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Holiday hiatus coming to a close, updates for all soon!
5
likes
2 yrs ago
Stop being passive aggressive. Just be aggressive.
7
likes
3 yrs ago
It is certainly not 'optimal', but it *is* doable, depending on what you want to do with it. You could go swords or valor bard and play them more like a warrior with some magical ability
2
likes
3 yrs ago
One might say your villain arc has begun. Embrace it.
Hey, challenge accepted :P I think most of the characters here would outdo the average adventurer at a low-powered fantasy level.
They'll need it for what's cooking.
Aside from my character anyway.. Outdo, but probably not spectacularly so. Lol so green. The main idea behind my character is learning from the rest of the party, and potentially picking up some of the things that they can do. Not too sure how well that's gonna play out, but it'll probably be some sort of fun.
@The Harbinger of Ferocity Oh, lol I just assumed that most of the returning players were using their old characters- my mistake. Also just remembered Wolf's character is also not a returning character. My point is moot.
Fifth Edition is well made, but it lacks support and it is not exactly going anywhere quickly. It certainly plays more smoothly, but it just lacks the options of Third Edition. Fourth Edition is more balanced than any but certainly does not play like what one expects it to. Our group switches between Third and Fifth, given there's elements of each we enjoy and it depends on the setting; E6 works wonderfully as a variant of Third Edition. @Zero Hex
Aye, my group typically uses 3rd edition, though we've recently started dabbling in 5th. I like third because I already own several gigs worth of books for it.. So my wallet demands that I stay.
Hmm... Also, it appears that at the moment, my character is a new face in a field of veterans... this will be interesting.
Elijah Quaid - Child prodigy, Manaweaver, Asgardian Military Academy student
Name: Elijah Quaid Age: 21 Race: Elf
Personality: Quiet and reserved, Elijah is a relatively soft spoken individual. His calm and collected demeanor is often mistaken for an uncaring and aloof disposition. Underneath his quiet persona lies an innate brilliance, a highly intuitive and calculative mind. Highly logical and orderly, Elijah shows visible disdain towards the use of trickery and subterfuge but recognizes it's usefulness in strategy. Efficient and analytical, but often accused of lacking outward compassion, Elijah is a competent tactician boasting considerable knowledge of theory, though lacking in experience. Strong willed and possessing an air of determination, Elijah is highly critical and will rarely hesitate to call others out on their shortcomings, often leading to him butting heads with others. Like many high-status elves, Elijah can at times be arrogant and overly prideful.
Background: A child prodigy from the capital city of Midgar, Elijah is the only son of General Quaid, a prominent leader of the Asgardian military. His childhood was strict and rigid, and consisted of private lessons, tutors, fencing lessons, and statescraft among other things. Elijah and his father often butted heads while growing up, continuing even through his adolescence. Upon reaching adolescence it became revealed that Elijah was capable of weaving mana. In fact, he had an incredible mastery over mana not seen in many professionals twice his age. Taking private lessons from his father - another talented manasmith, Elijah quickly underwent training to master his full potential.
Proving himself to be an extremely talented manasmith, Elijah's father had him enrolled in Asgard's premier Military Academy, where his natural intelligence, and mastery over various skills propelled him to the top of his class. Elijah was offered positions in several Knighthoods, including the prestigious Knighthood of Blades, the esteemed Knights of the Lexicon, and the elf-exclusive Knights Arcana. It was during his final year at the Academy when the Zephyr appeared, and subsequently took control of the Asgard Empire. Almost immediately, Elijah heard reports of secessionists and rebels breaking away from the Empire in protest to the Zephyr. All of these rebellions were quickly, and brutally put down.
It was then cut ties with the academy and left- an action that greatly shamed and angered his father. Disillusioned with the Asgard Empire and their Zephyr overlords, Elijah retreated inwards to himself and left the city of Midgar. Eventually finding himself in Tyberia, Elijah soon became involved with a secessionist movement within its borders, where his military knowledge- while lacking experience and physical applications, would prove most useful.
Skills: A child of nobility and the son of a general, Elijah is talented in a wide berth of skills. From statecraft to strategy, Elijah has been educated in diplomacy and military tactics. A trained fencer and swordsman due to private lessons throughout his childhood, as well as the Asgard Military Academy, Elijah is a capable fighter, as well as tactician. With his natural affinity with the world's Mana, Elijah is a talented manasmith. Capable of throwing bolts of energy from his hands, to relieving the injured of mana radiation and injuries, a testimant to his mastery over mana is his ability to create and maintain a solid blade of energy around a focus.
Professional Swordsmanship - A top student at Asgard's prestigious Military Academy, as well as trained from a young age, Elijah, while lacking in battlefield experience, has been trained extensively in fencing and bladesmanship, and has at times been able to best several of his instructors in combat.
Adept Manaweaving - A manasmith of considerable note, Elijah has a natural natural affinity with the world's Mana. Capable of throwing bolts of energy from his hands, and relieving the injured of mana radiation and poisoning, a testimant to his mastery over mana is his ability to create and maintain a solid blade of energy around a focus.
Professional Strategist - A child prodigy, an heir to nobility, the son of a general, and a skilled student of a prestigious military academy, Elijah is well educated in diplomacy and military tactics.
Journeyman Statescraft - While educated in statescraft and policy making as a child and through his time at the military academy, it is clear that statescraft was not one of Elijah's focuses.
Journeyman Marksmanship - While trained with manalocks as every student at the Asgard Military Academy was, it is clear that it is not one of Elijah's main suits.
Equipment:
Elijah's Coat - A battlecoat often worn by top ranking Academy students. These coats are often a sign of status in Asgard Military units. Several Knight Houses also give their own personalized coats to prospective members. Elijah's Coat is from the Knights Arcana and is warded to provide him further protection from mana based weapons.
Einherjar - An ornate, ivory sword hilt without a blade. Elijah uses this sword hilt as a focus for his manasmithing abilities. The most common application of Elijah's mana weaving abilities are made manifest in the sword blade he conjours. The blade, while quite wide, is made of pure mana, and is therefore nearly weightless. The blade is capable of cutting through most non-resistant materials with ease. The hilt features a mana crystal in its pommel to provide extra energy when needed.
Emil is a young man standing in at about 5'10" in height, with the build of an athlete- or at least one used to continuous physical exertion. While not the pinnacle of strength and endurance, Emil is in good fighting shape, and his body is sinewy and lithe. He has a few scars on his body- though none of them are from combat. His eyes are a deep green, and his blonde hair is typically short and out of the way. His typical attire is a deep blue tunic, with thick trousers, and well worn leather boots and gloves. In combat, he wears a cuirass to protect his upper chest, while still allowing him full range of motion while mounted, reinforced with tough leather, along with armor on his boots, sides, shoulders and forearms.
Personality: Warm and kind-hearted, Emil is a modest young knight with a strong sense of morality and justice. This level headed knight tries his best to stay brave and rational in the face of hardship and adversity, despite his inexperience. Due to his young age, Emil is rather impressionable, and expresses a desire to learn various skills and tricks from the older veterans, though is often self conscious about his lesser skills when compared to that of the more experienced members of the group. Honest and trustworthy, Emil is compassionate and kind, if a little shy and soft-spoken. Loyal to a fault, Emil is more than willing to risk himself for the sake of others, and goes to great lengths to defend his loved ones. A very down to earth and grounded individual, Emil's calm and generally positive demeanor, while occasionally bordering on naivety, bolsters the spirits of those around him.
Skills/Abilities: As a young Knight, Emil is well trained in multiple martial skills, but lacks field experience. He has fought alongside his lord-knight, while still a squire and is no stranger to battle, but is not what one would call a veteran. While young, and not as capable of an armsman as the rest of his older peers, Emil possesses worldly knowledge and skills unexpected from one his age, and is knowledgeable of a variety of skills in various fields.
--- Martial Skills ---
Adept Swordsmanship - As the son of a knight, and a knight himself, Emil has received martial training in various fields, and is capable with many weapons, but shows the most promise with a sword. Skilled enough to face down a common soldier or an untrained fighter and coming out no worse for wear, Emil struggles against more hardened and experienced foes.
Journeyman Spearmanship - Along with his swordsmanship, Emil has received training with the spear and lance, though it is clear he shows a preference to the sword. His stance and form are solid, and the spear is by nature, an easy weapon to pick up and use. He lacks the refinement of a master spearman, but can still use it with relative effectiveness.
Journeyman Archery - Alongside his other martial skills, Emil has also been trained in the use of the bow and arrow. He is neither particularly fast, nor particularly accurate with the bow, and is for all intents and purposes, average. He does slightly better with a crossbow, and primarily utilizes this skill for hunting.
Journeyman Horseback Riding - As a knight, Emil is trained on how to ride a horse, take care of a horse, and fight from a horse, though it is clear that he would prefer to do combat while on the ground. Stamina stemming from his youthfulness allows him to ride for hours without considerable exhaustion.
Trained Armor use - Years of training have taught Emil how to quickly don and remove plate armor, and can thus move with more dexterity and quickness than one without training would be able to. He is also well versed on the care of plate armor.
Trained Shield use - Several years of training has shown Emil how to properly brace and use a shield to block and deflect blows. As he is not the largest presence on the battlefield, when faced with larger foes, Emil primarily relies on deflecting and sidestepping enemy blows rather than attempting to completely stop or black oncoming attacks
--- Trade Skills ---
Journeyman Cooking - While not a master chef by any meaning of the word, Emil is resourceful and can cook a variety of meals with what little resources are often available while in the field.
Journeyman Surgery/First Aid - Unable to treat wounds via magic, Emil has been trained and is experienced with treating a variety of minor and moderate wounds, and is even capable of some surgery for more serious wounds. These treatments are not magic, and do not mend wounds instantly- nor do they guarantee the successful mending of wounds, but can serve to stave off death until more experienced doctors or healers can provide aid.
Journeyman Crafting - From tailoring and needlework, to leather-working, Emil, while not particularly amazing at any craftsman's trade, is skilled enough to make field repairs to clothing and armor.
Magic Emil has no skill or control over magic, though it appears that he may have the affinity for magic. He views magic with suspicion and a small amount of fear, and while he has accepted magic as a facet of life, he is still unnerved by it.
Backstory:
The city of Edessa is a fair sized city-state located along the coast of __(mainland continent neighboring Silver Lily Isles)__. Edessa is a constitutional monarchy led primarily by the King, and a group of senators. It is not a major military power, but is known for its high quality knights and sturdy and reliable trade ships, and also contributed a large portion of its forces Mage-Wars decades ago. Edessa, due to its proximity to the Silver Lily Isles, often trades with the settlements on the Isle, most notably Waeldeshore. Edessa and Waeldeshore have built a rather positive trade relationship over the past two decades, and ships bearing Edessan flags are common in Waeldeshore and vice versa.
Emil, youngest son of the Erran family, comes from a long line of Edessan Knights. Emil, like the rest of his brothers were introduced to the lifestyle of a knight at a young age, and were immersed in their culture from the moment he could walk. The son of a Edessan Knight and his wife, Emil and his brothers were well educated at a young age and were taught manners as well as basic martial skills and knowledges as children. Throughout their childhood, Emil and his brothers would often venture into the city to play with other children. Emil made friends easily, and was known for his gentle and sensitive demeanor, while the rest of his brothers were respected for their various other qualities.
As they Erran children grew older, they were trained in the ways of various weapons, such as the spear and sword, and were trained in horsemanship and riding. After his seventh birthday, Emil was apprenticed to another noble family to serve as a page, where he would begin to further refine horsemanship and swordsmanship as well as learn the intricacies of reading and writing. A naturally perceptive and relatively intelligent child, Emil was treated well by his host family, and learned much under their tutelage.
The Knights of Edessa, or the Edessan Knights as many know them as, are an order of knights based in the city of Edessa. These knights are tasked with serving and protecting the people of Edessa, and often promote humanitarian movements to hunting monsters in the surrounding areas. These stalwart warriors are well known for both their valor and martial skill, despite their relatively small numbers. Every male member of the Erran family had been an Edessan Knight at one point in their life. Emil's brother is among the famed members of the Edessan Knights, and one of the King's personal guards. Each of Emil's brothers has already entered service in the order.
As he turned 14, he became squire to a famed Edessan Knight, where he furthered his training, continuing his work on bladesmanship and horsemanship, as well as learning archery, music, speech, and skills befitting a young knight. Here he learned how to take care of, and maintain armor, how to tend horses and treat wounds. The next several years were difficult, his knight was fair, but strict, and offered him nothing but the most difficult challenges to face.
Now a fresh 18 years old, Emil's journey to become a full fledged knight of Edessan has been completed, and Emil undertakes his first few journeys as his own knight. A message from the Great Sage Genevieve of Waeldeshore gives Emil his first taste of an adventure that he can call his own.
Possessions, Equipment, Weapons:
Father's Sword - A gift given to Emil by his father, upon his recent knighting. The sword is forged from Dwarven Steel- a special dwarven metallurgy technique that results in a tougher, denser, more durable steel. The blade is old and worn from use, but still remains a reliable weapon. A shorter than average bastard sword, it is light and maneuverable enough to be held in one hand, but its two handed grip makes it able to be wielded with two.
Common Spear - A 6 foot pole of ash wood, with a steel tip attached. One of the most common personal weapons in the world, this weapon is easily used, and easily replaced. Able to be wielded with one hand, but most effective with two.
Shortbow & Quiver - A short yew bow meant for hunting. Plain and simple, without any sort of frills, other than leather wrapping around the grip. A wooden and leather quiver contains 20 arrows. Both are typically stored on the outer saddlebags of Emil's horse.
Heater Shield - A mid-sized shield with the Erran family coat of arms emblazoned across it. It is a lightweight metal shield that can be strapped to the forearm and secured with the hand. It has a leather strap that allows it to be slung over the shoulder/worn over the back.
Edessan Half Plate - a cut down suit of plate armor generally utilized by mounted Edessan knights and soldiers. Plates protect major parts of the body, while the rest of the body is protected with tough leather and mail under a tunic. This is to allow light weight, and greater mobility while mounted. The benefits confer to foot combat as well.
Roark, Horse - A well bred, multi-purpose horse ridden by Emil. Roark is a calm, well mannered horse, that doesn't scare easily. Roark wears boiled leather barding(armor) on his face, neck, and body. The barding is lightweight, and can protect Roark from glancing blows but doesn't provide much protection elsewise. Its still better than nothing, Emil argues. Roark also has saddlebags on his sides and behind the saddle.
Roark's saddlebags contain: A pair of leather waterskins, a small pouch with money, a tinderbox, lines and tackle for fishing, a small iron bowl for cooking, a small hatchet for wood gathering, a small knife and whetstone, a length of rope (approx. 30 feet), a spool of fine thread and needle, a roll of clean cloth and bottle of spirits for cleaning and treating wounds, a pouch of herbal ointment, a lantern with several spare candles, a few days worth of provisions for Emil as well as his horse. Behind the saddle is a blanket and spare clothes are wrapped in a roll of canvas.
I always though it was pretty boring how the badass fisticuffs class is always some type of asian stereotype built to be dodgy rather than a frontline manly man so think of Ajax as a Fighter rather than a Monk, speaking in class terms, except with less reliance on being given decent gear and magical buffs. He's the guy that stands at the front of the line, gets the crap kicked out of him and keeps going, and can deal some good damage especially in one on one fights. He's actually a prior character of mine, a Fighter in Dungeon World which lets you use gauntlets as your weapon type thanks to its narrative focus.
In an old d&d campaign, one of our party members made a grappling focused character, strengthened by a vow of poverty- meaning no armor. He was a raptoran/hawkman and wore nothing but a luchador mask. We called him 'El Falcon'. He was great. Lots of fun, very tanky. Just thought I'd share.
Also, while I'm making small talk: @The Harbinger of Ferocity, I notice that Sakaala wears and wields mithril, so I was curious, what is your view on this fantasy metal?
My general assumption is the strength of steel, but much lighter and with silvery sheen, what's your take?
RPM,
Guardian Angel Haruki,
Antlers,
Silly,
NovellaAddict,
O O,
Hexaflexagon,
Whoami,
Not a Sayan,
JFK
