Control, if you could update the appropriate post in the welcome to Aroen thread, and maybe put these on the map, that would be helpful.

Cara added
People
Queen Jia Eldrian in the Capital City of Druvir, first of the line of Jorvir.
Dragon Emperor Eric Markov in the Khunic City of Liscora, known among his people as the Radiant Dragon.

Places
Druvir: Our Capital City
Liscora: city in Khune


I added these.  Some of them might not be worth putting on that page -- I'll leave it up to you.
People

King Jorva:  Princess Jia Eldrian's father, who died 6 years ago

Duke Trumaine of Uxuria, Etz's paternal grandfather, who died 28 years ago
Duke Leguraff of Uxuria, Etz's paternal uncle, now 84 years old and surprisingly healthy
Rugulus Truminsen, Etz's father, now 73 years old and on his deathbed
Marguarite, Etz's mother, now 48 years old
Ashtoric Rugulusen, Thurgon Rugulusen:  Etz's brothers, 30 and 28 years old, respectively

Places
Uxuria:  Dukedom that Etz's father comes from, which his eldest brother now rules.  This is the least of the dukedoms in Kumlar
Harvisborough:  Barony that Etz's father now rules.  This should be immediately adjacent to the Outlands, somewhere that real monsters sometimes come out of the ruins of Khadid.
Lee:  Dukedom that King Dorian comes from

Sorry folks.  Yesterday took a left turn.

Catching up and pushing forward now.

Etzagith & "The Code"
Hmm.  But as soon as you were to call it a "code" then Etz would want to rebel against it. 

Why is he a kind person?  Why does he do the things he does, make the decisions he does?  A code of ethics, a sense of morals is typically a societal standard.  Everyone agrees that murder, rape, cannibalism, human sacrifice are all bad things.   Mind you, everyone agrees that theft is a bad thing, but Etzagith does that...  So, why that and not those other things? Does he only perform "victimless" crimes?


I expect him to grow and become a little more hardened after the first couple of times he is forced to participate in killing anything.

It is entirely possible that he might never need to kill anything.  I expect most people, even in a medieval community, didn't.  I mean, beyond the slaughter of animal for food, and the like.


If you're not comfortable with this as an Aspect, especially because I expect it to reduce over time, I can drop it in favor of an Aspect that has to do with his use of disguises.


I'm going over to your character-thread now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:32, Thu 26 Mar 2020.

This is very interesting for 'Ola. Tell me more about that mechanic. (I am one of the tiny handful of long-time RPG players who never played WoD apart from Exalted.)


Sorry.  I no longer have the Vampire: The Masquerade books.  And it was only a half-remembered memory, anyway.

However, in this game, if you wanted to say that your character lives by a code of ethics, then that wou8ld be a fantastic Aspect.   Every time you draw upon that Aspect for something new, we'd have to add to the code.   It could be as simple as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"  Or it could be four-hundred and twenty-nine points to live by, including one which says you must turn around three-times before sleeping.  Mind you, I'd prefer it to not be four-hundred and some odd points.    That's hyperbole.  Really.  Please.

D'oh.

I've just made the character sheet user-editable.  Sorry about that.   I'm not firing on all cylinders these days.

Ok.  I moved my character sheet from Description to there.  I don't think it is quite done, but getting close.

We really need a serious mage in this highly-magical world.  I actually avoided that in my RTJ because I thought that would be a popular choice.

And... we've reached six PCs.  At this point, unless someone new submits a RTJ that knocks my socks off, we're closed to new players.

I want to keep it a smaller group to keep me focused.

Woo!

Welcome new players.

I'm built, so I'm happy to be a spring board for your ideas as well as the DM.

Hello! Nice to meet you all! Look forward to a great time with everyone^^

I honestly appreciate the amount of time and effort you guys are putting into the world-building side of this.    It's real nice not to have to have all the answers :)

So, here's our current line-up:

Cara       Khunic Noble (possibly a diplomat?)
Etzagith   Minor noble sneak-thief master of disguise
Garland    Former thief turned sell-sword
Indigo     To be determined
Manaolana  Warrior-monk?
Vincent    Inquisitor?

If it's in Blue, I'm currently comfortable with how well-developed the character is.  I think I've got a good enough handle on them to start things out...  That doesn't mean you don't have to finish off the character sheet, though :)

Oh yeah.  Also...  I'm going to start up another Notice thread just for posted character sheets.  I truly believe that if others can see your stats and back-story, they have more power to work with you to create compelling drama.

I'd appreciate it if you could copy the latest and greatest version of your character sheets to:
The Current Cast and keep it up to date if you tweak things.  Each post is posted under your name so even though the thread i closed, you should be able to edit the post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:45, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

Greetings! Happy to be here! You all have been busy writing! lol

Hello new folks!  Welcome aboard.

I have a few questions about mechanics.

1. Control and Cara have both used the term 'Refresh' with respect to stunts, and I'm not clear on what that means.  I found this on the Fate SRD (bottom of the page) -- https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/skills-stunts -- where they mention the Refresh Rate, but it isn't clear what it is that's being refreshed.

2. The Sticky Unique condition from the Mantle:  I see when you mark a box and when marks get removed, but what happens if the boxes are filled?  Just that you can't use any of the actions that mark a box, or is there another penalty?

3. In the example you gave about mantles the character had, I think, three different mantles.  Since a mantle comes with 2 free stunts, this seems overpowered to me.  Is there some drawback to having multiple mantles?  (Hence question 2.)  I mean, I could come up with a mantle of Quick-change Artist, which would totally fit the direction I've been moving Etz in.  I'm not trying to twink out the character, but I am struggling to come up with a real Aspect surrounding what is becoming a significant part of his personality.

Finally, a question for Control about Etzagith.  I had left Lore at Fair, in the thinking that knowing a little Lore might be helpful in overcoming any magical locks or security measures.  Is this a waste of a skill point or will that actually help?  I don't expect to do any evocation, and it wasn't clear to me whether Lore is more like knowledge or more like magical talent or power.

Excellent questions.

Refresh
1. Control and Cara have both used the term 'Refresh' with respect to stunts, and I'm not clear on what that means.  I found this on the Fate SRD (bottom of the page) -- https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/skills-stunts -- where they mention the Refresh Rate, but it isn't clear what it is that's being refreshed.

A Refresh is the pool of fate-points you have available to develop your character by buying stunts. You are assigned a base Refresh pool of 3.

At the beginning of every game-session, you will regain that number of fate-points (3 minus however many extra stunts you bought) providing your current fate-pool size is less than that.  If it's more than that, you keep what you've got.

So, you are refreshing the fate-point pool.

According to your rpol character sheet, Etzagith has taken the Lurk Mantle, with it's three core stunts.

He's also taken three of the four potential additional stunts to go with it.  That will cost him three refresh.  One for each additional potential stunt beyond the core stunts.  That will push Etzagith's Refresh pool to zero.  So, at the start of every new game-session, Etzagith will not gain any new fate-points.

As fate-points are the cost of introducing new details, allowing a re-roll or adding a straight +2 to any roll (after the fact!), you'll really want to consider dropping one or two of the "additional ptoental stunts".

Of course, you can also simply make sure you roleplay your ass off and point out to me every time you're playing closely to your Aspects (where it matters), so I can award you Fate-points for doing so.



Sticky Unique Conditions
2. The Sticky Unique condition from the Mantle:  I see when you mark a box and when marks get removed, but what happens if the boxes are filled?  Just that you can't use any of the actions that mark a box, or is there another penalty?

Yes, you are correct.

If Etzagith's tapped out all five slots of the Seek Shadows Condition, he will be unable to mark any more boxes of, so he will be unable to "hedge" his stealth rolls and will be unable to power the Lurk stunt.

At the end of every game-session (minor plot-point in-rpol story-time), you'll refresh one shift.  You can also regain a shift of Seek Shadows when you succeed with style on a roll involving stealth or generally avoiding being seen.

There does not appear to be any other condition that would prevent Etzagith from using his Lurk Mantle Seek Shadows condition or to power the Lurking stunt.


Multiple Mantles and Game-Balance
3. In the example you gave about mantles the character had, I think, three different mantles.  Since a mantle comes with 2 free stunts, this seems overpowered to me.  Is there some drawback to having multiple mantles?  (Hence question 2.)  I mean, I could come up with a mantle of Quick-change Artist, which would totally fit the direction I've been moving Etz in.  I'm not trying to twink out the character, but I am struggling to come up with a real Aspect surrounding what is becoming a significant part of his personality.

Mantles represent a mix of benefits, detriments and often obligations.  Quick-Change Artist certainly fits with what Etz is all about.  But is it a mantle?  Can he not really stop doing it because it's a fundamental part of who he is?

I provided an example of multiple mantles to illustrate how one could think about these things.   For the magic-using noble doctor, I'd be hard-pressed to determine which I should deny him... his magic, his noblesse oblige or his medical expertise.   The character put his time in...  paid for his education, underwent rigorous training whilst maintaining his titular duties to the court.

There is an inherent lack of balance in this, yes.

I don't think the magic-using royal doctor should be operating at the same "level" as the untrained shepherd who just got accepted as an apprentice farmer.  There's nothing wrong with either.

Ultimately, it is my responsibility to ensure that the power-gap isn't too big of an obstacle to the game.    If you take on a mantle, you are also taking on those obligations and responsibilities, agreeing to the little mini-system that the mantle provides.

But it may be that no little mini-system is necessary.



Lore for Etzagith
Finally, a question for Control about Etzagith.  I had left Lore at Fair, in the thinking that knowing a little Lore might be helpful in overcoming any magical locks or security measures.  Is this a waste of a skill point or will that actually help?  I don't expect to do any evocation, and it wasn't clear to me whether Lore is more like knowledge or more like magical talent or power.




Side note:  Character thread message 7 has Lore:2 (Fair), RPOL character sheet has Lore:1 (Average).

Lore is magical knowledge.   It applies to the study of magic, which includes Evocation and Ritual Magic both.

It is also a loose indicator of magical talent, much like the Physique skill provides a foundation for the physical stress track (innate physical talent?) and the Will skill provides a foundation for the mental stress track (innate intelligence?).

Etzagith, with a Lore:1 or Lore:2 will have a 3-shift mana-pool.  When casting magic, he can call upon that pool to fuel the magical effects.  This means it will take less time to call up the power needed to do stuff.  a Lore:0 will give Etzagith a mana-pool of 2-shifts instead of 3.

Also, Lore represents magical knowledge and insight.  You simply have studied more, learned more about how magic works, and are thus able to do more complex spells for less potential cost to you.

In my mind, yes, it's worth it.  Especially if you plan to be doing magical effects a lot.

I'll also end this with the reminder that we can try things out and see how it goes.  If you want to tweak things around as we go, you're also welcome to do that.

First Question:
So, we've a couple of people who aren't very familiar with Fate systems.  As we're working with a few additions and modifications, do you guys think it would make sense to have a separate thread for mechanics discussions?  I'm thinking more along the lines of what Etzagith's player just asked.  Good quetions, certainly.  But it may well generate a wall of text in my responses.

Second Question:
A really interesting commonality I'm finding among most of the characters so far is that they've all run away, fled, turned deserter, turned their back on or otherwise left the confines of their upbringing.  So, perhaps your "spymaster" has a penchant for recruiting strays?  Do you think we can work something together from this?

Yes, pretty please. That would be preferable as a reference versus sorting through the entertaining but multi-topic OOC thread.



I think that's brilliant. I think that should actually be a bylaw in the group!

Situational Aspect: By the outcast, for the Queen

Yeah I like that. Cara doesn't exactly fit the profile, but from the outside it looks like she does so that's good enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:46, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

Thanks!  I'll second the positive response for a separate mechanics thread.

I suspected that it was fate points that were being refreshed.  Thanks for the confirmation; I think I'll drop a stunt.

I had mis-spoke when I said Etz's Lore was Fair; I meant Average.  I don't plan to be casting any spells, but I guess I'll keep it.

I'm on board with the outcasts theme.  Etzagith has always thought of himself as an outcast and a loner, so the opportunity to be a real member of a group will have a huge appeal.

Question for the group.

Are any of you actually making Evocators?

I'd love to talk spells with someone who is.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

I think I may be, as I understand it, but I'm not likely the best just yet to talk shop with spells yet. XD

By the way, Indigo, seeing your name here is freaking me out a little.  Since last August, my main project that I'm working on at work is code-named Indigo, so it keeps catching my eye as something I need to think about for work.  :-)

The project, just in case anyone is interested, is the next generation of the Wi-Fi Alliance tool for certifying products as "Wi-Fi Certified^TM."  So, if you've seen such a logo on a modem or a TV or a Computer that you've purchased, it came through software that my company wrote.  In another year, I'll be able to say that it came through software I architected and helped to write.

That sounds really cool! Though I didn't mean for my name to cause any freak outs. It's kind of a combination/homage to the source inspiration for the character I'm making.

What did you want us to do with Tabeta?

Backstory tie ins, or help craft her?

Haha.  Too late, I already wrote part of a tie-in.

Jait did specifically say he wanted help crafting her mantle.  I was trying, with my extremely limited knowledge of them, to come up with something that wasn't overly specialized to horsemanship.  I did not succeed so didn't bother putting down any of my thoughts on it.  The closest I came was to discuss expanding the role towards being more of a druid, with a strong connection to nature and animals in general, but that's the extent of my contribution.

Looking at the Ride Anything optional stunt, I was thinking of a Mantle that let you summon an ancestral horse, and then other optional stunts that let you manipulate its form.

Also, given that we have riders, I'm going to edit the Khundari to be sailors and not horsepeople.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Sun 29 Mar 2020.

One apparent downside of the world-building process...   We lose some people who get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that's there to read.

Vincent has chosen to withdraw from the game, citing an overwhelming amount of stuff to read.