STATUS:
They all laughed at Billy Joe and his accent until he drew his Holy Adjudicator bathed in light and fire. The "I Reckon-ing" was upon them.
7 yrs ago
Okay I had an idea consenting Folly. Right now it is broken and he needs a sufficiently skillful smith to repair it, trouble is, the metal is hard to work with so he can't just repair it at the local smithery. He will fight with an iron sword for now. I did use a different link to the greatsword, still broken? It works fine for me.
That'd be fine with me, if you wanted to have it masterfully forged later I'd be cool wit dat. Greatsword is still broken, though.
Added Branded under Races, adjusted the wording of skill rank cost that @Eklispe pointed out was confusing.
@Crimson Raven Link on the Greatsword is still broken for me, just in case you made an attempt at a fix. "Terror" is a pretty powerful skill, so expect modest bonuses instead of game-changing ones. The opposite of Pi, I'm completely fine with Nosferatu as it's decently common in Awakening but am totally against giving any starting character something like a Killing Edge, especially a specially crafted one. In this game we're using overall craftsmanship of a weapon to determine its value, and Killing Edges are already well-forged weapons. You can keep Folly, I'll let that go, if you agree to it being forged down. As in it was broken at some point and is now weaker as a result and on par with other starting weapons. I'm also pretty okay with a Greatsword that has latent power but is essentially just a hunk of iron at the beginning, as other players will be acquiring awesome gear as they progress you'll just "unlock" your weapon's latent potential. Backstory on the Raith brothers is good, I like Marcone's personality, points are good.
@Eklispe I like your character, and if you wanted to have "Quality over Quantity" give another point in another skill I'd let you. This is because players can already have one flat point in a skill as their Class Feature if they choose to do so, so I wouldn't want you to get screwed over for having a neat feature.
As a general notice to all, keep in mind to have your characters' starting weapons fairly simple. You'll get the cool stuff later on as you play, and if you start with a mysterious axe forged from the souls of tigers and drinks blood to gain strength you don't really have anywhere to go but down, do you? Stats and cool features don't mean much anyway, they're just a way to gauge character ability against each other, what everyone is good at and known for and what they should probably be doing on the battlefield.
I get on my flight at 1245 tomorrow, so after I get off tonight I probably won't be on until Sunday sometime.
I need to go ahead and add Branded to the Races at some point. Also agree with Pi that half-Manakete shouldn't be a thing. Anyone with a Manakete in mind go ahead and add both myself and Penultimate_Pi to the same message to enhance your chances of one of us seeing it.
@Crimson Raven, @Sagittarius hit the nail on the head. 14 points is plenty for the beginning, and the Great Knight and Dread Fighter-type classes are ultimately advanced classes anyway. You can either have that Class Feature or that extra weapon proficiency, but not both. Also, there are 5 skills listed under Class Creation: Strength, Constitution, Agility, Skill, and Mentality. Give it another read, I haven't modified the post in any way.
@AquaAzura I like the character concept, she sounds like she'd fit the "entitled noble" role pretty well! Lotta potential for character growth there. I'm going to go ahead and take the Class Feature for "increased damage reduction against weapon attacks at the cost of mobility" but ultimately different from the main stats.
@EisenhornPicture's still broken for me just in case you made a try at a fix. I also like him as well, Calev's got a real "team player" vibe going on. One issue, though: you've one skill rank too many. You can add a single skill rank or keep that cool Class Feature, but not both. This is just me, but I'd prefer it if you kept the Class Feature because it's pretty original and a neat concept. But that's up to you.
@EklispeSorry, but you're a little off. It's not the cost for increasing skill ranks, but what the skill ranks cost flat out. So that D would cost you two points, but to get to C won't cost you 3 more points, just 1 more point. 3 points is the total cost of a C rank. Like if you wanted to go from C to B, it'd cost you a grand total of 1 point. You're thing with the weapon is spot on, though, choosing to be proficient in only one weapon will give you 15 points to start over 14.
Everyone else, I'll be in and out for the next few weeks. I found out today that my brother's in the hospital with sepsis so I'm getting on a plane on Saturday to go visit him. It's not gonna be fun.
Hey there. Y'all know me, I'm Corporal Lance, and here we're going to be presenting a little Interest Check for Fire Emblem. I'll keep things in brief, but I'll outline things a tad.
This game is going to be based within the Fire Emblem world of Elibe, using a simple stat and custom class system that's really more for balance and role identification than anything else. I'm going to be working with @Penultimate_Pi and @JinxLynx to bring this all to the table. More so them than me, because I'm normally not able to post anything more than once a week. If you like Fire Emblem or light medieval fantasy in general, this game is for you. If you also like that feeling of accomplishment that comes with stat progression, then this game is also for you. However, the game will be more about RP than anything else and we're looking to have a group of people to share that story with.
What do you need to know about Fire Emblem to enjoy this game? If you've played any of the games, any at all, then you're set. We won't be going too in-depth or borrowing too heavily from any one game, and the plot will be an original one. Will you need to break out the dice and calculator? No you will not, we're aiming to keep the mechanics of this game simple to keep roleplay as roleplay instead of math class, and encourage custom classes though some examples will be provided. Can you have fries with that shake? Yes. Yes you certainly can. So let's cover the basics, shall we? I'll be going over the rules for play, the game mechanics, and examples of classes to get everyone started. Story and situation will follow, but will be listed here as a placeholder in the meantime. Group size will be determined and people will be accepted when we know what we can handle, but for right now it's up in the air. Casual level, here we go.
1. Read the rules. ALL of them. They're pretty important. 2. All forum rules will apply, as they always do. Don't post graphic scenes in the IC, leave it to the imagination. I'm sure someone might want to read about your steamy encounter, but not everyone does. Blood is acceptable, but keep it tasteful and meaningful. If you're dropping more buckets of the red stuff than Night of the Living Dead I'm going to tell you to tone it down. 3. Be respectful to other players and to your GMs. Don't be starting flamewars in the OOC, be civil. 4. No power-playing, godmodding, or metagaming. That means no Mary Sue all-powerful characters, no taking control of other player's characters without explicit permission, and no acting on things your character is not supposed to know. If it becomes a problem enough that a GM has to intervene, it won't be fun for anyone. 5. If you're playing, be committed. Nobody likes someone who shows up for a few days and then drops off for the next shiny new thing. At least have the decency to state that you're leaving. No, it's not awkward and no one will think anything less of you if the game isn't your cup of tea. 6. Don't expect absolutely everyone to play at the pace you play. If you post in the morning and expect a response by noon, don't go moaning in the OOC. Even if it takes a day or two, be patient. If a few days go by and no one can get online, things happen. People have lives. If you're concerned about stagnation, bring it up in a meaningful way, such as who you're waiting on or what. Posting "Is this dead?" or abandoning ship isn't helpful. 7. If you have a question or comment, ask or say. Ain't no shame in that. 8. Rules not covered can be added to this list later, but I'll let y'all know when that happens.
Very long ago, before the beginnings of history, there was a time when humans and dragons co-existed. When an unknown conflict came between them, the humans rose up to defeat the evolutionary superior dragons. Some came to craft iron and fire into weapons, and harnessed the natural energy of nature, magic, to defeat the dragons' sheer power. Others sought to harness the form of dragons for themselves to gain their power, and so learned to shift into mighty bestial shapes.
Ultimately, the war was brought to a closure by the use of the most powerful magical weapons ever crafted, which would come to be known as the Weapons of the Divine, or the Divine Weapons. As these relics were fueled by the primordial energies of nature itself, they was more than enough to defeat the dragons. But this blessing came at a great cost, draining the worldly realms of the power needed to sustain life. To ensure they would yet survive, the human sealed away the power of the Divine Weapons with a mystic key known as the Fire Emblem, while the dragons sealed away their greater natural power into five Sacred Stones.
To put an end to their conflict, the dragons were made to depart into another realm by means of the Dragon's Gate. In this way, dragonkind was no longer able to exist in the human realm without adopting a human form, and so ensured their kind never truly crossed over again. This warlike event at large that resulted in the dragons' departure became known as the Scouring.
A thousand years passed. From the events within the Scouring, humanity has long since divided itself in two. The Beorc descended from the creators of the Divine Weapons, and so inherited their affinity to magic- and a complexion of superiority, being the ones to truly drive away the dragons. The Laguz came from the ones who looked to harness the form of beasts to match dragons, and too have become weaker in the Scouring's light. This difference in ideologies and beliefs has created a massive racial gap that has incited much conflict, but never to the degree of the war of the Scouring.
But now, all so suddenly, an entirely new threat arises. Once regarded as the world's guardian nation among the Beorc, the greatest military this side of the realms is now mobilizing with one goal: to seize the Fire Emblem at whatever cost. They have stomped through towns, villages and fortresses alike, felling any soul who dares to oppose them. And all the while, Laguz and Beorc alike can only wonder in whispers - What is happening? What has possessed them?
Is this the day a new Scouring comes upon us?
Beorc - The Beorc are average humans as we know them: numerous, diverse, crafty, and short-lived. The Beorc have an affinity for magic and the usage of tools such as swords and axes, and as such can cast spells and wield the Divine Weapons. It was the ancestors of the Beorc that created the Divine Weapons in the first place, bringing about this affinity for magic. Called "The Children of Wisdom", the Beorc rule the most nations on the planet and are the most advanced in the realms of science and magic. Laguz - The Laguz (known as "beast-men" by racist Beorc) are humans with great strength and the ability to transform into an animalistic form. These forms vary from canine to feline, great birds and raptors and even dragons, but cannot be sustained indefinitely. While retaining an appearance close to a human's, Laguz always display some feature of their animal form such as ears, tails, colored stripes, fangs, or wings. Called "The Children of Strength", these people's ancestors sought to use the power of the dragons for themselves and hold that strength within them. Laguz cannot wield weapons like the Beorc can. Branded - The Branded are the resulting child of a union between a Beorc and a Laguz. They take the form of a Beorc and cannot transform like their Laguz parents, instead sharing their enhanced lifespan to a degree, possessing an identifying marking or "brand", and may have some special ability or be especially skilled in an area. When a Branded is born the Laguz parent will lose their own ability to transform into their bestial state, and the Branded are typically scorned as half-breeds and lower races. They use weapons and tomes like the Beorc do. Manakete - The Manaketes aren't humans at all like the Laguz and Beorc are. They're dragons in human form. After the Scouring dragons could not maintain their form in the mortal plain, and so instead took on the appearance of humans. Manaketes can live for thousands of years and appear humanoid in all respects aside from small features, such as pointed ears or unusual hair color although some may possess wings. They can transform into their true draconian form through the use of a Dragonstone.
In the Fire Emblem universe weapons are very important, not only as resources but as a tactical option. Different weapons will offer different bonuses and have advantages over other weapons, and the quality of the weapon will be important, too.
For combat Fire Emblem uses the Weapon Triangle and the Trinity of Magic. What this means is that while all weapons are viable, the weapon you wield can affect the outcome of combat if your weapon is superior or inferior. Here's a rough rundown and the explanation of strengths and weakness:
Swords lose to Lances because Lances have a longer reach. Lances lose to Axes because an Axe can easily take the head off of a Lance or chop through it. Axes lose to Swords because Swords can be swung faster and with more versatility. The Trinity of Magic follows a similar rock-paper-scissors type of matchup, where Nature/Anima beats Light, Light beats Dark, and Dark beats Nature. Within Nature/Anima, Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Thunder, and Thunder beats Fire. Staves are not used in combat and most other weapons are exempt from the Weapon Triangle. Certain weapons will have advantages over other units or weapons as well, such as Bows against flying units.
The usefulness and power of a weapon will be dictated by its craft, that is, how well-made it is. A hunk of iron tied to a plank of wood won't get you as far as a legendary spear, after all. A weapon's quality will be readily apparent by its appearance and handling; less polished and rough weapons will be less useful than an expertly smithed sword of legend. The Divine Weapons and Regalia are in tiers of their own. While weapons won't spontaneously break after X amount of swings like in a normal Fire Emblem game, if you don't take care of your sword it will grow dull and might break. Of course, there's a difference between forgetting to polish it a few days in a row and trying to chop down trees with it or sending it through several suits of armor. Take care of your weapon and it will take care of you. Same goes with your spellbooks, they're not ruggedized gear.
In addition, weapons can be enchanted to have different effects tied to them, such as Swordbreaker that gives you an advantage against sword-wielding units or a Brave weapon that's lighter and easier to swing, giving you an enhanced ability to attack with it. Enchantments for weapons aren't easy to come by, though, but their value is unmatched.
Weapons fall into the Weapon Triangle based on what they most closely align to. Swords would naturally be any slashing weapon wielded with one or two hands of a certain length, for example, to include weapons like rapiers, broadswords, katanas, and the like. Axes would be heavier weapons that throw their weight around, and include your standard axes, things like scythes, flails and maces, warhammers, and even smaller options used with the same style like tomahawks. Lances are long polearms, and would include spears, halberds, javelins, glaives, anything you'd use to poke someone to death. Bows exist outside of the Weapon Triangle, having no advantage or disadvantage against any weapon because of their range but the drawback of being unwieldy in close quarters, and would include all traditional ranged weapons like longbows, crossbows, slings, blowguns, and the like. Knives, like bows, also exist outside of the Weapon Triangle and cover all short stabbing weapons you'd need to be really close for such as daggers, stilettos, and knuckledusters, as well as some throwing options like kunai or the rope dart.
The character class creation system was designed to be fluid with customization in mind, but that'll be laid out in the steps below: 1. Choose a character concept. This will be your class name. It can be an existing class or one of your own creation. Example: Mage, Fighter, Archer
2. Choose two (2!) weapon proficiencies. These weapon proficiencies can be with any weapon type in the Fire Emblem universe, and you may forfeit one weapon proficiency for one extra rank point (below). Staves count as a weapon proficiency, as do the three magic types: Nature/Anima, Light, and Dark, and each separate magic type takes a different proficiency. If you're a Laguz or Manakete, you're already proficient with your natural weapons (claws, teeth, dragon breath, beak, etc.) and can't choose any weapon proficiencies, or give them up for more stat ranks.
3. Assign stat ranks. There will be five (5!) main stats with six (6!) ranks for each stat. They are as follows:
Strength - How strong you are, and how hard you can swing a weapon or pull back the string of a bow. Also pulling and pushing things. Classes with high Strength will deal better damage with physical weapons. Constitution - How enduring you are, and how much damage you can take before going down for the count. Your ability to keep up on marches, go without eating, or fight without tiring will also fall under Constitution. Classes with high Constitution will be able to withstand more hits from physical weapons and overall take more punishment. Agility - How quick you are, and how good you are at dodging blows. Agility is not only an overall measure of your speed but also your reflexes. Classes with high Agility will be able to sidestep attacks more easily and attack many times quicker than slower classes. Skill - How much talent you have with a weapon, and how precise and coordinated you are. Skill is the measure of your ability to attack targets with technique and your aptitude with your weapon. A class with a good amount of Skill will be able to hit their targets more easily, parry blows much more reliably, and attack an enemy's weak points more reliably. Mentality - How well-read you are, and your level of knowledge concerning the arcane or combat. While not exactly how smart you are, Mentality will measure your aptitude with magic in both casting spells powerfully and mitigating damage from spells, as well as how effective certain tactics are when utilized correctly. A class with high Mentality will take less damage from hexes and curses, cast powerful magic, and be able to utilize the skills they know more efficiently.
The ranks of stats will range from E -> S, with each rank costing a point to increase. The values are below. E=1, D=2, C=3, B=4, A=5, S=6
Each stat must have a rank of at least E in each category, and all classes will have a set amount of points to spend at creation, with more being earned through play. There will be ways to raise stats beyond the S rank, but that will come with play.
Beorc (normal humans) will gain more skill ranks with promotion and begin with 14 points. The Laguz will earn more skill ranks when they when difficult battles or when an Act clears, earning up to 5 points an Act and also begin with 14 points. A Manakete will begin with 16 points and only earn more when an Act clears.
4. Choose a class feature. A "class feature" is the defining trait of the class you've created, what sets it apart from other classes with the same stat ranks and weapon proficiencies. An example of a class feature would be "Mounted Combat", which would allow a unit proficient in any weapons and any stat ranks to fight from horseback as easily as they fight on foot, maybe even better. Another example might be "Bardic Song", which might allow a unit to inspire other units with magical verses to fight with more ferocity. Your class feature can be an additional weapon proficiency or an extra skill rank if you choose.
5. Progress through the game! As you play the game you will earn skill ranks, more features, and get promoted or otherwise make progress.
As a Beorc you will be promoted after having undergone significant events/improvement, and will earn more skill ranks and have the decision to choose between any two of: One more class feature, one more proficiency, and one extra skill rank. The name of your class will change to reflect your new growth and you will continue to improve as the game progresses.
As a Laguz you will fight to earn your skill ranks. Through each battle won you will grow stronger and more fierce, earning one skill rank per battle and up to 5 per act. At the end of an Act, you will earn another class feature.
As a Manakete you will start out pretty strong, but will only undergo growth at the conclusion of an act. Here you will gain 4 more skill ranks and an extra feature at the conclusion of each act.
Name: (Self-explanatory. Include any nicknames or aliases.) Race: (Beorc, Laguz, or Manakete. For Laguz/Manaketes, include the beast/dragon you morph into.) Age: (For Manaketes, put your apparent age, as you would be far older in actuality.) Appearance: (Description or picture. If you are a Laguz/Manakete, you should also add a descriptor of the beast/dragon you morph into.) Class: (Beorc only. Take one from the Fire Emblem series, or make your own!) Proficient In: (Beorc only. From the weapons/magic above, choose two your class uses, or choose one and gain an extra stat point.) Features: (A special trait of your character or class. Be reasonable.) Stats (All stats start at one point for E rank, and increase in rank per point up to S rank. Beorc/Laguz have 14 points, Manaketes have 16.) Strength - X Agility - X Constitution - X Mentality - X Skill - X Inventory: (Weapons and items you will start out with. Be reasonable.) Personality: (Describe how your character behaves.) Biography: (What had led your character up to this point. You can be as simple or complex as you like; you can always develop over the course of the RP.) Additional Info: (Anything else we should know about your character?)
I would like to thank both @Penultimate_Pi and @Jinxlynx for helping me put this together... or me helping them put this together and then posting this. Pi came up with the neat little story hook you have there and plotted out a good amount of story, made up the Character Skeleton, and fine tuned the mechanics. I came up with the Class Creation system and a good amount of the mechanics, the Weapons portion, and wrote up and formatted a good amount of this. Jinxlynx came up with the badass name and helped us fine-tune things with suggestions, and all of us pitched in as a group effort with everything else.
Currently we're deliberating who's taking that main GM slot, but in the meantime we're accepting characters! Lessee whatcha got!
The other bad news is... you'll all have to wait for them to get online to see if I've done a good enough job that we can continue. We're down to the wire here though, folks. Not too long now.
While it's good to see people chomping at the bit, hold your horses please, people!
Horse jokes aside, since this isn't really "our" Interest Check I'm going to have to make another one with the mechanics laid bare so that character creation can run smoothly. Let me address a few things first, but I'm going to make an attempt of at least having an Interest Check up sometime tonight. It'll be lacking in story and specifics, just mechanics and rules for the time being. I'll leave the rest to @Jinxlynx and @Penultimate_Pi. So let's get started.
For everyone who has or is about to submit character or class templates, we appreciate the interest but let us lay down the mechanics a bit. Wait until the Interest Check I open up (which will be linked here).
The stat tracking won't be nearly as complex as to go into percentages, and the skills will be more baseline than specific applications in combat and numbers for damage. Think "Class Features". Anyone with training in Staves can heal, but what makes your Wayfarer different from a Cleric, for instance? We'll have examples of this created for the Interest Check, so don't worry if it isn't clear right now.
While we're certainly flattered @Crimson Raven, this won't exactly be a tabletop game. This game will be RP with tracked stats. Mechanics, classes, skills, and all the crunch that comes with tabletop will give way to RP. The RP will rely on mechanics as a baseline instead to judge the capabilities and role of your character. They're there to make sure your Mage with one point in Strength isn't sundering castle walls with a single swing of the sword or your Barbarian with training in Swords and Axes isn't casting decimating hexes with a spellbook. At times these mechanics will decide about how well you would do in a situation that arises, such as deciding who gets across a collapsing bridge first based on Speed or how a swordlock goes with Strength, but we'll throw this all out the window for good RP.
For anyone who would enjoy the crunch, @Light seems to have a pretty solid system that some might enjoy playing with. Sorry Light, but we've already decided on mechanics centered around the game we want to run with simplicity and customization in mind. If you want to start up your own in tandem with those rules I'd be all for helping you out with anything you'd need. Hell, I'd probably join it if you gave me the chance.
Just to give me a chance to breathe and actually do the things I said I'd do, I'll refrain from passing judgement on any introduced characters or skills until they're in the new Interest Check. If anyone has any questions though, feel free to PM me or state so right here. Imma get to work, now.
I've personally been extremely busy, so I'm going to need time to look through what was presented and consult with @Jinxlynx and @Penultimate_Pi on what we want to do. Keep those ideas in mind, though. If I can get a free moment today I'll slap up a separate Interest Check where discussion can take place.
As side note and mention to anyone here, my free time is sparse and divided among a couple of things so I'm never going to be able to check or respond to threads with any kind of quickness.
