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These are the Consequences of our Actions. Let's Play Exile 3 - Ruined World  What is Exile 3? Exile 3 (or E3, not to be confused with the Video Game Convention) is the final part of the Exile series. Developed and published by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software in 1997, this game refines the Ultima-inspired elements into its final form before the series was rebooted as Avernum. In many ways it is better than its predecessors, but on the other hand, it is also a step back. What is the Plot? Several years have passed since the events of Exile 2. The Empire and Exile are in a state of cease-fire, yet there has been no contact since the end of the war. Exile and their Vahnatai allies are rebuilding their respective nations when a new series of caverns is discovered. Except these caves connect directly to the surface. Exile quickly establishes Fort Emergence to defend this location, and prepares to send out a scouting party to determine the current status of the Empire and the surface. The first such party vanished shortly after arriving on the surface, their reports indicating that things were in horrible condition. Now, a second party is being prepared, to succeed where the first one failed. How will the LP work? Much like my two previous Exile LPs (Exile 1, and Exile 2), this will be a screenshot narrative LP. Nakar's Ultima LP is a source of inspiration, and I intend to honour that work. Once again, Art will be returning as my lead protagonist, while the other five members of the party will be submitted and voted upon by the thread as I did in my previous LPs. Please see the Character Creation post for more details. How do I get Exile? Given that it is almost 20 years old, Vogel has released the Exile trilogy as Freeware. It may be downloaded from their website here. However, I am using a 32-bit virtual machine to run this game as it cannot even be installed properly on more modern systems. If you are using a Macintosh computer, there is a wrapper here that you can use to run the game properly. Audience Participation I will try to ask the thread about major decisions, but in the end, I will try to get everything done. This won't be a 100% completion LP, the game is far too massive for that. Naturally, I will pay attention to what people say, and the suggestions they make. Other Links The Encyclopedia Ermariana is a Wiki for Exile and Avernum, and the primary resource I've been using for helping develop the background. TABLE OF CONTENTS Act 0 - The Party and Upper Exile (1)
Fan Art and Commentary from the Thread The artist on deviantArt known as Sir Tiefling did this piece after I won an "Inspire Me!" competition with Art's story:  (click for full view on dA) SA poster "Jamie the D" gave us this, in response to update 10 - and Art's reaction therein:  During a discussion on multi-tiled monsters, this exchange made me laugh: MagusofStars posted:FWIW, whether a monster is only one tile or multiple tiles isn't completely correlated to strength - A multiple tile monster is usually pretty strong, but some of the nastiest monsters in the game are single sprite. The Lone Badger posted:Like Art. berryjon fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Jun 15, 2017 |
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Update 01 - Fort Emergence Hello! I'm berryjon, your friendly narrator and LPer for this game. All of my narration and commentary will be done in italics, with that picture to the left to mark it. For now though, please click on the next image to get the opening, in engine cutscene!  "I hate you. I hate you all. Whoever thought this was a good idea will get their rear end kicked." Welcome to the user interface for the game. It's been refined from Exile 1 and 2, but everything should still be recognizable. On the left is the active screen, showing your party and their immediate surroundings. There are walls, a sign, a door, various things in the room like beds, things on the beds... The white dot is a special event, in this case stepping on it asks if you want to rest your party up. The upper-right contains party information. Right now, Art is our only party member, though that will get filled up once the thread has voted on who gets in and who doesn't. Art has 10 HP and 15 SP. and is in otherwise good condition with no buffs or debuffs. In the middle-right is the inventory window. This used to be combined with the party status screen, but was given its own section to make inventory work less of a hassle. It's a neat quality of life improvement over the previous games and I like it. Unlike something else which will be coming up shortly. Below that is the log, where recent messages can be seen and checked up on. Under the main window is a description of where we are, and it can be a specific room, the name of a dungeon, or a whole area of the overworld. And under that is our command buttons. We are currently not in combat, so for now the buttons are, from left to right:
"..." "Where the hell did I put my shirt? I can't go around with my poncho all day!" Picking up items will get everything in sight if you aren't in danger, or just things adjacent to the active PC if you are in combat or otherwise in danger. Changing from previous games, items now have weight in addition to taking up one of our 16 item slots. If you go over your weight limit, the PC in question starts taking combat penalties. "There it is. And that candle looks like it will need to be replaced soon." She picks up the note from the dresser. It wasn't there when she went to bed. "What does this say?" When something is in your inventory, you can Use it. For things like books and notes, it calls up a new window telling you what it is. Things like potions and scrolls get consumed. "Anaximander, you have some explaining to do." She pockets the note - just in case she gets lost. "No, no time to go to sleep. I just woke up!" "I also need to get out of the habit of talking to myself out loud." "It's weird though, I thought that this was already being handled? Why would I get called out of my retirement?"  "Yeah, this isn't ominous at all. Let's see... where am I?" Instead of being black lines on a grey background as in previous games, Exile 3's map is full colour and a scaled down view of the map. I don't like it as details get lost, but it's workable. "You know what? I'll wander a bit first. Get the lay of the land." "commitment issues my rear end" "Oooh! Food!" "Ah! You must be the new arrival." "That I am!" And here is the 'quality of life' improvement I despise. Talking to people now covers up the active window, and brings up this... hideous thing. While mechanically it is the same as previous games, there is the addition of being able to click on a keyword using the mouse to ask about it, rather than typing it in. Much like the previous games, you can click on the 'Record' button to have the game save the currently active dialogue. It's a neat way to transcribe what people tell you. Well, let me just Record this conversation tree, then transcribe it for you.... Where is "talksave.txt"? Where is the conversation dump file that I've been using in the previous LPs? Apparently Vogel decided to incorporate the text dump into the game itself, so you can access it from within the game. While I can applaud the thought behind it, this means I can't transcribe conversations like I used to! Well, that would be true, except for the efforts of my fellow goon, "Gullwhacker", who was able to locate a raw text file that was a full dump of every written word in the game. I was able to start extracting conversations from that file, though it does slow down my work flow. However, this is the raw file, and a complete mess. If anyone can find a proper dialogue dump, that would be most appreciated. Also, conversations now have little faces in the upper left. I won't use them as there are fewer of those than there are NPC models in the game. As in, there is only one Slithzerikai portrait and one Nephilim portrait. So screw that, I'm sticking with what work for me. You meet a young, scrawny man with short, sandy brown hair. He bows respectfully to you as you approach. "Hey. I'm Art. Who are you?" "Greeting, adventurer! I am Gordon." "So, Gordon, what do you do around here?" "Well, I'm sort of the servant for the guest quarters. I sort of keep everything clean, prepare meals, that sort of thing." Like the previous games, everyone responds to "Look", "Name", and "Job". I won't be singling those out, but you can be certain I incorporate those into the dialogue I present. I will also be taking some small liberties with the text where needed to fit the narration and situation. For example, Gordon here addresses 'Adventurers' in the plural, rather than in the singular that is Art right now, so I changed that. In the future, things I ask of the NPCs will be bolded for ease of reference. "You make the meals? You're the cook?" He looks nervous. "Ummm. There's a bit of a problem with that. The fort is sort of not entirely ready, and I don't have the supplies up here to cook yet. Perhaps if you went to see Elisa?" "And who is Elisa?" "She runs the main kitchen, in the southwest corner. She gives lots of food to anyone who asks." Not everyone will have something to say that will advance the plot. A lot of dialogue is incidental.  A young, lithe woman with dark skin moves lithely about the room, performing various martial exercises. A vicious looking curved sword is sheathed at her side. This person is clearly capable of being quite lethal. "Hey!" She walks over and gives you a stiff, sharp, not entirely respectful bow. "I am Yanmitho, the trainer for Fort Emergence." "Art, Unspecified Services. Retired." She looks at you with distaste. "I am here to train soldiers to the best of my ability. I can also train... others." She says 'others' with great disdain. You can't help but guess her contempt is aimed at you. A lot of dialogue assumes the party is new. As Art has been around the block a few times, I will be changing that as I see fit, trying to keep the spirit of the conversation, if not the words. "What? Others? You do realize we all work together, right?" "You work for Unspecified Services, do you not? I am not afraid to say I have little respect for your lot." "... right. And just so I know what I'm working with here, what is your problem with Unspecified Services?" "Pfaugh!" She spits. "A ragtag band of untrained adventurers, amateur spies and mixed hangers on. We soldiers train hard and die for our cause. You wander around aimlessly, and expect respect." "And yet, King Micah gives the first contact with the surface to your undisciplined lot." She spits again. "Right. I could tell you how wrong you are, but it's obvious you've already made up your mind. What I can do, however, is take my Royal Clearance, and let Micah know your opinion. How about that?" "It is not to such as me to question the wisdom of my monarch." She pauses and thinks. "Even if he is wrong. When Prince Karmas ascends, I know the right order will be restored." "..." After we've levelled up, we can talk to this nice ray of sunshine to improve our skills. Later.  "Alright, the rest of the rooms are empty. Plenty of space for people to rest though. Just how empty is this place?" "KITTY!" "Meow."  "Really, really empty." "Not the way I'm supposed to go, but who cares? I don't work for him any more! I'm doing him a favor, and he can afford to wait a few minutes more. Jackass."  "Huh. Mages workshop. Usually there's a sign. Must not have been put up yet."  You meet a small, bent wizard, heavy with years. He is poring over a thick book, researching esoteric fields you could never begin to comprehend. "Morning." He looks up at you. It is clear his mind is wandering in realms far away. He croaks "I am Berra." "Art, Retired. Whatcha doing here?" "I mainly concern myself with doing research. If only the facilities here were adequate." She looked around. "Yeah. Pretty threadbare. What sort of facilities do you need?" He croaks in irritation.. "Now, if I was at the Tower of Magi, I would have all the tomes and materials I need! But here, I have little to work with." "And what are you researching?" "I am devising immensely powerful spells, communicating with being beyond your comprehension, gaining absolute power. Nothing you could possibly understand. You're probably just here to waste my time." "Huh. That explains why you're here. Peregrine sent you." "That child has too much power! There is no way he can be reasoned with! Now leave me, before I turn my powers on you, and make sure you speak not for a year!" "Yep, as I expected. Bye!"  "Huh. I haven't seen some of these is years. And is someone writing a book?" "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" "Oh! Hello! I'm Art, retired." This woman is quite young, probably in her mid-twenties. Yet, she radiates power well beyond her years. She levels a piercing gaze at you. "I am Mazumdar. Head Mage of Fort Emergence. I am responsible for coordinating all magical activities that take place in the fort." "Wait... what sort of activities? It looked like you are set up for biological experimentation." "This fort will eventually be used for experimentation, training and launching magical spells against our foes. However, the Triad keeps us from being nearly as powerful as we could be." "I'm sure the Triad has their reasons, like preventing Empire raiders from getting at sensitive material." "Perhaps. Unfortunately, they tend to not want to let power out of their control. For that reason, our resources are nowhere near what they could be." She grins. "With exceptions." "I smell the hand of Peregrine there." "No, he was of no help. We are supposed to be able to train mages here. Yet, the Triad won't let us have the books to teach spells from." She grins mischievously. "However, we've managed to sneak a few things past them. We need those tomes after all." She shares the grin. "Good for you. Have a nice day."  "And there's the signage!"  This young mage's robes were probably clean this morning. Now, they have bits of fur and tiny clumps of dung on them. She sees you, and curtsies, self-consciously brushing fur and such off her robe as she does so. "I'm Eva!" "Eva? I read your book in the other room." "Oh? That? It's just a draft. I'm here to research the flora and fauna of the surface world. We summon samples from the surface, examine them in their cells, and teleport them back up." "Flora and fauna, huh? Why aren't you asking us people who grew up on the surface?" "Oh, I thought about that. How do we know you remeber everything properly? It's been a decade at the least for anyone! But Plants and Animals? I can study them without bias! If there's anything you've found of interest, ask me about it. Maybe I'll know something!" She does too! Asking her about conventional animals gives a quick description of them, as well as less conventional creatures. I'll skip over this for now, and come back later when we've encountered actual examples.   "Neat." "Now, mention of secret tomes... secret passage sense tingling...!"  "Not getting through here for a while." "And here's the open area of the fort. How typical."  You meet a portly bearded man in nondescript robes. He looks bored. "Oh. Hello. I'm Habecker. Can I help you?" "Art, Unspecified Services. Retired. You?" "Well, I was hired to research for the Fort. Which is why I'm so bored." "Research? There's plenty of that! You shouldn't be bored!" "I am a sage by trade. I was brought here to study samples from the surface world. That's why being here is so boring! If only I could find someone interested in my abilities." He looks at you meaningfully. "Oh. You identify the properties of items, and without someone bringing stuff to you, you can do nothing. I think I can fix that." "If you could, that would be wonderful!"  "Whelp, going to avoid that as much as I can." You meet a young woman with long dark hair. She doesn't seem to be too interested in talking to you. "Hey! I'm Art!" "Thereza." "So, what do you do... wait. Don't I know you?" "I'm with Unspecified Services." "The department of spies, lone wolf mages, adventurers, and everyone else working for Exile that isn't in the Army or government proper. Also the eternal source of resentment on the part of the military. We're both on assignment for US at the moment." "I know. I had a nice chat with the military trainer a few minutes ago." "The military resents us because they don't control us and we do many things better than them. So don't expect much help from them." "I know, I know." "Wait. You said your name was Art?" "Yep." "ohmygoshI'msosorry!" "Don't worry about it. What's your assignment?" "Ma'am, I am the contact for the others being sent up there." "Others?" "Yes. Others. You didn't think that something so important would be left to a single group, do you?" She pauses. "I'm sorry, I'm not cleared to say more to you, Ma'am." "I expected as much. Dismissed." "Exit out to Upper Exile."  "Well, since they asked so nicely, why not?" "A whole bunch of empty rooms." "Hey there!" A old, small, very round woman stirs a pot of savory lizard stew. She is surrounded with enough kitchen implements and supplies to feed an army. Which, you suppose, is her job. "Welcome, child. I am Elise." "Ma'am." "I provide hot meals to all my children. I also, if asked very nicely, provide rations for troopers going out on trips." "Gordon mentioned your generosity. And I must say, it's a rare person who can make me feel young again." "Oh, Mother-of-us-all, is that what it feels like?" "Well, if you put it that way, may I please have a lunch, Matron-of-the-hearth?" She smiles maternally. "You you poor dear. You need some lunch? Just a moment." She sets to work, and sook comes back with several neatly wrapped bundles of rations. "Here you are! Now, be careful out there!" She gives us 8 food for asking politely.  "Never touch a Matron's pantry. There are less painful ways to die, I'm sure." "Let's not disturb these guards."  You meet a gaunt, severe man. His armor bears the insignia of a commander. He has a regal bearing, but cruel eyes. "Morning sir. Art, Unspecified Services. Retired." He looks at Art coldly. "I am Commander Johnson, and I command all the soldiers in this fortress." "Thank you for your..." "Which you aren't. Someday, we're going to have to slay all those Empire bastards. And when we do, it'll be the soldiers who do the work." "In case you haven't noticed, we've been winning against those bastards for a while now." "Yes. That's right. You and your other 'Unspecified Services' wastes of air will then be no good to anyone. It's your turn now, but when you gently caress up, it'll be me and my men who do it properly." He looks away. "Right. Sure. Whatever you think." "Now, if that map is right, Anaximander is north of here. So, let's go east instead!" "Art? Art? Is that you?" You see a small, heavy-set woman with a friendly attitude and a radiant smile. She wears long, well cared for robes. "It's me! Marian!" "Marian..? MARIAN! Honey! I haven't seen you in years!" "Yes, not since Motrax's funeral." "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. At least he had his cats." "They're still there, I think. After the wounds and illness finally killed him, the place had too many sad memories for us. I mean, me and the Captain." "I know. How is Ko anyway?" "Busy with work. We moved pretty much from there to here, and things just haven't stopped." "How have you not convinced him to take a vacation yet?" "Oh, talk to him, and you'll see. He's in charge of logistics for the Fort."  "Wrong door, Art!"  You meet a Captain of the Exile army. He's very thin, somewhat hyper and undeniably friendly. "KO!" "Wha..? ART!" He shakes her hand vigorously. "What brings you to Fort Emergence?" "Anaximander." "Oh. Um. Well, I'm helping Marian with the supplies. I don't deal with the spy stuff." "Don't worry about it. How's the supply situation?" "It takes a lot to feed an army. Even though they haven't shown up yet. Hey, there's a supply room off to the side that's got some stuff set aside for you. And you can leave your extra stuff there. Help yourselves!" "Free storage?" "Yep! I'll make sure nothing happens to it. Hey, once you've had your meeting, come on back! We can chat. Catch up on old times!" "Don't mention old, please!" He laughs. "Fair enough. But still, we should all sit down and talk." "Agreed."  "Here we go."  "Lots of basic gear. This is going to be one of those missions. I'm so glad I retired!" "Hold on..."  "HANG ON! MOMMY'S COMING FOR YOU SWEETY!"  "HEY!"  A pale Exile, impeccably dressed and hair neatly cut, waits behind the counter. As Art approaches, he checks his notes. "My name is Levy. How may I help you?" "Art. Unspecified Services." "Ah. And I am in charge of making allowances for those in Exile's employ. I provide rewards for those who perform exceptional services." He smiles. "In addition, I have been given a very valuable stewardship." "The Orb!" He gives a small, smug smile. "I am the one entrusted with the guardianship of Thralni's Sphere." "PLEASE! MAMMA MISSES HER BABY!" He flashes another small, tight smile. "Will you request it?" "PLE~EASE! "Request denied." "I will punch you." "No, you won't. You gave up possession of the Sphere when you retired. It's mine now." Her eyes narrow dangerously. "I will find a way." "You do that. In the meantime, go talk to the boss." "I will return. And the Orb will return to me!"  "Well, he should be here."   "And a whole bunch of nothing." "You aren't Anaximander." You meet a burly man with a lot of hair and a lot of gut. He looks you up and down as you approach. "No, I'm Flanagan." He rises to shake Art's hand. "And you must be Art. Heard a lot about you." "I categorically deny using Hawethorne's and Garzahd's heads as puppets to entertain the children. I don't know who started that rumor." "Ha! I haven't heard that one. Well, I suppose I should tell you what I do here. I'm sort of an investigating agent." "Really? This is an office." "Well, I'm too big and loud to be much of a spy! So, I wait here. Then, when something goes wrong, or gets weird, I'm the one who will look it over and make sense of what's going on." He taps his head. "I got more up here than you might think." "I'm going to be talking to you a lot, aren't I?" "Probably. I wouldn't be here otherwise. The Information loop would be too far." "Thanks for your time." "You too." "Hey, someone left their book on the table..." "Eh, the series went down hill after a while. Too many retread plots. It should have stopped after the third volume, The Ruination of Gaia." "And speaking of, is the rest on those shelves?" "No..?" "I swear, if I got called up here to deal with this, I will drag his carcass along for the ride!"  "Anaximander!" There is a dissonance here. Art is far too experience and veteran to be treated like that. Let's fix that! "Anaximander? It's me. Art. Not some newbies." You greet Anaximander, commander of spying and special forces for Fort Emergence, and a very fidgety, nervous man. "What? Art? You're early! I thought it was the others!"Art shook her head. "Dammit, I'm retired! What sort of end-of-the-world emergency could you possibly have that would require dragging me up here from my hut?" Anaximander took a deep breath to steady himself. "It's bad, Art. Really bad. We sent out a scouting party already, quite unofficially. They were supplied by X, and told to survey the region, check out the cities. That sort of stuff." Art nodded. "Go on." "They went missing a couple weeks ago. The last report was that they had split up to cover more ground faster." He looks sweaty as Art's gaze bores holes in him. "There's something wrong on up there, something that has the Empire in knots." "I find that hard to believe." "We're under Valorim," Anaximander passes a map to Art, showing her the local region. "You know about that?" Art looked at the map. "Yes. Latest official colonization effort. Starting with Blackcrag Fortress, going south into Footracer and Midori Provinces. Any expansion after that was after I was Exiled." "Well, they've gotten all the way to the southern end of the sub-continent," Anaximander wiped his brow. "The first party was basically there to make maps. We were supposed to put together an official delegation in a couple months, but after the last reports, we had to scramble." "How?" "We need to know what's going on up there!" He yelled out, causing Art to lean back. "Reports of monsters, diseases, criminals and bandits all suggest that the Empire can't keep control!" "Which is wrong." "Very, very wrong." "What do you want me to do?" She already dreaded the response. "Under Section 4B.3 of the Exile Security Act, I am hereby officially reactivating your commission in Unspecified Services to for the duration of the emergency," Anaximander said. "I'm sorry." "SORRY?" Art screeched. "I'm 50 years old! I can't go running around a continent larger that Exile doing things!" "You're the ONLY ONE I HAVE!" "Bullshit!" Art snapped back. "There's... Theodore del'Astra, Brickman Longfellow, Mad Jeff, Rashiid, Adel Behdin, Ashley Boul, Cameron Carson, Caradoc, Conrad Ayers, Geoffry Archer, Rekban, Irving, Mercy, Mrrawn, Orssa, Richard Fox, Sss-Graa...!" "They all have other assignments. I have you, and a bunch of new recruits." Art shook her head. "You have got to be joking." "I wish I was." "Who was on the first recon group?" "Erin, Elsner, Glost and Tucker." "... and?" "And what?" "That's four. Teams of six. I wrote those rule myself." "It was decided that a smaller group would be better able to evade detection and capture," Anaximander huffed, obviously not comfortable with the facts. "I know why you wrote those rules." He shuffles some papers. "Um, look, head over to the sitting room across the hall. These are the candidates you can pick from. Choose five, and we'll bring them up for your team." Art looked down at the papers. "Fine. But there will be a reckoning for this." "I would expect nothing less from you. Oh! before you go, there's something I got for you." "What?" "We contacted the Olgai-Vahnatai through their colony here in Upper Exile, and explained the situation." He produced two long wrapped objects from beside his desk. "They sent these."   Art held the two ancient blades up to the light, the dark metal glistening with oils that emerged from within. "They sent these?" "They knew you would hold the gates," Anaximander gestured in the direction of the access point to the overworld. "They know you, and put their faith in you, as do we all." This is my current map of Fort Emergence. To be updated once I get Magic Map. Now is the time for Character Creation! The next post will detail how it is done, as well as how the voting for PCs will take place. Remember, you in the thread get to choose Art's berryjon fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Mar 7, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 06:17
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Update 02 - Character Creation In this post, I will introduce the mechanics of Character Creation for Exile 3. Those of you familiar with the previous games can skip down to the new traits. When you start a new game, this is what you are faced with. I'm going to be scrapping all these in favour of custom characters as submitted by you, the thread! Like so. Now, let's move on with Art's character for Exile 3. She's going to start with bog standard Level 1 stats to represent spending the past few years fishing and in general not saving the world. When you first start a character, you are brought to this screen. Here you choose the species of your PC, their Advantages and Disadvantages. All these options have some effect on the amount of XP the character needs to level up. You see, by default, the bog-standard human requires 100XP to go up a level. Improving your character increases the XP required to level up, and giving your character disadvantages reduces it. Note that all percentages are multilplicative, so stacking Advantages on someone will hurt their long-term prospects, a lot. So, from the top:
For the purposes of this LP, I would like one of each of the Nephil and the Sliths represented, though no more than 3 PCs total. Now, the Advantages are something that increase your character's ability in Exile, mostly in combat – though exceptions exist.
Disadvantages, however, are not so nice. Though they do provide a reduction in the amount of XP required to level up.
Not all Traits are made equal, and this shows in their unpolished nature. One thing that Avernum did better was improving this system, but we're here with version 2 of the system. Art is Ambidextrous due to her combat style, and due to her advancing age, now also has a bad back. She only needs 100XP per level, which means that she will likely be advancing the fastest over the course of the game. This looks like a lot, so I'm going to start going down on the left side from the top. The first field is the name of NPC we're training. All training through skill points earned via level up also occur on a screen like this. However, seeing as how this is a new NPC, we haven't had a chance to name him/her/it yet. The purchasing of skills is done with two resources. The first is the amount of skill points we have on the character (earned at level-up), and the amount of gold we have in our party. The image is good enough, I won't recite the numbers later. However at character creation, we have 60 SP to work with, and infinite gold to spend. But what to spend it on? Health is a flat measure of HP. It goes up based on a character's Strength at each level-up, but can be increased directly. Every character starts with 6 Health that cannot be reduced. The max is 251. Spell Points power magic spells, and do not go up with level, they can only be purchased with the skill points earned by levelling up. The max is 100. Strength represents a character's soundness of body. The higher, the more HP a character will have in addition to dealing more damage with physical attacks. All characters start off with 1, but if they feel like taking any damage at all, should start with at least 3. The max is 20. Dexterity affects how ofter you hit or get hit in combat, as veterans of RPGs may assume, but also affect the Actions Points of a character, which will be explained when combat comes around. A high Dexterity will allow a person to do more per turn of combat than others. All characters start with 1, but if they want to do well in combat, should have at least three. The max is 20. Intelligence affects Spell Points and Magic damage as Strength affects HP and physical damage. It's a nice dichotomy. All characters start with 1, but if they want to do anything with magic, should have at least 3. The max is 20. Edged/Bashing/Pole/Thrown/Archery are all classes of weapons. Swords, Clubs, Spears, Throwing Stars and Bows respectively. They represent specialization in weapons, and the more you have, the better your ability to deal damage goes up. Focusing on a weapon can give more benefits than just the general benefits from a high Strength and Dex, so don't forget them. They all go to 20. Defence is a general skill to defend yourself with; making shields better and in general not getting hit, or even reducing damage. However, the most important aspect of it is that this skill reduces the Encumbrance you get from your equipment. I'll explain that in Combat. A good long-term investment. Goes to 20. Mage and Priest Spells represent the levels of spells available to the character. Having levels in these also improve your SP upon levelling up! Spells will be covered in more detail later, but at character creation, only spells up to level 3 are available. By the time we get to places with Level 4 spells available, we'll have enough skill points to buy more ranks in this. They both go up to 7. Mage Lore is a passive skill that is pooled across the party to determine if they know about stuff for plot points or resolving quests. It goes to 20, and by the mid game, we should have at least that many points in it across all our PC's. Alchemy is important for brewing potions from ingredients gathered from across the world, and they range from the 'why bother?' of thinks like Weak Poison Potions to 'absolutely vital' like Skill Potions. There is a core quest that requires this, but that won't be until very far into the game. Goes to 20. Item Lore allows us to identify items in our possession without spending money or spell points on Identify spells. It's fairly passive, and useful at low amounts to detect if an item is cursed or not. This goes to 10. Disarm Traps and Lockpicking are exactly what they say they are. Used for Traps and Locks, the skills go up to 20, and can be used on things magic won't work on. Dexterity provides a passive hidden bonus to these skills. Assassination is an unusual skill. Characters with it have a chance of doing bonus damage against any foe lower levelled than they are. This can help with cleaning trash mobs, or even against boss fights if you're over levelled. I like to think of this skill as the 'Win Harder' skill. Goes to 20, at which point you're dealing massive damage to anything less powerful than you. It does not stack with ranged weapons, just melee. Poison is a skill that allows you to safely add poison to your weapons to try and hit foes with. Can be useful with Thrown or Archery based weapons, but I find it's just not worth the skill points in the long run. Goes to 20. Luck costs no money to train, and it does the most dangerous and powerful thing of all – it affects the RNG. Can go all the way to 20, if you dare. Here is what I'm putting into my initial character. 4 extra points of Health, 5 baseline Spell points, 5 in each of the base statistics, 3 levels of Priest spells, and the last 8 points into edged weapons, as knives and swords are common weapons. In practice, this a build that buff themselves using Priest spells for a round or two, then charges into melee. Casters and other ranged attacks can pick it apart, so support will be needed in the long run. This is the Character model selection. All PC's can have their own icons, and here is where the fun really begins! All PC images are bitmap images, 28x36, mirrored for when facing the other direction. For this LP, I will accept custom images for submitted PC's! I'll say it right now, I find the non-humans to be far less interesting than the human ones, so if anyone really wants to try their hand at a new PC graphic, please be my guest. But for now, I'm just going with the bottom of column two for no apparent reason. Wait, no, I have a splendid reason. And it's not just because it's the same graphic for Art back in Exile 1. Finally, we get to name our PC, and I've chosen Art. Because that's her name. Submissions! I'll be taking calls for FIVE additional Player Characters. What I want are names, backgrounds and stats (or just guidelines). You can choose a PC picture yourself, or make on for additional brownie points. Just keep in mind that over the course of the game, we're going to be getting a lot of skill points to spend (upwards of 200 more during the course of the game), so you can have some flexibility in what you want to do. If there are more than five characters submitted, I'll put it up to the goons to weigh in on which ones they think are better. I will, of course, reserve the final say for myself. Once I am satisfied with the number of submissions, I will move on to voting. Before anything else, I will pick one PC to automatically get into party, either because I like the character, or due to possible synergy. After that, Each person may assign a value of 1 through 4 to four of the remaining PCs indicating how much they like that PC, with 4 being more than 1. Each person can also add a -1 to one other PC, indicating that they believe that character should not be in the party. After sufficient time has passed, I will close voting, generate the PCs fully, and move on with the story! Now, on to the show!
berryjon fucked around with this message at 05:34 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 06:19
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Name: Mazian Drej. Race: Human. Backround: If the retired Art feels they are ancient, then Mazian is downright prehistoric. An old man, his hair silver-grey, his memories of the surface are dim, but filled with burning emotion. Once he was a soldier, too. But he was a grunt and once he'd thrown down his blade and deserted, he never took it up again. Though they exiled him, time has dulled his distaste for the empire and with the situation as-is, he feels it's time to return home, no matter what that looks like. In his heart he has ambition, even as he nears the end of his life. Once it was a desire for power, but never fulfilled, it has turned into a desire to leave some lasting institution behind him. This desire is what has lead him to join up with unspecified services, in the hopes of one last adventure for a life that has never truly known any. Picture: B4 from the top-left. (The purple tunic swordsman) Traits and skills: He's old, so frail or bad back are fitting. It might be appropriate for him to have many physical disadvantages but a lot of skills? That may be too crippling though, so maybe he's managed to remain hearty and hale in his old age. As for combat uses, he would likely be another front-line fighter. A fitting divergence however, would be for him to have a talent for magic that was never noticed or expressed, until now.
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Mar 7, 2016 07:29
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After Walkthrough-ing my way through the first two games, the premise of the world being destroyed if you faffed around too much made young-me skip this one. Will be following.
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Mar 7, 2016 08:21
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Fat Samurai posted:After Walkthrough-ing my way through the first two games, the premise of the world being destroyed if you faffed around too much made young-me skip this one. Will be following. Ruined World's time limit is ridiculously generous. It's probably my favorite of the original three and I'm looking forward to the re-remake.
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Mar 7, 2016 08:56
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Name: Nista Shore Race: Human Background: A young magical prodigy, she severely irritated her instructors by only showing interest in the flashiest and most destructive spells. Ultimately, they came to the conclusion that she was wasting her talents, and they couldn't really teach her until she was actually willing to learn. After developing a crush on a fellow female student, and subsequently being rejected because the other girl was straight, she decided her life was over and volunteered for Unspecified Services in the hope of being sent on a suicide mission. Despite her magical strength, few people can handle dealing with her melodramatic personality. Time will tell if she grows out of it. Picture: C5 (woman in blue dress) Traits and skills: Magically Apt, and for skills give her plenty of INT, SP and Mage Spells. Item and Mage Lore would also fit her tendency to collect useless but interesting bits of trivia.
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Mar 7, 2016 12:43
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Ooh. This - this is the one I got the furthest in, way back when. Let's see what I can come up with this time...
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Mar 7, 2016 12:54
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It's back! I'm so excited -- these LPs have been an amazing look at a classic game. I am totally out of inspiration for a new PC, so I'll just stick and spectate this time 'round. Looking forward to seeing where it goes, though!
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Mar 7, 2016 15:25
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Exile 3, already?  I'll vote for any party that has a nephil, a slithzerikai, and an Avernum-born human. For plot/dialogue reasons. Not making a character for now, unless one of the above is missing.
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Mar 7, 2016 15:45
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Awright, this is starting! Here's my character submission; I'll try to get graphics for him later. Name: John Race: Crystal Golem ("Human") Traits: Good Constitution, Recuperation, Ambidextrous, Highly Alert, Exceptional Strength Initial training: a little of everything.      Background: After the end of the Exile-Empire war, the Empire was forced to abandon all of their subterranean outposts. They did their best to wipe away any information or intelligence they had gathered before they left, and in this they were aided by the fact that many of these outposts had been badly damaged by Art and her crew. However, they weren't quite as thorough as they might have liked. We discovered "John" in one of the experimental labs at Akhronath. He appears to be an extension of standard golem magic, based on what the Empire was able to glean from their research into the Crystal Souls. Unfortunately, all notes on his manufacture were destroyed by Quickfire; he is literally one of a kind. When he was discovered, he was badly-damaged by that same Quickfire, and behaved erratically and violently. Fortunately, we were able to contain him until his inbuilt regenerative capabilities restored his crystalline structure, after which point he calmed down and was willing to be taken into custody. John appears to be a "blank slate", and was unable to tell us anything about how he came to be. We estimate him to be of slightly above-average intelligence, and he is a rapid learner with an apparently perfect memory. However, he tends to be incurious and has precisely zero self-motivation: he instead will follow any order he is given unless prior orders conflict. As this represents a clear potential security problem, we have spent a great deal of time "programming" him with safeguard orders. Our testing indicates that he should make an admirable field agent and observer; the fact that we can rely on his witness testimony to be impartial and exact is an excellent bonus. We would of course have appreciated having more time to test his capabilities and provide him with a more focused baseline training, but I understand that time presses. I do however request that we have the opportunity to inspect him from time to time during this operation. Signed, Redacted TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 19:00
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Name: Delilah Race: Human (C4, the blonde woman in the blue dress) Traits: Highly Alert, Nimble Fingers Initial Training: Major focus in "Rogue" skills - archery, lockpicking, Traps, Dex, with a minor in Priest Spells and enough Intelligence to keep up. Kind of demanding, apologies. Item Lore would be a logical thing for her to invest in later down the road. Background: Delilah is a well-regarded member of one of the up-and-coming religions of Exile, which flourished prior to the discovery of a way back to the surface as the refugees/prisoners/exiles of the underworld looked for some sort of light to replace the one they'd presumably never see again. She is charismatic, gentle, and a joy to be around - which has worked to her advantage her entire life, as it has been an excellent cover for her numerous illicit activities. In reality Delilah was born in one of the nastiest slums of the Empire on the surface and has been a talented thief ever since, her supposed innocence and good looks getting her out of whatever her hands have inadvertently gotten her in to. While the Empire eventually caught her during a foolhardy raid on a noble's house and sent her to Exile, the populace down below has been largely fooled by her act, allowing her to find Religion in a big way - granting her the resources and reputation a talented thief can only dream of. Delilah is every bit the model Holy Woman in conversation, and may even believe some small part of what she says(I'll leave the specifics of the religion in question to you) - but is duplicitous to a fault. On her loneliest nights she wishes she could become the mask she has presented - but thoughts of riches tend to smother such urges pretty quickly. When she gets Serious, she takes a forceful tone, is a shrewd negotiator, and is relentless in her pursuit of wealth and/or power. Mostly it is just a question of how long the act will last...
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Mar 7, 2016 19:31
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After reading through two LP's and experiencing incredible nostalgia trips, I feel it's absolutely necessary to submit a character. Name: Loc'ess Race: Slithzerikai Background: Born shortly before the outbreak of the Exile-Empire War, Loc'ess spent his youth as a refugee fleeing from the Empire's atrocities. Having been granted refuge by the Exiles, and hearing stories from his elders about the Empire's handling of nonhumans, he considers himself owing a life debt to Exile. This, combined with his aptitude for the priestly arts and an uncommonly strong wanderlust led him to become a sort of traveling healer. When Upper Exile was established, "excited" did not quite do justice to his desire to move there. After a bit of luck, paperwork, and some favors here and there, he finally got clearance to pass the portal to the caverns above. What does fate have in store for him? Only time will tell.. Initial training: Priest spells and anything deemed appropriate. Traits: Magically apt, Good constitution, Cave lore (Yes, I know this is Exile 3. Do it.). Perhaps make him an alchemist on the side? FreakyM fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Mar 7, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 19:40
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I'm guessing that Art is going to spend a bit less time on the front lines this time around? At least, it seems like a middle-aged priest would fare better than a middle-aged warrior would. Also, we're probably going to want at least one mage! Or not, y'know, I don't judge. Oh, and there's an incorrect tag ("nobel" instead of "noble") and I think a missing close-italics in the first update?
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Mar 7, 2016 19:50
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Oh, and there's an incorrect tag ("nobel" instead of "noble") and I think a missing close-italics in the first update? They're both fix'd.
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Mar 7, 2016 20:02
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Name: Tum'rrah "Tom" Race: Nephilim (E5 is the closest picture) Traits: Toughness, Magically Inept Initial Training: High Str and HP. Moderate skill in Bashing Weapons and Defense. If you can fit in Assassination then great, but that can be down the line with more Dex. Background: Standing well over 6 and a half feet tall with a stocky frame, "Tom" is a brutish looking Nephilim with a sour demeanor and a penchant to hitting first and asking questions later (If the now thumped target is still breathing and lucid of course). Tom is an antithesis to most Nephalim, never being one to use darts or missile weapons, and instead prefers clubs, maces or whatever he can yank off the wall to fight with. Whether he's a bodyguard, a highwayman or a soldier, Tom has always stood out for never backing down from a fight, and rarely losing one, even with obvious broken bones and lacerations. Normally, such distinction would earn one a modest living based on experiences and reputation, but Tom has never really fit in with anyone in Avernum, as his frame and disposition lend people to leave him alone from fear or distrust. Tom only seems to fit in with other guards or vagabonds, and even then he rarely speaks unless spoken to. Eventually, Tom has closed himself away from other people and rarely trusts anyone. Tom recently distinguished himself as a guard for a caravan that was nearly overrun by goblins, cracking several of their skulls and, after losing his club in the melee, picking up pairs of goblins and crushing their heads together. A member of the Unspecified Services recommended him to join this group as the previous two applicants had died in the ambush. Tom doesn't really know what to expect from his expedition, but if it as rough and tumble as the agent suggested, maybe he'll fit in a little better here than anywhere else in Avernum. Krumbsthumbs fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 8, 2016 00:13
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Anyone seeking to make custom graphics should be aware that the graphics for Blades of Exile (the scenario-based pseudo-expansion to Exile III) are available here. Also, I think you got the size backwards, berryjon: the sprites are 28x36 (i.e. 28 wide, 36 tall), not 36x28. On that note, have some graphics for John (also edited into my earlier post). The battle sprites are adapted from in-game sprites; the portrait was taken from this commercial product and then lightly tweaked.
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Mar 8, 2016 02:46
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Name: Arcturus Race: Human Male Picture: Third row, column 4 (dude in the vest) Traits: Highly Alert, Woodsman Skills: Training in Priest spells and Mage spells (maybe a point or two each?), plus Alchemy. Arcturus was born in Exile to a merchant and has never seen the surface, but has eagerly studied the tales of the surface since he learned to walk. Expecting that Exile would return at some point, he studied everything the Tower of Magi had available about the surface - the flora and fauna, uses of various plants, and a little bit of magic. Unfortunately, all the time spent studying has ruined his sleeping habits for good and made him kind of...intense. Some would say a little too intense. It also limited his time to work on physical training, so he doesn't have strength, weapon skill or other physical attributes. Completely random other topic: Why didn't Art ask for her allowance? That's like...25 gold or some worthless amount! You could practically stay at a moderately-priced Inn for that.
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Mar 8, 2016 03:55
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Firstly, berryjon, glad to see you starting Ruined World so soon after Crystal Souls. Secondly, I was going to resubmit my character concept that I had pitched for E2, but you already said that Geoffrey (you mispelled it) Archer was on another assignment. Far be it from me to step on canon... plus, nobody voted for the character idea last time around (myself included as I thought that it would be gauche to vote for my own character concept). I can't think of another interesting concept and I doubt that the original idea would be any more popular this time than last, so bugger me and my lack of creativity. Thirdly, I actually have found copies of all four Exile games (Blades included) that run natively in 64-bit systems, so let me know if that interests you.
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Mar 8, 2016 04:08
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MagusofStars posted:Completely random other topic: Why didn't Art ask for her allowance? That's like...25 gold or some worthless amount! You could practically stay at a moderately-priced Inn for that. Because Levy is currently on her poo poo list for keeping her away from her precious. And besides, I will have five other PCs to do that for her!
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Mar 8, 2016 05:12
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Binge reading the first two of these, totally on board for this. Here's my character idea with lots of numbers: Name: Matthias ('I am that is' style, not the dude from Exile 1.) Race: Human I like A4 picture but it was missing a little... Something. So I added a swanky hat. Here's the PNGs of the bitmaps, needs converting (or someone can point me at a good host that takes bmps)     Here's a preview with transparency. Old style Spriting hurts my head a bit but I can do some additions, subtractions or color modifications if people would like.  Have a face. Searching for 'Man in Hat' eventually brought me to Don Draper and the character matches up with the one in my head decently. Some things are wrong but hey, it's kind of the hat I was going for!  Traits: Cave Lore, Woodsman, Good Constitution, Highly Alert, Chronic Disease. Initial Training Skills: Health +2 (2 sp) Spell Points +4 (4 sp) Total 6 sp Stats: +2 Dexterity (6 sp) +4 Intelligence (9 sp) Total 15 sp Subtotal 21 sp Magic Skills: Mage Spells +3 (18 sp) Priest Spells +1 (5 sp) Mage Lore +4 (4 sp) Alchemy +2 (4 sp) Item Lore +2 (8 sp) Total 39 Subtotal 60 Further Guidelines: Matthias is setup to be a dude that knows things/support mage. His Lores should be ahead of the party's along with Alchemy (since it's a kind of lore.) As for combat viability, his Mage and Priest Spells should be equal/close to each other, give him high Int and sp/health/strength upgrades at your discretion. For flavor he could have a point or two in Lockpicking (for the times when magic doesn't work.) Oh, and pump his Luck a bit if you run out of cash for him and have SP to spare. It might help with his Chronic Disease. Background To most the idea of a mage is one who studies musty old tomes, experiments with arcane reagents and live in relative safety of tall towers. They spend their lives doing those things in a communal search for power, enlightenment or further knowledge of the arcane arts. Some are helpful and mindful of the populace. Some resent the populace for taking them away from their important work. Yet others lock themselves away to discover the secrets of magic undisturbed. To most, a Mage is powerful, secretive and concerned mostly with higher, theoretical learning. To Matthias, a Mage is simply one who knows more about things than others. Blessed with a keen observation and a powerful intuition Matthias found life in a Mage Tower self defeating. What is the use of knowledge if one does not use it? Soon after having this epiphany he left the tower having gleaned all the knowledge from it he could. Where other mages studied musty tomes, he studied lands, the nature and the people that dwelt within them. Where other mages experimented with arcane reagents, he experimented with natural ones. Where others found safety in secluded towers, he found safety in natural shelters. He uses practical solutions, magical or not, for practical problems. Sometimes for himself but almost always to help others in hopes that they can help him in return. Help that has so far eluded him. None have been able to help him battle the shortness of breath, the fevers, or the shaking hands that plague him every now and then. All signs of the tolling from his inner clock. One that, perhaps, ticks down faster for him. No one knows exactly how or when Matthias came to Exile. One day he simply appeared and offered his services to the townsfolk, fitting in quite amicably be they Human, Nephilim or Slith. All found him quite willing, helpful and respectful, though strange for a mage. He did not boast nor did he complain, he simply carried out everything matter-of-factly no matter the hardships or oddities he faced. Never staying in one place for long his wanderings took him throughout the cavern systems and elsewhere until, almost as a matter of course he ended up at Fort Emergence not long after the first expedition to the surface had left. "You'll need someone like me if you're going out there. I've seen enough to know the pattern that's taking place: change. Not for the better either." Edit: TooMuchAbstraction posted:Anyone seeking to make custom graphics should be aware that the graphics for Blades of Exile (the scenario-based pseudo-expansion to Exile III) are available here. Also, I think you got the size backwards, berryjon: the sprites are 28x36 (i.e. 28 wide, 36 tall), not 36x28. EponymousMrYar fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 8, 2016 05:22
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Name: Ni'aurrl ( or "Neril") Race: Nephilim (2nd column from right, 3rd row from bottom, the "mage" nephilim picture) Occupation: Sage in service to the Nephilim, training to serve the Wise Hunter Background: Ask too many questions, get sent to the sages. Ask too many questions of the Sages, and they just may keep you. Ni'aurrl fit the saying, and has been rigorously trained since she was a kit. When the Nephilim diplomats heard of the joint venture to the Surface, they jumped at the opportunity to see Home again; they sent word to the Sages, and the Sages sent her - barely an adult, calmed down enough to hunt without sound, but still a flurry of questions. The Sages have drilled her relentlessly on their surface territories, and she is keen to scout, see what has become of them, if new grounds can be acquired for their people. Neril is eager to see, to learn, and to bring word back to her people. Prone to bursting out with questions, talking too much (too quickly), asking rapid fire questions, but has enough hunter's sense to know when to be quiet and stealthy - even if the prey is knowledge, not a living creature. She is trained to observe, to deduce and learn; these are shared by both mages and hunters, and she is a blooded huntress (rite of passage to adulthood) as well as an up-and-coming mage for the Nephilim. Skills: Mage, primary. Priest as secondary far down the line would be most appropriate, but could go towards edged or thrown or scout as secondary. Leaving point allotment, skills, advantages/disadvantages up to you, I'm not familiar enough with the mechanics to suggest a build. That said, probably has Lore. She's well-read, knows some of Art's doings (what was available to public and Nephilim sources), and oh the questions she has. Not quite hero-worship, but definitely respect and excitement to get at all Art's history - especially as Art's connections to the Surface and Empire start becoming evident. And she will (re)invent sunglasses upon seeing the Surface at high noon, because ouch that's bright. (Or wear a broad-brimmed hat, but that's less exciting.) - - - - - Very excited you are continuing, berryjon! I don't think I've read anything in your first two threads about Nephilim religion. Please disregard if this doesn't fit the game or your views. Going for the easy conversion, saying Bast and Sekhmet are likely goddesses for the Nephilim, and possibly they are a maternally organized society. Here, I am using a loose version of Bast for the Wise Hunter, and Sekhmet for the goddess of War. A devotee of the Wise Hunter makes more sense for Unspecified Services and scouting, and a Sage is a fitting devotee even if they are not a priestess. Sage loosely being both the magical scholar (mage), and the general historian/natural historian/scientist. And of course, ferreting out secrets is a grand tradition for cats, thus Neril's devotion to finding out Art's past, once her ties to the surface are revealed.
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Mar 8, 2016 06:21
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Please excuse my lack of photo-shopping abilities. I saw I need to get the head portrait to 28x36, and hopefully this image can be edited to the right dimensions? Not sure there's enough contrast, please feel free to do whatever with it, if you select her. Thanks!
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Mar 8, 2016 06:29
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I could have sworn there was a limit of 2 traits you could grab, but that might have been Avernum rather than Exile.
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Mar 8, 2016 06:42
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Vil posted:I could have sworn there was a limit of 2 traits you could grab, but that might have been Avernum rather than Exile. Yeah, that's Avernum. In Exile 2/3 you can create a single-character-party, give them all of the positive traits, and still level up like crazy despite the ~250% experience penalty.
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Mar 8, 2016 15:38
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Name: Dalmek Race: Human Traits: Highly Alert, Exceptional Strength Training: Bashing focused fighter, decent strength. Some skill in alchemy and a teeny bit of Mage Spells. Graphics: The dude in green with the stick, third column, second from the top. Background: Dalmek had the talent and inherent magical ability to have been a really fantastic mage, but circumstances never lined up. When he should have been studying to get into the Tower of Magi, the war broke out against the Empire and he chose to enlist in the infrantry. The war was over by the time he finished his actual training so he tried to apply to the Tower of Magi -- he failed the year of silence twice, both times yelling out of frustration. He had no real interest in magical theory and was more interested in combat applications, but found that beyond a few cantrips he picked up by natural talent, he realized it was usually faster to beat his problem to death with a giant stick. He finally found a niche in studying Alchemy, but was expelled for cooking and selling drugs out of the Tower's laboratory. Since then, he's been wandering across Exile working every odd job you can think of; he's been a lab assistant, a bouncer, an exterminator, a cook, etc etc. He found his way onto the roster for Unspecified Services by accident - an agent of the Service was at a tavern and was impressed by how quickly Dalmek beat a half-dozen bar fighters into submission with a chair.
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Mar 8, 2016 18:22
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48 HOUR WARNING I will be closing PC submissions in 48 hours from now, then I will prep everything for the votes.
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Mar 9, 2016 04:40
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berryjon posted:
BTW, this is a reference to a 90s internet celebrity named Elf Sternberg who… wrote a lot of furry erotica on Usenet, I think. Must've been easier to be a celebrity those days.
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Mar 9, 2016 07:17
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Name: Sk'rrrrrrl ("Karl") Race: Nephil (F1) Traits: Woodsman, Magically Inept (if that's not a giant handicap) Training: Missile weapons, assassination, bashing Background: Karl was a wild child, born to bandits and living outside civilization most of his life. He claims to have been recently exiled for banditry and that largely shuts people up about the specifics. Which is a good thing, because he was never actually exiled at all. He was off hunting one day and returned to find an advance scouting party from Exile had wiped out the lair of his current group, so he tracked them back to their point of egress and snuck in. Not for revenge, just figuring he'd probably be safer on the side with more weapons. Karl has ridiculously cavalier attitudes about theft and murder, which are actually kind of an asset in Unspecified Services, or at least not as much of a liability.
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Mar 9, 2016 10:48
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Question: does Magically Inept prevent you from benefiting from Knowledge Brews? Because that sounds like an instant disqualifier. Anyway, I've watched these from the start, now I'll jump in at last, with a character somewhat different from those we've seen so far. Name: Bendan, or "Ben" Race: Human (A4) Traits: Exceptional Strength, Recuperation Training: Health: 24 Strength: 9 Dexterity: 5 Edged Weapons: 7 (Two-handed) Defense: 2 Assassination: 2 Background: Bendan was ten years old when he was exiled, not that long before Art's group was sent down. Young, but more than old enough to remember those events. His parents were outspoken and relatively popular pro-free market, anti-noble cronyism advocates from near the center of the Empire. They didn't get exiled. They just disappeared one night. Bendan tried to raise a fuss among their supporters to find them, but was met with frightened disinterest. He was branded an urchin and thrown into Exile. Now 19, he has a major chip on his shoulder towards the surface. He's a scrappy kid in general, and a brutal fighter, but when it comes to helping the surface, he would rather show them the indifference he remembers from his childhood. This will sometimes bring him into conflict with Art, though he's focused enough to kill the enemy first and argue with her later. This argumentative nature leads the other members of the party to "take advantage" of his Exceptional Strength to make him carry all the stuff. Over time on the surface, he should mellow out and remember that the people there are just people, for the most part. He's a decent guy at heart. He will grow to see Art as more of a mentor, or possibly surrogate parent (with the occasional comment that she's more than old enough to be his mother). He may even eventually admit that his parents would have liked to live in Valorim (If that's true. I don't really know the social situation out there). However, he may occasionally have to bite his tongue and rant later when encountering corrupt or self-serving individuals. Also, though there may not be a good opportunity for this, at some point, maybe the team encounters a noble or corrupt judge or whatever, possibly connected to his family's disappearance. He has no evidence, but he'll be quick to point out that if a person is the kind of corrupt that leads them to make people vanish into thin air, they'll keep doing that sort of thing until someone ends them. Montegoraon fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Mar 9, 2016 |
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Mar 9, 2016 19:26
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Glad I spotted this thread, it reminded me I haven't finished reading through the Exile 2 run yet. I never actually played E3 much so I'm kind of interested to see the whole story.
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Mar 10, 2016 00:57
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If I recall correctly, then yes, Magically Inept prevents from drinking Knowledge Brews.
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Mar 10, 2016 07:41
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FreakyM posted:If I recall correctly, then yes, Magically Inept prevents from drinking Knowledge Brews. I was not aware of that. Actually, let me crack open the game, whip up a PC with that, and cheat a brew into inventory to check.... And that's confirmed. Magically Inept PCs cannot use Knowledge Brews. TWENTY AND A HALF HOURS to submit PCs!
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Mar 10, 2016 08:07
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berryjon posted:TWENTY AND A HALF HOURS to submit PCs! 
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Mar 10, 2016 13:05
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Name: Sasserithrasix Male Slith No traits Fights with spears, built towards having as much of a hodgepodge of melee, magic and utility skills as you can give him without making him useless. Sasserithrasix is a happy-go-lucky Slith with a hippy streak. He is also the poster-child for why practice and commitment trump natural talent. While he had the potential to become a great fighter or a great mage, his lack of discipline and inability to focus on any one thing for long left him skilled, but far short of his more committed peers. As he nears middle age, it seems clear to him that it's too late to live up to what he expected to accomplish when he was young. He has wandered Avernum performing a variety of combat related jobs, but because of his mixed skill set, intelligence (very smart, though perhaps not quite so much as he makes himself out to be) and general attitude, he naturally gravitated towards unspecified services. In terms of personality, he generally takes things as they come and tends to find the behavior of most intelligent creatures to be absurd, that of the sliths very nearly as much so as that of humans or nephilim. He comes across as not very serious, but kind, intelligent and invested doing the right thing, as long as it's not too much trouble. But behind his cheerful disposition, somewhat lackadaisical attitude and good-natured ribbing, people who know him see flashes of self-abasement, resentment and bitterness. He has a surprisingly short temper and when he erupts in a burst of vitriol, the veil shading his disappointment in himself and his life becomes very thin. He also has hates authority, often unfairly so, probably because it reminds him of what he sees as his own failure. This means he will be fascinated by Art, like her very much, and also resent her, occasionally bursting out into a mostly ungrounded tirade about how she's screwing up. In spite of this, his outward appearance mostly reflects the reality of his character. He really does believe and follow a philosophy of appreciating the simple and constant beauty of life and typically manages to enjoy each moment. He has the wisdom to perceive when others, and occasionally even he himself, are being ridiculous and always takes genuine, but not mean-spirited amusement in pointing it out.
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Mar 10, 2016 14:42
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Pierzak posted:or delete Magically Inept from otherwise good designs Where's the fun in that? The magically inept don't need some fancy potions to make them better at what they do. That's quitter talk. The magically inept demand equal representation in this party and will not stand for this kind of bias.
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Mar 10, 2016 16:02
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And sneaking in - perhaps appropriately - before the deadline... Blodwyn, AKA 'Blue'. Female Human (Top row, fifth column, dark-skinned woman in armour). Traits: Woodsman (+8%), Toughness (+10%) Skills: Edged Weapons, Defence, some Strength and Dexterity, maybe Assassination, if Disarm Traps stacks across the party that might be good. Basically a front-liner build, thinking sword and shield if at all possible. Oh, and a bit of Item Lore, just to add to the pool - that can be cultivated or left as a rank or two. --- They might not have been lofty heights, but they were hers. Story of her life, really. Was third in command of a fairly lucrative merchant troupe - right up until her boss annoyed the wrong Empire official. By then, shipping people off to Exile was a non-option - that particular punishment having died with Hawthorne - so they'd gone for something more severe, to 'make an example'. Execution, and confiscation of everything the troupe owned. Thanks to that 'reasonable' option being gone, everything was torn apart. So her life was ruined. Fine. She could rebuild. Legally, not so much - but the law wasn't on her side to begin with. So she found her way to the shadier side of business, eventually signing on with a bandit gang. Knowledge of how caravans ran, of how valuable goods could be...well, that made her command material. So she got better. Learned to fight, got practised at ambushing, and worked her way up to sub-commander of a fairly hefty bandit troupe. Thugs under her command - brutal sorts who'd backstab her as easily as anything. Fine - she never expected loyalty, the world was a brutal enough place. And they got a bit big, and needed a place to hide out from Empire patrols...so they started building a fort, and 'Blue' near the top of its pecking order. Not exactly lofty heights, but they were hers. Right up until there was an accident, or maybe a betrayal - she'd been checking on an outer wall, a catwalk collapsed, and she fell into the abyss. Filthy caves. Filled with monsters. A hard woman could find a way to endure, but swords dull, armour breaks...and when a bedraggled woman hit her limit, she finally found other people. For loose definitions of 'people'. Exiles. So she was swept up, because Unspecified Services would just love to hear about the current state of the surface world - and she'd travelled enough as a merchant-turned-bandit to know a little bit about a lot of things. Was 'recommended' to sign up with Unspecified Services, because monster-infested caverns are a hard thing to survive alone... She's bitter. Over the Exiles' role in the turmoil of the last decade. Over her supposed comrades effectively stabbing her in the back. Over how a pretty good life has fallen apart twice now...but fine. She can come out on top again. --- tl;dr: Former merchant turned bandit who got stuck in Exile in the last couple of months. Bitter, determined, and working with Exiles is basically the least terrible of her options.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:07
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Update 02A - Potential PCs The following PCs are presented as their background, followed by their statblock without commentary, and to the best of my ability. I apologize in advance for sometimes the math didn't add up for those looking for specific stats, and some people didn't give me more than a vague direction of what they wanted their character to look like.Mazian Drej posted:If the retired Art feels they are ancient, then Mazian is downright prehistoric. An old man, his hair silver-grey, his memories of the surface are dim, but filled with burning emotion. Once he was a soldier, too. But he was a grunt and once he'd thrown down his blade and deserted, he never took it up again. Though they exiled him, time has dulled his distaste for the empire and with the situation as-is, he feels it's time to return home, no matter what that looks like. In his heart he has ambition, even as he nears the end of his life. Once it was a desire for power, but never fulfilled, it has turned into a desire to leave some lasting institution behind him. This desire is what has lead him to join up with unspecified services, in the hopes of one last adventure for a life that has never truly known any.   Nista Shore posted:A young magical prodigy, she severely irritated her instructors by only showing interest in the flashiest and most destructive spells. Ultimately, they came to the conclusion that she was wasting her talents, and they couldn't really teach her until she was actually willing to learn. After developing a crush on a fellow female student, and subsequently being rejected because the other girl was straight, she decided her life was over and volunteered for Unspecified Services in the hope of being sent on a suicide mission. Despite her magical strength, few people can handle dealing with her melodramatic personality. Time will tell if she grows out of it.   John posted:After the end of the Exile-Empire war, the Empire was forced to abandon all of their subterranean outposts. They did their best to wipe away any information or intelligence they had gathered before they left, and in this they were aided by the fact that many of these outposts had been badly damaged by Art and her crew. However, they weren't quite as thorough as they might have liked.   Delilah posted:Delilah is a well-regarded member of one of the up-and-coming religions of Exile, which flourished prior to the discovery of a way back to the surface as the refugees/prisoners/exiles of the underworld looked for some sort of light to replace the one they'd presumably never see again. She is charismatic, gentle, and a joy to be around - which has worked to her advantage her entire life, as it has been an excellent cover for her numerous illicit activities. In reality Delilah was born in one of the nastiest slums of the Empire on the surface and has been a talented thief ever since, her supposed innocence and good looks getting her out of whatever her hands have inadvertently gotten her in to. While the Empire eventually caught her during a foolhardy raid on a noble's house and sent her to Exile, the populace down below has been largely fooled by her act, allowing her to find Religion in a big way - granting her the resources and reputation a talented thief can only dream of.   Loc'ess posted:Born shortly before the outbreak of the Exile-Empire War, Loc'ess spent his youth as a refugee fleeing from the Empire's atrocities. Having been granted refuge by the Exiles, and hearing stories from his elders about the Empire's handling of nonhumans, he considers himself owing a life debt to Exile. This, combined with his aptitude for the priestly arts and an uncommonly strong wanderlust led him to become a sort of traveling healer. When Upper Exile was established, "excited" did not quite do justice to his desire to move there.   Tum'rrah posted:Standing well over 6 and a half feet tall with a stocky frame, "Tom" is a brutish looking Nephilim with a sour demeanor and a penchant to hitting first and asking questions later (If the now thumped target is still breathing and lucid of course). Tom is an antithesis to most Nephalim, never being one to use darts or missile weapons, and instead prefers clubs, maces or whatever he can yank off the wall to fight with. Whether he's a bodyguard, a highwayman or a soldier, Tom has always stood out for never backing down from a fight, and rarely losing one, even with obvious broken bones and lacerations. Normally, such distinction would earn one a modest living based on experiences and reputation, but Tom has never really fit in with anyone in Avernum, as his frame and disposition lend people to leave him alone from fear or distrust. Tom only seems to fit in with other guards or vagabonds, and even then he rarely speaks unless spoken to. Eventually, Tom has closed himself away from other people and rarely trusts anyone.   Arturus posted:Arcturus was born in Exile to a merchant and has never seen the surface, but has eagerly studied the tales of the surface since he learned to walk. Expecting that Exile would return at some point, he studied everything the Tower of Magi had available about the surface - the flora and fauna, uses of various plants, and a little bit of magic. Unfortunately, all the time spent studying has ruined his sleeping habits for good and made him kind of...intense. Some would say a little too intense. It also limited his time to work on physical training, so he doesn't have strength, weapon skill or other physical attributes.   Matthias posted:To most the idea of a mage is one who studies musty old tomes, experiments with arcane reagents and live in relative safety of tall towers. They spend their lives doing those things in a communal search for power, enlightenment or further knowledge of the arcane arts. Some are helpful and mindful of the populace. Some resent the populace for taking them away from their important work. Yet others lock themselves away to discover the secrets of magic undisturbed. To most, a Mage is powerful, secretive and concerned mostly with higher, theoretical learning.   "Ni'aurrl posted:Ask too many questions, get sent to the sages. Ask too many questions of the Sages, and they just may keep you. Ni'aurrl fit the saying, and has been rigorously trained since she was a kit. When the Nephilim diplomats heard of the joint venture to the Surface, they jumped at the opportunity to see Home again; they sent word to the Sages, and the Sages sent her - barely an adult, calmed down enough to hunt without sound, but still a flurry of questions. The Sages have drilled her relentlessly on their surface territories, and she is keen to scout, see what has become of them, if new grounds can be acquired for their people.   Dalmek posted:Dalmek had the talent and inherent magical ability to have been a really fantastic mage, but circumstances never lined up. When he should have been studying to get into the Tower of Magi, the war broke out against the Empire and he chose to enlist in the infrantry. The war was over by the time he finished his actual training so he tried to apply to the Tower of Magi -- he failed the year of silence twice, both times yelling out of frustration. He had no real interest in magical theory and was more interested in combat applications, but found that beyond a few cantrips he picked up by natural talent, he realized it was usually faster to beat his problem to death with a giant stick.   Sk'rrrrrrl posted:Karl was a wild child, born to bandits and living outside civilization most of his life. He claims to have been recently exiled for banditry and that largely shuts people up about the specifics.   Bendan posted:Bendan was ten years old when he was exiled, not that long before Art's group was sent down. Young, but more than old enough to remember those events. His parents were outspoken and relatively popular pro-free market, anti-noble cronyism advocates from near the center of the Empire. They didn't get exiled. They just disappeared one night. Bendan tried to raise a fuss among their supporters to find them, but was met with frightened disinterest. He was branded an urchin and thrown into Exile. Now 19, he has a major chip on his shoulder towards the surface. He's a scrappy kid in general, and a brutal fighter, but when it comes to helping the surface, he would rather show them the indifference he remembers from his childhood. This will sometimes bring him into conflict with Art, though he's focused enough to kill the enemy first and argue with her later. This argumentative nature leads the other members of the party to "take advantage" of his Exceptional Strength to make him carry all the stuff.   Sasserithrasix posted:Sasserithrasix is a happy-go-lucky Slith with a hippy streak. He is also the poster-child for why practice and commitment trump natural talent. While he had the potential to become a great fighter or a great mage, his lack of discipline and inability to focus on any one thing for long left him skilled, but far short of his more committed peers. As he nears middle age, it seems clear to him that it's too late to live up to what he expected to accomplish when he was young. He has wandered Avernum performing a variety of combat related jobs, but because of his mixed skill set, intelligence (very smart, though perhaps not quite so much as he makes himself out to be) and general attitude, he naturally gravitated towards unspecified services.   Bronwyn posted:They might not have been lofty heights, but they were hers. Story of her life, really. Was third in command of a fairly lucrative merchant troupe - right up until her boss annoyed the wrong Empire official. By then, shipping people off to Exile was a non-option - that particular punishment having died with Hawthorne - so they'd gone for something more severe, to 'make an example'. Execution, and confiscation of everything the troupe owned. Thanks to that 'reasonable' option being gone, everything was torn apart.   And these are your 14 potential PCs! As stated earlier, everyone gets four votes from +4 to +1 indicating how much you love that PC. And, because there is so much competition for the 5 slots, I will give everyone two -1 Votes to work with as well. You can use them on different PCs, the same one, or none at all! Voting will last until Midnight, Sunday 13 March 2016, at which time I will tally the votes, and announce the winners, with the next update to follow soon after.
berryjon fucked around with this message at 05:10 on Mar 11, 2016 |
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Mar 11, 2016 05:04
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Hey berryjon. As my first post in this thread (and on this forum), I just have a few things to say. I loved your LPs of Exile I and II. Despite never being able to get very far in the Shareware versions that I obtained in an old copy of "100 Great Games for Windows '98", they were my first exposure to RPGs in general. I read through the entirety of your Exile I LP on lparchive, and was lucky enough to be able to read (most of) your Exile II playthrough as it was being posted. Both made me very happy, sent me on a nostalgia trip, and actually got me into re-downloading Exile III and playing through the whole thing. And for the first time, I actually managed to beat the game last summer. I never would have re-picked up the game without those LPs. So with you now covering the third game, I couldn't resist - I finally made a forum account to follow along with it the whole way. Unfortunately, I'm a little too late to submit a character, but he didn't have a developed-enough backstory anyways. I still plan to follow along!
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Mar 11, 2016 05:13
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LuffyVeggies posted:So with you now covering the third game, I couldn't resist - I finally made a forum account to follow along with it the whole way. Unfortunately, I'm a little too late to submit a character, but he didn't have a developed-enough backstory anyways. I still plan to follow along! Welcome to SA, lowtax appreciates your donation to his money bin, I'm sure.  And thanks for joining us. I'm glad my ability to retain copies of old games has inspired some people. However, I am disappointed. I don't see votes for characters. 
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Mar 11, 2016 05:23
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