Showing posts sorted by date for query larina. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query larina. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2024

Pop Yourself! Larina

 I am not a big collector of Funko-Pops. I have a few but not what I consider a lot. But recently I saw they had a Halloween (now over) promotion to get a Funko Pop figure of yourself. Well that is fine and all, but do I really need one of me? A blonde (er now gray) guy with glasses? I am not even sure I can get one with glasses and a goatee. (I just checked, I can). But since one of the choices was a witch, well I knew what I needed to do!  

And since today is what I consider to be Larina's birthday, I thought I would share the Funko Pop I had made of her.

Larina Nix Funko Pop

Larina Nix Funko Pop

I did a re-paint on her hair, and yo see I messed up her eyebrows a bit. Still, I am happy with the hair. I opted not to repaint the rest of her. I am not really that good to be honest.

Here is the original. 

Larina Nix Funko Pop

Larina Nix Funko Pop

Larina Nix Funko Pop

LARINA NIX Funko Pop


Obsessive? Yeah maybe. But I always buy something for myself on Halloween. This was what I got for myself this year.

By the way, I did go back and see what a Funko Pop version of me would look like. 

Funko Pop Tim


Not bad. Not sure I need it though.


Monday, October 7, 2024

Secret Journey: Walking the Witches' Road

Woman wearing black dress
I am finally caught up on the new Disney+ series "Agatha All Along," and frankly, I love it.  Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza are so great in this, and Aubrey Plaza already has "witch cred" with her books "The Legend of the Christmas Witch" and "The Return of the Christmas Witch." It is a lot fun and I am enjoying watching Agatha Harkness come to life after reading her exploits for so long. 

I have a lot of people asking me how I would implement the "Witches' Road" in my games. Well, obviously, I can't use the Witches' Road as it appears here, Disney being so understanding and forgiving. BUT thankfully, I do have something, and the advantage here is that it shares a genesis with my first witch class.

Upon a Secret Journey

Back in the early 80s I was building a bunch of new classes. I have talked about them here before, but briefly there was the Witch, the Sun Priest, the Healer and the Necromancer. The witch you have seen, the Sun Priest, though has yet to see a lot of text here. You can find the complete AD&D 2nd Edition kit here and on my downloads section

There was a notion that the Sun Priest would need to complete a pilgrimage ever so many levels to prove their faith. While it was based on the pilgrimages made by Medieval faithful, the idea here was one of greater spiritual understanding. It was inspired by the Police song "Secret Journey." For me it added a bit more mysticism to the idea. 

Here is what I said back then.  

At 3rd level and every three level thereafter (6, 9, 12,...), the Sun Priest must go on a "secret journey." This journey is one of faith and must be accomplished alone, in secret. It might be nothing more than a dedicated study of church tomes (a journey of understanding), of deep contemplation (a journey of enlightenment), of destroying some foe (a journey of vengeance), or anything else the player and DM agree upon. The journey will last as long as necessary, and during this time, the Sun Priest will receive no experience points, nor can he partake in an ongoing adventure. The journey can be played out, or the priest may simply rejoin the adventures at a later date. The journey must be performed, or the Priest can not advance to the next level.

Again, remember this was for AD&D 2nd Edition. And while it is certainly geared towards a clerical class, there is no reason I can't adopt it, and adapt it, to the Witch.

In fact, I kinda have been doing that now anyway. When I was moving out of 3e over to 4e I was trying to decide if I was going to continue Larina under the new rules. I go my answer when I saw the Feywild get more emphasis. Very long story short, Larina went to the feywild, had a daughter with Fey Lord, but had to leave her behind to complete a quest at the behest of Baba Yaga. When she returned 13 years had passed. This quest was a Secret Journey in all but name.

You Will See Light In The Darkness

The Secret Journey for witches (The Witches' Journey maybe) is one a witch must complete at some point in her life before she can receive greater understanding about her magic, her craft and her place in it. For many it is an essential part of their lives as a witch. 

Given this I am tempted to have it related to the steps of the Hero's Journey and include some of the elements of modern witch traditions of a symbolic Life-Death-Rebirth. The Witches' Journey is a symbolic death and rebirth.

In AAA, the "Witches' Road" is taken on by a coven, but a Secret Journey is a solo affair; a witch must complete it on her own. Since it is a symbolic death and rebirth, this is not supposed to be easy. The witch will emerge from this fundamentally changed.

The Witches' Journey
The Witches' Journey (Rough Draft)

It is now a few hours later.

I pulled up a copy of the Hero's Journey, Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, and of course, Jung's Man and his Symbols. I like the idea of witches having to embrace their own shadow-self in their journey of self-realization. I also added in some ideas from my NIGHT SHIFT notes. 

Part 1: The Call to the Journey (Life)

    1. Ordinary World: The witch lives in a mundane environment, feeling a sense of disconnection from nature and the spiritual world, unaware of their inner potential.

    2. Call to Adventure: The witch experiences an awakening—perhaps through a sign, dream, or encounter—that ignites their curiosity about magic and the self.

    3. Refusal of the Call: Doubts and fears surface as the witch grapples with societal expectations, personal insecurities, and the weight of tradition, resisting the call to explore their true nature.

    4. Meeting the Mentor: An experienced witch or wise figure appears, offering guidance, wisdom, and tools to navigate the inner and outer worlds, encouraging exploration of the self.

Part 2: The Descent into the Underworld (Death)

    5. Crossing the Threshold: The witch consciously steps into the realm of magic and the unknown, leaving behind their old life and beginning to confront their inner landscape.

    6. Trials and Allies: The witch faces external challenges and meets allies, but also begins to encounter aspects of their Shadow Self—unacknowledged fears, desires, and insecurities that surface during their journey.

    7. The Abyss: A significant challenge forces the witch to confront their Shadow Self directly, facing their deepest fears, regrets, and repressed emotions. This moment represents a metaphorical death, where the old self must be faced.

    8. Rebirth through Initiation: The witch undergoes a transformative ritual or initiation, symbolizing acceptance of their Shadow Self. They emerge with greater self-awareness and empowerment, integrating both light and shadow aspects of their identity.

Part 3: The Return with Wisdom (Rebirth)

    9. The Road Back: With newfound knowledge and power, the witch begins the journey back to their ordinary world, now equipped with a deeper understanding of their whole self.

    10. Resurrection: The witch faces a final test or confrontation that challenges their integration of the Shadow Self, solidifying their transformation and understanding of the life-death-rebirth cycle.

    11. Return with Wisdom: The witch returns to their community, sharing the wisdom gained from their journey, including insights on the importance of acknowledging and embracing one’s own shadow.

    12. The New Ordinary World: The witch finds a place in their community, living in harmony with both the magical and mundane worlds, embodying a balance of light and shadow, contributing to a holistic understanding of existence.

Last Step: The Eternal Cycle

    13. The Wheel of the Year: The witch embraces the cyclical nature of existence, celebrating seasonal festivals and the ongoing journey of life, death, and rebirth. They recognize that integrating the Shadow Self is an ongoing process, each cycle presenting new opportunities for growth and transformation.

Again, this is a draft, and I need to find some solid game applications for this. I want to add up the horror elements a bit. This journey needs to be a terrifying experience for the witch, but ultimately, a rewarding one where the witch emerges reborn.

I like what I have here, to be honest. 

RPG Blog Carnival

This post is for my October RPG Blog Carnival: Horror and Fantasy.

RPG Blog Carnival


Thursday, September 19, 2024

Red Rose: Blue Rose + The Expanse on Mars

 I may have mentioned it already, but I just wrapped up a summer-long Blue Rose game that was an absolute blast. I was playing a version of Larina, who, while not exactly kicked out of Aldis, was strongly suggested she "take a break" due to her abuse of Shadow Sorcery. She left, with new student (and an NPC that grew into someone that I really liked) Esme, to visit other worlds. 

Since then I have been stuck on what her adventures would be next. While I left it open to happen under any system/game/world I was REALLY enjoying playing AGE again. Then it hit me while on my morning run today.

Larina and Esme are going to Mars

Blue Rose and the Expanse AGE RPG books

Well. Not just any Mars, the "Red Land" mini-setting in the Blue Rose core book. Something that grabbed my attention way back when it was published. What clicked for me was re-reviewing the AGE-based Expanse RPG. Green Ronin has a new crowdfunding campaign for the Expanse RPG. This, from what I can tell, is an update and expansion over the current rule book. 

Now, I am a HUGE fan of the Expanse. I was talking with my oldest over the weekend about his Destiny game, and I at first suggested the Expanse rules, or at the very least, he reads them or watches the TV show. He opted to rewatch Star Trek, and I can't blame him for that. So *I* reread the Expanse rules.

Two things.

1. I really love the AGE system. I need to do a LOT more with it.

2. Some art in the book hit me like a lightning bolt because of how much it made me think of some similar art in Blue Rose.

Two versions of the Red Land

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Liam can run his Destiny game how he likes. I am going to run a Red Rose game.

I am going to take the Red Land setting from Blue Rose, then I am going (apologies) Expanse it. 

I love Mars. There is just much I'd love to do with it. Maybe when I am done with this I'll port it over to Thirteen Parsecs, but for right now I want to do this in AGE. Besides if I can mix Blue Rose and Horror, I can do it with SciFi. 

So how do I do this?

Cities in Dust

The "Red Land" is just not some other place on Aldea, it is on a different planet. This planet is Mars to Aldea's Earth. So it needs a good name. I was half tempted to call it "Dejahoris" after Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars, but I think I am going to go with "Minerva" for now. I like the sound of it really.

My influences are going to be The Expanse (naturally), but also ERB's "Barsoom" series, Clark Ashton Smith's stories on Mars, as well as Dune, and (and this is the fun one) Logan's Run.

In this version of the Red Land/Minerva the sacrifice of the old and infirm has become the sacrifice of everyone over a certain age. So elements of Carousel. Naturally, there is an underground rebel movement.

 I don't have all the details worked out, but a small campaign might work. The premise is that Matriarch Gaelana can't hide the failing life-support arcana anymore and is planning an invasion of Aldea. Or something like that. There needs to be a threat of some sort. There are also rebels inside the domes seeking to stop "Carousel" (I'll come up with a better name later).

Given that this idea started with Larina and Esme traveling to the Red Land I might try this. Gaelana has captured Larina and is using her as a battery to power up new Shadowgates back to Aldea for her invasion. She trapped with her magic being drained. Esme, who is not as powerful manages to get back to the characters to enlist their help.

The characters can be Minervan rebels or folks from Aldea. Or a combination. 

I would want to keep some moral ambiguity going on. The people of Minerva are good, just thrown into a very hostile land where unorthodox solutions are needed. Even Matriarch Gaelana feels what she is doing is right. She thinks Aldea is now overrun with the forces of the Sorcerer Kings and their darkfiend minions. She isn't going to believe tales of Aldis as a utopia. Maybe they can find Mara's allies, who was named the next Matriarch. That is until their secret was discovered by Gaelana. 

I want a world that looks perfect under the domes, until you scratch the surface a bit. I want to emphasize these are good people, in very harsh times and they are making the best they can. If the characters are Aldean, then I want them to struggle a bit with the morality. My "Carousel" is deeply embedded in their culture, and it is what is keeping everyone else alive. Something akin to moral quandary from the Star Trek: TNG episode Half a Life.

In any case, there is a ton of potential here. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Mail Call Wednesday: Art Edition, Djinn Unboxed

 A very special Mail Call on a Wednesday today. A book I have been eagerly anticipating. Djinn Unboxed!

Djinn Unboxed

Djinn Unboxed

Djinn Unboxed - dust coverDjinn Unboxed - cover

This art book from my very good friend Djinn just landed on my shores this morning all the way from her home in Italy. At 330+ pages it is crammed full of her wonderful, often D&D-inspired, art. 

And there is not a lot I can show you here either! Djinn's art tends toward the risqué and sometime pornographic, but always tastefully so if not outright fun. 

Much of the art features her D&D character, the witch Solaine, and some of it is also her alter-ego Djinn.  

But there is an entire feature on my little witch Larina!

Larina

Larina

Larina

There is a lot more than that, but these are the ones I feel safest sharing. Besides, want to see more? Buy the book!

Djinn's D&D world is a fun place where Solaine battles seas monsters on a pirate ship, accidentally summons amorous demons, and libraries are anything but quiet. 

Not sure when this book will go on general sale, I know she is working on getting copies out to her Kickstarter backers now. But I hope to see a lot more.

Links

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

#RPGaDAY2024 Marvelous Miniature

 This one is rather easy. I am completely in love with the miniatures from HeroForge.

HeroForge Minis
These all sit on my desk.

I was an early backer, and backed it again for their color print process. Since then I hove picked up quite a few. What can I say, I love them.

Me and Johan

Here is my "mini-me" and my alter ego Johan.

Larina

I have a few Larinas. A printed one and few I did on our home printer.

Sinéad, Karlach and Shadowheart

Some to commemorate my best Baldur's Gate 3 run, Sinéad, Karlach and Shadowheart.

Duchess & Candella

The mini standees of Duchess & Candella. I wanted to try it out.

Willow & Tara

And Willow & Tara. Because of course I did.

Not to mention all the screen shots I have used over the years.

Likely not long before I get an itch and want to make another one.


--

I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

#RPGaDay2024

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

#RPGaDAY2024 Amazing Adventure

 Again, I seem to cheat on these more often than not. I know what this one is supposed to be about, but I am still going to do this. Today I want to feature Amazing Adventures!

Amazing Adventures

Amazing Adventures is overtly a pulp-style modern game from Jason Vey (long time writing partner) and Troll Lords Games using the same SIEGE game engine that powers Castles & Crusades.

Here are some reveiws I have done in the past.

Some characters for this world
And for free
I don't play AA as much as I used too, and I never got to play it as much as I wanted. NIGHT SHIFT has taken over that niche for me. 

--

I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

#RPGaDay2024

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

#RPGaDay2024 Compelling Characters

What makes for a Compelling character? What makes one for me and say not for you?

I'll talk about an NPC on the 22nd, so today I'll feature PCs.  As it turns out, I also just got some new art for a couple of my PCs Sinéad and Larina from artist Mondhut.

Sinéad
Sinéad Moonshadow

Larina
Larina Nix

I should think that these two don't really need introductions at this point. But briefly, Larina is my witch character I stat up in every game I play to see if I can make a witch in that game.  Sinéad is a sorcerer/bard that I am currently using in my exploration of the Forgotten Realms. Sinéad was also the character I used when I did my "perfect" run of Baldur's Gate.

What I had not realized until I started this post is that at no point in my histories of these character have they ever met.

Larina has had dealings with all my major characters over the years, being a near immortal witch will do that. Sinéad has interacted with Taryn, Larina's daughter, quite a bit. In fact when Sinéad was trapped in the Feywild she and Taryn met and decided that they must be sisters (both are half-elves). 

But Sinéad and Larina have never actually met.

They are compelling, to me, because I keep finding ways to use them. I also have my Johan character and he is every bit as compelling, but he is 100% a PC, so a lot of what happens to him (all the Johans) is largely due to the game he is in at the time. Larina and Sinéad bonuce a lot now as PCs, NPCs, and GMPCs. 

Check out Mondhut's Instagram if you can.

--

I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

#RPGaDay2024




Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Larina Nix and Malcear for Quest of the Ancients

 The other night my oldest son Liam and I were going to continue our AD&D 2nd Ed game in the Forgotten Realms. I got to talking about about some of the NPCs of the Realms and mentioned the strangest one I knew was Raven of Raven's Bluff.  Which got me on the topic of Quest of the Ancients in general and what a Fantasy Heartbreaker was. He asked if I had stated up Larina for it already, and too my utter shock I saw I had not.

Instead of playing some AD&D 2nd Ed, we rolled up characters for Quest of the Ancients. I built Larina and he did his human/demon-hybrid assassin Malcear. 

Quest of the Ancients


I do want to extend my public thanks to Vince Garcia. I told my wife there was a game developer out there who was as obsessed with witches and Stevie Nicks as me, and she didn't believe it.

Larina Nix
Larina Nix
13th level Human Witch
Female

Armor rating: 0 / 0
Tactical move: 10'
Stamina points: 36
Body points: 10

Stats
St 9 (Dmg. +0, L/N/H/VH Load 18/45/63/90, Max lift 180)
Ag 12 (AR att +0)
Cn 12 (Rest 7, Stamina/Body recovery 1/1)
IQ 20 (memorization time 1)
Ch 19 (Reaction +15%)
Ap 18
Lk 7

Attack 1
Combat phase: 4
Dmg: 1D4+1 (dagger) or by spell
Ethics: I
Size: 5'4", 125#

Witch Abilities
A: Create Focus (wand)
B: Additional Combat Skill Slot (2 for 4 total)
C: Create Potions and Elixirs
D: Form Coven

Skills (200 pts)
Language: 50 (read/write 10)
Courtliness: 15%
Danger Sense: 4%
Herbalism: 60%
Music: 10%
Nature Lore: 10%

Spells

Rank 1: Beguile, Control Fire, Disenchantment, Evil Eye, Magic Dart, Read Magic Script, Skull of Flame, Slumber, Trick, Whisper, Witch Warrior
Rank 2: Cure Wounds, Enchant Bracers, Fire Darts, Jack-o-lantern, Moon Sigils, Witch Wand, Witch Wind
Rank 3: Babble, Charm, Charm, Electric Arc, Energy Blast, Hand of Glory, Sheet Lightning, Starburst, Witch Mark
Rank 4: Bat Swarm, Death's Eye, Hex, Shooting Stars, Time Vision, Witch's Eye
Rank 5: Candle Magic, Cauldron of Magic, Moon Web, Witchfire
Rank 6: Aura of Fear, Enflame, Pentagram of Protection, Starfire
Rank 7: Ethereal Whirlwind, Witch Ward


Malcear
1st level Human (demonic) Assassin
Male

Armor rating: 1 / 1
Tactical move: 10'
Stamina points: 36
Body points: 10

Stats
St 17 (Dmg. +1, L/N/H/VH Load 34/85/119/170, Max lift 340)
Ag 20 (AR att -5)
Cn 15 (Rest 6, Stamina/Body recovery 1/1)
IQ 15 
Ch 12 (Reaction +0%)
Ap 13
Lk 10

Attack 1
Combat phase: 1
Dmg: 1D6+1 x (short sword) 
Ethics: I
Size: 5'8", 175#

Assassin Abilities
Disguise: 40%
Information Gathering: 37%
Stealth: 45%
Climb: 67%
Concealment: 40%
Detrap: 40%
Lock Pick: 40%

Skills (150 pts)
Blindsight: 30 pts
Danger Sense: 24%

Larina and Malcear in Islay

--

Ok. Not bad. The system was not really enough to keep Liam's attention, so we did not try to play it. I am thinking I have extracted pretty much everything out of this game I can get. I think this one is moving to the lower shelves now.

Unlike some other games I have tried out over the last couple of years, I do not recommend this one as a D&D 5 replacement. 

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Converting D&D 5 to Blue Rose 2nd Edition: Character Exploration

 Ever since the Great OGL Debacle of 2022-2023, I have been looking for something to replace D&D on my table and in my development space. I have not always been successful on either front, but I have found many great contenders, including Castles & Crusades, Pathfinder 2nd Edition, and Wasted Lands. I have another one I wish to add to that list. Blue Rose 2nd Edition.

Blue Rose and Characters

I love Blue Rose. I love the game, the idea, the setting, the mechanics, everything. 

I spent a lot of time reviewing this game when it was released.

The game is an absolute joy, and I hope to continue it for a long time.

Unlike the three games I mentioned above, Blue Rose 2nd Edition's AGE system is not d20-based. It does have some d20 DNA via Blue Rose 1st Edition's True20 system. It is fairly trivial to convert D&D material over to Pathfinder, Castles & Crusades, and Wasted Lands. Blue Rose takes a little more work. However, the scaling is very similar with all of these games.

Blue Rose

The Characters

For this, I will do conversions of my main witch character, Larina, and two of my Forgotten Realms characters. Why these three? I want to play around with how adepts work. Plus, these are the three characters (well, them and Johan) that are most on my mind right now. Sinéad and Nida are part of my 2nd Ed AD&D Forgotten Realms game, so exploring who they are in this Blue Rose/AGE set-up is useful for both Blue Rose and the Forgotten Realms. And Larina, well, she is never far from my mind. 

Plus, it is the Summer Solstice, one of the pagan celebration days, so witches seem appropriate. 

Also, lately, I have been comparing and contrasting Larina and Sinéad. If Larina is my go-to witch, Sinéad is becoming my go-to sorceress or wild magic wielder. Though I am noticing I am playing Sinéad a bit like Larina so I need to find ways to make her (Sinéad) her own character. 

I have already explored a lot of characters for this game. Especially a lot of adepts and how they can feel different from each other. 

I have spent quite a bit of time with this over the years and I really love the characters you can make and play with this game.

Sinéad for Blue Rose
Sinéad
Female Human/Vata'an Adept, Level 5

Accuracy: 5 (Primary) Focus: Bows
Communication: 3 Focuses: Persuasion, Performance, Deception
Constitution: 3 Focus: Swimming
Dexterity: 3 Focus: Artisan
Fighting: 2 
Intelligence: (Primary) 3 Focus: Arcane Lore
Perception: 3 (Primary) 
Strength: 2
Willpower: 2 (Primary)

Speed: 13
Defense: 13
Armor: 3
Penalty: 0

Health: 56
Conviction: 5

Powers, Talents, and Specializations

Starting Talents: Lore (N), Performance (N)

Arcane Talents: Healing (J), Wild Arcane (J)
Skillful Channeling
Arcane Training: Shaping (N)

Specialization: Bard (N)

Arcana

Wild: Fire Shaping, Sense Minds, Visions
Shaping: Psychic Shield, Move Object, Second Sight
Healing: Cure, Sleep

Arms and Armor

Dagger, Melee (Accuracy) 1d6+1
Dagger, Ranged (Accuracy) 1d6 6/12 Minor

Leather (Light Armor)

Persona

Calling: The Moon: Discovery and Learning Secrets
Destiny: Queen of Rods, Curious
Fate: Jaded
Corruption: 0 

Goals: To discover the secrets and source of her magic

Relationships

Taryn (3), "She is my adopted sister. We will do anything for each other."
Larina (2), "She is Taryn's mother. I am not sure what their deal is, but I will respect her."
Nida (2), "I have never had a friend like her, and so unlike everyone I have met before."

--

Nida for Blue Rose
Nida
Female Human Expert, Level 5

Accuracy: 2 (Primary) Focus: Arcane
Communication: 4 (Primary) Focuses: Deception, Disguise
Constitution: 3 Focus: Swimming
Dexterity: 3 (Primary) 
Fighting: 2 
Intelligence: 4 Focused: Arcane Lore, Shaping
Perception: 4 (Primary) Focus: Empathy
Strength: 1
Willpower: 2 (Primary) Focus: Courage

Speed: 13
Defense: 13
Armor: 3
Penalty: 0

Health: 58
Conviction: 5

Powers, Talents, and Specializations

Starting Talents: Light Armor Training, Pinpoint Attack

Arcane Potential (N), Thievery (N)
Specialization: Shaper (Fire), (N)

Arcana

Fire Shaping

Arms and Armor

Dagger, Melee (Accuracy) 1d6+1
Dagger, Ranged (Accuracy) 1d6 6/12 Minor

Leather (Light Armor)

Persona

Calling: The Sun: Championing the Everyday
Destiny: Eight of Chalices, Daring
Fate: Stubborn
Corruption: 0 

Goals: To find her true path

Relationships

Sinéad (3), "Sinéad is a naive kid with her head in the clouds. And I love her for that. She reminds me of what I was."
Larina (2), "She honestly kind of scares me, but I know she has the answers I seek."

--

Larina Nix for Blue Rose
Larina Nix
Female Human Adept, Level 20

Accuracy: 2 (Primary) Focus: Arcane
Communication: 5 Focuses: Persuasion, Performance +2, Investigation
Constitution: 3 Focuses: Swimming, Stamina
Dexterity: 3 Focused: Artisan +2, Calligraphy +2
Fighting: 2 
Intelligence: (Primary) 5 Focuses: Arcane Lore +2, Research, Sorcerery Lore, Historical Lore, Healing
Perception: 3 (Primary) Focuses: Empathy, Visionary
Strength: 1 Focus: Intimidation
Willpower: 5 (Primary) Focus: Faith

Speed: 11
Defense: 11
Armor: 5
Penalty: 0

Health: 114
Conviction: 11

Powers, Talents, and Specializations

Arcane Talents: Arcane Training (M), Healing (M), Witchcraft (M), Psychic (M)

Linguistics (M), Performance (N), Contacts (J)

Specialization: Seer (M), Shaper (Fire) (M)

Stunts: Skillful Channeling (1), Disrupt Arcana (4), Lasting Aracan
Epic Stunt: Effortless Arcana

Add Willpower to Damage, Familiarity mod -2

Arcana

Fire Shaping
Enhancement, Heart Reading, Light Shaping, Ward, Second Sight
Cure, Sleep, Draw Vitality, Flesh Shaping, Body Control, Psychic Shield
Psychic Weapon, Psychic Contact, Calm, Illusion, Mind Shaping, Mind Reading
Visions, Scrying, Object Reading, Nature Reading

Arms and Armor

Dagger, Melee (Accuracy) 1d6+1
Dagger, Ranged (Accuracy) 1d6 6/12 Minor

Persona

Calling: The Priestess: Oneness with Spirit
Destiny: Queen of Rods, Curious
Fate: Jaded
Corruption: 1

Goals: To become a powerful witch

Relationships

Taryn (3), "My daughter. We lost so much time together in my service to Baba Yaga."
Sinéad (2), "Taryn's adopted 'sister.' I have watched this one from afar and subtly guided her on her path."
Nida (3), "It's...complicated."

--

Ok. Three different approaches to magic (arcana) in Blue Rose. The Wild Talent (Sinéad), the dabbler (Nida), and the Witch Queen (Larina).

Frankly, I am pleased with all three. Larina is scary powerful, and that is what I was aiming for. She has some corruption. I was also going to do Larina's daughter and Sinéad's best friend, Taryn, but I want to work some details on her first. 

I like that this world and this system allow me to bring out different aspects of these characters. 

In some ways I like to think of these as "parallel universe" versions. What these characters could be if the world they lived in was less horrible and had more light.  BUT...I don't even play Blue Rose as all "sunshine and kittens." The bright spots in this world are bright because there is still a lot of darkness out there.  I mean, even (especially) Larina has some corruption because she dabbles in Sorcery, or at least "Forbidden Knowledge." 

These characters compare very, very well to their Wasted Lands counterparts (Larina, Nida, Sinéad). They are not 100% the same, nor should they be, but I can see each (D&D, Blue Rose, Wasted Lands) are an aspect of the other. Given this I really should do Johan for Blue Rose. He would fit in rather nicely, really. 

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Larina Nix for Alternity Dark•Matter

 It's time to put everything together and see how it works. Since this is a modern horror sci-fi game, I'm going to use my standard character for these things. But first, I should at least talk about how I'm going to do it all.

Alternity Dark Matter books

I knew I had to use both the Alternity Core rules as well as the Dark•Matter campaign setting. I also looked into two of the other books I have here, Mindwalking: A Guide to Psionics and Beyond Science: A Guide to FX. Both books are good, but they are designed with Star*Drive in mind. Plus the rules for Psionics and FX, in particular Arcane and Miracles, have been updated in the Dark•Matter book. The designers even mention there are differences. So as fun as those too books look, I am going to not use them for this build.  

Now, one of the things I have had for Dark•Matter, well, forever, it seems, is this download on Witchcraft FX. While I am not 100% sure where I got it originally, it can still be downloaded from the alternityrpg.net site. 

I like it. I have liked it for many years now*, and I really wanted to use it. Instead of explaining it, you can download it for free yourself.  Here Witchcraft is a Faith-based FX. I like this. It tracks with what I was doing with Larina and all my witches at the same time. My own 1999 Complete Netbook of Witches & Warlocks had witches as a type of priest using wisdom. 

I began my base stats for Dark•Matter Larina using her AD&D 2nd Ed stats as a base. I used the guidelines in the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide for conversion. For her "back story" well, I used the version I was using at the time in WitchCraft. Here she is, a 29-year-old divorcee living in Chicago and working in the library of a major university. She is a librarian and linguist by training but an occultist "by night."  This gave me a good idea of who this Dark•Matter Larina was going to be.


Larina "Nix" Nichols
Larina "Nix" Nichols

Human Female, Age 29 (1998)
Height: 5'4"  Weight: 125 lbs

Level: 10

Profession: Diplomat
Career: Occultist

Attributes
Motivation: Find the truth
Morals: Ethical / Just
Traits: Curious

Allegiance: Independent

Ability
Strength 8  (Res. Mod. 0)
Dexterity 9  (Res. Mod. 0)
Constitution 9
Intelligence 14  (Res. Mod. +2)
Will 14  (Res. Mod. +2)
Personality 14

Stun 9
Wound 9
Fatigue 5
Mortal 5

Last Resorts 3

Action Check Score
Marginal 13+
Ordinary 12
Good 6
Amazing 3

Combat Movement Rates
Sprint 8
Run 6
Walk 2
Easy Swim 1
Swim 8
Glide (8)
Fly (16)

Armor: None

Special Abilities: Witchcraft (Faith) FX

Perks: Great Looks, Second Sight

Flaws: Obsessed (+2)

Social Class: Middle Class

Contacts: Scott Elders (Psychic), Heather McHael (Seer). 

Enemies: Eric MacAlister (ex-husband, former IRA operative)

Attack Forms
Unarmed 4/2/1 LI/O Personal d4a/d4+1s/d4+2s
Athame 8/4/2 LI/O Personal d4w/d4w+1s/d4+2w

Skill Points Spent: 91  Stored: 6

Skills

Skill    CostAbility RankScore
Athletics3STR
842
Vehicle Operation3DEX
942
Land Vehicle3DEX11052
Stamina3CON
942
Knowledge3INT1473
Lang. English1INT31784
Lang. Latin1INT31784
Lang. Greek1INT31784
Lang. Hebrew1INT11573
Lang. Russian1INT11573
Medical Science3INT11573
Psychology5INT21684
Physical Science7INT11573
Astronomy3INT11573
Social Science6INT11473
Anthropology3INT21684
Linguistics3INT21684
Awareness3WIL1473
Intuition3WIL11573
Perception2WIL11573
Investigate7WIL11473
Research3WIL31784
Lore6WIL11473
Conspiracy Theories3WIL11573
Occult Lore3WIL21684
Psychic Lore3WIL11573
Entertainment4PER11473
Sing2PER11573
Interaction3PER
1473
Charm3PER21684
Seduce3PER11573

Bolded skills are Free. Skills in Purple are from Dark•Matter.

FX

SpellCostAbilityRankScore
Witchcraft13
Glamour4INT11573
Cast the Circle2WIL21684
Divination3WIL31784
Earth's Harvest2WIL31784
Part the Veil4WIL31784
Spellbind2WIL21684
Ward of Protection3WIL21684
Call Familiar3PER11573
Crone's Curse4PER11573

I went ahead and gave her Glamour even though it is not on the witchcraft list—it should be.

--

So I REALLY like this build. A few notes.

Levels in Alternity are treated differently than they are in *D&D games. In D&D games, you gain a level, and that helps define how powerful your abilities and skills will be. In Alternity, it is the other way around; your skills and powers help determine your level.

So Larina here would be a lot more skilled if she had dumped all of those skill points she spent on FX  (65 total) on more skills. 

She is not a combat person. She has no combat skills to speak of, and I am not likely to add much more to her for that. She can read a lot of languages and is a good researcher. More importantly, she has magic. I should give her some sort of blasty magic, but she is a support character for the most part. 

She compares well to her WitchCraft and AD&D 2nd Ed versions. I should get her WitchCraft version up sometime.

I will admit this build took me a while. A lot of it was my unfamiliarity with the system. It still took a bit. Going between multiple books is never really ideal. But this is a character I would play.

Now, if I were to get serious about Alternity Dark•Matter, I would likely work up my go-to psychic character, Scott Elders. He is a good choice since it would allow me to use all of the Mindwalking rules. He has alternates in AD&D, Modern times, and the Far Future so that also makes him a good fit.

*In the process of re-reading this to post today I found my original Dark•Matter sheets for Larina AND the printout of the Witchcraft Faith FX.

I started working on her back in March of 2000.

Original Witchcraft FX

Larina's first Dark•Matter character sheet

It only took me 24 years to finish.