Character Creation for Vortigern (OOC)

You've missed that :slight_smile:

Reference? You probably mentioned before in this thread, but I'm lazy. :wink:

Indeed. I wanted to mention that too, but forgot.

Sorry, my mistake.

But you have it backward. It's your companion, who happens to be affiliated to Vorsutus. :wink:

It's in the book for a raven of virtue, probably because a raven is percieved as having weaker characteristics than you average bird (like a falcon for example). Since this is canon, there is no reason why a mundane raven would have stronger characteristics than a raven of virtue.

xD

The natural Qualities and base Virtues&Flaws for a crow (i'd say that could work for a raven too) appear in HoH: Mystery Cults, pg. 41:

Virtues & Flaws: Second Sight, Visions.
Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Vision, Mimicry, Vocal.

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BTW, you did not answer my question! Is Skepsi a Raven of Virtue before it befriends Vorsutus? Or is it some other kind of magical raven?

Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Vision, Mimicry, Vocal (Sanguine)

I won't forget, don't worry!

Whoops, my mistake mate. He's another kind of raven.

Think that covers everything then. Gonna move forward if there aren't any objections.

Careful, Sanguine its not a Quality, its the Temperament :open_mouth:

Ok, ty! :smiley: Since you didn't say anything i though that maybe you didnt see the post :slight_smile:

So the stats of the mundane raven are:

Characteristics: Cun +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com 0, Str –7, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +5
Base Characteristics (before Size): Cun +1, Per +2, Pre -2, Com 0, Str +1, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +1
Size: –4
Virtues and Flaws: Keen Vision, Second Sight, Visions, Weak Characteristics, Compulsion (steal shiny objects)
Abilities: Athletics 5 (Flying), Awareness 4 (Shiny Things), Brawl 2 (Dodging), Music 3 (Bird Songs), Second Sight 1 (Illusions), Survival 3 (Plains)
Mundane Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Vision, Mimicry, Vocal
Personality Traits: Raven* +3
Reputations: Bad luck (local) 2

I removed Old Norse, since this is a mundane animal. I also included the characteristics before they have been adjusted for Size, to make it easier to calculate the cost.

Are we agreed on that as the mundane version?

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Much appreciated, and yeah, looks good to me!

That's what I get for mindlessly copying/pasting!

No worries at all mate.

Alrighty, so let's move forward with applying the magical creature rules to our bird friend! First thing's first, virtues and flaws.

Keen Vision
Second Sight
Independent Study
Regio Network: Auram
Gift of Tongues
Cautious with Second Sight
Cautious with Awareness
Arcane Lore
Sure Traveler
Unaffected by the Gift

Busybody
Avaricious (Shinies!) (Major)
Wanderlust
Poor Concentration
Unruly Air
Worthless Abilities

A friendly reminder about the concept as a whole. Skepsi is a sneaky thief/explorer who wanders around Mythic Europe and can't help but stick his nose (beak?) into anything that even looks remotely interesting. Toss in a bit of Iago from Aladdin for smarming off to Vorsutus, and you've more or less got the character.

Quick note about the two changes from the baseline animal. Compulsion (Steal Shiny Things) has been replaced by Avaricious (Shinies!). So not only is he stealing them, but he's hoarding them. He's Skepsi, Smaug's bird relative? If I need to keep the Compulsion and drop Busybody, it's hardly the end of the world, it just felt like double dipping, and Busybody is super fitting.

Visions has been replaced by Wanderlust. Vorsutus already has Visions if I remember correctly, so it feels like a waste to have the same story flaw twice. That, and far more importantly, Wanderlust fits the theme of the character better. That is to say, this Raven who can't sit still, is always traveling and sticking its' beak into everyone's business.

Yes he has two heroic virtues as they're both rather fitting for the bird who flits about the world. Seems silly to try and say animals of virtue get them, but no other kind can. Feels like a needless distinction to draw to me, especially when all magic humans unlock them by default too.

Regio Network: Auram

I'd say that Regio Network should be associated with a type of terrain, not a Forma (in that way, you can have a Lore that covers that terrain in certain place, so you can use it to determine if you know a Regio connection there).

Gift of Tongues
Sure Traveler

It needs to be an animal of virtue first... :open_mouth:
(Yeah, i've readed the final part of you post, i will answer that later into mine).

Arcane Lore

Without a covenant, scholar or similar background it feels off to have this one, imho.

Unruly Air

I like it... but he is a crow. Its a little like the previous virtue.
When he will find himself being an important part of a social situation with multiple people? Just a personal opinion here.

Worthless Abilities

I dont know this one. Could you explain it, please? ^^!


Also, you have 10 points in Virtues and 8 in Flaws.

Apart from that, I like what I see and the characterization that several of those flaws give to him.


I like it a lot :slight_smile:

Why? These are very different things... you can be avaricious without needing to steal things from others.

Again, why? :open_mouth: Unless i missed something, you still need more Flaws, you can take both. Also, shared visions, or different visions about to the same topic, can add more intensity or details.

The RAW here is clear. I can imagine at least two reasons to make it like that:

  • Humans are, and will always be, more important than any animal. Animals will never have an immortal soul, for example.
  • You cannot have humans as familiars, so those animals needs to be more important in extra way to justify those virtues.

Moreover, even magic humans would need to take those Virtues from the Magic Qualities pool, not the regular virtues. So even then, those Virtues arent part of the starting pool.


Where it went "Weak Characteristics"?

Nop, he has 10 points of flaws. Wanderlust is major.

But I wonder if this is appropriate for a familiar. This seems like a huge downside for Vorsutus, for Skepsi will only be available for half of the year, in non-consecutive seasons (or receive penalties)... That is, assuming Vorsutus isn't going to be traveling together with Skepsi.

Also, note that he can't just have two homes and spend one season in one location, another season in another. It explicitely states that the character must spend the traveling seasons visiting new places.

If Wanderlust is even on the table for a familiar, I think a first step would be to define which kind of penalty would be applied, just so everyone is on the same page.


I see no problem with Arcane Lore for a well-traveled raven, but I agree regarding Unruly Air. It seems like it is hardly a flaw for a raven, specially a magical creature/familiar (assuming most "parties" he will attend will be parties between magi and/or magical creatures, who are immune to the effects of the flaw due to their MR).

Regio Network should indeed be Air Regio Network or something similar ("Air" is a bit open, but I think it works).

Worthless Abilities is from Grogs, p.86 (may I ask that we reference everything outside the corebook, just to make things easier?). 30 points of the character's XP are useless, lost to time. From the book:

For example, she may have Area Lore of 3 for a city that no longer exists, or her Etiquette score may have been rendered useless by changing social structures.


I don't think keeping this is required?

Woops, true! Then i said nothing ^^!

Yet to me seems very appropiate to the concept. But yeah, it will be hard for Vorsutus :open_mouth:

I didnt think about this, but its true... D:

"Air" seems a bit weird to me xD And not different from "Auram" at the end...

Ok, ty! :smiley: It seems very appropiated for very old beings.

Its in the base animal sheet.

I thought this had already been gone through? I don't see a problem here. Similar virtues are all over in RoP:M stat-blocks, so I think you are making a distinction here that doesn't exist in RAW and our examples of it being applied.

I concur. And the virtue description seems explicit.

The character has access to an extensive network of regiones, perhaps located in the depths of many lakes throughout Mythic Europe, or hidden above the clouds in the sky, or buried in subterranean caves under the ground. The character is associated with one particular type of regio network.

The intent I think is that he indeed flies on/through magical wind pathways/regios that are indeed associated with air. And one of the examples is a network hidden above the clouds in the sky... So not only is Sky not a problem it is appropriate and an explicit example. The limiting factor will be his Area Lore roll to determine how close of a Regio to his starting point and then to his destination that he knows of/can find. Which is already why the original build had the Area Lore that it did, and the new one undoubtedly will have the same.

My personal assumption is that such magical sky regios will be associated with existing magical auras/sites. So they aren't "everywhere" but they are associated with the sky and suitable magical locations. I doubt one would be present say ... in the magical caves under the Covenant as a blatant example of a negative case. But above the Covenant in the sky is very possible.

I'm perfectly ok with it. We have discussed it a bit already. Part of the concept and intent of Skepsi is exactly that, that he wanders out and observes/spies/steals, and is an agent that pulls Vorsutus out into situations (hey boss, I saw this interesting thing ... we should go check it out!). And so not only do I fully endorse it, I like it and look forward to it being a source for pulling Vorsutus & co. into stories!

It does mean he gets the "lab assistant" bonus less consistently, but I'm ok with that and see it as a story investment.

I suppose re: Unruly Air that depends on how one conceives of the character. But I see him being sent as a messenger and/or semi-frequently (Wanderlust!) being the first character to encounter things. And thus being the "first impression" character that is present for stories before Vorsutus and/or anyone else has the opportunity to be involved.

Re: Arcane Lore, I agree. The Order/Covenants are hardly the only source for Arcane Ability knowledge. Hedge Wizards have Arcane Abilities and use them just fine. So do other types of magical characters/creatures. This virtue point expenditure just pays for/justifies Skepsi having like knowledge.

We don't know the final spread of everything on the sheet but I presume the intent will be to buy off that with a Magic Quality point during that phase of character creation. So I think having a flaw in that slot (for a full spread of flaws, rather than 9 points while claiming 10 virtues) is more reasonable. I suppose it would eat a Magic Quality point either way and just gives the character one more point of "downside" for no extra gain.

That said I'm hesitant to speak overly strongly for a build that isn't mine? 8P

I thought it too since i've explained that point several times already :frowning:
By RAW, the only magical animals that can pick heroic virtues are animals of virtue. In doubt, read my posts about the topic, please. It took me a long time to write, and it seems like everybody just skip half of it T__T

Sky or clouds would sound much better, tbh :slight_smile:

Unruly Air seems meant to be used in informal groups.

Its not like impossible, but its weird. Was Skepsi studying with Hedge wizards? Anyway, its just my opinion :man_shrugging:

Your opinion has been openly disagreed with and responded to, several times. You don't need to keep saying it so we can keep disagreeing with it. Saying it again isn't somehow more persuasive.

I am not sure what this is supposed to imply about the selection but I don't see anything seemingly related to that perception in the virtue description regardless.

Unruly Air
Minor Supernatural Flaw
The character has a penchant for stirring up situations, making pleasant events better and unpleasant ones worse. Whenever the character is in a social situation with multiple people, his slightest behavior will subtly push others to extreme behavior. He is either the life of the party, or its death, depending on the prevailing mood of the crowd. His influence is linked to his magical nature, so that others with Magic Resistance are not influenced by him.

It seems like it would apply essentially to all social interactions made by Skepsi that aren't with things protected by Magic Resistance. So ... whatever you meant by informal groups, I don't think it is accurate?

Magical creatures can have and use the same Abilities to enhance/modify their abilities/powers the same as any other kind of character. So this isn't some strange thing that is unusual to have access to for an intelligent being with mystic powers. Though in theory a Might based character could even have the Gift, know a type of magic, and certainly possess Arcane Abilities to use with that magic as well.

Also, as has already been described several times, the concept for Skepsi is being a sacred oracle animal associated with the Mercurian Temple of Cumae. So an association with magical people/places/things has already been asserted in his origin.

Regarding Heroic V&F for non-human creatures with Might, maybe at this point we need a decision from @Arthur?

Either way, assuming we get a yes on that, what exactly about Skepsi is "heroic"? I'd say that even for magical animals this would (should?) usually be reserved for someone with a lineage (direct descendant of Hugin or Munin, for example)... or a dragon.

For curiosity, any reason for Sure Traveler instead of Homing Instinct?
(Except for the fact that Homing Instinct is quite inferior... or rather, maybe it's Sure Traveler that is fairly strong?)


Humm... I'll take the chance to say why I, in particular, am not fond of Sure Traveler. My word in no way holds the final weight on that.

It trivializes travel in a way that I consider detrimental to the game. It becomes effectively impossible (or, at least very, very hard) to present "there and back again" as a part of the challenge.

That said, Skepsi's particularities (he is a raven and travels mostly by flying, and is unlikely to be the centerpiece of a story) mean that this isn't likely to detract from our saga (I can't see Skepsi helping a group to better travel through the Alps, for example, unless Vorsutus learns a Group spell to transform people into birds... which now I kinda expect he does, because it would be fun AF, and instead of being an auto-win for Skepsi would be an "I made it happen" for Vorsutus).


Very much agree regarding Air/Sky Regio Network. Maybe not right above the covenant (maybe right above, yes, who knows?), but surely somewhere in the Alps close by? 1/3/7/10 day(s) away "as the crow flies" (pun intended)?

The proximity of the nearest regio seems like an interesting saga decision (it has implications in more than just Skepsi's ability to travel).


This.

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Why, when we have canon examples of them being on creatures?

But regardless, he already is posited to be descended from a flock of birds sacred to Apollo and the Sybil of Cumae, at the Temple. And mixing in norse descent/lineage with Hugin/Munin would suit me and the syncretic nature I already posited just fine. So both of those together would seem a suitable heroic lineage for our fine feathered friend as it were. And really ... zero modification to the concept at all.

I think if it does trivialize anything it does so mostly only for Skepsi and not for anyone else. Like you said, barring design/inclusion of spells or bond powers or the like that move people/things around. And if that is the case ... then such things would already be achieving a mitigation of travel difficulty without Skepsi being involved. Unless the whole group he might try to lead somewhere is flying somehow he can't lead them in the same terrain as himself, as you say.

I speculate the point is that Skepsi is intended to be able to rapidly traverse very long distances, with his powers and regio network combined, and reach people/places reliably. Either to act as a messenger or spy or whatever. And this seems intended as a choice to make that something he can reliably do without problems and keep the focus on the story aspects of where is going, and what he is going there to do, without fluke die-rolls making that process turn into side stories of difficulties even getting there when that is one of his core competencies.

Now ... I could see the argument that those (travel difficulty type) could be interesting stories. But the question re: Skepsi particularly I think is whether are they appropriate and/or the type of stories that we would want to tell with him? He isn't going to be trying to fight anything say. And injecting him into an unknown situation is as easy as saying "Hey I have a new place and situation I'd like to throw at Skepsi via Wanderlust." and there is a new story going.

I'm certainly open to a different perspective? (And it isn't my character per se anyway.)

Just using the Covenant and its aura as an example for the situating of a regio. As to the location of the nearest one, I'd hesitate to speculate but auras somehow associated with open air or elevation seem appropriate? Also given how fast he is intended to be able to fly with his wind boost power (40 mph) I think the distance to the nearest one is not reasonably going to take him days to get there, though it likely could be days on foot for sure.

Because our canon example (singular, there is only one) is for a Beast of Virtue, which Skepsi isn't. And even the canon example is a bit iffy, tbh.

Since there are disagreements on what should be applicable in this case, it seems natural to defer to the alpha SG.

Lots of things to comment on and answer, but little time for now. I may be able to answer tomorrow or friday.

It has nothing to do with being more persuasive. But if i feel like im not being readed properly or im not explaining myselft well enough, I try to keep explaining myself.

Why i feel like that? Well, easy:

You said that to me.

You said that to Arthur when he basically ruled the same as I was telling before.

Also, now you made Rafael to re-explain something that I already wrote (canon examples being Beast of Virtue).

So, yeah, i have motives to think that my ideas arent reaching people. Therefore i keep repeating myself.
If you think that there is something that i can do that can help to be able to explain myself better (shorter posts, bullet lists, something), please, tell me. I can assure you that its way worse and more frustrating to me having to keep repeating things than its for you having to read them.


There is something bad in my tone now? Seriously, I no longer know how I should express myself :sweat:

First thing, let's talk about the concept before moving on to any stats. Here's what I could find earlier in the topic. I may be missing a few things.

In the end, I'd like a more definitive description of the concept, because right now some elements seem to contradict themselves.

So my questions are:

  • Is Skepsi a magical creature from Norse or Greek culture? Having Old Norse as a language seem to imply Norse, but then it can't be descended from birds sacred to Apollo and the Sybil of Cumae. Can't really have both.
  • In either case, I assume that Skepsi is still descended to some sort of oracular raven, I suppose? Or is it really a thief? In the second case its descending from an oracular raven of Norse or Greek origin doesn't make sense. The concept should be clear about what Skepsi is and where he comes from.