Request for Mono e Mono Combat

[A Man Is No One]

Greetings Stranger,

Al right, so this is a challenge to any taker, requesting a good old fashion match of fisticuffs with the following stipulations...

• I'm not expetting any super powerful characters, think first level dungeons and dragons or starting a fresh new file on your favorite RPG.
• Any form of combat within a medieval fantasy setting, consider the lands of Faerun or Krynn as your basis here or even Middle Earth if you prefer.
• The typical arena rules apply, as such they will be provided for in the acrostic Arena thread. No God Moding, No meta gaming, et cetera.
• I don't expect to write a book and I don't expect you to either. However, I poetry you to be able to write with at least a high school understanding of grammar and the English language. Grammar might not be effective against a charade but it will effectively anger the gods and they will provide harsh punishment.
• I don't exist to post every day. But I may be consistent. On that note, I dint expect you to post every day either although you may. Essentially, considering a threel day schedule but I'm not beholden to the idea.
• The information sheet, which will be provided in the Arena thread will be typical. Common biological information, appearance (picture acceptable), weapons, armor, list of memorized or known spells (if applicable), any items of significance relative to combat and a short history or reason why you find yourself in the setting should you so desire.
• Finally, for the purposes of this interest check all you'll need is to provide a character to the Arena thread once we decide to do combat. I'll bring my character and I'll provide the sitting. You just remember your wits.

With that being said I'll be using a human of typical age, weaponry, armor and so forth. You won't be facing any monsters of sorts so you won't have to expect a character tailored to the setting.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any prize outside of enjoyment and a fond memory - but I'm loozing to have some fun. If I get multiple responses I'll keep your mane in mind for a later date. I don't expect this to be my only match.

So do I have any takers?

[A Man Is No One]

Interesting...

It would seem that not even after one day have I garnered any interest. Is this because my post is too long and no one dared to read it? Or is my interest check missing key ingredients? Or have I insulted the Arena community? Curiouser and curiouser.

What a shame...

[Shoryu Magami]

I don't think there's anything wrong with your opening post inherently. I've been keeping a watch to see if anyone actually takes you up on this, but the arena forum is actually fairly inactive in general from what I can tell; it's difficult to find someone who's actually interested in having a duel in the first place, let alone one with set specifications. I'm not suggesting you're being too picky; I'd be exactly the same way and want certain criteria, so think of this more as an observation rather than a criticism.

Am I to understand that this battle will not effect the "Win/Lose/Draw" counter? I'd personally prefer to avoid battles which contribute to that due to believing it harbours a negative attitude between the competitors.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind taking you up on this just for a bit of casual fun (and to exercise a little bit since I'm incredibly rusty; spending so much time building the world of my main story project leaves little time for role-playing, especially with technology constantly sabotaging my data), but since I'm not particularly familiar with medieval fantasy settings (at least in terms of western media interpretations), and the power-scaling of the desired characters is different to what I usually prefer to work with, it might take some time for me to settle on a character sheet. If you're not opposed to giving me some patience, I'll see what I can do and get back to you once I confirm if I found a character I was comfortable with.

I would've responded to this sooner, but I wanted to avoid a repeat of last time...

Anyway, best of luck until I work myself out. If someone else takes you up before I confirm my status, don't wait up on me.

First Edit: Just a few thoughts...

I may go with a melee fighter in order to make it easier to hold myself back (my creativity really gets the better of me sometimes; the sort of spells I could bring to the table in the hands of an adept caster would almost certainly go against the specifications you have in mind; even my more basic spells can often be rather elaborate). More than anything I find that every wizard archetype I can immediately think of that would actually be interesting for me in terms of characterization would likely not fit into the "amateur" category I believe you're seeking us to play. I considered a more scholarly type, but that fell too heavily into the magic category.

Would you be able to clarify what you would consider the extent of a "first level D&D" or "fresh new file" character? I'm not planning to create a powerful character, but I specialize more in characters who have experience or wisdom rather than the naïve beginning adventurer. I'm asking this more for the purpose of characterization, not "power gaming". Certain RPGs have you starting out playing the role of a character who isn't a complete novice, so I wanted to know where you're setting the cap exactly. I've got the building blocks for a (mostly) melee-focused character sheet in my head now and I just want more details from you. I did have an idea for a more powerful melee character, but I'm actually happier with the less powerful one currently so this should work out if I get the answers I need.

Second Edit: Character sheet is finished; merely awaiting a response to my questions. No rush, of course. I've improvised and used a character sheet template I came up with on the spot since there was no mention of one here; if you have a specific sheet in mind then post it to me. I used whatever concepts I felt like I was versed in for the setting, but I don't know the settings you used as an example very well.

[A Man Is No One]

@Shoryu Magami

Welcome back,

Well, let's be typical in this response and I will answer your questions as you present them...

• I'm not entirely familiar with the standing system on the guild these days. We didn't have them before the fall. So it could or it could not. I didn't really have any intention one way or the other.
• You can take all the time you want. I have been half tempted just to start fighting myself just for something to do while I am waiting for an opponent or my other threads to get going. It seems like the entire guild is slowing down. Probably to be expected with finals drawing near. On any accord, if you are confused about medieval fantasy consider Lord of the Rings. If you are confused about the power level I seek, consider the party as they left the Shire or found Strider at the Prancing Pony.
• As for last time, things got a little out of control on all parts. People have their opinions and generally speaking they are quite beholden too them. On the other hand, when I address matters of knowledge I tend to put things in as simple terms as possible, which from time to time can rub people the wrong way as they feel it belittles their opinions. But that's a discussion for a completely different time on a completely different medium because I won't be starting any discussions about it here any more.
• Alright, as far as your first edit. I will avoid discussing the magic table because I think the only decent way I could explain it without reference Harry Potter would be to use D&D and that won't do us any good here. As for character level let us consider a couple classic games like Final Fantasy VI or Legend of Dragoon. So in these games you may know that your main characters are Locke Cole and Dart respectively, who are relatively skilled in their particular fields as being a thief and a sellsword, respectively. What I am looking for are characters that are familiar with adveturing, their weapons and fighting styles but not masters of their skills. Consider the difficulty setting of the well-known role playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In that game you have the levels Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master, Legendary - starting from the easiests play through to the toughest. I would say the best example I can give is newly adept. They know enough to survive in settings they are familiar with but traveling to new lands or being responsible for a party are things they might approach with caution or find difficult.
• As far as the character sheet, that's great. I'm not entirely too particular since I wasn't really planning on throwing anything together until I found a solid opponent. But since you've already put one together as long as you have the basics I have already included in the bullet point on my first post. If you've got all that in any form plus a little bit more if you'd like that is fine and dandy. I will get start putting the topic together now and we'll see if I can't get it up before too long.

I hope this answer's all of your questions.

[Shoryu Magami]

@ELGainsborough
I'll address your points in the exact same format, for ease of communication...

• Ah, I see. My primary reason for avoiding the arena forum entirely (outside of comments in the last thread about the tendency for my characters to be rather "broken") stems from my desire to avoid this sort of "Win/Lose/Draw" point system completely, so that might actually be something I need to find out before I truly commit to this; otherwise it could need to be done over a 1x1 role-play instead, which I don't oppose the idea of doing.
• I don't blame you for considering running some casual simulations against yourself, since I mentioned in the last thread that I engage in this sort of practice a lot, especially since I need to do it all the time with my main story project. I believe I understand the concept of medieval fantasy well enough, so it was more a concern of details (which I'm probably simply overthinking).
• On my end, I'm well aware of the fact that I often go into great detail about things, which puts some people off, but I do so in order to make sure a discussion or debate doesn't miss anything. As for people rubbing me the wrong way... generally speaking if people talk down to me or disrespect me that is the easiest way for me not to take others serious or find them irritating; I won't tolerate or associate with people who make presumptions of me or underestimate me. Though I may clash with people over opposing principles or philosophy, it's more often due to that instead since I can discuss those maturely if the other side doesn't talk down at me. Nevertheless, I agree that discussing that previous thread is fruitless, and I'd like to put it behind me; I don't expect a response to any of this. All of my statements here were more generalized anyway, not specific to a single thread.
• Firstly, I appreciate you using two classic RPGs that I am both familiar with and also a fan of; using Dart in particulate illustrates a firm idea for me of what you're looking for. I actually took the time to check your bio, and noticed you're quite fond of The Elder Scrolls; I only know Oblivion personally but I decided to base my character around some of my limited knowledge of that game (though I stuck with an aesthetic I'm generally more aligned to) in terms of concepts, including magic spells. Based on what you've suggested as the expected power level, my current character might actually fit perfectly, or perhaps might even be a little too weak; Oblivion had five levels of proficiency instead of six, to my knowledge, so if need be I could take a quick look at some information from Skyrim; not that we're inherently basing it off of Skyrim but I've admittedly only given my character a few low grade spells (one of which I assume will be useless unless you use a very specific type of character).
• Based on your point here (alongside my answer to your last point), perhaps it would be best if I simply show you my character at this time. I admittedly threw it together in about an hour in the middle of some of my other work, but I think it should be roughly in the area you're looking for. I believe the familiar archetype for what I had in mind for this character I've created would be "Holy Knight"/"Paladin"; I tried to go with something that was appealing to me without having to deal with the inherent overpowered potential of a mage and trying to avoid the usually very complex concepts I bring to the table.

I can either post my character into the OOC of the new thread, or over a PM; whichever you prefer.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any prize outside of enjoyment and a fond memory

ELGainsborough

This is where I interpreted the intention to not have it impact the records from; I suppose I read into it too much.

[ImportantNobody]

Ah, I see. My primary reason for avoiding the arena forum entirely (outside of comments in the last thread about the tendency for my characters to be rather "broken") stems from my desire to avoid this sort of "Win/Lose/Draw" point system completely, so that might actually be something I need to find out before I truly commit to this; otherwise it could need to be done over a 1x1 role-play instead, which I don't oppose the idea of doing.

@Shoryu Magami

It's very easy to avoid the win/lose/draw system. You have to agree with everyone involved in the fight to use that system.

[Shoryu Magami]

It's very easy to avoid the win/lose/draw system. You have to agree with everyone involved in the fight to use that system.

@ImportantNobody

Good to know. It's just a personal preference of mine to avoid that sort of thing; I don't even play ranked match in fighting games despite easily beating all the people I've encountered who do. It's one of the reasons I don't compete in tournaments either, despite beating any tournament player I've met. It's sort of a statement about how I'm playing for casual fun and not for serious business. My story project is my priority.

[Doc Doctor]

@Shoryu Magami@ELGainsborough

I'm up for a good old human tier fight, if either if you are still taking!

[Shoryu Magami]

@Doc Doctor
It looks like you already found it, but I'll direct you to this thread, since it's where the battling is going on. Just in case someone else wants to do this, I figured this is a good idea.

Anyway, I'm not taking more challenges on my end -- this particular style (the character levels, the dice rolls, et cetera -- plus I usually don't work with medieval fantasy such as D&D, though there are exceptions) of duelling isn't really my thing in the first place and I'm only doing it to exercise a little bit since I'm incredibly rusty (haven't role-played on a forum in over five years) and I had a little bit of free time. I'm pretty sure @ELGainsborough is up for multiple challengers at once though, so ask him in the thread I linked you to.

[Doc Doctor]

@Shoryu Magami

That's perfectly reasonable. Just to have said it, though, I typically don't utilize levels and dice as well, and am comfortable with virtually any style or setting. Not to try and press the issue, but just so you know I'll always be around, ready to have fun for fun's sake. I'm a resource! A resource I tell you!

[Shoryu Magami]

@Doc Doctor
Sounds good. I'll keep it in mind. Most of the role-playing I do is actually with characters from my own story's setting, and admittedly the characters in that project are incredibly 'broken' -- I've got people in my circle who think I've created the most powerful fictional series ever. That's one of several reasons I'm not role-playing much on this site; another being that I want to avoid spoiling/revealing too much about my story for now.

[Doc Doctor]

@Shoryu Magami

Even more broken than Suggsverse?

[Shoryu Magami]

@Doc Doctor
The guy who wrote Suggsverse used to be a contact of mine on Yahoo Messenger. He 'borrowed' a few ideas from me if my knowledge of his verse is accurate. I think the difference is that people would likely take my setting seriously, whereas a lot of people seem to treat his work like something of a joke.

[Doc Doctor]

@Shoryu Magami

Whoah neat. I had a chat with him once. I was getting major Shawshank Redemption vibes. But yeah, it is silly to have omnipotents stronger than other omnipotents.

The way I figure it, the only way one omnipotent could outclass another would be by having a more definable, original, badass personality, with boxing and Celebrity Deathmatch referee Mills Lane as the judge/referee.

[Shoryu Magami]

@Doc Doctor
Yeah, I haven't spoken to Lionel in a really long time, but when he realized I was writing a lot of very complex esoteric/metaphysical concepts he added me onto the IM for a while, then we more or less just lost contact. We only spoke a couple of times, but it was pretty in-depth. After I found out about his work, I realized most people were treating it like a 'Squirrel Girl' level joke rather than as a serious setting. I have no idea how people will take to my work, but I honestly don't care what other people think in general.

If you're interested, I'll keep you up to date on the state of my project. Concerning you last comment about omnipotence; I'll toss you a pretty heavy spoiler about my setting if you like, but only over PM. Hit me up with a PM if you want to know.

[A Man Is No One]

@Doc Doctor

Greetings,

If you are looking for some one on one combat, you have come to the right place. I believe @Shoryu Magami has directed you to my main thread. If you are still interested we can find some means to do combat. We can make a new thread or use the preexisting one. We can use the current setting or I can throw together a new one. On any accord I will be creating a new character in which to do combat. My personal requirements are the same - level one equivalent characters with low level magical abilities if any and nothing overtly super powerful. As previously mentioned, consider a level one dungeon and dragons character, who while skilled has not yet mastered their class as of yet. Other examples might be characters in the beginning of RPGs such as Locke from Final Fantasy VI or Dart from Legend of Dragoon. If this is to your liking than we can get a little more indepth.

Also, as @Shoryu Magami mentioned, I have been exploiting dice rolls. I am better developing the guidelines for how I use those dice every round with him. You will not be required to use dice or even acknowledge my dice rolls. For me, they remove the competitiveness from the event which I enjoy because it allows me to focus on the writing aspect instead of using logic and reason to avoid every attack dispite how minute the chances. For you, they would merely be guidance that you can disregard at your discretion.

As it were, I do already have a character in mind for you if you so choose to accept. Subsequently, feel free to peruse the background information on the main thread to better acquaint yourself with the setting for I'll be using it if I had to choose. Or you can create the setting and I'll formulate a character to match. However, my previous requirements will still apply. Low level, low magic, simple is safe.

Let me know sir.

[Doc Doctor]

@ELGainsborough

Ah, reading your posts, even the OOC ones, makes me want to sit in front of a blazing stone hearth with a pipe in my mouth and slippers on my feet.

But that's beside the point.

I'll craft a new character as well. I've actually been looking to make a character that utilizes half swording, and has studied the German School of Fencing. I've never made any attempt at that style before, but I think this should suffice as the right occasion.

I'll try to have the sheet up in a few hours, give or take. Just woke up and have to have my coffee.

[A Man Is No One]

@Doc Doctor

That is fair enough. Although take your time. I'll be working all this weekend, 36 hrs of the in the next 3 days, so my posting time this weekend will be very limited. If you can get a sheet up today (feel free to post it in this interest check first if you'd like) I'll attempt to get a fighting environment and some background information as well as my own character thrown together this weekend. I'd like to tell you I could start fighting this weekend but I'm not going to make promises of that at all. In fact, I'm about to take a nap right now. I've been up since 6am and I've got to be at work at 7pm this evening to work my first 12 hrs. I'm sure you understand.

[Doc Doctor]

@ELGainsborough

So I've managed to finish a new character in record time, and one that I really like at that. Once I started fleshing him out though, I realized that I had to give him some gnarly powers. I just had to, inspiration cannot be denied.

But...

He doesn't get those powers until he's 19, so for the setting of our match he'll be 18 years of age, a vanilla human with strengths and weaknesses.

Auz the Undying

Name: Auz of Bavaria
Epithet: Auz the Undying
Age: 462, but only about a youthful 27 in appearance.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 150 pounds
Race: Human, semi-immortal

Weapons and Equipment-



*Steel cuirass, tassets, greaves, half helm, and gauntlets. The works, you know.

*120 cm straight sword

*steel buckler

*Two knives, a stiletto with a 7" blade and a gauche dagger with a 12" blade.



Appearance- Auz is slender but sturdy man, with a light blonde bowl cut and large, blue eyes rimmed in red, as if he rarely gets good sleep. He has cruel eyebrows and usually wears a leonine expression, that of a man ready to fight to the death at a moment's notice. Over his heart is the tattoo of an ouroboros.





Abilities/Skills- Auz is an aggressive, calculating swordsman who employs techniques from the German School of Fencing, as well as irregular moves of his own design. He's highly versatile and creative with his long sword, able to use it in just about any way that can be imagined. Additionally he's skilled with his two knives and at using his buckler as a weapon, and has no qualms about using any part of his body to fight.
Physically, he's got a heavy lean towards speed over power. He's frightfully fast, a sort of Bruce Lee among fencers, so to speak. Naturally it's not possible to swing a sword as fast as a fist, but regardless most warriors that encounter Auz for the first time are utterly taken aback by his diabolical swiftness. He's not overtly strong, per se, but can hold his own in a grapple.



Auz is unable to physically age past 27, and has the ability to come back to life four times against any single opponent, hence his epithet. His body will resurrect within thirty feet of where he died after a period of ten to fifteen seconds, his corpse fading into a crimson glow than vanishes and then reappears in a random spot, which then forms into his fresh (and fully equipped) body. This means that in order for him to die for good, the same warrior would have to kill him five times in a 24 hour period. Every day that passes without him dying to that opponent will return a life to him, so that if an enemy kills him twice and then waits two days, said enemy will be back at square one. Perhaps it's a good thing for opponents that Auz isn't the type to retreat. Furthermore, every time Auz dies he becomes 25% faster than he was in his previous body for a period of twenty-four hours. On his last body against a single enemy, when true death looms, Auz will have gained a full 244% increase in speed. His body does indeed become somewhat tougher and stronger in order to withstand greater speeds, and yes, Auz can commit suicide if he kills himself five times in a day.



Personality- Auz is cutting and sardonic, his dark wit (the man enjoys his one-liners) born from pessimism. He cares not for status or friendship, being a solitary soul in search of nothing but that which gives his life meaning; war. He doesn't like alcohol or other substances, and only enjoys the company of women after a battle. His solemn, irreverent mentality isolates him, but he's not necessarily a "bad guy". He fights for the underdogs when he can, and doesn't partake or suffer the killing of the helpless. That being said, he doesn't care for hostages. Should an opponent try to use another life as a bargaining chip, Auz would just as soon tell his adversary to go ahead and see how much worse of a death they'll get.



Background- Auz was born in the age of Germanic kings, a disowned prince whose lineage was thrown into obscurity. From the moment he could walk, until he was fourteen, he was trained by the best fencers in the land. Before his next birthday he was given to a distant uncle and sent away, yet was quick to get into the fray and put his skills to the test. He killed his first opponent at age 15, and went on to become a mercenary.

When he was 19, he encountered a Swiss witch that promised him a form of immortality in exchange for his immortal soul. He agreed, and she bestowed a tattoo of power upon him, that of an ouroboros, the serpent that endlessly eats its own tail. What had gone through Auz's head to make him accept the unholy bargain? Simple. He made up his mind that when he died, as all things inevitably do, he'd lay down the hurt on every single infernal entity that stood between him and the soul he'd sold, laying low demons and devils until he got it back. Not a likely outcome, but who can question the will of a resolute warrior until it's put to the ultimate test?

He spend his adulthood mastering his trade, devoting himself to the way of the sword as he cut down foe after foe. Old Auz was a regular Musashi, and soon other fighters started seeking him out, desiring to make a name for themselves. The only names they got were those carved on their grave markers.

little else can be said of Auz. There were no dramatic affairs, no arch rivals nor emotional conflicts. He traveled, he fought, he did the hokey-pokey.

Theme Music-

[Shoryu Magami]

So I've managed to finish a new character in record time, and one that I really like at that. Once I started fleshing him out though, I realized that I had to give him some gnarly powers. I just had to, inspiration cannot be denied.

But...

He doesn't get those powers until he's 19, so for the setting of our match he'll be 18 years of age, a vanilla human with strengths and weaknesses.

@Doc Doctor

I haven't had time to check through the whole profile, but one thing did come to mind -- I find it interesting that both of our characters aren't actually what they appear to be. The only information I provided @ELGainsborough was anything that would have context for the duel between us in some way or another, but there's actually a lot more to my character than meets the eye as well. I won't say anymore though, since I could use this character elsewhere.