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RE: =Elemental Championships 2021= OOC & Tournament Signups

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7/13/2021 9:37:11   
deathlord45
Member

@Starflame13 - Both of your assumptions are correct. Helio Sprites match humans point for point. Eyes of the Sun is primarily to see in the dark.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 26
7/13/2021 20:27:29   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 My thanks for everyone's patience as I wrapped up my own move! Now, more bios! Keep them coming!

@Apocalypse - Good to see you back again! I'm excited for Crail/C.R.A.I.L - just a few spots that need clarification and nerfing.

Before that, a quick note I want to get out of the way first, more general than directed at you specifically: The idea of a Spite attack in Finals is one that the targets are asked to take with greater severity than a standard attack. While on occasion I have worked with writers to allow them to stretch slightly beyond the means of their bio to make said final attack more spectacular, the ability to do so is at my discretion alone. The idea of allowing an attack to be more powerful specifically so it can be used as a Spite option is not something I take into account while balancing. As such, any "Ultimate" or "Final" attacks are balanced in the greater context of abilities that could be used at any time - rather than the over-the-top abilities occasionally allowed for a Spite.

Now, the balancing! First taking a look at C.R.A.I.L.'s Cyro-Regulation - In an average situation (aka, upon entering the arena) - what baseline percentage does C.R.A.I.L. tend to keep the power level at? I'm assuming relatively high, which is fine. The second bit here I want to know about is the vents, and specifically the ice trails left in the wake of the vapor blasts. Can C.R.A.I.L. emit said blasts from all vent locations, and do the ice trails they leave behind act physically like normal ice? If so, I'm a bit worried about your ability to turn the arena into an ice-skating rink. Either I'd have the ice trails act more like dry ice, in that they evaporate much more quickly than normal - or I'd like you to decrease the range of these vapor blasts down to 10 feet.

Second, Glacial Legacy. While I understand this is an ultimate all-or-nothing ability, it's still does too much: you have a decent area of effect, a fairly large range it can be dropped in, damaging spikes, binding ice, and temperatures cold enough to severely impair the targets. My inclination would be to keep the size/range, and then pick one of the three between spikes, entrapment, and frostbite (although either the first two can be accompanied by a lesser chill effect if desired).

Nothing major, so looking forward to seeing the revisions!

@nield - Things are looking good! I touched base with you via PMs for some minor clarifications driven by the spoiler-tagged ability, but beyond that I think we're all set. Approved!

@deathlord45 - thanks for the clarifications, then! Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 27
7/13/2021 22:29:28   
Apocalypse
Member

Round two with changed boldened.



Name: Crail/C.R.A.I.L.
Age: 100 years old (approximately 60-70 in human years in both aging and maturity)
Race: Vartai
Element: Ice

Appearance

Crail Verglasson is a member of the vartai, a race of draconic humanoids. In their base form, they are very much like humans in appearance and ability, the main differences being their variety of skin colors as well as draconic features such as horns and wings.

In his primal form, Crail stands over nine feet tall, and is covered in scales of arctic blue that fade to white at the edges. His head takes after his draconic heritage in this form, with a long snout, a mouth with multiple rows of jagged teeth, and sharp ridges of dorsal-like scales running from his brow to the back of his head and down to his spine. His single remaining organic eye burns with an amber iris.

After a near fatal incident, Crail’s body was recovered and much of it was enhanced, infused, or replaced with mechanical parts. The only visible parts of his original body are his head, neck, and left shoulder. Crail’s maw is held shut by an ivory piece of metal that spews mist with every breath. One of his eyes has been replaced with a cyber-arcanic one, with a pinpoint red pupil surrounded by a sea of black.

The metal encompassing the vast majority of Crail’s frame is a stark white, shaped in plates not too dissimilar from heavy armor. In the center of his back is a glowing blue orb that is visible beneath a sheet of augmented prism glass. This glass webs out in a symmetric series of bright blue lines that stretch across his limbs and wrap around his torso to overlay his ribs. They pulse with a soft cyan light. Alongside his forearms, lower legs, and back run a series of vents. Noticeably, his right forearm is bulkier than his left due to the presence of stygian black steel.

Abilities

C.R.A.I.L.

While Crail is the vartai, the mechanical form is controlled by the program C.R.A.I.L. (Cryo-Regulated Artificially Intelligent Logika). While C.R.A.I.L. was crafted to be an artificial intelligence, it falls short in being a true consciousness due to its construction being incomplete. Currently, it is more of an automated thought process whose goal is to most efficiently and effectively follow the last command given to it. C.R.A.I.L. controls the body most of the time, but Crail can wrestle control away for short periods when the logika is running low on stored energy. In this sense, the struggle between C.R.A.I.L. and Crail is less two entities struggling against one another and more akin to the seasoned warrior suppressing his frenzied rage.

C.R.A.I.L. has access to the vartai’s bodily might, as well as the numerous advantages of the mechanical form. Crail does not benefit from any ability granted by the mechanical aspect of his body, nor can he control them in any sense of the word.

Cryo-Regulation

The sphere implanted in the vartai’s back is a minor elemental orb of ice, which generates the magical energy both to power the metallic body as well as permanently maintain his primal form. This energy is transferred via the prism glass running along Crail’s body. While the elemental orb is constantly generating this power and in a sense is infinite, the rate at which it does so is limited. Furthermore, the being that is Crail/C.R.A.I.L. must maintain a delicate balance. Upon reaching 91.802% capacity, the stored power begins to overcome the vartai’s superior ice resistance which can lead to permanent damage. Too little and Crail threatens C.R.A.I.L.’s control over their being (this occurs at approximately 40% of stored power). The orb would generate power until C.R.A.I.L. can use its powers to subdue Crail’s consciousness. While C.R.A.I.L only needs thirty seconds to a minute to reach approximately 60% capacity and seize back control, this can invite a vicious cycle where balance is continually tipped back and forth until the current threat is over. In times of peace when there is no threat, C.R.A.I.L. maintains an average of stored power between 85-90%.

The vents on the back, arms, and legs serve as a way to expel surplus power to maintain a proper balance, as when not engaged in strenuous activity, the orb’s output excels the mechanical body’s needs for functioning. As such, at most times a gentle mist will emit from these vents. This can be concentrated into a strong stream of opaque vapor capable of knocking arrows from their flight or javelins off course while also leaving a thin layer of ice along what it impacts. This thin layer is largely negligible, akin to morning frost which shatters easily, melts quickly in even temperate environments, and is not enough to slip on unless one tried. These streams have an effective range of twenty feet and are a minor net loss for C.R.A.I.L.’s stored power. By utilizing all of the vents, C.R.A.I.L. can generate a mist cloud ten feet in diameter centered on his form. Its temperature is uncomfortable for most creatures and obscures vision for several seconds, after which it naturally dissipates. This is a moderate net loss for his stored power.

From the left wrist, C.R.A.I.L. can generate a four foot long sword of ice called the Edge of Absolute Zero. While razor sharp, it is only as durable as standard ice. It is, however, far colder. So cold that whatever it breaks against is infused with a great abundance of cold energy. Metal becomes brittle and thus easier to mangle, dent, or otherwise damage, and flesh receives frostbite in the first few layers of skin. In both instances, the effects increase with subsequent exposures unless the affected target manages to warm itself in the time in-between. Each blade formation results in a major net loss for C.R.A.I.L.’s stored power, with an increasing net loss the longer the blade is maintained.

If the orb is somehow destroyed or removed (no easy feat in either case), C.R.A.I.L. would run on borrowed time with what power remained in its system. Even at full power, this would last some ninety seconds before the power waned and Crail was given the reins - perhaps permanently.

Artificially Intelligent

While C.R.A.I.L. is in control, it has full access to Crail’s fighting experience, though it in-general prefers a more tactical, defensive style. The program used to be capable of great computations, but damage to the system without a trusted servicer prevents most of what would be beyond a moderately intelligent humanoid. Its ability of deduction from present environmental stimuli remains high but within humanoid capability.

C.R.A.I.L. is capable of understanding over a dozen languages, though Crail himself is not.

Logika

The right eye was developed through cyber-arcanum and is capable of thermal vision and nightvision as well as seeing both infrared and ultraviolet light. This allows C.R.A.I.L. to see through its own mist clouds and, amongst other things, determine what are illusions at a glance. Crail is limited to solely his organic eye when he is in control, leaving him blind in the mechanical eye.

The prism glass is sturdier than its namesake, similar to bronze. When broken, it emits a frigid blast of cryonic energy which is sufficient to cause frostbite to exposed skin and chill objects in the same way as the Edge of Absolute Zero. After this burst, the cryonic energy seals the break with crystalized ice, though not before a severe loss of stored power.

The stygian steel on the right arm can be formed into a double-headed battle axe called the Twin Fang upon mental command from C.R.A.I.L., which constructs itself over the right hand. It is attached to a ten foot long chain residing in the arm, and the axe head can be launched as a projectile with a minor amount of cryonic power. The chain can be retracted upon mental command. Crail cannot alter the state of the Twin Fang when in control, whether it is constructed, deconstructed, on its chain, or locked in place over his hand.

Crail/C.R.A.I.L. is a logika, a living body combined with mechanical parts and an artificially intelligent mind. The obsidian plates of its body are as enduring as mastercrafted steel, and while they show signs of wear from numerous combats, it is only a tribute to their durability.

Vartai Heritage

Of Frost and Fury

A vartai of considerable power, Crail was a berserker of his clan through and through. With the strength of a giant and scales hard as iron, he relies on his power and durability to carry him to victory. Carrying the might of three men his size in his primal form, Crail tore through lines of his foes in a violent frenzy. His self-preservation is remarkably less than his C.R.A.I.L. counterpart, and indeed less than most warriors who brave the battlefield. Despite this, none can deny that of the two Crail Verglasson is the far more pressing foe in martial combat.

Glacial Legacy

Crail descends from the ice dragons of old, granting him great resistance to the frigid cold. His lineage also grants him access to a powerful breath weapon in his primal form, which freezes an area within a fifteen foot diameter within thirty feet of him. Spikes of ice form two to three feet in length to pierce, and the frigid temperatures are highly uncomfortable to creatures unprepared or lacking natural defenses against the cold.
While powerful, this would revert Crail back into his base form, which is incompatible with the logika modifications. Doing so would guarantee certain death in mere moments, hence why his maw has been sealed shut to prevent the self-destructive vartai from bringing ruin to the logika.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 28
7/14/2021 21:05:36   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Another day, another bio! Looking forward to another rush this weekend.

@Apocalyps - thank you for the changes! Everything looks good, so we've got our first Ice competitor! Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 29
7/19/2021 21:19:15   
Necro-Knight
Member

Take (three) two! :D Changes are in bold-italics!



Name/Title: Krehgor

Element: Earth

Age: 32

Race: Mutated human.

Appearance: Reaching a healthy 5’11, Krehgor appears relatively normal if one could only see his right half. His form is lean and thin-muscled from years of acrobatic experience during spelunking sessions and crypt-robberies, along with a paler complexion from hours spent underground. This hobby also added numerous scars from temporary losses of footing and undead crypt guardians. A long face with sharp cheekbones and chin is framed by a head of messy chocolate-brown hair that curls at the back, reaching the base of his neck when combed ( if it’s ever combed).

Sage-green eyes are sharp beneath dark brows, being naturally drawn to shining objects and full mugs alike. Straying from his human traits, the man’s form twists terribly, starting at his sternum and reaching down the entire left side of his abdomen and arm. A chitinous shell of dark bone wraps around the fungus-infused muscles of his left side like armor, seeming to have grown from within. The ebony plates of exo-skeleton interlock across his bicep, forearm and ribs, only softening at the joints to allow for his much-needed range of movement. In these gaps of the armor, a soft crimson glow is seen pulsating from within and beneath each plate. The rapid growth of calcium and musculature finalizes at his fingertips, where the bones have extended to create a full set of powerful claws.

His attire is typically durable and efficient, if not simple. Worn trousers wrapped in thick leathers to reduce the cut of cave rocks, as well as heavy boots built to find solid purchase on nearly any surface or break the teeth of some ancient crypt-dweller. A black leather vest similar to the material wrapping his legs is visible beneath the folds of a one-sleeved duster coat, allowing freedom for his misshapen right limb.

Completing the rustic attire is a wide, curve-brimmed hat, more befitting a ship captain of some ancient variety, though Krehgor would swear it suits him better than the corpse he picked it from.

Equipment/Weapons:

Witch-Kissed Duster coat: Paid for with every last silver he could empty from his pockets and borrow from the local tavern waitress, Krehgor’s long black coat was enchanted by the same Witch that saved his life post-infection, enhanced to disperse blunt force and magic alike across its surface, allowing for the impact of things such as arrows and bolts of typical magic to be spread out across the spell's tight aura. Impacts of sufficient power, such as the iron bolt from a heavy crossbow would, while not piercing the material, still break bones and bruise muscle tissue from the sheer force if taken directly.

This also helps the coat be resistant to typical elemental spells, scattering momentary degrees of extreme heat and cold over the material, though a consistent flow of direct magic would overload the enchantment quickly and burn through the coat’s material. When triggering, the impacted area of the coat flares with bright golden runes, growing brighter until either the attack ends or the spell is overloaded and breaks entirely.

If the enchantment is overloaded, the coat loses its magical properties across its entire surface, needing a significant amount of time ( 5 minutes roughly) for the spell to reconstruct itself. Any other articles of Krehgor’s clothing offer no magical protection.

SporeShot: Originally a crude and rustic hand-crossbow, Krehgor’s accident not only left his body mutated by the strange fungal substance. Aiming to collect his belongings and escape, the tomb raider unknowingly spread the infection to his crossbow before succumbing to the pathogen in his bloodstream. Twisted and gnarled with a solid fungal shell, the former bow only vaguely resembles its former self, now featuring a barrel reaching roughly nine inches in length and smoking with black vapors from the potent fungal spores within.

Pulling the trigger, Krehgor is able to fire off one of the six fungal thorns (one-inch shards of pure fungal biomass) nestled inside the weapon’s chamber, with roughly a 5 second delay between each trigger pull. While carrying enough force to pierce typical leathers, the weapon is unable to fire through layered plate armor, as it has no gunpowder to produce such force.

A second “chamber” of fungal spikes is nestled onto his belt, grown and cultivated personally as he learned to benefit from his mutations, needing 25 seconds once settled into the firearm for the spikes to mature and be fire-ready.

Upon impact with an organic creature, the spike immediately delivers a dosage of fungal spores into the victim’s body. This slowly starts to result in a powerful cough as oxygen becomes choked through the growing fungal infection and a loss of balance as the infection attempts to disrupt the signals traveling through the victim's muscles. A growing fever is also a symptom if the target has an immune system to respond to the fungal invader.

Removing the fungal shot from the impact point will cease the flow of fungal material and let symptoms fade rapidly, while multiple shots will hasten the infection process and the damage caused from it.

Black Claws: With his finger bones growing into a wide claw of midnight-black talons from his mutation, Krehgor is able to shred flesh with relative ease. One sharp thorn protrudes from each knuckle, which when injected into a victim, will provide the same infection as a SporeShot round. These thorns can be removed in just the same way to stop the infection.

Twisting Talon: His last “official” job for a royal family rewarded the grave-robber with a devilishly-sharp kukri knife and he typically wields the curved blade in his right fist, preferring reverse-grip slashes and cuts to balance out the more brutal attacks of his left arm. Also enchanted by the Witch upon his rescue and healing, the knife is able to reflect roughly half of the force it is struck by, aiming to make knocking away enemy weapons easier and providing an opening. This enchantment is only able to activate roughly once every 30 seconds.

Skills, Spells, Special Abilities:

Mutation Armor - Thanks to the fungal hide running along the left side of his form, Krehgor hasn’t needed to worry about injuries from his line of work in some time. The bone-shell that grew from within his arm provides a powerful and natural armor through rapid cell regrowth when sustaining a wound, though consistent damage will gradually overwhelm this healing potential and does nothing to actually hide the pain of the injuries.

Expert Acrobat - Having spent years crawling, jumping and climbing through echoing caverns, Krehgor’s ability to twist his body at a moment’s notice is at its peak. A standing position can turn into a rolling hand-spring or a back-flip with near-perfect execution. Slick and difficult surfaces hinder this skill, naturally, preventing him from finding solid enough footing.

Ebony Strength - Reinforced by its armored shell, the tomb raider is able to deliver blows with his twisted arm surpassing the strength of a human in their prime. With enough motivation, Krehgor can crack a stone pathway or smash his fist through a typical brick wall. This inhuman strength only applies to his mutated arm and he is unable to channel it in any other way.

Fungal Fervor - While the mutation was stopped at his left side, the spore’s cells still inhabit Krehgor’s full body, strengthening his muscles and bones with as much enhanced properties as they can without fully changing him. This allows him to fight, run and put his body through stressful experiences beyond that of a normal prime human. Exhaustion is prolonged though and not impossible, as much as he may argue otherwise.
DF MQ AQW  Post #: 30
7/20/2021 0:10:22   
markthematey
Member

Name: Rey
Element: Earth
Age: 21
Race: Human

“Nice to meet ya! Come take a seat with me, can’t get to know ya if you’re all the way over there!”

Appearance: Rey is a male human that is 5’7. He has short blond hair and strange silver irises that almost appear to glow. He wears a black pants with leather chaps over it, brown roper boots, a fine white shirt with cufflinks and a muted grey poncho over it. Under the poncho he wears fancy leather armor. He wears a black v-shaped hat.

Skills and special abilities:

Timeless Sight: Rey can freeze inanimate objects in time and space that he can see when he freezes it. The objects are locked in time and when unfrozen the object maintains previous momentum it had before it was frozen. These objects can be moved while frozen but it is difficult and the more mass the object has the harder it is to move. Once frozen, Rey doesn’t have to continue looking at it to maintain it being stopped in time. The objects “equipped’ or being manipulated by another person can’t be frozen but he can use his abilities on his own equipment. The more Rey freezes the more stress is put on his eyes and the harder it is to maintain. Over exerting himself will strain his eyes and can lead to permanent blindness. He can freeze any given object for up to a minute, that is within 15 feet, and a combined weight of 25 pounds. Objects can be refrozen if he looks at it again and unfrozen at will. He can freeze solids or liquids but not gasses or energy. Furthermore, Rey must not only see the object but must be able to react to it as well to stop it. If Rey stops seeing an object or moves further than 15 feet the object remains frozen but he can still unfreeze it at will.

Skills: Is proficient in sword and dagger combat and using his own ability. He is an expert at throwing daggers as well. Rey is also rather agile and mobile but not unnaturally so. He is above average but no master in his most basic melee combat.



Equipment:

Brass Arm: His right arm is a mechanical brass arm. A grappling hook can shoot out from the top center of the arm. The grappling hook can go a maximum of 30 feet. Brass is highly conductive as well.

Belt pouches and pack:
3 bags of weighted caltrops (20 per)
2 bag of weighted highly magnetic caltrops (20 per)
2 sticks of dynamite
2 shrapnel black powder bombs
1 jar of oil
2 jar of Greek fire bomb (the Greek fire explodes in and sets a short lasting flame in a 5 foot area.
1 heavy blanket (on right of pack)
5 feet of thin wire on a spool(used for trip line traps)
Flint and steel
Matches (to light fuses)
6 throwing daggers in a pouch (two are specifically highly magnetic) (2 have thin but strong metal line that attaches to the brass arm itself)
Bolas (on bottom of back)
Large Net (on left of pack)
torch

Tyrannus: A magical dagger Rey was found within his cradle. It is a long straight Stiletto dagger but the words “Sic Semper Tyrannis” are embedded into the hilt. The blade's magical effect is that it can’t be more than 50 feet away from Rey at any given point. It will fly straight towards him at high speeds, blade first if so. He learned he can compel it to return to him by speaking its name. If the blade manages to go more than 200 feet away it will dematerialize and reappear by his feet or any other open space as close to him as possible.

Personality / Backstory

Rey is charismatic and talkative. He’s normally an optimist and always manages to get out of even the most dire of situations. His bubbly personality and positive outlook makes him get along with most people. He strives to live a quiet life where he can watch the sun rise and set without worry but knows that he is far away from reaching that goal.

Rey never had a last name and lived from house to house while growing up in the deserts. Before he was born he was cursed with terrible luck that made it hard for him to stay in one place for long. He was found in a cradle as a baby left in the desert with his dagger. It wasn’t long til he learned of his gift in his eyes and started to put it to use. He grew into quite the people's person and got along with nearly all of his caretakers but they never seemed to keep him along for long because of the string of bad luck that always followed him. Rey was never able to live peacefully as he always wanted. Recently, his luck has led him into dire circumstances. He wishes to get the boon to erase his curse and live the peaceful life he has longed for.

“Now I’ve seen many suns fall and moons rise but I'm yet to find the one that fills my eyes and leaves nothing but peaceful bliss.”
Post #: 31
7/20/2021 1:43:00   
Dragonknight315
Member

Name: Albus Gwenyth Servo
Race: Chimera-kin
Gender: Male
Age: Around 40ish years

Element: Light

“Gods, people, magic, science— They’re all the same, just tools to survive another day.”

---Appearance: When one first sees Albus, one first sees an animal, a lion. Sharp golden eyes, white fur with black spots, long clawed hands and feet. But Albus is so much more than a lion. Two black ram horns spiral out from his forehead. Beneath his robes, an ebon scaled tail sways back and forth. Albus is a Chimeran, born with the blood of human and animalkind. With his natural slouch, he stands around 5 feet 11 inches. He is clothed with simple leathers and a brown cloak that descends to his knees, clean and practical. His left hand and leg are covered with bandages so thoroughly that his skin is hidden save for his paws. Notably, while the claws and digits on his right side are black, those on his left are a pale white. He carries a leather haversack that covers most of his back.

---Equipment: In his years, Albus has dabbled in many trades. As an alchemist, apothecary, engineer, and former soldier, he relies on his tools for the job at hand. Across his person are a plethora of items.

Potions: Alchemy was Albus’s first love. Hanging from his belt is a pouch containing three filled glass vials and a few pouches of assorted powder. On their own, the vials are inert with no effects. Once mixed, however, they can take one of two effects based on the powder:

Sunsear Potion - When Albus uses the yellow powder, the vial starts to glow loud with sunlight. Once primed, Albus can throw the vial and when it shatters, it explodes akin to a flashbang grenade. The burst of sound can potentially deafen and stagger an combatant (including Albus) with a range of 25 feet, with worse effects the closer in proximity to the explosion and lesser effects closer to the edge. Likewise, anyone caught looking directly at the explosion within 15 feet could suffer from seared eyes or temporary blindness. Both of these effects would have a slightly larger range in a dark and enclosed environment.

Alchemist’s Baptism - When Albus uses the blue powder, the vial glows with faint blue light and bubbles violently. Contact with the light-infused liquid burns akin to holy water. At first the sensation is milder, but as it seeps into the skin over the course of a minute, the afflicted areas burn with more intensity. If the victim happened to be undead or unholy in nature, the effects would be even more severe.

Due to the volatile nature of these potions, Albus must mix the powder with the vials and shake them right before their use. If Albus attempts to hold the potions for too long, the reaction can cause these vials to blow up in Albus’s face. He must be careful when using them as to not be caught up in their radius. Furthermore, while Albus has enough powder to spare, he has only three vials of liquid reagent to use.

spoiler:

Liquid Divinity - The fruit of Albus’s entire career, the chimeran has one final potion stashed away in a hidden part of his backpack. Contained within an ornate golden vial, this glowing white liquid carries the distilled essence of a divine spark. Imbued with a fraction of its true power, this potion can miraculously heal grievous wounds, albeit at a cost. When consumed, the user is completely healed of all injuries over the course of around two minutes. Open wounds, missing limbs, etc. During this time, the user will experience intense pain as the afflicted areas are replaced with a rigid, rubbery like substance. This new alabaster flesh is still completely functional, but it is sluggish, hard to control, and the user cannot feel anything in the afflicted area. Due to the unique nature of this potion, it can only be used once in the competition. If Albus drinks it in his first fight, I do not plan to have it restored for the finals, and any effects resulting from it will be sustained.


Warhammer: His main form of weaponry, Albus wields a large two-handed warhammer. It may be somewhat crude, but it served Albus well enough in his youth, and it is just as effective now. Cast from a single piece of blackened metal, his warhammer is immensely heavy. Attached to the top of the long handle, one side of the warhammer has a solid face for blunt trauma. The other side has a single spike for piercing armor. With its sheer weight combined with Albus’s own strength, it can easily overpower all but the strongest defenses.

Flintlock Pistols: In a pinch, Albus carries two flintlock pistols strapped to the inside of his coat. Each of these pistols can only fire a single shot, and Albus cannot reload them during the trial. They have an effective range of around 15-20 feet. Any farther, and the metal balls become too inaccurate. It is unlikely for a shot to pierce metal armor, but it can pass through leather and flesh with ease.

Mana Siphon: Lastly, Albus carries a magitech contraption that makes up the bulk of his backpack. If one were to peer inside, one would find a haphazard mess of twisting gears and humming wires strung together in the shape of a brick. This contraption passively takes in magical energy from his surrounding area. The primary purpose of it is for field research, to study the unique and powerful energies local to Bren. However, it doubles as a form of emergency protection. In the event that Albus would be struck with a powerful magical attack (such as a curtain of fire or a lightning bolt), the contraption will attempt to absorb as much energy as it can before shutting off. In effect, this allows Albus to shoulder one blow with only minor injuries. Any attempt to turn the contraption back on will result in the machine overcharging, releasing all of the contained energy at once as a magical explosion (almost certain death for Albus).

---Physical Capabilities: War has taken its toll on Albus Servo. His injuries have wounded his left arm and leg. His lion-like claws have grown dull, and he can no longer pounce as far as he once could. But what he lacks in speed Albus makes up for in raw physical strength. When backed into a corner, Albus can tap into the raw, primordial strength of an animal.
AQ DF AQW  Post #: 32
7/20/2021 13:28:22   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 Name: Pietersite, the Shimmering Breeze
Race: Mixed elf, dwarf, and elemental
Age: 29 years old
Pronouns: Xe/xem/she/her
Element: Wind

"Name’s Pie, nice to meet you! I know we’re technically fighting to the death, but that shouldn’t stop us from getting to know each other a little beforehand!”

Physical Abilities: Pietersite possesses the slim frame of an elf, the short stature and hair of the dwarves, and a slight swirling glow across xyr body reminiscent of an elemental heritage. Pie’s skills as a jeweler have aided xem with incredible attention to detail, and xe are able to make assessments about these details fairly quickly. Xe are also dextrous and demonstrate impressive control of small objects through light hand movements. This allows xem to throw objects with above average accuracy, especially xyr boomerangs, which have been a favorite toy since childhood. Despite these assets, Pie is relatively new to combat, and lacks both in strength and endurance.

Elemental Heritage: Pie can control the air within 10 feet of xem to create bursts of wind to push objects in that radius. Xe can only create one burst of wind at a time, and each burst lasts no more than two seconds before dissipating, with a very slight delay before xe can make another in a different location. These winds can be strong enough to cause a person to fall over if their footing was not well balanced, or push relatively lightweight objects across the ground or through the air. The heavier the object or person is, the harder it will be to move them, and Pietersite will likely be unable to push medium-sized rocks or cause heavily armored people to fall without them being significantly unbalanced beforehand.
**This control is currently subconscious; Pie does not realize xe are using it. At times, the winds seem random or poorly aimed because of this.**

Equipment:

Familiar Tools: Pie carries a small hammer, three different shaped metal burs, a magnifying glass, a pair of small and large pliers, wire cutters, anda jeweler’s saw. These items are attached to a large belt Pie wears around xyr waist, and hold no special properties.

Crafted Weapons: Pie’s main weapons are two wooden boomerangs lined with a sharp, metal edge on the outside that comes to two pointed tips on either end of the boomerang. These blades have the relative capabilities of a basic sword. On either flat side of the boomerangs, Pie has lined several small, lightweight gems which may hurt if a person happens to be hit with them, and make the boomerangs slightly harder to break (a good hit or two against the ground with a hammer would still do the job). The boomerangs are enchanted with a property that allows them to rebound from obstacles or impacts that would impede their path, so unless physically held back, they will always land within 5 feet of Pie. Pie is able to aim and catch the boomerangs reliably at 30 feet, though with the help of xyr wind the boomerang can make it to 60ft with moderate accuracy.On a good throw, Pie can get the boomerangs up to 75mph, or 90+mph with the help of a good wind gust.

Worker’s Canvas: Pie wears a thick leather cape that ends just past xyr knees. Xe have adorned the cape with several strips of cloth that spread away from it and are tipped with thin, sharp metals and jewels. The leather of the cape serves as a protection against sharp objects, though it could be cut with significant force. The metal tips of Pie’s cloth are significantly sharp, able to draw blood or cut through leather, but their size means they can do little but scratch thick metals. Pie is able to control these weapons with moderate accuracy with xyr hands and body movements, and this accuracy can be slightly increased with use of xyr winds.

Altered Uniform: Apart from xyr cape, Pie wears leather armor, including boots, arm braces and fingerless leather gloves. Xyr gloves are made especially tough to allow xem to catch xyr boomerang without damaging xyr hands. Covering xyr weak points, including elbows, knees, throat, wrists, and knuckles, are jade stones to serve as extra protection. These jewels are purposely roughly cut to redistribute impact energy, and will likely take several impacts to break. Their hardness and edges may cause them to sting or scratch when making contact with skin, but they are unlikely to cut through anything and serve a mostly protective role.


"To make a gem prettier, I hit it with metal. Let’s get you shining!”
Post #: 33
7/20/2021 21:27:15   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 And the final week bio rush begins! Let's see how many we can get balanced by Saturday, everyone!

@Necro-Knight - things are looking good! One final comment for Black Claws is that I'm assuming that the thorns do not regrow once injected, or if they do, that it takes significant time or out-of-combat rest. Approved!

@markthematey - Welcome to the forums, welcome to the ECs! Rey is really well done on the whole, with a couple things we need to iron out.

First, the equipment: You have a lot of random items in your pack and pouches, and some of this is better served as adventuring equipment rather than combat equipment. While I get a lot of this can be used with the Timeless Sight ability, let's still trim it down a bit. I'd first recommend removing anything that's big/bulky and would slow Rey down significantly, such as the heavy blanket, large net, and torches. Second, you seem to have captured two separate fighting styles: field control (caltrops, trip wires, and the bolas) and explosives (dynamite, black powder bombs, and Greek Fire). I would pick one of these areas to focus on, with the possible inclusion of a single item from the removed category (for example, the field control items plus a single Greek Fire bomb). Note that if you choose explosives, I will need damage levels and blast radius's of all of them.

Second, Timeless Sight: There are a few really good limitations included in this, such as sight and range, but having only a maximum manipulation limit of weight is a bit too much. For example, the best estimate I have for a bag of 20 caltrops is 2 lb. Even weighted (upping it to 5 lb), that would give you 100 caltrops to freeze and release at will. Let's also add in a maximum item limit to prevent the arena from turning into Spiked Paintball Death - I'd recommend around 10 items. Additionally, I'd like to limit this ability to solid objects only - allowing liquids both results in a lot of extra work in determining the limits, and runs the potential of becoming a cross-elemental ability with water.

Create a new post to provide version two of the bio; things look pretty good!

@Dragonknight315 - Glad that you made it this year! Let's dive right into balancing albus.

First, I do need the physical capabilities/characteristics for a Chimera-kin to be described in relation to that of the average human - this includes strength, dexterity, endurance, etc. Knowing he has low speed and massive strength for a lion does not correlate to low speed and massive strength for a human! Anything not specified, I will assume is on par with human abilities.

Now, going into the potions. For the Sunsear potion, please clarify if the 15 feet of blindness extends from the center point of the explosion, or from the outer edge of the actual blast (25 feet for a total impact of 40 feet). If the latter case, drop the range of both these abilities by 5 feet. In the former, the damage is ok thanks to the damage fall-off. Alchemist's Baptims is ok as-is as long as the burns do not get worse once the liquid has been removed.

Moving on, the Mana Siphon. The actual absorption is ok, but I'm curious as to the durability of the machine. Can it break - and what happens if it does?

I will make a quick side note that I don't quite see how the Flintlock pistols fit in to this character - they're balanced as-is, but it feels like something thrown in to give Albus range for the sake of range, rather than a weapon he'd actually be practiced/familiar with. You can keep them if you wish, but I don't think you need it. If you do, try to make them feel more his than a random add-on!

Looking forward to round 2! Expect a PM from me with notes on the spoiler-tagged abilities.

@roesleaf320 - Welcome welcome! Pietersite is quite the interesting combination here, just a few minor tweaks to xyr kit to make things fit.

First, as you have combined elves (traditionally fleet and agile) with dwarves (traditionally strong and enduring), I'm making the assumption that the majority of Pie's physical abilities fall in the same areas as that of a human; with the exceptions noted in xyr physical abilities also in relation to that. If there are any other areas where xe differ, please include those in that section! (We briefly touched on height in PMs, but since you'll need a second post let's make sure to include that as well).

Second, looking at the Elemental Heritage - how big is each gust / how much area does it cover? This is important as while both a basketball-sized gust and a person-sized gust could send a person stumbling, the latter is going to be much better at deflecting mass projectiles. I'm fine with either (although I wouldn't go much bigger than that) - so choose what fits!

Next, a note on your Boomerangs. The speed you have listed is a bit fast for standard boomerangs, but we'll allow that Pie is a master craftsperson and xe have experimented enough to build really good ones. That said, it's a bit too strong for double flying swords to have both the increased speed and accuracy with the elemental heritage ability - pick the one that fits Pie best.

Lastly, just a clarification on the Worker's Canvas - are the spiked strips roughly the same length as the cape, or do they trail far behind like a wedding train? In the latter case, we'll need a specific length for them - since otherwise Pie may end up wrapped in them xemslef!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 34
7/20/2021 23:49:00   
Synthe_
Member
 

 Name: Cassius Pallu
Element: Ice
Title: Lt. Colonel of the 1st Hallowed Assault Battalion
Age: 28

Race: Fallen
A once proud member of a race of angel-like creatures, Cassius has been condemned to live as a ‘Fallen’. This form of punishment is reserved for only the worst murderers, traitors, and heretics. The glowing halo and crystalline wings that adorn his body have been stripped of their light and now have the appearance of blackened ice, and a pair of small horns run along the sides of his head. The halo/wings float in the air around two inches away from Cassius’ body. Fallen are identical to humans in terms of vitality, strength, and mobility. The main factor that differentiates Fallen is a distinct weakness to magical effects that target the mind. For example, they can easily become disoriented or influenced by psychic abilities.

quote:

> Sgt. Cassius Palu has been conscripted into your platoon after his arrival in the city of glass. He claims to have been discharged from the holy army as of late, his appearance obviously supporting that claim. In either case, do make sure to keep an eye on him. Recent recruits certainly don’t have the best track record, but this one may end up surprising us.


Appearance:
Cassius wears a dark grey dress coat, long enough to reach past his knees. It forms an angular, boxy shape around his body and has a deep blue trim along the edges. The shoulders feature decorative black pauldrons of his rank insignia, which are also stitched into the ends of the sleeves. He wears black leather gloves over his hands and a pair of steel-toed boots. He wears his jacket unbuttoned, revealing a black steel plate chestpiece which offers protection to the torso, legs, and upper arms. A short arming sword remains sheathed at his left hip, underneath the jacket. Matching the grey of his jacket, a Colonel’s dress cap covers his dark brown hair. Cut reasonably short, only a small amount of hair is visible beneath the cap, which also covers his horns. Hovering an inch above, Cassius’ blackened halo is slightly smaller in diameter than his head. It is semi-opaque, allowing a small amount of light to refract through it. Made of the same crystal-like material, a small pair of wings hover along the back of his jacket.
A pair of brown eyes contrast Cassius’ otherwise pale complexion. His expression is often an uninteresting stare, absentmindedly glancing around and picking up as many visual details as possible. When talking or in combat, he takes on a much more focused stance, usually fixating on a single person or object. He also prefers to stand with a very rigid posture, characteristic of a military officer. Cassius rarely flinches or makes rapid movements in general, with the exception of engaging in melee combat where he prefers to make sudden, sweeping strikes.

quote:

> Following Staff Sgt. Cassius’ exemplary performance on the eastern front, I would like to put him forward as a candidate for the specialist brigade. He has shown an aptitude for leadership and tactical analysis, in addition to his limited elemental capabilities. Of all the squad leaders to pass under my supervision, this one has shown some of the most promise I have seen in years.


Armor:
While Cassius does wear a set of concealable armor under his jacket, he would much rather keep his enemies out of melee range. The defensive ability afforded by his equipment is more suited to prevent attacks from being outright lethal, rather than allowing him to shrug off a blow. The steel plating would reasonably stop a dagger from piercing it, but would not be able to stop a greatsword from doing serious impact damage. Cassius is also not trained to be able to easily dodge attacks, and would need to deflect or block them using his magical abilities.

quote:

> Good evening Lieutenant. As you know, the General will be stopping by tomorrow morning. Be sure to have your platoon ready to begin the sortie, we have not been told the conditions or objective. Your group has been doing well in practice runs so far, hopefully this will be your opportunity to prove your capability.


Frozen Soul:
Cassius’ main combat capabilities revolve around his cold aura. His natural core temperature and skin is considerably far below the freezing point of water and he has the ability to transfer some of that temperature to objects and the atmosphere around him. He is only able to affect objects within 5ft of him. The heat lost from using this ability does need to go somewhere, so using this ability will raise his core temperature. Freezing liquids is far easier than coalescing and freezing water in the atmosphere, so attempting to create an object out of thin air takes considerable effort. Other factors like abnormally high ambient temperature and generating heat through rapid movements will put additional stress on his abilities.
If his core temperature begins to climb too high, he will become fatigued and suffer effects similar to oxygen deprivation. If temperature continues to rise above the freezing point, he will fall unconscious and quickly asphyxiate. His core temperature will always trend back to its resting point, albeit quite slowly. If Cassius has just barely entered a fatigued state, it will take him at least 30 seconds to return to his base temperature.
Due to this ‘Frozen Soul’, Cassius generally moves at a slow walking pace to keep his temperature down and the air within 15ft of him is noticeably colder than normal.

Frozen Armory:
Cassius can freeze one cubic meter of water and coalesce one cubic foot of ice from the atmosphere per 30 seconds without suffering any physical consequence. Using this ability any more than that will begin to cause fatigue, eventually leading to unconsciousness at around three times his limit (Dry conditions will dampen his coalescence abilities while wet conditions facilitate it).
Ice that is created with this ability retains a large amount of energy. This means that when shattered, the ice explodes rather violently and releases the thermal energy stored inside. The range of this explosion is quite negligible, only about a foot, but anything struck by an ice projectile or weapon will become covered in a layer of freezing cold ice. Objects created with Cassius’ ability can be harmlessly held by himself to be used as melee or throwing weapons, but can also be manipulated with a limited form of cryokinesis. Formed ice can be held within his ability range and propelled towards enemies, but this only applies to objects that he has created. The maximum force he can exert on an object accelerates a sword-sized object to around 45mph.

quote:

> Battle Report, Western Conflict yr1502
The enemy has deployed a new element on the field this week. Our momentum moving towards their supply lines has been nearly completely negated due to the combat capabilities of this battalion-sized group. They appear to favor ambush tactics, boxing in our infantry using strong interdiction based deployments, followed by a short and effective attack not dissimilar from an artillery strike. I have informed the adjacent commanders of this new danger, but we are well within their favored territory and they know how to utilize that fact. In addition, whoever leads this group is causing some serious morale damage to our squads. The infantry who escape with their lives return with limbs rendered useless by frostbite, the worst of them barely able to speak. It is for this reason that I request we halt our forward movement on this front until we are able to properly counter this new menace.


Reckoner:
The single-handed arming sword kept on Cassius’ left side officially is not named, but he mentally refers to it as Reckoner. Generally it remains sheathed in a simple black leather scabbard with two silver rings along the top edge. The hilt is an unremarkable steel handle wrapped with black leather. Due to his physical limitations, extended close combat would rapidly raise his temperature. Because of this, Reckoner is only drawn once his enemy has been sufficiently weakened or tired out. Once drawn, a blackened steel sword blade is revealed. It leaves faint wisps of the chilled air behind it and almost seems to bleed a thin mist. It has the same overall capabilities of a normal sword, but wounds from it rapidly freeze over and invoke a strong feeling of dread in the victim. Armor struck by it will similarly become very cold around the impact area, which will eventually cause it to become quite brittle.

quote:

> That fallen must have some serious hatred for us, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone be that calm while cutting down another soldier. Obviously we knew that they almost never take prisoners over here, but he didn’t even blink when he took the sergeant out. Normally I would assume someone like that is just desensitized, but there was a stone cold determination in that stare. Only someone who knew exactly what they were doing would have a look like that, even worse that they have the capability to achieve whatever goals they have.
Post #: 35
7/20/2021 23:52:50   
markthematey
Member

Name: Rey
Element: Earth
Age: 21
Race: Human

“Nice to meet ya! Come take a seat with me, can’t get to know ya if you’re all the way over there!”

Appearance: Rey is a male human that is 5’7. He has short blond hair and strange silver irises that almost appear to glow. He wears a black pants with leather chaps over it, brown roper boots, a fine white shirt with cufflinks and a muted grey poncho over it. Under the ponch he wears fancy leather armor. He wears a black v-shaped hat.

“Gotta be sharp as a knife and twice as deadly”

Skills and special abilities:

Timeless Sight:
Rey can freeze inanimate objects in time and space that he can see when he freezes it. He does this by manipulating the subtle magnetic fields around an object and stills them, essentially “freezing” them. The objects are essentially locked in time and when unfrozen the object maintains previous momentum it had before it was frozen. These objects can be moved while frozen but it is difficult and the more weight the object has the harder it is to move. Once frozen, Rey doesn’t have to continue looking at it to maintain it being stopped in time.

An object “equipped’ or being manipulated magically or physically by another person can’t be frozen but he can use his ability on his own equipment. The more Rey freezes the more stress is put on his eyes and the harder it is to maintain. Over exerting himself will strain his eyes and can lead to permanent blindness. He can freeze any given object for up to a minute, that is within 15 feet, and a combined weight of 25 pounds. Furthermore, he can’t have more than 2 objects refrozen at once. One bag of caltrops, for instance, would count as one object. He doesn’t need to be looking at an object to unfreeze it, this can be done at will. He can only freeze solid objects. Furthermore, Rey must not only see the object but must be able to react to it as well to stop it. If Rey stops seeing a frozen object or moves further than 15 feet the object remains frozen but he can still unfreeze it at will.

“Ain’t you in a pickle” ~said to a man trapped in a wall of frozen caltrops

Skills: Is proficient in sword and dagger combat and using his own ability. He is an expert at throwing daggers as well. Rey is also rather agile and mobile but not unnaturally so. He is above average but no master in his most basic melee combat. His physical strength is around average of someone his size and is by no means impressive.


Equipment:

Brass Arm: His right arm is a mechanical brass arm. A grappling hook can shoot out from the top center of the arm. The grappling hook can go a maximum of 30 feet and can reel itself in. Brass is highly conductive as well.

“You’ve heard plenty about ‘ruling with an iron fist’ but have you heard of a brass one?”

Belt pouches and pack:
2 bags of weighted caltrops (20 per, 5 pounds per)
1 bag of weighted highly magnetic caltrops (20 per, 5 pounds per)
1 small stick of dynamite (6 second fuse, 10 foot explosion radius, 20 foot of still dangerous)
1 jar of oil (used as oil slick)
Light blanket (on right of pack, for sleeping and a portable panic shield)
15 feet of thin wire on a spool(used for trip line traps)
6 throwing daggers in a pouch (two are specifically highly magnetic)
Bolas (on bottom of pack)
Flint and steel
Matches (to light fuses)
Small tin pot (for cooking)
Waterskin

“My bag of tricks ain’t too much to behold, but it gets the job done”

Tyrannus: A magical dagger Rey was found within his cradle. It is a long straight Stiletto dagger but the words “Sic Semper Tyrannis” are embedded into the hilt. The blade's magical effect is that it can’t be more than 50 feet away from Rey at any given point. It will fly straight towards him at high speeds, blade first if so. He learned he can compel it to return to him by speaking its name. If the blade manages to go more than 200 feet away it will dematerialize and reappear by his feet or any other open space.

“This blade is a pain in my rear but hey, it's always been by my side”

Personality / Backstory:

Rey is charismatic and talkative. He’s normally an optimist and always manages to get out of even the most dire of situations. His bubbly personality and positive outlook makes him get along with most people. He strives to live a quiet life where he can watch the sun rise and set without worry but knows that he is far away from reaching that goal.

Rey never had a last name and lived from house to house while growing up in the deserts. Before he was born he was cursed with terrible luck that made it hard for him to stay in one place for long. He was found in a cradle as a baby left in the desert with his dagger. It wasn’t long til he learned of his gift in his eyes and started to put it to use. He grew into quite the people's person and got along with nearly all of his caretakers but they never seemed to keep him along for long because of the string of bad luck that always followed him. Rey was never able to live peacefully as he always wanted. Recently, his luck has led him into dire circumstances. He wishes to get the boon to erase his curse and live the peaceful life he has longed for.

“Now I’ve seen many suns fall and moons rise but I'm yet to find the one that fills my eyes and leaves nothing but peaceful bliss.”
Post #: 36
7/21/2021 0:03:47   
TripleChaos
Member

Name: Darvey

("Just Darvey?", you say...? Well, of course this isn't my actual name. Too much of a mouthful in my opinion, the real one is. Darvey is just one of the names I was using somewhere else, and it just happened to stick particularly well. It’s simple, but has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? C’mon, take a seat and we can have a chat for a while. The sun won’t be up for some time yet and we’ve both got time to kill.)

Gender: Male
Age: 24
Race: Human
Element: Darkness

(Oh, I certainly agree. What with this enormous lamp, having a magical affinity with shadows would seem more than a little abnormal. But, if you think about it, what shadow can exist without light to contrast with?)

Appearance:

At a glance, Darvey has an average build for an adult, without any distinctive features: Short-cut blonde hair, unassuming brown eyes, slightly tan skin, and a height you wouldn’t think of as short until after he insists that he really is just under six feet.
No, nothing that would be considered abnormal, that is, if anyone could get a good look at him. Over his plain clothes he wears a large cloak with a hood over his head. A big wrapping like this would already be eye-catching in towns suffering from sweltering heat, especially if you notice that it seems nigh-impossible to discern his face beneath the cloak. As if the shadow his cowl casts is darker than it has any right to be. Whether it was because of the foreboding air he thought he gave off or the superstitions about a man with no face, most who saw him felt it wise not to get near.

(You look so disappointed! Why is it that everyone who looks at me from afar gets the idea into their heads that I'm some kind of serious fellow, or a walking curse? And then, when one of them doesn't give me a berth fit for a bear, they have the nerve to act surprised when they see I have such a plain face! It just almost makes me wish I were uglier, so then people might think "Oh, so that's why he covers himself up!" Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. Now that you can see me well, you can tell I don’t look like that shady of a character, right?)

Equipment:

Underneath his cloak Darvey wears padded leather across his chest and back, as well as along his arms. A small measure of protection, but worthwhile nonetheless.
He also has an ornate scabbard for a short sword tied loosely at his waist, but he doesn’t have any apparent weapon to go along with it. [There are no tricks about this scabbard. It does not hold an invisible weapon, nor can he make a weapon from it. He doesn’t even remember exactly how he got it.]

The most conspicuous possession he has is his hardwood staff, at the top of which hangs a lantern almost twice the size of his head. The lantern is shaped a bit like a bell, but more rectangular, and is made of a white translucent film secured by a metal cage. The lantern’s cage is made of a peculiar dark metal that is extremely sturdy and heat resistant. The staff is fashioned from light brown wood that is unexpectedly tough, almost comparable to the lantern itself.
Inside the lantern is a crystal imbued with magic which allows it to glow with exceptional brightness. To be activated or deactivated, the crystal needs to be manually accessed by an obscure hatch near the top of the lantern. Because anything that gets inside might touch and deactivate the crystal inside, and because the hatch lacks a lock, Darvey only ever lights or un-lights the lantern where no one else would see. When the crystal is lit the lantern shines with a brilliant white light, shedding light on the area around it. Strangely, looking at it does not blind the beholder despite its radiance. Instead the opposite is true, as its light tends to draw a person’s eyes towards it rather than away. This pull is quite weak however, and would certainly fail to distract anyone in the fervor of battle. The other odd quirk of the light is that it illuminates far less than it appears it should, only illuminating as much as a torch would, about 20 ft.

(Ah, right, this staff. It always slips my mind that it is a bit of an oddity. I mean, I can’t imagine anyone would need a lamp this large for anything other than a lighthouse. Actually, the lamps in lighthouses would need to be bigger than this, wouldn’t they. I’ve never seen one up close, to be honest. Ah, I’ve distracted myself, the staff, right. I was told that it was a relic for conducting the miracles of some god of light. Whatever it was made for, it’s pretty darn good for bashing someone over the head. Speaking frankly, I’ve put this thing through quite a bit of abuse. But, it’s still in one piece, so the fellow who made it probably cared a lot about it. Not that I would know.)

Skills/Abilities:

Dark Spike:
Besides wielding a staff, Darvey can also create attacks from the shadows beneath his cloak. These take the form of thick darts made of solid darkness which fire straight ahead a few seconds after they materialize. Getting struck by one already hurts as much as a dagger might, but for the time they remain embedded they inflict the sensation of being drained. Although he can make a large number of darts without breaking so much as a sweat, they aren’t strong enough to pierce even simple armor. They do not persist long after they are made or after any short distance. Darts that fly farther than 20 ft or exist for more than a dozen seconds simply vanish.

Shadow Limbs:
His most versatile skill is his ability to create arms from nearby shadows within 20 ft. These arms appear to be made of a smooth dark color, and can vary in size. In a shadow the size of an average human, he can manifest up to eight child-like arms, a pair of arms like his own, or a single larger arm about twice as long, just long enough to tap someone on the shoulder when they’re not looking. The arms that emerge are rooted in place; If the shadow they sprouted from is no longer cast onto the surface it rose out of, the arm will go slack shortly before vanishing.
These can be used to attack or defend, but they cannot manipulate objects with any degree of skill (Press a button? Sure. Swing a sword? Not likely). They appear to be made of the shadows they sprout from, but they are only as strong as any other human arms. So while they can block most normal attacks, they wouldn’t be able to stop something moving exceptionally fast, nor would they remain in one piece against a strike that could sever limbs. The durability of the arms can be further reduced from their already average toughness to allow them to sprout out of a shadow near-instantaneously. Doing this requires a greater effort than normal, and while the strength of the arms is not diminished, they can be waved away or shook off without much effort, almost like mist.
While a larger shadow would allow for more arms to manifest, the ability only works when there is stark light near that shadow. This means the ability fails in pitch or near darkness, as well as under large shadows from structures. Manipulating a single shadow is not too straining and can be done while performing other actions, such as running or attacking with the staff, with only a bit more effort. However, working with a larger shadow he can only make twice as many arms, and only with total concentration. The same difficulty arises with trying to use two separate shadows, and is so challenging that he would not be able to move while maintaining both. Because of the effort it takes to push this ability to its limit, he would only do so sparingly, if at all.

Trick of the Dark:
Against attacks that can't be blocked or dodge, Darvey has learned a magic to displace himself very quickly. At will, if he hasn’t used this skill recently (12 seconds), he can swiftly create a second shadow cast from his own body in any direction, as if the sun suddenly transitioned from noon to evening. Once the shadow stretches to 5 ft, Darvey vanishes into the darkness. The shadow then lurches and inverts itself, after which he will reappear at what was the other end of the shadow, 5 feet away from where he just was. It only takes a fraction of a second to disappear, but the entire skill occurs over the course of a second. Additionally, using this skill rapidly would be very taxing. Using it three times in the span of a minute would leave him winded and unable to use it until he can catch his breath (3 minutes, on a good day).

Martial Skills:
Given his main weapon is essentially a quarterstaff, he is well practiced in swinging it around like a proper weapon. Though, he would probably have a bit of trouble using a staff that doesn’t have a large counterweight stuck to the end of it. He also has a knack for unarmed combat, but there’s the small issue that he’s not really used to using arms that are attached to a torso. Like his own.

(Hm? You’re wondering what I’m doing all the way out here? Well you see, I’m actually part of a secret organization, so if I told you I’m afraid I would have to kill you… Ha, as if you’d be able to tell anybody anyhow.
…
You don’t believe me? You’ve never heard of them? You wouldn’t want to work for a secret organization everyone knew about, would you? Of course you wouldn’t have heard of them! Ah, but that’s not important. Right, what I’m doing, why I’m here. Not long ago I caught wind of a certain tournament being held not far from here. I also heard there was a boon to earn if you made it all the way till the end, but that’s not really why I’m interested. What I’m hoping for is attention, prestige. I want to be noticed by my boss, you know? ‘Cause then I can show them what I’m capable of, and maybe they’ll start treating me a bit better. Well, it was a nice chat we had but I’d best be on my way now. Best of luck and good fortune and all that.)

It was a shame really. Not even one cactus he talked with had ever spoken back. When he was done with this whole trip he’d have to ask that quack magician who had told him if he was lying, or if he had just didn't hear him right. Darvey would be ready to have a nice nap six feet under if had to admit he’d been talking to the wrong plants this whole time.
Post #: 37
7/21/2021 21:17:21   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Lots of bios coming in! Very excited for all the characters so far, so on to balancing!

@Synthe_ - Welcome to the ECs! Glad that you made your way over here after WPC. Cassius has just a few minor tweaks to be perfect, but he's almost there!

First, on the race / appearance: please include a height / build (estimates such as "tall", "skinny", etc. work if you do not have exact numbers). Additionally, I'd like a few more details on the wings - specifically, their size / durability, and if they serve any purpose other than aesthetic (flight, extended jumps, shields, etc.)

Looking at the Frozen Soul and Armory abilities, keep in mind that you are not guaranteed to be fighting in an arena with water; the Finals Arena in particular is mostly sand. This would limit you to a single use of coalescing ice directly every 30 seconds, which feels a bit too long for me. If you would like, you can adjust the time cooldown to every 15 seconds - with the caveat that Cassius can either freeze existing water into ice OR coalesce the ice directly in those 15 seconds. I would also like to specify that the ice cryokinesis only works on one ice-formed item at a time. Keep in mind that for both the general "object chilling" and the layers of ice created after the items shatter, warmer objects (such as people / animals with body temperatures) will be much harder to freeze.

A final note on the Reckoner - I would adjust the feeling of dread to allow for the opponents to work with it more than just "automatic dread". Perhaps a reference to pulling what fear they currently have to the forefront, or imposing dread on those who are already frightened/weak-willed?

Things are looking good, so excited for round two!

@markthematey - Back with version two! We talked a bit in PMs about allowing Rey's personal bags of caltrops to each count as one item to enable some fun without turning the arena into a complete death trap, so I am ok with the compromise. Keep in mind that other similar groupings of items (an opponents quiver of arrows that gets dropped, for example) would count as multiple objects. The bag of tricks still contains a little bit of everything and the kitchen sink, but we are down to workable levels now. Approved!

@TripleChaos - More new faces, welcome to you and Darvey both! I like the take on shadow-magic, just a few areas I'd like to workshop a bit.

First, Dark Spike: While the distance and duration here are both good, I'm a little hesitant about having an unspecified number of piercing weapons all able to fly at a single target - it'd be really hard to avoid and really easy to turn into a lethal attack! Let's either have the darts be blunt, and thus cause bruising/bludgeoning, or put a cap on how many can be summoned at any one time (somewhere in the 5-10 range).

Second, Shadow Limbs: Given how you can fit multiple person-sized shadows in a 20 foot range (even with the stark light to shadow requirement), this technically would enable you to have upwards of half a dozen giant arms under your control. Let's make the limits you gave per shadow (8 small, 2 standard, or one large) the total limits for shadow arms - if you wish to up the standard arms to 3 or 4, that's fine in this case. This will also help simplify the ability a fair bit so you're not trying to keep track of over a dozen arms at once! Additionally, since there is no explicit time duration on the arms beyond them losing their shadow, you may want to add in the caveat that Darvey can dismiss the arms at will so he isn't stuck with 8 child arms when he needs one long one!

Go ahead and make a new post with the revised bio for round two - if you would rather explore other avenues to balancing the above abilities, feel free to reach out to me.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 38
7/21/2021 21:39:19   
roseleaf320
Creative!
Alright, round 2! Lowered boomerang speed and accuracy a little bit to fit more what I'm imagining, specified a size for the gusts, and the length of Pie's bladed cloths. Also added the appearance section which specifies height, and a couple other small clarifications here and there.


Name: Pietersite, the Shimmering Breeze
Race: Mixed elf, dwarf, and elemental
Age: 29 years old
Pronouns: Xe/xem/she/her
Element: Wind

"Name’s Pie, nice to meet you! I know we’re technically fighting to the death, but that shouldn’t stop us from getting to know each other a little beforehand!”

Appearance: Pietersite possesses the slim frame of an elf, the short stature and hair of the dwarves, and a slight swirling glow across xyr body reminiscent of an elemental heritage. Xe stands about 4’11”, but xyr honey-colored hair puffs up above xyr head an additional few inches, though it’s held back with a thick, patterned headband. Different jewels hang from several necklaces around xyr neck, and more hang from xyr belts and pockets; xyr proudest piece, however, are two long earrings xe wears with loops at the end made of xyr namesake stone.

Physical Abilities: Pie’s skills as a jeweler have aided xem with incredible attention to detail, and xe is able to make assessments about these details fairly quickly. Xe is also dextrous and demonstrates impressive control of small objects through light hand movements. This allows xem to throw objects with above average accuracy, especially xyr boomerangs, which have been a favorite toy since childhood. Despite these assets, Pie is relatively new to combat, and lacks both in strength and endurance compared to an average human.

Elemental Heritage: Pie can control the air within 10 feet of xem to create bursts of wind to push objects in that radius. Xe can only create one burst of wind at a time, and each burst lasts no more than two seconds before dissipating, with a very slight delay before xe can make another in a different location. These winds can be strong enough to cause a person to fall over if their footing was not well balanced, or push relatively lightweight objects across the ground or through the air. The heavier the object or person is, the harder it will be to move them, and Pietersite will likely be unable to push medium-sized rocks or cause heavily armored people to fall without them being significantly unbalanced beforehand. The gusts can vary in size, but cannot be larger than Pie’s body.
**This control is currently subconscious; Pie does not realize xe is using it. At times, the winds seem random or poorly aimed because of this.**

Equipment:

Familiar Tools: Pie carries a small hammer, three different shaped metal burs, a magnifying glass, a pair of small and large pliers, wire cutters, and a jeweler’s saw. These items are attached to a large belt Pie wears around xyr waist, and hold no special properties.

Crafted Weapons: Pie’s main weapons are two wooden boomerangs lined with a sharp, metal edge on the outside that comes to two pointed tips on either end of the boomerang. These blades have the relative capabilities of a basic sword. On either flat side of the boomerangs, Pie has lined several small, lightweight gems which may hurt if a person happens to be hit with them, and make the boomerangs slightly harder to break (a good hit or two against the ground with a hammer would still do the job). The boomerangs are enchanted with a property that allows them to rebound from obstacles or impacts that would impede their path, so unless physically held back, they will always land within 5 feet of Pie. Pie is able to aim and catch the boomerangs reliably at 30 feet, with a max range of about 60 feet, though Pie’s accuracy of throwing falls after 30ft. On a good throw, Pie can get the boomerangs up to 65mph, or 75+mph with the help of a good wind gust.

Worker’s Canvas: Pie wears a thick leather cape that ends just past xyr knees. Xe has adorned the cape with several strips of cloth that spread away from it and are tipped with thin, sharp metals and jewels. These cloths are only a few inches longer than the leather cape itself. The metal tips of Pie’s cloth are significantly sharp, able to draw blood or cut through leather, but their size means they can do little but scratch thick metals. Pie is able to control these weapons with moderate accuracy with xyr hands and body movements, and this accuracy can be slightly increased with use of xyr winds. The leather of the cape serves as a protection against sharp objects, though it could be cut with significant force.

Altered Uniform: Apart from xyr cape, Pie wears leather armor, including boots, arm braces and fingerless leather gloves. Xyr gloves are made especially tough to allow xem to catch xyr boomerang without damaging xyr hands. Covering xyr weak points, including elbows, knees, throat, wrists, and knuckles, are jade stones to serve as extra protection. These jewels are purposely roughly cut to redistribute impact energy, and will likely take several impacts to break. Their hardness and edges may cause them to sting or scratch when making contact with skin, but they are unlikely to cut through anything and serve a mostly protective role.


"To make a gem prettier, I hit it with metal. Let’s get you shining!”
Post #: 39
7/22/2021 13:40:34   
Dragonknight315
Member

Round 2! Changes will be boldened and underlined! I decided to remove the pistols entirely.

Name: Albus Gwenyth Servo
Race: Chimera-kin
Gender: Male
Age: Around 40ish years

Element: Light

“Gods, people, magic, science— They’re all the same, just tools to survive another day.”

---Appearance: When one first sees Albus, one first sees the face of a lion. Sharp golden eyes, white fur with black spots, long clawed hands and feet. But Albus is so much more than a lion. Albus is a Chimeran, born with the blood of human and animalkind. Standing around 5 feet 11 inches, the Alchemist slouches as he walks on his two legs. He is clothed with simple leathers and a brown cloak that descends to his knees, clean and practical. Albus’s left hand and leg are covered with bandages so thoroughly that his skin is hidden save for his paws. Notably, while the claws and digits on his right side are black, those on his left are a pale white. He carries a leather haversack that covers most of his back.

---Physical Capabilities: War has taken its toll on Albus Servo. His lion-like claws have grown dull, and he can no longer pounce as far as he once could. His injuries have wounded his left arm and leg. Furthermore, his heavy equipment, while not a physical burden, does impede his maneuverability. As such, Albus is fairly slower and less agile than an average human. But what he lacks in speed Albus makes up for in raw physical strength. Even with his injuries, Albus is far stronger than the average human.

---Equipment: In his years, Albus has dabbled in many trades. As an alchemist, apothecary, tinkerer, and former soldier, he relies on his tools for the job at hand. Across his person are a plethora of items.

Potions: Alchemy was Albus’s first love. Hanging from his belt is a pouch containing three small glass cylinders and a few pouches of assorted powder. On their own, the vials are inert with no effects. Once mixed, however, they can take one of two effects based on the powder:

Sunsear Potion - When Albus uses the yellow powder, the vial starts to glow loud with sunlight. Once primed, Albus can throw the vial and when it shatters, it explodes akin to a flashbang grenade. The burst of sound can potentially deafen and stagger an combatant (including Albus) with a range of 25 feet starting from the point of impact, with worse effects the closer in proximity to the explosion and lesser effects closer to the edge. Likewise, anyone caught looking directly at the explosion within 15 feet of the point of impact could suffer from seared eyes or temporary blindness. Both of these effects would have a slightly larger range (around 5 more feet) in a dark and enclosed environment.

Alchemist’s Baptism - When Albus uses the blue powder, the vial glows with faint blue light and bubbles violently. Contact with the light-infused liquid burns akin to holy water. At first the sensation is milder. However, if the liquid is not removed the burn will grow more intense over the course of a minute as it seeps into the skin. If the victim happened to be undead or unholy in nature, the effects would be even more severe.

Due to the volatile nature of these potions, Albus must mix the powder with the vials and shake them right before their use. If Albus attempts to hold the potions for too long, the reaction can cause these vials to blow up in Albus’s face. He must be careful when using them so as to not be caught up in their radius. Furthermore, while Albus has enough powder to spare, he has only three vials of liquid reagent to use. Additionally, Albus can only use one of the powders per vial. In the event that someone attempts to mix the two powders, only the first will take effect as the reaction goes too fast.

spoiler:

Liquid Divinity - The fruit of Albus’s entire career, the chimeran has one final potion stashed away in a hidden part of his backpack. Contained within an ornate golden vial, this glowing white liquid carries the distilled essence of a supernatural spark. Imbued with a fraction of its true power, this potion can miraculously heal grievous wounds and continue to fight, albeit at a cost. When consumed, the user is completely healed of all injuries over the course of around one minutes. Open wounds, missing limbs, etc. During this time, the user will be able to fight but will experience intense pain as the afflicted areas are replaced with a rigid, rubbery like substance. This new alabaster flesh is still completely functional, but it is sluggish, hard to control, and the user cannot feel anything in the afflicted area.


Warhammer: His main form of weaponry, Albus wields a large two-handed warhammer. It may be somewhat crude, but it served Albus well enough in his youth, and it is just as effective now. Cast from a single piece of blackened metal, his warhammer is immensely heavy. Attached to the top of the long handle, one side of the warhammer has a solid face for blunt trauma. The other side has a single spike for piercing armor. With its sheer weight combined with Albus’s own strength, it can easily overpower all but the strongest defenses.

Mana Siphon: Lastly, Albus carries a makeshift magitech contraption that makes up the bulk of his backpack. If one were to peer inside, one would find a haphazard mess of twisting gears and humming wires strung together in the shape of a brick. This contraption passively takes in magical energy from his surrounding area. The primary purpose of it is for field research, to study the unique and powerful energies local to Bren. However, it doubles as a form of emergency protection. In the event that Albus would be struck with a powerful magical attack (such as a curtain of fire or a lightning bolt), the contraption will attempt to absorb as much energy as it can before shutting off. In effect, this allows Albus to shoulder one blow with only minor injuries. Any attempt to turn the contraption back on will result in the machine overcharging, releasing all of the contained energy at once as a magical explosion. Likewise, the explosion would occur if the contraption was sufficiently damaged. It is somewhat durable being made of various metals but mostly bronze. The backpack is fairly thick and is enchanted to be more durable, but even then, the contraption could only take a few strong hits before breaking. In either case, the explosion would be local, only a 5 foot radius around the contraption with the intensity of the blast based on how charged it was (with a full charge almost certain death for Albus).
AQ DF AQW  Post #: 40
7/22/2021 13:47:01   
TripleChaos
Member

Second time's the charm, I've made the suggested adjustments in bold:
Dark Spike is now less spiky, and I also clarified how many I can make simultaneously
Shadow Limbs can now be dismissed at will! Like you'd think most abilities summoning objects would! I'm glad I thought of it!
Jokes aside, the skill now has an exact limit on the number of limbs, the same as the number that can be made in a single shadow (which has been upped to twice as many normal arms).
Much of the last paragraph for this ability was tweaked or moved around too, since the limit on arms restates just about the same thing more concisely.

Name: Darvey

("Just Darvey?", you say...? Well, of course this isn't my actual name. Too much of a mouthful in my opinion, the real one is. Darvey is just one of the names I was using somewhere else, and it just happened to stick particularly well. It’s simple, but has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? C’mon, take a seat and we can have a chat for a while. The sun won’t be up for some time yet and we’ve both got time to kill.)

Gender: Male
Age: 24
Race: Human
Element: Darkness

(Oh, I certainly agree. What with this enormous lamp, having a magical affinity with shadows would seem more than a little abnormal. But, if you think about it, what shadow can exist without light to contrast with?)

Appearance:

At a glance, Darvey has an average build for an adult, without any distinctive features: Short-cut blonde hair, unassuming brown eyes, slightly tan skin, and a height you wouldn’t think of as short until after he insists that he really is just under six feet.
No, nothing that would be considered abnormal, that is, if anyone could get a good look at him. Over his plain clothes he wears a large cloak with a hood over his head. A big wrapping like this would already be eye-catching in towns suffering from sweltering heat, especially if you notice that it seems nigh-impossible to discern his face beneath the cloak. As if the shadow his cowl casts is darker than it has any right to be. Whether it was because of the foreboding air he thought he gave off or the superstitions about a man with no face, most who saw him felt it wise not to get near.

(You look so disappointed! Why is it that everyone who looks at me from afar gets the idea into their heads that I'm some kind of serious fellow, or a walking curse? And then, when one of them doesn't give me a berth fit for a bear, they have the nerve to act surprised when they see I have such a plain face! It just almost makes me wish I were uglier, so then people might think "Oh, so that's why he covers himself up!" Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. Now that you can see me well, you can tell I don’t look like that shady of a character, right?)

Equipment:

Underneath his cloak Darvey wears padded leather across his chest and back, as well as along his arms. A small measure of protection, but worthwhile nonetheless.
He also has an ornate scabbard for a short sword tied loosely at his waist, but he doesn’t have any apparent weapon to go along with it. [There are no tricks about this scabbard. It does not hold an invisible weapon, nor can he make a weapon from it. He doesn’t even remember exactly how he got it.]

The most conspicuous possession he has is his hardwood staff, at the top of which hangs a lantern almost twice the size of his head. The lantern is shaped a bit like a bell, but more rectangular, and is made of a white translucent film secured by a metal cage. The lantern’s cage is made of a peculiar dark metal that is extremely sturdy and heat resistant. The staff is fashioned from light brown wood that is unexpectedly tough, almost comparable to the lantern itself.
Inside the lantern is a crystal imbued with magic which allows it to glow with exceptional brightness. To be activated or deactivated, the crystal needs to be manually accessed by an obscure hatch near the top of the lantern. Because anything that gets inside might touch and deactivate the crystal inside, and because the hatch lacks a lock, Darvey only ever lights or un-lights the lantern where no one else would see. When the crystal is lit the lantern shines with a brilliant white light, shedding light on the area around it. Strangely, looking at it does not blind the beholder despite its radiance. Instead the opposite is true, as its light tends to draw a person’s eyes towards it rather than away. This pull is quite weak however, and would certainly fail to distract anyone in the fervor of battle. The other odd quirk of the light is that it illuminates far less than it appears it should, only illuminating as much as a torch would, about 20 ft.

(Ah, right, this staff. It always slips my mind that it is a bit of an oddity. I mean, I can’t imagine anyone would need a lamp this large for anything other than a lighthouse. Actually, the lamps in lighthouses would need to be bigger than this, wouldn’t they. I’ve never seen one up close, to be honest. Ah, I’ve distracted myself, the staff, right. I was told that it was a relic for conducting the miracles of some god of light. Whatever it was made for, it’s pretty darn good for bashing someone over the head. Speaking frankly, I’ve put this thing through quite a bit of abuse. But, it’s still in one piece, so the fellow who made it probably cared a lot about it. Not that I would know.)

Skills/Abilities:

Dark Spike:
Besides wielding a staff, Darvey can also create attacks from the shadows beneath his cloak. These take the form of thick, dull darts made of solid darkness which fire straight ahead a few seconds after they materialize. Getting struck by one already hurts enough to bruise, but they also inflict a fleeting sensation of being drained. Because he can only make these darts in sufficient darkness near him, only a pair of darts can be made at a time, and only around the area near his torso. Although he can make a large number of darts without breaking so much as a sweat, they aren’t strong enough to be effective against even simple armor. They do not persist long after they are made or after any short distance. Darts that fly farther than 20 ft or exist for more than a dozen seconds simply vanish.

Shadow Limbs:
His most versatile skill is his ability to create arms from nearby shadows within 20 ft. These arms appear to be made of a smooth dark color, and can vary in size. In a shadow the size of an average human, he can manifest up to eight child-like arms, four arms like his own, or a single larger arm about twice as long, just long enough to tap someone on the shoulder when they’re not looking. Manipulating arms from a single shadow can be done while performing other actions, such as running or attacking with the staff. With greater concentration it is possible to make arms from separate shadows, but the total number of arms cannot exceed that of an average shadow’s limit. The arms that emerge are rooted in place; If the shadow they sprouted from is no longer cast onto the surface it rose out of, the arm will go slack shortly before vanishing. Otherwise they persist as long as he wills them to.
These arms can be used to attack or defend, but they cannot manipulate objects with any degree of skill (Press a button? Sure. Swing a sword? Not likely). They appear to be made of the shadows they sprout from, but they are only as strong as any other human arms. So while they can block most normal attacks, they wouldn’t be able to stop something moving exceptionally fast, nor would they remain in one piece against a strike that could sever limbs. The durability of the arms can be further reduced from their already average toughness to allow them to sprout out of a shadow near-instantaneously. Doing this requires a greater effort than normal, and while the strength of the arms is not diminished, they can be waved away or shook off without much effort, almost like mist.
It is also important to note that a person’s shadow varies as the day goes on. Someone’s shadow at noon would hardly have room for a single normal arm, whereas their shadow at dusk before the sun sets would be much longer. While a larger shadow would allow more room for arms to manifest, the ability only works when there is stark light near that shadow. This means the ability fails in pitch or near darkness, as well as under large shadows from structures.

Trick of the Dark:
Against attacks that can't be blocked or dodge, Darvey has learned a magic to displace himself very quickly. At will, if he hasn’t used this skill recently (12 seconds), he can swiftly create a second shadow cast from his own body in any direction, as if the sun suddenly transitioned from noon to evening. Once the shadow stretches to 5 ft, Darvey vanishes into the darkness. The shadow then lurches and inverts itself, after which he will reappear at what was the other end of the shadow, 5 feet away from where he just was. It only takes a fraction of a second to disappear, but the entire skill occurs over the course of a second. Additionally, using this skill rapidly would be very taxing. Using it three times in the span of a minute would leave him winded and unable to use it until he can catch his breath (3 minutes, on a good day).

Martial Skills:
Given his main weapon is essentially a quarterstaff, he is well practiced in swinging it around like a proper weapon. Though, he would probably have a bit of trouble using a staff that doesn’t have a large counterweight stuck to the end of it. He also has a knack for unarmed combat, but there’s the small issue that he’s not really used to using arms that are attached to a torso. Like his own.

(Hm? You’re wondering what I’m doing all the way out here? Well you see, I’m actually part of a secret organization, so if I told you I’m afraid I would have to kill you… Ha, as if you’d be able to tell anybody anyhow.
…
You don’t believe me? You’ve never heard of them? You wouldn’t want to work for a secret organization everyone knew about, would you? Of course you wouldn’t have heard of them! Ah, but that’s not important. Right, what I’m doing, why I’m here. Not long ago I caught wind of a certain tournament being held not far from here. I also heard there was a boon to earn if you made it all the way till the end, but that’s not really why I’m interested. What I’m hoping for is attention, prestige. I want to be noticed by my boss, you know? ‘Cause then I can show them what I’m capable of, and maybe they’ll start treating me a bit better. Well, it was a nice chat we had but I’d best be on my way now. Best of luck and good fortune and all that.)

It was a shame really. Not even one cactus he talked with had ever spoken back. When he was done with this whole trip he’d have to ask that quack magician who had told him if he was lying, or if he had just didn't hear him right. Darvey would be ready to have a nice nap six feet under if had to admit he’d been talking to the wrong plants this whole time.
Post #: 41
7/22/2021 20:52:03   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Just over two days remain to post new bios! Let's get those characters submitted, everyone!

@roseleaf320 - thank you for the added clarifications, Pietersite is good to go! Approved!

@Dragonknight315 - Did a double take going backwards from the numbers from 320 to 315, did you and Rose plan that? :P But things look good for Albus as well, thank you for the needed info. Approved!

@TripleChaos - You thought of several good ideas! And the round of balancing all looks good for Darvey as well. Looking forward to seeing how you adapt to the different lighting of the arena you end up in. Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 42
7/23/2021 5:19:19   
Sylphe
Member

Hello again! Decided to go with a whole 'nother beast in the end, though the element stays the same!

Name: Milo

Element: Darkness

Age Range: late thirties to early forties

Race: Human

Appearance: A tall, dark stranger; hooded and in a long black robe. Very thin, though carrying some muscle under the robes. Milo's face is pale and speaks of exhaustion, with sunken eyes and quite a few wrinkles for who can't be older than about forty. Pale white eyes, dirty white stubble and hair. But even with the sickly appearance, there is a warmth emanating from the man's face. Possibly mischief, too, his smile seems to let some of that on.

With Milo at all times is an orb that appears to be made of blood and dark energy, giving it a red-black surface that shifts and flows before one's eyes and faintly gleams.

Equipment: Milo's clothing consists of a long robe with long sleeves and a hood, under which he wears a light gray tunic and black pants. They fortunately have a belt and pockets that carry some necessities, such as money or a simple pocket watch, and a red hankerchief, sometimes worn as a scarf. Its pretty big. Milo's boots aren't exactly anything too special, either, made mostly for treks rather than fighting.

There is a glass phial, a part of a silver bracelet that Milo wears on his left arm, just under the shoulder. It is shaped like a gem, and remains pretty clearly a container while the mage's blood orb is outside of it. If it's being stored, the whole phial glimmers with red and black, disguising itself as a ruby.

The only real weapon and also the only one Milo really needs is his orb, which floats in his vicinity at all times, either as an orb, or in any other shape, really - droplets, a halo, or an animal - it likes to take on the shape of a rat, it all depends on Milo himself.

This orb serves as a medium with which Milo performs his magic. The orb stays stable as long as Milo is conscious, and if he was to be knocked out, or if it was knocked out of his vicinity and he was unable to call it back, it would last several seconds before dispersing on the ground. It can be recovered from this state, but at the cost of some of its volume.

Milo is unable to control his orb once it is separated from him and there is more than three meters separating the two - at the edge of this vicinity Milo can still call it back, but with difficulty.

This orb is capable of changing its shape, as well as material - it can be made into either organic (flesh) or anorganic material (crystals), though it's been a while since Milo used the fleshweaving capabilities for anything other than healing and protection.

Milo's mount and friend is Peregrine, a curious, rather small and thin black dragon. He will not be loose in the arena or assisting Milo in any way. He will, however, eat all the peanuts from whoever is brave enough to sell them in the stands.

Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities:

Experience: Milo is quite experienced in close range combat. He also holds the physical prowess of a human that trains regularly.

Telepathy: Used mostly to call Peregrine those days, Milo stands by not prying into the business of other people. His telepathy is as simple as others hearing his words somewhere within without him having to speak them out loud, even over a farther distance than his voice would normally carry, or through a barrier, or if they somehow cannot hear at the moment.

THE ORB: Milo's orb is made out of blood and dark energy the mage has accumulated. In its calm state, its harmless to the touch (though im not sure why you'd want to touch a ball of blood) and things will pass through it just fine.

This orb is tied to Milo, and while he is at least within three meters of it, he is capable of manipulating it as he wishes, changing its shape, bending it to his will, moving it around. The farther the orb is, the less delicate his manipulation can be and the more difficulty he has doing it.

In addition, Milo's spells use a portion of his orb's energy and blood reserves. Flesh abilities are far more costly than crystalline ones, and can only be performed a few times before the orb is fully depleted. Crystal ones, while they do take a small portion to use, take so much less it's not too much of a factor.

Some spells, namely Chrysalis, Healing and Reinforced Blades require the entire orb to be used. This does not mean that the orb's entire contents are the cost, but that the whole orb is required to hold the spell up, and Milo cannot otherwise cast during them.

FLESH:
Healing: Milo is able to use some of his orb's volume to regenerate his wounds at an inhuman pace. This requires his focus, and the time spent depends on the severity of the wound, but usually ranges in the span of about four seconds for minor wounds, six for medium and eight for severe. This also uses up some of Milo's orb's volume.

Milo is able to heal entities that are not himself, though this takes more time and is not a very pleasant experience.

Milo is also able to replenish his orb by sacrificing some of his lifeforce - this is nearly instantenious, but understandably takes a toll on the mage if done more than once or twice, and it does not replenish the orb fully - only to give him a chance to use a few more spells.

Chrysalis: Milo can conjure a flesh barrier out of his orb. This process takes more time than the crystalline barrier.

The fleshy barrier is more durable than the crystalline one - it also holds no risk of shattering. It is more suspectible to certain types of damage, such as fire or poison or anything that organic material doesnt fare well with. It is made of an amalgamation of skin and bone.

Milo also needs another few seconds to de-conjure this barrier. The longer he leaves the barrier up, the more volume his orb loses upon returning to its normal state.

This spell takes up all of Milo's orb to keep up, and he is not capable of casting any other spells while holding the shield up.

CRYSTALS:
A less masterful but way more practical and elegant, Milo prefers to crystallize parts of his orb's energy and blood into crystals. They are sharp, light, but brittle. If Milo puts some work into his craft, they can be rich in their red and black colour and appear like the most precious of rubies, but there's barely enough time for that in combat, so they usually just look like bright red, semi transparent glass.

Those abilities, while they take up some of Milo's orb to use, only use a small portion of it. The exception would be blades, if he reinforces them. This makes it rather costly for Milo to go in and out of this state.

Shards: Milo is able to transform a small portion of his orb into small, sharp crystalline shards, which he can then send into a direction, or disperse them in all directions around himself. This spell ranges about four meters after which it quickly fades.

Blades: Milo can create sharp blades out of his orb. Most often, he does this by covering his forearms with the crystallized blood, forming either blades of some kind or spikes. Milo can reinforce them with dark energy, fighting their limited durability and giving them the properties of steel. This makes the spell longer to perform and for the blades to be recovered back into the orb, as well as taking more of the blood than usual. If reinforced, this spell takes up all of Milo's orb while it is in use.

Milo is also capable of lashing out at another person with a portion of his orb's blood, turning it into a sharp, brittle blade as he does. It disperses after the attack.

Barriers:
Milo is able to quickly crystallize a part of his orb to form a crystalline shield. This shield is only a small one and takes one attack, and depending on the strength of the attack might only dampen the damage instead of blocking it fully. In addition, while when hit with an elemental attack its able to hold off and disperse harmlessly back into blood after, physical hits risk the shield shattering, which can hurt Milo. Milo can also cover his arms with crystallised blood and use them to shield himself, which most often tends to carry at least some of the damage taken onto himself.
DF  Post #: 43
7/23/2021 22:00:56   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 1 Day Remains!

Get those new bios in by 11:59pm EDT by tomorrow, Saturday the 24th! That said, I tend to sleep late on Sundays so as long as it's posted before I wake up, I won't look too closely at the submission time.

@Sylphe - Same Element, new character! I have to say, for everything that Milo has going on with him, he's a rather well balanced creation! We touched base briefly in PMs to confirm the size of the orb (about head-sized), and I'm going to rule that whatever shape the orb takes needs to be contiguous, so it is limited to a single shape of that volume. Be sure to keep in mind the balance between your spell casting and your blood reserves. Approved!

As an aside, the telepathy will not work with those outside of the arena while Milo is within it due to the barriers protecting the spectators.


< Message edited by Starflame13 -- 7/23/2021 22:01:15 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 44
7/24/2021 1:27:46   
Riprose123
Member

Name: Ooaye
Element: Earth
Age: 28
Race: Crystal-Blighted Human

Appearance: Ooaye stands at 6 feet, leanly built and tanned from many years of working military service. Scars and various tattoos are apparent along the visible skin of his torso and face. His brown hair is long and falls below his shoulders, braided tightly together to prevent it from becoming unruly. A large unkempt beard covers a large area of his face. His eyes are a bright green and shine eerily in the dark. Crystal the same shade as his eyes has replaced his arms and legs entirely, shaped like the limbs and extremities they replaced. They appear to be roughly hewed with jagged edges and scratched surface. The crystal has also began encasing his chest and face, climbing up to the beginning of his shoulders, and encasing his abdomen. His chest, upper shoulders and head are all that remain uncovered by crystal. Ooaye wears no clothing, as they were stripped from him and burned when he was declared crystal blighted, and he was not allowed to cover himself so that others would know of his condition. THe crystal on his arms and legs are warm to the touch, and given enough contact to other human flesh can begin to climb and corrupt it as well, though this process would require months of prolonged, continuous contact.

Skills/Abilities:

This Beautiful Disease: The crystal that is slowly encasing his body is both a boon and a curse. The crystal has the same consistency and hardness as common rocks. Blades will dull themselves on his limbs, and while the places that are merely encased can be broken away, it will quickly grow back to cover it's claimed territory. Apart from natural armor, his limbs are also stronger than most humans with similar builds to him, but not to a supernatural degree. Ooaye is constantly fighting the Blight as it advances along his body, and it constantly presses itself subconsciously on him. It is less of a sentient thought in his head, but an alien and ominous entity that slowly forces itself into more of his mindspace. That being said, he can exert his will on it as well, morphing his limbs into different shapes and weapons as needed, without sacrificing more of his body to the crystal. He is limited to one handed melee weapons on each hand or combined 2 handed weapon with both arms, and he cannot fashion ranged weapons. The crystal is however an infinite material that self replicates itself seemingly by magic.

The Stones I've Laid: Ooaye's blighted mind is able to exert itself telekinetically over earth that he is exposed to. He can lift and move stones around him using his mind and a gesture of his hand. However, there are difficulties in this ability. The size of the stone determines how much he must exert himself to move it, and applying any force to it to send it flying will cause him even more exertion. If this ability is pushed to its limits, the Blight claims more of him as it spreads across his body as his willpower wanes. As a rule, if Ooaye could physically lift the rock, it will not cause him negative effects other than general fatigue.

Surrender of the Self: Ooaye is able to give himself to the crystal willingly; his blighted state is only due to a rare willpower and mental fortitude that has allowed him to outlast most. THis will allow him to become completely encased in crystal and seemingly impervious to damage. However, the full effects of the final stage of blight is not well understood and would presumably result in the very least his complete immobilization, and at worse a complete erasure of his Self and assimilation of his physical body by the Crystal Blight.
DF MQ  Post #: 45
7/24/2021 14:38:53   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Will try to get feedback up quickly today to allow folks time to balance better!

Remember: Bios officially close at 11:59pm EDT tonight; so this is your last chance to enter! Unofficially, I tend to sleep in on Sundays - so as long as your bio is posted before I get up, I won't look too closely at the time stamp.

Any bios that have been submitted at that point, but have not yet been approved, will have an additional 24 hours (or until 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, July 25th) to get approval.

@Riprose - Hey Rip! Glad that you were able to squeak in, just a couple quick points I want extrapolated on.

First, just a note that the AE Forums officially maintain a PG rating. As such, I am assuming that the crystals have grown / covered Ooaye in such a way that nothing will be seen that is considered inappropriate. If this is not the case, please put on pants.

As far as the crystals go, I am also making the assumption that any crystal that is broken off (in particular any formed weapons) cannot be re-assimilated into Ooaye's form; and that these fallen crystals cannot then be manipulated via The Stones I've Laid.

Speaking of The Stones I've Laid, we need a maximum limit on both the total amount of rock he can shift, and how far away he can manipulate them. My inclinations are up to twice the amount he could lift/work with as a human, and within 10 feet - but one can be increased if the other is decreased. Also keep in mind that this ability may not be feasible depending on which arena Ooaye is placed in.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 46
7/24/2021 14:59:15   
Ronin Of Dreams
Still Watching...


 “Harrumph. You lot have had me standing in line for far too long. Have you no respect for your elders, mm?”

Name / Title
“Hadin Gan-Kar. Yes, that Gan-Kar. You...you don’t recognize that name? Phah! Youth these days. The Artificer. Crafter of Clockwork Critters. Father of F.E.R.R.E.T.s, and don’t you dare besmirch my son,Lucar-Narash Gan-Kar, by asking ‘What is a F.E.R.R.E.T.?’ to my face. Dearly departed as he is, all the more reason you should show a bit of respect to the father of a Champion. But! For this? I am the Elder of Embers, make no mistake.”


Element
“Embers. Embers, lad! No other element dares to make sense save Fire!”

Age Range
“Oh don’t bother troubling an old man to recall his age. Bad enough to be given an extended lease on life thanks to the machinations of a certain god of evil. You know the one. Popping in every so often in his dapper suit, making decisions on a whim. These old bones might feel like they’re only pushing sixty, but let me tell you right now sonny, the mind remembers a few more decades of wear and tear all the same.

What? Speak up now. Oh, you doubt I’ve made Falerin’s acquaintance? Hah! HAH! Youth, always with disbelief and thinking the elderly off their rocker. Not only have I had the pleasure to call him Friend, not only have I lived in his Abode as his Guest, but he also helped raise my son Talo-Toecan. That would be the First Son, as the whole Menagerie puts it. Not that I don’t have my reservations about Talo’s ‘upbringing’ of sorts among the Seekers of Truth, but I was frankly dead for some of that period myself. Oh now I can hear your minds wrenching to a halt about that. Let’s see, as I recall it was…”

spoiler:


Mmm.

Hmm?

Yes. There we go.

Oh, don’t panic. Really, please don’t. Only I’ve been working on your mindscape for several other registrants now, ever since the rather ostentatiously wealthy fellow. Panic just makes things more difficult you see. Relax! Please?

Yes, we’re in your head. No, I’m not attacking you. Yes, we’re both blathering on and on and on as I retell one of my old man’s more memorable bits of history aloud to you and the rest of the line behind me. Probably frustrating them rather nicely, in fact. Which is good.

As is this! Because, you see? All that’s a lie. Well, my old man intended to enter, but we couldn’t let him. So this whole thing is a bit of a farce. Nonono, I am actually entering, even though I can sense the doubt creeping into your mind. That’s why I’ve set up this little telepathic chat! Because you need to know for the Official Records, and the Arena most assuredly needs to know. The rest? They don’t, and the disguise serves a purpose at any rate. A practical one.


“So, from the top then, fair?”

(For the Sanity of the Director, the real bio officially starts here, outside of spoiler text. Which was just Presentation.)


Name / Title
“Connen-Nuete Gan-Kar. Second Son of Hadin, Scion of the Business, and current holder of the title Elder of Embers despite my father’s protests. Feel free just to have the barkers use that last title for the initial assignment though, please?”

Element
“Fire. Still very much in it with Fire, please and thank you.”

Age Range
“Ugh, this. Right, so by your reckoning I’m in my mid-teens. By the reckoning of the Business and of the Menagerie, I’m practically ancient. Don’t let looks fool you, because while the former is true enough for the sake of physical development I’m decidedly more mature than a human teenager.”


Race
“Speaking of human teenagers...I’m not really a human despite appearances. I’m rather well far beyond a F.E.R.R.E.T. as the Arena might know them, too. Mmmm. Let’s just say a variant human - specifically a ‘Bioandroid’ - for now and I’ll explain the differences.”


Appearance (Build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.)
“Beneath the disguise, I assume? On a good day I stand about 5’8” tall, though on the lean side of that, wearing an embroidered vest for decency sake. Same with a set of voluminous shorts that go just past my knee, because society definitely has a thing for clothes, tied ‘round the waist with a sash. I’ve been told my looks are effeminate despite striking more than one as odd or alien. It’s probably because I keep my hands and feet bandaged up out of sight. Or how my crystal eyes appear black where yours would be white, or the citrine hue of my iris. I know it isn’t because of my hair, a rich mix of fine strands of brass, copper, and gold that I keep tied in a neat and tidy braid. I know, I know, not really helping the whole effeminate trait thing by keeping it long and braided, but I like to tug on it when I’m nervous. It’s comforting, since I lack fur everywhere else until my body grows a bit older.”


Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc.)
“Well, I uh...mm. You know, I didn’t think I brought much, but at the same time? I’ma break it up a bit further okay?”

Fuel for the Fire
“So this will make more sense in a bit, but bear with me. See the riot of grey hair you’re seeing right now is a wig. A very itchy wig. Annoys the heck outta me, but anyway. That’s very flammable. So is my Da’s old cloak of many pockets that I’m wearing. As well as the walking stave I’m carrying - I tested it before I got in line. Carefully. Burned up a good three inches in a heartbeat. That’s all the point, too. I’m not entering into the actual combat disguised - all this is meant to go up in flame as soon as possible. Might even unnerve someone, lighting myself up. But it’s fuel for my special brand of mischief. And while a stave would smack someone, that’s not my style, so don’t mistake it for a weapon.

Even if my Da probably hid a few tricks in it. I mean...heck, I can hear it faintly tick and I know it has to have a trigger or three but I don’t know what they do and I have no desire to figure it out. But it burns great, and I need fuel, so it’ll be fuel and nothing more.”

Ember’s Kiss
“A sash of embersilk threaded with woven strands of orichalcum about, oh, five meters long ish? Give or take a few centimeters. It’s the one currently wrapped ‘round my waist, not actually a belt. Each end has a pouch that I can slip in these two inch ball bearings that I keep in my pocket. Alloy of copper and, you guessed it, orichalcum. Takes heat ever so well and is a bit more hefty than steel but not nearly as weighty as lead. 'Bout two kilo, nice weight to swing, nice size for focused impacts. A touch smaller and lighter than most, I've discovered, but I like the sweet spot I’ve got instead of something heavier..

Long and short of it? Basically it's a liúxing, or a meteor. A flexible weapon noted for unpredictable hammer blows, difficult to cut when given slack - moves with the blade rather than letting it dig in you understand - and hard to track. The shimmer of heat haze redoubles that, while being on fire? Well, not only would that be fitting for a meteor, but fire is eye-catching. Trails the weighted end, too, so if you’re watching the flames it’s even easier to misjudge!

But I don't name it for what it is, it's named after the Dance born from mastering it. That’s...a much longer story than we have time for though, so I’ll move on.”

Shirt of Chainmail
“I may really, really not get the whole armored thing, but I’m also not entirely idiotic to go in bare naked. No, scraps of embersilk clothing don’t really count. It really is just silk made from fire instead of insect byproducts, okay!? So beneath my vest is a light shirt of orichalcum chain mail. Not the impossibly difficult to make indestructible variety either. The alchemically made kind that’s pretty much like steel, only with a very high specific heat capacity. It’s a physics thing, don’t worry too much about it.”


Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities

Altered Biology
“When you get right down to it, despite the differences in our construction, there just isn’t that much different between you and I. Cut me and I bleed, even if it’s more of a blood-oil in my case. It takes about the same amount of force to break my bones, despite the honeycombed metal construction - and I’ve broken my fingers enough to know that. Intentionally. Long story. In any case, different construction for the same relative resistance. I think. Hard to be precisely sure since no one likes to break bones just to find out - myself included! Anyway...

I see through my crystal eyes in the same spectra. The only real notable difference is that I have an extra joint of length in my fingers, which gives me abnormally strong grip strength thanks to simple leverage, and in my feet. Not my toes, it’s between the heel and the...footknuckles? Sorry, anatomy terms aren’t in my wheelhouse, so to speak. I walk more on my toes as a result, and keep both feet and hands bandaged because it just strikes most folk as weird, ya know?”

Martial Skills
“In an attempt to avoid long rambles of history and nostalgia, suffice it to say I’ve had to learn how to fight as a human ever since Da got it into his head that he would compete. Which means I don’t have a full lifetime to my skills, unlike some, but I am a fast learner. Still wish I could’ve learned swordplay from Fulcan or, really, anything from the Seekers...I digress. See, I had to rely on my contacts in Fair Harbour. All the Business knows is tooth and claw and ferretine tricks. Matron Vadoma of the gypsy troupe I perform with there was the one to illuminate me on the possibilities of the Meteor. In this I have a decent mastery after two years of diligent practice - especially since it became an evolution of the dance in a way.

However it also led to a chance encounter with a different sifu. Though I am far, far from a master of martial arts, I'm familiar with the techniques of Kai Men Bají Quán. Somewhat. Okay, so mostly I’m a novice? And, really, my sifu is wanting me to develop my own style incorporating his teachings and my predilection for turning punches into palm strikes. Yongbào Xiyu? Bají Zhang, he wants to call it. As if I had decades to prepare! Mostly lucky we were able to distract Da for two years, honestly. And most of that was spent learning the meteor. Basically, I don’t want to get into fisticuffs, but I’m not entirely defenseless if I do.”

Telepathy
“Oh, right, let’s handle the elephant in the room. Yes, I’m a natural telepath. No, it’s not really something that is combat adjacent. See, when it comes to telepathy, I’m the guy in ridiculously heavy armor. Very robustly defensively oriented, not so easy to mount an offense. I can - and trust me I very much will - pull a mental ventriloquist act if the opportunity arises. ‘Behind you!’ or ‘On your left!’ when they should be paying attention elsewhere. Definitely nothing like what you and I are doing right now, that takes waaaaaaaaaay more time and effort than a fight allows. So don’t worry about that.”

Pyrokinesis
“THIS is what you should worry about. Why I’ve brought along some fuel to burn rather than rely on anything else. See, my style of pyrokinesis? It’s about heat well before it is about fire. Fire is just the natural expression of condensing enough heat energy into a restrained space in the presence of combustible material. Like oxygen. Which we both breathe. And I don’t screw up and let it all explode outward instead.

I haven’t done that since I was a kit, thank-you-very-much.

Given combat is crazy, messy, fast, ugly, and usually involves something being fatal? As much as an artist as I prefer to be, well I just can’t spare the Will and the focus. So outside of holding heat or flame on my person or my gear? I’ve schooled myself in my training to focus on just three expressions...though I suppose it is also useful to mention a key quirk of it all.”

(Pyrokinetic Quirk) My Fire? No Problem.
“The first lesson. Always. ALWAYS. Is pushing heat away from the self. The second lesson is how to move heat around you. It takes a dozen lessons before fire and flame get involved at all. What does that mean, practically speaking? My fire will never burn me. Great for that self-immolating trick with the fuel I mentioned. The keyphrase there, however, is ‘My Fire’. If I don’t have control of the heat, I burn just as badly as the average human. If I lose control of the heat? It has been honed into a reflexive instinct to push it away. Pretty sure you could knock me unconscious and I’d still be unharmed by my fire.

Let’s...let’s not test that theory though. Fair?

It also means that, barring a hot environment, I’m best suited to bringing my own fuel. Which I have! And I’m planning on being limited by it rather than hunting for any non-arcane, non-divine heat sources wherever I wind up. Though if I make my own, that’s fair game to replenish from. Say by lighting abandoned gear on fire. Or corpses. Battlefield cremation is a thing, isn’t it?”

(Pyrokinetic Expression) Firebolt
“Okay. Okay! I know there’s a billion and one versions of an arcane cantrip called this. Trust me, I’ve heard it before. But it’s just the most useful term to carry across the effect! No magic at all in it though, nor divine influences, just a minor effort of Will and a bit of heat. Ambient or otherwise. Let’s me ‘shoot’ a dart of flame. Hits about as hard as shot from a sling, could set something flammable alight but probably won’t do more than singe most clothing honestly. Would leave behind a nasty burn on unprotected skin though! It’s rather easy to draw on ambient heat to fuel this, and it’s a trivial expression of will. But the sling comparison is a bit apt, really - refining the heat compares well to the lag time in loading a sling. Equally comparable for effective ammunition, namely being a non-issue.”

(Pyrokinetic Expression) Too Hot to Handle
“Now if I really, really want to burn up fuel in a desperate pinch? I’ll push heat into what’s touching me, or what I’m grasping. Not delicately, either. This is far from an instinctual expression though, and definitely not immediate. But grappling me may work out in my favor in the long run. I might even use my own grip strength to latch on. Either way, after a couple of seconds, I’ll feel hot to the touch. Which is probably too late to prevent burning, depending on the material. Just...just don’t touch the Ember. Okay? Second and third degree burns are no joke, and I am more than happy not to test my luck up that close and personal. Would burn up my fuel rather fast too, pun totally intended, mind.”

(Pyrokinetic Expression) Whoosh!
“This is sort of a catchall term. Not very descriptive, I’m aware, but...look. I’m a trickster with pyrokinetics. It’s a match made for fun, profit, and distraction! Especially given the primal fear of sudden fire that almost every biological sentient seems to have. Heh. So what is ‘Whoosh’ exactly? Mostly it’s sudden bursts of pushing fire away. Well, heat enough to create the flame. Unless someone decides to breathe it in face first at the precisely wrong moment, won’t do much more than burn some hair. Not a pleasant smell, burning hair. It’s all about the sudden light and sound and noise. Kinda like how a charlatan fire eater might spew flame as a ‘fireball’, just without the burning liquid fuels that make that actually dangerous. An up close thing, mostly to convince someone to not be quite so up close and personal.

Doesn’t mean I can’t make the distraction dangerous for being a distraction. Just that it isn’t the danger factor itself. Fairly taxing on fuel though, and with what I’m bringing. Aside from Firebolts, I probably only have enough for four or five uses of the other two Expressions.

Personality / Backstory (Optional)
“I think you already get me. Don’t you? You should by now, heh. Is there anything I’m forgetting?”
AQ  Post #: 47
7/24/2021 16:08:29   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 @RoninOfDreams - And the Elder of Ember finally takes the stage! Just a few points I want clarification on:

You reference a couple times throughout the bio about setting various gear on fire, specifically the Meteor. I'm going to guess this is possible due to the use of something called embersilk. Silk itself is fairly flammable, so please clarify if the actual cloth are burning away, able to hold flame but remain unharmed, or some other combination that allows for the on-fire gear.

I'm also assuming then that the pyrokinetic abilities require heat drawn from your own fire/fuel, with the exception of Firebolt that references pulling from ambient heat. If that is not the case, let me know! In either case, I'd like to know how that ability (and any others that end up pulling on ambient temperature) is impacted depending on the environment - dry vs. wet, hot vs. cold, etc.

If the assumptions are all correct, feel free to make a stand-alone post just to address the embersilk and environmental questions without a full-bio repost. If other abilities can draw from ambient heat, please repost the bio to specify which. As an aside, it's rare that in-character bios are done well enough to where I can pick them apart enough to balance them, so good job there!
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 48
7/24/2021 18:33:35   
draketh99
Purple Armadillo


 Name / Title: Levanna, Mother of the Thunderstruck Plains

Element: Energy

Age Range: 60

Appearance:

Levanna is a tall and imposing figure, standing six foot four inches tall and weighing in at 240lbs. Her broad shoulders, powerful arms, and sturdy legs all demonstrate a life devoted to defending her home. These strong features are accompanied by a myriad of scars which snake across her brow, arms, and legs. Still not to be outdone by the scars are the murals of bright blue tattoos which whisper tales of millenia forgotten. Her hair, long and graying from what was a rich and silken black, lies tied into a tight braid that ends at the center of her back. A tanned and suntouched complexion compliments two chilling blue eyes.

Her clothing bears brown and green tones, reflecting that of the plains. Atop her simple and pragmatic outfit lies a tanned hide armor. A brown leather vest, pauldrons, vambraces, and grieves adorn her outfit.

Equipment:
Armor - Her tanned hide armor lies thick enough to prevent a blade from cutting right to her skin, provided she’s not struck in the same place twice.

Ironwood Staff - Levanna wields a bo staff made of ironwood. Aside from being as strong as iron or steel, Levanna is able to use this staff to conduct and redirect the flow of electricity it makes contact with.

Ritual Necklace - A necklace made of leather straps lays around Levanna’s neck. Six long fangs are woven into the leather straps with what appears to be human hair. She must sever one of these fangs from the necklace in order to perform a ritual transformation.

[I]Ritual Dagger - An eight inch long stone dagger with a crude, blood red hilt. This dagger is kept in a leather sheath at Levanna’s hip. Instead of expending one of the fangs from her necklace, she may use this dagger to draw her own blood to perform a ritual transformation.


Abilities:

Fruit of the Southern Plains - Levanna no longer ages beyond her current state, and is immune to any magics which might influence her age.

Strength of the Plains’ Mother - After centuries, perhaps millenia defending her title, Levanna has the strength, speed, and reflexes that rival most human athletes in their prime.

Ritual Transformations - Levanna, as Mother of the Plains, is able to call upon any one of the three spirits which carved the rolling plains out of the surrounding mountains. She is able to either expend one of the six charms from her necklace, or draw blood from herself with the Ritual Dagger to draw one of these three spirits into her body. She gains boons and strengths based on which spirit she summons.

Rasht’ya, the Thunder Jackal - Drawing in the strength of the Thunder Jackal, Levanna finds her strength speed raised to a savage degree. A solid punch or kick would snap unprotected ribs. She also bears claws and long fangs in this form, both of which are as strong as stone. Sparks of lightning dance along her claws, strong enough to burn the skin of any touched directly by them. Her eyes shine golden when she holds this form.

Sive the Sky Keeper - Taking in the wisdom of the Sky Keeper, Levanna gains a new degree of grace and agility.She is able to leap up to 15 feet in any direction while she bears this form. Large, sparking sigils shaped like wings appear floating just behind her back. While at least one of these sigils still shines, she can cause lightning to strike a point within 10 feet of her. The ground below the point to be struck will bear a small golden glow for just a moment before the lightning strikes. Causing lighting to strike will expend one of the sparking sigils, which will reform after a few seconds.

Visalis the Struck Viper - Bearing the mark of the Struck Viper, Levanna’s blue tattoos will begin to glow and spark. While in this form, her agility and reflexes are heightened to the point of being able to deflect an arrow or other projectile with her Ironwood Staff should she see it coming. This form also causes electricity to surge through her Ironwood Staff. A direct strike from the staff to the skin can cause burns or even slight numbness on the point struck.
DF  Post #: 49
7/24/2021 19:55:05   
Synthe_
Member
 

 Changelog:
Clarification of wing shape and lack of combat capabilities.
Updated the effects of Reckoner to be more interesting.
Added clarification to Frozen Armory on the maximum use condition, single target for cryokinesis, and effects of hits.

Name: Cassius Pallu
Element: Ice
Title: Lt. Colonel of the 1st Hallowed Assault Battalion
Age: 28

Race: Fallen
A once proud member of a race of angel-like creatures, Cassius has been condemned to live as a ‘Fallen’. This form of punishment is reserved for only the worst murderers, traitors, and heretics. The glowing halo and crystalline wings that adorn his body have been stripped of their light and now have the appearance of blackened ice, and a pair of small horns run along the sides of his head. The halo/wings float in the air around two inches away from Cassius’ body. These wings are not particularly solid, instead taking the form of many ice crystals suspended in the air behind him. The wingspan is approximately 4ft across, and they do not give any advantage besides looking cool. Fallen are identical to humans in terms of vitality, strength, and mobility. The main factor that differentiates Fallen is a distinct weakness to magical effects that target the mind. For example, they can easily become disoriented or influenced by psychic abilities.

quote:

> Sgt. Cassius Palu has been conscripted into your platoon after his arrival in the city of glass. He claims to have been discharged from the holy army as of late, his appearance obviously supporting that claim. In either case, do make sure to keep an eye on him. Recent recruits certainly don’t have the best track record, but this one may end up surprising us.


Appearance:
Cassius is rather slim, just over 6ft tall. He wears a dark grey dress coat, long enough to reach past his knees. It forms an angular, boxy shape around his body and has a deep blue trim along the edges. The shoulders feature decorative black pauldrons of his rank insignia, which are also stitched into the ends of the sleeves. He wears black leather gloves over his hands and a pair of steel-toed boots. He wears his jacket unbuttoned, revealing a black steel plate chestpiece which offers protection to the torso, legs, and upper arms. A short arming sword remains sheathed at his left hip, underneath the jacket. Matching the grey of his jacket, a Colonel’s dress cap covers his dark brown hair. Cut reasonably short, only a small amount of hair is visible beneath the cap, which also covers his horns. Hovering an inch above, Cassius’ blackened halo is slightly smaller in diameter than his head. It is semi-opaque, allowing a small amount of light to refract through it. Made of the same crystal-like material, a small pair of wings hover along the back of his jacket.
A pair of brown eyes contrast Cassius’ otherwise pale complexion. His expression is often an uninteresting stare, absentmindedly glancing around and picking up as many visual details as possible. When talking or in combat, he takes on a much more focused stance, usually fixating on a single person or object. He also prefers to stand with a very rigid posture, characteristic of a military officer. Cassius rarely flinches or makes rapid movements in general, with the exception of engaging in melee combat where he prefers to make sudden, sweeping strikes.

quote:

> Following Staff Sgt. Cassius’ exemplary performance on the eastern front, I would like to put him forward as a candidate for the specialist brigade. He has shown an aptitude for leadership and tactical analysis, in addition to his limited elemental capabilities. Of all the squad leaders to pass under my supervision, this one has shown some of the most promise I have seen in years.


Armor:
While Cassius does wear a set of concealable armor under his jacket, he would much rather keep his enemies out of melee range. The defensive ability afforded by his equipment is more suited to prevent attacks from being outright lethal, rather than allowing him to shrug off a blow. The steel plating would reasonably stop a dagger from piercing it, but would not be able to stop a greatsword from doing serious impact damage. Cassius is also not trained to be able to easily dodge attacks, and would need to deflect or block them using his magical abilities.

quote:

> Good evening Lieutenant. As you know, the General will be stopping by tomorrow morning. Be sure to have your platoon ready to begin the sortie, we have not been told the conditions or objective. Your group has been doing well in practice runs so far, hopefully this will be your opportunity to prove your capability.


Frozen Soul:
Cassius’ main combat capabilities revolve around his cold aura. His natural core temperature and skin is considerably far below the freezing point of water and he has the ability to transfer some of that temperature to objects and the atmosphere around him. He is only able to affect objects within 5ft of him. The heat lost from using this ability does need to go somewhere, so using this ability will raise his core temperature. Freezing liquids is far easier than coalescing and freezing water in the atmosphere, so attempting to create an object out of thin air takes considerable effort. Other factors like abnormally high ambient temperature and generating heat through rapid movements will put additional stress on his abilities.
If his core temperature begins to climb too high, he will become fatigued and suffer effects similar to oxygen deprivation. If temperature continues to rise above the freezing point, he will fall unconscious and quickly asphyxiate. His core temperature will always trend back to its resting point, albeit quite slowly. If Cassius has just barely entered a fatigued state, it will take him at least 30 seconds to return to his base temperature.
Due to this ‘Frozen Soul’, Cassius generally moves at a slow walking pace to keep his temperature down and the air within 15ft of him is noticeably colder than normal.

Frozen Armory:
Cassius can freeze one cubic meter of water and coalesce one cubic foot of ice total from the atmosphere per 30 seconds without suffering any physical consequence. This can either be one single object or several individual ones over the course of the 30 seconds. Using this ability any more than that will begin to cause fatigue, eventually leading to unconsciousness at around three times his limit (Dry conditions will dampen his coalescence abilities while wet conditions facilitate it).
Ice that is created with this ability retains a large amount of energy. This means that when shattered, the ice explodes rather violently and releases the thermal energy stored inside. The range of this explosion is quite negligible, only about a foot, but anything struck by an ice projectile or weapon will become covered in a layer of freezing cold ice. This is cold enough to cause frostbite, pain, and exhaustion on skin contact, but thick armor can afford enough insulation to prevent this. However, repeated chilling of armor plating can cause it to become brittle and lose some of its effectiveness. Glancing blows and smaller projectiles reduce the intensity of this effect.
Objects created with Cassius’ ability can be harmlessly held by himself to be used as melee or throwing weapons, but can also be manipulated with a limited form of cryokinesis. Formed ice can be held within his ability range and propelled towards enemies, but this only applies to objects that he has created and only a single object at a time. The maximum force he can exert on an object accelerates a sword-sized object to around 45mph.

quote:

> Battle Report, Western Conflict yr1502
The enemy has deployed a new element on the field this week. Our momentum moving towards their supply lines has been nearly completely negated due to the combat capabilities of this battalion-sized group. They appear to favor ambush tactics, boxing in our infantry using strong interdiction based deployments, followed by a short and effective attack not dissimilar from an artillery strike. I have informed the adjacent commanders of this new danger, but we are well within their favored territory and they know how to utilize that fact. In addition, whoever leads this group is causing some serious morale damage to our squads. The infantry who escape with their lives return with limbs rendered useless by frostbite, the worst of them barely able to speak. It is for this reason that I request we halt our forward movement on this front until we are able to properly counter this new menace.


Reckoner:
The single-handed arming sword kept on Cassius’ left side officially is not named, but he mentally refers to it as Reckoner. Generally it remains sheathed in a simple black leather scabbard with two silver rings along the top edge. The hilt is an unremarkable steel handle wrapped with black leather. Due to his physical limitations, extended close combat would rapidly raise his temperature. Because of this, Reckoner is only drawn once his enemy has been sufficiently weakened or tired out. Once drawn, a blackened steel sword blade is revealed. It leaves faint wisps of the chilled air behind it and almost seems to bleed a thin mist. It has the same overall capabilities of a normal sword, but wounds from it rapidly freeze over and invoke a strong emotional response in the victim. This response brings any feelings of dread or fear to the forefront and intensifies them. Someone who is not concerned or afraid will not suffer any emotional effects. Armor struck by it will become very cold around the impact area, which will eventually cause it to become quite brittle.

quote:

> That fallen must have some serious hatred for us, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone be that calm while cutting down another soldier. Obviously we knew that they almost never take prisoners over here, but he didn’t even blink when he took the sergeant out. Normally I would assume someone like that is just desensitized, but there was a stone cold determination in that stare. Only someone who knew exactly what they were doing would have a look like that, even worse that they have the capability to achieve whatever goals they have.
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