After a long and painful battle today my headache was tragically victorious over all the Acetaminophen Armies I've been eating like pez since morning.
Hopefully the migraine will leave before I have to sleep tonight. And I can type in text what I've been noodling in my vice-gripped brain.
Thanks for the comments.
It's not magic - it means that although he is sharp and perceptive, it's based on intuition and experience: he can't see through magical disguises or read minds, so even if he suspects someone is lying he won't necessarily know why.
Caydenite hero complex - this is definitely NOT about slamming a hand on the bar and shouting "Innkeeper, bring me a flagon of your finest ale!" It's more about his reluctance/inability to walk by on the other side when he sees something going on that he could intervene in. Think of it as the cop who can't do undercover work if it means having to watch some thug smack his girlfriend around.
"I've seen enough of Death for three lifetimes" - Darrel is going to do almost anything to avoid having to kill anyone, and will do so only as a very last resort when all other options have been exhausted.
"Lead by example. Nobody follows a fool or a coward" - this one I admit I'm not sure about: it's obvious on the face of it what it means but instances where I'd mark Milestone or Abandon could be thin on the ground.
How set in stone do you want this stuff to be?
"If I'm to die, better quickly on my feet than slowly by inches" - Darrel is all too aware that he is getting old, and doesn't want to suffer decrepitude and the insults that old age brings. He doesn't have a death wish, but he's not afraid to give his life in a good cause.
"True strength is doing what's right, not what's easy" - I feel like this one is self-explanatory, does he take the easy way out (Abandon) or stick with what he knows is right even though it's more difficult (Milestone)?
Thanks for the additional info on Martella, I don't think this is something that Darrel would know so I will leave the background as it is for now.
The "beloved Taldor" bit got lost somewhere, I agree. I would have taken the Taldan patriot campaign trait but couldn't fit it into his themes. I've updated his description with a bit more information to flesh this out.
@Apemantus - ouch, I hope you feel better! Migraines are *horrible*, on the occasions I get one I don't even look at the paracetamol and go straight for codeine and/or ibuprofen.
@Seth86 - yup, LitM would work well if you ever wanted to do a Wind in the Willows or Redwall-type game, or even (gods help you) Watership Down (Y tho).
@Darrel - thanks for the replies and you raise a good point. Your character Themes, Tags etc are not set in stone, this is a new game and there needs to be flexibility. If you decide that something needs tweaking during gameply to be more fun then we can absolutely do that.
I've given this some more thought and I like your ideas. This is my attemt at getting it in order so we know where we are when the game starts.
The list Shamsi found has nothing to do with Stavian's plans (which are meant to be a big surprise btw). What the Brineys have unwittingly ended up in is a sideshow, although a deadly one. The Aspis Consortium spent time and money putting together a list of difficult people who would be better out of the way, and Callio Scapula wanted the list for his own ends. Not wanting to piss off the Aspis Consortium, he hired the Brineys for plausible deniability to break into the Aspis safe house and steal the list.
When none of the eight Brineys who set out returned, presumably Shamsi realised she was in over her head. The first name on the list was Martella Lotheed, who is of noble birth but not a noble herself - the bastard daughter of Count Mercator Lotheed and a Qadiran diplomat. Stuck with the choice of waiting for Callio to turn up and demand the list from her, or having the angry Consortium come after her, or running for it, Shamsi ran for it. The only person who might possibly help her is the person on the list, so she went that way.
What do you think?
I notice you named the gang members who didn't go on the mission, but does Shamsi have any ties to any of the eight who did - close friendship or romantic involvement or even rivalry/enmity?
Two quick questions for you
1) Is everyone more or less OK on understanding the rules, or would it help if I did some more posts on how the game works?
2) It's great to have so much interest and 2 characters more or less completed, I'd love to keep that momentum going. Those of you still working on it, if I set a deadline of next Saturday 3 October for finishing up so we can start the game the following Monday (6 October), would that be reasonable or would you like more time?
Sounds about right.
And yeah. I'll avoid WD type game :P
Your character Themes, Tags etc are not set in stone, this is a new game and there needs to be flexibility. If you decide that something needs tweaking during gameply to be more fun then we can absolutely do that.
That's good to know as I may want to change things around a bit as we play and discover what works and what doesn't.
And to answer your question: I for one am enjoying your rules clarifications, I hadn't fully appreciated we could get some stuff done just by relying on tags without needing a dice roll :)
And I'm obviously ok with your suggested start date.
Personal: How Nature Intended
Power: Claws
Power: Everything is a tree (climbing)
Weakness:
Quest:
People:
Power:
Power:
Weakness:
Quest:
Skill or Trade: Gift of the Gab
Power: Persuasion
Power: Haggling
Weakness:
Quest:
Trait: Trader
Power: Appraisal
Power: Mathematical
Weakness:
Quest:
weaknesses and the like i can start to work on when i know the tags are good
@Seth86 - those Tags all look clear to me (I love your "Everthing is a tree" tag!) apart from your "How nature intended" Theme. Can you tell me a bit more about what that means to you and/or where you would rely on it during the game?
@NotEspi - Great, I think we're getting there! One more question: what about the 8 who went in and haven't been seen since? Anyone there that Shamsi had ties with or would miss? Or maybe is secretly glad they're gone?
@Seth86 - those Tags all look clear to me (I love your "Everthing is a tree" tag!) apart from your "How nature intended" Theme. Can you tell me a bit more about what that means to you and/or where you would rely on it during the game?
She fights with her claws
and i just realized i missed editing one of the groups on tags
ill look into that tomorrow
@NotEspi - Ah, but as my old GM told me "Only named NPCs count!"
Feel free to add as much or little information as you like, there's no obligation to write entire paragraphs on people who may or may not even feature in the plot :)
@Seth86, thanks for the added info. I have to admit that doesn't jump out at me from the theme as it's currently worded. Do you have some alternative wording that you could use instead?
will try to think of something to symbolize scratching/clawing. i just wanted to get the idea down to work on
@Seth86 - honestly, something simple like "Retractable claws" would work for me. Waxing poetic and all is nice but there's a lot to be said for clarity and simplicity :)
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I've been quietly working on my character Pellegrina for a while as I've had a bit of time here and there. I'm only getting to really looking at the rule book this weekend, but the system neutral aspects of Pellegrina are:
Height: 5'6" | Weight: 135 lbs. | Hair: Auburn Brown | Eyes: Gray-Blue
Appearance
Pelligrina has gray-blue eyes and thick auburn brown hair that tumbles in curls and ringlets down her back. Her complexion is a slightly lighter bronze than usual for Taldans and flawless. Although she tends to wear dresses if all things are equal, Pelligrina does not have a particular look she has adopted. She dresses according to weather, activity, and social convention. She does wear revealing clothing on some occasions, but it isn’t necessary for Pelligrina to do so. Whatever she puts on seems to cling and mold in just the right ways to highlight her figure. One thing Pelligrina does always avoid is over-dressing. She considers an overabundance of jewelry or other ornamentation to be gauche and a little pathetic.
She takes great care crafting her appearance, but has the expertise to make it appear she does not. Pelligrina is an enthusiastic cosmetics user but disguises it cleverly. Only an expert eye could tell she is using more than the barest minimum of these beauty enhancements.
Notes on Personality and Other Things Not Yet Covered:
Myers-Briggs personality type: ESTP
"It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'." –Rudyard Kipling
“That quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force. It can be a quality of the mind as well as a physical attraction.” — Elinor Glyn
-Pelligrina has "It".
-Pelligrina is an extrovert who enjoys, almost craves, the company of others most of the time. She is witty and engaging in conversation, with a polished sense of humor. Pelligrina only cares about convention just enough to avoid scandal and is very open to new experiences.
-One of her greatest assets is her almost unassailable self-confidence. It helps her often avoid one of the pitfalls of being beautiful and having attention focused on her. She feels no need to be competitive, so she doesn’t engage in the kinds of behaviors that pit her against others for attention, praise, or prestige. She knows she rarely has a serious rival among the people around her, so she has nothing to prove. Among her less exalted, new up and comers social set, eschewing drama and pettiness only enhances her position by making her seem more down to earth and relatable.
-Pelligrina usually gets what she wants anyway, without need to be combative or difficult. She is persuasive enough to subtly nudge things in the direction she wants them through making comments and observations, or obliquely signaling approval or disapproval, that she doesn’t need play the queen bee or diva.
- Reading Pelligrina’s background could easily leave one with the impression she is a cynic and nihilist who is only concerned with amassing power for herself. This isn’t the case. While Pelligrina is a narcissist, and does want to achieve power and wealth for herself, she is not willing to do just anything to get it. She has aligned herself with reformists in Oppara because she sincerely believes reform is need if the nation is to survive. She favors Princess Eutropia both because she sees her as the nations best chance at reform, and because Pelligrina is also a eldest child who will not inherit more than a dowry because she is female. She bears no ill-will against her younger brother. Truthfully she consider being Baronet of Tregan small potatoes and wants to leave the hinterlands behind. She still rankles at being automatically excluded though, having to take a harder path with fewer options.
- Tregan is a small town along the border with Galt. It has hosted large numbers of refugees from Galt for many years. Living so many years of her life there, Galt’s woes have playing an important role in shaping Pelligrina’s politics. She is not a revolutionary but an incrementalist. She believes reforms must come, but not too much too rapidly. The monarchy, nobility, and Senate must remain in place to provide stability. Were she ever in the position to do so, Pelligrina would vote to expand the size of the Senate to include seats for commoners.
- So far Pelligrina has kept her mirror’s communication with her and what she has learned from it a secret. Not even her parents are aware. In keeping with this, Pelligrina has rarely used magic if other options are viable. Her mirror and others have trained her well in using her natural assets flexibly and creatively; most of the time they will see her through the obstacles she’s confronted without the risks that magic involves.
- Pelligrina doesn’t consider herself a ‘witch’. The term often carries negative connotations, especially where she from near the Verduran Forest. If and when she is pressed to account for it, she would use some alternative term like ‘arcane practitioner”.
-Pelligrina was raised in an Abadaran household, but she was never interested in religion until she was introduced to Calistria. This happened at Lady Breau’s Academy for Young Women. Predictably, Shelyn reigned supreme there for Lady Breau and most of the girls. However, a small, more daring set of students venerated Calistria on the down low. Pelligrina took to Calistria far more readily than Shelyn. The distinction for her was one of comfort and complacency. Calistria is for the young and hungry, while Shelyn is for those who have mostly reached a point of satisfaction with their lives. Pelligrina certainly defines herself as among the young and hungry group. Pelligrina is still not a very devout person. In her thinking maybe the time will come later in her life when she’s accomplished all she hoped and is ready to settle in as a Shelynite. She doesn’t think Calistria would mind. One of the most appealing things about Calistria to Pelligrina is the goddess’s transactional outlook.
- While Pelligrina is an extrovert with a forceful personality, she is also aware of the value of reading people and adjusting her behavior to match what she thinks will appeal to them most. Although seduction is often sexual in nature, at its root it is an invitation, and not all people are in induced by the possibility of attaining the same desires in the same ways. Being a chameleon is the name of the game.
- Pelligrina is not always ‘on’. She exercises a skill set when it is advantageous. She is no more always seductive than a thief is always picking pockets. When she is not on, she’s good company. Pelligrina is a good conversationalist who likes small talk and has a good sense of humor. She is pleasant, and tries to be considerate to others. She does have genuine friends.
- Her biggest flaws are her great confidence in herself and her need to have her way in most things. She may take foolish risks when she underestimates the danger. She may also be petulant when she doesn’t get her way in things that are important to her. Pelligrina also struggles with showing patience, but usually she can control herself, especially if the payoff is significant.
Pelligrina is the daughter of Baronet Vorstal Revay of Tregan and his wife Euphemia. She was their first child, much doted upon for the first 10 years of her childhood. When her younger brother Gaillard was born, Pelligrina’s parents had to split their attention, something she did not take well. Pelligrina became sullen and jealous. She’d always been an assertive attention-seeking child, but this was the first rift with her for her parents.
Euphemia, who handled most all of the childcare, sought relief by buying Pelligrina off with a fine gift to show her how much her parents still cared for her. Euphemia always considered appearances important. While Pelligrina was still a couple of years short of her teen years, her mother reasoned it was always good to teach fundamentals early. Euphemia thought it time for braids and wearing whatever was within easiest reach to be left behind. She gave Pelligrina an antique hand mirror. It was fully adult sized and a work of art. The frame and handle was a single piece of ornate brass, while the mirror itself was flawlessly polished silver. Euphemia thought having such a mirror might nudge Pelligrina onward a little toward more mature interests.
Euphemia got the results she was looking for, in far greater abundance than she could have imagined. Pelligrina adored the mirror, and at first it was a source of fun for both of them. Euphemia showed Pelligrina different ways to do her hair. She bought a cosmetics kit for her daughter and showed her how to use it. But after some months, Euphemia had exhausted her tricks and tips, while Pelligrina’s interest in spending time occupied with her mirror only grew. More and more often Pelligrina spent time with her mirror alone.
Pelligrina was not as enraptured with her own appearance as her mother believed though. It was all of the other things her mirror showed her that kept her enthralled. It did not happen in the presence of her mother, but Pelligrina’s mirror showed her what she could be in the future, beautiful and adored by all who knew her. Early on Pelligrina experienced only the briefest glimpses of visions and flashes of feelings, but as she and her mirror slowly adjusted to each other it could communicate more coherently to her. She learned the mirror held secrets it could teach her, magical and otherwise, if she would commit to learning them would and follow the path it could reveal to her. Pelligrina promised to commit.
It was during the years when she was fifteen and sixteen that her parents worried about Pelligrina’s obsession with her mirror the most. Pelligrina became moodier and withdrawn. She was forgetful, and sometimes seemed to be lost in a waking dream. Pelligrina’s state was due to the increasing intensity of what the mirror was teaching her. Arcane knowledge was difficult and exhausting, and sometime the things she learned were frightful. Her mirror assured Pelligrina that nothing it showed her could harm her, and that she would come to master it all as long as she did not abandon its tutelage. Pelligrina believed her mirror and stayed the course. It had proven itself to be a friend she could trust. Her mirror always kept its promises. She was more and more beautiful over time as it had said she would be. It taught her how to use her beauty to best effect, showing her how to be persuasive and how to lie well. She now knew how to do some things with magic, and was learning still more.
By the time Pelligrina was 17, her parents were making plans for her marriage. There was no particular date set, nor groom in mind, but there were steps to be taken before those goals were reached. One concern was Pelligrina’s education. Tregan was far too small a town to host any educational institutions suitable for Pelligrina so she had been schooled at home, mostly by Euphemia herself. While Pelligrina demonstrated intelligence, she had never shown scholarly inclinations. Her assets were her exceptional beauty and pleasant personality. Her parents felt Pelligrina could be highly competitive among the top echelons of Taldor’s nobility if she were polished up to present at her finest. It was a financial burden, but her parents found a finishing school in Oppara and sent Pelligrina to prepare for coming out into society.
Pelligrina received her parents’ decision very enthusiastically, not because she was interested in finding a husband, but because she needed access to Taldor’s center of power for her own agenda. Learning the manners and comportment of Taldor’s elite would be helpful as she forged a path to a seat in the Senate. Pelligrina’s mirror emphatically urged her to avoid marriage until the time was right, not soon by any measure. This was advice Pelligrina didn’t really need; she had seen her parents’ marriage firsthand. Pelligrina wouldn’t describe her parents’ marriage as unhappy exactly. But, she did know her mother was disappointed with her husband’s paltry position in a crude frontier town. Knowing she would be tied to her husband’s fortunes didn’t appeal to Pelligrina. She knew she could probably do better for herself if she could find her opportunity.
It was in Oppara that Pelligrina really began to find her stride and flourish. Her first year at Lady Breau’s Academy for Young Women was largely uneventful, with Pelligrina busy laying the groundwork for the next. By the start of the second year Pelligrina had sniffed out enough compromising information to blackmail Lady Breau into putting aside most all of the rules. Being able to come and go from the academy when she wanted, and without a chaperone accompanying her, allowed Pellingrina to begin establishing herself as a known presence in Oppara, making acquaintances and procuring invitations to the right kind of establishments and gatherings. Pelligrina found it easy to make a good impression wherever she went, and some strategically selected lovers meant she was able to be in a lot of places.
In the year since her graduation from Lady Breau’s Academy, Pelligina has had more free time to redouble her efforts. She now specifically seeks out reform-minded leaders and politicians, including those who support Princess Eutropia.
Through other connection she’s made Pelligrina knows who Lady Martella Lotheed is, and also that she’s quite close to the Princess herself. The unusual position Lady Martella occupies makes her extremely interesting to Pelligrina because she is both reasonably accessible and (as rumor has it) acting at times on the Princess’s behalf. The supporters of the Princess Pelligrina has met may be with Eutropia in spirit, but do nothing of consequence. Pelligrina knows well she will need to demonstrate she is a person of quality before she rises to the Senate. Her current position in society isn’t exalted enough, she isn’t rich enough. She has no impressive past career in the military, nor is she famous for some other reason. Being well known for being well known isn’t enough. Pelligrina will have to do the yeoman’s work of gaining experience and demonstrating a talent for politics first, and Lady Martella surely has people to whom she farms out tasks.
On a handful of occasions, at meetings and other social events, Pelligrina has been able to chat briefly with Lady Martella. Self-promotion is inherently gauche, so Pelligrina was carefully danced around the subject of working for Martella in some capacity. She’s never requested anything, but instead has tried to create the circumstances for Lady Martella to more or less come to the idea herself. When they have spoken, Pelligrina obliquely focuses of three points she wants to get across. 1. She is deeply committed to the cause of seeing Princess Eutropia receive her rightful inheritance. 2. While she has enjoyed making the social rounds now that she is of age, she has grown bored with its repetition and frivolity. She feels the need to do something of substance, ideally to make Taldor a better place. 3. She easily wins people’s confidence, and once she has their ear, she is persuasive. This is especially true of men, who seem compelled to try to impress her. 4. She is adept at handling even awkward situations with tact and delicacy. Whenever she happens across Lady Martella and finds the opportunity, Pelligrina baits her line again, and hopes Lady Martella will bite.
In her letters home, Pelligrina writes her parents often, she frames her activities in terms of husband hunting. They are footing the bill for her to remain in Oppara after all. She may not see eye-to eye with her parents’ plans for her, but being discreet about her differences with them can’t harm anything. Besides she ceratiny doesn’t want to risk having her funding cut off, or being ordered home.
THEME: Social Butterfly
Tag: Makes friends easily
Tag: Persuasive
Weakness: Overconfidence
QUEST: My way or the highway
So, obviously more work to do figuring out Pellegrina in game terms, but I know the direction I'm heading which will help move things along.
The backstory references Pellegrina having a magical mirror (actually a mirror familiar) since she was originally supposed to be a Pathfinder Witch with the Mirror/Seducer Archetypes. Initially I planned to get rid of that, but I do kind of like the mirror. I might try to work it in so I can keep it if I have room. Also some amount of spell casting might be good for Pellegrina, she's obviously not going to be leaping into combat to any good effect.
Anyway, work in progress.
"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the b&@$%iest of them all?"
(Just kidding, although Pellegrina does sound a bit like the girls who picked on me at school for being nerdy and good at science)
I look forward to seeing the other themes when they're ready :)
I have to say it took me until that image link for me to make the connection to the Briny Dozen! I have seen the film, but the main thing I remember about it was thinking that the Julia Roberts character needed to make better life choices
oh, about the claws tag
would it be fine if i named it "murder mittens"? :P
oh, about the claws tag
would it be fine if i named it "murder mittens"? :P
I love it!
@Archpaladin Zousha - So far, it looks like all characters are human apart from one catfolk. Given this is my first time GMing LitM I'd prefer something more "core" than say a 9-tailed kitsune. Also, given Trail's experience in frustration with playing a fish out of water in our game, I would suggest you look at the WftC campaign traits and decide which one your character would go for, even if you don't use it as a theme or a tag.
I have to say it took me until that image link for me to make the connection to the Briny Dozen! I have seen the film, but the main thing I remember about it was thinking that the Julia Roberts character needed to make better life choices
LOL - I thought it was a decent heist movie which proved there was an audience for that sort of thing, so led to a bunch of heist shows in the early aughts (White Collar, Burn Notice, Leverage); but yes, it definitely showed that there's a reason the Bechdel test exists!
On a game-related note, I am wondering about the weakness "It's not magic" as I'm not sure how much it would come up in play. What do you think of something like "No respect for authority"?
(what I mean by that = he learned quickly that just because someone has a high rank doesn't mean they know what they're doing, and can easily get a bunch of people killed. It's NOT about being deliberately antagonistic - he respects people in charge who show they are capable. It's more that they have to prove themselves worthy of that authority, and if they don't he doesn't feel bound to listen to them)
A more condensed version of that view might be: "A sergeant in motion outranks a lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on."
EDIT: thinking about that some more, I think that might be a bit limiting as well. I think something like "Doesn't suffer fools" captures it a bit better.
Getting back here Wednesday.
My applicant is kinda/sorta Tiefling -- if you know Hellbred from 3.5 you have the idea.