Used @Fallenreaper's sheet as a general guide of info to include, but I definitely had trouble with a lot of the places exact numbers are used. If I could get some feedback on this, from whoever, that would be awesome. My first arena character bio, btw.
Ember Norrieth
Classification: Mild Realism/Normal, No Powers
Appearance
(Very few alterations from the image in her appearance and gear.)
Written Description: Ember's build is not overly imposing, but the fact that she's roughly in her physical prime is plain to see. She has a lithe, sleek shape, somewhat lacking in raw bulk, her musculature instead being compact and lean. Her appearance is ultimately very feminine. Her auburn hair reaches the small of her back when left loose, but she almost always wears it in a braid, keeping it away from her pale, light green eyes.
What skin she shows is fair and slightly pale, largely unmarred by scars or other markings, evidence that her combat experience largely consists of training, with few real life-or-death situations of battle under her belt. Her demeanor could most commonly be described as intense, almost aching for movement. There's an aggressiveness and a confidence to the way she carries herself, and though her mask often hides her full features, her eyes tell most of the story.
Equipment
(Again, see appearance image for references)
Weapons Longsword - Bladed weapon, double edged. Expertly forged, both lightweight and sturdy. Most effective when wielded with both hands, but still adequate with one-handed use. A balanced weapon with decent reach, a small round crossguard and a comfortable grip. Sheathed across her back when not drawn.
Throwing Daggers - Bladed weapons, double edged, 3 in total, kept in a pouch attached to her belt and upper leg with handles exposed for easy access. Most effective thrown across short distances, but useful enough in melee in a pinch. Ineffective against most armor, requires hitting vulnerable points.
Handguards - Steel handguards serve as metal knuckles to enhance punching attacks. Nothing remarkable, as Ember's punches aren't the most impressive, but they increase the chance of breaking bones on well placed strikes.
Armor
Lowest layer of Ember's top is lightly padded. Will somewhat reduce damage from punches/kicks or other non slashing/piercing attacks.
Her arms are covered by long leather gloves under hardened leather forearm guards, and steel handguards, along with her single pauldron.
Thigh-high leather boots, with plating protecting knees and feet.
Her mask will reduce the effects of inhalation from smoke or other gases.
In total, Ember has very little effective armor, and requires her to dodge attacks or deflect them with her weapon rather than absorb them.
Other Stimulant Injector - A small injector containing a liquid stimulant that aids Ember in combat, applied to either her upper arm or leg. Kept in a small pouch beside her knives. Significantly slows bleeding and dulls pain for (I could use some advice on a number) of Ember's turns. Can be used once per fight.
Skills
Senses & Attributes: All of Ember's senses are within a human range, but she has gone through significant training to hone them, specifically sight and hearing. All others are quite attuned, though naturally her sense of smell is dampened by the wearing of her mask.
All of her physical attributes are well above average for a human woman of her age, but still fall within human boundaries. Specifically things like her speed, dexterity, agility, conditioning, balance, and reaction times are excellent. Her strength and endurance are her least notable attributes, and thus her fighting style doesn't revolve around them.
Fighting Skill/Style: Ember's style consists of constant movement, skilled swordplay, and capitalizing on overextensions from her enemy. She looks to place herself in good positions to evade and counter enemy attacks, punishing whiffs with superior speed, and targeting weak points with precision, to make up for a lack of overwhelming force. She retreats back after most of her attacks, never seeking to remain in range of heavier melee opponents for long. In the case of ranged attackers, her attack is relentless, and her movements take her around flanks of her enemies after attacks rather than away from them.
She is very capable of parrying and countering most forms of light weaponry similar to her own, and seeks to deflect attacks and return with offense of her own rather than block them outright. She targets weak points with her throwing knives at close range to increase the difficulty of dodging or blocking, and seeks to avoid exchanging blows hand-to-hand or grappling as much as she can, as she is in a disadvantage most often in those situations.
Ember utilizes her combat stimulant in the event that she is wounded. It allows her to ignore painful injuries and continue fighting for a while as normally, but does not allow her to push beyond the limits of human endurance, and it only increases her pain tolerance so far. (History WIP.)
Cool character just two things really. 1. Your stimulant if it's a one use thing would probably be suitable for 2 or 3 of your turns. 2. You may want to reconsider the long-sword for an agile or acrobatic character. Partly because without very specifically designed sheath it's actually incredibly difficult to draw a sword from a sheath from ones back. Partly because it gets in the way on your hip. And partly because your character will be pretty vulnerable to ranged attacks with her armour while using that sword. Just my opinion though (except the sheath thing) take it or leave it.
Here's my primary unpowered character, whom I finished my first ranked battle with.
Name: Zande Khanda Epithet: The Vulture Age: 31 Height: 6'4" Weight: 195 pounds Race: Human Class: Warrior Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Weapons and Equipment- Two three kilo bearded sparth axes with snap button sheathes for fast access, skinning knife, blowgun and darts with inland taipan venom, teeny little leather pouches of spitting cobra venom, rubber soled boots with three eight inch steel claws on each foot, steel chestplate and spiked pauldrons, steel shinguards, underclothing made from dragonhide (like an extremely tough form of chainmail with no gaps), trained pet vulture acting as a spotter, black steel mask, fingerless iron gauntlets, combat/berserker potions.
(The axe "Jancro", slang for Vulture in Jamaican)
(The axe "Hot Steppa", slang for Free Criminal)
Appearance- Zande is a tall, lean man whose musculature is best likened to that of a starved jaguar. The dense, tube-like muscles adorning his long arms and legs allow him to exude a great air of physical prowess despite his wiry look. Unwashed dreadlocks hang over lurid, amber eyes whilst high cheekbones accentuate his abnormal jaw muscles, the feral aspect pushed even further by his sharpened teeth. He often wears the skulls of recent victims upon his belt and is not often seen without his rubber padded, steel clawed boots and black steel tribal mask. Zande's cape, however, is by far his most recognizable feature. A skull and crossbones is sewn upon the ratty cloak, surmising the headhunter's affinity for bones and death.
Physical Abilities/Skills- Zande's untamed strength is far greater than his appearance would suggest, albeit reasonably less than that of a formidable professional weightlifter. He can wrestle and subdue wild beasts with just his bare hands and overpower a stronger opponent through pure tenacity. These traits greatly pale in comparison to his incredible biting and striking power. He can and has killed men with a single punch, and never neglects to train his jaws by chewing through blocks of wood and chunks of rubber, being capable of chomping clean through an unhusked coconut with a single bite. The magnitude is most impressive near the back of his molars, where he can leverage out enough brute force to rival the PSI of a dire wolf. Equally impressive is Zande's great speed and agility, which his lean body is practically built for. He can scurry up and down trees in the blink of an eye and move with a silent swiftness that puts to shame his native brethren. He can amplify the potency of his physical capabilities by consuming a special potion, which grants him animalistic power at the cost of sanity and health (I.E, internal bleeding).
Background~ In the darkest depths of a savage jungle wilderness, shrouded in dread Congo secrets beneath a sky of eternal blackness, there existed a tribe of maneaters. One would think that there would be no bottom amidst the depths of their depravity. Yet, a young boy native to this landscape of monsters found it. The word "bloodthirsty" is often thrown about. However, no other description of Zande holds so true. He was exiled from his village for exceptional reasons and became a freelance mercenary and bandit leader, feared across the land.
Looking out from the entrance to Zande's lair. The inside is remarkably large, yet with so little elbow room.
@MelonHead Thank you, and thanks for taking time to read/help me out.
3 turns sounds good on the stimulant. For the sword... would shortening it help? I hadn't considered the issue of having difficulty drawing it, since I don't think she'll have cause to put it away mid-fight once it's out. She'd use her free hand for her knives and stuff. I feel like she's kinda vulnerable to ranged stuff regardless of what weapon she uses, I figured that would be more of an armor thing. Could you elaborate? Thought about adding something for her to wear over her torso, but I'm not really familiar with what kind of armor would be able to stop or reduce damage from arrows or similar without slowing her down much.
Again though, thank you reading and giving me feedback, I appreciate it :)
@MelonHead Thank you, and thanks for taking time to read/help me out.
3 turns sounds good on the stimulant. For the sword... would shortening it help? I hadn't considered the issue of having difficulty drawing it, since I don't think she'll have cause to put it away mid-fight once it's out. She'd use her free hand for her knives and stuff. I feel like she's kinda vulnerable to ranged stuff regardless of what weapon she uses, I figured that would be more of an armor thing. Could you elaborate? Thought about adding something for her to wear over her torso, but I'm not really familiar with what kind of armor would be able to stop or reduce damage from arrows or similar without slowing her down much.
Again though, thank you reading and giving me feedback, I appreciate it :)
Careful you don't get stuck in that age old trap of trying to cover too much, not everything should or have to be accounted for in the arena. Namely as you can chose your opponent and determine if they are good fit with their equipment, items and other aspects before you take them on. After all, most arena battles are about the fun rather than winning or being able to take on anything. Many people forget this in the end when it comes to the competition aspect since none of the fight results are plotting out and no one wants their PC to die/lose miserably.
Careful you don't get stuck in that age old trap of trying to cover too much, not everything should or have to be accounted for in the arena. Namely as you can chose your opponent and determine if they are good fit with their equipment, items and other aspects before you take them on. After all, most arena battles are about the fun rather than winning or being able to take on anything. Many people forget this in the end when it comes to the competition aspect since none of the fight results are plotting out and no one wants their PC to die/lose miserably.
Actually, the last thing anyone has ever done in the entire of history is completely disregard ranged weaponry, you can choose to if you want to die a terrible death, but having a contingency for a ranged weapon is perfectly reasonable. You're right in that having a way of fighting absolutely everything would be unrealistic and fighting through difficult situations is a fun learning experience, but you're already going to be facing tonnes of different types of weapons with different reach, armour piercing, ease of use, perhaps even types of magic. The last thing you want to do is come undone the moment you fight a ranged opponent.
Actually, the last thing anyone has ever done in the entire of history is completely disregard ranged weaponry, you can choose to if you want to die a terrible death, but having a contingency for a ranged weapon is perfectly reasonable. You're right in that having a way of fighting absolutely everything would be unrealistic and fighting through difficult situations is a fun learning experience, but you're already going to be facing tonnes of different types of weapons with different reach, armour piercing, ease of use, perhaps even types of magic. The last thing you want to do is come undone the moment you fight a ranged opponent.
Then I already, technically fucked up with Trixi and Iron as I don't think either actually have defenses for range weapons hun.
I think my contingency is currently to just move fast and be hard to hit, heh. But it feels like giving her something to at least protect the torso area from quick ranged weapons wouldn't be too much.
@Fallenreaper For sure, on the subject of fun. Actually one of the reasons I've been hesitant to join the arena is I wondered if I might not be competitive enough. Since I'm mostly interested in just writing fun conflicts and not overly concerned with W/L.
@MelonHead Thank you, and thanks for taking time to read/help me out.
3 turns sounds good on the stimulant. For the sword... would shortening it help? I hadn't considered the issue of having difficulty drawing it, since I don't think she'll have cause to put it away mid-fight once it's out. She'd use her free hand for her knives and stuff. I feel like she's kinda vulnerable to ranged stuff regardless of what weapon she uses, I figured that would be more of an armor thing. Could you elaborate? Thought about adding something for her to wear over her torso, but I'm not really familiar with what kind of armor would be able to stop or reduce damage from arrows or similar without slowing her down much.
Again though, thank you reading and giving me feedback, I appreciate it :)
Shortening your sword would be the simplest solution, or lightening it. The longsword is predominantly a Knight's weapon, designed to be used with decent armour. I confess I use them quite often with shit armour, but I compensate with a shield and usually above average strength combatants. If you wanted a weapon of significant length that can still be realistically handled quickly, a rapier or smallsword or other renaissance dueling sword is the way forward. If you're going for the medieval feel a simple one handed sword would be fine, or even a short sword. Essentially, you want anything you can use in one hand so you're not stuck facing an opponent with both your hands occupying a sword and no protection from ranged threats.
You've obviously decided upon a lightweight combatant, so going for heavy armour is not the answer to your problems. Having a one handed weapon that you can use up-close while your free hand can be used to throw out distracting agents like throwing knives and the like should be perfectly suitable. You'll have to use cover effectively and approach sensibly, but you should still be a lot more flexible than if you were carrying a two handed sword.
The sheath thing is completely up to you, but I believe to draw a weapon that long off your back you'd either have to pull it half-way out and then remove it by the blade (cumbersome, if you're taken by surprise you're dead) or remove the sheath and draw it from it separately which is doable, but slow. Running around with a sword out isn't very convenient for acrobatics or anything agile people like to do, so a quick draw system from the hip or lower back is usually preferable. I think ninjas used some sort of back sheath that swung round over their shoulder and allowed them to draw a blade, but they used shorter swords than longswords.
However, in terms of armour there are pretty simple gambesons and the like that can stop some arrows, and certainly things like thrown knives.
Then I already, technically fucked up with Trixi and Iron as I don't think either actually have defenses for range weapons hun.
Yep. If you fought someone like me with a more reserved wearing down play-style your characters would be lucky to reach five feet from my own if they disregarded range defence completely. There's a reason why projectiles rule battles.
Hell, you'd come unstuck the moment you ran into someone slightly faster than your character with a bag of rocks.
I think my contingency is currently to just move fast and be hard to hit, heh. But it feels like giving her something to at least protect the torso area from quick ranged weapons wouldn't be too much.
@Fallenreaper For sure, on the subject of fun. Actually one of the reasons I've been hesitant to join the arena is I wondered if I might not be competitive enough. Since I'm mostly interested in just writing fun conflicts and not overly concerned with W/L.
I'm the same way really, though I admit to coming off as frustrated when I don't understand something or having issues determining the damage when stuff hits. I'm still pretty new as well as rusty from what I did manage to learn with an ex-vet in the arena. So, I wouldn't be concern with competitiveness unless you're fighting ranked battles or tourneys, though that's my opinion and anyone can likely disagree with it.
Yep. If you fought someone like me with a more reserved wearing down play-style your characters would be lucky to reach five feet from my own if they disregarded range defence completely. There's a reason why projectiles rule battles.
Hell, you'd come unstuck the moment you ran into someone slightly faster than your character with a bag of rocks.
Point I was making, in the arena you have the option of choosing your battles. Not an option really in story rp which I feel the point was discarded a bit, but meh, oh well.
@MelonHead Okay, so longsword was definitely poor word choice on my part, as I didn't mean for her to have a heavy knight's weapon. (searches wikipedia...) Apparently this weapon may not have actually existed but a ninjatō sounds like more of her thing. Ninja sword, I guess. Straight weapon, will change description to single-edged, under 2ft length. She could use it in one hand and have her other free for knives or help moving through environment. It seems more her style than a dueling weapon, at any rate.
@Fallenreaper For sure, on the subject of fun. Actually one of the reasons I've been hesitant to join the arena is I wondered if I might not be competitive enough. Since I'm mostly interested in just writing fun conflicts and not overly concerned with W/L.
I'm not super competitive either so you don't need to worry about finding battles just for fun.
@Doc Doctor, For Zande Khanda, wouldn't he be immune to all of the poisons he uses if he poisons people and then eats them?
Point I was making, in the arena you have the option of choosing your battles. Not an option really in story rp which I feel the point was discarded a bit, but meh, oh well.
You can indeed choose your battles in an OOC sense, but often in an IC sense you cannot. If I was the sort to get into deadly confrontations all the time I certainly wouldn't want to be killed the moment I ran into someone with a ranged weapon, that is what I mean, sorry if I misunderstood your point though.
You can indeed choose your battles in an OOC sense, but often in an IC sense you cannot. If I was the sort to get into deadly confrontations all the time I certainly wouldn't want to be killed the moment I ran into someone with a ranged weapon, that is what I mean, sorry if I misunderstood your point though.
It's alright, I've never been elegant with words or very clear so it happens more often than I like. My closest friends has pretty much gotten the hang of what I'm trying to say and dubbed my way of talking as 'Fallenspeak' which I find amusing and rather cute. Though I'm improving, I still have that issue as it's part of me and I tend to think faster than my flipping fingers can type. Unless I'm drunk, then it slows down enough for me to actually sound sane and intelligent... scary really.
It's alright, I've never been elegant with words or very clear so it happens more often than I like. My closest friends has pretty much gotten the hang of what I'm trying to say and dubbed my way of talking as 'Fallenspeak' which I find amusing and rather cute. Though I'm improving, I still have that issue as it's part of me and I tend to think faster than my flipping fingers can type. Unless I'm drunk, then it slows down enough for me to actually sound sane and intelligent... scary really.
It would be funny if a badguy had fallenspeak so as he's trying to explain his evil plans, but he just leaves the heroes confused so they all sit down and he tries to explain in better detail. Then he just gets drunk and leaves.
It would be funny if a badguy had fallenspeak so as he's trying to explain his evil plans, but he just leaves the heroes confused so they all sit down and he tries to explain in better detail. Then he just gets drunk and leaves.
Hahaa, I and a few peeps would be able to understand him but translating it would be a pain. XD
Though I'm trying to push a story idea I'm considering reformatting and trying out in the arena with the talk about fighting. Not sure if it would work well or possible, namely as it requires a little of story as well as fighting so debating on how to do this actually in my mind.
Hahaa, I and a few peeps would be able to understand him but translating it would be a pain. XD
Though I'm trying to push a story idea I'm considering reformatting and trying out in the arena with the talk about fighting. Not sure if it would work well or possible, namely as it requires a little of story as well as fighting so debating on how to do this actually in my mind.
We're all (at least, most of us at any rate) are RPers first before combat RPers, I think we can handle a little story ;D
I've had a couple characters who were completely incoherent, and one who doesn't talk at all. Always good for leaving your opponent with a 'wtf' on their lips.
I've had a couple characters who were completely incoherent, and one who doesn't talk at all. Always good for leaving your opponent with a 'wtf' on their lips.
And Evvie couldn't read, and happened to meet up with someone who can't speak so only had words appears. Whatever happened to that situation? I forgot who it was.
