[RPG] Sword and Sorcery Play-by-Post

[TheDarkOne]

I will take a small sip of the drink to see how it tastes. In the meantime, I take a look around the tavern to see if there is anyone or anything odd or of interest.

[mrz84]

With my personal search at a dead end for the time being, I decide to ask the patrons and servers alike about the man on the hill that I've begun to hear about.

[Xyvol]

(This looks like fun, I think I'll join in.)

Malichor enters the tavern. I am dressed in a long black cloak with the hood pulled up, a pale face and black hair just visible underneath. My ultimate goal is the search for greater magic power, but I most likely entered the tavern 'cause I like bunnies. Noticing the crowd gathered in the middle of the room, I take a seat away from the commotion and try to grab the attention of a server to order.

[TheDarkOne]

Sancireph notices Malichor, but watches him only out of the corner of his eye, ostensibly watching the man with the piles of gold in the center of the room.

[CJC]

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Setting Elaboration

Mages: The 13 Schools of Magic
Psionic
Darkspace
Hedge
Prayer
Scry
Dance
Phantom
Gourmet
Paper
Math
Toon
Lycaon
and Dragon

Most wizards specialize in one form of magic and dabble in a few other schools. There is also great debate about whether Dragon magic is actually a unique mysticism or just regular magic contaminated by "dragon radiation".
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Rule Clarifications

Mages: Tapping Arcane Power
If your character has wizardly abilities, try to describe them in thorough detail the first few times you utilize them. I will use these details to determine where the character's talents fall in the thirteen schools of magic, which I can then use to add structure to your powers later in the game. Remember, you are free to do whatever you please in this game; I will work out which school fits best. In other words, cast spells to determine your school, don't make assumptions about a school to cast spells.

General: In-Character Actions
When acting for your character, try to post in the first person. When asking questions about the game, try to separate the questions from your character actions with paragraph breaks or, more preferably, by putting the questions in parentheses at the top or bottom of your post.
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@TheDarkOne
Sancireph, you sip the avocado beverage and note that it is rather like DRINKING FIRE. You find it difficult to imagine how that bartender manages to down these things every night. The drink is tremendously bitter, almost to the point of making you gag, but it leaves a lingering minty aftertaste thata is rather pleasant. You also feel it numbing your inhibitions... the SECRET INGREDIENT must be concentrating the alcohol in the beverage... either that or he threw in various liquors to try and conceal the taste. Maybe the herb is so bitter it can't be taken raw?
You notice a dark-clothed WIZARD enter the tavern, take a corner, and flag down a server. But it is an adventurer's tavern, so this isn't particularly suspicious. There's also a heavily armored... SOLDIER? making the rounds and asking patrons about the MAN ON THE HILL. But the one that's got your attention is the patron with the PILES OF GOLD at the center of the bar. Where did he find all of that money?

@mrz84
Zataka, you gather a lot of CONTRADICTORY information about the MAN ON THE HILL. Some of the patrons, mostly travelers, know very little about the hill lord. Some of the adventurers have heard rumors about an eccentric and powerful magician in this region, and jumped to the conclusion that the lord on the hill was he. As for the townsfolk, their stories too are divided. Several claimed that the mansion belongs to their MAYOR, while others have no memory of the building being there at all. In fact, when they went to the tavern windows to look they were startled to see it. Something sinister is at work here.
The only patron you didn't discuss the matter with was the MAN WITH THE GOLD at the center of the bar, as his gregarious generosity is making him difficult to approach.

@Xyvol
Malichor, you are finding it difficult to get the attention of the SERVERS, mainly because most of them are scrambling to take the orders of the patrons swarming the CENTER TABLE. You finally manage to flag someone down, but instead of taking your order the server hands you a tall, FIZZING BEVERAGE and a platter of CHICKEN WINGS. Do you correct the mistake?
You are also rather frustrated by the poor service in this place, so you decide to draw some RUNES on your table with your index finger. What do you write? Is it gibberish? Are the runes infused with magic?
The place is crawling with adventurers, almost to the point of being a CLICHE. Of note, there's a WARRIOR in chainmail nursing a BIZARRE DRINK at the bar, and a heavily armored SOLDIER questioning the patrons of the bar (though he hasn't gotten around to you yet). What do you do?

[TheDarkOne]

I leave the drink, as it is too bitter to finish, and, taking my pack, make my way towards the man with the piles of gold. ((Can you give me a more accurate description of him, like race, age, clothing, demeanor, things of that nature?))

[mrz84]

Amending my character, he uses Prayer(since its the closest to Holy magic I guess)

With the locals and patrons providing few details and even more questions, I decide to make my way to the man with the gold and inquire if he knows anything of the man on the hill as politely as possible, wishing to avoid any unnecessary conflict if I can help it.

[CJC]

Amending my character, he uses Prayer(since its the closest to Holy magic I guess)

Don't be quick to jump to conclusions about how magic works. Like I said, define your power first and then I will define where that power comes from.

I was intentionally vague about how each school of magic works for this very reason.


I'll use Healing magic as an example, explaining methods of healing for some of the schools that take to it more readily.

Prayer Magic is the magic of firm conviction. Believing in something bestows power upon it. In a sense, prayer magic allows the wizard to make assumptions about the world and force them to be true. For healing, a prayer magician believes that the power within can be transferred to the suffering individual, placing hands and speaking phrases that invoke the belief and cause it to become real.

Math Magic is the magic of probability manipulation. Any event may be purged from the record, forcing reality to jump to the next-most-likely event. For an injury, the math magician eradicates the event of the severe wound, shifting it to be just a scratch or--in cases of extreme mystical power--making it no injury at all.

Hedge Magic is the magic of plants. A hedge wizard might grow healing herbs, mash them into a paste, and apply it to a wound. Alternatively, the hedge wizard might grow a fungus that is specifically designed to fill in the gaping wounds of the injured person.

Gourmand Magic is the magic of cuisine. A gourmage can heal injury by infusing a meal with energy and feeding it to the afflicted, triggering a regenerative effect in the body.


That's not to say that the other schools cannot cast healing magic; it is quite the contrary. Think of schools as flavors applied to an effect; the effect is unchanged but the flavor changes the narrative impact of the effect.

So you can stick to prayer magic if you like, but don't feel constrained by it. Your character has healing magic. Perhaps the healing is a combination of all of these things; an amalgam of various powers. Perhaps the source of such power will change over time. Try to let my setting information inspire you, rather than constrict you.

[mrz84]

The closest thing I can use as a comparison to describe the abilities would be to compare them to a D&D Paladin since my character is a Paladin and uses holy/light magic. I assumed the closest thing to it would be Prayer, so if I was wrong, I apologize. The magic he know is pretty limited to 1-2 healing spells and a few defensive buffs (increasing defense, magic resistance, and attack power for a limited time for example) while his other abilities would be strictly sword techniques for offensive attacks (they are mostly neutral in element, though some could have elemental properties. ie: a fiery sword slash vs a plant type monster) I don't have them all worked out yet as I didn't expect to have to use them yet, so again, I apologize. I'll go over what I have in mind for him when I get home from work tonight and post anything I need to, or we can even go over it via pm before I post anything here.

[CJC]

No need to apologize. This setting's power sources are not as rigid as those used within the D&D collections, so I just wanted to emphasize that you need not fret how you use magic.
From what you describe... yeah, your paladin's primary source of power would likely be Prayer magic. Laying on hands with conviction on an injured victim and healing wounds is an infusion of prayer energy. Likewise, a chant that improves the performance of others would be infusing conviction into them, thereby improving them with your own belief. Again, that would be Prayer magic.
Also, don't worry about having your character completely defined. You are free to add things as you go, including the discovery of new powers. Since there hasn't been any peril yet (and I haven't defined what exactly combat entails), don't worry about these things until they arise, okay?

I don't mind discussing in the thread, since others might have similar questions. Since I'm linking to scenario updates in the second post, it shouldn't hurt the flow of the game.