Heroes At War - Battlefield Glory [8/8 Spots]

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Review of the current CSs:
@Karma200 Very lovely character, I like her. Keep in mind that you are allowed to spice up your arrows. E.g. enchanted speed or arrows that sit themselves alight on command. I also like the idea of Elvish royalty. Very few people will know your heritage though, so it will be up to you to decide whether or not to share that information with your peers. You're also the only Elf in the Army atm.

@HellHoundWoof I was hoping for someone to take the role of a Berzerker, and yours do it very well. Very usual Hero, but perhaps things will change as things goes along. Not much else to add really. Now in the Cast tab.

@Azaryin You have made some really good lore. I appreciate the work you have put into both that and your character. What I do miss is a picture or description of your character. Good nice detailed spells as well. Keep in mind 'friendly fire' is on. Hurting or killing fellow soldiers will damage your reputation, but perhaps less so when you 'lose' control of the character. Just as people would get out of the way of a berserker.

@Ser K+ I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to change a few things. You are restricted to one class, which means you have to either be Mystic and drop the sword or go Warrior and remove some of your spells. Heroes are in most of the cases only gifted in one art, and spend their time training those skills. Other than that you got yourself a great character. I bet fellow soldiers would love to hear your stories around the large campfire in the night.
 
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Review of the current CSs:

@Azaryin You have made some really good lore. I appreciate the work you have put into both that and your character. What I do miss is a picture or description of your character. Good nice detailed spells as well. Keep in mind 'friendly fire' is on. Hurting or killing fellow soldiers will damage your reputation, but so when you 'lose' control of the character. Just as men would get out of the way of a berserker-
Yeah I forgot to put down a picture but there wasn't really a field for it so I kind of forgot. Interestingly enough, the character's appearance is, uh... my profile picture. Heh. I'm fully aware of 'friendly fire' being on, and Torena is fully aware that her allied soldiers are not as fire proof as the friends she fought alongside before. But, there's skill in judicious use of fire magic. Not every spell has to be a giant explosion. Open-hand slapping an enemy soldier with a fiery palm can be as effective as blowing them up if you do it right. Heh.

I'll append a description and picture real quick here.
 
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The deed is done. Silly description added below her picture, centered at the top of the sheet.
 
Yeah I forgot to put down a picture but there wasn't really a field for it so I kind of forgot. Interestingly enough, the character's appearance is, uh... my profile picture. Heh. I'm fully aware of 'friendly fire' being on, and Torena is fully aware that her allied soldiers are not as fire proof as the friends she fought alongside before. But, there's skill in judicious use of fire magic. Not every spell has to be a giant explosion. Open-hand slapping an enemy soldier with a fiery palm can be as devastating as blowing them up if you do it right. Heh.

I'll append a description and picture real quick here.


The field for picture happens to be the first thing requested... "Picture or description (Realistic art only) goes here." At the top. Thanks, your character is now part of the Cast.
 
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I guess I just neglected to copy-paste it. Huh. I mean I do remember that being a thing but didn't think it was something to copy-paste as a field for the sheet but... yeah anyway, crisis averted.

And, WOO, in the cast now :D
 
I'm quite satisfied with our current characters. Forgot to add @Karma200 but Dawn is on the cast now as well.
Since we still got a few CSs pending I'll postpone IC to tomorrow-ish.
 
image.jpg
Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Age: 327
Place of birth: Stohess, Tarabon (Formerly the settlement of Collonith

Hero Class: Warrior
Weapon(s) of choice: dual hand-and-half swords sheathed on his back
Armor type (Light, medium or heavy): Medium
Skills (Max. 5.):

Dual-Wielding: Generally just using one sword in his right hand, if the situation gets dire enough, he can draw the second sword from his back and use them both. This allows him to engage two enemies at once instead of only one.

Mother's Rosario: Using his one sword in his right hand, he launches himself at an enemy, striking with such speed and precision that said enemy has no time to react.

Starburst Strike: He rarely uses it, but this attack, used with both swords, uses most of his energy from its shear ferocity. He only uses it against strong enemies, such as Paladins or Berzerkers.

(OOC)
Weaknesses(Min. 3):

Finariel is too trusting. He is quick to trust, acting more on the thought that everyone is good until they stab him in the back than on the reality that some people are inherently evil.

Finariel is quick to anger and vengeance. Going along with the aforesaid weakness, if someone does cross him, he will hunt them until their debt is paid in full.

Finariel has a habit of pissing off the wrong person. In his 327 years, he has gotten in more fights with drunkards because he pushed them too far than he cares to count.

Reason character joined army/goal(s): He crossed the wrong noble, so the prospect of joining the kings army and being under his protection against vengeance strikes was too good to pass up.

Personality: Finariel is loyal, even if he gets in trouble over it. His parents were killed in ambush as a teen, so he practically raised himself, which led to his loyalty towards people he just meets.

Short bio: Finariel is a strong fighter. He taught himself how to fight, and has only refined his skills over his three centuries of life. He has seen kingdoms rise and fall, rulers come and go, friends live and die. His tends to have a pessimistic view of the world.

Growing up on the more seedy side of Stohess from the time his parents died until he came of age at 31, he learned that everything in lie has a price, and made a habit of selling his fighting skills to the highest bidder as he got older. It was this, along with dealing with people that his moral code told him to kill, that gave him such a sour outlook on life.

Leaving Stohess, he wandered a lot, occasionally meeting someone that struck his fancy, occasionally getting into fights with the wrong person, always on the looking for adventure.

Signature (IC name): Finariel Greenleaf
 
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Had a busy week, but I have returned~
Forgive me for disappearing without a word. I was readjusting to my new job and was kinda conked out on creativity.

I don't really have an idea of what to do for a Hero yet (I do have an idea for Ghealdan, though, if you are still accepting lore suggestions). I usually try to fill in the missing roles in a party, but everyone has made this group splendidly balanced. Maybe I could make a supporter role, like a warlord whose skills augment others instead of directly attack, or maybe a mage who focuses on healing and warding instead of blasty fireballs. I'll sit on it for a while~
 
We could use another female. A support mage can turn the tide of battle with the proper application of spells, so I'd roll with that idea.
 
Had a busy week, but I have returned~
Forgive me for disappearing without a word. I was readjusting to my new job and was kinda conked out on creativity.

I don't really have an idea of what to do for a Hero yet (I do have an idea for Ghealdan, though, if you are still accepting lore suggestions). I usually try to fill in the missing roles in a party, but everyone has made this group splendidly balanced. Maybe I could make a supporter role, like a warlord whose skills augment others instead of directly attack, or maybe a mage who focuses on healing and warding instead of blasty fireballs. I'll sit on it for a while~


Welcome back.
Sure, PM me your suggestion for Ghealdan. I'll be looking forward to reading your CS.

@Kirito Yes, but only for 2-3 days. Anymore and others may take the spot.

IC should be up later today. As mentioned, any late joiners will join the party as reinforcement. (Assuming we have made it out of the Capital)
 
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@Rion My cs is done.
 
@Rion My cs is done.
Nicely done. However, your short bio comes a bit too short. I would like you to add a bit more. Perhaps we should discuses with the lovely @Karma200 if your two Elves belong to the same tribe or not. And in that case know each other. Your age is also a lot more fitting for a Elf now that I see it... @Karma200 Maybe you could make your character a tad older? 128 isn't much, and even less if we compare it to an average Dwarf.

Other than that a good character.

It honestly surprises me no one went with Dwarf or Orc. I might change the race of our General to make up for it...
 
High five, always great to see another fan of tahra's works~

Anyways, question for the players:
What would you like to see in a support mage? The berserker would probably be happy with more healing, everyone could always use a Haste spell on the battlefield, being safe from a rain of arrows also has its boons, keeping everyone's stamina at full throttle can turn the tide of battle, making impassible walls in certain areas can protect infantry from the dreaded cavalry, etc.
So many different options~

And a question for the GM:
What are the limits for spells and magical artifacts? I'd highly doubt D&D level Regeneration and world-breaking Wish / Time-stop spells exist, but do healing potions and other alchemical concoctions exist?
I'm not trying to make a powerful mage (I wouldn't be making a support if I was), but if I'm being honest I'm wondering how far I can take healing before I start to stray into the forbidden realm of necromancy~


I mean, as fun as it is to deliver a mage to the front lines and have them rez a small company of dead allies, I'm not too sure if that's what mages are capable of in this world...

Actually, thinking back, this has probably already been answered in the FAQ: How OP are Heroes?
 
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Nicely done. However, your short bio comes a bit too short. I would like you to add a bit more. Perhaps we should discuses with the lovely @Karma200 if your two Elves belong to the same tribe or not. And in that case know each other. Your age is also a lot more fitting for a Elf now that I see it... @Karma200 Maybe you could make your character a tad older? 128 isn't much, and even less if we compare it to an average Dwarf.

Other than that a good character.

It honestly surprises me no one went with Dwarf or Orc. I might change the race of our General to make up for it...
Maybe instead of being from the same tribe, they are from different tribes that have an alliance with each other? And I totally don't mind making her older, just wasn't sure how old you were allowing x].
 
High five, always great to see another fan of tahra's works~

Anyways, question for the players:
What would you like to see in a support mage? The berserker would probably be happy with more healing, everyone could always use a Haste spell on the battlefield, being safe from a rain of arrows also has its boons, keeping everyone's stamina at full throttle can turn the tide of battle, making impassible walls in certain areas can protect infantry from the dreaded cavalry, etc.
So many different options~

And a question for the GM:
What are the limits for spells and magical artifacts? I'd highly doubt D&D level Regeneration and world-breaking Wish / Time-stop spells exist, but do healing potions and other alchemical concoctions exist?
I'm not trying to make a powerful mage (I wouldn't be making a support if I was), but if I'm being honest I'm wondering how far I can take healing before I start to stray into the forbidden realm of necromancy~

I mean, as fun as it is to deliver a mage to the front lines and have them rez a small company of dead allies, I'm not too sure if that's what mages are capable of in this world...




I haven't written much about magic, simply because it tend to be so difficultly to manage. I see two different ways we can approch this, and I want yours and @Azaryin input. Which one do you like the most?

1. Spells will in most cases be short vocal commands, however talisman, etc can be obtained and used as well. They just run dry quickly and will need recharging, something you shouldn't do on a battlefield unless you have plenty of time. There will be no limit to the range of magic spells. Which means you can go absolutely crazy, but just on a very small scale. Yes, you can create a black hole or raise dead allies but only a really small number of people will be affected. 3-5 enemies at most. And yes, that also means you won't be able to create giant wall to protect your allied archers. But on the bright side, you can continuously cast these kind of spells. You still have to finish one spell before you can cast a new though.

2. The range of spell you can use will be limited to max. 5 that I will have to approve. These spells can have a much greater affect than the idea from above and could include earthquakes or controllable Golems. You still won't be able to take out an entire army yourself though. Spells will also require a bit longer command.


But honestly I'll take any kind of suggestions or improvement. The only thing that is not changeable is the fact that magic is not common in the world.

Maybe instead of being from the same tribe, they are from different tribes that have an alliance with each other? And I totally don't mind making her older, just wasn't sure how old you were allowing x].





Elves will not die of age, so no worry there. But that sounds good.
@Kirito Just make up a tribe and write a few lines or more describing your characters life in said tribe.
 
I haven't written much about magic, simply because it tend to be so difficultly to manage. I see two different ways we can approch this, and I want yours and @Azaryin input. Which one do you like the most?

1. or 2.

But honestly I'll take any kind of suggestions or improvement. The only thing that is not changeable is the fact that magic is not common in the world.
I'd have to take option 2 between those two.
Three-five enemies in short succession at range is the Ranger's forte, and they could be much more versatile than a mage with limited range (i.e. sniping officers and key targets compared to Mages killing 3-5 frontline troops at once).

I tend to liken the Heroes to positions in battle in my mind:
The Warriors are like infantry. Numerous, can take a beating, and are usually key forces and expendable simultaneously.
The Berserkers are like cavalry. They can deal some serious damage with momentum, but are easy targets when stopped.
The Rangers are... well, archers. Deal damage from afar, not so strong in close range.
Which leaves the Mages. The main battle positions have already been taken. All except...

Siege engines.
Glorious weapons of destruction and carnage, devastating armies and forts at range. Their drawbacks? They obviously can't directly fight, they are limited in number, and they require a lot of meat shields support to realize their potential.

Golems used as battering rams. Fireballs instead of catapults. Option 2 fits that idea more than 1, but again that's just what I imagined.
I do like the idea of more powerful spells requiring longer command times, and there exist objects and artifacts that help shorten that time. Every second counts in a battle, and that trusty talisman can be the difference between life and death. I also like the idea the the GM personally checks on magic and makes sure it flies. It'll be extra work on the GM's part, but it'll allow people to personalize magic a bit more and not worry about accidentally breaking the war~
 
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I'll weigh in my thoughts on magic, and I'll do one point at a time.

Magic not being common in the world can easily be attributed to the fact that not everyone is inherently capable of it, and even those that are may never find out because they don't seek the training or... any number of factors. Those that are capable still may not be incredibly powerful because it does take time and effort to learn magic.

As for the amount of magic one is capable of, it's likely gated by the same thing: how much time and effort they put into learning it, including their natural aptitude for it. There's definitely theory behind magic and it's inner workings, but for the most part it's bound to the will of the soul and so will only react to that. If one's soul isn't closely tied to the arcane, then they won't be able to do much with it. They can put in good effort to learn and understand it, but they will have a limit. Those with stronger bonds still have to actually learn and understand how to use it, or something like that.

The use of magic spells without pacing or moderation will result in some kind of exhaustion. The use of magic spells without greater focus, relevant utilities or reagents, and time, will probably result in less powerful or more inaccurate castings. For instance, one can raise a wall against a pursuing army, but if one has not practiced this sort of spell, doesn't know the relevant foci or reagents (if any have been discovered), and doesn't take the time to ready the spell, it won't be as powerful, or it will be malformed, or perhaps the expenditure of magical force will just fizzle entirely if it goes badly enough. So it's between a number of factors there. The person's knowledge of that spell, the experience with that spell, the overall magical aptitude of the person, the power poured into it, the preparation done for it, and other relevant objects and stuff. From there it's up to player and GM discretion on what seems reasonable.

For instance, a bolt of fire could be a pretty easy spell to fling on command with a couple dramatic gestures and a couple command words spoken clearly to form the spell, maybe even less. An explosion may take more, requiring more movement, a somewhat longer command to shape the spell, and the thought to execute the spell as normal. To burst up a wall of flame may take the creation of an arcane circle, time to shape the spell with arcane command words, deep focus on the shaping of the spell in one's mind and where to summon it, and then the final execution which can still end up being quite taxing.

Spells cast from wands still need a basic aptitude for magic, but allow otherwise mundane casters to cast more powerful spells, only gated by the power of the materials made to use the wand itself. Therefore, magic for the mundane is quite expensive and inherently rare, so most wands will probably only be for lesser spells that one needs to cast frequently without thought or focus. There's probably some relationship between natural aptitude, expense on materials, and the type of spell... again, up to player and GM discretion.

The effect of a spell should be taken into account. For instance, a resurrection spell sounds like something blasé with the way you're putting it but can actually be a game-changer when used on the right people. Something like resurrection should be exceedingly difficult to pull off, require a lot of expenditure of all sorts of resources, and the person's actual willingness to come back to life. So, if a spell has the power to become a tide turner, you should think about if it might have repurcussions if it goes poorly, or how much it takes to pull off. Mages like that will probably stick in the sidelines and wait for their time to shine when they can pull off their well prepared spells. Pulling out the ace up their sleeve that the enemy may not have prepared for, or they may have. Fantasy medieval war may take on a new meta because of this and try to account for certain game changing spells from the enemy mages. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Magic not being common in the world is no excuse not preparing for it if you know of its existence and capabilities. Although, some generals might not prepare for it for those reasons, or just because they'

With that being how it is, it's still definitely viable for someone to do that, but spell casters in the field of combat like the ones we're playing will take on more hands-on roles with the war. A support mage might be a battle medic for one zone of the fight, watching over their soldiers with a keen eye, pulling back troops for recovery, bolstering others to push back, and protecting against the very same sort of tide turning stuff already spoken of in this conversation. Of course, even a battle medic will be fighting, so they get hands on experience in combat even if they are somewhere near the backline. Although, I figure they'd be closer to the front even though it would be dangerous... high risk, high reward positioning, I guess.


I'd have to take option 2 between those two.
Three-five enemies in short succession at range is the Ranger's forte, and they could be much more versatile than a mage with limited range (i.e. sniping officers and key targets compared to Mages killing 3-5 frontline troops at once).
I tend to likened the heroes to positions in battle in my mind:
The Warriors are like infantry. Numerous, can take a beating, and are usually key forces and expendable simultaneously.
The Berserkers are like cavalry. They can deal some serious damage with momentum, but are easy targets when stopped.
The Rangers are... well, archers. Deal damage from afar, not so strong in close range.
Which leaves the Mages. The main battle positions have already been taken. All except...

Siege engines.

Glorious weapons of destruction and carnage, devastating armies and forts at range. Their drawbacks? They obviously can't directly fight, they are limited in number, and they require a lot of meat shields support to realize their potential.

Golems used as battering rams. Fireballs instead of catapults. But again, that's just what I imagined.
I do like the idea of more powerful spells requiring longer command times, and their are objects and artifacts that help shorten that time. Every second counts in a battle, and that trusty talisman can be the difference between life and death. I also like the idea the the GM personally checks on magic and makes sure it flies. It'll be extra work on the GM's part, but it'll allow people to personalize magic a bit more and not worry about accidentally breaking the war~
I like this, because it definitely shows the clear differences in the classes within war. Rangers/Archers and Mages are likely to fit the profile for shock troopers as well, similar to berserkers but with some nuance maybe. A Ranger with their retinue of archers or warriors may lead an assault on an enemy group led out of position, where their arrows are most likely to cleanly hit enemies only and widdle numbers down until they can dash in for a quick execution, while certain mages may also be able to direct their more specific repertoire of combat spells to lock off these out-of-position troops, produce a bunch of shock-and-awe flashy evocations to obliterate enemies and cause confusion and rout enemies, and all manner of wondrous deeds. Singularly, Rangers can fit the bill for snipers, and that's REALLY good if there are high value targets to take down and you're specifically trained for that.

Now on the subject of Siege Engines/Operators... this is definitely a conventional role for a mage, but it would also require the specific training for it. Siege Operators actually need to know very well how to properly use their siege weapons and where to aim them to deal the most damage. The same can be said of a Siege Mage, which may be a subrole for the Mage rather than a hard and fast rule for them, just like other classes might have subroles. But, just like siege weapons are likely to have limited ammunition afforded to them in a siege, so it is the same with Siege Mages. They will need preparation, like the method of magic I originally blathered on about, and it will need quite a bit of material. They are powerful, and they can do a lot of damage if left alone in the backlines, but their influence will run out when they run dry on resources or tire themselves out.

So, therefore, it's a subrole. Mages are versatile by nature, so they could fit a number of good subroles, but people really know the terror of mages through the fuck-off huge fireballs being lobbed at their castle walls and the golems bashing down their doors.

Anyway, that's my two cents on the subject.

The summary is, I like the idea of mages as siege operators, but I like having a little more versatility in the roles to allow for more specific kinds of mages, warriors, rangers, and berserkers. As for the magic system, I'd like for a little more variability in the way it works to allow for that kind of versatility, while also allowing for the specialization some mages will inevitably opt for and still leaving it as a reasonably balanced option for combat and utility.
 
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Blah blah blow Mite's previous shallow post outta the water with much more indepth thought.
I've been beat.

Jokes aside, I was avoiding it earlier but with that I suppose now is the time to ask:

How, O mighty GM, does magic work?
Is it an engine that consumes fuel to gives the mages energy to perform spells, a la needing to drink MP potions to recover mana?
Is it crystallized energy that mages draw power from and shape to their will, a la crystals on staves and embedded in grimoires?
Is it an arcane force that touches upon the soul's bonds as Azaryin described, a la... er, Azaryin's examples?
Is it pure force of will and stamina that changes the world around them, a la taking a nice long rest after blowing up a house?
Divine intervention? Otherworldly influences? Pure and raw energy of the world?
And so on and so forth.

I agree with a majority of Azaryin's post. I don't disagree with any of it, though I may have a few different explanations towards the same end~
But, they are just assumptions until I understand the underlying definition of magic in this world.
 
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