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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Genbor
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Genbor Dabblerjack

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Could I get a crash course on Magic usage from anyone? I've been working on my character concept and as I got to my spells list, I realized I'm not entirely sure how it would all work out.

  • First and foremost, is there some kind of Magicka we need to keep track of, or do we just base it on how many spells we think they can cast in quick succession without being tired?
  • I've picked from spells that come from the games, but how do those convert themselves into this RP? Do the durations stay the same, or are we allowed to fiddle with how long spells can last?
  • Can we have a Concentration spell (like in D&D if you know it), which means it is up as long as you can maintain it (usually has a longer duration), but can only have one Concentration spell running at any one time, so should you wish to end the effect or your concentration gets interrupted, you lose hold of the spell.
  • Are we able to cast with both hands to make more powerful versions of the spell? If that is need to be learned, can we learn it?
  • How many spells can we choose to know if we're Highly Proficient in a school? On Brynja's CS I see seven. How many if we're Somewhat Proficient?
  • Can we cast "Self" targeted spells on others?
  • Can I get a cookie?

Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by James
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Signed up just for this roleplay. Looks amazing. I hope everyone (including brand new folks) is free to apply? I see there's a lot of interest already but I'm not new to roleplaying (or the Elder Scrolls games) by any stretch of the imagination, so I'd very much like to show what I got.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Genbor
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Genbor Dabblerjack

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EDIT: Finalized version until further critique.



Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Greenie
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Having read through everything, I'm going to try my hand at bringing Meg here. :3 After some editing of course.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by That1Guy
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Alongside the fact I would like to see genbor's questions about magic answered, I would also like to know the stance on enchanted items if the created character is supposed to be an expert. Also, if magika is something to keep track of, does it influence enchanting?

The question about tracking magika usage intersts me greatly due to the fact Inplan onnmaking a character born under the oblivion sign of the atronach, a larger magika pool than normal, but no magika regen and a natural absorb spell effect.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by DearTrickster
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Having read through everything, I'm going to try my hand at bringing Meg here. :3 After some editing of course.


Yaaaaaaasssssss c:
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Leidenschaft
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Leidenschaft Relax, only half-dead

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@That1Guy

  • First and foremost, is there some kind of Magicka we need to keep track of, or do we just base it on how many spells we think they can cast in quick succession without being tired?
    Yes. Player discretion, please. It'd be like if your character tried to sprint a marathon. Imagine the intense amount of concentration one would have to have to cast flamecloak, concentrate on keeping it up, then maintain that concentration to start flinging fireballs, then try to concentrate on pulling the very being of an atronach from its plane of Oblivion and also concentrate on holding the psychic link with that atronach so it doesn't start slaughtering everyone wholesale because 'holy shit where am i this is not home who are these people oh fuck they're all fighting'
  • I've picked from spells that come from the games, but how do those convert themselves into this RP? Do the durations stay the same, or are we allowed to fiddle with how long spells can last?
    Again, player discretion, refer to my answers before and after this one as well.
  • Can we have a Concentration spell (like in D&D if you know it), which means it is up as long as you can maintain it (usually has a longer duration), but can only have one Concentration spell running at any one time, so should you wish to end the effect or your concentration gets interrupted, you lose hold of the spell.
    I've heard it said that mages commonly cast from the hands because it is the easiest point to focus your magicka. It is fair to say that any spell cast needs a fair bit of concentration to maintain, but this is interpreted in two different ways:

    With spells like flame, frost, healing, etc. (spells that one would need to hold the trigger down to cast in-vidya-gaem) it is safe to interpret that game mechanic as the spell lasting for as long as you can concentrate on keeping a steady, even flow of magicka pouring out through the mental focal points that are your palms.

    With spells like fireball, fast healing, ice spike, etc. (spells that require one press of the trigger) it could be interpreted as the character focusing on building up magicka at the focal point of their palms and releasing it.

    Spells like stoneflesh and other 'mage armor' spells could therefore be interpreted as the mage in question visualizing a 'second-skin' of magicka coating themselves.

    So, yes, each spell is a sort of concentration spell in its own right. I hope this helped explain how in-character casting would work.
  • Are we able to cast with both hands to make more powerful versions of the spell? If that is need to be learned, can we learn it?
    Yep, the hands are the easiest focal points for a mage to pool their magicka and release it, it's fair game to say that the act of using both hands could mentally lead to better concentration, ergo, a stronger spell effect.
  • How many spells can we choose to know if we're Highly Proficient in a school? On Brynja's CS I see seven. How many if we're Somewhat Proficient? Lemme get back to ya on this
  • Can we cast "Self" targeted spells on others?
    Things like mage armour require the intense mental fortitude that is trained up by mages in order to visualize that second-skin of magicka coating their bodies. It would take the target being able to employ the same techniques the mage is using, but at that point, they'd be better off casting it themselves. The different levels of mage armour(oakflesh, stoneflesh, ironflesh) could be interpreted as the amount of magicka the user is able to pool up in a 'layer' throughout their entire body.

    This same logic could be used for other spells of the same nature, cloak, waterwalking, waterbreathing, etc.

    In the case of healing spells, theoretically, yes.
  • Can I get a cookie?
    Yea, of course. Funny, weird thing though, I keep them in my basement sooo. Yea, you first, I'll be down in a sec.


@That1Guy
The best character I've seen played with an Atronach birthsign was another guy from another TES RP. He took the birthsign and really ran with it, having the character's pool of magicka effect not only their casting strength but their mood and energy level. A human battery, if you will. You can refer to my answers to the questions above for how in-character casting is interpreted. Feel free to let me know if you need me to flesh out any of my answers for you.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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So excited! I’m already tossing around a few ideas, and will do my best to put together a suitable CS, iPhone willing ^^;


Here's hoping you get the laptop back in the near future! I've put off replying to posts until now because typing on the phone is the worst.

Could I get a crash course on Magic usage from anyone? I've been working on my character concept and as I got to my spells list, I realized I'm not entirely sure how it would all work out.


  • First and foremost, is there some kind of Magicka we need to keep track of, or do we just base it on how many spells we think they can cast in quick succession without being tired?
  • I've picked from spells that come from the games, but how do those convert themselves into this RP? Do the durations stay the same, or are we allowed to fiddle with how long spells can last?
  • Can we have a Concentration spell (like in D&D if you know it), which means it is up as long as you can maintain it (usually has a longer duration), but can only have one Concentration spell running at any one time, so should you wish to end the effect or your concentration gets interrupted, you lose hold of the spell.
  • Are we able to cast with both hands to make more powerful versions of the spell? If that is need to be learned, can we learn it?
  • How many spells can we choose to know if we're Highly Proficient in a school? On Brynja's CS I see seven. How many if we're Somewhat Proficient?
  • Can we cast "Self" targeted spells on others?
  • Can I get a cookie?


Shaft's put in his two cents, but I'll also say my two McNuggets' worth of wisdom;

We're avoiding gamey systems like keeping track of magicka use and health, in our experience players are pretty good at being pretty reasonable and/ or realistic at what their characters are capable of so say you have a young, inexperienced magic user that basically self-taught themselves reading books, they probably can't do more than basics or do more than a handful of casting before they exhaust their magicka. This is one of those things where we GMs aren't going to really police you too hard, but kind of like how we don't expect a 90 year old wizard to be a track and field athlete, we do expect players to understand their characters' capabilities.

A big rule of thumb here is we're not competing with one another or trying to "win", per say, we're collaboratively telling a story. It's okay for a character to be weak or cowardly, selfish or rude, manipulative or just deeply unpleasant.

As for spell duration, it's kind of the similar answer. It all depends on your characters' personal skill and experience. I've had NPC fire destruction mages who were basically flamethrowers tied to a fuel truck before, but part of that is also the reason we cap things off at Expert level skills because somebody would try to go with Master level (part of the reason for all the rules; there are people who will take advantage of the tiniest leeway and we really want to hammer home that this isn't the video game so it's okay to play a character who's kind of bad at a lot of things), and we like to keep the door open for encounters that are waaaay over people's heads. There's always a bigger fish, as Qui-Gon Jinn once said, wondering why he is chumming about with a Stranger Things reject of a monster.

There kind of is player progression in the game, like finding new equipment and spell books, but we as GMs will be the ones to say what is where. It does take time to read a spell book and master a spell, so players won't be able to just open the book and instantly know the secrets of the cosmos like in the game. Likewise, we've had instance before where someone with a sword in a previous game picked up a mace as loot and totally handicapped themselves because it was too different from a sword. Again, it's all about story telling rather than trying to make it like a video game.

We're capping things off at seven spells in total so we avoid situations where somebody knows like 20 spells because the player just read a list off the Wiki and basically shoved their arm in a grocery shelf and shoveled it all into their shopping cart. The main difference is Highly Proficient lets you use Expert level spells, whereas Moderately is Adept and Somewhat is Apprentice. Realistically, it takes time for people to master spells and we want to see some variety in the magic users so they have some different talents and specializations.

It kind of depends on the nature of the spell for who it can target. Something like heal-self is strictly for the character, whereas heal other is a target, but something like healing hands I can see working for both.

And yes, you can have a cookie; it's just oatmeal raisin. Cuz I'm evil.

Signed up just for this roleplay. Looks amazing. I hope everyone (including brand new folks) is free to apply? I see there's a lot of interest already but I'm not new to roleplaying (or the Elder Scrolls games) by any stretch of the imagination, so I'd very much like to show what I got.


Well, thank you for making us your one stop shop! And of course, everyone's welcome to join in and apply! Basically, post counts are silly and don't measure someone's talent or personality, so as long as you can make a good character and get along with everyone, I don't see any issue with someone fresh off the boat wanting in on this shindig.

I would also like to say I cannot confirm nor deny I am an interstellar talking head that destroys worlds in a game show.

Alongside the fact I would like to see genbor's questions about magic answered, I would also like to know the stance on enchanted items if the created character is supposed to be an expert. Also, if magika is something to keep track of, does it influence enchanting?

The question about tracking magika usage intersts me greatly due to the fact Inplan onnmaking a character born under the oblivion sign of the atronach, a larger magika pool than normal, but no magika regen and a natural absorb spell effect.


Similar to magic, proficiency in enchantment reflects how strong of an enchantment you can put on there. For simplicity's sake, just imagine Expert capping out at 75% effectiveness, Moderately 50%, and Somewhat 25%. Since Enchantment is kind of separate from the rest of Magic, it doesn't really need to worry out about burning up Magicka through use, although I do imagine trying to enchant a dozen sets of armour would be hella taxing on the user.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Genbor
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Thank you for the clarifications, I'll edit my CS accordingly.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Greenie
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it's just oatmeal raisin. Cuz I'm evil.


*insert useful rating here*
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by DearTrickster
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@Greenie Legit excited for the chance for Jude and Meg to meet :), this friendship can no longer be denied

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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by That1Guy
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One last thing, what is the stance on pets? A bird, owls or hawks, things of that nature.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by James
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James Eye of the Tiger

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Thank you, @Dervish. I've started working on my character sheet.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Greenie
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@Greenie Legit excited for the chance for Jude and Meg to meet :), this friendship can no longer be denied



Same here :'D I really love Jude's character ;w; *is a sap*
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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One last thing, what is the stance on pets? A bird, owls or hawks, things of that nature.


As long as it's not too unreasonable (say a bear or some other large predator or some Oblivion critter), I'm generally okay with it! Just understand there might be situations where your character may get separated from the pet or the pet may be unreasonably able to escape from a situation and may perish. Not saying it would happen, but it is a possibility.

@Greenie Legit excited for the chance for Jude and Meg to meet :), this friendship can no longer be denied



Who's who, because depending on which one is mentally Dory, that might be disastrous for everyone in the immediate proximity.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by That1Guy
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Alright then, I will be working on a cs as soon as possible and will post it here when finished, do know I am being forced to write on a tablet though so there WILL be errors I may miss, but if I find them after I post I will edit and fix them.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Rtron
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@Leidenschaft I had forgotten how terribly you treat your characters in their backstories.

Damn.

I like him. But damn.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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Edited in a new bit to the character sheet skeleton, Family and Associations above the skill sections. That's where you name off any family members and important figures in your character's life.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by That1Guy
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How is this?
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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As to not rush anyone, I'll hold off doing initial critiques until Thursday and we'll lock in a final application date shortly.

EDIT: To clarify the deadline isn't Thursday, I'm just not going to comment on any of the submissions thus far until then.

I want people to take their time and flesh out their character sheets, the game isn't first come, first served. We accept based on quality and merit rather than placement, so try to take a look at the GM sheets for what we're generally looking for.
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