Grog Talk

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Phoenix - Rise from the A
61

Posting my reformulated Julien below, I'll edit/update the post over in the other thread after some commentary

So, the concept behind him is still similar, he'll make wrong choices, or at least actions are likely to be misunderstood. With his thick tongue (afflicted tongue) he can never really explain himself well, and reinforcing that with poor communication is just driving it all home. He's no longer so dangerously inept in battle. He's quite capable, in fact. His inability to give intelligible orders, and the general circumstance of something going wrong around him, leaving him holding the bag, has held him back for promotion to turb seargent.
He's just never caught a break. He's the guy who gets caught when things go south.

Julien
Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre 0, Com -4, Str +2, Sta +3, Dex +2, Qik 0
Size: 0
Age: 35 (35), Height: 5'8'', Weight: 170 lbs, Gender: Male
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (0)
Virtues and Flaws: Custos, Martial Abilities, Puissant Single Weapon, Affinity with Single Weapon, Afflicted Tongue [Spells Using Words: Extra botch die], Judged Unfairly, Poor Communication × 1
Personality Traits: Loyal +3, Brave +1
Combat:
Axe & Shield, Heater: Init: 1, Attack +16, Defense +13, Damage +8
Kick: Init: 3, Attack +6, Defense +3, Damage +5
Dodge: Init: 2, Attack , Defense +3, Damage
Fist: Init: 2, Attack +5, Defense +3, Damage +2
Soak: +10
Fatigue levels: OK, 0, 1, 3, 5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: 1 (1 5), 3 (6 10), 5 (11 15), Incapacitated (16 20), Dead (21+)
Abilities: Area Lore: Normandy 4 (monsters), Area Lore: Brittany 2 (monsters), Awareness 5 (in combat), Latin 3, Brawl 3 (Kick), Carouse 3 (with fighting friends), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Great Weapon 4 (pole axe), Guile 3 (getting extra rations), Leadership 1 (in combat), Norman French 5 (military talk), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (grogs), Single Weapon 7+2 (Shield, Heater), Stealth 2 (when armored), Survival 1 (when in a group) (2), Thrown Weapon 3 (knife), Covenant Lore: Le Maison d'Levrier 2 (grogs)
Equipment: Shield, Heater (Init: 0; Atk: 0; Dfn: +3; Str: 0; Cost: Standard); Full Metal Scale Armor (Soak: 10) (Soak: 10; Protection: 7); Pack
Encumbrance: 2 (4)

62

I just thought: Maybe you'll want to give him and additionnal trait, perhaps reflecting how he reacts to being always the one caught out. It's by no means an obligation or anything, it's just that, reading you, you seem to have a pretty good feel of him, and maybe a trait would help us feel that and define him better.

EDIT: No academic abilities-granting virtues, so he can't speak latin. His awareness + per make him a very good guard now. But between his com and the -3 from afflicted tongue, his social skills... Poor guy!!! Blast! This'll impede Animal Ken, too :frowning: But keep it, it's still a great choice and will still prove useful. But with -7 to most verbal interactions, he's... Well, he'd better shut up, I guess :-/

63

I was thinking covenfolk granted it, I reread it and it does not. I'll something revise accordingly.

64

OK, so I was looking for custos, not covenfolk. That grants Martial Abilities, so I dropped the Warrior Virtue, and added Puissant single weapon.
I revised, again, killing Animal Ken (was thinking him along the lines of Horse Whisperer, but wasn't fitting the concept). I decided to turn him into a tank. With Puissant Single Weapon (shield, Heater) at 7+2+1 little's going to make it through to Ra'am.

65

The Covenant Upbringing flaw allows you to take Latin and Order of Hermes Lore at character creation, if that's more in the lines of what you're thinking.

66

Nah, custos works. Give access to latin and martial abilities. His inability communicate is still a good reason to dump him with Ra'am, as far as the turb captain is concerned, that he's effective at protecting Magi makes it appear reasonable.

67

I miss Animal Ken, but if you don't feel it, sure.
And it was crippled by his low Com, so, in a way, that's better, and he works veeery well as a shield grog now.

Maybe you'll recycle Animal Ken into another of your grogs? You could have, say, a forester type with it. Or a "language" grog, with Animal Ken and Linguist and Well-traveled, so gifted with tongues that even the animals understand him.

68

My retinue is technically full. Amul asked me to keep a doctor character I had in mind on the back burner.

69

I'll do it, then. I still have room enough... I just have to find a nice concept that won't infringe on someone's character...

70

You still sound like my mom at the dinner table. :stuck_out_tongue:

"But you said you needed samples!"
"Not living ones!"