DM Salsa Presents: The Jade Regent (Inactive)

Game Master AdamWarnock

Looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I think (from a playing) perspective - that Jerukh needs a shot in the arm.

I'm enjoying the game and other characters - just not my character so much.

While I want to persevere I'm struggling to nail down his voice and personality moreso than any other PC I've run, which means composing posts and making (character) decisions become more time consuming.

Last thing I want is Jerukh to become a flat character type (especially in this game! :) but I also don't want running the character to be a chore (which he's in danger of becoming...)

Meh. I'm probably just in some pbp doldrums, but wanted to voice my thoughts to one and all.

Believe me, I feel your pain. I feel like I've still been having trouble really nailing down Soli's personality too. Is there anything that the rest of us can do to help?

OK, so (for you both):
1. Where do want your characters to get to - personality-wise? What is the 'end state' for your characters' personalities?
2. And the reverse angle - if that first question is too hard - what is your biggest headache with how you are portraying your character now?

Reverse angle...probably that I worry about Soli being 'samey'. For anyone that's played with me much or just happens to peek at my active characters, I tend towards support characters more than anything and (in my mind) such characters tend to have at least a couple of personality traits in common. Trying to make sure everyone is different can be a little challenging at times, if that makes any sense :)

I get that. But are you worried about being 'samey' because it bugs you or are you concerned that it will bother the other players? Or is it both?

As a person who has played with you more than once, I can see that you as a player are the same - i.e. helpful/supportive. But I'm not seeing your characters as clones. So if the big issue is how players feel about your characters... I don't think that's a problem.

Now if you want to shake up your playstyle for you, that's a whole other question. I guess I would ask you - what do you think you could do to spice up your character? Put her in the limelight more often? Make her more headstrong and less thoughtful? Have her charge into combat every so often?

Hm, yeah, I'd agree with Reiko. There are a couple of possible problems you could be having, and knowing which it is (or more than one) could help.

If it's with the character type, support characters say, then maybe changing what your character does (should be easy to move out of support with a paladin) might help.

I'd disagree with you Soli about a necessary link between support characters and a particular set of personality traits, a "supportive personality" I guess. They could have one certainly, but it doesn't have to be so. Don't feel locked in.

If the problem is more with character personality or motivations, there are a few different things you could try.

I looked at Soli's profile and there is this list:

Primary Motivator - Service
Secondary Motivator - Love
Emotional Disposition - Joyful
Moodiness - Even Tempered
Outlook - Optimistic (Hopeful)
Integrity - Conscientious (Honest)
Impulsiveness - Controlled (Thoughtful)
Boldness - Intrepid (Dauntless)
Agreeableness - Agreeable (Emphatic)
Interactivity - Reserved (Shy)
Conformity - Heterodox (Freethinking)

It's an extremely unified personality. Every characteristic works well with every other characteristic. Soli doesn't seem the type to suffer from internal conflicts about anything. Maybe she should? Flipping something in there to be more heterodox with the others could be a solution. What does she struggle with? What are the limits of her patience or tolerance? How might she have problems dealing with life?

Or, maybe it's not personality but figuring out what to do with her? Maybe being proactive to seeking out interactions with npc's or other characters to create little side stories?

But, if it's just that you feel your characters are too similar even though you like them, don't worry about it. For example I've read the campaigns Soli and Salomae are in and they don't seem alike to me.

Looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I think (from a playing) perspective - that Jerukh needs a shot in the arm.

I'm enjoying the game and other characters - just not my character so much.

While I want to persevere I'm struggling to nail down his voice and personality moreso than any other PC I've run, which means composing posts and making (character) decisions become more time consuming.

Last thing I want is Jerukh to become a flat character type (especially in this game! :) but I also don't want running the character to be a chore (which he's in danger of becoming...)

Meh. I'm probably just in some pbp doldrums, but wanted to voice my thoughts to one and all.

I'm totally in the same place with one of my characters, a witch in Hell's Rebels. He looks good in theory, actually just about my favorite character fluff-wise on paper. But he isn't easy to play at all. I've never really been able to get him off the ground as a 3-dimensional person for some reason. The campaign is good but I almost dread writing posts for him.

Now you've got me curious. First, where did you get how to generate that list from? Second, how would Joanna look broken done like that?

Joanna is a paladin I play in a Shattered Star game with Lady Ladile.like I said, I'm just curious. Don't feel like you have to do this.

There's a link to the site in Soli's personality section of her profile, but for convenience:

Ash's Guide

Thanks. I'll be taking a look at it and may have Gkirkhan and Iona done up at some point.

^Yeah, it's basically an aid in character-building. I don't use it for every PC but for the ones that I have, it's handy to be able to refer back to it from time to time. For example I forgot until I looked at it not long ago that Soli was originally supposed to be kinda shy but for the most part I've not really played her that way >.>

To answer Reiko's question I sometimes worry that my PCs will come across as samey to the other people that I play with - logically I know it's silly to worry about something like that but I can't always help it. Speaking from personal experience, it's not always easy to remember that the way you see yourself isn't always the way that others see you.

For Soli specifically, hmm...in a way, how I had envisioned the character when I first wrote her up strikes me as being almost a mirror version of Jerukh. She wants to understand more about the half of her heritage that isn't human and he seems to try very hard to deny his. I also imagined her as being...naive? But not so much in a wide-eyed innocent sort of way but maybe...less able to relate to some of the issues that the others in the party struggle with, because she doesn't have the life experience or the same outlook due to her increased longevity.

Also, apologies to Jerukh because I feel like I've hijacked things a bit when I suspect that you might be having a little more trouble with Jerukh than I am with Soli.

Sort of related to Vigny's questions... are you feeling hamstrung by playing a Paladin? You have been playing her squeaky-clean so far. You might have more fun by -- now that Soli has real-world experience instead of theoretical models only -- tarnishing her halo a bit or having her re-think some of her values.

Don't worry about Jerukh - we'll get to him as soon as he responds. :)

Using Joanna as an example, if it came down to upholding a code over doing what's​ right, she's going to need an atonement spell afterwards everytime. She has struggled with insecurities and takes the weight of the world on her shoulders and can be very, ah, assertive when it comes to doing the right thing as Teldon found out when she thought he was going to frame a man in Ravenmoor. One of the things that has crept is an explosively violent temper. If you push her into a rage she will do her best to end you, though thankfully, the things that can do that tend to be things that justify the use of lethal force.

Some ideas for Soli might be to push one or two of her virtues to the point of being detrimental. Perhaps some tragic flaw? I'm not sure what would fit though. A somewhat cliche option is to make her more intolerant of certain behaviors. Maybe overindulgence is a trigger for her? Maybe she has cripplingly high expectations of other members of her faith. That could cause some interesting dynamics to crop up between her, Iona, and Ameiko. Another option is to have her become disillusioned as things go on. She could also have cripplingly high expectations for herself. Failing to meet those could make for the beginnings of an interesting character arc.

There's a lot of wiggle room in there for you to make Soli her own. It can take a little bit of work, but I don't think that'll be an issue.

As for Jeruhk, I have an idea for him, but I don't know if now is the time or if I need to have one or two more things happen.

So, going through the guide that Vigny linked to, This is what Gkirkhan looks like.

Primary Motivator - Play
Secondary Motivator - Adventure
Emotional Disposition - Joyful
Moodiness - Labile
Outlook - Optimistic (Confident/Upbeat)
Integrity - Conscientious (Honest)
Impulsiveness - Spontaneous (Rash)
Boldness - Intrepid (Daring/Reckless)
Agreeableness - Agreeable (Warm)
Interactivity - Engaging (Entertaining/Talkative)
Conformity - Conventional (Down-to-earth)

Sense of Humor - Slapstick/Jokey
Topics of Conversation - Hobbies/Pastimes, specifically brewing/distilling and booze, and Humor.
Religion - Orthodox Caydenite, as much as such a thing exists.
Quirks - a bit goofy acting, Flirt
Hobbies - Brewing/Distilling, Storytelling, Social drinking

Or at least that's how I picture him. I hope that I've done a good job of it, and if not, I'll try to improve.

Are you asking us to grade your work? :p

If so I give it an A+. Gkirkhan and Vigny are practically two peas in a pod. To the extent they do vary, it's only because Vigny is slightly busier with something else.

What's not to love?

Morning All

Sorry work and my in-laws last night visiting stymied my usual evening catch-up with games.

Wow - plenty o' posts lol... (what have I started lol)

@Soli: No worries - nice to know I'm not in a solo boat with the character.

@Vigny at al: It's a weird one for me as I usually find the characters voice - not lose it. Feel (and this is just my skewed perception) that I started strong out of the gate with Jerukh and since then he's become a little meh.

The notion of a healer whose not a traditional divine character really appealed - especially with the herbalist bent. I'm thinking perhaps I need to focus more on the studious side and less "moody genius". My original notion for him was the spirit of Hank McCoy (without the gregarious nature) - but someone whose pushing to heal ills and better himself (in-spite of his brutish exterior).

Just feel I'm missing the mark and as such struggling to nail the character in a very awesome character driven game...

I'm thinking perhaps I need to focus more on the studious side and less "moody genius". My original notion for him was the spirit of Hank McCoy (without the gregarious nature) - but someone whose pushing to heal ills and better himself (in-spite of his brutish exterior).

Here's the thing about Beast (Hank McCoy), he blends savagery AND brilliance. To get there, you might want to consider switching from the extreme of 'Jekyll OR Hyde' to Jekyll AND Hyde. So far, Jerukh's Jekyll/Hyde battle has been almost entirely internal. He only reluctantly speaks about it and never lets Hyde show. That doesn't make it easy for folks to engage with Jerukh in his storyline and really puts you, as the player, in a behavioral straitjacket - in my opinion.

@Vigny: More grade how I am portraying him. That's how I see him, but that may not be how you and the others see him. I plan on doing Iona and the other NPCs as well. It should be interesting to see how we interpret the same NPCs.

@Jerukh: This is just my thoughts on the subject, so don't feel like you have to take this to heart or anything. What we're doing is writing a story in one draft. Things tend to change, like how you think characters should be. I think that you haven't lost Jerukh's voice so much as what it is has changed. While I think that a less personal version of Bones could work with the story, I don't think it works with Jeruhk.

The thing is we're seeing Jerukh's in the middle of some turmoil. He's dealing with prejudices against Vigny and a certain rigidity when it comes to everyone else, especially the caravaneers under Sandru. To me, it looks like he's terrified of becoming a monster because he forces himself into this highly regimented mindset that denies half of who he is. He hasn't figured out how to reconcile his two halves. He was probably okay with it as long as he didn't see an alternative.

Then comes Gkirkhan. Gkirkhan is a foil to Jerukh's in many ways. He embraces who he is. He revels in chaos and goes where his heart leads. He doesn't hide his emotions or try to pretend he's something he's not. He's also the type to tackle problems rather than putting them off.

And this is where I really start speculating, so feel free to just ignore this.

I think that Jerukh's is jealous of Gkirkhan. Gkirkhan has accepted who he is and gets along with people Jerukh grew up with better than Jerukh does. Jerukh is seeing a half-orc that hasn't chosen one side of his heritage over the other, but simply accepts himself as he is. This, I think this would cause Jerukh no small amount of frustration. He struggles with his orc side while Gkrikhan has no problems with his orc side.

To me, Dr. Jerukh and Mr. Horde is much more interesting than Jerukh Bones McCoy. I think that you've, perhaps, mistaken the change as losing his voice when instead Jerukh's voice has changed as we've started to find our characters. Honestly, I had planned on using Jerukh's problems as ways to complicate your character's lives at least a little. I think that having Jerukh deal with his two sides and reconciling them would make for a powerful character arc, and also make overcoming, or not, his prejudices against Ulfen that much more interesting.

Again, it's really up to you. This is just my two cents.

In regards to what Reiko said, it has been internal for the most part, but there are ways around that. One is to let Jerukh start showing bits of Mr. Horde. Part of what I have planned is actually to force it out of Jerukh. I have no idea how Jerukh will react to things, but at the very least it'll bring something to the surface.

Also, I thought you were referring to Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, not the Best from X-Men. Oops.

Along the lines that Salsa mentioned, there will also be a drip drip of things from Vigny. She may be avoiding you physically, but she's mad and will be waging a vindictive campaign against Jerukh.

I wouldn't think you need to do a major redesign of Jerukh and what he's about, there's lots there to work with. But as events unfold and you see opportunities here and there, use them to bend and redirect things about him toward where you want to be.

@DM Salsa - I actually have been trying to make it a point to *not* go the cliche route of 'paladin with a stick up their @ss', hehe. You'll notice that Soli doesn't mind bawdy humor/jokes and hasn't offered any objections to anyone drinking or anything like that. Now if someone overindulged to the point of it being dangerous then she'd say something but otherwise she tries to be relatively easygoing.

On the other hand, having exceedingly high expectations of herself and/or others of her faith...that could be interesting. Especially if Ameiko worships Shelyn too, which it sounds like she does? Didn't know that (I think) :)

She does, or rather, it's heavily implied she does. She's not exactly the type to go announcing her beliefs to the world by all accounts.

@Soli: A another line of approach that's similar to high standards for oneself is unsureness of one's worthiness. Canonically Shelyn may hold that all art is worthwhile, all people deserve love, there is beauty in all things, etc. pick your favorite within the portfolio, but knowing something and feeling something are not the same thing. Soli may not feel worthy even if she knows she is intellectually. A sort of imposter syndrome I suppose.

I think that may be the perfect fit for Soli, actually. Putting on a brave face so others don't find out how frightened she really is or learn that she's not worthy of the praise they give her. That could make for some good storytelling.

Also could work with her shyness.

That just might work!

*edit* Will respond to the game post tomorrow after work for alas, I am out of time and need to get to bed...

No worries. I am proud of myself for figuring out a way to get even Emi involved in the fun with Nate away. :D

Sorry gang - been slammed at work here and I'm still processing/mulling o'er all the sage advice given thus far (much appreciated btw)

Right where are we...

The thing is we're seeing Jerukh's in the middle of some turmoil. He's dealing with prejudices against Vigny and a certain rigidity when it comes to everyone else, especially the caravaneers under Sandru. To me, it looks like he's terrified of becoming a monster because he forces himself into this highly regimented mindset that denies half of who he is. He hasn't figured out how to reconcile his two halves. He was probably okay with it as long as he didn't see an alternative.

Think you nailed it with this. That alone has given me plenty to think about and work with.

The jealous angle on Gkirkhan is an interesting one. To me Gkirkhan has been played to a tee - I don't think of him as a half orc per say, just the tough fun loving man he is... Jerukh may be jealous of his "acceptance" of who he is, and ergo his "acceptance" within the caravan for who he is...

Jerukh does want to reconcile his two sides, but not 100% convinced he really wants to be accepted or a popular figure. He wants to study and learn, and become better at what he does (healing/herbalism) - by doing that he will do right by others (regardless of how they view him). However I do get that Gkirkhan's balance would frustrate and baffle him no end.

Honestly, I had planned on using Jerukh's problems as ways to complicate your character's lives at least a little. I think that having Jerukh deal with his two sides and reconciling them would make for a powerful character arc, and also make overcoming, or not, his prejudices against Ulfen that much more interesting.

Sounds interesting and challenging in equal measure chief. We'll run with this and I'll try and find my feet (and voice) more with Jerukh.

Sorry sorry, I've been buried at work and with my volunteer stuff. Summer no school childcare is also crazy. I'll get a decent post up within the next couple of days. I'm nearly through the worst.

That's good to hear, and don't worry. This is moving at a leisurely pace anyway.

So, Soliana and I are in a game together that's GM'd by Nate. We heard from him through a friend that knows him in real life and he said he should be back within two weeks. I don't know if it's a full return or just to that game, but I figured I'd let you guys know as well.

Cool - cheers for the heads up.

So, there's a rerecruitment going on for a game I'm in. The characters are great, the GM is good, and the only complaint I have is that it moves a little slowly. If you're looking for another game, check out the thread and see if you can think of something that tickles your fancy.

Recruitment thread
Gameplay thread

We are in dire need of a healer. Just something to keep in mind.

Work's getting busy. I'll probably be a little slow in posting for a bit.

Also, no post tonight, sadly. I am not up to doing Vigny and Jerukh's scenes justice.

No worries DM, we'll be here when you're able to work on it :)

No worries chief - as/when.

Had a busy day at work and there was a lot of PbP activity to catch up on when I got home from work tonight. I'm going to sleep on this one until tomorrow and then see what strikes me re: Soli :)

No worries. Get some sleep. I've got a load of laundry I'm waiting on before I can get to bed.

Hey folks, on top of catching up on my sleep last night/today and spending some time with family I'm unexpectedly having to work a partial shift tonight. Don't wait on Soli if there's anything vital happening and I'll catch up either later tonight if work is quiet or when I get home tomorrow morning!

Don't worry. All of you are in separate threads at the moment, so being a little slow to post here won't slow things down for the others.

400 unread gameplay posts... I see you hafe been busy vhile I vas sick.

I'm pretty much through the insane business and starting to read through all the posts I've missed. If you've still got a space for me, I should have Emi leveled up and ready to post by the end of the week.

Of course! Emi's just been laid up sick for the past few days. She came down with a rather bad case of Green Salsa Fever. She'll make a full recovery though. Character development and the like has been happening, but we haven't really moved forward that much.

Yay! Glad you are back!

I've said this elsewhere but it bears repeating - good to have you back! And Salsa's right, there's been some character development and a side-trek or two but in terms of plot you've not really missed anything :)

Nah nothing to see here... ;)

Well it wasn't all character development... Salsa DID have Emi get all nekkid and sweaty in front of a bunch of people. Scandalous!

That sounds pretty in character, lol. 400 unread posts is a little daunting but I'm hoping to have time to read through them tonight.

I'll be honest, I was not expecting Gkirkhan to rage in this fight. With Jerukh's AC and the fact that while under the influence of the mutagen, he's stronger than Gkirkhan, he may have to if he starts taking a lot of hits, or if Jerukh decides to push his buttons.

ok, didn't have a chance to read through the gameplay last night, but I have had time to level up, almost. If we're using any variant rules I've forgotten (like automatic bonus progression or something) then I'll have to go back and account for that, and I haven't picked my arcana yet. Otherwise...

Magus 3
+8 hp (d8 +2 Con +1 FCB)
+1 BAB
+1 Ref
+1 to each skill
I took Minkaian for my new language- I figured between Ameiko and Reiko I could have picked it up fairly easily (probably learned how to curse from Ameiko years ago).

+1 AC (canny defense)
laughing touch (sorcerer bloodline power, from VMC)
new spells: ghost sound, obscuring mist
1 additional 1st level spell/day

There are a few arcana I'm trying to decide between, if people want to offer there 2cp...
- arcane accuracy (arcane point; swift action; +Cha to hit during turn)
- close range (use ray of frost with spellstrike: +1d3 cold to attacks)
- familiar (cool... maybe scout and stuff; eventually faerie dragon)
- flamboyant arcana (swashbuckler parry/riposte- costs arcane points)
- pool strike (add 2d6 elemental damage to 1 attack for arcane point)

now... off to read these posts!

I'm not an expert on Magi but I like Pool Strike or Familiar.