I edited my character. I removed the advanced soul regeneration and added in a new ability called synergy. It's not supposed to really do much, it just gives the oppertunity to do something grand depending on the situation. It's rather dangerous to use though because it'll basically mean channeling a whole lot more energy through one spell. Not sure what you think of it but I thought the teamwork aspect was pretty cool.
I changed the nullify spell so that it affects mana vessels instead. I specifically stated that (in conjunction with the synergy ability) if Richard knows someone or something is going to cast a certain spell from a certain point on beforehand, he'll be able to cancel it out before the opponent can convert his raw mana, timing the projection of his own mana accordingly (he casts the spell right before his enemy would cast his). What this means that if he is using the precognition ability at the same time he's casting nullify, the effect of the spell will be greatly increased.
It doesn't work on anything containing magic that isn't significantly weaker than your own, either.
Does this mean that I won't be able to predict attacks from other player characters or more powerful NPC's? Or does this apply to the 'ascended mind ability'. I'd be kind of dissapointed with the precognitive ability if it doesn't work on most opponents we'll be facing, so in that case I'd rather come up with something else.
The scenario that played out in my head was that generally Richard won't be too useful in combat, but if he's in his precognitive trance, and his opponent is distracted sufficiently, he can barrage it with a psionic blast, dispelling the countermeasures his enemy would exert in it's panic. A mentally powerful enemy would understand what was going on, but during a psionic blast while all spells are failing most would not be able to concentrate sufficiently. However this was just a little fantasy I had. I'd understand if it would be regarded as too powerful, but it's rather situational. Not sure what you think of it, but this is how I'd see Richard fight and defend himself.
Here is the character I came up with. I hope it is sufficient. I have a different character in mind which is much more simple if this character is too complex or too far-fetched.
I'm looking forward to playing with you guys.
Name: Sir Richard Brightly, though what he tells you may vary.
Sex: Male
Age: 93
Appearance: It is always a heavy burden to see the elders slowly turn from wise and old to a lifeless husk of what they used to be, but time has taken a heavy toll on Richard. If he were to stand, which he can’t, one would see that his back is bent into an awful hernia induced hump, his thin neck barely capable of keeping his head above his shoulders. He probably stood as tall as 6 feet in the past, but now his head is barely at the height of 5. His arms and legs are very thin, and the old skin is almost draped around the bones, with very little muscle or fat in between. Though it can be assumed that this man was once rather strong and well built, there is not much left of his glory days. His once broad shoulders hang low, and his once pristine chest is now barely capable of sustaining breath. It is clear, this man is at the end of his days, and used to belong in a bed with lots of life-sustaining technology.
With a receding hairline, the side and back of his head are adorned with the last few hundred hairs he has left. Thin, white and scruffy, no one seems to pay attention to them anymore. Combing the hair would mean damaging the poor old man’s head skin. His face is, which might have once been charming, is hollow, with many wrinkles etching his face, scarring it far more than actual scars would have. His eyes are the only thing lively in his entire appearance. They are still brightly blue, though they don’t seem to focus on anything. They rather seem like they are permanently daydreaming, staring into nothingness. His cheeks are covered in patches of badly shaved facial hair, seemingly the efforts of a nurse who had given up after being unable to keep the man’s head still enough.
On his body are two remarkable features. Firstly, he has the markings of the prolonged wear of a ring on his right ring finger. Secondly, his teeth seem to be in a very good condition, as if they were patiently brushed several times every day, throughout a long lifetime. Only two teeth are replaced with prosthetic ones, which is quite impressive for a man of his age.
Personality: Because his mind is heavily subdued by a case of Alzheimer’s that has progressed to the point of amnesia and full detachment of reality, it is hard to tell what kind of personality the old man has, or used to have, so it might be a better idea to describe who he was before the mental illness got a hold of him.
Richard is a very ambitious, intelligent and wise man, with a strong faith in the future and the world. He chased his dreams as much as he could, and he was very helpful to those around him. At times people called him naïve and too trusting, and often he is referred to as too much of an optimist, but when it comes to his own goals he knows exactly how to reach them, and how to minimize the risks involved. Sometimes he lacks empathy, and can act a little blasé about other people's problems. It’s also difficult for him to put things into a different perspective, but once people confront him with this, it becomes clear that he means well and only wants to help.
Nicknamed Cassanova, Richard is very romantic, with wild stories of many old flames in his past. But when it comes to friends and love, there are a select few who he’d trust forever, and for those he’d do anything and everything. Richard is usually very self-centered, but for those people he will sacrifice almost anything.
As much as Richard likes to make himself believe that his attitude is ‘survival of the fittest’, he is often far too compassionate with the unfortunate to truly adhere to that mentality. However, he has no sympathy for those who don’t do effort to improve their situation. Being lazy is impossible in his eyes.
A man as old as Richard has, and used to have, many habits. Good ones that he retained, and bad ones he has failed to remove. Some of these include brushing his teeth very carefully, exercising (for as long as he could) a lot to keep healthy, singing casually for many years adding up to a rather high skill and reading lots of literature. However, he also smokes heavily and likes to challenge people a bit too much, or more specifically likes to try and make them challenge themselves more.
Biography: Describing the entirety of Richard’s life would take quite long, and since he doesn’t remember most of it anyway, I will highlight the most important moments.
Richard grew up in a small and happy suburban town in England. His youth was difficult, though not as bad as it could’ve been. He enjoyed a good education and got into college at the age of 20 studying something along the lines of management and economy. During this time he courted and conquered many ladies, or so he likes to remember. He led a wild and happy life, building his own fortune.
However, it was abruptly interrupted by the second world war. He was called to arms, and sent to Europe to fight the nazi armies. He was rather quickly promoted to corporal due to his ability to stay strong in the battle, and causing others to follow his lead fearlessly. Eventually he was promoted to sergeant, probably because of his strategic insights, and he was able to return home not long afterwards, being knighted for his important contributions to the war.
Trying to pick up the pace of his old life, he continued and finished his studies. The war had scarred him somewhat, but it had also taught him a few lessons. He managed to build a small fortune with his talents and persistence, and eventually a small and happy family of four. His two daughters and his wife became the most important aspects of his life. His love for the both of them was immense.
In her adolescence, his youngest daughter died. She was struck by lightning while hiding under a large tree in a field. It tore his family apart. It resulted in his older daughter leaving the nest rather early, though it wasn’t on very bad terms. It did left the married couple in loneliness, and it became a depressing time for the two of them.
A party was thrown when Richard finally retired, the company that he had built from the ground now large, prosperous and respected across the globe. In the years of his retirement his relationship with his wife was strengthened again, and he came more in contact with his daughter again, who had become a successful musician.
Between his eighties and nineties, Alzheimer’s started to take hold of Richard’s mind. Soon, he was placed in a retirement home, and afterwards in an intensive care facility. It was quite tragic for his family, but of course he doesn’t remember the complications of his disease. He was at the end of his lifetime, his family having accepted that he would soon pass away, when he was transported to the Cradle of Divinity.
Being granted immortality, Richard’s body is now slowly returning to the years of his youth, gradually going from old to young. It is expected that he’ll be around his twenties/thirties again in about two weeks. His mind has taken a great leap for the better, his awareness and personality having completely returned. His memory, however, is still vague. Most of his past is completely obscured. A few select, important moments of his life are vaguely familiar to him, but they are still so unclear that he will not pay them much mind. Many of his old habits will still influence him. He’ll have the desire to smoke but can’t quite remember how and why. Or he’ll feel the need to fiddle with his ring on his right hand, which isn’t there anymore, and won’t remember why it was there in the first place.
Skills: Strategical knowledge: Richard has in depth knowledge and experience with planning and executing strategic combat moves.
Familiarity with combat: He knows how to fight with his hands, with many mundane fire weapons and has some experience with melee weapons. First and foremost, he knows when to attack and when to retreat, and how to utilize his own powers and his opponent’s weaknesses.
Sing a tale: Richard is an exceptionally good amateur singer and a fairly good storyteller.
Courteous and charismatic: the human mind is an instrument that Richard has mastered. He knows how to manipulate and coerce people.
Good leader: Richard knows how to keep morals high and how to make people work together. He can motivate others to perform at the top of their abilities.
Life experience: Richard has lived a long life. He has gone through a lot. Although he doesn’t remember the moments themselves, he has learned to recognize and solve many problems.
Elemental Cores: Aether x2
Abilities: Nullify - (All elements, Aether) Using his affinity to all elements, and his psionic and kinetic powers, Richard can attempt to nullify any magical effect. This usually involves dissipating specialized mana into raw mana again, or cutting the flow of mana from a spell caster. In the first case, he uses his affinity to raw mana to dispel a constant magical factor. In the second case, he tries to attack the mind and the mana veins of another in such a way that they are unable to continue performing the spell. If he’s using the precognition spell, he can stop the flow of raw mana before it’s converted to a different element, making it far easier for him to prevent enemies from casting spells, especially since he sees them coming. It is dependent on the amount of mana invested on both sides if this abilities works or not. If both parties realize what is happening, a battle of constantly fluctuating streams of mana may occur.
Precognition - (Aether) After meditating for a while, Richard enters a mentally enhanced state, where he sees both the current world and it 5 seconds into the future. It costs a lot of concentration to keep this ability active, and it is sometimes difficult to perceive everything correctly, since he’s getting signals from all his senses in two different instances of time. Forcing him to pay more attention to the current timeline in any physical or mental way will end the trance as well. His eyes become wide and bright, and he’s clearly distracted by something, so it’s heavily noticeable when he’s in this trance. He can cast other spells during this trance, but doing so will cause his mana to drain rapidly. The allies that allow this spell to have an effect on them can also tap in to its powers.
Kinetic field – (Aether) A rather simple spell. Richard uses his raw mana to create barely visible physical barriers. They can be summoned in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can block as many attacks as Richard can provide mana to it. Usually, instead of using it as a fully blocking shield, he tries to use it along with his nullifying ability to reduce the power of incoming attacks before they hit their target. This spell can drain his mana and energy reserves very rapidly if he does try to stop too powerful forces (both physical and magical) instantly. If he misinterprets the force of a spell, he could drain his own mana almost instantly. (depends on his maximum amount of mana and power level. Is his power level is greater than his maximum amount of mana, all his mana will be fully depleted. The other way around only the mana appropriate to his power level will be drained)
Psionic blast - (Aether) Richard can use his raw mana and mental prowess to directly attack another person’s mind and mana reserves. Doing this without repercussion will cause the victim’s mana to be drained, and his mental fortitude to be reduced. Naturally this will cause confusion and immense headaches. During an extended psionic blast at short range, this will result in immense pain and eventually loss of consciousness. However, an adept user of magic can notice the effects of this spell, and exert countermeasures. This is dangerous to Richard, because casting a Psionic blast means opening up his mental barriers, which allows other people to intrude his mind far more easily.
Synergy – (Aether, All elements) With his power over all different elements and over raw mana, Richard can use a willing partner to cast a grand spell with much more power and effect than would be possible when alone. He merges the mana from several targets and helps them combine their power levels. This spell is only as effective as the teamwork and cooperation between its casters. It will lose most of its potency if not every caster is doing more than just granting their mana.
Sorry to drop in like this. I just want to say that I'm really interested in joining this roleplay. Although I am working on a character sheet at the moment I do not have the time to finish it at the moment. So I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself so I won't be dropping a character sheet out of nowhere, as well as ask a few questions. After all I can see I'm a little late to the party, and I don't want to be a nuisance to you guys.
So first of all, even though I'll be skimming through what happened IC, I'd really appreciate it if someone, any one of you, could send me a small summary, even a small paragraph, of the significant things that have happened. That way I'll be sure to not more anything as I'm skimming through the IC posts and I'll have a reference to hold on to. I hope this isn't asking to much already :s
Secondly, and this is a question specifically directed to the GMs: you described that the bodies of the captured and ascended mortals would not age beyond the prime of their life. But what would happen if said mortal was well beyond the prime of his life at the time of capture? Would his age reduce to accommodate his new form granting him a note youthful and comfortable body? Or would the trade of more knowledge and life experience be the burden of being stuck in the same old craggy body for eternity. Is this entirely up to me to decide or do you have a suggestion?
And finally, I was wondering if you guys didn't mind me participating in this RP even though in rather inexperienced on this forum. Don't get me wrong, I've Roleplays plenty of times in plenty of forums. I just don't know the standard etiquette of this place yet. Saying that, I hope that this entire post is appropriate and realise that maybe I should've just waited until I had finished my sheet...
Anyway, all other things aside I'm really excited about this RP and as far as I've seen you guys could still use another roleplayer. I think I could bring some interesting ideas and scenarios to the table. I'll be posting my sheet later today depending on how my question about age is answered.