Arcane Steel
Well, after lurking for some time and only managing to get into two RTDs (I missed most others), I decided to GM one of my own. It is my first one, and it may as well be an utter and complete failure. I swear I'll try and keep this thing updated, but expect a) laziness on weekends, b) random forgetfulness, c) not so bad grammar and vocabulary (English is not my native language and I kind of derp sometimes) and
d) Tiruin trying to join in, probably as a celtic warrior (named Tyrin something) he joined, but as a dragoon with a different name. Meh.
Of course, the setup may be sluggish, for fine-tuning reasons.
The GameThe following happened in a world (still planet Earth, though) where some historical events happened differently. Modernization, for an instance, came a bit quicker and even more so for Japan. These historical differences plus some things that (I guess that) do not exist in our plane (magic) moved the gears of History in different ways.
The BackgroundThe Byzantine Empire fell, leaving naught but memories of the Great Roman Empire and establishing one of the marks of the passing of the Middle Ages. Shortly thereafter the Age of the Great Sailings began. Majestic ships scoured the oceans in search of land and gold, their dirty hulls a symbol of a new age – a time when the broadsword was replaced by the saber and the shield was ditched in favor of the flintlock rifle. Cannons dominated siege and ship-to-ship combat, and this era's warfare seemed promising.
As the gunpowder weapons turned more reliable, the knighthood decayed. Of course melee combat was not forgot, but the need for soldiers highly trained in the art of fighting with sword and shield was shunned in favor of developing and producing firearms, weapons which any unskilled peasant could be taught to use if such was needed. Those dark days seemed to announce the end of chivalry, and knights all over the world felt how heavy a blow that would be; they could adapt, but they would lose much more in the process than the burden of their heavy equipment.
But a beacon started to shine in the darkness: the wizards. These pursuers of ancient knowledge and arts have been all but holed up in their states, using their political influence to cause the weakening of the inquisitorial Holy Church and their followers. As the Church started to lose its power, the traditional magic families could slowly resume their arcane projects while keeping their usual secrecy, coveting the possibility of finding knowledge with each ship that left the harbor, some of them carrying their emissaries.
Although they were rising once again, even the most powerful families still had suffered losses in the struggle against both the power-hungry “servants of God” and the small organizations based on stealth and silent killing; assassins, ninjas and their ilk. For now, the first ones were weakened; the second threat only acted seldomly, offering less of a problem for the wizards.
The magic users needed allies, and they found the knights; withering, hopeless and without masters. Sympathizing with the knights' perils, the wizards approached them and established negotiations that took place in the heart of continental Europe. There, an oath was made, and from that very moment, the knights and the wizards would build an organization that would spread around the world, aiming to secretly regulate their groups' activities and work for the well-being of humanity from the shadows.
Some knights discovered they had magical aptitude, and started to read tomes and study under wizards when they were not sparring. Some young wizards, on the other side, were also convinced to learn a little of the way of the sword or at least to adopt some physical routines of their warrior counterparts so that they would not be so fragile.
After a couple of years of cooperation, the first young knight-wizard squads were formed, and both sides of the alliance were proud, as these would be the shining new examples of their friendship; the young ones would convince any doubtful mind of the benefits of such union while dealing with rogue wizards and lower knights, most of which were resorting to ravaging the lands after losing whatever prestige they had.
The young ones were raised in a multicultural spot purposefully arranged by the wizards to root out the prejudice of their families, making sure that every warrior would not turn against each other because of their differences. The magic users also made sure to help develop a system the knights coveted and that was already in use by certain secretive groups: a Kinetic Armor, or so the wizards named it (the knights preferred to call it Armor of Power). Basically it was a primitive power armor, using simple mechanisms, sometimes with the assistance of magic, to add more power to the wearer’s movements.
Both sides had grand dreams, and the joint effort would ensue all of they would come true…
You are part of one of those squads. Either a wizard or a knight, you are bound to be part of a bright new future, as the elders say. These squads are composed of three knight-wizard duos. Each knight family was bound by oath to a wizard family, and the knight must act as a bodyguard and general companion (no, no, don’t even think about that). The organization kept most of its activities in Europe, and because of that knight-like classes from other regions were…still brought there for the sake of integration. Also, this world was one where the knights had a little more prestige, and because of that even the armored warriors that should not exist at the time still brandished their weapons at the time, the embers of tradition kept alive by a few select families.
Your squad is sent off with many others to scatter across the Europe and the rest of the world, each with their goals. The paper, the top header in which you could read “Steel and Mind” still fresh with paint from one of the technological breakthroughs of the time, commanded in fine handwriting for your group to move around the faint outlines of Prussia, eliminating a couple of marauding mercenaries before moving to take out a rogue group of wizards that had grown roots in Ardennes. You start around the center of old Prussia.
I am looking for 3 knights and 3 wizards. If you pick a wizard, you can have a little of combat training, but you still won't be as good as a warrior and vice-versa. By knight, I mean almost any mounted or foot soldier who fought while wearing armor, could at least fight in melee (ranged are not ditched, but must be able to hold your own in a melee-a-trois) and usually had at least something recognizable as code of honor…Or maybe not. Anyway, as mentioned before, a few families kept tradition going, which allows for more variety, so almost every soldier is in: celtic warriors (herp), bushis (samurais), frank knights, germanic zweihander-wielding mercenaries and byzantine klibanophoros.
The requisites for your warrior to be accepted are a) that their armor is properly “modernized”, as in surface hardened steel armor and b) closing the design gap between older armors and early modern age armors as in more armor or armor protecting some places it didn’t before.
The aforementioned requisites are for the sake of realism and closing the gap between the late medieval European knights and their older counterparts. I would not like to see your bronze armor-wearing, seriously-lacking-in-feet protection warrior to get run through easily by an iron spear or get his feet smashed because he wears sandals. Of course you can ignore my advice in part (and in some cases it is even advised), but at least go with most of it. Seriously, the rolls won’t be kind to bad boys.
You can also choose to leave a child of yours behind for purposes I'll explain later. I just hope things work out.
Ok, the proper character sheet. Inside the “spoiler” thing please.
Name: No need to be historically accurate. In this world, people with magic aptitude may have hair colors out of the ordinary, so just don’t make it sound ridiculous. Remember you are rookies, so no titles. They can still recite the titles of their fathers, grandfathers and ancestors, though.
Age: You are all generically young.
Gender: Male/female…Not much to do here.
Knight: Pick your type. Or Mage: Your specialty (healing is considered a specialty). As a side note for anyone using magic, messing with the body of living things is almost impossible, although you can channel magical energy (specialization may help with this) through matter, including your body and use it to temporarily boost your physical performance, break falls and absorb impact.
Appearance: Add at the very least the clothing and/or the level of armor, being consistent with the type of warrior. Also your family's coat of arms would be nice.
Characteristics: I will take some bonuses and negatives in rolls from the personal traits you describe here. Do not go nuts.
Horse: Heavy or light warhorse. Heavy means it is bigger, bulkier and slower, making it more effective when donning heavy armor and carrying weight. Light means it is smaller, bulk-wise, but it is faster. Even the warriors that never used a horse will have one, even if only for transportation purposes. Wizards may choose carts for carrying both their and their companions equipment, without forgetting the occasional loot. You can name your horse.
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Your weapon(s) of choice, two at most; Others: These will usually be holstered or being carried by your horses. Trim them down. Firearms are in. Naming weapons with no kills or deeds to be sung of is shunned upon.
Leaving a child behind: Yes or no. For keeping your lineage in case you die. Again, this will only make sense if this thing works out.
You can choose to wear it or not. The Kinetic Armor is an add-on, connected, and with most of its components external, to your armor. If need be, the system can be disconnected from the main armor by levers placed around thighs, torso and neck.
When it takes heavy damage, it may malfunction because of the primitive pulley system. When wearing it, expect a light negative to dodge and positives for weight capacity (which can be used to negate the dodge penalty, in case you were carrying heavy equipment), overall resilience (impact resistance etc), defense and attack power.
Three rolls: accuracy(vs dodge), placement and damage(vs armor). You can call your attacks for -1 acc and 1 point towards the placement you picked. The lower the placement number, the less important the body part hit is. 1 stands mostly for fat. A 6 placement plus 6 damage without any negative bonuses mean heads are either flying in an arc or exploding into gore. The wound system is similar to Dwarf Fortress.
I'll deal with it.
The Players:Dwarmin: Knight
Name: Adrienne Alanamont
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Knight: Chevalière
Appearance: Adrienne is a beautiful, intense woman, with long and dark red hair (though, her hair is usually shaved before battle), and dark green eyes. She looks fairly stern, and her build and stance betray no weakness of body or thought-if anything, it bespeaks of passion and arrogance. When not in battle kit, Adrienne tends to dress conservatively, but somewhat casual-favoring open throated shirts and flared trousers, often in earth tones. Her plated armor is light, unecumbering and well made, rounded off at the corners-masking her womanhood in the middle of battle-all except her eyes, being she prefers a slitted helm for full vision.
The Alanamont coat of arms is a circlet of filigreed gold, with a crown at the head, around a pool of red.
Characteristics: Arrogant, Passionate, Uncompromising
Horse: She prefers a Light Warhorse-her favorite, being "Lernea"
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Longsword/round shield, otherwise prefers a Bec-De-Corbin when mounted, which she wields with unnatural grace. Others: Dueling Pistol (unfired), Crossbow
Leaving a child behind: No. Adrienne has left that 'business' to her lesser sisters and brothers, having not found anyone worthy of her as of yet.
-Some- abilities to be noted:If you think I'm the weakest link... you will be sorry... weakling!Status:Fine.Rally Call of RolandTiruin: Knight
Name: Falion Arvîndell
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Knight: Dragoon
Appearance: Falion is a man of five foot four, with light brown skin and short black hair. His body is built just like a worker of the era, though stern and with poise evident in his gait. Out of combat, he dons a brown tunic under his surcoat, favoring the common wear over what the Nobility prefer. His chainmail is left uncolored, remaining the usual silver tone. His plate armor is tinted light grey with a white trim along the edges of the major plates. A gilded wolf crest lies on the top of his helmet and the insignia of the howling wolf in white is marked on his breastplate. His eyes are colored brown.
Characteristics: Unflinchingly Loyal ; Stubborn ; Determined
Horse: A Light Warhorse going by the name of "Ileid".
[Weaponry]
Main weapon/s: Glaive ; Javelin(s)
Others: Flintlock Rifle and a heater shield
Leaving a child behind:
No.-Some- abilities to be noted:He is loyal and determined. He is sharp. He is also nuts.Status:Fine.Cuchulainn's Last StandPowder Miner: Knight
Name: April Eplock
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Knight: Gunslinger (or if you prefer (that time's) modernized warrior or something of the sort.)
Appearance: April Eploc is a slim woman of average height, although very, very young for a knight. She is relatively attractive, ((mumble mumble I added that part to stay true to my earliest description of her)) with dark green eyes and braided fiery orange hair which ends in a ponytail. She wears non-restrictive pastel yellow clothing (like skirts, and simple shirts, she prefers comfort over fashion) under her armor, which is (kinda) light chainmail which covers pretty much all of her (all but the head and hands (she prefers these unobstructed, and even the head has a hood.), with a thin leather backing underneath. Her coat of arms is a young, growing leaf.
Characteristics: Very cheerful, Optimistic, Reckless, Silly, Thrill-Seeking.
Horse: Light Horse, her name is Ellene.
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Hand firearm (
not sure what it would be in this ageIn this age those would happen to be flintlock pistols), Shortsword.
Leaving a child behind: "No. I'm only 18 god get away from me you creep" (...I assume that is not directed towards the GM.)
-Some- abilities to be noted:Blackpowder fever! Isn't hell colorful? Adventure!Status:Fine.Emergency Rations(Candy)1 Pouch with 5 gold pieces.
Praefectum Screptum: Knight
Name:Thelfin Almondar
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Knight: Byzantine Klibanophoros
Appearance: His hair is black, contrasting with his turquoise eyes. Thelfin is tall and athletically built. He always covers his head with a helmet and dons a dark blue heavy armor (Power Armor) compensating part of the weight from his equipment. His armor covers his whole chest in the likeness of a huge shield and his shoulder plates protude slightly along the sides of his head, the rest of his armor being covered by large plate parts with almost no room between them. Underneath it he is wearing a chain mail and light clothing.
The family's coat of arms is a sapphire-colored shield wrapped in silver chains with two heavy steel axes crossed behind it.
Characteristics: Stubborn, loyal, fast thinker, short-tempered, hard to fall.
Horse: Heavy warhorse, clad in heavy armor from head to toe.
Weapons:Main weapons: Two-handed mace.(A chain links its handle to one of his forearms.) and Heavy Crossbow. Carries a very large shield on his back.
Leaving a child: No.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Moves live a truck... ...Hits like a truck... ...Must be a Klibanophor.Mal'ak ha-mashḥit (The Cleaver of Terra; Bane of All Sin)RosaryNUKE9.13: Wizard - Temporarily out
Name: Wilhelmina van Oranje
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Mage, speciality: Weather; Wind/Water.
Appearance: Tall- very tall. Long brown hair (loose); blue eyes; pale skin. Dresses in simple, elegant gowns. For this journey; a plain white dress, and a leather cloak, pale orange in hue. Her family crest is an orange lion upon a white field, ridged by banners of red and blue. The family motto- Oranje zal herrijzen- is emblazoned below the lion.
Characteristics: Very friendly (too friendly?); polite; has little patience for problems- has a short temper; exceptional perseverance- not strong, but will keep fighting no matter what.
Horse: Light warhorse.
Weapons: Main weapons: Staff (gilded hardwood), Magic. Others: Brace of pistols.
Leaving a child behind: No.
-Some- abilities to be noted:She is nice and stubborn the good way but man, she's got issues!Status:Fine.Light padded armor pieces agentorangesoda: Wizard
Name: Ktimbi
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: African Shaman
Appearance: A jet black man of average build with long orange hair that cooperates with his woolly beard to form a mock lion's mane. His irises are a fiery red, a rare genetic mutation specific to his caste of shamans. He wears the traditional shaman garb: pelts of slain animals and various herbal trinkets adorn his person. He wears a crown of human wisdom teeth, one pulled from each eligible member of his tribe, which he claims contains the combined spiritual energy of his people's souls. The crest of his shamanistic family is, curiously, a mongoose encircled by cobras. One is crushed underfoot whilst the other hangs limp in the mongoose's jaw.
Characteristics: Quiet, Unwilling Participant, Incoherent
Horse: Light warhorse, drawing a cart of reagents.
Weapons: Carries a caduceus which has been passed down for generations. His tribe claims an ancient ancestor won the staff from Hermes himself. Upon each shaman's death, his successor fills a container with his own blood and places the severed head inside. The new shaman will now be protected for the rest of his natural life by his spirit so long as the container is kept close. The case that the previous shaman had kept is then dashed upon the ground, allowing his protector to be finally free from his burden.
Leaving a child behind: As is tradition, upon ascension, a shaman will impregnate a host of women until one gives birth to a child containing the rare genetic disease. The shaman is always male, (it is a y-linked gene). Ktimbi knows he has many children waiting for him at home and has met none of them, but he knows one bears the gift. In the event of a shaman dying without any heirs, all of his immediate kin will attempt to replicate the gene in their own future offspring through ritual until another shaman is born.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Don't mind me. ...Are you dead already? What did you just call me, colored gentleman?Status: Vomit all over his feet.Armor of OriginOne-shot reagents Tarran: Wizard
Name: Davie Maximilian
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: Fire
Appearance: A tall brown haired man of mostly Bavarian-English-Frisian origin. He has light blue eyes and is averagely muscled. He wears a blue-purple robe and leather boots. His family coat of arms appears to be an impalement of the Bavarian and Frisian flag.
Characteristics: Cheerful, Does what is right, friendly, honest, insensitive, trusting.
Horse: Light, Marwin
Weapons: Bastard sword (what, just because he's a mage doesn't mean he doesn't like big swords), flintlock pistol.
Leaving a child behind: Nope. No wife.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Barbecue in the making. What are staves for, anyway? Sure...Why not?Status:Fine.CatalystSeriousConcentrate: Wizard
Name: Diego Alvarez
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: Force and Illusion
Appearance: Diego has tanned skin, shiny black hair cut in a shaggy style that obscures his forehead and looks quite boyish indeed, confident blue eyes, and thick eyebrows. He's average height and lightly built at five feet nine inches and one hundred forty seven pounds. He wears brown boots, dark blue pants tucked into them, and a dark blue tunic. Over that is a long white hooded coat (hood is usually down) with red embroidery that ties up the left side to close, and usually is tied from the waist up. As part of the coat's design, a strap runs over the right shoulder down the to the right side of the waist, with pouches attached to the strap for carrying light items. On the back of the strap is a quiver for holding his arrows. On the back of the coat is the family crest: a shield divided into four sections, with the upper right/lower left being silver and the other two sides being bronze. On top of the shield is a gold crown with rubies inset along the band.
Characteristics: Hotblooded, Showoff, Reckless, Quick to React, Fleetfooted, Friendly
Horse: Light Warhorse "Aquila"
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Longbow; usually uses broadheads, but will switch to narrower heads to pierce armor if necessary; short sword. Others: A bandoleer of throwing daggers hidden inside his coat.
Leaving a child behind: Not that he's aware of.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Quickie It's show time! I challenge you, Good Sir.Manto de Alvarez (Protector de Bendito Alvarez)Ganado BravoGrunhill: Wizard
Name: Dellus Hierdach
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Mage: Light Mage
Appearance: A tall brown haired man of south-european origin. He has dark brown eyes and an average body. He wears a black and white robe and leather boots. His family coat of arms is a dark green serpent biting a blood red apple.
Characteristics: Mysterious, do what he has to do, unsociable, insensitive, trusting.
Horse: Black Light Warhorse, pulling a cart.
Weapons: White gold ring and an ancient grimoire.
Leaving a child behind:Yes
-Some- abilities to be noted:No, I am not a monk Why, no! This. is. NOT A D&D rulebook! SORCERER!BURN HIM!Ouroborosadwarf: No character sheet so far.
borno: No character sheet so far.
Spinal_Taper: Wizard
Name: Ryu Matsuoka
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Mage: The Four Elements
Appearance: Slightly above average height, he wears a fine ocean print kimono. His eyes are brown and his hair is jet black with and unkempt. His hair frames his forehead. His skin is almond, and he has a scar on his right cheek. Altogether, he looks fitting of being a noble.
Characteristics: Positive, Honor-Bound, Naïve, Sees the big picture.
Family emblem: A hollow black circle on a white background. It has a solid black square turned 45 degrees within it. The square touches the top, two sides and the bottom of the circle.
Horse: A Dosaku (Japanese hauling horse) named Kaze. (Heavy Horse)
Weapons: A Katana and a Wakizashi.
Other: One Musket
~~
The waitlist will exist for the case both battle buddies fall. Battle buddies meaning the wizard-knight couple. If only one falls, the remaining will keep on and must honor the fallen. At any !!COST!!.
You can put fluff in your sheet, just don't overdo it. Remember you are young and have accomplished absolutely nothing so far.
ALSO! A note on abilities. If you try anything feasible in Real Life, like taunting or throwing sand in the enemies' eyes (not cool), those will be rolled for success.
For now what I just posted is mostly for the sign up list and interest check. I may decide to simplify or modify some parts later. Tell me what you think about it.
Do not be surprised if I end up tweaking things mid-play, because I may do it. By joining this you forsake your souls to me.
I was also thinking about rolling I will be rolling for weapon, armor and relic. If you roll 5 or 6 for one of these categories, you get a nice heirloom from your family. They will already be named according to their nature/your coat of arms and they may also have titles (which you can pile up with your achievements).
