Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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@Xaltwind Funny that, given how most of his list is largely taken from the D&D 5E wild magic list with some options being taken from the D&D 2E wild magic list.

As for being auto-hits these effects only really trigger when the spell itself hits it's target with the only one sans a hit requisite being Chaos Mend and Chaotic Contamination. In a way they function sort of like curses, imposing an effect upon their victim when cast. While certain affects add on in less direct ways like the pit appearing under the target other things would basically fall under the category of magical curses and would face the same restrictions. I could always just eschew the spells that lack a hit requisite however if that is of concern.

As for why he'd follow a group like so he is not one without reason. Though he sometimes comes off as a bit unstable he is oft a pragmatist given his run of poor luck, especially with the number of times he gets caught and sold into slavery only for other misfortunes to pull themselves upon him. He is however first and foremost a scholar. His main interest is the study of the universe and it's inner machinations. No doubt the rumors of the great shard of sky crashing down would of been of great interest to him. Serafeye, a being from another world essentially, would no doubt raise many questions and prompt the need for further study and investigation into her origins.

As for his karma system while it may seem a bit vague the basic idea is that any instance that would be to his physical detriment, loss of property or otherwise placing him in a situation where either of these two things would be very likely would count to his karmic total. As for how many points he'd net from any given situation the cap is one point, regardless of the gravity of the situation. While a fly landing in his pie would be a minor nuisance and hence not worth enough karma to concentrate into a point things like getting caught in quicksand or getting an enemy that charges at him before anyone else would be worth one point, max. Also, if several things happen to him in a short enough duration it's sum product would still just be one point, not several.

_
Nonetheless if you should still find him of ill fit to this rp I can always change his class over or, should him as even a concept be unwanted, provide a different character altogether.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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While I have said, in the past, to use D&D as a reference-point for looking up appropriate spells for each tier of magic, please keep in mind that the world is still more based on, and akin too, an MMORPG, rather than a turn-based tabletop game. The only correlation between FOTO and D&D is that the spell-tiers of each magic-castig class is a good guideline for what level of powers a spell of X tier shoudl/could have.

The main issue isn't the way the additional chaos effects afflicts people, it's that some of them outright bypasses any need for consent or approval from a different player. Take the affliction that causes everyone in a set raidus around the caster to speak complete jibberish for example, if this effect occurs, every player within said distance would be forced, whetever they wanted to or not, to be unable to converse or interact verbally. Even if the other players didn't wish for this, they'd have no say in the matter, which is the main issue. Yes, you could remove some of the things that afflict other people besides the caster and target, but then you're also taking away a large part of the whole point with the character as well.

A beter idea would perhaps just be to ask everyone else in the RP if they're cool with roleplaying out the effects of Mercurio's spells, regardless of what or who they hit, when they do hit. But then, you'd need consent from everyone, not just the majority.

The issue witht he karma points is still that he can rack up a very large sum of points in very little time, even if e can only earn one within a set period of time. Given his character and backstoy, he also seems prone to misfortune, which will readily supply him with a constant influx of these points. Additionally, I have no way of keeping track of how many points he has PRIOR to joining the story, nor will I be able to constantly check in your CS just to check if there has been any edits to the number of points he's banked. Now if there was a hard-acp on how many points he could store, say 10 or so, that'd be more agreeable, but again, doing that will ultimately diminish the character's original concept.

I'm not opposed to the idea at all. It's unique enough (to me at least) that I can say I haven't seen a character quite like this before. However, I'm not certain the concept lends itself overly well to a more free-form RP, as opposed to a pen & paper tabletop with actual dice and note-keeping.

Also, while his reason for wanting to join the group may be to ivestigate Serafaye, there are some flaws with that concept.

1. He isn't present in the story, and Serafaye has already been released from her crystal prison. As such, there would be no way for him to reasonably figure out that she's an otherworlder.
2. While he may be interested in following her around, I'm not so sure she'd be overly happy to have an obsessive stalker constantly barraging her with questions.
3. Even if he may be pragmatic, his character is still described as rather unstable and outwardly unsettling, sort of like Cicero from Skyrim... Except less jester and more former-slave-now-turned-fortune teller... xD

But, hey, if everyone else in the roleplay is fine with, I suppose there's not really any issue. So, go ahead and let me know what you think, boys and girls. And remember. I don't care either way - is not an answer. I don't want a lazy shoulder-shrug, I want you to read the sheet and the character and let both me ad Wretch know if you're fine with his powers and abilities.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Click This
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Wow, straight to molestation.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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Well, considering Kaze already went there, this was the only way things were ever going to play out. Plus, at least there was no fondling of angel-pillows.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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I did not molest! I chastely placed back of hand upon forehead to feel for temp so thpt!
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by ERode
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So, my general view of things is that I didn't join this RP to play DnD. Wasn't as if the RP advertised dice and actual resources for people to consider and calculate to begin with.

Chaos magic should only really have consequences for the caster, and probably shouldn't cast any actual spells, like ye olde Wall of Force. I understand the fun in rolling random spell effects on a big table, but at the same time, Cecilia wouldn't be a big fan of partying with someone who's liable to be a detriment to her party at random or even, going by that personality section, intentionally. Like, the drawback of being able to cast decently powerful spells at a low mana cost would be to have random spell effects slapped onto yourself, without dragging other people into it. And it probably shouldn't allow you to cast, intentionally or not, other powerful spells for free.

The Karma system is probably better off just simplified in a way akin to 'letting the GM decide how much Karma you have when you decide to cash in on it'. Keeps it simple and means that you don't need to come up with any big numbers at all. If you wanna avoid a crazy stockpile of Karma building up, you could just say something basic like...every day, some good vibes go in his way because he didn't die of a sudden heart attack in his sleep, thus reducing Karma stockpile. Basically, random chance is weird in a RP where dice usually isn't actually involved, where fate/destiny play a bigger role.

Karmic Retribution is hilarious. Imagine if Serafaye tries to nuke you, but then just loses the coin flip and gets nuked herself.

That being said, I do think that it's partly the jurisdiction of the GM how to properly integrate characters into the plot. Serafaye's gonna blow her cover the instant she brings up some stupid fancy concept like democracy or basic human rights, anyways.

Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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Pfft, we all see through your lies, silly lizard. Don't even try.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Da head is at LEAST 12 inches away from da fun bits...so you see nothing!!!!
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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So, I see two main issues we have with this character. The Chaos Surge table and the karma system.

What I'm thinking would be easiest to do would be to eschew the table entirely and just bake variable effects into each spell in a manner similar to Fortune's Transit. While I can understand that this is a collaborative story and not a tabletop game the core concept behind this character does require that element of chance which best befit dice rolls. I feel it would be simply cheesy and dare I say unfair to make a character who's spells effectiveness are decided by chance only to simply have a party dictate the results as, regardless of how fair the adjudicator wishes to be, the results would ultimately be biased. In addition much like in any MMO RNG is a very real element, with elements like dodge percentages and crit rates dictated by the engine that runs it. While this world functions as though real it was still modeled after an MMO if I understand correctly.

In my case my idea was to write up a class that specifically leaned into that particular element, leaving more up to chance in exchange for greater flexibility in the spells cast. The idea would be a class that would encourage taking risks in exchange for banking karma, rewarding the caster for saving their karma by granting them a greater degree of control over a single spell the longer they stockpile it. In essence by indulging chaos Mercurio would be afforded more control when he needs it most. I do agree though that karma shouldn't necessarily offer more power specifically and I'd not include spells that would just result in flatly increasing it's own power through expenditure of karma.

As for the karma system itself what I could do is just implement a soft cap that allows him to bank karma up to a certain amount and past that maximum he'll continue being able to gather more karma but each point stored would expire roughly an hour or so after it was obtained. That way while in the short term he could gather a reasonably high karma amount in the long term he would be limited to his cap, preventing him from obtaining an obscenely high amount of karma and not having to worry about random chance ever again in his magic.

_
As for why he'd be involved with the group it's hard to say. The story is ever shifting and I do not have the freedom to weave his destiny to specifically entwine with the group's own. That would be something for the gm and I to discuss for they have much more of a say in that than I. I can say that I'd probably characterize Mercurio as less like a Cicero-esque figure and more like that one merchant from The Undead Burgh in Dark Souls. A bit unusual, maybe even a little suspect but still reasonable enough to do business with.

As I've mentioned though if he is deemed ill-fitted I do have other ideas I can put forward. I'd want to put forward the summary of each idea first though to make sure they are acceptable and see which would be preferred.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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@A Lowly Wretch
Well, so far I've received exactly one PM from another player on the matter. Unfortunately, this person has expressed that thtey're not in favor of the Fortunomancer-idea. As such, I must reject the concept, as per my previous comment.

Feel free to submit any summaries for any other character-ideas you may have though.
-----
I'm going to wait with posting any further things for Serafaye, giving our slower participants time to catch up before the deadline.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Crusader Lord
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@Xaltwind Post inbound tomorrow or Sunday, due to irl work obligations.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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@Xaltwind - Alright. Here are some ideas for characters I can write up.

My first idea is another concept I've dabbled with. She's a young witch who was raised in a deadly swamp by a strange otherworldly being known only as "The Care Giver". One day it simply was gone, prompting her to set out from her swamp on a quest to find The Care Giver. As far as powers are concerned she'd be similar to a druid of sorts, mainly dabbling in plant and poison magic with a side focus on spirits.

_
My second idea is a young man that is a golemancer, someone who practices the arcane art of constructing golems. Originally he got into the craft after inheriting his father's workshop but due to the laws of the city he was in he was forbidden from making golems unless he was a member of the Chess Guild, a guild of golemancers who build entire armies of golems to take part in their "Chess Games", wars conducted between several high ranking members against one another in an never-ending effort to rise above one another in the hierarchy. This man would have the misfortune of being conscripted to the White Queen's forces as a pawn. The White Queen is a ruthless psychopath who is cold and calculating with a seething hatred for all things but herself. The young man is forced to build and operate pawn golems for her army, his caste being seen as essentially disposable labor. On the day of a major battle the fear of getting killed in battle combined with the crushing knowledge that nobody would even bat an eye if he were crushed or disintegrated by the magical volleys lead to him taking his pawn golem and sneaking it away from the battle while everyone else was busy. Now he's on the run as his immediate superiors are furious at his desertion.

His main focus would be his golem, his magic mostly consisting of spells to help maintain his golem. The golem itself would start off as a simple affair, a large blocky stone dude who's main form of damage is smashing things with stone fists. With the right tools and materials the golemancer would be able to construct new attachments and addons to his golem to make it better & more versatile. While the golem would be powerful it would require the golemancer in order to function as without a rechargeable feed of power it's own supply of arcane power would dwindle until it eventually shut down.

_
My third idea is a short elf guy from a tribe of elves that have lived trapped within the mountains in a series of caverns for many generations, never seeing the light of day. This guy was training under the head alchemist to be their new head alchemist, the one who leads their ritual where they paint the walls of their home cavern with a special paint that wards away a massive worm. On the day of the ritual however, the first time this guy would be performing it no less, giant bats suddenly fly up at them, eating several elves and knocking this guy way down into a river below. He gets dragged below the water by the currents and passes out only to be washed out into the sea. After drifting ashore he eventually comes to, awakening to find himself surprisingly alive and somewhere completely foreign to him. From there he sets out to explore the world, his aim to study the night sky so that he might one day be able to join with it.

As his people lived in caves his chosen vocation of magic is shadowmancy, the manipulation and control of shadows. His spells would involve conjuring shadowy hands from people's shadows, hands as thin as paper but as tough as hardened leather yet no less flexible for it. He would also practice alchemy, brewing up useful potions, salves, paints and poisons to use.

I think the only difficulty for this concept would be the fact he'd be relatively nocturnal, mostly napping throughout the day and staying up at night. This is due to the fact that his race of elves lived in nearly total darkness for generations so his eyes are very sensitive to light. He'd be able to see in almost total darkness but any bright lights would be blinding to him. Much like himself his magic would naturally be weakened by strong light sources and light magic.

_
My fourth idea is a relatively normal young man who's entire life is changed forever when a strange old man wandered into town. This old man paid a couple silver coins to the young fellow for him to watch over his wagon, warning that if the strange box goes missing there would be "Dire consequences". As the old man meandered into the nearby tavern to stuff his maw with pies the young fellow watches over the wagon until he's distracted by a beautiful young woman. She seduces the young man, luring him away for some fun. When the young man finally comes to however the beautiful young woman is no longer with him and he realizes he completely forgot to watch the wagon. When he returned the old man, furious at the young man, cursed him to die a thousand deaths. At that moment a lightning bolt hit the young fellow, killing him instantly. Three days later the young man rose from the earth, naked and alone. Such was the first of his one thousand deaths. Now he travels the lands in search of a way to break his curse.

This guy will be relatively normal with fairly low stats and unremarkable skills. His main feature is that when he dies he will rise from the earth three days later at a location chosen by fate's whims. While it is a powerful feature for sure he is quite limited in many other fields, possessing no magical talent and being relatively weak with no effective combat skills to start. Also anytime he dies his equipment remains on his dead body, he takes nothing with him to his next emergence point.

_
I've got more ideas but I think these should be the most fitting. Do let me know your thoughts and if any of them are any good I'll get a sheet started for 'em.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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@A Lowly Wretch
All of them sound good to me, to be honest. Nothing overly game-breaking or otherwise unmanageable. I do have some concerns about the fellow who can die and resurrect, but that's not due to his power - that's actually fine, and humorous - no, my concern is that if he dies, and ends up somewhere random and without equipment, it would prove difficult for him to find and rejoin the party if he croaked. That's about it though, I'm sure some easy-fix workaround could be made for it.

Anyway, you should pick whichever character you feel most interested in, and believe would be the most fun for you to play. They all seem fine, as far as their summaries go, and should be able to fit into the story well enough. :)

@Crusader Lord
Sounds good.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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@Xaltwind - Excellent. I think I'll start with my swamp witch concept since I've got the most content set up for her already. It's just a matter of fitting it into the format and I'll have her posted soon.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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@A Lowly Wretch
Sounds good, will be looking forward to seeing what she's like then. ^^

@OwO
How dare you call Serafaye fat-filled, you clown!? Her jubblies aren't that big! Well, I neab, they're big, but they're not on par with a certain elf's fun-bags...
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by OwO
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this is a mountain bod only zone

if your body isn't designed for maximum high altitude efficiency, get out
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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this is a mountain bod only zone

if your body isn't designed for maximum high altitude efficiency, get out

... Said the mountain-man with an F-rank in Strength...

But man, living in an isolated little mountain town, with nothing but girls with abs larger than their chests... Locke, we're all here for you... ;<
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... Said the mountain-man with an F-rank in Strength...

But man, living in an isolated little mountain town, with nothing but girls with abs larger than their chests... Locke, we're all here for you... ;<


why'd he need a support team, the man's literally living the dream
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Xaltwind
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Why didn't any of you jerks tell me about having not added Annabelle to the character list? Jeez, now I feel like a jerk. >_>

Added her in now though, so yeah.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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Here is another character submission, my swamp witch concept.

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