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Post by Daos on Nov 11, 2020 16:51:25 GMT -8
So, if I understand the NWP rules correctly (which is unlikely), I get 11 NWPS: 4 from being a Wizard, 6 from my Intelligence, and 1 because of NWP Level Progression. That's correct. Wizards begin with 4 NWPs, then get a new one every 3 levels, so at level 5, that would be 4. Then add 6 more for INT. I'm afraid I still don't quite understand how many spells I get, aside from getting a Second Level and a Third Level no strings attached. Which, in Kori's case, will be ESP and Suggestion. Correct, she gets one 2nd level and one 3rd level for free. Assuming she has a mentor (if she's a White Robe, she sort of has to; otherwise, who sponsored her to take her Test?), then she gets the 1st level spells Read Magic, Detect Magic and Identify, for free, as well. Any remaining 1st level spells you want, you need to roll a 1d100 for. She has a 75% chance due to her INT. She can know 14 spells per level (so 14 1st level spells, 14 2nd level spells, etc.). So you can try to fill all 14 slots now, or leave some available for later on. Second and Third level spells, you also have to roll for, but you also have to pay for them, too. Second level spells cost 200 STP and third level spells cost 300 STP. You start with 900 STP, so you need to choose them carefully. Later on, you can acquire more in-game, through scrolls or research or copying from enemy spellbooks, etc. Also, does my intelligence give me 6 Languages AND 6 NWPS, or 6 "slots," for a combination of Languages and NWPs? The former. Six language slots and six proficiency slots. |
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 12, 2020 6:52:32 GMT -8
Wow. Maybe I should play high-int characters more often.
OKAY, for NWPS,
Cantrip (2 Ranks, for the Bonus)
Reading/Writing
Spellcraft
Ancient Languages
Modern Languages
Cooking
Herbalism
Direction Sense
Riding (Land-Based)
And for Languages:
The One Language Everyone Speaks, Whatever It's Called (in my Ozymandias game, it's called Humish)
Elvish
Dwarvish
Gnomish
Goblin
Kender
Please correct me if any of these languages don't exist.
AND NOW all Kori's 14 First Level spells
Armor xfMlVE4m1d100
Change Self 1d100
Comprehend Languages 1d100
Charm Person 1d100
Feather Fall 1d100
Identify 1d100
Light 1d100
Mending 1d100
Message 1d100
Mount 1d100
Shield 1d100
Spider Climb 1d100
Tenser's Floating Disc 1d100
Unseen Servant 1d100
Ventriloquism 1d1001d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 12, 2020 7:07:55 GMT -8
Oh, that's embarrassing. I rolled to learn Identify. Oops. Well, here's my roll for Hypnotism. uObXgWk21d1001d100
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Post by Daos on Nov 12, 2020 15:41:10 GMT -8
Wow. Maybe I should play high-int characters more often. OKAY, for NWPS, Cantrip (2 Ranks, for the Bonus) Reading/Writing Spellcraft Ancient Languages Modern Languages Cooking Herbalism Direction Sense Riding (Land-Based) Remember, I have a house rule that every NWP costs only 1 slot, so she still gets one more. Ancient Languages allows her to speak one of the dead tongues of the setting. There are three you can choose from, which one did you want? They are Nestari (Ancient Elven), Kolshet (Ancient Ogre), and Ergothian (Ancient Human). Modern Languages allows her to speak one additional modern language. What did you want it to be? There's a full list here (scroll down to the bottom). And for Languages: The One Language Everyone Speaks, Whatever It's Called (in my Ozymandias game, it's called Humish) Elvish Dwarvish Gnomish Goblin Kender Please correct me if any of these languages don't exist. It's just called Common in this setting. And yes, all of those languages you listed exist. AND NOW all Kori's 14 First Level spells Okay, so it looks like you succeeding on the following and added them to her spellbook: Change Self, Comprehend Languages, Charm Person, Featherfall, Light, Mending, Tenser's Floating Disk (which is called Thorne's Floating Disk here, because there is no Tenser in Dragonlance), Unseen Servant and Ventriloquism. That's nine, which means that with Read Magic, Detect Magic and Identify, she has a total of 12 first level spells now. You can try for two more, or just leave them blank for now. |
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 13, 2020 7:14:43 GMT -8
Hmmm...ok, I'll go for Jump ICzDTXXx1d100 and Phantasmal Force 1d100. For the Proficiency, I'll take Rope Use. She'll also spend 500 of her 400 STP to try and learn Locate Object 1d100 and Summon Monster 1 1d100.
For the extra Languages, Nestari and Camptalk.
Since I'm not a specialist, that means (according to your house rules) I get a free Familiar! Can you walk me through that?1d100·1d100·1d100·1d100
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Post by Daos on Nov 13, 2020 14:55:14 GMT -8
Well, under the core rules, you roll randomly to see what kind of familiar you get, although I usually let a player choose one if they are so inclined. Regardless, the familiar is always something local to the area where it was first summoned. For instance, you could not summon a seagull if you were in the middle of a landlocked desert at the time of the summoning. If you want to roll, let me know, and I can provide a table to use.
Familiars are usually S or T sized creatures. The vast majority of the time, they are 'normal animals,' which in D&D speak means 'animals you can find in the real world.' So toads, ravens, cats, ferrets, mice, etc. There are, however, a couple of exceptions. One being the pseudodragon. They are only available to White Robed Wizards, so you could get one; but it would be in lieu of the magical item I normally bestow upon Wizards of High Sorcery.
Familiars are intelligent, even if they are of a species that normally isn't. They share a mental link with their partner, allowing the wizard to issue commands without actually speaking. However, the familiar is like any NPC henchman, in that it has a mind of its own and may disobey at times. If a wizard is separated from its familiar (by a mile or more), the familiar takes 1 HP of damage a day, until it dies. If the familiar is killed, the wizard makes a System Shock roll. If she fails, she dies, too. If she passes, she lives but loses 1 point of CON.
I also added a few house rules to make familiars a bit more useful. At level 4, the caster can see through the familiars eyes if they do nothing else but concentrate; no movement or actions. At 6th level, you can cast touch-spells through the familiar, as if it were an extension of yourself. And then at 8th level, the familiar will develop some kind of special attack; depends on what it is. A bat, for instance, might get a sonic attack. A snake might get a form of magical hypnosis. And so forth.
Let me know if you have any specific questions about how they work.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 13, 2020 15:00:41 GMT -8
No other questions! I'll take a cat, since, like Kori, they are incredibly opposed to doing any sort of work. What I do have questions about is this magic item of which you speak!  |
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Post by Daos on Nov 13, 2020 17:15:52 GMT -8
A cat works fine. All familiars have an AC of 7, 2d4+x HP (where x is the caster's level), and grants a +1 against being surprised, due to heightened senses. Its saving throws are the same as the caster's. Otherwise, all of its stats are the same as any other standard house cat, but it has a higher INT score. Go ahead and roll 2d4+5 for its HP. As for the magical item, well, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the Test of High Sorcery. I discuss it a bit here. But the long and short of it is, anyone who wishes to learn arcane sorcery of 3rd level spells or higher must take the Test (or become a renegade and risk being hunted down). Passing the Test means you get to join one of the three Orders of High Sorcery--the White Robes of Solinari, the Red Robes of Lunitari or the Black Robes of Nuitari. Failing the Test means death. The fact that your character is level 5 means that she has already taken her Test, and obviously survived. Probably pretty recently, too. We can go into more detail on what that was like once you finish her backstory. Upon passing the Test, there is usually some kind of gift and some kind of cost. The most famous example is that of Raistlin Majere, who was gifted with the Staff of Magius (which was super OP, really). The cost was his health was shattered, leaving him with golden skin, a terrible cough and hour-glass shaped pupils that made him see everything he looked at age super quickly (e.g., if he looked at a person, he would see them age and then decay within seconds; if he looked at a building, he would watch it crumble to dust, etc.). As for the gift, the item is usually tailored to either the wizard's personality, signature style of magic, or relates somehow to the Test itself. Examples include: • A +1 flaming dagger given to a mage who favors fire spells such as burning hands. • A musical wizard might be awarded with a harp of charming. • A wizard who faced monstrous spiders in her Test might receive a cloak of arachnida. And so on. So what sort of item she might get really depends on what I see in her backstory. |
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 14, 2020 6:59:23 GMT -8
V5nMMNpl2d4+5 for HP.
Besides the backstory, the test may differ depending on whether it's designed to test the limits of their strengths or to challenge their weaknesses. Kori's great at using magic to solve everyday problems, but in combat? Not so much.
So, here's the basic draft of the backstory:
Korialanius was the daughter of a renowned Engineer of House Protector, a man with the philosophy that whenever time can be saved using tools, it should. This allows less time spent on executing plans or more time spent crafting higher quality plans and better tools; a cycle of efficiency. He tried to impart this philosophy on his only child. Unfortunately for him, she twisted this philosophy in two ways. Instead of developing tools, she decided to learn magic. Instead of using the free time to begin a cycle of efficiency, she used it to slack off.
Kori, in a somewhat oxymoronic move, dedicated her life to avoiding work with magic. She poured hours into researching magic, to find which spells could be used to save the most effort. She fondly remembers the day she learned Cantrips as the best in her life. Her parents remember it as the worst. Additional chores and other work were assigned to ensure she didn't spend her day napping and going out, but Kori just learned to practice triage.
A few years into her adulthood, her magic attracted the attention of the White Robes. Taking the test seemed to be the path of least resistance, so she joined the order-none too enthusiastically.
(Has the party made enough of a splash to attract the attention of the White Robes? That would be a simple and easy way of introducing Kori)2d4+5
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Post by Daos on Nov 14, 2020 15:43:17 GMT -8
Besides the backstory, the test may differ depending on whether it's designed to test the limits of their strengths or to challenge their weaknesses. Kori's great at using magic to solve everyday problems, but in combat? Not so much. The Test's primary purpose is to test the wizard's competence (magic is dangerous, and in incompetent hands, even more so), loyalty (to the good name of magic itself, largely, but also to the rules set down by the Orders), and morality (to determine which Order they will join). As mentioned before, failing the Test results in the wizard's death. However, most people take that to mean that a failing wizard was killed in a magical battle or they blew themselves up with a fireball or something. In fact, most failings occur when it becomes clear a wizard is not responsible enough or unable to follow the rules, and the Orders decide to nip that in the bud. The cost is usually a middle-ground. If a wizard has some personality aspect that could, if left uncheck, lead them to cause problems down the road, the Orders may try and mitigate it instead of just outright slaying them. An example might be the current Highmage, Justarius. He did not fit the standard stereotype of a skinny, weakling mage. He was an athlete, a warrior, and quite proud of his physical prowess. This dedication to the body was seen as a possible distraction to his dedication to the magic, so his left leg was crippled during his Test, leaving him with a limp to this day. Another example, I mentioned before, was Raistlin. He was cursed to see things as rapidly aging, in the hopes this would teach him compassion for others (didn't take, though). In Kori's case, her laziness could be seen as a possible danger down the road, so her cost might have something to do with that. Even more so that she joined the Order of Solinari. The White Robes believe that magic's purpose is to serve man, to make life better for others. Kori's laziness could be seen as contradictory to that ideal. So her cost might be something--I'm not sure what yet--that forces her to go out into the world and do good. That might explain why she's out adventuring now, and why she didn't immediately just go home after her Test and take a long nap. Perhaps she cannot. She may be suffering from some kind of curse that affects her whenever she goes too long without doing a good deed. Maybe she gets sick, or feels pain, or something like that. I'm not sure yet. (Has the party made enough of a splash to attract the attention of the White Robes? Unfortunately, no. The party has not earned any favor or disfavor with the Orders so far. They remain completely neutral. I held out hope when Gerrard joined; until Kori, he is the only Wizard to join the party so far, but then he ghosted before actually accomplishing anything, so...yeah, nothing so far. |
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 15, 2020 6:00:08 GMT -8
I do like the "Good Deed" idea. Insomnia, perhaps? That works well as both an ironic punishment and something that effects the game side of things. Also, I had an interesting idea for tying the characters' stories together, if Zero Prime is cool with it. What if Kori's been traveling along with Vaeleris, "mooching off" her good deeds? ("Helping a knight with her noble quest is TOTALLY a good deed!") |
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Post by Daos on Nov 15, 2020 14:05:45 GMT -8
Insomnia could work. If she doesn't help people, she can't sleep. If she can't sleep, she can't memorize spells, meaning she'll have to do her daily activities the normal, mundane way, with even less energy than normal. That seems like it would motivate her.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 16, 2020 5:38:50 GMT -8
OK, what's left to do? Just equipment?
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Post by Daos on Nov 16, 2020 13:31:45 GMT -8
Equipment, age, height, weight, birthday, weapon proficiency, appearance, personality, and backstory. Oh, and a name and brief description of her familiar would be helpful, too.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Nov 16, 2020 14:03:50 GMT -8
Equipment, age, height, weight, birthday, weapon proficiency, appearance, personality, and backstory. Oh, and a name and brief description of her familiar would be helpful, too. Oh. Weapon proficiency is easy, since Wizards only get one, which is Daggers, in Kori's case. The familiar is a white cat with black spots. Her name is Habakkuk, because why not? as cat names go, naming them after a deity is relatively normal.
Birthday will be April 26th, age will be 238 (or adulthood plus a few years, if I'm getting Elves wrong) and height and weight are I7HgzaUE1d10+50 and 3d10+70. Starting wealth (before buying equipment) is 1d4+1x10. Appearance:Kori is rather plain-looking, as far as elves go. She has nut-brown hair, in a style that changes from day to day, depending on how she feels in the morning. Her eyes are a murky mix of brown and black, and her perpetually bored-looking face is punctuated by her sharp eyebrows. She typically wears a comfortable wool shirt under her Order-mandated White Robe, and wears shoes only when absolutely necessary, preferring to galivant around in slippers or thick socks. Personality:Kori is hard to get along with. She has a sharp wit and no social skills. This probably led to her knack for offending people, intentional or not. She is not in life solely for herself-she understands that other people have their own lives going on, and takes great pains to ensure that no one is harmed-or, indeed, affected-by her escapades. She is even capable of outright altruism, when she feels like it. Of course, she rarely feels like it. Kori has a strong belief that magic can be used to solve any problem in day-to-day life, thus clearing up even more room for personal enjoyment. Unlike her father, she has absolutely no desire to evangelize this belief, and is perfectly content to use it to make her own life easier. For the backstory, what holes do you need me to fill from the rough draft? (As typed above) 1d10+50·3d10+70·1d4+1 |
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