C.A.R.P.S.

[rogue_artist]

Hello,

I am wondering if I could find out a little more about your group? I live out by Toledo Ohio, so Im not *too* horribly far away. I currently LARP with the Eryndor Group of Dagorhir, but I am always looking for something fun to do

Kindest regards,
-Jason Banditt Adams

Edit: Hey, I just noticed the group is run by Doug Fesko! Is this Doug from the 501st also???

[Darthesis]

Welcome to the board and possibly to an event soon. Feel free to join the out of game forums with questions and comments and the in-game discussions as your character. If you have questions on the in-game discussion, contact myself or GM Fesko via private message and we'll answer any questions you might have... as the in-game world setting right now is a bit... unsettled.

As for whether our illustrious leader is the famous someone you seem to know... I'll have to leave it to GM Doug himself so I'll just say...

"There is nothing to see here... move along"

[X-GM Fesko]

One in the same! It takes many people to keep CARPS going, but I am the head GM. Email sent. Hope to see you at an event next year!

[rogue_artist]

Awesome, thank you for the warm welcome

Is the event schedule on the events page pertaining to 2008?

I will bop over to the Out of Game thread and ask about how to make my character. I have an idea brewing and will need some aid in getting it fleshed out in this system.

Thanks very kindly!
-Jason

[rogue_artist]

Meh, no sense in taking up space with a new topic, I will just ask my questions here

Okay the character I would like to make follows the theme of a Shadowbane Inquisitor from Dungeons & Dragons, Complete Adventurer, pg.68. Basically it is a Paladin with levels of Rogue. An inquisitor that isn't afraid to get a little dirty to get things done. One of those Dark but righteous heroes.

Therefore, after reading the rules manual these are what piqued my interest for this character....

Skills:
Influence skills (political)
Wearing Heavy Armour (I know this make hiding and sneaking impossible, but oh well)
Longsword

2ndary skills of interest:
Healing
Armoursmithing Heavy armour

Also:
House DeVris with their members who seek justice is right up this characters' alley.
Playing as Human because I want the character to be working for the Crown (eventually or suggestively)

As far as costume goes, I can show up ready to go 100%. I make my own armour and clothing. I participate in the local Dagorhir group, so making a weapons via the specs on the CARPS site is easy enough.

For the rest of understanding the game, I guess I just have to be there to experience it. My first event, I will hang back for a little bit in the beginning until I understand what is going on. I am also open to NPCing and helping out however is needed.

Im not really a hard-core balls to the wall kinda guy. So you do not have to worry about me showing up and maiming somebody I like interaction and playing a part. I have no need to prove anything with combat. Being involved with Historic Re-enacting since 1994, I have a dedicated respect for safety guidelines.

I can help provide props, story ideas, stuff like that as well. Feel free to peruse my site: www.Rogue-Artist.com to see my creative side

These are some of the Character designs rattling around in my head...











-Jason

[Darthesis]

I'll get back to you later with more details when I'm free (working atm) but to let you know up front three things...

1) The dates listed are indeed for 2008, so plan as you will for next year

2) Such a character can certainly work. Our system allows for any mix of skills you might want, so you can do what you want to do, and our political and influence system certainly allows you to work your way in the direction you're looking to go

3) As with any LARP and new system, you definitely need to experience it to truly understand it, and helping out with NPC and PC and just roleplaying muchly your first event (as well as network yourself into groups and alliances) is certainly the way to go in the beginning for anyone.

[X-GM Fesko]

Sounds like you have a good understanding of what you want. I’d suggest concentrating on weapon and armor skills to begin with – be able to swing some decent damage and take it in return. Possibly some Strength to increase your damage or some basic Resists to increase your survivability. Maybe some Healing or Destroy Undead ability, too. You can join the town guard for instant access to good armor and weapons that will carry you through until you can find or purchase your own.

(Although there's no Town Guard where the game starts next year )

[rogue_artist]

Okay this is all I have for certain on my character sheet while I am trying to fill it out.....

Name: Jancemeijer von Magnus
Occupation (or near-future occupation): Shadowbane

Merits:
1). Famous Lineage
2). Driven.... Though instead of being for a specific monster/race, might it be something more related to my occupation as an Inquisitor? Like Heretics?
3). Born Tracker
4). Fae Blooded (just kinda kooky and weird so I want it LOL)

Flaws:
1). Curse...something low level, need help here
2). Hatred... Heretics? Again maybe something related to being an Inquisitor?

Race:
Human
Specializatin as Fire and Air
Minor in Earth and Water

Skills: (with this I am still unsure how to tally their cost)
with these I have a list of things. Its pretty long, encompassing things I want to work toward over the career of my character. But those that are at the top are....
1). Detect Lie (House DeVris special, how do I join this House?)
2). Etiquitte
3). Read & Write
4). Trade: Armour Smith, Heavy Armour (Maybe early in my career, I am working in the Forges of whoever supplies the Inquisitors...setting me on the path of being an Inquisitor through a storyline?)
5). Search
6). Weapon: Longsword
7). Shield proficiency
8 ). Wear Heavy Armour
9). Strength
10). Toughness
11). First Aid
12). Resist fear or another resist X

The rest are listed as Hard or have prerequisites or Im just not sure about right now. But taking in to perspective what I would like to do, which of these would be best to start with?

And a little Background....

What would send this character on this path?

Perhaps a strong sense of duty and having been around other Inquisitors he admires (like working in the Armour Forge Shops that supply them). Perhaps some event transpires that causes him to want to hunt down Heretics. Something like witnessing a rogue Mage slaying people or some such? Or watching people suffer because of those deemed "Heretics" (though not in the religious sense, Heretic could be anyone deemed an "outlaw" by the Crown) and wanting to be the vessel of revenge for those suffering.

I dunno, that's all I got for right now

I will have to catch up on the Storyline threads when I get some spare time to see what is going on net year Sounds big!

[Kathryn Skress]

Aloha and welcome to CARPS!

As a House DeVris member myself, I think your character concept is awsome Basically, there are three paths that you can take in DeVris: Magistrate, Cavalier, and Mage Hunter. Generally, DeVris does not allow humans into the house because there is the potential for any of the branches to carry out an execution, and a demi-human executing a human in the kingdom of Silverthorn could certainly raise some eyebrows among the nobility.

Magistrates are basically the Judge and Jury in towns and cities. They are counter-balanced by House Jakoric (the evidence-finders). DeVris always has the final say in a trial, but if Jakoric feels slighted or that the trial is unfair, there can be consequences.

Cavaliers are judge, jury, and executioner in the wilderness, or really, any area outside of a town or city. Generally, they patrol certain areas and answer to the local Head of House DeVris, who is usually a Magistrate.

Mage Hunters are a new edition to House DeVris. They used to belong to the Mage's Guild, but it was determined several years ago by the nobility that this was a conflict of interest, and they were moved into DeVris. Their sole responsibility is to ensure that all mages are registered with the Mages Guild and that those mages abide by the laws of the land and restrictions of the Guild. Magic is feared by most of the Kingdom. A rogue mage is a terrifying thing and the Mage Hunters provide a protection to the rest of the Kingdom.

Joining a House can only be done in-game. First you must find a local House member willing to sponsor you into the organization, and convince them that you would make a good candidate for the position. They must then use their political pull (Status and Influence) to get you into the house.

If you intend to rise very far in the political structure, you will need to understand Status and Influence, and I'll be more then happy to explain those to you if you need help. I would choose to buy levels of Status over Trade, but that's a personal preference. Trade just gives you money at the start of each game session, and you can actually perform trades without having the Trade skill.

Your idea for a Driven merit sounds good to me, but of course it's up to GM approval. You might choose a particular type of criminal, such as rogue mages (excellent for a Mage Hunter), or you can go with something like pickpockets, or just law breakers in general. Just some ideas for you. I know you don't intend "heretic" in the religious sense, but I would stay away from that word. Kinda the same with Inquisitor. We have tried to stay away from anything that sounds like it has a religious connotation at CARPS. The House structure has it's own names anyway, so becoming familiar with those should help you along the way. The same for your Hatred. Sounds good, but again requires GM approval.

I'll end my book here for now, but let me know if you have questions!

[Elf Marshal/S.H.E.]

The only thing that I would see being problematic to your overall character concept is being fae-blooded. That would give you an ooky unpredictable element that your superiors would find undesirable and it might hamper your progress in law-and-order type organizations. (Straight law and order types tend to distrust magic.)

And oh yes, very nice artwork!

[X-GM Fesko]

She means DeVris doesn’t tend to allow NON-humans into its ranks.

ANd no one has to know you're fae-blooded.

The closest thing to ‘heretic’ would be ‘criminal’. However, Hatred means when you see one, you MUST attack it until either it or you are dead. And while a Hatred of Criminals for a Cavalier would work 90% of the time, there are moments when the Criminal is best taken alive.

However, Rogue Mages are always to be killed on sight. So a Mage Hunter with a Hatred for Rogue Mages works very well.

Rogue Mages are fairly common in the game setting (a war is going on – any enemy mage is effectively a Rogue Mage). So this would a relatively high point flaw.

Another possible interpretation of ‘heretic’ might be Undead, or Necromancer. A Necromancer would be a subset of the Rogue Mages. Necromancy is illegal, so every Necromancer is a Rogue Mage. They’re still pretty common in the game setting, though, as the main bad guys are Necromancers. So still a high point flaw.

Undead are EXTREMELY common, as they’re the rank and file of the Necromancer’s armies. While all Necromancers tend to be pretty powerful, the Undead can be anywhere from lowly peon Zombies to the ubber deadly Spectral Knights. Typically they’re encountered as groups of weaker creatures, though. Also a high point flaw.

However, Hatreds do tend to get you killed, as you never have the option of breaking off from a superior force. Now, no PC in CARPS tends to stay dead for long. Someone always seems to have a Raise Dead potion handy. However, such things have a cost. Each time you are raised, you lose one permanent Life Point. Once you’ve gone through all your starting life (10 LP), you lose a level of Toughness, instead. Should you have no more levels of Toughness, you cannot be raised again.

Now, merits and flaws are pretty cool – the ones in the books are merely examples. You can come up with pretty much anything you want to achieve an aspect of your character concept not covered by the defined rules.

For instance, say you wanted toxic blood. You present the concept to the GM, and the GM then tells you what the build cost is, and how the game mechanics of the concept actually work. In this case, By cutting yourself (inflicting 1 LP worth of damage), you can coat your blade in your blood such that your next swing will deal toxin damage, and the purchase cost would probably be 10 CP per level of toxin that your blood is.

The same goes for flaws. They can be whatever you want, but it’s up to you to come up with the concept. We’ll help you to understand what a merit or flaw concept will mean in game terms.

[Elf Marshal/S.H.E.]

I think the Hatred flaw is misnamed. It should be "Irrational Hatred". The difference being, in real life, I hate the clerks in Victoria's Secret, but that doesn't compel me to hunt and kill any that I meet. This flaw does.

When I saw hatreds come into play traditionally they either led to your death (see: hatred for dark elves) or cheese ("I have hatred: fruit bats! Woohoo! One point!") or cheesy RP (you RP the hatred towards the big baddie, expecting your friends to come to your side or hold you back, and you suddenly realize they're not going to, and not really wanting your character to die instantly say something like, "I'd kick your ass RIGHT NOW if there weren't children present.")

Now I realize that in the book it says you don't have to fight physically, that you can express the hatred in any way you choose. Like what, stopping up a necromancer's toilets? I personally would just RP whatever you wanted to do and RP it well without adding some silly must-destroy-utterly mandate.

PS: The same goes for phobia-type flaws, although it was funny to see someone take a really weird or obscure-sounding phobia for the points thinking it would never ever come in game and then one day it does. "Oh shit, I forgot! I'm terrified of seaweed! I guess I'm an inert quivering mass right now."

[rogue_artist]

Many thanks to you all

Kathryn: What painting is that you use for your avatar? That looks exquisite!

Elf Marshall S.H.E.: my artwork is my life, so thank you ever so much for the kind compliment!

Doug: Thanks for the clarification on Non-human I was quite confused for a moment there lol

In General: Indeed, I do not mean Inquisitor, nor Heretic in any religious sense. I am trying to tailor my character to the "Shadowbane Inquisitor" from D&D. But I respect the want for religious implications to be left out, so I shall try and redirect the concept terms to something more fitting.

Perhaps simply "Shadowbane" as the Occupation title? That really does sum it up in a nutshell. I am happy with that

Indeed, I want to strive for high influence. Someone in the line of work I seek must be ready to call upon contacts and network to keep tabs on his targets. I will take the very welcome advice and forgo Trade.

Now, for Hatred and Heretic.... I can see the problem with Hatred causing unpleasant circumstances. However, I think it fits in with this characters' ideals.

And I need another term for Heretic. It should imply someone deeper than a criminal, someone more evil. A Shadowbane is sent far and wide to hunt down.... jaywalkers? Meh. LOL Of course that coupled with Hatred would make a VERY interesting character!!!!! Woa be the party member who does not heed the crosswalk while in my preseance!

The Undead thing or Rogue Mage thing might work. I can see being sent all over the place to hunt them. But even then I think it a little too specific. Would it be possible to write up Hatred for my missions' target? I.E. If the Crown sends me on a mission to hunt down and exterminate "Scherg-Merg the Evil wannabe", then that is who the Hatred kicks in for. It doesn't have to be the big boss baddy of the adventure. I would be traveling with the party for reasons of just going in the same direction; or my target working for thier target, etc.

One final bit that I want to ask about and I am glad that you, Doug, let me know about being able to custom rules...... I like the Shadowbane for its ability to mix fighting dirty with feeling righteous in sense of duty. The class in D&D is famous for using sneak attacks from Rogue levels and Smite from Paladin levels. I understand that Heavy armour in CARPS eliminates the hiding and thus sneaking and backstabbing abilities. Is there any way I can tailor something to fit both of those abilities?

Perhaps a "medium" type of armour where it is both composed of a little bit of heavy (metal) and a little bt of light (leather) armour? I am an armour smith, I make my own (in real life), so perhaps I can use that as a personal merit to offset a custom rule? Also, since the purpose is custom armour for sneaking and hiding; maybe special custom (medium) armour made of dark hues in color?

Citing ideas from D&D again (sorry if that bugs anyone, but it is one of my largest sources of ideas) they have "Silent moves" where the armour is specially oiled, and "Shadowed" specially darkly tinted. I have some dark russeted iron Ive been using lately that after its all done has this beautiful gothic dark sheen. So "shadowed" armour I can make

The only reason Im begging on this armour ruling is that I work mostly in metal. I can get metal at a fraction of the cost of leather. I really cannot afford leather except for strapping and a few additives here and there. Know what I mean?

What do you all think about these ideas?

[Darthesis]

Again a quick update.

Although I doubt we want to change rules on light vs. heavy armor, there ARE ways to work this into game.

There are certain rare materials that if forged into heavy armor... eliminate the penalties of wearing heavy armor (such as being unable to be stealthy).

There are also certain potions or spells that can simulate this effect for a time.

So, if you wanted to wear your armor 100% of the time, yet only be stealthy a few certain rare instances, just a stack of admittedly rare potions would get you through. Just letting you know that options exist.

I think that Shadowbane is a reasonable name for what you want to do.

As for the target of your hatred, it could certainly be anything you are bein g directed to destroy by your leaders. Of course this would be more of a drawback than it would be worth in points because it could be gotten around. Once your leaders understand your 'limitations' they could make sure they never send you after anything that they A) want killed and B) think you can suceed at killing. However I don't think you're worried about points. From a roleplay angle, it works.

[Elf Marshal/S.H.E.]

Is Shadowbane related to Darksbane?

And if you wanted to have stealth with full plate once in a while, I'd suggest an enchanted suit of armor with sneaky spells on it, either charged with a set number of uses or is useable 1X daily. That'd explain the "magic" look of it.