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Recent Statuses

4 yrs ago
Current Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics.
4 yrs ago
The highest, most decisive experience is to be alone with one's own self. You must be alone to find out what supports you, when you find that you can not support yourself.
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5 yrs ago
One cannot live from anything except what one is.
5 yrs ago
The slave to virtue finds the way as little as the slave to vices.
5 yrs ago
The core of an individual is the mystery of life, which dies when it is 'grasped'. That is also why symbols want to keep their secrets.

Bio

The Harbinger of Ferocity


Agent of the Wild, Aspect of the Ferine
Nature, red in tooth and claw.

"There is, indeed, no single quality of the cat that man could not emulate to his advantage."
- Carl Van Vechten

I am, at my core, a personification and manifestation of those things whose blood and hearts run red with the ferocity of the animal world. It is this which convicts and controls my works, my writing, my being; the force and guidance in which I gain wisdom from. It is what inspires me as a creator and weaver of words, the very thing I admire as an author.

My leanings, savage as they are, are of the feline sort as there exists no greater lineage of beasts whom can be drawn from. No others captivate and motivate my talent and skill as the greatest of cats do.

Most Recent Posts

You call that a summary?!

Also going simple and leaving it to the player to make the CS/Character interesting as opposed to vice versa is ideal.

It is difficult to take several small essays of explanation down any further on that. If memory serves, this would be the fourth time I have contributed to such a discussion between the forum and the Discord. It is a matter that comes up time and again for reasons I cannot understand, but I digress. Yes, that is the condensed version of what I have said before.

On a related note, I have never, not once in all of my years of roleplaying - aside from completely free form as it was on old chat services - known any roleplay that did not have some sort of character sheet system involved. Even then, some of those had them, or there was at the very least an expectation and unwritten rule that once things were done, they were done; set in stone. Not everything need be changed, so I do agree that simple is better, as complexity can often be needless when without explicit purpose.
I will summarize on what I had said before, as many others have noted the topic was discussed prior, but it bears repeating.

The needlessly detailed, overly complicated, excessively specified character sheets are not so much creative as they are busywork; boxes with checks to be filled. The information contained in such things are less applicable, generally speaking, with each section added beyond those absolutely essential to the game's being. Unless the information may be relevant, why include it as a requirement? Just for the sake of people better defining their characters? Why not simply ask them to specify and elaborate, creating more of an overview? Moreover, why not simply emphasize that in game? So on and on it goes, it becomes another hoop to leap through, one that may even be blazing if these are hard requirements; miss the mark, likely be unable to play in the game at all.

In contrast, the concept of no character sheet is spectacularly trusting of a thread's owner, and more or less denies players too, the ability to get an idea of who a character is. It eliminates fact checking and functions solely on trust. Conceptually, one should ask themselves this, would they allow any number of randomly chosen players on the forum to just participate? It has its function in say, topics where the players know one another or have reputations that precede them, but otherwise? There is no vetting, no review, no reassurance. It no less affords an issue of trust that might be naively optimistic. It might be sincerely more organic and natural but that is not always a positive force. So too might such an absence create voids in continuity or details that are unclear, both of which can be rectified, but acquiring players who all have a similar understanding of what is desired? Even more difficult than it regularly is, which is to say, more than it already need be.

Ultimately, the best stance on a character sheet is one that is purposeful. It has only what is required, removes any superfluous additions, and keeps some amount of mystery to the character. No small amount gripe about "personality" sections of a profile and how it might "spoil" the character because someone should only learn it in game, but it should be information that is generally observable or typical to the character. Why? Set aside a moment for one's own thoughts and think how to summarize another actual person's personality in a paragraph. A set of generalities, is it not? Does it include those finer details? No, but it almost assuredly hits the key notes without spoiling any of the finessed attributes. Even that has a defined purpose in most cases. Thus, as noted before, only what matters should be present, as in if the game is about subtleties and intrigue, it might be wiser to exclude it. For most, in contrast? Almost assuredly better to have it.

As a further addendum, I stand by the notion that a character sheet is a list of information to be reviewed by the master of the topic, a contract of sorts if you would, and what a character and player will be held to. A character, or even a player if as much happens to be the case, should be excluded if they do not meet those standards. A throw of the metaphorical dice on hoping they will abide by nebulous expectations known only by the creator is more often than not a death sentence. Affording a template and concept of the angle deflects some of that threat.
I at times amuse myself with practicing voice acting for no reason, if only because it helps to better articulate speech with pronunciation and annunciation.
Unless those terrible stirges have reappeared, I fear rousing the bats will only alert any potential enemies ahead of it. This is good and bad in one.
That is an unfortunate turn of events, @unicorgi. Almost as if it could not have happened any more perfectly to spite your effort. I have not had such an experience but disappointments as those are a common fret of many.
For the adventure again through the bats' portion of the cave, @Hekazu, Brannor rolls a 15 for his disadvantaged Stealth (Dexterity) check, with a bonus from Guidance of 2. With a total of 17, he at least has decent odds of remaining hidden.
Unchecked lit candles is a dangerous indeed to say the very least so such a concern is not ill placed. As my nature is one toward the more paranoid, I do not believe I could forget. Any and all potential threats or matters of urgency and caution tend to consume my thinking. As well, I appreciate something simple and conceptually old as the burning of things for their scent; the idea itself is appealing.
As it appears people will be closing then, I too will resign. I largely left in awaiting an outcome of some posts to get matters moving but it appears generally all members became preoccupied at the same time and the fragmentation of that was an issue. I would regard the looseness of it as a success, however.
I cannot whistle, no, @Hellion. Music and rhythm elude me and are particularly foreign elements. I can appreciate them but I cannot do them myself.
There is no instrument I have ever played or learned to play.
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