Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stormbrand 04-17-08, 08:37 PM	The personal retinue of the Argent Chevron, an angelic knight, is growing. Each member of his retinue is more than a nameless, faceless soldier. Each member of the retinue has a warm friendship with their commander. Which means I have to create new NPCs. And develop basic personalities for each. I am looking for a few pikemen and halberdiers, a few archers, a few cavalry - and for Pikeman A to be different than Pikeman B or C. Any ideas to get me started? Setting Info: - Magic is rare. Different classes to D&D. Full casters learn approximately 3 spells per 2 levels and have to raise energy to cast the more powerful spells. - World has multiple real-world cultures and eras living in different areas. So we can use Roman Empire, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Rennaisance cultures, etc. - Current area is a police state isolated by mostly desolate land. There are few fighters organisations. Our main pool of recruits will be the mercenary army temporarily staying in the area (which is very divided). - Mostly human, no more than 2 nonhumans in 10. Requirements for recruits: - Able to travel (hence what are they doing in such a desolate land) OR (if local) a reason to follow a foreign knight when coming from a fairly xenophobic land. - Suitable followers for a holy knight: equivalent to Lawful Good, Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral alignment. Some Chaotic Goods will be accepted provided there is no rampant individualism that gets everyone killed. - Functional for mass combat: using reach weapons, shield walls, or ranged weapons, along with backup weapons for close-combat. None of these "I only need this weapon" sorts. ------------ Thank you in advance for your help.
elliott20 04-18-08, 10:15 AM	what books can you use? any ToB classes allowed? (my guess is no, since ToB maneuvers are very flashy and are more on par with psionics styled classes) if no ToB allowed: possible builds: (let's pretend you want a 10th level build) Cleric 10: The warpreist, the templar. this man would be one of the leaders of the group. Use your typical CoDzilla build (righteous might, divine strength, divine favor are his staple spells.), give him a two-handed sword (or whatever appropriate melee weapon for the situation), and let him roll with it. He is the leader for the very rare magic that he wields. (Though in some cases, a lot of people see it more as a divine strength that inspires him rather than magic.) Paladin 5 / Hospitaler 5: not as optimized as the Cleric but still serviceable in a low magic campaign. A paladin who has an even more martial focus due to the extra feats. If you want to crunch him a little, take divine might, give him power attack, storm trooper, etc. Boost his CHA as much as you can, then take on a bunch of divine feats to becoming the literal beacon of inspiration for his allies. Cloistered Priest or again just straight cleric: the speaker and healer. He is the spiritual voice for the group, and his words often inspire even the injure to find new vigor in them to fight on. now for the even LESS optimized builds paladin/sorceror: uses a lot of low level wizard spells to suppliment his fighting. (can we say, smite evil + true strike?) a problem is he'll be pretty much a one trick pony but without his powers behind him he won't be able to do an awful lot. paladin/monk: between monk save progression and divine grace, this guy will have pretty decent saves, but he won't be able to do too much against a well-optimized group. Good for flavor though. fighter/monk: professional martial warriors. if you want to emphasize the light weight fighter aspect even more, do level dips of the swashbuckler or duelist. straight fighter: the loyal soldier who just wants to be led. fighter/barbarian: the warrior who can, when needed, tap into his inner energy and channel his rage to become a deadly foe on the battlefield. monk/druid: kungfu bear, I'm just sayin' not sure if this is what you're looking for.
Stormbrand 04-18-08, 05:30 PM	not sure if this is what you're looking for. Thank you, but no it isn't. :) what books can you use? None that are D&D. ;) It's a Play By Post game, with occasional use of d20 rules, but no D&D. What I am looking for is making fighters of very similar backgrounds and styles in combat still seperate characters. For example: The Pikemen: Based heavily on Swiss mercenaries. Heavily armoured pikemen who were both soldiers and farmers. They aim to crush the enemy of their employer, collect booty, get paid, and then return home to work their fields. These were mercenaries kept on campaign for too long. When they returned their farms were unsalvagable due to neglect. They join the Argent Chevron because the idea of a knight-errant fighting for the sake of farmers intrigues them. All of the Pikeman would be fairly honourable and disciplined, group-minded and orderly. But if we have 4 of these pikemen, what specific individual traits would be good, simple, easy traits (either appearance or behaviour, preferably one feature of each) to make each pikeman stand out from the others while still having a clear sense of unity? I am also thinking of making a Roman scout and a Gailic horseman.
elliott20 04-18-08, 10:30 PM	well, if you're just talking about little quirks and stuff, lemme try that instead. you'll have your basic army cliches - the veteran guy: the gruff old vet whose been around the block a lot. - the young whipper snapper: just to foil the old vet guy. - the one with the wife: the one with the keepsakes/pictures. also the one to bite the bullet the moment he brings up his family and how he's going home soon. - the coward: sneaky little bastard who will defect at the drop of the hat. very good at saying what people want to hear. - the one lacking confidence: had the story been through his perspective, he might get to play the hero - the crazy guy: something is not quite right with him. He mutters to himself a lot, spends way too much time with his nervous tic, and for some strange reason, is always the one to do the one thing to totally **** over the rest of the platoon. possibly the result of post-traumatic disorder. - the berserker: loves the fight. loves the battle. can't really do anything else but fight. it's when he feels the most alive. probably cuts himself during times of peace just to make sure he's still alive. - the captain: brave, handsome, smart, and all around tool. He's generally the one that keeps the group together somehow. He might just be a second in command to the actual leader, but he definitely has the men's loyality and trust. he's the one that calls the command to phalanx and form pike formations. - the lone swordsman: super soldier personified. A complete sardonic loner at that. he'll probably serve in a role that's better suited for one-man ops and is very dangerous. i.e. he might be the scout that goes deep into enemy territory for days on end. - the equipment guy: there's always a guy that handles the weapons. probably does a lot of the upkeep around the barracks. he can fight decently enough, but more importantly, his pike and armor are always the cleanest and most well kept just from his own personal discipline. and he yells at the new guys for leaving their weapons around. - the big guy: the muscle. if he's got a temper, probably also the beserker as well. If he's pleasant, then he's probably excessively jolly. - the chief: probably also the big guy of the group if he's the pleasant type. that or he's the token fat guy. now for some more interesting ones - Zap Brannigan: he's basically the captain from hell. He's petty, self-absorbed, and generally kind of a moron. funny, but not suitable for an actual command position - the sycophant: the guy who is always tagging along the captain to garner his favor and fancies himself his #2. might also be the Zap Brannigan - the self-delusional: think Dan Hibiki. He thinks he's the bomb, but really he's not all that. He doesn't screw up simply because he's never put in a position of importance. - the good friend: rival friend of one of the other guys. Probably the captain again. (God I hate that guy. everyone loves him) will probably bite the bullet later to save the platoon. - the player: this one gets all the ladies. maybe it's his good looks combined with the fact that he's also shameless with women. anyway, his conquest is kind of a running joke in the barracks itself. likes to wear garments from his conquest. - the man's man's man: imagine having Bruce Campbell as a captain. Throw in some rockstar qualities and you got a rival for the player. - the average joe: this guy is in his mid 30s, he's got a wife and a kid, he's just a very average man who knows how to follow orders. the only way you can pick out of a crowd is because he's the only one who's not a freak in his platoon of circus clowns. - the token minority: in movies, he's black. In D&D? he's probably an orc or a goblin. In terms of actual appearances, I say start with their coat of arms. While they all serve the same force, they all might come from different areas, counties, and such. And they would probably bear the coat of arms in some place like say, one of their shoulder plates. then go for their spears. one thing I notice with weapon guys is that they always end up with their preferences, even if it's the same kind of weapon. veterans will probably have their weapon very worn, very well loved, but slightly customized in some fashion. i.e. a little handle wrap that goes around the handle differently than normal. maybe they had to do it themselves cuz equipment guy never got around to fixing it. the weapon master might be the only one who has a unique extra weapon. and also, people will often ornate themselves differently when it comes to things like shields, spear tips, arrow tips, and helmets. not so much that they would wear something drastically different, but that it might be a different color (painted on themselves), a different condition of wear (the crazy guy probably won't be taking very good care of his stuff unless he's crazy because of some OCD issue) don't know if any of these are helpful. I'm trying though!
Stormbrand 04-19-08, 01:39 PM	well, if you're just talking about little quirks and stuff, lemme try that instead. you'll have your basic army cliches - the veteran guy: the gruff old vet whose been around the block a lot. - the berserker: loves the fight. loves the battle. can't really do anything else but fight. it's when he feels the most alive. probably cuts himself during times of peace just to make sure he's still alive. - the equipment guy: there's always a guy that handles the weapons. probably does a lot of the upkeep around the barracks. he can fight decently enough, but more importantly, his pike and armor are always the cleanest and most well kept just from his own personal discipline. and he yells at the new guys for leaving their weapons around. snip then go for their spears. one thing I notice with weapon guys is that they always end up with their preferences, even if it's the same kind of weapon. veterans will probably have their weapon very worn, very well loved, but slightly customized in some fashion. i.e. a little handle wrap that goes around the handle differently than normal. maybe they had to do it themselves cuz equipment guy never got around to fixing it. the weapon master might be the only one who has a unique extra weapon. and also, people will often ornate themselves differently when it comes to things like shields, spear tips, arrow tips, and helmets. not so much that they would wear something drastically different, but that it might be a different color (painted on themselves), a different condition of wear (the crazy guy probably won't be taking very good care of his stuff unless he's crazy because of some OCD issue) Thanks. These parts are helpful. A good starting point to begin with. I'll need to think of ideas to make these guys feel more real, but this gives me something nice to work with. :)
Drackthor 04-23-08, 12:18 PM	- the token minority: in movies, he's black. In D&D? he's probably an orc or a goblin. I laughed really, really hard at this. That being said, everyone should probably get their fire-proof jackets on, ASAP.
VampyresThrenody 04-24-08, 10:21 AM	I should come to this part of the forums more often..this is just the sort of thing I love to help with! First to find some inspirational warrior art on deviant art...Okay Check. First I hope that you accept female characters since alot of really good art depicts women.. Ferris Alderidge Growing up on a medium-size farm with only two children can be a rough job. Ferris's parents were disappointed at first when they had a daughter for they needed another son to work the fields. They grew to be surprised by their tomboy of a daughter who avoided indoor work and instead always volunteered around the farm. By the time she was sixteen she had more skill as a farmer then as a housewife. However, Ferris wasn't simply content with farm work. She demanded that her father teach her whatever her brother, Daniel, was taught. When Daniel learned the basic techniques for spears, Ferris was right there demanding equal measure. Her father was not keen on the idea being a traditional man who thought that women should not fight, but no one argues with Ferris for long and wins. When a group of bandits raided the farm and stole several cattle Daniel and Ferris set off to retrieve them. They waited until nightfall and stole their cattle back, riding on the backs of bulls all the way home. Unfortunately, while they had been gone another group of bandits had set fire to their home. Their father and mother had survived but were forced to move to a nearby city. (I don't know your game that well so I hope you can modify all this to fit. If not, give me more info and I can modify it for you) As money grew scarce Ferris set out to find mercenary work in order to recover her family's money and hopefully afford a new farm. Appearance: Ferris has pale skin and red hair. Her brown eyes and face are marked by determination and strong willpower. Some would say that she's as stubborn as a mule, but it is not this, rather it is a strong sense of morals and courage. As her family is poor and she send money back to them on a regular basis she wears a simple leather hauberk (must confess I know little about armor, I see this as a leather breastplate, bracers, greaves and a battle skirt. Sort of like roman-esque looking. Or you could have it be whatever is standard fare for the area). Ferris's spear has a long blade and is jagged from use. Near the head of the weapon she has tied a scarf of red and silver. The scarf was made by her mother to wear during cold weather, but Ferris dislikes wearing scarves and instead made it her own tiny battle-standard. So, is this the sort of thing you're looking for? It fits two cliches: Stubborn fighter and female fighter. Plus she has a bit of a farmer background giving her a reason to join up.
Stormbrand 04-25-08, 05:09 PM	Thanks, I will certainly use elements of that character. Things like the jagged pikehead and the scarf are the kinds of nice touches I am looking for. :) Female characters are ok so long as sex/gender is not a big deal. IE: no need to compare herself to men or disguise her gender. On the other hand, I don't want tomboy characters either. To make a female character and have her act as if male feels pointless to me. What puts me off Ferris is that she gets what she wants by demanding and being argumentative - mostly because I'm not fond of firecrackers. So what I would want a female pikeman character to be like (I refuse to say 'pikeperson' - feudal Europe was not politically correct) would be thick-bodied from military training, flat-chested (the character is a soldier not a sex-object), calm-tempered and easygoing with at least one 'traditionally' feminine interest (because she can be strong without needing to be aggressive/temperamental or to copy men). See? You helped me create a character already. :D Most of the setting is undeveloped. Which means freedom with specifics, although I am aiming for an area like feudal 1500 Germany or Switzerland, the Holy Roman Empire. Most of the pikemen will have worked with or against feudal lords before, so will recognise a knight as a well-trained military leader as opposed to a pampered fop (they will likely know of the foppish nobles as well, but the lords on the battlefield are either tough or dead). - Weapons are pikes, with hand weapons such as sword or axe and buckler when formation breaks. - Armour would be either maille or brigandine (like splint but with the metal parts inside the leather backing). - Helmets are either basinets (bell-shaped helms with a pig-faced visors that come to a point) or barbutes (open-faced helms with a very large T-slit)... our group has an armoury with Roman-style helms for the others (the ones with the big thick cheekpieces which lace together under the chin). What the pikemen should all have in common is being suitable for the 'push of pike'. So strong and tough fighters who prefer tight formations and brute force. - A non-combat role for each? (Sentry? Teamster? Some skill of use to a military unit). - A weakness or personality flaw for each? - A personal goal or interest unlike the others? Can anyone think of more ideas? Thanks.
VampyresThrenody 04-26-08, 06:39 AM	Stupid double post :X
VampyresThrenody 04-26-08, 06:40 AM	It's best if I don't get an idea of the armor in my head :P I tend toward the fantastic and explosive. I never liked most modern armors, although some of the noble full plate for horseback riding is pretty awesome. Albert *something or other* A romantic and a lady's man, Albert ended up in the mercenary business purely by accident. One day he was caught in bed with a noble's wife. He was given the choice to either be hung, or enlisted. So he ended up fighting in *random war from setting* on the side of *random city*. Albert found that a well armed and skilled fighter could make a fair fortune as opposed to his last job [a stable boy]. While in the war he also saw the depths that some would go to to get their way. He came to despise corrupt leaders and silly nobles who would throw the lives of men away without a good reason or cause. While he wants to build himself a fortune, he refuses to fight under any man that doesn't have a good cause. Non-combat role: Scout Goals: Personal gain, gold Weakness: Women, Wine Appearance: Short brown hair, confident brown eyes, green cloak. His pike bears the symbol of a purple lilac near the blunt end. The lilac was a gift from a lady that was killed shortly after. Albert regrets that he couldn't do anything and bears the memory with shame. Also carries a short sword with a string of beads wrapped around the bottom of the blade. Each bead represents a friend lost in combat. Richard Kirton A long-time mercenary and former gravedigger. He picked up a weapon when called to arms by the liege lord of the area. Richard has always been rather uninspired and boring. He has few likes and even fewer dislikes. The world just is, would be his famed saying if he talked much. He takes orders without asking why. He's missing two fingers of his left hand from an infected cut. Non-Combat Role: Ox-Handler, cutting wood Goals: Find a place to call home again Weakness: Lack of personality Appearance: Dark hair, light eyes, short beard. Wears a black coat/over-jacket. Pike is curved near the end and has a second spike for tripping. A green tassel from his home town hangs from the spearhead. When foes come in close he has a handy axe which he uses with just as much efficiency in battle as he does cutting wood. Sorry, not much in the way of pictures that I could find which is where I get inspiration from.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 04-26-08, 06:43 AM	How's about an imitator. He does everything in his power to match himself up to you. He mimics your speech, your clothes, even has paid to have weapons and armor fashioned to look as close to your own as possible (I know yours are unique but a good craftsman should be able to make a decent mock-up). All in an attempt to make himself more like his hero. In truth it can even grow rather annoying at times, something of a test for your angelic patience.
Stormbrand 04-26-08, 01:43 PM	It's best if I don't get an idea of the armor in my head :P I tend toward the fantastic and explosive. I never liked most modern armors, although some of the noble full plate for horseback riding is pretty awesome. Albert *something or other* A romantic and a lady's man, Albert ended up in the mercenary business purely by accident. One day he was caught in bed with a noble's wife. He was given the choice to either be hung, or enlisted. So he ended up fighting in *random war from setting* on the side of *random city*. Albert found that a well armed and skilled fighter could make a fair fortune as opposed to his last job [a stable boy]. While in the war he also saw the depths that some would go to to get their way. He came to despise corrupt leaders and silly nobles who would throw the lives of men away without a good reason or cause. While he wants to build himself a fortune, he refuses to fight under any man that doesn't have a good cause. Non-combat role: Scout Goals: Personal gain, gold Weakness: Women, Wine Appearance: Short brown hair, confident brown eyes, green cloak. His pike bears the symbol of a purple lilac near the blunt end. The lilac was a gift from a lady that was killed shortly after. Albert regrets that he couldn't do anything and bears the memory with shame. Also carries a short sword with a string of beads wrapped around the bottom of the blade. Each bead represents a friend lost in combat. Richard Kirton A long-time mercenary and former gravedigger. He picked up a weapon when called to arms by the liege lord of the area. Richard has always been rather uninspired and boring. He has few likes and even fewer dislikes. The world just is, would be his famed saying if he talked much. He takes orders without asking why. He's missing two fingers of his left hand from an infected cut. Non-Combat Role: Ox-Handler, cutting wood Goals: Find a place to call home again Weakness: Lack of personality Appearance: Dark hair, light eyes, short beard. Wears a black coat/over-jacket. Pike is curved near the end and has a second spike for tripping. A green tassel from his home town hangs from the spearhead. When foes come in close he has a handy axe which he uses with just as much efficiency in battle as he does cutting wood. Sorry, not much in the way of pictures that I could find which is where I get inspiration from. I really like Albert. Very much a mercenary and yet with good consistant reasons why he's so moral. :) Richard I'll probably tinker with some more, but tinkering with something is far easier than coming up with something from scratch. How's about an imitator. He does everything in his power to match himself up to you. He mimics your speech, your clothes, even has paid to have weapons and armor fashioned to look as close to your own as possible (I know yours are unique but a good craftsman should be able to make a decent mock-up). All in an attempt to make himself more like his hero. In truth it can even grow rather annoying at times, something of a test for your angelic patience. Possible. The main difficulty is it might get as annoying to write as for the character - because it may become a tug-of-war between PC & NPC for doing an action or response to someone else. One issue in the setting is that weapons and armour can be extremely expensive. One would have to be really rich to mimick gothic plate. The other problem is I'm expecting this imitator to be infantry while the knight is cavalry. We could make a fresh cavalryman (which is probably a good idea) but I think I need to work on the personality behind why the hero worship. Thanks both so far. :)
Terjon of the Blue Rose 04-26-08, 09:51 PM	Well I hadn't taken into account the costs. Still even if his armor and weapon are standard issue he should be able to save up and buy cheap imitations of clothing. And things like speech patterns are a no-cost issue. As far as a reason for hero worship the simplest may a simple case of he is one of the many whose life you have saved already. It could also be that he has served under others who have political rank and you are the first he has encountered who seems to care greatly for those under him. He may even be stuck with a simple case of celebrity worship. You should be fairly well known after all. Maybe you matched some pre-existing ideal he had of what a knight should be and now that he sees you as real he wants to be you. Lots of reasons. Unfortunately the matter of his getting to be a nuisance to play is harder to deal with. He works best if your character quickly starts teaching him to be his own man and drawing him off his mimicry. This makes him a side story at best though and less of an actual character. Still could make for a very interesting entrance for another character. Beyond that how about a poor me type who joined up with plans to die. His life has been nothing but a series of minor tragedies up till now and, while nothing great and horrible has happened to him, nothing great and wonderful has either. He isn't quite ready to lie down and die yet but he has more or less given up on making a life for himself. As he likes to put it "My life may not have served a purpose but my death may yet". Trick is not to make him suicidal but rather desperate to find a meaning for his life and a reason to live, otherwise he won't suite your retinue very well.
Stormbrand 04-26-08, 10:32 PM	Beyond that how about a poor me type who joined up with plans to die. His life has been nothing but a series of minor tragedies up till now and, while nothing great and horrible has happened to him, nothing great and wonderful has either. He isn't quite ready to lie down and die yet but he has more or less given up on making a life for himself. As he likes to put it "My life may not have served a purpose but my death may yet". Trick is not to make him suicidal but rather desperate to find a meaning for his life and a reason to live, otherwise he won't suite your retinue very well. Excellent! In fact this fills in the blanks nicely for this... Richard Kirton A long-time mercenary and former gravedigger. He picked up a weapon when called to arms by the liege lord of the area. Richard has always been rather uninspired and boring. He has few likes and even fewer dislikes. The world just is, would be his famed saying if he talked much. He takes orders without asking why. He's missing two fingers of his left hand from an infected cut. Non-Combat Role: Ox-Handler, cutting wood Goals: Find a place to call home again Weakness: Lack of personality Appearance: Dark hair, light eyes, short beard. Wears a black coat/over-jacket. Pike is curved near the end and has a second spike for tripping. A green tassel from his home town hangs from the spearhead. When foes come in close he has a handy axe which he uses with just as much efficiency in battle as he does cutting wood. Sorry, not much in the way of pictures that I could find which is where I get inspiration from. :)
Stormbrand 05-07-08, 02:09 PM	Excellent thusfar. So far I have 8 of 10 pikemen ready. Any help with 2 more will be welcome. :)
Terandar 05-15-08, 01:12 PM	Here is one off the top of my head. Thamon - can be a pikeman or anything else. I think Cavalry may fit his char better. An educated man that serves as an oddity in the group. He comes from one of the independant mountain cities (like Rennaisance switzerland) from a well to do family. He gave up the stable life there to follow the paladin wanting to make a difference in his war-torn homeland. His idealism and obvious privlidge cause him stick-out amongst his fellow infantrymen, but he works hard to prove to the others that he is just as capable as they are. His personality is a well meaning idealist but still a fish out of water. He constantly doesn't understand the jokes of the other soldiers and uses words too obscure or elequent to understand. Thamon has a minor obsession with history and enjoys compairing the paladin and his group to heros of ancient battles. Over time he has become freinds with and earned the respect of his comrades, but will always be lovinlgy picked on none the less.
Stormbrand 05-15-08, 05:33 PM	I like it. I actually have more need for cavalry than pikemen now. ;) Main difficulty is our location: we are in an isolated city surrounded by the Great Steppe. The gathered mercenaries have come to this city for a contract heading up north. This is unlikely to fit with the war-torn homeland aspect. Aside from that the personality fits well enough. :)
elliott20 05-19-08, 11:33 AM	Darrius of Northwood (For some reason, I'm hating the name right now but I'm drawing a blank for names...) Darrius comes from a long family line of cavalry men. His father was a cavalry man, his father's father was a cavalry man, his cousin's second uncle was a... well, you get the idea. Basically, he has more or less inherited his station by birthright. As such, he has been trained since his youth in the ways of war as well as other skills befitting his station. he is very proud of that almost to the point of arrogance. of course, that's the front he puts up. underneath it all, he feels the constant pressure to perform in a certain fashion, to embody something that is greater than him. And overtime, that pressure sometimes really gets to him. Perhaps that's not what he really wants to do with his life, but his sense of duty forces him to carry on. who knows? he doesn't really let anyone else in anyway.