rule, that's also fine—but players don't have to watch their character put into a sexual situation they're not comfortable with.

Groups that feel comfortable in doing so should allow player characters the full range of their seductive prowess when entangled with Storyteller-controlled characters... although remember that the Storyteller is also a player and their boundaries should be respected.