cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited September 2015
Still waiting for some PCs to be finalized, but since they seem to be pretty set in stone, here's the four as it stands:
NeoToma - Joseph Mercier, Samedi
Ardent - Axel Rhodes, Dyravörðurinn
Moridin889 - Jordan Gehre, Soliloquy
El Skid - Rudolpho, 'Rudie'
If your PCs wish to be familiar with one another, it's within the realm of possibility due to Order connections. If you're an apostate, that will prove more difficult.
Once everyone's completed their setup, we can make with the IC. Your PCs aren't going to be assailed upon arrival or anything, but the atmosphere will definitely look tense. And using magic that's anything but subtle is considered a disastrous move.
Durin has 2 sanctum dots and 2 sanctum security dots. As Durin is also an Adamantium Arrow, Samedi probably knows him.
I had no firm ideas on what sort of sanctum Durin would have...but I don't think a bookstore is quite his speed.
Retired Marine Scout Sniper and, Samedi at least would know this, very close to The Triangle's Kurdish community. Well-rounded fighter, but whatever happened to him on the way to the Watchtower -- and nobody locally knows -- it very nearly destroyed him. He's a shell of his former self physically, although his preternatural shooting skills seem alive and well. When he's feeling well he works with Houston SWAT training their sharpshooters. Might train other Arrows who want to learn the sniper's arts, although that's probably rare. Rides a customized Sportster Forty-Eight.
Well, if Samedi and Durin share a sanctum, it's 3 dots large and 2 dots secure, which is respectable. If Soliloquy and Rudie are friends with either of the Arrows, they might have access to it as well.
A list of places Durin is most likely to have a sanctum (no particular order): a mechanic's shop, a small home in the Houston suburbs, a bar, near a Houston PD station, Harley dealership, on/near University of Houston campus, or near/in a Kurdish social club.
So a very well-concealed sanctum at a near-campus bar?
The Watchtower
Sleepers, especially historians, continue to be perplexed by the construction of the Watchtower at the corner of Scott and Southmore. Nobody can recall seeing the construction occur and continually wonder at the audacity of the structure's owner in renting out the lower two floors as a bar and lounge. The local Jehovah's Witnesses are, to say the least, not pleased with the establishment's popularity with the local collegians. They would probably be even more outraged to discover that the upper floors of the tower are occupied by a cabal of mages. The first floor -- colloquially referred to as 'the Post' which is short for 'The Guardpost' which is what the bartenders refer to it as -- is open to the general public, while the upstairs lounge -- 'the Peel' -- is open only to Houston's supernatural community. Obviously the bar's Sleeper patrons believe this to be some sort of special club and whisper openly about the fact that there are at least seven floors in the Watchtower.
Houston's supernatural community, for its part, also labors under this illusion, although nobody can recall knowing anyone who has been admitted to the Third Floor. In fact, there doesn't even appear to be a stairwell leading up to it. Local mages are well aware the top floor of the tower hosts a Hallow.
The structure itself is made of local red brick, with interior walls made from mortared local fieldstone. The lower two floors, at least, have impressive windows for excellent cross-ventilation, allowing the bar to do without air conditioning most of the year.
Samedi's corner of the Sanctum is decorated with maps for scrying, a wall of old T.Vs, and a case of fine liquors. Part of getting this sweet deal is essentially being college police for newly Awakened, scouting talent for the Order, and squashing trouble before it bubbles up.
Also, I don't think we have that many dots to spend on rotes?
The OP says we get:
Arcana
A Mage gets 2 dots in one Arcana, 2 in another, and 1 in a third.
Two dots must go to a Ruling Arcana(i.e. Fate & Time for Acanthus), with a free point to any other Arcana. A Mage can only reach five dots in their ruling arcana, and no higher than two in their inferior.
Rotes
6 dots. These are the spells accessible to a Mage. While having a dot in an Arcana means a Mage can improvise these spells, having a Rote means a larger dice pool, meaning it's more likely to succeed.
Basically I just want to know if I am misunderstanding the rules in my rookiedom, or if there's been a mistake here...
A character gains 2 dots in one Arcanum, 2 dots in a second Arcanum, and 1 dot in a third Arcanum.
Two of these Arcana must be his Path’s Ruling Arcana (see above).
Finally, the character gains 1 additional to be placed anywhere. He can use this dot to learn a fourth Arcanum or to improve one of his three existing Arcana.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
I'll go over the numbers in more detail tomorrow to make sure everything balances out, but nothing stood out from my spot-checking.
@cj iwakura hasn't said anything regarding starting items, but most Storytellers tend to go with "what makes sense."
Considering right now nobody has Merit points invested in Resources, the characters are basically broke. I figure whatever pension Durin has is channeled back into the Watchtower. I will probably expend experience points early on to "build" the business front into a profitable enterprise, so Durin and Samedi can afford to furnish the sanctum.
Bottom line on Durin, magic-wise:
Time ●●●, Fate ●●, Space ●
Perfect Timing ●: Strike True; Intelligence + Composure + Time (9); each success grants a single extra die on the next roll that has to or is chosen to be made Temporal Dodge ●●: Dancing upon the River; Dexterity + Athletics + Time (8); successes add 1 point of armor per Time arcana dot (3) to Defense Exceptional Luck ●●: Blessings of the Gods; Manipulation + Occult + Fate (6); gain the 9-again quality on one future dice roll for every success (does not affect Chance die) Spatial Map ●: Ballistic Targeting; Intelligence + Occult + Space (5); every success eliminates one penalty die to ranged attack pool -- can ignore blindness when locating objects or targeting beings
As far as what he'll be improvising, I feel fortunate to be playing a Time/Fate mage because most of what they do is covert. Tipping the odds here, shaving seconds there. Eventually he may branch into other magics, but I'm not going to lie outside of Life I'm sort of underwhelmed for how the character is meant to be played.
I see Samedi as a social glass cannon. He goes in real smooth, gets intel, maybe gets some True Names, swipes anything he can make a sympathetic connection with. He makes himself the center of attention so others can work more convertly or set something up. In one on one he hits dudes with mind blast, and it caught in a physical altercation he is handy with that staff.
Switches between the distraction, the covert ops guy, and the mastermind organizing through telepathy.
Michael Toran aka Black Smoke Part 2 History.
The next day he met a man who claimed to be from a group called the Mysterium. He was the guy from the alley. He
apologized saying another Wizard, one he was fighting sent the wolves after him. He said he cast fate magic to give the
wolves someone else to chase. He escaped at the cost of Michaels strife. He claimed to be a Wizard of the Mysterium, and
he also said that Michael was one too. He told Michael what to do and Michael half heartedly tried and suddenly his
perceptions became more acute and he began to see the world around him. It took a while but Michael did succeed in casting
Magesight. Over the nights studying True Magic, the domain of Fate. For the next year Michael worked on getting his
English degree and mastering Fate magic. He became a Disciple of Fate. Then he did something foolish. He felt that he was
in a rut, that his experience and capability in doing Magic was stagnated. He tried to use magic to increase his ability
to use magic. It was a long ritual spell that he cast in the morning. The imageo of the spell was a sense of him meeting a
powerful supernatural entity that could take him to the next level faster. He met a vampire. He was somewhere that he
shouldn't be and he happened upon a vampire feeding on a young woman. Then the vampire turned to him when she was dead. He
used Fate like he never used it before. He ran like he never ran before. He survived by using his Fate magic to help him
get away. He reported his findings to the Mysterium. The other Mysterium Mages began calling him Black Smoke which was one
of the things he did to escape the vampire that was trying for another meal.
@cj iwakura hasn't said anything regarding starting items, but most Storytellers tend to go with "what makes sense."
Considering right now nobody has Merit points invested in Resources, the characters are basically broke. I figure whatever pension Durin has is channeled back into the Watchtower. I will probably expend experience points early on to "build" the business front into a profitable enterprise, so Durin and Samedi can afford to furnish the sanctum.
Bottom line on Durin, magic-wise:
Time ●●●, Fate ●●, Space ●
Perfect Timing ●: Strike True; Intelligence + Composure + Time (9); each success grants a single extra die on the next roll that has to or is chosen to be made Temporal Dodge ●●: Dancing upon the River; Dexterity + Athletics + Time (8); successes add 1 point of armor per Time arcana dot (3) to Defense Exceptional Luck ●●: Blessings of the Gods; Manipulation + Occult + Fate (6); gain the 9-again quality on one future dice roll for every success (does not affect Chance die) Spatial Map ●: Ballistic Targeting; Intelligence + Occult + Space (5); every success eliminates one penalty die to ranged attack pool -- can ignore blindness when locating objects or targeting beings
As far as what he'll be improvising, I feel fortunate to be playing a Time/Fate mage because most of what they do is covert. Tipping the odds here, shaving seconds there. Eventually he may branch into other magics, but I'm not going to lie outside of Life I'm sort of underwhelmed for how the character is meant to be played.
I'm meant to be basically broke, with just a vehicle some clothes and books in luggage stuff.
I basically occasionally turn cheap watches and jewelry into real stuff and sell it for subsistence level living
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
@cj iwakura are we going with "given names as True Names" or "your True Name is revealed to you at your Awakening"? Tangentially relevant to my Awakening story
Black Smoke can have met Durin, though he is not a regular at the Peel. He could have met anyone there. He is a young college student that needed to unwind sometimes.
wtaylorjr2001 on
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
I'm thinking Rudie is very recently ascended. Not even sure if he has a society as yet.
He's a local almost-priest that's gotten caught up in all this mess with the church exploding... Perhaps any out of towners have been taken in by him, to keep you out of trouble and at the same time learn about the basics of Magic?
Well Jordan has fled from the sclesti in canadia to here thanks to the Free Council, and would likely have been assigned to a newly Awakened individual, hoping to influence them to join the order.
Posts
NeoToma - Joseph Mercier, Samedi
Ardent - Axel Rhodes, Dyravörðurinn
Moridin889 - Jordan Gehre, Soliloquy
El Skid - Rudolpho, 'Rudie'
If your PCs wish to be familiar with one another, it's within the realm of possibility due to Order connections. If you're an apostate, that will prove more difficult.
Once everyone's completed their setup, we can make with the IC. Your PCs aren't going to be assailed upon arrival or anything, but the atmosphere will definitely look tense. And using magic that's anything but subtle is considered a disastrous move.
Control. Can I go with Samedi for my shadow name?
Also do we wanna go in on a sanctum guys?
I have no dots left sir. I can turn things into gold though. Does that count?
Intelligence (••) Wits (•••) Resolve (•••)
Strength (•) Dexterity (•••) Stamina (••)
Presence(•••) Manipulation(•••) Composure (••)
Size 5, Health 7, Defense 2, Initiative Mod 5,
Speed 9, Willpower 5, Gnosis 3, Mana 12
Barfly (•)
Quick Draw (•)
Status (Adamant Arrow) (•)
Striking Looks (••)
Fighting Finesse (••)
Academics (•)
Computer (•)(•) Hacking
Investigation (•)
Occult (•)(•)(•)
Larceny (•)(•) Pick-pocketing
Stealth (•)
Weaponry (•)
Empathy (•)(•)
Intimidation (•)(•)
Expression (•)
Persuasion (•)(•)
Socialize (•)
Streetwise (•)
Subterfuge (•)(•) Lying
Rotes
Adamantine Arrow Rote: Psyche's Dart (Mind •••)
Scrying (Space ••)
Supernal Vision (Prime •)
Defense
Diplomat's Protection (Mind •••)
Untouchable (Space ••)
I had no firm ideas on what sort of sanctum Durin would have...but I don't think a bookstore is quite his speed.
Retired Marine Scout Sniper and, Samedi at least would know this, very close to The Triangle's Kurdish community. Well-rounded fighter, but whatever happened to him on the way to the Watchtower -- and nobody locally knows -- it very nearly destroyed him. He's a shell of his former self physically, although his preternatural shooting skills seem alive and well. When he's feeling well he works with Houston SWAT training their sharpshooters. Might train other Arrows who want to learn the sniper's arts, although that's probably rare. Rides a customized Sportster Forty-Eight.
Sure, I wasn't sure what the new character's was since he had like four of them.
Also, regarding Sanctums: unless you have one that's pre-established, finding a new one may prove tricky.
A list of places Durin is most likely to have a sanctum (no particular order): a mechanic's shop, a small home in the Houston suburbs, a bar, near a Houston PD station, Harley dealership, on/near University of Houston campus, or near/in a Kurdish social club.
My vote is going to be towards above a bar near campus for no reason other than I think it would be badass
The Watchtower
Sleepers, especially historians, continue to be perplexed by the construction of the Watchtower at the corner of Scott and Southmore. Nobody can recall seeing the construction occur and continually wonder at the audacity of the structure's owner in renting out the lower two floors as a bar and lounge. The local Jehovah's Witnesses are, to say the least, not pleased with the establishment's popularity with the local collegians. They would probably be even more outraged to discover that the upper floors of the tower are occupied by a cabal of mages. The first floor -- colloquially referred to as 'the Post' which is short for 'The Guardpost' which is what the bartenders refer to it as -- is open to the general public, while the upstairs lounge -- 'the Peel' -- is open only to Houston's supernatural community. Obviously the bar's Sleeper patrons believe this to be some sort of special club and whisper openly about the fact that there are at least seven floors in the Watchtower.
Houston's supernatural community, for its part, also labors under this illusion, although nobody can recall knowing anyone who has been admitted to the Third Floor. In fact, there doesn't even appear to be a stairwell leading up to it. Local mages are well aware the top floor of the tower hosts a Hallow.
The structure itself is made of local red brick, with interior walls made from mortared local fieldstone. The lower two floors, at least, have impressive windows for excellent cross-ventilation, allowing the bar to do without air conditioning most of the year.
Hallow*(•)
Feel free to send me the details.
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=558476
This is a work in progress
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=558476
Better Character Sheet
http://sheetgen.dalines.net/sheet/42187?message=true
Give me a good (in-character) justification for how he progressed and I'll allow it.
Also an Awakening backstory is appreciated, especially if it ties into his Gnosis being higher.
(Yay for Mysterium)
I have a question- How did you get Mind ***?
Also, I don't think we have that many dots to spend on rotes?
The OP says we get:
Basically I just want to know if I am misunderstanding the rules in my rookiedom, or if there's been a mistake here...
Me too
A character gains 2 dots in one Arcanum, 2 dots in a second Arcanum, and 1 dot in a third Arcanum.
Two of these Arcana must be his Path’s Ruling Arcana (see above).
Finally, the character gains 1 additional to be placed anywhere. He can use this dot to learn a fourth Arcanum or to improve one of his three existing Arcana.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ag2tZJViYh0_5Z3vBTHU8RM9OjS4SQpdM05EjpmnV3A/edit?usp=sharing
May adjust skills around, because it looks like we've got some overlaps.
Coaxing the spirit * 6 Dice
Spirit tongue * 5 Dice
Momentary Flux * 7 dice
Reading the Outmost Eddies * 7 dice
Shifting the Odds ** 8 dice
Michael Toran was an average college student when a freak event caused him to Awaken. He was walking across an alley when
what looked like two giant wolves, who were harrassing an older gentleman left him and went for Michael. he ran as fast as
he could from the wolves. There was a cab with its door open as an older woman was exiting. Michael pushed her back into
the cab as he jumped into the cab himself, shutting the door behind him. The wolves clawed at the door to the cab for a
while and ran off as a man came shouting names at the wolves. The wolves heeled and he took them away. It was like night
and day as the wolves became docile and even affectionate with the man. But there was a feeling when Michael got out of
the car. He helped the older lady get out of the car. The feeling was that those wolves didn't feel right. In the distance
was the man the wolves were originally harrassing. The sight of him caused Michael to feel strange. There was something
odd about him. Michael thought about it constantly and the feeling did not leave him all day. He had an odd dream that
night. In the dream, he got out of bed. He looked at the clock and it said two in the morning. He went to the door and
opened it. Instead of seeing a hallway that showed doors to his neighbors rooms, he saw a thick hedge. In the distance he
saw a huge silver or white tower. He felt compelled to go there. It was a long walk through the hedge that scraped him
raw. But he did not stop. When he made it to the tower, he saw names written on the outside of the tower. He also saw a
glowing spot on the tower with a pen below it. He took the pen and wrote his name among the others. Suddenly he found
himself in his room and in his bed.
Considering right now nobody has Merit points invested in Resources, the characters are basically broke. I figure whatever pension Durin has is channeled back into the Watchtower. I will probably expend experience points early on to "build" the business front into a profitable enterprise, so Durin and Samedi can afford to furnish the sanctum.
Bottom line on Durin, magic-wise:
Time ●●●, Fate ●●, Space ●
Perfect Timing ●: Strike True; Intelligence + Composure + Time (9); each success grants a single extra die on the next roll that has to or is chosen to be made
Temporal Dodge ●●: Dancing upon the River; Dexterity + Athletics + Time (8); successes add 1 point of armor per Time arcana dot (3) to Defense
Exceptional Luck ●●: Blessings of the Gods; Manipulation + Occult + Fate (6); gain the 9-again quality on one future dice roll for every success (does not affect Chance die)
Spatial Map ●: Ballistic Targeting; Intelligence + Occult + Space (5); every success eliminates one penalty die to ranged attack pool -- can ignore blindness when locating objects or targeting beings
As far as what he'll be improvising, I feel fortunate to be playing a Time/Fate mage because most of what they do is covert. Tipping the odds here, shaving seconds there. Eventually he may branch into other magics, but I'm not going to lie outside of Life I'm sort of underwhelmed for how the character is meant to be played.
I see Samedi as a social glass cannon. He goes in real smooth, gets intel, maybe gets some True Names, swipes anything he can make a sympathetic connection with. He makes himself the center of attention so others can work more convertly or set something up. In one on one he hits dudes with mind blast, and it caught in a physical altercation he is handy with that staff.
Switches between the distraction, the covert ops guy, and the mastermind organizing through telepathy.
The next day he met a man who claimed to be from a group called the Mysterium. He was the guy from the alley. He
apologized saying another Wizard, one he was fighting sent the wolves after him. He said he cast fate magic to give the
wolves someone else to chase. He escaped at the cost of Michaels strife. He claimed to be a Wizard of the Mysterium, and
he also said that Michael was one too. He told Michael what to do and Michael half heartedly tried and suddenly his
perceptions became more acute and he began to see the world around him. It took a while but Michael did succeed in casting
Magesight. Over the nights studying True Magic, the domain of Fate. For the next year Michael worked on getting his
English degree and mastering Fate magic. He became a Disciple of Fate. Then he did something foolish. He felt that he was
in a rut, that his experience and capability in doing Magic was stagnated. He tried to use magic to increase his ability
to use magic. It was a long ritual spell that he cast in the morning. The imageo of the spell was a sense of him meeting a
powerful supernatural entity that could take him to the next level faster. He met a vampire. He was somewhere that he
shouldn't be and he happened upon a vampire feeding on a young woman. Then the vampire turned to him when she was dead. He
used Fate like he never used it before. He ran like he never ran before. He survived by using his Fate magic to help him
get away. He reported his findings to the Mysterium. The other Mysterium Mages began calling him Black Smoke which was one
of the things he did to escape the vampire that was trying for another meal.
I'm meant to be basically broke, with just a vehicle some clothes and books in luggage stuff.
I basically occasionally turn cheap watches and jewelry into real stuff and sell it for subsistence level living
Unless they're artifacts(and thus requiring expenditures), it's fine.
Do Black Smoke, Rudie and/or Soliloquy know either Durin or Samedi?
Both Durin and Samedi would be fairly regular at the Peel, which is an easy way for Black Smoke, Rudie, and Soliloquy to have met them.
He's a local almost-priest that's gotten caught up in all this mess with the church exploding... Perhaps any out of towners have been taken in by him, to keep you out of trouble and at the same time learn about the basics of Magic?