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=Where Powers Collide 2020= OOC & Tournament Signups

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1/4/2020 12:24:10   
  Starflame13
Moderator



There exists in every realm two Powers whose authority exceeds that of all others. Greater than the magic of the Elements, greater than the might of the Gods, greater even than the influence of Good and Evil: the primeval forces of Chaos and Order. Their conflict stretches across eons, each struggling to sway the balance in their favor. But it was not enough.

Now, the Powers seek others to fight in their Name. Courageous heroes, unyielding villains, fearless adventurers. The best warriors the realms can supply. They issue a single decree: Tip the Scales in favor of your Alignment, and be richly rewarded. But woe to those who fail the Trials…


Welcome, writers and poets, fighters and mages, heroes and villains, and everyone in between! Welcome to the place Where Powers Collide!

Similar to the Elemental Championships, Where Powers Collide is a combat-style role-playing tournament. ANYBODY on the AE forums, regardless of prior roleplaying experience, is welcome to participate in the event! This year, I will be serving as the event’s organizer and Judge,

In Where Powers Collide, characters are “summoned” from different countries, realms, multiverses, versions of Lore, etc. to serve as Pawns in the ancient war between Order and Chaos. While you do not need to name the specific AE game/location your character is from, their race/abilities/equipment should all be something that would not be unusual to see in one of the AE games. Your character should in some way be aligned with Chaos or Order - either through ability themes, personal beliefs, their role in their own realm, etc. The choice of Alignment does not need to be immediately noticeable or extremely obvious, as there are many different options to explore unique expressions of the two concepts. That said, a character who follows every rule to the letter is unlikely to make a good representative of Chaos, just as someone with absolutely no code (legal, personal, or other) will not fit well in the ranks of Order. Additionally, Good and Evil are on a different scale of Alignment - and you can find characters from any position of the former scale on either side of the line between Order and Chaos.

To sign up, you will need to provide a character biography that passes my inspection and includes the following general requirements:

quote:

Name/Title
Age Range
Race
Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.)
Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.)
Skills, Spells, Special Abilities
Personality/Backstory (Optional)


You will also need to message me directly (either through the forums or through Discord) to inform me of which Alignment you character is fighting for - Chaos or Order. These will be revealed at the end of the first combat stage, the Trials of Good and Evil. While there are no creation limits like the element-lock in the Elemental Championships, keep in mind that power levels should be similar. Your characters are “the best fighters”, not “invincible, unbeatable, ‘I-can-do-everything’ fighters”.

Any action performed in the tournament itself, including but not limited to spells, special attacks, and magical abilities, must have some reference in your biography. You may use spoiler tags to hide certain abilities, though this does not guarantee other competitors will not peek. I will be reading (and judging) the complete bio, and there will be consequences for those who attempt to pull off actions in the tournament that I was not aware of prior. It is based off of the listed abilities, skills, and so forth that your character will be balanced and admitted to the tournament. If you are new to balancing, I recommend checking out our Balancing 101 Guide.

Applications will be open until 11:59 PM (EST - or AE Server Time) on Saturday, January 25th. Any bios still under review will then have 24 hours, or until 11:59 PM on Sunday, January 26th, to get their characters approved. Once submissions have completely closed, I will reveal the Battlefields that will be utilized this year, and randomly assign participants to each based off of the number of bios that are approved. Approved bios will be added to a list at the bottom of this post. If your initial submission is not approved, you have until submissions are locked to either re-submit an updated version in a new post, or submit an entirely new character. To assist with re-submissions, characters not approved will be given an explanation why and feedback for future attempts in this thread. Further clarification may be requested via PM. DO NOT edit your bio after posting without express permission. You must submit a new post to correct an error or to update your character, and only the most recent post submitted will be evaluated.

In the Trials of Good and Evil, your characters are fighting to earn a spot in the armies of either Chaos or Order. The Trials will begin on Sunday, January 26th and last for approximately three weeks. Currently, the period is expected to end at 11:59 PM EDT on Saturday, February 15th, but I will keep everyone posted of potential date changes. At the end of the Trials, the top four writers from each Alignment will be selected as Knights to move on to partake in the Battle of Order and Chaos. Here, you compete for victory, fighting with your Alignment in the attempt to take down the opposing force. At the end of the final Battle, a single victor will be chosen to receive a blessing from the Power that they follow. As they have fought in this war to tip the scales in favor of their side, upon returning to their own realm, the scales will thus be tipped in their favor in some type of conflict or struggle they are involved in. It will likely take about a day to process decisions and get the Finals thread ready. Anticipated start date of the Finals will be Sunday, February 16th. More information on the Finals and their exact format will be released when they are closer.

Now, the Official Rules:

All normal RP Boards Rules will apply. In particular, please read and be aware of the definitions of Bunnying, God-Modding, and Meta-Gaming. Violators will be immolated, electrocuted, drowned, and pulverized. Survivors will be undone at an atomic level. Lists are kept of violators, and depending on severity, you may be barred from future participation. In addition, by participating in “Where Powers Collide”, you recognize my role as Judge and my say as final.

1. Characters must engage in combat.
This is a combat RP event. Your character must be willing and able to both initiate and take part in combat.

2. You must post regularly.
Consistent activity is required. Please do not enter the tournament if you are not committed to remaining active for the full duration. During the Trials, any fighter who does not post at least once every 4 days (counted from the time of your last post) will automatically be disqualified. Your character will then be considered free for the slaughter - any other character in the battlefield will be allowed to kill him/her/them/it. You are allowed to request up to 36 hours in extension, in 12 or 24 hour increments (so, either one 24 hour extension and one 12 hour extension, or three 12 hour extensions). Make extension requests via a forum post in your Battlefield’s OOC thread. Barring emergencies, no further extensions will be granted. If an emergency does occur, reach out to me via PM.

3. Do not edit your posts (or your bios) once they have been submitted.
You may only edit your posts or your bios with the express written permission of me, myself, and I. Editing of bios or of posts without foreknowledge creates the suspicion of foul play. Proofread and double-check formatting prior to posting, and live with any errors you might have made once a post is submitted.

4. Each entrant is allowed one and only one character.
You may not enter in pairs, squads, platoons, battalions, armies, or swarms.

5. Death has Consequences.
Characters who die in Where Powers Collide are dead in the AE RP forums. This is a Canon event with regards to normal RP Board rules. Characters who die during the Trials are still eligible to be chosen as Finalists, but this is the only free pass to revival. Dying in the Finals is permanent.

6. Have fun!
All these rules and regulations may seem daunting, but while this is a competition, the entire objective is to have some fun. We all like to win, sure, but try to enjoy yourselves along the way!

The penalty for failing to follow the rules may result in immediate disqualification from the tournament. Failure to comply with the direction of the Judge may also result in immediate disqualification from the tournament. While discussion of a ruling may be allowed, as has been stated prior, I have the final say.

General Information, Tips, and the RP Discord:
Though this is a competition, collaboration is still extremely useful and often necessary. Your character is in combat with other characters, but you are not in combat with the other writers. We urge you to discuss combat and options with your fellow contestants. You are free to make collaborative posts, and to work out battle sequences. Please keep records of your discussions for collaboration, as they may be requested depending on how close the competition is! OOC threads will be provided for each arena for the express purpose of communication with your fellow contestants and with us.

Additionally, you may make use of the AEF RP Discord Server - which will also have channels provided for each battlefield. All AEF Rules apply to this server. This server is a privilege, not a right. If you do not follow the AEF rules or are disrespectful to others in the server, you will be banned, and you will need to rely on the forums for communication. The Discord server may be found here!

If you need to reach me directly, you can do so via PM, posting in the OOC threads, or using Discord.

Good luck, writers!

List of Accepted Entrants:
Total: 14
Silence, created by Chewy905!
Ebriva, Stormcaller, created by Kellehendros!
Jicella Ariella, created by nield!
Martin Talhmore, created by Dragonknight315!
Dathorus Bevoren, created by Chaosweaver Amon!
Akordia Truenight, created by Apocalypse!
Vincent "The Revenant" Revlous, created by deathlord45! Withdrawn.
Bartholomew, created by San Robin!
Caeos Essence, created by ChaosRipjaw!
Leaf Which Floats on Raging Currents, created by roseleaf320!
Milo, created by shuurp! Withdrawn.
Fierra Scorr, created by Oddball!
Aleisha, Void Herald of Nulgath, created by Necro-Knight!
Yura Akabane, created by Kooroo!


List of Entrants by Battlefield:

Hallowed Battlefield:
Jicella Ariella, created by nield!
Silence, created by Chewy905!
Dathorus Bevoren, created by Chaosweaver Amon!
Leaf Which Floats on Raging Currents, created by roseleaf320!
Martin Talhmore, created by Dragonknight315!
Fierra Scorr, created by Oddball!
Aleisha, Void Herald of Nulgath, created by Necro-Knight!

Hellfire Battlefield:
Vincent "The Revenant" Revlous, created by deathlord45! Withdrawn.
Caeos Essence, created by ChaosRipjaw!
Milo, created by shuurp! Withdrawn.
Akordia Truenight, created by Apocalypse!
Ebriva, Stormcaller, created by Kellehendros!
Bartholomew, created by San Robin!
Yura Akabane, created by Kooroo!




< Message edited by Starflame13 -- 2/3/2020 12:05:06 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 1
1/4/2020 20:32:15   
nield
Creative!


 Name: Jicella Ariella
Age: 54
Race: Niqxzlqotl (Human adapted)

Appearance: Jicella takes the form of an unnaturally pale young woman, lean and muscular, with faint orange markings across much of her body, appearing to be in her early twenties at the oldest. Shoulder-length, once-vibrant black hair has faded to the nebulous area betwixt black and grey, all lustre gone. Her eyes, once alight with fire have faded to a dull orange, with weighty bags visible beneath them. Sharp fangs reside in her mouth.

Atop Jicella’s head sits a pair of cat’s ears, their fur the same dull tone as her hair. A long, prehensile tail of the same hue as her ears and hair extends out from Jicella’s back, bearing, like her body, some faint orange markings. The garments she wears are relatively simple, black pants and a black, backless top. Her hands are a mixture between hands and claws, ending in sharp points fit to gouge a man’s eyes out and the same is true for her feet.

The single-most striking aspect of her appearance, however, is the wings of flame extending from her shoulder blades, though, like much of her appearance, these seem to have had the life and vigour sucked out of them. Where once they were full and burned bright, now their flames are dull and only the main ‘bone’ of each wing exists, with a small handful of ‘feathers’ on the ‘bone’. While her wings can be doused, as they form from a Niqxzlqotl’s internal heat the wings will reform after a few moments.

Capabilities: Jicella is a vicious and cunning close-range fighter, utilising not only her claws and fangs, but even her wings and tail for offence. She has an innate flexibility that allows her to make movements that most races would normally be incapable of. Jicella is capable of shedding ‘feathers’ from her wings, these shed ‘feathers’ are capable of healing small wounds and providing limited aid with larger wounds.

spoiler:

Lost to Jicella: Due to the ‘broken’ state of her wings, Jicella is no longer capable of using them to fly, nor even to glide. A Niqxzlqotl’s tears can heal any physical injury, however, each Niqxzlqotl only has so many tears to shed during their lifetime and Jicella has already shed all of hers. Normally, a Niqxzlqotl would be able to increase their internal temperatures to the point that their wings would expand, growing to twice their normal size, whilst flames would burst forth from the eyes and orange markings on the body, butt due to her current state Jicella is not capable of doing this.
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 2
1/5/2020 2:09:32   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 And we have bios up already, Woohoo!

@nield - Welcome to the new event, excited to see how one of your characters fit in here! Jicella is pretty straightforward, I'd just like a few more things defined before stamping approval.

First, you've chosen to create your own race. I am ok with this, but I'd like some baseline comparisons of the Niqxzlqotl race to humans. You say she is human adapted - does that mean her speed/strength is equal to the average human, or does she have increased abilities in any way? Is her maturity equivalent to a human of the same age, or is it closer to what she appears to be (50s vs. early 20s). In terms of the appearance, a rough height estimate would be useful, as would the total wingspan when her from the tip of the bone to her shoulder blade when the wings are expanded.

For the wings themselves, do the feathers she sheds to heal minor wounds also reform after a few moments? If so, this is too powerful of a healing ability - but if not, it should be ok as-is without determining a hard set number of feathers!

Beyond that, very excited to see Jicella in action! I'll note that it is odd that a close-range fighter doesn't invest more in armor or weapons, but her style doesn't require them so I will leave that final decision up to you.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 3
1/5/2020 11:02:25   
  Chewy905

Chromatic ArchKnight of RP


 Name: Silence
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Race: Human

As she entered the shrine floor, the elders scoffed at her. Some chuckled. Some averted their eyes. A girl? Surpassing them? And wearing such improper garb? It was unheard of. She walked to the center of the circle, the critiquing gazes searing into the side and back of her head, and she knelt, her one eye closed, her sheathed blade at her side.

Appearance: Silence is average height for a young woman, standing around 5 and a half feet tall. Her long black hair is kept tied back in a ponytail but somehow at her young age it is already starting to fade to white, and her gray eye tends to stare lifelessly at whatever is before her. Silence wears skin tight gray pants, and a loose plain white shirt over a silver corset, with matching armored padding on her knees and elbows. She stands straight and at attention, never slouching or slumping. Her skin is deathly pale, yet still holds just a glimmer of life. She seems to drift from place to place like a ghost, as if her bare feet are taking less steps than they should for each stride, but she is human nonetheless.

The left side of her face is a mystery, constantly shrouded by a silken black half-mask patterned with silver diamonds. It runs from her hairline to her chin, completely covering her eye and half of her mouth. The eye behind this mask is completely blind and a pure, featureless white.


Her blade was as common as any other. A simple weapon, kept in a slightly more ornate sheath. Her hand drifted to the hilt as one of the elders tossed an apple through the air before her.


Equipment:
False Steel: The only visible weapon Silence carries is a wakizashi, a foot and a half in length, kept snugly in a metal sheath patterned with diamond shapes. The sheath is heavier than usual, making it useful for parrying, battering, and bludgeoning. The blade itself cannot be drawn fully: it does not exist. The handle and grip of the weapon are part of the sheath. They can be drawn out just a bit, revealing a small hint of normal steel within, but beyond that there is nothing; the sheath is solid all the way through.


Her one eye opened. Her hand twitched ever so slightly, revealing barely an inch of steel from within the sheath, and the apple was bisected once. Twice. Thrice. Eight clean slices of apple fell to the wooden floor. The elders. The masters. All sat staring, mouths agape. The girl had barely moved. They hadn’t even seen her sword swing through the air. Was it even possible for one to draw a blade faster than light itself?


Abilities:
Ghostblade: Silence’s primary weapon, and the medium for her ability, is a standard, ~2 foot long katana. The entire weapon is invisible, but is surrounded by a shimmering distortion of light, and still casts a shadow. She can manipulate this weapon’s movement mentally. It can be moved up to 10 feet away from her, and she can continue manipulating it even if she loses sight of its location, though more precise movements become difficult in this case. When being moved without attacking, Ghostblade is moved at the pace of a running human. When attacking with Ghostblade, Silence can manipulate it with speed and strength just below that of a master swordsman. Though the blade boasts greater physical and magical durability and resistance, it can be broken with the use of significant force. When not in use, Silence’s Ghostblade is stored within a pocket dimension where it can be summoned from at any time, though it must be summoned within 3 feet of Silence.

spoiler:

True Phantom: If Silence’s eyepatch is removed, either willingly or by force, her spirit will leave her body, causing her body to slump over. Silence’s spirit-form will use an unsheathed, fully functional version of her False Steel, and her Ghostblade, which now lacks the mental control properties and must be used as a standard katana. Silence’s spirit form, as well as both weapons, have the same invisible/distorted properties of her Ghostblade, and while her weapons can interact with the world normally, her spirit cannot be harmed or interacted with.

Silence’s body remains at wherever it was when she entered spirit form, and is completely defenseless and inert. If her body is damaged, she may lose focus and be drawn back into it forcefully. If her body is killed, she will die and her spirit will vanish. Silence may remain in her spirit form for a maximum of one minute, at which point she will be forcibly drawn back into her body. Upon returning to her body, either by force or by choice, Ghostblade will now be fully visible and no longer able to be controlled mentally, leaving it as nothing but a standard weapon.


Traits: Silence has the speed and strength of an above-average athlete, and relies on these capabilities to avoid enemy attacks and make up for her lack of defense, both physical and magical. She is incredibly talented with a blade, when wielding both one or two, and can fight with her False Steel while simultaneously concentrating on her Ghostblade. Finally, due to her own use of an invisible weapon, she has grown accustomed to detecting the presence of the unseen, and is capable of making out the locations of invisible attacks and enemies, granted she has some way to determine or predict their position.


She ignored the cheers. The cries of support and outrage. The pleas and demands that she explain her technique. She simply stood back up and silently drifted out the door. Finally, the letters would stop. She could be at peace.
Post #: 4
1/5/2020 18:33:27   
Kellehendros
Eternal Wanderer


 Name: Ebriva, Stormcaller
Race: Human

Appearance:
Ebriva is slim as a reed, with a lithe build that appears as if a stiff breeze would blow her away. And yet despite that, the young woman has a way of standing, of holding herself, that speaks of immovable certainty - of purpose. It is in the set of her narrow shoulders, in the poise of the slender neck she inherited from her mother, and the firm gaze of the eyes - one blue, one green - inherited from her father.

Lines of care and worry frame those mismatched eyes, which are old beyond their time. The Stormcaller has witnessed much in her young life - too much - with a relentless will that refused to look away. That implacable nature is also attested by the kink in Ebriva's once straight nose, an old injury that never did heal quite right. Depending on who one asks, that detail either mars an otherwise pretty heart-shaped face, framed by a head of raven locks that cascade in waves down to the small of her back - or gives her a touch of brawler's distinction to what else might be a soft look.

In battle she wears a padded arming jacket, though her skin - a deep sun-kissed caramel - confesses to a preference for time spent free of the garment's protection when possible. The gambeson, handed down and much mended, is a sun-faded, salt-stained blue. Once it had intricate designs picked out in golden thread, but like the cloth itself those patterns are now worn, lackluster and tired. A broad belt of crimson silk - relatively new - is wound about her hips, supporting baggy pants of dingy grey over sturdy leather boots that have been retread several times.

All in all, the young woman has the air of one who came from a privileged background, now fallen on hard times.

Equipment:
Belt of Onyx Shards - Swaddled within the red fabric wound about her waist is a silver chain binding together ten flat hunks of onyx just large enough to rest in one of Ebriva’s palms. These shards are attuned to the flow of mana around - and more importantly, through - the Stormcaller. The nuggets exist in sets that correspond to particular amplitudes, and when charged will fluoresce and vibrate, which allows Ebriva to know how much power she has available at any given time. The individual shards are functionally indestructible; the Stormcaller has never found anything that could damage them, though the chain linking them is susceptible to breaking if stressed. So far as armor goes, the belt is not something to be relied upon, but could stop a blow if she is particularly lucky.

Fluted Rod - Ebriva bears only one apparent weapon: a long metal pole graven with curling lines and slender holes bored through it at irregular intervals. At six feet in length it is just a touch taller than the Stormcaller herself, with a width of about two fingers. As a result, the rod is hefty, though portions of it are hollowed out as attested by the holes. This causes the weapon to create an eerie humming or wailing noise as it moves through the air. In addition to its possibly disconcerting aural effect, the rod can also serve as a focus for Ebriva’s magic, enhancing her precision.

Abilities:
Ebriva was born with an innate talent for magic, but no ability to sense the flow of mana. As a result, unless she is magically overcharged or exhausted, she has no idea how much mana is available to her at any given time. To overcome this deficiency, her parents crafted her onyx belt, attuning it specifically to Ebriva’s magical energy.

The belt measures the Stormcaller’s reserves in amplitudes, each of which has levels of charge as detailed below.

Ebb - At ebb amplitude, Ebriva has no charges. She is exhausted and cannot cast spells. When starved of mana the Stormcaller’s body goes into overdrive, absorbing available mana to replenish herself. This results in slowed reactions and disorientation until Ebriva charges to a higher amplitude. When at ebb amplitude, she will harvest four charges.

Low - At low amplitude, Ebriva has between one and three charges. At this level the Stormcaller can cast spells in the forms of bolts (condensed spheres of an element similar to crossbow bolts) or lines (a steady stream of elemental particles that travels in a straight line of up to ten feet). Bolts and lines have a base cost of one charge. When at low amplitude, she will harvest three charges.

Mid - At mid amplitude, Ebriva has between four and six charges. At this level she can cast spells in the additional forms of enhancements (imbuing an item with an elemental property) and arcs (a short-range elemental sweep that covers a three-foot area describing a half-circle). Enhancements and arcs cost two charges. When at mid amplitude, the Stormcaller will harvest two charges.

High - At high amplitude, Ebriva has between seven and nine charges. At this level the Stormcaller can cast spells in the additional forms of blasts (orbs of elemental energy that travel on straight lines of up to twenty feet and shatter on impact in four-foot explosions) or cones (a single-direction wave of elemental energy, starting about the width of her palm and expanding over a distance of ten feet to a front five feet across). Blasts and cones cost three charges. When at high amplitude, Ebriva will harvest one charge.

Flood - At flood amplitude, Ebriva has ten charges. When flooded with mana the Stormcaller experiences a rush of energy. Her heart rate increases, her pupils dilate, and the air around her faintly crackles with static electricity. At this level she can cast spells in the additional form of eruption (a devastating burst of elemental energy in a seven-foot sphere around her) Eruptions cost four charges. When at flood amplitude, Ebriva will harvest one charge.

It must be noted that Ebriva cannot exceed eleven charges. By this measure she can “overcharge” the belt by one. Additional charges would result in cardiac arrest and death. Assuming the Stormcaller has her rod available, grounding the rod in the earth will allow her to dissipate charges without actually casting spells. This power is not unique to the rod, and can be done with any metal implement sharp or solid enough to dig into the ground and reach soil. Sans an available dissipation tool, Ebriva can evoke a Savage Storm at the cost of all available charges. Savage Storm causes lightning to randomly strike the area within ten feet of her, once for each charge expended. The Stormcaller herself is not immune to damage from this effect and is just as at risk as anyone else nearby from it.

Concerning elements:
Lightning is the hallmark of the Stormcaller; the pulse and beat of plasma roils through Ebriva’s blood. As such, she is intimately familiar with energy of an electrical nature, enough so that she can “catch” an incoming lightning spell, either absorbing it and converting it into a charge for her own use, or else grounding it through her staff and rendering it inert. This does nothing to protect her from an unforeseen assault, one she is unprepared for, or the massive feedback associated with a Savage Storm discharge. Spell costs cast within the lightning domain follow the normal costs listed above.

But there is more to being a Stormcaller than hurling skyfire at her enemies, as Ebriva’s father chided her on more than one occasion. She can also call upon the elements of earth, wind, and water, each of them partners in the working of weather, a trade inherited from her mother. While knowledgeable regarding these elements, Ebriva is not as adept with them as she is with lightning. As a result, spells of earth, wind, or water cost an additional charge to the prices listed above.

Concerning harvesting:
While in combat, the Stormcaller cannot cast and harvest energy at the same time. In order to harvest charges appropriate to her amplitude level, Ebriva must refrain from casting for around three seconds, long enough to take a couple deep breaths and refocus herself. If engaged in a heavy physical exertion - like fighting for her life in hand-to-hand combat - she would likewise be unable to retain the focus necessary to harvest charges.

Judge's Edit: For the finals round, the additional charge penalty for casting alternate elements has been decreased. Additionally, I would like to clarify one point that was discussed as PMs: The spells in each level can technically be attempted at any level, but attempting higher level spells at lower amplitudes carries an extremely high chance for the spells to fail, resulting in the Ebb condition.

< Message edited by Starflame13 -- 2/16/2020 22:47:15 >
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 5
1/5/2020 19:12:25   
nield
Creative!


 Name: Jicella Ariella
Age: 54
Race: Niqxzlqotl (Human adapted)

Appearance: Jicella takes the form of an unnaturally pale young woman, lean and muscular, with faint orange markings across much of her body, appearing to be in her early twenties at the oldest. Shoulder-length, once-vibrant black hair has faded to the nebulous area betwixt black and grey, all lustre gone. Her eyes, once alight with fire have faded to a dull orange, with weighty bags visible beneath them. Sharp fangs reside in her mouth. Jicella stands just below six feet in height.

Atop Jicella’s head sits a pair of cat’s ears, their fur the same dull tone as her hair. A prehensile tail of the same hue as her ears and hair, as long as she is tall extends out from Jicella’s back, bearing, like her body, some faint orange markings. The garments she wears are relatively simple, black pants and a black, backless top. Her hands are a mixture between hands and claws, ending in sharp points fit to gouge a man’s eyes out and the same is true for her feet.

The single-most striking aspect of her appearance, however, is the wings of flame extending from her shoulder blades, though, like much of her appearance, these seem to have had the life and vigour sucked out of them. Where once they were full and burned bright, now their flames are dull and only the main ‘bone’ of each wing exists, with a small handful of ‘feathers’ on the ‘bone’. While her wings can be doused, as they form from a Niqxzlqotl’s internal heat the wings will reform after a few moments. Her wings when fully spread have a span of 4.5 metres.

Capabilities: Jicella is a vicious and cunning close-range fighter, utilising not only her claws and fangs, but even her wings and tail for offence. She has an innate flexibility that allows her to make movements that most races would normally be incapable of. Though Jicella has assumed the form of a human, she is both stronger and faster than one would assume of a human of equal size. Jicella is capable of shedding ‘feathers’ from her wings, these shed ‘feathers’ are capable of healing small wounds and providing limited aid with larger wounds. Once shed it would take a few hours for a ‘feather’ to ‘regrow’. Like all Niqxzlqotls, Jicella has the inherent capability to sense whether an individual is good or evil.

Niqxzlqotl biology: Niqxzlqotl do not bleed like most races do; when they suffer wounds, they bleed out heat in the form of fire. When a Niqxzlqotl suffers a fatal wound their own heat generation spirals out of control and they self-immolate. During this process an egg is formed and hardened, lying in the ashes left of their form. Though often mistaken for the rebirth of the individual who died, this is actually their progeny. A Niqxzlqotl who has adapted themself to another species cannot hold their alternate form on suffering a fatal wound and will return to their normal form. When a Niqxzlqotl adapts themself to another species, they assume a form of that species maturity equivalent to their own, as well their lifespan changes to that of the adapted species, whether that be shorter or longer than their own natural lifespan.

spoiler:

Lost to Jicella: Due to the ‘broken’ state of her wings, Jicella is no longer capable of using them to fly, nor even to glide. A Niqxzlqotl’s tears can heal any physical injury, however, each Niqxzlqotl only has so many tears to shed during their lifetime and Jicella has already shed all of hers. Normally, a Niqxzlqotl would be able to increase their internal temperatures to the point that their wings would expand, growing to twice their normal size, whilst flames would burst forth from the eyes and orange markings on the body, but due to her current state Jicella is not capable of doing this.
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 6
1/5/2020 22:22:55   
Dragonknight315
Member

Name: Martin Talhmore
Race: Humankind
Gender: Male
Age: 27 years

---Appearance/Equipment: From a young age, Martin understood that his existence was unique. That is one way to describe it. Perhaps a more apt word would be monstrous.

He stands around 5’11’’ in height. As if struck by some sickness of blood, his skin is as pale as snow, nearly lacking any color, and his short shaggy hair matches his complexion. The only spot of life on his person is his sharp emerald eyes. But although he is sickly in one sense, that does not mean he is weak. Years of war and abuse have put him into peak physical condition, muscular for his lean build.

If one were to find him in civilized company, Martin would be cloaked in the simple vestiges of the clergy. Black robes with a green sun stitched onto the sleeves. But on the battlefield, Martin has his entire chest exposed. In this state, one could see two features. First, Martin has a tattoo of an oak tree across his back with several onyx snakes running from it across his body. Second, he wears a necklace with a large emerald cut into a stylized sun.

For the rest of his equipment, Martin has no need for luxury. He uses a pair of leather leggings with a belt, furred boots, and some steel gloves that expose his palms and the tips of his digits. As for other equipment, two oversized tomahawks hang from his belt along with a small sack. Inside this sack are a skinning knife, some garrote wire, and a healing potion.

---Weapons: Martin wields what is essentially a pair of oversized tomahawks. Forged as a single piece of steel with cloth wrappings on the grip, these onyx tomahawks are larger and heavier than the typical variety. It is around 2 and 1/2 ft in total length with the primary curved edge around 6 inches in length. On the opposite side of the primary edge is a spike protruding around 3 inches.

Due to their construction, the tomahawks are heavier and are unbalanced towards the top, rendering them less suitable for throwing. However, this is intended. With his strength and training, Martin can swing the heavy tomahawks with unnatural finesse, cleaving through flesh, bone, and hide with ease. The longer edge and extra weight make them better for hooking onto or cutting into his targets. The short spike on its rear can potentially puncture through a steel chest plate given enough force.

---Abilities/Training:

Strength Before Death: At first glance, Martin often appears sickly due to his albino skin. On further examination, one would find Martin in peak physical condition for someone of his stature. In terms of speed, he can only move slightly faster than an average human, but his true gift lies in his raw physical strength. He is able to maintain intense pressure while at a faster pace. His fighting style blends his tomahawks with simple martial arts (punches, kicks, grapples, etc).

Supernatural Fortitude: To those with magic-sensing capabilities, Martin is surrounded with some malevolent aura. He requires far less food, water, and sleep to survive. His muscles can work harder before tiring. While this does not necessarily make him more durable than the average human, he can take more physical abuse before succumbing to his mortal needs.

Fangs of Misery: Stemming from Martin’s back are the tattoos of five snakes. By default, one rests on each of his limbs, and one is wrapped around his torso. Solid and simple, these black serpents can move across Martin’s body by focusing on them. Martin can animate multiple tattoos at once, but each additional one requires more thought than the last.

Once animated, Martin can activate the magic within the tattoos and inflict a “Bite.” This comes in two forms. First, Martin can inflict the Bite on himself. The chosen tattoo will wound his skin, and the effect will take place. Second, Martin can cause the snake to truly animate and come to life, the tattoo coming off the surface of his skin to strike. These flesh and blood snakes are not sentient and are directly under Martin’s control. When the snakes leap out, part of their body is anchored to his flesh, so he is able to twist and contort the snakes. It has a maximum range of around five feet, and with further distance, the less precisely Martin can control the snake’s movement. Normally, Martin can retract the snake back into his form if he misses the target, conserving its use. However, If the snake is harmed in any fashion, the entire snake will turn to ash and deactivate.

When a Bite is applied (or if the snake is destroyed), the tattoo will fade away from Martin’s skin completely. This renders the tattoo inactive, and he cannot use it. (They would recover after half an hour of time passed, but the timeframe of the competition would not see this happen.) He must choose which of the four Bites to use before striking, but he can use any of them with each of the snakes.

Scale Bite - Upon activation, the inflicted may feel a wave of pain as black scales will erupt around the bite wound. Like a glove, these scales cover an area up to 1 square foot, and they feel like and have durability equivalent to steel plate. These scales do not impair the affected area's movement. After a minute has passed, the scales will immediately turn to ash and fall off, leaving the flesh as it was before.

Empowering Bite - Upon activation, the inflicted may feel a rush of warmth as the muscle surrounding the area is strengthened beyond normal means. Akin to a boost of adrenaline, this would allow the person to perform a supernatural feat in the immediate moment (around 15 seconds) afterward. The form depends on the user and circumstances, but it usually allows someone to either move faster or with more force. (As an out of universe example, Martin could inflict the Bite onto both of his arms and lift a small car over his head. Alternatively, he could empower his legs to perform a long jump and cover a far greater distance). Note, after the 15 seconds pass, the user’s functions will go back to normal, and they can suffer the consequences of any strain afterward.

Decaying Bite - Upon activation of this Bite, the physical fangs will sink into the target and remain there. Slowly, the flesh surrounding the wound will necrotize, decaying before eventually turning to ash completely. This wound will continue to spread across the target’s body unless they remove the fangs or have some way of negating the affliction. If the target is already undead or necrotized, then the effect will spread at a much faster rate. Strong magical abilities can slow down or outright negate the effects of the Decaying Bite, and targets without flesh obviously cannot be affected by it.

Anti Bite - Upon activation of this Bite, the inflicted may feel the area around the wound go completely numb for a few minutes. This Bite injects a special antidote into the person’s system in order to combat physical toxins, poisons, or other harmful substances. Weaker or common afflictions can be countered more easily, but if the substance is stronger or if it is magical in nature, then the Anti Bite might only suppress some of the effects with marginal success.
spoiler:

As a special note, if Martin applies this Bite to someone, then they become resistant to the Miasma and Necrotizing effects of his Harbinger of Death state for a few minutes.


spoiler:

Misery, Harbinger of Death: Martin wears a special amulet around his neck. The amulet takes the shape of a stylized sun carved out of emerald. The gem is enchanted to heavily resist any physical damage, though it can be harmed more easily through magical means. This amulet allows Martin to contain and control some of his powers. The moment the necklace is removed for any reason, all of his snake tattoos (even the inactive ones) animate and move, glowing with a green aura. In this state, Martin cannot activate his Fangs of Misery, but a few effects occur. If he puts on the necklace or if Martin is knocked unconscious, then all of these effects immediately cease, and any inactive tattoos will return to normal.

The air in a 7ft radius around Martin is slowly converted into miasma as he breathes. Ooderless, colorless, it does not affect Martin, but a normal creature will find it toxic and unbreathable. Its presence has a burning sensation to a person’s eyes, lungs, or any open wounds. If the victim has to breathe air and has no means (biological or magical) to purify the miasma, then they may suffocate in Martin’s presence. As stated before, those affected by Martin’s Anti Bite are resistant to this effect for a few moments, still finding the miasma potentially uncomfortable but breathable.

Martin’s sweat and blood exhibit the same necrotic effect as his Decaying Bite ability, albeit to a lesser extent. It will still necrotize living organic material, but the effects persist for only a few seconds before fading. A larger volume of fluids provides more surface area for the effect, and applying new fluids will start the effect again. Just like the Miasma, those protected by Anti Bite will not suffer from this effect for a few minutes.

Martin’s overall personality becomes even more reckless and aggressive, putting him into an almost animal-like rage. This makes it harder for him to think tactically. This loss of control harms everyone around him, both friend and foe. Lastly, this transformation will quickly exhaust Martin of his stamina, even with his Supernatural Fortitude. It’s for these reasons that Martin will refuse to take off the necklace unless absolutely necessary.
AQ DF AQW  Post #: 7
1/6/2020 0:02:04   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Let the daily judging commence! As always, if people have questions about the event or about balancing, feel free to ask them either here or via Discord. And as a reminder, do NOT include your alignment in your post - message me directly instead.

@Chewy - Hello, hello! Highly impressed with the balancing that went into Silence. We clarified via Discord that False Steel was a single object, as well as a few features to your spoiler'ed details. We may need to discuss the shadow effects of Ghostblade depending on the light source of the battlefield Silence ends up in, but as long as the distortion of light is a constant regardless of external lighting conditions, this should be a minor detail. Approved!

@Kellehendros - Welcome! You do have a knack for taking a concept I'm *sure* will be too powerful and turning it into something workable! We had quite the lengthy conversation to ensure I fully understood your system for releasing/recharging charges. The two main clarifications that came out of that were first that the "mid" amplitude range is Ebriva's typical location (though she may charge up to "high" if she is anticipating a fight), and that the "Flood" stage by itself is a dangerous spot for her to be in due to the risk of overcharging. I'm impressed with the amount of thought that went into picking the costs for each ability - good luck keeping track of that in combat. Approved!

@nield - thank you for making the clarifications, as well as the additional details on Niqxzlqotl biology! Looking forward to seeing Jicella in action - Approved!

@Dragonknight315 - Good to see you join us! Martin's pretty solid on the whole, but needs just a little more polish. To get the minor details out of the way first, I'm assuming the healing potion is for minor woulds only and would not vastly impact life-threatening ones - let me know if this is incorrect!

Now, for your Fangs of Misery. My primary concern is the potential to stack these - giving someone both a Scale and an Empowering AND an Anti bite is a lot! If you want to keep the bites at the current power level, I'd like you to limit them such that a person can only be under the influence of a single bite at a time. (You can still impact different people with bites simultaneously, however). For the Empowering Bite specifically, I'd like you to clarify that the effects fade after 15 seconds OR after the feat has been performed - allowing someone that great a boost for that long a time frame is a bit much! For the Decaying bite, can you please clarify if physical damage to the snake (thus turning it to ash) counts as removing the fangs? If it does not, the spread of necrotic damage should be significantly slower than currently implied.

I will PM you directly with feedback for your spoiler'd abilities. Looking forward to seeing the second version!

AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 8
1/6/2020 1:13:33   
Chaosweaver Amon
Friendly!


 Name: Dathorus Bevoren
Age Range: 31 years old
Race: Human
Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.): Dathorus is far from what anyone would call homely. Bright blue eyes rest in the middle of a chiseled face that bears a light stubble and a small scar on his chin. His handsome and weathered appearance is crowned by thick, wavy hair the color of copper, tossed wildly by the sea winds that he regularly faces. His body is lean and hard, built by years of sailing and combat, with several tattoos representing different lands he has visited, accentuating the scars he received from them. Seeing as the majority of his time is spent on the deck of a ship, he opts for very light clothing; a green linen shirt, brown canvas pants, a buckskin vest, and black leather boots.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.): A ship is no place for heavy armor, so the only protective gear he wears are the enchanted bracers he "acquired" on a raid of a small island. They are no more durable than regular steel, but their enchantment allows them to adapt to the motion of the wearer's hands in order to protect the wrists at almost any angle. Dathorus chose them specifically due to an innate fear of losing his sword hand.
The sword he bears is another item found on one of his sea raids. At first glance it appears to be a simple falchion, but its blade is as reflective as a mirror and sharp enough to shave with. Dathorus doesn't know if the sword is enchanted or magically forged somehow, but he has yet to see a blade equal to its balance and durability.
His only other weapons are a simple dirk and a poleaxe that he keeps slung across his back in case a fight is better fought at a safer distance.

Skills, Spells, Special Abilities: Due to his upbringing on Sho'nuff with no allegiance to either the pirates or the ninjas, Dathorus was trained in both styles as a child. His exemplary swordsmanship resembles the more acrobatic style of the ninjas, with the boldness and creativity of the pirates. He lacks any sense of honor in a fight, using dirty tactics that add to his martial arts skills. Though he lacks any magical ability, his savagely elegant style of melee fighting has earned him a sense of notoriety along the coast of the Land of Dragons.

His hand-to-hand combat skills focus mostly on striking, rooted in boxing and kickboxing styles. His natural speed and ferocity helps him greatly, relying mostly on offensive tactics while using primarily dodging and his acrobatic abilities in defense.

Personality/Backstory (Optional): Dathorus was the bastard son of a ninja and a pirate, both of whom were banished from their respective clans. Due to his heritage he was treated with disgust by both the pirates and ninjas, despite his natural talents for sailing and fighting. His parents eventally grew bored of him and attempted to abandon Dathorus at the age of nine. Eventually, rumors spread that his ninja father had poisoned his wife, so he blamed Dathorus in order to curry favor with the ninjas again, claiming that it was the pirate blood in Dathorus that had driven him to kill his own mother. Even though she was a pirate, the ninjas wanted nothing to do with anybody that would commit matricide, and refused to let him into the clan of the ninjas with his father. After months of begging and scavenging to survive, he discovered a small colony of fellow abandoned children, led by a man trained in both the ninja arts and piracy. He taught the children all of his secrets, and by the age of fourteen Dathorus proved by far to be his star pupil. His father eventually exposed the colony, and the ninjas led an attack, kidnapping or killing anybody there, including the colony's leader. This eventually led Dathorus to kill his father in single combat, steal a ship from Osprey cove, and begin his life of raiding.

His unpleasant upringing taught him to fear commitment and develop a deep insecurity about being unwanted. As a result, he maintains a snarky and unpleasant attitude, refusing to attach to anyone apart from his crew. He has a passionate hatred for both pirates and ninjas, and is wary of most magics.
DF  Post #: 9
1/6/2020 1:14:57   
Dragonknight315
Member

Round 2, better than ever! Changes as described are underlined according to the recommendations.

Name: Martin Talhmore
Race: Humankind
Gender: Male
Age: 27 years

---Appearance/Equipment: From a young age, Martin understood that his existence was unique. That is one way to describe it. Perhaps a more apt word would be monstrous.

He stands around 5’11’’ in height. As if struck by some sickness of blood, his skin is as pale as snow, nearly lacking any color, and his short shaggy hair matches his complexion. The only spot of life on his person is his sharp emerald eyes. But although he is sickly in one sense, that does not mean he is weak. Years of war and abuse have put him into peak physical condition, muscular for his lean build.

If one were to find him in civilized company, Martin would be cloaked in the simple vestiges of the clergy. Black robes with a green sun stitched onto the sleeves. But on the battlefield, Martin has his entire chest exposed. In this state, one could see two features. First, Martin has a tattoo of an oak tree across his back with several onyx snakes running from it across his body. Second, he wears a necklace with a large emerald cut into a stylized sun.

For the rest of his equipment, Martin has no need for luxury. He uses a pair of leather leggings with a belt, furred boots, and some steel gloves that expose his palms and the tips of his digits. As for other equipment, two oversized tomahawks hang from his belt along with a small sack. Inside this sack are a skinning knife, some garrote wire, and a healing potion for minor wounds (enough to keep him from fainting while bleeding out).

---Weapons: Martin wields what is essentially a pair of oversized tomahawks. Forged as a single piece of steel with cloth wrappings on the grip, these onyx tomahawks are larger and heavier than the typical variety. It is around 2 and 1/2 ft in total length with the primary curved edge around 6 inches in length. On the opposite side of the primary edge is a spike protruding around 3 inches.

Due to their construction, the tomahawks are heavier and are unbalanced towards the top, rendering them less suitable for throwing. However, this is intended. With his strength and training, Martin can swing the heavy tomahawks with unnatural finesse, cleaving through flesh, bone, and hide with ease. The longer edge and extra weight make them better for hooking onto or cutting into his targets. The short spike on its rear can potentially puncture through a steel chest plate given enough force.

---Abilities/Training:

Strength Before Death: At first glance, Martin often appears sickly due to his albino skin. On further examination, one would find Martin in peak physical condition for someone of his stature. In terms of speed, he can only move slightly faster than an average human, but his true gift lies in his raw physical strength. He is able to maintain intense pressure while at a faster pace. His fighting style blends his tomahawks with simple martial arts (punches, kicks, grapples, etc).

Supernatural Fortitude: To those with magic-sensing capabilities, Martin is surrounded with some malevolent aura. He requires far less food, water, and sleep to survive. His muscles can work harder before tiring. While this does not necessarily make him more durable than the average human, he can take more physical abuse before succumbing to his mortal needs.

Fangs of Misery: Stemming from Martin’s back are the tattoos of five snakes. By default, one rests on each of his limbs, and one is wrapped around his torso. Solid and simple, these black serpents can move across Martin’s body by focusing on them. Martin can animate multiple tattoos at once, but each additional one requires more thought than the last.

Once animated, Martin can activate the magic within the tattoos and inflict a “Bite.” This comes in two forms. First, Martin can inflict the Bite on himself. The chosen tattoo will wound his skin, and the effect will take place. Second, Martin can cause the snake to truly animate and come to life, the tattoo coming off the surface of his skin to strike. These flesh and blood snakes are not sentient and are directly under Martin’s control. When the snakes leap out, part of their body is anchored to his flesh, so he is able to twist and contort the snakes. It has a maximum range of around five feet, and with further distance, the less precisely Martin can control the snake’s movement. Normally, Martin can retract the snake back into his form if he misses the target, conserving its use. However, If the snake is harmed in any fashion before delivering the bite, the entire snake will turn to ash and deactivate.

When a Bite is applied (or if the snake is destroyed), the tattoo will fade away from Martin’s skin completely. This renders the tattoo inactive, and he cannot use it. (They would recover after half an hour of time passed, but the timeframe of the competition would not see this happen.) He must choose which of the four Bites to use before striking, but he can use any of them with each of the snakes. Finally, while there is no limit to how many people Martin can have affected at once, Martin cannot have two different BVites on any target at the same time, including himself. Martin can choose to use two or more of the same Bite at once on himself (but not others), but the duration of the effect is reduced for each one. (Two Empowering Bites only have a duration of 8 seconds, Two scales only last half a minute, Three Bites are a third, etc).

Scale Bite - Upon activation, the inflicted may feel a wave of pain as black scales will erupt around the bite wound. Like a glove, these scales cover an area up to 1 square foot, and they feel like and have durability equivalent to steel plate. These scales do not impair the affected area's movement. After a minute has passed, the scales will immediately turn to ash and fall off, leaving the flesh as it was before.

Empowering Bite - Upon activation, the inflicted may feel a rush of warmth as the muscle surrounding the area is strengthened beyond normal means. Akin to a boost of adrenaline, this would allow the person to perform a supernatural feat in the immediate moment (up to around 15 seconds) afterward. Once this feat is accomplished or the window of 15 seconds passes, then the ability immediately ends. The form depends on the user and circumstances, but it usually allows someone to either move faster or with more force. (As an out of universe example, Martin could inflict the Bite onto both of his arms and lift a small car over his head. Alternatively, he could empower his legs to perform a long jump and cover a far greater distance).

Decaying Bite - Upon activation of this Bite, the physical fangs will sink into the target. The snake will disappear afterward, leaving a set of small yet otherwise ordinary snake fangs in the target's flesh. While the fangs are inside, the organic material surrounding the wound will start to necrotize, slowly but steadily decaying before eventually turning to ash completely. This decay will persist and creep across the target’s body unless they remove the fangs or have some way of negating the affliction. If the target is already undead or necrotized, then the effect will spread at a much faster rate. Strong magical abilities can slow down or outright negate the effects of the Decaying Bite, and targets without flesh obviously cannot be affected by it. As a note, the fangs will continue to create this effect until they are broken/crushed. In the event that they find themselves in a target again, it will start the process over again.

Anti Bite - Upon activation of this Bite, the inflicted may feel the area around the wound go completely numb for a few minutes. This Bite injects a special antidote into the person’s system in order to combat physical toxins, poisons, or other harmful substances. Weaker or common afflictions can be countered more easily, but if the substance is stronger or if it is magical in nature, then the Anti Bite might only suppress some of the effects with marginal success.
spoiler:

As a special note, if Martin applies this Bite to someone, then they become resistant to the Miasma and Necrotizing effects of his Harbinger of Death state for a few minutes.


spoiler:

Misery, Harbinger of Death: Martin wears a special amulet around his neck. The amulet takes the shape of a stylized sun carved out of emerald. The gem is enchanted to heavily resist any physical damage, though it can be harmed more easily through magical means. This amulet allows Martin to contain and control some of his powers. The moment the necklace is removed for any reason, all of his snake tattoos (even the inactive ones) animate and move, glowing with a green aura. In this state, Martin cannot activate his Fangs of Misery, but a few effects occur. If he puts on the necklace or if Martin is knocked unconscious, then all of these effects immediately cease. The miasma will disappear, the necrotizing blood will stop, and his inactive tattoos will fade again.

The air in a 7ft radius around Martin is slowly converted into miasma as he breathes. Ooderless, colorless, the miasma comes across like a wave of dry heat that feels unnatural. It does not affect Martin, but a normal creature will find it toxic and unbreathable. Its presence has a burning sensation to a person’s eyes, lungs, or any open wounds. If the victim has to breathe air and has no means (biological or magical) to purify the miasma, then they may suffer from ill effects. The miasma is not immediately lethal; entering the miasma will give the previous burning effect. Further exposure over the course of two minutes can cause coughing followed by dizziness and blurry vision before finally vomiting and suffocation. As stated before, those affected by Martin’s Anti Bite are resistant to this effect for a few moments, still finding the miasma potentially uncomfortable but breathable.

Martin’s sweat and blood exhibit the same necrotic effect as his Decaying Bite ability, albeit to a lesser extent. It will still necrotize living organic material, but the effects persist for only a few seconds before fading. A larger volume of fluids provides more surface area for the effect, and applying new fluids will start the effect again. Just like the Miasma, those protected by Anti Bite will not suffer from this effect for a few minutes.

Martin’s overall personality becomes even more reckless and aggressive, putting him into an almost animal-like rage. This makes it harder for him to think tactically. This loss of control harms everyone around him, both friend and foe. Lastly, this transformation will quickly exhaust Martin of his stamina, even with his Supernatural Fortitude. It’s for these reasons that Martin will refuse to take off the necklace unless absolutely necessary.
AQ DF AQW  Post #: 10
1/6/2020 23:46:49   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Wow, quite the collection so far! Very excited about the creativity in the characters, keep it up!

@Chaosweaver Amon - Welcome to the RP forums! Let's take a look at Dathorus.

As is typical of the more straight-forward melee characters, Dathorus is pretty well balanced to start with! The one thing missing in the appearance is a reference to height - if you don't have a specific number in mind, saying "average" or "towers over most people" or similar works just as well.

The other thing I'd like to note is that while there is a trend this year towards melee characters, Dathorus doesn't have much to defend himself against magical characters/attacks. If you are ok with this fighting disadvantage, I'm confident the character can still be well-played and well-written, but you might want to consider adding either extra equipment that would negate some magical attacks/effects (do pirates where cloaks?) or giving him some passive magical abilities (maybe he resists poison due to pirate blood being strong against scurvy, or has excellent dark/low-visibility vision thanks to the ninja training). Approval pending your clarification if you want to make changes or not - you can either let me know in a post here if you're ok with the character as-is, or submit an updated bio!

@Dragonknight315 - thank you for making the needed adjustments! We discussed further in PMs the concept of stacking bites on Martin himself, and in the end I'm fairly happy with where the balance has fallen. Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 11
1/7/2020 15:41:31   
Chaosweaver Amon
Friendly!


 Alright, I made some edits based on recommendations; I'm glad I had some more room to give him more power.

Name: Dathorus Bevoren
Age Range: 31 years old
Race: Human
Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.): Dathorus is far from what anyone would call homely. Standing at 6'1, bright blue eyes rest in the middle of a chiseled face that bears a light stubble and a small scar on his chin. His handsome and weathered appearance is crowned by thick, wavy hair the color of copper, tossed wildly by the sea winds that he regularly faces. His body is lean and hard, built by years of sailing and combat, with several tattoos representing different lands he has visited, accentuating the scars he received from them. Seeing as the majority of his time is spent on the deck of a ship, he opts for very light clothing; a green linen shirt, brown canvas pants, a buckskin vest, and black leather boots.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.): On his many raids, Dathorus has collected an array of special artifacts and equipment.
  • Enchanted Bracers: A ship is no place for heavy armor, so the only form or solid plate he wears are on his wrists. These braces are no more durable than regular steel, but because of magical runes engraved on them, they warp with the movement of his hands so his wrists are protected from any angle, preventing any potential damage to his sword hand.
  • Sword of Drych: At first glance, the sword he wears appears to be a simple hand-and-a-half falchion, but upon further inspection, one can see that the blade is reflective as a mirror and sharp enough to shave with. Its origins are a mystery, but it has the ability to cut through most protective enchantments and inflict intense damage on regular steel. Dathorus has never seen a blade its equal in terms of balance and durability.
  • Dragonscale Amulet: As the name suggests, this amulet adorned with the single scale of a dragon provides a light magical barrier around its wearer, lessening (though not outright stopping) magical attacks.
  • Poleaxe and Dagger: Dathorus' secondary weapons are a 5-foot poleaxe and a dagger coated in an acidic poison that can be thrown, both of which are used when fighting at a further distance.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities: Due to his upbringing on Sho'nuff with no allegiance to either the pirates or the ninjas, Dathorus was trained in both styles as a child. His exemplary swordsmanship resembles the more acrobatic style of the ninjas, with the boldness and creativity of the pirates. He lacks any sense of honor in a fight, using dirty tactics that add to his martial arts skills. Though he lacks any magical ability, his savagely elegant style of melee fighting has earned him a sense of notoriety along the coast of the Land of Dragons.

    His hand-to-hand combat skills focus mostly on striking, rooted in boxing and kickboxing styles. His natural speed and fearless ferocity help him greatly, relying mostly on offensive tactics while using primarily dodging and his acrobatic abilities in defense.

    Personality/Backstory (Optional): Dathorus was the bastard son of a ninja and a pirate, both of whom were banished from their respective clans. Due to his heritage he was treated with disgust by both the pirates and ninjas, despite his natural talents for sailing and fighting. His parents eventually grew bored of him and attempted to abandon Dathorus at the age of nine. Eventually, rumors spread that his ninja father had poisoned his wife, so he blamed Dathorus in order to curry favor with the ninjas again, claiming that it was the pirate blood in Dathorus that had driven him to kill his own mother. Even though she was a pirate, the ninjas wanted nothing to do with anybody that would commit matricide, and refused to let him into the clan of the ninjas with his father. After months of begging and scavenging to survive, he discovered a small colony of fellow abandoned children, led by a man trained in both the ninja arts and piracy. He taught the children all of his secrets, and by the age of fourteen Dathorus proved by far to be his star pupil. His father eventually exposed the colony, and the ninjas led an attack, kidnapping or killing anybody there, including the colony's leader. This eventually led Dathorus to kill his father in single combat, steal a ship from Osprey cove, and begin his life of raiding.

    His unpleasant upbringing taught him to fear commitment and develop a deep insecurity about being unwanted. As a result, he maintains a snarky and unpleasant attitude, refusing to attach to anyone apart from his crew. He has a passionate hatred for both pirates and ninjas, and is wary of most magics.
    • DF  Post #: 12
    1/7/2020 17:16:37   
    Apocalypse
    Member

    		Name: Akordia Truenight
    Titles: The Pale Priestess, Kraven, The Ravenous Seeker, Betrayer of the Veil
    Age: Unknown
    Race: Brilhado

    Appearance

    Akordia always struck an imposing figure, towering over other members of the Brilhado race at over six-and-a-half-feet tall. With stern features, piercing citrine eyes, and coal-painted lips perpetually curved into the hint of a cruel smile, even the most devoted of her kin trembled when called upon her. Some might call her beautiful...but only if they were undaunted by her intimidating visage.

    ”You do not belong to the sky”

    The Pale Priestess was renowned for her haunting appearance among the Network, but after her fall from grace the fables around her only grew. Had her sallow skin always been chalk white, or was she cursed from her heretical practices? Some laid claim that her pupils had never round but had always been slit like a cat's at midnight. And while Akordia Truenight's inner circle had all but vanished, there were still those who debated whether the two onyx lines descending from her eyes down her face and onto her neck were tattooed in darkest ink or painted on in deepest sable.

    ”No longer will the sun bring you warmth”

    Raven hair is swept back to keep her face free, but rather than true hair it is a series of needlelike crystals flowing over another in a waterfall that cascades to the mid of her back. They jangle with every movement of her head, sounding an unnerving knell as they clatter against one another. While mostly ebony, different strands have rolling patterns of ruby, emerald, and amethyst within them. A prick by them would hurt but hardly be life-threatening; Akordia bares enough shallow scars on her back from the constant cuts to prove that much true.

    ”And neither the veil of night, comfort”

    At first glance, Akordia appears to be wearing a suit of scale mail armor. Obsidian in color, vibrant hues of amethyst are sewn into each and every piece. It fully covers her from the waist down, ending in a pair of vicious talons on either foot. On her upper body it protects her chest and forearms yet leaves her upper arms, shoulders, neck, and hands bare. Her back is similarly exposed with the exception of her shoulder blades. Jagged and malformed black crystals run along either one.

    Abilities

    It is commonplace for brilhado to be mistaken for angels, but in actuality they are demons of the realm of Light. As such, they possess a natural resiliency to magics from Light and Darkness, with Akordia herself taking only half as much damage from such sources. In terms of physical feats, they fall within the range of humans. Brilhado have wings, but the Pale Priestess has had hers stricken away years ago. While her brethren are able to launch razor-sharp feathers from their wings, Akordia Truenight is able to do the same with the needle-like appendages that make up her hair. She can launch up to a dozen needles to about twenty feet away. While they boast different hues, each one has the durability of iron and weight of glass with no further properties.

    Akordia is accomplished in close combat with small weapons such as scimitars, shortswords, and daggers. While she has had practice with larger and heavier weapons, she is much less accomplished with them. The Ravenous Seeker boasts physical strength on par with an accomplished fighter but prefers to use the light weight of her armor to her advantage. She would much rather skitter around an enemy’s defenses rather than puncture through them.

    Through the practice of what were deemed heretical arts, Akordia has harnessed the power to spawn crystal from her form. It sprouts from her body, taking additional time for more complicated forms. A sliver of a knife - short, thin, and crude in design - takes but a heartbeat to forge. A greatsword-like creation would take considerably longer and be the largest she could make in a single piece. Unless broken off or shed over the course of a night, the crystal remains embedded in her skin, reducing the range and motion of her body on where they are. Additional armor on her thigh would hardly be noticed while a blade from her wrist will restrict her hand movements.

    The process of forming the crystal is an arduous one - the flesh afterwards is whole but raw, sensitive, and diminished. Consecutive formations on the same patch of skin is not only agonizing but more time consuming, taking twice as long as per the usual creation.

    Feast on Flesh

    The first type of crystals Akordia can create are alight with violet hues and possess the strength of tempered steel and only a third the weight. This composes the “armor” she dons: the scale mail is a series of crystal plates formed over time and are still embedded into her skin with great care to minimize the restriction of her movements.

    Bathe in Blood

    The second type of crystals contain a sickly green within their obsidian coloring. These creations are as delicate as glass but contain an airborne poison with them. Swinging these crystals through the air leaves the noxious toxin billowing in its wake while shattering them unleashes all of it in a condensed cloud that quickly thins and disperses. It causes nausea and exhaustion in those exposed to it with the effect becoming stronger the longer the exposure. It is also highly flammable - a single spark can set an entire cloud of it ablaze. It will burn for but an instant and consume the poisonous gas, but it is not a pleasant experience. The intensity of the blaze is correlated to the density of the gas.
    Akordia is immune to the poison herself and resists other poisons quite well, taking twice as long to succumb to them and needing half the recovery time.

    Burn the Bone

    The third crystal is laid with bright crimson in its onyx depths and while it only shares strength with bronze, the tips of it burn with a feverish frenzy. Striking the burning ends against rock, metal, or other hard surfaces sends a shower of sparks into the air. The blazing crystals can ignite wood on a touch, leave scorches on inferior metals in a single strike, and even melt through higher grade armors through constant exposure to it. A standard steel plate would be able to resist the fiery properties for thirty seconds to a minute before true damage was done to them.

    Equipment

    It would hardly be fitting to practice arts deemed heretical and have to rely on sources other than one's self, now wouldn't it?
    AQ DF MQ  Post #: 13
    1/7/2020 23:17:19   
      Starflame13
    Moderator


    		 More bios, yay! Let the balancing commence.

    @Chaosweaver Amon - Dathorus Bevoren is Approved! Welcome to the fray!

    @Apocalypse - Glad to see you made it! Quite the... interesting approach to a Brilhado, and in general things feel balanced (quite impressed with the unique limits in crystal growing). I am making the assumption that the skin from a broken crystal requires significant rest to recover, let me know if that is incorrect.

    The one issue I have is with your Bathe in Blood ability - which I think can be resolved with a bit more detail. Namely, how much gas do the crystals actually contain for their relative size? To use your knife sliver as an example, something generated in the span of a heartbeat should only release the gas naturally for a few moments, or create a cloud not much bigger than the original sliver. In fact, those are both good metrics to use as a start for balancing this: releasing gas from the crystals for as long as it took to form them, and shattering to form a dense cloud only slightly larger than the initial crystal. Feel free to play around with ideas a bit though! Beyond that, things look good.
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 14
    1/8/2020 18:41:56   
    Apocalypse
    Member

    		Round two: electric boogaloo


    Name: Akordia Truenight
    Titles: The Pale Priestess, Kraven, The Ravenous Seeker, Betrayer of the Veil
    Age: Unknown
    Race: Brilhado

    Appearance

    Akordia always struck an imposing figure, towering over other members of the Brilhado race at over six-and-a-half-feet tall. With stern features, piercing citrine eyes, and coal-painted lips perpetually curved into the hint of a cruel smile, even the most devoted of her kin trembled when called upon her. Some might call her beautiful...but only if they were undaunted by her intimidating visage.

    ”You do not belong to the sky”

    The Pale Priestess was renowned for her haunting appearance among the Network, but after her fall from grace the fables around her only grew. Had her sallow skin always been chalk white, or was she cursed from her heretical practices? Some laid claim that her pupils had never round but had always been slit like a cat's at midnight. And while Akordia Truenight's inner circle had all but vanished, there were still those who debated whether the two onyx lines descending from her eyes down her face and onto her neck were tattooed in darkest ink or painted on in deepest sable.

    ”No longer will the sun bring you warmth”

    Raven hair is swept back to keep her face free, but rather than true hair it is a series of needlelike crystals flowing over another in a waterfall that cascades to the mid of her back. They jangle with every movement of her head, sounding an unnerving knell as they clatter against one another. While mostly ebony, different strands have rolling patterns of ruby, emerald, and amethyst within them. A prick by them would hurt but hardly be life-threatening; Akordia bares enough shallow scars on her back from the constant cuts to prove that much true.

    ”And neither the veil of night, comfort”

    At first glance, Akordia appears to be wearing a suit of scale mail armor. Obsidian in color, vibrant hues of amethyst are sewn into each and every piece. It fully covers her from the waist down, ending in a pair of vicious talons on either foot. On her upper body it protects her chest and forearms yet leaves her upper arms, shoulders, neck, and hands bare. Her back is similarly exposed with the exception of her shoulder blades. Jagged and malformed black crystals run along either one.

    Abilities

    Brilhado Heritage: It is commonplace for brilhado to be mistaken for angels, but in actuality they are demons of the realm of Light. As such, they possess a natural resiliency to magics from Light and Darkness, with Akordia herself taking only half as much damage from such sources. In terms of physical feats, they fall within the range of humans. Brilhado have wings, but the Pale Priestess has had hers stricken away years ago. While her brethren are able to launch razor-sharp feathers from their wings, Akordia Truenight is able to do the same with the needle-like appendages that make up her hair. She can launch up to a dozen needles to about twenty feet away. While they boast different hues, each one has the durability of iron and weight of glass with no further properties.

    Arms Training: Akordia is accomplished in close combat with small weapons such as scimitars, shortswords, and daggers. While she has had practice with larger and heavier weapons, she is much less accomplished with them. The Ravenous Seeker boasts physical strength on par with an accomplished fighter but prefers to use the light weight of her armor to her advantage. She would much rather skitter around an enemy’s defenses rather than puncture through them.

    Crystallization: Through the practice of what were deemed heretical arts, Akordia has harnessed the power to spawn crystal from her form. It sprouts from her body, taking additional time for more complicated forms. A sliver of a knife - short, thin, and crude in design - takes but a heartbeat to forge. A greatsword-like creation would take considerably longer and be the largest she could make in a single piece. Unless broken off or shed over the course of a night, the crystal remains embedded in her skin, reducing the range and motion of her body based on their position. Additional armor on her thigh would hardly be noticed while a blade from her wrist will restrict her hand movements.

    The process of forming the crystal is an arduous one - the flesh afterwards is whole but raw and sensitive. Consecutive formations on the same patch of skin is not only agonizing but more time consuming, taking twice as long as per the usual creation. Hours of rest are required for the skin to return to its original state.

    Feast on Flesh

    The first type of crystals Akordia can create are alight with violet hues and possess the strength of tempered steel and only a third the weight. This composes the “armor” she dons: the scale mail is a series of crystal plates formed over time and are still embedded into her skin with great care to minimize the restriction of her movements.

    Bathe in Blood

    The second type of crystals are as delicate as glass and contain a sickly green within their obsidian coloring. Inside resides a corrosive acid that is most effective against living tissue or items of similar composition - cloth, leather, hide, etc. The acid itself dissolves as it consumes material, thought it will linger on items it is ineffective against, such as rock or metal. A single splash is far from enough to eat its way to the bone, but the victim will disagree - the accompanying pain is thrice as intense as warranted by the wound. Additionally, the acid is highly receptive to heat - exposure to any source beyond temperate agitates the acid, causing it to bubble and boil.
    The tip of this crystal is exposed to the air, allowing the acid to drip or be slung from it with swinging motions. The acid within these crystals is limited and cannot be refilled after being spent. The volume of the acid in each crystal is restricted based on the size of the crystal.
    Akordia herself is immune to her own acid, and is resistance to other kinds: they are half as effective against her than the average target.

    Burn the Bone

    The third crystal is laid with bright crimson in its onyx depths and while it only shares strength with bronze, the tips of it burn with a feverish frenzy. Striking the burning ends against rock, metal, or other hard surfaces sends a shower of sparks into the air. The blazing crystals can ignite wood on a touch, leave scorches on inferior metals in a single strike, and even melt through higher grade armors through constant exposure to it. A standard steel plate would be able to resist the fiery properties for thirty seconds to a minute before true damage was done to them.

    Equipment

    It would hardly be fitting to practice arts deemed heretical and have to rely on sources other than one's self, now wouldn't it?
    AQ DF MQ  Post #: 15
    1/9/2020 2:01:35   
      Starflame13
    Moderator


    		 Late for the balancing today, but luckily things seem straightforward! Approved, Apocalypse!
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 16
    1/11/2020 17:21:59   
      Starflame13
    Moderator


    		 One week of Bios down, two to go! I’d like to take this chance to give a bit more background info about the actual, physical place where the Powers collide.

    These battlefields in the War between Chaos and Order take place in their own dimension - or, more accurately, a demiplane that belongs to NO dimension. You, as the writer, have freedom in how to handle your character’s summoning (perhaps a patron sent them, they willingly stepped into a portal, their arrival was a complete surprise, etc.), as well as your character’s interactions with the city in the demiplane beyond the battlefields (perhaps they see it as abandoned, populated with familiar faces, or are teleported directly to the battlefield). General aesthetic details of the city will be revealed with the battlefields.

    You may also develop NPCs to interact with as a representative of the Powers, but the Powers themselves do not interact with the characters directly at this stage. If there is some bit of flavor you’re unsure of, you are more than welcome to message me with questions!

    Now... let's see some more bios please!

    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 17
    1/11/2020 20:51:22   
    ChaosRipjaw
    How We Roll Winner
    Jun15


    		 Name/Title Caeos Essence, Grand Master Chao'sri'p'jaw
    Age Range Unknown
    Race Human
    Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.)
    Clicky! (Yes, I did make this wiki page.)
    Clicky! x2
    Trademarks include:
    General bishie appearance.
    Shoulder length, dark brown hair that is mostly wavy but is straight over his left eye.
    Hair on the back of the head bundled in a hairpin.
    White irises.
    A great physique although not overly large and is well proportioned, and is actually quite handsome.
    Dark Shadowslayer clothes (split longcoat, scarves, etc. see pictures in link) and a blunt warlock hat.
    Neckwarmer emblazoned with the "Eye of Crizox."
    Somewhat bulky gloves.
    Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.)
    Caeos Essence's primary weapon set is the Ten Swords of Tragedy. (All Ten Swords are not included nor used.)
    Sliiker of Crizox: A weapon fashioned as a claymore longsword, but with the blade almost as thin as a jian. The tip has been sliced off, but it's been trimmed so as to seem designed. To keep the poisonous demon's blood on the blade from weakening, the Sliiker's sheath is a mummified, bandaged, shriveled demon's body. The sheathed Sliiker resembles a mummified demon with a grotesquely long body neck and a shrunken head.
    The Sliiker's blood is sufficient to overpower most types of blood magic, since its corruptive blood contaminates all other blood. By keeping the Sliiker dipped in this liquid, any injury afflicted by the weapon causes agonizing pain and is potentially fatal.
    The blood also emites a noxious mist that resembles tangles of daemons, and its mist makes it hard to tell if the sword is straight or curved.
    The Sliiker's blood also has a special ability called Coagulation. When the blood coagulates, it can be shaped into needles or tentacles, which can also be deployed as traps.
    Piercer's Hairpin: The hairpin when pulled out resembles a jitte (single prong sai) or a stiletto. In a pinch, he can pull the hairpin out to use as a melee weapon. It excels at parrying and stabbing attacks.
    Mindweaver Gauntlet: Caeos's left arm is bandaged down to his fingers; from his finger tips he can emite Mind Control mana tendrils using the Gauntlet.
    The gauntlet itself is actually just a vambrace upon which is a carved skull and a curved spike.
    He can emit one mana tendril per finger. Thus, the number of people he can mind control at any point is limited to five.
    Upon crossing to this universe though, the Gauntlet has become inexplicably severely weakened. Tendrils can only maintain connections within a line of sight, and cannot extend further than 20 paces with dissipating. Furthermore, controlling a body with the Gauntlet now proves immensely distracting due to experiencing the thoughts and sensory input of another body. A mana tendril can be dodged if an opponent is watching for the flicking of the fingers. Lastly, using the Mind Control gauntlet to paralyze and kill the opponent is ill-advised, as Caeos will now be incapacitated from the shared experience of death.
    Anguish Crossbow One of the four crossbows based on the Sirens. The Anguish Crossbow fires a rapid stream of bolts and can fire nonbolt ammunition, such as coins and discs.
    Demonic Revolver Upon closer inspection, this compact and bulky revolver was crafted long before firearms were even conceptualized. The revolver's thick metal frame glints with runic encarvings and fires powerful rounds. Its sight is in the shape of a demonic sigil.
    Handle Pump Chakrams Two buzzsaw-like weapons that are held with curved handles. Triggers allow them to be "pumped" to mechanically increase the spinning speed of the saws. In close quarters combat, the chakrams are deadly weapons as their hooked blades lacerate flesh while the spinning speed allows them to cut through bone with ease. Their spinning allows them to be thrown a considerable distance with great accuracy.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities
    Malevolent Aura:
    "You don't know what it's like to face him. The aura . . . I can't explain it. It's like feeling planets brought to bear on top of you. Massive shadows that weigh down on your very soul."
    "Demonic?"
    "No . . . alien."
    Caeos's Malevolent Aura is his immense qigong, which gives him superhuman abilities that (poetically) border on godlike --- speed, strength, agility, and endurance.
    The Aura also has the ability to drain beings of their life force. To do this, he must get in close and get a grab on the opponent. This triggers the opponent's life force to be absorbed into Caeos.
    The sustaining power of the Malevolent Aura allows Caeos to fight endlessly for long periods of time without tiring. He can also go for long periods of time without food or water, and cease respiration for an unnatural period of time.
    Despite its name and the dark presence it gives off, the Malevolent Aura is not demonic in origin. Rather, it was based on the forces he is always around, namely that of demonic presences.
    The life force draining ability is to be used with caution. A life force drain is best used in a one on one duel, since most often times the life force absorbed is incompatible with Caeos's own qigong. Time must be spent to equalize the excess life force, lest a life threatening qi imbalance occurs. (Ex: an ice-based user would be dangerous to absorb, as the cold aura could freeze Caeos to death.)
    Gravity Shift:
    Caeos has flawless balance, thanks to the ability to shift his center of gravity at will. It is almost impossible to knock him off balance, as he merely needs to transfer his center of gravity to stay upright.
    "The ways of the hell realm are not the ways of the earth . . ."
    It should be noted that his techniques far surpass that of his disciples who are taught the same combat techniques due to the Gravity Shift.
    Way of the Hellfire: Caeos's signature barehanded combat style. Exceedingly brutal, extremely quick, and "reeking of daemonic aura," it is purportedly modeled after the fighting style of the feared Hellfire Knights.
    The Hellfire's stance imitates the clawed hands and bowed posture of a Hellfire Knight daemon.
    Techniques include: Rapid Punch, Hellish Fist, Sharp Elbows, Hell Palm, Rapid Death Punch, Throat Knife Hand, Shoulder Knife Hand, Tri-Kick, Dragon's Tail, Scorpion's Pincer, Rising Mountain/Hammer Kick, Flying Kick, Directional Kick, Shoulder Kick, Brutal Knee.
    Hellwind Swordplay: The feared, legendary sword technique that proves more than a match for the other [REDACTED].
    The Hellwind Swordplay is a one handed sword art. The sheer speed at which the Hellwind moves outmatches most other sword techniques, while the flurry of wild and random attacks like a howling storm is sure to overpower any conventional techniques.
    The technique is so fast that Caeos's Sliiker actually leaves an inky red afterimage in its wake.

    Dojutsu: Kyuinshengan:
    The deadly white irises of the Grand Master are a terrifying dojutsu: the Nine Yin Divine Eye.
    There are ten techniques used by the Kyuinshengan, though Caeos has only been known to use five.
    Eye of Leviathan, the Great Whale: Uncomprehending Eye causes a strange, dizzying vertigo in the target upon eye contact; the feeling of seeing a creature so vast and great it is incomprhensible.
    Eye of Ouroboros, the Great Snake: Soul Staring Eye causes an internal, visceral pain, as though the soul were being pulled out. Even the extremely strong-willed will few a distinct sense of being violated.
    Eye of Tiamat, the Great Dragon: Fire Sea Eye causes shifts in the flow of heat in the environment, causing objects and even the air to burst into flame.
    Eye of Gorgon, the Great Naga: Stone Shackle Eye can temporarily render an opponent to stone with hard eye contact. It would be unfortunate should the stone statue break.
    Eye of Typhon, the Great Horde: Mind's Deadly Shadow Eye causes many types of sorceries and supernatural abilities to flicker and die within its radius. Attempts to use said sorceries and/or abilities will cause one to hear the overwhelming whispers of all the creatures of the Abyss.
    The Eyes of Leviathan and Ouroboros can be countered through a strong force of will and fighting spirit; in a true battle between warriors it would only really startle the opponent once at the beginning.
    When Caeos uses the Eye of Tiamat, it unfortunately causes him to glance and turn his head much slower than usual, akin to an oar struggling to row through viscous fluid.
    The Eye of Gorgon can now only render one opponent to stone at a time.
    The Eye of Typhon also disables Caeos's own Land Reforming Skill.
    Land Reforming Skill: This skill, also known as Terraforming, manipulates Caeos's Malevolent Aura to change the very landscape. In an instant, even the Grand Master's stark, cold throne room can become a lavafall with floating obsidian platforms.
    Terraforming encompasses a limited area.

    Personality/Backstory (Optional)
    His entire backstory can be found here.
    AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 18
    1/11/2020 22:31:39   
    ChaosRipjaw
    How We Roll Winner
    Jun15


    		 Some extra details I forgot to include; thanks Starflame13 for letting me add them!

    Armor:
    Eldritch Armor: Stylized combat armor based on the appearance of the ChaosRipjaw beast. Its strange stylization vaguely incorporates elements of sharks, although a detailed description is difficult to its incomprehensible Eldritch design.

    More context:
    The ChaosRipjaw (correctly spelled Chao'sri'p'jaw) is a monstrous Eldritch beast that Caeos Essence managed to capture and contain in a powerful prison. Its powers are unknown, but surely it must be extremely powerful, possibly belonging to a different pantheon. It is rumored this is the reason Crizox still has not eliminated Caeos for his many betrayals.
    The creature's appearance is said to be "incomprehensible." To gaze upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw is to perceive madness itself; the mind can only make out the creature in parts, which is why (the very rare) accounts of its appearance differ so widely.
    It is said that Caeos has bound the Chao'sri'p'jaw as part of his Soul Release.
    Most of Caeos's techniques, which resemble daemonic powers but give off a much stranger, heavier aura, are probably based upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw and its unearthly powers.
    A single tendril from the Chao'sri'p'jaw dwarfs the Soul Releases of the [REDACTED] combined.

    Not sure if it was clear above, but the blood that soaks the Sliiker's blade is none other than the Chao'sri'p'jaw's blood.

    Upon crossing to this universe, Caeos's connection with the Chao'sri'p'jaw was almost severed. The Chao'sri'p'jaw howls when Caeos attempts to summon one of its tendrils, but the barrier between its dimension and the place of NO dimension cannot be broken.
    Unless the Powers will it, the Chao'sri'p'jaw cannot be summoned.
    AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 19
    1/12/2020 0:18:56   
      Starflame13
    Moderator


    		 @ChaosRipjaw - Welcome! You have a very intriguing (and powerful) character, and I can see that a lot of time and thought has gone into him! That said, he has way too many abilities to even begin to balance for this style of competition - 6 primary weapons, expert in 15 hand-to-hand fighting techniques, expert sword conditions, the aura, the different Divine Eye techniques, and teraforming. Any one of these sections alone could create a full character - and while there are ways to slim down and combine some of them (for example, the Gravity Shift ability can be paired with nearly all of them without becoming over-powered), on the whole this is too much variety for you to have at your disposal. A good rule of thumb is to start with a character that is an expert at one thing, ok at a few others, and absolutely terrible/lacking in other areas (check out the Balancing 101 Guide for further details, or checking out other approved bios from this event/in the Elemental Championships for ideas of scope. I am going to save a full pass for your characters abilities for after you have posted the slimmed down version - but I'll go through a handful of them now that will require some extra work if you wish to keep them. That said, if you do not wish to edit this character to fit this competition style, you are welcome to also submit a completely new one!

    Several of your abilities run the risk of "bunnying", or taking control of another persons character and forcing or locking them into taking certain actions. Mind control in general is very difficult to pull off entirely without bunnying, and how you have the Gauntlet set up currently would be forbidden entirely. You can try to implant emotions or encourage or suggest actions - you cannot force another to take them, and they must always have a way to either avoid or break free from the attack/effect. Many of the Divine Eye abilities that cause immediate effects upon meeting his gaze (Shackle Eye being the worst offender as it renders an opponent entirely helpless) may also need adjustment for bunnying if you choose to keep those as his primary ability. Full Teraforming is also something that would not work well - while minor abilities that effect the battlefields are workable, the battlefields/arenas themselves are under my control, and cannot be dramatically changed without seeking permission. If you have questions about how best to work a specific ability, or what would be best from a balancing perspective, feel free to ask here or in Discord! My advice would be to pick one or two of his weapons, the more passive abilities, and maybe a single Divine Eye techniques and start rebuilding from there.

    As an aside, while it is perfectly ok to be inspired by other characters/shows/mediums, do be careful about copyright! There are several similarities in naming here to Naruto characters that I noticed - try to make it more your own.

    < Message edited by Starflame13 -- 1/12/2020 0:51:04 >
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 20
    1/12/2020 0:24:46   
    deathlord45
    Member

    		Name/Title: Vincent "The Revenant" Revlous

    Age Range: 254

    Race: Lich

    Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
    A tall and slight man with a head of scraggly blond hair set over dark blue eyes and with a pallid skin tone. Wears a light blue long-coat over simple cloth shirt and pants capping off they ensemble with plain leather boots.

    Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.): A simple hardwood cane topped with a silvered iron cap.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities:
    As an undead being, Vincent does not tire, need food water or shelter, nor does he need air or an atmosphere. Though he has a slight build his physical capabilities fall closer to being fairly athletic.

    He can cool his surrounding up to a 30ft radius typically only going up to a 15ft radius creating a mist/fog bank around himself(if there is available water moisture) over the course of a few minutes. If he does have the fog/mist bank he can use it to create brief and small platforms in the air for him to step on. He can also condense parts of or the whole bank into a solid wall of ice that can be about 10ft by 5ft by 2ft in front of himself or others he's aware of in the bank.

    He can also generate and shoot spikes of ice at his opponents from a distance equivalent to a standard crossbow. If things close in to melee he uses the cane has a cudgel to defend himself.
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 21
    1/12/2020 10:28:19   
    ChaosRipjaw
    How We Roll Winner
    Jun15


    		 Round two for balancing.

    Name/Title: Caeos Essence, Grand Master Chao'sri'p'jaw
    Age Range: Unknown
    Race: Human
    Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
    Clicky! (Yes, I did make this wiki page.)
    Clicky! x2
    Trademarks include:
    General bishie appearance.
    Shoulder length, dark brown hair that is mostly wavy but is straight over his left eye.
    Hair on the back of the head bundled in a hairpin.
    White irises.
    A great physique although not overly large and is well proportioned, and is actually quite handsome.
    Dark Shadowslayer clothes (split longcoat, scarves, etc. see pictures in link) and a blunt warlock hat.
    Neckwarmer emblazoned with the "Eye of Crizox."
    Somewhat bulky gloves.

    Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.):
    Caeos Essence's primary weapon set is the Ten Swords of Tragedy. (All Ten Swords are not included nor used.)
    Sliiker of Crizox: A weapon fashioned as a claymore longsword, but with the blade almost as thin as a jian. The tip has been sliced off, but it's been trimmed so as to seem designed. To keep the poisonous demon's blood on the blade from weakening, the Sliiker's sheath is a mummified, bandaged, shriveled demon's body. The sheathed Sliiker resembles a mummified demon with a grotesquely long body neck and a shrunken head.
    The Sliiker's blood is sufficient to overpower most types of blood magic, since its corruptive blood contaminates all other blood. By keeping the Sliiker dipped in this liquid, any injury afflicted by the weapon causes agonizing pain and is potentially fatal.
    The blood also emites a noxious mist that resembles tangles of daemons, and its mist makes it hard to tell if the sword is straight or curved.
    The Sliiker's blood also has a special ability called Coagulation. When the blood coagulates, it can be shaped into needles or tentacles, which can also be deployed as traps.
    Piercer's Hairpin: The hairpin when pulled out resembles a jitte (single prong sai) or a stiletto. In a pinch, he can pull the hairpin out to use as a melee weapon. It excels at parrying and stabbing attacks.
    Mindweaver Gauntlet: Caeos's left arm is bandaged down to his fingers; from his finger tips he can emite Mind Control mana tendrils using the Gauntlet.
    The gauntlet itself is actually just a vambrace upon which is a carved skull and a curved spike.
    Upon crossing to this universe, the Gauntlet has stopped working entirely. At best, the tips of his fingers flicker with the vestiges of the mana tendrils, but otherwise the Gauntlet only about as useful as the vambrace it actually is.
    Demonic Revolver: Upon closer inspection, this compact and bulky revolver was crafted long before firearms were even conceptualized. The revolver's thick metal frame glints with runic encarvings and fires powerful rounds. Its sight is in the shape of a demonic sigil.
    Upon crossing to this universe, the rounds loaded in the Revolver have disappeared. He'll have to make do with rocks.

    Notes:
    - Threw out the Anguish Crossbow and the Chakrams.
    - The Hairpin is not a main weapon, it's one of his outfit accessories that happens to be able to be used as a weapon.
    - Mindweaver Gauntlet is literally just a piece of armor now. I guess it can block stuff and use the spike to stab people sort of?
    - Caeos is unused to using weapons other than his own Sliiker. He had several spare swords back when his Truthspeaker held onto to the Sliiker, but those and his Truthspeaker aren't here anymore. If disarmed, he would rather use his bare hands than use a different weapon.

    Some extra details I forgot to include and made two posts for.

    Armor:
    Eldritch Armor: Stylized combat armor based on the appearance of the ChaosRipjaw beast. Its strange stylization vaguely incorporates elements of sharks, although a detailed description is difficult to its incomprehensible Eldritch design.
    Worn under his Shadowslayer clothes, and by some trick of space manipulation, fits perfectly well under said clothes despite them being bulkier.

    More context:
    The ChaosRipjaw (correctly spelled Chao'sri'p'jaw) is a monstrous Eldritch beast that Caeos Essence managed to capture and contain in a powerful prison. Its powers are unknown, but surely it must be extremely powerful, possibly belonging to a different pantheon. It is rumored this is the reason Crizox still has not eliminated Caeos for his many betrayals.
    The creature's appearance is said to be "incomprehensible." To gaze upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw is to perceive madness itself; the mind can only make out the creature in parts, which is why (the very rare) accounts of its appearance differ so widely.
    It is said that Caeos has bound the Chao'sri'p'jaw as part of his Soul Release.
    Most of Caeos's techniques, which resemble daemonic powers but give off a much stranger, heavier aura, are probably based upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw and its unearthly powers.
    A single tendril from the Chao'sri'p'jaw dwarfs the Soul Releases of the [REDACTED] combined.

    Not sure if it was clear above, but the blood that soaks the Sliiker's blade is none other than the Chao'sri'p'jaw's blood.

    Upon crossing to this universe, Caeos's connection with the Chao'sri'p'jaw was almost severed. The Chao'sri'p'jaw howls when Caeos attempts to summon one of its tendrils, but the barrier between its dimension and the place of NO dimension cannot be broken.
    Unless the Powers will it, the Chao'sri'p'jaw cannot be summoned.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities
    Malevolent Aura:
    "You don't know what it's like to face him. The aura . . . I can't explain it. It's like feeling planets brought to bear on top of you. Massive shadows that weigh down on your very soul."
    "Demonic?"
    "No . . . alien."
    Caeos's Malevolent Aura is his immense qigong, which gives him superhuman abilities that (poetically) border on godlike --- speed, strength, agility, and endurance.
    The Aura also has the ability to drain beings of their life force. To do this, he must get in close and get a grab on the opponent. This triggers the opponent's life force to be absorbed into Caeos.
    The sustaining power of the Malevolent Aura allows Caeos to fight endlessly for long periods of time without tiring. He can also go for long periods of time without food or water, and cease respiration for an unnatural period of time.
    Despite its name and the dark presence it gives off, the Malevolent Aura is not demonic in origin. Rather, it was based on the forces he is always around, namely that of demonic presences.
    The life force draining ability is to be used with caution. A life force drain is best used in a one on one duel, since most often times the life force absorbed is incompatible with Caeos's own qigong. Time must be spent to equalize the excess life force, lest a life threatening qi imbalance occurs. (Ex: an ice-based user would be dangerous to absorb, as the cold aura could freeze Caeos to death.)
    Gravity Shift:
    Caeos has flawless balance, thanks to the ability to shift his center of gravity at will. It is almost impossible to knock him off balance, as he merely needs to transfer his center of gravity to stay upright.
    "The ways of the hell realm are not the ways of the earth . . ."
    It should be noted that his techniques far surpass that of his disciples who are taught the same combat techniques due to the Gravity Shift.
    Way of the Hellfire: Caeos's signature barehanded combat style. Exceedingly brutal, extremely quick, and "reeking of daemonic aura," it is purportedly modeled after the fighting style of the feared Hellfire Knights.
    The Hellfire's stance imitates the clawed hands and bowed posture of a Hellfire Knight daemon.
    Techniques include: Rapid Punch, Hellish Fist, Sharp Elbows, Hell Palm, Rapid Death Punch, Throat Knife Hand, Shoulder Knife Hand, Tri-Kick, Dragon's Tail, Scorpion's Pincer, Rising Mountain/Hammer Kick, Flying Kick, Directional Kick, Shoulder Kick, Brutal Knee.
    Hellwind Swordplay: The feared, legendary sword technique that proves more than a match for the other [REDACTED].
    The Hellwind Swordplay is a one handed sword art. The sheer speed at which the Hellwind moves outmatches most other sword techniques, while the flurry of wild and random attacks like a howling storm is sure to overpower any conventional techniques.
    The technique is so fast that Caeos's Sliiker actually leaves an inky red afterimage in its wake.

    Notes:
    - The Way of the Hellfire is actually his only hand-to-hand fighting technique, what I wrote as "techniques" should actually be more akin to "moves" sorry :sweat_smile:. Thus, the Way of the Hellfire is comprised of about 15 moves, all of which should be pretty self explanatory. Also note that the Way of the Hellfire is fast, but nowhere near as fast as the Hellwind Swordplay (the latter of which can be untilized only if he has a sword in the first place).
    - Although Malevolent Aura is sustaining, it does NOT give him any particular healing skills. Injuries fatal or otherwise will still affect him just like an ordinary human. It does help him stave off pain to some degree.
    - Using any technique limits the power of the Malevolent Aura, due to energy being devoted to those techniques instead. Furthermore, keeping up the debilitiating weight of the Malevolent Aura takes its toll on his energy over time.

    Eye Technique: Kyuinshengan:
    The deadly white irises of the Grand Master are a terrifying eye technique: the Nine Yin Divine Eye.
    There are ten techniques used by the Kyuinshengan, though Caeos has only been known to use five, and now of which, only four work and have weakened considerably.
    Eye of Leviathan, the Great Whale: Uncomprehending Eye causes a strange, dizzying vertigo in the target upon eye contact; the feeling of seeing a creature so vast and great it is incomprhensible. The effect slowly builds up the longer eye contact is maintained.
    Eye of Ouroboros, the Great Snake: Soul Staring Eye causes an internal, visceral pain, as though the soul were being pulled out. Even the extremely strong-willed will feel a distinct sense of being violated. This effect is useless on those without guilt in their pasts.
    Eye of Tiamat, the Great Dragon: Fire Sea Eye causes shifts in the flow of heat in the environment, causing objects and even the air to burst into flame.
    Eye of Typhon, the Great Horde: Mind's Deadly Shadow Eye causes many types of sorceries and supernatural abilities to flicker and die within its radius. Attempts to use said sorceries and/or abilities will cause one to hear the overwhelming whispers of all the creatures of the Abyss.
    The Eyes of Leviathan and Ouroboros can be countered through a strong force of will and fighting spirit; in a true battle between warriors it would only really startle the opponent once at the beginning.
    When Caeos uses the Eye of Tiamat, it unfortunately causes him to glance and turn his head much slower than usual, akin to an oar struggling to row through viscous fluid.
    The Eye of Typhon also disables Caeos's own Land Reforming Skill. In addition, the abyss whispering rapidly builds up until it could presumably kill everyone, so a built in failsafe to the technique makes its effect only "pulse" for a few moments. Enough leeway to take down magic-users.
    Due to the slow and possibly useless effects of the Leviathan and Ouroboros eyes respectively, in-character Caeos does not use them in combat.
    NEW: As the different eye techniques poetically refer to different creatures, only one eye technique can be used at a time.
    Land Reforming Skill: This skill, also known as Terraforming, manipulates Caeos's Malevolent Aura to change the very landscape. In an instant, even the Grand Master's stark, cold throne room can become a lavafall with floating obsidian platforms.
    Terraforming encompasses a limited area.
    NEW: Crossing into this universe, to Caeos's dismay, due to the Powers That Be, the Terraforming skill can no longer completely reform the landscape. At most, he can only tear apart a few pieces of the ground to use as floating platforms, and even doing this weakens the heavy atmosphere created by the Malevolent Aura to almost nothing.

    Notes:
    - Added extra conditions to Eye of Leviathan, Eye of Ouroboros, and Eye of Typhon.
    - Took out Eye of Gorgon. It's not something Caeos would use often in-character anyway.

    Personality/Backstory (Optional)
    Included in link for appearance.
    AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 22
    1/12/2020 20:17:33   
      San Robin
    Modzerella
    quote:

    Name: Bartholomew (Bart for short)
    Title: Below-the-belt-Bart,
    Age Range: unknown
    Race: Moglin

    Appearance: Grey fur, black face-mask and a belt with several tools on it. (he’s a Moglin, they don’t wear much)

    Equipment: on his belt there’s 3 sheathed daggers, all are exactly alike, there’s also several small bombs and vials.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities:
    His daggers are ordinary but the sheaths are filled with different kinds of poison:
    A Paralyzing poison that can Paralyze the struck limb of even the greatest beast, albeit for a short while. The deeper the cut the longer the paralysis duration.
    A poison that dilates the blood of the victim causing rapid bleeding to happen after they’re struck.
    A poison that… well, poisons the victim causing damage over time.

    Bombs with several effects:
    A smoke bomb mixed with pepper, in the hope to make the target sneeze like crazy.
    A Flash bomb
    A bomb for pure damage (Explosion is strong enough to seriously hurt, but not wide enough to hit more than one person)
    A bomb that sets your opponent on fire (Think Mini-napalm) (Range same as the regular bomb)

    Bart’s strength isn’t too high (he’s a Moglin after all), but using his tools he can still pack quite a punch. His wit and speed is what has kept him alive all these years.

    Anatomical knowledge: Bart knows to a degree where to strike people for poison to hit the bloodstream easily

    Because of Bart’s fur-color and the softness of it he’s quite adept at stealthing around unseen and unheard.

    Bart’s face-mask is enchanted to function more like a gas-mask, he doesn’t get affected by the smoke from his bombs. He however still cannot see in a smoke screen, nor does it shield him from the flash-bomb.

    Tolerance to pain (Enhanced health), because of Bart’s many alchemical experiments, he has an increased tolerance to all kinds of pain. Punting this Moglin will NOT knock him down.

    Poisonous blood: Because Bart has been in contact with so many poisons his blood has become very poisonous and he has gained a resistance to most other poisons.

    Enhanced jumping potion: Bart can consume this and for an extended duration of time have increased jumping distance (between 5 to 7ft)

    Moglinster rampage: Bart has a fake tooth filled with a mixture similar to the candy that makes moglins go berserk, with this Bart can temporarily transform into a moglinster. This makes him go Feral, greatly increasing his physical ability and height (about 6ft total), but losing his sense of reason and wit, any of his equipment will fall off his body and he will be limited to physical combat. (form for reference: https://i.imgur.com/7qxndmk.png ) A strong enough Blunt-force attack on his head will revert him to his previous form.

    Personality/Backstory:
    Bart was born a Moglin without magic, he couldn’t heal the slightest scratch or cast the simplest of spells. Bart had been an outcast because of this. While all Moglins his age were off to play or to study healing, Bart would be reading, trying to figure out his place in this world.
    One day he stumbled across a book written by a royal alchemist about the various effects that plants and herbs could have, both the good… and the bad. Over time, Bart had memorized the book and its formulas. Brewing potions of all kinds to help adventurers. He had found his place in life.

    Or so he thought.

    One fine day, a group of bandits came to the place Bart called home, they demanded his services to heal their wounded leader. Bart had heard of this group and knew how much suffering they had caused. In a spur-of-the-moment decision he brewed up a bunch of vials and gave them to the group “Enough for everyone to get better than ever!” he exclaimed, as he gave the “Potions” to the group.

    Days later, the news hit the village. The meddling group of marauders had been found lifeless in their base, all still clutching a vial filled with a strange liquid. Authorities passed it off as a case of potions gone bad, but Bart knew better. Bart knew… that he liked it. Soon after, Bart disappeared from the village, never to return. Coincidentally around the same time rumors started about a small shadow that had been seen at the scene of several mysterious incidents. All of which had two things in common: The victims were all feared or hated and the victim would be found with a small cut somewhere on the lower body…
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 23
    1/12/2020 23:48:17   
      Starflame13
    Moderator


    		 1 week down and 2 to go! Loving the bios so far, let's see how many more we can get approved!

    @deathlord45 - short and sweet! We clarified via discord that the Lich can still feel pain/suffer bodily damage (albeit without the worries of blood-loss). Otherwise things look good. Approved!

    @ChaosRipJaw - Thank you for slimming down Caeos a bit! That said, he still has a lot of options available to him - so everything needs to be weakened down a bit if you want to keep all the current abilities. If you want something to remain powerful, limit the variety; if you want variety, limit the power. At the minimum: a character this skilled in melee combat should not have so much magical ability. Choose to keep either the Divine Eye techniques, Malevolent Aura, or the Terraforming. Not all three.

    Now, breaking down the details! Let's start with his weapons. For Sliiker of Crizox - to clarify, when the sword is sheathed, it rests in a film of demon's blood that gives the blade its poisonous properties, and when unsheathed, it emits a noxious cloud that hides the finer details of the blade? If this is correct, please give me a bit of detail of how the cloud would impact someone else - burning eyes, coughing, etc. I would also like a bit more clarity on how deadly the poison is when it scores a direct attack - any sword wound has the potential to be fatal, so a better way to adapt this would be to state that wounds caused by this sword hurt significantly more than the same wound would with a different blade, and leave it at that. Additionally, this is strong enough as-is without the Coagulation ability, especially given the other weapons at your disposal. I would either remove Coagulation, or remover your Demonic Revolver and treat the Coagulated blood as your ranged attacks.

    Speaking of the revolver: this also needs a few more details. Namely: What does it shoot, what is its typical range/power of the shots (try to aim for the level of crossbow bolts in terms of speed/force), and what is the ammo? You mentioned that he lost the initial rounds - is he relying on finding rocks in the battlefields to use as ammo, or is he carrying some on him? In the latter case, a rough estimate as to the amount is needed.

    In terms of the armor: I love the detail of space manipulation that it fits under his clothes, but give a bit more detail on the relative strength of the armor (i.e., is it equal to or stronger than leather? Chainmail? Steel plate?) Keep in mind that the heavier/stronger the armor, the less dexterous Caeos should be.

    If you keep Malevolant Aura: please clarify the enhanced abilities in terms of how they relate to humans - being "better than average" is much easier to work with than "better than all". Additionally, he should not exceed average in every physical aspect - you list speed, strength, agility, *and* endurance. Pick two. Beyond that, a little more clarification on the life drain would be helpful - requiring physical contact is a good method to balance it, but details on the speed at which is exhausts his opponents are needed. Ideally, if he is unable to drain life at all during a prolonged fight, his abilities should have dropped to the average level of a human.

    If you keep the Divine Eyes: - you mentioned two of the eyes (Leviation and Ouroborus) would not be used in combat due to their slow effects. In this case, it is ok to leave them off the bio entirely. As long as the abilities you will be using in combat against your opponents are clearly described, it's ok to reference other abilities in flavor or flashbacks that you do not list in the bio. For the two remaining eye abilities (Tiamat and Typhon), how long can he use the abilities at a time and how clearly does he need to see the objects/opponents for the effects to take place? For Tiamat specifically, a longer-lasting ability should have a gradual build up in heat, whereas a short blink can have a sudden intense burst (as an aside, setting flammable objects on fire instantaneously is ok, setting the air itself on fire is a bit too much!) For Typhon, is it a gradual weakening of magic in the gaze, or a complete and sudden halting of it? The same scale for balance can likely apply.

    If you keep the Land Reforming: I do like how you re-balanced this! Just keep in mind that your ability to interact with the environment will depend heavily on which battlefield you end up in. Some you will be able to tear parts from easily, others not. A bit more detail about what forms of land he can interact with (rocks, water, dust, etc.) would be useful, as would the maximum amount of land he can manipulate at once and for how long he can do so before it returns to its original form (this can be based in either a time limit or an energy drain).

    Lastly, for your Way of the Hellfire, you do not need to list every single move taught in the ability! I will assume that most barehanded fighting techniques contain a significant number of various punches, blocks, kicks, throws, etc. - although if you want to specify which area his technique focuses in, that would be helpful!

    In general you did a really good job in simplifying for your first pass through, especially for your first time submitting a character! We just need to bring it down to the level of the other competitors so they don't end up fighting an Eldritch God by accident. Looking forward to seeing the new version!

    @San Robin - Welcome Cheese :D I think this is the first time I've had someone enter a Moglin, actually! Being such a small character (3 rotten apples tall, as I recall) will put you at a slight disadvantage in the melee fights, so I'm ok with the stronger poisons for the daggers. We discussed some of the finer points of the Moglinster rampage already in a PM, so things there look good. Approved!
    AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 24
    1/13/2020 11:39:22   
    ChaosRipjaw
    How We Roll Winner
    Jun15


    		 Round three for balancing!
    Primary notes: Removed the Divine Eyes and the Land Reforming Skill.

    Name/Title: Caeos Essence, Grand Master Chao'sri'p'jaw
    Age Range: Unknown
    Race: Human
    Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
    Clicky! (Yes, I did make this wiki page.)
    Clicky! x2
    Trademarks include:
    General bishie appearance.
    Shoulder length, dark brown hair that is mostly wavy but is straight over his left eye.
    Hair on the back of the head bundled in a hairpin.
    White irises.
    A great physique although not overly large and is well proportioned, and is actually quite handsome.
    Dark Shadowslayer clothes (split longcoat, scarves, etc. see pictures in link) and a blunt warlock hat.
    Neckwarmer emblazoned with the "Eye of Crizox."
    Somewhat bulky gloves.

    Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.):
    Caeos Essence's primary weapon set is the Ten Swords of Tragedy. (All Ten Swords are not included nor used.)
    Sliiker of Crizox: A weapon fashioned as a claymore longsword, but with the blade almost as thin as a jian. The tip has been sliced off, but it's been trimmed so as to seem designed. To keep the poisonous demon's blood on the blade from weakening, the Sliiker's sheath is a mummified, bandaged, shriveled demon's body. The sheathed Sliiker resembles a mummified demon with a grotesquely long body neck and a shrunken head.
    The Sliiker's blood is sufficient to overpower most types of blood magic, since its corruptive blood contaminates all other blood. By keeping the Sliiker dipped in this liquid, any injury afflicted by the weapon causes agonizing pain and is potentially fatal.
    The blood also emites a noxious mist that resembles tangles of daemons, and its mist makes it hard to tell if the sword is straight or curved.
    The Sliiker's blood also has a special ability called Coagulation. When the blood coagulates, it can be shaped into needles or tentacles, which can also be deployed as traps.

    Piercer's Hairpin: The hairpin when pulled out resembles a jitte (single prong sai) or a stiletto. In a pinch, he can pull the hairpin out to use as a melee weapon. It excels at parrying and stabbing attacks.

    Mindweaver Gauntlet: Caeos's left arm is bandaged down to his fingers; from his finger tips he can emite Mind Control mana tendrils using the Gauntlet.
    The gauntlet itself is actually just a vambrace upon which is a carved skull and a curved spike.
    Upon crossing to this universe, the Gauntlet has stopped working entirely. At best, the tips of his fingers flicker with the vestiges of the mana tendrils, but otherwise the Gauntlet only about as useful as the vambrace it actually is.

    Demonic Revolver: Upon closer inspection, this compact and bulky revolver was crafted long before firearms were even conceptualized. The revolver's thick metal frame glints with runic encarvings and fires powerful rounds. Its sight is in the shape of a demonic sigil.
    Upon crossing to this universe, the rounds loaded in the Revolver have disappeared. He'll have to make do with rocks.
    NEW: He has to find rocks to load into the Revolver. He does not carry rocks with him.
    Rocks fired by the Revolver strike their targets like sledgehammers. However, the Revolver also gives the rocks a slightly unique capability: if the rocks strike an extremely resilient target, it shatters and the dust produce (due to their lesser mass but equal force) that can probably bypass this resilience.
    Although rocks fired by the Revolver are still very powerful, it's unlikely to be lethal. Caeos would likely use the Revolver to stun from a distance, then close in for the kill.
    The Revolver can hold six rounds at any time.

    Notes f/ round 2:
    - Threw out the Anguish Crossbow and the Chakrams.
    - The Hairpin is not a main weapon, it's one of his outfit accessories that happens to be able to be used as a weapon.
    - Mindweaver Gauntlet is literally just a piece of armor now. I guess it can block stuff and use the spike to stab people sort of?
    - Caeos is unused to using weapons other than his own Sliiker. He had several spare swords back when his Truthspeaker held onto to the Sliiker, but those and his Truthspeaker aren't here anymore. If disarmed, he would rather use his bare hands than use a different weapon.

    Notes f/ round 3:
    -When the Sliiker's poison cloud makes contact, the afflicted has the sensation of thousands of tiny demons ripping at their flesh. Also, the poison cloud looks like it's actively reaching for you when the Sliiker is swung; the assumption is most people would feel repulsed by such a sight and try to avoid it.
    -The poison cloud makes it hard to tell if the Sliiker is straight of curved (it's actually straight). The idea is that in a pitched battle, it could make the opponent misjudge their distance from the blade, resulting in them getting cut.
    -When the Sliiker's poison makes a glancing cut, the poison slowly works its way through the blood vessels and muscles to corrupt and shut down the body. However, it can be stopped like a snakebite by cutting off bloodflow from the affected area. You have to draw out and destroy the corrupted blood though, otherwise the affected area can "demonically necrotize" beyond repair.
    -As for a direct hit, yeah I guess it doesn't really make any difference whether the blade was poisoned or not. It just makes sure the opponent is dead and will stay dead.
    -Removed Coagulation. The "inky red afterimage" described in Hellwind Swordplay is traces of the poison left behind in the air, which should more than compensate for that.

    Armor:
    Eldritch Armor: Stylized combat armor based on the appearance of the ChaosRipjaw beast. Its strange stylization vaguely incorporates elements of sharks, although a detailed description is difficult to its incomprehensible Eldritch design.
    Worn under his Shadowslayer clothes, and by some trick of space manipulation, fits perfectly well under said clothes despite them being bulkier.

    Notes f/ round 3:
    - The intention of the Eldritch armor is not to tank blows, but to deflect them. A sword stab would be easily glanced off, while a crushing blow with a large warhammer isn't going to be easily shrugged off (that's what skills are for).
    - While under his clothes, it doesn't hamper his movement much. However, he could throw off his outer coat to expose the armor. The incomprehensible Eldritch appearance is supposed to be unnerving, and the adornments when fully exposed would offer better deflection, but doing this would then hamper his dexterity due to its bulkiness. (The exposed armor is good for armed combat, not hand to hand).
    - If this gets in his way too much, he can shed this armor and go barechested, similarly to Genichiro, Way of Tomoe, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

    More context:
    The ChaosRipjaw (correctly spelled Chao'sri'p'jaw) is a monstrous Eldritch beast that Caeos Essence managed to capture and contain in a powerful prison. Its powers are unknown, but surely it must be extremely powerful, possibly belonging to a different pantheon. It is rumored this is the reason Crizox still has not eliminated Caeos for his many betrayals.
    The creature's appearance is said to be "incomprehensible." To gaze upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw is to perceive madness itself; the mind can only make out the creature in parts, which is why (the very rare) accounts of its appearance differ so widely.
    It is said that Caeos has bound the Chao'sri'p'jaw as part of his Soul Release.
    Most of Caeos's techniques, which resemble daemonic powers but give off a much stranger, heavier aura, are probably based upon the Chao'sri'p'jaw and its unearthly powers.
    A single tendril from the Chao'sri'p'jaw dwarfs the Soul Releases of the [REDACTED] combined.

    Not sure if it was clear above, but the blood that soaks the Sliiker's blade is none other than the Chao'sri'p'jaw's blood.

    Upon crossing to this universe, Caeos's connection with the Chao'sri'p'jaw was almost severed. The Chao'sri'p'jaw howls when Caeos attempts to summon one of its tendrils, but the barrier between its dimension and the place of NO dimension cannot be broken.
    Unless the Powers will it, the Chao'sri'p'jaw cannot be summoned.

    Skills, Spells, Special Abilities
    Malevolent Aura:
    "You don't know what it's like to face him. The aura . . . I can't explain it. It's like feeling planets brought to bear on top of you. Massive shadows that weigh down on your very soul."
    "Demonic?"
    "No . . . alien."
    Caeos's Malevolent Aura is his immense qigong, which gives him superhuman abilities that (poetically) border on godlike --- speed, strength, agility, and endurance.
    The Aura also has the ability to drain beings of their life force. To do this, he must get in close and get a grab on the opponent. This triggers the opponent's life force to be absorbed into Caeos.
    The sustaining power of the Malevolent Aura allows Caeos to fight endlessly for long periods of time without tiring. He can also go for long periods of time without food or water, and cease respiration for an unnatural period of time.
    Despite its name and the dark presence it gives off, the Malevolent Aura is not demonic in origin. Rather, it was based on the forces he is always around, namely that of demonic presences.
    The life force draining ability is to be used with caution. A life force drain is best used in a one on one duel, since most often times the life force absorbed is incompatible with Caeos's own qigong. Time must be spent to equalize the excess life force, lest a life threatening qi imbalance occurs. (Ex: an ice-based user would be dangerous to absorb, as the cold aura could freeze Caeos to death.)
    Gravity Shift:
    Caeos has flawless balance, thanks to the ability to shift his center of gravity at will. It is almost impossible to knock him off balance, as he merely needs to transfer his center of gravity to stay upright.
    "The ways of the hell realm are not the ways of the earth . . ."
    It should be noted that his techniques far surpass that of his disciples who are taught the same combat techniques due to the Gravity Shift.
    Way of the Hellfire:
    Caeos's signature barehanded combat style. Exceedingly brutal, extremely quick, and "reeking of daemonic aura," it is purportedly modeled after the fighting style of the feared Hellfire Knights.
    The Hellfire's stance imitates the clawed hands and bowed posture of a Hellfire Knight daemon.
    Techniques include: Rapid Punch, Hellish Fist, Sharp Elbows, Hell Palm, Rapid Death Punch, Throat Knife Hand, Shoulder Knife Hand, Tri-Kick, Dragon's Tail, Scorpion's Pincer, Rising Mountain/Hammer Kick, Flying Kick, Directional Kick, Shoulder Kick, Brutal Knee.
    Hellwind Swordplay:
    The feared, legendary sword technique that proves more than a match for the other [REDACTED].
    The Hellwind Swordplay is a one handed sword art. The sheer speed at which the Hellwind moves outmatches most other sword techniques, while the flurry of wild and random attacks like a howling storm is sure to overpower any conventional techniques.
    The technique is so fast that Caeos's Sliiker actually leaves an inky red afterimage in its wake.

    Notes f/ round 2:
    - The Way of the Hellfire is actually his only hand-to-hand fighting technique, what I wrote as "techniques" should actually be more akin to "moves" sorry :sweat_smile:. Thus, the Way of the Hellfire is comprised of about 15 moves, all of which should be pretty self explanatory. Also note that the Way of the Hellfire is fast, but nowhere near as fast as the Hellwind Swordplay (the latter of which can be untilized only if he has a sword in the first place).
    - Although Malevolent Aura is sustaining, it does NOT give him any particular healing skills. Injuries fatal or otherwise will still affect him just like an ordinary human. It does help him stave off pain to some degree, (NEW:) and also let him move about as though he were uninjured by way of movement optimization.
    - Using any technique limits the power of the Malevolent Aura, due to energy being devoted to those techniques instead. Furthermore, keeping up the debilitating weight of the Malevolent Aura takes its toll on his energy over time.

    Notes f/ round 3:
    - Malevolent Aura drains his speed, especially when flexing it (that is, causing the heavy atmosphere). That's why he can't flex it when using Hellwind Swordplay.
    - Malevolent Aura, the qigong, is the basis of many of his skills including Way of the Hellfire and Gravity Shift.
    - The life drain ability sort of depends on the opponent's own strength. A purely physical-only opponent shouldn't take more than a few seconds, while a purely magic-only opponent would take at least a few minutes, with the added danger of the excess energy being incompatible with Caeos's own. Typically, the life drain is used to break out of deadlocks or struggles; once the opponent realizes that it's a life drain, they will try to break out of the grip, and Caeos will release them. Also, the energy absorbed by life drain is incompatible pretty much 90% of the time.
    - The life drain isn't meant to be used as the main source of fuel for Malevolent Aura. Malevolent Aura itself is a neigong cultivation technique. (see Neigong on Wikipedia).
    - About the Way of the Hellfire, the list of moves I listed were actually for me to visualize its attack style. If you wanted to summarize the attack style in one word, I supposed it would be . . . domination.
    - In general, imagine Caeos as powerful as the Jade Warlord from the Forbidden Kingdom. (Not sure what was going on with him getting utterly wrecked by the Monkey King toward the end, that shouldn't happen as easily with Caeos).

    Personality/Backstory (Optional)
    Included in link for appearance.
    AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 25
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