How deadly are extras in Exalted 2nd ed.?

Question

So, I'm rather new to exalted, playing in my first campaign, and I have the sneaking suspicion I'm doing something very very wrong.

My first character was an earth aspect (We're all playing dragonblooded) built like a tank- physical stat main, with three ox-body charms. I was enjoying him,and it seemed like he was doing okay in the first few group fights. Then I wound up seperated and slightly wounded (got kicked through a barn door, which was actually kinda cool) and sorounded by six extras. I figured I'd just deal with them and rejoin the main fight. Not so- the lot of them just wore me down and beat me to death. The rest of the group managed to win the main fight, then avenge me, and blamed it on bad rolls. (To be fair, the dice did hate me.) My second character was a wood aspect archer, and made it his goal to stay as far from groups as he could. That worked fine for a bit, until I wound up so far back from the main party that another batch of extras plus one heroic mortal showed up and took me to incapacitated before anyone could reach me.

I was under the impression Exalts were functionally demigods, divinely powered and stronger than any mortal man- And then a bunch of angry farmhands beat me to death with improvised weapons. Is there some 'obvious' thing you build in a character I'm not seeing (like making sure you have a decent AC in D&D, or making sure to have a decent athletics or other blocking skill in FATE) or am I vastly overestimating my power compared to mortals? I don't need to be Rambo compared to other exalts, but I keep thinking I'll be able to deal with a halfdozen mortals.

I think the idea of the game is interesting, and enjoy playing with the group, but this is irritating me.

Answer 1

At character creation, six extras should not be a serious threat for an exalt. Extras have fewer health levels than heroic characters, can't stunt, and your attacks do automatic damage to them, rather than damage being rolled. Indeed, only five of them should be able to attack you at once, as is a general rule for exalted combat (though one of the five attacks will be unexpected). As a combat character, you probably should be able to take one extra down ever attack, or maybe every other attack.

From the strategy perspective, as a DB, you should be spending essence on reflexive defensive charms, especially your excellencies pretty freely, and (just like any exalted character) stunting on every tick you act, if possible. At character creation, use your advantage as one of the Princes of Creation to load up on artifacts and manse (and thus hearthstone) at the reduced costs you get them at.

My suspicion, however, is that your ST is doing something not by the book in how he's running extras. Note well the rules I've listed in the first paragraph, and also, note that the some exalted 2nd ed book have the DVs for NPCs effectively doubled, since the write the entire pool the DV is calculated from, rather than the actual DV.