|
Post by HorizonsDream on May 5, 2021 14:42:10 GMT -8
No, I haven't proposed a character concept yet. I've been kind of leaning towards a character a little like Yara Greyjoy in concept.
|
|
|
Post by Daos on May 5, 2021 15:02:51 GMT -8
I don't have any concepts at all yet.
|
|
Mag
Apprentice
Posts: 9
|
Post by Mag on May 6, 2021 12:49:23 GMT -8
Ok, I've talked with Igor and revised my character somewhat. The new (and most likely semi-final idea) is that my character will be a she, rather than a he. Apologies to the second-born whose hopes were hanging on my firstborn causing him drama with a fiance, but I assure you this concept is somewhat more interesting. The concept remains roughly the same, with her being the firstborn and taken as a ward by a Dornish house. There are some other changes, some more major than others. I can promise that it will not be boring with her around, for sure. I'm here to answer (some) questions, if any are directed at me.
I'm also here to potentially help people who're still struggling with a concept?
|
|
|
Post by Igordragonian on May 7, 2021 7:49:07 GMT -8
Rax- I kind of like the idea of mercnary uncle, who does shady things. It actually could connect to a storyline in planning. But of course you can pick whatever you fancy.
In general I don"t mind min maxing if you are having fun with it.
Horizin&Daos- Can I help you in any way?
Mag- Could work. I was thinking of using the house Wyls of Dorne which have history of shengianry at the Stormlands and in the book also interact with house Swann
as for Lord- I was thinking of someone who nicknamed "Ruby Back"- He was injured and then drowned by Raegar during the battle of the trident, and the injury is worsening with the years.
I was also thinking if this is ok, that the original matron of the house is still alive, even if demented and blind(?) or/and maybe deaf? Mostly for intrgiues about the house's origins
|
|
Rax
Dicemaster
Posts: 2,263
|
Post by Rax on May 7, 2021 11:36:09 GMT -8
Rax- I kind of like the idea of mercnary uncle, who does shady things. It actually could connect to a storyline in planning. But of course you can pick whatever you fancy. In general I don"t mind min maxing if you are having fun with it. as for Lord- I was thinking of someone who nicknamed "Ruby Back"- He was injured and then drowned by Raegar during the battle of the trident, and the injury is worsening with the years. I was also thinking if this is ok, that the original matron of the house is still alive, even if demented and blind(?) or/and maybe deaf? Mostly for intrgiues about the house's origins I'll roll with the shady uncle then. However, I think I'm also going to make him protective of his brother and the house in general. That is, shady uncle makes sure to feather his own nest, but he tries to avoid dragging his house's name in the mud and he'll do his best to prevent others from doing so as well.
Since other prospective players have said they're uncomfortable with a PC lord, I think it would be best if the current lord isn't too sickly to be able to rule. If he dies or is extremely weak-willed, then it's likely we'll effectively end up with a PC lord anyway. All in all, it's probably for the best if you maintain him as a neutral arbiter for player schemes but also allow us to influence his decisions in various ways.
Regarding his nickname, what is "Ruby Back" meant to signify?
I feel that it's unnecessary to have the original "founding mother" still be alive. If the house was founded 80+ years ago as indicated by the chart result, she'd have to be over a hundred years old, which would be extremely unusual. If there's a need or desire for plots centred on our founding scandal, there could easily be written accounts hidden somewhere that would be problematic or embarrassing for us.
If you need some help on the character front, I'm also happy to help. I'm pretty familiar with the mechanics of the game, so if you want to discuss how to realize a concept I can offer some advice.
If you want help coming up with a concept that fits in Westeros, then you could do worse than throw out questions about what works to Mag, Igor and myself. We're sure to have different perspectives, but you'll at least have some food for thought.
|
|
Mag
Apprentice
Posts: 9
|
Post by Mag on May 7, 2021 14:18:20 GMT -8
I believe "Ruby Back" signifies the "Ruby-Red blood stain" that the Lord suffered in the battle of the Trident. I could be wrong, but I believe that is the intention.
|
|
|
Post by Daos on May 7, 2021 15:26:33 GMT -8
I looked up the Battle of the Trident, and it takes place at the Ruby Ford, so I assume the Ruby part is a reference to that. Not sure about the 'back' part. Also, Igor, did you mean he almost drowned? Because if he actually drowned, he would be dead. Unless he was raised again afterward.
As for character concepts, well, usually when I can't think of anything, I look at what role the party needs and then just toss in another character with that role from a previous game. So we need a healer, here's Iroas (Human Cleric) or Halo (Halfling Cleric). We need a tank, here's Gimak (Dwarf Fighter) or Zoya (Human Paladin). That doesn't work here, since I don't have any previous characters and I don't know what the roles really are.
So I'll just have to think up something original.
|
|
Rax
Dicemaster
Posts: 2,263
|
Post by Rax on May 8, 2021 6:38:09 GMT -8
There are roles in SIFRP as well, but since playing a noble house doesn't usually entail D&D-style adventures, the roles are more based on having a certain skill set married to a social role within the house and wider Westerosi society. A healer, for instance, is clearly useful since there are no magical means to recover quickly from serious injuries, illnesses or poisoning. This sort of role is often filled by a maester, but could also be a village midwife, a godsworn (i.e. a priest, monk or nun), or a foreign doctor. While they would all have the same basic skill set, their social roles and standing in Westeros would be quite different. With that said, as members of a noble house, we also have access to the resources of the house. Pretty much every house will have a dedicated healer in their service or know where they could get medical assistance nearby. If necessary, we can use our characters' personal wealth or sacrifice house Wealth to buy medical services. Therefore, it's not really true that we need to fill certain roles to be successful as a group. In all the games I've played, the most commonly used skills are the ones that enable successful intrigues and combat. Secondary to that, having good knowledge skills and sometimes stealth skills is also good. Another factor to consider is that, in a PbP SIFRP game especially, the D&D meme about never splitting the party isn't really applicable. While a great variety of people can travel in a nobleman's entourage, they won't all be welcome to the same venues. Often it will be both necessary and useful to split our group and pursue different missions (or personal objectives) in the course of a story. In my case, this leads me to try and build characters with a clear primary role and skill set, but also leave enough xp to fill out a secondary skill set as well.
Of course, once the game has started, there's nothing but RP reasons to prevent a character from branching out and learning or improving skills that have nothing to do with their primary or publicly acknowledge role.
|
|
|
Post by Zero Prime on May 8, 2021 10:32:39 GMT -8
As my system knowledge is extremely limited in hoping to make a young, Edward Stark, may be the best example, someone who is tough, Resilient, mentally and physically, and would be considered a fearsome opponent on the field of battle, whether personal, or leading a group of men.
However I can usually budget my concept, mechanically, in a given system, see what's realistic to fit into the budget of a starting PC.
|
|
Mag
Apprentice
Posts: 9
|
Post by Mag on May 8, 2021 12:57:55 GMT -8
I'm in a similar position. My lack of knowledge of the rules and mechanics are currently what worries me the most, as I already established what my character will want to do, but unsure if I can brach out enough mechanically and still be competent enough. Also, the meme about not splitting the party is really less relevant in pbp games, since the GM doesn't have to split attention/screen time between several parties. This is a problem if certain skills are lacking in a certain group, but that's always relevant. In a D&D game or not.
Generally speaking though, despite this game not having clear cut roles like in a D&D group, just come up with something that you want to play, and enjoy playing. This is hardly a game where every role must be filled.
|
|
|
Post by Daos on May 8, 2021 15:38:45 GMT -8
Well, I usually favor more diplomatic characters, so I guess I'll probably lean in that direction.
|
|
|
Post by HorizonsDream on May 11, 2021 14:20:16 GMT -8
So, how do we go about building a character? What do we roll? Do we roll anything? What do we do?
|
|
Rax
Dicemaster
Posts: 2,263
|
Post by Rax on May 12, 2021 13:22:47 GMT -8
I can walk you through it if you like, though it will take some time if you don't have access to the rules.
Also, I just go my new computer today, and transferring files is taking some time. I don't think I'll be able to post again until tomorrow evening.
|
|
|
Post by HorizonsDream on May 12, 2021 15:32:47 GMT -8
Whoever wants to walk me through it, I'm cool with it.
|
|
Mag
Apprentice
Posts: 9
|
Post by Mag on May 14, 2021 4:18:22 GMT -8
I do have access to the rules, I am however unfamiliar with them personally. I can either share the rules with you, or sit and walk you through them as I read them myself, but this will obviously be a slower process than having someone already familiar with the rules guiding you. This might push me as well to finish my own character crunch-wise.
|
|