[& sword] First Time Prep: A Tale Of Dark Times

[Hisho]

So, after the Humanity question was cleared everything worked out fine and now we have a setting, and the player has a character to play with (or as I think, someone to torture... I will come to this later)

Ok, with Humanity = Love in mind,

Premise: Is Power worth giving up Love?

Inspirations: Beowulf (Movie), Berserk (Anime & Manga), Vlad The Impaler (Movie), the stories about the Eternal Champion (->Elric and Corum)

What is Humanity: Love,

you get a Humanity Gain roll for strenghten (& weaken) a close relationship in a positive way, and a Humanity Loss roll for weaken (& strenghten) a close relationship in a negative way

when you reach Humanity 0, it will depend on the circumstances what will happen... but we are going for the End-Game approach

Demons: well, your pagan thingies out there, Old Ones and the elemental spirits... oh and ghost and what have you... it only has to have an medieval touch... and a hunger for destroying relationships in some way:D

What are Sorcerers: well people who have the guts to pay the price for power... I know bad description but at least the player got my initial explaination

The setting: Imagine a dark but also romantic version of medieval europe, here and there a small castles and villages, decadent Lords and Ladies playing their games of power and priviledge. Small Kingdoms and villages, normal men and woman and inbetween the dark woods, eons old, under their feet caverns filled with sleeping but unspokable evil.

Slavery and racism is common... groups of merchaneries are everywhere and torture and pillage for everyone who pays enought... it's a dark time.

Well and now to his ( ick! ) character:

first I had to explain that there is a difference between character and player, then that the character should be interesting and that he doesn't have to be a hero, not even slightly heroic by nature.

but the moment he presented me this character came only after I asked him what he would change in this setting if he could and then asked him if he could imagine someone bad, maybe even evil as a protagonist. And if he could think about a way that this person could change the world around him in the way he (the player) wants it. After all, he is the author of the character and not the character... that was one of his problems.

I present you

--Slorik the smith--

he is a big guy, think stereotypical canadian lumberjack big (don't know if you have the same image in mind... like in the movies...) he wears ordinary clothes of a smith most of the time, leatherskirt etc. black long hair, bound together behind his head. He once summond a parasitic demon into himself with the knowledge he got from his father. (because of this we took heritage as a descriptor of Lore)

Stamina 4 - Big and vigorous, Hard working
Will 3 - Vow
Lore 3 - heritage
Past 4 - Smith
Price - bad hearing (-1 to all perception rolls based on hearing)
 
Telltale: a scar on his right arm that is glowing light when he works at the forge
Humanity 4

His Demon doesn't have a name yet, maybe he will not even get one but it is a parasit with the desire: power and need: violence

the demon helped him in becoming on of the best smiths in the province

btw does he need link as a parasit to see what the character sees... something I have to look up... mhm

Now, to his kicker... well his wife has gone missing, but the player told me that he normaly beats his wife and command her around to feed the demon in his body (violence) but tries to protect her against nearly everything else... that was the way he balanced his Humanity gain/loss in the past... well I said "ick!"

now I understand why sorcerer is an intense role playing game... this player never ever has created such an... extreme character... while I develop some bangs for this character he is finishing the diagram on the backside tomorow...

so far so good, anything I forgot about? Any tips... suggestions?

[Ron Edwards]

Interesting. Although my initial reaction to the character is repulsion, I can also step back and think of many protagonists in classic and 20th century literature who are wife-beaters.

I'm not sure I buy the business about "balancing" the Humanity loss and gain, though. "Protecting" the wife sounds awfully vague. You guys are going to have to discover whether you share the same standards for Humanity rolls of both types.

My advice to you is to play the demons really enthusiastically. This character sounds suspiciously close to circling the Humanity drain.

Best,
Ron