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.

Firearms = Archery
Computers = Churchery?

Yeah, just make appropriate choices, or consider reskinning as it makes sense.

I made an "old woman of the woods" who isn't actually all that old. Thyrsus, Mysterium. Goes by Babushka. Time, Spirit, Mind, Life. Looks like I'm not repeating much....will that mesh with everyone else you think?

I'm more than ok with it! But, hmm, I'm wondering, is it too problematic that there's potentially two Acanthus in the group? I totally hadn't seen Moloch's post in the Settings thread, so I wasn't aware that he was going to play as one. I haven't picked an order yet but I'm assuming that libertine means that you're going to be with the Free Council? Because I'm probably not going to pick that.

So, I'm not very familiar with Awakening and that's why I'm asking since in Ascension I feel like the usual was for each player to pick a different tradition. But there were many more, so maybe that's different in Awakening? Or maybe I should probably choose another path?

Plz help x(

Right, there are only five paths, so duplication isn't a bad thing. As long as your concepts are different, then you'll not risk stepping on each others toes. I'd work together so you don't pick the same magical effects.

He mentioned going for Fate, right Moloch? Assuming that you're okay with my character being an Acanthus, I'll specialize in Time.

Lux, I’m fine with multiple Acanthus. Hell, we could all be Acanthus; it’s cool. Two mages focused on Fate and Time would actually be a good pairing. My thing will be Fate, luck and magically enforced deals.

Question to Qralloq: Does the Free Council even exist in this time period? I was under the impression that they didn’t come about until the Industrial Revolution.

I think before they were the Free Council they were called the Libertines.

In a cultural hotchpot that Moscow is, a low of ideas get into the city, including some that are not for the eyes of the sleepers.

Concept: MIB of Moscow by night. Bookdealer/archivist/scribe by day
Path: Obrimos
Order: The Guardians of the Veil
Arcana: Forces>Prime>Space
Other: He has the background Sanctum. Carris a sword cane

Hey, runekyndig. I've accepted your character but I haven't reviewed it yet. I'll try and do that tonight.

Did we want to all throw dots into Sanctum or Hallow and have a shared one?

Are we a established cabal from the get go? Then sure

Anyways, I just submitted my character. I have yet to finish the background, which I will at some point today, but I've submitted it in case any of you wanna check the sheet out. I've added her to the library so everyone should have access.

(Also I'm okay with us being a cabal from the start)

how do I do that?

Check my character? As soon as she is accepted, assuming that you're on this game forum, note the red toolbar below us, go on Characters and click on her name. Right now it's unavailable.

Otherwise you can go to Character, on the gray/transparent toolbar above the screen, >All Characters> Character Library(Red option below your characters) and search for her. Filter for World of Darkness characters, her name is Diana Vylkelite. :)

I've accepted Lux and Librarians characters, and I'll review them tonight.

got it - thx

Review of Diana
- Choose a Vice and Virtue

Review of Stepan Savelievich
- Choose a Vice and Virtue
- record your Path and Order on your sheet
- record your Arcana on your sheet
- record Gnosis 1, Mana 7
- too many Rotes - you get 6 dots of Rotes (you have 11), not six Rotes of any level

Review of Babushka
- Choose a Vice and Virtue
- +1 Composure from your Path
- one more Mental skill dot
- you get 6 dots in Rotes
- record Mana 7

Thank you - I expected there to be something ;) Will correct

thanks. theres lots of glitches with the wod sheet. i definitely chose a vice and virtue. I've been ill but will work on rotes when i have a moment

Aaaah, whoops! Sorry, I just fixed it.

Reviewed Thielindras Moros
- Just need to add the derived stats, like Willpower, Mana, Health

How we doing King_Moloch, need anything to build your character?

Just got back from seeing Captain Marvel. I’ll be finishing the character tonight.

How'd you like it?

If we are a cabal, in Moscow, could we just discuss our characters so we have an idea of why are a cabal? I have looked it up in the Mage book. Themes, Reputation, Cause, Protocols ect


Stepan Savelievich is from The Guardians of the Veil order. He has placed himself in a position to monitor most of the texts coming into Moscow, so he can intercept ideas, not for the sleeper's eyes. The Men In Black equivalent ;)

How do we connect our characters?

Rotes added. Will need to finish building familiar. What do folks think it should be? Fox..? Raven? Cat?

Not commenting on the familiar, I'll leave that for you to discuss.

What I'd like to do for next steps, is once I've seen all the sheets, I'll post another thread were we can spend the group Merits (i.e., Sanctum) and how you all came together. I do think setting that up, even in broad strokes, will avoid some confusion when we start play.

agreed

@Qralloq, pretty decent movie, I thought

Sorry I’m a little behind. I’m working on the character now. I had to rethink a few things. Originally, I was gonna make my horse into a bad ass familiar, but after some reading, I’ve come to realize that Thyrsus mages have the best familiars. Since I’m Acanthus, I’m gonna drop the familiar thing and go a different direction.

Alright, phew! Character submitted.

Chernobog looks good. I'll start a cabal thread.

How about a tread for character information? Where we each have one post for our character and one for the common sanctuary (I'll update that), then we edit with updates. There is a lot of titbits laying around by now.

I've created threads for each character, as requested, and moved this thread into a subfolder.

I think we're close enough to get started. I'll post an intro thread in a bit to get us on the same page, and we can build the cabal out more as needed.

For clarification, would people prefer their characters known by their birth names or shadow names? I’m assuming that everyone in the cabal knows everyone else’s real name. Or are some PCs keeping their real names a secret?

It's whatever for me! Though, I don't think everyone's on friendly enough terms to know their real names. if you guys want, I can edit Diana's name to include both her real and shadow name, so you don't have to remember it all the time. 😁

Diya (which auto correct kept making Iditarod ) is fine either way.

Stepan prefer Pisatel