Character Creation Discussions (OOC)

No problem! Just here to help. :wink:

Hello everyone. Thanks for having me.

I was also thinking of a Guernicus, but if Whaler has a strong predilection I'd rather let you play one than me.

My idea was:

  • a transicionalist that wants apprentices to have rights under the code
  • he himself has been accidentally damaged by his parens during apprenticeship
  • his parens consider his agenda a personal insult (tormenting master) because 1) it was an accident; and 2) he tried to compensate by dedicating more time to instruction (strong parens virtue)
  • he is actually proud of his parens and wants to enforce the same responsabillity through the strong arm of the Hermetic Law
  • could either be an ally or an antagonist to Abaelard's character (wouldn't be happy with more hedge magi joining because he thinks the other magi will not support more benefits for hedge magi apprentices, but is in full support for a reform on the Tytalus way of teaching)
2 Likes

EDIT: thinking again, this one doesn't seem like it will be fun to play, even with major corrections. Disregard this one.

A second concept that I'm entertaining:
________ of Bonisagus (still recognizes himself as a Criamon)

  • Started as Criamon, talented at Creo and Auran (Affinity with Auran). Terrible temper (Fury, maybe Wrathful).
  • Stole lab text for Incantation of Lightning (barely manageable for him towards the final years of apprenticeship, may require apt student).
  • Fury triggers one day, huge lab accident, and he discovers that when his temper goes really bad the target of Incantation of Lightning is imbued of perdo vis (Personal Vis Source, he can't really control this).
  • A bonisagus got reeeally interested in that (how does CrAu generates Pe???). Used all kind of mentem spells to try to control or change the generated vis (triggering anger with CrMe, using MuMe to see if he would generates creo vis, etc). No success. Tried with other spells, also no success (possible source of a Flawed Parma (Mentem)).
  • His current goal is to build a safe device to discharge his vis (probably a glass bottle that would trigger something similar to Gather the Essence of the Beast when hit by lightining), possibly his future talisman and to control his temper.
  • Would really love to spend the rest of his life thinking about the Enigma and the Wind.

I know this one still requires some thinking to become a magus easier to run stories. I'd accept suggestions.

I can also think of a few more options if needeed.

I want to heart your character so hard, but I am already committed to 2 and soon I will be running all stories duento loving character concepts too much!

Just to make sure the new players understand how we handle character concept validation, let me report this:

1 Like

@StephenFleetwood I could take up some of your commitments. =9

@Arthur, I'm aware of the validation. That reminds me, should we look at the already created magi and commit to run stories for two of them?
What about updating on Notes and Claims storyguide commitments?

Since you ask directly, ... no I am not going to answer that question, because there are good reasons to be critical, and if it works for you, I have no reason to criticise, ... but I can comment on consequences.

For me, the play-to-prep ratio drops too low. I draw inspiration from play, or rather from the interaction of roleplay, and I only have little bit to get me through chargen, before play starts. When chargen takes too long, for whatever reason, I burn out. Of course, high standards for chargen and preparation is only one of many reasons for its taking time. I have no idea how important each reason is, nor how many burn out as easily as I do. All I can do is to point out the causality, and leave to others to draw conclusions.

Yes! Note that everyone can update that list (the post is set up as a wiki) and should do so.

Is there a place to discuss with the troupe the kind of stories we will be running? I was thinking that the Table Talk might not be the best one, not sure.

Anyway, for now I think that running stories about exploration and some mystery cults would be fun. I'll update the Notes abd Claims accordingly, and edit later as needed.

Also, it seems like the Guernicus is not welcome here with his transicionalist ideals =9. I will think a bit more on a new concept for a magus. For now, I'm kinda interested on the hedge companion. I'll propose one below.

Following Arthur's sugestion for a minor hedge wizard, I was thinking of the following:

  • An unGifted weather warlock (Whistle Up the Wind, from HoH:S pg. 105). Learned almost all of his craft alone. Could also be an unGifted folk witch (male), but I'd like to keep WUtW if possible. He knows the valley and several points of interest, and has had contact with some local magic and faerie creatures (albeit not in friendly terms with most). I envision him with Ways of the Land (Mountains), maybe with Wilderness Sense. Stories would be centered on exploration, on the local creatures and on teaching the boy (keep reading).

  • He had a vision (Visions, Minor Story Flaw) a couple of decades ago of a mighty circle of trees, and a small sapling that after planted on that circle, enabled him to rest under the shadow of the trees. He has been looking for this place for years, without success until far. The circle of trees is actually the covenant, but he will probably take some time to realize that.

  • He has already found the sapling: a young Gifted boy. He has already started to teach the boy to Whistle and wants him to be his successor. He knows the boy is the sapling of his vision, and will try his best to protect the lad of anyone wanting to hurt or kidnap him.

  • Between Ways of the Mountain, Wilderness Sense, his occasional Visions, and WUtW, it would be better for the covenant to befriend him instead of slaying him and stealing the gifted boy.

Two notes:

  1. The hedge wizard's apprentice is still rather young (I'm thinking around six) so he could still become an apprentice to one of the magi in the near future. Who? That's the subject for a future story. :wink:
  2. I'm not intending to play the apprentice, now or in the future. I'm not against he becoming someone's future magus. He would develop as an hermetic magus with WUtW (the hedge wizard would be VERY against him losing this ability due to the Opening).
1 Like

He's cool. I liked the gurnicus :frowning:

But I can heart this one as I am already saying I will run hedge wizards stories!

Also, my pc is in a mystery cult and a mystery house...

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of opportunities for mystery cults with this group of characters. I don't think I could develop things for all of them (specifically, I don't have a lot of love for Matres & Matrones, neither the Cult of Heroes, so I don't think I would run a story callen would enjoy), but I definitely resonate with some of the other ideas.

For Marcus, I must say I'm still not sure about what the deal with the Immortal Weaver mystery cult is. I'd like to discuss that a bit before committing to stories about that. Let's have that discussion in the proper place. =9


On a side note, what is the troupe opinion about pursuing hermetic breakthroughs (the activity itself, not the results)? I'm thinking about a bonisagus that wants to achieve one. He doesn't need to succeed (not even to remotely have chance of succeeding) for me to have fun with him, and I'll make sure he has plenty reasons to leave the lab.

I am in favour of research breakthroughs as they make lab rats who have to interact with the world

Do they? If the research requires Insight to integrate things into hermetic theory, yes, of course. But that could lead the character on a trip around the globe (if I want to integrate, say, ancient canaanite necromancy). Even integration of hedge magic could lead the character to move out of the covenant (for example, if I wanted to integrate runes I wouldn't stay at Tugurium, I would probably move to Novogorod, or at least, somewhere north). I'd rather avoid that.

If I wanted to break The Limit of Vis, however (the Original Research example on HoH:TL), would I need to exit the lab at all? Based on the research itself? I don't think so. Maybe if I tried to break another limit (for example, The Limit of The Infernal).

I'm not set on Original Research yet, just thinking about it. I probably would not want to mess with the lesser limits.

Ok, one more idea:

A Bonisagus researcher. Apprenticed to a bonisagus elementalist, he himself is not one. His current expertise is on aquan and terram (his mater was exploring transitions between fluidity and solidity on the last few years), but he will likely grow to be a generalist.

He has the True Love flaw, but yet to flare. He doesn't know, but he is going to fall in love with someone in Laymunt Valley. I could design the character (a grog) or give very rough guidelines and let the storyteller surprise me with him, for example, suddenly falling in love with one of the nuns on the nearby abbey.

Depending on who his true love is the direction of his research could be entirely changed. If a peasant from the village, he would likely investigate magic to improve mundane life. If a nun, something to let them meet without raising suspicion, maybe things related to the infernal or divine. If a hedge witch in the woods, could be to integrate her magic on the hermetic system so that she can have a better status on the Order. If a disguised tytalus... Well I have no idea what that would become. =P

If I develop the True Love myself, she is likely to be a village girl and he will focus on improving the covenant and nearby villages lifestyle, possibly ending up as a know (and accepted, if not well liked) presence in the villages.

1 Like

Are you proposing alternatives or progressing through variations and we should disregard old ones? I like your ideas, but not sure which one to react to. The Guernicus was fine, the only reason I didn't give it a heart was that it's likely my character would be your hoplite, or one of them, so I couldn't run the story too.

Character idea:

Eikona ex Jerbiton
There used to be a girl who grew up in Pontarlier, a small, but wealthy Burgundian town well-situated for the trans-Alpine trade. Her father was a Silversmith, and so she was called Florence Orfèvre. People said the silversmith was so talented that he could sell his jewellery and mirrors to the Lords and Ladies of Summer.

An only child, she was beloved by her father, a curious, carefree young creature admired by everyone for her golden curls that she wore down to her waist, her ruby lips and her eyes that were as deep and blue as the Lac de Neuchâtel on a cloudless summer day. Nobody had ever seen her mother, but there were rumors that she had been touched the summer fae, or maybe even one of the summer folk.

The girl loved watching herself in the silver mirror that hung in her father's house.

Florence had a secret: When the summer sun fell on her golden curls for the first time each year, a strand of her hair turned a shiny, iridiscent color. Her father cut that strand every year and sold it to a vieille maker (see note) to create special bows that gave a warm, harmonious sound of great beauty.

When she was seven, a traveling Jerbiton musician named Lyrus ex Jerbiton returning to Valnastium from the Troubadour lands of Aquitaine passed through Pontarlier and learned of the special vielle bows. It didn't take him long to realize that the hair contained vis. His interest piqued he tracked down the girl, and he sat down to talk with her father, who blankly refused to leave his daughter to the stranger. Only when the stranger suggested that he could accompany his daughter and promised him there would be well-paid work at Valnastium did he sell his house and move to the Jerbiton Domus Magnus with his daughter.

Florence wasn't just a vis source, she was also Gently Gifted, so Lyrus apprenticed her. Valnastium, a center of art and beauty was a perfect environment for the young woman to grow. She took a particular interest in Imaginem magics and ways to use magic to create portraits of people. Her father's silver items were appreciated by the magi of Valnastium.

Fifteen years later, Florence passes her Gauntlet. Her father is too old to leave Valnastium, but like all Swiss mages, she is asked to travel the world and seek experience. She is still welcome as a guest at Valnastium, but she enjoys her new freedom and also wants to enjoy men, which feels akward with her father around.

She is going to spend the next 10 years travelling, mostly the Rhine tribunal, which has generous conditions for traveling magi like her, and develop the art of making pictures by conserving their species in rings. Although she likes being around mundane people, she enjoys the company of mages even more, because they are more open to the idea of an educated, open-minded female artist.

Since this character is gently gifted, I can see her around mundane people, especially in urban environments. She feels comfortable in mage society, so stories of mage politics and intrigue are good for her. Finally, her fairie heritage makes her a candidate for Fairie tales. That said, her wish to portrait the world might also lead her to other places - like a modern photographer, the world is full of motives for her to conserve. Her character flaw of minor lecherous might also create stories, but I'd like to keep them above the waist - writing explicit texts would make me uncomfortable.

This character is deliberately designed not to be in the lab for too long, because you seem to be looking for mages who get around.

Characteristics: Int 2, Per 1, Sta 2, Str -2, Dex 1, Qik -1, Com 2, Pre 3
Virtues: Gentle Gift, Venus Blessing, Free Expression, Skilled parens, Cautious with finesse, Puissant Finesse, improved characteristics, minor fairie blood, personal Vis source (golden lock: Imaginem)

Flaws: Driven (major, photography), lecherous (minor), Mentor (parens), Unnatural Magic, Small frame, Harmless Magic

Early Childhood:
Athletics 1 (dancing)
Awareness 1 (art)
Brawl 1 (dodge)
Charm 2 (townspeople)
Folk Ken 2 (townspeople)
Living Language : French? Burgundian? 5 (rhymes)

EDITED:
I've changed the age of her first encounter with a Magus to seven, because the book says characters should have at least two extra years of childhood.

Etiquette 1 (townspeople)
Music 1 (singing)
Bargain 1 (silverware)
Guile 1 (about herself)
Survival 1 (orientation)
Area Lore Francophone Suisse (geography) 1

Second edit: replaced violin with the medieval equivalent - thanks to Arthur

Alternatives, sorry I didn't make that more clear. The valid ones are the Guernicus and the Bonisagus. I opted to make one more magi to allow for some leeway in choosing, I'd be fine with either.

There is also a companion hedge wizard (not sure if that should also be up for discussion now and here, but there it is).

I'm going to wait some time for other people opinions on the hermetic magi.

I haven't read the whole thing, but this a lot more detail a character concept should have.

The musical instrument you are thinking of is probably a vielle (from viele in Dutch and Old French or vitula in Latin).

I'll wait to comment on the stats until the concept has been approved by the others.

Short version. I am seeking sponsors for this character:

Eikona ex Jerbiton
She is going to be a good-looking Gently Gifted Imaginem specialist with an interest in magic mirrors that she uses for something that will one day be called photography. She has a good relation with her parens and her father, who kept close during the aprenticeship. She isn't going to be a very fight-focused character, but she needs high finesse to be a good photographer/species-catcher, so she will be able to fight Vilano-ish.

She is suitable for the following kind of stories:

  • mundane stories (especially urban ones and those about art): She's a Jerbiton.
  • stories about mages: She wants to take likenesses of living magi, so she moves around the Order a lot, and tries to be on good terms
  • fairie tales: She has minor fairie blood, and although as a Jerbiton, she isn't too interested in fairies, they might be interested in her. She would also like to learn more about her mother (the fairie blood is maternal) about whom her father never speaks.
  • as a "photojournalist" (I know the word doesn't fit the time), she is always on the lookout for interesting species, which can justify her presence at anything from a Wizard's March to the birth of a baby dragon.
  • she is minor lecherous. I don't want to write explicit sex texts, but a flirt or two...
  • she is not very lab-bound.
2 Likes