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[dragnar]

Alright, should be fixed now. Also fixed a couple typos I noticed.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name Dragnar
Exalt Type and Caste Night caste Solar
Anima A shadowy silver panther

Motivation To remove those who threaten the peace of the land.

Backstory
Dragnar had been training as a soldier in a small military outpost on the fringes of civilization, though he rarely worked hard at it due to his knack at never being around when his superiors showed up. He was skilled in combat, defeating most other recruits with his great agility, though he was a bit lacking in strength. Unfortunately, before his training was complete, the outpost was attacked by a massive group of barbarian marauders. The outpost's defenses didn't stand a chance, and were swiftly crushed. Dragnar and a small group of other recruits banded together to try and fight their way to safety, away from their attackers. Dragnar acted as a scout for the others, supposedly to warn them of any attackers. Instead, moving far ahead of the group, he quickly and efficiently killed or incapacitated any who stood in their way before setting out ahead, reaching the nearest town before the others even realized they were safe.

Attributes

Physical
Strength ●●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●

Social
Charisma ●●
Manipulation ●●●
Appearance ●●

Mental
Perception ●●●
Intelligence ●●●
Wits ●●●●●

Abilities

Archery
Martial Arts
Melee(favored)●●
Thrown(favored) ●●
War

Integrity
Performance
Presence(favored)●●
Resistance
Survival(favored)●●●

Craft
Investigate(favored)●●
Lore
Medicine
Occult

Athletics ●●●
Awareness ●●●
Dodge ●●●
Larceny ●
Stealth ●●●

Bureaucracy
Linguistics ●●
Ride
Sail
Socialize●●

Backgrounds
artifact ●
Manse ●●
resources ●●
followers ● (5 soldiers)
familiar ● (an ordinary cat)

Merits

Flaws

Artifacts and Equipment
Hearthstone amulet(orichalcum, set with a Monkey Stone)
short sword
2 knives
chain shirt

Charms

[Ability]

[Excellencies]
first melee excellency
first stealth excellency
first dodge excellency
second dodge excellency
first athletics excellency
first investigate excellency

[Charms]
keen sight technique
shadow over water
reflex sidestep technique
increasing strength exercise
graceful crane stance
spider-foot style
monkey leap technique
easily overlooked presence method
sagacious reading of intent
judge's ear technique
Ox-Body x 3

Join Combat:

Defenses
Dodge DV 8
Parry DV 8

Soak: 3B/1L

Health
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Mental Defenses
Dodge MDV ?
Parry MDV ?

Virtues
Compassion ●●●
Conviction ●●●
Temperance ●●
Valor ●

Virtue Flaw
trigger- sees someone intending to kill another for their own gain.
effect- tries to kill the  attacker.
partial- is willing to merely help the innocent escape.

Intimacies
common soldiers
refugees

Willpower: 7

Essence
Permanent: ●●●
Personal: 16/16 (X Committed)
Peripheral: 37/37 (X Committed)

Bonus Points

Experience Points

Bonus points spent on:
dexterity 4
essence 7
willpower 2
second dodge excellency 4
4+4+2+7=15

[Akigagak]

Buying dots of Essence at char-gen is generally a bad idea, unless you're going for sorcery. Same for charms, it's not very efficient.

I'd spend the BP from that on abilities/specialties instead. 2 dots of melee is not much, and you could get two 3-dot specialties for just 2bp.

[dragnar]

Buying dots of Essence at char-gen is generally a bad idea, unless you're going for sorcery. Same for charms, it's not very efficient.

I'd spend the BP from that on abilities/specialties instead. 2 dots of melee is not much, and you could get two 3-dot specialties for just 2bp.

Alright, lets see...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name Dragnar
Exalt Type and Caste Night caste Solar
Anima A shadowy silver panther

Motivation To remove all of those who threaten the peace of the land.

Backstory
Dragnar had been training as a soldier in a small military outpost on the fringes of civilization, though he rarely worked hard at it due to his knack at never being around when his superiors showed up. He was skilled in combat, defeating most other recruits with his great agility, though he was a bit lacking in strength. Unfortunately, before his training was complete, the outpost was attacked by a massive group of barbarian marauders. The outpost's defenses didn't stand a chance, and were swiftly crushed. Dragnar and a small group of other recruits banded together to try and fight their way to safety, away from their attackers. Dragnar acted as a scout for the others, supposedly to warn them of any attackers. Instead, moving far ahead of the group, he quickly and efficiently killed or incapacitated any who stood in their way before setting out ahead, reaching the nearest town before the others even realized they were safe.

Attributes

Physical
Strength ●●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●

Social
Charisma ●●
Manipulation ●●●
Appearance ●●

Mental
Perception ●●●
Intelligence ●●●
Wits ●●●●●

Abilities

Archery
Martial Arts
Melee(favored)●●●●
-specialty: one-handed blades ●●
Thrown(favored) ●●●
-specialty: throwing knives ●
War

Integrity ●●
Performance
Presence
Resistance
Survival(favored)●●●

Craft
Investigate(favored)●●●
Lore
Medicine
Occult

Athletics ●●●●
Awareness ●●
Dodge ●●●●
Larceny ●●
Stealth ●●●●●
-specialty: in cities ●

Bureaucracy
Linguistics(favored) ●●
Ride
Sail
Socialize●●

Backgrounds
artifact ●
Manse ●●
resources ●●●
familiar ● (an ordinary cat)

Merits

Flaws

Artifacts and Equipment
Hearthstone amulet(orichalcum, set with a Monkey Stone)
short sword
4 knives
chain shirt

Charms

[Ability]

[Excellencies]
first melee excellency
first stealth excellency
first dodge excellency
first athletics excellency
first investigate excellency

[Charms]
keen sight technique
shadow over water
reflex sidestep technique
increasing strength exercise
graceful crane stance
spider-foot style
monkey leap technique
Soaring crane leap
easily overlooked presence method
Mental invisibility technique
Ox-Body x 4

Join Combat:

Defenses
Dodge DV 9
Parry DV 8

Soak: 3B/1L

Health
-0 [ ][ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Mental Defenses
Dodge MDV ?
Parry MDV ?

Virtues
Compassion ●●●
Conviction ●●●
Temperance ●●
Valor ●

Virtue Flaw
trigger- sees someone intending to kill another for their own gain.
effect- tries to kill the  attacker.
partial- is willing to merely help the innocent escape.

Intimacies
common soldiers(protective)
refugees(empathizes)
Lera(curious follower)

Willpower: 7

Essence
Permanent: ●●●
Personal: 16/16 (0 Committed)
Peripheral: 36/37 (1 Committed)

Bonus Points (-4 for 1 dot of dexterity, -2 for a point of willpower, -2 for four specialties -7 for 7 dots in favored/caste abilities, )

Experience Points 22
-18 for essence 3

Edit: Essence 3!

[Akigagak]

Please put how many dots are in each specialty.

[IronyOwl]

Flowing Molten Gold: Solar Twilight

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name Flowing Molten Gold; Molten Gold for "short"
Exalt Type and Caste Twilight Solar
Anima A storm of golden geometric shapes, almost like an incomprehensible machine whirling

Motivation
To found a perfect, mighty, magical empire on the whole of Creation and beyond

Backstory
Flowing Molten Gold was raised in a monastery of sorts. While physical and mental perfection were important to the order, they were not content with simply improving themselves while the world decayed. They felt that just as a master of concentration could teach a reckless youth to meditate for a few moments, so too could those who had mastered themselves bring their principles to the very world, transforming it just as their teachings had transformed themselves. Hence, while they studied martial arts and meditated on themselves, they also sought out ancient lore and mastered the arts of statecraft.

Molten Gold was a gifted pupil who tended strongly towards ironclad determination and knowledge, perhaps naively eschewing more political efforts in favor of his preferred subjects. Most master knew him as having great talent and a thirst for knowledge and perfection, but lacking in the sort of tedious foundation-building efforts the masters tried to instill in more hardworking pupils. Most masters considered it a fitting example of this that he was proficient and quick in both armed and unarmed combat, but couldn't be bothered to lift weights enough to wield most swords properly.

One day, the order's focus on transcendent knowledge and calm appraisal of information enraged a minor spirit, who proceeded to bash down part of the monastery, bellowing for the monks to flee for their lives and ranting about their stupid philosophy. The towering spirit took two thunderous steps onto the rubble, intent on proving why they should abandon their nonsense and worship him out of abject fear, and noticed an enraged human shoving bits of rubble off and rising to its feet. He bellowed right into the human's face, but to his surprise, the human stood his ground, hardening an expression the spirit then recognized as determination, not anger. Enraged at both the mortal's defiance and relative lack of emotion, the spirit bellowed again in pure anger and struck the human as hard as it could.

There was a flash of light, and its trunklike limbs thudded against something harder than stone. Molten Gold, now sheathed in golden light, roared in defiance and returned the attack. The spirit now takes mortals much, much more seriously, and it tries to avoid the monastery.

Molten Gold left shortly thereafter, realizing that he had far greater things to achieve than the monastery, noble as it was, could truly help with.

Attributes

Physical
Strength ●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●●●

Social
Charisma ●●●
Manipulation ●
Appearance ●●●

Mental
Perception ●●●●●
Intelligence ●●●
Wits ●

Abilities

Archery
Martial Arts ●●●
Melee ●●●
Thrown
War

Integrity
Performance
Presence
Resistance ●●●●●
Survival

Craft
Investigate ●●●
Lore ●●●
Medicine
Occult ●●●

Athletics ●●●●●
Awareness ●●●
Dodge ●●●●●
Larceny
Stealth

Bureaucracy
Linguistics ● (Old Realm)
Ride
Sail
Socialize

Backgrounds
Artifact ●● (Orichalcum hearthstone bracers; sunbeam/branches motif)

Merits
None

Flaws
None

Artifacts and Equipment
Orichalcum Hearthstone Bracers (+3 dice to dodge attempts, +2 damage dice to attacks)
Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light (Wearer always perfectly clean; +2 to rolls to resist disease or poison)
Fine Club (Speed 5, Accuracy +1, Damage +7B, Defense +0, Rate 2, Requires Strength ●)

Charms

[Ability]

[Excellencies]

First Martial Arts Excellency
First Melee Excellency
Third Athletics Excellency
First Investigation Excellency
First Occult Excellency

[Charms]

Body-Mending Meditation
Durability of Oak Meditation
Iron Skin Concentration
Thunderbolt Attack Prana
Increasing Strength Exercise
Graceful Crane Stance
Spider-Foot Style
Spirit-Detecting Glance
Spirit-Cutting Attack
Sagacious Reading of Intent
Ox-Body Technique x5 (one -1 and two -2 health levels each)

Join Combat: 6

Defenses
Dodge DV 7
Parry DV 4 (Fine Club), DV 5 Unarmed

Soak: 5B/2L

Health
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Mental Defenses
Dodge MDV 6
Parry MDV 3

Virtues
Compassion ●
Conviction ●●●●●
Temperance ●●●●●
Valor ●

Virtue Flaw Heart of Flint

Intimacies None yet

Willpower: ●●●●● ●●●●●

Essence
Permanent: ●●
Personal: 16/16 (0 Committed)
Peripheral: 31/31 (5 Committed)

Bonus Points 0 (-9 for three virtues, -6 for three favored/caste abilities raised two points each)

Experience Points
0

And I STILL can't figure out what backgrounds to take. Everything else should be stable otherwise, which I guess isn't saying much since I don't know what equipment he'll be using.

Originally intended him to be unarmored but not necessarily remain so, but now I'm reconsidering whether that's wise. Kind of tempting to buy artifact superheavy plate and be done with it, but it's like, he can't really go up from there. I guess artifact reinforced breastplate could be a middle ground, and easier on his dodge DV til he gets Hauberk-Lightening Gesture.

Anyway, if you have any comments on his somewhat unusual stats, feel free to let me know. I also acronymed his charms for anyone who's curious or lazy.

[Lucus Casius]

Mine's a few pages back.  Managed to finish it, for the most part.  If you see anything I missed, or have any suggestions for me, please tell me. 

Ah, and I think I'll change his background a bit.  Add in more than just the story of the exaltation, you know.

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=62774.msg1450305#msg1450305

[Akigagak]

And I STILL can't figure out what backgrounds to take. Everything else should be stable otherwise, which I guess isn't saying much since I don't know what equipment he'll be using.

Originally intended him to be unarmored but not necessarily remain so, but now I'm reconsidering whether that's wise. Kind of tempting to buy artifact superheavy plate and be done with it, but it's like, he can't really go up from there.

Oh, but he can. You've heard of Space Marines, yes?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

CELESTIAL BATTLE ARMOR (ARTIFACT •••••)
Repair: 3
Upkeep: None.
Soak: +12L/12B | Hardness: 8L/8B | Mobility: -0 | Fatigue: 1 | Attune: 10

First created by Autochthon and widely duplicated during the First Age, these forms of armor were specifically designed to aid and protect the mighty Celestial Exalted in battle. This type of armor is also the model from which the Armors of the Immaculate Dragons (see pp. 84-87) were derived. Each suit of celestial armor is a specific creation designed to aid a particular Celestial Exalt. The following description covers the basic framework used in the most advanced suits of armor.

Unlike the less powerful dragon armor, celestial battle armor incorporates self-repairing enchantments so that it does not require periodic maintenance. Each suit of celestial battle armor requires a commitment of 10 motes of Essence and a level-3+ hearthstone to power the armor’s various enchantments. This hearthstone provides no other benefit. The armor has three hearthstone sockets, and the wearer can select which one is rendered inactive by powering the armor as a diceless miscellaneous action. In addition to the following list of features, each of these suits of armor also add in the appropriate magical materials bonus. Because they are only made for Celestial Exalts, no celestial battle armor is made of jade. Terrestrial animas are not sufficiently powerful to use this armor.

When worn, wearers of any suit of celestial battle armor gain the following benefits:

Filtration Baffles*:
+2 bonus to Resistance against poison or all forms of disease (including wound infection); one-hour supply of fresh air (refi lling the tank in fresh air takes one minute per 10 minutes of air added to the tank).

Sensory Augmentation Visor*:
As a reflexive action, the wearer gains a +2 bonus to Awareness. Alternatively, the wearer can reflexively activate Essence sight (see p. 85) for three motes per scene, which also automatically pierces any dragon armor cloaking device. In addition, the lenses that provide Essence sight for this armor are coated with thin films made from a mixture of orichalcum, starmetal and soulsteel. As a result, when the character activates the armor’s Essence sight, she can also see unmanifested spirits, ghosts, living beings and enchanted objects (including walking dead and automatons) as glowing presences. In addition, the wearer can see the Essence-flows of demesnes and manses at the range of her normal vision and can easily tell the power of these locations and if their Essence flows have been properly capped.

Exomuscular Fibers*:
+2 dots to Strength for feats of strength, calculating jump distance and inflicting damage with attacks.

Peripatetic Greaves:
Doubled movement rate; 10mph marching movement rate.

Reinforced Gauntlets/Boots:
As weapons, the gauntlets and boots can parry lethal attacks without a stunt (as an exception to the standard “N” tag), and have the following respective statistics:
Gauntlet | Speed: 5 | Acc: +1 | Damage: +5B | Def: +2 | Rate: 3 | Tags N
Boot | Speed: 5 | Acc: +0 | Damage: +6B | Def: -2 | Rate: 2 | Tags N

Adaptive Camouflage Subsystem*:
+2 bonus to Stealth while moving or +3 while stationary. This ability specifically defends against Essence sight. In addition, this color-changing feature can also be used to provide the armor with the appropriate colors and imagery for parades and other formal occasions.

-----
Each suit of armor also incorporates three additional features.
A list of possible additional features follows. Most can use used by any Celestial armor, but some can be added to armor made from only a single specific material. A character can take any single feature only once:

Enhanced Healing:
The energies of this armor are focused on repairing the wearer’s flesh. While wearing this armor, the owner heals one level of bashing damage every tick and one level of lethal damage every hour.

Enhanced Durability:
The armor gains another +3L/+3B soak and +2L/2B hardness.

Essence Gauntlets:
Each of the user’s gauntlets have enchantments built into them that allow them to be used as power maces (see p. 78). The character can use these gauntlets to both make hand-to-hand attacks and fire Essence bolts, identical to those delivered by a power mace. Use the statistics for the power mace.

Essence Shield:
By spending four motes of Essence, the wearer can create a shield of solidified Essence that increases the wearer’s DV by two against both melee and ranged attacks. This shield lasts for one scene.

Enchanted Stride:
If the wearer takes a normal dash action and spends five motes of Essence, the armor can temporarily compress the fabric of Creation so that the wearer moves at a speed 10 times faster than normal (or 20 times faster than her maximum dash when not wearing this armor). This increased speed is compatible with Charms to increase running or jumping.

Essence Tracking:
The suit’s helmet contains complex sensors that allow the wearer to spend three motes of Essence to add four dice to all Survival rolls involving tracking for the next scene. As long as the character has a set of tracks to start with, these sensors allow the wearer to track targets by their Essence trail. This feature allows for tracking across streams or surfaces that leave no tracks. The wearer can spend three motes each additional scene to allow this tracking to continue.

Explosive Protection:
By spending five motes of Essence, the wearer can generate a pulse of concentrated Essence that blasts
out from the armor. This attack affects everyone within range and can be dodged but not parried. The shockwave generated by this attack also halves (round down) the soak value of all non-magical armor. This attack is specifically designed to allow an Exalt to clear away large numbers of attackers.
Speed: 5 | Acc: +3 | Damage: 10L | Rate: 1 | Range: 20* | Tags: P**
* This attack has no extended range. This is the maximum
range of the effect.
** Against non-magical armor only

Extensible Lash:
Each of the wearer’s gauntlets has Essence projectors mounted on the back of the hand that allow them to be used as Essence lashes (see p. 77). The character can use these gauntlets to make attacks identical to those delivered by an Essence lash. Use the statistics for the Essence lash. Spirit Bane: The gauntlets on this armor have been fitted with specially tuned Essence projectors. If the wearer spends three motes of Essence, she can charge all of the weapons that
are part of this armor and that she is carrying with an aura of
Essence that allows the weapons to damage non-manifested
ghosts, demons and spirits. These weapons remain charged
with Essence and capable of harming non-materialized beings
for one scene.

The following features are limited to specific magical materials:

Voice of Command (orichalcum only):
The armor’s helmet contains enchantments that duplicate the effects of a pectoral of resplendent speeches (see p. 64).

Essence Wings (orichalcum only):
If the wearer spends five motes, this armor produces a pair of glowing golden wings made from solid Essence. These wings have a wingspan of 12 feet. After activating the wings, the armor can fly at a speed of 20 yards per tick for one scene. For six motes, the user can fly at up to 100 miles per hour for a number of hours equal to the wearer’s permanent Essence, but maneuverability is limited. Roll (Dexterity + Athletics), difficulty 1, for the Exalt to make any sudden change in course.

Illusionary Disguise (moonsilver only):
The wearer gains two extra dice to Stealth due to the armor’s superior camouflage. In addition, if the wearer spends five motes of Essence, he gains four dice to all Larceny rolls for the next scene to disguise himself as any being of approximately similar size. This disguise ability also negates the +2 difficulty increase caused by working without effective props and/or trying to mimic a specific person without several weeks of direct observation of the subject.
The base difficulty of all rolls to disguise oneself as another Exalt of the same type is 1. Add +1 if the character is attempting
to disguise herself as a mortal or another type of Exalt. Since this armor can morph into a wide variety of shapes, disguising the wearer as any humanoid being of the same approximate size, including gods, Dragon Kings or undead, raises the difficulty of this roll to 4. Add one more to the difficulty of all rolls if the wearer is attempting to disguise herself as a specific individual well enough to fool characters who know this individual well.

Moonsilver Blades (moonsilver only):
Many Lunar Exalts who are dedicated warriors learn to produce horrific weapons from their own bodies. These terrible claws and teeth can be more deadly than all but the finest daiklaves. This armor is specifically designed to enhance such natural weapons. When a Lunar wearing this armor uses Deadly Beastman Transformation or some other Charm to produce natural weaponry, the armor produces additional blades designed to enhance the wearer’s deadly claws and teeth. These additional blades provide a +1 bonus to the Accuracy and Defense scores and +2L to the Damage of all claws and teeth produced by Lunar Charms.

Dematerialize (starmetal only):
The wearer can spend one Willpower and 10 Essence to cause herself, her armor and other gear, and a number of individuals she is touching equal to her permanent Essence to dematerialize just like a spirit. Once dematerialized, the character and anyone she took with her can wander Creation immaterial, enter spirits’ sanctums or even walk through one of the gateways into the Celestial City of Yu-Shan. Because being materialized is the wearer’s natural state, the wearer may materialize as a reflexive action, and doing so requires her to expend no motes of Essence.

Destiny Interdiction Field (starmetal only):
While worn, this armor temporarily blocks its wearer’s connection to the Loom of Fate. As such, the character’s future cannot be divined by any means, nor may he be the target of Sidereal astrology. Furthermore, Sidereal Charms cannot drain or grant him Willpower points (even indirectly, as through compulsions), impose compulsions that affect his behavior rather than dice pools or transport him to another location. A Sidereal who wears this armor loses access to his astrology, and all resplendent destinies recede. Even the Arcane Fate that shields the Chosen of the Maidens in mystical anonymity does not apply so long as the Sidereal stays in the armor.

Life-force Conduits (soulsteel only):
Anytime the wearer strikes a blow in melee combat that infl icts one or more levels of damage to an Essence-using character, the wearer automatically heals one level of lethal or bashing damage (wearer’s choice). The target of the attack takes no additional damage, but he can feel the wearer draining the life out of her. This feature cannot heal aggravated damage.

Oblivion’s Panoply: (soulsteel only, this addition counts as two features): This armor is forged from the inhumanly durable soulsteel that results when a Deathlord soulforges the substance of a hekatonkhire and then coats this substance with a fine layer of pure Oblivion. Oblivion’s panoply offers the following benefits:
• Chill: Any time an attacker strikes the armor in hand-to-hand combat, roll that character’s (Stamina + Resistance), diffi culty 2. Failure indicates that the attacker loses a point of Dexterity due to numbness. (Only orichalcum weapons insulate against this effect.)
• Energy Drain: The Oblivion’s panoply plates drain five motes from Essence users each time they contact them with their bare hands or with mundane or soulsteel weapons. Mortals age two years with every successful strike. Flames that touch Oblivion’s panoply are snuffed out, including the animas of Fire Aspects. Water that touches the plates freezes and slides off.
• Force Nullification: +15L/20B soak and hardness from the cancellation of attacks’ kinetic energy. In addition to counting as both of the armor’s additional features, only Abyssals who also have at least three dots in the Liege Background can take this feature.

Yeah. This is the reason for the reduced cost of the core armours, basically.

[dragnar]

...Wow. That has got to be one of the most ridiculously awesome/powerful pieces of equipment I have ever seen.

[Akigagak]

Indeed.

So, how's it going everyone?

[Boksi]

I could write down my character's background and post my sheet now, but I'd rather complete my turn in SEV and get some sleep.

[Lucus Casius]

Indeed.

So, how's it going everyone?

Well enough. When are we starting this?

[Akigagak]

Flowing Molten Gold: Solar Twilight

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name Flowing Molten Gold; Molten Gold for "short"
Exalt Type and Caste Twilight Solar
Anima A storm of golden geometric shapes, almost like an incomprehensible machine whirling

Motivation
To found a perfect, mighty, magical empire on the whole of Creation and beyond

Backstory
Flowing Molten Gold was raised in a monastery of sorts. While physical and mental perfection were important to the order, they were not content with simply improving themselves while the world decayed. They felt that just as a master of concentration could teach a reckless youth to meditate for a few moments, so too could those who had mastered themselves bring their principles to the very world, transforming it just as their teachings had transformed themselves. Hence, while they studied martial arts and meditated on themselves, they also sought out ancient lore and mastered the arts of statecraft.

Molten Gold was a gifted pupil who tended strongly towards ironclad determination and knowledge, perhaps naively eschewing more political efforts in favor of his preferred subjects. Most master knew him as having great talent and a thirst for knowledge and perfection, but lacking in the sort of tedious foundation-building efforts the masters tried to instill in more hardworking pupils. Most masters considered it a fitting example of this that he was proficient and quick in both armed and unarmed combat, but couldn't be bothered to lift weights enough to wield most swords properly.

One day, the order's focus on transcendent knowledge and calm appraisal of information enraged a minor spirit, who proceeded to bash down part of the monastery, bellowing for the monks to flee for their lives and ranting about their stupid philosophy. The towering spirit took two thunderous steps onto the rubble, intent on proving why they should abandon their nonsense and worship him out of abject fear, and noticed an enraged human shoving bits of rubble off and rising to its feet. He bellowed right into the human's face, but to his surprise, the human stood his ground, hardening an expression the spirit then recognized as determination, not anger. Enraged at both the mortal's defiance and relative lack of emotion, the spirit bellowed again in pure anger and struck the human as hard as it could.

There was a flash of light, and its trunklike limbs thudded against something harder than stone. Molten Gold, now sheathed in golden light, roared in defiance and returned the attack. The spirit now takes mortals much, much more seriously, and it tries to avoid the monastery.

Molten Gold left shortly thereafter, realizing that he had far greater things to achieve than the monastery, noble as it was, could truly help with.

Attributes

Physical
Strength ●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●●●

Social
Charisma ●●●
Manipulation ●
Appearance ●●●

Mental
Perception ●●●●●
Intelligence ●●●
Wits ●

Abilities

Archery
Martial Arts ●●●
Melee ●●●
Thrown
War

Integrity
Performance
Presence
Resistance ●●●●●
Survival

Craft
Investigate ●●●
Lore ●●●
Medicine
Occult ●●●

Athletics ●●●●●
Awareness ●●●
Dodge ●●●●●
Larceny
Stealth

Bureaucracy
Linguistics ● (Old Realm)
Ride
Sail
Socialize

Backgrounds
Artifact ●● (Orichalcum hearthstone bracers; sunbeam/branches motif)

Merits
None

Flaws
None

Artifacts and Equipment
Orichalcum Hearthstone Bracers (+3 dice to dodge attempts, +2 damage dice to attacks)
Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light (Wearer always perfectly clean; +2 to rolls to resist disease or poison)
Fine Club (Speed 5, Accuracy +1, Damage +7B, Defense +0, Rate 2, Requires Strength ●)

Charms

[Ability]

[Excellencies]

First Martial Arts Excellency
First Melee Excellency
Third Athletics Excellency
First Investigation Excellency
First Occult Excellency

[Charms]

Body-Mending Meditation
Durability of Oak Meditation
Iron Skin Concentration
Thunderbolt Attack Prana
Increasing Strength Exercise
Graceful Crane Stance
Spider-Foot Style
Spirit-Detecting Glance
Spirit-Cutting Attack
Sagacious Reading of Intent
Ox-Body Technique x5 (one -1 and two -2 health levels each)

Join Combat: 6

Defenses
Dodge DV 7
Parry DV 4 (Fine Club), DV 5 Unarmed

Soak: 5B/2L

Health
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Mental Defenses
Dodge MDV 6
Parry MDV 3

Virtues
Compassion ●
Conviction ●●●●●
Temperance ●●●●●
Valor ●

Virtue Flaw Heart of Flint

Intimacies None yet

Willpower: ●●●●● ●●●●●

Essence
Permanent: ●●
Personal: 16/16 (0 Committed)
Peripheral: 31/31 (5 Committed)

Bonus Points 0 (-9 for three virtues, -6 for three favored/caste abilities raised two points each)

Experience Points
0

And I STILL can't figure out what backgrounds to take. Everything else should be stable otherwise, which I guess isn't saying much since I don't know what equipment he'll be using.

Originally intended him to be unarmored but not necessarily remain so, but now I'm reconsidering whether that's wise. Kind of tempting to buy artifact superheavy plate and be done with it, but it's like, he can't really go up from there. I guess artifact reinforced breastplate could be a middle ground, and easier on his dodge DV til he gets Hauberk-Lightening Gesture.

Anyway, if you have any comments on his somewhat unusual stats, feel free to let me know. I also acronymed his charms for anyone who's curious or lazy.

Re-reading his backstory, he screams ZENITH. And if you're going to build an empire, you really need social abilities. The Investigate and Occult dots don't seem like they'll get much use with this guy. Try for focus, spreading your self thing is a bad idea.


EDIT: Once Cogsmith is done, and once Ivory has had a chance to look over his character.

[Akigagak]

*Bump for justice!*

So dudes, IronyOwl hasn't got back to us, but I'm, at this very moment, badgering Cogsmith on AIM, so we should be able to get going soon.

[IronyOwl]

Sorry, been busy.

Zenith occurred to me, but I envisioned him as more of a scholar-monk; he was defending principles and knowledge, for instance, rather than the monastery itself or the people inside.

I considered Socialize, but wanted him at least a little patterned after an Immaculate, so spirit knowledge/abilities seemed appropriate. You're right that I might want to at least shift some dots onto Socialize, but I'm not certain what charms I'd want to give up to get one of the fad/belief implanting ones.

I'll have to have a closer look at him later, both for finalizing backgrounds and figuring out his charm/ability allocation.

[Cogsmith]

Reflected Wisdom
Twilight Librarian

Motivation
Revenge upon Blackened Glimmering Coins.

Backstory

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Reflected Wisdom was a prestigious mortal researcher at the Heptogram, specializing in pre and early Shogunate studies with a focus on the history of sorcery, though he was incapable of performing it.

Five years after arriving at the Heptogram a young but brilliant scion of House Ragara famous for having self-initiated into sorcery arrives. Subtle hints from the Ragara family lead the directors to believe financing will be withdrawn if the young scion's research is not taken seriously.

Wisdom immediately developed and intense and almost irrational dislike of the young scion, and initially dismisses his studies and intelligence.
The scion eventually develops a new theory regarding demons, and the methods of summoning them. Claims that further research may result in being able to summon the next tier of demons, though it would be an arduous process.

Immensely suspicious, Wisdom examines the young scion's work in detail. Close inspection and cross refrencing reveals the 'new theory' is in fact ancient. Specifically a pre-Shogunate interpretation of the Abyssic Bindings.
Wisdom's own findings reveal that while yielding excellent initial gains, the scion's method is prone to breaking and releasing the Demon to do as it pleases within creation for a year and a day in the long term.
Upon revealing this to the Heptagram community, deeper investigation revealed his theorized method of summoning higher order demons involved a particularly round-about and non-obvious method of becoming enslaved the Yozis.

The scion was detained, and his work reviewed. He was determined not to have realized that he was espouing slavery to the Yozi, and not held accountable, but the gross similarities between his original research and the unstable ancient method could not be overlooked, nor could his apparent fascination with the demonic.
A large faction of immaculate conservatives sought his removal. Worries about the Ragara family cutting financing abounded, but it was eventually determined that if they did so it would be politically similar to they themselves espousing demon worship.

Blissfully unaware of the decions of the directors, beyond having reported his findings to them, Wisdom is surprised when the young scion pays social visit 2 days later.
The scion reveals he has been expelled from Heptagram and blames Wisdom. Seeking some hasty damage control to stop a Dragonblood from blaming him entirely he invites him in, and offers to use his contacts to get him into another school in the Threshold.

The scion slowly calms down, and the conversation lasts hours. Still possessed of an almost unatural dislike of him, Wisdom supresses it, for the sake of not drawing his future ire, and wildly promises to use his scholarly influence to get him enrolled at any other school, until such time as he could return to the Heptagram.
After a while the scion suddenly remembers the time, and admits he was supposed to have left the premises by now. Wisdom, still thinking to protect himself from future wrath, offers to hide him until a privately owned boat can pick him up.

Smiling, the scion volunteers that he has already left. Wisdom is first confused, then terrified as the scions face warps into his own. He begins to rant about how Wisdom has set back his plans revealing himself to be the Infernal, Blackened Glimmering Coins, and laughs that he's also provided a wonderful vessel to further others. Coin's casually shreds Wisdom's face into something resembling dog food, and pours a handy vial of solvent onto it to add injury to more injury.

Wisdom awakes with his face bandaged, and obscured in a cell within the Heptagram. Everyone recognizes him as a demagogue recently captured in the Threshold for preaching heretical views on the Anathema.
Due to his basing his arguements on historical texts (albeit dubious ones) he was sent to the Heptagram, that there might be a convincing, and entirely empiric arguement to dismiss him, the better to reinforce that the Immaculate dogma is supported by historical fact.

Wisdom is brought before a council to explain his arguements in detail, and is shocked to see himself sitting in on the proceedings, before remembering the events of the previous night.
First fearful of Coins, he makes half-hearted arguements begging for his life, and never contradicts the disguised infernal when he speaks out.
Eventually he realized that he would not live through this, no matter how repetant he was, or even if he did prove the demagoges arguements, he instead was filled with a steely rage and grim determination. He might die, but he would deliver, at the very least, one last act of spite and vengeance upon the Infernal.

Drawing himself out he grew still and silent, and focused. His arguements grew more clipped and precise, and as he spoke he began pulling strains of knowledge long since forgotten. Every line he'd read, every implication left unwritten, every contradiction within a text suddenly stood clear as crystal.
With careful words, he shattered his own lifes work, dismantling every theory he had ever espoused, leaving his old life with nothing but a shattered reputation, and himself with a death sentence.

As he was dragged from the room his eyes met Coins, and in that instant and understanding was gained. Coins wouldn't lift a hand, but this would happen again, and again, and again, until Wisdom could bear no more.
Coins smiled widely at him as the doors slammed shut.
Away from the watchful eyes of the directors, he was thrown into his cell once more, and left to await his execution at dawn.
When they came for him, they found nothing but a cell covered in arcane scribblings, and a door swining wide open.

Attributes

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Physical
Strength ●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●

Social
Charisma ●●●
Manipulation ●●●
Appearance ●

Mental
Perception ●●●●●
Intelligence ●●●●●
Wits ●●

Abilities

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Archery
Martial Arts ●
Melee
Thrown
War ●●

Integrity ●●●
Performance
Presence
Resistance ●●●
Survival

Craft ●●●●
Investigate
Lore ●●●
Medicine
Occult ●●●

Athletics ●●
Awareness ●●
Dodge ●●●●
Larceny
Stealth

Bureaucracy
Linguistics ●●●{Low Realm, River Speak, Old Realm}
Ride
Sail
Socialize

Backgrounds

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Third Hand Orb ●●●●●
Gem of Sorcery ●●●
Reinforced Buff Jacket ●●
Hearthstone Amulet ●
Hearthstone Amulet ●

Merits& Flaws

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Eideitic Memory(-3)
Driving Passion(-3)
Taints Warning(-2)
Enemy(+3)
Disfigured(+3)
Wanted (+3)

Artifacts and Equipment
Orichalcum Reinforced Buff Jacket
Soak: 10L/13B Hardness:7L/7B Mobility-1

Charms

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Occult
Spirit Detecting Glance
Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
>Summon Elemental
>Emerald Circle Countermagic
>Flight of Seperation
>Ritual of Elemental Empowerment
Craft
2nd Craft Excellency
Craftsman Needs No Tools
Object Strengthening Touch
Dodge
1st Dodge Excellency
Shadow Over Water
Seven Shadow Evasion
Lore
2nd Lore Excellency
3rd Lore Excellency
Resistance
Ox-Bodyx3
Integrity
2nd Integrity Excellency
Temptation Resisting Stance

Join Combat:4

Defenses
Dodge DV: 5
Parry DV: No.

Soak: 13B/10L
Hardness: 7 B/L

Health
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Mental Defenses
Dodge MDV 7.
Parry MDV 2.

Virtues
Compassion ●
Conviction ●●●●
Temperance ●●
Valor ●●

Virtue Flaw: Heart of Flint

Intimacies
-Blackened Glimmering Coins

Willpower:●●●●●●

Essence
Permanent: ●●●
Personal: 15/15 (0 Committed)
Peripheral: 31/36 (5 Committed)

Bonus Points(0/15)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Essence 2=>3           (-7)
Merits                 (-8)
Flaws                  (+9)
3rd Hand Orb           (-4)
The Art of Sorcery     (-2)
Reinforced Buff Jacket (-1)
Dodge +1               (-1)
Craft +1               (-1)

Experience Points: 0/0

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

-