Actually, I just realized something if we are extremely short we will have trouble getting onto a shadow steed so switching it out with strong since our magic abilities should help cover our intrigue and because shadow steed is such a useful ability to have
Yeah, seriously, if we were just smol, I'd probably take it.
What it boils down to though is that I'm trying to design a character, and not really looking at the mechanics here. It's always much more fun to do things that way rather than minmax.
@BoneyM, you have Loyal +1 Piety and Superstitious +1 Faith. Are these supposed to be the same stat?
Also, strikes me as slightly odd that there's no Mental shinies that give +intrigue, only Quick +all. If I may suggest some:
[] Smuggler. You have a knack for hiding (or planting) goods, and detailed knowledge of less-traveled routes. +1 Intrigue
[] Blackmailer. Even before your appointment to the Privy Council, you kept a list of everyone's dirty deeds. +1 Intrigue
@BoneyM, you have Loyal +1 Piety and Superstitious +1 Faith. Are these supposed to be the same stat?
Also, strikes me as slightly odd that there's no Mental shinies that give +intrigue, only Quick +all. If I may suggest some:
[] Smuggler. You have a knack for hiding (or planting) goods, and detailed knowledge of less-traveled routes. +1 Intrigue
[] Blackmailer. Even before your appointment to the Privy Council, you kept a list of everyone's dirty deeds. +1 Intrigue
With Shadow Steed, you will have learned to summon a horse you are capable to ride. So yes, for an extremely smol wizard, this will mean a Shadow Miniature Pony.
The mental shinies (except Quick) all have more nebulous effects, with the stat bonus as a side-benefit. In specific scenarios, they can give very good bonuses or even unlock entirely new options. The descriptions aren't just fluff, they give you an idea of the sort of scenario they'd be useful in.
And those would be good matches for most backgrounds, but not for someone that spent their formative years in the Grey College. I've added this:
[ ] Gossipmonger: You have a knack for keeping one ear on the buzz of gossip all around you, giving you early warnings when something isn't quite right in your immediate vicinity and a source of low-level local information. +1 Intrigue
Seriously though, Small basically makes us an eternal loli, which is bad civilization. We can be smol without being able to meet a Dwarf in the eye without bending our head down.
Because those guys are short as hell--just that they're as broad as they are tall.
EDIT: Okay, maybe not quite that bad taking a look at WFRP. Average Dwarf male is 4'9, Average Human Male is 5'9. Female characters chop about 2-3 inches Halflings though are definitely too smol though, but being as tall as an average male dwarf is theoretically within the range of plausibility.
Another advantage for having connections with Morr's temple is we can get access to ravens who are intelligent and can be trained to scout and sent messages back to people also they make for good spys and are overall nice companions to have
I think verena or morr as gods or many to stick to the grey mage theme make the most sense and location aswell? Verena makes sense if u want a interesting god who is kinda underdeveloped considering things . Morr is the god of death and stuff so he would make sense for the province and many gods would make sense in the grey mage theme thing u mentioned earlier i guess?
+4 intrigue might be worth being about 5" feet even i guess if we knew our base stats to know how much we need or want? It would crimp our combat potential is probably the drawback for that. Basicly the goal is to play a rogue more or less here?
Shadowsteed sounds like a interesting idea and combat magic or enchanter make sense . Guys horses are uber expensive and it probably is inexustable so we should we have pretty great traveltimes aswell?
Most of our issues will be stuff coming from sylvania mainly i imagine and please remember that people. And income streams are a thing so townspeople perk are probably nessecary for that?
Doing minor enchantments for weapons/talismans to defend against undead stuff could be interesting guys for extra money
Being in debt to the colleges seems like a theme of the mages of whf guys so doing that seems likely and our being peasant makes that worse i think , dont want that wisp please. Wouldnt mind a negative mark if u can find a plan that is worth it guys.
I think verena or morr as gods or many to stick to the grey mage theme make the most sense and location aswell? Verena makes sense if u want a interesting god who is kinda underdeveloped considering things . Morr is the god of death and stuff so he would make sense for the province and many gods would make sense in the grey mage theme thing u mentioned earlier i guess?
+4 intrigue might be worth being about 5" feet even i guess if we knew our base stats to know how much we need or want? It would crimp our combat potential is probably the drawback for that. Basicly the goal is to play a rogue more or less here?
Shadowsteed sounds like a interesting idea and combat magic or enchanter make sense . Guys horses are uber expensive and it probably is inexustable so we should we have pretty great traveltimes aswell?
Most of our issues will be stuff coming from sylvania mainly i imagine and please remember that people. And income streams are a thing so townspeople perk are probably nessecary for that?
Doing minor enchantments for weapons/talismans to defend against undead stuff could be interesting guys for extra money
Being in debt to the colleges seems like a theme of the mages of whf guys so doing that seems likely and our being peasant makes that worse i think , dont want that wisp please. Wouldnt mind a negative mark if u can find a plan that is worth it guys.
Don't forget Morr's temples have access to dreamers that can see the future a very useful ability to call upon when working as a spymaster
Also the downside for being a follower of Verena is we pretty much have to follow the law and that could limit the things we can do as a spymaster who sometimes needs to get their hands dirty in certain situations
I'm mostly leaning towards Verena, Many, or Ranald. Morr wouldn't be too bad, given who our neighbors are, but it isn't quick as spymastery IMO.
I definitely want Sound for Petty, and reluctantly would choose Combat for Lesser because holy shit Sylvania is right next door and we don't have any other source of magic typed damage out the gate. Proper Shadow Magic I'm pretty neutral on; they're all pretty great in their own ways. I foresee a lot of our free time spent studying.
Very Divided Loyalties could work, depending on the motivation, but that's a risky proposition. Fitting, for three points. Avarice would be a thematic pick if we also choose Debt and Loyalty (What else was I supposed to do?), Inspiration and Vainglory sound like fun™, and Corruption would be make this a delicious triple agent story. Hell, I'd get a good laugh out of a combo of Zealotry and one of the more minor gods, like Ranald or Shallya.
Snakehunted sounds pretty bad if we're not taking +martial stuff, but it also sounds like a nice challenge and motivation to spend time researching how to defend ourself against minor incorporeal/unmanifested threats. Might synergize well with Rituals/Enchanting.
Perpetual Apprentice, Hunted Witch, and Arcane Mark aren't worth considering. I'd only take Ranalds Debt if we're worshipping Ranald, for that delicious irony; Ranald isn't a cruel god, I wouldn't expect him to screw us over when our life is on the line.
I wouldn't mind Home, but I dislike that drawback enough not to pursue it.
Apothecary is a bit meh. I just don't see us having the time to pursue alchemical research and spell research and our normal duties and our sleeper agent stuff.
Power Mist seems like the kind of thing that would lead to stockpiling Power Stones (one use bonus to casting if you don't know), which is great and all, especially with Enchanting and Rituals, but we nearly killed ourself trying it last time, and we're working off of memory now. Unless we take Eidetic memory, give it a firm pass.
Ritualist is nice, especially if we take a second Motivation for Inspiration or Vainglory, but Rituals are hard as balls to pull off (takes a long time, super specific reagents, super specific times of the year, etc.) and are prone to exploding when done incorrectly/interrupted. I'm hesitant without that second motivation, but I'd be all over it if we did.
Enchanter is basically the same as Apothecary for me, but a bit better since we'd be able to fashion items for when it'd be "impolite" to start casting spells. It'd also open the door to making other people not useless against Ghosts, but that corresponds to a increased demand on our time by the Count.
If we get anything here, I'd like Ritualist or Enchanter. Not both, that divides our attention way too much.
Big: Pretty nice, a bonus to martial and intimidation are both useful in our line of work. There's no telling when you'll need to fight or bluff your way out of, or into, a situation to get what you need to know.
Smol: Adorable, super sneak, +dwarves, +halfings when we're inevitably sent to do something with them. -Martial hurts in our province, especially if we take the Snake. Malus to leading isn't much of a problem, nobody likes wizards anyways.
Stronk: Straight up physical asskicking for when you don't want to risk exploding from trying to cast a cantrip.
I don't have a strong opinion in this section.
Animal Kinship: Pretty boring IMO. We aren't an Amber Mage so we can't talk to them to use them as spies, but I guess we could train carrier pidgeons?
Brave: Almost mandatory. All undead have the Fear rule. +Martial is nice too.
Eidetic Memory: Almost mandatory, especially when you combo it with Gossipmonger. The ability to just walk around a town and remember every rumor and opinion is invaluable, to say nothing of learning new spells/rituals/enchantments.
Gossipmonger: See above. +Intrigue is always worth it when you're the spymaster.
Loyal: Decent, best taken with certain secondary Motivations.
Organized: Probably best taken if we also get Alchemy/Rituals/Enchanting so we don't misplace our notes/supplies. Eidetic Memory would probably cover that too.
Polyglot: Very nice. People say all sorts of things when they don't think you can understand them. Combo with Gossipmonger and Eidetic Memory for maximum effect.
Quick: All around bonus is good.
Supernumerate: Ehhh. That's the Stewards job. Take it if we're in Debt and/or take the Avarice second motivation.
Superstitious: Fun, but of questionable usefulness.
Touched by Death: Bonus to martial is nice, but hatred is... well, you don't exactly think rationally when faced with a hated foe. Extra minus if you want to take Corruption (Vampires).
This depends entirely on previous choices, so I can't really say one way or another.
Priests: Nice to have the holy men watching your back and vouching for you while the Lunatics I mean Witch Hunters wait for you to make the slightest mistake. Being able to call upon the Morrites specifically is great in our province.
Knights: It's nice to have big strapping lads willing to loom ominously as you try to ferret information out of a reluctant suspect. Extra bonus points if you're trying to learn about Sylvanian movements.
Townsfolk: These guys know more than you'd think. Great combo with gossipmonger, since the greater acceptance means they'll be more willing to spill the juicier rumors. Hell, the flat out bonus to acceptance just about justifies taking it by itself; Stirland doesn't like new things, remember. Even better if we take Ritualist and Vainglory/Inspiration.
College: You can't go wrong having other wizard friends. Want an enchanted blade, but don't want Enchanter? Have a Gold friend. Want some healing support for a major campaign? Call up your Jade buddy. Of course, there's only so much they can or will do, and we'd probably have to give them such support as well - given our line of work and position that'd probably be mostly passing information of note.
These are all good and it's hard to say that any is strictly better than the others.
TL;DR I am paralyzed by the amount of choice I have.
I'm mostly leaning towards Verena, Many, or Ranald. Morr wouldn't be too bad, given who our neighbors are, but it isn't quick as spymastery IMO.
I definitely want Sound for Petty, and reluctantly would choose Combat for Lesser because holy shit Sylvania is right next door and we don't have any other source of magic typed damage out the gate. Proper Shadow Magic I'm pretty neutral on; they're all pretty great in their own ways. I foresee a lot of our free time spent studying.
Very Divided Loyalties could work, depending on the motivation, but that's a risky proposition. Fitting, for three points. Avarice would be a thematic pick if we also choose Debt and Loyalty (What else was I supposed to do?), Inspiration and Vainglory sound like fun™, and Corruption would be make this a delicious triple agent story. Hell, I'd get a good laugh out of a combo of Zealotry and one of the more minor gods, like Ranald or Shallya.
Snakehunted sounds pretty bad if we're not taking +martial stuff, but it also sounds like a nice challenge and motivation to spend time researching how to defend ourself against minor incorporeal/unmanifested threats. Might synergize well with Rituals/Enchanting.
Perpetual Apprentice, Hunted Witch, and Arcane Mark aren't worth considering. I'd only take Ranalds Debt if we're worshipping Ranald, for that delicious irony; Ranald isn't a cruel god, I wouldn't expect him to screw us over when our life is on the line.
I wouldn't mind Home, but I dislike that drawback enough not to pursue it.
Apothecary is a bit meh. I just don't see us having the time to pursue alchemical research and spell research and our normal duties and our sleeper agent stuff.
Power Mist seems like the kind of thing that would lead to stockpiling Power Stones (one use bonus to casting if you don't know), which is great and all, especially with Enchanting and Rituals, but we nearly killed ourself trying it last time, and we're working off of memory now. Unless we take Eidetic memory, give it a firm pass.
Ritualist is nice, especially if we take a second Motivation for Inspiration or Vainglory, but Rituals are hard as balls to pull off (takes a long time, super specific reagents, super specific times of the year, etc.) and are prone to exploding when done incorrectly/interrupted. I'm hesitant without that second motivation, but I'd be all over it if we did.
Enchanter is basically the same as Apothecary for me, but a bit better since we'd be able to fashion items for when it'd be "impolite" to start casting spells. It'd also open the door to making other people not useless against Ghosts, but that corresponds to a increased demand on our time by the Count.
If we get anything here, I'd like Ritualist or Enchanter. Not both, that divides our attention way too much.
Big: Pretty nice, a bonus to martial and intimidation are both useful in our line of work. There's no telling when you'll need to fight or bluff your way out of, or into, a situation to get what you need to know.
Smol: Adorable, super sneak, +dwarves, +halfings when we're inevitably sent to do something with them. -Martial hurts in our province, especially if we take the Snake. Malus to leading isn't much of a problem, nobody likes wizards anyways.
Stronk: Straight up physical asskicking for when you don't want to risk exploding from trying to cast a cantrip.
I don't have a strong opinion in this section.
Animal Kinship: Pretty boring IMO. We aren't an Amber Mage so we can't talk to them to use them as spies, but I guess we could train carrier pidgeons?
Brave: Almost mandatory. All undead have the Fear rule. +Martial is nice too.
Eidetic Memory: Almost mandatory, especially when you combo it with Gossipmonger. The ability to just walk around a town and remember every rumor and opinion is invaluable, to say nothing of learning new spells/rituals/enchantments.
Gossipmonger: See above. +Intrigue is always worth it when you're the spymaster.
Loyal: Decent, best taken with certain secondary Motivations.
Organized: Probably best taken if we also get Alchemy/Rituals/Enchanting so we don't misplace our notes/supplies. Eidetic Memory would probably cover that too.
Polyglot: Very nice. People say all sorts of things when they don't think you can understand them. Combo with Gossipmonger and Eidetic Memory for maximum effect.
Quick: All around bonus is good.
Supernumerate: Ehhh. That's the Stewards job. Take it if we're in Debt and/or take the Avarice second motivation.
Superstitious: Fun, but of questionable usefulness.
Touched by Death: Bonus to martial is nice, but hatred is... well, you don't exactly think rationally when faced with a hated foe. Extra minus if you want to take Corruption (Vampires).
This depends entirely on previous choices, so I can't really say one way or another.
Priests: Nice to have the holy men watching your back and vouching for you while the Lunatics I mean Witch Hunters wait for you to make the slightest mistake. Being able to call upon the Morrites specifically is great in our province.
Knights: It's nice to have big strapping lads willing to loom ominously as you try to ferret information out of a reluctant suspect. Extra bonus points if you're trying to learn about Sylvanian movements.
Townsfolk: These guys know more than you'd think. Great combo with gossipmonger, since the greater acceptance means they'll be more willing to spill the juicier rumors. Hell, the flat out bonus to acceptance just about justifies taking it by itself; Stirland doesn't like new things, remember. Even better if we take Ritualist and Vainglory/Inspiration.
College: You can't go wrong having other wizard friends. Want an enchanted blade, but don't want Enchanter? Have a Gold friend. Want some healing support for a major campaign? Call up your Jade buddy. Of course, there's only so much they can or will do, and we'd probably have to give them such support as well - given our line of work and position that'd probably be mostly passing information of note.
These are all good and it's hard to say that any is strictly better than the others.
TL;DR I am paralyzed by the amount of choice I have.
Keep in mind we get bonuses with any shinies we have left over though you do tempt me to get another mental rule they do give a nice bonus it would have gossip monger but then again I want to see what the extra shine gives us
[X] Plan Morrish Mole
-[X] Morr: God of Death, wife of Verena.
-[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
-[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
-[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
-[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
-[X] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
-[X] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
-[X] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
-[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
-[X] Priesthood: Before the gift of magic was found within you, you were considering induction into the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr. The local priests remember you, and you remember the rites and prayers.
-[X] Peasants: You know the traditions and superstitions of the people of Stirland, how to talk to them without them seeing you as an outsider or a threat. - FREE DUE TO PEASANT ORIGIN
[X] Plan Avarice so we can Super Spy and Mage
-[X] Very Divided Loyalties
--[X] Avarice
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Ranald's Debt x3
-[X] A More Mundane Debt x3
-[X] Brave
-[X] Eidetic Memory
-[X] Gossipmonger
-[X] Organized
-[X] Polyglot
-[X] Quick
-[X] Townsfolk:
-[X] College
-[X] Apothecary
-[X] Power Mist
-[X] Ritualist
-[X] Enchanter:
[X] Mindhole: You attempt to mentally overpower your target, who must be reasonably close. If successful, they will forget everything they know of you.
[X] Plan Morrish Mole
-[X] Morr: God of Death, wife of Verena.
-[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
-[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
-[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
-[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
-[X] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
-[X] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
-[X] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
-[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
-[X] Priesthood: Before the gift of magic was found within you, you were considering induction into the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr. The local priests remember you, and you remember the rites and prayers.
-[X] Peasants: You know the traditions and superstitions of the people of Stirland, how to talk to them without them seeing you as an outsider or a threat. - FREE DUE TO PEASANT ORIGIN
- [x] Ranald: Trickster God of luck, fortune, and thieves. Barely tolerated by polite society.
- [x] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
- [x] Security: You can enchant locks so they cannot be picked for a week, and set magical tripwires that alert you if they are crossed.
- [x] Mindhole: You attempt to mentally overpower your target, who must be reasonably close. If successful, they will forget everything they know of you.
- [x] Doppelganger: You take on the appearance of a specific humanoid creature for around half an hour, though not their voice.
- [x] Very Divided Loyalties: Go back to the first post and pick another motivation for +3 shinies.
- [x] Inspiration: To you, this position is merely a stepping stone towards a pet project that consumes you.
- [x] Hunted Witch: For reasons unknown to you, the local witch hunters are itching for any excuse to purge you. Better win them over or get some powerful allies quickly. +2 shinies - i mean we are a jade wizard...they will never like us period, might as well get some points out of it.
- [x] Ranald's Debt: You can go up to three shinies in debt, but each will turn a failure into a critical glitch at a time most amusing to the Trickster God. X3
- [x] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. X3
- [x] Arcane Mark: A past fumble with shadow magic has left you permanently changed. Will be rolled randomly; results vary in severity but almost all will leave normal people uneasy around you. +1 shiny, can only be taken once
- [x] Snakehunted: Attracted by miscast Shadowmancy, a Wisdom's Asp has been pursuing you for as long as you can remember, and until defeated (can it be defeated?) it will continue to grin back at you through mirrors and try to sneak into your bed at night to squeeze the life from you. +2 shinies
- [x] Apothecary: You have the equipment and the training to brew potions and identify useful ingredients, though you will have to experiment or research to find what you can do with local sources.
- [x] Power Mist: Showing a shocking amount of hubris, during your apprenticeship you managed to get your hands on a restricted book and tried to construct a Power Stone. Though you didn't even get close and knocked yourself out for weeks, you did somehow manage to grab and wrestles a strand of Ulgu back on itself until a mist formed, though you passed out soon after. Perhaps this 'power mist' could be contained and investigated for useful properties? And you do remember the rest of the steps, if you're ever arrogant enough to try the whole process again.
- [x] Ritualist: You know the basics of ritual magic, and if given a few months to a year to research, may be able to figure out how to enact large-scale changes to a significant area. Whether those changes are the ones you originally envisioned is entirely up to the whims of the circuitous and contradictory logic of ritual magic.
- [x] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
- [x] Extremely Short: Not just a little shorter than most, but significantly so, comparable to a child, a halfling or a dwarf. Being overlooked is infuriating, but often useful. -2 martial, +4 intrigue, bonus to halfling and dwarf relations but malus to leading humans and other tall creatures.
- [x] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
- [x] Organized: Through habit or obsession, you keep everything neat, tidy, and in it's place. +1 Stewardship
- [x] Polyglot: You easily pick up new languages. +1 Diplomacy
- [x] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
- [x] Quick: You're naturally brighter than the average person. +1 to all stats, though no more nebulous advantages like the other mental traits
- [X] Animal Kinship: You have a gift for getting along with and training animals. Regular animals, that is; it'd take a lot of work and luck to apply the knack to, say, hippogryphs. +1 Diplomacy
- [X] Brave: You can withstand terrors that make others flee. +1 martial
- [x] Superstitious: You know a hundred different superstitions for averting bad luck and keeping the evil eye off you. Maybe some of them work. +1 Faith
- [x] Townsfolk: You know Wurtbad and it's people like the back of your hand, and they will be quick to overcome their suspicion of your new, magical aspect and accept you as one of them once more.
- [X] College: You made friends and allies back in Altdorf, and they may be able to help with research and resources, though the road from Wurtbad to Altdorf is long and treacherous.
[X] Vainglory: The role of advisor is prestigious, certainly, but hardly glorious - unless you go above and beyond the call of duty, and sometimes above and beyond what was asked of you, and sometimes even above and beyond sanity and rationality.
[X] Intrigue: The Spymaster is the master of soft power in the realm, responsible for hiding the Elector Count's secrets and uncovering those of everyone else. Gives you a great deal of leeway in how you go about things, but also makes you a target for everyone trying to get away with skulduggery in the province, and being anything short of omniscient is often considered a failing by those that don't have to do the job.
[X] Townsfolk: You know Wurtbad and it's people like the back of your hand, and they will be quick to overcome their suspicion of your new, magical aspect and accept you as one of them once more.
Adhoc vote count started by BoneyM on Jan 19, 2018 at 6:57 PM, finished with 60 posts and 15 votes.
[X] Plan Morrish Mole
-[X] Morr: God of Death, wife of Verena.
-[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
-[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
-[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
-[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
-[X] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
-[X] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
-[X] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
-[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
-[X] Priesthood: Before the gift of magic was found within you, you were considering induction into the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr. The local priests remember you, and you remember the rites and prayers.
-[X] Peasants: You know the traditions and superstitions of the people of Stirland, how to talk to them without them seeing you as an outsider or a threat. - FREE DUE TO PEASANT ORIGIN
[X] Verena: Goddess of Justice and Learning, husband of Morr.
[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day. [X] Plan: Cute is Justice!
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Enchanter:
-[X] Brave
-[X] Townsfolk:
-[X] College
[X] Ranald: Trickster God of luck, fortune, and thieves. Barely tolerated by polite society.
[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
[X] Mindhole: You attempt to mentally overpower your target, who must be reasonably close. If successful, they will forget everything they know of you.
[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
[X] Plan Poor College Student
-[X] A More Mundane Debt
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Ritualist
-[X] Power Mist
-[X] College
-[X] Townsfolk:
[X] Verena: Goddess of Justice and Learning, husband of Morr.
[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
[X] Security: You can enchant locks so they cannot be picked for a week, and set magical tripwires that alert you if they are crossed.
[X] Eye of the Beholder: You can change something's appearance to make it look either worthless or valuable for several hours.
[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
[X] A More Mundane Debt
[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
[X] Townsfolk: You know Wurtbad and it's people like the back of your hand, and they will be quick to overcome their suspicion of your new, magical aspect and accept you as one of them once more.
[X] Intrigue: The Spymaster is the master of soft power in the realm, responsible for hiding the Elector Count's secrets and uncovering those of everyone else. Gives you a great deal of leeway in how you go about things, but also makes you a target for everyone trying to get away with skulduggery in the province, and being anything short of omniscient is often considered a failing by those that don't have to do the job.
[X] Vainglory: The role of advisor is prestigious, certainly, but hardly glorious - unless you go above and beyond the call of duty, and sometimes above and beyond what was asked of you, and sometimes even above and beyond sanity and rationality.
- [x] Ranald: Trickster God of luck, fortune, and thieves. Barely tolerated by polite society.
- [x] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
- [x] Security: You can enchant locks so they cannot be picked for a week, and set magical tripwires that alert you if they are crossed.
- [x] Mindhole: You attempt to mentally overpower your target, who must be reasonably close. If successful, they will forget everything they know of you.
- [x] Doppelganger: You take on the appearance of a specific humanoid creature for around half an hour, though not their voice.
- [x] Very Divided Loyalties: Go back to the first post and pick another motivation for +3 shinies.
- [x] Inspiration: To you, this position is merely a stepping stone towards a pet project that consumes you.
- [x] Hunted Witch: For reasons unknown to you, the local witch hunters are itching for any excuse to purge you. Better win them over or get some powerful allies quickly. +2 shinies - i mean we are a jade wizard...they will never like us period, might as well get some points out of it.
- [x] Ranald's Debt: You can go up to three shinies in debt, but each will turn a failure into a critical glitch at a time most amusing to the Trickster God. X3
- [x] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. X3
- [x] Arcane Mark: A past fumble with shadow magic has left you permanently changed. Will be rolled randomly; results vary in severity but almost all will leave normal people uneasy around you. +1 shiny, can only be taken once
- [x] Snakehunted: Attracted by miscast Shadowmancy, a Wisdom's Asp has been pursuing you for as long as you can remember, and until defeated (can it be defeated?) it will continue to grin back at you through mirrors and try to sneak into your bed at night to squeeze the life from you. +2 shinies
- [x] Apothecary: You have the equipment and the training to brew potions and identify useful ingredients, though you will have to experiment or research to find what you can do with local sources.
- [x] Power Mist: Showing a shocking amount of hubris, during your apprenticeship you managed to get your hands on a restricted book and tried to construct a Power Stone. Though you didn't even get close and knocked yourself out for weeks, you did somehow manage to grab and wrestles a strand of Ulgu back on itself until a mist formed, though you passed out soon after. Perhaps this 'power mist' could be contained and investigated for useful properties? And you do remember the rest of the steps, if you're ever arrogant enough to try the whole process again.
- [x] Ritualist: You know the basics of ritual magic, and if given a few months to a year to research, may be able to figure out how to enact large-scale changes to a significant area. Whether those changes are the ones you originally envisioned is entirely up to the whims of the circuitous and contradictory logic of ritual magic.
- [x] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
- [x] Extremely Short: Not just a little shorter than most, but significantly so, comparable to a child, a halfling or a dwarf. Being overlooked is infuriating, but often useful. -2 martial, +4 intrigue, bonus to halfling and dwarf relations but malus to leading humans and other tall creatures.
- [x] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
- [x] Organized: Through habit or obsession, you keep everything neat, tidy, and in it's place. +1 Stewardship
- [x] Polyglot: You easily pick up new languages. +1 Diplomacy
- [x] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
- [x] Quick: You're naturally brighter than the average person. +1 to all stats, though no more nebulous advantages like the other mental traits
- [X] Animal Kinship: You have a gift for getting along with and training animals. Regular animals, that is; it'd take a lot of work and luck to apply the knack to, say, hippogryphs. +1 Diplomacy
- [X] Brave: You can withstand terrors that make others flee. +1 martial
- [x] Superstitious: You know a hundred different superstitions for averting bad luck and keeping the evil eye off you. Maybe some of them work. +1 Faith
- [x] Townsfolk: You know Wurtbad and it's people like the back of your hand, and they will be quick to overcome their suspicion of your new, magical aspect and accept you as one of them once more.
- [X] College: You made friends and allies back in Altdorf, and they may be able to help with research and resources, though the road from Wurtbad to Altdorf is long and treacherous.
[X] Mindhole: You attempt to mentally overpower your target, who must be reasonably close. If successful, they will forget everything they know of you.
[X] Plan Avarice so we can Super Spy and Mage
-[X] Very Divided Loyalties
--[X] Avarice
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Ranald's Debt x3
-[X] A More Mundane Debt x3
-[X] Brave
-[X] Eidetic Memory
-[X] Gossipmonger
-[X] Organized
-[X] Polyglot
-[X] Quick
-[X] Townsfolk:
-[X] College
-[X] Apothecary
-[X] Power Mist
-[X] Ritualist
-[X] Enchanter:
[X] Townsfolk: You know Wurtbad and it's people like the back of your hand, and they will be quick to overcome their suspicion of your new, magical aspect and accept you as one of them once more.
[X] Plan Morrish Mole
-[X] Morr: God of Death, wife of Verena.
-[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
-[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
-[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
-[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
-[X] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
-[X] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
-[X] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
-[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
-[X] Priesthood: Before the gift of magic was found within you, you were considering induction into the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr. The local priests remember you, and you remember the rites and prayers.
-[X] Peasants: You know the traditions and superstitions of the people of Stirland, how to talk to them without them seeing you as an outsider or a threat. - FREE DUE TO PEASANT ORIGIN
[X] Plan Morrish Mole
-[X] Morr: God of Death, wife of Verena.
-[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
-[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
-[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
-[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
-[X] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
-[X] Enchanter: You have a talent for taming the winds of Ulgu and trapping them within objects. You can create very minor magical trinkets, and have a bonus to learning the more advanced forms of enchantment.
-[X] Strong: A very straightforward advantage. +4 martial
-[X] Eidetic Memory: Unless severely distracted, you are able to memorize anything at a glance and recall it in perfect detail later. +1 Scholarship
-[X] Priesthood: Before the gift of magic was found within you, you were considering induction into the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr. The local priests remember you, and you remember the rites and prayers.
-[X] Peasants: You know the traditions and superstitions of the people of Stirland, how to talk to them without them seeing you as an outsider or a threat. - FREE DUE TO PEASANT ORIGIN
[X] Verena: Goddess of Justice and Learning, husband of Morr.
[X] Sound: You can create any noise but speech from anywhere within line of sight - though the greater the distance, the trickier it is to pull off.
[X] Combat: You can wrap magic around yourself to act as armour, and around a weapon to enchant it to deal damage to magical creatures.
[X] Shadowcloak: Makes you harder to detect for several minutes.
[X] Shadowsteed: A mystical and supernaturally fast horse is summoned that will carry you or one you designate until dismounted or dawn the next day.
[X] Plan: Cute is Justice!
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] College Debt
-[X] Enchanter:
-[X] Brave
-[X] Townsfolk:
-[X] College
We're well liked, courageous (If only because it's a necessary survival tactic when there's a snake anytime you're on a plane), and can put useful trinkets together if we have to! We'll basically be Batman! Bringing justice with a sword! Moving quickly because we have a magic super fast horse that we can summon to get places!
Well, and spooky scary mind magic, but who's counting?
Don't forget, only the Shinies section is by plan.
[X] Many
[X] Combat
[X] Mindhole
[X] Shadowsteed
Don't underestimate the power of getting around quickly. Shadowsteed will let us reach further places faster, great for keeping an eye on a wide area, desperate charges to deliver a warning, and running away when you've been found. Getting to a clandestine meeting faster means less time to notice you're gone.
[X] Plan Ritualist
-[X] Very Divided Loyalties
--[X] Vainglory
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Ranald's Debt x1
-[X] A More Mundane Debt x1
-[X] Ritualist
-[X] Power Mist
-[X] Eidetic Memory
-[X] Gossipmonger
-[X] Quick
-[X] Supernumerate
-[X] Townsfolk
-[X] College
Supernumerate is there for the faint hope that it might help rituals and/or pay off our debt. We need the support of the average person if we're going to do widescale longterm projects, and College contacts can help with both research and resources, both of which are vital for rituals.
[] Plan Corrupt little Spy
-[ ] Very Divided Loyalties
--[ ] Corruption
-[ ] Snakehunted
-[ ] Ranald's Debt x1
-[ ] A More Mundane Debt x1
-[ ] Extremely Short
-[ ] Eidetic Memory
-[ ] Gossipmonger
-[ ] Polyglot
-[ ] Quick
-[ ] Priesthood
-[ ] Knights
-[ ] Townsfolk
As sneaky as can be, and in the good graces of everyone we can be - at least those that're close enough to pay attention at least.
[] Plan Seriously in Debt
-[ ] Snakehunted
-[ ] Ranald's Debt x3
-[ ] A More Mundane Debt x3
-[ ] Extremely Short
-[ ] Eidetic Memory
-[ ] Gossipmonger
-[ ] Quick
-[ ] Supernumerate
-[ ] Priesthood
-[ ] Knights
-[ ] Townsfolk
-[ ] College
[ ] Ranald: Trickster God of luck, fortune, and thieves. Barely tolerated by polite society.
[ ] Very Divided Loyalties:
-[ ] Avarice: To be an advisor to an Elector Count is usually a well-paid position, but even greater opportunity can be found with the lucrative projects and bountiful budgets such a position has access to.
Bonuses to embezzlement attempts and other profitable avenues; willpower rolls to keep from dipping directly into the budgets you control if you make no off-the-books income or other improvement in personal wealth in a particular year.
[ ] Snakehunted: Attracted by miscast Shadowmancy, a Wisdom's Asp has been pursuing you for as long as you can remember, and until defeated (can it be defeated?) it will continue to grin back at you through mirrors and try to sneak into your bed at night to squeeze the life from you. +2 shinies
[ ] Ranald's Debt: You can go up to three shinies in debt, but each will turn a failure into a critical glitch at a time most amusing to the Trickster God. x3
[ ] A More Mundane Debt: You are deep in debt to the Colleges of Magic for your education. They will expect you to start repaying it soon. You don't want to find out what they do to collect on outstanding student loans. Can be taken up to three times for +1 shiny each. x3
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I think this actually has the potential for a good build, given it gives us a great deal of shiny points with which we can quite considerably buff our character as it gives us a total of 12 points, and we can tie it together with Ranald as our God given it suits our job role wonderfully.
Taking a Mundane Debt x3 may be significant if we were going to be operating as an individual, but we'd be operating as head of intrigue for Stirland with the appropriate budget size and authority that indicates. By it's nature the books would be kept quite secretive so intrigue agents can't be tracked easily so we'd be able to skim from the top, which should be noted is really a given in this era given the size of salaries, we just need to be more beneficial than the amount we take off the top which I feel we can more than do. There's also a great deal of revenue streams we can operate that would earn us cash and/or increase overall taxation for the Count while helping with the job; from brothels and gambling dens on the more seedy side, to selling market and trade information to our merchants, to simple extortion and blackmail. The latter Henry 7th used to great effect in both consolidating his rule, and getting out of debt he found himself in when he started to leave Henry 8th with a great treasury.
The above linked with Ranald and taking Avarice to give us increased bonus to rolls to earn income ourselves synergy wonderfully.
Then there's snakehunted for the more magical side and to give us incentive to improve our skill there, along with Ranald's debt as I feel it's suitable with also taking him as our god. As another person noted above, Ranald isn't an evil god, so while I imagine where it's used will be impactful it won't be in situations like crit fail and die. I also like the narrative of taking this, which is a further bonus.
Keep in mind with my plan I plan to make minor enchanted trinkets that may repel weaker undead or slow them down and then have my contacts in the Temple of Morr allow their followers to by some and we get most of the profit in a land like Stirland they will sell like hotcakes
Repelling undead isn't really Shadow's thing, you want Light for that. Hide from them, sure, confuse the necromancers, absolutely. But those aren't minor trinkets. A minor trinket would be more like an amulet that makes you look like you put makeup on.
Repelling undead isn't really Shadow's thing, you want Light for that. Hide from them, sure, confuse the necromancers, absolutely. But those aren't minor trinkets. A minor trinket would be more like an amulet that makes you look like you put makeup on.
[X] Plan Avarice so we can Super Spy and Mage
-[X] Very Divided Loyalties:
--[X] Avarice
-[X] Snakehunted
-[X] Ranald's Debt x3
-[X] A More Mundane Debt x3
-[X] College
-[X] Apothecary
-[X] Power Mist
-[X] Ritualist
-[X] Enchanter
So as I mentioned above this plan is about utilizing the synergy between the various negative options to provide our character more points with which to improve herself, but also has us create what I think is an interesting narrative for the story in general. I've discussed the first set of options for the plan and the reasons why above, so I'll focus on the buffs.
I've seperated them out into more general buffs or ones that help our job, and the magic side. Brave should be a given living in Stirland just because Undead have a fear special rule, then Eiditic Memory/Polyglot/Rumormonger combine together wonderfully to not only improve our intrigue capabilities greatly but also makes us better at socializing in general which is valuable. As I previously mentioned it also enables to better take advantage of external information sources too, which is a further plus. There's then quick for the general improvement, and organized as narrative wise we'll be running an agency/department so it's a great habit to have in a leader. This is particularly the case given I've taken on debt to be repayed, and I imagine if we do embezzle it'll be better hidden. Finally there's Townfolk for connections, as it both helps us with our job and means we won't face as severe backlash due to magic, which is also important given the amount of magic traits I've taken.
All of the magic traits should help us in various scenarios (which is a given, or they wouldn't be there), from apothecary enabling us to create potions to buff or poisons to eliminate others, or just to befuddle others allowing us to take advantage of them through blackmail. That can be through embarrassment, or making someone more likely to tell the truth when questioned or interrogated. Ritualist and enchanter both help with large and small effects, and mean we'll be able to offer magical expertise or equipment for the Count to make greater use off. Finally power mist, as it seems like it'd buff our magic if we can learn to use it particularly if we can create a power stone later on when we're stronger or more knowledgeable. Finally, I've taken College as it means we'll be better able to exploit our magic skills if we have contacts with others in Altdorf.
You can take whatever magical spells you want as it's seperate from the plan vote, but I'd recommend you take Ranald given the way it plays into the plan itself.
