Grousemetal Character Creation

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I am interested in Jasil or Galura. Right now I am thinking plain-spoken hired muscle for the former and relic-seeking scholar for the latter. Concepts will be fleshed out and/or modified as more info is revealed.

From your description, I had a feeling you'd be into Jasil. However, my personal bias would like you to play Galura, because we have a Porph and they're kinda a matched set in some ways. That and I've already playtested the Jasil in a previous home game. But don't let me push you around. Let me get the stats for that and I'll be right back.

Galura was me stretching into character types I haven't tried out, and Jasil was me sticking to my typical thing. Bring on the new stuff, I say!

New stuff away!!!

The Jasil

What you need to know:
The Green Bloods are humans gifted with great physical hardiness. They draw favor from the Heroic Beast Spirit, an amalgam of all those long-lived, healthy, patient humans who came before. As a result, they suffer mentally, to compensate for the increase in power. All six of the Purebleeds have a "predominant type" which is very strong in their primary Virtue, and weak in others, not only their main weakness but other stats as well. They also have a "more neutral" version that is more on the level. If you desire, there is also a child version with altered stats.

Predominant Jasil: Leon 4, Eyrie 3, Grand 6, Enlight 4, Nemesis 4, Daimon 4
Neutral Jasil: Leon 4, Eyrie 4, Grand 5, Enlight 5, Nemesis 4, Daimon 4
Adolescent Jasil: Leon 3, Eyrie 4, Grand 4, Enlight 4, Nemesis 3, and Daimon 3

Lore:
The largest beasts of land and sea will avoid killing the Jasil unless necessary, but may test them to prove the human's loyalty to the Beast Spirit. The most common places in Trimachae to find them are Temua and Fodlan. The more neutral personalities (typically the men in more traditional Jasil societies) get the better civilian jobs, but not the grunt-level military positions. This is because they excel in skilled labor, but the dominant traits allow for better heavy labor and increased survivability vs. inhospitable conditions. Child rearing in Jasil cultures is not much different than normal; in fact, children meet the average levels of coordination, health, and intelligence expected of humans, be that grown or young, and are not especially lacking in anything. If anything, Jasil children are butt-ugly and totally lacking in social graces, by comparison to the children of other lines. Because of the famed existence of Atlas heroes among them, it is commonly believed that the Jasil sleep for days, eat like ravening wolves, and can lift several times their considerable weight.
In ancient times, Jasil cultures saw the rise of "Broodmothers" whose health and long life allowed them to see their great-great-grandchildren rise up and become powerful. Their only concern was that a potential mate was healthy and useful for seeking out food, water, and shelter. They also produced migrant settlers who would squat on a parcel of land until they had drained it of all natural resources, then move on to the next place. While not necessarily fearsome in combat, these squatters proved extremely difficult to remove. This breakdown led to the formation of "man's world" and "woman's world." Men were to be given respect when out in the field, but submit to women at home. Women were to be given respect at home, but were expected to keep their heads down and be calm when abroad. Over time, male-dominated cultures became more prominent, and female-dominated cultures slipped into the background. They still exist as tribes, but the scheme of global politics goes to Patriarchal societies. This is the same for all of humanity. Most Broodmother cults became infiltrated by Dwarves and Goblins, losing their green blood and becoming Demures. Very few matriarchal Jasil clans remain today.

The Galura

What you need to know:
The Orange Bloods are humans possessing great abstract understanding and perspective on life. They draw favor from the Heroic Conflict Spirit, a pitchblende of ancestral humans from all walks of life. As a result, they suffer mentally, to compensate for the increase in power.

Predominant Galura: Leon 3, Eyrie 3, Grand 4, Enlight 4, Nemesis 6, Daimon 5
Neutral Galura: Leon 4, Eyrie 3, Grand 4, Enlight 4, Nemesis 5, Daimon 6
Adolescent Galura: Leon 3, Eyrie 3, Grand 3, Enlight 3, Nemesis 4, Daimon 5

Lore:
Magical creatures and other forms of magic in Nature will avoid killing the Galura unless necessary, but may test them to prove the human's loyalty to the Conflict Spirit. The most common places in Trimachae to find them are Lunas and Hebrimar. The dominant type (typically the women in more traditional societies) must work creatively to solve problems with the more neutral personalities, due to their own physical limitations against a naturally violent and proactive population. This is not to say that most Galura men are foolish, but that it is quite common for Galura women to exemplify the strengths and weaknesses of their people. Child rearing in Galura cultures takes professional training and a youthful, nimble mind, due to the children being as crafty as the average non-Galura adult. Where most cultures would see a Sherlock Holmes level of investigation, or a master of disguise, as impossible (or at least fanciful), such demonstrations are much more common among the Galura. It is a realistic expectation that any random person might be wearing another face (in a manner of speaking), just like other humans may have a concealed weapon on their person.
In ancient times, Galura cultures saw the rise of seeress roles, oracles who led through divine wisdom. Men were rejected if they had simple minds. They also produced rogue factions of wizards and god-kings who commanded respect of their men through magical displays and sage advice. Without deep understanding, one's realm would eventually fall prey to their craft. This breakdown led to the formation of "man's world" and "woman's world." Men were to be given respect when out in the field, but submit to women at home. Women were to be given respect at home, but were expected to keep their heads down and be calm when abroad. Over time, male-dominated cultures became more prominent, and female-dominated cultures slipped into the background. They still exist as tribes, but the scheme of global politics goes to Patriarchal societies. This is the same for all of humanity. Most Oracular cults became infiltrated by Jinn, losing their orange blood and becoming Djinnar. Very few matriarchal Galura clans remain today.

I'm going with a female predominant Galura, just doing it straight up with no reductions/boosts. Provided this makes sense within the setting and with the nature of this playtest (no pre-planned storyline, sorta sandbox-y), she is out acquiring (powerful) relics for a Galura (magical) historical society through whatever means necessary. Preferably by persuading the holders of these relics to give them over for safekeeping and educational purposes, but shadier methods are not out of the question. How does magic work in your setting? If you've already answered this question, feel free to tell me to go look it up! I scanned the other character creation threads, but did not read too closely into them.

Lunas would not have magical artifacts, nor logically be pursuing them, as it exists in an age of progression that has largely forgotten their magical heritage. This means you would most likely be from Hebrimar.

We'll get into magic later on. There's MUCH more to be done.

As a predominant with no boosts, your Basic Class is the Sage, focused on the Nemesis Virtue and its applications in abstract thinking, foresight, and the occult. Your Mental Abilities are Scribe Touch, Shift Skin, and Cowl of the Cat.

Your options for subclass (which is more like a normal fantasy class) are divided into three categories: the Insight, the Recondite, and the Martial Master.

The Insight is focused on verbal and emotional techniques from afar. Their magical variants are the Magic Prophet and the Mystic Sovereign. The Prophet is more of an offensive character, planning surgical strikes with weapons and magic to keep allies on the move or in the right places, while throwing the enemy off guard. The Sovereign is more of a defensive character, who uses their tactics and magic to keep their allies safe.

The Recondite Eldritch comes in one of three varieties - Monk, Therapist, or Deliverer. The Monk variety uses martial techniques and magic to gain a tactical advantage up close and personal. The Therapist variety uses their kinder touch and mystic arts to the benefit of one ally at a time, often outside of battle. The Deliverer variety is like a Magic Prophet on a horse.

The Martial Master only has one option: the Mentor Mage. They use their wisdom, magic, and eccentric perspective to bolster their lethal combat abilities, being more visceral and violent than all other subclasses of the Sage.

Martial Master sounds good.

You are very decisive! I like it. Your whole class will be expressed as follows:

Basic Class: Sage
Sub-class: Nemesis Master (Mentor Mage variant)

As part of this, you will get to choose from one of the Special Ability options, which can be used once per day.
Special Ability: Invulnerable Defense
Normally, your turn in combat would consist of a Movement Phase and an Action Phase. By denying yourself both for one turn, you begin moving in a manner so fluid and rapid that harming you is virtually impossible, patching the gaps in your defense with a secret technique of energy manipulation passed down from Master to Master. This changes the face of defense. Rather than rolling in reaction to an attacker, the Nemesis Master reacts to any threat as if it were a stationary object or helpless victim, attacking it directly with no hope of defense. The threat has no effect on the Master, and any object hardness is ignored. If a swarm of flies should move into the Invulnerable Defense, the Master will strike each and every fly in a breath, killing the swarm near-instantly.
Special Ability: Long-Awaited Motions
When making an extra roll to access special techniques in your Combat Style, use Nemesis where the text prompts you to use Leon, Eyrie, Grand, Enlight, or Daimon instead.

If you do not want one of these, I will post the three Special Trait options instead. Don't worry. If you see that the Abilities are actually more appealing to you than the Traits, you can go back and change your mind.

Let's see them traits! Just to be sure. =D

The three options for non-magical traits, which are the same as the Bouncer subclass of Fury, are Get Back, Back to Back, and I'll Handle This. All Special Traits can be used at will, any number of times per day.

Get Back
Assists a character who is not a defense-oriented subclass, but foregoes that person's Defense in the process. You roll your own, but the person you're defending is saved from harm no matter what.

Back to Back
Putting you back to that of someone trained in defense, you alter how both of you use defensive techniques, ultimately improving whatever the result may be.

I'll Handle This
You specify an ally to your direct left or right, and attack an enemy normally. If you succeed, you automatically move that ally behind you and/or into cover and automatically Hide them.

If you don't want any of these, there are also three Magical Traits derived from the Mystic Cloak version of the same class. Since you're a Mentor Mage, you can have one of them.

Vanishing Trick
You use your magical garment to augment how the Defense Technique (Backpedal) is used, turning it from a simple withdraw into a mystical vanishing act.

Energy Pulse
You attempt to defend against a damaging spell. Whether or not you manage, any damage not deflected or negated can be sampled for energy. Your defense increases in reach by 5 ft. when 4 damage is absorbed, then again when another 8 damage is absorbed, then again when another 16 damage is absorbed, and so on.

Repulsor Blast
When three separate spells are cast against you, you store the residual energy, and prepare it as a ranged blast in your magical garment. This blast pushes everyone and everything within 15 ft.

In this world, would seeing my character disappear a la Vanishing Trick be something very special and mystifying, or just a flourish on my character's part? As in, I am fighting/interacting with someone, decide to bail for whatever reason, use Vanishing Trick, and then the person I was fighting/interacting with is like, "Wowee, what a crazy thing just happened; if I see that person again, I will be frightened of them because I am shaken by this" or the person is like, "That was neat, I guess, but my life and impression of this person are unchanged."

I am liking the idea of having a trait I can use whenever, however many times per day. Invulnerable Defense sounds really awesome, though...

That is an excellent question! There are many people who are Ignorant of magic's true nature, or totally unaware it exists. There are also those slightly more aware, even a little experienced without any formal training, who like to hunt down those who use magic. What they do with them varies.

In general, magic definitely exists in the world and is no great secret, but it is a vast and ancient world with many people who do not have access to good information. Additionally, this is not like Dungeons and Dragons. It is not a common sight for fireball-slinging wizards, tentacle mouthed brain eaters, and enormous dragons that spit lightning to show themselves in public.

Some might look upon you with the level of jaded "wowee" you describe, but the trauma can be much more real for some others. Maybe they spend the rest of their life in fear, or lose their mind and try to kill anyone who might be magical, or maybe they develop a fetish and want to "know" mages in a private way. You might even unlock someone's latent magical powers, just by them seeing you use yours.

As for Special Abilities like Invulnerable Defense, something else you need to know is that killing someone with less Eyrie, or someone with greater Nemesis, can recharge your daily use. As can roleplay rewards I hand out on rare occasion. Depending what happens, you may even find yourself using it three, five, or ten times in a day, possibly more than you would a Trait with infinite uses.

I'll try out Invulnerable Defense. I like to think my character resorts to violent methods as a last resort, but when she does, she is very good at it.

Cool! It's a really neat ability and very flashy. I've demo'd it once before, and I think it works best to count each type of incoming threat as a single attack. So if someone shoots three arrows at you, Invulnerable Defense will just strike down the one, and it will count for all three.

Now, as for your Alignment. The three options are Exemplar, Neutral, and Dissent. Exemplar means you stand by and for your people. Now, that might mean you stand with your home nation of Hebrimar, or the Forge Continent as a whole, or all Galura, or all Purebleeds, or even all Humans. Up to you. Any time you have to oppose your "people" (defined as such), it is a matter of great personal conflict. Dissent is the opposite, meaning that you stand opposed to your people, and may even want them all dead. Neutral means you aren't one of those two all the time, or even most, and weigh things solely on a case-by-case basis. Most people are Neutral.

As a representative abroad for this society of artifact collectors, I figure I am loyal to them usually. A "company man," so to speak. Would that fit more in with Exemplar or Neutral, since it is such a small group?

It might weigh in, might not. How does your character feel about the Galura?

Let's go with Neutral. I figure if loyalty is based on whatever this group is up to, that would mean it could change, plus since she is out in the field, she would have to play it by ear.

Works for me. Now for your Combat Style.

You may choose Staff, Greatclub, Glaive, Sickle, Longbow, Scimitar, or Monkey Style Unarmed Combat.

That last option is the style of martial arts specific to the Sage basic class, and involves a lot of maneuvering, trickery, and striking at the enemy's weak points.

Monkey Style Unarmed Combat sounds perfect!

I like the idea of this character who abhors violence unless absolutely necessary, but applies all their experience and cleverness to being the most capable master of the martial arts, meaning that if anyone steps out of line, this person will not hesitate to put them right back in their place.

Onto skills! You receive 13 points to put into skill ranks. You can have as many as 3 ranks in any one skill, though this will improve as you level up. What kinds of things would you like to be able to do? Note that this does not involve combat or magic directly (with the exception of two knowledge skills I'll explain to you later).

My concept for this character is an extremely good talker, someone very good at persuasion, reading people, knowing what is going to make a person do what they want.

Alright, I'd say we should put 1 rank in Diplomacy and 3 ranks in Guile, for starters. By good talker, does that include being able to deliver a speech to a crowd?

Current ranks remaining: 9

Absolutely.

I'll put another 2 ranks in Oratory, then. Keep going! What else can you do?

Current ranks remaining: 7

Obviously she'd need to be very knowledgeable about history and magic and such given her work, but if knowledge skills are out... She'd need to be able to secure artifacts by alternative means if people weren't willing to give them up by persuasion and violent means would be too much of a hassle. I'd think she'd be able to pick a lock here and there, maybe scale a wall up to a window if absolutely necessary.

I'll put a rank each in Locksmithing and Athletics.

Current ranks remaining: 5

The best skill for history would be Knowledge (archives), since it is the academic, catch-all knowledge skill. As for magic, that is a special situation. Some people in the setting are conscious of the fact that their magic comes from practice and study, and their way to interact with it is through the Knowledge (occult) skill. However, there are others who acquired their magic from religious practices and texts, and believe that their power comes from their deity. Such people use Knowledge (religion) instead.

Definitely Knowledge (archives). I'll take Knowledge (occult) as well. I'd like two ranks in each of those.

Done and done! You have one remaining rank. Do you want to add it to a new skill, or add it to one of the "less than three" ones you already have?

What other skills are available? If you would rather not reveal them all, throwing the last one in Diplomacy sounds good.

They're not a secret, but I wanted to make sure you put as much creativity into this as possible, before you had to resort to checking the full list.

General
Acting, Appraise, Athletics, Ceramics, Comedy, Dance, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Guile, Gymnastics, Hide, Keyboard, Language, Oratory, Painting, Percussion, Posture, Riding, Soft Steps, Song, Strings, Swim, Training, and Wind Music.
Knowledge
Archives, Bestiary, Engineering, Navigation, Occult, Religion, Seafaring, and Wilderness
Make
Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Bowyery, Carpentry, Cobbling, Glassmaking, Jewelry, Leathercraft, Locksmithing, Pottery, Scribing, Sculpting, Shipwright, Trapping, and Weaving.

Thanks for the list! I'll stick with one more rank in Diplomacy.

Alright! That's Athletics 1, Diplomacy 2, Guile 3, Knowledge (archives) 2, Knowledge (occult) 2, Locksmithing 1, Oratory 2.

Next up is Focus. Do you want your character focused on Magic, or do they just have some magic in addition to their true focus?

Could you explain Focus a bit? Does that mean what is most important to the character?

Almost. Focus is more of a past endeavor, something your character has spent their life doing thus far. The question I'm currently asking is whether your character has dedicated most of their life to studying magic, or if they are more focused on something else.

Ah, I see. I'd say it is magic from several angles, practicing it, history of it, how others practice it.

Definitely makes sense. Now, would those angles include practicing several related subschools of magic, or focusing intently on one particular kind?

Optimally, I'd think knowledge of several related subschools (like knowing that they exist and other pretty basic facts), but focusing intently on the practice of one kind.

Makes sense! That means we get to go into the magic system in depth. Three terms to get straight are Type, School, and Subschool.

Type
A type of magic is the most general category, connecting one of your mental Virtues (or Grand) with a magical doctrine. Two of them are Nemesis based, two of them are Enlight based, and then Body magic is Grand based.
The five Magic Types are Nature, Cosmic, Body, Mind, and Soul.
Nature Magic is Nemesis based, and operates off of the Genius Loci of the Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, or the sum of all energies that pass in and around the world (known as the Great Radiance). A Genius Loci is like a Jinn of phenomenal scale and power, basically the most powerful entity of its kind. It is entirely viable to get your magic from one or more lesser entities, like a huge tiger spirit or the spirit of a particular mountain, but most mages quickly learn to appease the Genius Loci early on. Basically, the way this works is that the mage dedicates themselves to physically, mentally, and spiritually mimicking the spirits of an element. If you're an Earth mage, you mimic soil and stone, in a symbolic sense. By making your behaviors like the element, you appease the spirits and gain the element's power.
Cosmic Magic is Enlight based, and relies solely on the practice of arcane rituals, chants, symbols, and so on. Instead of appeasing the spirits, it aims to manipulate concepts called the Great Instruments of the Cosmos -- envisioned as titanic machinery behind the veil of the world, which turns all motions like clockwork. Cosmic mages can get into a lot of other nonsense, like ancient spellbooks, demon summoning, and the like, but none of that is necessary. In particular, Cosmic magic differs from the wizardry of other games in that it does not require verbal, somatic, or material components. In creating your character, you might specify certain rites or rituals they "need" to do their work, but that is nothing more than a quirk, a tendency you've developed without any real need.
Body Magic is Grand based, and is all about identifying something deep in the mage's body that can be evolved to transcend the limits of their people. They do not cast spells out into the world (normally), but within the confines of their physical form, or its esoteric side: the Soma.
Mind Magic is Enlight based, but unlike Cosmic Magic, it is solely involved in spells cast within the mage's mind, drawing out things to transcend the mental state of the ordinary, the mundane. They do not cast spells out into the world (normally), but deal with the esoteric Psyche.
Soul Magic is Nemesis based, but unlike Nature Magic, it operates on a smaller, more local level. The spirits you commune with are valued only by their relationship to your own soul, little helpers and friends you meet along the way. The most important aspect of this type is how you change your own Spirit.

School
Each Type is divided into 3 or more Schools conventionally taught by mentors and schools throughout the setting. Each type has exclusive access to its own Schools, and you cannot easily cross over.

Sub-School
Each School is then further divided into a larger number of Sub-Schools, which are the variety of magic you're actually casting. A mage of the Lithosphere School does not actively control the sum of all Lithospheric elements at once, but activates and uses a particular subschool. When you take Magic Levels (a separate concept from your character levels), it is into these that you place those levels of growth.

Soul Magic, please!

The Soul type Magic is simpler to describe than the others, as there are only three schools, and only one of them is further subdivided.

Spirit School magic deals with shaping your own spiritual energies and how they interact with the spirits around you, embodied and otherwise. Its subschools are Aura, Potence, Pulse, and Vessel.

Truth School magic deals with releasing the true nature of your soul. Perhaps you have greatness inside you, or the potential for phenomenal magic, or maybe you're not even human! Not originally. The only subschool here is True Self Magic.

Ancestry School magic identifies you as the most recent link in a noble chain, the greenest twig of the family tree. You have a great many ancestors in your past, and some of them could be leaders of men, mighty generals, wise mages, or even something entirely inhuman, like an Elf, a Jinn, or a Dragon. By pursuing the Ancestral Spirits subschool, you travel the world in search of the lingering will of each and every one of those who came before. They will communicate with you, and offer you quests. On completion, these quests could grant you money, magical items, other items or properties they once held, ancient servants of the bloodline, advanced abilities or traits, and even magic powers! Depending on what boon your Ancestors choose to bestow, you could end up with any subschool imaginable -- Fire, Lightning, Space, Time, issues of blood and brain, the options are wide open! However, the amount of control you have over what you get is...limited.

Oooo, boy. I was building this character to be a badass, but Ancestry seems like it could introduce some challenges and make her a more interesting character, if I am understanding it right. How much input do I have in who all is in my past, how many quests I have completed up until this point, what boons I was bestowed prior, etc? I am now kind of thinking she is a young adult and learning to manage Ancestry and how to apply her innate and learned skills to her new career with the historical society. Also, is the existence of this society something you are comfortable with in your setting? I guess I should have asked that a while ago! I can flesh that concept out more or you can or a mix of both, whatever is best.

All excellent questions! Though I will assure you that an Ancestral Spirits mage is badass enough. No mere archaeologist.

You can certainly divulge any dead parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc. that you like, and I will fill in the rest. I may choose to interpret their wishes and boons differently than you expect. I'll give you this much: the direct line leading to you are all going to be Galura, since adding other Purebleeds would dilute your bloodline and make you Baseborn. However, you can have relatives that did not contribute to your gene pool, like a cousin or great-great-great uncle, something like that. These can be anything you like. You might have an Elf, Pix, Dwarf, Goblin, or Hobgoblin from among the Siir, a Blackwing or Demon from among the Kemuim, or even something more unusual like an elemental Yon, a deathly Ghoul, or a Dragon. What likely happened in the latter three is that your ancestors were granted a wish through magic, or influenced more directly, since they cannot physically mate with humans. Closest a dragon could get would be providing some kind of DNA sample for a mad scientist to mess with.

As a Level 1 character, you have not completed any quests yet. Even if you have multiple levels in the subschool. However, we can definitely set you up with some quests that you have "already started." Any number is allowed, but keep it practical; more than ten pending quests would be pretty absurd. Obviously this means you haven't gotten any boons yet either.

Hebrimar is a very weird, mysterious place. Makes a lot of sense that an artifact-collecting society would exist there. We'll work together on its exact definition, membership, behaviors, etc.

Ancestry it is!

Alright! So your Focus is School Sage (Ancestry), giving you 3 Magic Levels at the start of gameplay instead of just 1.

Now we move on to Equipment. Since you're from Hebrimar, you will be a First Class of Progression character. This means that your society has not yet achieved certain advances found in medieval Europe, such as advanced metallurgy. However, First Class also means that your society is much more advanced in magic than more "sophisticated" people.

First Class characters roll 3d10x10 to determine how much their starting gp is.
That is then modified by your economic status, which can be Wealthy, Middle Class, Lower Class, or Impoverished.
You also get +20 gp for being Human, after the above has been decided. Go ahead and roll 3d10.

My first roll on this site, wow

As far as what class wealth-wise, would a wealthier person be more likely to have access to schoolin' and magic-learnin'?

Mechanically speaking, there is no connection between your knowledge skills and your wealth. However, a logical assumption would be that a wealthier person has more access to "book learnin'" while a less wealthy person develops their skills almost entirely through experience.

Makes sense to me! She will be wealthy, then.

That's 3x the rolled wealth, +100 gp. That means you've got 150x3 (450) plus 100 (550) plus 20 for a grand total of 570 gp.

Since your Combat Style is unarmed, there's no automatic deduction for weapons. Are there any weapons you would like to own?

I'd like four daggers balanced for throwing and a staff, just to have on hand. Could I have the daggers be poisoned or magic in some way?

Special throwing daggers are a Third Class item, way out of reach for a First Class character. But what we can do instead is normal Daggers enchanted for Distance. Unfortunately, that would mean being unable to add a second enchantment. What you could do instead is apply normal poisons to them in-game. There's no poisons for sale in cc. The staff is definitely doable. Did you want it magical as well?

Normal daggers enchanted for distance sound swell. And yes, to magic staff.

Would you like the staff damaging, magically durable, or charged?

Could I get more details on each of those? I want to make sure I am understanding my options.

Absolutely! You are proving to be quite the inquisitive player so far. I like it.

The options for Magically Damaging are Gnarled, Bladed, Briar, and Energy-Charged (which is different than Magically Charged).
Gnarled Magic Staves strike like a metal staff, but gain benefit from Training like wooden staves.
Bladed Magic Staves count as slashing damage whenever a condition would ask (for example, the time it takes to heal from injuries dealt by a slashing weapon).
Briar Magic Staves are similar to Bladed in this respect, but exchange blunt for piercing instead.
Energy-Charged Magic Staves deal normal damage in normal quantities, but any Health damage or Wounds damage dealt by the staff will not heal by any means (magical or mundane) until the staff is broken.

While most staves ordinarily have 2 inches preventing them from breaking (Health 3 per inch and Hardness 2), there are staves that have been magically prepared for Durability. They remain roughly the same thickness, but they have Health 6 per inch and Hardness 4, doubling the total Health of the staff. Such staves are highly resistant to heat and flame, despite being made of wood. These are what is referred to as Magically Durable.

Finally, we have Magic Charges. Think of a Charge like a battery. Any known object can be designed by an Artifice mage to contain one, and when it is full, it can be used to cast any one spell imaginable. Once cast, the charge is empty. The only way to refill it is to have the appropriate kind of mage cast the same spell into the charge, as if that were the "location" they were aiming. Since a Charged weapon can have any effect in the game, the real question is: what would you want it to be able to do?

Let's do an energy-charged staff.

Now, to be clear, you want the one that deals damage which cannot be healed, yes?

Yep!

That will cost you another 3 tc. If you need help with currency, just let me know.

How about armor? Will you just be going with robes, or is there something more that you want?

For my future reference, what's the breakdown for currency? One gp = how many ____?

I'm sticking with robes.

It takes a little getting used to.

Platinum (pc) is 10 gp.
Gold (gp) is the standard.
Giltsilver (gs) is 1/2 gp. This is a silver coin layered in gold.
Giltcopper (gc) is 1/10 gp. This is a copper coin layered in gold.
Silver (sp) is 1/50 gp.
Copper (cp) is 1/100 gp.
Tin (tc) is 1/500 gp. If for some reason you need change from a Tin piece, they are brittle and can be snapped into smaller bits.

Cloth Robes cost 1 gp. Do you want those magical as well, or just mundane?

Probably going to get some magical ones, seems like such a magic-loving gal in a magical profession would be into that.

You've got two options there. You could go for a Sturdy Weave, which makes the robe more durable.

Or you could add a magical charge.

Would being more durable be akin to the robe being like a type of armor or the robe just wearing out slower/looking nice longer or something different?

It would have greater protective ability than normal robes. Technically Cloth Robes are listed in the armor section, but they are easily the weakest choice.

Ah, I see. Sturdy weave sounds good.

That will cost you another 11 gp. Do you want to see the Mundane item list, or are you going to grab it from someone else's thread?

I had a look at Happy_Potato's thread.

Backpack
Bedroll
Flint and steel
Grappling hook
Rope (at least 30 feet)
Parchment (three sheets that are the standard letter-size for this world)
Ink
Ink pen
Rations (three days)
Lockpicks
Waterskin
Lantern

Backpack (1 cp), Bedroll (3 tc), Flint and Steel (1 sp), Grappling Hook (4 tc), Rope (50 ft.; 5 cp), Parchment (3; 3 cp), Ink (1 gp), Inkpen (1 sp), Rations (3; 3 sp), Lockpicks (1 gc), Waterskin (3 tc), Lantern (3 gp)

Yep, sounds good to me!

That comes out to 4 gp, 2 gc, 1 sp, and 9 cp in total. Are there any other non-magical items you'd like to have? Something like a musical instrument or bottle of alcohol?

Nothing I can think of at the moment.

Time to proceed to your Devotion! Together with the Focus, your Devotion is more like an Alignment in the conventional RPG sense, but far more in depth. Instead of just being Lawful Good, or Chaotic Neutral, or Neutral Evil, your Focus shapes what you've spent your past preparing, and your Devotion shows the greater overtures of present and future. This is what you want from life, what you are both working toward in the present and hope to do in the days to come. That being said, what is your greatest desire?

I want to carry on my family's proud magical history, really prove myself worthy of carrying the line on.

Any specific kind of magic, or just magic in general?

Would Soul magic-- Ancestral run in my family or do people choose what to pursue? Does general magical aptitude run in families or can anyone pick it up with study?

There's a term in my rules for bloodline magic -- it's called Sorcery -- and it's very rare. Most people pick up magic through some kind of devoted practice or study, and they may pass on what they know, but they don't do so through heritage.

Sorcery is different. Typically, the person who starts the Sorcery in your bloodline is someone who came in contact with a phenomenally powerful magic presence, and was changed by it forever. As a result, they and their descendants are marked by a progress of magical growth that is lifelong, rather than enhanced through study. We won't be doing that for anyone's magic in this playtest.

Ancestral Spirits magic isn't about a specific family. It is characteristically the magic of families. If a person chooses to pursue it, the way they do that is by learning about their ancestors and trying to contact the spirits of those people. When they succeed, they receive a quest from that ancestor -- either because the ancestor gave it, or because the mage asked for it. When they complete the quest, the Ancestral Spirit gives them a reward. Now, that reward might not be magical power, but it often is; could be something like a weapon or a trove of riches instead. Might just be a lesson. In fact, the spirit might decide that the quest itself was the reward. Some ancestors will only have one quest for you, others may develop several more along the way. There may even be one Ancestral Spirit who gives you quests throughout your entire adventure. These are mainly choices that I will be making. If you want a rigid path defined in the rules, this subschool is NOT for you.

General magical aptitude is very rare in human families, it's more of an Elf thing. But a "proud magical history" is less about aptitude, and more about what your family line has done to be involved in magic. Collecting artifacts, studying or fighting magical creatures, spending long hours in libraries or laboratories, all kinds of stuff like that. Really, you can pick any life goal that a non-magical person has, and slap on the word "magic" and there's something out there like that to find.

Ah, I see. In that case, I'd like to think that magic is almost like the family business. She's still young, so this focus might change after being more exposed to the world, but for now, she just wants to go into the family business, so to speak.

I need to be a bit insistent on terminology, so everyone's clear on what is what. Your Focus was "School Sage: Ancestry," and we're currently working on your Devotion, which is a separate but connected element of your character.

Here's some options:
The Scholar Devotion (Path: Study) - You put heavy emphasis on Knowledge (archives). Your path is study for the sake of knowledge itself. You show interest in all paths of learning (or most) rather than placing disproportionate emphasis on one.
The Scholar Devotion (Path: Occultist) - You put heavy emphasis on Knowledge (occult). Your path is devoted to uncovering hidden knowledge and ensuring that your people do not tamper with things they do not understand.
The Warrior Devotion (Path: For Family) - You fight to defend your home, specifically the place where your family lives. Such a warrior fights to avoid developing a Path of revenge. They value their estate, their hovel, their fiefdom, or country, because it holds the people they can't replace. Any time that you perceive a threat to your family, you go to war.
Secret Keeper Devotion (Path: Perfect Soul) - You see the body as primitive and the mind as simple, instead focusing all your attention on the absolute magical perfection of your soul, to reach your ultimate power, your final form, and become omnipotent.
Secret Keeper Devotion (Path: God of Magic) - You have no desire more definitive than your study of magic. But you don't just want to know more; you want power. You desire to access and control not one school of magic, but magic of every kind. You aim to become a god of magic itself.

Insist away! I think Scholar Devotion (Path: Study) sounds closest to how I am imagining this character.

Bear in mind that the description and benefits are not actually magically inclined. They don't exclude magic, but it's like an all-around knowledge base. That what you want?

Oops, my mistake; I think I just assumed it was talking about magic since I am all about the magic with this character, ha. In that case, I could do with some more information.

How does the Devotion come into play with the character? Is it roleplay fodder or something beyond?

It has a lot to do with roleplay. However, some (not all) Paths in certain Devotions come with special benefits or limitations.

Sticking with the Scholar Devotion, if you were to take the Path: Study, then you have a Modus and a Benefit.
Modus - You must put at least one rank in Knowledge (archives) every time you level up. In addition to this, you must endeavor to live a life of study in every waking moment, favoring no one subject over the others to the point of neglect. This doesn't mean staying in the library your whole life, but it means approaching everything with the intent to learn from the experience.
Benefit - You may reroll any Knowledge (archives) skill check a number of times equal to the failures you received on the first try. For example, if you got two failures, then you could reroll that check up to twice. When you have exhausted this number, you select the best roll and use its result. Aside from that, you treat all Knowledge skills as if +1 rank when rolling.

Whereas, if you took up Path: Occultist...
Modus - You do not have to be a practicing mage, but you must put at least one rank in Knowledge (occult) every time you level up. In addition, you must endeavor to see as much of the magical world as possible, even if it puts you in danger.
Benefit - Same reroll mechanic as with Study, but applied to Knowledge (occult) instead of (archives). Once per battle or magical experience, you may make use of Defensive Blasts or other defenses appropriate to the subschool you're confronting, as if you were trained in that subschool yourself. If you are actually trained in it, the benefit is instead being counted as +1 PV and 1 magic level higher for the purposes of these defenses, but only once per battle or magical experience.

Path: Occultist sounds good.

Sweet! That means we're on to Finishing Touches.

Why did you train as a Mentor Mage? Was this part of some organization that is responsible for your training, or is your subclass just a result of your own personal efforts?

How did you learn Invulnerable Defense? Did you just figure out how by trial and error, or did you learn through some special course of events?

Describe a few events that happened to lead you away from your homeland. Use as much or as little detail as you like, but what's needed is a brief explanation of how you set sail and what happened out at sea. You don't need to know where we're going just yet, but if you need a placeholder name, use Lunas. It's DEFINITELY not going to be that, so I'll know what to replace with the real name.

Who taught you the ways of Monkey Style combat? That's not really something you could have figured out on your own.

You've got daggers enchanted for Distance throwing, and a staff charged with fatal energies. These are no toys. Where did someone like you get these powerful weapons?

How old are you? Most cultures say 16-18 is the point where you become an adult.

How tall are you? This is usually between 4'5'' and 6'5''.

What color is your skin, hair, and eyes? If you've said it already, just repeat it for the answer.

How does your character feel about the other five kinds of Purebleed? Does she know they exist? Bear in mind, Porphs are quite rarely seen outside of their home nation, of which there is only one. Meeting the Porph player soon might be your character's first time meeting one, if she even knows that they're a Black Blood at all.

There are Mechans in my world, people who have had part of their body replaced with machinery. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Chems in my world, mutants created by exposure to volatile chemicals. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Sorcelled in my world, magical folk under permanent enchantments that have taken away the gift of their Heroic Spirit. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Neutrati in my world, white-blooded humanoids created by the Porph as genderless artificial servants. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Baseborns in my world, red-blooded but not Rudhir. The true color of their blood appeared because they were born of two different Purebleed lines, or none at all, and this robbed them of spiritual gifts. You likely know they exist, because they are very common, but do you? If so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Felbreeds in my world, who are only half-human. The other half is some kind of inhuman monster. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Faeries in my world, inhuman creatures of magic. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Angeli in my world, heavenly angels and demons. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Amorphae in my world, unnatural shapeshifting creatures of chaos. You likely do not comprehend the truth of their existence, relying instead of myths about werewolves or doppelgangers, but do you believe some version of them exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Nephs in my world, terrifying giants who crave human flesh. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Jinn in my world, mystical genies and nightmarish ghouls. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them?

There are Ancients in my world. It is impossible for you to not to know about them as great Behemoths, enormous sea serpents, or legendary Dragons. But are these creatures legends with no proven existence, or does your character have proof? Bear in mind that, when one of these things wake up anywhere near your civilization, entire towns and villages tend to go missing.

And finally, what is your Name?

Why did you train as a Mentor Mage? Was this part of some organization that is responsible for your training, or is your subclass just a result of your own personal efforts? -- I trained at an academy/university in my homeland.

OOC:

((I can come up with a specific name if need be. I am imagining there is only one major academy/university to learn these skills in my homeland.))

How did you learn Invulnerable Defense? Did you just figure out how by trial and error, or did you learn through some special course of events? -- I learned Invulnerable Defense through one-on-one tutelage with a favourite instructor at the academy.

Describe a few events that happened to lead you away from your homeland. Use as much or as little detail as you like, but what's needed is a brief explanation of how you set sail and what happened out at sea. You don't need to know where we're going just yet, but if you need a placeholder name, use Lunas. It's DEFINITELY not going to be that, so I'll know what to replace with the real name. -- After completing my studies at the academy, I was hired by a society seeking to find magical artifacts across the world. I am in my probationary period with them, and this is my first mission.

OOC:

((I would prefer to be searching for something in particular that the society got word of and dispatched me to get. If that is too specific for this playtest, I can be seeking anything I can find.))

Who taught you the ways of Monkey Style combat? That's not really something you could have figured out on your own. -- I learned this through study and practice with a particular instructor at the academy.

You've got daggers enchanted for Distance throwing, and a staff charged with fatal energies. These are no toys. Where did someone like you get these powerful weapons? -- My family has historically been involved with the study and practice of magic and has amassed wealth and knowledge over many generations. These items were a graduation gift.

How old are you? Most cultures say 16-18 is the point where you become an adult. -- I am 19.

How tall are you? This is usually between 4'5'' and 6'5''. -- I am 5'11".

What color is your skin, hair, and eyes? If you've said it already, just repeat it for the answer. --

OOC:

((What are the usual colour ranges for skin, hair, and eyes for Galura? Are those the same for other kinds of Purebleed as well?))

How does your character feel about the other five kinds of Purebleed? Does she know they exist? Bear in mind, Porphs are quite rarely seen outside of their home nation, of which there is only one. Meeting the Porph player soon might be your character's first time meeting one, if she even knows that they're a Black Blood at all. -- My character knows the other five kinds of Purebleed exist through mention of them in her studies. The society she works for sends people out all over the world and keeps an eye out for powerful magical artifacts across the world. She doesn't know too much about each kind of Purebleed. Her opinion of anyone depends on their magical ability... She can be dismissive of and lack respect for anyone who does not have magic ability.

There are Mechans in my world, people who have had part of their body replaced with machinery. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- My character has heard mention of them, but the concept of having unnatural mechanical parts grafted onto your body seems strange and upsetting. She does not like thinking about that.

There are Chems in my world, mutants created by exposure to volatile chemicals. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- My character has heard mention of them, but the concept seems strange and upsetting. She does not like thinking about that.

There are Sorcelled in my world, magical folk under permanent enchantments that have taken away the gift of their Heroic Spirit. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? --

OOC:

((Was this a choice they made in exchange for something or is this like a curse?))

There are Neutrati in my world, white-blooded humanoids created by the Porph as genderless artificial servants. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have heard of their existence through my studies. I admire the magic ability required to make them, but I am unsettled by the concept of creating beings.

There are Baseborns in my world, red-blooded but not Rudhir. The true color of their blood appeared because they were born of two different Purebleed lines, or none at all, and this robbed them of spiritual gifts. You likely know they exist, because they are very common, but do you? If so, how does your character feel about them? -- I think they are muddied beings I would prefer not to interact with except in necessary, impersonal, brief ways, such as a shopkeeper.

There are Felbreeds in my world, who are only half-human. The other half is some kind of inhuman monster. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I think they are muddied beings to be avoided, unless as a subject of study for magic ability.

There are Faeries in my world, inhuman creatures of magic. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have heard of them. I am curious about a creature of pure magic. I would be wary during an interaction with one.

There are Angeli in my world, heavenly angels and demons. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have vaguely heard of them. I would not know how to react to being around one and would default to using extreme caution.

There are Amorphae in my world, unnatural shapeshifting creatures of chaos. You likely do not comprehend the truth of their existence, relying instead of myths about werewolves or doppelgangers, but do you believe some version of them exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have vaguely heard of them. I would not know how to react to being around one and would default to using extreme caution.

There are Nephs in my world, terrifying giants who crave human flesh. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have vaguely heard of them. I would not know how to react to being around one and would default to using extreme caution.


There are Jinn in my world, mystical genies and nightmarish ghouls. Do you know they exist, and if so, how does your character feel about them? -- I have vaguely heard of them. I would not know how to react to being around one and would default to using extreme caution.


There are Ancients in my world. It is impossible for you to not to know about them as great Behemoths, enormous sea serpents, or legendary Dragons. But are these creatures legends with no proven existence, or does your character have proof? Bear in mind that, when one of these things wake up anywhere near your civilization, entire towns and villages tend to go missing. -- I believe they exist. I have seen proof within the society's collection of items. I would enjoy seeing one of these beings because it seems interesting, though I know logically seeing one would probably mean my death and is not something to seek.

And finally, what is your Name? My name is Quiyan

OOC:

((pronounced kee-yawn))

.

I'll start with a note on schools in Hebrimar. They are generally attached to religious temples and government buildings, being constantly monitored and influenced by the political and religious authorities. The teachers are almost solely the temple priests or government scribes. There are different types of schools for different people. The commoners take different lessons than nobility, and there are specialty schools for priests, scribes, and other careers isolate from the common masses. To address what you have said directly, there would be many schools for you to choose from in general, but for your specific task, yes. There would be a specialized academy you would have attended.

Since Hebrimar has little to no interaction with the outside world, I think the best way to go with this society is a Messenger. Somebody, or a small group of individuals, who came to the Forge Continent from the lands beyond to motivate their occult scholars in a useful direction; specifically, turning them into treasure hunters. The motivation would be something like, "These artifacts belong in the safety of your city, where they will not be pillaged and desecrated by the warmongers of our world. Only Hebrimar respects the historical value and mystical power these relics hold." What do you think? As for the artifact in question, I guess that will depend on where the campaign is set, so I'll keep you posted.

The usual color ranges are the same as normal humans, with some exceptions. Because of your orange blood, you are more prone to a copper tone or even an orange cast to your skin. Your hair is likely to be auburn or red in color (red as in the natural orange-ish version). As for the eyes, any normal color will do, but blends with orange are very likely -- such as blue-grey or hazel. You might even have orange irises.

On the note of the Sorcelled, I will clarify that both varieties exist. Some powerful mages find a way to turn themselves Sorcelled through permanent enchantments. Other people are "cursed" with this whether they wanted it or not, by a mage applying those enchantments to them. The main thing making them think of this as a curse is that the loss of Purebleed gifts makes you an outcast in most societies.

Quiyan
Birthright: Human
Sub-birthright: Purebleed (Galura)
Virtues: Leon 3, Eyrie 3, Grand 4, Enlight 4, Nemesis 6, Daimon 5
Class: Sage
Sub-class: Nemesis Master (Mentor Mage)
Mental Ability: Scribe Touch
You can ask inanimate objects some questions by touching them.
Mental Ability: Shift Skin
You can change your physical appearance.
Mental Ability: Cowl of the Cat
You can avoid harm and surprise attacks through an extension of luck.
Special Ability: Invulnerable Defense
By attacking each individual limb or object used to threaten you, at extreme speed, you create an impenetrable barrier of defense around your location.
Skills: Athletics 1, Diplomacy 2, Guile 3, Knowledge (archives) 2, Knowledge (occult) 2, Locksmithing 1, Oratory 2
Class of Progression: First
Combat Style: Monkey Style Unarmed Combat
Alignment: Neutral
Focus: School Sage (Ancestry)
Equipment: Energy-Charged Magic Staff, Magical Distance Daggers (3), Backpack, Bedroll, Flint and Steel, Grappling Hook, Rope (50 ft.), Parchment (3), Ink, Inkpen, Rations (3 days), Lockpicks, Waterskin, Lantern, Sturdy Weave Robes
Wealth: (if you have the number, put it here; if not, I'll run the numbers)
Devotion: The Scholar
Path: Occultist
Age: 19; Height: 5'11''; Skin color: Light orange; Hair: Dark auburn; Eyes: Copper hazel
Lucky Hairs: 10; HUT - 8; LT - 6; Left Arm - 2; Right Arm - 2; Left Leg - 3; Right Leg - 3
Wounds:
Skullcap: 1; Face - 2; Left Eye - 1; Right Eye - 1; Neck - 3; Upper Torso - 4; Lower Torso - 4; Upper L Arm - 1;
Upper R Arm - 1; L Forearm - 1; R Forearm - 1; L Hand - 1; R Hand - 1; Upper L Leg - 3; Upper R Leg - 3; Lower L Leg - 3; Lower R Leg - 3; L Foot - 2; R Foot - 2
Span 1; Land Speed - 15 ft.
Trying to Focus
When in combat, any round you spend moving less than 15 ft., you are Trying to Focus. This means drawing on tactical experience from up to 6 months ago. If the last 6 months have nothing to lend, then the attempt will grant either an extra attack die, or an extra defense die, as your intuition gives you a glimpse into the battle's future.
Focus
When in combat, any round where you take no Movement Phase, you are Focusing. This means you draw from 4 years of experience instead of 6 months. The dice listed above are replaced by +1 success on attack, or +2 successes on defense, as your "sixth sense" shows you the way.
Magic Casting Advanced
You can cast one spell per round without spending an action. If you wish, you can drop this advantage for one round during Movement Phase, in exchange for increasing your Movement Phase from 15 ft. to 30 ft.

I like that motivation for the scholars! That is the vibe I was thinking. That sounds good.

As far as hair, skin, and eyes, Quiyan has dark auburn hair and light orange skin. Not florescent orange, but clearly Galura. Eyes are coppery hazel.

For Sorcelled people, she feels it is unnatural and she is uncomfortable with that type of being, but she is curious about the process from an academic standpoint. She would not seek out that type of person, but if she happened upon someone a mage who had done that to themselves on purpose and they didn't seem too creepy or awful, she would likely ask them about the process. If it is someone who was "cursed" into it, she would not even want to ask them about it.

Let me know if you have the number for your remaining wealth.

I do not, but I can figure it up if need be.

I would appreciate it. Once that's done, you can drop the information I've compiled into a Custom character sheet and submit it to the game page. Then we can start you on a solo test run.

Ooookay, per my math, I have remaining of my starting 570 gp, 554 gp, 1 gs, 16 cp. I didn't see in this thread where I had how much my daggers and staff cost, except that the energy charge to the staff cost 3 tc. If weapon costs are in another player's stuff, I can ferret around for it.

Edit: Character sheet is updated and submitted! I'll fix the money part of it if need be.

Daggers cost 1 cp each, and a Staff costs 3 tc. I know that last one because the energy charge costs the same as the weapon.

Got it fixed now. It's on the bottom of my character sheet, but if you need it now, it is 554 gp, 4 gc, 4 cp, 16 gp.

Is there anything else I need to do? No rush on you; just want to make sure we aren't waiting on me. I think I submitted my character sheet right...

I was waiting for the site to figure out its own weirdness. You said the character sheet was there, but the site wasn't showing it. Now it has and I'm going over it. Looks pretty good at a glance. One thing we haven't worked out for your backstory is which ancestral spirits you have contacted, and what quests (if any) they have put you on. Hebrimite ancestors are gonna be pretty few and far between, since there's not many places they would have gone, but I might surprise you.

Here's how we'll do this. If you come up with the name, Birthright, and social status of this ancestor (including their relation to you, however indirect it may be), then I will come up with the Quest.

Or...

I come up with the name, Birthright, and social status, and you get to come up with the Quest.

The reward for that quest will always be something I decide, but there's your options.

I would like to come up with the name, Birthright, and social status. I like the idea of there being a Felbreed in my family tree somewhere and I am trying to reconcile my distaste for that type of thing with my desire to get quest goodies and magical knowledge.

When it comes to Felbreeds, would that baby be the result of violence? Magic coupling? Normal romance? Will the Felbreed individual reproduce with humans, its inhuman parents' race, no one due to sterility, something else? Right now I am not leaning towards any particular Felbreed type, but I can toss out some specific types if the answers to my questions vary a lot by type. Additionally, I can go look at another thread if this information is already out there somewhere.

That is excellent, and you are welcome to switch it up for some ancestors, letting me do the NBS and you do the quest. Just leaving that open as an option.

"Breed" not "Bred", just so there's no confusion. While it is understandably common to think of half-elves etc. as children of violence, in this and other settings, that's not necessarily the case. As far as statistics go, it really depends on what kind. More often than not, the Fair Demures, Foul Demures, Changelings, and Nephilim likely come from seduction (or alternatively, a more innocent pairing where the human is drawn to mystery, magic, and strange attraction). If you're looking for a violent genesis, I'd say that Putrid Demure, Wretched Demure, or Cambion. The Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Demons are far more likely to wrong someone on average.

Wild Demures, being the offspring of Pixi, come from the result of magic as the Pixi are incompatible with humans in any physical sense. The same is much more the case for Djinnar, whether they're Court-Born or Ghoul-Born. Yon of the Court of Light only manifest in the Material World as a body made from the elements (or more likely a raw, powerful storm). They are no more capable of breeding than the corpses used by Ghouls as a host body. Instead of summoning a Yon to grant you power or service, one might entreat them for a child. That is where the Djinnar come from; basically a wish granted.

As to the concept of fertility and sterility, all Felbreeds are functionally human. One's non-human heritage fades into normal Baseborn existence over the generations, but it pops up here and there. The thing is, magic is involved in some form or another, so these are not "Non-Human Creatures" as it were, but humans with strange traits. Now, here's the interesting thing: they are just as capable of mating with a non-human as any other Human. If a Fair Demure, already being elven in nature, mates with a real Elf, the resulting child will have stronger Elven traits than they did. It is not possible to produce a true Elf this way, but one might end up with a child that is physically Elven in every possible way. This is not really genetic, as it also applies to those that are born from magic by necessity.

Hope this was helpful and not too confusing.

Must have misread it as "Felbred" somewhere.

Let's say my great-great-great-great uncle Kabeja (kuh-bay-shuh) was a nephilim, springing from a tryst out of wedlock with a blackwing. He was raised up with the rest of the Purebleed children of the family and treated fairly enough, giving him access to the decent wealth and good social standing of the family, but once he hit adulthood, he amicably parted from the family to travel and, beyond sporadic letters, was never heard from again.

That's what I dug up about him in our family lore. It isn't exactly a deep secret, but it isn't talked about much.

I can make some good use of this! What if we do a sort of quest chain, where Uncle Kabeja has left clues of his travels throughout the world? By finding them and following the trail, you gradually learn more about him. We could have it where you haven't really communed with him yet, and are trying to find what you need to do so. Once you get in touch with the old codger, you can find out what he wants and get it done.

In the meanwhile, you might come across other spirits who were once old friends of Kabeja, or connected to him in other ways. How does that sound?

Sounds awesome!

Want to design any other spirits you know of, or have contacted?

Other ancestor spirits or spirits involved with Uncle Kabeja? Either way, I can plan out more.

Other ancestors, uninvolved with him in a direct sense. More of a second quest line. Which side of the process do you want to come up with for these ones? Same as before, or do you want to pick quests for a few?

I'll try out a quest next, just to try my hand at that. How many total ancestor/quest pairs are we making to start off with?

Well, that's up to you. How many ancestral spirits does your character know about, and how many of those have you contacted?

In your setting, how difficult is it to contact ancestral spirits? Are all ancestors in a lineage available to contact or is it only some of them (based on their willingness or perhaps some other parameter)?

I would like to think that Quiyan is a good student and very into this, but I don't want her to be ridiculously, unrealistically gifted, as in if the ability to contact ancestral spirits is based on the student's own abilities and the average student is able to communicate with three by the time they are considered "graduated" from the academy, I want her to be able to communicate with perhaps five rather than a very enhanced 17.

First and the second, in a certain way. All ancestors are equally accessible, unless they don't want to be. The only exception is if you don't know the ancestor exists. The only way to find out about such ancestors is to find evidence of their life, or to be directed toward that spirit by other ancestral spirits.

I think three is a very conservative number, but not in a bad way. I'd say to give yourself two quests unrelated to your "Uncle," and I'll come up with the spirits involved.

Sounds good! More can always be added, I suppose.

About quests specifically: How detailed do they need to be? For example, do I need to provide specific place names, the names of specific items, etc? Are there limits to how difficult or easy, petty or important the quests can be? One I am rolling around in mind is some person insulted one of Quiyan's ancestors in what she feels is a pretty minor way, but the ancestor wants her to locate that person/their descendants and mete out some sort of retribution for it, maybe ruin their reputation around their settlement or even just get a formal apology. I am not looking for these to skew "silly," but I wold understand if the quests need to be more... epic than that.

Basically, if you go too vague, I'll just fill in the details. If you go too specific or complex, I'll tone it down a little. If you just fill in made-up place names or item names and provide me a key at the end (couple sentences of what they're like), then I can match them to my setting. Ideally, if the quest is terribly easy or petty, then it will end in a small reward with a hook for a bigger quest. If the quest is more difficult or important, it will probably take you longer to finish it.

With regards to your ancestors, the odds of them having interactions with anyone you'll be meeting are slim to none. Your ancestors would all be relegated to the ancient and isolated kingdom of Hebrimar, with you being among the slim few to have ever left. The odds of your adventurous ancestors settling down outside of the kingdom and having a family are likewise slim, and even more unlikely that a member of that family survived very long. So I guess a guideline for you to follow is: stick to something that could happen anywhere, involving people your ancestors didn't meet and likely didn't even know about. A quest should prove to the ancestral spirit that you are worthy of their favor, and provide you with either a magic power, an item, or some clue to a larger mystery.

Noted. I'll think on it and provide a couple in the next 24 hours or so.

Okay, I have thought on it and maybe at least two of these fit the parameters:

--- Defeat the strongest person in the city/region/country/whatever geographical area ("defeat" and "strongest" each having a few different meanings, depending on who you ask)

--- Settle a long-standing feud

--- Successfully learn to make a really, really, really good recipe from outside Hebrimar

--- Find an amulet with magical properties featuring the ancestor's favourite type of gemstone

Ooooh...

--- Defeating the strongest person where the campaign is set will be a very dangerous endeavor, especially if you aim to do so quickly. I'm not saying no, or that it's a bad idea. Just that it won't be easy.

--- Settling a feud makes sense, but your Ancestor can't really expect you to settle a feud between people they don't know about. So this would have to be something like...you've known this spirit for months, and haven't been able to get them to cough up a quest. They just refuse to help you. Most you can get is that they are a spirit of community, the hearth, the home, something like that. They're big on peace and unity. But that's no quest, more like a general interest. That is until you come across this feud, and the spirit FINALLY speaks up. "Solve this, and we'll talk."

--- I think a singular recipe, or just a 'good' recipe, would be too small for a quest. However, if you were to make this more of a journey, picking up recipes and seeking to perfect your grasp of foreign cuisine, now THAT would be something. And yeah, at certain milestones we could give you smaller tips and rewards building up to the big one.

--- That amulet is definite quest material though. Got my work cut out for me on that one.

Whatever works! Something vague enough that would fit anywhere with anyone yet also be something my ancestor would care about was tough for me to conceptualize, so I am pleased even one of those was decent.

Better than decent! Do you want all four quests, or a more limited selection?

Would there be any disadvantage to have them all? As in, would there be any disadvantage(s) to having contacted that many ancestors at this point?

Only if some of them imposed a time limit, but that's unlikely. The ancestors don't really have anything to do but wait around.

True. Let's have all of them in the mix; why not.

Warmaster Suvarat was an ancient Galura officer in their military, back in the days when Hebrimar and Heramar invaded the other continents and sent armies. He is a distant ancestor of your from several hundred years ago, once a wealthy and influential man. If you want to appease him, and so gain any further favor, you must leave Hebrimar and put down roots elsewhere. When you have done this, find a foreign commander, champion, or king of thieves who has great control over the area. The one who defeats that person will change the balance of power in that realm forever. If you do this, you will gain Warmaster Suvarat's favor. As a sign of that favor, he will bestow upon you an ancient combat technique lost to your people.

Grandmother Ulvam is actually more like your great-great-great-great-great-grandmother on your mother's side. You got a talisman of hers at a very early age, and it was one of the first you tried to tap into. Unfortunately, she rewarded you with nothing but silence for years. Only when you made some strides on your own did she begin sending your wordless, emotional signals: communicating that she cares about peace between kin. Upon arriving at your new destination, you learn about two noble families who have been in bitter conflict for over a century. For the longest time, it was just harsh words and social embarrassments targeted at the other family, but in the last five years things have gotten bad. Slaps, public duels, and shadowy assassinations; if some outsider doesn't intervene fast, things will only get much worse. It is upon making this discovery that you hear from Grandmother Ulvam for the first time. She says that helping these families sort out their strife will prove to her that you are ready to aid your own family.

Your great-grandfather, Karkharias Requin, spent much of his life seafaring. It was on one such voyage that he became marooned in the island chain between Fodlan and your homeland. He was picked up by pirates, who took him up the east coast of the Broad Continent and down the west coast of the Continents of Peace and Caves, as well as many small islands along the way. During that grand journey of some eleven years, he developed a great appreciation for cooking and foreign cultures. When he finally returned home, he brought your family great wealth, not only in gold and gems, but in tapestries, foreign scrolls, and exotic spices. Though he knew little of foreign cuisine, he mixed those spices into Hebrimite food and changed how the country saw cooking. While you were in the academy, you visited a place of business that used to be his. That visit got the attention of his spirit, and he commanded you to go out into the world and bring back new dishes. For each recipe you learn, he will bring you an increase to your Fortune. Greater recipes may reap greater rewards.

It was not until you left that you learned about an obscure relative of yours. Amaroca was a tribal girl from an island near Hebrimar, who was found by a cousin of your great-great-grandmother and adopted into the family. Amaroca was from a branch family of the Porph, who had splintered off from Heramar long ago. Her intellect and black blood led her to conspire with a group of Sorcelled down in Heramar. It was during this conspiracy that your family lost track of her, and her fate is currently unknown. When your sailing vessel made port in Fodlan, a seer skilled in Ancestry told you of Amaroca's involvement in a sedition effort to spread Hebrimar's influence (undermining Fodlan and the Empire in the process). With this information, you received a cryptic hint that Amaroca loved aquamarine. If you can find trinkets set with that stone, you may be able to make meaningful contact with her.

Yeah!!! These are great!

What's next?

Well, hopefully soon we can set you up with two fellow players and get started. If you like, feel free to check out the information I have on World Anvil so far. I can provide you a link if need be.