Hah! Can’t wait to see your character sheet when you get it done. Sounds like some great backstory and light-hearted potential there 
But who gets to have the monkey?
Great concept Nice narrative as well. Don’t forget to drop me an email with your character sheet!
Gunslingers are just so fun! Got your PDF and it looks good. Sent you a couple comments in return.
Good stuff, people!
I just got to Character Creation in 2e, and had to go to work. I have printed out blank sheets, and intend to stare at them for a while. Don’t expect an actual character till Sunday, mostly because I suck at trying to figure out what the proper combos for charms and suchlike are. I expect to have to do at least one minor revision when something doesn’t actually do what I think it does, or I blatantly forgot something else.
That’s OK. Let me know if you need any help or if you want to kick around combo concepts…
What I’m planning to do is start rolling out Prologues as I confirm final character sheets with each player. We’ll spin off two threads when that happens, like Middle Earth RPG has done: the RPG thread itself and a discussion thread for out of character questions, disputes and banter. To prevent confusion in the early stages, as each character will be running separate until the beginning of the actual storyline, I’ll be adding each character’s name and a distinct color to each post that pertains to them.
Okay, working with Anathema, and have a question: I’d like to get some of the martial arts techniques (Specifically sledge-hammer fist punch and Heaven Thunder Hammer) but I’m not seeing how to add them to my magic. Am I missing something?
Also, can someone give me a basic run-down of how combos work?
There’s a smaller and larger drop-down box at the very top of the Magic screen. Drop down the smaller one and click on “Martial Arts” then Select “Solar Hero” from the larger one. This should get you to the the appropriate charm cascade.
I’ll get back to you on that.
I never got Anathema to work on my home PC. It seems to take personal offense at the fact that I run Vista. So, instead, I just emailed the .doc containing my write-up and scratch notes for the roll out. If you have problems making heads or tails of it, Priam, drop me a line and I’ll scan a character sheet.
ArrMatey!, combos in 2nd edition work based on two tags associated with Charms that you might see in their write-up. Combo-OK Charms can be used in association with any other Charm for the same ability that also have the Combo-OK tag. Combo-Basic Charms can only be associated with certain other Charms (a full list of the types eludes me at the moment) mainly requiring them to be only allowed to work with Excellencies or certain specialized Charms. Combos have various timing and action-requirement rules based on their Charm type, and there’s an exhaustive list of permutations. An easy way to work that out would be just to tell me which Charms you want to combo and I’ll work up an example. Also note that if any Charm in a combo has the key word “obvious”, the whole combo is obvious, meaning it’d be next to useless in a sneak attack or a social situation.
The big benefit is that by making combos, you can circumvent the “one Charm per turn” rule and stack bonuses to an action. So, for example, a really basic combo would allow you to use the Charm Fire and Stones Strike during the same action that you use Dipping Swallow Defense, allowing you to bolster both an attack and a defense action that you might take the same turn.
Also note that you still have to be able to pay the cost for EVERY charm in the combo in order to use it, including motes, willpower and (rarely) health costs. There’s no cost reduction involved. You’re still able to use each charm separately.
Okay, so… Does the following make any sense:
Starting with Thunderbolt Attack Prana and comboing with either:
Fists of Iron or Sledgehammer Fist Punch?
Also, again with Anathema, I see under Abilities: Fav. Count, which I apparently have 5 available of, but no idea what they are or how to fill them in.
Sledgehammer Fist Punch is a supplemental attack used against inanimate objects. If you wanna break a wall? Sledgehammer Fist Punch. If you want to break someone’s face? Fists of Iron Technique. What you’ve got there is a good combo for a speedy, powerful attack that won’t weaken your defenses. I would point out that it might be good to work a defensive charm in there so that you can hit and supplement your dodge/parry in the same turn. Otherwise: good job. One fun thing to consider is naming your combo, just to sexy it up
And the Abilities: Fav. Count means you can select 5 abilities to Favor, which reduces the experience cost to raise them. It basically makes them like your Caste Abilities as far as game mechanics. As far as character creation is concerned? You’re able to spend ONE bonus point to raise the skill above 3 rather than TWO. In order to select your Favorite abilities, just click the box to the left of it.
I don’t know how you want to do it in an online game, but one fun thing we’ve done is require that for obvious-type combos, you have to have the character yell out their combo name. It adds a sort of campy anime twist. Besides, what beats having your character put the smack down on some extra while bellowing
Heart-Piercing Harmony Apocalypse Striku!!!
…or something equally Engrish.
Bwahaha! Exactly!
“INTENSE HOMOEROTIC BLOW-BY-BLOW SEDUCTION TECHNIQUE!”
What’s up on backgrounds? Anything especially appropriate or inappropriate? Cult might be interesting, Manse might not be appropriate… but hey, you’re the DM.
I’m actually pretty open. I will agree that Manse is a little hard to fit into the Scavenger Lands as a new Solar, but if you can come up with a believable backstory for it then that’s OK.
I like that!
I was thinking of using this combo:
[ul]
[li]First Archery Excellency, for the extra dice[/li][li]Essence Arrow Attack, for the cool side effects,( Dazzling Flare, Righteous Judgement Arrow)[/li][li]There Is No Wind, so I can expand the range to anything I can see with out any penaltys[/li][/ul]
Which should give me a extremely cool long distance shot
Name, euhm…….
Righteous Message of Heavens Favorite Son!!!
I also want a cool (3 point?) artifact firewand, anyone got sugestions?
Will our exaltation be part of our prelude?
Ayup
I like the fire wand from Wonders of the Lost Age, not the firewand(gun) I originally thought of but this is usable with martial arts and doesn’t need firepowder,
Can you give me the page that’s on?
The Books of Sorcery Vol. 1 - Wonders of the Lost Age page 77
I can live with that. It does change you from a gunslinger type, though… and you’ll have to explain in your backstory how you got ahold of an obviously First Age piece of technology.