This game will be set in Korantine Territory, in and around the port city of Thyrta, a place that has a lot of transients, so no need to create Korantine characters if you don't want to. Jekkarene exiles, sailors from Morkesh, (semi-) barbarian Thennalts, Taskan travellers - all possible.

If you don't pick a Korantine character you really should spend some points on Korantine language. Facility in shiphandling, stealth or trade is useful to back up skills with sword and spell.

Stats

Let's go with rolled in order, but pick 2 stats to roll on 2D6+6 in addition to INT and SIZ. If the overall line up is weak I may allow re-rolls for stats under 7. If the rest of the stats are v good, I may not.

Korantine and Taskan characters start with one Dedicted POW (and a Pact skill) already but nothing for it except citizenship.

Cultural Skills

Use the AoT set (see appendix on page 196 and 197 as well as the Taskan one in Chargen chapter) or ask me

Professions

Use the AoT list as guideline for civilised, check back if you want a barbarian, nomad or whatever

Free Skill Points.

Go with 250, however I'd like to see the first 100 of these split among Professional skills.

Magic

Taskan characters are covered in the book - but note for all characters outside of your home territory you won't often find appropriate temples and sites to gain or recover Divine Magic and Gifts or blessings. So Divine Magic in particular will need to be husbanded, unless you also bring Sanctify and Worship spells with you.

Sorcery and Spirit Magic is obviously more portable. Note rules for extended duration sorcery. D4+1 'useful spells' for a starting character with a proper sorcery grimoire, plus a couple of extras (worship, sanctify, abjure (something immoral) etc) if it's a family grimoire or similar.

Korantine and Thennalt Characters may have some Common Magic, so if you go this route I will provide some parameters.

Sheng (horse nomad) characters can have some specialised Common Magic and 'wards' of their own, I have the rules for this drafted for the new AoT book, and can advise if you want one of these types.

Starting Money and Equipment as per the AoT book in general, but may not be in cash - let's discuss when we know peoples' background. Also I have alternative pricing for weapons and equipment, which are generally MUCH cheaper than Legend RAW.

NB 1 korantine guilder = 2 Taskeens or 2 Dinars (Assabia) = 1 Sharranketan Dinar. You can buy Korantine or Sharranketan currency - which is useable as bullion at a 5% commission when converting from other types
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:41, Tue 15 May 2012.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #1):

I feel like playing a Djesmiri sorcerer - any special info I'll need before I proceed?

In reply to jwpacker (msg #2):

We have one of those already - so if you go this route you should come up with a connection with Hermeticas, or a good reason there are two such people in the same place, which isn't on home turf. Or a sufficient twist on a sorcerer that they feel very different. Hermeticas has Apprentice background.

I am aiming at a summoner type myself.  I would welcome such a character connection.  Perhaps we were apprenticed together?  Or our respective Masters were friends?

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #3):

Well, I am leaning towards escaped spell-slave, honestly. I'd not ruled out summoning, but as you're heading in that direction, I might investigate the alchemist side of the house. What say you, Simulacrum?

In reply to jwpacker (msg #5):

Escaped spell-slave: nice idea. It means you don't have to have enormous INT and POW stats to qualify (but IIRC they should add up to 26 or more). But as a deliberate build rather than look at it after stats, it's a 2D6 roll on SOC. High roll - spell slave whose owner has died, and has managed to be given freedom in the owner's will, or some other legitimate means. Low roll - escaped slave on the run. His relationship with former owner may have been as benign or godawful as you like.

If you want a bit of alchemy, how about a slave whose job it was to keep his master/mistress topped up with something? Poison antidotes, elixirs, drugs (Fengo)...whatever. Take at least one Lore from Elixirs, Potions and Posions, plus Craft (Alchemist) from FSPs.

Maybe put some FPS into Acting, Disguise or whatever, to carry off being a genuine free born sorcerer. just a thought. Add some underworld skills, perhaps he was selling extra doses on the sly. Could be fun.

But chaps - I'm a little worried at present at the lack of fighting skills in the team. A couple of people are capable, but no-one specialises in it. One character as yet entirely undefined may fill the bill, but we'll see.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #6):

Am I missing another thread where the characters are being discussed? This is the only one with replies that I can see...

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #1):

Hmm well, I was looking to make a fighting char of some kind and decided to see how the stat rolls led me. But even with STR and DEX as 2d6+6, that's not much aptitude to speak of.

STR 13
CON 5
SIZ 9
INT 17
POW 11
DEX 9
CHA 6
SOC 14

Maybe I jumped the gun in rolling stats before outlining a concept since there's a role I'm trying to fill?

In reply to jwpacker (msg #7):

No I think it's just in what people have started developing through PM's.

Got it, I'd not considered that. Having only ever done one game on RPoL before, I'd only ever encountered one way of communicating, and PMs wasn't it. :)

Before I go diving into spell-slave, escaped or otherwise, I believe I'll roll up some stats and see where life takes me:

Okay, that's amusing as hell. I put my extra bonuses on POW and CHA. And I got:

STR 12
CON13
SIZ 14
INT 9
POW 10
DEX 14
CHA 13
SOC 10

So much for being any sort of sorcerer at all, I'm thinking! Let me go back to the core book, and look at what those stats and that social standing say I should consider.

In reply to jwpacker (msg #10):

Happy to have chargen conversation transferred here in stages - but there's a lot of discussion, advice and steers that is maybe not relevant to everyone else - some people new to AoT if not Legend, and as we're outside the zone of the core book with no Taskan characters, some modifications needed as we go along. It also helps me keep track of who is doing what in the to and fro - there are now 5 players, about to be six, so this thread could get tangled.

I'm actually fine with accommodating a particular concept someone wants to try if it fits the setting, but that's not the default approach. However if you do want to build this way, I will try and massage the stats (eg by swapping or substitution) in the direction needed so long as it doesn't result in overblown stats and isn't min/maxing - which nobody is trying to do, feels like group tendency is to role-play so far.

Tathas, those stats are not great unless you get a kick out of playing someone who is struggling their way into a profession they don't have much aptitude for.  If you keep this and try build a fighter, I'd allow swap SOC and SIZ, and take some points of INT over to CON. On the other hand if this feels contrived and fiddling would at best just make him average and uninteresting across the board you should start from scratch/discuss via PM.

jwpacker - those are pretty decent stats...for anyone but a sorcerer. PM me let's try help you build something you can relate to one way or t'other. If you are set of the Spell Slave we can do some redistribution, but again it would be such a feat of engineering maybe better to look for a new starting point

In reply to Tathas (msg #8):

See my comment above...

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #12):

Ok. I'll switch back to PM discussion before rolling again.

Simulacrum asked me to post this, so I am posting it here.  Feel free to copy and paste it into PMs, as it will probably be close to what we will be using (I think).

---

Name:             Age:
Background:
Profession:

STR:
CON:
SIZ:
INT:
POW:
DEX:
CHA:
SOC:

Combat Actions/Reactions:  (with Shield?)
Damage Modifier:
Hero Points: 2
Improvement Rolls Stored:        Saved towards (Stat):
Magic Points:
Movement: 8m
Strike Rank:
Improvement Roll Modifier:

Weapon:         Damage     Size Reach  AP/HP   Combat Manouevers



Hit Locations   (AP/HP):
1-3   Right Leg    /
4-6   Left Leg     /
7-9   Abdomen      /
10-12 Chest        /
13-15 Right Arm    /
16-18 Left Arm     /
19-20 Head         /
Armour SR Penalty:

Common Skills:
Athletics (STR+DEX):
Brawn (STR+SIZ):
Brawl (STR+DEX):
Culture (Own)(INTx2):
Dance (DEX+CHA):
Drive (DEX+POW):
Evade (DEXx2):
Evaluate (INT+CHA):
First Aid (DEX+INT):
Influence (INT+SOC):
Insight (INT+POW):
Lore (Home Region) (INTx2):
Perception (INT+POW):
Persistence (POWx2):
Resilience (CONx2):
Rites (Own) (INT+CHA):
Sing (POW+CHA):
Sleight (DEX+CHA):
Stealth (DEX+INT):



Combat Styles:

Close (STR+DEX)
Ranged (DEXx2)

Advanced Skills:

Language (Own) (INT+CHA):



Money:


Equipment:

AND, here's a fancy version.  You will have to press the quote tab and copy this one from there to use it with the fancy tables.  You might have to play around to figure out which fields to input information into.  Maybe more work than it's worth :)

---

Name:             Age:
Background:
Profession:

STR:
CON:
SIZ:
INT:
POW:
DEX:
CHA:
SOC:

Combat Actions/Reactions:  (with Shield?)
Damage Modifier:
Hero Points: 2
Improvement Rolls Stored:        Saved towards (Stat):
Magic Points:
Movement: 8m
Strike Rank:
Improvement Roll Modifier:






Armour SR Penalty:

Common Skills:
Athletics (STR+DEX):
Brawn (STR+SIZ):
Brawl (STR+DEX):
Culture (Own)(INTx2):
Dance (DEX+CHA):
Drive (DEX+POW):
Evade (DEXx2):
Evaluate (INT+CHA):
First Aid (DEX+INT):
Influence (INT+SOC):
Insight (INT+POW):
Lore (Home Region) (INTx2):
Perception (INT+POW):
Persistence (POWx2):
Resilience (CONx2):
Rites (Own) (INT+CHA):
Sing (POW+CHA):
Sleight (DEX+CHA):
Stealth (DEX+INT):



Combat Styles:

Close (STR+DEX)
Ranged (DEXx2)

Advanced Skills:

Language (Own) (INT+CHA):



Money:


Equipment:

My concept is a recently 'graduated' sorcerer's apprentice named Sanjar Zand from otherwise very poor and humble origins.  His exposure to the greater world as it were during his apprenticeship has fuelled his ambition and desire for a fortune of his own.  Assabian, from Djesmir, and of the Summoning/Conjuror bent of learning.  Also ( Occupational Safety, you understand ) possesses facility with warding/protection magics.  Minors in social skills, most being at least selected as advanced skills etc., but not prioritized point-wise...so perhaps not the best 'face' for the group... yet possibly if no one takes socials as their focus.

Perhaps a bit overly civilized as he is possesses somewhat of a dearth of personal combative ability.

A very profit and/or advantage minded/driven individual, Sanjar is outgoing and friendly seeming while keeping a mind towards the true nature of a situation and how to act to best advantage.  I envision him as a relatively recent arrival to Korantia and Thyrta in particular.

Query:  I have recently read that Korantia is less than hospitable to Sorcerers.  My gut tells me Summoner types even more so.  How is an enterprising young Sorcerer/Summoner best able to present themselves in such a place?  Preferably without being burned, of course.  Why go to a place where your skills/profession are so reviled?

A noble/wealthy patron who desires said services and provides top-cover as part of their 'compensation package'?

Relative scarcity of competition in meeting the illicit demand for said services, and thus higher profits?

A relative moderation of said intolerance in the current climate?

Or am I over-estimating the general lethality of this cultural predisposition?

Query2:  I am interested in tie-ins with anyone/everyone else's characters before the game starts.  I rather dislike 'getting to know' characters that are PCs in-game, and trying to hash/work-out a relationship with people at the beginning.  I just feel like it tends to slow the game down and derail/disrupt from getting a good plot-flow going.  Anyone interested in such a tie-in can respond via PM or here, either one, as you might prefer.  I welcome all manner of suggestions for said connections.

My guy is a scout/tracker type, of the Thennault culture.

Also looking for connections.

Simulacrum, what are the rules on Connection bonuses in your games?  +10% for up to 2?  More?  None?  Inquiring minds, and all that.  :)

My character is a Korantine sea captain who's plied the coasts from Marangia to Assabia through Methalea and Morkesh.  He's a giant of a man who runs a tight ship. While not a military man, he can hold his own in tavern brawl or a deadly sea raid.

I also prefer having some connection to the other chars. Simulacrum had stated in a PM that he would incorporate background events if we wanted to use them. Do you guys want to roll on the Leged tables and then figure something out? Or just come up with some connections that sound reasonable?

I usually prefer just plausible previous connections, but I would defer to GM decision (obviously).

Linking a barbarian land tracker to a sea ship's captain can be tough though :)

Given my rolls, I'm reconsidering the arts arcane and am in the process of coming up with a character who will be a Taskan mercenary. More details to follow.

In reply to Rhaksos (msg #19):

Actually it might not be as difficult as you think. My Sea Captain wanted to be a hunter as a youth, but was force into the family business of being a sailor. I speak some Thennalt as well, I could just shift my dialect to whichever region you're from and we could be old friends or acquaintances.  Maybe we went hunting together periodically if I was in your area and had some down time. My archery skill is passable.

In reply to Hermeticas (msg #16):

Sanjar has shaped up really nicely. I'll edit character name, OK?

Korantines generally have no problem with foreigners practising sorcery - it's the kind of thing they'd expect from such people. Every so often - and on a purely local basis - there might be a purge as the authorities throw out 'undesireables', and in such times sorcerers may top the list.

Sanjar will arrive at the starting point in company with the patron - as may one or two other characters. I'll drop you a note.

In reply to Rhaksos (msg #15):

Thanks for this, it's great.