Rumtum's page

I think in your examples option 3 is pretty much it, but for all classes.

My personal take on this has always been along the lines of - at it's core, divine and arcane are pretty much the same thing: they are, in essence, manipulating the atoms of the universe to their own will.

For divining you are weakening the atoms of an area so that you can peer through.

For summonings you are breaking down a creature at an atomic level and rebuilding them.

Necromancy is weakening the positive traits of atoms so that the negative traits can become dominant. etc etc

The power that all these classes draw from is just, there. It's all around us, ready to be tapped into. It's in the air we breath, the ground we walk. The mechanics of spellcraft are pretty much the same across all classes: clairvoyance, for instance, is the same for a priest as it is for an arcane caster. So, really, the main difference here is in how these classes tap this power.

And that's a very individual thing I think. A druid may stand beneath a water-laden leaf for fifteen minutes, waiting patiently for a dewdrop to fall and hit her tongue. She is tapping into nature here, meditating on the day ahead.

A sorcerer will appeal to ancestral powers, drawing through them as a conduit.

A priest, with perhaps no innate understanding of the molecular structure of the world, relies on faith and their god to grant them access. Because, of course, the gods do understand the universe.

And the wizard, through study, simply uses formulas to access these gifts.

That's my take on it anyway. I'm sure there's as many different takes as there are different cheeses in Peckhams ^^

This has given me the most interesting character concept for a Mwangi witch...

"Believe me, do all I ask you to do and never doubt me in any way."

What Malachi said.

Cast Confusion on two guards, neither of whom are very bright, but miraculously one saves and the other fails.

The one who fails rolls and "attacks nearest creature" which happens to be the other guard. He hits and the unaffected guard decides he doesn't much like the fact he's just been hit for no reason, so he hits back. At this point they're fighting each other until someone goes down as the Confused guard is now locked in to attack mode with the other guard, no further Confusion rolls needed...

unless, before the Confused guard's turn, the wizard decides to Magic Missile both of them to finish them off in their wounded state. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite manage to drop either of them!!! Confused guard goes next, and attacks the last person who attacked him, who happens to be the wizard now.

Both guards turn on wizard.

Lol, hands-up to playing the exact elven conjurer Remy has alluded to. :D

But while arrogant, haughty, and hailing from the Mordant Spire so just a tiny bit racist... my elf is anything but a flowery pansy.

Author of numerous books regarding Azlanti history and life in the Steaming Sea he's an extremely reliable source of knowledge on many different subjects. Well versed in languages, history, architecture and religion... he's the go to guy in my group for extra bits and bobs and of course is always full of insightful stories to share.

He's also a sex-addict with a fair amount of interest in the kink and a self-proclaimed rock star (think steampunk glam rock star without the rock) although he has no official skills to back this up, just the raw talent that comes with having a high intelligence and the Charmed trait. So while he is certainly learned, there is a playful crudeness about him too which others easily relate to.

Despite some of these traits pointing to an egocentric character, he's fiercely loyal and spends most of his time making other folk look good, a typical God-wizard I guess. Even when it comes to working with a mostly human party he manages to put aside the ingrained racism most grey elves carry ... for he is his own elf, and left the spire to forge his own fate "not MUCH to do with the fact the other grey elves weren't too keen on me sharing the secrets of the Spire..." he frowns.

But...

this is all a front.

Really he is a spy for the Mordant Intelligence Network, tasked with exploring the world for signs of old threats in this Age of Lost Omens (we're running RotR).

Although he has written the books his name is printed on, it is not his name and is only a character profile he and MIN have been working on for 40 odd years in preparation for him leaving the Spire. Much of the information within is half-truths and propaganda MIN wish to spread of the Mordant culture and history.

Although he seems obsessed with sex, it is a false trait to make him seem more human or 'flawed'. It's also pretty good for studying the human ego/psyche as he observes the intimate interactions between workers and their clients.

And even though he is all for the propelling the story forward and helping the party to the best of his ability - it is always in the interest of the Spire.

"It is not enough to watch the waves for threats to our kingdom. We must explore the wilderness of the savages; it is out there we will find corruption's heart."

His real persona is so far removed from his pretense it's scary. And yet as he continues on this journey he finds himself slowly growing closer and closer to the group to the point where doubts have begun to creep in and the strain of being duplicitous is beginning to show... I'm sure the DM has some future test of faith to spring on me and looking forward to that moment to see what will happen with the character and group as, at this point, even I don't know what I will do. ;)

tl/dr (sorry I didn't expect to divulge all that, feels good getting it out actually!)

- every character, despite how cliched it may seem, has the potential to be richly developed through RP, player and the DM so that it breaks the mold. I say forget about what everyone else thinks and just focus on making your pc come alive and have fun with it. You'll probably find that everything else just falls into place. =)

H'Vitoth the Whispering Usurper

I don't think the Aboleth could prevent the Azlanti from finding/worshiping the Gods any more than they could prevent the Azlanti overstepping other boundaries. I see it simply as the Azlanti just eventually adapted beyond Abolethen control/influence.

I personally do like the proposed link between the Serpentfolk and Lissala. It would tie in nicely with Xin's desire to expand. If you look at the world-conquering drive of the Serpentfolk you can't help but wonder just how much influence Lissala may have had on both cultures.

I say you need to watch the Lonewolf and Cub series.

And get that pram pimped!

Definitely the Aboleths, as described above, and the Mordant Spire elves!