The games designers dictate rather than describe what the Abyssal Exalted are. Also you have to make the unpleasant choice between being a 'slave'' and a 'renegade.' Since the Manual of Exalted Power books are the primary range of supplements, published in hardback, they really would have benefited from being printed in colour like the main rulebook. This is begging to be put into colour. All the dripping blood would look spectacular.
Although the pages are dark didn't find this book physically difficult to read. Instead, actually reading it is a more unpleasant experience. Some of the ideas mentioned in a review about Resonance gave me a better impression than the ones actually thought of by the writers. Heavy emphasis is placed on being Abyssal Exalted rather than deathknights. Playing a morbid revenant is one thing, a very cool one, playing a servant of the Void is something else. This book would have been better if playing a servant to Oblivion was optional and all Abyssals literally lived up to their name of deathknights.
The chapter on Deathlords characterises the off-the-wall style much of the more intense material of Exalted possesses. It's somewhat similar to the way the White Treatise was written.
The section on Charms, the focus for any player, was mixed. At times they can be brilliantly written: 'Abyssal surgeons can quickly determine if the patient will recover from her ailments or if she belongs in the flesh vats with the rest of the raw materials.' They do have a tendency, like the descriptions of the Abyssal Castes, to lean towards a depressive, moribund angle. Something I suspect that could be an influence of Vampire. Luckily, since this is the most critical chapter, a lot of it works but I feel could still be improved. Two martial arts styles are included; the natural Abyssal martial art: Dark Messiah Style, and Hungry Ghost Style. I think that Dark Messiah Style was rather miswritten, and the material would suit a terrestrial martial art better. The emphasis on 'bullying' direct physical violence lacks the depth for a Celestial martial arts style. The 'obscure and terrible' Hungry Ghost Style is quirky and much more stylish.
The Craft Charm for making soulsteel was a disaster. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to but all it consists of is one Charm for hammering a ghost into soulsteel rather than an intricate existential process. On the subject of Craft Charms, they're a good example of the writer constrict the players in their actions since several of the Charms can only be used for destructive purposes were you might find that being able to create something indirectly destructive due to the way the character used it, would be more valuable and give the players room to do what they want.
The chapter on Necrotech was a significant disappointment. Instead of some wonderful piece about how it blurred the differences between life and death like a corporeal version of making soulsteel, all it consists of is stitching together pieces of dead things, which requires no more exotic Abilities than Medicine and Craft (Fire) and then casting a necromancy spell to animate it. There are a lot of different things you can do with Necrotech, there's a full list of how you can use 'creation points' as well as sample creations they thought of, but the whole thing is singularly unimaginative. One fault I have with Exalted is they almost try to eschew having influences. reading Herbert West- Reanimator (particularly chapter 5- which can be found on the Wikipedia article about H.P. Lovecraft) would have ahd a massive effect on this. Necrotech requires mundane maintenance rather than being living engines of death.
It's worth noting there are several new Solar Charms which mirror Abyssal ones other players might be interested in. Back on the subject, several Abyssal Charms require the Whispers Background in a requirement called Avatar. Although their power stems from Oblivion, having Whispers of Oblivion (available to ghosts) isn't necessary but rather Whispers of the Neverborn. There seems to be a lack of proper differentiation between the sources of the Abyssals' power. The Neverborn are portrayed as being rather more alive and in a more concrete way than I feel is good for the game. They definitely are 'alive' and capable of thought and even action among those connected to them. There's no mystery in how cognizant their consciousnesses are, are the Whispers their thoughts or just the final death scream of dead gods?
The Abyssals themselves are particularly beholden to the Neverborn and according to the rulebook fully versed by their Deathlord masters in all the knowledge they want them to know. There's no scope within the existing rules for Abyssals who don't know they even have any connection to the Deathlords or know what they are. Storytellers may even decide it's better if no one even knew that the Deathlords as such even existed. One thing I think they would have benefited from is a heavier emphasis on death than Oblivion. Charms that make the Abyssals take on the aspects of ghosts would have been particularly cool. If the player decided they should take the plunge and learn Charms with the Avatar keyword (for 'Whispers of Oblivion') but allow the presence of Oblivion within them to start becoming part of their soul.
Considering it's importance I didn't actually think much of the Manual of Exalted Power series. This book is an example of why. The game has a lot of potential, but not much actualised brilliance.
