Sorcery! Quest

[Disminded]

You were raised in the stony embrace of the academy. You never knew your father or your mother. Your caretakers were an endless stream of maids and students who saw to your needs in between their own duties. The closest thing to a father you had was the Old Man, the Headmaster of the Academy.

You've heard about the outside world. You've even been allowed to venture into the city that arose in the relative safety of the Academy's shadow, where regular patrols of combat magicians and watchmen keep the worst of the wilds at bay. Your knowledge of the lands outside the patrols is less than complete. City-states rise from the wilds, usually under the auspices of some powerful wizard, god or particularly intelligent monster, and fall as that protector passes away, overreaches or is overcome, dragged down by the weight of their enemies, littering the world with the ruins of cities. Gods play their long games, sometimes aiding humanity but never too much, so they might ever be dependent upon their patrons. Elves sally forth from their hidden realms and lay waste to the cities of men in wild orgies of violence and destruction. Monsters – beasts of the wild, creatures of previous ages or aberrations conjured by long dead magi – own the world outside the fragile grip of civilization.

You are a sorcerer, one of the lucky few who can command magic naturally. Of course, you had to scramble for every scrap of control of that power, a fact which is often overlooked by your contemporaries at the Academy.

You've managed to make it to the grand old age of seventeen.

What is your name?

[ ] Anon.
[ ] Write in.

Gender?
[ ] Male
[ ] Female

What is the source of your power?

[ ] Arcane Heritage – You are the product of a long line of wizards, generations of mortal magic building upon itself until it blazes bright in you, allowing you to cast spells with greater faculty than even the greatest of your forbearers.
Casting Stat: Intelligence
Pros: Starts with a wide variety of spells and can potentially learn many more, making them the most flexible caster. High intelligence and excellent academic skills.
Cons: Must learn spells through research, studying texts, or being taught by other wizards. Squishiest option. Combat skills? What combat skills?

[ ] Child of the Hunt – You were fathered by an elf during one of their bloody raids on humanity. As the spawn of Man's ancient enemy, you are physically more powerful than mere humanity would allow and can use their strange magic.
Casting Stat: Intelligence
Pros: Access to Elven "magic" which is flexible and difficult for human mages to understand or counter. Ability to use Elven Artifacts, should you happen to find them. Physically fit and hearty.
Cons: Everyone hates you. Everyone. Invest in a disguise. Also, your power is so alien that it limits your ability to interact with arcane artifacts such as wands, scrolls and staves.

[ ] Demon Blood – A spark of hellfire burns in your blood and smolders in your eye, the legacy of some lost demonic progenitor. You can draw on that fire and shape it into terrible spells, if you're careful and don't mind a little pain.
Casting Stat: Constitution
Pros: Very tough, can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells.
Cons: People sense something… off about you. Clerics and paladins aren't your biggest fans. You can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells, and the DM won't necessarily tell you when you're about to kill yourself doing so.

[ ] Draconic Parent – One of your parents was a dragon, and his (or her) influence is plainly shown in your heroic stature, finely scaled skin, wicked claws and great, leathery wings. Less apparent but no less potent is the magic at your command.
Casting Stat: Charisma
Pros: The most physically formidable of the options, capable of flight, shrugging off damage that would kill a human and scoring steel with your claws. Special resistance and bonus spells depending on type of dragon.
Cons: Your look inhuman, what with the scales, claws, wings, etc, which has some obvious repercussions for your social life. The least magically powerful option.

[ ] Demigod – Occasionally the gods will incarnate and wander the realms of men, acting the hero (or villain) and indulging in the baser pleasures of the flesh. You are a product of one such divine vacation. While mostly mortal, you carry a measure of your parent's divine authority.
Casting Stat: Wisdom
Pros: Flexible magic based around the identity of your divine parent. Additional enhancements based on the identity of your divine parent.
Cons: The priests of rival gods may want your skull as their personal chamber pot. Even neutral gods aren't likely to be all that helpful, at least not for free. And your own divine parent? More likely to see you as a disposable pawn than anything else. Also your magic is sufficiently estranged from the "normal" arcane magic that you can't automatically use wands, scrolls, staves and other arcane items.

[ ] Heavenly Ancestor – The blood of the Shining Heavens sings in you, the result of a far-flung ancestor's encounter with an angel in some lost, golden age. Beyond the ability to manipulate magic, your heritage also allows you to channel Radiance, the energy that fuels the Shining Heavens.
Casting Stat: Wisdom
Pros: Ability to Channel, which, in its rough state, allows the user to repulse or destroy undead. With training, it can allow you to heal, infuse life into inanimate objects, become half-celestial for a time, and other feats.
Cons: People in need are drawn to you, and while you are under no compulsion to help, they can be fairly persistent. Powers from Above and Below watch you closely, and neither may have your best interests at heart.

You've spent your entire life within the walls of the Academy. As a seventeen year-old, you obviously know everything they have to teach. Restlessness drives you away from your studies and compels you to do something, anything, with your hard won power.

What do you do?
[ ] Become a watchman, patrolling the borders of the city around the Academy.
[ ] See if you can sign on as a guard with one of the caravans out of the city.
[ ] Go see the Old Man for advice. That century and a half of experience should be good for something.
[ ] Write-in, because the other options are obvious traps.

* * *​

Notes: Some of the options (notably Child of the Hunt and Demigod) will require a second round of character creation. Also, yes, if you don't pick a name, you're going to be stuck with "Anon". I suck at names.

Dunno how much I'll update this quest, but I'll try for at least a couple of times a week.

System is D20 but not totally DnD.

Questions?

 

[Xicree]

[X] Arrilo

[X] Female

[X] Draconic Parent – One of your parents was a dragon, and his (or her) influence is plainly shown in your heroic stature, finely scaled skin, wicked claws and great, leathery wings. Less apparent but no less potent is the magic at your command.
Casting Stat: Charisma
Pros: The most physically formidable of the options, capable of flight, shrugging off damage that would kill a human and scoring steel with your claws. Special resistance and bonus spells depending on type of dragon.
Cons: Your look inhuman, what with the scales, claws, wings, etc, which has some obvious repercussions for your social life. The least magically powerful option.

[X] Go see the Old Man for advice. That century and a half of experience should be good for something.

 

[drake_azathoth]

[X] Demon Blood
[X] Valentine
[X] Male
[X] Become a Watchman

Having the casting stat based off of Constitution is just insane. And apparently we can still use wands and scrolls normally. Let's not turn that down.

 

[Bloodshifter]

[X]Xicree

1. Dragons
2. Once a month we will turn into a Demon.

 

[Ct613hulu]

[X] Anon

[X] Female

[X] Demon Blood – A spark of hellfire burns in your blood and smolders in your eye, the legacy of some lost demonic progenitor. You can draw on that fire and shape it into terrible spells, if you're careful and don't mind a little pain.
Casting Stat: Constitution
Pros: Very tough, can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells.
Cons: People sense something… off about you. Clerics and paladins aren't your biggest fans. You can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells, and the DM won't necessarily tell you when you're about to kill yourself doing so.
[X] Go see the Old Man for advice. That century and a half of experience should be good for something.

 

[Robotninja]

[X]Male
[X]Demon Blood
[X]Advice-Realize there is always more to learn, even if we feel we can learn more outside than in at the moment.

Or [X]Arcane Heritage. Because I have tons of ideas for research. If even 5% of them work, the world will be transformed forever. Screw becoming a standard murderhobo. Infrastructure and levers are how to move the world.

 

[Disminded]

And apparently we can still use wands and scrolls normally. Let's not turn that down.

Click to shrink...

Yes. The Child of the Hunt and the Demigod options can't use wands, scrolls and staves normally because they don't actually use arcane magic.

The Child of the Hunt uses a special form of psionics native to Elves. This can take several forms, from psychokinesis (allowing the user to mentally manipulate matter and energy), to warping (allowing the user to distort the time-space continuum) to telepathy (Anything Professor X could do, you could do in time). Moreover, the Child of the Hunt doesn't need spells, she simply manipulates her chosen domain in order to achieve any effect she can imagine, so long as it relates to her field (i.e. trying to read someones mind with Telekinesis or warping is a no go). Granted, the effects she can achieve in the beginning are limited in strength and it takes Energy to fuel them.

The Demigods are in the same boat; however their fields of influence are based on their divine parentage. A child of Loki might be able to manipulate fire, manipulate cold, shift shape, craft illusions, command the dead, summon other, more monstrous children of Loki, beguile others and temporarily increase their physical parameters. Again, the effects are limited in strength at first level. The Demigod's power is fueled by Divinity, which is the spark of immortality he inherited from his divine parent. This resource is potent, but slow to regenerate outside of certain conditions decided by their parentage (a child of Loki would regain Divinity by tricking/pranking someone, being in a large fire or drinking snake venom).

I hope that's clearer. Questions?

 

[Robotninja]

So Elves are Psions? DOes that mean we could use Mind Seed variant later on to give people powers?

 

[Disminded]

So Elves are Psions? DOes that mean we could use Mind Seed variant later on to give people powers?

Click to shrink...

Eh. Mechanically, the Child isn't a DnD psionic. If you choose to be a Telepath, you could probably impress skills onto a subject, but actual powers? Probably not. You could give someone all of Superman's flight skills, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can fly. You could give someone the memories of a 20th lvl wizard or a priest, but that doesn't mean they have the ability to handle the necessary arcane energies to cast spells, or possess the same relationship with the priests god.

As for giving people copies of your own powers... Well, at higher levels you could impress on others how you use telepathy, probably, but it would be far weaker than yours and might kill them/drive them insane.

You'd probably have the best luck with physical skills, such as the Barbarian's rage ability, or the Monk's unarmed strike. It doesn't give them the physique necessary to be truly great, but they'll know the moves.

Again, this is higher level stuff.

 

[Tetsurō]

So the second round in character creation for both Child and Demi would entail exactly what their field of power is? Or would there be other factors we'd need to consider?

 

[Disminded]

So the second round in character creation for both Child and Demi would entail exactly what their field of power is? Or would there be other factors we'd need to consider?

Click to shrink...

Pretty much. The Child would decide her field, and the Demi would decide his Divine Parentage (which, apart from what types of magic he could work, would also give him other miscellaneous bonuses/penalties).

Though I suppose the Dragon Descendant would need a short second round to determine what type it would be.

 

[Tetsurō]

Pretty much. The Child would decide her field, and the Demi would decide his Divine Parentage (which, apart from what types of magic he could work, would also give him other miscellaneous bonuses/penalties).

Though I suppose the Dragon Descendant would need a short second round to determine what type it would be.

Click to shrink...

And to add to things, there are Divine Dragons in mythology, ala the source for Tiamat in D&D

[X] Arrilo

[X] Female
[X] Demigod – Occasionally the gods will incarnate and wander the realms of men, acting the hero (or villain) and indulging in the baser pleasures of the flesh. You are a product of one such divine vacation. While mostly mortal, you carry a measure of your parent's divine authority.
Casting Stat: Wisdom
Pros: Flexible magic based around the identity of your divine parent. Additional enhancements based on the identity of your divine parent.
Cons: The priests of rival gods may want your skull as their personal chamber pot. Even neutral gods aren't likely to be all that helpful, at least not for free. And your own divine parent? More likely to see you as a disposable pawn than anything else. Also your magic is sufficiently estranged from the "normal" arcane magic that you can't automatically use wands, scrolls, staves and other arcane items.

 

[mc2rpg]

(X) Xicree

 

[Nix]

[X] Arcane Heritage

[X] See the Old Man


Arcane has the best casting. The only real downside is that it's slightly bland. Child of the Hunt or Demigod might be ok, too. Please not Draconic Parent, that physical stuff is not worth giving up magic for, and transmutation magic will largely make it redundant anyway.

 

[Disminded]

Hmmm... Advertising on SB for this quest has lead me to actually opening a thread there to keep from being in violation of the rules. They're trending toward the Arcane Heritage option.

Just thought I should mention that.

Also, the dragon is only really magically weak compared to the other options. He's abot on par with a normal DnD sorcerer magically.

Edit: Nevermind. Given that we're supposed to keep QQ and SB separate, I think I'll just split these into two separate games.

 

[Ephemeral_Dreamer]

[x] Eliza
[x] Female
[x] Draconic Parent – One of your parents was a dragon, and his (or her) influence is plainly shown in your heroic stature, finely scaled skin, wicked claws and great, leathery wings. Less apparent but no less potent is the magic at your command.
Casting Stat: Charisma
Pros: The most physically formidable of the options, capable of flight, shrugging off damage that would kill a human and scoring steel with your claws. Special resistance and bonus spells depending on type of dragon.
Cons: Your look inhuman, what with the scales, claws, wings, etc, which has some obvious repercussions for your social life. The least magically powerful option.

 

[ward201]

http://youtu.be/_wxp0o1lCeg?t=18s

 

[Darik29]

[X] Anon

[X] Female

[X] Demon Blood – A spark of hellfire burns in your blood and smolders in your eye, the legacy of some lost demonic progenitor. You can draw on that fire and shape it into terrible spells, if you're careful and don't mind a little pain.
Casting Stat: Constitution
Pros: Very tough, can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells.
Cons: People sense something… off about you. Clerics and paladins aren't your biggest fans. You can burn hit points and ability points to fuel spellcasting or supercharge spells, and the DM won't necessarily tell you when you're about to kill yourself doing so.
[X] Go see the Old Man for advice. That century and a half of experience should be good for something.

 

[Disminded]

Name:
[x] Anon (2)
Darik29, Ct613hulu

[x] Arrillo (4)
Xicree, mc2rpg, Tetsuro, Bloodshifter,

[x] Eliza (1)
EphemeralDreamer,

[x] Valentine (1)
drake_azethoth,


Gender:
[x] Male (2)
Robotninja, drake_azathoth,

[x] Female (5)
Darik29, Xicree, mc2rpg, Tetsuro, Ct613hulu

Power Source:
[x] Dragon (4)
EphemeralDreamer, Xicree, mc2rpg, Bloodshifter,

[x] Demon (4)
Darik29, Robotninja, Ct613hulu, drake_azathoth,

[x] Arcane (1)
Nix

[x] Demigod (1)
Tetsuro,

What do?
[x] Go see the Old Man for Advice (7)
Darik29, Nix, Xicree, mc2rpg, Robotninja, Ct613hulu, Bloodshifter,

[x] Become a watchman
drake_azethoth

Gender, name and action seem fairly set. Power source is tied between Demon and Dragon.

EDIT: ... Formatting did some very odd things to this post...

 

[ZurigaSungama]

[Z] Plan drake_azathoth

 

[Disminded]

And Demon pulls into the lead. Voting ends and update tomorrow, because it's still rather close.

 

[Vindictus]

[X] Crowley, Alexander
[X] Divine Heritage

 

[Robotninja]

[X] Crowley, Alexander
[X] Divine Heritage

Click to shrink...

Is this a vote for male? Because that name with a female is kinda silly.

 

[Silversun17]

Is this a vote for male? Because that name with a female is kinda silly.

Click to shrink...

maybe that's the appeal?

 

[Vindictus]

It's a vote for Crowley Expy. So...

[X] Male.

 

[Disminded]

I believe the winning choices are:
[x] Arrilo
[x] Female
[x] Demon Blood
[x] Go see the Old Man for advice. That century and a half of experience should be good for something.

Vote closed. Update sometime today.

 

[Bloodshifter]

No Dragon girl.

Sad face.

 

[Disminded]

Character Sheet​

Name: Arrilo
Female Demon-blooded Human Sorcerer

Attributes
Strength: Average. You're about as fit as the average man. Given that you are a woman and not overly fond of weightlifting, this is quite impressive.
Dexterity: Above Average. You could probably turn a few cartwheels without landing on your ass. Probably.
Constitution: Inhuman. Your constitution transcends human ability, if only barely. You can take horrendous amounts of damage, remain active for days at a time, and laugh off most common diseases and poisons.
Intelligence: Above Average. You are remarkably clever. That probably has something do with spending your entire life in a giant school.
Wisdom: Average. Eh. You're no fool, but you lack a bit in the life experience department.
Charisma: Average. Few would argue that you aren't beautiful, but there is something fundamentally WRONG with you that greats across their senses.


Racial Qualities
Hellish Vitality - You are incredibly tough and healthy due to your infernal heritage.
Tainted - All spells effect you as if you were Evil. You detect as evil to all divinations.



Abilities
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons. You know your way around a few crude weapons - clubs, spears, crossbows, daggers - nothing to fancy.
Sorcery: You are well practiced at weaving energy into spells and know a small repertoire of useful spells.
Hellfire: You can draw on the spark of hellfire woven into your very being, using its power to fuel your spells. Doing so takes a toll on your body and could kill you if used carelessly. The base cost is 4 hp/spell level. Sadly, damage caused by hellfire cannot be healed magically.
- Efficient: You can use Hellfire more efficiently, lowering the cost of spells to 2 hp/spell level.
- Reserve: You have built up a resistance to the ravages of hellfire, allowing you draw on a certain amount without ill effect. In effect, you have a phantom reserve of 24 hp that can be used to fuel Hellfire. This reserve renews at a rate of 4 hp/day.
Genius of Hard Work – What you lack in wit, you more than make up for in sheer, bloody-minded stubbornness, staying up long hours practicing and studying. You use Constitution instead of Intelligence to determine bonus skill points.

Skills
Concentration - You know how to cast through pain. You kinda have to, given your magic.
Intimidate - You can be remarkably scary given when you want to be. You can cow most students and servants, at least.
Knowledge: Arcana - You grew up in the greatest magical academy in the world. You know a thing or two about the voodoo.
Knowledge: History - You've read and reread the great histories and can list off important dates and personages.
Knowledge: The Planes - Curious about your nature, you've read extensively about the planes, though you focused heavily on demons and their planes of residence.
Knowledge: Religion - You've examined the teaching of all the prominent gods and their churches, as well as more than a few of the more interesting cults.
Listen - Long hours of late night studying have taught you to pay attention to the slightest noise.
Spellcraft - You have an almost instinctive knowledge of the mechanics of spell work.

Drawbacks
Broke! - Being a student doesn't pay all that well.
Demonic taint - Something in your demonic lineage just doesn't sit well with people or animals. Most people's first impressions of you are negative, and animals tend to be hostile.

Spells
Cantrips
Dancing lights - And you said let there be light, and there was light. And it was good. Creates torches or other lights.
Detect - Detects all magic in range. A must in the Academy, given the surfeit of magic users.
Mage Hand - Can move up to five pounds. Because bending down to pick up things is for mundanes.
Prestidigitation - You can perform numerous minor tricks, for when you need to impress rubes with your awesome magical power...

1st
Color Spray - A kaleidoscope of clashing colors explodes from your fingertips, disorienting your foes. Not as fun as flowing around fireballs, but easier on the surroundings.
Lesser Burning Orb - You can throw balls of flaming death. The day you discovered this was also the day you discovered that maniacal laughter could serve as a verbal component in a pinch.

 

[Disminded]

Genesis II​

What Spells do you know?
[X] 0th – Light, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Detect Magic; 1st – Lesser Burning Orb, Summon Monster I,
[X] Write in. You get 4 cantrips, 2 1st level spells. Any book, so long as they're on the sorcerer spell list.

Finishing Touches (Choose two options. Options can be taken more than once for greater effect):
[X] More Spells – Pick an additional 5 Cantrips and 3 1st lvl spells to add to your spells known.
[X] Hellfire Efficiency – You become more efficient in channeling hellfire.
[X] Hellfire Reserve – You become more inured to the trauma of channeling hellfire. The amount you can summon before it begins injuring you increases.
[X] Hellfire Overdrive – You can channel extra hellfire into your spells to make them more powerful.
[X] Talons – Your fingers have grown into elegant (in your humble opinion) talons, suitable for splitting flesh and spilling blood. You have some experience in their use.
[X] Enthralling Gaze – Your eyes have a mesmeric quality that can temporarily beguile the week minded. Cast charm at CL one at Will.
[X] Hell's Angel (Counts as two choices) – A pair of leather, batlike wings sprout from your back, allowing you to fly.
[X] Feat – Pick a feat.
[X] Sin Sight – You can measure the darkness in the souls of those you meet and determine roughly how evil they are.
[X] Nighteye – You gain Low Light Vision 60ft.
[X] Genius of Hard Work (Counts as two choices) – What you lack in wit, you more than make up for in sheer, bloody-minded stubbornness, staying up long hours practicing and studying. You use Constitution instead of Intelligence to determine bonus skill points.
[X] Demon Hide – Your skin is covered in a fine, tough mail of scales. Unfortunately, while this offers excellent protection, it also clearly marks you as inhuman.
[X] Fire Master – You are exceptionally gifted with fire, and any spells you cast do more damage and are harder to resist.
[X] Fire? I was born of this! – Chosen once, this grants a measure of fire resistance. You could walk through a burning building no problem, but you might want to avoid swimming in magma. Chosen twice, all but the most terrible of magical flames are as a warm summer breeze to you, and your affinity for fire even offers some minor protection from cold.
[X] Something Else – Suggest something and I'll see if I can make it work.

Off to See the Wizard Old Man​

You are Arrilo, and from the moment you were born you could feel a poisonous, black flame burning within you. Its unwholesome light gleams reflected in your eyes and in your smile, and it radiates from your very being like a fever.

When you were younger you'd draw upon this strange power carelessly, throwing it formless into the world and letting it run wild. You can remember it beating like great leathery wings on the still air, dancing across the floor in a whirlwind of green fire, shining darkly as a raven's feather as it coalesced in a halo over your head, echoing through the stony halls of the academy as a chorus demonic howls…

You loved to watch it work its will on the world. You'd sit and giggle, even as blood spilled from your nose and boiled in your veins, even as your hands clenched with paroxysms of pain, even as darkness dropped like a veil over your eyes…

It's a wonder you didn't kill yourself really. It was mostly due to the Old Man, rather than any self-control on your part. When the fits got too bad, when the servants fled screaming as the world melted and reshaped itself like hot wax, he would show up with his dirty, ragged robes, and tangled beard and fierce, unyielding eyes. He'd speak a single Word, and his power would slam down on yours like an avalanche, crushing it back into your deepest self, where it smoldered and writhed impotently.

He'd pick you up, wipe away any blood with the sleeves of his shapeless robe, and then leave you with the assurance that you'd live another day. Years have passed since then, and, after more near death experiences than you can count, you've gained some modicum of control over your power. Still, the Old Man of the Academy was important to you, in a way you couldn't quite like describe. He wasn't a father or a friend; he was more like… a mountain. Enduring, unchanging, familiar. He was the one constant in your world amidst the flux of students and servants.

When you began feeling restless again, you decided immediately to ask his advice on what to do next.

The Old Man lived at the very center of the Academy, at the very top of its highest spire. The closer you got to him, the fewer people you saw. The Old Man valued his privacy, and tended to be a bit spellhappy when enforcing it.

The halls were vacant by the time you reached the foot of his tower. Not a student trundled by overburdened by books, not a maid scurried out of your way in fear, having heard of your childhood troubles.

You started up the long, spiraling tower staircase, taking steps two at a time, not even breathing hard. You went up and up and up and up, climbing for five, ten, fifteen minutes…

Wait.

The tower was tall, but not this tall. You should have reached the Old Man's chambers by now. That you hadn't…

Fire growling angrily in your gut, you turn and look behind you.

You can see the foot of the steps below you. Seven steps below you, to be exact.

The Old Man is up to his old tricks.

What do you do?

[X] Give up. The Old Man Obviously doesn't want to be disturbed.
[X] Call the Old Man Out? (And say what? Default is angry ranting.)
[X] … Try climbing backwards up the stairs? Hey, it could help.
[X] Keep going. You can keep this shit up for days. He'll tire of this before you do.
[X] Write in.

 

[Disminded]

No Dragon girl.

Sad face.

Click to shrink...

Indeed. And I was going to try to use Demona as a character portrait. Ah, well.

Speaking of character portraits:
[X]

[X]

[X]

[X] Don't care. Flip a (three-sided) coin.

Or if anybody has a picture they like better. *Shrugs* This is just what I could snag off DeviantArt