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Made a PC. Dupré Galebert; Gnome Cleric Dupré Galebert was a liar, and a drat good one. He used his silver tongue and rough charm to get everything he ever wanted. He used it to hurt people, a lot of people and to be fair he help some folks too. That last part didn't help him none though, when one of the men he hurt shot him in the heart. When He died no Baron came, not even Master Saturday himself wanted the scoundrel gnome. 40 years later he woke up in his own grave, alive in a sort, the hole the crossbow bolt had left was still there. Ole Gran Brigitte told him if he wanted any chance to have his soul put to rest he'd have to atone his earthly sins by walkin the path of spirits, being the middle man between Loa and people. One Unique Thing A damned soul, walking the earth to atone for his sins, now beholding to people who seek aid from the spirits and to the wishes of those spirits. Backgrounds Repentant Sinner: Momma always said 'A Sinnner is a Sinner Born and a Sinner they will die.' Even the most pious men must sometimes do bad things to get the job done. Undead Bayouman: Livin in the swamplands all your life strengthens a man's vitality, and being dead makes you ignore a lot of the aches and pains of livin. Servant of the Spirits: When you're stuck taking orders from the Loa you have to learn how to get what you need out of them, how to appease them, and how to not enrage them enough to smite you where you stand. Icon Relationships The Emperor (Negative): There's more than a few Nobles who've heard their grandfathers and fathers curse the name Dupré Galebert and there's even more families who might be nobles now if not for one long night drinking with him. The Empire at large holds no love for Galebert. The High Druid (Positive): Followers of the Druid are good people. Make Dupré's job easy. They're always willing to lift a hand to aid the spirits, regardless of the dangers. They've been called on many times before to aid Dupré in his quest. The Shadow Prince (Conflicted): The Prince loves a fellow scoundrel. He loves them almost as much as he loves a good story, and he seems to have taken a liking to Dupré's circumstance. He's appear multiple times, some times to aid and sometimes to complicate difficult matters. The Loa seem to hate him, saying he has no right to interfere with their business anymore. ZenMasterBullshit fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 9, 2013 19:55
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General Ironicus posted:I don't think my wife would appreciate me getting married again so soon, but there's a more fictional wedding that's still up in the air so let's check in with that Well maybe I'm biased as I nearly missed my own engagement party because my fourth ed group ran overlong.... But I hope all went well. (In my defence we went through a dungeon I had meticulously adapted over from an old warhammer quest article - and the demon lich mtarn was foiled at last - or was he? )
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Aug 9, 2013 22:06
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Here's an NPC! Professor has spent the better part of the last decade...Decades? However long, in his office atop an ivory tower of the Archmage's Academy. Poring over ancient tomes and crumbling scrolls, exploring the minutiae of magics. Class after class of students have passed through. He cannot remember any of their names. Come to think of it, what was his name? Did he have one? Yes, yes, surely he did. He's published dozens of papers, there must be one of them around here, that'll serve as a reminder. Hm? Staff meeting? About his tenure? Right now, you say? Mm-hmm, yes, prestigious, great quality and quantity of research, students performed well. Excellent. One more thing, though... ...Retrieve an artifact? At his age? From...out there? Sounds dangerous. When was the last time he even cast a spell? Must've been...Well, last month he got that scroll down from that shelf. Did he use the ladder? I imagine he has 4 or 5 pairs of glasses on his head at all times, all of which he thinks are lost somewhere in his office. They may all be different prescriptions. He squints a lot regardless, whether he's talking to someone or reading. He could easily appear anywhere. An ancient ruin, out in the wilderness, the middle of a city (which was 2 stores and an inn last time he was there)... Striking Yak fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 9, 2013 23:56
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This is a NPC that i thought could be used for a quest or a PC if its considered good enough. ??? the soul of a Warlord Knight (former royal guard). Background The capital city of a small kingdom was ruled by a benevolent king who was said to inspire his people with kindness and hope, the city was known in the surrounding lands as very open and allowed everyone to enter to see the parades and share it the celebrations that the city threw on a regular basis, It was a golden age for the kingdom when during one of the celebrations the king was murdered with the assassin escaping into the crowd and out of the city. After some time it was decided that the kings only daughter should lead the kingdom, much to the chagrin of her royal guard who diddn't think she would be able to handle the pressure of following in the footsteps of her father. During this time the new queen was said to be uneasy of strangers and the city soon closed its gates to outsiders and became very shut out from the outside world. The queen started becoming worried about the surrounding villages who may be working against her and she started to send her royal guard to lead attacks on the surrounding area to ensure that her city would remain safe, during one of these attacks they attracted the attention of a group of mages who were angry after having their families hurt. During the night they entered the city quietly began a ritual in the center of town, the guard became aware of this ran down from the castle to stop these interlopers leading some of the mages and guards to be killed, as the ritual was nearing completion one of the mages recognized the royal guard from when she escaped her village and casted a spell to seal him and his guards in a small crystal, after they were all sucked in the spell completed and the city was banished to another plain with the only remaining object on the barren land there the city once stood was a small crystal. A wandering adventurer found the crystal and sold it to a merchant in another town who soon sold it to another person and the crystal exchanged hands for a millennia, all the while the souls trapped inside wanting release and to take back their city and save the queen and her people. Note All the stuff written next is intended to be after the party or whoever releases the captive souls. One Unique Thing After a millennia of entrapment the souls inside have merged into one being who lacking a body forms the shape of one with the crystal taking the place of a heart, not being bound by a physical body allows the warlord to reshape and summon weapons of all different kinds from nothing and he can make different forms of magic sheilds and buffs for his allies. Backgrounds Soul of a knight: ??? soul form allows hit to have a natural resistance to physical attacks provided they don't hit the crystal however this makes him weaker to magic unless he makes a shield or wall to defend it. Deep Pockets: his lack of a body means he can create an infinite amount of weapons and other object however they will despawn after leaving his body for to long or he loses concentration (he is still able to fire magic arrows so long as they hit his target before despawning) he can also make objects but they will only be visual copies and won't be able to act as the real item would. Support/Fighter: His warlord abilities make him able to create buffs and remove debilitations to aid his party but is also a capable fighter and can survive on his own in a fight if needed. Icons The Crusader (positive): Due to ??? failure to save his city he now believes that he must win at any cost otherwise he will continue to be a failure. The Diabolist (conflicted): ??? believes that it would be good to stay away from her bad side however he is uneasy about her methods. The Archmage (negative): Mages are dicks. Appearence ??? appears as a dark purple with a black glow surrounding him that slightly pulsates and he takes the shape of a human skeleton wearing scratched and broken armor, any weapons he summons will keep the same colors as his own body. His eyes are black holes and inside his body where a heart would be is a black crystal that looks as if it is leaking energy, if he is too damaged or if he wills it he can re-enter the crystal at which point it becomes a pure white crystal that has a noticeable shine to it. Notes I was unsure if i should give ??? a actual name, something's along the line of reaver sounded okay but I couldn't really think of a fitting one (while the royal guard seems to be the souls in control he doesn't remember his name so i think it would be more fitting to have a title as a name instead) I was originally thinking of making him part of Xeranas story but thought he would be more interesting if he had his own story and a personal mission. Doomlittle fucked around with this message at 09:17 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 09:03
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Doomlittle posted:Notes Tripquaz is a perfectly reasonable fantasy name, don't worry.
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Aug 10, 2013 09:14
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Session 22 was just amazing. The last half hour was just so tense, and I actually shouted at the cliffhanger.  Cannot overstate how great a job everyone involved is doing. Ironicus in particular, for seemingly giving every session its own One Unique Thing. Merging poker with everyone's abilities was incredible, was that planned or more spur-of-the-moment? Striking Yak fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 21:07
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Striking Yak posted:Session 22 was just amazing. The last half hour was just so tense, and I actually shouted at the cliffhanger. We probably spent way too much time planning out how things would work for that session, actually. Who was going to do what, how to use certain abilities, etc. I was going to draw the cast in their casino royale outfits even but that fell by the wayside. I'd like to get it done someday, though.
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Aug 10, 2013 21:45
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Drakkel posted:We probably spent way too much time planning out how things would work for that session, actually. Who was going to do what, how to use certain abilities, etc. I was going to draw the cast in their casino royale outfits even but that fell by the wayside. I'd like to get it done someday, though. It was a really good example of everyone coming together and playing to both their and their characters strengths. Scarlett as the straight man/lizard, mint doing the techno stuff - especially that final fight, 'you don't have the strength anymore, you feel weak. 65 psychic' - Rip caterwauling, Margaret glowering at patrons, bellas anger, nav being nav .... Oh and ironicus' glee when the extra unmarked cards came out. Everything from the casino onwards was really great collaborative roleplaying. Especially the secretive card trading.
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Aug 10, 2013 21:59
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This is really just a joke character but I guess it could be okay and this will be my last character as i seem to only be able to write unreasonable ones. Zin'ger Alien Assassin Background Zin'ger was on a mission to assassinate some alien in space when his ship collided with a meteor knocking him unconscious and sending his ship careening off into some unmapped regions of space. After regaining consciousness he found himself in unknown territory and with his ship to smashed to fix he wandered off to find some way off this planet and back home. Reaching a small city he found it populated by weird fleshy creatures deciding it may not be best to alert them he stole some robes so that he would be able to remain undetected or at least unrecognizable. Happening across some adventures he was able to probe their mind and find out about some city where they may have the technology able to send him home. One Unique Thing Being from outer space he some technology that allows him to turn invisible and he carries around a small laser dagger. Backgrounds Space Assassin: His time spent on his profession has made him very good at remaining undetected and killing without being seen. Tough Hide: He boasts a think exoskeleton that gives him a decent defense when unarmored. Arcane Weakness: Having no experience with magic means he is very weak to most kinds of magic. Icons Argstaf (possitive): Argstaf is the leader of a colony in space and considers Zin'ger his heir. Re'bonce (conflicted): The voice of the cosmos that knows who lives and who must die, Zin'ger receives his contracts through her however he has never died when a contract was put on him making the voice annoyed. Frank (negative): The head of the space guard and the one who wants Zin'ger dead the most. Notes That was terrible and I’m sorry.
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Aug 11, 2013 14:24
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Aiana Kan Aasimar Cleric (Domain of the Sun) Every morning Aiana would climb to the top of the Cathedral to watch the sun rise, though her people were content with living their lives there, Aiana longed for more. At a very young age she ran away from her life in the Cathedral to the slums of Santa Cora. There she used what she learned in the Cathedral to make a small living as a cleric for the poor and homeless. Several years had passed and she had set up a small hospital in the slums with clerics she had trained herself. It was when she felt it could sustain itself without her self that she packed up and became a wandering healer to anyone injured she came across. It was during this time in her life that she found herself among the orcs. The orcs had never seen a being like her and took to her when she began to heal the wounded. Before she left them the orc lord gave her a small bauble, a piece of iron shaped into a flower. One Unique Thing: Friend of the Orc Lord Backgrounds: Nomad: Her time traveling the wilderness taught Aiana hunting, tracking, navigation, a small amount of botany, and instilled a deep appreciation of the natural world. Scholar: Her early life in the Cathedral was filled with rigorous study which she draws from to inform important decisions. Field Medic: Practicing medicine on the poor and people in the wilderness has provided Aiana with valuable improvisational skills as well as great control of her innate holy magics. Icon Relationships: Conflicted relationship with the Priestess: Although she denied her life in Cathedral for one more suitable to her, the knowledge she acquired in her time there has helped her many times on her travels. Positive relationship with the Orc Lord: Her time among the orcs was a very happy time for her because she was really making a difference for these people like she did for the poor of Santa Cora. She also had many deep conversations with the Orc Lord and understands him the more than anyone else in the world. Though she doesn’t really approve of the Orc Lord’s methods of preserving control of his territory she understands what it means to him. Effect on the World: Although she isn’t the only Aasimar to leave Santa Cora, she is the first to make contact with the orcs, she left them with a very good impression. Her knowledge of the orcs makes her an invaluable asset to certain groups interested in that information. Her generosity towards the poor of Santa Cora has made her a popular figure there. Here is her general design:  And here she is having tea with her special friend, the Orc Lord: 
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Aug 11, 2013 14:35
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Growing up on the streets is a hard life, however you slice it. In Santa Cora, though, it's not quite as bad. Being the religious capital of the world, it's not hard to find a soup kitchen or a warm bed for the night, especially when you're small enough to pass for a kid. Sure, you might have to listen to a sermon, but it's not so bad. As long as you watch out for the cults, of course. Dark gods are always trying to find a foothold, weasel their way in. But as long as you keep your eyes open and your brain switched on, you probably won't end up a sacrifice, or brainwashed, or whatever. There might be some close scrapes to start, if you don't have someone to help you out, but eventually you develop these skills as a Santa Cora Street Urchin. Other than the Cathedral, the other thing Santa Cora's got going for it is fish. It's a big place, always growing, and always hungry. It's not so tough to sneak aboard a boat in such a busy port, not when you're a little guy and have Unusually Adhesive Skin. That's how I got my name, y'know: Urchin. Kind of a play on words. Pointy little sea thing, it is, not something you really wanna touch. And of course, it's some dirty-looking kid who grew up rough. Smart guy, whoever came up with that one. The skin thing's a little odd, but you get used to it. There's plenty of healers in a city like Santa Cora, and they're mostly happy to work for free. It's not a curse, or a spell, they could tell you that much. Maybe inherited from your parents? As if I knew who they were. If you ask me, at least one of 'em was a Gnome. The height, the birthmark (looks like a dirt stain right on my cheek, the darndest thing), the little overbite...And not to mention the skin thing. They say they have magic in their blood, Gnomes. Well, guess mine's on my skin. Or maybe it's all just a story. You hear a lot of stories here, people coming in from all over the Empire. Never seen any of it outside of this city, but with all the pilgrims you get a Smattering of Imperial Culture. Anyway, the boats. Only problem there is getting caught. Not so much trouble in the port, but out on the water...Thankfully they gave me a chance. Working off the debt, they called it. And Barnacle, they called me (smart guy there as well). And once I'd worked that off, I kept on working. Got my Sea Legs. They gave me a fair share of the takings, enough to at least get a room sometimes. But after years on the streets, a room feels weird, y'know? So mostly I just saved it up, slept on whatever was soft enough in some warehouse, stashed my earnings. Then one day, this big boat rolls into the port. And I mean BIG. Never seen anything like it. And this boat looks like my chance. Grabbed my stash, grabbed my stuff, and snuck onboard. Or maybe that's stuck onboard. Summary Urchin, Human (maybe with a little Gnome in there?) Rogue. Looks like the stereotypical street orphan, being short and with a birthmark that looks like a dirt stain. OUT: Unusually Adhesive Skin. Backgrounds: Santa Cora Street Urchin (stealth, street smarts, etc., combined with a little knowledge of religions [this could be split off into another background if necessary]), a Smattering of Imperial Culture (vague knowledge of various parts of the Empire as gleaned by overhearing travellers [this might not be necessary and could just be general knowledge?), Sea Legs (he's good on the water, and can talk like a sailor even if he looks like a baby). And he is of course Unusually Sticky (thanks to his skin condition). These might need a little fixing, since I'm not clear on how many you're allowed to have. Icon Relationships: Priestess (positive, the religion thing is nice enough), Prince of Shadows (positive, patron saint of sneaky stuff's alright by him), Diabolist (negative, not a fan of orphan-snatching cults).
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Aug 11, 2013 16:27
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General Ironicus posted:Up? Date! I might have missed it Ironicus but will there be a podcast version of this session?
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Aug 11, 2013 18:17
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catdynamite posted:Aiana Kan Really like this one. Your artwork is great as well.
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Aug 11, 2013 19:08
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TheWanderingNewbie posted:I might have missed it Ironicus but will there be a podcast version of this session? Of course! Here you go: http://sagr.us/LP/13a/13a24podcast1.wav http://sagr.us/LP/13a/13a24podcast2.wav Sorry for the delay, but Ambisagrus recorded and edited that week instead of our usual setup. It's all there, and audio folks can now hear the whole thing before video people see the end to make up for it. It has become the time wherein I post an update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glSc1nAcYoY 13th Age #24-4: Mobile Marsh In this part the protectors of New Port discover a biome in the sewers that belongs hundreds of miles away. You know, the usual. In the Hell Marsh Annex, they discover an odd little fellow and a not at all little snake.
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Aug 12, 2013 03:24
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General Ironicus posted:Of course! Here you go: http://sagr.us/LP/13a/13a24podcast1.wav It looks like the file labeled 13a24podcast2.wav is the entire unedited recording, including the first section.
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Aug 12, 2013 04:14
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PublicOpinion, I just started watching your session and your maps are amazing. How do you do it?
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Aug 12, 2013 11:55
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Tenik posted:It looks like the file labeled 13a24podcast2.wav is the entire unedited recording, including the first section. Whoops. I'll fix that right away.
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Aug 12, 2013 13:04
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 Friendly Reminder! There are eight (8) hours remaining to enter the contest. Judging deliberations will begin this evening.
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Aug 12, 2013 14:57
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I fully endorse the music used in these updates. The rest of the content? Yeah, that's good too I guess.
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Aug 12, 2013 15:03
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While I'm ineligible for the contest due to Australia and all, here's something I've been stewing on for a while. Since the last thread, even. And I have no idea what I'm doing here so I've probably messed it up But, spiders. Arvanian the Dark Elf Rogue Once, Arvanian was one of the most respected alchemists in the land of the elves. Born to a poor merchant family, he was mostly overlooked in the family by his sister. She had ambition well beyond her station, and Arvanian was her ticket there. While she wheeled and dealed, he created potions. She was the public face, while he concocted potions, took out people who wouldn't pay, or even the odd bit of thievery Eventually, their potion business boomed, and they had a steady income coming in. Arvanian was content just making potions, but his sister's desire for power wouldn't be sated in their small town. Eventually they moved to the city, where she began buying out other organisations. While her influence grew, Arvanian's continued to diminish, but their family love kept them working together All of that would not last, though. One night, a rival company sent an assassin in to taint Arvanian's supplies with a sleeping powder, hoping to knock the elf out to capture and force his sister into an agreement more to their liking. Unfortunately, a life of working with potions ended up just causing the fumes to daze Arvanian, who dropped several random materials into his cauldron in a haze before heading upstairs to sleep it off. Unfortunately, he'd left this chaotic mess of a potion on the fire, and as the assassin sighed and stepped into the room, it exploded, taking out the entire house in an explosion of potions and ingredients. The only known survivor was Arvanian, there was no sign of the assassin Upon awakening, however, Arvanian heard voices. Hundreds of voices he couldn't pick, some crying of starvation, trapped in some forgotten catacombs, some languishing lost loves, others setting traps with which they'd catch hundreds. He grew increasingly desperate over the next few weeks as most everyone, including his family, discounted his statements as the delusions of a madman. He could no longer focus on work, just trying to find out more about the voices, were they came from. His sister deemed him a liability, and, with the power of paperwork, his sister had him on the next barge out of the city, where he was promptly and unceremoniously dumped in the streets. He managed to drag himself to a park without getting mugged, where he looked up to one of the voices and realised that he had been hearing spiders all this time. Rather than deal with heading back to speak with his sister, instead he has decided to travel until he has found out where this gift has come from. Was it an effect from the potions? Probably! But there had to be a deeper purpose, he thought, and as such, he continues traveling until he can find it. And along the way, try to help out some spiders. One unique thing: Arvanian can speak to, and understand, spiders Background: Alchemist: Arvanian is a trained alchemist and knowledgeable in many features of potion and poison creation Icons The Elf Queen (Positive): Arvanian was once an esteemed alchemist before his accident, and still holds the Queen in esteem for having a place where all elves can live neutrally The High Druid (Positive): His ability to hear spiders changed Arvanian completely. Always good at heart (For a dark elf, at least), he wishes to meet the High Druid to learn what his gift means. If anyone knows, it'll be her Basically a rogue with the excuse to throw spiders at people
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Aug 12, 2013 15:22
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Not sure what class/races are written into the rules, but I'm sure you could reskin something to fit. Here's a PC. Name: Nathaniel Gadda da Vida; Warforged Druid One Unique Thing: Only successful mixing of Natual magic and Golemancy to produce a working organism. Backgrounds: Normally, mankind has strived to mimic nature in their inventions and designs, however, Nathaniel is a product of the reverse process. When derelict and forgotten golem artificer's lab is reclaimed by the forest, the spark of life is spontaneously created by the mixing of the leftover artificial magic and and primal essence. Unfortunately, instead of manifesting in one of the many gigantic battlemechs, it was the artificer's butlerbot that was chosen to awaken. Hive Mind: In my head, Nate is a cross between a half-finished transformer robot and a katarmari ball of earth stuff and bugs and junk so his intelligence is a lot more decentralized than most organisms. This democracy of thought lets him think pretty creatively, come up with some non-linear solutions, and multitask effectively. Primal Rage!: He's as swift as the coursing river; With all the force of a great typhoon; With all the strength of a raging fire; Mysterious as the dark side of the moooooon. Mechanical Memories of Past Life: He might be a gross mess of bugs and plant matter now, but that's no reason to be uncivilized! His memories of being a personal butlerbot give him his sense of proper decorum and civilized manners. He still has trouble with his newfound free will and still insists on serving tea and biscuits to his fellow adventurers. Also, still wears his snazzy butler suit. Icons The High Druid: Positive, As an Avatar of primal fury and a guardian of Nature, Nate's has a pretty easy in to tree huggers around the world and the High Druid is no exception. The Lich King: Negative, Undead abominations are about as antithetical to the natural order of things as you can get, however, something of an abomination himself and former will-less servant, Nate has a bit of trouble not sympathizing with the minions of the Lich King.
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Aug 12, 2013 18:29
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My attempt at a icon. The Vault of Truth Quote "A empty void where no creature has touched is where the vault is hidden, keeping a watchful eye on all worlds it seeks to aid and reward all those who want to help the helpless no matter the cost." Story It is said the Vault of Truth came to exist when the first being showed compassion, since then it has been a silent guardian who watches over every being that would help those less able. The vault has no actual followers as those it has helped may not even be aware, it rewards kindness with small truths, sometimes in ideas and other times in personal truths however it always does this under the guise of dreams and subconscious thought as it wishes to remain unnoticed. The vault welcomes and aids all beings who help the less fortunate no matter what race, alliances and even history so long as they decide to help of they own desire and don't seek truth for unjust purposes. It doesn't pass judgement on those who choose not to aid and will still offer a reward if they aid at a later date. Some beings that have been proven as just and kind were contacted by the vault and have been allowed to converse with it and will receive aid in the form of small acts of what seem like luck or divine intervention. Affiliations The Vault doest interfere with other icons and wishes that they do the same, as it doesn't call anyone followers it has aided those who follow other idols. It does have grievances with the Archmage who has seeked to obtain truths by entering the vaults untouched void. It also doesn't hold any issue with other idols so long as they don't taint its void with outside corruption. Notes The thing about the rewards coming as ideas and subconscious thoughts was because i originally had a small story about a wizard who upon helping a homeless child was struck by an idea that solved a problem with some magic equations and helped create (some commonly used magic). I think i could of handled this better and had a better story but since this is the last time that i will be able to post before the entrys are closed i will leave it as is. Doomlittle fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 18:34
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^^^ I really like this one, never thought of an Icon as something other than a person/creature in the world.  Lethemonster posted:I fully endorse the music used in these updates. The rest of the content? Yeah, that's good too I guess. Can we get a list of the music used? Just caught up on session 23, the Botis fight was really good! So intense it made my laptop overheat. Even though the party just burned through his HP in 2 rounds, removing Nav's torso in one hit established him as very dangerous (and was perfect for the Shadowcube thing). Everyone had some really cool moves, Mint especially. It seems like every session another party member demonstrates their ability to horribly murder stuff, terrifying their friends.  I think it would've been cool to have Botis taunting during the battle, really let his personality shine through. "YOU GUYS ARE FUN!"Can't wait to see what happens. -------------- Edit: One last idea before the deadline, even if I can't win. Money is power, and the Baron of Irons is very powerful indeed. One of, if not the richest man in the world, the Baron holds an unprecedented and unbreakable monopoly on the Empire's supply of ores. The Dwarf King is a mere figurehead, a comforting placebo for the underclass and the traditionalists. Of course, there are groups within the Dwarven demense (and the Empire as a whole) who would see the King in more than a symbolic role, but there's no chance of that happening. The Baron maintains a personal army of mercenaries, ensuring any potential threat to him (be it from assassination, revolution, or entrepeneurmanship) is immediately quelled. The closest the Baron comes to a positive relationship with other icons is with the Crusader, whose endless war effort is propped up by a constant flow of arms, armour, and great machines, all produced in the Baron's expansive factories. With regards to the Emperor, the Baron and he have a working relationship; trading money and resources is a mutually beneficial arrangement...For the time being, at least. Still, their alliance is strong - neither is keen on the massive cost a war would bring. The Dwarf King is well kept by the Baron, much like a pet. While this is a cause of much frustration for the King, the pleasures a man of his master's wealth can buy are difficult to argue with. Naturally, the Baron's abuse of the ensures a poor relationship with the High Druid, which could be described as "openly hostile" at best. The Elf Queen similarly. The Archmage is wary of the Baron; magic for the benefit of all does not draw a profit. The Diabolist, on the other hand, is more than happy to deal with the Baron (and vice versa), providing the bargain is mutually beneficial. Many would be reluctant to enter into agreement with such a dangerous figure, though the Baron is confident in the power of gold: any trouble which arises can surely be dealt with by a well-armed group of expendables. Many suffer in the Baron's factories, a fact which makes the Priestess no fan of his. The Baron's most interesting relationship is with the Prince of Shadows. Two halves of the same coin; the very epitome of wealth and power, and the supposed saviour of the downtrodden. Or so they may say. The Prince is lawless, uncontrolled. The underground has no shortage of atrocities, and this falls on the Prince's head. But still, the proles see him as some sort of leader - if any could lead a revolution, it would be him... Capturing the Prince is the Baron's ultimate goal, though even he is unsure of what he would do should he achieve it. The Baron himself is a shady figure - as expected of anyone with such influence and power - little is known beyond his wealth. Some say the Baron is a tinkerer, creating wonderous and terrifying mechanical things behind closed doors. Summary The Baron of Irons, richest man in the world, owns a monopoly on mining, and production of weapons and tools. The Crusader and he get along, being user and producer of weapons respectively. Most others tolerate him to an extent, as it benefits them, though many are openly hostile. Willing to do deals with the Devil, as he's richer than God. I also had an idea for an illusionist having an existential crisis because of his abilities, but I couldn't write it out in a way I liked. Striking Yak fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 20:24
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That's it! The contest is now closed and has been for the last 10 minutes. Please look over the lists in the announcement post to make sure your entry is listed and listed properly. As of now I see 16 prize eligible entries and 17 others besides. Thank you all for the unexpected turnout, we'll have an announcement in a few days.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:12
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Just managed to get through the backlog, and you guys are amazing. I purchased 13th Age because of y'all (got the book two days ago, actually) and am trying to convince my friends to run a couple sessions.
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Aug 12, 2013 23:49
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Fixed version of the podcast should be up now. Sorry about that! While I'm at it, I'll post a little writeup of a character I play for another 13th Age campaign! This isn't for the contest, obviously (FOR ONE BECAUSE IT'S OVER), but it's still fun. DG-19 "Rusty", Steelforged Fighter (The number in his designation changes with his AC. The "DG" stands for Durability Grade.) Soon after his assembly, the Dwarven training automaton known as Durability Grade-19 gained a reputation for his intensity. Dwarven military initiates both feared and respected his sheer intensity, patriotism, and his booming voice, audible from nearly all of the city of Forge. Hundreds of initiates were molded into fine Dwarven soldiers under his training, and they came to respect him as a mentor, giving him the nickname "Rusty." One day, after a long training session, Rusty was returning to his quarters when he noticed a Dwarven council member studying a wanted poster listing the lost gems of Gor. Realizing that he could please the Dwarf King greatly, he rushed to ask for permission to hunt for them, and went off to the surface, the first of his kind to leave the underground. One Unique Thing DG-19 Rusty is the first Dwarven automaton to go to the surface. Almost no one has seen anything like him before. Backgrounds Metalhead: Turns out being made of metal has its uses. There's a lot you can get done when you're made of metal and don't have to breathe or eat. Versatile: Rusty was built for combat and has a lot of parts that can shift around or break off. He can modify himself to fit the current situation pretty easily. Skilled Trainer: Rusty has spent his entire life shouting at people. He's gotten pretty good at telling people what to do. Icon Relationships 2pts Positive with the Dwarf King: Rusty is really into the Dwarf King. Even other automatons can't match his intense patriotism and obsession with pleasing the Dwarf King. It's honestly a little weird. 1pt Negative with the Orc Lord: All that anti-Orc Lord propaganda that Rusty has taken in has gone to his head. He treats the Orc Lord as his own personal mortal enemy, and has been known to run simulations of his heroic duels with the Orc Lord on his built-in projector while no one is looking. (He always wins.) I built Rusty honestly kind of a bit like my other characters. He's a totally rear end in a top hat. In this case, he's a megalomaniacal, arrogant loudmouth who constantly tells everyone what to do and always has some advice to shout at fellow party members. He's got a little holo-projector kind of thing that I use almost entirely for goofy roleplaying gags, and on one occasion his icon relationship with the Orc Lord was used to make him overload and basically put himself in an augmented reality where the enemy he was fighting was replaced by the Orc Lord himself. His design hasn't ever been totally locked down, but I imagine a big top-heavy mass of metal with a lot of parts that can shift around to make shields and swords and axes. If you've played the Monster Hunter games, I think of the animation on the Switchaxe and the MH4 Chargeaxe as being pretty similar to the kind of stuff he does. Basically the closest thing to his design is this Fire Emblem concept art, because armored hoods are cool. 
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Aug 12, 2013 23:55
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He looks a bit like a Fire Emblem Awakening Knight. EDIT: VV Welp, I'm dumb. Gensuki fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 00:30
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Gensuki posted:He looks a bit like a Fire Emblem Awakening Knight. Ambisagrus posted:Basically the closest thing to his design is this Fire Emblem concept art, because armored hoods are cool. That's exactly what that is.
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Aug 13, 2013 00:56
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Roach Warehouse posted:PublicOpinion, I just started watching your session and your maps are amazing. How do you do it? Photoshop, a bunch of map tiles I drew, and custom tiling pattern fills. Here's an imgur album with the maps, and also one that wound up not making it in. Behind the scenes!  The initial idea for Leon was a dragonman Volgin. Working it a bit more, my idea was that he was an artificial sorcerer created by the Blue through the application of lots and lots of lightning. While he was once an official part of Drakkenhall's military, Leon participated in a staged murder to get himself disavowed by Drakkenhall. Now Leon does work for the Blue that cannot be officially condoned, and has no official support from the home office. Mechanically, Leon is a Hellhound with 'fire' replaced by 'lightning' and some beefed up stats and a damage aura when Staggered. The Hellhound is a beefy physical monster with some elemental flavor, so reskinning those will cover a lot of monster ground.  Bogwell Tooms is straight-up a transplant from my other game, where he's Cogwell Graves. If I ever use him in a third game, he'll be either Fogwell Mottzoleum or Hogwell Barrows. As a nod to the canon of Ironicus's world, I figured that criminals who traffic with demons probably experienced a big reversal of fortune when the sub-Rigby casino went bust. Mechanically, Boggy has some imp powers and also a weak escape power to get out of melee.  Bogwell was the main point of that encounter, but not physically threatening. The Snake Demon was pretty standard, with no tricks except Damage (changing to More Damage when Staggered) and a damage aura. If I was designing it now I would've given it miss damage, but oh well. It wound up getting cut for time, but Dear Departed Professor Esserton was going to make an appearance at the cliche "Any objections?" portion of the wedding. His arrival would also answer the mystery of what became of the River King's skeleton. Good thing the party had someone High Druid aligned because the fight would undoubtedly hinge on Nature and the Rules thereof. Yes, it is literally an attempt at skeleton Metal Gear RAY. PublicOpinion fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 01:24
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Is it me, or has mobile geography been more common than the standard kind so far? I guess the Kohru behemoths plant the idea of big moving things in your head and it's tough to let go.
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Aug 13, 2013 07:21
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Contest Feedback (part 1) Here's some quick thoughts on half the entries: Toadstool Princess by Heavy Zed This fits in pretty well with the other Icons that are "Ruler of [X]", but inherits their problems. She's defined by the fungus-people, who are undefined. There's no sense of what she wants or why an adventuring party would get mixed up with her. I do like the True Danger and images of cities bubbling with apocalyptic mold. Ahgrabad the Armless, by Brinty This guy sounds like a lot of fun, a really simple but solid character. You could probably get a lot of use and laughs out of the magic hands. "Scorcing Ray Man" comes to mind for some reason. Martin Peters/Mandragora the Magnificent, by Roach Warehouse I really like this one too. A character like this would inspire a group to tackle challenges in the least efficient, but most awesome way possible. That is to be encouraged. Mima Cureba, by Cariloo We have a soft spot here for undead weirdos living undercover. I'm not sure if any stories jump out with her as the protagonist, but she'd do very well in a party dynamic. Xerana, by Doomlittle Monster girl seeks fortune in the world of man, combined with adoptive races, and some taboo knowledge mixed in there. All good stuff, but I have to wonder about the execution. Any of those things would make a good One Unique Thing, but the actual OUT given is a summary of her personality. One of her backgrounds seems to give no skills at all, instead listing things she can't do. Her Icon relationships mention how she feels about Icons, but not how whe's connected to them in order to leverage aid when it comes up. Sir Landon Pentine, by OmniDesol Good work, I like it. Dark Elves are usually a very narrow thing so some variety is nice to see. Honda, by Striking Yak The 'origin story' is cool and evocative. It plays as both an accident and a portent of great things, and that sort of friction can produce stories. After that, he's just a very monk-like monk. Hector Antonio Espinato, by Northan You're selling yourself short, bears are awesome. Speaking of friction making stories, a powerful god walking the Earth as a semi-helpless cub is great stuff. Hector feels like he had a life and a personality before his task, and you fit some character development inside a character description. Icon relationships are a bit cookie-cutter. Echo, by Pyradox Very thorough, and I'm happy to see some art in the contest. She's got a stack of mysteries to hang a plot from and has every reason to meld into a group dynamic. She even defines a setting, or at least a certain corner of one. I really like Echo. The Rot Prince, by Striking Yak Icons are tricky, and I think this one comes up short. He has a goal, but not an ideology. That makes it hard to imagine a PC getting involved with him. Having nearly every other Icon as a possible ally makes him look more noncommittal than scheming. The Professor, by Striking Yak I think he works pretty well as a quest-giver, but he seems disposable. Like a few sessions later someone would remember him fondly but not care enough to want to meet him again. ???, by Doomlittle It's an interesting story and with a bit of homebrewing and reskinning would be a fun character to play. Unfortunately its backgrounds are all custom powers, mostly combat, instead of the role their meant to fill. I don't have much of a handle on its personality, but my guess is it has many personalities, but unified with one purpose. Zin'ger, by Doomlittle While I would probably enjoy the hack that would make this a viable character, it doesn't fit with the direction of the contest. Urchin, by Striking Yak Maybe I'm just weird, but an unnaturally sticky child strikes me as a great concept for a character. This is one I'd like to see in play sometime. Jack Welch, by Zealous Q If your table's tone runs dark, or if you like pastiche, Jack is a really good character. The problem is with the city. Is it only the one city? Is he neutered everywhere outside the Axis gates? But these questions can also lead to interesting ideas at the table and don't have to be worked out beforehand. The Valut of Truth, by Doomlittle I know I'm already sounding harsh but I'm not sure how this is an Icon at all. The point is to have an active presence in the world with power and influence, shaping events all over. PCs should get mixed up in their plots and maybe end up toe-to-toe with them. How does that work with something nobody knows exists? As a quest point or a macguffin I see the potential, but it doesn't fill the role of an Icon at all. Baron of Irons, by Striking Yak One more prospective Icon, and this is one of the better ones. There are clear reasons to work for or against him and clear believable lines between his allies and enemies. Fantasy worlds crushed under mechanization is a well-worn theme that can be adapted widely, even if it's not something I'm personally interested in. Pretty good stuff.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:03
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Really wish I had read up the thread a couple of days earlier. Really wanted to take part in the constest. Oh well. I love reading character concepts so this was fun.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:17
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With the negative background thats because i usually think about stuff like this having two positives and one negative. Thanks for the input though as i can see where i went wrong with some of these. Doomlittle fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 16:52
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Contest Feedback (part 2) Once again, these are my and only my thoughts, but I wanted to share them anyway. These were submitted for a prize, so I assume you wanted to win, so I'm dialing up the harsh. Rosemary Thyme, by BearDrivingTruck Not feeling this one. She's a kooky magic lady that pops around every once in a while and is only sometimes helpful, which sounds derivative and irritating. Explicitly tying her to our game also limits the ability to use her, and without that characteristic there's nothing unique there. Eol Moah, by Foolster41 Anime out the wazoo. It looks more like a 90s JRPG with a rabid fanbase of two dozen instead of a tabletop game from today. The Riglax, by KillerQueen Also too close to our game to be portable as-is, but I like it otherwise. Behemoths are an element of the setting I enjoy and giving them an Avatar is a neat way to make the awe-inspiring more personal and tangible. Also having a good guy hunting our party would either cast them as evil, lead to anticlimax, or ruin her standing as 'good guy' in the end. Cameron "Cam" O'Meer, by Kobold This one I enjoy quite a bit. The hippie influence and blended countercultures pop out, and the One Unique Thing is fantastical, fun, and ripe for creative use. His backstory lays out a personal arc that can dovetail with most any given campaign quest which is a bonus. Trip Caster & Flip Blaster, by Stackblocks These two seem like a lot of fun for a lighthearted moment and if used correctly I can see them being favorite recurring NPCs. I would have liked a shadow of deeper menace, or some counterpoint to the frivolity. As is, it's one-note, but a good note. Dmitri, the human packmule, by TwelveBaud You've replaced livestock with a man, who is mostly replaceable with livestock. It's fun for a party to be faced with a challenge and say "It's all right, we know a guy". That sort of non-standard resource in empowering. He also has mysterious tales to tell that can lead to a story of his own. After that though, what's left? Something about him seems mechanical to me and it doesn't inspire much in the way of story possibilities. Livay Athinn, by Demonia The hunger tourism thing reminds me of Ashen Stars, and I like Ashen Stars so good job. Listing Icon relationships as a character's personal feelings rather than something that can be leveraged for aid is a common mistake. Janos, the Phantom of New Port, by Dr. Demon This one is a lot of fun. You can see Janos being a mystery, ally, or enemy; or even a plot that has him move between all three. He's versatile, unique, skilled , and interesting. The downside is that to get the most mileage out of him a party would have to spend a great amount of time in a single city. Some are into that, most aren't, and that's limiting his usefulness. Nadir Paulo Crismuth, by thetoughestbean Jokes on macroeconomics are always popular for some reason. There's a good amount of effort here, but I think secret-broker is well-worn enough. I can see him getting a lot of use, but it doesn't inspire creativity. Cleo, by Patchwork "Is part fly" is a strong One Unique Thing, and her story grows from that naturally, but you wrote up her OUT as a personality description instead. I think she'd be a more interesting PC than NPC because her journey seems more interesting than her ability to get in the way. Brak Nethrop, by Devil Ed you seem to have made a custom race, rather than a character of that race. All I really get form this is "is crab". James Evans, by ArkInBlack Definitely one of my favorites. The disconnect between knowledge and experience is the best element of Jason Bourne, and you could either play it that way (how am I doing this!?) or the exact opposite (why can't I do this if I know exactly how!?). He has his own strong reasons for adventuring that would propel him forward in whatever quest is at hand. James is good people. Dupré Galebert, by ZenMasterBullshit There is not enough voodoo in this game and thank you for pitching in to help out. There isn't much to him besides that flavor, but it's got a power and magic to it that RPGs don't touch on. This game is a victim of being D&D yet again, so lifting other mystical influences yourself is a good way to alleviate that. Aiana Kan, by catdynamite Hooray, more pictures! Aiana seems like a little ray of sunshine in a grimdark world. The backgrounds are vague but get the job done while the Icon relationships are very good. The real standout is of course the OUT which you could hang any number of plots and complications from. Arvanian, by Mecheon I like this one a lot as well, but rereading it I just noticed it's in the wrong category, my mistake. Only one background is very limiting (and also not square with the character creation rules) but otherwise good job. Talking to spiders is a cool way to interact with the world, and there's no guarantee the spiders will be friends, so GMs can have a lot of fun too. Nathaniel Gadda da Vida, by Anchors Very bare-bones write-up, but the point comes through. I don't get a sense of what he wants or why he does anything he does, but as a starting point it works and something really compelling could come from it. And the winner is... to be announced tomorrow
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Aug 13, 2013 20:55
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Ooh, yes. I definitely see what you mean now that I had the time to read over the entry. (I did this right before having to leave for a trip. Oops.) I definitely see what I should've done; the closest that I put for leverage and aid purposes was probably the Archmage, with noting how she has history of cleaning up his messes. I should've clarified how it's curried a bit of favor and could bring in information, but also causing complications from those in his immediate circle due to the how vocal Livay has been about the Archmage's experiments and other things. That and how with the Lich King, most often putting down his followers and beings, that Livay's a thorn to take out of his side, but a known one to aid for those that are also against the Lich King. I'm guessing that's how you mean? This'll be something to put note for when trying to come up with characters. I should have thought more about how it could come into play should the relationships come up. There was actually a theme, which the name pretty much showed. With the various history on Leviathan, I used "consumption" and "eradication" as I read them in regards to either being consumed, or eating others, and being envious enough to not only eat but trying to flood the world. I had wanted to sketch up some art to go with it as well, but alas, the time was short. This was definitely fun, and I really enjoyed reading everyone else's entries.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:03
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Demonia posted:This was definitely fun, and I really enjoyed reading everyone else's entries.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:44
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General Ironicus posted:
Oh, no! Feedback that isn't 100% positive! My precious, precious feelings! Why, I... I... I'm pretty okay with it, actually. Part of the reason I love this thread is that I feel like I can be part of the world. I enjoy being able to interact with characters through the Tumblr, and I jumped at the chance to be able to contribute something to the Campaign. The fact that you even gave feedback and gave us enough respect to be honest is really cool, I think. Also, it really was fun to see everyone's efforts. Capitalito was created during a session of me talking nonsense to my friends, but I started thinking more seriously about afterwards. What would an entire people be like if an economic system was actually a whole religious belief? The Cape merchants were my best guess. All in all, the contest was a fun experience, even if (heaven forbid!) I don't win, and if you ever need a race of devoted merchant people, the Cape Merchants are ready and willing. This goes to everyone, not just the good General.
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Aug 14, 2013 00:52
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General Ironicus posted:
You're right of course. I was more constructing him as an NPC at the start before realising he could be fleshed out into a PC. I guess his power could be tied with urban constructions, and the City as a spiritual rather than physical concept. If I had the time, I would have submitted a second PC that would be an asset-rich, money-poor daughter of a maritime tycoon who is supposedly a rich kid out to find adventure, but is secretly desperate for money to get independant from her controlling father.
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Aug 14, 2013 01:33
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General Ironicus posted:Janos, the Phantom of New Port, by Dr. Demon I'm really glad (relieved, actually - I always get a bit flustered when people critique my ideas) that you mostly liked him. The fact that he's pretty much limited to one city is a fair criticism, though. There are potential workarounds for that, I think, like giving the tunnels some sort of magical property that lets him travel to additional warrens beneath other cities. Or would that be too much weirdness for one character? Character creation was always my favorite part of any RPG. I actually came up with a few other character ideas after Janos here, which I'll summarize just for fun: The Slime Priest: A lowly slime monster kills and absorbs a cleric, but somehow also absorbs his memories and is reborn as a fusion of the two entities (I imagine him as sort of a humanoid blob with a skeleton faintly visible inside it). Friendly, curious and (mostly) peaceful, but also fanatically devoted to the possibly-invented deity it calls the Overslime, which it believes created it and which seeks the unification of all organic matter in its sticky embrace. The Frog Warrior: When she was born, a priest predicted that she would become a great warrior, but also that she would die by drowning; to prevent this from happening, her overprotective (and possibly not very smart) parents had a mage cast a spell that would make it impossible for her to drown, which had the effect of turning her into an amphibian-human hybrid. She grew up resenting them for denying her a normal life, and struck out on her own as soon as possible hoping to earn respect and praise as a fighter, rather than weird looks and jokes about eating flies. The Dead Mage: He struck a bargain with otherworldly entities for great power, but when they came to collect his soul he somehow managed to elude their grasp, although he was stripped of his magic and his body in the process. He managed to throw them off his scent by hiding inside a recently-dead body, and now wanders the world as a fugitive from the afterlife, hopping between corpses as needed. His goals include relearning his forgotten powers and seeking a way to permanently stop his infernal pursuers. Looking at these ideas now, it seems like all the characters I think up are defined mainly by the things that happened to them, rather than by their personalities. Maybe I should work on that.
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Aug 14, 2013 01:47
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General Ironicus posted:
I'd pictured them as a combination of [the Tragedians from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead + Lucifer from SMT Nocturne + carnies + snake oil salesmen + twins hijinks] and I've been watching Geop's Dark Souls LP so I mentally textured them with the grim bleakness of that world, but I can see where they don't have as much of a sinister edge without the backdrop. This contest was a lot of fun and it drummed up some really cool entries!
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Aug 14, 2013 01:52
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