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Character Creation Part 1
- Location
- Somewhere in Ontario
For a thousand years, the Apétychen Empire stood as the bastion of human unity and power in the Rings. Not perfectly, not completely, and not without strife, but true war and destruction grew to become a relic of the distant past.
Then the New Gods came, and brought with them Change.
The first and most distant, Amathos, was consumed by Lust and brought many children into the world, each granted incredible power and insufficient guidance. Some excelled in spite of it; others reveled in their Gifts and acted as they pleased. Their conflicts and self-indulgences shattered the world, scattering the Rings across the Planar Void and forming countless stellar remnants, the demiplanes. Two hundred years did the Time of Madness span, and during this time the once singular whole of Humanity was reshaped and metamorphosized into the great diversity of Metahumanity.
But in the end, even the wild anarchy of the Time of Madness could not last. Thea, eldest of Amathos' children, Goddess of Order, broke her siblings to her will and ascended the shattered and broken throne of an equally devasted Empire.
And then she vanished, and the imposed peace with her.
Now, the Apétychen Empire seeks to return to its mythic roots, to unite Metahumanity and spare it from the horrors of war and the banal cruelties of life: starvation, tyranny, ignorance, deprivation. But people are flawed, imperfect, and so any execution inherently fails to live up to its ideal, opposed from without and weakened from within.
The Reforging either failed or stalled, depending on whom you ask, at the Inner Planes, leaving many millions alone in the Outer Planes. And yet the Empire still sought to reach them, driven by their suffering. To that end, they sent out their best and brightest as Far Traders, to bring the light of unity and forge bonds of brotherhood.
(O)
Or so the official story goes. The truth is not so clean.
The Apétychen Empire brought many good things to humanity, yes: charity, goodwill, and aid to the masses; a firm hand to prevent war; extensive trade routes to foster wealth and cooperation. But the very structure that gave it strength and longevity instilled in it such extreme jingoism that external polities and rebellions were not tolerated, enforced a firm class division between Gifted noble and common citizen, and engendered constant political maneuvering and internecine strife. Still, over the centuries, its issues were slowly addressed. As technology marched forward and the Rings developed, the center of the Empire no longer held an overwhelming advantage in wealth and power. The Gift proliferated and became increasingly common, steadily chipping away at the idea that the Gifted nobility had been chosen to rule. The Imperial Family itself crumbled as an institution, losing more and more power until they were more figurehead than true head of state. A growing super-culture combined with improved communications brought with it increased agitation for true equality and social rights. The Empire was well on its way to becoming a Republic, or a Union.
And then the New Gods came.
In the very early days, the birth of Amathos was held up as a symbol of hope. A commoner, born with a Gift of such power that the world itself bent to his will. Resource inequality, hostile terrain, insufficient land, institutions 'too big to fail', wild were the hopes and dreams of the world. And perhaps Amathos could have lived up to those expectations.
But the main issue that doomed the world can really be summed up in four words: he was basically Zeus.
His lust was insatiable. He slept with women, then improved women when they grew boring, then fucked off and made his own companions for amusement and – again – sex. He had twenty-three children in all, each of which inherited his Gift of Change, something that had never happened before.
And if he were a good father, many problems might have been avoided. But again, he was too busy indulging himself and making dragons to fuck.
Some of his children, raised by caring and responsible mothers and families, turned out more or less alright. The Flaw their Gift was paired with and born of was either mostly harmless or they had enough self-control to not let it consume them. But the bulk of his children, who later styled themselves the New Gods, didn't care for that. They decided to live up to the example of their father, and focused solely on their own interests and amusements. That narcissism, that solipsism, is what broke the world, shattered the continental Rings, and flung the nascent Metahumanity throughout the Void and stars.
Then, for about a hundred years, the more vile New Gods lorded themselves over the scattered demiplanes and used them towards their own ends. Their more benevolent and moderate siblings tried to regulate them, but as few of them were willing to so wholeheartedly throw themselves into Rampancy as their darker siblings had or attempt the perilous journey to Dominance, they were generally only able to preserve the remainder of the earth, which came to be known as the Prime Remnant, along with a few of the closest demiplanes. This infuriated Thea, as the chaos and madness offended her on a deep and fundamental level, but it wasn't until two of her brothers, Korson and Helios, murdered their youngest brother Latas that she finally snapped and lost patience with her kin. She partnered with Oscanue, God of Balance, and together they set out on the emotionally and philosophically perilous journey of Dominance. Thea supposedly never made it, falling to Rampancy along the way, and no one knows if Oscanue succeeded, but whatever the truth may be the outward facts are undeniable: with two New Gods working together, brimming with Rampant or Dominant power married to ruthless will, they brought all of their siblings in line. Thea was not merciful in the least during this decade-long process, and she earned a fearsome, gruesome, and tyrannical reputation among her siblings, though on the flip side many people saw her as a savior. Her subsequent actions – seizing the throne of the beleaguered Empire, seemingly making preparations to rid herself of its Senate, and sending ultimatums to every demiplane she knew of – made her much more controversial.
But then, right before her plans could come to fruition and all could see whether she would become true tyrant or unexpected savior, she vanished, along with all of her siblings and their errant, philandering father.
In the aftermath, war erupted anew, and the Apétychen Empire looked at its fleets and armies, previously meaningless in the face of the New Gods, and decided it really liked the sound of this Unity and Order idea Thea had been pushing, and so began the Reforging.
Whether the subsequent benefits of the Empire's overlordship were worth the strife and bloodshed is debatable, and generally depends on the previous state and quality of life of whichever demiplane they took over and the manner in which they came to control it. For the most part though, the Reforging was very much a war of conquest, one that stalled before completion as its fleets and armies were bled dry by a multitude of inter-planar unions formed to oppose their imperialism.
Afterwards, as the Empire sought to rebuild, its rulers looked out at their neighbors and the polities growing in the Outer Planes, and worried that through either treaty or conquest those political entities and nations would become unassailable before the Empire could restart the Reforging. Making alliance with those that genuinely wanted to improve the lot of people living in the aftermath of the New Gods' indulgent tyranny, the Far Trader system was proposed, wherein worthy individuals would be given wealth, authority, and power and sent out into the Outer Planes to work for the Empire's gain. In practice, this became a form of exile, where capable yet troublesome individuals were sent out of sight and out of mind into situations where few honestly expected them to succeed.
You are one of those people. You've caused some scandal or another, found yourself surrounded by enemies without many friends, and so have elected to take the lifeline offered to you. Whether you actually care for the Empire's mission or not… well, that's up to you to decide.
(O)
I'm going to talk a bit about underlying mechanics, tone, and the character creation process, as I don't want to bury you under a mountain of mechanical details and text right at the start.
Spiritually, thematically, and tonally, this quest is based off of the Rogue Trader RPG, in that you're a powerful independent semi-noble with few solid ties going around adventuring, wheeling, and dealing for profit and power. Mechanically, this quest is a hodgepodge of various systems. The strategic level choices – where to go, who to support, what to do, social interaction, etc. – are based off of a d100 CKII system with the standard characteristics: Diplomacy (representing speech and persuasion), Martial (representing ability to command troops and direct battles), Stewardship (representing management and financial capabilities), Intrigue (representing the fields of spycraft and manipulation), and Learning (representing technical knowledge and general information gathering skills). Combat is based off of a much simplified Exalted 3e system where people throw dice pools at each other until someone wins, and army and ship combat is literally the CKII computer game combat system (as opposed to CKII quest systems which are… wildly inconsistent at best).
However, the last is one I am not going to heavily elaborate on as it's very number crunchy, and you don't really need to know the details of any of them at this stage. What's relevant now is the following:
1) The character generation process is concerned with the standard CKII characteristics (Diplomacy, Martial, etc.), the Combat characteristics (Attack, Defense, Initiative, Wounds, etc.), starting resources such as Wealth and Prestige, and Personality Traits that govern how your character plays and interacts with the world. Please note that Personality Traits do not provide direct Characteristic modifiers; they certainly can impact Characteristics, but I am deliberately not illuminating or expounding on said impact.
2) Bigger numbers are better.
3) Certain choices add or subtract BP, or Bonus Points. You start with 5, and can go into the negatives. At the final stage of character creation, you'll be presented with a list of Traits, upgrades, and purchases you can spend BP on or which provide BP. The only requirement when it comes to BP is that you can't be in the negatives by the end of character generation, even if that means you have to load up on disadvantages.
4) Please do Plan voting at every stage of character generation.
5) This is an original setting, albeit one with parts shamelessly ripped off and stolen from established settings, so please do ask questions. Long experience has shown me that it is much easier for me to formulate and provide information piecemeal and then to compile it into bigger loredumps than it is for me to establish everything first (and I'm not sure people tend to read those large loredumps up front).
Now, for the actual options:
You are the daughter of a noble house fallen on hard times. Your father, once a Gifted Noble of great power and esteem, has seen his star fade.
Who is your father, and why has his star faded?
[_] Once General. Your father was a general in the Apétychen Reforging and won much acclaim in the early stages of the Reforging. Close to the end however, when coalitions of enemies proved to be stronger than expected, much of the blame for his army group's losses were laid at his feet by his enemies. The damage to his reputation was compounded when, soon after his wife's death in childbirth, one of his former enemies drew him into a relationship, leading to rumors of treason and sedition. Though his roll of honor protects him from dire consequences, he has few friends left willing to help him. You start with middling Prestige and Wealth, leftovers of your father's glory days. You gain a moderate bonus to Martial and Combat Characteristics, and can call on lingering military connections.
[_] Too Noble Scion. Your father was the scion of a noble house that rose to prominence in the wake of the Godswar. Once considered a strong contender for election to the position of Emperor, his strong anti-war stance gradually cost him influence, especially as the Reforging went on and a number of the Inner Planes were reincorporated into the Empire. The final nail in the coffin was when, shortly after his noble wife's death, he preempted the desired invasion of a weak but resource rich demiplane by marrying into its power structure, formally incorporating it into the Empire. His political opponents, who desired to exploit said demiplane, were not pleased, but the Emperor could not be persuaded to waste his armies subjugating and destroying a now-loyal vassal, and so instead they focused their efforts on destroying your father's powerbase and image, casting him as a craven traitor. Their efforts were not successful, but your family was left weak in the aftermath. You start with high Prestige but low Wealth, a result of your father spending freely to present himself as a good and charitable man. You gain a moderate bonus to Diplomacy and Intrigue, and have ties to a notable but not powerful Inner Plane vassal.
[_] Unlucky Businessman. Your father was a commoner with the misfortune of being born in one of the small, isolated towns where much of the population was Giftless. As a result, he too was born Giftless, which proved a struggle in his early life. Nonetheless, he persevered, earning an education and then starting a business that capitalized on some of the innovations and technological developments that came in the wake of the Godswar. He achieved great success, and even married into a minor Gifted house as part of a business merger. However, relations soured after his wife died, and business rivals began to circle. In an attempt to maintain his position he married again, but this only caused further issues with his former in-laws and left him with many enemies and few friends. You start with low Prestige but high Wealth, a consequence of your father's struggle to maintain his position. You gain a moderate bonus to Stewardship and Learning, and have ties to strong business interests within the Prime Remnant.
As you know, your father has had two daughters, one human and trueborn, the second metahuman and... debatably less so.
Which are you?
[_] Human. You are the firstborn, entirely human daughter of your father. Humanity is by far the largest branch of Metahumanity, making up a bare majority of the full population by everyone's best guess, and is the predominant ruling branch in the Prime Remnant and the closest of the Inner Planes. As a pure human you're unlikely to face racism, which smooths over social interactions and relations. However, it also isn't anything special, especially out in the Outer Planes where the demographics are much more varied. Provides +2 BP.
[_] Metahuman. You are the second, youngest daughter of your father. You are also a metahuman, a Child of the New Gods in some form or another. Specifically, you are a Near-Human, one of those sub-branches that is capable of reproducing and having children with the main branch of Humanity. This is somewhat problematic when it comes to the racist elements of the Apétychen Empire, which fortunately are not particularly dominant, though they are still influential. Conversely, your particular flavor of metahumanity may afford you greater connections in the Outer Planes – or lead to racism of a different sort depending on the situation. Near-Humans generally have some form of 'magic' beyond the form the Gift takes, a residual inheritance or genetic blessing from the New Gods that created them which grants them abilities beyond the human norm. The available Near-Human choices (which if this option wins will be voted on in the next stage) are Elf, Dragonborn, and Vampire.
And finally and most importantly, you did something that angered The Powers That Be and resulted in your lavish exile from the Empire. What was it?
[_] Incessant Dueling. Because of your family's questionable reputation, many people thought they could insult and belittle you, your father, and your family. Many of those people swiftly grew to regret their poor decisions, as you promptly dueled and humiliated them. This brought you to the attention of greater individuals and made you an object of amusement, and many subsequently made the same mistake. And were in turn humiliated. And so it went, until it seemed like you had dueled half the nobility of the Empire. Needless to say, you made a lot of enemies. You gain large bonuses to Combat Characteristics, and start with the Personality Traits Wroth and Brave.
[_] Sleeping Around. You were a very friendly, charming, and passionate young woman. A very friendly, very passionate one. This made you quite a few friends, but also caused innumerable political messes - especially since many of the people you were friendly with were nobles, and that caused no end of trouble. When irate families came after you, labeling you a Constantinian whore, you were left with few options. You gain a large bonus to Diplomacy, an... interestingly sourced but decently sized boost to Prestige on account of political connections, and start with the Personality Traits Lustful and Seductive.
[_] Political Ambitions. From an early age your eye was on a high position of power, the Senate or perhaps even a revitalized Emperor-hood. But your yearning for power wasn't especially subtle, and you left many injured enemies on your ceaseless climb upward. In the end you slipped, and they descended upon you like a pack of ravenous piranhas. You gain a large bonus to Intrigue, a lesser bonus to Learning, and start with the Personality Traits Proud and Ambitious.
Please do not post yet, I need four placeholder posts for later content.
Then the New Gods came, and brought with them Change.
The first and most distant, Amathos, was consumed by Lust and brought many children into the world, each granted incredible power and insufficient guidance. Some excelled in spite of it; others reveled in their Gifts and acted as they pleased. Their conflicts and self-indulgences shattered the world, scattering the Rings across the Planar Void and forming countless stellar remnants, the demiplanes. Two hundred years did the Time of Madness span, and during this time the once singular whole of Humanity was reshaped and metamorphosized into the great diversity of Metahumanity.
But in the end, even the wild anarchy of the Time of Madness could not last. Thea, eldest of Amathos' children, Goddess of Order, broke her siblings to her will and ascended the shattered and broken throne of an equally devasted Empire.
And then she vanished, and the imposed peace with her.
Now, the Apétychen Empire seeks to return to its mythic roots, to unite Metahumanity and spare it from the horrors of war and the banal cruelties of life: starvation, tyranny, ignorance, deprivation. But people are flawed, imperfect, and so any execution inherently fails to live up to its ideal, opposed from without and weakened from within.
The Reforging either failed or stalled, depending on whom you ask, at the Inner Planes, leaving many millions alone in the Outer Planes. And yet the Empire still sought to reach them, driven by their suffering. To that end, they sent out their best and brightest as Far Traders, to bring the light of unity and forge bonds of brotherhood.
(O)
Or so the official story goes. The truth is not so clean.
The Apétychen Empire brought many good things to humanity, yes: charity, goodwill, and aid to the masses; a firm hand to prevent war; extensive trade routes to foster wealth and cooperation. But the very structure that gave it strength and longevity instilled in it such extreme jingoism that external polities and rebellions were not tolerated, enforced a firm class division between Gifted noble and common citizen, and engendered constant political maneuvering and internecine strife. Still, over the centuries, its issues were slowly addressed. As technology marched forward and the Rings developed, the center of the Empire no longer held an overwhelming advantage in wealth and power. The Gift proliferated and became increasingly common, steadily chipping away at the idea that the Gifted nobility had been chosen to rule. The Imperial Family itself crumbled as an institution, losing more and more power until they were more figurehead than true head of state. A growing super-culture combined with improved communications brought with it increased agitation for true equality and social rights. The Empire was well on its way to becoming a Republic, or a Union.
And then the New Gods came.
In the very early days, the birth of Amathos was held up as a symbol of hope. A commoner, born with a Gift of such power that the world itself bent to his will. Resource inequality, hostile terrain, insufficient land, institutions 'too big to fail', wild were the hopes and dreams of the world. And perhaps Amathos could have lived up to those expectations.
But the main issue that doomed the world can really be summed up in four words: he was basically Zeus.
His lust was insatiable. He slept with women, then improved women when they grew boring, then fucked off and made his own companions for amusement and – again – sex. He had twenty-three children in all, each of which inherited his Gift of Change, something that had never happened before.
And if he were a good father, many problems might have been avoided. But again, he was too busy indulging himself and making dragons to fuck.
Some of his children, raised by caring and responsible mothers and families, turned out more or less alright. The Flaw their Gift was paired with and born of was either mostly harmless or they had enough self-control to not let it consume them. But the bulk of his children, who later styled themselves the New Gods, didn't care for that. They decided to live up to the example of their father, and focused solely on their own interests and amusements. That narcissism, that solipsism, is what broke the world, shattered the continental Rings, and flung the nascent Metahumanity throughout the Void and stars.
Then, for about a hundred years, the more vile New Gods lorded themselves over the scattered demiplanes and used them towards their own ends. Their more benevolent and moderate siblings tried to regulate them, but as few of them were willing to so wholeheartedly throw themselves into Rampancy as their darker siblings had or attempt the perilous journey to Dominance, they were generally only able to preserve the remainder of the earth, which came to be known as the Prime Remnant, along with a few of the closest demiplanes. This infuriated Thea, as the chaos and madness offended her on a deep and fundamental level, but it wasn't until two of her brothers, Korson and Helios, murdered their youngest brother Latas that she finally snapped and lost patience with her kin. She partnered with Oscanue, God of Balance, and together they set out on the emotionally and philosophically perilous journey of Dominance. Thea supposedly never made it, falling to Rampancy along the way, and no one knows if Oscanue succeeded, but whatever the truth may be the outward facts are undeniable: with two New Gods working together, brimming with Rampant or Dominant power married to ruthless will, they brought all of their siblings in line. Thea was not merciful in the least during this decade-long process, and she earned a fearsome, gruesome, and tyrannical reputation among her siblings, though on the flip side many people saw her as a savior. Her subsequent actions – seizing the throne of the beleaguered Empire, seemingly making preparations to rid herself of its Senate, and sending ultimatums to every demiplane she knew of – made her much more controversial.
But then, right before her plans could come to fruition and all could see whether she would become true tyrant or unexpected savior, she vanished, along with all of her siblings and their errant, philandering father.
In the aftermath, war erupted anew, and the Apétychen Empire looked at its fleets and armies, previously meaningless in the face of the New Gods, and decided it really liked the sound of this Unity and Order idea Thea had been pushing, and so began the Reforging.
Whether the subsequent benefits of the Empire's overlordship were worth the strife and bloodshed is debatable, and generally depends on the previous state and quality of life of whichever demiplane they took over and the manner in which they came to control it. For the most part though, the Reforging was very much a war of conquest, one that stalled before completion as its fleets and armies were bled dry by a multitude of inter-planar unions formed to oppose their imperialism.
Afterwards, as the Empire sought to rebuild, its rulers looked out at their neighbors and the polities growing in the Outer Planes, and worried that through either treaty or conquest those political entities and nations would become unassailable before the Empire could restart the Reforging. Making alliance with those that genuinely wanted to improve the lot of people living in the aftermath of the New Gods' indulgent tyranny, the Far Trader system was proposed, wherein worthy individuals would be given wealth, authority, and power and sent out into the Outer Planes to work for the Empire's gain. In practice, this became a form of exile, where capable yet troublesome individuals were sent out of sight and out of mind into situations where few honestly expected them to succeed.
You are one of those people. You've caused some scandal or another, found yourself surrounded by enemies without many friends, and so have elected to take the lifeline offered to you. Whether you actually care for the Empire's mission or not… well, that's up to you to decide.
(O)
I'm going to talk a bit about underlying mechanics, tone, and the character creation process, as I don't want to bury you under a mountain of mechanical details and text right at the start.
Spiritually, thematically, and tonally, this quest is based off of the Rogue Trader RPG, in that you're a powerful independent semi-noble with few solid ties going around adventuring, wheeling, and dealing for profit and power. Mechanically, this quest is a hodgepodge of various systems. The strategic level choices – where to go, who to support, what to do, social interaction, etc. – are based off of a d100 CKII system with the standard characteristics: Diplomacy (representing speech and persuasion), Martial (representing ability to command troops and direct battles), Stewardship (representing management and financial capabilities), Intrigue (representing the fields of spycraft and manipulation), and Learning (representing technical knowledge and general information gathering skills). Combat is based off of a much simplified Exalted 3e system where people throw dice pools at each other until someone wins, and army and ship combat is literally the CKII computer game combat system (as opposed to CKII quest systems which are… wildly inconsistent at best).
However, the last is one I am not going to heavily elaborate on as it's very number crunchy, and you don't really need to know the details of any of them at this stage. What's relevant now is the following:
1) The character generation process is concerned with the standard CKII characteristics (Diplomacy, Martial, etc.), the Combat characteristics (Attack, Defense, Initiative, Wounds, etc.), starting resources such as Wealth and Prestige, and Personality Traits that govern how your character plays and interacts with the world. Please note that Personality Traits do not provide direct Characteristic modifiers; they certainly can impact Characteristics, but I am deliberately not illuminating or expounding on said impact.
2) Bigger numbers are better.
3) Certain choices add or subtract BP, or Bonus Points. You start with 5, and can go into the negatives. At the final stage of character creation, you'll be presented with a list of Traits, upgrades, and purchases you can spend BP on or which provide BP. The only requirement when it comes to BP is that you can't be in the negatives by the end of character generation, even if that means you have to load up on disadvantages.
4) Please do Plan voting at every stage of character generation.
5) This is an original setting, albeit one with parts shamelessly ripped off and stolen from established settings, so please do ask questions. Long experience has shown me that it is much easier for me to formulate and provide information piecemeal and then to compile it into bigger loredumps than it is for me to establish everything first (and I'm not sure people tend to read those large loredumps up front).
Now, for the actual options:
You are the daughter of a noble house fallen on hard times. Your father, once a Gifted Noble of great power and esteem, has seen his star fade.
Who is your father, and why has his star faded?
[_] Once General. Your father was a general in the Apétychen Reforging and won much acclaim in the early stages of the Reforging. Close to the end however, when coalitions of enemies proved to be stronger than expected, much of the blame for his army group's losses were laid at his feet by his enemies. The damage to his reputation was compounded when, soon after his wife's death in childbirth, one of his former enemies drew him into a relationship, leading to rumors of treason and sedition. Though his roll of honor protects him from dire consequences, he has few friends left willing to help him. You start with middling Prestige and Wealth, leftovers of your father's glory days. You gain a moderate bonus to Martial and Combat Characteristics, and can call on lingering military connections.
[_] Too Noble Scion. Your father was the scion of a noble house that rose to prominence in the wake of the Godswar. Once considered a strong contender for election to the position of Emperor, his strong anti-war stance gradually cost him influence, especially as the Reforging went on and a number of the Inner Planes were reincorporated into the Empire. The final nail in the coffin was when, shortly after his noble wife's death, he preempted the desired invasion of a weak but resource rich demiplane by marrying into its power structure, formally incorporating it into the Empire. His political opponents, who desired to exploit said demiplane, were not pleased, but the Emperor could not be persuaded to waste his armies subjugating and destroying a now-loyal vassal, and so instead they focused their efforts on destroying your father's powerbase and image, casting him as a craven traitor. Their efforts were not successful, but your family was left weak in the aftermath. You start with high Prestige but low Wealth, a result of your father spending freely to present himself as a good and charitable man. You gain a moderate bonus to Diplomacy and Intrigue, and have ties to a notable but not powerful Inner Plane vassal.
[_] Unlucky Businessman. Your father was a commoner with the misfortune of being born in one of the small, isolated towns where much of the population was Giftless. As a result, he too was born Giftless, which proved a struggle in his early life. Nonetheless, he persevered, earning an education and then starting a business that capitalized on some of the innovations and technological developments that came in the wake of the Godswar. He achieved great success, and even married into a minor Gifted house as part of a business merger. However, relations soured after his wife died, and business rivals began to circle. In an attempt to maintain his position he married again, but this only caused further issues with his former in-laws and left him with many enemies and few friends. You start with low Prestige but high Wealth, a consequence of your father's struggle to maintain his position. You gain a moderate bonus to Stewardship and Learning, and have ties to strong business interests within the Prime Remnant.
As you know, your father has had two daughters, one human and trueborn, the second metahuman and... debatably less so.
Which are you?
[_] Human. You are the firstborn, entirely human daughter of your father. Humanity is by far the largest branch of Metahumanity, making up a bare majority of the full population by everyone's best guess, and is the predominant ruling branch in the Prime Remnant and the closest of the Inner Planes. As a pure human you're unlikely to face racism, which smooths over social interactions and relations. However, it also isn't anything special, especially out in the Outer Planes where the demographics are much more varied. Provides +2 BP.
[_] Metahuman. You are the second, youngest daughter of your father. You are also a metahuman, a Child of the New Gods in some form or another. Specifically, you are a Near-Human, one of those sub-branches that is capable of reproducing and having children with the main branch of Humanity. This is somewhat problematic when it comes to the racist elements of the Apétychen Empire, which fortunately are not particularly dominant, though they are still influential. Conversely, your particular flavor of metahumanity may afford you greater connections in the Outer Planes – or lead to racism of a different sort depending on the situation. Near-Humans generally have some form of 'magic' beyond the form the Gift takes, a residual inheritance or genetic blessing from the New Gods that created them which grants them abilities beyond the human norm. The available Near-Human choices (which if this option wins will be voted on in the next stage) are Elf, Dragonborn, and Vampire.
And finally and most importantly, you did something that angered The Powers That Be and resulted in your lavish exile from the Empire. What was it?
[_] Incessant Dueling. Because of your family's questionable reputation, many people thought they could insult and belittle you, your father, and your family. Many of those people swiftly grew to regret their poor decisions, as you promptly dueled and humiliated them. This brought you to the attention of greater individuals and made you an object of amusement, and many subsequently made the same mistake. And were in turn humiliated. And so it went, until it seemed like you had dueled half the nobility of the Empire. Needless to say, you made a lot of enemies. You gain large bonuses to Combat Characteristics, and start with the Personality Traits Wroth and Brave.
[_] Sleeping Around. You were a very friendly, charming, and passionate young woman. A very friendly, very passionate one. This made you quite a few friends, but also caused innumerable political messes - especially since many of the people you were friendly with were nobles, and that caused no end of trouble. When irate families came after you, labeling you a Constantinian whore, you were left with few options. You gain a large bonus to Diplomacy, an... interestingly sourced but decently sized boost to Prestige on account of political connections, and start with the Personality Traits Lustful and Seductive.
[_] Political Ambitions. From an early age your eye was on a high position of power, the Senate or perhaps even a revitalized Emperor-hood. But your yearning for power wasn't especially subtle, and you left many injured enemies on your ceaseless climb upward. In the end you slipped, and they descended upon you like a pack of ravenous piranhas. You gain a large bonus to Intrigue, a lesser bonus to Learning, and start with the Personality Traits Proud and Ambitious.
Please do not post yet, I need four placeholder posts for later content.
Last edited:
World Details
- Location
- Somewhere in Ontario
The New Gods:
Amathos, Father of Divinity - The first god, and the technical "leader" of the Pantheon even though he didn't act like it. Seen by essentially everyone as a complete and total horndog that completely failed to reign in his children. Created the first Void Dragon as a companion using his Gift, then the rest through more conventional means (i.e. lots and lots of sex).
Thea - First child of Amathos. Apétychen Princess and rumored to be a control freak. She generally tried to look after her younger siblings, then control them once more of them started going Rampant. Eventually, after getting beaten one too many times, helplessly watching one too many atrocities, and seeing Latas die, she snapped and tried to go Dominant to get her siblings to stop. It's publicly debated whether she succeeded or failed to achieve Dominance, but she did manage to bring all of her malevolent siblings in line over the course of a decade. Not known for creating or affecting any of the metahuman branches, though it is suspected she forced Ocus to make the Voidhunters for her on account of the coincidence of timing. However, since the Gods are gone and the Voidhunters kill anything they find in the Void, there's no way to find out. Termed Goddess of Order by those with positive or neutral opinions of her, while those that vehemently disagree with her call her the Goddess of Rape.
Rhaenyr - Second child of Amathos. Anomaly among the New Gods in that he reportedly never left the Minor stage. Never really used his power except to blunt the consequences of his siblings' insanity on the Prime Remnant. Many mixed views about him. Not involved with any metahuman branch. No one has any clue what to call him the God of.
Korson, Self-Titled God of Death - Third child of Amathos. Very fascinated with the mechanics of life and death and the line in between. Liked to imagine himself as an ethically unbound scientist, but nothing he did could really be considered science. Notably, he killed Latas along with Helios, which is the deed he's most generally infamous for.
Tritus, Self-Titled God of War - Fourth child of Amathos. Originally titled himself the God of War out of a sense of pompous grandiosity. Started jealously holding onto and fighting for it after Maegra and Agrom started squabbling over 'domains.' Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Maegra, Self-Titled Goddess of Combat - Fifth child of Amathos. Born shortly after Tritus and developed an extreme jealousy of him. Copied his 'domain' and started fighting with him over it. Agrom joined in later. Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Agrom, Self-Titled God of Strength - Sixth child of Amathos. A complete and utter brute with a love of fighting. Involved himself in the spiteful struggle between Tritus and Maegra because it seemed fun, exacerbated it. Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Oscanue, Self-Titled God of Balance - Seventh child of Amathos. Suspected to be the only God to actually achieve the Dominant state. It's known that he started walking the path at the same time as Thea, and that he seemed to have more success than her. Their partnership is somewhat of a mystery, as Oscanue is known to not have been significantly opposed to malevolent New Gods throughout much of the Time of Madness.
Pyrion - Eighth child of Amathos. He decided his father had the right idea and that responsibilities were for lesser people. Partied and enjoyed himself from his teenage years right up to the very end. Not the worst New God by any means in that he wasn't actively evil, but he certainly didn't try to better anyone's life except his own. Acknowledged as the God of Debauchery.
Sthetys, Self-Titled Goddess of Knowledge - Ninth child of Amathos. The only genuine scientist among the New Gods that styled themselves as intellectuals and scientists. Unfortunately bereft of strong morals or ethics, she was easily drawn into questionable activities with the promise of further knowledge. Very mixed views about her.
Ocus, Self-Titled God of the Void - Tenth child of Amathos. Thought himself a scientist, which was questionably accurate. The then-recent discovery of the Planar Void fascinated him, and he dedicated all his attention and interest towards its study. Responsible for the Scattering of the Outer Ring that blew the planar barriers wide open and created the first demiplanes, along with a number of other fractures.
Boephe - Eleventh child of Amathos. Described as a pathological liar by her siblings who manipulated people for the sake of manipulating people. It's known that she frequently spawned complex unstable plans that fell apart in disastrous ways, and never stayed behind to clean up her messes - usually, she just made them worse. Acknowledged as the Goddess of Plots.
Rhea - Twelfth child of Amathos. The New God with by far the most positive reputation (above even Thea in certain regions). Though she rarely directly confronted her malevolent siblings, she frequently traveled throughout the Planes to alleviate suffering, and it is known that she had a great many children (even if the exact heritage and location was hidden to protect said children from her siblings). Acknowledged as the Goddess of Love and/or Family.
Synemonem - Thirteenth child of Amathos. A fairly neutral god that loved talking, arguing, debating, bargaining, etc. Helped maintain and strengthen the Apétychen economy and was a frequent sign and supporter of the Senate. Not coincidentally, the view of the Senate of the time is of a bunch of people arguing in circles to no great effect. Acknowledged as the God of Bargains and/or Debate.
Methis, Self-Titled Goddess of Crafts - Fourteenth child of Amathos. Viewed as one of the Good Gods. She sought out the various means and methods through which Metahumanity could use the new divine materials to technologically leap forward, and produced many of said materials in her quest for advancement.
Ricus, Self-Titled God of Health - Fifteenth child of Amathos. It's known that he didn't much use his Gift for the first few decades of his life, instead focusing on being a doctor and a healer. After the Scattering got worse and his siblings started being tyrannical murderers, he started traveling the Planes cleaning up their messes.
Sepiatus, Self-Titled God of Honor - Sixteenth child of Amathos. He grew up fascinated with tales of knighthood and nobility and decided to emulate them. He was constantly in conflict with his more malevolent siblings, though he never made too much progress as his ideals restricted him in some respects. It's known that he was initially a part of Thea's crackdown, and perhaps played an important role, but he backed off once Thea grew more stern and vengeful.
Helios, Self-Titled God of Night, Twin of Nesele - Seventeenth child of Amathos and older twin of Nesele. Widely acknowledged as a complete psychopath, a monster, and utterly evil. Created the race of vampires with Nesele before their estrangement, and terrorized the Planes for his own amusement. Killed Latas with Korson's help.
Nesele, "Self-Titled" Goddess of the Sun, Twin of Helios - Eighteenth child of Amathos and younger twin of Helios. No one knows what Nesele might have become, because Helios utterly destroyed her potential. From glints of her personality it's suspected she was a normal and kind person originally, but over the course of their childhood Helios basically molded Nesele into a willing slave that helped him in many of his atrocities. Thea somehow managed to convince Nesele to betray Helios during the crackdown, at which point she switched to slavishly serving Thea.
Seris, Self-Titled Goddess of Strife - Nineteenth child of Amathos. A troublemaker that enjoyed promoting family strife. An unrestrained sadist that caused much death, it's suspected that she played some role in Latas' demise.
Cronus, Self-Titled God of Time - Twentieth child of Amathos. Neutral and uninvolved for the most part. Usually grouped with the other scientists and intellectuals, though he didn't see himself as one. Liked creating demiplanes with complex internal mechanics and putting them on fast forward to watch the results. Kicked out of many demiplanes by his siblings, who repurposed them to their own ends.
Tiam, Dragon Goddess - Twenty-first child of Amathos and the only Dragonborn child of Amathos. Somewhat of an experiment, she was rather distant from the rest of her siblings on account of her different nature and generally didn't involve herself in anything that happened with them. Used her Gift to become a Void Dragon and then spent her time with the Dragons and attractive men.
Latas - Twenty-second child of Amathos. One of the most benevolent New Gods, he intervened and changed many of the metahuman branches to be more stable, viable, healthy, etc. He also opposed and stood against the tyranny and indulgence of his older siblings, which saw him killed by Korson and Helios.
Astraea, Self-Titled Goddess of Storms - Twenty-third child of Amathos. Just a very exuberant, bombastic girl that enjoyed the idea of being worshiped and was a debatably benevolent god. There are still many cults to her throughout the Planes, since she played the part of a god who could be propitiated, called upon, and appeased to a T.
Creationism:
Creationism is the oldest and most enduring religion in the history of Metahumanity. Its origins can be traced to the time of Cyrin the Conqueror, who holds that he and his tribe were granted the Gift as a sign of divine favor from the Creator. In its earliest forms, Creationism was essentially used as a divine mandate of Manifest Destiny. Certain prophecies and predictions are apocryphally attributed to Cyrin and his tribe, such as the existence of the Three Rings, various historical events such as the creation of the Apétychen Empire, and so on. Skeptics hold that many of these predictions are either deliberately incredibly vague so as to be stretched to fit many possibilities, the product of some ancient Gift, or historical revisionism. Seeing as how there has never been conclusive evidence of a Gift that can see into the past or allows interaction with the dead, theories must remain theories.
There are multiple branches of Creationism, mostly split along philosophical lines, but they all hold up certain parts of the world and history that they claim points to the existence of a Creator God. First, they maintain that the existence and bestowment of the Gift must have been divine, as the Gift is inherited and prehistory records no mention of Gifted individuals before the time of Cyrin. Second, they hold up the structure of the Rings themselves – three progressively larger stretches of seemingly perfectly circular land centered around a blessed isle – and the abundance of resources as proof that the world is a deliberately fashioned paradise. Third, the Millennial Cycle wherein every thousand years some being with a powerful Gift emerges and drastically alters the world.
Creationism then splits along a major philosophical point. Cyrinic Creationists prize a code of ethics, virtues, and laws that they claim was handed to them by the Creator – said code aligning eerily well with notions such as Giftly right to rule and natural superiority, though also including a good portion of modern conventional morality. Cyrinic Creationism then splits further based on interpretations of said code. Fundamental Creationism, on the other hand, simply holds that the world was created and the Gift bestowed on Man, and the Creator has had no interaction with the world since and certainly didn't hand down a code of any kind.
Atheism:
Atheism was a growing philosophical viewpoint from before and throughout the time of the Empire. Born as a reactionary movement against the 'moral authority' of Cyrinic Creationism, atheism simply holds that there is no Creator. The reasons behind why any particular atheist believes such varies, but ultimately the other faiths don't particularly care.
Interactions:
Fundamental Creationists typically do not disagree with other groups on religious grounds – seeing as how they don't have any temporal religious beliefs to begin with – but there is constant conflict with more hardline Cyrinics, who see the Fundamentalists as heretics, along with hardline atheists, who vehemently disagree with the notion of any gods. They have the least disagreement with New Divinists, as their views are ultimately compatible – though some Fundamentalists may disagree with some New Divinists on simple moral grounds.
In general, the New Divinists are seen strangely, as they draw from all previous religious and philosophical stances and traditions. Some atheistic New Divinists hold that the New Gods were essentially Gods because of their power and the way they fundamentally altered the world, humanity, and the course of history, and thus are worthy of recognition and veneration. These views align almost perfectly with Fundamentalist New Divinists, the only difference being that the latter believe there is a Creator above the New Gods. This belief is shared with Cyrinic New Divinists, with added elements of divine right and providence – in other words, that the New Gods were blessed, agents, or incarnates of the Creator. Then there are the Extremist New Divinists, who hold up the New Gods as beings who ascended to true divinity and now reign over reality itself.
No one really likes or agrees with the Extremists, particularly since many of them hold up the more vile New Gods as examples to be emulated.
Amathos, Father of Divinity - The first god, and the technical "leader" of the Pantheon even though he didn't act like it. Seen by essentially everyone as a complete and total horndog that completely failed to reign in his children. Created the first Void Dragon as a companion using his Gift, then the rest through more conventional means (i.e. lots and lots of sex).
Thea - First child of Amathos. Apétychen Princess and rumored to be a control freak. She generally tried to look after her younger siblings, then control them once more of them started going Rampant. Eventually, after getting beaten one too many times, helplessly watching one too many atrocities, and seeing Latas die, she snapped and tried to go Dominant to get her siblings to stop. It's publicly debated whether she succeeded or failed to achieve Dominance, but she did manage to bring all of her malevolent siblings in line over the course of a decade. Not known for creating or affecting any of the metahuman branches, though it is suspected she forced Ocus to make the Voidhunters for her on account of the coincidence of timing. However, since the Gods are gone and the Voidhunters kill anything they find in the Void, there's no way to find out. Termed Goddess of Order by those with positive or neutral opinions of her, while those that vehemently disagree with her call her the Goddess of Rape.
Rhaenyr - Second child of Amathos. Anomaly among the New Gods in that he reportedly never left the Minor stage. Never really used his power except to blunt the consequences of his siblings' insanity on the Prime Remnant. Many mixed views about him. Not involved with any metahuman branch. No one has any clue what to call him the God of.
Korson, Self-Titled God of Death - Third child of Amathos. Very fascinated with the mechanics of life and death and the line in between. Liked to imagine himself as an ethically unbound scientist, but nothing he did could really be considered science. Notably, he killed Latas along with Helios, which is the deed he's most generally infamous for.
Tritus, Self-Titled God of War - Fourth child of Amathos. Originally titled himself the God of War out of a sense of pompous grandiosity. Started jealously holding onto and fighting for it after Maegra and Agrom started squabbling over 'domains.' Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Maegra, Self-Titled Goddess of Combat - Fifth child of Amathos. Born shortly after Tritus and developed an extreme jealousy of him. Copied his 'domain' and started fighting with him over it. Agrom joined in later. Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Agrom, Self-Titled God of Strength - Sixth child of Amathos. A complete and utter brute with a love of fighting. Involved himself in the spiteful struggle between Tritus and Maegra because it seemed fun, exacerbated it. Responsible for many wars throughout the Planes.
Oscanue, Self-Titled God of Balance - Seventh child of Amathos. Suspected to be the only God to actually achieve the Dominant state. It's known that he started walking the path at the same time as Thea, and that he seemed to have more success than her. Their partnership is somewhat of a mystery, as Oscanue is known to not have been significantly opposed to malevolent New Gods throughout much of the Time of Madness.
Pyrion - Eighth child of Amathos. He decided his father had the right idea and that responsibilities were for lesser people. Partied and enjoyed himself from his teenage years right up to the very end. Not the worst New God by any means in that he wasn't actively evil, but he certainly didn't try to better anyone's life except his own. Acknowledged as the God of Debauchery.
Sthetys, Self-Titled Goddess of Knowledge - Ninth child of Amathos. The only genuine scientist among the New Gods that styled themselves as intellectuals and scientists. Unfortunately bereft of strong morals or ethics, she was easily drawn into questionable activities with the promise of further knowledge. Very mixed views about her.
Ocus, Self-Titled God of the Void - Tenth child of Amathos. Thought himself a scientist, which was questionably accurate. The then-recent discovery of the Planar Void fascinated him, and he dedicated all his attention and interest towards its study. Responsible for the Scattering of the Outer Ring that blew the planar barriers wide open and created the first demiplanes, along with a number of other fractures.
Boephe - Eleventh child of Amathos. Described as a pathological liar by her siblings who manipulated people for the sake of manipulating people. It's known that she frequently spawned complex unstable plans that fell apart in disastrous ways, and never stayed behind to clean up her messes - usually, she just made them worse. Acknowledged as the Goddess of Plots.
Rhea - Twelfth child of Amathos. The New God with by far the most positive reputation (above even Thea in certain regions). Though she rarely directly confronted her malevolent siblings, she frequently traveled throughout the Planes to alleviate suffering, and it is known that she had a great many children (even if the exact heritage and location was hidden to protect said children from her siblings). Acknowledged as the Goddess of Love and/or Family.
Synemonem - Thirteenth child of Amathos. A fairly neutral god that loved talking, arguing, debating, bargaining, etc. Helped maintain and strengthen the Apétychen economy and was a frequent sign and supporter of the Senate. Not coincidentally, the view of the Senate of the time is of a bunch of people arguing in circles to no great effect. Acknowledged as the God of Bargains and/or Debate.
Methis, Self-Titled Goddess of Crafts - Fourteenth child of Amathos. Viewed as one of the Good Gods. She sought out the various means and methods through which Metahumanity could use the new divine materials to technologically leap forward, and produced many of said materials in her quest for advancement.
Ricus, Self-Titled God of Health - Fifteenth child of Amathos. It's known that he didn't much use his Gift for the first few decades of his life, instead focusing on being a doctor and a healer. After the Scattering got worse and his siblings started being tyrannical murderers, he started traveling the Planes cleaning up their messes.
Sepiatus, Self-Titled God of Honor - Sixteenth child of Amathos. He grew up fascinated with tales of knighthood and nobility and decided to emulate them. He was constantly in conflict with his more malevolent siblings, though he never made too much progress as his ideals restricted him in some respects. It's known that he was initially a part of Thea's crackdown, and perhaps played an important role, but he backed off once Thea grew more stern and vengeful.
Helios, Self-Titled God of Night, Twin of Nesele - Seventeenth child of Amathos and older twin of Nesele. Widely acknowledged as a complete psychopath, a monster, and utterly evil. Created the race of vampires with Nesele before their estrangement, and terrorized the Planes for his own amusement. Killed Latas with Korson's help.
Nesele, "Self-Titled" Goddess of the Sun, Twin of Helios - Eighteenth child of Amathos and younger twin of Helios. No one knows what Nesele might have become, because Helios utterly destroyed her potential. From glints of her personality it's suspected she was a normal and kind person originally, but over the course of their childhood Helios basically molded Nesele into a willing slave that helped him in many of his atrocities. Thea somehow managed to convince Nesele to betray Helios during the crackdown, at which point she switched to slavishly serving Thea.
Seris, Self-Titled Goddess of Strife - Nineteenth child of Amathos. A troublemaker that enjoyed promoting family strife. An unrestrained sadist that caused much death, it's suspected that she played some role in Latas' demise.
Cronus, Self-Titled God of Time - Twentieth child of Amathos. Neutral and uninvolved for the most part. Usually grouped with the other scientists and intellectuals, though he didn't see himself as one. Liked creating demiplanes with complex internal mechanics and putting them on fast forward to watch the results. Kicked out of many demiplanes by his siblings, who repurposed them to their own ends.
Tiam, Dragon Goddess - Twenty-first child of Amathos and the only Dragonborn child of Amathos. Somewhat of an experiment, she was rather distant from the rest of her siblings on account of her different nature and generally didn't involve herself in anything that happened with them. Used her Gift to become a Void Dragon and then spent her time with the Dragons and attractive men.
Latas - Twenty-second child of Amathos. One of the most benevolent New Gods, he intervened and changed many of the metahuman branches to be more stable, viable, healthy, etc. He also opposed and stood against the tyranny and indulgence of his older siblings, which saw him killed by Korson and Helios.
Astraea, Self-Titled Goddess of Storms - Twenty-third child of Amathos. Just a very exuberant, bombastic girl that enjoyed the idea of being worshiped and was a debatably benevolent god. There are still many cults to her throughout the Planes, since she played the part of a god who could be propitiated, called upon, and appeased to a T.
Creationism:
Creationism is the oldest and most enduring religion in the history of Metahumanity. Its origins can be traced to the time of Cyrin the Conqueror, who holds that he and his tribe were granted the Gift as a sign of divine favor from the Creator. In its earliest forms, Creationism was essentially used as a divine mandate of Manifest Destiny. Certain prophecies and predictions are apocryphally attributed to Cyrin and his tribe, such as the existence of the Three Rings, various historical events such as the creation of the Apétychen Empire, and so on. Skeptics hold that many of these predictions are either deliberately incredibly vague so as to be stretched to fit many possibilities, the product of some ancient Gift, or historical revisionism. Seeing as how there has never been conclusive evidence of a Gift that can see into the past or allows interaction with the dead, theories must remain theories.
There are multiple branches of Creationism, mostly split along philosophical lines, but they all hold up certain parts of the world and history that they claim points to the existence of a Creator God. First, they maintain that the existence and bestowment of the Gift must have been divine, as the Gift is inherited and prehistory records no mention of Gifted individuals before the time of Cyrin. Second, they hold up the structure of the Rings themselves – three progressively larger stretches of seemingly perfectly circular land centered around a blessed isle – and the abundance of resources as proof that the world is a deliberately fashioned paradise. Third, the Millennial Cycle wherein every thousand years some being with a powerful Gift emerges and drastically alters the world.
Creationism then splits along a major philosophical point. Cyrinic Creationists prize a code of ethics, virtues, and laws that they claim was handed to them by the Creator – said code aligning eerily well with notions such as Giftly right to rule and natural superiority, though also including a good portion of modern conventional morality. Cyrinic Creationism then splits further based on interpretations of said code. Fundamental Creationism, on the other hand, simply holds that the world was created and the Gift bestowed on Man, and the Creator has had no interaction with the world since and certainly didn't hand down a code of any kind.
Atheism:
Atheism was a growing philosophical viewpoint from before and throughout the time of the Empire. Born as a reactionary movement against the 'moral authority' of Cyrinic Creationism, atheism simply holds that there is no Creator. The reasons behind why any particular atheist believes such varies, but ultimately the other faiths don't particularly care.
Interactions:
Fundamental Creationists typically do not disagree with other groups on religious grounds – seeing as how they don't have any temporal religious beliefs to begin with – but there is constant conflict with more hardline Cyrinics, who see the Fundamentalists as heretics, along with hardline atheists, who vehemently disagree with the notion of any gods. They have the least disagreement with New Divinists, as their views are ultimately compatible – though some Fundamentalists may disagree with some New Divinists on simple moral grounds.
In general, the New Divinists are seen strangely, as they draw from all previous religious and philosophical stances and traditions. Some atheistic New Divinists hold that the New Gods were essentially Gods because of their power and the way they fundamentally altered the world, humanity, and the course of history, and thus are worthy of recognition and veneration. These views align almost perfectly with Fundamentalist New Divinists, the only difference being that the latter believe there is a Creator above the New Gods. This belief is shared with Cyrinic New Divinists, with added elements of divine right and providence – in other words, that the New Gods were blessed, agents, or incarnates of the Creator. Then there are the Extremist New Divinists, who hold up the New Gods as beings who ascended to true divinity and now reign over reality itself.
No one really likes or agrees with the Extremists, particularly since many of them hold up the more vile New Gods as examples to be emulated.
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Character Creation Part 2
- Location
- Somewhere in Ontario
Hallfdi was a study in contrasts. Not especially unique as far as demiplanes went, the tastes and predilections of the New Gods that focused on demiplane creation were eclectic at best, but still worth noting. Flat and warm along the outside, covered as far as the eye can see with fields of grains, wheat and barley and rice and maize and many more, the bulk of the demiplane's expanse was a veritable breadbasket. It was located in the middle of a cluster of other demiplanes, making it a center for what trade existed during the tumultuous Time of Madness, and its status as a beautiful favorite of some of the New Gods ensured its protection from those that would despoil it.
And now that the New Gods are gone for good and ill, many eyes turned on Hallfdi.
For though the outskirts were flat, the land curved as it turned inward, slowly and steadily inclining until it sharply spiked and then kept growing and growing. At the center was a great spire of rock forged in the image of Mount Parnaso, the largest mountain on what was once Earth, and spawned many legends since the time of its creation. So large, imposing, and twisted it was that it formed its own weather system, full of hailstorms and blizzards and thunderous tempests of lightning. And yet it was the insides that were legendary. Compositionally it was nothing special, bearing a notable amount of industrial materials but no fissile voidbreacher elements or exotic divine materials. However, the creatures that lived inside it were special. Great wingless lizards akin to wyrms whose blood when drank was rumored to heal all wounds, chimeric beasts capable of ripping through a dragon's scales, great bears with fur that shined like diamonds once brought out into the sun, and many other, lesser known metaspecies.
With only a moderate local industry, poor orbital defenses, and no real fleet to speak of, Hallfdi should have fallen immediately to some conqueror or greater power in the early stages of the Aftermath War. But what quashed the ambitions of lesser powers and made greater powers turn their eyes to easier marks was its population. Regular humans were in the minority, though not by much. Elves made up the next largest contingent, living close to the Great Mountain where the hazardous conditions were meaningless to them. Vampires that had refused Helios' predatory way of life and fled his wrath were known to reside among the populace, hidden but welcome. When combined with a collection of tamed Mountain Beasts, it meant that any would-be conqueror would have to be serious about taking the demiplane and rooting out opposition.
On its own, that should not have been enough. Orbital supremacy is king, after all, and tribute through tyranny is a viable, if inefficient, method of ruling. But even then, Hallfdi had a protector that kept it safe from raiders, pirates, and petty warlords: Aster, an elder Void Dragon. She roosted atop the Great Mountain and much liked the people of her home, and was grand and terrible enough that a fleet of proper warships would be necessary to lay her low. Not a grand fleet to be sure, but for many demiplanes dislodging an elder dragon would have required their full might and battered their fleet, leaving them open to their enemies. And so, it was only with the coming of the Apétychen Empire that Hallfdi was truly threatened.
But even then, because of your father's effort, it survived, and found itself a new protector.
(O)
This next stage, in a sense, describes the people around you and how they impacted your life. It presents companions, connections, and enemies. Note that the choice of metahuman race is separate from the choice of roles. You can jointly include them in a plan (though I'd prefer you didn't), but I will tally them separately.
Your mother held notable influence with Hallfdi's power structure, enough that her marriage (along with a few ancillary details) was sufficient to bring the demiplane into the Empire. Who was she - and by extension, who are you?
[_] Elf.
Your mother was a Wyrmrider, a talented woman who had managed to, if not truly tame, then at least bond with one of the great lizards that burrowed through the innards of the Great Mountain. Between the inherent prestige of her position and the influence she held over mining consortiums on account of her ability to simply tunnel to precious resources, her word was much respected in the elven community. Her union with your father makes you an Elf. Elves are in tune with nature - literally. Extremely malleable in the physical sense, elves physically adapt to comfortably reside in whatever environment they are present in, acclimating over the course of hours and days. This malleability has other effects on their form, making them naturally faster, stronger, and more resilient when it comes to the ravages of age. You gain minor bonuses to Combat Characteristics and the Environmental Adaptation Trait, which allows you to adapt and thrive just about anywhere. You can stall this Adaptation for visual/stylistic reasons if you so desire. Elves are also the most plentiful type of Near-Human, making it the second-most common branch of Metahumanity (though Humans still have the definite majority).
[_] Dragonborn.
Void Dragons inherited unbridled lust from their progenitor, and Aster is no exception. As a result, there is an incredibly small but thriving Dragonborn community upon Hallfdi, all of whom can claim direct descent from Aster. Being descended from their greatest protector, the people of Hallfdi look upon the Dragonborn with varying amounts of awe, respect, and wariness, but all of them are influential. Your mother is one of those Dragonborn, and her union with your father in turn makes you a Dragonborn. Dragonborn are a hybrid caught halfway between human and dragon. While the exact manifestation of draconic characteristics varies, all have some extent of scaled skin, draconic limbs and appendages, wings, and horns. Their draconic form also grants them exceptional strength and the ability to survive in the Void - though, lacking true draconic wings, they are not exceptionally fast in the Void. You can major bonuses to Combat Characteristics, a Fire Breath Attack, and are related to a Dragon. Dragonborn are vanishingly rare outside of places frequented by Void Dragons, but all of them are directly and recently descended from Amathos, which has its own upsides and downsides. You do not start with Draconic Lust, but it is a valid Drawback to purchase later. -2 BP.
[_] Vampire.
Your mother was a hidden vampire within Hallfdi's human community, a significant political and economical leader among the farmers and industrialists with extensive ties to the demiplanes other leaders. Publicly, she was - and still is - the equivalent to a prime minister within their internal hierarchy, one that has reigned since before the Aftermath War. Her union with your father makes you a Vampire. The tragic spawn of Helios' cruelty and Nesele's submission, vampires are functionally identical to humans in appearance. The reality is far removed, however. Vampires are hemophages by design, requiring Human or Nearhuman blood to survive - animal blood is deliberately ineffective. Their inhuman nature gives them exceptional, disproportionate strength and speed, and provides them with a number of the advantages of the mythological creature they are based off of: sharp claws, impressive regeneration, the ability to turn into mist, retractable fangs, and an enthralling aura of charm. They are also known to uniformly be the victims of a genuine curse, an oddity in the history of the Gift. Laid upon them by Nesele when she finally abandoned Helios, vampires are cursed to be weak in the presence of fire. It burns away their mist, hampers or disables their regeneration (depending on whether they're near fire or on fire), and generally weakens them. When exposed to actual sunlight, they even begin to burn and wither. They do not, however, have to sleep through the day, in a coffin, in the soil of their home, or any other fictional tripe like that. They are alive, and capable of the full range of human emotion. You gain exceptional bonuses to Combat Characteristics (above Dragonborn), a Regeneration Factor, the ability to turn into a mistform, and a small bonus to Diplomacy. You also develop a Weakness to Fire and burn when exposed to direct sunlight (use a thick umbrella). By default your nature as a vampire is unknown, but you can choose to forgo this as a Drawback later. Generally speaking, people don't look kindly on vampires outside of certain accepting societies; Helios and the vampires that stuck with him left a very bad impression. Vampires are rare, but not unheard of, and it's quite likely that in any demiplane with a sizeable population there are at least a few vampires. -4 BP.
There were a number of people who were important to you, and who played major roles in your exile. What role did they play?
Please note that when making plans, make sure to include the Tags, and that all roles are filled (i.e. one Companion, one Ally, one Enemy).
Your sister: Your sister from another mother. Presently she is aggressively undefined, since her personality and skills depend extensively on this next choice. Regardless of choice, your sister will be presented with the same spread of options as you (save Metahuman race and a few Gift options, + some others I didn't feel appropriate for a main PC) and will be on the same skill level as you.
[_] [Sister] Companion.
Many considered your elder sister's situation to be an awkward one. Perhaps it was. Still, you didn't let that bother you. Despite being born at different times to different mothers, you were thick as thieves, and when you turned your eyes on politics, she was always there to support you. That may not have been the best decision, in retrospect, and you were both exiled as one. Now she stands at your side as you go to forge your future. You gain a closely related peer that is on your general skill level. She will not be better than you in your chosen field, though she may end up being just as good. -1 BP.
[_] [Sister] Ally.
You were never especially close with your sister. The difference in mothers and race formed a wedge between you, such that you never truly bonded. You were still friends, and helpful to one another, but your life took you along different paths and you drifted apart. Still, when you drew upon you the ire of your enemies, she was there to help once more, arranging the opportunity to become a Far Trader rather than having you suffer some more unpleasant fate. You have a peer ally/friend in the Empire, but she's not going to go to bat for you.
[_] [Sister] Enemy.
You don't know where it went wrong. You were close in your youth, but something happened and then you became the bitterest of enemies. At first it was just petty insults, but soon enough you were tearing into each other's friends, relationships, and dreams. When all your schemes were ruined, it was your sister who sent them tumbling down. You have a bitter enemy in the Empire who is at least your peer and wants you dead or gone. +1 BP.
Your lover: You had a close friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend with which you may have been in love. They are not as good as you, but they are still capable.
[_] [Lover] Companion.
You're not married, but it's sort of debatable whether that even matters. Within weeks of meeting you were inseparable, and when it came to your hopes and dreams you worked as one. This did ultimately have its consequences, but you bore them together. You gain a close advisor that isn't on your level but that will have complementary skills and be strong where you're weak or average.
[_] [Lover] Ally.
The two of you were in somewhat lengthy relationship, but it never really worked out. Too much about you annoyed them, too much about them annoyed you, and in the end your lives pulled you in separate directions. Still, you parted on good terms, and when your star started declining they offered you a way out for old times' sake. You have an ally/friend in the Empire, but they're not especially close or exceptionally capable.
[_] [Lover] Enemy.
You were close - once. You might have even gotten married, had things gone differently. But then your ambitions and theirs clashed horribly, and love turned to rank and bitter hatred. With knowledge of your weaknesses and plans they tore into you, ripping apart your dreams until they were little more than idle fancy, and leaving you to face your host of enemies alone. You have a bitter enemy in the Empire who is not quite your peer and wants you dead or gone, and also has your measure.
Your mentor: The Steel Maiden is a few centuries too old for 'Maiden' to still apply in your opinion, but you've never dared to voice that aloud. (In)famous within the Empire for being the only woman to tell Amathos to fuck off and never succumb, she has extensive experience, connections, and influence.
[_] [Mentor] Companion.
Many were intensely jealous when the Steel Maiden took you on as a protégé. You're still not sure how you caught the attention of such an august personage. All you know is that her guidance and advice helped you make it as far as you did, and that the eyes of the Empire's power players all bulged with various emotions when she decided to join you on your exile. You gain an omnidisciplinary master as an advisor. You have no clue why the hell she decided to come with you. -3 BP.
[_] [Mentor] Ally.
You fought hard to gain the attention and favor of the Steel Maiden. In the end, and after a lot of effort, she took a shine to you and taught you some of what she knew - and almost all of what you know. She always kept you at a distance however, though when certain facts about your plans and actions emerged she pulled strings that saw you escape an unpleasant doom. You have an omnidisciplinary master in the Empire as a former mentor and acquaintance. She's not going to go to work for you without a reason, but when she does you can be assured it will be with great effect.
[_] [Mentor] Enemy.
Once, you caught the eye of the Silver Maiden. Once, you were her prize pupil. Once. You're still not entirely sure what you did wrong, but you have a strong suspicion that it had to be the way you dealt with some of your enemies. Having taught you everything you know, she knew exactly where to press and tear to make sure everything fell apart for you, and when you stood amid the ashes of your plans, she made her contempt for you exceptionally clear. You have an omnidisciplinary master as bitter enemy in the Empire. This greatly complicates any future actions or associations you might wish to have in the Empire (such as acquiring ships, trade goods/routes, reinforcements, etc.). +3 BP.
As a final note, I have updated the World Details post with some details about Religion and Gods. More stuff will be steadily posted over the coming week.
And now that the New Gods are gone for good and ill, many eyes turned on Hallfdi.
For though the outskirts were flat, the land curved as it turned inward, slowly and steadily inclining until it sharply spiked and then kept growing and growing. At the center was a great spire of rock forged in the image of Mount Parnaso, the largest mountain on what was once Earth, and spawned many legends since the time of its creation. So large, imposing, and twisted it was that it formed its own weather system, full of hailstorms and blizzards and thunderous tempests of lightning. And yet it was the insides that were legendary. Compositionally it was nothing special, bearing a notable amount of industrial materials but no fissile voidbreacher elements or exotic divine materials. However, the creatures that lived inside it were special. Great wingless lizards akin to wyrms whose blood when drank was rumored to heal all wounds, chimeric beasts capable of ripping through a dragon's scales, great bears with fur that shined like diamonds once brought out into the sun, and many other, lesser known metaspecies.
With only a moderate local industry, poor orbital defenses, and no real fleet to speak of, Hallfdi should have fallen immediately to some conqueror or greater power in the early stages of the Aftermath War. But what quashed the ambitions of lesser powers and made greater powers turn their eyes to easier marks was its population. Regular humans were in the minority, though not by much. Elves made up the next largest contingent, living close to the Great Mountain where the hazardous conditions were meaningless to them. Vampires that had refused Helios' predatory way of life and fled his wrath were known to reside among the populace, hidden but welcome. When combined with a collection of tamed Mountain Beasts, it meant that any would-be conqueror would have to be serious about taking the demiplane and rooting out opposition.
On its own, that should not have been enough. Orbital supremacy is king, after all, and tribute through tyranny is a viable, if inefficient, method of ruling. But even then, Hallfdi had a protector that kept it safe from raiders, pirates, and petty warlords: Aster, an elder Void Dragon. She roosted atop the Great Mountain and much liked the people of her home, and was grand and terrible enough that a fleet of proper warships would be necessary to lay her low. Not a grand fleet to be sure, but for many demiplanes dislodging an elder dragon would have required their full might and battered their fleet, leaving them open to their enemies. And so, it was only with the coming of the Apétychen Empire that Hallfdi was truly threatened.
But even then, because of your father's effort, it survived, and found itself a new protector.
(O)
This next stage, in a sense, describes the people around you and how they impacted your life. It presents companions, connections, and enemies. Note that the choice of metahuman race is separate from the choice of roles. You can jointly include them in a plan (though I'd prefer you didn't), but I will tally them separately.
Your mother held notable influence with Hallfdi's power structure, enough that her marriage (along with a few ancillary details) was sufficient to bring the demiplane into the Empire. Who was she - and by extension, who are you?
[_] Elf.
Your mother was a Wyrmrider, a talented woman who had managed to, if not truly tame, then at least bond with one of the great lizards that burrowed through the innards of the Great Mountain. Between the inherent prestige of her position and the influence she held over mining consortiums on account of her ability to simply tunnel to precious resources, her word was much respected in the elven community. Her union with your father makes you an Elf. Elves are in tune with nature - literally. Extremely malleable in the physical sense, elves physically adapt to comfortably reside in whatever environment they are present in, acclimating over the course of hours and days. This malleability has other effects on their form, making them naturally faster, stronger, and more resilient when it comes to the ravages of age. You gain minor bonuses to Combat Characteristics and the Environmental Adaptation Trait, which allows you to adapt and thrive just about anywhere. You can stall this Adaptation for visual/stylistic reasons if you so desire. Elves are also the most plentiful type of Near-Human, making it the second-most common branch of Metahumanity (though Humans still have the definite majority).
[_] Dragonborn.
Void Dragons inherited unbridled lust from their progenitor, and Aster is no exception. As a result, there is an incredibly small but thriving Dragonborn community upon Hallfdi, all of whom can claim direct descent from Aster. Being descended from their greatest protector, the people of Hallfdi look upon the Dragonborn with varying amounts of awe, respect, and wariness, but all of them are influential. Your mother is one of those Dragonborn, and her union with your father in turn makes you a Dragonborn. Dragonborn are a hybrid caught halfway between human and dragon. While the exact manifestation of draconic characteristics varies, all have some extent of scaled skin, draconic limbs and appendages, wings, and horns. Their draconic form also grants them exceptional strength and the ability to survive in the Void - though, lacking true draconic wings, they are not exceptionally fast in the Void. You can major bonuses to Combat Characteristics, a Fire Breath Attack, and are related to a Dragon. Dragonborn are vanishingly rare outside of places frequented by Void Dragons, but all of them are directly and recently descended from Amathos, which has its own upsides and downsides. You do not start with Draconic Lust, but it is a valid Drawback to purchase later. -2 BP.
[_] Vampire.
Your mother was a hidden vampire within Hallfdi's human community, a significant political and economical leader among the farmers and industrialists with extensive ties to the demiplanes other leaders. Publicly, she was - and still is - the equivalent to a prime minister within their internal hierarchy, one that has reigned since before the Aftermath War. Her union with your father makes you a Vampire. The tragic spawn of Helios' cruelty and Nesele's submission, vampires are functionally identical to humans in appearance. The reality is far removed, however. Vampires are hemophages by design, requiring Human or Nearhuman blood to survive - animal blood is deliberately ineffective. Their inhuman nature gives them exceptional, disproportionate strength and speed, and provides them with a number of the advantages of the mythological creature they are based off of: sharp claws, impressive regeneration, the ability to turn into mist, retractable fangs, and an enthralling aura of charm. They are also known to uniformly be the victims of a genuine curse, an oddity in the history of the Gift. Laid upon them by Nesele when she finally abandoned Helios, vampires are cursed to be weak in the presence of fire. It burns away their mist, hampers or disables their regeneration (depending on whether they're near fire or on fire), and generally weakens them. When exposed to actual sunlight, they even begin to burn and wither. They do not, however, have to sleep through the day, in a coffin, in the soil of their home, or any other fictional tripe like that. They are alive, and capable of the full range of human emotion. You gain exceptional bonuses to Combat Characteristics (above Dragonborn), a Regeneration Factor, the ability to turn into a mistform, and a small bonus to Diplomacy. You also develop a Weakness to Fire and burn when exposed to direct sunlight (use a thick umbrella). By default your nature as a vampire is unknown, but you can choose to forgo this as a Drawback later. Generally speaking, people don't look kindly on vampires outside of certain accepting societies; Helios and the vampires that stuck with him left a very bad impression. Vampires are rare, but not unheard of, and it's quite likely that in any demiplane with a sizeable population there are at least a few vampires. -4 BP.
There were a number of people who were important to you, and who played major roles in your exile. What role did they play?
Please note that when making plans, make sure to include the Tags, and that all roles are filled (i.e. one Companion, one Ally, one Enemy).
Your sister: Your sister from another mother. Presently she is aggressively undefined, since her personality and skills depend extensively on this next choice. Regardless of choice, your sister will be presented with the same spread of options as you (save Metahuman race and a few Gift options, + some others I didn't feel appropriate for a main PC) and will be on the same skill level as you.
[_] [Sister] Companion.
Many considered your elder sister's situation to be an awkward one. Perhaps it was. Still, you didn't let that bother you. Despite being born at different times to different mothers, you were thick as thieves, and when you turned your eyes on politics, she was always there to support you. That may not have been the best decision, in retrospect, and you were both exiled as one. Now she stands at your side as you go to forge your future. You gain a closely related peer that is on your general skill level. She will not be better than you in your chosen field, though she may end up being just as good. -1 BP.
[_] [Sister] Ally.
You were never especially close with your sister. The difference in mothers and race formed a wedge between you, such that you never truly bonded. You were still friends, and helpful to one another, but your life took you along different paths and you drifted apart. Still, when you drew upon you the ire of your enemies, she was there to help once more, arranging the opportunity to become a Far Trader rather than having you suffer some more unpleasant fate. You have a peer ally/friend in the Empire, but she's not going to go to bat for you.
[_] [Sister] Enemy.
You don't know where it went wrong. You were close in your youth, but something happened and then you became the bitterest of enemies. At first it was just petty insults, but soon enough you were tearing into each other's friends, relationships, and dreams. When all your schemes were ruined, it was your sister who sent them tumbling down. You have a bitter enemy in the Empire who is at least your peer and wants you dead or gone. +1 BP.
Your lover: You had a close friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend with which you may have been in love. They are not as good as you, but they are still capable.
[_] [Lover] Companion.
You're not married, but it's sort of debatable whether that even matters. Within weeks of meeting you were inseparable, and when it came to your hopes and dreams you worked as one. This did ultimately have its consequences, but you bore them together. You gain a close advisor that isn't on your level but that will have complementary skills and be strong where you're weak or average.
[_] [Lover] Ally.
The two of you were in somewhat lengthy relationship, but it never really worked out. Too much about you annoyed them, too much about them annoyed you, and in the end your lives pulled you in separate directions. Still, you parted on good terms, and when your star started declining they offered you a way out for old times' sake. You have an ally/friend in the Empire, but they're not especially close or exceptionally capable.
[_] [Lover] Enemy.
You were close - once. You might have even gotten married, had things gone differently. But then your ambitions and theirs clashed horribly, and love turned to rank and bitter hatred. With knowledge of your weaknesses and plans they tore into you, ripping apart your dreams until they were little more than idle fancy, and leaving you to face your host of enemies alone. You have a bitter enemy in the Empire who is not quite your peer and wants you dead or gone, and also has your measure.
Your mentor: The Steel Maiden is a few centuries too old for 'Maiden' to still apply in your opinion, but you've never dared to voice that aloud. (In)famous within the Empire for being the only woman to tell Amathos to fuck off and never succumb, she has extensive experience, connections, and influence.
[_] [Mentor] Companion.
Many were intensely jealous when the Steel Maiden took you on as a protégé. You're still not sure how you caught the attention of such an august personage. All you know is that her guidance and advice helped you make it as far as you did, and that the eyes of the Empire's power players all bulged with various emotions when she decided to join you on your exile. You gain an omnidisciplinary master as an advisor. You have no clue why the hell she decided to come with you. -3 BP.
[_] [Mentor] Ally.
You fought hard to gain the attention and favor of the Steel Maiden. In the end, and after a lot of effort, she took a shine to you and taught you some of what she knew - and almost all of what you know. She always kept you at a distance however, though when certain facts about your plans and actions emerged she pulled strings that saw you escape an unpleasant doom. You have an omnidisciplinary master in the Empire as a former mentor and acquaintance. She's not going to go to work for you without a reason, but when she does you can be assured it will be with great effect.
[_] [Mentor] Enemy.
Once, you caught the eye of the Silver Maiden. Once, you were her prize pupil. Once. You're still not entirely sure what you did wrong, but you have a strong suspicion that it had to be the way you dealt with some of your enemies. Having taught you everything you know, she knew exactly where to press and tear to make sure everything fell apart for you, and when you stood amid the ashes of your plans, she made her contempt for you exceptionally clear. You have an omnidisciplinary master as bitter enemy in the Empire. This greatly complicates any future actions or associations you might wish to have in the Empire (such as acquiring ships, trade goods/routes, reinforcements, etc.). +3 BP.
As a final note, I have updated the World Details post with some details about Religion and Gods. More stuff will be steadily posted over the coming week.
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Character Creation Part 3
- Location
- Somewhere in Ontario
The Gift is as old as human civilization; in fact, the Gift could be said to have sparked human civilization. The exact origins of the Gift are lost in the mists of time, but popular legend holds that forty-three hundred years ago the tribe of Cyrin the Conqueror came upon the Isle of Gifts at the very center of the Rings, and there were blessed with the Gifts that elevated them above other men and saw the tribe become the first primitive nation state.
Those who are Gifted are born with a silvery tattoo of a circular emblem upon their brow, one which shines through light fabric regardless of its opacity. The emblem is always complex and intricate, but seems to follow no other discernible pattern. The Gift always provides its bearer with superhuman or supernatural abilities, and typically manifests in the adolescent years, though the general category of the Gift can sometimes be determined from a younger age.
From long millennia of observation, a number of common facts regarding the Gift have emerged. First, traditional Gifts are invariably tied to one of the Giftbearer's major personality traits, and often related to some emotion. For example, Elementalists that manipulate fire are usually brash, passionate, and/or quick to anger, Physicalists that are exceedingly beautiful are often vain or lustful, and so on. It's not uncommon for families with Gifted children to try and push said children in a particular direction, though the success rate of such tactics is usually spotty at best. The associated personality trait is commonly referred to as a Quirk or Core Trait, though some philosophical texts on the Gift have also called it a Flaw.
Second, the more a Giftbearer emphasizes and indulges the personality trait in question, the stronger their Gift is. There are four general tiers of strength that have been observed, though these are ranges rather than strict uniform values. They are: Minor, Major, Rampant, and the vanishingly rare Dominant. Someone with a Minor Gift is one in which the Quirk is not expressed or heightened, or where the Giftbearer is restraining themselves; generally, any situation in which the Giftbearer is not taking active effort to feed their Quirk. Someone with a Major Gift has elevated their Quirk to be their strongest, most apparent, and most controlling personality trait, but who retains the presence of mind and self-control to restrain their actions and not act purely in-line with the impulses and mindset encouraged by their Quirk. Someone with a Rampant Gift is on an entirely different level, almost a walking force of nature. Whether deliberately or accidental, they are someone that has given in entirely to their Quirk, and has lost any ability to restrain themselves; for example, someone whose Quirk is Vanity will believe themselves better than everyone and cannot be convinced otherwise, the Quirk of Capriciousness means someone will always act on their first impulse, the Quirk of Kindness means one will be charitable and self-sacrificing to the extreme, and so on and so forth. This is not a state of being exclusive to the Gifted, those without the Gift are still capable of developing such monomania, but those without the Gift are usually far less capable of really acting on their desires. Rampancy is not usually seen as a good thing, as can be evidenced by the fact that the common perception of Rampant Gifted is that they 'fell into Rampancy', but whether it is a bad thing depends entirely on the Quirk in question and their personality.
The Dominant state has been observed a number of times over the millennia, but is shrouded by mystery. Someone with a Dominant Gift is not any more powerful than one with a Rampant Gift, in principle at least. Instead, the key difference lies in the level of control, in that a Dominant Giftbearer is able to act against and restrain their Quirk. The difficulty in attaining, and more importantly maintaining, this state is that it requires an exceptional degree of doublethink and cognitive dissonance: one must embrace their Quirk as their overarching guiding virtue while simultaneously accepting it as worthless, or minor, or irrelevant. Those who maintain Dominance, and do not break under the strain and fall to Rampancy, invariably become inhuman individuals with strange mindsets. Some who have achieved Dominance have written texts describing the process by which they achieved such a state, but such texts are usually incomprehensible and highly personal, and thus often more dangerous than useful as an actual guide to Dominance. They are as such banned, for the simple reason that while someone can have a semi-controlled descent into Rampancy depending on exactly how they choose to indulge their Quirk, someone that falls from the road to Dominance is invariably left mentally broken in unpredictable ways.
Lastly, the Gift is hereditary and recessive. Unions between Gifted individuals almost always produced Gifted children, whereas unions between a Gifted and Giftless typically didn't. As a result of this, the presence of the Gift was for a long time seen as a sign of nobility and divine providence. Over time though, such intermixed unions produced Gifted children at a greater rate, to the point that nowadays the vast majority of the population possesses a Gift of some kind.
When picking Gifts, vote for your top three choices. At the end of voting, the option with the most votes wins. The precise corresponding Flaw is chosen in the next step.
[_] Elementalist.
Elemental Gifts tend to be rather common, as they spring from some of the most ubiquitous traits: anger, passion, impulsiveness, stubbornness, and so on. As representing all of the potential Elemental Gifts would double the length of this vote, if Elementalist wins you'll simply choose your Flaw of choice in the next step and get the corresponding Element (list is Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Ice, Lightning). Elemental Gifts are primarily useful in combat, though they can also have ancillary uses in reshaping the landscape (the latter won't be mechanically represented). In the Minor Stage you get a few bonuses to your Combat Characteristics, a little below the level of what being a Dragonborn gives you. In the Major Stage these bonuses will double, and in battle calculations you will be included as the equivalent of a block of Infantry. If you progress to the Rampant/Dominant Stage, the bonuses will increase significantly and you'll essentially be a force of nature, counting as a Superheavy when it comes to army calculations. A fragile force of nature - your body remains the same - but still.
Physical Gifts apply some kind of semi-constant change to your body. This can include the relatively mundane - exaggerated physical attributes such as beauty or strength, the odd - regeneration, invulnerability, and the inhuman - shapeshifting. Both Physical Gifts are -1 BP.
[_] Ideal Form.
Your Gift responds to the mental image of your ideal self, reshaping and maintaining your body to fit how you imagine yourself. Practically speaking, this makes it difficult for you to be permanently injured, improves your appearance, and at higher levels improves some of your Combat Characteristics. Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Vanity, Pride, and similar personality traits. In the Minor Stage your Appearance Trait goes up by 1 tier (i.e. if you had nothing you are now Attractive, if you had Attractive you are now Beautiful, and above beautiful you get into levels of inhuman beauty and possible memetic hazards) - the Appearance Trait impacts Opinion, which impacts the outcomes of social interactions. In the Major Stage your Appearance Trait goes up by 2 tiers, and you gain a minor bonus to Combat Characteristics. If you progress to the Rampant/Dominant Stage, your Appearance Trait goes up by 3 tiers (at which point, if you weren't already, you are a memetic hazard), and you gain bonuses to your Combat Characteristics on par with being a Dragonborn.
[_] Phoenician.
Your Gift is a reflection of the phrase "consequences don't apply to me." You will quickly regenerate from injuries, and at higher levels the speed of regeneration is such that total disintegration would be required to kill you (if that even works). Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Recklessness, Aconsequantialism (the aforementioned belief that you never suffer consequences), and similar personality traits. Essentially, this Gift provides you with Wound Regeneration of a tier equivalent to your Stage, and at Major+ raises your Combat Characteristics to a slight degree as you start being able to use the full strength of your body without injury.
Presence Gifts are the last category of common Gift. Rather than changing the self, they change the environment, though in contrast to Elementalist Gifts they affect the people rather than the world directly. Generally speaking, they alter the perception of those who perceive the Gifted individual in various ways. Presence Gifts give stronger general bonuses, but the Gift of the Ideal Form is ultimately stronger when it comes to affecting Opinion and social rolls. Both Presence Gifts are -2 BP.
[_] Charm.
Your Gift magnifies your natural charisma, bestowing upon you an air of friendliness and charm that results in people finding you likeable, agreeable, and trustworthy. This provides multiplicative bonuses to Diplomacy, Intrigue, and Stewardship (though for the latter only half the bonus and only in negotiation situations) in accordance with your stage. Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Virtuosity, Condescension, and other traits related to seeing yourself as someone trustworthy and worth listening to.
[_] Authority.
Your Gift magnifies your air of authority and command. When you speak, people find themselves listening and then leaping to obey. This provides multiplicative bonuses to Martial, Stewardship, and Diplomacy (though for the latter only half the bonus and only in interpersonal situations) in accordance with your stage. Potential Flaws related to this are Hubris, Assertiveness, and other traits related to believing yourself as someone to be implicitly obeyed.
Lastly, there are Disjointed Gifts. Disjointed Gifts are rare, esoteric, and a category all of their own. Typically, rather than being born of some inherent character trait, they are instead shaped or guided by internal desires or obsessions, though the link is not always obvious or positive. They are occasionally referred to as Curses in the texts that touch upon them. They do not spring from a Flaw and thus do not follow the Minor/Major/Rampant/Dominant progression. Instead, they are constant once manifested, and usually bring with them incredible power over the world in some shape or form. Examples include the Gift of Failure, Gift of Foresight, and the original Gift of Change - all of Amathos' children seemed to have developed a warped Gift that sprung from a Flaw, which explains much of what went wrong in the Time of Madness. In your case, Disjointed Gifts are linked with your chosen ambition and more specifically the Turn Actions you take. Both Disjointed Gifts are -3 BP, and have significant effects on how you should approach turn resolution.
[_] Predetermination.
You've always had a vague awareness of the course of your life, how your future would play out: good, bad, average, horrific, exceptional. Over time you came to realize that these feelings lined up with specific major events, and that no matter what you did or what course you chose, the next major event would occur in line with your awareness. You do not roll dice in the normal way. Instead, I will provide you with a sequential string of nine outcomes that correspond to (Critical Failure, Failure, Bare Success, Good Success, Critical Success). In cases where you would roll to resolve a Turn Action or Event Turn, you instead achieve the outcome next on your list. For example, if the next two outcomes in the sequence are Crit Success and Crit Fail, and you take a Diplomacy action that sees you negotiate with a head of state and a Martial action that sees you reorganize your forces, you will automatically succeed on the negotiations and automatically fail the reorganization. There is no good way to sidestep a bad result; attempts to do so will have the bad result be applied to the attempt to sidestep. The most you can do is arrange an acceptable sequence of events.
[_] Equivalent Victory.
Everything has always gone your way in life. Not perfectly, no, often not even exceptionally, but you have succeeded on every single test, every challenge, and every interaction, no matter how difficult or improbable. Over the years though, you've come to realize that when you succeed against the odds, people around you seem to suffer and fail in strange and often drastic ways. The short version is that you are a luck vampire. You roll in the normal way, and then if the roll is a failure, you will instead barely succeed - note the qualifier. I will then take the amount by which you fell short and subtract it from an ally's roll. I will attempt to apply this penalty on the same turn and to the same kind of action (e.g. Diplomacy to Diplomacy, Martial to Martial, Combat to Combat, etc.).
Those who are Gifted are born with a silvery tattoo of a circular emblem upon their brow, one which shines through light fabric regardless of its opacity. The emblem is always complex and intricate, but seems to follow no other discernible pattern. The Gift always provides its bearer with superhuman or supernatural abilities, and typically manifests in the adolescent years, though the general category of the Gift can sometimes be determined from a younger age.
From long millennia of observation, a number of common facts regarding the Gift have emerged. First, traditional Gifts are invariably tied to one of the Giftbearer's major personality traits, and often related to some emotion. For example, Elementalists that manipulate fire are usually brash, passionate, and/or quick to anger, Physicalists that are exceedingly beautiful are often vain or lustful, and so on. It's not uncommon for families with Gifted children to try and push said children in a particular direction, though the success rate of such tactics is usually spotty at best. The associated personality trait is commonly referred to as a Quirk or Core Trait, though some philosophical texts on the Gift have also called it a Flaw.
Second, the more a Giftbearer emphasizes and indulges the personality trait in question, the stronger their Gift is. There are four general tiers of strength that have been observed, though these are ranges rather than strict uniform values. They are: Minor, Major, Rampant, and the vanishingly rare Dominant. Someone with a Minor Gift is one in which the Quirk is not expressed or heightened, or where the Giftbearer is restraining themselves; generally, any situation in which the Giftbearer is not taking active effort to feed their Quirk. Someone with a Major Gift has elevated their Quirk to be their strongest, most apparent, and most controlling personality trait, but who retains the presence of mind and self-control to restrain their actions and not act purely in-line with the impulses and mindset encouraged by their Quirk. Someone with a Rampant Gift is on an entirely different level, almost a walking force of nature. Whether deliberately or accidental, they are someone that has given in entirely to their Quirk, and has lost any ability to restrain themselves; for example, someone whose Quirk is Vanity will believe themselves better than everyone and cannot be convinced otherwise, the Quirk of Capriciousness means someone will always act on their first impulse, the Quirk of Kindness means one will be charitable and self-sacrificing to the extreme, and so on and so forth. This is not a state of being exclusive to the Gifted, those without the Gift are still capable of developing such monomania, but those without the Gift are usually far less capable of really acting on their desires. Rampancy is not usually seen as a good thing, as can be evidenced by the fact that the common perception of Rampant Gifted is that they 'fell into Rampancy', but whether it is a bad thing depends entirely on the Quirk in question and their personality.
The Dominant state has been observed a number of times over the millennia, but is shrouded by mystery. Someone with a Dominant Gift is not any more powerful than one with a Rampant Gift, in principle at least. Instead, the key difference lies in the level of control, in that a Dominant Giftbearer is able to act against and restrain their Quirk. The difficulty in attaining, and more importantly maintaining, this state is that it requires an exceptional degree of doublethink and cognitive dissonance: one must embrace their Quirk as their overarching guiding virtue while simultaneously accepting it as worthless, or minor, or irrelevant. Those who maintain Dominance, and do not break under the strain and fall to Rampancy, invariably become inhuman individuals with strange mindsets. Some who have achieved Dominance have written texts describing the process by which they achieved such a state, but such texts are usually incomprehensible and highly personal, and thus often more dangerous than useful as an actual guide to Dominance. They are as such banned, for the simple reason that while someone can have a semi-controlled descent into Rampancy depending on exactly how they choose to indulge their Quirk, someone that falls from the road to Dominance is invariably left mentally broken in unpredictable ways.
Lastly, the Gift is hereditary and recessive. Unions between Gifted individuals almost always produced Gifted children, whereas unions between a Gifted and Giftless typically didn't. As a result of this, the presence of the Gift was for a long time seen as a sign of nobility and divine providence. Over time though, such intermixed unions produced Gifted children at a greater rate, to the point that nowadays the vast majority of the population possesses a Gift of some kind.
When picking Gifts, vote for your top three choices. At the end of voting, the option with the most votes wins. The precise corresponding Flaw is chosen in the next step.
[_] Elementalist.
Elemental Gifts tend to be rather common, as they spring from some of the most ubiquitous traits: anger, passion, impulsiveness, stubbornness, and so on. As representing all of the potential Elemental Gifts would double the length of this vote, if Elementalist wins you'll simply choose your Flaw of choice in the next step and get the corresponding Element (list is Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Ice, Lightning). Elemental Gifts are primarily useful in combat, though they can also have ancillary uses in reshaping the landscape (the latter won't be mechanically represented). In the Minor Stage you get a few bonuses to your Combat Characteristics, a little below the level of what being a Dragonborn gives you. In the Major Stage these bonuses will double, and in battle calculations you will be included as the equivalent of a block of Infantry. If you progress to the Rampant/Dominant Stage, the bonuses will increase significantly and you'll essentially be a force of nature, counting as a Superheavy when it comes to army calculations. A fragile force of nature - your body remains the same - but still.
Physical Gifts apply some kind of semi-constant change to your body. This can include the relatively mundane - exaggerated physical attributes such as beauty or strength, the odd - regeneration, invulnerability, and the inhuman - shapeshifting. Both Physical Gifts are -1 BP.
[_] Ideal Form.
Your Gift responds to the mental image of your ideal self, reshaping and maintaining your body to fit how you imagine yourself. Practically speaking, this makes it difficult for you to be permanently injured, improves your appearance, and at higher levels improves some of your Combat Characteristics. Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Vanity, Pride, and similar personality traits. In the Minor Stage your Appearance Trait goes up by 1 tier (i.e. if you had nothing you are now Attractive, if you had Attractive you are now Beautiful, and above beautiful you get into levels of inhuman beauty and possible memetic hazards) - the Appearance Trait impacts Opinion, which impacts the outcomes of social interactions. In the Major Stage your Appearance Trait goes up by 2 tiers, and you gain a minor bonus to Combat Characteristics. If you progress to the Rampant/Dominant Stage, your Appearance Trait goes up by 3 tiers (at which point, if you weren't already, you are a memetic hazard), and you gain bonuses to your Combat Characteristics on par with being a Dragonborn.
[_] Phoenician.
Your Gift is a reflection of the phrase "consequences don't apply to me." You will quickly regenerate from injuries, and at higher levels the speed of regeneration is such that total disintegration would be required to kill you (if that even works). Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Recklessness, Aconsequantialism (the aforementioned belief that you never suffer consequences), and similar personality traits. Essentially, this Gift provides you with Wound Regeneration of a tier equivalent to your Stage, and at Major+ raises your Combat Characteristics to a slight degree as you start being able to use the full strength of your body without injury.
Presence Gifts are the last category of common Gift. Rather than changing the self, they change the environment, though in contrast to Elementalist Gifts they affect the people rather than the world directly. Generally speaking, they alter the perception of those who perceive the Gifted individual in various ways. Presence Gifts give stronger general bonuses, but the Gift of the Ideal Form is ultimately stronger when it comes to affecting Opinion and social rolls. Both Presence Gifts are -2 BP.
[_] Charm.
Your Gift magnifies your natural charisma, bestowing upon you an air of friendliness and charm that results in people finding you likeable, agreeable, and trustworthy. This provides multiplicative bonuses to Diplomacy, Intrigue, and Stewardship (though for the latter only half the bonus and only in negotiation situations) in accordance with your stage. Potential Flaws related to this Gift are Virtuosity, Condescension, and other traits related to seeing yourself as someone trustworthy and worth listening to.
[_] Authority.
Your Gift magnifies your air of authority and command. When you speak, people find themselves listening and then leaping to obey. This provides multiplicative bonuses to Martial, Stewardship, and Diplomacy (though for the latter only half the bonus and only in interpersonal situations) in accordance with your stage. Potential Flaws related to this are Hubris, Assertiveness, and other traits related to believing yourself as someone to be implicitly obeyed.
Lastly, there are Disjointed Gifts. Disjointed Gifts are rare, esoteric, and a category all of their own. Typically, rather than being born of some inherent character trait, they are instead shaped or guided by internal desires or obsessions, though the link is not always obvious or positive. They are occasionally referred to as Curses in the texts that touch upon them. They do not spring from a Flaw and thus do not follow the Minor/Major/Rampant/Dominant progression. Instead, they are constant once manifested, and usually bring with them incredible power over the world in some shape or form. Examples include the Gift of Failure, Gift of Foresight, and the original Gift of Change - all of Amathos' children seemed to have developed a warped Gift that sprung from a Flaw, which explains much of what went wrong in the Time of Madness. In your case, Disjointed Gifts are linked with your chosen ambition and more specifically the Turn Actions you take. Both Disjointed Gifts are -3 BP, and have significant effects on how you should approach turn resolution.
[_] Predetermination.
You've always had a vague awareness of the course of your life, how your future would play out: good, bad, average, horrific, exceptional. Over time you came to realize that these feelings lined up with specific major events, and that no matter what you did or what course you chose, the next major event would occur in line with your awareness. You do not roll dice in the normal way. Instead, I will provide you with a sequential string of nine outcomes that correspond to (Critical Failure, Failure, Bare Success, Good Success, Critical Success). In cases where you would roll to resolve a Turn Action or Event Turn, you instead achieve the outcome next on your list. For example, if the next two outcomes in the sequence are Crit Success and Crit Fail, and you take a Diplomacy action that sees you negotiate with a head of state and a Martial action that sees you reorganize your forces, you will automatically succeed on the negotiations and automatically fail the reorganization. There is no good way to sidestep a bad result; attempts to do so will have the bad result be applied to the attempt to sidestep. The most you can do is arrange an acceptable sequence of events.
[_] Equivalent Victory.
Everything has always gone your way in life. Not perfectly, no, often not even exceptionally, but you have succeeded on every single test, every challenge, and every interaction, no matter how difficult or improbable. Over the years though, you've come to realize that when you succeed against the odds, people around you seem to suffer and fail in strange and often drastic ways. The short version is that you are a luck vampire. You roll in the normal way, and then if the roll is a failure, you will instead barely succeed - note the qualifier. I will then take the amount by which you fell short and subtract it from an ally's roll. I will attempt to apply this penalty on the same turn and to the same kind of action (e.g. Diplomacy to Diplomacy, Martial to Martial, Combat to Combat, etc.).
Character Creation Part 4
- Location
- Somewhere in Ontario
There's going to be a lengthier mechanics post once we get to the Departure Turn (coming up next), but for now I'll talk about the mechanics you need to know to make better, informed decisions for this stage.
The primary resolution mechanic for Turn Actions is a d100 roll like every other CKII game. However, unlike other CKII games, you don't necessarily have set characters filling set roles (e.g. Chancellor, Steward, etc.) with exact percentile chances. Instead, you can assign different characters to different actions according to their skills and personalities, and each of these actions instead has a set difficulty. Characters/advisors start out with 3 Actions they can devote to varying options; various Traits and Gifts can modify this amount.
Now, let's take a random Diplomacy action of difficulty 10 to which you assign an advisor with skill 15. The modifier to their roll is equal to their skill level minus the difficulty level (15 – 10 = 5) times 3.33... rounding down (i.e. a difference of 1 is 3%, 2 is 6%, 3 is 10%, etc.). Thus, this hypothetical advisor has a +16 modifier. They add it to their modifier, and try to beat a 50 (in other words, an advisor matched equally to a task has a 50% chance of success). Or in summary, the roll goes d100 – 50 + 3.33... * (Skill – Difficulty), where a positive result is good, a 0 is a bare success, and a negative result is bad. If the final result is more than 50, then it's a critical success of some kind; less than -50, a critical failure.
Difficulties range from 5 to 35, with the average falling around 15. Skill/Characteristics tend to fall into the same range.
Opinion applies specifically to rolls describing the social interaction between two people – usually Diplomacy, though sometimes Stewardship or Intrigue and veeeery occasionally Martial (i.e. between superior and underling). Like the actual game, this value describes how people see you/how you see them, and ranges from -100 to 100 even if the combined modifiers would normally total to something lesser/greater than that. Before rolling, the Opinions of both people involved are averaged (e.g. one person feels very strongly and has a +100, the other is weirded out but still friendly at a +20, average is +60) and is added as a modifier to the initiator's roll. Just about all Personality Traits impact Opinion in some way.
Personal Combat/Dueling is a stripped down and simplified version of Exalted 3e. The four characteristics are Attack, Defense, Initiative, and Wounds, the first three of which range from 0 to 10 (the average person will have 1-2 in the first three, and 3-5 in the last). Attacks are resolved through rolling a number of d2 equal to twice the Attack characteristic, with every result of 2 counting as a success. Matching or beating the target's Defense reduces the target's Wounds by 1+extra successes (i.e. if attacker rolls 3 successes and target has 2 Defense, there is 1 extra success). First person to bring an opponent to a set number of wounds (0 in lethal duels, 1-3 in non-lethal) wins. Initiative is used to determine who strikes first and how often. If one side has a higher Initiative, they strike first. In addition, for every 2 points by which their Initiative exceeds the other's, they attack an extra time in the same round. If both sides have the same Initiative, I flip a coin to see who strikes first that round. Equipment, special attacks, and all that are summarized entirely by the Combat Characteristics.
Lastly, Prestige and Wealth. Wealth is basically gold from all other systems and is a universal currency used to buy assets, send gifts, take actions, fund armies, etc. Prestige is similar in that it's also a currency, but it's more limited and grows differently. Prestige is a social currency you spend within the Empire to acquire favors, resources, allies, etc. You gain and lose Prestige through your actions, and this forms your Prestige Cap. When you spend Prestige on social influencing, your Cap does not decrease, but the amount of "free" Prestige does. In other words, your Prestige Cap is how well you're known, while your "free" Prestige is the social capital you have available. Wealth is represented through a simple number, Prestige is represented in the form of X (Y), where X is the Cap and Y is Prestige you've spent. X – Y is thus free Prestige.
Now, the last stage of character creation. Everything that follows should be contained within a plan.
Education: Beyond your own practice and Svetlana the Steel Maiden's targeted tutoring, you also received a wider education from her and other sources. This provides a small bonus to Learning (+3), but more broadly what was the focus of your education? Your current stat bonuses are: +3 to Diplomacy, +9 to Intrigue, +6 to Learning (including the just-mentioned +3), +2 to Attack and Defense, and +3 to Wounds.
[_] Military.
You were taught how to read a battlefield, organize logistics, command and lead troops to victory and death, and how to fight and react and survive. Provides +6 to Martial, +3 to Stewardship, +1 to Attack, Defense, and +1 Initiative, +2 to Wounds.
[_] Courtly.
You were taught how to maneuver in high society, play the Apétychen Court, and guide and prod and manipulate people. You were also given some training in courtly dueling, seeing as how it's a favored and longstanding pastime of the nobility. Provides +6 Diplomacy and Intrigue, +1 to Attack and Defense.
[_] Business.
You were taught the rules and patterns of money and business: how it flows, how to nurture it, how to lead and guide, what to look out for, what to guard against. Provides +6 to Stewardship, +3 to Diplomacy and Intrigue and Learning.
Flaw: Upon further thought, there are two dichotomous traits a Gift of Charm could spring from.
[_] Ambition.
Your Gift springs less from a good and effusive personality and more your dedicated belief in yourself. Your confidence and dedication wells forth to draw people into your influence, your every word dripping with passion that sways the mind. As a result, you do not like opposition or setbacks. This does not mean you don't take advice or are incapable of caution, but rather that you are predisposed to see those that stand against you more harshly and more negatively. In essence, you're less tolerant and friction will more easily generate enemies.
[_] Virtuosity.
Your Gift springs from a fundamental goodness of heart, a habit of kindness so strong you at times have the mien of a saint. You will have to take Kind as a Trait, and its effects will be exaggerated; you will balk at certain actions – bloody battles, massacres, assassinations, engendering familial strife, wars of conquest, that kind of thing. Your advisors will still be able to take such actions if you – as the players – direct them to, but they will try and hide or downplay said actions, which will cause strife if the PC rolls well enough to find out and/or the advisor fucks up.
Traits: The personal, physical, personality, and background traits and quirks that define you as an individual. You have 2 BP. You may select a maximum of 5 Personality Traits and a maximum of 3 Perks/Drawbacks. If you have extra BP at the end of this stage, they will be converted 1:1 to extra points in your highest CKII stat (which is basically guaranteed to be Intrigue). You cannot end this stage with negative BP.
-Personality: While you as the players decide what actions your character takes, these personality traits influence the results of those actions. Keep that in mind, as I will stick to the personality traits even, and perhaps especially, where it could be inconvenient. Moreover, the interactions between your character and your advisors will be a major part of the game. Make sure you come out with a character you will be willing to stick with.
[_] Lustful.
You're very passionate when it comes to sex, and your eye tends to wander. You're more likely to initiate and succumb to seduction attempts; also, your relationship with your lover is going to be more open and less exclusive. +5 Opinion to others with Lustful, extra +5 Opinion to those attracted to you, -15 Opinion to those with Chaste (those who are attracted to you still apply both modifiers). Cannot be taken with Draconic Lust, +1 BP.
[_] Draconic Lust.
You've inherited the rampant and ardent desire for physical relations that is present in all true Dragons. You flirt with just about everyone, frequently find yourself in another's bed, and are completely insatiable. As with Lustful, your relationship with your lover is going to be more open and less exclusive. +10 Opinion to others with Lustful, extra +10 Opinion to those attracted to you, -30 Opinion to those with Chaste (those who are attracted to you still apply both modifiers). Cannot be taken with Lustful, +2 BP.
[_] Wroth.
Your anger often grows beyond your capacity to restrain it, leading you to impulsive and ill-advised actions. Does not inherently correlate with physical violence; could manifest as verbal insults, grudges, and termination of negotiations/agreements. Expands the Critical Failure margin on actions involving social interaction (usually Diplomacy) to -40 from -50, -10 Opinion to those with Patient. Cannot be taken with Patient, +1 BP.
[_] Slothful.
Legends and myths are full of tales of dragons lounging around on hoarded piles of gold doing nothing but enjoying themselves. While Sloth is not an inherent draconic trait, many dragons, drakes, and dragonborn like the sound of lounging around and enjoying themselves while others scurry to please them. -5 Opinion in general, extra -10 Opinion to those with Diligent. Cannot be taken with Diligent, lose 1 Action a turn on your character, +3 BP.
[_] Kind.
You're friendly, considerate, tolerant of mistakes and accidents, and helpful to those in need. However, you shy away from cruel and hard acts, as well as those who commit them. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 to those with similar traits (e.g. Kind, Charitable, etc.), -10 Opinion to those with opposing traits (e.g. Ruthless, Envious, Greedy, etc. - overrides general Opinion modifier). Cannot be taken with Ruthless.
[_] Charitable.
You tend to be free and giving with your money and aid, providing help to the less fortunate. This attitude endears you to them, but leaves you somewhat lesser in terms of resources and sets you against the greedy and the grasping. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 to those with similar traits (e.g. Kind, Charitable, etc.), -10 Opinion to those with opposing traits (e.g. Ruthless, Envious, Greedy, etc. - overrides general Opinion modifier). Applies a -10% modifier to the Wealth Income of overseen ventures (i.e. total income + any personal Stewardship actions), and also improves the benefits and costs of various charity actions by 25%. -1 BP.
[_] Patient.
You rarely feel the burgeoning need to act swiftly or rise to an insult, and are able to tolerate and suffer through delays, problems, and setbacks. Shrinks the Critical Failure margin on actions involving social interaction (usually Diplomacy) from -50 to -60, -10 Opinion to those with Wroth. Cannot be taken with Wroth, -1 BP.
[_] Diligent.
You're a hard worker, devoting a lot of care and attention to the tasks you set yourself. Some might even call you a workaholic. +5 Opinion in general, -10 Opinion to those with Slothful (overrides general modifier). Cannot be taken with Slothful, gain 1 Action a turn on your character, -5 BP.
[_] Ruthless.
Many would say you lack pity or compassion. This is not necessarily true. Rather, you simply prize results and success above all else. At this point, with your hopes and dreams in tatters, you can do nothing else. -10 General Opinion. Cannot be taken with Kind, +1 BP.
[_] Deceitful.
You aren't a pathological liar, but you rarely show your true face. Truth and lies are merely tools in your arsenal, to be wielded as appropriate, and you have few qualms with manipulating others. -5 Opinion in general, if you have a negative Opinion of someone that value is halved for the purposes of calculating roll modifiers. Cannot be taken with Honest, +1 BP.
[_] Cynical.
Your perspective or belief is entirely worldly. You question everyone's motives, are disinterested with 'accepted standards', and if you do believe in a higher power, it's as a very disinterested Fundamentalist. +5 Opinion to others with Cynical, -15 to those with Zealous and differing religious beliefs. Cannot be taken with Zealous.
[_] Gregarious.
You're very sociable and fond of company. Some might say that you talk too much, but usually you manage to keep the conversation balanced and interesting enough to avoid that complaint. Not all of the information you learn is useful or even interesting, but sometimes loose tongues spill extra tidbits. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 Opinion to those with the same trait, extra +5 Opinion to those attracted to you. -1 BP.
[_] Honest.
You're sincere and straightforward in your dealings, avoiding deceit and underhanded dealings. This doesn't mean you're free with secrets, but you do prefer to keep things aboveboard. +10 Opinion in general, -10 Opinion to those with Deceitful (overrides general modifier). Cannot be taken with Deceitful, -1 BP.
[_] Erudite.
You have a fascination with knowledge, and as a result you're well-read and learned. Often, this results in you knowing interesting bits of semi-relevant trivia, but sometimes this passion and drive produces knowledge that is relevant to the situation. +3 Learning, -1 BP.
[_] Zealous.
Whatever your beliefs are, you cling to them tightly and with much devotion. You take issue to being questioned regarding those beliefs, and stand against any that oppose them. Whether you're religious or not is, ultimately, irrelevant, as your zeal permeates your entire personality. To others with similar religious beliefs, apply a +15 Opinion modifier (i.e. you like them more); to others with different religious beliefs, apply a -25 Opinion Modifier (i.e. you like them less). Cannot be taken with Cynical, +1 BP.
-Other: These traits describe your skills, capacity, and connections.
[_] Attractive.
You are pretty, shapely, and nice to look at. Not close to the height of beauty, and nothing close to the near-divine presence of some Gifted individuals, but still fair and appealing. +20 Opinion against those attracted to you, half against everyone else. Cannot be taken with Gorgeous, -1 BP.
[_] Gorgeous.
Your natural beauty knows few peers. You have a kind of body that matches many with beauty-and-figure related Gifts, and you know it. +40 Opinion against those attracted to you, half against everyone else. Cannot be taken with Attractive, -3 BP.
[_] Genius.
Your mind soaks up information like a sponge, makes connections at a blistering pace, and retains information like a miserly dragon clutching at their horde. +3 to Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, Intrigue, and Learning. -4 BP.
[_] Grand Exodus.
As part and parcel of the lifeline she offered to you, the Steel Maiden has leveraged her own connections to play up the benefits of supporting you, emphasizing your skill and drive and what an asset you could be to the Empire. You get extra governmental support and resources to start, which translates to more choices and higher quality everything. Cannot be taken with Encouraged to Fail, -4 BP.
[_] Encouraged to Fail.
Your enemies are particularly vicious and well-connected, and they seek to cut you off at the knees before you even start. They've weighed in on the Senate and implied that since you're so skilled, you don't need as much of the customary support. You start with only a middling ship, a half-competent crew, and any resources you can scrape together by yourself. Cannot be taken with Grand Exodus, +3 BP.
[_] Imperial Blood.
Through your father, you have a somewhat close familial connection to the Imperial Komnevosian Family. Their star and power has long since waned, but having close blood ties to the family of the Emperor is still seen as a coup and a boon even in this day and age. You start with the Imperial Blood Trait, which provides you some extra Prestige and +15 Opinion to people within the empire. This Trait may also apply when dealing with planar governments with sympathies or hatred toward the empire. -2 BP.
[_] Burnt Bridges.
Your fall from grace was especially turbulent, and the aftermath found you with few supporters and fewer friends. Your name does not carry the weight it once did, and it may be a while until it does so again. You start with the Burnt Bridges Trait, which halves your starting Prestige and -15 Opinion to people within the empire. If taken with Imperial Blood, the two functionally cancel each other out (in the empire at least) until this Trait is removed. This Trait can be removed by either spending 500 Prestige or naturally accumulating 2500 Prestige. +1 BP.
[_] Major Gift.
By default, your Gift will start at Minor, and it will take time and dedicated effort playing into your Flaw in order to advance a stage. With this option, you instead start at the Major stage, magnifying both the benefits of the Gift and the Flaw. -1 BP.
[_] Martial Savant.
Fighting comes as naturally to you as breathing. The tempo of battle, the weight of a weapon, situational awareness, all of it is second nature to you. Provides +1 Attack, Defense, and Initiative. Cannot be taken with Martial Incompetent, -1 BP.
[_] Martial Incompetent.
You suck at fighting; there's no denying it. You have the wrong temperament, your reflexes are poor, and it's not like you have a Gift suitable for combat anyway. You prefer to just avoid all that physical labor and excitement. Provides -1 Attack, Defense, and Initiative. Cannot be taken with Martial Savant, +1 BP.
Considering the slightly delayed timing of this post, personal work, and an event I have on Wednesday that means I won't be available to answer any questions that crop up after putting up the first turn, voting will stay open for 48 hours.
The primary resolution mechanic for Turn Actions is a d100 roll like every other CKII game. However, unlike other CKII games, you don't necessarily have set characters filling set roles (e.g. Chancellor, Steward, etc.) with exact percentile chances. Instead, you can assign different characters to different actions according to their skills and personalities, and each of these actions instead has a set difficulty. Characters/advisors start out with 3 Actions they can devote to varying options; various Traits and Gifts can modify this amount.
Now, let's take a random Diplomacy action of difficulty 10 to which you assign an advisor with skill 15. The modifier to their roll is equal to their skill level minus the difficulty level (15 – 10 = 5) times 3.33... rounding down (i.e. a difference of 1 is 3%, 2 is 6%, 3 is 10%, etc.). Thus, this hypothetical advisor has a +16 modifier. They add it to their modifier, and try to beat a 50 (in other words, an advisor matched equally to a task has a 50% chance of success). Or in summary, the roll goes d100 – 50 + 3.33... * (Skill – Difficulty), where a positive result is good, a 0 is a bare success, and a negative result is bad. If the final result is more than 50, then it's a critical success of some kind; less than -50, a critical failure.
Difficulties range from 5 to 35, with the average falling around 15. Skill/Characteristics tend to fall into the same range.
Opinion applies specifically to rolls describing the social interaction between two people – usually Diplomacy, though sometimes Stewardship or Intrigue and veeeery occasionally Martial (i.e. between superior and underling). Like the actual game, this value describes how people see you/how you see them, and ranges from -100 to 100 even if the combined modifiers would normally total to something lesser/greater than that. Before rolling, the Opinions of both people involved are averaged (e.g. one person feels very strongly and has a +100, the other is weirded out but still friendly at a +20, average is +60) and is added as a modifier to the initiator's roll. Just about all Personality Traits impact Opinion in some way.
Personal Combat/Dueling is a stripped down and simplified version of Exalted 3e. The four characteristics are Attack, Defense, Initiative, and Wounds, the first three of which range from 0 to 10 (the average person will have 1-2 in the first three, and 3-5 in the last). Attacks are resolved through rolling a number of d2 equal to twice the Attack characteristic, with every result of 2 counting as a success. Matching or beating the target's Defense reduces the target's Wounds by 1+extra successes (i.e. if attacker rolls 3 successes and target has 2 Defense, there is 1 extra success). First person to bring an opponent to a set number of wounds (0 in lethal duels, 1-3 in non-lethal) wins. Initiative is used to determine who strikes first and how often. If one side has a higher Initiative, they strike first. In addition, for every 2 points by which their Initiative exceeds the other's, they attack an extra time in the same round. If both sides have the same Initiative, I flip a coin to see who strikes first that round. Equipment, special attacks, and all that are summarized entirely by the Combat Characteristics.
Lastly, Prestige and Wealth. Wealth is basically gold from all other systems and is a universal currency used to buy assets, send gifts, take actions, fund armies, etc. Prestige is similar in that it's also a currency, but it's more limited and grows differently. Prestige is a social currency you spend within the Empire to acquire favors, resources, allies, etc. You gain and lose Prestige through your actions, and this forms your Prestige Cap. When you spend Prestige on social influencing, your Cap does not decrease, but the amount of "free" Prestige does. In other words, your Prestige Cap is how well you're known, while your "free" Prestige is the social capital you have available. Wealth is represented through a simple number, Prestige is represented in the form of X (Y), where X is the Cap and Y is Prestige you've spent. X – Y is thus free Prestige.
Now, the last stage of character creation. Everything that follows should be contained within a plan.
Education: Beyond your own practice and Svetlana the Steel Maiden's targeted tutoring, you also received a wider education from her and other sources. This provides a small bonus to Learning (+3), but more broadly what was the focus of your education? Your current stat bonuses are: +3 to Diplomacy, +9 to Intrigue, +6 to Learning (including the just-mentioned +3), +2 to Attack and Defense, and +3 to Wounds.
[_] Military.
You were taught how to read a battlefield, organize logistics, command and lead troops to victory and death, and how to fight and react and survive. Provides +6 to Martial, +3 to Stewardship, +1 to Attack, Defense, and +1 Initiative, +2 to Wounds.
[_] Courtly.
You were taught how to maneuver in high society, play the Apétychen Court, and guide and prod and manipulate people. You were also given some training in courtly dueling, seeing as how it's a favored and longstanding pastime of the nobility. Provides +6 Diplomacy and Intrigue, +1 to Attack and Defense.
[_] Business.
You were taught the rules and patterns of money and business: how it flows, how to nurture it, how to lead and guide, what to look out for, what to guard against. Provides +6 to Stewardship, +3 to Diplomacy and Intrigue and Learning.
Flaw: Upon further thought, there are two dichotomous traits a Gift of Charm could spring from.
[_] Ambition.
Your Gift springs less from a good and effusive personality and more your dedicated belief in yourself. Your confidence and dedication wells forth to draw people into your influence, your every word dripping with passion that sways the mind. As a result, you do not like opposition or setbacks. This does not mean you don't take advice or are incapable of caution, but rather that you are predisposed to see those that stand against you more harshly and more negatively. In essence, you're less tolerant and friction will more easily generate enemies.
[_] Virtuosity.
Your Gift springs from a fundamental goodness of heart, a habit of kindness so strong you at times have the mien of a saint. You will have to take Kind as a Trait, and its effects will be exaggerated; you will balk at certain actions – bloody battles, massacres, assassinations, engendering familial strife, wars of conquest, that kind of thing. Your advisors will still be able to take such actions if you – as the players – direct them to, but they will try and hide or downplay said actions, which will cause strife if the PC rolls well enough to find out and/or the advisor fucks up.
Traits: The personal, physical, personality, and background traits and quirks that define you as an individual. You have 2 BP. You may select a maximum of 5 Personality Traits and a maximum of 3 Perks/Drawbacks. If you have extra BP at the end of this stage, they will be converted 1:1 to extra points in your highest CKII stat (which is basically guaranteed to be Intrigue). You cannot end this stage with negative BP.
-Personality: While you as the players decide what actions your character takes, these personality traits influence the results of those actions. Keep that in mind, as I will stick to the personality traits even, and perhaps especially, where it could be inconvenient. Moreover, the interactions between your character and your advisors will be a major part of the game. Make sure you come out with a character you will be willing to stick with.
[_] Lustful.
You're very passionate when it comes to sex, and your eye tends to wander. You're more likely to initiate and succumb to seduction attempts; also, your relationship with your lover is going to be more open and less exclusive. +5 Opinion to others with Lustful, extra +5 Opinion to those attracted to you, -15 Opinion to those with Chaste (those who are attracted to you still apply both modifiers). Cannot be taken with Draconic Lust, +1 BP.
[_] Draconic Lust.
You've inherited the rampant and ardent desire for physical relations that is present in all true Dragons. You flirt with just about everyone, frequently find yourself in another's bed, and are completely insatiable. As with Lustful, your relationship with your lover is going to be more open and less exclusive. +10 Opinion to others with Lustful, extra +10 Opinion to those attracted to you, -30 Opinion to those with Chaste (those who are attracted to you still apply both modifiers). Cannot be taken with Lustful, +2 BP.
[_] Wroth.
Your anger often grows beyond your capacity to restrain it, leading you to impulsive and ill-advised actions. Does not inherently correlate with physical violence; could manifest as verbal insults, grudges, and termination of negotiations/agreements. Expands the Critical Failure margin on actions involving social interaction (usually Diplomacy) to -40 from -50, -10 Opinion to those with Patient. Cannot be taken with Patient, +1 BP.
[_] Slothful.
Legends and myths are full of tales of dragons lounging around on hoarded piles of gold doing nothing but enjoying themselves. While Sloth is not an inherent draconic trait, many dragons, drakes, and dragonborn like the sound of lounging around and enjoying themselves while others scurry to please them. -5 Opinion in general, extra -10 Opinion to those with Diligent. Cannot be taken with Diligent, lose 1 Action a turn on your character, +3 BP.
[_] Kind.
You're friendly, considerate, tolerant of mistakes and accidents, and helpful to those in need. However, you shy away from cruel and hard acts, as well as those who commit them. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 to those with similar traits (e.g. Kind, Charitable, etc.), -10 Opinion to those with opposing traits (e.g. Ruthless, Envious, Greedy, etc. - overrides general Opinion modifier). Cannot be taken with Ruthless.
[_] Charitable.
You tend to be free and giving with your money and aid, providing help to the less fortunate. This attitude endears you to them, but leaves you somewhat lesser in terms of resources and sets you against the greedy and the grasping. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 to those with similar traits (e.g. Kind, Charitable, etc.), -10 Opinion to those with opposing traits (e.g. Ruthless, Envious, Greedy, etc. - overrides general Opinion modifier). Applies a -10% modifier to the Wealth Income of overseen ventures (i.e. total income + any personal Stewardship actions), and also improves the benefits and costs of various charity actions by 25%. -1 BP.
[_] Patient.
You rarely feel the burgeoning need to act swiftly or rise to an insult, and are able to tolerate and suffer through delays, problems, and setbacks. Shrinks the Critical Failure margin on actions involving social interaction (usually Diplomacy) from -50 to -60, -10 Opinion to those with Wroth. Cannot be taken with Wroth, -1 BP.
[_] Diligent.
You're a hard worker, devoting a lot of care and attention to the tasks you set yourself. Some might even call you a workaholic. +5 Opinion in general, -10 Opinion to those with Slothful (overrides general modifier). Cannot be taken with Slothful, gain 1 Action a turn on your character, -5 BP.
[_] Ruthless.
Many would say you lack pity or compassion. This is not necessarily true. Rather, you simply prize results and success above all else. At this point, with your hopes and dreams in tatters, you can do nothing else. -10 General Opinion. Cannot be taken with Kind, +1 BP.
[_] Deceitful.
You aren't a pathological liar, but you rarely show your true face. Truth and lies are merely tools in your arsenal, to be wielded as appropriate, and you have few qualms with manipulating others. -5 Opinion in general, if you have a negative Opinion of someone that value is halved for the purposes of calculating roll modifiers. Cannot be taken with Honest, +1 BP.
[_] Cynical.
Your perspective or belief is entirely worldly. You question everyone's motives, are disinterested with 'accepted standards', and if you do believe in a higher power, it's as a very disinterested Fundamentalist. +5 Opinion to others with Cynical, -15 to those with Zealous and differing religious beliefs. Cannot be taken with Zealous.
[_] Gregarious.
You're very sociable and fond of company. Some might say that you talk too much, but usually you manage to keep the conversation balanced and interesting enough to avoid that complaint. Not all of the information you learn is useful or even interesting, but sometimes loose tongues spill extra tidbits. +5 Opinion in general, extra +5 Opinion to those with the same trait, extra +5 Opinion to those attracted to you. -1 BP.
[_] Honest.
You're sincere and straightforward in your dealings, avoiding deceit and underhanded dealings. This doesn't mean you're free with secrets, but you do prefer to keep things aboveboard. +10 Opinion in general, -10 Opinion to those with Deceitful (overrides general modifier). Cannot be taken with Deceitful, -1 BP.
[_] Erudite.
You have a fascination with knowledge, and as a result you're well-read and learned. Often, this results in you knowing interesting bits of semi-relevant trivia, but sometimes this passion and drive produces knowledge that is relevant to the situation. +3 Learning, -1 BP.
[_] Zealous.
Whatever your beliefs are, you cling to them tightly and with much devotion. You take issue to being questioned regarding those beliefs, and stand against any that oppose them. Whether you're religious or not is, ultimately, irrelevant, as your zeal permeates your entire personality. To others with similar religious beliefs, apply a +15 Opinion modifier (i.e. you like them more); to others with different religious beliefs, apply a -25 Opinion Modifier (i.e. you like them less). Cannot be taken with Cynical, +1 BP.
-Other: These traits describe your skills, capacity, and connections.
[_] Attractive.
You are pretty, shapely, and nice to look at. Not close to the height of beauty, and nothing close to the near-divine presence of some Gifted individuals, but still fair and appealing. +20 Opinion against those attracted to you, half against everyone else. Cannot be taken with Gorgeous, -1 BP.
[_] Gorgeous.
Your natural beauty knows few peers. You have a kind of body that matches many with beauty-and-figure related Gifts, and you know it. +40 Opinion against those attracted to you, half against everyone else. Cannot be taken with Attractive, -3 BP.
[_] Genius.
Your mind soaks up information like a sponge, makes connections at a blistering pace, and retains information like a miserly dragon clutching at their horde. +3 to Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, Intrigue, and Learning. -4 BP.
[_] Grand Exodus.
As part and parcel of the lifeline she offered to you, the Steel Maiden has leveraged her own connections to play up the benefits of supporting you, emphasizing your skill and drive and what an asset you could be to the Empire. You get extra governmental support and resources to start, which translates to more choices and higher quality everything. Cannot be taken with Encouraged to Fail, -4 BP.
[_] Encouraged to Fail.
Your enemies are particularly vicious and well-connected, and they seek to cut you off at the knees before you even start. They've weighed in on the Senate and implied that since you're so skilled, you don't need as much of the customary support. You start with only a middling ship, a half-competent crew, and any resources you can scrape together by yourself. Cannot be taken with Grand Exodus, +3 BP.
[_] Imperial Blood.
Through your father, you have a somewhat close familial connection to the Imperial Komnevosian Family. Their star and power has long since waned, but having close blood ties to the family of the Emperor is still seen as a coup and a boon even in this day and age. You start with the Imperial Blood Trait, which provides you some extra Prestige and +15 Opinion to people within the empire. This Trait may also apply when dealing with planar governments with sympathies or hatred toward the empire. -2 BP.
[_] Burnt Bridges.
Your fall from grace was especially turbulent, and the aftermath found you with few supporters and fewer friends. Your name does not carry the weight it once did, and it may be a while until it does so again. You start with the Burnt Bridges Trait, which halves your starting Prestige and -15 Opinion to people within the empire. If taken with Imperial Blood, the two functionally cancel each other out (in the empire at least) until this Trait is removed. This Trait can be removed by either spending 500 Prestige or naturally accumulating 2500 Prestige. +1 BP.
[_] Major Gift.
By default, your Gift will start at Minor, and it will take time and dedicated effort playing into your Flaw in order to advance a stage. With this option, you instead start at the Major stage, magnifying both the benefits of the Gift and the Flaw. -1 BP.
[_] Martial Savant.
Fighting comes as naturally to you as breathing. The tempo of battle, the weight of a weapon, situational awareness, all of it is second nature to you. Provides +1 Attack, Defense, and Initiative. Cannot be taken with Martial Incompetent, -1 BP.
[_] Martial Incompetent.
You suck at fighting; there's no denying it. You have the wrong temperament, your reflexes are poor, and it's not like you have a Gift suitable for combat anyway. You prefer to just avoid all that physical labor and excitement. Provides -1 Attack, Defense, and Initiative. Cannot be taken with Martial Savant, +1 BP.
Considering the slightly delayed timing of this post, personal work, and an event I have on Wednesday that means I won't be available to answer any questions that crop up after putting up the first turn, voting will stay open for 48 hours.