Are you talking about B5 or Bleach here. The first season of B5 has virtually no filler, you just don't understand events' importance except in hindsight. Upon repeated viewing season 1 is possibly my favorite because of how intricately woven the story/continuity is and every single episode something important transpires for the characters and/or for the greater story arc.Eh, the first season was a lot of filler... They got to the point by the end of the first season. Best. Show. Ever.Babylon 5 got to the point. If it takes your series close to a hundred episodes to understand you're doing it wrong. Lot's of animes are guilty of this.
Saying otherwise is like saying Babylon 5 has no forethought and no real story after having watched season 1.
B5. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and Season 1 was great because it was interwoven. But if people don't know it's part of an arc and that you're laying out pieces for later, it builds slowly...
Season 1, Episode 1: Midnight on the Firing Line
Original Air Date—26 January 1994
The Narn attack a Centauri colony, while Raiders attack transport ships. And Talia Winters arrives at the station.
-Great episode, lays out the council and the conflict between the Narn and Centauri, and lays out the Narn ultimately planning their demise. Good and connected to the arc.
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Season 1, Episode 2: Soul Hunter
Original Air Date—2 February 1994
A mysterious alien who steals the souls of the living arrives on the station putting Delenn's life in danger.
-Filler, any way you slice it and dice it.
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Season 1, Episode 3: Born to the Purple
Original Air Date—9 February 1994
Londo falls for a beautiful slave, whose owner wants to steal sensitive information. Garibaldi discovers that someone is using a restricted communications channel.
-More seeming filler. Sure the death of the Adira plays an important part later on but it's hardly an episode that will bring people to their seats and keep them there.
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Season 1, Episode 4: Infection
Original Air Date—16 February 1994
A living weapon wreaks havoc on the station.
- Obviously a great one in retrospect. More filler on first viewing. And even on subsequent viewings it aint all that great but it does introduce the shadow ships without anyone knowing it. I like this one, but my comment remains about it bringing and keeping people in the seats.
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Season 1, Episode 5: The Parliament of Dreams
Original Air Date—23 February 1994
A week long cultural festival is takes place on board the station. Catherine Sakai, Sinclair's old girlfriend, arrives on the station and G'Kar receives a death threat.
-Filler. Even worse then that because your bring in a character that later goes nowhere due to the captain shake up. (no way planned, but covered up and wrote around real real nicely.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Season 1, Episode 6: Mind War
Original Air Date—2 March 1994
The Psi-Cops arrive at the station to capture Talia's old Psi Corps instructor. Catherine is warned not to survey a sector of space by G'Kar.
- Tough one, woulda fit in good to the arc but they ended up dumping Talia which makes it just a dangling plot thread that goes nowhere. Introduction of the first ones is cool in retrospect, but again not one that gives you any idea of that on first viewing.
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Season 1, Episode 7: The War Prayer
Original Air Date—9 March 1994
A pro-Earth group attacks a Mimbari poet and two Centauri lovers seek Londo's help.
-Filler. I'm sure theirs something in the episode that ties to the arc but it sure aint much.
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Season 1, Episode 8: And the Sky Full of Stars
Original Air Date—16 March 1994
Sinclair is kidnapped by people who want to know what happened when he disappeared in the last battle of the Earth/Minbari war, knowledge that even Sinclair does not know.
- Obviously, we're now beginning to get cooking...
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Season 1, Episode 9: Deathwalker
Original Air Date—20 April 1994
A war criminal scientist who is the last of the notorious Dilgars is discovered on B5 bearing an extraordinary medication that all the powers want.
-Damn, more filler. Good episode though.
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Season 1, Episode 10: Believers
Original Air Date—27 April 1994
An alien family refuses surgery to save their dying child.
-Filler, good episode!
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Season 1, Episode 11: Survivors
Original Air Date—4 May 1994
Garibaldi is blamed for an accident aboard B5, leading to his return to the bottle
- Other then the alcoholic thing, filler... I think Lise is introduced if I remember correctly. Same actress too, which king of impresses...
Season 1, Episode 12: By Any Means Necessary
Original Air Date—11 May 1994
The station's dock workers stage an illegal strike. G'Kar tries to take part in a Narn religious ceremony.
- Filler
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Season 1, Episode 13: Signs and Portents
Original Air Date—18 May 1994
Londo obtains a priceless Centauri artifact and a stranger visits each alien ambassador asking only one question.
- Great one. Introduction of Morden. What's not to like.
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Season 1, Episode 14: TKO
Original Air Date—25 May 1994
A disgraced boxer comes to Babylon 5 to compete in the Mutai, an alien fighting match. Meanwhile, an old friend visits Ivanova so that she can mourn the loss of her father.
- Filler. Good one though.
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Season 1, Episode 15: Grail
Original Air Date—6 July 1994
A man searching for the Holy Grail arrives. Ambassador Kosh may be behind a string of attacks on the station.
- Total filler, but I guess the start of the menbari war stuff is cool.
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Season 1, Episode 16: Eyes
Original Air Date—13 July 1994
A Colonel investigates Sinclair and his command staff for recent station actions.
- Eh...
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Season 1, Episode 17: Legacies
Original Air Date—20 July 1994
A Minbari military leader's dead body disappears on the station.
- Minbari character builder...
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Season 1, Episode 18: A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 1
Original Air Date—27 July 1994
One of Delenn's old friends arrives on the station when an extinct civilization is found on the planet that Babylon 5 orbits.
- Good one. Planet never really used to potential, but at least they used it.
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Season 1, Episode 19: A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 2
Original Air Date—3 August 1994
An Earthforce captain and an alien race both lay claim to the planet below.
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Season 1, Episode 20: Babylon Squared
Original Air Date—10 August 1994
B5's immediate predecessor, Babylon 4, suddenly reappears after mysteriously vanishing years ago.
- Great one obviously, doesn't really jibe with A War Without End with the captain switch, but he covers it up good enough.
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Season 1, Episode 21: The Quality of Mercy
Original Air Date—17 August 1994
Talia must enter the mind of a convicted murderer while Dr. Franklin goes to Downbelow to investigate a doctor who apparently is 'magically' healing people.
- Filler, alien healing machine obviously a plot object but still doesn't really make it a good episode.
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Season 1, Episode 22: Chrysalis
Original Air Date—3 October 1994
Garibaldi investigates a death on the station which leads him to a terrible discovery.
- And so it begins...
A lot of filler in there, a lot of plot lines that got rearranged between season 1 and 2, and not a lot of real grab me episodes. Don't get me wrong, like I said... Best show ever, but Season 1 did not get off to a real running start.
26 episodes? Sci-fi? Newer than the series you mentioned? Maybe you'd like Gurren Lagann.Saw it on Netflix. It has the same kind of ridiculous escalation I see in Shounen anime. Still, it's pretty good. Very unique too. I strongly suspect the crazy escalation therein is meant only as a parody of other anime like DBZ, but that might just be me.
Unlike Bleach (where nobody important dies) or DBZ (where dying doesn't matter due to wishes) important people in Gurren Lagann do die, sometimes from the most mundane things.
** spoiler omitted **
Cue up some Escaflowne. May not be new. But its good. *Shrug*
Just not the movie.
Never the movie.
Most of the current shows have about 13 episodes. And Stein's Gate or Tiger & Bunny are pretty good (as are several other shows of the current season). I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.
You're certainly in the minority view on that one. Even the most hardcore anime fans I know are really bored with anything that has come out in the last decade pretty much. 80s and 90s were the golden age. I also think the quality of the animation is pretty much in the s###ter. Strongly prefer hand-drawn.
filler
You're so wrong it hurts. Soul hunter is a crap episode BUT it reveals delenn as being on the grey council and that Sinclair was abducted by them. Most of the ones you say are filler are important in character development for the focus of the A/B plots. Grail does some tiny subtle things like developing the Minbari and the mystery surrounding the Vorlons. Just because something isn't a main arc episode doesn't make it filler, it just makes it not an arc episode. If there's no arc plot development and no major character development, then it's filler. There's very little of this in B5 in general.
This thread has taken a turn for the strange. In a good way, I love anime.
To me there is only one fantasy anime: Berzerk!Try Rune Soldier - you too will believe that a Str 20, Int 10 Wizard with Improved Unarmed Strike and a tendency to use his Arcane Bond wand as an improvised club is a viable build! :)
Louis punch!
His aunt is the best aunt in the world. Ever.
Also, Rune Soldier takes place in the same world as Record of Lodoss War. Weird, eh?
I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.If you've found any relatively new anime that's on par in quality with Outlaw Star, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and the like, PLEASE SHARE.
Baccano!
I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.If you've found any relatively new anime that's on par in quality with Outlaw Star, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and the like, PLEASE SHARE.
About the quality, this tend to be on par if evaluated under they own genre
-The Aramis Lupin III movies
-Bakemonogatari
-Gintama, there is a lot of episodes in this one, but each story arc or even some episodes is self conclusive.
-Ultimate Hellsing, the first adaptation loses steam quiet quickly
Humbly,
Yawar
fillerYou're so wrong it hurts. Soul hunter is a crap episode BUT it reveals delenn as being on the grey council and that Sinclair was abducted by them. Most of the ones you say are filler are important in character development for the focus of the A/B plots. Grail does some tiny subtle things like developing the Minbari and the mystery surrounding the Vorlons. Just because something isn't a main arc episode doesn't make it filler, it just makes it not an arc episode. If there's no arc plot development and no major character development, then it's filler. There's very little of this in B5 in general.
I guess we agree to disagree. Although, I like meeting fellow B5 fans! By season 2 and 3 the majority of the episodes were arc episodes and it rocked. When you have a great story arc, having to watch a meaningless story with one scene that ties to your arc is tough...
If it means anything, I think the new trend of arc shows agree with me. They tend to avoid filler altogether and just go from arc episode to the next: e.g., Battlestar; Stargate Universe (really not very good); Game of Thrones (could be my new best show ever); Spartacus; 24; Prison Break, etc...
Cue up some Escaflowne. May not be new. But its good. *Shrug*
Just not the movie.
Never the movie.
Loved the Escaflowne series, hated the ending.
Just. Too. Boring. An. Ending.
So many names being thrown about.
I don't know ANY of them.
Corbin & the Blue Meanie
Ziv (and Ziv's clone)
Thorgrazz the Destructifier
Burt & Ernie
Askar Freem of Go Go Lemon Boom!
Pinkle, Dinkle & Nodd
I know Burt and Earnie. The rest are a mystery. Judging by the names though, I'm guessing they are all children's show characters. Am I right?
About the quality, this tend to be on par if evaluated under they own genre
-The Aramis Lupin III movies
-Bakemonogatari
-Gintama, there is a lot of episodes in this one, but each story arc or even some episodes is self conclusive.
-Ultimate Hellsing, the first adaptation loses steam quiet quicklyHumbly,
Yawar
I've seen about 30 odd episodes of Hellsing. Didn't much care for it (simply not my style).
Not sure if that's the same thing as "Ultimate" Hellsing though. Were there different versions?
Don't know the others. Maybe I'll look into them.
EDIT: Upon further research, I now realize that I have seen one of the Aramis Lupin III movies: The Castle of Cagliostro. Though I don't remember too many details, I do recall it being really funny.
Not sure if that's the same thing as "Ultimate" Hellsing though. Were there different versions?Don't know the others. Maybe I'll look into them.
Omg yes. Seriously there's stuff in the regular series they didnt translate from the manga because of budget up to and including cat boy vampire nazi's. Everything is jsut ten thousand times more insane in that series than the normal series.
Oh no! You all got your furry ninja cyborg anime gunslingers in my pristine, clear Western pseudo-medieval fantasy! The horror! *jumps the window*
Paizo is stating cyborgs? Cool! Sorry after exalted and Eberron I am much more accepting of mashups than I was say a decade ago.
'Chaos' in ancient mythology is a subset of civilization vs barbarianism. It's never given the 'profound force' treatment like Good vs Evil is until Moorcock comes along. They are just aspects of the divine, he makes them literal forces that stand alone.
Other Anti-heroes? Hmm.
There's two on the D@D reading list from the 1E DMG. One is the immortal swordsman, Kane I think, who kills bad guys so they don't get in his way when he can finally gets things together enough to rule the world.
The other is Shadowjack, the guy who saves the world from itself because he killed all the other people who might save it in time...heh.
An 'anti-hero' can be someone who does all the right stuff for all the wrong reasons, or accomplishes all the right goals by using all the wrong methods. Elric is like the latter...perfectly willing to lie, cheat, kill and sacrifice friends and allies and family, butcher gods and watch a world die to get done what he needs to get done. Kane is the other kind...killing bad guys so they don't get in his way when it's his turn. Thinning out the competition, as it were.
Not sure if either predated Moorcock.
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As for Bleach, I like watching it in the hopes of seeing something new. I'd like to see the old Sensei's Bankai...I don't think we have, plus that of his two oldest students (we've only seen their Shikai, and it was intimated that Flower Kimono boy's bankai could be really destructive if he unleashed it). I'd like to see the Healer lady actually throw down. I like watching for new Kido effects. I want to see if Zaraki will ever be able to unlock his sword.
And I like seeing how they actually fairly smoothly work the elevation/level gaining into the series, and how it works out.
It's the same reason I watch One Peice, which is also guilty of dragging on a lot of stuff way too long. I want to see how it ends, and what the characters become capable of.
I still can't believe a rubber guy is the captain of the crew. His monk level must be off the charts to compete with the sword guy. heh.
===Aelryinth
Omg yes. Seriously there's stuff in the regular series they didnt translate from the manga because of budget up to and including cat boy vampire nazi's. Everything is jsut ten thousand times more insane in that series than the normal series.
Not sure if that's the same thing as "Ultimate" Hellsing though. Were there different versions?Don't know the others. Maybe I'll look into them.
I thought that the main problem was that they made the first anime when manga was by its first third, so the first 5 episodes where kinda based on the manga, but then it derails widely, like filler but worst. Same problem with Soul Eater and Full Metal Alchemist.
Ultimate Hellsing is true to the manga, althought they dropped the story bits with Katana Nun and Gunslinger Priest.
Humbly,
Yawar
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Paizo is stating cyborgs? Cool! Sorry after exalted and Eberron I am much more accepting of mashups than I was say a decade ago.
Inner Sea World Guide pages 142 to 145 (Numeria), and page 257 (Numerian Technology) are what you want. Construct Armour and Construct Limbs are also worth a look on pages 114 to 115 of Ultimate Magic.
The Numeria pages (114 to 115) and Technology pages (236 to 237) in the original Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting are also relevant.
The Numeria bit in the Inner Sea Primer (page 16) adds a couple of interesting Feats too.
So not only can you be a cyborg - it's RAW... ;)
In the topic of anime.. Why has no one mentioned
BASTARD!!
?
This guy is an all powerful sorcerer who can use spells spontaneously, a number of times per day. Probally in the days of 3.5, he would be a battle sorcerer as he has fairly limited spells but can take a huge beating.
Eventually fights ifirt and gains him as a sword.
I liked the soul eater anime even if it didn't go along with the manga I had already read.. Built a character based off her scythe wielding skills.
Yomadasal, Azezel-san - is another good one, esspecially for inspiration of a broodmaster summoner (especially if allowed to take the evolutionist along with it.)
Stiens-gate. Freeking awesome.. not so much fantasy though..
D-Grey man, also pretty awesome, though it ends and forces you to read the rest of it in manga. :(
As far as the bladebonded though..
I am so disappoint. Would have been more awesome if it wasn't tied to just swords or was able to allow you to replace med/heavy armor prof like the staff does.
One of the things that hurt the first season of B5 was the belief among TV execs that an arc show couldn't work, so they had to play it episodic with ties to the arc at first. Once the ball started rolling in seasons 2 and 3 it really picks up, although you can see ties to the arc looking back all the way to the beginning. It is still my favorite Science Fiction show, largely because technology has neither solved most of our problems nor has it become some terror that is on the verge of destroying everything. That and the characters were so well done.
Totally agree, and don't get me started on what the TNT execs did to season 5...
You aren't limited to only one archetype, as long as multiple archetypes don't replace the same ability of the base class then you can take them all.
@Buba Ho Tep
First of all, RAW the blade just gets enhancement bonus, but I don't see any huge balance issues with allowing someone to swap some of that enhancement for abilities, but enchanting the blade beyond that is probably a no-no. Just check with your GM first.
As for Vanilla vs Bladebound, since you aren't going rapier or scimitar I'm guessing you aren't planing on spamming touch spells, so delaying your first arcana shouldn't hurt too much. The main question then becomes whether or not it is worth losing the AP. Since you are doing Second Darkness you are probably only going up to 15-16 so you would be losing 1-2 points (3 at 14 and 16), that means you'll be losing 1-2 spell levels per day, or 2-4 after 11, that will usually amount to one casting of your highest spell level. So for your build is that worth more than Black Blade Strike, and whatever you can get for the gold you would have spent on your weapon?
Oh and if you choose Falcata over Bastard Sword, go Bladebound for sure, the extra damage from BBS is more valuable with the 19-20x3 crit than it would be otherwise, and your oddball weapon is guaranteed to stay up to par.
2. Hexcrafter - I see the advantages, but after going through the hexes... I'm just not that interested. The flavor is cool, but I like spell recall too much as having that perfect spell back in a pinch is appealing to me.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you still get improved spell recall. So your spell recall abilities are only delayed going Hexcrafter, not removed.
You aren't limited to only one archetype, as long as multiple archetypes don't replace the same ability of the base class then you can take them all.Yes, but when it comes to the Magus archetypes, for almost all the combos you can think of, you either have overlap or special rules which kill the deal. The latter example is the Bladebound and Quarterstaff Magus. They don't have overlap but the specific exception rules in the former preclude the latter.
But that isnt overlap. There is no overlap in Magus archetypes. Only special reasons that make you not want to do it.
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Regardless, Bladebound Magus looks really cool. Pity that almost all the blades bound will be scimitars, but at least its not a made up weapon.I've actually been really tempted to use a swordcane as a black blade... it just seemed like fun.
Actually did that...Just trying to decide if I want to convert the cane section into a rod of wands, metamagic, or something else.
You still get improved spell recall but ISR says that it works when you recall a spell. Since you don't have the ability to recall a spell ISR does nothing for a hexcrafter.Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you still get improved spell recall. So your spell recall abilities are only delayed going Hexcrafter, not removed.2. Hexcrafter - I see the advantages, but after going through the hexes... I'm just not that interested. The flavor is cool, but I like spell recall too much as having that perfect spell back in a pinch is appealing to me.
When you get improved spell recall you instead get the normal spell recall.
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To me there is only one fantasy anime: Berzerk!Try Rune Soldier - you too will believe that a Str 20, Int 10 Wizard with Improved Unarmed Strike and a tendency to use his Arcane Bond wand as an improvised club is a viable build! :)
Louis punch!
+1
Indeed, though I just made him a Transmutationist to bump up his Con.
When you get improved spell recall you instead get the normal spell recall.You still get improved spell recall but ISR says that it works when you recall a spell. Since you don't have the ability to recall a spell ISR does nothing for a hexcrafter.Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you still get improved spell recall. So your spell recall abilities are only delayed going Hexcrafter, not removed.2. Hexcrafter - I see the advantages, but after going through the hexes... I'm just not that interested. The flavor is cool, but I like spell recall too much as having that perfect spell back in a pinch is appealing to me.
Where do you see this, if you don't mind me asking?
Edit: I see now. I totally missed the second ability that lets you prepare new spells.
I'm still not seeing it. Can someone walk me through it?
The second ability of improved spell recall lets you use a swift action to prepare a new spell from your spell book. It costs lvl in ap instead of half but if you go hexcrafter it functions as getting spell recall.
I'm still not seeing it. Can someone walk me through it?
It's actually better than just spell recall because it doesn't have to be one you already memorized and cast. It can be any spell...
...but if you go hexcrafter it functions as getting spell recall.
I guess this is the part that is confusing me. Where does it say that?
...but if you go hexcrafter it functions as getting spell recall.I guess this is the part that is confusing me. Where does it say that?
Ultimate magic p.14
as a fighter’s weapon training or a ranger’s favored enemy),
the next time the character would gain that ability, it counts
as the lower-level ability that was replaced by the archetype.
In effect, all abilities in that series are delayed until the
next time the class improves that ability. For example, if an
archetype replaces a rogue’s +2d6 sneak attack bonus at 3rd
level, when she reaches 5th level and gains a sneak attack
bonus, her sneak attack doesn’t jump from +1d6 to +3d6—
it improves to +2d6, just as if she had finally gained the
increase at 3rd level. This adjustment continues for every
level at which her sneak attack would improve, until at 19th
level she has +9d6 instead of the +10d6 of a standard rogue.
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Blah, I know this thread is over a month old but I don't care. Someone might have brought this up already, I glanced over the whole thread and didn't see anything though. Anyway...
It would be almost impossible for this arch-type to be more epic. Why do you ask?
I have this feeling that my luck is none too good
This sword here at my side don't act the way it should
Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave
Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave
And it howls, it howls like hell
I'm told it's my duty to fight against the law
That wizardry's my trade and I was born to wade through gore
I just want to be a lover, not a red-eyed screaming ghoul
I wish it'd picked another to be its killing tool
Black blade! Black blade!
Forged a billion years ago
Black blade! Black blade!
Killing so its power can grow
There's death from the beginning to the end of time
And I'm the cosmic champion and I hold a mystic sign
And the whole world's dying and the burdens mine
And the black sword keeps on killing 'til the end of time
Black blade! Black blade!
Bringing chaos to the world we know
Black blade! Black blade!
And its using me to kill my friends
Black blade! Black blade!
Getting stronger so the world will end
Black blade! Black blade!
Forcing my mind to bend and bend
The black blade
Forged a million billion years ago
My cosmic sword goes on for eternity
Carving out destiny
Bringing in the lords of chaos
Bringing up the beasts of Hades
Sucking out the souls of heroes
Laying waste to knights and ladies
My master is my slave
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I love the bladebound magus. I have a concept of a 1 rogue/5 bladebound magus/1 assassin/ then alternate between magus and master spy. No scimitar, classic assassin/duelist shortsword. he takes magical knack trait to improve his low level touch spells and uses alot of necromancy rays to lower stats to make his enemies more helpless. his sword is kind of evil...ok really evil. As part of his story his father gave him the sword in his will after failing an assassination job. my character then balances his desire to kill the deserving to better the world, and the swords desire to control the world through violence and manipulation.