Character Creation (Discussion)

Hospitallers were not doctors, as knights. The knights became a part of the order to protect pilgrims and surgeons, not to train in both.

The modern Order of Malta possesses large numbers of doctors, but that's because killing heathens or pirating fellow christians is frowned upon.

The vast majority of Hospitalier knights were also given training in healing, at least enough to treat most common battlefield wounds well enough to keep somebody alive until they could get him to a doctor.

I know a lot about ancient warfare .

And I know a lot about the Hospitallers.

We're diverging from the main point though.

Should the Orders have different base WP?

I would leave them as is, but the Radiant Cross ought to be in the 2WP category because their Knights have been toughened up considerably through their experiences in Amala. They are after all on the forefront of a crusade there, and crusades tend to be rather good training for combatants!

Personally I think yes as it will lead to more variation between them and different members of the same order.

As far as I am concerned more variation = better.

Hah fair enough.

I've skimmed over the traits again, and we have a lot of trait-heavy characters.

For Adventurers. You don't get 3 free proficiencies, just the option to specialize in three weapons. That's how it's written, anyway. I don't think weapon specialization limits were enforced for anyone else... it just costs trait points like for everyone else. Adventurers actually get nothing 'free' like some other backgrounds. Instead you get to choose 5 traits instead of 3.

On that note, it is 5 or 3 traits plus any freebies your background gives you. Good proficiency counts as 1 trait, and is required for exceptional. Exceptional proficiency costs 1 trait, and is required for Master. Master is the same way, and is required to reach legendary. I know that was changed earlier last week, so some of you just may not have edited.

Also, if you intend to use weaknesses to be allowed an extra trait, make sure you've either picked multiple weaknesses or one very potent one. Poor Rider wouldn't be enough to claim an extra trait, as it just isn't harmful enough on its own. Phobia of riding may well be enough.

Please check over your traits and make sure they match the system. If you're going with weaknesses, please post them here so we can discuss if they're debilitating enough to justify starting with another trait.

Alright, so if I understand you correctly....

My character has a good proficiency with his weapon, and is strong and hardy from his time in the village as the priest. (I made him a very hands on priest, he was right there with the villagers in the fields).

I wanted to give him a small command triat, like command II or natural leader to show that as part of a village's leadership he would have experience in giving order to groups of people. However, it appears that this can't happen due to the good proficency.

Am I incorrect? Losing out on a leadership bonus starting out doesn't seem like a terrbile blow if I can hit what I am swining at

Priests have a free good proficiency. That's their freebie... in addition to a RP-only trait that would let them bless commoners or other believers. It's like how a Noble would be treated more kindly by another noble than other characters would.

So a priest begins with a good proficiency in one weapon, and three traits. Adventurers have 5 free traits instead. Optionally, a priest might state which religion they trained in, which would count as a free trait. So an Astraean Priest might have a trait of the same name... so long as the background was also Priest. My character has the trait Snake Cultist, but since she isn't a priest, it isn't free. (Hopefully that makes sense...)

It does, I am just exceptionally dense tonight it seems.

As I've stated in another thread, Morek worships the "Pantheon" for lack of a better term, so I don't think that would incur any specific benefits or penalties at the moment. Though as the rp develops I do not doubt that some will occur naturally.

He might have the general knowledge to convince a commoner that he has divine power regardless of their deity then. He just wouldn't have any special relationship with priests of a particular church.

What does everybody think of this flaw.

My character is forced to attack no matter how suicidal the odds if he comes across innocent woman who are in danger.

So say I see 1 woman being chased by 100 enemies, at present that'd result in me and 12 knights against 100 enemies and I have no choice but to fight until I can get the girl away safely.

Does that sound like enough to earn 1 extra trait?

Save any other Pantheon priests of course.

Mesor, that sounds like a great flaw, but remember that your character can die or be maimed like Isabel has said somewhere else on here. Maybe not make it a definite but very likely thing instead? Like a 95% chance?

If it is dropped to a chance, then a roll would be required.

Thats the only problem I had with it, for 1 additional trait it is a serious risk.

But it is very fitting for my character given what he saw done to his mother and the girl he loved and it's the only flaw I could think of that fits for him.

If I did it as 100% he had to attack then I could do it for 2 traits given how likely it is to get me wounded if not killed on a regular basis.
If I left it as 1 trait then I could drop it to a 50% chance and just flip a coin whenever I come across that situation to see if I charge or not or somebody else could flip one for me.

So Adventurer gets 5 traits, and may choose to begin with "good" in up to three starting weapons as opposed to 5 traits PLUS 3 good traits? No worries if so, I can change Klaus easily enough.

I doubt that Fear of Riding will grant an extra trait, curse you for being so young, boy!

Well, Warlord gives the good proficiency in all weapons already... plus three traits.

I'm guessing that the comment about specializations in the Adventurer description are a remnant of having just one specialization per most characters. I don't see a reason to continue with that, as it still costs a trait to be good in an extra weapon.

Being a cripple is always a good wound, and makes the RP of the character more interesting. An aftermath character, Sir Renault, had a crippled leg that slowed his fighting abilities.

Hmmm.

The only wounds my character has had to date is a couple of nasty bangs to the head.
What flaw could I make from that worth 1 trait.

Hallucinations, memory loss... or near-sighted. Have you ever seen a near-sighted horse archer?!

Or just wait for advancement within the RP.

Hmmm memory loss sounds good, near sighted no chance lol what good is a near sighter archer?

How could we use the memory loss though?
What would trigger it and how much would he forget to be worth 1 trait.
Would it be permanent or temporary.

You could go with 'Poor on Foot.'

Someone training full-time on horseback would likely feel unaccustomed to fighting on foot. They wouldn't be used to moving their feet in such... important ways.

Hmmm what would the negative be?

-1 to combat actions when moving on foot?

Likely something similar. -1sk while on foot, or -1speed. Or both.

Well speed he's lost already since he's no longer mounted so the speed bonus from that is gone and I'm pretty sure I can still walk as fast as anybody else, not as if I ride a horse 24/7.

But -1 skill would fit though that does mean I'm going to have to stick purely to my chosen weapons to get the skills with them up to compensate or I'll be useless on foot.



I think I'll do that and also do hallucinations triggered by seeing non combatants killed or seeing the bodies of non combatants, they could cause flash backs of what happened to his family so if he failed a roll he'd freeze entirely for that turn and be unable to move at all, so unable to fight, unable to defend himself, he'd be a sitting duck.



Would each of those 2 be worth 1 trait point?

Speed isn't so much about walking as it is agility. Fighting on foot would require different reflexes than fighting on horseback. But -1sk while on foot is accetpable for one trait.

The more extra traits you want, the more wounds you'll need. Having a god that can be killed by a water drop is still overpowered.

If he does freeze when he sees a non-combatant killed, then that would be a major weakness worth one trait. Keep in mind that such a weakness would probably lead to permanent death fairly quickly...

You'd be better off skipping the trait and skipping the wound. It's more about the RP than the power, but you're setting yourself up for a lot of RP problems trying to gain the extra trait's power.