Exalted Castebook Eclipse [Paperback]

White Wolf Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2003 | Series: Exalted

The Ambassadors of the Unconquered Sun
Travelers, diplomats and spies, the Eclipse Castes of the Solar Exalted are the emissaries of the Solar Tribe. Yet, these far-ranging wayfarers are more than just negotiators and merchants. With its understanding of human nature and its skills at the bargaining table, the Eclipse Caste serves as the key advisor to the more militant castes.
The Envoys of Righteousness
Caste Book: Eclipse is the fifth Caste Book for Exalted - books detailing the differing castes of the Solar Exalted. Within its pages are all the secrets of the Eclipse Castes, from the perfect and unbreakable oath they can administer to their fragmentary memories of the First Age to the mastery of the social process that they wield. This book also contains the new magical powers, rules and artifacts that Eclipse Caste characters will need to carry out their diplomatic missions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (February 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588466647
• ISBN-13: 978-1588466648
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A crucial puzzle piece: why do Eclipse caste Solars rock?, May 5, 2005

By 

Ilan Muskat (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exalted Castebook Eclipse (Paperback)

The "Castebooks", the first character-type-specific entries in the Exalted game line, were of varying quality. Castebook: Eclipse stands out as the most interesting of the five, if not the most sugar-coated.

In Exalted, a caste represents a character type, suggesting a role for the Solar Exalted belonging to it. While specialized castes like the Dawn and Twilight emphasize the arts of war and sorcery respectively, the Eclipse caste is comprised of facilitators, travellers, and bureaucrats. In a game of kung-fu, mythological pastiche, and giant-robot-on-demon combat, finding a place for the Eclipse character is a tall order.

This book addresses this problem by fleshing out five very interesting and mold-breaking characters, including a desert admiral, a faceless agent provocateur, and a reindeer-riding emissary to the Fair Folk. Each has a compelling story to tell, and each is compelled by somehow sympathetic motives. More importantly, each illustrates just how world-shaping an Eclipse-caste Solar Exalted can be; rightly, the social skills of the Solars are feared (and treasured by players) as much as or more than Solar swordplay or sorcery.

Less interesting in the Eclipse book than in the other castebook are the mechanical cookies given to characters who focus on Eclipse skills: creating magical boats and horses ex nihilo can be interesting, and the Mantis Form martial art is actually my favourite Solar style, but the other castebooks (not to mention the extraordinary Outcaste book for the Dragon-Blooded) are replete with more potent toys and magic. That said, on the whole Castebook: Eclipse was the most *needed* of the books, fleshing out a hard-to-grasp role. It fills the niche admirably and enjoyably.

One further note: the structure of the Caste books is closer to that of a "background" supplement than a "gaming" supplement. If you pick this up, be ready to read more in-character story text than game rules. With that in mind, it's an excellent read.