Character Discussion and Creation

A thread to discuss your characters so no one feels they get stepped on. In the event of conflicting character types, the publicly discussed one will have precedence over one developed in secret.

I am definitely going for a socially focused Mastigos character given the setting. I will need to do some reading on the era before I can come up with more.

Okay, so it looks like my books dont really cover this period of Russian history. Is the social structure similar to European kingdoms? Peasants, lords, a court and the Tsar at the top?

I was personally thinking about making an Acanthus! Probably a member of a recently annexed ethnicity/realm/country/kingdom, a bit more concerned with morality than the usual Acanthus. For now, at least, I think I will go Social>Mental>Physicial. More of a persuader than a manipulator. She's probably going to be flighty in the sense that she may be too emotional, and/or is too easily carried away because of that. As for what order, I'm assuming that not the usual ones are available, right? Should we check the Crusades book for that?

Never played Mage before, but lots of Vampire, plus Werewolf and Changeling, so I’m guessing the mechanics should be similar WOD.

My original thought is someone who likes tinkering with the sciences, like alchemy.

Ok, browsing through the book, and I’m leaning towards a Moros. Maybe a physician who dabbles in alchemy and mysticism.

Whistler: that's correct. Serfs, unite!

Lux: Just use the regular. The Crusades book is for a different iteration of the game that doesn't even have Orders or Paths. Also, check out Suzdal in Wikipedia.

I've read on Suzdal history and while interesting, I'm not sure how fitting it is. Unless I missed something, they were annexed many, many years before the set date and if anything, Russia(during Ivan the Great and the Terrible) helped develop the town. This led me to the (Volga)Tartars, who despite having a lot of potentials, were annexed only by Ivan(the Terrible). BUT, that led me to Lithuania and the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars. So, for now, the general gist of her story is that her mother, a young Lithuanian maid, who typically worked for female nobles or aristocrats, fell in love with a Russian noble whose family she worked for after the Siege of Smolensk. She ended up pregnant, disowned by her parents and obviously without a job, or a husband. If the siege was in 1514, then she was born in 1516, meaning that right now she is 20 years old.

That is the general idea for her origin, of course, and very unfinished. I may change a few things, buuut she will essentially grow to feel shunned by Russians and Lithuanians alike, despite she herself identifying more as a Lithuanian than a Russian because she had to move to (city where we're going to be based on) for (reasons that should make sense to be decided). At some point magic happens, before or after she moves, more stuff happens and then we're all set. :)

(Don't worry Qralloq, I'll write something more developed before submitting the character).

In that case, what would you think of a character that resists the rule of Ivan in some fashion? Whether that is working his way through high society to sway support towards the next in line for the throne or just someone that organises peasant revolts. Thats the first thing that jumps to my mind for what he can do on the human side of the equation. What's the mage society like?

I've postulated a few mage NPCs, caricatures really as I don't want them to fill rolls the PCs want. As to what the society is like, that I can't say until all of that is flushed out, and their interrelationships are in place.

What I envision is that after Vasilly III does and left Elena as regent (Ivan IV was only 3 years old), they political maneuvering became feverish. There are agents of Vasilly's first wife, of survivors like Lux's character who have been conquered but not yet assimilated, forces of the Khanate to the south in Crimea, and the many many simple politicos within Moscow.

Into all of this, Elena has supported a small faction of magii who supported her earlier, and that has lead to an imbalance in the power dynamics. So there are the regular players, but they may be feeling vulnerable as a muggle had interfered by favouring one and not all.

I think it would actually be interesting to be a Magii that supports Elena and Ivan from the shadows and then has to deal with the consequences of that when Ivan grows into....well what he grows into. All that regret, bitterness and guilt will be really good fuel for a Magitos when he grows into his power.

I was checking out Russian history and Slavic Folklore and a picture of a Thyrsus is slowly developing in my mind. Sort of a lumberjack that is skilled in communing with the spirits of the house/forest/windmill ect.
Most likely connected to The Adamantine Arrow as well.
But nothing is set in stone yet - This will be the first time I'm building a mage character, so there will be changes.

So I’m making a Cossack cavalryman of the Don Cossack Host (based in the steppes of Crimea). He’s an Acanthus Thearch and part of the charakternik (Cossack-Sorcerer) warrior tradition, using magic descended from the Slavic Yazyk priests of old. A lot of his time has been spent battling the Crimean Khanate (subject of the Ottoman Empire) in the Don River region of Crimea. His horse might also be his familiar.

There isn’t much information about real world Cossack folk magic, but it seems like all of their sorcerers were also warriors, which is pretty sweet. I’m considering Adamantine Arrow instead of Silver Ladder, for that reason.

At this point in history, the Cossacks are doing their own thing and haven’t been absorbed into the Russian Tsardom. They pillage enemies and allies equally. When the Turks ask Ivan the Terrible to keep the Don Cossacks in check, Ivan replies that they aren’t his subjects and war without his knowledge.

Weird question - Has anyone yet decided on what picture they will use as their character's avatar?

Before I start creating a character, I like to have an avatar. I'm not sure they are right, but I'm thinking something is these lines.

Hey guys after thinking about this a bit more last night, I think I am better off dropping this so I can focus on my other games. I hope you guys enjoy it though!

Thanks Whistler. I understand this kind of game takes a lot of player prep.

That's too bad! Well, anyways, Qralloq, I think a few other players from the announcement thread might still be up for it if you're interested. And thanks, Rune, I like to have matching aesthetics. 😁

How do the rest of you feel about a fifth? I think The_Librarian would be the next in line.

Question: Should we create our characters using the standard WoD sheet, and ignore skills like Computers and Firearms? With the WoD book + MtA book(and various splatbooks) as references, ignoring obvious modern options?

Btwww guys I'll probably be focusing on Time over Fate.